ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF TRICHODERMA SPECIES FROM SOILS FOR USING AGAINST SOME SOILBORNE FUNGAL PATHOGENS

Hydrolytic enzyme producing Trichoderma species have long been recognized as an agent for controlling plant diseases caused by various phytopathogenic fungi. A study was done to characterize four isolates of Trichoderma isolated from the rhizosphere of different crop plants to characterize and identify certain biocontrol related enzymes (β1,3-glucanase and chitinase). Morphological and molecular characterize action of antagonistic ability of Trichoderma species were studied. On the basis of morphological and culture characteristics, the Trichoderma isolates were identified as T. harizanum (1 isolate), T. viride (3 isolates). These isolates were tested against plant pathogens (Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium   and Fusarium oxysporum). The best isolate producing chitinase (overproduction) was T. harizanum from (160 to 0.64) mg/ml. On the other hand the best isolate gave over production β-1; 3-glucanase over production was T. viride from (2250 to 2.20 mg/ml

The beneficial roles of insulin and parathyroid hormones in the treatment of experimentally induced diabetic osteoporosis in female rats: bone mineral density, morphometric and histological studies

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and osteoporosis are two frequent medical conditions with an increasing prevalence in elderly people and are responsible for large number of incurable fractures. This study is designed experimentally in female rats in order to determine whether combined treatment of insulin and parathyroid hormone (PTH) enhances the reversibility of the osteoporotic changes that occurred in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM. Materials and methods: In this study, 30 adult female rats aged 3 months were used, they were randomly divided into: control group (6 rats) and diabetes group (24 rats), in which experimental DM was induced by i.p. injection of a single dose of STZ (60 mg/kg/body weight). Diabetic group was further divided into four subgroups (6 rats each): non-treated diabetic, insulin-treated (8–12 units s.c./day of Humalin U-40), PTH-treated (6.0 μg s.c./kg/day) and combined insulin and PTH-treated subgroups. All tested groups were assessed for body weight, food and water consumptions. Results: At the end of the experimental period, the bone mineral density (BMD) was measured for all rats of different groups; then the rats were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for measuring glucose, alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin levels. Right femora were dissected out and subjected to measurement of diameter of neck and shaft, length of shaft, and weight. Then the femora specimens were processed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin for histological study. The results showed that there was a statistically significant, decrease in BMD, increase in the level of alkaline phosphate, and decrease in the level of osteocalcin in rats in diabetic group compared with other groups; these parameters improved in other groups, especially in diabetes/insulin/PTH group. The rats in diabetic group showed statistically significant decrease in neck and shaft diameters and weight of femur bone compared with other groups, while rats in diabetes/insulin/PTH group showed a significant improvement of these parameters. In diabetic group, there were different histopathological changes in cortical bone and Haversian canals, which improved in other groups, especially in rats in diabetes/insulin/PTH group. Conclusions: The untreated DM resulted in dramatic reduction in BMD and morphometric parameters. Treatment with insulin ameliorated these effects to some extent, while PTH co­-treatment had a more positive effect. The combination of PTH and insulin resulted in stronger improvement of all parameters to approximately like those of control rats

Influencia del tratamiento con microondas sobre la estabilidad del aceite de oliva.

The fruits of Picual and Shemlalli olive cultivars were exposed to microwaves generated from an oven at low and moderate power settings for 3, 6, 9 and 12 min. The physicochemical constants and fatty acid composition of the olive oil samples extracted from nonmicrowaved and microwaved fruits were determined. The data demonstrated that microwaves did not alter the values of the above mentioned parameters compared with the oil extracted from nonmicrowaved fruits. Quality assurance tests (acid, peroxide and TBA values) elucidated that microwaves generally increased the olive oil stability of Picual and Shemlalli cultivars during storage. In addition, microwaves generated from oven at moderate power setting for 12 min. exhibited an antioxidant power on olive oil equivalent to that possessed by BHT at 200 ppm.Aceitunas de las variedades Picual y Shemlalli fueron expuestas a una fuente de microondas generadas en un horno a potencia baja y moderada durante 3, 6, 9 y 12 minutos. Se determinaron las constantes físico-químicas y la composición en ácidos grasos de muestras de aceite de oliva extraído de aceitunas irradiadas y no irradiadas con microondas. Los datos demostraron que la irradiación con microondas no altera los valores de los parámetros antes mencionados si se compara con el aceite extraído de aceitunas no irradiadas. Los tests de garantía de calidad (índice de acidez, índice de peróxido y TBA) mostraron que la irradiación con microonda aumentó la estabilidad del aceite de oliva de las variedades Picual y Shemlalli durante su almacenamiento. En suma, la irradiación con microondas generadas en horno a potencia moderada durante 12 minutos produce un poder antioxidante sobre el aceite de oliva equivalente al que se obtuvo con el BHT a 200 ppm

Relationship Between the Bee Venom Therapy and Tumor Necrosis Factor-308 Variation in the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis, a Prospective Study

Bee venom (BV) was traditionally used to treat various inflammatory disorders including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The current study aims to assess the anti-arthritic effect of BV and the relation between tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-308 polymorphism and BV treatment response in RA. Methods: 50 RA patients received BV injection for 6 months, with an evaluation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), visual analog scale (VAS), disease activity score (DAS28-ESR), TNF-α, at baseline and after 6ms. Genotyping assay for TNF-α G308A rs1800629 gene polymorphism. Results: The mean age was 36.0 (29.0 -40.0) years; 90% were females and 10% were males with a mean disease duration 8 (5-10 years). Most of the studied patients (64%) had high disease activity and 37% had moderate disease activity with a mean 5.5 (4.7 -6.8) at baseline. Treatment with BV was associated with a significant improvement in ESR, CRP, VAS, and significant decline in the DAS28-ESR score with p-value \u3c0.005. Most of cases achieved moderate and good EULAR response and a significant reduction of (TNFα) Level. TNF-α-308 genetic variant showed that the GG genotype (32 patients, 64 %) was more prevalent followed by AA genotypes (14 patients, 28 %). There was no difference between TNF-α G308 genotypes regarding the post-treatment response. Conclusion: Treatment with Bee venom can improve joint pain, disease activity, reduce ESR, CRP, and TNFα levels in RA patients. No difference between TNF-α G308 genotypes regarding treatment response

Caprylamidopropyl Betaine as a Highly Efficient eco-friendly Corrosion Inhibitor for API X120 Steel in 1 M H2SO4

CORROSION inhibition of API X120 steel in a 1M sulfuric acid solution at altered temperatures was investigated utilizing a new eco-friendly surfactant (Caprylamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB)) by Gravimetric and electrochemical test (containing potentiodynamic polarization (PP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Surface characterization tests containing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are utilized in the study. In addition, kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were measured and discussed. The overall results displayed that the corrosion rate of API X120 steel was significantly lowered with improving the temperature. The polarization curves lead to the CAPB inhibitor is influenced both anodic and cathodic reactions (mixed type inhibitor). Analyses of the surface topography designated an appreciable decrease in the surface roughness as the dose of the inhibitor in the solution improved. Energy-dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the presence of adsorbed nitrogen atoms on the API X 120 steel surfaces. This work provides a promising eco-friendly inhibitor for mitigating the corrosion of API X120 steel in highly acidic brine environments

Arabic gum acacia improves diabetic peripheral neuropathy in rats: a biochemical and histopathological evidence

Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a frequent complication of diabetes mellitus and unfortunately, its present therapeutic alternatives are exceptionally poor. Objectives of this study was to assess the antidiabetic, antioxidant and hypolipidemic action of Gum Arabic (GA) and its role in promoting the functional recovery from diabetic neuropathy developed in in an experimental model of diabetic neuropathy.Methods: Sixty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were utilized and randomly assigned into six groups (n= 10); control, Arabic gum-treated, untreated diabetic, diabetic received metformin, diabetic received metformin and B12 vitamin and diabetic received metformin, B12 vitamin and AG. Locomotor activity and hyperalgesia were assed at the end of the study. Fasting and two hours post-prandial blood glucose, serum insulin levels, lipid Profile, oxidants/antioxidants parameters were assessed in the blood. Sciatic nerve was assessed histopathologically.Results: The locomotor activity of the untreated diabetic rats was significantly (p<0.001) reduced compared to the control group while it was significantly increased in all treated groups. The lipid profile and Malondialdehyde were significantly improved in all treated groups. Levels of CAT, GSH, SOD, GPx were significantly decreased in untreated diabetic group compared to the control while they were significantly increased in all treated groups compared to the untreated diabetic group. Sciatic nerve fibers of untreated diabetic rats showed degenerated axons with dilated myelin sheaths and degenerated Schwann cells. The nerve had significantly fewer fiber compared to the control. These changes were alleviated in all the treated groups specifically that received metformin, vitamin B12 and GA.Conclusions: It could be concluded that Arabic gum had hypoglycemic, antioxidant and hypolipidemic activity and had a protective effect on diabetic neuropathy. Based on this it is recommended that human clinical trials are necessary to prove this therapeutic effect

Trends of complications and innovative techniques' utilization for colectomies in the United States.

Despite an increasing trend towards utilization of minimally invasive approaches (MIS), results regarding their safety profile are contradictory. All patients who underwent elective colectomy for any underlying disease with an identifiable operative approach available from the targeted colectomy files of the ACS-NSQIP PUFs 2013 to 2018 were included. The trend of utilization and complication rates of the different operative approaches (open, laparoscopic, robotic) were assessed during the inclusion period. Furthermore, overall, surgical, and medical complications were compared between the three approaches. The study cohort included 78,987 patients. Of them, 12,335 (15.6%) patients underwent open, 57,874 (73.3%) laparoscopic, and 8,778 (11.1%) robotic surgery. There was an increasing trend towards the utilization of robotic surgery (2.5% increase per year) at the expense of the other approaches. With the increasing trend toward the utilization of the robotic approach, a decreasing trend in overall and surgical complications and length of stay was observed. After adjusting for the baseline confounders, robotic surgery was associated with shorter length of stay, lower rate of overall (OR 0.397; p &lt; 0.05 compared to open and OR: 0.763; p &lt; 0.05 compared to laparoscopy) and surgical complications (OR: 0.464; p &lt; 0.05 compared to open and OR: 0.734; p &lt; 0.05 compared to laparoscopy). This study revealed an increasing trend toward the utilization of MIS for elective colectomy in the US. Robotic surgery was associated with a decreasing trend in overall and surgical morbidity and length of stay

MHD natural convection in an inclined cavity filled with a fluid saturated porous medium with heat source in the solid phase

A numerical investigation of unsteady magnetohydrodynamic free convection&nbsp;in an inclined square cavity filled with a fluid-saturated porous medium and with internal&nbsp;heat generation has been performed. A uniform magnetic field inclined with the same&nbsp;angle of the inclination of the cavity is applied. The governing equations are formulated&nbsp;and solved by a direct explicit finite-difference method subject to appropriate initial and&nbsp;boundary conditions. Two cases were considered, the first case when all the cavity walls&nbsp;are cooled and the second case when the cavity vertical walls are kept adiabatic. A parametric study illustrating the influence of the Hartmann number, Rayliegh number, the&nbsp;inclination angle of the cavity and the dimensionless time parameter on the flow and&nbsp;heat transfer characteristics such as the streamlines, isotherms and the average Nusselt&nbsp;number is performed. The velocity components at mid section of the cavity as well as the&nbsp;temperature profiles are reported graphically. The values of average Nusselt number for&nbsp;various parametric conditions are presented in tabular form