Phytochemical profile and antimicrobial properties of volatile compounds of Satureja calamintha (L) Scheel from northern Algeria

Purpose: To undertake the phytochemical screening of Satureja calamintha (L.)  Scheel., and evaluate the antimicrobial activities of its volatile compounds.Methods: Qualitative phytochemical analysis of the plant was performed using  standard methods. The extraction of essential oils (EOs) was conducted using  steam distillation, while the chemical composition was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antimicrobial activities of the oils were evaluated against ten bacterial and six fungal strains using disc-diffusion assay and poisoned food technique, respectively.Results: After steam distillation, the extraction yield was 0.54 ± 0.11 %. GC-MS analysis identified approximately 99.99 % of the EOs. The three most abundant compounds identified were l-menthone (32.10 %), neo-menthol (32.07 %) and pulegone (22.35 %). The oils had significant (p < 0.05) antimicrobial activities against the tested bacterial and fungal strains, except Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for bacteria was 0.007 % (v/v) against Enterococcus faecalis and Klebsiella pneumoniae, whereas for fungi, it was 0.500 % (v/v) against Candida albicans. Moreover, Enterococcus faecalis and Listeria innocua had the lowest minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) at 0.125 % (v/v), in contrast to the lowest fungicidal concentration (MFC) for Candida albicans at 0.500 % (v/v).Conclusion: These results demonstrate that EOs from Satureja calamintha (L.)  Scheel. possess significant antimicrobial activities which might be useful for  therapeutic and pharmaceutical applications.Keywords: Satureja calamintha, Phytochemicals, Essential oils, Antimicrobial activity, Steam distillatio

Fizikalno-kemijske karakteristike i detekcija rezidua antibiotika u sirovom kravljem mlijeku isporučenom u tri industrije za preradu mlijeka u Alžiru

The uncontrolled use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine may result in the presence of their residues in food matrices of animal origin such as milk. The aim of this study was to examine the physicochemical quality and to detect antibiotic residues (β-lactams and tetracyclines) in milk, as their presence has resulted in the rejection of significant quantities of milk for marketing. The study was conducted on 274 milk samples delivered to three milk-processing units located in the suburbs of Algiers and surrounding cities (Blida and Boumerdes). Antibiotic residue detection was performed using a fast screening test (BetaStar® Combo), with a reading result within five minutes. The results indicated that the milk processing industry of Blida had the highest rejected milk volumes (43.4%), followed by Algiers (24%) and Boumerdes (19.1%). Non-compliance of milk acidity was the first cause for milk rejection (47.6 %), followed by the presence of antibiotic residues (26.8%), and incompliance with requirements for density (13.4%) and fat levels (12.2%). The study revealed 22 positive cases (8.03%) of antibiotic residues. Among these, 90.91% were positive for β-lactams, and only 9.09% for tetracyclines. All tetracyclines cases and half of the β-lactams cases were found in the Blida milk processing company, indicating that the good practice of milk production and collection must be strengthened in that company.Nekontrolirana uporaba antimikrobnih sredstava u veterinarskoj medicini može rezultirati prisustvom njihovih rezidua u matricama hrane životinjskog podrijetla kao što je i mlijeko. Ovaj rad ima za cilj proučavanje fizikalno-kemijske kakvoće i detekcije ostataka antibiotika (β-laktama i tetraciklina), čije je određivanje u mlijeku prouzročilo odbijanje znatnih količina za plasman na tržištu. Istraživanje je provedeno na 274 uzorka mlijeka dostavljena u tri jedinice za preradu mlijeka koje se nalaze u predgrađima Alžira i drugih gradovima (Blida i Boumerdes). Detekcija ostataka antibiotika provedena je brzim testom (BetaStar® Combo), s rezultatom očitanja unutar pet minuta. Rezultati su pokazali da je najveća količina odbijenog mlijeka u industriji prerade mlijeka iz jedinice Blida (43,4 %), a slijede Alžir (24 %) i Boumerdes (19,1 %). Nesukladnost kiselosti mlijeka bila je prvi uzrok odbacivanje mlijeka (47,6 %), a zatim slijede: prisutnost antibiotskih ostataka (26,8 %), gustoća (13,4 %) i nesukladnost razine masti (FL) (12,2 %). Od svih procijenjenih uzoraka, studija je otkrila 22 pozitivna slučaja (8,03 %) na ostatke antibiotika. Među njima je 90,91 % bilo pozitivno na β-laktame, dok je samo 9,09 % pozitivno na tetracikline. Svi slučajevi tetraciklina i polovica β-laktama pronađeni su u mljekoprerađivačkoj tvrtki Blida, što ukazuje da se u toj kompaniji mora ojačati dobra praksa uzgoja i prikupljanja mlijeka

Pacifica: Poetry International: Revolutions in Tunisian Poetry

A collection of contemporary poetry from Tunisia, including poems in translation with their French and Arabic original texts

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Ameliorative effects of l-carnitine on rats raised on a diet supplemented with lead acetate

Lead intoxication has been a major health hazard in humans. It affects people at all ages. Its toxicity is associated with various organs of the body and affects different metabolic pathways. Based on histological data, l-carnitine reduced the severity of tissue damage produced as a result of exposure of rats to lead acetate. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the underlying mechanism of protection offered by l-carnitine against lead acetate intoxication using male Sprague–Dawley rats.Forty male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups with ten rats in each. The first group (G1) served as the control group and animals received standard diet only. The second group (G2) received lead acetate in their diet. The third group (G3) was the l-carnitine treated group and received the normal standard diet supplemented with l-carnitine. While the fourth group (G4) had a diet supplemented with both lead acetate and l-carnitine. At the end of each experiment, blood (serum and whole blood) were collected from each animal and analyzed for the following parameters: serum testosterone levels, serum nitric oxide and serum malondialdehyde. This is in addition to looking at the enzymatic activities of two important enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and on (glutathione reductase) which are indicative of the antioxidant activities in the whole blood. The results indicated that l-carnitine will counteract the undesirable effects of lead intoxication. It exerted its antioxidant potential by reducing the production of ROS and scavenging free radicals by maintaining and protecting the level of the of antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT and glutathione peroxidase.Conclusion:l-Carnitine may play an important role in reversing the undesirable effects of lead intoxication. Future studies should be conducted to see whether such an effect is applicable in humans exposed to lead poising. Keywords: l-Carnitine, Sprague–Dawley rats, Lead toxicity, Antioxidants, Lead acetat

Chemical characterization of fine particles (PM2.5) at a coastal site in the South Western Mediterranean during the ChArMex experiment

International audienc

Evaluation of In Vitro and In Silico Anti-Alzheimer Potential of Nonpolar Extracts and Essential Oil from <i>Mentha piperita</i>

The anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities with chemical composition and molecular docking of essential oil and nonpolar extracts of Mentha piperita were evaluated using enzymatic and chemical methods. Molecular docking tools were used to explain the interaction of the major chemical constituents with the enzymes. GC/MS analyses revealed that the main compounds in M. piperita essential oil were l-menthone (43.601%) followed by pulegone (21.610%), linolenic acid (25.628%), and l-menthone (10.957%), representing the major compounds of the petroleum ether extract. Imidazoquinoline (7.767%) and 17-N-acetyl-oroidine (5.363%) were the major constituents of the chloroform extract. Linolenic acid (19.397%) and l-menthone (6.336%) were the most abundant compounds in the hexane extract. The M. piperita essential oil and nonpolar extracts showed moderate antioxidant activity. The essential oil showed the most promising anticholinesterase activity with IC50 = 10.66 ± 0.12 µg/mL and IC50 = 16.33 ± 0.03 µg/mL against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), respectively, close to galantamine in AChE and more active in BChE, followed by the interesting activity in the petroleum ether extract with IC50 = 23.42 ± 3.06 µg/mL in AChE and IC50 = 62.00 ± 3.22 µg/mL in BChE. The docking experiments showed that among the seven major identified compounds, N-acetyl-17-oroidine showed the highest binding score (63.01 in AChE and 63.68 in BChE). This compound was found to bind the catalytic and peripheral sites, resulting in more potent inhibitory activity than galantamine, which only binds to the catalytic site. These findings suggested the possible use of M. piperita essential oil and nonpolar extracts as a potential source of alternative natural anti-Alzheimer compounds