Treating with Birds: The Insights of Two Mamluk Sources about the Medical Benefits of Birds

Two important Mamluk sources that discuss animals, including birds, are the encyclopedic Masālik al-abṣār fī mamālik al-amṣār by al-ʿUmarī and al-Damīrī’s zoology book Ḥayāt al-ḥayawān. Although neither is a medical text, they both devote protracted parts to the medical benefits and pharmaceutical uses of birds. Since medicine, pharmacy, and dietetics were connected sciences correlated with human physical well-being and health, discussing birds primarily used as food necessitated the elucidation of their medical benefits and how to use them for treatment. Furthermore, the sources explained the usage of their parts, extracts, products, and droppings in both formal and folk medicine. This study explores the medical benefits of birds as presented in those two Mamluk sources to investigate the importance of substances of animal origin in the preparation of simple and compound medicines and folk remedies. Such an investigation can also shed light on other intellectual and social aspects of Mamluk society in Egypt

Optimization of tannase production by Aspergillus glaucus in solid-state fermentation of black tea waste

Abstract Tannases are valuable industrial enzymes used in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, leather manufacture and in environmental biotechnology. In this study, 15 fungal isolates were obtained from Egyptian cultivated soil and marine samples. The isolated fungi were qualitatively and quantitatively screened for their abilities to produce tannase. The selected fungal isolate NRC8 giving highest tannase activity was identified by molecular technique (18S rRNA) as Aspergillus glaucus. Among different tannin-containing wastes tested, the black tea waste was the best substrate for tannase production by Aspergillus glaucus in solid-state fermentation (SSF). Optimization of the different process parameters required for maximum enzyme production was carried out to design a suitable SSF process. Maximal tannase production was achieved with moisture content of 75%, an inoculums size of 6 × 108 spore/ml and sodium nitrate 0.2% (pH of 5.0) at 30 °C after 5 days of incubation. Box–Behnken experiment was designed to get a quadratic model for further optimization studies. Four-factor response-surface method with 27 runs was prepared using independent parameters including (moisture content %, initial pH, substrate concentration (g) and sodium nitrate concentration (g) for tannase model. The F- and P-values of the model were 4.30 and 0.002, respectively, which implied that the model is significant. In addition, the lack-of-fit was 1040.37 which indicates the same significance relative to the pure error. A. glaucus tannase was evaluated by the efficiency of conversion of tannic acid to gallic acid. Moreover, production of gallic acid from SSF process of A. glaucus using black tea waste was found to be 38.27 mg/ml. The best bioconversion efficiency was achieved at 40 °C with tannic acid concentration up to 200 g/L. Graphical Abstrac

Evaluation of Aspergillus tamarii NRC 3 biomass as a biosorbent for removal and recovery of heavy metals from contaminated aqueous solutions

Abstract Background Biomass produced as a byproduct from the β-mannanase production process by Aspergillus tamarii NRC 3was evaluated as a biosorbent for the removal and recovery of some heavy metal ions. Results Under optimal conditions, the isolated strain recorded the highest β-mannanase activity (31.88 Uml−1). Thus, the biomass produced from mannanase production process as a byproduct was evaluated as a biosorbent for the removal and recovery of some heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions and an industrial wastewater. The fungal biomass was found to be efficient for the removal of Cu+2 and some heavy metal ions. The biosorption process of copper(II) by Aspergillus tamarii NRC 3 biomass was affected by changing of time, temperature, pH, metal ions concentration, the presence of some heavy metals, and biomass concentration. The rate of Cu+2 uptake from Cu+2solution proceeded rapidly, and it appeared to be virtually complete during the initial 5 min (92%); the maximum uptake of Cu+2 appeared at 30 °C, pH 5, and biomass concentration 5 g w/w. On the other hand, the fungal biomass was to remove considerable proportion of Pb2+, Co+2, Ni2+, Fe+3, and Cr3+ in addition to Cu2+. The uptake of Cu+2 by pretreated biomass was studied. Recovery of the sorbed metal ions by desorbing agents and the potential reuse of the regenerated biomass in metal ions uptake (reloading) were evaluated. Conclusions Aspergillus tamarii NRC 3 biomass seems to be quite feasible in the removal of heavy metal ions especially Cu+2 from aqueous solutions

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with paediatric cancer in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs. DESIGN: A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study. SETTING: 91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms' tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days. RESULTS: 1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 15.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 65.8) times the odds of death at 30 days (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected paediatric oncology service provision. It has disproportionately affected patients in LMICs, highlighting and compounding existing disparities in healthcare systems globally that need addressing urgently. However, many patients with paediatric cancer continued to receive their normal standard of care. This speaks to the adaptability and resilience of healthcare systems and healthcare workers globally

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality