Relative toxicity of two natural compounds compared to abamectin against some soybean pests under period rates

A sustainable pest management in agro-ecosystems requires parallel assessments of pesticide and natural compounds to control target pests. In the present study, a semi-field experiment was conducted to evaluate the relative toxicity of abamectin (Abamax), humic acid, and Chitosan Nano-Particles (C.N.Ps) against four soybean pests: Tetranychus urticae, Eutetranychus orientalis, Bemisia tabaci, and Phenacoccus solenopsis. The experimental treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with three replicates, where treatments were assigned to main plots and pest populations under different periods in the subplots. The obtained results and graphs demonstrated that there were considerable differences between the total numbers of pests after different periods of treatment. Generally, E. orientalis recorded the minimum pest number at all. Different tested compounds demonstrated a considerable correlation between the densities of the pests. T. urticae exhibited a significant correlation with the other three pests (E. orientalis, B. tabaci, and P. solenopsis). E. orientalis did not correlate with B. tabaci and P. solenopsis. The humic acid recorded the best effect on T. urticae after 3 days with a reduction of 85.45% and E. orientalis after 7 days 65.55%. However, Chitosan Nano-Particles (C.N.Ps) was the best for E. orientalis after 14 days (mortality 74.36%). In contrast, abamectin (Abamax) had a general mean of reduction of 91.17% against T. urticae, whenever, these compounds are promising for controlling T. urticae, E. orientalis, B. tabaci, and P. solenopsis. These results may be a supporting method to overcome some soybean pests. The findings are discussed within the context of integrated management of soybean pests under semi-field conditions

Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation versus Acupressure on Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting after Abdominal Hysterectomy

Aims: To compare between the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation versus Acupressure on post-operative nausea and vomiting in women scheduled for abdominal hysterectomy. Place and Duration of Study: Department of obstetrics and gynecology, Kasr El-Aini University Hospital, and outpatient clinic of faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, between July 2012 and January 2013. Methodology: We included 150 patients (age ranged 45-65 years) with post-operative nausea and vomiting after abdominal hysterectomy, their body mass index was less than 30 kg/m2 without medical history of gastrointestinal diseases. Patients were equally divided into three groups. Group (A), received trancutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS10Hz was applied on the P6 point of the dominant hand 30min before induction of anesthesia and continued for 8 h postoperatively) in addition to post operative anti-emetic drug. In group (B), acupressure (elastic wrist bands with a sphere to apply pressure on P6 point) was performed exactly in the same way as in group (A) in addition to post operative anti-emetic drug. Patients of group (C) received post operative anti-emetic drug only. Post-operative metoclopramid 10mg/iv was administrated for all patients in groups (A, B & C) as antiemetic. Assessment of all patients in all groups (A, B&C;) was carried out after 4h and 8h of the treatment through Mc Gill assessment for postoperative nausea and vomiting. Results: Showed a statistically more significant decrease (P<.0001) in nausea and vomiting scales for group A than both groups B&C; after 4 and 8 hours. Conclusion: Trancutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation of P6 point appears to be more effective than acupressure in alleviating post-operative nausea and vomiting after abdominal hysterectomy

Role of anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin antibodies in chronic hepatitis C patients and its relation to HCV associated arthritis

Aim of the work: To determine the frequency of anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) antibodies in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients and its relation to HCV associated arthritis. Patients and methods: The study included 60 HCV patients and 30 age and sex matched control. Patients were subgrouped according to the presence and absence of associated arthritis. Laboratory investigations were performed and anti-MCV antibodies were measured. Results: The age of the patients ranged between 29 and 75 years (mean 57.65 ± 8.49 years) and they were 38 males (63.3%) and 22 females (36.7%) M:F 1.7:1. 32 (53.3%) patients had arthritis while the remaining 28 (46.7%) did not. There was a significantly higher anti-MCV antibody level in the patients (median 250 ug/L; range 175–375 ug/L) compared to the control (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the anti-MCV antibodies between HCV patients with and without arthritis (p = 0.15). The HCV patients without arthritis had a significantly higher level of anti-MCV antibody (median 200 ug/L, range 175–375 ug/L) than the control (median 30 ug/L, range 5–15 ug/L) (p < 0.001) and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.85 (95% CI 0.69–1, p = 0.004). When the cut-off value for anti-MCV antibody was set at 57.5 ug/L, clinical sensitivity was 80% and specificity was 80% between those without arthritis and the control. There was no significant correlation between anti-MCV antibody with various studied parameters in the HCV patients. Conclusion: Anti-MCV antibody is significantly increased in HCV patient and has no role in diagnosing HCV-associated arthritis

Anti-Helicobacter pylori, anti-biofilm activity, and molecular docking study of citropten, bergapten, and its positional isomer isolated from Citrus sinensis L. leaves

Introduction: Citrus sinensis L. is a candidate plant with promising antimicrobial potential. In the current study, the phytochemical investigation of C. sinensis leaf extract led to the isolation of three coumarins, namely bergapten, xanthotoxin, and citropten. Methods: The chemical structures of the isolated coumarins were elucidated using NMR and ESI-MS techniques. The total aqueous ethanol leaf extract and the isolated coumarins were evaluated for their antimicrobial effects against Helicobacter pylori using the MTT-micro-well dilution method and its anti-biofilm activity using MBEC assay, as compared to clarithromycin. Results: The results showed that citropten scored the lowest MIC value at 3.9 μg/mL and completely inhibited the planktonic growth of H. pylori. In addition, it completely suppressed H. pylori biofilm at 31.25 μg/mL. These findings have been supported by molecular docking studies on the active sites of the H. pylori inosine 5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase (HpIMPDH) model and the urease enzyme, showing a strong binding affinity of citropten to HpIMPDH with seven hydrogen bonds and a binding energy of −6.9 kcal/mol. Xanthotoxin and bergapten showed good docking scores, both at −6.5 kcal/mol for HpIMPDH, with each having four hydrogen bondings. Furthermore, xanthotoxin showed many hydrophobic interactions, while bergapten formed one Pi-anion interaction. Concerning docking in the urease enzyme, the compounds showed mild to moderate binding affinities as compared to the ligand. Thus, based on docking results and good binding scores observed with the HpIMPDH active site, an in-vitro HpIMPDH inhibition assay was done for the compounds. Citropten showed the most promising inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 2.4 μM. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that C. sinensis L. leaves are a good source for supplying coumarins that can act as naturally effective anti-H. pylori agents

Polyphenolic Profile of Herniaria hemistemon Aerial Parts Extract and Assessment of Its Anti-Cryptosporidiosis in a Murine Model: In Silico Supported In Vivo Study

Herniaria hemistemon J.Gay is widely used in folk medicine to treat hernia. The present study aimed to annotate the phytoconstituents of H. hemistemon aerial-part extract and investigate its in vivo anticryptosporidial activity. The chemical characterization was achieved via the LC&ndash;ESI&ndash;MS/MS technique resulting in the annotation of 37 phytocompounds comprising flavonoids and phenolic acids. Regarding the anticryptosporidial activity, fifty dexamethasone-immunosuppressed mice were separated into five groups: GI, un-infected (normal control); GII, infected but not treated (model); GIII, infected and received NTZ, the reference drug; GIV, infected and received H. hemistemon extract (100 mg/kg); and GV, infected and received H. hemistemon extract (200 mg/kg). When GIII, GIV, and GV were compared to GII, parasitological analyses displayed highly significant differences in the mean numbers of Cryptosporidium&nbsp;parvum oocysts in the stool between the different groups. GV demonstrated the highest efficacy of 79%. Histopathological analyses displayed improvement in the small intestine and liver pathology in the treated groups (GIII, IV, and V) related to the model (GII), with GV showing the highest efficacy. Moreover, the docking-based study tentatively highlighted the potential of benzoic acid derivatives as lactate dehydrogenase inhibitors. The docked compounds showed the same binding interactions as oxamic acid, where they established H-bond interactions with ARG-109, ASN-140, ASP-168, ARG-171, and HIS-195. To sum up, H. hemistemon is a promising natural therapeutic agent for cryptosporidiosis

Polyphenolic Profile of <i>Herniaria hemistemon</i> Aerial Parts Extract and Assessment of Its Anti-Cryptosporidiosis in a Murine Model: In Silico Supported In Vivo Study

Herniaria hemistemon J.Gay is widely used in folk medicine to treat hernia. The present study aimed to annotate the phytoconstituents of H. hemistemon aerial-part extract and investigate its in vivo anticryptosporidial activity. The chemical characterization was achieved via the LC–ESI–MS/MS technique resulting in the annotation of 37 phytocompounds comprising flavonoids and phenolic acids. Regarding the anticryptosporidial activity, fifty dexamethasone-immunosuppressed mice were separated into five groups: GI, un-infected (normal control); GII, infected but not treated (model); GIII, infected and received NTZ, the reference drug; GIV, infected and received H. hemistemon extract (100 mg/kg); and GV, infected and received H. hemistemon extract (200 mg/kg). When GIII, GIV, and GV were compared to GII, parasitological analyses displayed highly significant differences in the mean numbers of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in the stool between the different groups. GV demonstrated the highest efficacy of 79%. Histopathological analyses displayed improvement in the small intestine and liver pathology in the treated groups (GIII, IV, and V) related to the model (GII), with GV showing the highest efficacy. Moreover, the docking-based study tentatively highlighted the potential of benzoic acid derivatives as lactate dehydrogenase inhibitors. The docked compounds showed the same binding interactions as oxamic acid, where they established H-bond interactions with ARG-109, ASN-140, ASP-168, ARG-171, and HIS-195. To sum up, H. hemistemon is a promising natural therapeutic agent for cryptosporidiosis

Chemical Profiling of Polyphenolics in Eucalyptus globulus and Evaluation of Its Hepato–Renal Protective Potential Against Cyclophosphamide Induced Toxicity in Mice

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a potent anti-neoplastic and immunosuppressive agent; however, it causes multi-organ toxicity. We elucidated the protective activities of Eucalyptus globulus (EG) leaf extract against CP-induced hepato&ndash;renal toxicity. Mice were treated with EG for 15 days plus CP on day 12 and 13 of the experiment. Using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS, 26 secondary metabolites were identified in EG leaf extract. Out of them, 4 polyphenolic compounds were isolated: (1) 4-(O-&beta;-d-xylopyranosyloxy)-3,5-di-hydroxy-benzoic acid, (2) 4-(O-&alpha;-l-rhamnopyranosyloxy)-3,5-di-hydroxy-benzoic acid, (3) gallic acid, and (4) methyl gallate. Effects of EG extract on biochemical parameters, gene expression, and immune-histopathological changes were assessed in comparison to mesna positive control. Results showed that EG improved CP-increased serum ALT, AST, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen levels. The hepatic and renal tissue levels of MDA, nitric oxide, protein carbonyl, TNF-&alpha;, IL-6, and immunohistochemical expression of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kB) and caspase-3 were reduced. Also, hepatic and renal GSH contents, and nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRf2)/ hemoxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling levels were increased. Histopathological findings supported our findings where hepatic and renal architecture were almost restored. Results revealed the protective effects of EG against CP-induced hepato&ndash;renal toxicity. These effects may be related to EG antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties coupled with activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling

Green synthesis of fluorescent carbon nanodots from sage leaves for selective anticancer activity on 2D liver cancer cells and 3D multicellular tumor spheroids

Carbon nanodots, a family of carbon-based nanomaterials, have been synthesized through different methods from various resources, affecting the properties of the resulting product and their application. Herein, carbon nanodots (CNDs) were synthesized with a green and simple hydrothermal method from sage leaves at 200 degrees C for 6 hours. The obtained CNDs are well dispersed in water with a negative surface charge (zeta-potential = -11 mV) and an average particle size of 3.6 nm. The synthesized CNDs showed concentration-dependent anticancer activity toward liver cancer (Hep3B) cell lines and decreased the viability of the cancer cells to 23% at the highest used concentration (250 mu g ml-1 of CNDs). More interestingly, the cytotoxicity of the CNDs was tested in normal liver cell lines (LX2) revealed that the CNDs at all tested concentrations didn't affect their viability including at the highest concentration showing a viability of 86.7%. The cellular uptake mechanisms of CNDs were investigated and they are thought to be through energy-dependent endocytosis and also through passive diffusion. The main mechanisms of endocytosis were lipid and caveolae-mediated endocytosis. In addition, the CNDs have hindered the formation of 3D spheroids from the Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. Hence, it would be concluded that the synthesized CNDs from sage are more highly selective to liver cancer cells than normal ones. The CNDs' cancer-killing ability would be referred to as the production of reactive oxygen species.Green synthesis of carbon nanodots (CNDs) from sage leaves has been achieved using a hydrothermal technique. The synthesized CNDs demonstrated selective anticancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma and hindered the formation of 3D spheroids

The Interplay between Zinc, Vitamin D and, IL-17 in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Liver Disease

Objectives. To assess zinc (Zn) and vitamin D (Vit. D) status in chronic Hepatitis C virus- (HCV) infected patients and their relationship to interleukin- (IL-) 17 and disease severity and then investigate whether Zn and Vit. D3 modulate IL-17 expression in chronic HCV patients. Methods. Seventy patients and fifty healthy subjects were investigated. Serum levels of Zn, Vit. D, and IL-17 were assessed in the patients group and subgroups. Patients lymphocytes were activated in vitro in the presence or absence of Zn or Vit. D3 and then intracellular IL-17 production was assessed using flow cytometry. Results. Zn and Vit. D were significantly decreased in HCV patients. Increasing disease severity leads to more reduction in Zn level opposed by increasing IL-17 level. Zn potently reduced IL-17 production in a dose-related fashion; however it did not exert any toxic effects. Although Vit. D apparently increases IL17 expression, it is unclear whether it is due to its toxic effect on cell count or lack of definite association between Vit. D and both IL-17 and disease severity. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that Zn modulates IL-17 expression and provides a rationale for evaluating this compound as a supplementary agent in the treatment of chronic HCV