Electrochemical Performance of Grids of Lead-acid Batteries made from Pb-0.8%Ca-1.1%Sn Alloys Containing Cu, As and Sb Impurities in the presence of phosphoric acid

Electrochemical performance of grids of lead-acid Batteries manufactured from Pb-0.8%Ca-1.1%Sn alloys containing Cu, As and Sb impurities at 0.1 wt% level were studied in 4.0 M H2SO4 without and with 0.4 M H3PO4. The presence of impurities in the alloy or addition of H3PO4 was found to suppress the corrosion rate. H3PO4 increased the rates of both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions at high overpotentials for all alloys. Except for Cu-containing alloy, H3PO4 had a slight positive effect on PbO2 formation.The self-discharge of PbO2 under polarization or opencircuitconditions increased in the presence of H3PO4 but the positive grid corrosion decreased, except for the As-containing alloy. Impurity-containing alloys showed significantly lower self-discharge rate in the presence of H3PO4 than in its absence. Impedance measurement was able to detect and quantify the formation of the highly insulating inner PbO layer beneath the outer PbSO4 layer and its transformation to the conducting PbO2, during the oxidation of alloys under constant current conditions.H3PO4 significantly enhanced the formation of PbO in thepresence of impurities, especially Sb

GINGER ETHANOLIC EXTRACT, GINGER OIL OR RICE BRAN OIL INDUCED HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT AGAINST FATTY LIVER IN RATS

Hepatoprotective effect of ethanol extract of ginger, ginger oil or rice bran oil against fatty liver disease which induced by ethanol stress was investigated in the present study. Thirty six (36) male albino rats were classified into 6 groups as follows: 1- Normal control (NC), 2- Positive control (induced fatty liver by ethanolic stress) (PC+), 3- rats group administered ethanol and ginger extract (GE group), 4- rats group administered ethanol and ginger oil (GO group), 5- rats group administered ethanol and rice bran oil (RBO group) and 6- rats group administered ethanol and DMSO (DMSO  control group, because GE, GO and RBO were dissolved in DMSO as a vehicle). Results revealed that hepatic triglycerides was significantly (p≤0.05) raised to 80.7 mg/g liver, in positive control (PC+), compared to 15.98 mg/g liver in normal control (NC). Also significant increase (p≤0.05) in levels of ALT (69.41 U/L), AST (62.98 U/L) and ALP (121.65 U/L) in PC+, compared to their levels in NC (23.35 U/L), (27.95 U/L) and (73.45 U/L) respectively. In addition, high significant level was observed in serum triglycerides (214.37 mg/dl), total cholesterol (TC) (99.81 mg/dl) and LDL cholesterol (47.75 mg/dl) in PC+, compared with its values in NC group: (74.22 mg/dl), (31.45 mg/dl), (4.21 mg/dl) respectively. However, significant (p≤0.05) decrease was noticed in HDL cholesterol level (9.18 mg/dl) in PC+, compared to NC (12.39 mg/dl). On the other hand, treatment by ethanolic ginger extract (200 mg/kg body weight) showed a hepatoprotective effect which confirmed by remediation the values of hepatic TG, ALT, AST, ALP, TP, Alb, besides serum TG, TC, HDL-C and LDL-C in GE group as compared with their values in NC and PC+. Moreover, treatment by ginger oil (200 mg/kg body weight) and rice bran oil (200 mg/kg body weight) displayed a protective effect in GO or RBO groups, but lower than GE. In addition, ethanol extract of ginger disclosed very high antioxidant activity (IC50 = 18.25 µg/ml) compared to both ginger oil (IC50 = 6714.38 µg/ml) or rice bran oil (IC50 = 1409.57 µg/ml). Finally the present study indicates that ethanol extract of ginger showed hepatoprotective effect more than either ginger oil or rice bran oil

Oxidative Stress Biomarkers and Pathological Alterations Induced by Cryptosporidim Infection in Buffalo Calves at Assiut Governorate, Egypt

This study aimed to examine the histopathological changes and some biochemical parameters including oxidative stress indices during the course of a natural Cryptosporidium parvum infection in newborn buffalo calves. A total of 102 buffalo calves of 1-3 weeks of age, suffering from diarrhea were examined for the presence of C. parvum oocysts. Out of them, 16 buffalo calves were positive for C. parvum and 15 calves were free from Cryptosporidium infection and represented the control group. The histopathological study was also included two newly born buffalo calves that were died and proved to be positive for C. parvum oocysts. Intestinal and abomasal mucosa of infected calves showed villous atrophy and architectural abnormalities characterized by rounded edges, with markedly dilated glands filled with necrotic material, and numerous cryptosporidia at different stages of life cycle. Serum biochemical constituents revealed decreases (P < 0.05) in concentrations of total proteins (-14.94%), albumin (-17.22%), sodium (-7.532%), potassium (-16.02%) and chloride (-9.628%) when compared with healthy calves. There were increases (P < 0.05) in serum concentrations of malondialdehyde (62.524%) and total peroxides (30.31%). In contrast, there were an inhibition (P < 0.05) in serum concentrations of total antioxidant capacity (-35.49%) and the activity of superoxide dismutase (-30.43%) in comparison with the control group. Pearson's correlation coefficients (r) and linear regression (R2) analysis (n = 16) showed that TPX was inversely correlates with albumin (r=0.61, R2=0.43, P<0.001) and sodium (r=0.67, R2=0.48, P<0.001) concentration in serum of C. parvum infected calves. It can be concluded that, Cryptosporidiosis had an adverse effect on biochemical parameters with increased reactive oxygen metabolites and lipid peroxide production in infected buffalo calves, which may be responsible for tissue damage and villus atrophy in infected calves

NIOSOMES VERSUS PRONIOSOMES AS PROMISING DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS IN TREATMENT OF DIABETES MELLITUS

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) has emerged as an epidemic that has affected millions of people globally in the last few decades. Conventional antidiabetic dosage forms have a lot of problems that necessitate searching for novel drug delivery systems to overcome these drawbacks. Niosomes and proniosomes have been used to carry a wide variety of antidiabetic drugs achieving controlled and sustained release, which improves patient compliance. This review article describes the fundamental aspects of niosomes and proniosomes, including their structural components, methods of preparation, advantages and drawbacks, characterization, factors affecting niosomes formation along with their application in the treatment of diabetes. It also highlights the participation of other drug delivery systems in the treatment of diabetes done, mainly in the last decade

Camel Milk Triggers Apoptotic Signaling Pathways in Human Hepatoma HepG2 and Breast Cancer MCF7 Cell Lines through Transcriptional Mechanism

Few published studies have reported the use of crude camel milk in the treatment of stomach infections, tuberculosis and cancer. Yet, little research was conducted on the effect of camel milk on the apoptosis and oxidative stress associated with human cancer. The present study investigated the effect and the underlying mechanisms of camel milk on the proliferation of human cancer cells using an in vitro model of human hepatoma (HepG2) and human breast (MCF7) cancer cells. Our results showed that camel milk, but not bovine milk, significantly inhibited HepG2 and MCF7 cells proliferation through the activation of caspase-3 mRNA and activity levels, and the induction of death receptors in both cell lines. In addition, Camel milk enhanced the expression of oxidative stress markers, heme oxygenase-1 and reactive oxygen species production in both cells. Mechanistically, the increase in caspase-3 mRNA levels by camel milk was completely blocked by the transcriptional inhibitor, actinomycin D; implying that camel milk increased de novo RNA synthesis. Furthermore, Inhibition of the mitogen activated protein kinases differentially modulated the camel milk-induced caspase-3 mRNA levels. Taken together, camel milk inhibited HepG2 and MCF7 cells survival and proliferation through the activation of both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways

The Burden of Dementia due to Down Syndrome, Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, and Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In light of the increasing trend in the global number of individuals affected by dementia and the lack of any available disease-modifying therapies, it is necessary to fully understand and quantify the global burden of dementia. This work aimed to estimate the proportion of dementia due to Down syndrome, Parkinson's disease, clinical stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI), globally and by world region, in order to better understand the contribution of clinical diseases to dementia prevalence. Methods: Through literature review, we obtained data on the relative risk of dementia with each condition and estimated relative risks by age using a Bayesian meta-regression tool. We then calculated population attributable fractions (PAFs), or the proportion of dementia attributable to each condition, using the estimates of relative risk and prevalence estimates for each condition from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Finally, we multiplied these estimates by dementia prevalence to calculate the number of dementia cases attributable to each condition. Findings: For each clinical condition, the relative risk of dementia decreased with age. Relative risks were highest for Down syndrome, followed by Parkinson's disease, stroke, and TBI. However, due to the high prevalence of stroke, the PAF for dementia due to stroke was highest. Together, Down syndrome, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and TBI explained 10.0% (95% UI: 6.0-16.5) of the global prevalence of dementia. Interpretation: Ten percent of dementia prevalence globally could be explained by Down syndrome, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and TBI. The quantification of the proportion of dementia attributable to these 4 conditions constitutes a small contribution to our overall understanding of what causes dementia. However, epidemiological research into modifiable risk factors as well as basic science research focused on elucidating intervention approaches to prevent or delay the neuropathological changes that commonly characterize dementia will be critically important in future efforts to prevent and treat disease.R.O.A. is supported by Grant U01HG010273 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the H3Africa Consortium and by the FLAIR fellowship funded by the UK Royal Society and the African Academy of Sciences. F.C. and E.F. acknowledge UID/MULTI/04378/2019 and UID/QUI/50006/2019 support with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds. L.F.S.C.A. is supported by Medical Research Council (London) Grant No. MR/T03355X/1. A.G. was supported by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi. M.R.H. is supported by Ohio University Research Council (OURC) Spring 2020 funding. Y.J.K. was supported by Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia (No.: XMUMRF/2020-C6/ITCM/0004). W.A.K. is part of the Alzheimer Advisory Group to IHME sponsored by Gates Ventures and is principally supported at UW by NIH Grant U01 AG016976. M.K. would like to acknowledge FIC/NIMH K43 TW010716-03. I.L. is a member of the Sistema Nacional de Investigación (SNI), which is supported by the Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT), Panama. S.L. acknowledges institutional support from the Competence Cluster for Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health (nutriCARD) Halle-Jena-Leipzig (Germany; German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Grant Agreement no. 01EA1808A). N.M. acknowledges support from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India. S.M. is supported by Grant GR-2013-02354960 from the Italian Ministry of Health. A.R., D.S., and S.S. acknowledge support by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Linea 4 – Outcome Research: dagli Indicatori alle Raccomandazioni Cliniche). P.S.S. acknowledges funding support from the NHMRC of Australia (GNT1093083) and the NIH (USA) (1RF1AG057531-01). J.P.S. acknowledges support by Grant No. UIDB/04378/2020 from the Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit (UCIBIO), supported through Portuguese national funds via FCT/MCTES. C.E.I. acknowledges support by the National Health and Medical Research Council. C.W. acknowledges support from the Ministry of Science and Technology in China (2020YFC2005600) and the Suzhou Science and Technology Bureau SS2019069 and partial support by the Kunshan Municipal Government research funding.publishedVersio

Treadmill walking exercise modulates bone mineral status and inflammatory cytokines in obese asthmatic patients with long term intake of corticosteroids.

Background: Obesity and asthma are an important public health problem in Saudi Arabia. An increasing body of data supports the hypothesis that obesity is a risk factor for asthma. Asthma appears to be associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) due to long-term use of corticosteroids. Studies recently showed that weight bearing exercise training can increase mineral bone density, reduce weight and improve metabolic control. Objective: The present study aimed to measure the effects of treadmill walking exercises on bone mineral status and inflammatory cytokines in obese asthmatic patients treated with long term intake of corticosteroids. Methods: Eighty obese asthmatic patients of both sexes, their age ranged from 41 to 53 years. Subjects were divided into two equal groups: training group (group A) received aerobic exercise training on treadmill for six months in addition to the medical treatment where, the control group (group B) received only the medical treatment. Results: The results of this study indicated a significant increase in BMD of the lumbar spine & the radius, serum calcium and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) & significant reduction in parathyroid hormone, leptin, tumor necrosis factor\u2013 alpha(TNF-\u3b1), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), triglycerides (TG) and body mass index (BMI) in group (A), while these changes were not significant in group (B).Also; there was a significant difference between both groups at the end of the study. Conclusion: Treadmill walking exercise training is an effective treatment policy to improve bone mineral status and modulates inflammatory cytokines and blood lipids profile in obese asthmatic patients with long term intake of corticosteroids

Acacia senegal gum exudate offers protection against cyclophosphamide-induced urinary bladder cytotoxicity

Cylophosphamide (CYCL) is a strong anticancer and immunosuppressive agent but its urotoxicity presents one of the major toxic effects that limit its wide usage particularly in high dose regimens. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate Acacia Senegal gum exudate, Gum Arabic (GA), for its possible role as a natural, nontoxic agent against CYCL-induced urotoxicity. Male Swiss albino rats were exposed to CYCL (150 mg/kg BW, once i.p) with or without GA oral supplementation (7.5 g/kg/day for 6 days) through drinking water. Glutathione (GSH), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Nitric oxide (NO) bladder contents were assessed. Responsiveness of the bladder rings to acetylcholine (ACh) in vitro, microscopic and macroscopic features are also investigated. CYCL produced pronounced harmful effects on bladder urothelial lining with significant increases in (MDA) and NO levels in the tissue homogenates. Bladder-GSH content is dropped by over 60% following CYCL injection. Bladder contractility, as measured by its responsiveness to ACh, recorded a marked reduction. The isolated bladders exhibited such macroscopic changes as severe edema, inflammation and extravasation. The bladder weight increased as well. Histological changes were evident in the form of severe congestion, petechial hemorrhage and chronic inflammatory reaction in the lamina propria accompanied with desquamated epithelia. GA, a potential protective agent, produced an almost complete reversal of NO induction, lipid peroxidation or cellular GSH bladder contents in the GA + CYCL-treated group. Likewise, bladder inflammation and edema were reduced. Bladder rings showed a remarkable recovery in their responsiveness to ACh. Bladder histological examination showed a near normal configuration and structural integrity, with a significant reduction in inflammation and disappearance of focal erosions. These remarkable effects of GA may be attributed to its ability to neutralize acrolein, the reactive metabolite of CYCL and/or the resultant reactive oxygen metabolites, through a scavenging action. GA may limit the cascading events of CYCL-induced damage, initiating a cytoprotective effect leading to structural and functional recovery of the bladder tissues

Antimikrobno djelovanje nekih glukopiranozil-pirimidin karbonitrila i fuzioniranih pirimidinskih sustava

3-Amino-5-(4-chlorophenylamino)-4-cyanofuran-2-carboxamide (2) was used as the key molecule for preparation of various furo- pyrimidines 3-9 and formation of spiro-cycloalkane furopyrimidines 10, 11. Also, poly fused heterocyclic compounds 13-17 were prepared from compound 2. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity.3-Amino-5-(4-klorfenilamino)-4-cijanofuran-2-karboksamid (2) upotrebljen je kao ključni spoj za pripravu različitih furo-pirimidina 3-9 i spiro-cikloalkane furopirimidina 10 i 11. Fuzionirani heterociklički spojevi 13-17 pripravljeni su također polazeći iz spoja 2. Sintetizirani spojevi ispitani su na antimikrobno djelovanje

A Rare Association Between Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency Type I and Psoriasis in Humans

The β2 integrins are expressed exclusively on leukocytes and participate in many immune and inflammatory processes. This subfamily comprises four heterodimeric glycoproteins with a common β-subunit, designated β2 (CD18). Spontaneous mutations of the CD18 gene result in leukocyte adhesion deficiency type I (LAD-I). Low level of CD18 expression has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. We here describe a child with recurrent skin infections without pus formation, persistent gingivitis and periodontitis. His blood counts showed persistent leukocytosis (neutrophilia). CD11b expression was defective on neutrophils, while that of CD18 was normal. So, our patient represents a mild variant of LAD-I with possible dysfunctional CD18. Moreover, he developed psoriasis with reduced CD18 expression on CD4+ T-cells. Psoriasiform dermatitis has been described before in association with LAD-I, however, clinically and histologically confirmed psoriasis in association with LAD-I has been described only in CD18 hypomorphic mice. Therefore, our patient represents the first clinically and histopathologically documented association between LAD-I and psoriasis in humans. It lends support to the role of β2 integrins in the etiopathogenesis of psoriasis