Aspergilli and their aflatoxins contamination of poultry and animal feedstuff samples in western region of Saudi Arabia

Aspergillus and their aflatoxins contaminations were studied in sixty poultry and animal feedstuff samples collected from the western region (Jeddah, Makkah and Taif cities) from Saudi Arabia. Fourteen species of Aspergillus were isolated and identified in the present investigation using Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) at 27ºC. The identification of isolated Aspergillus was confirmed by using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing for representative species (194 species) of the collected Aspergillus sp. were sequenced and the obtained sequence results were deposited in Gene Bank under accession numbers. The sequence results indicated to the full correspondence between the molecular identification of the isolated fungi and the morphological identification. Moisture content was considered indicator for the number of Aspergillus isolated, therefore, Aspergillus and their aflatoxins were isolated in high counts from Jeddah and Taif according to the moisture content. Therefore, A. flavus was the most common species (59.78%), followed by A. niger (21.59%). The co-occurrence of Aspergillus species ranged from one species to 6 species per sample. The frequencies of occurrence for most afltoxigenic species isolated from studied samples ranged from 2 to 56%. Aspergillus flavus contaminated the majority of investigated feedstuff samples and the co-occurrence of more than one aflatoxigenic species was reported in many samples

Experimental Investigations on Temperature Gradient in Massive Raft Foundation

Thermal cracks are the major problem as temperature increases in massive concrete structures. It is imperative to investigate the temperature rise and to find effective techniques to control the heat of hydration of massive concrete. In this research, based on a segmental model test of high rise building raft, the temperature field for the bottom, middle and top surface concrete of the raft caused by the heat of hydration were measured. Blast furnace slag cement (CEM III/A 42.5N) was used due to its lower percentage of C3A and C3S and lower surface area. The tested temperature rise curves indicated that the temperature increases quickly but diminishes gradually. The maximum temperature rise at the middle surface of the concrete reached 56oC, and the maximum temperature difference between the middle and the top surface was 15.80oC. The most extreme temperature difference between the top surface and the surrounding environmental temperature was 26.5oC. So, using slag cement controlled the heat of hydration of concrete leading to environmentally friendly concrete mixes

Moringa oleifera Lam. (family Moringaceae) leaf extract attenuates high-fat diet-induced dyslipidemia and vascular endothelium dysfunction in Wistar albino rats

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of methanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves (MEMO) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced dyslipidemia and vascular endothelium dysfunction. Methods: Dose-dependent attenuating effect of MEMO was tested at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg/day in an in vivo model of HFD-induced dyslipidemia using rats whereas vascular endothelial reactivity was assessed in isolated rat aorta using ex vivo organ bath setup. Results: MEMO administration in HFD-induced dyslipidemic rats for 3 consecutive weeks, resulted in significant decrease in rat body weight, LW/BW and RFPW/BW ratio when compared to rats treated with HFD only where an increase in body weight was observed. Decrease in the average daily feed intake and significant reductions in waist, Lee index and BMI was also observed after MEMO treatment in HFD-induced dyslipidemic rats. Lipid profile data indicate that HFD group showed significant increase in total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and VLDL levels while HDL levels decreased significantly. On the other hand, MEMO treatment improved lipid profile compared to HFD group. Ex-vivo isolated aorta results revealed that MEMO treatment reversed HFD-induced endothelium dysfunction when compared to SD group. Conclusion: MEMO treatment produces dose-dependent improvement in lipid profile and vascular endothelium protection, thereby rationalizing its traditional medicine use in the treatment of dyslipidemia and cardiovascular related endothelial disorders

Ultrasound-assisted extraction, LC–MS/MS analysis, anticholinesterase, and antioxidant activities of valuable natural netabolites from Astragalus armatus Willd.: In silico molecular docking and In Vitro enzymatic studies

The Astragalus armatus Willd. plant’s phenolic constituent extraction and identification were optimized using the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method and the LC–MS/MS analysis, respectively. Additionally, cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), beta carotene, reducing power, DMSO alcalin, silver nanoparticle (SNP)-based method, phenanthroline, and hydroxyl radical tests were utilized to assess the extract’s antioxidant capacity, while the neuroprotective effect was examined in vitro against acetylcholinesterase enzyme. This study accurately estimated the chemical bonding between the identified phenolic molecules derived from LC–MS/MS and the AChE. The extract was found to contain sixteen phenolic substances, and rosmarinic, protocatechuic, and chlorogenic acids, as well as 4-hydroxybenzoic, hyperoside, and hesperidin, were the most abundant substances in the extract. In all antioxidant experiments, the plant extract demonstrated strong antioxidant activity and a significant inhibitory impact against AChE (40.25 ± 1.41 μg/mL). According to molecular docking affinity to the enzyme AChE, the top-five molecules were found to be luteolin, quercetin, naringenin, rosmarinic acid, and kaempferol. Furthermore, these tested polyphenols satisfy the essential requirements for drug-like characteristics and Lipinski’s rule of five. These results highlight the significance of the A. armatus plant in cosmetics, as food additives, and in the pharmaceutical industry due to its rosmarinic and chlorogenic acid content

New Optic Nerve Sonography Quality Criteria in the Diagnostic Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injury.

BACKGROUND: New sonographic quality criteria to optimize optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurements were suggested. The latter were correlated to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) in traumatic brain injury (TBI). AIM: We investigated whether ONSD measurements were correlated to simultaneous ICP measurements in severe TBI. METHODS: Forty patients with severe TBI (Marshall Scale ≥II and GCS ≤8) participated in the study. All patients had an intraparenchymal ICP catheter inserted, while ONSD was measured bilaterally, upon admission and over the next 48 hours, based on the new sonographic criteria. A total of 400 ONSD measurements were performed, while mean ONSD values of both eyes were used in the analysis. RESULTS: ONSD measurements were strongly correlated to ICP values (r=0.74, p < 0.0001). Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis revealed that the ONSD cutoff value for predicting elevated ICP was 6.4 mm when using the mean of both eyes (AUC = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.80 to 0.95; sensitivity = 85.3%, specificity = 82.6%). Linear regression analysis nested models revealed that sex (p=0.006) and height (p=0.04) were significant predictors of ONSD values. CONCLUSION: When applying the new sonographic quality criteria, ONSD is strongly correlated to ICP in severe TBI. Whether to use such criteria to monitor ONSD as a proxy for ICP trend in TBI remains to be further explored.Peer Reviewe

Role of L- glutamine and crizanlizumab in sickle cell anaemia painful crisis reduction

BackgroundPatients with sickle cell disease, frequently ‎ suffer from intense painful episodes. Till recently hydroxyurea was the only available medical therapy that approved for reduction of painful episodes.AimsTo summarize the available data from randomized controlled trials that aim to evaluate the efficacy of newly approved L-‎glutamine‎ (alters redox state of red blood cells ‎‎[RBCs]) ‎and ‎crizanlizumab (‎(anti-P-selectin)‎)‎ ‎on vaso-occlusive episodes in Sickle cell disease ‎ patients.Methods PubMed, ‎Google Scholar, and EBSCO ‎ databases were ‎‎systematically search for relevant articles. The terms ‎ ‎ ‎ L-glutamine, sickle cell disease, sickle cell ‎anaemia,‎ ‎‎crizanlizumab ‎and vaso-occlusive episodes‎ were used.Results Out of Four-hundred seventy-two records, only three fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Two trials were aimed to evaluate the efficacy of L-glutamine therapy on the frequency of painful crises in sickle cell anaemia patients. Both studies showed that L-glutamine therapy significantly reduce the frequency of VOEs. Only one trial examined the ability of crizanlizumab on VOEs reduction, and showed crizanlizumab successful reduce the occurrence of VOEs.‎ConclusionNewer agent ‎with different mechanism of action, such as ‎L-glutamine, ‎and crizanlizumab may consider if ‎hydroxyurea not effective or not ‎tolerable

Procyanidin oligomers. A new method for 4->8 interflavan bond formation using C8-boronic acids and iterative oligomer synthesis through a boron-protection strategy

Interest in the synthesis of procyanidin (catechin or epicatechin) oligomers that contain the 4→8 interflavan linkage remains high, principally due to research into their health effects. A novel coupling utilising a C8-boronic acid as a directing group was developed in the synthesis of natural procyanidin B3 (i.e., 3,4-trans-(+)-catechin-4α→8-(+)- catechin dimer). The key interflavan bond was forged using a novel Lewis acid-promoted coupling of C4-ether 6 with C8-boronic acid 16 to provide the α-linked dimer with high diastereoselectivity. Through the use of a boron protecting group, the new coupling procedure was extended to the synthesis of a protected procyanidin trimer analogous to natural procyanidin C2. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Eric G. Dennis, David W. Jeffery, Martin R. Johnston, Michael V. Perkins, Paul A. Smit

Design and Implementation of Business Logic Layer Object-Oriented Design versus Relational Design

Object-oriented programming has become one of the mainstream programming paradigms in software engineering, whereas relational models are predominant in commercial data processing applications. There is strong competition between these models for dominance in the building of modern applications, especially after the emergence and spread of object-relational mapping technology. This paper addresses the question of whether the object-oriented approach is better than the traditional approach in terms of flexibility with respect to changing requirements