Antibacterial Activity of Commiphora molmol (myrrha) against the yeast

Commiphora molmol (myrrha) is widely used as a traditional medicine around the globe against inflammatory diseases. It is also considered to be effective as anti-fungal, anti-cancer and anti-oxidant agent. The minimum inhibitory concentration, bactericidal activity and heat stability of antibiotic component in myrrha oil extract has been investigated. The MIC was determined in nutrient free buffer and in nutrient rich peptone glucose buffer. The results showed that MIC was 0.6% in nutrient free buffer as no growth was shown by cells, whereas, in peptone glucose media a slight increase in cell count was seen. It can be concluded that it has strong antimicrobial activity on yeast in nutrient free medium as the oil is unable to show antibacterial activity on growing cells. Bactericidal activity of the oil was tested with yeast on both nutrient free phosphate buffer and nutrient rich media. After 15 minutes, 0.6% myrrha has reduced the cell viability by 99% in nutrient free phosphate buffer showing that it specifically kills the non-growing yeast cells compared to growing ones. Heat stability was tested and reported that oil is stable on heating up to 70°C for 90 minutes. Furthermore, the pre-incubation of yeast with myrrha oil extract was studied and results revealed that if pre-incubation take place in nutrient rich medium then there is no effect on viability of cells. Therefore, it can be determined that presence or absence of nutrients is effecting the cell viability. In conclusion, the results of the following study suggest that extract of myrrha can be used as an anti-fungal drug

The Compatibility of Developed Mathematics Textbooks' Content in Saudi Arabia (Grades 6-8) with NCTM Standards

This study aimed to investigate the compatibility of developed mathematics textbooks' content (grades 6-8) in Saudi Arabia with NCTM standards in the areas of: number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability.  To achieve that goal, a list of (NCTM) standards for grades (6-8) were translated to Arabic language, and a content analysis card was developed in the light of standards list for mathematics textbooks for the academic year 1434-1435 AH / 2013-2014 AD.  The study results revealed that the content of developed mathematics textbooks for grades (6-8) is compatible with 96.3% with NCTM standards, since the content anticipate 52 expectations from the standards list, while 3.7% from the NCTM standards expectations list were not achieved in the mentioned five areas. Keywords: compatibility, NCTM Standards, developed curriculum, mathematics textbook

Monitoring System-Based Flying IoT in Public Health and Sports Using Ant-Enabled Energy-Aware Routing.

In recent decades, the Internet of flying networks has made significant progress. Several aerial vehicles communicate with one another to form flying ad hoc networks. Unmanned aerial vehicles perform a wide range of tasks that make life easier for humans. However, due to the high frequency of mobile flying vehicles, network problems such as packet loss, latency, and perhaps disrupted channel links arise, affecting data delivery. The use of UAV-enabled IoT in sports has changed the dynamics of tracking and working on player safety. WBAN can be merged with aerial vehicles to collect data regarding health and transfer it to a base station. Furthermore, the unbalanced energy usage of flying things will result in earlier mission failure and a rapid decline in network lifespan. This study describes the use of each UAV's residual energy level to ensure a high level of safety using an ant-based routing technique called AntHocNet. In health care, the use of IoT-assisted aerial vehicles would increase operational performance, surveillance, and automation optimization to provide a smart application of flying IoT. Apart from that, aerial vehicles can be used in remote communication for treatment, medical equipment distribution, and telementoring. While comparing routing algorithms, simulation findings indicate that the proposed ant-based routing protocol is optimal

SMEDDS TABLET: COMPATABILITY OF SOLID SMEDDS USING VARIOUS PHARMACEUTICAL TABLET EXCIPIENTS

Objective: There are many successful products on the market which are the culmination of the self-micro-emulsification lipid technology applications. Despite the importance of lipid-based formulations, these systems have some limitations including; stability, complexity during large scale manufacturing process and limited dosage forms to such as soft gelatin capsule. In order to overcome these limitations, the prospect of converting self-micro-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) into tablet dosage form was investigated in this study.Methods: A self-micro-emulsifying oil formulation representing type III A lipid class composed of glycerox 767HC/croduret 40 ss at ratios of (80/20) was converted into solid SMEDDS using solid carrier adsorption method. Powder blends containing magnesium trisilicate hydrate (MTSH) or magnesium lluminum silicate (MAS) at various oil loading factors were mixed with MCC with and without various binders and compressed into tablets using a fixed loading force of approximately of 5 KN. Hardness profiles of these oil loaded tablets were then analyzed.Results: Powder compacts which contained MTSH with and without SMEDDS oil had shown relatively better compaction properties than MAS. Adding SMEDDS oil solution to either MTSH or MAS at ratios of 1:9 has relatively reduced tablets hardness by almost 2 or 4 folds, respectively.Conclusion: Progressive inclusion of increasing amounts of SMEDDS oil solution adsorbed unto the solid carrier has incurred a further reduction in the hardness of SMEDDS tablets. It appears that manufacturing of tablet SMEDDS can only be attainable for highly potent drugs as minimal amounts of oil solution added to the powder blends can adversely affect the mechanical strength of compressed tablet

Bentall Procedure for an Adolescent with Sickle Cell Disease, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and old Cerebrovascular Accident

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in patients with sickle cell anemia can trigger lethal vaso-occlusive crises, especially in cases of hypoxia, hypothermia, acidosis, or low-flow states. We described a patient with sickle cell anemia who had bicuspid aortic valve stenosis and aneurysmal dilatation of the ascending aorta complicated with infective endocarditis. The patient had a history of stroke. During routine workup, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was diagnosed. The patient underwent exchange transfusion preoperatively and immediately before the initiation of CPB. We performed a Bentall procedure, and the patient was discharged in a stable condition.  Sickle Cell Disease can be very challenging during CPB, and special precautions are required to prevent vaso-occlusive crises

The Prevalence of Obesity among School Students and its Relation to Dietary and Physical Habits

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that unhealthy food practices and lack of exercise are the main cause of the progressive increase in the obesity prevalence. AIM: We aim to assess the prevalence of obesity among school students and its relationship to dietary and physical habits. METHODS: A cross-sectional study from 18 intermediate and high schools located in Taif, Saudi Arabia, between April 2014 and June 2015. We excluded any student with a psychological disease or chronic diseases. We calculated the body mass index (BMI) of students by measuring their height and weight. Dietary, physical, sleep habits, and socioeconomic status were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 2943 students participated with a mean age of 15.4 ± 1.7 years. The majority of these were boys and attending government schools with a mean BMI 22.7 ± 8.6 kg/m2. Overall, 13.6% were overweight and 12.8% were obese. One-third of students report a sedentary lifestyle. Compared to girls, boys were more likely to have lower BMI (p < 0.001), be overweight (p < 0.001), exercise for >300 min/week (p < 0.001), own electronic devices other than smartphone (p < 0.001), use the electronic devices <3 h/day (p = 0.007), eat their meals with their family (p < 0.001), eat fruits and vegetables daily (p < 0.05), exercise for >300 min/week (p < 0.001), and walk to and from school at least once weekly (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A quarter of the students were either overweight or obese. Girls were more likely to be obese with less favorable socioeconomic, media consumption, dietary, and physical profiles

Viridiflorol Induces Anti-Neoplastic Effects on Breast, Lung, and Brain Cancer Cells Through Apoptosis

All active natural molecules are not fully exploited as therapeutic agents, causing delays in the advancement of anticancer drug discovery. Viridiflorol is a natural volatile element that may work as anti-cancer compound. We tested the anticancer properties of viridiflorol at different concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 300 μM in vitro on three cancer cells including breast (MCF-7), lung (A549) and brain (Daoy). The cancer cells responses were documented after treatment using MTT and Annexin V assays. Viridiflorol showed cytotoxic effects against all tested cell lines, reducing cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner with variable IC50 values. Daoy and A549 cell lines were more sensitive to viridiflorol when compared with temozolomide and doxorubicin, respectively. Viridiflorol demonstrated the highest anticancer activity against the Daoy cells with an estimated IC50 of 0.1 µM followed by MCF-7 at 10 µM, and A549 at 30 µM. In addition, upon exposure to concentrations ranging from 30 µM to 300 µM of viridiflorol, early and late apoptotic cell death was induced in a concentration dependent manner in Daoy (55.8%-72.1%), MCF-7 (36.2%-72.7%) and A459 (35%-98.9%) cell lines, respectively. In conclusion, viridiflorol demonstrates cytotoxic and apoptotic ability in three different cancer cell lines (brain, breast and lung)

In vitro evaluation of electroporated gold nanoparticles and extremely-low frequency electromagnetic field anticancer activity against Hep-2 laryngeal cancer cells

Introduction. The extremely-low frequency electromagnetic field (ELFEMF) has been proposed for use in cancer therapy since it was found that magnetic waves interfere with many biological processes. Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) have been widely used for drug delivery during cancer in vitro studies due to their low cytotoxity and high biocompatibility. The electroporation of cancer cells in a presence of Au-NPs (EP Au-NPs) can induce cell apoptosis, alterations of cell cycle profile and morphological changes. The impact of ELFEMF and EP Au-NPs on morphology, cell cycle and activation of apoptosis-associated genes on Hep-2 laryngeal cancer cell line has not been studied yet. Materials and methods. ELFEMF on Hep-2 cells were carried out using four different conditions: 25/50 mT at 15/30 min, while Au-NPs were used as direct contact (DC) or with electroporation (EP, 10 pulses at 200V, equal time intervals of 4 sec). MTT assay was used to check the toxicity of DC Au-NPs. Expression of CASP3, P53, BAX and BCL2 genes was quantified using qPCR. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to observe cell morphology. Results. Calculated IC50 of DC Au-NPs 24.36 μM (4.79 μg/ml) and such concentration was used for further DC and EP AuNPs experiments. The up-regulation of pro-apoptotic genes (CASP3, P53, BAX) and decreased expression of BCL2, respectively, was observed for all analyzed conditions with the highest differences for EP AuNPs and ELFEMF 50 mT/30 min in comparison to control cells. The highest content of cells arrested in G2/M phase was observed in ELFEMF-treated cells for 30 min both at 25 or 50 mT, while the cells treated with EP AuNPs or ELFEMF 50 mT/15 min showed highest ratios of apoptotic cells. HE staining of electroporated cells and cells exposed to ELFEMF’s low and higher frequencies for different times showed nuclear pleomorphic cells. Numerous apoptotic bodies were observed in the irregular cell membrane of neoplastic and necrotic cells with mixed euchromatin and heterochromatin. Conclusions. Our observations indicate that treatment of Hep-2 laryngeal cancer cells with ELFEMF for 30 min at 25–50 mT and EP Au-NPs can cause cell damage inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest

CAUSES AND MANAGEMENT OF VIRAL EYE INFECTION

Introduction: The eye is a fascinating organ for several reasons. It is not only have a composite structure, however it is considered an immune-privileged organ. The anatomy of the eye is composed of the anterior and posterior parts, the line of division is posterior to the lens. The anterior chamber lies within the anterior segment and is an immuneprivileged anatomical location, this is due to the fact that the T-cell response in this area is suppressed This protects the eye from potentially destructive immune attacks however it also makes defence against infectious agents challenging, particularly where T-cell responses are critical for immunological defence. Viruses could get into the eye by direct inoculation, or through haematogenous or neuronal spread. The diagnoses of viral eye infections are usually clinical one, helped by taking a thorough history and performing ophthalmic examination. But in challenging cases the lab tests are essential. In this review, we will discuss the most recent evidence regarding Causes and management of viral eye infection Aim of work: In this review, we will discuss the most recent evidence regarding Causes and management of viral eye infection Methodology: We did a systematic search for Causes and management of viral eye infection using PubMed search engine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and Google Scholar search engine (https://scholar.google.com). All relevant studies were retrieved and discussed. We only included full articles. Conclusions: A wide range of of viruses can affect the eye and cause viral eye infections, either as a primary infection or reactivation. Some affect the eye directly while the others indirectly but may still manifest with eye disease. One virus may affect several parts of the eye, while different viruses may cause the same eye disease. This could complicate the clinical diagnosis of viral eye disease, but the lab tests like PCR and antibody tests could assist in challenging cases where there may be diagnostic dilemma. The HIV epidemic has had an huge impact on ophthalmology clinics, this is because the virus can cause different eye diseases, and the associated decrease in cell-mediated immunity makes the person highly susceptible to opportunistic viral eye infections, sometimes with severe morbidity. There could be other viruses that may affect the eye that we did not discuss. Key words: Causes, management, viral eye infection