Evaluation of Protective and Antioxidant Activity of Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) Extract on Paracetamol-Induced Toxicity in Rats

Abstract: Paracetamol is a common analgesic and antipyretic drug which is safe in therapeutic doses but can produce life-threatening hepatic and renal damages with toxic doses. The current study was designed to investigate the protective effects of aqueous extract of thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) against paracetamol-induced toxicity in male albino rats. A total of 24 rats were used for the study. The rats were grouped into four with sex rats in each group. Group I was the control, group II received thyme extract at a dose of 500 mg / kg body weight for 14 days. group III received paracetamol at a dose of 200 mg / kg body weight / ml without extract for 14 days, and group IV received paracetamol plus thyme extract for 14 days. Administration of paracetamol to rats induced marked disturbance of hepatic and renal functions, characterized by a significant increase in the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP),total bilirubin , total protein , blood urea and serum creatinine (p < 0.01) and injured the hepatic and renal cells evident from increased level of malondialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.01) along with depletion of super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels (p < 0.01). Histopathological changes showed that paracetamol caused significant structural damages to liver and kidneys. Oral co-administration of thyme extract with paracetamol significantly decreased the level of liver enzymes (ALT, AST and ALP), total bilirubin , total protein, blood urea and creatinine. The increased levels of lipid peroxidation in tissues were reverted significantly. Thyme treatment also resulted in a significant increased in CAT, SOD and GSH in both liver and kidneys. Moreover, thyme extract also exhibited some improvement in the histological architecture of liver and kidney . These results clearly show the antioxidant and protective property of thyme extract

Pattern of cesarean deliveries among women in an urban and rural district in Egypt

Aim: to compare patterns of delivery at an urban and a rural district in Egypt over 3 years. Methods: This retrospective study included 500 women and 50 obstetricians from each district from January, 2013 till December, 2015. Women answered a questionnaire about their deliveries. Obstetricians answered a questionnaire about their practiceof CS. Results: CS rate in the rural district was 57.2% compared to 54.8% in the urban district in 2013. In 2014 and 2015, CS rates increased to 65.3% and 69%, respectively in the rural district compared to 56% and 57.7%, respectively in the urban district. 66% of obstetricians in the rural district performed CS for more than 50% of their patients compared to 76% of obstetricians in the urban district. 52% and 4% of obstetricians in the rural and urban districts, respectively, performed CS upon maternal request. 70.3% of women in the rural district who delivered by CS preferred to deliver vaginally. 51.4% of urban women who delivered by CS preferred to deliver vaginally. Level of education was the only factor showing statistical significance. Conclusion: CS rates increased over time with higher rates in the rural area. Level of women's education was the only factor affecting delivery choice. Keywords: Cesarean sections; CS rate; urban area; rural area; Egypt; obstetricians

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

510 Effect of Grape Seeds Extract in the Modulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Activity and Oxidative Stress Induced By Doxorubicin in Mice

Abstract: The therapeutic value of doxorubicin as antitumor agent is limited by its cardiotoxicity. Matrix metalloproteinases activation is an early event in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Because Matrix metalloproteinases are up-regulated by increased formation of reactive oxygen species, the present study was designed to tested whether the grape seeds extract could attenuate the increases in matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity and prevent the doxorubicin -induced cardiotoxicity in mice. Mice were dosed with a single injection of doxorubicin (20 mg/kg b.wt , i.p) with or without pretreatment of grape seeds extract. The protective role of grape seeds extract against doxorubicin induced-cardiac damage was evaluated on the aspects of the release of cardiac enzymes into serum, the formation of malondialdehyde, the activation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and the histopathological changes in heart tissues. The results showed that doxorubicin led to increase in serum metalloproteinase-9 activity, heart injury as shown by increased serum creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, alanin aminotranseferase and aspartat aminotransferase. Oxidative stress was also increased in cardiac tissue as shown by increased malondialdehyde and decrease of antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione). This damage was accompanied with histopathological changes in the heart tissue. Pretreatment with GS extract (100mg/kg b.wt daily for 12 days) effectively hindered the adverse effect of doxorubicin and protect against cardiac damage via suppression of oxidative stress

Molecular and biochemical taxonomic tools for the identification and classification of plant-pathogenic Penicillium species

Five species of Penicillium (Penicillium chrysogenum, P. funiculosum, P. griseofulvum, P. implicatum and P. oxalicum) are implicated in seed-borne diseases. Here, we report the discovery of molecular markers based on the internal transcribed spacer regions of fungal ribosomal DNA (rDNA), which are described as primary DNA barcode markers of fungi, for rapid diagnosis and early detection of Penicillium spp. The present markers are expected to be useful for the prevention of seedling and systemic plant diseases associated with Penicillium spp. Our findings, which provide valuable insights into the taxonomy of Penicillium spp., should contribute to improve safety of agricultural produce, thereby protecting both humans and animals from harmful food contaminants such as mycotoxins. In addition, we examined the cellular fatty acid composition of five species of Penicillium. The species studied were found to possess similar fatty acid composition; however, they differed in terms of relative concentration. The principal fatty acids were oleic acid (C18:1) and linoleic acid (C18:2), comprising 80% or more of the total fatty acid composition of these species. These fatty acid profiles may be useful for characterization and identification of fungi. Data derived from the present study highlight the importance of using polyphasic methods for accurate species-level identification of Penicillium

Validity and prognostic value of serum albumin level in emergency acute ischemic stroke egyptian patients

There are two main types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Some studies showed the favorable relationship of serum albumin levels on the outcome of patients who suffer from ischemic stroke (IS). Some experimental studies have suggested a neuroprotective effect of albumin either by reducing brain edema or by its antioxidative or antiapoptotic effects. To detect serum albumin level and evaluate its prognostic value in patients with acute ischemic stroke in emergency department in compared to Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS). The study was carried out as descriptive (cross-sectional) study conducted on 60 patients with ischemic stroke attending emergency department in Suez Canal University hospital. It was found that all of died patients (100%) had hypoalbuminemia. While (92.5%) of patients who discharged from hospital had normal serum albumin level in follow up. but (7.5%) of them had hypoalbuminemia. And the ROC curve of both SSS and Serum albumin level on admission had Sensitivity: 100% and Specificity: 83% among studied patients. Thus serum albumin level has a direct correlation with short term prognosis of acute ischemic stroke patients. Patients with a lower SSS on admission and had higher levels of serum albumin had good short-term prognosis, and those with a high SSS and had a lower level of albumin had bad prognosis. higher levels of serum albumin is associated with a better short term prognosis. So they may act as indicators of short term prognosis. [Med-Science 2018; 7(4.000): 736-44

Use of Selected Essential Oils to Control Aflatoxin Contaminated Stored Cashew and Detection of Aflatoxin Biosynthesis Gene

Aspergillus spp. associated with cashew from the regions of Riyadh, Dammam, and Abha were isolated and three different culture media were used to qualitatively measure aflatoxin production by Aspergillus via UV light (365 nm), which was expressed as positive or negative. The obtained data showed that six isolates of A. flavus and four isolates of A. parasiticus were positive for aflatoxin production, while all isolates of A. niger were negative. Five commercially essential oils (thyme, garlic, cinnamon, mint, and rosemary) were tested to determine their influence on growth and aflatoxin production in A. flavus and A. parasiticus by performing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the tested essential oils caused highly significant inhibition of fungal growth and aflatoxin production in A. flavus and A. parasiticus. The extent of the inhibition of fungal growth and aflatoxin production was dependent on the type and concentration of essential oils applied. The results indicate that cinnamon and thyme oils show strong antimicrobial potential. PCR was used with four sets of primer pairs for nor-1, omt-1, ver-1, and aflR genes, enclosed in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway. The interpretation of the results revealed that PCR is a rapid and sensitive method

Use of Selected Essential Oils to Control Aflatoxin Contaminated Stored Cashew and Detection of Aflatoxin Biosynthesis Gene

Aspergillus spp. associated with cashew from the regions of Riyadh, Dammam, and Abha were isolated and three different culture media were used to qualitatively measure aflatoxin production by Aspergillus via UV light (365 nm), which was expressed as positive or negative. The obtained data showed that six isolates of A. flavus and four isolates of A. parasiticus were positive for aflatoxin production, while all isolates of A. niger were negative. Five commercially essential oils (thyme, garlic, cinnamon, mint, and rosemary) were tested to determine their influence on growth and aflatoxin production in A. flavus and A. parasiticus by performing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the tested essential oils caused highly significant inhibition of fungal growth and aflatoxin production in A. flavus and A. parasiticus. The extent of the inhibition of fungal growth and aflatoxin production was dependent on the type and concentration of essential oils applied. The results indicate that cinnamon and thyme oils show strong antimicrobial potential. PCR was used with four sets of primer pairs for nor-1, omt-1, ver-1, and aflR genes, enclosed in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway. The interpretation of the results revealed that PCR is a rapid and sensitive method

Use of Selected Essential Oils to Control Aflatoxin Contaminated Stored Cashew and Detection of Aflatoxin Biosynthesis Gene

Aspergillus spp. associated with cashew from the regions of Riyadh, Dammam, and Abha were isolated and three different culture media were used to qualitatively measure aflatoxin production by Aspergillus via UV light (365 nm), which was expressed as positive or negative. The obtained data showed that six isolates of A. flavus and four isolates of A. parasiticus were positive for aflatoxin production, while all isolates of A. niger were negative. Five commercially essential oils (thyme, garlic, cinnamon, mint, and rosemary) were tested to determine their influence on growth and aflatoxin production in A. flavus and A. parasiticus by performing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the tested essential oils caused highly significant inhibition of fungal growth and aflatoxin production in A. flavus and A. parasiticus. The extent of the inhibition of fungal growth and aflatoxin production was dependent on the type and concentration of essential oils applied. The results indicate that cinnamon and thyme oils show strong antimicrobial potential. PCR was used with four sets of primer pairs for nor-1, omt-1, ver-1, and aflR genes, enclosed in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway. The interpretation of the results revealed that PCR is a rapid and sensitive method