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ABSTRACT: Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a significant pollutant found in food and feed, posing a threat to public health. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LACP) against AFB1 in growing rabbits by investigating growth, serum metabolites, immunity, antioxidant capacity, and inflammatory response. A total of 60 growing male rabbits (721.5 ± 2.68g) were allocated to 4 experimental groups. The control group receiving only a basal diet, the AFB1 group (0.3 mg AFB1/kg diet), the LACP group (1 × 109 cfu/g /kg diet), and the combination group (1 × 109 cfu/g + 0.3 mg AFB1/kg diet; AFB1+ LACP) for 8 wk. The administration of AFB1 alone significantly decreased the final body weight, body gain, and feed intake, while significantly increasing the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05). A significant decline in total proteins and globulins, along with elevated levels of hepatic enzymes (AST, ALP, ALT, and GGT) and renal function markers (creatinine and uric acid), were observed in the AFB1-contaminated group (P < 0.05). Immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) were significantly decreased, alongside a significant elevation of triglycerides, direct bilirubin, and indirect bilirubin in growing rabbits fed diets with AFB1 (P < 0.05). Supplementing the AFB1 diet with LACP restored the growth reduction, improved liver (AST, ALP, ALT, and GGT) and kidney (creatinine and uric acid) functions, and enhanced immune markers in rabbit serum (P < 0.05). Antioxidant indices (SOD, GSH, and CAT) were significantly decreased in the AFB1 group (P < 0.05). However, the addition of LACP to the AFB1-contaminated diets improved antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonylation (PC) in hepatic tissues of rabbits (P < 0.05). Serum interlukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) levels were significantly increased in the AFB1 group (P < 0.05), but the addition of LACP significantly reversed this elevation. AFB1 downregulated the expression of immune-inflammatory genes such Nrf2, IL-10, and BCL-2 genes, while up-regulating the caspase-3 (CASP3) gene (P < 0.05). Supplementing AFB1 diet with LACP significantly decreased the expression of immune-inflammatory genes (Nrf2, IL-10, and BCL-2) and reduced the expression of the apoptotic-related gene CASP3. This study highlights the potential of L. plantarum (1 × 109 cfu/g /kg diet) as a protective agent against AFB1 in growing rabbits by enhancing antioxidant and immune function and reducing apoptosis and inflammation pathways.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is commonly used worldwide as a food flavour enhancer by the food industry. The current study investigated the in vivo toxic effects of MSG on the uterus in adult female Sprague Dawley rats and in vitro using MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, computational toxicity and molecular docking. The average levels of progesterone and oestrogen in the MSG-treated animals significantly altered. Besides, the average uterine lumen area (μm2) was smaller than the control group. MSG showed high-affinity binding to acetylcholine receptors and disrupted the normal nerve signal with a predicted LD50 of 4500 mg/kg. MSG also demonstrated good binding affinity to human oestrogen receptors beta and some other proteins that have an oxidative stress role in the female reproductive organs. Therefore, a precaution should be taken when utilising this compound, especially for females under the risk factor of hormonal abnormality.

Novel mononuclear complexes 2–8 derived from hybrid Urea Schiff base HL were synthesized using various metal Ni2+, Fe3+, Cu2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Cr3+. The results revealed the ligand HL reacts with metal ions as monobasic or neutral monodentate chelator it via the nitrogen of azomethine and deprotonated/protonated phenolic oxygen atom adopting octahedral geometry. The elemental analysis of the complexes showed the bonding of the ligand with the metal ions in a ratio of 1: 1 in all-metal complexes. XRD analysis of the ligand and its complexes indicate a monoclinic, tetragonal, orthorhombic corresponding to urea Shiff base (1) and zinc complex (7), nickel complex (2), and cobalt complexes (5), respectively. The bioactivity of synthesized compounds was tested and screened against three cancer cell lines PC3 (prostate), SK-OV-3 (ovarian), and HeLa (cervical). The results revealed a weak activity for the ligand, whereas nickel and iron complexes present moderate activities against three cancer cells. The best results were mentioned with copper and proved the best results against three cancer cells PC3, SKOV3, and HeLa displaying an excellent activity with IC50 values of 0.71 ± 0.06, 0.12 ± 0.06, and 0.79 ± 0.23 μg/mL respectively. Moreover, the urea Schiff base complexes showed good safety in vivo toxicity test. The present study demonstrates that all urea Schiff base complexes is inactive against saint tissue and five metal complexes investigated herein can be effective and promising chemotherapeutic drugs for ovarian cancer cell SKOV3, emphasizing the copper-urea Schiff base complex.

Objective: To investigate the knowledge and perceptions of final-year medical students in the Yemeni universities about generic medicines. Methods: A two-month cross-sectional survey was conducted among final-year medical students in three Yemeni universities; Sana’a University, University of Science and Technology and Thamar University in 2013. Results: One hundred and sixty-five medical students out of 270 responded to the present study, with a response rate of 61.1%. More than 60% of medical students were not introduced to bioequivalence of generic medicines during their undergraduate study, and 80.0% of them had a low desire to inquire about it during their study. In addition, more than 60.0% of them were unaware of the similarity of generic medicines to their brand equivalents in dosage form and dose. More than three-quarters of the medical students incorrectly perceived that generic medicines are inferior in quality (80.0%), less effective (58.0%) and with more side-effects (47.8%) than their brand equivalents. The medical students in the present disagreed about the need for more information on the safety and efficacy of generic medicines. Conclusions: Yemeni students need to further enhance their awareness and expand their knowledge about the concepts and principles of bioavailability and bioequivalence of generic medicines if they are to contribute appropriately to generic medicine use.

Background Auditors during COVID-19 experienced an unprecedented situation, in which normal audit activities were difficult to conduct. Moreover, COVID-19 forced auditors to introduce a new audit approach, “remote auditing,” which was not common in most audit firms and required the adoption of more advanced technologies. Overall, auditors during the COVID-19 pandemic needed both cognitive and technical factors to deliver high-quality audits. Despite these challenges, research on how auditors deal with these issues is limited, presenting an intriguing area of study. Methods This dataset provides insights into Saudi auditors’ experience and beliefs regarding audit activities during COVID-19. Through an online survey, researchers collected data from 193 of 417 registered auditors with the Saudi Organization for Chartered and Professional Accountants (SOCPA). The survey assessed auditors’ self-efficacy in conducting audits during the pandemic and explored its sources and potential moderating factors. Specifically, the dataset includes responses to eight items related to self-efficacy, 19 items covering four common sources of self-efficacy (mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and physiological/emotional states), and six items assessing virtual audit competency. Additionally, the dataset contains demographic information that is valuable for researchers analyzing the relationship between auditor self-efficacy, its sources, and other influencing factors. Conclusions Overall, the dataset included in this study may serve a broader audience and be useful in improving several stakeholders’ understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on auditors and how auditors assess their ability to adapt to COVID-19 consequences. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting the need for auditors to adapt to new circumstances and adopt innovative approaches during challenging times, thereby ensuring the delivery of high-quality audits.

This paper presents an experimental/numerical methodology which aims to improve 3D welded tube considering their anisotropic effect, deometrical singularities found in the welded joint, and heat affected zone behaviour by hydroforming process. This process contributes to reduce the number of welding and assembly operations needed to generate complex structures, while improving the weight saving and quality of finished parts. In spite of the advances in the performance of this manufacturing technology, some problems are linked to particularities of certain raw materials and additional studies must be developed, like in the case of welded tubes. The experimental study is dedicated to the identification of stress-strain flow of the base metal and the heat-affected zone from the global measure of tube investigate the heat affected zone mechanical behaviour. Workpiece behaviour's models used to simulate the expansion tests, made it possible to highlight the combined effects of the inhomogeneous behaviour of basic material and heat affected zone, as well as the geometrical singularities found in the welded tubes. From the simulations carried out, it is clear the influence of the plastic flow behaviour of the welded tube in the final results (thickness distribution, stress instability, tube circularity, critical thinning and rupture).

Background Auditors during COVID-19 experienced an unprecedented situation where normal audit activities became difficult to conduct. Moreover, COVID-19 forced auditors to introduce a new audit approach, “remote auditing,” which was not common in most audit firms and required the adoption of more advanced technologies. Overall, auditors during COVID-19 needed both cognitive and technical factors to deliver high-quality audits. Despite the challenges, research into how auditors dealt with these issues is limited, presenting an intriguing area of study. Methods This dataset provides insights into the Saudi auditor’s experience and beliefs regarding audit activities during COVID-19. Through an online survey, researchers collected data from 193 out of 417 registered auditors with the Saudi Organization for Chartered and Professional Accountants (SOCPA). The survey assessed the auditors’ self-efficacy in conducting audits during the pandemic, exploring its sources and potential moderating factors. Specifically, the dataset includes responses on eight items related to self-efficacy, 19 items covering the four common sources of self-efficacy (mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and physiological/emotional states), and six items assessing virtual audit competency. Additionally, the dataset contains demographic information valuable for researchers analysing the relationship between auditor self-efficacy, its sources, and other influencing factors. Conclusions Overall, the dataset included in this article may serve a broader audience and be useful in improving several stakeholders’ understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on auditors and how auditors assess their ability to adapt to the COVID-19 consequences. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting the need for auditors to adapt to new circumstances and adopt innovative approaches during challenging times, thereby ensuring the delivery of high-quality audits.