Antifungal effect of sesame medicinal herb on Candida Species: original study and mini-review

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal susceptibility patterns of three antifungals, methanolic extracts and N-hexane oil of sesame seeds on C. albicans and C. glabrata, isolated from oral cavity of liver transplant recipients. The results were compared with other reports to develop a mini review as well. Candida species were isolated from liver transplant recipients. To evaluate the antifungal activity of sesame seed oil and methanolic extract, fluconazole, caspofungin and nystatin, the corresponding minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined by CLSI M27-A3 standard method. Minimum fungicidal concentration was also evaluated. The most prevalent species was C. albicans, followed by C. glabrata. Findings indicated sensitivity to antifungal agents and resistance to methanolic extract and N-hexane oil for all C. albicans and C. glabrata isolates. The rate of Candida colonization in the oral cavity of liver transplant recipients was high. Our results revealed that the methanolic and N-hexan extracts of sesame seeds are not effective on C. albicans and C. glabrata species, isolated from the patients. The sesame seed oil pulling and mouthwash cannot effectively cleanse and remove the Candida species in the mouth. Investigation of other medicinal plants or other parts of sesame like leaves and roots are suggested

Kinetic Study of MTBE Removal from Water by Stripping Method

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is a gasoline additive used to enhance gasoline octane. It is highly soluble in water and is known for its carcinogenicity; hence its high risk of groundwater contamination. The present study was mainly designed  to investigate MTBE effect on gasoline solubility in water, determine the associated COD value, and identify the kinetics of MTBE elimination from water by the stripping method. The results show that the kinetics of MTBE elimination from water can be expressed by a first order equation with the rate constants obtained as 0.0055 min-1 and 0.0074 min-1 at the two stirring rates of 100 rpm and 250 rpm, respectively. These rate constants are evidently high and are indicative of the effectiveness of the stripping method in MTBE removal from water. A linear function was established between COD reduction  with respect to time at room temperature at low stirring rates (100 rpm) but an exponential function at high stiring rates (250 rpm). The solubility of gasoline with different additives (MTBE, ethanol, methanol) in water was also investigated. The results revealed that gasoline solubility decreased from 90 mg/l to 80mg/l and 69 mg/l, respectively, in the presence of ethanol and methanol. This is while the solubility of MTBE-containing gasoline in water rose from 90 mg/l to 778 mg/l, which shows an 8-fold increase in solubility in water