Bacterial and Heavy Metals Analyses in Fish at Shawaka Area of Tigris River

This study was conducted from October to December 2012. 35 fish were collected from the Shawaka area of the Tigris river for quality analyses using bacteriological and chemical parameters. Results of bacteriological analysis showed that the total viable bacteria count  in the fish gut, skin and gill were ranged from 35.35×103 - 6×103 cfu/g, 34.9×103 -21×103 cfu/g and 30.1×103 - 1.9×103 cfu/g respectiveluy. 151 bacterial isolates  were obtained and identified into 14 genera (13 Gram negative bacteria + one Gram positive bacteria). The predominant bacteria from different organs were  Staphylococcus spp., E. coli, Proteus spp., Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter spp. respectively. The results of  study indicated that most fish samples were polluted with high levels of  heavy metal Pb, Cd and Hg. Concentration of these heavy metals exceed limits for the fish recommended by the World Health Organization   (WHO) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). Key word: Tigris river, Fish, Bacteria, Heavy Metal

Reporting Adverse Reactions of Skin Whitening Products in Wad- Medani Dermatology Hospital, Sudan

Background: There is growing concern about skin whitening both worldwide and in Sudan where there is no specific reporting system for the adverse reactions to whitening products. Objective: To identify adverse reactions associated with whitening products use through implementing an adverse reactions reporting system at the dermatology hospital in Wad -Medani, Sudan. Methods: A cross sectional study of patients presenting at the dermatology hospital in Wad-Medani, with adverse reactions (ARs) associated with the use of whitening products was done between October 2017 and September 2018.ARs reporting forms (containing socio-demographic characteristics, whitening products details and the detected ARs) were filled by the doctors attending both referral and out-patient clinics. Results: The study included 1000 patients aged 15- 48 years old, 98.5% of which were females. About 58% of patients had skin type VI, 32% skin type V and 10% skin type IV. More than 80% of the population used Hydroquinone and/or Clobetasol propionate or unlabeled mixtures of several whitening products bought from street vendors. Most patients (52%) used these products for more than 6 months. Acne, inflammation, ochronosis, hyperpigmentation, bacterial and fungal infections were the most reported ARs. The latter occurring in more than 42% of included patients. More than 68% of reported ARs were classified as severe by the treating doctors. Conclusion: Serious ARs of whitening products are prevalent and urgent measures are needed to address their irrational use. Vigilance ARs reporting systems are applicable and feasible which was evident since whitening products ARs reporting was continued even after the study was completed. The development and implementation of these systems should be adopted and encouraged by health authorities

E-waste handling process from A to Z in Portugal

The conference “E-waste handling process from A to Z in Portugal”, held in Portugal on May 6 and 13, 2014, and focused on the general aspects in the treatment of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) at the end of life cycle was carried out under the program EWASTEU - Legal Regulations and Implementations on e-waste in EU. This program had its first edition in 2013 in Yasar University (Izmir, Turkey), with the participation of several higher education institutions in Europe, including the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar (Portugal). The project aims to promote discussion, reflection and awareness about the issues related to the waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The conference allowed a clear view of the processes involving the EEE since its entry to the stages of collection, management and recycling. Among the entities involved, we highlight the ANREEE - National Association of Registration of Electrical and Electronic Equipment, ERP Portugal (one of the two managing bodies of WEEE in Portugal), Interecycling (1st Portuguese WEEE recycling company) and RESITEJO – Association of Management and Treatment of Waste in the Middle Tagus. This conference was promoted by the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Yasar University and Turkish National Agencyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mechanical properties and durability assessment of nylon fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete

[EN] The higher paste volume in Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) makes it susceptible to have a higher creep coefficient and cracking and has brittle nature. This brittle nature of concrete is unacceptable for any construction industry. The addition of fibers is one of the most prevalent methods to enhance the ductile and tensile behavior of concrete. Fibers reduce the cracking phenomena and improve the energy absorption capacity of the structure. Conversely, the addition of fibers has a negative impact on the workability of fresh concrete. In this research work, a detailed investigation of the influence of Nylon fibers (NFs) on fresh properties, durability, and mechanical properties of SCC was carried out. NFs were added into concrete mixes in a proportion of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% by weight of cement to achieve the research objectives. Durability assessment of modified SCC having Nylon fibers was performed using water absorption, permeability, carbonation resistance, and acid attack resistant. Mechanical tests (compressive and tensile) were conducted for modified as well as control mix. Test results indicate that the passing and filling ability decreased while segregation and bleeding resistance increased with NFs. Furthermore, test results showed a significant increase in strength up to 1.5% addition of nylon fibers and then strength decreases gradually. Durability parameters were significantly improved with the incorporation of NFs relative to the control mix. Overall, this study demonstrated the potential of using nylon fibers in self-compacting concrete with improved durability and mechanical properties.SIThe author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through group research program under grant number RGP. 1/100/42 and Taif University Researchers Supporting Project (number TURSP- 2020/276), Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabi

HPLC-DAD-MS/MS profiling of phenolics from Securigera securidaca flowers and its anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic activities

AbstractSecurigera securidaca (L.) Degen & Döefl., Fabaceae, has been widely used in the Iranian, Indian and Egyptian folk medicine as antidiabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic remedy. Phenolic profiling of the ethanolic extract (90%) of the flowers of S. securidaca was performed via HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis in the positive and negative ion modes. The total polyphenols and flavonoids in the flowers were determined colorimetrically, and the quantification of their components was carried out using HPLC-UV. Total phenolics and flavonoids estimated as gallic acid and rutin equivalents were 82.39±2.79mg/g and 48.82±1.95mg/g of the dried powdered flowers, respectively. HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis of the extract allowed the identification of 39 flavonoids and eight phenolic acids. Quantitative analysis of some flavonoids and phenolics (mg/100g powdered flowers) revealed the presence of isoquercetrin (3340±2.1), hesperidin (32.09±2.28), naringin (197.3±30.16), luteolin (10.247±0.594), chlorogenic acid (84.22±2.08), catechin (3.94±0.57) and protocatechuic acid (34.4±0.15), in the extract. Moreover, the acute toxicity, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of the extract were investigated using alloxan induced diabetes in rats in a dose of 100, 200, and 400mg/kgbwt. The ethanolic extract was safe up to a dose of 2000mg/kg. All tested doses of the flower extract showed marked decrease in blood glucose level by 31.78%, 66.41% and 63.8% at 100, 200 and 400mg/kgbwt, respectively, at p<0.05. Regarding the anti-hyperlipidemic effect, a dose of 400mg/kg of the flower extract showed the highest reduction in serum triacylglycerides and total cholesterol levels (68.46% and 51.50%, respectively at p<0.05). The current study proved the folk use of the flowers of S. securidaca as anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic agent which could be attributed to its high phenolic content

A Novel Epigenetic Strategy to Concurrently Block Immune Checkpoints PD-1/PD-L1 and CD155/TIGIT in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives CC BY-NC-ND licence, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Tumor microenvironment is an intricate web of stromal and immune cells creating an immune suppressive cordon around the tumor. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Tumor microenvironment is a formidable barrier towards novel immune therapeutic approaches recently evading the oncology field. In this study, the main aim was to identify the intricate immune evasion tactics mediated by HCC cells and to study the epigenetic modulation of the immune checkpoints; Programmed death-1 (PD-1)/ Programmed death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) and T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT)/Cluster of Differentiation 155 (CD155) at the tumor-immune synapse. Thus, liver tissues, PBMCs and sera were collected from Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), HCC as well as healthy individuals. Screening was performed to PD-L1/PD-1 and CD155/TIGIT axes in HCC patients. PDL1, CD155, PD-1 and TIGIT were found to be significantly upregulated in liver tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HCC patients. An array of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs validated to regulate such immune checkpoints were screened. The lncRNAs; CCAT-1, H19, and MALAT-1 were all significantly upregulated in the sera, PBMCs, and tissues of HCC patients as compared to HCV patients and healthy controls. However, miR-944–5p, miR-105–5p, miR-486–5p, miR-506–5p, and miR-30a-5p were downregulated in the sera and liver tissues of HCC patients. On the tumor cell side, knocking down of lncRNAs—CCAT-1, MALAT-1, or H19—markedly repressed the co-expression of PD-L1 and CD155 and accordingly induced the cytotoxicity of co-cultured primary immune cells. On the immune side, ectopic expression of the under-expressed microRNAs; miR-486–5p, miR-506–5p, and miR-30a-5p significantly decreased the transcript levels of PD-1 in PBMCs with no effect on TIGIT. On the other hand, ectopic expression of miR-944–5p and miR-105–5p in PBMCs dramatically reduced the co-expression of PD-1 and TIGIT. Finally, all studied miRNAs enhanced the cytotoxic effects of PBMCs against Huh7 cells. However, miR-105–5p showed the highest augmentation for PBMCs cytotoxicity against HCC cells. In conclusion, this study highlights a novel co-targeting strategy using miR-105–5p mimics, MALAT-1, CCAT-1 and H19 siRNAs to efficiently hampers the immune checkpoints; PD-L1/PD-1 and CD155/TIGIT immune evasion properties in HCC.Peer reviewe

Impact of Software Metrics on Software Quality using McCall Quality Model: In-Depth Analysis

Software metrics plays a very vital role in life cycle of software development. Rapid software development techniques and tools have made it very complex to fully control the quality of a software. Software metrics are required to make sure that the quality of software is fully under control. Many software metrics have already been developed and applied to control the quality of software products. Software metrics is the measurement of quality in which performance is measured against quality standards to check whether they are according to the expectations. Quality metrics are also used to determine customer requirements into acceptable performance measures. This paper discusses the concepts of software quality, quality factor model, mapping according to McCall Quality Model & the quality metrics. The act of applying software quality measurements to functional components and to keep up with factors is a mind-boggling task. Effective software quality affirmation is exceptionally reliant upon quality methods. Future examination is needed to expand out and work on the approach to widen measurements that have been accepted on one venture, utilizing our rules, legitimate proportions of value on future software project. This paper also dives deep into the impacts of the various software metrics over different quality factors and explains the relationship between them

Bi-allelic JAM2 Variants Lead to Early-Onset Recessive Primary Familial Brain Calcification.

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of neurological, psychiatric, and cognitive decline associated with calcium deposition on brain imaging. To date, mutations in five genes have been linked to PFBC. However, more than 50% of individuals affected by PFBC have no molecular diagnosis. We report four unrelated families presenting with initial learning difficulties and seizures and later psychiatric symptoms, cerebellar ataxia, extrapyramidal signs, and extensive calcifications on brain imaging. Through a combination of homozygosity mapping and exome sequencing, we mapped this phenotype to chromosome 21q21.3 and identified bi-allelic variants in JAM2. JAM2 encodes for the junctional-adhesion-molecule-2, a key tight-junction protein in blood-brain-barrier permeability. We show that JAM2 variants lead to reduction of JAM2 mRNA expression and absence of JAM2 protein in patient's fibroblasts, consistent with a loss-of-function mechanism. We show that the human phenotype is replicated in the jam2 complete knockout mouse (jam2 KO). Furthermore, neuropathology of jam2 KO mouse showed prominent vacuolation in the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and cerebellum and particularly widespread vacuolation in the midbrain with reactive astrogliosis and neuronal density reduction. The regions of the human brain affected on neuroimaging are similar to the affected brain areas in the myorg PFBC null mouse. Along with JAM3 and OCLN, JAM2 is the third tight-junction gene in which bi-allelic variants are associated with brain calcification, suggesting that defective cell-to-cell adhesion and dysfunction of the movement of solutes through the paracellular spaces in the neurovascular unit is a key mechanism in CNS calcification