58 research outputs found

    Indu-Diesel and Bio-Diesel as Renewable Fuel Synthesis from Used Automotive and Frying Oils

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    Generally, the types of used oil by human to meet its necessary requirements regardless of its source, whether industrial or vegetarian or animal are considered as one of environmental contaminants which ceaseless due to continue consumption and continuation put forward of it in huge amounts by a large proportion of population in cities and rural areas. Automotive engines need to replace their lubricating oil after passing a distance reach to (1000 – 1500) km to ensure the safety and not affected the car engine leading to poses not inconsiderable oil quantity of industrial origin to environment, if accounting the number of cars and the amount of replaced oil by each car engine after commuting the aforementioned distance. Human need to an almost daily basis for frying the food which is eating it during the three daily meals leaving great amounts of agricultural or animal origin oils due to the large number of population. Both types form contamination because it contains a harmful or undesirable materials for human and environment together, especially if throw these oils directly without treatment. This research tackles the ability of producing two types of diesel fuels, the first one is indu-diesel which prepared from used automotive oils (UAO) and the second type is bio-diesel that synthesis from used frying oil (UFO) using concentrated sulfuric acid and thermal treated eggshell for two types of produced diesel fuel (PDF), then complete the production process by applied clay treatment with faujasite type Y-zeolite for indu-diesel from UAO and ethanol for bio-diesel from UFO and after that all required test were performed for two types and compared the results with ordinary diesel of fossil fuel origin. The results show that convergence in values of tests for both types of PDFs with ordinary diesel with a relative vantage for indu-diesel on bio-diesel. Thus, obtained a petroleum product (diesel) which can be used directly as fuel or mixing with ordinary diesel from one side, and from another side it can get-rid of UAO and UFO by economic, benefit, useful and eco-friendly method. Keywords: : indu-diesel, biodiesel, ordinary diesel, automotive oil, frying oil, renewable fuel, eggshell and PD

    Thymoquinone inhibits growth of human medulloblastoma cells by inducing oxidative stress and caspase-dependent apoptosis while suppressing NF-jB signaling and IL-8 expression

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    Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood. The transcription factor NF-κB is overexpressed in human MB and is a critical factor for MB tumor growth. NF-κB is known to regulate the expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8), the chemokine that enhances cancer cell growth and resistance to chemotherapy. We have recently shown that thymoquinone (TQ) suppresses growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in part by inhibiting NF-κB signaling. Here we sought to extend these studies in MB cells and show that TQ suppresses growth of MB cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, causes G2M cell cycle arrest, and induces apoptosis. TQ significantly increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), while pretreatment of MB cells with the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) abrogated TQ-induced cell death and apoptosis, suggesting that TQ-induced cell death and apoptosis are oxidative stress-mediated. TQ inhibitory effects were associated with inhibition of NF-κB and altered expression of its downstream effectors IL-8 and its receptors, the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, X-IAP, and FLIP, as well as the pro-apoptotic TRAIL-R1, caspase-8, caspase-9, Bcl-xS, and cytochrome c. TQ-triggered apoptosis was substantiated by up-regulation of the executioner caspase-3 and caspase-7, as well as cleavage of the death substrate poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase. Interestingly, pretreatment of MB cells with NAC or the pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk abrogated TQ-induced apoptosis, loss of cyclin B1 and NF-κB activity, suggesting that these TQ-mediated effects are oxidative stress- and caspase-dependent. These findings reveal that TQ induces both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis in MB cells, and suggest its potential usefulness in the treatment of MB

    Antioxidant and hepatorenal protective effects of bee pollen fractions against propionic acid‐induced autistic feature in rats

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    In the brain, propionic acid (PA) can cross cell membranes and accumulate within cells, leading to intracellular acidification, which may alter neurotransmitter release (NT), communication between neurons, and behavior. Such elevation in levels of PA constitutes a neurodevelopmental metabolic disorder called propionic acidemia, which could clinically manifest as autism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of different fractions of bee pollen (BP) on PA‐induced autism in rats, and to evaluate their effects on the expression of liver and renal biomarkers. Groups of rats received treatments of different fractions of BP at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight/day for a period of 1 month. Normal control group I and group II were orally administered with phosphate‐buffered saline and propionic acid, respectively, for 3 days. BP contains various health‐promoting phenolic components. Different fractions of BP administered pre‐ and post‐treatment with PA showed significant reduction in the levels of liver and renal biomarkers (p < .05). Also, a significant enhancement in the levels of glutathione S‐transferase (GST), catalase CAT), and ascorbic acid (VIT C) was observed. Supplementation with BP significantly reduced biochemical changes in the liver, kidneys, and brain of rats with PA‐induced toxicity. It exhibited protective effects against oxidative damage and reactive oxygen species produced by PA‐induced adverse reactions in rats. Taken together, our study shows that BP possesses protective effects in PA‐induced liver and kidney damage

    Proanthocyanidin-rich date seed extract protects against chemically induced hepatorenal toxicity

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    A hydroacetone extract was prepared from seeds of Phoenix dactylifera L. var. Khalas, which is an industrial by-product of date processing. The proanthocyanidin nature of the extract (coded as DTX) was characterized by phytochemical and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. The total phenol/proanthocyanidin content and antioxidant activity of DTX were estimated by Folin-Ciocalteu, vanillin-sulfuric acid, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays, respectively. The hepatorenal protective activity of DTX was evaluated using CCl4-induced toxicity model in rats, in comparison with silymarin (SYL). Results of the histopathological examination and measurements of various hepatorenal serum indices and tissue biochemical markers demonstrated that DTX displayed marked protective potential against CCl4-induced liver and kidney injury at 100 mg/kg/rat. Relative to the control CCl4-intoxicated group, pretreatment with DTX significantly (P<.001) suppressed the elevated serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT and AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), bilirubin, creatinine, and calcium, whereas it significantly (P<.001) increased the diminished serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and total protein (TP). Moreover, DTX significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) formation and increased TP synthesis in hepatorenal tissues compared with the intoxicated control. The improvement in biochemical parameters by DTX was observed in a dose-dependent manner and confirmed by restoration of normal histological features. The acute toxicity test of DTX in rats revealed safety of the extract. This study reveals that DTX enhances the recovery from xenobiotics-induced toxicity initiated by free radicals

    Novel mutations and their functional and clinical relevance in myeloproliferative neoplasms: JAK2, MPL, TET2, ASXL1, CBL, IDH and IKZF1

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    Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) originate from genetically transformed hematopoietic stem cells that retain the capacity for multilineage differentiation and effective myelopoiesis. Beginning in early 2005, a number of novel mutations involving Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), Myeloproliferative Leukemia Virus (MPL), TET oncogene family member 2 (TET2), Additional Sex Combs-Like 1 (ASXL1), Casitas B-lineage lymphoma proto-oncogene (CBL), Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and IKAROS family zinc finger 1 (IKZF1) have been described in BCR-ABL1-negative MPNs. However, none of these mutations were MPN specific, displayed mutual exclusivity or could be traced back to a common ancestral clone. JAK2 and MPL mutations appear to exert a phenotype-modifying effect and are distinctly associated with polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis; the corresponding mutational frequencies are ∼99, 55 and 65% for JAK2 and 0, 3 and 10% for MPL mutations. The incidence of TET2, ASXL1, CBL, IDH or IKZF1 mutations in these disorders ranges from 0 to 17% these latter mutations are more common in chronic (TET2, ASXL1, CBL) or juvenile (CBL) myelomonocytic leukemias, mastocytosis (TET2), myelodysplastic syndromes (TET2, ASXL1) and secondary acute myeloid leukemia, including blast-phase MPN (IDH, ASXL1, IKZF1). The functional consequences of MPN-associated mutations include unregulated JAK-STAT (Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription) signaling, epigenetic modulation of transcription and abnormal accumulation of oncoproteins. However, it is not clear as to whether and how these abnormalities contribute to disease initiation, clonal evolution or blastic transformation

    Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

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    Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p&lt;0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p&lt;0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

    Microstructural, Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Organoleptic Characteristics of Sugar- and Fat-Free Ice Cream from Buffalo Milk

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    Ice cream is a popular dessert product across the world. Structure, body, taste, and odor properties are created by adding non-milk ingredients and milk ingredients. The main aim of the study is to decrease the caloric value of ice cream by using sugar and fat replacements. Ice cream treatments were investigated based on microstructural, chemical, physical, microbiological, sensory, and calorific values. Four different ice creams were used (control ice cream (SC1), ice cream with stevia (SC2), ice cream with sucralose (SC3), and ice cream with sorbitol (SC4)). The chemical properties in all treatments of ice cream were significantly recorded (p p p p p p < 0.05). On the other hand, the lowest calorific value was calculated in SC2, followed by the SC3 and SC4 treatments. In scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the gel exhibited a homogeneous structure with a fine network within the SC2, SC3, and SC4 treatments, as it contained a cohesive structure with small-sized pores

    Quasi-Elliptic Microstrip Low-Pass Filters Using an Interdigital DGS Slot

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    This letter introduces a DGS slot with an interdigital shape. The resonant frequency of the slot can be easily controlled by changing the length of the metal fingers, without changing the area taken by the structure. Using this slot, two quasi-elliptic low-pass filters were designed, fabricated and tested. The filters have a cut-off frequency of about 3 GHz

    A Simple Ultra-Wideband Suspended Stripline Bandpass Filter With Very Wide Stop-Band

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