Characterization and Breakdown of South Gabal EL A’urf Polymineralized ore Material

The polymineralized ore material of south Gabal El-A’urf area hosts several economic minerals. These include tanteuxenite, monazite, bastanasite, anatase, as well as zircon. The corresponding interesting rare metals of these minerals include Nb, Ta, lanthanides (REE), Ti, and Zr. Different breakdown techniques have been investigated namely; agitation, pug and fusion. The latter technique is found to be preferred under the following conditions; potassium bisulphate ore/reagent weight ratio of 1/3 at 650 ºC for 3h. The realized dissolution efficiencies for all metal values were as follows 98.0% and 99.3% for Nb and Ta respectively as well as complete dissolution for lanthanides (REE) and 94% for Ti while Zr did not exceed 20% and concentrated in the residue left behind. This study of breakdown techniques aims to characterization of ore material of south Gabal El-A’urf area as well as preparing a proper leach liquor suitable for further recovery procedure and obtain pure remarket able products

Use of quercetin in animal feed : effects on the P-gp expression and pharmacokinetics of orally administrated enrofloxacin in chicken

Modulation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp, encoded by Mdr1) by xenobiotics plays central role in pharmacokinetics of various drugs. Quercetin has a potential to modulate P-gp in rodents, however, its effects on P-gp modulation in chicken are still unclear. Herein, study reports role of quercetin in modulation of P-gp expression and subsequent effects on the pharmacokinetics of enrofloxacin in broilers. Results show that P-gp expression was increased in a dose-dependent manner following exposure to quercetin in Caco-2 cells and tissues of chicken. Absorption rate constant and apparent permeability coefficient of rhodamine 123 were decreased, reflecting efflux function of P-gp in chicken intestine increased by quercetin. Quercetin altered pharmacokinetic of enrofloxacin by decreasing area under curve, peak concentration, and time to reach peak concentration and by increasing clearance rate. Molecular docking shows quercetin can form favorable interactions with binding pocket of chicken xenobiotic receptor (CXR). Results provide convincing evidence that quercetin induced P-gp expression in tissues by possible interaction with CXR, and consequently reducing bioavailability of orally administered enrofloxacin through restricting its intestinal absorption and liver/kidney clearance in broilers. The results can be further extended to guide reasonable use of quercetin to avoid drug-feed interaction occurred with co-administered enrofloxacin or other similar antimicrobials.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Statistical analysis on the radiological assessment and geochemical studies of granite rocks in the north of Um Taghir area, Eastern Desert, Egypt

Granite rocks are currently one of the foremost raw materials that can be used for various economic purposes such as ornamentation and building materials, because they do not possess radioactive concentrations and have good physical and mechanical properties. The granite rocks of north Um Taghir are connected to neoproterozoic rocks and integrated to the north Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS), which lies in Northeast Africa. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and X-ray fluorescence analysis, concurrent to some statistical analysis, have been carried for major oxides and some trace elements to extract much fundamental information by following certain mathematical methods. The exposed granite rock units in north Um Taghir are classified into four rock units represented by tonalite, granodiorite, monzogranite, and alkali-feldspar granite which are cut by different types of dikes. The magma of tonalite and granodiorite is low-to-medium K calc-alkaline affinity, while the magma of monzogranite and alkali-feldspar granite is medium-to-high K calc-alkaline affinity, and of metaluminous to peraluminous nature. Granite rocks show a slightly depletion of fractionated patterns from light rare earth elements (LREEs) to heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) with slightly positive to negative Eu anomalies from tonalite to monzogranite and alkali-feldspar granites. The statistical criteria have been achieved to explore the significant differences of radiological hazard parameters among samples. It is obvious that there is no homogeneity among samples; furthermore, in Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney test, and Pearson correlation coefficient, it can be noticed that there are significant differences between each pair of samples: tonalite, monzogranite; tonalite, alkali-feldspar granite; granodiorite, monzogranite; and granodiorite, alkali-feldspar granite. There is a strong direct relationship among granodiorite and both tonalite and alkali-feldspar granite, and among alkali-feldspar granite and tonalite and granodiorite. There is a strong inverse relationship among monzogranite and tonalite, granodiorite, and alkali-feldspar granite. As stated by all results, it can be mentioned that the granite rocks have a worthy result of mechanical and physical properties. So that they can be used for various economic purposes. © 2022 Hamdy A. Awad et al., published by De Gruyter.The researchers (H.A.A and H.M.H.Z.) are funded by a scholarship under the Joint (Executive Program between Egypt and Russia)

Fanconi anemia genes are highly expressed in primitive CD34(+ )hematopoietic cells

BACKGROUND: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a complex recessive genetic disease characterized by progressive bone marrow failure (BM) and a predisposition to cancer. We have previously shown using the Fancc mouse model that the progressive BM failure results from a hematopoietic stem cell defect suggesting that function of the FA genes may reside in primitive hematopoietic stem cells. METHODS: Since genes involved in stem cell differentiation and/or maintenance are usually regulated at the transcription level, we used a semiquantitative RT-PCR method to evaluate FA gene transcript levels in purified hematopoietic stem cells. RESULTS: We show that most FA genes are highly expressed in primitive CD34-positive and negative cells compared to lower levels in more differentiated cells. However, in CD34(- )stem cells the Fancc gene was found to be expressed at low levels while Fancg was undetectable in this population. Furthermore, Fancg expression is significantly decreased in Fancc -/- stem cells as compared to wild-type cells while the cancer susceptibility genes Brca1 and Fancd1/Brac2 are upregulated in Fancc-/- hematopoietic cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that FA genes are regulated at the mRNA level, that increased Fancc expression in LTS-CD34(+ )cells correlates with a role at the CD34(+ )differentiation stage and that lack of Fancc affects the expression of other FA gene, more specifically Fancg and Fancd1/Brca2, through an unknown mechanism

Corporate reporting and disclosures in the emerging capital market of Kuwait:the perceptions of users and preparers

The objective of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of users and preparers regarding financial disclosure practices in annual reports of Kuwaiti listed firms. To measure participants' views, a questionnaire survey was distributed in Kuwait between October and December 2012, to preparers (financial managers) and users (financial analysts) within Kuwaiti listed companies. The study compares between the perceptions of financial managers and financial analysts regarding disclosing information in corporate annual reports as well as the main obstacles facing the disclosure process and what the problems restricting the use of companies' annual reports. The study also seeks to investigate whether there is a perceived need for improving the usefulness of Kuwaiti companies' annual reports for decision-making. The results, based on 137 responses, indicate that accounting practices in Kuwaiti firms are firmly rooted in a decision-usefulness tradition with management and the board of directors viewed as the key audience for reporting information. Indeed, the annual reports of Kuwaiti listed companies are perceived as the most important sources of information. On the whole both users and preparers shared similar concerns regarding the volume of information contained within annual reports; however, their views differed in terms of identifying potential solutions. The results of the study are likely to have implications for decision makers, the academic community and accounting standard setters. 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature

Histology of the Pharyngeal Constrictor Muscle in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Non-Syndromic Children with Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

Plastic surgeons aim to correct velopharyngeal insufficiency manifest by hypernasal speech with a velopharyngoplasty. The functional outcome has been reported to be worse in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome than in patients without the syndrome. A possible explanation is the hypotonia that is often present as part of the syndrome. To confirm a myogenic component of the etiology of velopharyngeal insufficiency in children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, specimens of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle were taken from children with and without the syndrome. Histologic properties were compared between the groups. Specimens from the two groups did not differ regarding the presence of increased perimysial or endomysial space, fiber grouping by size or type, internalized nuclei, the percentage type I fibers, or the diameters of type I and type II fibers. In conclusion, a myogenic component of the etiology of velopharyngeal insufficiency in children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome could not be confirmed

Expression and Function of Ccbe1 in the Chick Early Cardiogenic Regions Are Required for Correct Heart Development

During the course of a differential screen to identify transcripts specific for chick heart/hemangioblast precursor cells, we have identified Ccbe1 (Collagen and calcium-binding EGF-like domain 1). While the importance of Ccbe1 for the development of the lymphatic system is now well demonstrated, its role in cardiac formation remained unknown. Here we show by whole-mount in situ hybridization analysis that cCcbe1 mRNA is initially detected in early cardiac progenitors of the two bilateral cardiogenic fields (HH4), and at later stages on the second heart field (HH9-18). Furthermore, cCcbe1 is expressed in multipotent and highly proliferative cardiac progenitors. We characterized the role of cCcbe1 during early cardiogenesis by performing functional studies. Upon morpholino-induced cCcbe1 knockdown, the chick embryos displayed heart malformations, which include aberrant fusion of the heart fields, leading to incomplete terminal differentiation of the cardiomyocytes. cCcbe1 overexpression also resulted in severe heart defects, including cardia bifida. Altogether, our data demonstrate that although cardiac progenitors cells are specified in cCcbe1 morphants, the migration and proliferation of cardiac precursors cells are impaired, suggesting that cCcbe1 is a key gene during early heart development.FCT [SFRH/BD/65628/2009, SFRH/BPD/86497/2012, SFRH/BPD/41081/2007]; F.C.T.B.I. fellowship [PTDC/SAU-BID/114902/ 2009]; FCT; Institute for Biotechnology Bioengineering (Centro Biomedicina Molecular e Celular (IBB/CBME), Laboratorio Associado (LA) in the frame of Project [PestOE/EQB/LA0023/2013]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Targeted Inactivation of Cerberus Like-2 Leads to Left Ventricular Cardiac Hyperplasia and Systolic Dysfunction in the Mouse

Previous analysis of the Cerberus like 2 knockout (Cerl2(-/-)) mouse revealed a significant mortality during the first day after birth, mostly due to cardiac defects apparently associated with randomization of the left-right axis. We have however, identified Cerl2-associated cardiac defects, particularly a large increase in the left ventricular myocardial wall in neonates that cannot be explained by laterality abnormalities. Therefore, in order to access the endogenous role of Cerl2 in cardiogenesis, we analyzed the embryonic and neonatal hearts of Cerl2 null mutants that did not display a laterality phenotype. Neonatal mutants obtained from the compound mouse line Cer2(-/-)Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT); IBB/CBME [PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2011]; FCT [SFRH/BD/62081/2009]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio