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The present study was carried to determine the efficacy of gamma radiation on different developmental stages of the powder post beetles, Lyctus africanus Lesne (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae). The lethal dose of gamma radiation for larvae, pupae, and adults was determined. Mortality following irradiation of larvae was significantly high at all doses of irradiation. No adults emerged from larvae irradiated at 80 and 100Gy. On the other hand, the losses in wood weight decreased with increasing gamma doses. Irradiated pupae with all radiation doses (20 to 100Gy) had no effect on adult emergence. Exposing pupae to different gamma irradiation doses (20 up to 100Gy) showed morphological changes. Adults of L. africanus irradiated with the doses of 120 and 140Gy died soon after emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical composition of the essential oil from Thuja orientalis and its fumigant activity were investigated against the faba bean beetle, Bruchidius incarnatus (Boh.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Thuja essential oil was analyzed by GC-MS. Eighteen components were identified. Constituents present in more than 0.94% were the ones identified. The major constituents were Trans Caryophyllene (14.23%), α-pinene (11.14%) and α-Cedrol (10.94%). Data clearly showed that higher concentrations of Thuja essential oil to different developmental stages of B. incarnatus led to lower percentage of adult emergence and they were concentrating dependent. Reduction percentage of emerged adults from treated 1-d-old eggs increased significantly up to 65.7% at the concentration 50μl. No adults emerged from larvae treated with the highest concentration (30μl). Reduction percentage of adults emerged from treated pupae reached 91.9% at the highest concentration (30μl) compared to 0% in the control. There was a direct cforrelation between oil concentrations and mortality percent of adults under exposure periods (24 and 48h), especially at higher concentrations. Mortality percent recorded 100% mortality after 1 day from treatment, after removal the vapor source at the concentration of 30µl and exposure period of 48h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CH fragment ion produced from toluene, n-propylbenzene and acetophenone have been studied using an electron impact technique. The ionization efficiency data have been treated by the inverse convolution first differential technique. First and higher appearance energies for ions produced from the three precursors are reported. The heats of formation for the ions obtained at threshold from the three molecules are calculated [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field ionization mass spectrum of diethylamine on a 5 μm activated wire at 300 K yields surface product ions like protonated molecular ions and doubly charged ions as well as gas phase ions like parent minus CH3 group. Variations of the reaction rate as a function of the decomposition times in the range 10−11-10−6 s for the elimination of a CH3 group are studied. The reaction rates are evaluated with the help of the retarding potential technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water and ethanolic extracts of Moringa oleifera leaves were examined under laboratory conditions against the 4th instar larvae of Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) (normal larvae and F1 of irradiated parent as full-grown male pupae with 100Gy). Obtained data revealed that both extracts possessed toxic prosperities against S. littoralis larvae. According to LC50 and LC90 values, the ethanolic extract was more effective than the water extract. Moreover, the efficacy of the ethanolic extract was more prominent when used against F1 larvae resulted from irradiated parent as full-grown male pupae with 100Gy, since it recorded (98%) mortality versus (84%) mortality after 3 days of the treatment with ethanolic and water extracts, respectively. Among all treatments there was a significant decrease in food consumption, remarkable in F1 larvae resulted from irradiated parent (as full-grown male pupae with 100Gy) feed on castor leaves treated with ethanolic extract. In addition, the results exposed that both gamma ray and M. oleifera leaf extracts showed varying degree of feeding deterrence. Combination of gamma ray and ethanolic extract exposed the highest antifeedant activity (54.65%). Subsequently, water and ethanolic extracts of M. oleifera leaves (alone or in combination with gamma ray) are safe and promising against S. littoralis larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin cancer is a widespread type of cancer representing 30% of all cancer types worldwide. Resveratrol (RSV) is an anticancer drug used for skin cancer treatment. Several limitations of RSV such as poor aqueous solubility, first-pass metabolism, and instability limit their topical use. The study aimed to develop and optimize RSV-loaded invasomes for topical administration as well as assess their efficacy in vivo. The optimized RSV-loaded invasomes showed small particle size (208.7 ± 74 nm), PDI (0.3 ± 0.03), high % entrapment efficiency (77.7 ± 6%), and negative zeta potential (-70.4 ± 10.9 mV). They showed an initial burst effect followed by controlled drug release for 24 h. RSV-loaded invasomal gel revealed the highest skin deposition percentage (65%) in ex vivo rat skin, the highest potency (low IC 50 of 6.34 μg/mL), and the highest cellular uptake when tested on squamous cancerous cells (SCCs) when compared to other formulations. The antitumor effect of topical RSV-loaded invasomes was also evaluated in vivo in Ehrlich-induced mice models. The results revealed that RSV-loaded invasomal gel exhibited the smallest tumor volume with no signs of organ toxicity indicating its safety in skin cancer treatment. Upregulation of BAX and Caspase-3 gene levels and downregulation of NF-kB and BCL2 protein levels were demonstrated using RT-PCR and ELISA tests, respectively. Interestingly, the present study is the first to develop RSV-loaded invasomal gel for topical skin cancer treatment. According to our results, invasomes are considered promising lipid-based nanosystems for topical RSV delivery having high skin penetration ability and anticancer effect in the treatment of skin carcinoma., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Culex pipiens mosquitoes are the primary vector of the West Nile virus worldwide and have a wide distribution. To avoid the development of resistance in insect pests to conventional synthetic pesticides, there have been many attempts to study botanical pesticides. The increasing resistance of insect pests to synthetic pesticides is a threat to the diversity of ecosystems, which makes the study of botanical pesticides all the more important. The study aimed to determine the efficacy of Thuja orientalis essential oil irradiated with 1, 3 and 5 KGy compared to unirradiated T. orientalis as larvicidal agents against the third instar larvae of C. pipiens using six different concentrations (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 ppm) and as an adulticidal agent against approximately three-day-old female adults 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 1 and 2%. The results generally showed that the irradiated essential oil with 5 KGy had the highest efficacy by LC 50 (20.16 ppm) followed by essential oil irradiated with 3 and 1 KGy (LC 50 , 23.16 and 26.00 ppm, respectively) compared to unirradiated ones (LC 50 , 27.28 ppm) after 24 h from the exposure for the third instar larvae. The knockdown effect for adults increased significantly with higher concentrations of the oil, across different exposure times ranging from 5 to 60 min. The time to knock down 100% of mosquito population to Thuja orientalis essential oils at the highest concentration 2% were 20 min at 0, 1, and 3 KGy and 10 min at 5 KGy. Our results indicate that gamma irradiation of T. orientalis fruit improves the efficacy of their essential oil against Culex pipiens and the irradiated oil could be successfully used for management of these insects. The head capsule, antenna, and the last abdominal segments of the 3rd instar larvae exposed to the essential oil of unirradiated or irradiated Thuja orientalis unripe were examined by the scanning electron microscope (SEM)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To determine the effects of gamma radiation on the melanization process and phenoloxidase activity, Ephestia cautella larvae were exposed to dosages of 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 Gy. After irradiation, the number of non melanized larvae and the number exhibiting a slight melanization usually increased. The degree of melanization in treated larvae differed significantly from untreated larvae. The amount of melanin usually decreases as the dosage increases and as time passes after the treatment. The results of the phenoloxidase assay indicate that the enzyme activity responds differently to radiation. For instance, at doses of 200, 400, and 800 Gy, the enzyme activity remained consistent in both control and irradiated larvae. However, at doses of 600 and 1000 Gy, the enzyme activity increased to 14.92 and 13.37 O.D. units, respectively, compared to 8.81 O.D. units in the control. In order to determine if irradiated larvae have been previously exposed to ionizing radiation, a quick and easy test based on phenoloxidase activity or the melanization response is presented for use in quarantine treatment. Histological changes, specifically in the pigment granules of melanin, were studied using a light microscope. Upon inspection of the unirradiated larvae, it was observed that brown melanin pigment granules were deposited in the epicuticle and exocuticle layers of the cuticle. When gamma radiation dosages were administered to larvae, it was observed that the melanin pigment gradually diminished until it vanished at the highest dose (1000 Gy)., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Museums preserve historical cultural artifacts and serve as an essential resource for current and future generations seeking first-hand knowledge about the diversity of life on Earth. However, significant changes in climate from temperature and humidity cause serious biotic degradation. Despite ongoing insect control treatments, insect pests are still a major problem for museums due to the lack of suitable and unsafe environments that are provided for the storage and display of the collection. The varied carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) is one of the major stored product pests whose larvae cause serious damage to household items and museum specimens. Therefore, this research aims to study the effect of gamma radiation on the larval, pupal and adult stages. The effects of gamma radiation have been studied on 3rd instar larvae (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 Gy). The results showed that mortality in the larval stage significantly increased with increasing gamma radiation dose, which was reflected in the eclosion of the adult stage. The exposure of one-day-old pupae to 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 Gy of gamma radiation showed that the higher the dose, the lower the percentage of adult emergence. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the percentage of mortality in A. verbasci adults with increasing radiation doses when the newly emerged adults were irradiated with 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 Gy. The LD 50 and LD 90 of gamma radiation doses on larvae, pupae and adults were calculated, and the malformations in all stages were photographed. The fecundity and fertility of A. verbasci adults that were exposed to radiation as one-day-old pupae decreased gradually with increasing doses of gamma radiation and reached 100% sterility when exposed to a dose of 150 Gy. Among all the treatments, the sterile dose (150 Gy) or lethal dose (1000 Gy) showed superior performance over other treatments and was adjudged as the best treatments, which prevented the subsequent development and complete mortality of the pest., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening illness which may progress to chronic pulmonary fibrosis (CPF). Resveratrol (RSV), a natural polyphenol, is known to exert several pharmacological effects on lung injury. However, its physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetic profile limit its clinical applications. In this study, RSV was loaded into lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) aiming to overcome these limitations. RSV-LNCs were prepared by phase inversion method and showed small uniform particle size (∼55 nm, PdI 0.04) with high entrapment efficiency >99%. The efficacy of RSV-LNCs in the prophylaxis against ALI and treatment of CPF was investigated in bleomycin-induced lung injury. For assessment of ALI, rats were administered a single oral dose of RSV (10 mg/kg) either free or as RSV-LNCs 4 h before bleomycin and euthanized 3 days later. For CPF, treatments in the same dose were given daily from days 10-20 after bleomycin and rats were euthanized on day-21. Results showed enhanced beneficial role for RSV-LNCs, compared to RSV, in the prevention of ALI as demonstrated by preservation of pulmonary microscopic and ultrastructural architecture and improvement of pulmonary functions. Analysis of BALF revealed reduction in oxidative stress markers, IL-6 level, leukocytosis and neutrophilia. iNOS and c-caspase 3 immunohistochemical expression and CD68 + cells immunofluorescence were inhibited. However, RSV-LNCs failed to show any improvement in oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, apoptosis and collagen deposition in CPF. In conclusion, RSV-LNCs are promising nanoplatforms for mitigating ALI detrimental effects. Future research investigating higher doses and longer durations of treatment is recommended to evaluate RSV-LNCs anti-fibrotic potential in CPF.

Morphology, distribution and function of the sensilla associated with mouthparts of female mosquito, Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) were studied by using the scanning electron microscope. The female mosquito mouthpart is a piercing and sucking type and carrying many sensory organs which plays major role in host seeking, and oviposition behaviour of mosquitoes. Six types of mouthpart sensilla have been identified and described, Sensilla trichoidea, chaetica, basiconica, Capitate peg, campaniformia and squamiformia. Females mosquito were irradiated as pupae with 20, 40 and 80 Gy of gamma radiation to investigate their effect on mouthparts sensilla. Dose of 20 Gy had slight effect on the different types of the sensilla as compared with the control. Features of malformation observed in the maxillary palp segments at this radiation dose include falling of some scales (sensilla squamiformia) at certain parts of the 1st segment leaving vacuoles. At 40 Gy, the maxillary palp segments were liquefied in some areas leaving undistinguished shape. At the highest dose 80 Gy, the tip of labial palps had many tears and showed were most affected, especially, at the trichoid, basiconic and chateica sensilla. All these malformations may lead the mosquitoes to not reaching the host, impeding their ability to transmit diseases or killing the mosquitoes, and this is the main objective of this study., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

To investigate the effect of Gamma radiation on the reproductive systems of emerged female and male of Ephestia cautella (Walker) moths, mature pupae of both sexes were irradiated with doses of 50, 100 and 150 Gy. Histological study of the treated individuals showed in females that the ovaries appear sever damage in the follicular epithelium at all doses, which become thinness and separated from developing oocytes, moreover, some of the nurse cells were rupture. In males which treated with 150 Gy, it was noticed retardation in the stages of spermatogenesis and few numbers of sperm bundles and their dispersion in the testicular follicles' adults, on the other hand, the doses of 50 and 100 Gy showed little or moderate effects on the structure of the testis contents., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a worldwide etiology of chronic hepatic insult particularly in Egypt. DNA-repair systems are responsible for maintaining genomic integrity by countering threats posed by DNA lesions. Deficiency in the repair capacity due to genetic alterations in DNA-repair genes can lead to genomic instability and increased risk of cancer development. The present work aimed at studying the possible association between XRCC1-G28152A (rs25487), XRCC3-C18067T (rs861539), and XRCC7-G6721T (rs7003908) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egyptian population. The study was conducted on 100 newly diagnosed HCC patients and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Laboratory workup revealed that all HCC patients have chronic hepatitis C viral infection. Genotyping of the studied SNPs was performed by real-time PCR. The heteromutant genotype of XRCC1 (GA) conferred an almost two-fold increased risk of HCC (OR ,  2.35; 95% CI, 1.33-4.04). Regarding XRCC7, the heteromutant (TG) genotype conferred a two-fold increased risk of HCC (OR ,  2.17; 95% CI, 1.23-3.82). Coinheritance of the polymorphic genotypes of XRCC1 and 7 was significantly higher in HCC cases than controls and was associated with an 11-fold increased risk of HCC (OR , 11.66; 95% CI,  2.77-49.13). The frequency of XRCC3 polymorphic genotypes in HCC patients was close to that of the controls., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: In patients with diabetes, better health communication is associated with better health outcomes including medication adherence and glycaemic control. The conventional patient information leaflet does not consider the cultural and behavioral perspectives of diverse patient populations. Consumer medicine information (CMI) is a written information about the prescription drugs developed by organisations or individuals other than a drug manufacturer that is intended for distribution to consumers at the time of medication dispensing., Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of CMI on medication adherence and glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes in Qatar., Methods: We developed and customised CMI for all the anti-diabetic medications used in Qatar. A randomised controlled trial in which the intervention group patients (n = 66) received the customised CMI with usual care, while the control group patients (n = 74) received usual care only, was conducted. Self-reported medication adherence and haemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ) were the primary outcome measures. Glycaemic control and medication adherence parameters were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months in both groups. Medication adherence was measured using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8)., Results: Although the addition of CMI resulted in better glycaemic control, this did not reach statistical significance, possibly because of the short-term follow-up. The median MMAS-8 score improved from baseline (6.6 [IQR = 1.5]) to 6-month follow-up (7.0 [IQR = 1.00]) in the intervention group. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between the intervention and the control groups in terms of MMAS-8 score at the third visit (7.0 [IQR = 1.0]) vs 6.5 (IQR = 1.25; P-value = .010)., Conclusion: CMI for anti-diabetic medications when added to usual care has the potential to improve medication adherence and glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, providing better health communication and CMI to patients with diabetes is recommended., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The importance of providing accurate medication information that can be easily comprehended by patients to subsequently best use their medication(s) has been widely reported in the literature. Patient information leaflet (PIL) is a supporting tool aiding patients to make decisions about their treatment plan and improve patient-clinician communication and thus medication adherence. PIL is the written document produced by the pharmaceutical manufacturers and packed with the medicine. The available PILs do not consider cultural and behavioral perspectives of diverse populations residing in a country like Qatar. Consumer medication information (CMI) is written information about prescription drugs developed by organizations or individuals other than a drug's manufacturer that is intended for distribution to consumers at the time of drug dispensing., Objective: To investigate the impact of customized CMI (C-CMI) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Qatar., Methods: This was a randomized controlled intervention study, in which the intervention group patients received C-CMI and the control group patients received usual care. HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire and EQ visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) at three intervals [i.e. baseline, after 3 months and 6 months]., Results: The EQ-5D-5L index value for the intervention group exhibited sustained improvement from baseline to the third visit. There was a statistically significant difference between groups in the HRQoL utility value (represented as EQ index) at 6 months (0.939 vs. 0.796; p = 0.019). Similarly, the intervention group compared with the control group had significantly greater EQ-VAS at 6 months (90% vs. 80%; p = 0.003)., Conclusions: The impact of C-CMI on health outcomes of T2DM patients in Qatar reported improvement in HRQoL indicators among the intervention patients. The study built a platform for health policymakers and regulatory agencies to consider the provision of C-CMI in multiple languages., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Irisin is an exercise-induced myokine that could play a role in post-myocardial infarction (MI) cardiac rehabilitation., Aim of the Study: We investigated the ability of dihydromyricetin to mimic the effects of exercise on raising serum irisin and on enhancing cardiac function and remodeling following MI in rats., Methods: MI was induced in albino rats by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (85 mg/kg) for 2 consecutive days at an interval of 24 h. One week post-MI, rats either underwent physical exercise by running on a motor-driven treadmill at 25 m/min, 30 min/d, 5 d/week or received orally dihydromyricetin 100 mg/kg/d, for 8 weeks., Results: Exercise and dihydromyricetin raised serum irisin 1.8 and 1.9 folds as compared to sedentary rats (p <0.001) with no difference between both regimens (p = 0.992). There was an improvement of cardiac remodeling where β-myosin heavy chain level was not different in exercise and dihydromyricetin groups from normal group (p = 0.695, p = 0.470). The heart rate variability domains increased back to normal. However, exercise was superior to dihydromyricetin in improving cardiac contractility by increasing carotid blood flow, stroke volume and cardiac output to be insignificant from normal rats (p = 0.899, p = 0.850, p = 0.912). Meanwhile, treatment with dihydromyricetin showed reduction by 29% of carotid blood flow, 24% of stroke volume and 25% of cardiac output compared to normal rats (p <0.001)., Conclusions: DHM could mimic the effect of exercise in stimulating irisin secretion but it is not as effective as exercise in improving myocardial contractility., (Copyright © 2019 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We compared the protective effects of melatonin and montelukast against cisplatin-induced testicular damage. Adult male rats were assigned to one of four groups: a control group, a cisplatin (Cis) group treated with a single intraperitoneal injection of 7 mg/kg cisplatin, a cisplatin + melatonin group (Cis-Mel) and a cisplatin + montelukast group (Cis-Mon) each treated with the same dose of cisplatin together with either oral melatonin (20 mg/kg) or oral montelukast (10 mg/kg) in 2 ml water from day 1 to day 10 starting on the day of the cisplatin injection. Cisplatin-induced oxidative stress, with a significant increase in testicular malonedialdehyde (MDA), decreased testicular glutathione (GSH), histological testicular damage and body weight loss. Additionally, increased abnormal sperm forms and decreased count and motility were noted. Melatonin and montelukast both rescued GSH concentrations, increased sperm count and motility and decreased abnormal forms. Montelukast resulted in better rescue of weight loss, while greater improvement in sperm count and testicular pathology, and a trend for decreased MDA were noted with melatonin. These findings suggest that melatonin and montelukast protect against different aspects of cisplatin-induced toxicity. Future studies should assess whether both drugs may have additive benefit when used in combination., (© 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

The symbiotic relationship between cnidarians and dinoflagellates is the cornerstone of coral reef ecosystems. Although research has focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying this symbiosis, the role of epigenetic mechanisms, that is, the study of heritable changes that do not involve changes in the DNA sequence, is unknown. To assess the role of DNA methylation in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis, we analyzed genome-wide CpG methylation, histone associations, and transcriptomic states of symbiotic and aposymbiotic anemones in the model system Aiptasia. We found that methylated genes are marked by histone 3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3) and show significant reduction of spurious transcription and transcriptional noise, revealing a role of DNA methylation in the maintenance of transcriptional homeostasis. Changes in DNA methylation and expression show enrichment for symbiosis-related processes, such as immunity, apoptosis, phagocytosis recognition, and phagosome formation, and reveal intricate interactions between the underlying pathways. Our results demonstrate that DNA methylation provides an epigenetic mechanism of transcriptional homeostasis that responds to symbiosis.

Background and Objective: Clinical response to methotrexate in cancer is variable and depends on several factors including serum drug exposure. This study aimed to develop a population pharmacokinetic model describing methotrexate disposition in cancer patients using retrospective chart review data available from routine clinical practice., Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted for cancer patients in Qatar. Relevant data (methotrexate dosing/concentrations from multiple occasions, patient history, and laboratory values) were extracted and analyzed using NONMEM VII ® . A population pharmacokinetic model was developed and used to estimate inter-individual and inter-occasion variability terms on methotrexate pharmacokinetic parameters, as well as patient factors affecting methotrexate pharmacokinetics., Results: Methotrexate disposition was described by a two-compartment model with clearance (CL) of 15.7 L/h and central volume of distribution (V c ) of 79.2 L. Patient weight and hematocrit levels were significant covariates on methotrexate V c and CL, respectively. Methotrexate CL changed by 50 % with changes in hematocrit levels from 23 to 50 %. Inter-occasion variability in methotrexate CL was estimated for patients administered the drug on multiple occasions (48 and 31 % for 2nd and 3rd visits, respectively)., Conclusion: Therapeutic drug monitoring data collected during routine clinical practice can provide a useful tool for understanding factors affecting methotrexate pharmacokinetics. Patient weight and hematocrit levels may play a clinically important role in determining methotrexate serum exposure and dosing requirements. Future prospective studies are needed to validate results of the developed model and evaluate its usefulness to predict methotrexate exposure and optimize dosing regimens.

Several lines of evidence point to the association of vitamin D deficiency with the different components of metabolic syndrome. Yet, the effect of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic syndrome is not clearly elucidated. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that administration of vitamin D, either alone or in combination of metformin can improve metabolic and structural derangements associated with metabolic syndrome. Fifty wistar rats were randomly assigned to serve either as normal control (10 rats) or metabolic syndrome rats, by feeding them with a standard or a high fat diet (HFD), respectively. Metabolic syndrome rats were further assigned to receive either vehicle, Metformin (100mg/Kg orally), vitamin D (6ng/Kg SC.) or both, daily for 8 weeks. Body weight, blood pressure, serum glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, lipid profile, oxidative stress, serum uric acid and Ca +2 were assessed at the end of the study. Histopathological examination of hepatic, renal and cardiac tissues were also performed. Treatment with vitamin D was associated with a significant improvement of the key features of metabolic syndrome namely obesity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia with a neutral effect on Ca +2 level. When combined with metformin, most of the other metabolic abnormalities were ameliorated. Furthermore, a significant attenuation of the associated hepatic steatosis was observed with vitamin D as well as vitamin D/metformin combination. In conclusion, vitamin D can improve hypertension, metabolic and structural abnormalities induced by HFD, and it provides additional benefits when combined with metformin. Therefore, vitamin D could represent a feasible therapeutic option for prevention of metabolic syndrome., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Altered neutrophil apoptosis might be responsible for recurrent bacterial infections encountered in hemodialysis (HD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. This work was designed to assess the neutrophil apoptotic activity and the impact of implementation of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), as a survival factor, on neutrophil apoptosis among these patients., Material and Methods: Twenty-five patients on regular HD along with 34 CKD patients on conservative treatment, as well as 15 healthy controls, were investigated for apoptotic rate via assessment of neutrophil expression of Annexin-V by flow cytometry, before and after 20 h culture in absence and presence of GM-CSF. Neutrophil viability was determined using light microscopy. The preservation of neutrophil activation in these patients was analyzed by flow cytometric CD18 neutrophil expression. Chronic inflammatory state was evaluated by estimating C-reactive protein (CRP) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1). Obtained data were statistically analyzed., Results: Compared to controls, both HD and CKD groups had a significant increase of Annexin-V and CD18 expression and significant decrease in neutrophil viability. Culture of their neutrophils with GM-CSF showed significant decrease of apoptosis accompanied by improvement of neutrophil viability compared to their cultured cells without GM-CSF. These patients also showed significant elevation of CRP and sICAM-1., Conclusions: Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor demonstrated an evident impact on improving in vitro neutrophil survival and viability in HD and CKD patients. Therefore, this may represent promising preventive and/or therapeutic strategies against infection frequently observed in these patients and causing morbidity and mortality.

Using of building materials containing naturally occurring radionuclides as (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K and their progeny results in an external exposures of the housing of such buildings. In the present study, indoor dose rates for typical Egyptian rooms are calculated using the analytical method and activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in some building materials. Uniform chemical composition of the walls, floor and ceiling as well as uniform mass concentrations of the radionuclides in walls, floor and ceiling assumed. Different room models are assumed to discuss variation of indoor dose rates according to variation in room construction. Activity concentrations of (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K content in eight samples representative Clay soil and different building materials used in most recent Egyptian building were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The specific activity for (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K, from the selected samples, were in the range 14.15-60.64, 2.75-84.66 and 7.35-554.4Bqkg(-1), respectively. The average indoor absorbed dose rates in air ranged from 0.005μGyh(-1) to 0.071μGyh(-1) and the corresponding population-weighted annual effective dose due to external gamma radiation varies from 0.025 to 0.345mSv. An outdoor dose rate for typical building samples in addition to some radiological hazards has been introduced for comparison., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Whey protein contains biologically active ingredients that can prevent and attenuate disease besides being nutritive. The aim of the study was to clarify the effects of oral administration of whey protein on viral load and host defence mechanisms, in particular, phagocytic function of neutrophils, selected immunomodulatory cytokines and serum inflammatory markers, in compensated chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients., Material and Methods: Twenty-seven HCV patients (20 males and 7 females) recruited from the hepatology clinic of the Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (TBRI) were given whey protein concentrate (WPC) twice daily for two months. In addition, 15 age and sex matched healthy participants were included in the study, as a control group. Neutrophil phagocytic activity, serum intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM), interleukin-2 (IL-2), nitric oxide (NO), as well as HCV-RNA levels and routine investigations were determined for patients, before and after WPC supplementation and once for the control group., Results: There was a significant decrease in viral load and markers of active inflammation, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), while serum albumin, total leucocyte counts and absolute neutrophil counts showed significant elevation accompanied by improvement of neutrophil phagocytic activity after WPC supplementation compared to pre-treated levels. The oral WPC supplementation was well tolerated without any serious adverse events., Conclusions: Oral supplementation of WPC has promising results as a new therapeutic strategy against HCV and its sequelae by decreasing the viral load and active inflammation as well as improving the synthetic capacity of the liver and the phagocytic function of neutrophils, in these patients.

A simple spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of cephalexin. The method involves acetylation of cephalexin with acetic anhydride in aqueous solution at pH 11.5 to yield alpha-acetamidocephalexin and subsequent measurement at 335 nm of alpha-acetamidocephalexin mercuric mercaptide. The method characterizes a newly developed, sensitive procedure for the determination of cephalexin in different pharmaceutical preparations. The effect of several reaction conditions were investigated. Beer's law was obeyed over the concentration range 30-340 mug/ml. The results compare favourably with those obtained by the official B.P. 1980 method.