Effect of Treated Oily Waste Water of Khartoum Refinery on Nubian Goat Kids

One of the very many imposed environmental threats of the petroleum industry internationally is its effluent of treated oily waste water (TOWW), which was reported causing mortalities in small ruminants. This study was carried out to investigate the toxic effects of TOWW of Khartoum Refinery Company (KRC) on Nubian goat kids. Twentyone goat kids were divided into three groups: Group A (control), arranged in 1x3, and B and C (test groups) arranged in 2x3x3. Each test group was divided into three subgroups; B1, B2 and B3 and C1, C2 and C3. Groups B and C were watered for 6 weeks from KRC oxidation ponds II and III, respectively, diluted at ratios of 1:0, 1:1 and 1:2 with tap water respective to subgroups 1, 2 and 3. The control group was tap watered. All groups were fed on a basal ration of 2.86 Mcal ME/kg and crude protein 20.88% energy concentration meeting goat daily requirements. Clinical signs and mortalities were daily observed. Body weights were recorded fortnightly. Blood and serum samples were collected fortnightly for haematological (RBCs, Hb, PCV, WBCs and their differentials) and serum metabolites (glucose, total protein, albumin and globulin), enzymes (AST and ALP) and electrolytes (Ca, P, Co, Cu, Fe and Mn) examinations. Organs samples for histopathological investigations were collected on post mortem examinations or in extremis slaughter. All test groups significantly (P≤ 0.05) lost weight with variations in the total water consumption and similar average water consumption for all subgroups except C3 (P≤0.05). All test groups showed decreased appetite, diarrhoea, weakness and partial paralysis. The mortality was 100%, 66.6% and 33.3% in subgroups C1, C2 and C3, respectively. The mortality was 66.6% in subgroup B3 and 33.3% in each of B2 or B1. Haematologically, test goats were neither anaemic nor infected with haemodilutions (P≤0.05) in subgroups B3, C2 and C3. All test groups showed congestion or haemorrhage in the intestinal submucosa, with detachment of epithelium or detachment of the villi, in response to the osmotic diarrhoea. All test groups showed no significant (P>0.05) changes in serum metabolites, electrolytes or serum enzymes, but livers were congested, stressed and engorged. Bile and kidney showed shrinkage, necrosis of the glomeruli, congestion and haemorrhage in the cortical and medullary tubules. These signs were indications of intensive mineral excretion. It is concluded that TOWW from KRC has toxic effects on Nubian goat kids judged by the early mortalities and by the clinical signs of diarrhoea and recumbency, metabolic disturbances in the liver with histopathological changes in various body systems. It is recommended that TOWW initial concentration be restored by addition of equivalent water to reduce or abolish its toxic manifestations

EVALUATING EFFECT OF PEPPER MINT OIL (Mentha pipreta) AND ITS NANO-FORMULATIONS ON SOME ENZYMATIC ACTIVITIES AND BIONOMICS OF COTTON LEAF WORM Spodoptera littoralis (BOISD.) [

Different formulations of pepper mint oil, i.e. bulk, nano-emulsion and nano-encapsulation were evaluated against 2nd and 4th instar larvae of the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.). Their effects on enzymatic activities and bionomics were also investigated. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) showed that the mean particle size of the prepared nano-emulsion ranged between 20-90nm. The encapsulation efficiency and loaded capacity percentages exhibited that distilled H2O was more suitable than ethanol in preparation of nano-encapsulation particles. Bioassay treatments showed LC50's on 2nd instars larvae were 70.59, 12.23 and 21.72 ppm for pepper mint oil, pepper mint nano-emulsion and loaded nanoemulsion, respectively. While on 4th instars these values were 80.47, 26.14 and 67.69 ppm, respectively. LC90's on 2nd instars were 104.75, 33.97 and 30.14 for pepper mint oil, pepper mint nanoemulsion and loaded nano-emulsion, respectively. While on 4th instars these values were 177.66, 71.37 and 102.29 ppm. Toxicity index and relative potency proved that nano-emulsion was more effective than loaded nano-emulsion, while the bulk preparation was the least effective one. Results of enzymatic activities showed marked effects of the three formulations of mint oil, significant inhibitions  were recorded for amylase, invertase, trehalase, protease and alkaline phosphatase, while significant increase in activities of cuticle phenoloxidase and chitinase. Effects of adding the three formulations to artificial diet of 2nd instar showed significant effects of the insect bionomics. Larvae durations, percentage mortalities, were increased as well as larval malformations. Also, pupal duration, percentage pupal mortality and pupal malformation were increased, while pupal weight was decreased. Adults longevity showed insignificant effects, while female fecundity and egg % fertility showed significant responce

Comparative Toxicity of Neem and Peppermint Oils Nano Formulations against Agrotis ipsilon (Hufn.) Larvae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Applications of nanotechnology in agriculture will result in the development of efficient and potential approaches towards the management of insect pests. The toxicity effects of four essential oils peppermint, thyme, camphor and sage oils were tested against the fourth instar larvae of Agrotis ipsilon to select the most effective essential oil to be converted to the nano form. According to the results obtained, peppermint oil was the most toxic compound, which has been used in the present investigation  compared  with neem oil. The toxicity of  bulk and nano- formulations of neem  and pepper mint oils were tested  against  2nd and 4th instar  larvae of A. ipsilon under laboratory conditions of 25±2 °C& 65 -70 % R.H.relative humidity The results show that the LC50 value (the concentration used which kill 50% of the tested individuals)of loaded neem or pepper mint were lower (0.62 and 36.47 ppm) compared with neem or pepper mint oil nano-emulsion and bulk neem for the second larval instar. The different formulations of neem are more potent than in case of peppermint oil, as LC50 and LC90 values were significantly lower.The same trend was found concerning the 4th larval instar. Age of treated larvae had a detrimental effect on the response to the compounds tested. It was noticed that the younger larvae were much more sensitive to the prepared compounds compared to the older ones. The least LC50 value for loaded neem nano-emulsion was 6.68 ppm compared with the highest value for  bulk neem oil (16.68 ppm ). Also,  LC90  values followed the same trend as in  case ofLC50.  Again, the toxicity of loaded peppermint oil had the most insecticidal activity as expressed by the lowest LC50 value (51.9 ppm) with more insecticidal effect than the bulk(125.43 ppm)  or nano-emulsion (85.43 ppm).  The present results indicated that these novel systems could be used in integrated pest management program for A. ipsilon control

Comparative Toxicity of Neem and Peppermint Oils Nano Formulations against Agrotis ipsilon (Hufn.) Larvae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Applications of nanotechnology in agriculture will result in the development of efficient and potential approaches towards the management of insect pests. The toxicity effects of four essential oils peppermint, thyme, camphor and sage oils were tested against the fourth instar larvae of Agrotis ipsilon to select the most effective essential oil to be converted to the nano form. According to the results obtained, peppermint oil was the most toxic compound, which has been used in the present investigation  compared  with neem oil. The toxicity of  bulk and nano- formulations of neem  and pepper mint oils were tested  against  2nd and 4th instar  larvae of A. ipsilon under laboratory conditions of 25±2 °C& 65 -70 % R.H.relative humidity The results show that the LC50 value (the concentration used which kill 50% of the tested individuals)of loaded neem or pepper mint were lower (0.62 and 36.47 ppm) compared with neem or pepper mint oil nano-emulsion and bulk neem for the second larval instar. The different formulations of neem are more potent than in case of peppermint oil, as LC50 and LC90 values were significantly lower.The same trend was found concerning the 4th larval instar. Age of treated larvae had a detrimental effect on the response to the compounds tested. It was noticed that the younger larvae were much more sensitive to the prepared compounds compared to the older ones. The least LC50 value for loaded neem nano-emulsion was 6.68 ppm compared with the highest value for  bulk neem oil (16.68 ppm ). Also,  LC90  values followed the same trend as in  case ofLC50.  Again, the toxicity of loaded peppermint oil had the most insecticidal activity as expressed by the lowest LC50 value (51.9 ppm) with more insecticidal effect than the bulk(125.43 ppm)  or nano-emulsion (85.43 ppm).  The present results indicated that these novel systems could be used in integrated pest management program for A. ipsilon control

Generalized pricing formulas for stochastic volatility jump diffusion models applied to the exponential Vasicek model

Path integral techniques for the pricing of financial options are mostly based on models that can be recast in terms of a Fokker-Planck differential equation and that, consequently, neglect jumps and only describe drift and diffusion. We present a method to adapt formulas for both the path-integral propagators and the option prices themselves, so that jump processes are taken into account in conjunction with the usual drift and diffusion terms. In particular, we focus on stochastic volatility models, such as the exponential Vasicek model, and extend the pricing formulas and propagator of this model to incorporate jump diffusion with a given jump size distribution. This model is of importance to include non-Gaussian fluctuations beyond the Black-Scholes model, and moreover yields a lognormal distribution of the volatilities, in agreement with results from superstatistical analysis. The results obtained in the present formalism are checked with Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl

Genome-wide meta-analyses reveal novel loci for verbal short-term memory and learning

Understanding the genomic basis of memory processes may help in combating neurodegenerative disorders. Hence, we examined the associations of common genetic variants with verbal short-term memory and verbal learning in adults without dementia or stroke (N = 53,637). We identified novel loci in the intronic region of CDH18, and at 13q21 and 3p21.1, as well as an expected signal in the APOE/APOC1/TOMM40 region. These results replicated in an independent sample. Functional and bioinformatic analyses supported many of these loci and further implicated POC1. We showed that polygenic score for verbal learning associated with brain activation in right parieto-occipital region during working memory task. Finally, we showed genetic correlations of these memory traits with several neurocognitive and health outcomes. Our findings suggest a role of several genomic loci in verbal memory processes

The burden of unintentional drowning: Global, regional and national estimates of mortality from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study

__Background:__ Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related mortality globally. Unintentional drowning (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes W65-74 and ICD9 E910) is one of the 30 mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive causes of injury-related mortality in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. This study's objective is to describe unintentional drowning using GBD estimates from 1990 to 2017. __Methods:__ Unintentional drowning from GBD 2017 was estimated for cause-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs), age, sex, country, region, Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile, and trends from 1990 to 2017. GBD 2017 used standard GBD methods for estimating mortality from drowning. __Results:__ Globally, unintentional drowning mortality decreased by 44.5% between 1990 and 2017, from 531 956 (uncertainty interval (UI): 484 107 to 572 854) to 295 210 (284 493 to 306 187) deaths. Global age-standardised mortality rates decreased 57.4%, from 9.3 (8.5 to 10.0) in 1990 to 4.0 (3.8 to 4.1) per 100 000 per annum in 2017. Unintentional drowning-associated mortality was generally higher in children, males and in low-SDI to middle-SDI countries. China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh accounted for 51.2% of all drowning deaths in 2017. Oceania was the region with the highest rate of age-standardised YLLs in 2017, with 45 434 (40 850 to 50 539) YLLs per 100 000 across both sexes. __Conclusions:__ There has been a decline in global drowning rates. This study shows that the decline was not consistent across countries. The results reinforce the need for continued and improved policy, prevention and research efforts, with a focus on low-and middle-income countries

Fine-Scale Mapping of the 4q24 Locus Identifies Two Independent Loci Associated with Breast Cancer Risk

Background: A recent association study identified a common variant (rs9790517) at 4q24 to be associated with breast cancer risk. Independent association signals and potential functional variants in this locus have not been explored. Methods: We conducted a fine-mapping analysis in 55,540 breast cancer cases and 51,168 controls from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Results: Conditional analyses identified two independent association signals among women of European ancestry, represented by rs9790517 [conditional P = 2.51 × 10−4; OR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–1.07] and rs77928427 (P = 1.86 × 10−4; OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02–1.07). Functional annotation using data from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project revealed two putative functional variants, rs62331150 and rs73838678 in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with rs9790517 (r2 ≥ 0.90) residing in the active promoter or enhancer, respectively, of the nearest gene, TET2. Both variants are located in DNase I hypersensitivity and transcription factor–binding sites. Using data from both The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC), we showed that rs62331150 was associated with level of expression of TET2 in breast normal and tumor tissue. Conclusion: Our study identified two independent association signals at 4q24 in relation to breast cancer risk and suggested that observed association in this locus may be mediated through the regulation of TET2. Impact: Fine-mapping study with large sample size warranted for identification of independent loci for breast cancer risk

Mapping subnational HIV mortality in six Latin American countries with incomplete vital registration systems

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a public health priority in Latin America. While the burden of HIV is historically concentrated in urban areas and high-risk groups, subnational estimates that cover multiple countries and years are missing. This paucity is partially due to incomplete vital registration (VR) systems and statistical challenges related to estimating mortality rates in areas with low numbers of HIV deaths. In this analysis, we address this gap and provide novel estimates of the HIV mortality rate and the number of HIV deaths by age group, sex, and municipality in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico.MethodsWe performed an ecological study using VR data ranging from 2000 to 2017, dependent on individual country data availability. We modeled HIV mortality using a Bayesian spatially explicit mixed-effects regression model that incorporates prior information on VR completeness. We calibrated our results to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.ResultsAll countries displayed over a 40-fold difference in HIV mortality between municipalities with the highest and lowest age-standardized HIV mortality rate in the last year of study for men, and over a 20-fold difference for women. Despite decreases in national HIV mortality in all countries-apart from Ecuador-across the period of study, we found broad variation in relative changes in HIV mortality at the municipality level and increasing relative inequality over time in all countries. In all six countries included in this analysis, 50% or more HIV deaths were concentrated in fewer than 10% of municipalities in the latest year of study. In addition, national age patterns reflected shifts in mortality to older age groups-the median age group among decedents ranged from 30 to 45years of age at the municipality level in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico in 2017.ConclusionsOur subnational estimates of HIV mortality revealed significant spatial variation and diverging local trends in HIV mortality over time and by age. This analysis provides a framework for incorporating data and uncertainty from incomplete VR systems and can help guide more geographically precise public health intervention to support HIV-related care and reduce HIV-related deaths.Peer reviewe

Age at first birth in women is genetically associated with increased risk of schizophrenia

Prof. Paunio on PGC:n jäsenPrevious studies have shown an increased risk for mental health problems in children born to both younger and older parents compared to children of average-aged parents. We previously used a novel design to reveal a latent mechanism of genetic association between schizophrenia and age at first birth in women (AFB). Here, we use independent data from the UK Biobank (N = 38,892) to replicate the finding of an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women, and to estimate the genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in women stratified into younger and older groups. We find evidence for an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women (P-value = 1.12E-05), and we show genetic heterogeneity between younger and older AFB groups (P-value = 3.45E-03). The genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in the younger AFB group is -0.16 (SE = 0.04) while that between schizophrenia and AFB in the older AFB group is 0.14 (SE = 0.08). Our results suggest that early, and perhaps also late, age at first birth in women is associated with increased genetic risk for schizophrenia in the UK Biobank sample. These findings contribute new insights into factors contributing to the complex bio-social risk architecture underpinning the association between parental age and offspring mental health.Peer reviewe