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Heavy metals can enter into food chain including chicken meat; indeed, several studies have reported their notable concentration in chicken parts. There is enormous consumption trend of broiler chicken in Saudi Arabia, which indicated the requirement of regular screening for possible toxic contaminants. In this investigation, level of seven trace elements in broiler chicken parts collected from Jazan region was measured by ICP-MS. The level of heavy metals were in the range of 0.01-0.04, 0.12-0.59, 1.15-6.32, 12.21-76.41, 0.13-1.63, 0.26-0.60 and 11.28-103.67 mg/kg for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. Results showed that the essential elements such as Fe and Zn detected in higher concentrations as compared to non-essential and toxic elements including Pb and Cd. The results of health-risk assessment showed that intake of heavy metals through consumption of broiler chicken in the tested region is unlikely to pose obvious adverse effects to the consumer population (THQ˂1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propolis is a resinous substance produced by honeybees and used to protect their hives from outside attackers including microorganisms. In present study, propolis sample was collected from adjacent to Jazan city, Saudi Arabia and the chemical constituents of the ethanolic extract was evaluated by GC-MS. The ethanolic extract was tested against selected strains of microorganisms for its antibacterial and antifungal activities. The major classes of compounds indentified in the extract were fatty acid esters and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Methyl-(7Z)-7-hexadecenoate, methyl-(9E)-octadecenoate and methyl tetracosanoate were found to be the principal fatty acid esters, while E-pentatriacont-17-ene and 2,4-dimethylpentane were identified as predominant aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds. The propolis extract has exhibited remarkable antimicrobial activity against certain strains of bacteria and yeasts. In general, significant antimicrobial activity was recorded against gram positive bacteria (zone of inhibition: 16.3±0.35–30.6±0.11 mm; MICs: 1–4 μg/ml); while gram negative bacteria (zone of inhibition: 10.1±0.23–17.2±0.13 mm; MICs: 4–16 μg/ml) and yeasts (zone of inhibition: 9.1±0.23–18.7±0.10 mm; MICs: 2–16 μg/ml) showed comparatively lower susceptibility to propolis extract. The antimicrobial potential of propolis extract could be therapeutically significant and may allow substituting for some antimicrobial agents or synergizing the antimicrobial action, when used in combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drinking water quality plays a remarkable role in human infections and diseases. This study used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques to detect bacterial pathogens. In addition, a physicochemical analysis was performed on drinking water samples from several sources. A total of 123 drinking water samples were collected from different areas in the Jazan region in Saudi Arabia: ground water (40 samples), bottled water (15 samples), tap water (52 samples), and water purification shops (16 samples). To isolate the bacterial pathogens, the water samples were spread on Nutrient and MacConkey agar media, and the grown pathogens were then identified by the 16S ribosomal RNA technique. In 87 (70.7%) of the 123 drinking water samples, therewas no pathogen growth on the twoculture medium. However, 36 (29.3%) of the samples were found to be contaminated with bacteria. The physicochemical analysis indicated that the water samples were within the Saudi drinking water standards. The bacteria were resistant to Cefotaxime, Cefotaxime/Clavulanic acid, Erythromycin, Penicillin G, Rifampin and Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim, respectively. The findings suggest that in Jazan, bottled water is a safer source of potable water than tap water. The contamination in the water may be occurring at the reservoirs rather than the water sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the possible occurrence of some selected pharmaceutical compounds in the groundwater of Jazan area, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Water samples from 46 wells were collected from different sites covering Jazan area of Saudi Arabia between February and March 2017. These samples were first analyzed to investigate the presence of eleven drugs mostly used in the study area. Thereafter, samples were subjected to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) by direct injection and external standard calibration. Results: Despite the low detection limit (0.001 - 0.02 µg/L) applied to the investigated compounds with a variety chemical groups (acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, ibuprofen, metronidazole, caffeine, olmesartan, omeprazole, nifedipine, diclofenac sodium, glibenclamide and loratidine), none of these compounds was detected in any of the analyzed samples. Conclusion: The main source of environmental contamination with pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is wastewater. The results obtained reveal the absence of groundwater contamination by these compounds in Jazan area. However, further extended investigations and monitoring are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetaminophen is the most commonly used drug worldwide for relieving pain and fever. Consequently, it has been detected in groundwater in different areas of the world. In this study, acetaminophen removal from water using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system, operated in the open air, was investigated. Our results show that treating water for only 0.5 min at 1, 5, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg L–1 acetaminophen concentration resulted in the removal of 98.85%, 99%, 89.16%, 42.84%, 33.86% and 32.87% of the initial acetaminophen amount, respectively. These removal rates increased significantly when the treatment duration was extended to 2 min, reaching 100%, 99.40%, 99.66%, 90.62%, 85.89% and 77.09% of the initial amount of acetaminophen at similar concentrations, respectively. The initial pH of the solution causes a negligible variation in the degradation of the acetaminophen; therefore, it was not found as an important parameter. The pH of the solution decreases during the plasma treatment. The final pH of different solution was always within 15%, regardless of the initial concentration. Optical emission spectroscopy of the DBD during operation revealed the prominent reactive species and possible reaction pathways. The acetaminophen removal efficiency of the DBD system used in this study for water treatment is higher than that reported for other systems employed in previous studies. Moreover, as the discharge is generated here in the open air, it is very cost-effective. Further studies are recommended to investigate DBD operated in open air for the removal of other organic pollutants from water [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate, precise, and simple spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of the antithyroid drug carbimazole using ruthenium(III) chloride. This method is based on the formation at room temperature of a stable yellow-colored complex with λmax 370 nm. The method has a Beer's law range of 7.81 to 1.95 × 10² μg mL-1, molar absorptivity coefficient #949; = 1.519 × 10³ L mol-1 cm-1 , and correlation coefficient of 0.997. The metal:ligand (M:L) ratio of the complex was confirmed by the mole ratio and Job's method of continuous variation, suggesting a 1:2 stoichiometry. The formed carbimazole:Ru(III) complex was confirmed by spectral studies, including Fourier transform infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, magnetic susceptibility, thermal analysis, and powder–X-ray diffraction. Our method could be adopted for routine analysis of carbimazole, due to its ease, affordability, and effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presence of heavy metals at high concentrations in edible fish might lead to some health issues for consumers. The current work determined the concentrations of four heavy metals Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu in seawater, gills and muscles of two common fishes, Mugil cephalus and Lethrinus miniatus, collected in summer 2014 from two different areas of Red Sea, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, using ICP-AES after microwave digestion procedure. The concentrations of investigated metals were higher in the gills than in muscles for the two fish species. However, the concentration of zinc was higher than other metals in all samples, in the following order Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd. The average of maximum metal concentration was measured for Zn (11.087 ± 1.672 mg kg-1w.w) in the gills of Lethrinus miniatus, Cu (0.548 ± 0.249 mg kg-1w.w) in the gills of Mugilcephalu, Pb (0.131 ± 0.092 mg kg-1w.w) in the gills of Mugilcephalu, and Cd (0.064 ± 0.017 mg kg-1w.w) in the gills of Lethrinus miniatus. Concentration of investigated metals in water was following the same order in the fish tissues Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd, with a maximum detected concentrations of 0.0233, 0.0085, 0.0059, and 0.0023 mg L-1, respectively. Despite the detection of heavy metals in the edible tissues of investigated fish, the concentrations were within the recommended maximum residual level of FAO/WHO and EU. Therefore, the investigated fish might be considered safe for human consumption. More extended investigations are highly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clotrimazole is a broad-spectrum antimycotic drug used for the treatment of dermatological and gynecological infections; it is incompletely broken down during sewage treatment and could potentially reach agricultural land through the application of municipal biosolids or wastewater. In the absence of any environmental fate data, we evaluated the persistence and dissipation pathways of H-clotrimazole during laboratory incubations of agricultural soils. Clotrimazole was removed from a loam (time to dissipate 50% = 68 d), a sandy loam (time to dissipate 50% = 36 d), and a clay loam (time to dissipate 50% = 55 d), with formation of nonextractable residues being the major sink for H. Their parent compound had no significant mineralization, as evidenced by the lack of formation of HO. Up to 15% of the applied radioactivity was recovered in the form of [H]-(2-chlorophenyl)diphenyl methanol. The rate of clotrimazole dissipation in the loam soil did not vary with moisture content, but it was slower at a lower temperature (number of days to dissipate 50% = 275.6 d at 4°C). Addition of municipal biosolids to the loam soil did not vary the clotrimazole dissipation rate. In summary, the present study has established that clotrimazole is dissipated in soil, at rates that varied with soil texture and temperature. Clotrimazole dissipation was accompanied by the formation of nonextractable residues and detectable extractable residues of the transformation product (2-chlorophenyl)diphenyl methanol. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:582-587. © 2010 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world to control weeds in agricultural and urban areas. Its increasing use requires special attention to its transfer from terrestrial to aquatic environments. However, knowledge on the leaching of glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is scarce. Here we aimed to assess the dynamic interactions between glyphosate sorption and leaching; and to identify the main factors that influence the two processes in three undisturbed agricultural soils using microlysimeters under outdoor conditions. We studied the sorption, desorption and leaching of 14C-labelled glyphosate on three soils using batch experiments in the laboratory and lysimeters under natural conditions for 11 months. The laboratory results showed that glyphosate was strongly adsorbed, yielding empirical constants of Freundlich sorption isotherms (Kf) of 16.6 for the clay loam soil, 33.6 for the silt clay loam soil and 34.5 for the sandy loam soil, with nf close to 1 in all three cases. Glyphosate was also weakly desorbed, i.e. 5 to 24% (w) of initially sorbed glyphosate. Sorption and desorption were only pH-dependent. The outdoor results showed that nearly 70% of the initial glyphosate was present in the soil in a non-extractable form at the beginning of the experiment. Conversely, only less than 20% of the initial glyphosate is present in the soil in a non-extractable form after 11 months. These findings suggest that the non-extractable residues become available and take part in biodegradation and leaching. The amounts of 14C-glyphosate derivatives leached were less than 0.28% of the initially applied glyphosate. HPLC analyses showed that the AMPA metabolite generally represented up to 100% of the residues present in the leachates. The results of leaching were highly influenced by the hydrodynamic properties and the biodegradation capacities of the soils. Although glyphosate residues were found in low concentrations in the leachates for almost a year, the contamination of groundwater does not seem to be a concern, regardless of the soil type, if the herbicide is used in accordance with good agricultural practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TheRuta graveolens L. (Rutaceae) plant is used medicinally as a homeopathic remedy in various areas of the world. In this study, volatile oils were extracted from the areal parts of the plant which was collected from southern India, then investigated for its chemical constituents and antimicrobial activities. The volatile oils were extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus and samples were simultaneously analyzed with GC and GC-MS. As a result, a total of 13 chemical constituents were characterized. Representing 100% of the total oil with 2-ketones are the major groups. The principal components were identified, undecanone-2 (43.66%), 2-nonanone (16.09%), 2-acetoxy tetradecanone (14.49%), and nonyl cyclopropanecarboxylate (9.22%), respectively. The extracted volatile oil showed antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, resulting in a number of common human pathogenic bacteria including methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusand the yeastCandida albicans. The zone of inhibition is from 12.57 ± 0.03 to 27.10 ± 0.02 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were within the antimicrobial activity range and varied between 0.70 ± 0.04 and 1.58 ± 0.05 μg/mL. The essential oil showed maximum antifungal activity (35.10 ± 0.02 mm) againstCandida albicans. This study indicates thatR. graveolens L.essential oils could be used as a natural medical application in antimicrobial and antifungal treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]