Urinary and serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a biomarker in Egyptian systemic lupus erythematosus patients: Relation to lupus nephritis and disease activity

AbstractBackgroundNeutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is an excellent structural biomarker for the early diagnosis of acute kidney injury, prognosis, dialysis requirement and mortality in several common clinical scenarios.Aim of the workThe aim of this work is to detect the levels of both urinary and serum NGAL in SLE patients with and without lupus nephritis (LN) and to correlate their levels with renal biopsy class and disease activity.Patients and methodsThe study included 35 SLE patients; 22 with LN and 13 without as well as 30 matched controls. The SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) was assessed and the renal biopsy class determined. Urinary and serum levels of NGAL were assessed by ELISA.ResultsThe 35 patients had a median age of 30years and disease duration of 4years. They were 31 females and 4 males. The SLE patients had an elevated urinary NGAL (UNGAL) (median 19ng/ml, IQR 8–87) as compared to controls (median 2ng/ml, IQR 1–18.3) (p<0.006). Levels of UNGAL were higher in patients with LN than those without (p<0.023). In patients with LN, serum levels of NGAL were not significantly different from controls (p=0.6). The UNGAL level significantly correlated with the renal score of SLEDAI (r=0.54, p=0.001) but serum NGAL level did not (r=0.25, p=0.15). UNGAL significantly correlated with grade III and IV of renal biopsy (r=0.67, p=0.009). The sensitivity of UNGAL levels for the diagnosis of LN was 85.7%, with a specificity of 80%.ConclusionUrinary NGAL is a sensitive marker of proliferative nephritis in SLE and disease activity

Fetal lung volume and pulmonary artery resistance index for prediction of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome

Background: As gestational age grows, the risk of newborn respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) diminishes because the lungs are the last foetal organs to properly mature. While neonatal RDS does not just occur following preterm births, it is often thought of as a disorder of premature babies. This study sought to determine how prenatal lung capacity and foetal Pulmonary artery resistance index (PARI) affected the probability that newborn RDS would occur. Methods: This prospective observational study was carried out on 200 pregnant women aged 20-35 years, with gestational age between 36-40 weeks and singleton pregnancy. According to neonatal outcome the patients were classified into two groups: group A: 26 cases with noenatal RDS and group B: 174 cases without neonatal RDS. All patients were subjected to 2D ultrasonography and 3D ultrasonography. Results: Fetal lung volume (FLV) is a significant predictor of neonatal RDS (AUC: 0.820, p &lt;0.001), at a cut off value of ≤35, with 88.5% sensitivity and 68.4% specificity. PARI is not a significant predictor of neonatal RDS. 1 and 5 min Apgar score were significantly lower in neonates who developed RDS and those who didn’t (p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: 3D FLV and estimated fetal weight measurement using ultrasonography may be a reliable non-invasive indicator of the incidence of newborn RDS in preterm pregnancies when the risk of RDS progression is present. FLV is a significant predictor for neonatal RDS at a cutoff for ≤35 cm3 with sensitivity 88.5% and specificity 68.4%

Source apportionment of ambient volatile organic compounds in major cities in Australia by positive matrix factorisation.

Source apportionment of the 6-daily, 24 h volatile organic compound (VOC) samples collected during 2003–2004 in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane was carried out using the Positive Matrix Factorisation software (PMF2). Fourteen C4-C10 VOCs were chosen for source apportionment. Biogenic emissions were not covered in this study because tracer VOCs such as isoprene were not measured. Five VOC source factors were identified, including the ‘evaporative / fuel distribution’ factor (contribute to 37% of the total mass of the 14 VOCs on average), the ‘vehicle exhaust / petrochemical industry’ factor (24%), the ‘biomass burning’ factor (13%), the ‘architectural surface coatings’ factor (5%) and the ‘other sources’ factor (14%). The relative contributions of the source factors to the ambient VOC concentration at the sampling sites were comparable to the relative emission loads of the local sources in Australian air emission inventories. The high contribution from evaporative emissions indicates that introduction of reduction measures for evaporative emissions could substantially reduce the VOC emissions in Australian cities. The total VOC mass and the contributions from vehicle related sources and biomass burning were higher in winter and autumn, while the contributions from surface coatings were higher in summer. © 2008, Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealan

Preparation, characterization and application of synthesized thiourea formaldehyde-calcium alginate in removing of Reactive black 5

Thiourea formaldehyde calcium alginate (TFCA) composite was successfully synthesized and used for removal of Reactive black 5 dye. The synthesized composite was applied and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) spectra, scanning electron microscope (SEM)/EDS, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM and EDX analyses confirm the homogeneity of the sorbent in term of composition. Batch adsorption experiments were performed to evaluate the adsorption conditions such as pH value, dye concentration, contact time, temperature and sorbent dose, as well as the ionic strength effect. Experimental data have been modeled by using Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin Radushkevich (D–R) and Temkin isotherms. Kinetic adsorption data modeled using PFORE, PSORE, Morris Weber and Elovich. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS) were evaluated for the dye adsorbent systems. These data indicated an exothermic spontaneous adsorption process that kinetically followed the pseudo-second-order adsorption process, Removal of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye from aqueous solution the results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity was 0.02 mmol. g-1, observed at pH 1 and temperature 25 ◦C. Equilibrium adsorption was achieved within 60 min.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

Effect of petroleum crude oil on mineral nutrient elements and soil properties of jojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis)

This study evaluated the effect of petroleum crude oil contaminated soil on the mineral nutrient elements, soil properties and bacterial biomass of the rhizosphere of jojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis). Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration increased in jojoba leaves when grown in petroleum oil polluted soil especially at 2% and 3% crude oil. It was noted that Na, Mg and Ca decreased, while K increased in shoots of jojoba. In roots Na and Ca increased, however K and Mg decreased with increasing crude oil concentration in the soil. Heavy metals, Cu, Mn, Cd and Pb increased in both shoot and root with increasing crude oil concentration, while Zn decreased comparing with the control. In soil, N and K decreased, meanwhile Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn as well as organic matter increased with increasing crude oil concentration. Soil was free from P, while the addition of inorganic fertilisers improved P content. Bacterial account was significantly increased at the end of the experiment at 1% and 2% crude oil, especially after addition of inorganic fertilisers. The electrical conductivity and MDA of the leaves increased with increasing crude oil concentration in the soil. The addition of inorganic fertilisers to crude oil contaminated soil decreased the electrical conductivity and MDA comparing with crude oil only

Magnetic alginate beads with high basic dye removal potential and excellent regeneration ability

The adsorption of crystal violet dye (CV) onto magnetic alginate composite (MAlg) from aqueous solutions was studied. Experiments were carried out as function of contact time, dosage, temperature, pH and CV concentration in the solutions. Optimum CV uptake was observed at equilibrium pH 7 and most of the CV was sorbed within 30 min. The equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed using two common adsorption models: Langmuir and Freundlich. The results revealed that Langmuir isotherm fit the experimental results well. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained from Langmuir isotherm equation was 0.113 mmol g−1 at 298±1 K. The kinetics adsorption of CV onto MAlg composite was investigated using the pseudo first order and pseudo second order kinetic models. The results showed that the adsorption of CV onto MAlg composite followed pseudo second order kinetic model. Thermodynamic data indicated that adsorption process is endothermic and spontaneous reaction. Due to their outstanding adsorption capacities, MAlg composite is an excellent adsorbent for the removal of CV. The Composite regeneration was greater than 98.6% with 0.01 M HCl, and MAlg composite could be repeatedly utilized for CV removal with negligible loss in sorption capacity.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

Effect of Petroleum Crude Oil on Mineral Nutrient Elements, Soil Properties and Bacterial Biomass of the Rhizosphere of Jojoba

Aims: This study is to evaluate the effect of petroleum crude oil contaminated soil on the mineral nutrient elements, soil properties and bacterial biomass of the rhizosphere of jojoba plants (Simmodsia chinensis). Methodology: A pot experiment was carried out. The soil was treated with different levels of crude oil: 1, 2 and 3% v/w either alone or in combination with inorganic fertilizers. Results: Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration increased in jojoba leaves when grown in petroleum oil polluted soil especially at 2% and 3% crude oil. It was noted that, Na, Mg and Ca decreased while K increased in shoots of jojoba. In roots Na and Ca increased however K and Mg decreased with increasing crude oil concentration in the soil. Heavy metals, Cu, Mn, Cd and Pb increased in both shoot and root with increasing crude oil concentration while, Zn decreased comparing with the control. In soil, N and K decreased meanwhile Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn as well as organic matter increased with increasing crude oil concentration. Soil was free from P while, the addition of inorganic fertilizers improved P content. Bacterial account was significantly increased at the end of the experiment at 1% and 2% crude oil especially after addition of inorganic fertilizers. The electric conductivity and MDA of the leaves increased with increasing crude oil concentration. The addition of inorganic fertilizers to crude oil contaminated soil decreased the electric conductivity and MDA comparing with crude oil only. Conclusion: The observed changes in composition of mineral elements in jojoba plants in the present study could be attributed to the cell injury and disruption in the cell membrane, heavy metal accumulation and toxic nature of the petroleum oil. Also this study has demonstrated that soil contamination with crude oil has a highly significant effect of reducing some mineral element composition of Jojoba plants

Antioxidant and antiproliferative activity of Diospyros lotus L. extract and isolated compounds

The object of the study was to determine the chemical composition of Diospyros lotus L. extract and their antioxidant and antiproliferative properties. Eight compounds were isolated from D. lotus and identified as gallic acid, methylgallate, ellagic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, myricetin 3-O-beta-glucuronide, and myricetin-3-O-alpha-rhamnoside. D. lotus extract tested in different in vitro systems (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and Fe(2+) chelating activity assay) showed significant antioxidant activity. The potential antiproliferative properties of D. lotus extract and isolated compounds against nine human cancer cell lines such as COR-L23, CaCo-2, C32, ACHN, A375, A549, Huh-7D12, MCF-7, and LNCaP were investigated in vitro by SRB assay. D. lotus extract demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity against COR-L23 with an IC(50) value of 12.2 mu g/ml. Among identified hydrolysable tannins, ellagic acid evidenced strong antiproliferative activity against both C32 and A375 cells with IC(50) values of 0.8 and 4.1 mu g/ml, respectively. Interesting results were observed, also, with gallic acid that showed the highest cytotoxic activity against CaCo-2 (IC(50) 2.6 mu g/ml). Overall, the results of this study suggest that D. lotus displays a good antioxidant activity and has antiproliferative effects. Both activities are related to identified phenolic compounds

A new antifungal labdane diterpene from the leaves of <i>Saraca indica</i>

<div><p>A new labdane diterpene, along with 10 known sterols and flavonoids, was isolated from the hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves of <i>Saraca indica</i>. The chemical structure of the new compound was identified as 6,9-epoxy marrubiinic acid on the basis of spectroscopic analyses including two-dimensional NMR. The antimicrobial potential of the new compound was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi. It showed a significant antifungal activity against <i>Geotric</i><i>h</i><i>um candidum</i> with MIC 0.48 μg/mL. It also showed potential cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines with IC₅₀ ranging from 1.07 to 1.29 μg/well.</p></div