Investigation of in vivo protective effect of orally administered vitamin E and selenium against gentamicininduced renal and hepatic toxicity

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of vitamin E (Vit E) and selenium (Se) combination against gentamycin (GM)-induced renal and hepatic toxicity in rats. Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar albino rats were administrated GM at a dose of 80 mg/kg/day, with or without Se (1.5 mg/kg/day), and/or Vit E (250 mg/kg/day) for a period of 4 weeks. Serum samples from each rat were subjected to biochemical analysis for kidney and liver functions, while kidney and liver biopsies were also investigated by histological examination. Results: GM significantly increased serum creatinine, urea, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and free radicals (p < 0.05). Moreover, GM induced significant histological and ultrastructural alterations in the renal and hepatic tissues of the rats. Exposure to a combination of Vit E and Se did not attenuate the GM-induced toxicity in renal and hepatic tissues. Conclusion: These results suggest that Vit E and Se combination have no significant protective role against GM-induced hepatic and renal toxicity

Integrated water and land management to deliver sustainable agriculture in semi-arid catchments

Arid and semi-arid regions are generally characterized by water scarcity and low per capita water allocation. Integrated catchment management provides an interdisciplinary framework that links physical, social and economical sciences into planning, policy and decision making. The main objective of the research is to develop a framework for a Multi Criteria Decision Support System (MCDSS) that provides planners and decision makers with a tool for planning integrated management of land and water. It also provides a soundly based analysis of agricultural water demand. The data from agriculture-dominated Faria catchment in the West Bank of Palestine was used for the study. The proposed approach integrates a rainfall-runoff model, a groundwater model, statistical analysis of spring discharges, a planning model and a multicriteria decision analysis model. Collectively they form the framework. These models were utilized to determine the optimal cropping pattern that maximizes net income of the catchment that could be sustained by its natural resources. Management alternatives can be introduced by determining the sustainable limits imposed by the limited natural resources. Management alternatives were developed to maximize the net benefit whilst sustaining the available water resources. To evaluate the overall efficiency of the introduced alternatives, decision criteria were developed to account for the economic and environmental consequences and a multi-criteria decision analysis was conducted to rank the land and water management alternatives. The MCDSS developed under this study is a very useful tool that can be used by different decision makers and planners in various areas. It can be used to investigate the efficiency of different management alternatives in satisfying the decision criteria that ultimately aim at achieving the policies and strategies envisaged for the area under study

The impact of competitive strategies on responsive market orientation, proactive market orientation, learning orientation and organizational performance

Drawing on the strategy implementation approach and the resource-based view of the firm, this study examines the relationships among competitive strategies (differentiation and cost leadership), responsive market orientation (RMO), proactive market orientation (PMO), learning orientation (LO) and organizational performance. The study used questionnaire survey of senior managers of 264 manufacturing and service companies in Jordan. The study employed partial least squares to test the hypotheses. Moderate but significant relationships are evident in the links between cost leadership and LO, and RMO and organizational performance. Strong and significant relationships are exhibited in the links between differentiation and RMO; differentiation and PMO; differentiation and LO and between LO and organizational performance. The results show that differentiation strategy is more important than cost leadership strategy and that LO is the most important factor for better organizational performance

The carrying angle: racial differences and relevance to inter-epicondylar distance of the humerus

The human carrying angle (CA) is a measure of the lateral deflection of the forearm from the arm. The importance of this angle emerges from its functional and clinical relevance. Previous studies have correlated this angle with different parameters including age, gender, and handedness. However, no reports have focused on race-dependent variations in CA or its relation to various components of the elbow joint. This study aimed to investigate the variations in CA with respect to race and inter-epicondylar distance (IED) of the humerus. The study included 457 Jordanian and 345 Malaysian volunteers with an age range of 18–21 years. All participants were right-hand dominant with no previous medical history in their upper limbs. Both CA and IED were measured by well-trained medical practitioners according to a well-established protocol. Regardless of race, CA was greater on the dominant side and in females. Furthermore, CA was significantly greater in Malaysian males compared to Jordanian males, and significantly smaller in Malaysian females compared to their Jordanian counterparts. Finally, CA significantly decreased with increasing IED in both races. This study supports effects of gender and handedness on the CA independent of race. However, CA also varies with race, and this variation is independent of age, gender, and handedness. The evaluation also revealed an inverse relationship between CA and IED. These findings indicate that multiple factors including race and IED should be considered during the examination and management of elbow fractures and epicondylar diseases

Origin, age and petrogenesis of Neoproterozoic composite dikes from the Arabian–Nubian

The evolution of a Pan-African (c. 900-550 Ma) suite of composite dikes, with latite margins and rhyolite interiors, from southwest Jordan is discussed. The dikes cut the Neoproterozoic calc-alkaline granitoids and high-grade metamorphic rocks (c. 800-600 Ma) of the northern Arabian-Nubian Shield in Jordan and have been dated by the Rb-Sr isochron method at 566 AE 7 Ma. The symmetrically distributed latite margins constitute less than one-quarter of the whole dike thickness. The rhyolite intruded a median fracture within the latite, while the latter was still hot but completely solidified. The dikes are alkaline and bimodal in composition with a gap in SiO 2 between 61 and 74 wt%. Both end members display similar chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns. The rhyolites display the compositional signature of A-type granites. The (La/Lu) N values are 6.02 and 4.91 for latites and rhyolites, respectively, and the rhyolites show a pronounced negative Eu anomaly, in contrast to the slight negative Eu anomaly of the latites. The chemical variability (e.g. Zr/Y, Zr/Nb, K/Rb) within and between latites and rhyolites does not support a fractional crystallization relationship between the felsic and mafic members of the dikes. We interpret the magma genesis of the composite dikes as the result of intrusion of mantle-derived mafic magma into the lower crust in an extensional tectonic regime. The mafic magma underwent extensive fractional crystallization, which supplied the necessary heat for melting of the lower crust. The products of the initial stages of partial melting (5-10%) mixed with the fractionating mafic magma and gave rise to the latite melts. Further partial melting of the lower crust (up to 30%) produced a felsic melt, which upon 50% fractional crystallization (hornblende 15%, biotite 5%, feldspars 60%, and quartz 20%) gave rise to the rhyolitic magma

Étude comparative des performances en production de quelques générations de Solanum tuberosum consommées au Maroc

La qualité des tubercules de différentes générations de pomme de terre issues de la variété française Désirée est étudiée par différentes méthodes statistiques. Quelque soit la génération, la germination de tubercules est contrôlée par la température, l’humidité relative et l’hydratation des tubercules. Une corrélation positive existe entre le calibre, le poids des tubercules et la formation des germes; cette dernière est réduite à partir de la 3ème génération probablement à cause d’une différenciation excessive des cellules composant les tubercules et de leur manque en réserves énergétiques. Aucune différence significative n’est décelée entre les trois premières générations qui se sont montrées homogènes pour les calibres, les poids, la différenciation des cellules et leur teneur en grains d’amidon. Au-delà de la 3ème génération des différences notables entre les tubercules sont observées et la production est réduite. Toutes les générations sont sensibles au stress hydrique, mais ce sont les générations âgées qui sont les plus vulnérables à un manque d’eau et à une attaque par les micro-organismes

New model for estimating geometric tortuosity of variably saturated porous media using 3D synchrotron microcomputed tomography imaging

Tortuosity has a significantimpact on flow and transport characteristics of porous media and plays a major role in many applications such as enhanced oil recovery, contaminant transport in aquifers, and fuel cells. Most analytical and theoretical models for determining tortuosity have been developed for ideal systems with assumptions that might not be representative of natural porous media. In this paper, geometric tortuosity was directly determined from three-dimensional (3D) tomography images of natural unconsolidated sand packs with a wide range of porosity, saturation, grain size distribution, and morphology. One hundred and thirty natural unconsolidated sand packs were imaged using 3D monochromatic and pink-beam synchrotron microcomputed tomography imaging. Geometric tortuosity was directly determined from the 3D images using the centroids of the connected paths in the flow direction of the media, and multivariate nonlinear regression analysis was adopted to develop a simple practical model to predict tortuosity of variably saturated natural unconsolidated porous media. Wetting phase saturation was found to provide a good estimate of relative tortuosity with an (Formula presented.) value of.93, even with a porosity variation between 0.3 and 0.5 of the porous media systems. The proposed regression model was compared to theoretical and analytical models available in the literature and was found to provide better estimates of geometric tortuosity with an (Formula presented.) value of.9 and a RMSE value of 0.117. 2021 The Authors. Soil Science Society of America Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Soil Science Society of AmericaOpen Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library. This publication was made possible by funding from Grant no. NPRP8-594-2-244 from the Qatar national research fund (a member of Qatar Foundation) and the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE), University of Tennessee-Knoxville, USA. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of funding agencies. The authors would like to thank Mr. Wadi Imseeh for his help during scanning. This paper used resources of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a USDOE Office of Science User Facility operated for the USDOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) under Contract no. DE-AC02-06CH11357. The PSMT images presented in this paper were collected using the X-ray Operations and Research Beamline Station 13-BMD at Argonne Photon Source (APS), ANL. We thank Dr. Mark Rivers of APS for help in performing the SMT scans. We also acknowledge the support of GeoSoilEnviroCARS (Sector 13), which is supported by the National Science Foundation, Earth Sciences (EAR-1128799), and the USDOE, Geosciences (DE-FG02-94ER14466). The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers who contributed with comments and suggestions to improve this paper.Scopu

Effect of High Fiber Cereal Intake on Satiety and Gastrointestinal Symptoms during Ramadan.

(1) Background: Fasting during Ramadan involves large changes in daily eating patterns which strongly impacts the daily biorhythm and challenges the regular function of the digestive tract. The aim of this study was to assess satiety, bowel habits, body composition, blood glycaemia, and blood lipidemia after the consumption of high fiber cereal at dawn (Sohor) during the month of Ramadan; (2) Methods: A two-arm randomized, controlled, single-blinded, parallel-design study was conducted in Ramadan month. Participants were randomized to consume either 90 g of high fiber cereal (11 g fiber/90 g) at Sohor for 20 consecutive days (intervention group, n = 45) or to maintain their habitual diet intake (control group; n = 36); (3) Results: The intervention group reported higher satiety rating scores, improved bowel habits and reduced bloating frequency after the 20-day intervention. Significantly higher intake of carbohydrates and dietary fiber were observed in the intervention group. Total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were significantly lower among the intervention group compared to the control group (p-value = 0.043, and p-value = 0.033, respectively) at the end of the intervention. No significant differences in body weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, body mass index, blood glucose, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides were observed between the two groups; (4) Conclusions: Consuming high fiber cereal had a positive effect on health and well-being during the month of Ramadan with better satiety, improved bowel functions, and improved blood lipids

Assessment of Sodium Knowledge and Urinary Sodium Excretion among Regions of the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, are increasing worldwide and cause 65% to 78% of deaths in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). A random sample of 477 healthy adults were recruited in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the period March-June 2015. Demographic, lifestyle, medical, anthropometric and sodium excretion data were collected. A questionnaire was used to measure knowledge, attitude and practice regarding salt. Mean sodium and potassium excretion were 2713.4 ± 713 mg/day and 1803 ± 618 mg/day, respectively, significantly higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for sodium (2300 mg/day) and lower for potassium (3150 mg/day). Two-thirds (67.4%) exceeded sodium guidelines, with males 2.6 times more likely to consume excessively. The majority of the participants add salt during cooking (82.5%) and whilst eating (66%), and 75% identified processed food as high source of salt. Most (69.1%) were aware that excessive salt could cause disease. Most of the UAE population consumes excess sodium and insufficient potassium, likely increasing the risk of NCDs. Despite most participants being aware that high salt intake is associated with adverse health outcomes, this did not translate into salt reduction action. Low-sodium, high-potassium dietary interventions such as the Mediterranean diet are vital in reducing the impact of NCDs in the UAE

Suboptimal maternal nutrition, during early fetal liver development, promotes lipid accumulation in the liver of obese offspring

Maternal nutrition during the period of early organ development can modulate the offspring's ability to metabolise excess fat as young adults when exposed to an obesogenic environment. This study examined the hypothesis that exposing offspring to nutrient restriction coincident with early hepatogenesis would result in endocrine and metabolic adaptations that subsequently lead to increased ectopic lipid accumulation within the liver. Pregnant sheep were fed either 50 or 100% of total metabolisable energy requirements from 30 to 80 days gestation and 100% thereafter. At weaning, offspring were made obese, and at ∼1 year of age livers were sampled. Lipid infiltration and molecular indices of gluconeogenesis, lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function were measured. Although hepatic triglyceride accumulation was not affected by obesity per se, it was nearly doubled in obese offspring born to nutrient-restricted mothers. This adaptation was accompanied by elevated gene expression for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARG) and its co-activator PGC1α, which may be indicative of changes in the rate of hepatic fatty acid oxidation. In contrast, maternal diet had no influence on the stimulatory effect of obesity on gene expression for a range of proteins involved in glucose metabolism and energy balance including glucokinase, glucocorticoid receptors and uncoupling protein 2. Similarly, although gene expressions for the insulin and IGF1 receptors were suppressed by obesity they were not influenced by the prenatal nutritional environment. In conclusion, excess hepatic lipid accumulation with juvenile obesity is promoted by suboptimal nutrition coincident with early development of the fetal liver