Therapeutic effects of Laser and L-carnitine against amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity in adult male rats

Purpose: To compare the effects of laser and/or L-carnitine (LC) on amiodarone (AM)-induced lung toxicity in adult male rats.Methods: Lung toxicity was induced in 50 healthy male albino rats (150-180 g) by AM for 8 weeks. The rats were divided into 4 groups (7 per group): AM recovery, LC, laser, and laser + LC. After a 4-week exposure to laser and/or LC, key antioxidant enzymes, nitric oxide (NO), angiotensin II, cyclooxygenase-II (COX-II) and lipoxygenase (LOX) as well as oxidative stress and inflammation parameters were determined.Results: Administration of LC and/or laser exposure led to significant increases in reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and angiotensin II; and significant decreases in nitric oxide (NO) level and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity in the AM-treated rats when compared with the AM recovery group (p ˂ 0.05). The LC and/or laser exposure also significantly inhibited COX II and LOX activities in the lungs, and brought about significant reduction in levels of TNF-α and lipid peroxidation (LPO), and significant increases in cytochrome levels (p ˂ 0.05).Conclusion: These results indicate that AM induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. However, AM withdrawal and treatment by LC and/or exposure to laser exerted mitigating effects against the AMinduced fibrosis.Keywords: Amiodarone, Lung toxicity, Laser; L-carnitin

Evaluating skin quality of some rabbit breeds under Egyptian conditions

[EN] Histological skin parameters in addition to mechanical and chemical properties of chrome tanned rabbits’ furs were determined in this study to evaluate and compare the quality of some rabbit breeds. Seventy-nine male rabbits aged 3 mo of New Zealand White (NZW, n=27), Rex (RX, n=24) and Gabaly (GB, n=28) were used. Results showed that GB skins had the highest values in skin weight (P<0.01) and area (P<0.05) followed by NZW and RX skins, respectively. Moreover, NZW skins differed in histological structure from the other 2 breeds, as total thickness and thickness of papillary and hypodermis layers in NZW were more than twice those of RX and GB (P<0.05). This structure is caused by an increase in fine collagen fibre bundles in papillary layer and a limited increase in larger collagen fibre bundles in the reticular layer. Furthermore, finished tanned furs properties clarify the superiority of GB furs in values of tensile and tearing strengths followed by NZW and RX, respectively. These results point to the possibility of using the chrome tanned furs of the 3 breeds in leather garment manufacturing.Taha, E.; Hekal, S.; Nasr, AI. (2017). Evaluating skin quality of some rabbit breeds under Egyptian conditions. World Rabbit Science. 25(2):193-200. doi:10.4995/wrs.2017.6652.SWORD19320025

Single Step Electrodeposited Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films at low annealing temperatures

[EN] This paper reports onthe growth of quaternary Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films by a single step electrochemicaldeposition followed by annealing at low temperature.The influence of different annealing atmospheres at constant annealingtimes (t = 45min) and fixed preparation controlling parameters; i.e., starting materials (precursor metal salts) solution concentration, time of deposition and electrodeposition potential. Structural, compositional, morphological, andoptical properties, as well as photoelectrochemical properties were studied. The films, sulfurized during 2 hours, showeda prominent kesterite phase with a nearly stoichiometric composition. Samples were characterizedby X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDS and UV-VIS-NIR spectrometry. X-ray diffraction and confirmed the formation of pure kesterite CZTS films. SEM shows that films are compact with densemorphology and homogeneous distribution. EDS analyzed the elemental constituents of the quaternary Cu2ZnSnS4 with an apparent Cu deficiency and S rich for the sulfurized samples. From optical study, the energy gap was indexed for the sulfurized samples,Eg=1.52 eV. Under illumination sulfurized CZTS films exhibits negative photocurrent and positive photovoltagevalues confirming the p-type character of the films.This work was supported by the Culture, Affairs and Missions Sector, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Egypt) and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Spain) (ENE2016-77798-C4-2-R) and Generalitat valenciana (Prometeus 2014/044).Marí, B.; Mollar García, MA.; El Nahrawy, A.; Saber, S.; Khattab, N.; Eid, A.; Abo-Aly, M.... (2018). Single Step Electrodeposited Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films at low annealing temperatures. Insights in Analytical Electrochemistry. 4(1:8):1-6. https://doi.org/10.21767/2470-9867.100028S1641:

Structural and Electrochemical Analysis of CIGS: Cr Crystalline Nanopowders and Thin Films Deposited onto ITO Substrates

A new approach for the synthesis of nanopowders and thin films of CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) chalcopyrite material doped with different amounts of Cr is presented. The chalcopyrite material CuInxGa1 − xSe2 was doped using Cr to form a new doped chalcopyrite with the structure CuInxCryGa1 − x − ySe2, where x = 0.4 and y = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3. The electrical properties of CuInx CryGa1 − x − ySe2 are highly dependent on the Cr content and results show these materials as promising dopants for the fabrication thin film solar cells. The CIGS nano-precursor powder was initially synthesized via an autoclave method, and then converted into thin films over transparent substrates. Both crystalline precursor powders and thin films deposited onto ITO substrates following a spin-coating process were subsequently characterized using XRD, SEM, HR-TEM, UV-visible and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). EIS measurement was performed to evaluate the dc-conductivity of these novel materials as conductive films to be applied in solar cells

Synergistic Interaction between Symbiotic N2 Fixing Bacteria and Bacillus strains to Improve Growth, Physiological Parameters, Antioxidant Enzymes and Ni Accumulation in Faba Bean Plants (Vicia faba) under Nickel Stress

Several activities in the agriculture sector lead to the accumulation of Nickel (Ni) in soil. Therefore, effective and economical ways to reduce soil bioavailability of Ni must be identified. Five isolates of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar Viceae (ICARDA 441, ICARDA 36, ICARDA 39, TAL&ndash;1148, and ARC&ndash;207) and three bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis, B. circulance, and B. coagulans) were evaluated for tolerance and biosorption of different levels of Ni (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg L&minus;1). Pot experiments were conducted during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons using four inoculation treatments (inoculation with the most tolerant Rhizobium (TAL&ndash;1148), inoculation with the most tolerant Rhizobium (TAL&ndash;1148) + B. subtilis, inoculation with the most tolerant Rhizobium (TAL&ndash;1148) + B.&nbsp;circulance, and inoculation with the most tolerant Rhizobium (TAL&ndash;1148) + B.&nbsp;coagulans) under different levels of Ni (0, 200, 400, and 600 mg kg&minus;1), and their effects on growth, physiological characteristics, antioxidant enzymes, and Ni accumulation in faba bean plants (Vicia faba C.V. Nobaria 1) were determined. The results showed that Rhizobium (TAL&ndash;1148) and B. subtilis were the most tolerant of Ni. In pot trials, inoculation with the most tolerant Rhizobium TAL&ndash;1148 + B. subtilis treatment was shown to be more effective in terms of growth parameters (dry weight of plant, plant height, number of nodules, and N2 content), and this was reflected in physiological characteristics and antioxidant enzymes under 600 mg kg&minus;1 Ni compared to the other treatments in the 2019/2020 season. In the second season, 2020/2021, a similar pattern was observed. Additionally, lower concentrations of Ni were found in faba bean plants (roots and shoots). Therefore, a combination of the most tolerant Rhizobium (TAL&ndash;1148) + B. subtilis treatment might be used to reduce Ni toxicity

Moisture properties of raised 3-thread fleece fabric knitted with different face and fleecy yarns

The sportswear sector in textile industry has expanded on the worldwide and the producers and wearers want to indicate their comfort performance in addition to the aesthetic demands. Sportswear should possess good moisture transmission property. Moisture flow through various materials is a complex phenomenon as in three-thread fleece knitted fabric produced with different face and fleecy yarn material. So, in this study, nine three-thread fleece fabrics of different composition materials have been studied, where these knitted fabrics are produced in a special circular knitted machine. The developed fabrics are taken to measure, water vapor permeability “WVP”, gain%, air permeability, drying time, color difference, immersion time and bursting strength. The test results were discussed statistically with single factor ANOVA. From the experimental results, it has been observed that the difference between face and fleecy yarns material was highly significant for the whole fabric in the water vapor permeability, gain%, color difference and immersion time. Three-thread Fleece fabric knitted with Egyptian cotton for the face and fleecy yarns has the maximum bursting strength compared to other samples having Bamboo and Tencel yarns

Forage seed production in Egypt for domestic market and for export

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