Influence of Trichoderma reesei or Saccharomyces cerevisiae on performance, ruminal fermentation, carcass characteristics and blood biochemistry of lambs fed Atriplex nummularia and Acacia saligna mixture

The mixtureof A.nummularia and A.saligna (1:1 DM)was autoclaved(TuttnauerUSACo.Ltd.,NY,USA)at121 °C and1.5psi for 15mintodestroyanymicrobes.Thecontentwasallowedto cool andlaterinoculatedwiththesporesof T.reesei at arateof 40 mLofthesporesuspensioncontaining107 spores permL/kg DM ofautoclaved A.nummularia and A.saligna mixture. Thein- oculatedsubstrateswerethenincubatedatambienttemperature for 10days.Bytheendoftheincubationperiod,theforageswere fullycoveredwiththefungus.Theywerethenovendriedat70 °C in aforcedairdryingoven(CascadeTEK’s ModelTFO-10,OR,USA) for 24hsoastostopfungalgrowthandpreventfurtherdena- turationofproteins.The aim of this study was to evaluate whole substitution of Egyptian berseem hay (Trifolium alexandrinum) with a mixture of Atriplex nummularia and Acacia saligna (1:1 DM) in the diet of Barki lambs for 70 days. Thirty six lambs (27.0±0.89 kg initial BW) were divided into four treatment groups of nine lambs each and fed: (1) the Control group with no substitution (70% concentrate mixture and 30% berseem hay, DM basis), (2) A. nummularia and A. saligna mixture without fungal treatment (treatment group AU), or (3) Trichoderma reesei treated A. nummularia and A. saligna mixture (treatment group AF), or (4) A. nummularia and A. saligna mixture supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 0.5 g/kg DM of feed (treatment group AS) replaced 100% of berseem hay in the diet. Live-weight change, rumen fermentation parameters, blood chemistry, carcass characteristics and intestinal histology were investigated. Significant (P0.05). Lambs fed AF and AU diets had lower (P<0.05) feed conversion efficiency than lambs fed the AS and Control diets. Lambs fed AF and AS had increased (P<0.05) volatile fatty acid production compared to Controls. Blood albumin and urea concentrations increased (P<0.05) with lambs in AS treatment compared to lambs in the other treatments, while lambs fed AF had lower (P<0.05) cholesterol and glucose concentrations compared to the Controls. The AS lambs had the highest (P<0.05) dressing percentage. Decreased intramuscular fat weights were obtained with lambs fed halophytes compared to Control lambs. Histology of the ileum, sub mucosa and Peyer's patches were normal in all lambs. In conclusion, untreated halophyte mixtures of A. nummularia and A. saligna (at 1:1 DM) can be substituted for berseem hay without negative effects on performance while treatment with S. cerevisiae may improve performance and, like T. reesei, change certain biochemical responses

IMPROVING CANINO APRICOT TREES PRODUETIVITY BY FOLIAR SPRAY WITH BORON, GA3 AND ACTIVE DRY YEAST

The present investigation was carried out during two successive seasons of 2002 and 2003 on Canino Apricot trees budded on seedlings rootstock at a private orchard located at El-Khatatba district, Menofia Governorate Egypt. Trees were sprayed at full-bloom stage with boron, GA3 and active dry yeast at different concentration alone or in their combinations. Results showed that spraying Boron, GA3 and active dry yeast either singly or in combination caused a remarked promotion in leaf min-eral status, yield and fruit quality compared with control treatment Combined appli-cation solution of 400ppm Boric acid, 40ppm GA3 and 2% active dry yeast at full bloom stage gave the best results with regard to the yield and fruit quality of Canino Apricot

Study of sumac extract (Rhus coriaria L.), lactic acid and thyme oil as decontaminants for shelf life extension of refrigerated rabbit meat

In an attempt to improve the microbiological quality and extend the shelf-life of refrigerated rabbit meat, four groups of rabbit meat from New Zealand breed were prepared, the 1st group was untreated (control), while the other three groups were treated with lactic acid 0.5 %, thyme oil 0.5 % and water extract of sumac 8 % by dipping for 1, 1 and 10 min, respectively. Then the samples were refrigerated at 2 ± 1 °C to be periodically examined for their sensory and microbiological status. The control and treated samples showed excellent overall acceptability by panellists at zero-day of examination, off odours and tastes were noticed by the day 9, 12, 9 and 15 day of storage in control (C), lactic acid (LA), thyme oil (TO) and water extract of sumac (WES) treated groups, respectively. There was no significant differences in aerobic plate counts “APC” (at p &lt; 0.05) between treated and untreated groups at zero and 3rd day of examination, while at 6th and 9th day of refrigerated storage, the values of APC were significantly lower in LA and WES treated groups than C and TO treated groups. The APC results confirm the concept that the slowest growth rate of the total bacterial population extends the shelf life of rabbit meat. Approximately, similar pattern to that of APC was observed in the results of coliforms (MPN). The MPN values of faecal coliforms and E. coli were relatively low, which could be attributed to the preparation of rabbit samples under strict hygienic measures. The obtained results in the present study suggest that WES can be used as a decontaminant for rabbit and poultry meat at each decontamination step instead of other chemical substances which could affect the acceptability of the final product and remain some hazardous residues. Keywords: sumac, rabbit, quality, shelf life, thyme oil, lactic acid

A gorilla adenovirus-based vaccine against Zika virus induces durable immunity and confers protection in pregnancy

The teratogenic potential of Zika virus (ZIKV) has made the development of an effective vaccine a global health priority. Here, we generate two gorilla adenovirus-based ZIKV vaccines that encode for pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) proteins (GAd-Zvp) or prM and the ectodomain of E protein (GAd-Eecto). Both vaccines induce humoral and cell-mediated immune responses and prevent lethality after ZIKV challenge in mice. Protection is antibody dependent, CD

The dilemma of malaria diagnosis: How accurate are the diagnostic tools?

Background: Malaria represents a major health problem for the public as well as clinicians and diagnosticians, because many diseases have similar symptoms to the symptoms of malaria. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of malaria diagnosis both clinically and using various laboratory tests compared to the gold standard microscopy.Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional hospital-based study, conducted at the casualty of Atbara Hospital, in January 2011. Any patient clinically suspected to have malaria in this month was included. Demographic and clinical data was collected using a standardized pre-tested questionnaire. Each patient was diagnosed primarily by the clinician, mainly medical officers and houseofficers, investigated by a thick blood film stained by Giemsa stain in the hospital laboratory. We, thereafter, obtained blood samples from the same patient, made thick and thin films stained by Giemsa and Field stains in addition to rapid tests for malaria antigens and antibodies. For quality assurance, tests were reviewed by expert technicians in the State Reference Laboratory for Malaria. Giemsa thick blood film was taken as the gold standard. Results of the various diagnostic methods were compared.Results: Two hundred patients volunteered to participate in this study. Females were 121(60.5%). The age range was from 7 months to 70 years, mean 25.85(+20.5). Only 5(2.5%) cases were confirmed positive for malaria. When compared to the gold standard test, giemsa thin film and Field stain showed 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The sensitivity and specificity of the blood film done by hospital laboratory was 80% and 99.5% respectively. While Rapid Antibody scored 60% and 89.7%, and for Rapid Antigen scored 80% and 96.9% for the sensitivity and specificity respectively. The clinical diagnosis was the least accurate method 80% sensitivity and 38.5% specificity.Conclusion: The prevalence of malaria among symptomatic patients in Atbara hospital is low. The ICT antigen and antibody tests, as well as clinicians over diagnose malaria when compared to the blood film. A combination of Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) with thick blood film for suspected malaria cases is recommended.Keywords: Malaria, Diagnosis, Blood film, Suda

Molecular insights and inhibitory dynamics of flavonoids in targeting Pim-1 Kinase for cancer therapy

Pim-1 kinase, a serine/threonine kinase, is often overexpressed in various cancers, contributing to disease progression and poor prognosis. In this study, we explored the potential of flavonoids as inhibitors of Pim-1 kinase using a combination of molecular docking and steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations. Our docking studies revealed two main binding orientations for the flavonoid molecules. The SMD simulations showed that the binding mode with higher pulling forces was linked to stronger inhibitory activity, with a strong positive correlation (R2 ≈ 0.92) between pulling forces and IC50 values. Quercetin stood out as the most potent inhibitor, showing a pulling force of about 820 pN and an IC50 of less than 6 µM. Further dynamic simulations indicated that quercetin’s hydroxyl groups at the C3, C-5 and C-7 positions formed stable hydrogen bonds with key residues GLU-121, Leu-44 and Val-126, respectively enhancing its binding stability and effectiveness. Our results emphasized the critical role of the hydroxyl group at the C-3 position, which plays a pivotal function in effectively anchoring these molecules in the active site of Pim-1 kinase. Principal component analysis (PCA) of Pim-1 kinase's conformational changes revealed that potent inhibitors like quercetin, galangin, and kaempferol significantly restricted the enzyme's flexibility, suggesting potential inhibitory effect. These findings provide insights into the structural interactions between flavonoids and Pim-1 kinase, offering a foundation for future experimental investigations. However, further studies, including in vitro and in vivo validation, are necessary to assess the pharmacological relevance and specificity of flavonoids in cancer therapy

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PROCALCITONIN AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN THE PREDICTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

  Objective: This work was delineated to assess procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as prognostic markers for cardiovascular complication in type 2 diabetic patients.Methods: Forty diabetic patients without cardiovascular disease (CVD), 40 diabetic patients with CVD, and 20 healthy control counterparts were participated in this study. Serum PCT and CRP levels were assayed and correlated with metabolic parameters. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done for each biochemical marker.Results: The mean level of PCT was 707.17±99.19 ng/l in diabetic patients versus 881.30±123.56 ng/l for the cardio-diabetic patients (p&lt;0.0001). The mean value of CRP was 34.43±17.27 mg/l in diabetic patients versus 50.32±20.19 mg/l for the cardio-diabetic patients (p=0.0003). PCT levels were significantly amplified in the cardio-diabetic patients with increasing CRP, triglycerides (TG), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and cholesterol (p=0.004, 0.0005, 0.002, and 0.01, respectively). CRP levels were significantly enhanced in the cardio-diabetic patients with increasing TG, FBG, cholesterol, and microalbumin (p=0.002, 0.047, 0.003, and 0.001 respectively). ROC curve analysis for PCT and CRP revealed that the area under curve (AUC) was 0.878 and 0.727, respectively. These findings indicate the good validity of the above biomarkers especially PCT as a prognostic marker for cardiovascular complication in type 2 diabetic patients.Conclusion: This study evidences the usefulness of measuring serum levels of PCT and CRP in diagnosis of cardiovascular complication in type 2 diabetic patients

Interferon gamma: is it a co-player in the pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome

Introduction: Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), the most common form of NS in childhood, was considered 4 decades ago as a systemic disorder of T cells, mediated through its released cytokines. To date, the exact incriminated cytokine or immunological mediator is not properly defined. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is thought to have a role in the provocation of the T cell mediated INS relapse, through promotion of T helper1 (Th1) differentiation and suppression of regulatory T cells (Treg). Aim of the study: to evaluate the immunopathogenic role of IFN-γ in children with steroid sensitive idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) through monitoring the changes in its levels with disease course. Methods: This study included twenty-five newly diagnosed children with SSINS. They were all given full dose prednisolone, evaluated at initial diagnosis and at full remission as regards the serum level of IFN-γ. Results: Serum levels of IFN-γ were lowermost at time of diagnosis and increased with remission on corticosteroids. Conclusions: this study points to a role for the lower serum IFN-γ at diagnosis, in the immunopathogenesis of INS than at remission and the rise in its serum level might be a marker of remission induction, however this awaits confirmation in larger scale studies. Studies on renal biopsy specimens are needed to determine the exact renal in situ levels and effects of IFN-

<i>Garcinia cambogia</i> phenolics as potent anti-COVID-19 agents:phytochemical profiling, biological activities, and molecular docking

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and became a pandemic in a critically short time. Phenolic secondary metabolites attracted much attention from the pharmaceutical industries for their easily accessible natural sources and proven antiviral activity. In our mission, a metabolomics study of the Garcinia cambogia Roxb. fruit rind was performed using LC-HRESIMS to investigate its chemical profile, especially the polar aspects, followed by a detailed phytochemical analysis, which led to the isolation of eight known compounds. Using spectrometric techniques, the isolated compounds were identified as quercetin, amentoflavone, vitexin, rutin, naringin, catechin, p-coumaric, and gallic acids. The antiviral activities of the isolated compounds were investigated using two assays; the 3CL-Mpro enzyme showed that naringin had a potent effect with IC50 16.62 &mu;g/mL, followed by catechin and gallic acid (IC50 26.2, 30.35 &mu;g/mL, respectively), while the direct antiviral inhibition effect of naringin confirmed the potency with an EC50 of 0.0169 &mu;M. To show the molecular interaction, in situ molecular docking was carried out using a COVID-19 protease enzyme. Both biological effects and docking studies showed the hydrophobic interactions with Gln 189 or Glu 166, per the predicated binding pose of the isolated naringin