Biohydrogen Production by Modified Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactor (AFBR) Using Mixed Bacterial Cultures in Thermophilic Condition

Anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (AFBR) with slight modifications was investigated to increase biohydrogen production at high temperature. The modifications include a decrease in the total liquid volume to 3.3 L, in addition to an external work in the form of high temperatures, high dilution rates and high rates of de-gassed effluent recycling. These modifications were applied to overcome the thermodynamic constrains preventing the simultaneous achievement of high hydrogen yield (HY) and hydrogen productivity (HP) in an (AFBR). Bacterial granulation successfully induced under a high temperature of 65oC. The bacterial granules consisted of a multispecies bacterial consortium comprised of thermophilic clostridial and enterobacter species. Hydrogen production rate (HPR) of 7.57 L H2/L/h and hydrogen yield of 5.82 mol H2/ mol glucose were achieved at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 h and effluent recycle rate of 3.6 L/ min, with V/F er equal to 0.9

The Palestinian Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna Preserved at the Biology Exhibitions of the Universities of the Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip (365 km2 ) of Palestine (27,000 km2 ) is home to a wealth of terrestrial vertebrate fauna. Some of these faunistic species find their ways to preservation at the local universities. Hence, the current study comes to document the Palestinian terrestrial vertebrate fauna acquired by the biology exhibitions (BEs) of Al-Azhar University, Islamic University of Gaza and Al-Aqsa University that are located at the Gaza City of the Gaza Strip. The amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals preserved at BEs of the universities in question were surveyed and scientifically classified during a three-month period extending from January to March, 2012. The study showed that all BEs of local universities are underdeveloped, lacking attention and suffer from specimen scarcity and good preservation. The BE at Al-Azhar University is the best in the arrangement and preservation of bird specimens. A total number of 200 specimens belonging to 54 terrestrial vertebrate fauna species, 39 families and 17 orders was recorded at BEs. Reptiles constituted 40.7% of the total species recorded, followed by birds (38.9%), mammals (14.8%) and amphibians (5.6%). The Islamic University of Gaza was considered the best in terms of the number of preserved species (39.8%), followed by Al-Azhar University (36.3%) and Al-Aqsa University (23.9%). The Common Toad (Bufo viridis) was the most preserved among the amphibian species recorded. Squamata was the biggest reptilian order, comprising 20 species (8 lizards and 12 snakes), with the Syrian Black Snake (Coluber jugularis asianus) was the commonest. The Palestine Viper (Vipera palaestinae) is endemic to Palestine and most venomous and dangerous to human health. The Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) was the largest Palestinian bird preserved at BE of Al-Azhar University. The Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) and the Common Badger (Meles meles) were the biggest mammalian specimens preserved, while the Palestine Mole-rat (Spalax leucodon ehrenbergi) was the only Palestine endemic species encountered among the preserved mammals. Finally, the improvement of BEs of local universities and the construction of a Central Museum of Natural History is highly recommended in order to change the Palestinians’ attitudes toward a sustainable ecological conservation in the Gaza Strip

PANC Study (Pancreatitis: A National Cohort Study): national cohort study examining the first 30 days from presentation of acute pancreatitis in the UK

Abstract Background Acute pancreatitis is a common, yet complex, emergency surgical presentation. Multiple guidelines exist and management can vary significantly. The aim of this first UK, multicentre, prospective cohort study was to assess the variation in management of acute pancreatitis to guide resource planning and optimize treatment. Methods All patients aged greater than or equal to 18 years presenting with acute pancreatitis, as per the Atlanta criteria, from March to April 2021 were eligible for inclusion and followed up for 30 days. Anonymized data were uploaded to a secure electronic database in line with local governance approvals. Results A total of 113 hospitals contributed data on 2580 patients, with an equal sex distribution and a mean age of 57 years. The aetiology was gallstones in 50.6 per cent, with idiopathic the next most common (22.4 per cent). In addition to the 7.6 per cent with a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, 20.1 per cent of patients had a previous episode of acute pancreatitis. One in 20 patients were classed as having severe pancreatitis, as per the Atlanta criteria. The overall mortality rate was 2.3 per cent at 30 days, but rose to one in three in the severe group. Predictors of death included male sex, increased age, and frailty; previous acute pancreatitis and gallstones as aetiologies were protective. Smoking status and body mass index did not affect death. Conclusion Most patients presenting with acute pancreatitis have a mild, self-limiting disease. Rates of patients with idiopathic pancreatitis are high. Recurrent attacks of pancreatitis are common, but are likely to have reduced risk of death on subsequent admissions. </jats:sec

Buğdayda trehaloz metabolizması ve trehaloz metabolizmasındaki enzimlerin abiyotik stres koşullarında belirlenmesi

Trehalose (a-D-glucopyranosyl-1,1-a-D-glucopyranoside) is a non reducing disaccharide of glucose that occurs in a large variety of organisms, ranging from bacteria to invertebrate animals, where it serves as an energy source or stress protectant. Until recently, only few plant species, mainly desiccation tolerant ءresurrection̕ plants, were considered to synthesize trehalose. Although most plant species do not appear to accumulate easily detectable amounts of trehalose, the discovery of genes for trehalose biosynthesis in Arabidopsis and in a range of crop plants suggests that the ability to synthesize trehalose is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. In this study, three wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.) Tosun, Bolal (stress tolerant) and Çakmak (stress sensitive) were analysed for the presence of trehalose. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, trehalose was unambiguously identified in extracts from seeds and seedlings of three different wheat cultivars (Bolal, Tosun and Çakmak). The trehalose amount was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography connected with refractory index detector. Effects of drought and salt stress on trehalose contents of wheat cultivars were studied at seedling level and trehalose analysis was achieved both on shoot and root tissues. It was found that trehalose had accumulated under salt and drought stress conditions in all wheat cultivars. The highest trehalose accumulation was detected in roots of Bolal cultivar under drought stress condition. Furthermore, trehalose metabolizing enzymes; trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) and trehalase enzyme activities were measured in roots and shoots of Bolal and Çakmak cultivars under control, salt and drought stress conditions. The most interesting results that we found that TPS activity sharply increased under stress conditions. The activity of TPS inPh.D. - Doctoral Progra

Pitavastatin Enhances Doxorubicin-induced Apoptosis in MCF7 Breast Cancer Cells

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. While doxorubicin is part of the standard therapy for metastatic breast cancer, it has limited success. Pitavastatin has been shown to enhance the anti-cancer activity of certain therapeutics. The current study, therefore, explored the anti-cancer activity of the combined treatment of doxorubicin and pitavastatin in MCF7 breast cancer cells. Cell proliferation and viability assays demonstrated that combined doxorubicin and pitavastatin treatment resulted in synergistic cytotoxicity and cell death. Western blotting analysis showed that pitavastatin treatment resulted in increasing levels of p53 and the cell cycle regulator p21 in both doxorubicin treated and untreated cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that apoptosis induced by the combined treatment occurs through the intrinsic pathway as evident from the activation of caspase 9, caspase 7 and the reduction of BCL-2 level. This study provides novel evidence to suggest that combined treatment of doxorubicin and pitavastatin may be effectively combined to treat breast cancer with the potential to minimize the side effects associated with high doses of doxorubicin.Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. While doxorubicin is part of the standard therapy for metastatic breast cancer, it has limited success. Pitavastatin has been shown to enhance the anti-cancer activity of certain therapeutics. The current study, therefore, explored the anti-cancer activity of the combined treatment of doxorubicin and pitavastatin in MCF7 breast cancer cells. Cell proliferation and viability assays demonstrated that combined doxorubicin and pitavastatin treatment resulted in synergistic cytotoxicity and cell death. Western blotting analysis showed that pitavastatin treatment resulted in increasing levels of p53 and the cell cycle regulator p21 in both doxorubicin treated and untreated cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that apoptosis induced by the combined treatment occurs through the intrinsic pathway as evident from the activation of caspase 9, caspase 7 and the reduction of BCL-2 level. This study provides novel evidence to suggest that combined treatment of doxorubicin and pitavastatin may be effectively combined to treat breast cancer with the potential to minimize the side effects associated with high doses of doxorubicin

Bioethanol Production by Immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae using Different Lignocellulosic Materials

Ethanol from biomass is an attractive and sustainable energy source for transportation fuel to substitute gasoline. Second generation ethanol production utilizes cheaper and non-food feed stocks like lignocelluloses or municipal solid waste. This, could make ethanol more competitive to fossil fuels. The aim of the present study is the production of low cost ethanol using the agro wastes like tomato waste and wheat straw and make a comparison between the efficiency of free and immobilized yeast cells in calcium alginate beads with microwave-assisted acidic pretreatment of the lignocellulosic materials. We have investigated the efficiency of immobilization technique for bioethanol production using Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolate which isolated from yogurt. This isolate was identified according to morphological and biochemical characterization tests. Microwave-assisted acidic pretreatment was performed for both wheat straw and tomato waste and show high improvement (45%) in glucose sugar amount compared with conventional mode of heating of dilute 7% HCl or 5% H2SO4 hydrolysis. Calcium alginate was used as immobilization matrix for S. cerevisiae. The best calcium alginate concentration was 3% and 4 % for reference and isolated yeast respectively. The immobilization technique gave higher ethanol yield compared with free system for tomato waste but lower yield with wheat straw. The maximum amount of ethanol (641mg/g) produced&nbsp; by free cells&nbsp; when used pretreated straw with microwave-assisted 5%H2SO4 hydrolysis and (543.5 mg/g) for tomato waste using immobilized cells with microwave-assisted 7%HCl hydrolysis

Production of Bioethanol from Olive Solid Waste "JEFT"

Olive solid residue (JEFT) is the solid waste generated during olive oil production process in three-phase olive mills. It consists of the remaining pulp of olive processing after the extraction of oil, as well as the cracked seeds of the olive fruits. As a lignocellulosic material, the hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin are the main components of olive stone. The present study standardized production of ethanol from olive solid wastes using Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates. S. cerevisiae isolated from yogurt, grape and sugarcane. These isolates were identified according to morphological and biochemical characterization tests. The alcohol tolerance test indicated that S. cerevisiae tolerated up to 10% of ethanol in the medium. Optimization of culture conditions such as pH and temperature of yeast isolates was did. 10g JEFT subjected to hydrolysis to sugar by different concentrations of diluted sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. Among acid treatment, the maximum amount of reducing sugar was 312 mg/dl obtained by 5% HCl. Using combined microwave-acid treatment with 5% HCl followed by incubation at 90°C in shaker water path for 3 hours resulted in higher amount of reducing sugars reached up to 389 mg/dl. pH 4.5 and 30°C temperature for 72 hours were the optimum fermentation conditions. The maximum observed amount of ethanol production by using JEFT hydrolysate was (9.3 g/l). When compared with hydrolysis with conventional heating by dilute 5% HCl, the microwave assisted 5% HCl process improved the yield of ethanol by 33.3%

عزل ,تشخيص و التعرف الكيموحيوي و الوراثي لبادئات اللبن

Background: Milk is a healthy human nutrient, which is fermented to yogurt by lactic acid bacteria, mainly Streptococcus salivarius ssp, thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus . This study aimed to isolate thermophilic starter bacteria from homemade yogurt made in Gaza Strip. The study sought to define both the biochemical and molecular characteristics of the isolated bacteria. Results: Three of the isolates were identified as Streptococcus thermophiles while two isolates were recognized as Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus. All five identified isolates showed worthy acidification capacity. Based on these characters, strains were applied for making yogurt either as single pure cultures or as mixed cultures. When using mixed cultures from S. thermophiles and L. bulgaricus , all tested combinations showed positive results. Conclusion: Isolated strains showed remarkable biotechnological characters. The isolates are expected to stimulate and improve quality of the yogurt when they are used as mixed starter cultures.Background: Milk is a healthy human nutrient, which is fermented to yogurt by lactic acid bacteria, mainly Streptococcus salivarius ssp, thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus . This study aimed to isolate thermophilic starter bacteria from homemade yogurt made in Gaza Strip. The study sought to define both the biochemical and molecular characteristics of the isolated bacteria. Results: Three of the isolates were identified as Streptococcus thermophiles while two isolates were recognized as Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus. All five identified isolates showed worthy acidification capacity. Based on these characters, strains were applied for making yogurt either as single pure cultures or as mixed cultures. When using mixed cultures from S. thermophiles and L. bulgaricus , all tested combinations showed positive results. Conclusion: Isolated strains showed remarkable biotechnological characters. The isolates are expected to stimulate and improve quality of the yogurt when they are used as mixed starter cultures

Evaluation the effect of ectomycorrhizal fungi on Prunus cerasifera x salicina (Rosaceae) growth compared with chemical and organic fertilizer

Biofertilizer isconsidered as an alternative to chemical fertilizer to increase soil fertility and crop production in sustainable farming. The use of biofertilizer is steadily increased in agriculture and offers an attractive way to replace chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and supplements. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of local ectomycorrhizal fungi isolated from the roots of some plants, on growth of Prunus cerasifera x salicinaunder greenhouse conditions. The impact of symbiotic fungus on the plant growthparameters wasmeasured by comparing the inoculated plants, with control plants and plants treated with chemical fertilizer and compost. The fungus isolated from P.cerasifera(myrobalan) roots in PDA media, and pure culture was obtained.50 plants were grown 10 for each parameter as follow:"10" seedlings planted in sterile soil without fungus and fertilizer (control); "10" seedlings planted in sterile soil was fertilizedwith theisolatedfungus; "10" seedlings planted in sterile soil was fertilizedbychemical fertilizers without fungus; "10" seedlings planted in sterile soil 50% and 50% compost; "10" seedlings planted in 100% compost.Our results showeda positive influence of the ectomycorrhizal fungi on the growthparametersof P.cerasifera x salicinaseedling compared with control, chemical fertilizer and compost, in all growth parameters. Thedifferentgrowth parameters weremeasuredafter incubationof plant seedlingsin the green house for four months. We concludedthat the use of ectomycorrhizal fungi gave positive influence on the growth of plant. According to these results,we strongly recommend the use of symbiotic fungi as total or partial substitute of other fertilizer.Biofertilizer isconsidered as an alternative to chemical fertilizer to increase soil fertility and crop production in sustainable farming. The use of biofertilizer is steadily increased in agriculture and offers an attractive way to replace chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and supplements. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of local ectomycorrhizal fungi isolated from the roots of some plants, on growth of Prunus cerasifera x salicinaunder greenhouse conditions. The impact of symbiotic fungus on the plant growthparameters wasmeasured by comparing the inoculated plants, with control plants and plants treated with chemical fertilizer and compost. The fungus isolated from P.cerasifera(myrobalan) roots in PDA media, and pure culture was obtained.50 plants were grown 10 for each parameter as follow:"10" seedlings planted in sterile soil without fungus and fertilizer (control); "10" seedlings planted in sterile soil was fertilizedwith theisolatedfungus; "10" seedlings planted in sterile soil was fertilizedbychemical fertilizers without fungus; "10" seedlings planted in sterile soil 50% and 50% compost; "10" seedlings planted in 100% compost.Our results showeda positive influence of the ectomycorrhizal fungi on the growthparametersof P.cerasifera x salicinaseedling compared with control, chemical fertilizer and compost, in all growth parameters. Thedifferentgrowth parameters weremeasuredafter incubationof plant seedlingsin the green house for four months. We concludedthat the use of ectomycorrhizal fungi gave positive influence on the growth of plant. According to these results,we strongly recommend the use of symbiotic fungi as total or partial substitute of other fertilizer