Physicochemical properties and GC/MS Analysis of BT cotton seed oil

كان الهدف من الدراسة هو معرفة الخواص الفيزيائية والكيمائية للزيت المستخلص من بذرة القطن المحورة وراثياً. بدأت الدراسة بأخذ عينات من بذرة القطن المحورة من محلج مارنجان في مدينة ود مدني ولاية الجزيرة. تم تنظيف البذور جيداً من الشوائب ثم سحنها واستخلاص الزيت منها عن طريق جهاز السكسوليت (تم استخدام الهكسان كمذيب). تم اجراء الاختبارات الفيزوكيميائية للزيت المستخلص وبذرة القطن وشملت هذه الاختبارات ( نسبة البروتين – الرطوبة - الالياف – الرماد - نسبة الزيت- الكثافة - معامل الانكسار - اللزوجة - اللون - رقم الحموضة - رقم اليود -البروكسيد -التصبن ) وكانت نتائج هذه الاختبارات ضمن الحدود التي تسمح بها الهيئة السودانية للمواصفات والمقاييس. أيضا تم اجراء تحليل GC/ MS على عينة الزيت دراسة اهم الاحماض الدهنية المعروفه وكانت النتيجة ان هده الاحماض محتفظة بنفس التركيب البنائي لها ولم يحدث تغيي

Physicochemical properties and GC/MS Analysis of BT cotton seed oil

كان الهدف من الدراسة هو معرفة الخواص الفيزيائية والكيمائية للزيت المستخلص من بذرة القطن المحورة وراثياً. بدأت الدراسة بأخذ عينات من بذرة القطن المحورة من محلج مارنجان في مدينة ود مدني ولاية الجزيرة. تم تنظيف البذور جيداً من الشوائب ثم سحنها واستخلاص الزيت منها عن طريق جهاز السكسوليت (تم استخدام الهكسان كمذيب). تم اجراء الاختبارات الفيزوكيميائية للزيت المستخلص وبذرة القطن وشملت هذه الاختبارات( نسبة البروتين – الرطوبة - الالياف – الرماد - نسبة الزيت- الكثافة - معامل الانكسار - اللزوجة - اللون - رقم الحموضة - رقم اليود -البروكسيد -التصبن ) وكانت نتائج هذه الاختبارات ضمن الحدود التي تسمح بها الهيئة السودانية للمواصفات والمقاييس. أيضا تم اجراء تحليل GC/ MS على عينة الزيت دراسة اهم الاحماض الدهنية المعروفه وكانت النتيجة ان هده الاحماض محتفظة بنفس التركيب البنائي لها ولم يحدث تغيير

Detection of Methylene Tetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene Polymorphism (C677T) In Sudanese Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a kind of cancer that affects the white blood cells and resort to progress slowly through many years. It’s occur at any age, but is most common in older (60-65 years) of age. This is a cross sectional study aimed to detect MTHFR gene polymorphism (C677T) among Sudanese patients diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia and conducted at the research laboratory of the national center of neurological sciences (NCNS), Khartoum, Sudan.50 patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) diagnosed as BCR-ABL positive by RT-PCR used as a cases and 50 apparently healthy individuals as a control. A 5 ml of blood samples were collected in EDTA anticoagulant container for DNA Extraction and white blood cells count, hemoglobin level and platelets count. Genotyping of the MTHFR was carried out using PCR technique and the SNP (C677T) confirmed by sequencing a subset of samples. The results were analyzed using bioinformatics tools. The results showed; the most affected age group in the patients was 51-60 years followed by 41-50 years which constituted 32% and 30%, respectively. The hematological findings revealed that, the mean of TWBCs was 47.4, HB was 11.9 for patients, 7.2 and 14.1 respectively for control group (P = 0.000). PLT was 313.5 for patients and 287.5 for control group (P = 0.187). MTHFR gene was detected in the all patients (198pb) by the PCR, Sequence results were aligned with the reference sequence of MTHFR gene, the polymorphic C >T was found to be matched with the registered mutation in NCBI data base. This study provides the first evidence for associations of MTHFR gene polymorphism with the risk of chronic myeloid leukemia in Sudanese patients. The C >T genotype of the rs 677 polymorphism in MTHFR gene may have a promoting effect on chronic myeloid leukemia. Keywords: Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), DNA, PCR, RT-PCR, MTHF

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Synthesis and characterization of pure and Au doped Fe3O4 using co-precipitation method

In this research, a sonochemical activation-assisted biosynthesis of Au/Fe3O4 nanoparticles is proposed. The proposed synthesis methodology incorporates the use of Piper auritum (an endemic plant) as reducing agent and in a complementary way, an ultrasonication process to promote the synthesis of the plasmonic/magnetic nanoparticles (Au/Fe3O4). The synergic effect of the green and sonochemical synthesis favors the well-dispersion of precursor salts and the subsequent growth of the Au/Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The hybrid green/sonochemical process generates an economical, ecological and simplified alternative to synthesizing Au/Fe3O4 nanoparticles whit enhanced catalytic activity, pronounced magnetic properties. The morphological, chemical and structural characterization was carried out by high- resolution Scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy confirm the Au/Fe3O4 nanoparticles obtention. Finally, the catalytic activity was evaluated by sonocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). In this stage, it was possible to achieve a removal percentage of 91.2% at 15 min of the sonocatalytic process (160 W/42 kHz). The initial concentration of the MO was 20 mg L 1, and the Fe3O4-Au dosage was 0.075 gL 1.&nbsp

Effect of Smoking on Cognitive Functioning in Young Saudi Adults

Background: Smoking is the predominant form of tobacco consumption and is growing worldwide, particularly in the younger generation in the Middle-East. We aimed to determine the effects of tobacco smoking on cognitive functions among young Saudi adults. Material/Methods We recruited a group of cigarette smokers (N=22) and a group of controls (non-smokers) (N=30) from apparently healthy male volunteers aged 18–29 years. Cognitive function was assessed by using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Battery (CANTAB). The cognitive functions outcome variables were the response time (attention-switching task [AST]), and the percentage of correct response (pattern recognition memory [PRM] task). Clinical, demographic, blood markers (brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and apolipoprotein E) were assessed between groups. Results: The 2 groups were matched for age and educational status. In comparison to the control group, smokers showed significant cognitive impairments in AST-Latency (p=0.001), AST-Congruent (p=0.001), and AST-Incongruent condition (p=0.001). There was not significant difference in BDNF APOE serum level between the 2 groups. Conclusions: These results indicate that attention and alertness were significantly impaired in smokers compared to non-smokers

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on the number of smoked cigarettes in tobacco smokers.

BackgroundRecent studies reported that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) reduced craving and cigarette smoking. We aimed to evaluate whether 3 sessions of tDCS over the DLPFC modulate cigarette smoking which is a critical factor in tobacco smokers.MethodsIn a double-blinded, sham-controlled, parallel experimental study, 22 participants who wished to quit smoking received tDCS with the cathodal over the right DLPFC and anodal over the left DLPFC based on the 10-20 EEG international system (F4, F3) at an intensity of 1.5 mA for 20 minutes during three consecutive days. For sham stimulation, the electrodes placement was the same as for the active stimulation.ResultsFor the short time interval (8 days after the end of the tDCS regimen), the number of smoked cigarettes was reduced similarly in the active and sham groups (p ConclusionThese findings suggested that 3 sessions of tDCS over the right and left DLPFC may reduce number of smoked cigarettes for short-time period but might not be significantly more effective than sham to decrease cigarette smoking

Efficacy of povidone-iodine nasal rinse and mouth wash in COVID-19 management: a prospective, randomized pilot clinical trial (povidone-iodine in COVID-19 management)

Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis To assess the efficacy of 0.23% povidone-iodine (PVP-I) nasal rinses and mouth washes on detectability of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus and cycle threshold (Ct) values in nasopharyngeal swabs. Study design This was an open-label, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Setting The study was conducted in King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from August 2021 to July 2022. Methods Participants diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 were randomly assigned to one of three groups, with participants receiving either 0.23% PVP-I, 0.9% normal saline (NS) nasal rinses and mouth washes, or no intervention (control group). Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken 4, 8, 12, and 18 days after the first swab to measure the detectability of the virus and the Ct. Results A total of 19 participants were involved in this study. The mean viral survival was 9.8, 12, and 12.6 days for the PVP-I, NS, and control groups, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.046). The Ct mean values were 23 ± 3.4, 23.5 ± 6.3, and 26.3 ± 5.9 at the time of recruitment and 25.2 ± 3.5, 15 ± 11.7, and 26.9 ± 6.4 after 4 days for the PVP-I, NS, and control groups, respectively. Conclusions When used continuously at a concentration of 0.23%, PVP-I showed promising results in terms of decreasing the pandemic burden by reducing the period of infectiousness and viral load. However, the use of PVP-I did not result in significantly different changes in the quality-of-life parameters in recently vaccinated and mild COVID-19 patients

Additional file 1 of Efficacy of povidone-iodine nasal rinse and mouth wash in COVID-19 management: a prospective, randomized pilot clinical trial (povidone-iodine in COVID-19 management)

Supplementary Material