Natural Cholesterol Busters

Hypercholesterolemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, is a silent health problem. It occurs due to buildup of large amount of cholesterol in blood vessels resulting in narrowed blood vessels or blockage of the flow of blood and causes cellular dysfunction. The predisposing factors for hypercholesterolemia are carbohydrates‐enriched diet, unhealthy fats, and red meat. Moreover, family history, obesity, hypokinetic lifestyle, aging, and oxidative stress are associated with hypercholesterolemia. Therapeutic interventions of hypercholesterolemia involve cessation of bad habits, regular exercise, consumption of cholesterol buster diets, and cholesterol‐lowering drugs. However, cholesterol‐lowering drugs have low efficacy, and some patients cannot tolerate the adverse effects of hypocholesterolemic drugs. In light of this, there has been great interest to address natural cholesterol busters as first choice as cholesterol‐lowering option. Healthy diet, regular exercise and natural cholesterol‐lowering agents are documented to decrease blood cholesterol level. Natural cholesterol busters include dietary fibers, plant sterols, healthy fats, smart proteins, antinutrients, antioxidants, and L‐arginine. These busters not only decrease cholesterol oxidation and absorption but also increase cholesterol catabolism and elimination. Most of these busters are found in cereals, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fermented foods. The natural cholesterol busters are recommended strategies for treatment of hypercholesterolemia alone or in combination with cholesterol‐lowering drugs

Oropharyngeal and otorhinological changes in end stage renal patients undergoing hemodialysis

The study aimed to assess oropharyngeal and otorhinolaryngological changes in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis and correlate the findings to renal functions. This case-control study compared oral and otorhinolaryngologica

The Persistence of Memory, or How the X-Ray Spectrum of SNR 0509-67.5 Reveals the Brightness of its Parent Type Ia Supernova

We examine the dynamics and X-ray spectrum of the young Type Ia supernova remnant 0509-67.5 in the context of the recent results obtained from the optical spectroscopy of its light echo. Our goal is to estimate the kinetic energy of the supernova explosion using Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the supernova remnant, thus placing the birth event of 0509-67.5 in the sequence of dim to bright Type Ia supernovae. We base our analysis on a standard grid of one-dimensional delayed detonation explosion models, together with hydrodynamic and X-ray spectral calculations of the supernova remnant evolution. From the remnant dynamics and the properties of the O, Si, S, and Fe emission in its X-ray spectrum we conclude that 0509-67.5 was originated ~400 years ago by a bright, highly energetic Type Ia explosion similar to SN 1991T. Our best model has a kinetic energy of 1.4x10E51 erg and synthesizes 0.97 Msun of 56Ni. These results are in excellent agreement with the age estimate and spectroscopy from the light echo. We have thus established the first connection between a Type Ia supernova and its supernova remnant based on a detailed quantitative analysis of both objects.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, plus an exclusive astro-ph-only Appendix; ApJ in press, companion paper to Rest et al. 0

Antiviral Plant Extracts: A Treasure for Treating Viral Diseases

Viral infections remain a challenge in human and veterinary medicine due to factors such as viral mutations, new viruses, toxic effects, disease severity, intracellular viability, high costs, and limited availability of antiviral drugs. Despite advancements in immunization and antiviral drugs, there is a need for new and more effective antiviral compounds. Plants produce secondary metabolites that have shown antiviral activity, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and essential oils. Advanced analytical techniques like HPLC, GC-MS, and NMR spectroscopy are used to identify and characterize these bioactive compounds. Flavonoids, terpenoids, lignans, sulphides, polyphenolics, coumarins, and saponins are among the groups of bioactive compounds found in plants that have demonstrated antiviral activity against viruses like HIV, influenza, herpes simplex, and hepatitis. Screening plant extracts and isolating active compounds allow scientists to identify potential new antiviral drugs. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown significant antiviral activity of plant extracts and their bioactive compounds. However, further research is needed to ensure safety, investigate drug interactions, and explore combination therapies with other natural products. The use of advanced analytical techniques helps identify and characterize bioactive compounds that target different stages of the viral life cycle. Examples of plant extracts and compounds with antiviral activity against specific viruses are mentioned, including SARS-CoV-2 and various veterinary viruses. The abstract emphasizes the ongoing research on natural sources, particularly plants, for the discovery of new and effective antiviral compounds, while highlighting the need for extensive studies on safety, drug interactions, and combination therapies

Effects of mist fractions on heat transfer characteristics in a rotating roughened cooling passage

This paper investigates the effects of the mist fractions on heat transfer characteristics applied on a rotating U-channel with inclined ribs at an angle of 45°. This study has been conducted on five different mist percentages from 1 to 5 with a 1% increment at each step, and all of the cases have been investigated for Reynolds number values of 5000, 10000, 25000 and 40000. The numerical results obtained from the application of RNG k-ε turbulence model with enhanced-wall function were in good agreement with the experimental data of the smooth and ribbed channels both with and without mist addition. Results also demonstrated a 300% increase in the flow temperature difference and a noticeable increase in Nusselt number at each bend region and at the downstream of the leading edge around 25% and 110% respectively, at high mist fraction (5%); when compared with the case where only air was used. With %5 mist addition, the convective efficiency also reaches approximately 69%

Morphological evidence for azimuthal variations of the cosmic ray ion acceleration at the blast wave of SN 1006

Using radio, X-ray and optical observations, we present evidence for morphological changes due to efficient cosmic ray ion acceleration in the structure of the southeastern region of the supernova remnant SN 1006. SN 1006 has an apparent bipolar morphology in both the radio and high-energy X-ray synchrotron emission. In the optical, the shock front is clearly traced by a filament of Balmer emission in the southeast. This optical emission enables us to trace the location of the blast wave (BW) even in places where the synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons is either absent or too weak to detect. The contact discontinuity (CD) is traced using images in the low-energy X-rays (oxygen band) which we argue reveals the distribution of shocked ejecta. We interpret the azimuthal variations of the ratio of radii between the BW and CD plus the X-ray and radio synchrotron emission at the BW using CR-modified hydrodynamic models. We assumed different azimuthal profiles for the injection rate of particles into the acceleration process, magnetic field and level of turbulence. We found that the observations are consistent with a model in which these parameters are all azimuthally varying, being largest in the brightest regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ - 42 pages, 11 figure

Flow structure and heat transfer of jet impingement on a rib-roughened flat plate

The jet impingement technique is an effective method to achieve a high heat transfer rate and is widely used in industry. Enhancing the heat transfer rate even minimally will improve the performance of many engineering systems and applications. In this numerical study, the convective heat transfer process between orthogonal air jet impingement on a smooth, horizontal surface and a roughened uniformly heated flat plate is studied. The roughness element takes the form of a circular rib of square cross-section positioned at different radii around the stagnation point. At each location, the effect of the roughness element on heat transfer rate was simulated for six different heights and the optimum rib location and rib dimension determined. The average Nusselt number has been evaluated within and beyond the stagnation region to better quantify the heat transfer advantages of ribbed surfaces over smooth surfaces. The results showed both flow and heat transfer features vary significantly with rib dimension and location on the heated surface. This variation in the streamwise direction included both augmentation and decrease in heat transfer rate when compared to the baseline no-rib case. The enhancement in normalized averaged Nusselt number obtained by placing the rib at the most optimum radial location R/D = 2 was 15.6% compared to the baseline case. It was also found that the maximum average Nusselt number for each location was achieved when the rib height was close to the corresponding boundary layer thickness of the smooth surface at the same rib position

Occurrence of unusual non-fermentative gram negative bacilli in intensive care units of a university hospital, Egypt

Non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) other than Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species have emerged as nosocomial pathogens. No much data is currently available concerning the occurrence of these types of bacteria in Zagazig University Hospitals (ZUHs). In this study, the occurrence as well as the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of unusual NFGNB obtained from clinical samples collected from intensive care units (ICUs) of ZUHs was assessed. Additionally, the genetic relatedness among the most prevalent unusual NFGNB species was studied.Results: Out of 516 non-repeated clinical sample, 97 NFGNB (18.7%) were isolated. Among them, 17 unusual NFGNB were identified by API 20NE, accounting for 17.5% of NFGNB and 3.3% of all tested samples. Within the unusual NFGNB, Burkholderiacepaciacomplex (Bcc) was the most prevalent species accounting for 94.1% of NFGNB and 3.1% of total samples. This was followed by Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei) which accounted for 5.9% of NFGNB and 0.2% of all obtained specimens. Tigecycline antibiotic was the most effective antibiotic against Bcc isolates (68.8% susceptibility) in disc diffusion method. After random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) testing, the obtained Bcc isolates were found to be genetically diverse. This highlights Bcc as an emerging nosocomial pathogen in ICUs of ZUHs. Continuous monitoring of the occurrence of Bcc in ICU as well as in other hospital wards is warranted.Keywords: ʺUnusualʺ, ʺNon-fermentativeʺ, ʺgram-negative bacilliʺ, ʺintensive care unit

TESTING AND ASSESSMENT OF SOME EGYPTIAN MARBLE TYPES

Marble is one of the most important materials in the field of interior design for houses and buildings. Marble is a natural material with aesthetic values that may vary from one type to another depending on its mineral compositions and its properties. In this research, the necessary tests were done for six types of Egyptian marble To compare the differences between geological, chemical, physicomechanical properties of the same marble type in the different areas and to quantify the different characteristics and uses of selected marble types. The tests were physical, mechanical (according to ASTM standards), chemical, as well as petrography analysis. South Sinai Teriesta marble samples had the highest values of major oxides, as SiO2 1.03%, MgO 0.638%, Al2O3 0.355%, Fe2O3 0.339%, and the lowest value of CaO 54.6%, compared with other studied marble types. Zaafarana marble samples had the lowest values of water absorption with average of 0.356% and the apparent porosity with average of 0.894%, the highest average values of: bulk density 2.729 gm/cm3, abrasion resistance 2.345, and compressive strength 100.29 MPa compared with other studied marble types. Elminya Selvia marble samples had the highest values of water absorption with average of 1.488% and the apparent porosity with average of 3.770%., the lowest average values of: bulk density with 2.468 gm/cm3, abrasion resistance 1.145, and compressive strength 41.37 MPa. Modulus of rupture ranged from 7.2 to 13.8 MPa, for dry and wet conditions and the flexural strength ranged from 6.4 to 12.25 MPa, for dry and wet conditions