Using Pomegranate Peel Extract to Change the Adverse Effect of Ethephon by Enhancing its Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Anti-apoptotic Effects in Rats

المبيد الحشري الفسفوري العضوي ومنظم للنمو المسمى بالإيثيفون (2- كلورو إيثيل حامض الفوسفونيك) يستخدم على نطاق واسع كمسرع لعملية النضج ومثبط لمدة الزراعة. تم مؤخرًا أخذ مستخلص قشر الرمان (PPE) في الاعتبار نظرًا لتأثيراته الدوائية خاصة تلك المرتبطة بأمراض الكلى. وبالتالي ، كان الهدف من هذه الدراسة هو فحص في التأثير الوقائي المحتمل لمستخلص قشر الرمان ضد السمية الكلوية التي يسببها الإيثيفون في الجرذان. في هذه الدراسة, تم إنشاء أربع مجموعات من ذكور الجرذان البالغة (ن = 15) ، مجموعة التحكم ، مستخلص قشر الرمان 400 ملغم / كغم ، الإيثيفون 250 ملغم / كغم ، مستخلص قشر الرمان + الإيثيفون بنفس جرعة مجموعة مستخلص قشر الرمان ومجموعة الإيثيفون. معلمات وظائف الكلى: KLM-1 والكرياتينين واليوريا ؛ علامات الإجهاد التأكسدي: الهيم أوكسيجينيز -1 (HO-1) والعامل النووي 2 المرتبط بالعامل 2 (Nrf2) ؛ الجلوتاثيون (GSH) مع الإنزيمات المرتبطة به: أكسيد النيتريك (NO) ، ديسميوتيز الفائق (SOD) ، malondialdehyde (MDA) و catalase (CAT). بالإضافة إلى ذلك ، تم فحص وسطاء الالتهاب الكلوي: إنترلوكين 1 بيتا (IL-1β) ، عامل نخر الورم ألفا (TNF-α) ، العامل النووي كابا ب (NF-κB). كما تم دراسة المؤشرات الحيوية لموت الخلايا (Bax، caspase 3، Bcl2) بالإضافة إلى فحص البيانات المرضية لأنسجة الكلى. أظهرت النتائج أن الإيثيفون أدى إلى زيادة معنوية في علامات الأكسدة ، وانخفاض في مستويات مضادات الأكسدة، مصحوبًا بإصابة الأنسجة الكلوية المؤكسدة. وبالتالي ، تم االاستنتاج أن إعطاء الإيثيفون يؤدي إلى إفراز العوامل المؤيدة للالتهابات. علاوة على ذلك ، أظهرت النتائج النسيجية المرضية وجود تشوهات في أنسجة الكلى تعزى إلى التعرض للإيثيفون. ومن المثير للاهتمام ، أن اعطاء مستخلص قشر الرمان مع الإيثيفون أدت إلى تحسين كبير في التغيرات الكيميائية الحيوية والنسيجية الناتجة عن الإيثيفون. تقترح النتائج الحالية التأثير المحتمل لمستخلص قشر الرمان في حماية الأنسجة الكلوية من السمية الكلوية التي يسببها الإيثيفون في الجرذان.Organophosphorus insecticide and growth regulator namely Ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) are widely used as a ripening process accelerator and a cultivation duration inhibitor. Pomegranate extract (PPE) has recently been taken into consideration due to its pharmacological effects especially those associated with renal diseases. Thus, this study aims to investigate the possible protective effect of PPE against ethephon-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. In this study four groups of adult male rats were divided into control group, PPE 400 mg/kg group, Ethephon 250 mg/kg group, and finally, PPE + Ethephon group (treated with the same dose of PPE group and Ethephon group). In the current study, kidney function parameters (KIM-1, creatinine, and urea) along with oxidative stress markers, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), glutathione (GSH) and its correlated enzymes, nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) were estimated. Additionally, mediators of renal inflammation: interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were measured. Apoptotic biomarkers (Bax, caspase 3, and Bcl2) in addition to renal histopathological data were also investigated. Results revealed that Ethephon elicited a significant increase in oxidation markers and reduced antioxidant levels, accompanied by oxidative renal tissue injury. Consequently, administration of Ethephon was reported to provoke secretion of the pro-inflammatory mediators. Moreover, histopathological results showed that deformities in the renal tissues were noticed which is attributed to Ethephon exposure. Interestingly, co-administration of PPE and Ethephon resulted in significantly ameliorated the biochemical and histopathological alterations produced by Ethephon. Current results propose the potential effect of PPE in the protection of renal tissue from Ethephon induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Fast Overflow Detection Scheme by Operands Examinations Method for Length Three Moduli Sets

In this paper, we present a fast overflow detection scheme by Operands Examination Method (OEM) for 3-Moduli Sets. The method examines the sum of the Mixed Radix Digits (MRDs) computed using the Mixed Radix Conversion (MRC) method to detect overflow for the sum of operands. It is observed that by reducing larger numbers into smaller numbers, the OEM approach makes computations easier and faster. The proposed scheme is further implemented on the Moduli Set for validation purposes. Theoretically, the scheme proves to be more efficient in detecting overflow as compared to current existing overflow detection schemes. Keywords: Residue Number System, Operands Examination Method, Overflow Detection, Mixed Radix Digits, Mixed Radix Conversion

Modelling the spread of HIV/AIDS epidemic in the presence of irresponsible infectives

In this study, a non-linear mathematical model was proposed and analyzed to study the effect of irresponsible infectives in the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in a variable size population. The population was divided into four subclasses, of susceptibles (HIV negatives who can contract the disease), irresponsible infectives (people who are infected with the virus but do not know or live irresponsible life styles) , responsible infectives (HIV positives who know they are infected and are careful) and full-blown AIDS patients. Susceptibles were assumed to be infected through sexual contact with infectives and all infectives develop AIDS at a constant rate. Stability analysis and numerical simulations of the resulting model are presented. The model analysis shows that the disease-free equilibrium is always locally asymptotically stable and in such a case the basic reproductive number R0<1 and the endemic equilibrium does not exist. The disease is thus eliminated from the system. If R0>1, the endemic equilibrium exists and the disease remains in the system. It is shown that the endemicity of the disease is reduced when irresponsible infectives become responsible.Keywords: Vertical transmission, stability, simulation, irresponsible infective

Investigation into the effects of sepsis-induced hyperglycaemia on glucose-modulating hormones receptors in hepatocyte and monocyte cell lines

Hyperglycaemia secondary to sepsis is a common feature in critically ill patients and represents one of the leading causes of death in intensive care. Sepsis-induced hyperglycaemia is a complex condition involving altered insulin sensitivity and beta cell function. However little is known about the potential roles in sepsis-induced hyperglycaemia of other major modulators of glucose homeostasis the incretins, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-I (GLP-I). The overall aim of this study was to investigate the role of receptors for incretins and other glucose-regulating hormones in sepsis-induced hyperglycaemia. In order to achieve these aims two in vitro models was established, one of inflammation employing LPS in U937 monocytes and one of glucose metabolism employing the HUH7 hepatocyte cell line. The specific hypotheses to be tested were: Hyperglycaemia in sepsis results from the effects of endotoxin on glucose-modulating hormone receptors, in addition to insulin resistance The effects of sepsis on glucose-modulating hormone receptors are augmented by high glucose concentration Incretins are able to modulate cytokine secretion Effects of sepsis on glucose-modulating hormone receptors are altered by incretins The hepatocyte cells HUH7 and leukocyte cells U937 were used in this study as representative cell lines. Different sets of experiments were performed by culturing these cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce an acute proinflammatory state. Analyses of receptor expression mainly by transcriptional analysis with some confirmation by immunocytochemistry and Western blot were performed. The major findings were that transcripts for receptors for GIP, GLP-I, GLP-2, insulin and adiponectin (RI &R2) were detected in HUH7 cells. Expression of GIPR protein was also confirmed. Transcripts for receptors GIP, insulin and adiponectin (RI &R2) were also detected in U937, but much less abundantly than for HUH7. Incubation of HUH7 and U937 with LPS for 24 hr resulted in a dose dependent decrease in expression of receptors for GIP, GLP-I, GLP-2, insulin and adiponectin (RI &R2) in both cell lines. This inhibition was accompanied by an induction of cytokine IL-I β and IL6 but there was no effect on morphology and viability of the cells. IV Incubating HUH7 and U937 cells with a range of glucose concentrations alone for 24 hrs induced a dose dependent down-regulation in the expression of receptors for GIP, GLP-l, insulin and adiponectin (Rl&R2) in HUH7 cells and GIP and adiponectin R2 in U937 cells. Adding LPS to the culture media-potentiated these effects markedly. Incubation of HUH7 and U937 with LPS and GLP-l showed that GLP-l decreased the LPS- induced IL-lβ, IL-6 up-regulations, and reversed the LPS effects on the INSR expression, which had been inhibited by LPS in both cell lines. Similarly, incubation of these cells with LPS and GIP partially suppressed LPS-induced IL-lβ up-regulation. Exendin-4 suppressed the LPS-induced GLP-IR, GLP-2R down-regulation in HUH7 cells, and GIPR, INSR in U937 cells and blocked the LPS-induced IL-6 up-regulation in the both cell lines, Taken collectively, the data presented in this thesis indicate that hepatocytes and monocytes express glucose-modulating hormone receptors. Furthermore, exposure of these cells to sepsis significantly inhibits the 'expression of these receptors whilst inducing cytokine expression. Suppressed expression of the glucose-modulating hormone receptors in sepsis- induced hyperglycaemia may provide a possible explanation for the impairment of the incretin effects and insulin resistance in critically ill patients or in diabetic individuals. This research suggests that prevention of the down-regulation of glucose-modulating hormone receptors in sepsis could result in improvement in the action of insulin and incretins and thereby improve glucose control during hyperglycaemia or sepsis-induced hyperglycaemia. Furthermore, this thesis presents evidence to suggest that incretins may protect against pathological inflammatory consequences during sepsis-induced hyperglycaemia

An Enhanced Heterogeneous Gateway-Based Energy-Aware Multi-Hop Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) continue to provide essential services for various applications such as surveillance, data gathering, and data transmission from hazardous environments to safer destinations. This has been enhanced by the energy-efficient routing protocols that are mostly designed for such purposes. Gateway-based Energy-Aware Multi-hop Routing protocol (MGEAR) is one of the homogenous routing schemes that was recently designed to more efficiently reduce the energy consumption of distant nodes. However, it has been found that the protocol has a high energy consumption rate, lower stability period, and poorer data transmission to the Base station (BS) when it was deployed for a longer period of time. In this paper, an enhanced Heterogeneous Gateway-based Energy-Aware multi-hop routing protocol (HMGEAR) is proposed. The proposed routing scheme is based on the introduction of heterogeneous nodes in the existing scheme, selection of the head based on the residual energy, introduction of multi-hop communication strategy in all the regions of the network, and implementation of energy hole elimination technique. All these strategies are aiming at reducing energy consumption and extend the life of the network. Results show that the proposed routing scheme outperforms two existing ones in terms of stability period, throughputs, residual energy, and the lifetime of the network