DETERMINING WATER REQUIREMENTS FOR ACALYPHA WILKESIANA SHRUBS IN RELATION TO GROWING MEDIUM MIXTURE

This study was carried out in the nursery of the Ornamental Plants and Landscape Gardening Res. Dept., Hort. Res. Inst., A.R.C., Giza, Egypt during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons to find out the response of Acalypha wilkesiana grown in different potting mixtures to different irrigation regimes. Five types of equal proportions potting mixtures (v:v) i.e. sand + peat moss (Mix. 1), sand + perlite (Mix. 2), sand + vermiculite (Mix. 3), sand + peat moss + perlite (Mix. 4) and sand + peat moss + vermiculite (Mix. 5), and 4 levels of irrigation water at 25, 50, 75 and 100% of pot water capacity, and their interaction, were applied in this study. Vegetative and root parameters as well as the leaves content of total chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanin and the percentages of total carbohydrate, N, P and K were recorded. The obtained results showed that there was a great influence of the different potting mixtures particularly those containing peat moss on A. wilkesiana growth e.g. Mix. 5 resulted in the highest records of plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, leaf area, stem fresh weight, root dry weight and N% in the leaves. On the other hand, irrigation at 25% pot water capacity resulted in the lowest values of almost all studied characters, while, watering at 75% pot water capacity gave rise to the highest plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, leaf area, root length, stem fresh weight, dry weight of leaves, stem and root dry weights, total carbohydrate %, anthocyanin content and percentages of N, P and K. Regarding the interaction treatments, all potting mixtures recorded the highest values in most cases when combined with irrigation regime at 100 or 75% pot water capacity. From the above results and to obtain high quality Acalypha wilkesiana shrubs with reducing the amount of irrigation water by 25%, it is recommended to use the Mix. 5 (sand + peat moss + vermiculite) + irrigation at 75% pot water capacity

THE EFFECT OF WATERING REGIMES AND BIO AND CHEMICAL TREATMENTS ON FLOWERING OF EUPHORBIA MILII VAR. LONGIFOLIA PLANTS

This study was carried out in the nursery of Ornamental Plants and Landscape Gardening Research Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza, Egypt in two successive seasons (2015/2016 and 2016/2017) to study the effect of soil drench with some bio- and chemical materials (moringa extract, potassium silicate, salicylic acid and ascorbic acid) combined with different water intervals (1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks) on vegetative growth, flowering and chemical composition of Euphorbia milii var. longifolia transplants grown in 25 cm plastic pots. Results could be briefed in the following: watering at 2 weeks seems to be more effective in increasing the values of most studied characters. On the other hand, both moringa extract and ascorbic acid resulted in the highest values of studied characters. Regarding combination between irrigation intervals and different bio- and chemical materials, all untreated control plants irrespective of their watering regime, in addition to plants watered at 4 weeks interval and treated with either moringa extract or potassium silicate, did not flower at all over the period of this study. Meantime, the same plants recorded the lowest values of many characters irrespective of the watering regime. Plants treated with moringa extract and watered at 1 week interval had the highest values of flower diameter, number of branches, root length and root fresh weight. Those watered at 2 weeks interval achieved the highest rank of number of leaves and flowers, flower diameter, fresh and dry weight of flowers, P%, K% and total chlorophyll content. Plants treated with ascorbic acid combined with irrigation at 2 weeks interval got the highest records of plant height, stem length, leaf length, fresh weight ofleaves, stem fresh and dry weights, total chlorophyll and carotenoids content. In conclusion it is recommended to irrigate Euphorbia milii var. longifolia grown in 25 cm plastic pots at 2 weeks interval, combined with treating plants with either moringa extract or ascorbic acid in order to get the best results

Study of the physical properties of kafirin during the fabrication of tablets for pharmaceutical applications

Kafirin and protein bodies were extracted from a condensed tannin-free white Sudanese cultivar of sorghum (Dabar). The extracted materials were characterized by SDS-PAGE. The potential of kafirin as a tablet matrix for pharmaceutical applications was studied. Tablets composed of kafirin, calcium hydrogen orthophosphate, caffeine and magnesium stearate were prepared by direct compression. The tablets showed appropriate levels of hardness and friability. Drug release studies showed that caffeine dissolution was greater in 0.1 M HCl than in either phosphate buffer (pH = 6.8) or distilled water. Deamidation of the protein in acid conditions might explain this observation. FTIR analysis showed that the secondary structure of kafirin was found to be mainly governed by a helices with some ß sheets. Upon tabletting, there was a change in protein conformation, which was recovered upon dissolution irrespective of the dissolution media. This might be explained by the loss of protein coil to coil interaction during tabletting (possibly due to the diluting effect of calcium hydrogen orthophosphate). This was later recovered when tablets were dissolved due to the hydrophobic interactions between the kafirin proteins. In summary, this work has shown that kafirin has a potential for use as a tablet for drug delivery

Analysis of Bacterial and Fungal Infections after Cytoreduction Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy: An Observational Single-Centre Study

Introduction. While hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) after cytoreduction surgery (CRS) has been shown to improve patient survival and disease-free progression in peritoneal carcinoma (PC) patients, the procedure relates to a high postoperative infection rate. Herein, we report the bacterial and fungal infections after CRS and HIPEC from a single institution in Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods. A prospective observational study was conducted on 38 patients with PC selected for CRS/HIPEC procedure between 2012 and 2015 in our centre. Results. Postoperative bacterial and fungal infection within 100 days was 42.2%, bacterial infection was reported always, and fungal infection was reported in 5 (13.2%) cases. Infections from the surgical site were considered the most common infection site. Multidrug-resistant extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) Escherichia coli was the most frequent isolate, followed by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Lower preoperative albumin and a prolonged preoperative activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) are associated with postoperative infections, while a prolonged preoperative hospital stay (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.064; confidence interval (CI) = 1.002–1.112; P=0.042) and more intraoperative blood loss (>10%) (HR = 3.919; 95% CI = 1.024–14.995; P=0.046) were independent risk factors for postoperative infections. Three cases died during the follow-up period; all were due to infection. Discussion. The infection rate in our centre compared to previous studies of comparable patients was matching. Effective management of postoperative infections should be considered, and identified risk factors in this study can help to focus on effective prevention and treatment strategies

<i>Nigella sativa</i> Extract Potentially Inhibited Methicillin Resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Induced Infection in Rabbits: Potential Immunomodulatory and Growth Promoting Properties

Weaning is the most crucial period associated with increased stress and susceptibility to diseases in rabbits. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a historic emergent pathogen related to post weaning stressors, adversely affects rabbit’s growth rate and productive cycle. Since MRSA is rapidly evolving antibiotics resistance, natural products are desperately required to tackle the public health threats posed by antimicrobial resistance. Thus, this study aimed to screen the iin vitro antibacterial activity of Nigella sativa extract (NSE) and its interactions with antibiotics against MRSA isolates. Moreover, 200 weaned rabbits were divided into 4 groups to investigate the iin vivo superiority of NSE graded levels towards growth performance, tight junction integrity, immune responsiveness and resistance against MRSA. Herein, NSE showed promising antimicrobial activities against MRSA isolates from animal (77.8%) and human (64.3%) origins. Additionally, MRSA isolates exposed to NSE became sensitive to all antimicrobials to which they were previously resistant. Our results described that the growth-promoting functions of NSE, especially at higher levels, were supported by elevated activities of digestive linked enzymes. Post-NSE feeding, rabbits’ sera mediated bactericidal activities against MRSA. Notably, upregulated expression of occludin, CLDN-1, MUC-2 and JAM-2 genes was noted post NSE supplementation with maximum transcriptional levels in 500 mg/kg NSE fed group. Our data described that NSE constitutively motivated rabbits’ immune responses and protected them against MRSA-induced experimental infection. Our results suggest the antimicrobial, growth stimulating and immunomodulation activities of NSE to maximize the capability of rabbits for disease response

E-039 Endovascular flow-diverting stents for intracranial aneurysms

Background and purposeFlow-diverting devices now offer a treatment alternative for cerebral aneurysms. The concept of these devices is to promote thrombosis of aneurysms without filling the aneurysm cavity by deviating the blood flow away from the aneurysm neck which means treatment of the diseased segment harboring the aneurysm instead of treating the aneurysm itself. We present the results of a large single-center series of patients treated with the PED, including long-term follow-up.Materials and methodsBetween January 2015 and February 2019, sidewall aneurysms with a neck (≥2 mm to 19 mm) or unfavorable dome-neck ratio (≤1.5); large/giant, fusiform, M1 dysplastic aneurysms, dissecting, blister like, and recurrent sidewall aneurysms; aneurysms at difficult angles; and aneurysms in which a branch was originating directly from the sac were treated with the PED. Patients were pre-medicated with dual antiplatelet medications. Data, including demographics, aneurysm features, clinical presentation, complications, results, and follow-up information are presented.ResultsOne hundred and fourteen aneurysms in 114 patients were treated. Of these, (100%) PEDs were used for treatment. Adjunctive coiling was performed in 73 aneurysms (64%). Symptomatic in-construct stenosis was detected in 1 patient (0.9%) treated with percutaneous trans-arterial angioplasty. Any event rate as (Contrast extravasation and ICH, M1 occlusion or perforation, ICA occlusion, brain stem stroke, new SAH at the same side of treatment, ASDH, 3rd nerve palsy, Femoral pseudo aneurysm, breaking of delivery wire, snare of microwire, worsening of the double vision) was 9/114 (7.8%), with a permanent morbidity of 4.3% and mortality of 0.9%. Control angiography was available in 108 (94.7%) patients. The aneurysm occlusion rate was 91.2% in 6 months, increasing to 94.6% in one year.ConclusionsFlow diverters allow for the endoluminal reconstruction of a parent artery for the treatment of complex and difficult-to-treat aneurysms. There are multiple devices on the market, but the PED is the most-studied and the only device with FDA approval. Published aneurysm occlusion rates are favorable with an acceptable adverse event rate when used for approved indications.Disclosures A. Nada: None. M. Brunet: None. S. Chen: None. S. Sur: None. O. Elwardany: None. G. Zenonos: None. A. Jahmshidi: None. D. MccCarthy: None. D. Sheinberg: None. A. Zaher: None. M. Elsherbiny: None. M. Kassem: None. S. Serag Eldin: None. N. Mansour Ali: None. A. Abd Elmoneim Ezz Eldin: None. J. Thomson: None. D. Yavagal: None. E. Peterson: None. R. Starke: None

Factor structure and reliability of the Arabic adaptation of the Hypomania Check List-32, second revision (HCL-32-R2)

To assess the psychometric properties of the Arabic adaptation of the Hypomania-Check-List 32-item, second revision (HCL-32-R2) for the detection of bipolarity in major depressive disorder (MDD) inpatients suffering a current major depressive episode (MDE)