Actividades antioxidantes y anticancerígenas del extracto obtenido por ultrasonido de piel de maní (Arachis hypogaea L.)

This study evaluates the effect of ultrasound-assisted extraction on the extractability of polyphenols from peanut skins (PS) and their antioxidant, and anticancer activities. The extraction was performed with solid/solvent ratios of 1:20 and 1:30 (w/v) at ultrasound intensity ranging from 5.8 to 15.4 W/cm2 for different extraction times (10, 20, 30 and 40 min). The highest polyphenol yield was 167.46 mg GAE/g dried PS. The most abundant polyphenols were catechin, syringic acid, and vanillic acid. The PS ultrasound extract (PSUE) increased the oxidative stability of sunflower oil by four times its initial level. PSUE possessed high inhibitory activity against MCF-7, HepG-2, HCT-116, and PC-3 cancer cell lines, with IC50 ranging from 1.85 ± 0.13 to 6.1 ± 0.43 μg/ml. In addition, the cytotoxicity of PSUE was examined on HFB4 human normal melanocytes using the MTT assay. These results suggest that PSUE can be used as a natural antioxidant and anticancer agent.Este estudio evalúa el efecto de la extracción asistida por ultrasonido sobre la extractabilidad de los polifenoles de la piel de maní (PS) y sus actividades antioxidantes y anticancerígenas. La extracción se realizó con relaciones sólido/solvente de 1:20 y 1:30 (p/v) a una intensidad de ultrasonido que varió de 5,8 a 15,4 W/cm2 para diferentes tiempos de extracción (10, 20, 30 y 40 min). El mayor rendimiento de polifenoles fue de 167,46 mg GAE/g de PS seco. Los polifenoles más abundantes fueron la catequina, el ácido siríngico y el ácido vanílico. El extracto de ultrasonido PS (PSUE) aumentó cuatro veces la estabilidad oxidativa del aceite de girasol. PSUE poseía una alta actividad inhibitoria contra las líneas celulares de cáncer MCF-7, HepG-2, HCT-116 y PC-3, con IC50 que oscilaba entre 1,85 ± 0,13 y 6,1 ± 0,43 μg/ml. Además, se examinó la citotoxicidad de PSUE en melanocitos humanos normales HFB4 utilizando el ensayo MTT. Estos resultados sugieren que el PSUE puede usarse como un antioxidante natural y un agente anticancerígeno

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Effects Of Irrigation With Saline Water, And Soil Type On Germination And Seedling Growth Of Sweet Maize (Zea Mays L.)

Germination and early growth of maize Sweet Maize (Zea mays L.), var. (SEL. CONETA) under irrigation with saline water were investigated in a pot experiment with different soil types. Seven salinity levels of irrigation water up to 12 dS/m were used on a Clay soil (C) and a Sandy-Loam (SL). Emergence of maize was delayed under irrigation with saline water, and the final percentage of germination was reduced only at 8 dS/m or above. Seedling shoot and root growth were reduced starting at 4 dS/m of irrigation water. Salts accumulated more in the C soil but reductions in final germination rate and seedling growth were larger in the SL soil, although differences were not always significant. Data indicate that germination is rather tolerant to salinity level in var. SEL. CONETA whereas seedling growth is reduced at moderate salinity levels, and that soil type affects plant performance under irrigation with saline water

Polychlorinated biphenyl, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran residues in sediments and fish of the River Nile in the Cairo region.

The levels of organohalogenated contaminants, i.e. PCBs, PCDDs and PCDFs were determined in sediment and fish samples collected from different locations in the River Nile, Egypt. Thirty-six sediment and eighteen fish samples were carried out during a period of 12 months from February 2003 to February 2004. Determination of PCBs and dioxins was carried out using a high resolution GC mass spectrometer. The results indicated that the PCB and PCDD/F mean concentrations in sediment samples ranged from 1461 to 2244 and from 240 to 775 pg g-1 dry wt basis, respectively. The mean concentration of PCBs and PCDD/Fs in fish samples were found to be in the range from 695 to 853 pg g-1 fresh wt for PCB congeners and from 27.7 to 121 pg g-1 lipid for total PCDD/Fs. Moreover, the concentrations of both PCBs and PCDD/Fs were found to be different at different locations along the River Nile. It could be concluded that the contamination of the River Nile is within the permissible limits set by the FDA and the Egyptian Standards for fish and shellfish