Anticoagulant effectiveness of glycosaminoglycan extracted from the scale of Binni, Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Cyprinidae)

Fishery wastes are one of natural resources to extract bioactive substances such as collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG). The anticoagulant activity of glycosaminoglycans extracted from Binni fish, Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi scales was the aim of this study. The cationic salt of cetyl pyridinium chloride was used to extract the glycosaminoglycan. The structure of the isolated glycosaminoglycan was identified by ELISE glycosaminoglycan kit and compared to that of heparin. Prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT) on plasma of male mice at three concentrations of 20, 40, and 100 g/ml were used to determine the coagulant property of the extracted substance. The extracted glycosaminoglycan was calculated to be around 27.7 mg/g of dry tissue. The presence of heparin-like molecules in the glycosaminoglycan isolated from fish scales was confirmed by ELISE GAG kit. When the concentration of isolated glycosaminoglycan was increased, the time to coagulate rose. The PT and TT coagulation times were 4:1 and 2:1. Times faster than the control at 100 g/ml. When compared to synthetic anticoagulant substances like heparin, the glycosaminoglycan isolated from fish scales displayed good anticoagulation qualities

Monosodium glutamate induced histological change in the Zona Fasiculata of rats' adrenal and the possible amelioration effect of vitamin C supplementation

Monosodium glutamate in gesting (MSG) is steadily increasing worldwide as a flavour enhancer and food additive. On the other hand, vitamins C has antioxidant properties and can play an important role in preventing or improving many diseases. So, the aim of the present study is to study the impact of MSG administration on the histological structure of the zonafasciculata (ZF) of adult albino rat adrenal cortex and to clarify the possible amelioration effect of vitamin C cosupplementation. Thirty adult male albino rats were divided equally into three groups: group I; negative and positive (received100mg/kg vitamin C) control subgroups. MSG-treated group were administered 2 mg/g body weight MSG via gastric tube andascorbic acid supplemented group were given the same dose of MSG, followed by vitamin C at a dose similar to the positive control group. Tissue sections were obtained and proceeded for light and electron microscope examination. Plasma ACTH and cortisone were estimated. Morphometric and statistical analysis of the results were performed. Plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels in the MSG-treated group were significantly increased comparing to control and MSGtreated group receiving vitamin C. Histologically, in the MSG-treated group, ZF contained highly vacuolated cells and congested blood vessels. The reticular fibres were increased in MSG-treated group decreased in ascorbic acid supplemented group. Ultrastructurally, ZF contained cells with shrunken nuclei and numerous macrophages containing many lysosomes. On the other hand, the cellular architecture of ascorbic acid supplemented group was less affected and congested blood sinusoids were still detected. The reticular fibres were decreased in ascorbic acid supplemented group. Oral administration of MSG caused histological and functional degenerative changes in the ZF of adrenalin adult male albino rat which was ameliorated by supplementation of vitamin C. So, it is recommended to minimize consumption of foodstuffs containing MSG and to eat foods rich in vitamin C after performing more researchers to be sure of these effects on humans.MS

Design of a modified natural egyptian solar house

The rate of increase in energy consumption and high costs in addition to the depletion of existing resources has a significant impact on our standard of living for next generations. In this case, the priority is to develop alternative cost-effective sources for powering the residential and non-residential buildings. This paper proposes and develops a design of a modified small two-story residential solar house for a medium-sized family located in Cairo, Egypt. This modified solar house meets almost all its energy demands including space heating by using solar air collector with a pebble storage unit in winter and a summer cooling system using wind catcher theory. Hot water is obtained throughout the day by using a steel sheltered water storage tank with a capacity of 1000 liter. Finally, the proposed heating system of the solar house is sized and modeled

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PROCALCITONIN AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN THE PREDICTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

  Objective: This work was delineated to assess procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as prognostic markers for cardiovascular complication in type 2 diabetic patients.Methods: Forty diabetic patients without cardiovascular disease (CVD), 40 diabetic patients with CVD, and 20 healthy control counterparts were participated in this study. Serum PCT and CRP levels were assayed and correlated with metabolic parameters. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done for each biochemical marker.Results: The mean level of PCT was 707.17±99.19 ng/l in diabetic patients versus 881.30±123.56 ng/l for the cardio-diabetic patients (p<0.0001). The mean value of CRP was 34.43±17.27 mg/l in diabetic patients versus 50.32±20.19 mg/l for the cardio-diabetic patients (p=0.0003). PCT levels were significantly amplified in the cardio-diabetic patients with increasing CRP, triglycerides (TG), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and cholesterol (p=0.004, 0.0005, 0.002, and 0.01, respectively). CRP levels were significantly enhanced in the cardio-diabetic patients with increasing TG, FBG, cholesterol, and microalbumin (p=0.002, 0.047, 0.003, and 0.001 respectively). ROC curve analysis for PCT and CRP revealed that the area under curve (AUC) was 0.878 and 0.727, respectively. These findings indicate the good validity of the above biomarkers especially PCT as a prognostic marker for cardiovascular complication in type 2 diabetic patients.Conclusion: This study evidences the usefulness of measuring serum levels of PCT and CRP in diagnosis of cardiovascular complication in type 2 diabetic patients

Preparation and Preliminary Dielectric Characterization of Structured C\u3csub\u3e60\u3c/sub\u3e-Thiol-Ene Polymer Nanocomposites Assembled Using the Thiol-Ene Click Reaction

Fullerene-containing materials have the ability to store and release electrical energy. Therefore, fullerenes may ultimately find use in high-voltage equipment devices or as super capacitors for high electric energy storage due to this ease of manipulating their excellent dielectric properties and their high volume resistivity. A series of structured fullerene (C60) polymer nanocomposites were assembled using the thiol-ene click reaction, between alkyl thiols and allyl functionalized C60 derivatives. The resulting high-density C60-urethane-thiol-ene (C60-Thiol-Ene) networks possessed excellent mechanical properties. These novel networks were characterized using standard techniques, including infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The dielectric spectra for the prepared samples were determined over a broad frequency range at room temperature using a broadband dielectric spectrometer and a semiconductor characterization system. The changes in thermo-mechanical and electrical properties of these novel fullerene-thiol-ene composite films were measured as a function of the C60 content, and samples characterized by high dielectric permittivity and low dielectric loss were produced. In this process, variations in chemical composition of the networks were correlated to performance characteristics

PREPARATION AND FLAVOUR EVALUATION OF HIGH QUALITY FREEZE DRIED SEASONING BLEND

Combinations of different spices were used at variable concentrations in the preparation of vari-ous curry blends. The sample showed the highest sensory attributes in comparison with control cur-ry sample was compounded with different spices, onion and garlic at variable concentrations in cor-responding seasoning blend. The oleoresin of the seasoning blend that possessed the highest quality scores was prepared and subjected to freeze drying process after dispersion on suitable carrier. The flavour contribution percentages of the character-istic notes; light sweet top, medium aromatic, full boiled spicy and pungent spicy were calculated for each curry and seasoning blends. The hydro dis-tilled (HD) oils of the selected curry and its con-stituents were subjected to GC-MS analysis. The results revealed the high contribution of the com-ponents possess spicy note in the raw curry sam-ple. The components possess pungent notes showed less representation. β-Caryophellene was the major compounds in the HD oil of raw season-ing blends followed by δ-carene and ar-turmenone. The qualitative and quantitative varia-tion in the volatile compounds separated from the HD oil of the freeze dried sample may be attribut-ed to the interaction between such components and the used carrier (10% maltodextrin in water)

The providers of health services in Lebanon: a survey of physicians

BACKGROUND: Emerging from civil distress carries with it major challenges to reforming a health system. One such challenge is to ensure an adequate supply of competent human resources. The objective of this study was to assess the supply of physicians in Lebanon in 1998, with an assessment of their practice patterns and capacity building. METHODS: Lists of members of physician's associations were examined to determine the number of physicians in Lebanon and their geographical distribution. A self-administered survey targeted 388 physicians (5%) randomly stratified by the five regions of Lebanon. Some 377 providers reported information on their demographic profile, practice patterns and development. Further, information on continuing education activities was acquired. RESULTS: In Lebanon, the overall physician-to-population ratio was 248 per 100, 000, characterized by an evident maldistribution at the intracountry regional level. Physicians worked 38 hours per week examining on average 21 patients per day, with an average time of 30 minutes spent per visit. They also reported spending 11% of their time waiting for patients. Respondents reported a very wide range of income, with 90% earning less than USD 2,000 per month. Moreover, the continuing education profile revealed a total of 43.7 hours per year, similar to that required for board certification in many developed countries. Conference attendance was the dominant continuing education activity (95% of respondents) and consumed most of the time allotted for continuing education, reported at 32 hours per year. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Various economic indicators point to an oversupply of physicians in Lebanon and a poor allocation of their time for capacity building. Therefore, it is crucial for decision-makers to closely monitor the increasing supply of providers and institute appropriate intervention strategies, taking into consideration appropriate provision of good-quality services and ensuring that continuing education activities are well established, organized and monitored

A portable reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification assay for rapid detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral disease of livestock, which causes huge economic losses and constitutes a serious infectious threat for livestock farming worldwide. Early diagnosis of FMD helps to diminish its impact by adequate outbreak management. In this study, we describe the development of a real-time reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay for the detection of FMD virus (FMDV). The FMDV RT-RPA design targeted the 3D gene of FMDV and a 260 nt molecular RNA standard was used for assay validation. The RT-RPA assay was fast (4-10 minutes) and the analytical sensitivity was determined at 1436 RNA molecules detected by probit regression analysis. The FMDV RT-RPA assay detected RNA prepared from all seven FMDV serotypes but did not detect classical swine fever virus or swine vesicular disease virus. The FMDV RT-RPA assay was used in the field during the recent FMD outbreak in Egypt. In clinical samples, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and RT-RPA showed a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% and 98%, respectively. In conclusion, FMDV RT-RPA was quicker and much easier to handle in the field than real-time RT-PCR. Thus RT-RPA could be easily implemented to perform diagnostics at quarantine stations or farms for rapid spot-of-infection detection