In Vitro Screening for Antimicrobial Activity of Some Medicinal Plant Seed Extracts

Phytochemical screening (saponins, tannins, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols and glycosides) of four medicinal plant seeds (Jatropha curcas, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba), Moringa oleifera and Datura metel) extracted by aqueous, ethanol and Folch solvents, were examined for their antimicrobial activity against three types of plant pathogenic fungi namely; Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani, in addition to four types of bacteria, namely; Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Ralstonia solanacearum and Pesudomonas aeruginosa using disc diffusion paper. Results revealed that different concentrations of aqueous extracts were more effective against bacterial activity compared to fungal activity, except for D. metel aqueous extract which showed no antifungal effect and very weak effect on only two of the tested bacteria. B. cereus was more sensitive to J. curcas aqueous extract, while P. aeruginosa was more sensitive to S. chinensis and M. oleifera aqueous extracts. On the other hand, results showed that J. curcas and M. oleifera ethanol extracts were more effective on Staph. aureus growth, while S. chinensis and D. metel did not have any effect on any of the fungi or bacteria under study. The evaluation of the antifungal and antibacterial effect did not confirm the broad spectrum of S. chinensis Folch extract, while M. oleifera and D. metel were more effective on reducing R. solani growth. Also F. oxysporum was affected by J. curcas Folch extract only at high concentrations. These findings support that the traditional use of the plant extracts in the treatment of different infections caused by pathogenic microbes is valuable and should be taken in consideration

Routine Margin Shaving Of Lumpectomy Cavity During Breast Conserving Surgery Detects Occult Multifocal Cancer, A Prospective Study

Background: Cavity shaving (CS) entails circumferential tissue removal from residual lumpectomy cavity following tumor resection during breast conserving surgery (BCS). It could allow detection of occult multifocal breast cancer (OMFBC).Objectives: This study aimed to highlight the impact of unidentified OMFBC as essential risk factor for local recurrence after BCS. Patients and Methods: Eligible breast cancer patients for BCS and CS were prospectively enrolled. Patients with negative margins of “resected tumor specimens” were designated as group A whereas group B comprised those with positive margins. OMFBC, diagnosed in the additionally shaved margins of the “residual lumpectomy cavity” as malignant breast tissues with intervening normal areas, was investigated in both groups. The study was conducted through the period from November, 2017 to March, 2021.Results: Forty-two patients with median age of 43 years were studied. Group A included 32 patients (76.2%)compared with 10 (23.8%) in group B. Overall, OMFBC was confirmed in the additionally shaved margins in 6 (14.3%) patients. OMFBC rate was less in group A (4/32 patients, 12.5%) compared to B (2/10 patient, 20%), however the difference did not reach statistical significance. In group B, another 1 patient showed persistent positive margins without evidence of OMFBC. All 7 patients with positive CS margins (6 with OMFBC and 1 with persistent positive margin without evidence of OMFBC) had their treatment strategy switched to modified radical mastectomy. Local recurrence occurred in only one among the remaing 35 patients (2.9%) who were treated by BCS with CS. Conclusions: CS improves outcome of BCS by reducing the rate of positive margins, enabling diagnosis of occult multifocal breast cancer and reducing local recurrence

A flavonoid-rich fraction of Euphorbia peplus attenuates hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress in a type 2 diabetes rat model

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance (IR) and hyperglycemia. Plants are valuable sources of therapeutic agents for the management of T2D. Euphorbia peplus has been widely used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, but its beneficial role in T2D has not been fully explored.Methods: The anti-diabetic efficacy of E. peplus extract (EPE) was studied using rats with T2D induced by high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ). The diabetic rats received 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg EPE for 4 weeks.Results: Phytochemical fractionation of the aerial parts of E. peplus led to the isolation of seven known flavonoids. Rats with T2D exhibited IR, impaired glucose tolerance, decreased liver hexokinase and glycogen, and upregulated glycogen phosphorylase, glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase), and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (F-1,6-BPase). Treatment with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg EPE for 4 weeks ameliorated hyperglycemia, IR, liver glycogen, and the activities of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes. EPE attenuated dyslipidemia, serum transaminases, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and liver lipid accumulation, nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, and lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide and enhanced antioxidants. All EPE doses upregulated serum adiponectin and liver peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in HFD/STZ-induced rats. The isolated flavonoids showed in silico binding affinity toward hexokinase, NF-κB, and PPARγ.Conclusion:E. peplus is rich in flavonoids, and its extract ameliorated IR, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, inflammation and redox imbalance, and upregulated adiponectin and PPARγ in rats with T2D

Bioactive terpenoids in cannabis: A critical review

Terpenoids, also referred as terpenes have been used extensively in drug related industry due to pharmaceutical properties. These have driven the emergence of studies on terpenoid from plant. Cannabis sativa plant is one of the common natural sources of terpenoids and cannabinoids. The cannabis produces and accumulates terpenoids in grandular trichomes. The grandular trichomes are abundant on the surface of female inflorescence. About 140 terpenoids are known in cannabis and some of them have medicinal potential in treatment of pain, inflammatory, cognition, epilepsy and immune functioning. The biological effect of terpenoid from cannabis is mainly attributed to limonene, myrcene, pinene, linalool, R-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, nerolidol and phytol. The different composition of terpenoids are responsible in exhibit the unique organoleptic properties and influence the medicinal qualities of difference cannabis strains and varieties. This article aims to review the cannabis plant for terpenoid, terpenoid biosynthesis and its pharmacological activities. The terpenoids from cannabis could be valuable natural resources for drug development

Effect of sand cushion reinforced with geogrid on heave of footing rested on expansive soil

The swelling phenomenon of expansive soil is considered one of the most serious problems that face geotechnical engineers. The principal purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of geogrid for reinforcing sand cushion on the heave of isolated footing resting on a top of a sand cushion underlined by highly active expansive clay using the large-scale box model. An artificial case study was imposed to prove the cost-effectiveness of using geogrid reinforcement with sand cushion. After performing experiments, there are many important conclusions that have been extracted from this study, for instance, using biaxial geogrid leads to control the heave of swelling soil due to the tension developed in geogrid. As well, the heave of the footing decreases slightly when the thickness of the sand cushion layer is changed from 0.75B to B

Microscopic colitis in Egyptian population: study of some contributing factors and role of chromogranin A as a diagnostic marker

Background Microscopic colitis (MC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have similar symptoms and a normal endoscopic appearance, as well as normal radiologic findings. Several studies have shown that MC can be mistakenly diagnosed as IBS. Over recent decades, MC has emerged as a common cause of diarrhea, especially in middle-aged or older women, and the disease is regarded as a subgroup within inflammatory bowel disease. The prevalence of MC in Egyptian patients with chronic watery nonbloody diarrhea is high when compared with that in developed countries. MC mainly affects young and middle-aged patients, and it is more commonly of the lymphocytic type. Chromogranin A is a common marker for endocrine cells, and the present finding suggests that colonic hormones are involved in the pathophysiology of lymphocytic colitis (LC). The chromogranin cell density seems to be a good diagnostic marker with high sensitivity and specificity in both the right and left colon; thus, sigmoidoscopy can be used in the diagnosis of LC using this marker. Aim The aim of the current work is to study the prevalence of MC among patient presented with symptoms of IBS. In addition, it is to determine whether chromogranin A cell density is increased in patients with MC and to examine the possibility of using it as a marker for the diagnosis of LC and collagenous colitis. Patients and methods The study was conducted initially on 100 patients presented with symptoms of IBS according to Rome IV criteria. Overall, 50 patients were excluded after finding an organic cause for their symptoms by diagnostic studies. Results A total of 37 cases were diagnosed as having nonspecific colitis, five cases were diagnosed as having MC (10% of the total cases studied), four cases were found to have ulcerative colitis, three cases was found to have eosinophilic colitis, and one case was found to have melanosis coli. Conclusion The initial results of our study revealed that MC is not an uncommon disease, and there was a significant correlation between using NSAID and proton pump inhibitor and smoking, with cases proved to have MC

Performance of rubberized reinforced concrete columns at ambient and high temperatures

The proliferation of discarded rubber tires is rapidly increasing at a concerning pace. Driven by the significant movement towards promoting environmental sustainability and mitigating the adverse environmental impact associated with non-biodegradable waste rubber tires, the objective of this study is to identify a viable and ecologically responsible resolution to the issue of discarded tires. This study experimentally focuses on the structural response and load-carrying capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) short columns containing crumb rubber as a partial replacement for fine aggregate after being exposed to temperatures of 27 °C, 300 °C, and 500 °C. Four concrete mixes were produced in which the natural fine aggregate (NFA) was partially replaced by CR with ratios of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% in volume. Twelve columns (three columns from each mix) were cast and tested under concentric loading. The experimental results showed that the workability and compressive strength of the concrete mixes decreased with increasing the CR replacement ratio. The residual failure load of columns decreased with increasing CR quantities and heating temperatures. The CR quantity had a more considerable impact on the decline of the column capacity than the heating temperatures. Analytical equations from international standards ACI 318–14, CSA A23.3, and previously existing equations were applied to study the validity of these equations in predicting the failure load of heated rubberized RC columns. Finally, a proposed equation for predicting the failure load of the columns is developed. The predicted failure loads obtained from the proposed equation were compared to the experimental results. The predictions from the proposed equation were in good agreement with the experimental data. Different statistical tests were done to compare the predictions from the proposed equation and previously existing equations for predicting the failure load of heated rubberized RC columns

Therapeutic efficacy of time-dependent cetuximab on experimentally induced hamster buccal pouch carcinoma

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the cetuximab therapeutic potential in the time-dependent fashion in experimentally induced hamster buccal pouch (HBP) carcinoma. Material and methods:  Forty Syrian male hamsters were classified into four equal groups (G) of ten each. GI: The animals remained untreated to act as negative controls. The right pouches of animals in GII, GIII, and GIV were painted three times a week for 14 weeks (w)s with 7,12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (DMBA). GII: No additional treatment was administered. While, the animals in GIII and GIV were treated differently. Those in GIII received cetuximab intraperitoneally (IP) three intervals a week for three (w)s, whereas those in GIV received cetuximab IP three intervals for six (w)s. After the end of the experiment, the gross observations were made, and blood samples (2ml) were withdrawn from the inner canthus of the eye for analysis of whole white blood cells (WBCs) and oxidative stress markers [glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels].  All pouches were surgically bisected for preparation for Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stain and immunohistochemistry (IHC) stain using epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Other fresh tissue was used for DNA detection through a flow cytometry (FCM) test

Effects of Telmisartan and Pioglitazone on High Fructose Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and hyperuricemia. This study was designed to assess the effect of telmisartan and pioglitazone on high fructose induced metabolic syndrome.35 Male albino rats were classified into 5 groups: A: Normal diet-fed; B: High Fructose-fed (HFD) subdivided into B1 (HFD only), B2 (telmisartan 5mg/kg), B3 (pioglitazone10mg/kg) and B4 (telmisartan + pioglitazone). Drugs started 4 weeks after staring HFD lasts for 4 weeks. Body weight (BW), blood pressure (BP) measurement, estimation of the level of fasting glucose, fasting insulin, uric acid (UA), total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL-c), low density lipoprotein (LDL-c), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and (nitric oxide) NO were done. Compared to group-B1:Telmisartan sig decrease BP, BW, serum glucose, insulin, UA, urea, cholesterol, TGA, LDL and sig increase HDL; pioglitazone sig decrease BP, serum glucose, insulin, UA, urea, creat., cholesterol, TGA, LDL and sig increase HDL. Co-administration of Pioglitazone + telmisartan sig decrease insulin, urea and creat compared to telmisartan alone. Combined telmisartan plus pioglitazone allow better control of BP, hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance and the amelioration of BW increase that may be associated with pioglitazone treatment.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author