COMPARISON OF NON-MAXIMAL TESTS FOR ESTIMATING EXERCISE CAPACITY

Although maximal incremental exercise tests (GXT) are the gold standard for outcome assessment and exercise prescription, they are not widely available in either fitness or clinical exercise programs. This study compared the prediction of VO2max in healthy, sedentary volunteers using a non-exercise prediction (Matthews et al., 1999), RPE extrapolation to 19 and 20 and the Rockport Walking Test (RWT), and of ventilatory threshold (VT) using the Talk Test and RPE @ 13,14,15. Subjects performed a treadmill GXT with gas exchange, a submaximal treadmill with RPE and Talk Test, the RWT and Matthews. All methods provided reasonable estimates of both VO2max and VT, with correlations of >0.80 and SEE~1.3 METs. VO2max was best estimated with the extrapolation to RPE=19. VT was intermediate between the TT Last Positive and Equivocal stages and between RPE 13 and 14. Non-maximal evaluation can be used in place of maximal GXT with gas exchange to make reasonable estimates of both VO2max and V

Incidental Finding of Ectopic Liver Lobule During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Case Report

An Accessory or ectopic liver lobule is a rare finding with different variations.  In this case: we are presenting a case of a 20-year-old lady who was investigated for recurrent abdominal pain and was diagnosed with chronic calcular cholecystitis with an ultrasonography. There was whatsoever no radiological evidence of ectopic liver lobule. Intraoperatively, an ectopic liver lobule was seen adherent to the gallbladder wall without connection to the actual liver, and uneventful laparoscopic cholecystectomy with removal of the ectopic liver was successfully achieved. The patient was discharged home on the same day, The final histopathology of the specimen showed liver tissue without evidence of malignancy. In conclusion: an ectopic or accessory liver lobule could missed during preoperative investigations and it should be removed along with the gallbladder if found adherent to its wall during laparoscopic cholecystectomy to prevent related complications.

Impact of PEDV infection on the biological characteristics of porcine intestinal exosomes

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a highly contagious intestinal infection primarily affecting pigs. It is caused by the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). PEDV targets the villus tissue cells in the small intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes, resulting in shortened intestinal villi and, in extreme cases, causing necrosis of the intestinal lining. Moreover, PEDV infection can disrupt the balance of the intestinal microflora, leading to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria like Escherichia coli. Exosomes, tiny membrane vesicles ranging from 30 to 150 nm in size, contain a complex mixture of RNA and proteins. MicroRNA (miRNA) regulates various cell signaling, development, and disease progression processes. This study extracted exosomes from both groups and performed high-throughput miRNA sequencing and bioinformatics techniques to investigate differences in miRNA expression within exosomes isolated from PEDV-infected porcine small intestine tissue compared to healthy controls. Notably, two miRNA types displayed upregulation in infected exosomes, while 12 exhibited downregulation. These findings unveil abnormal miRNA regulation patterns in PEDV-infected intestinal exosomes, shedding light on the intricate interplay between PEDV and its host. This will enable further exploration of the relationship between these miRNA changes and signaling pathways, enlightening PEDV pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets

The Protective Properties of the Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats Mediated by Anti-Apoptotic and Upregulation of Antioxidant Genes Expression Effects

The strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) has been extensively used to treat a wide range of ailments in many cultures. The present study was aimed at evaluating the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry juice on experimentally induced liver injury in rats. To this end, rats were introperitoneally injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) with or without strawberry juice supplementation for 12 weeks and the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry was assessed by measuring serum liver enzyme markers, hepatic tissue redox status and apoptotic markers with various techniques including biochemistry, ELISA, quantitative PCR assays and histochemistry. The hepatoprotective effect of the strawberry was evident by preventing CCl4-induced increase in liver enzymes levels. Determination of oxidative balance showed that strawberry treatment significantly blunted CCl4-induced increase in oxidative stress markers and decrease in enzymatic and non-enzymatic molecules in hepatic tissue. Furthermore, strawberry supplementation enhanced the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, and restrained the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 with a marked reduction in collagen areas in hepatic tissue. These findings demonstrated that strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) juice possessed antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic properties, probably mediated by the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids compounds

A rapid and simple single-step method for the purification of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites

This study describes a simple method for the large-scale isolation of pure Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites. T. gondii tachyzoites were obtained from infected human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) and peritoneal exudates of mice, while tissue cysts containing bradyzoites were collected from chronically infected mice. Harvested cells and brain tissues were incubated in Hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS), containing 0.25% trypsin and 0.5% taurodeoxycholic acid (TDC) for 5 min. Subsequent washes in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were conducted, and the cell viability of the preparations was good, as determined by flow cytometry and ability to reinfect HFF cells and propagate in mice. The purification procedure allowed for a rapid preparation of pure T. gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites in sufficient quantity that can be used for downstream procedures. The advantage of the new method is that it is convenient and inexpensive.The National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31502071), Youth Innovative Talents Project of Guangdong province Education Department (No. 2017KQNCX212), Guangdong province (2017GDK07), Start-up Research Grant Program provided by Foshan University, Foshan city, Guangdong province for distinguished researchers, Guangdong Science and Technology Plan Project (Grant No: 1244060045607389XC), and School of Life Science and Engineering fund (Grant No: KLPREAD201801-02).http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/vms3am2021Paraclinical Science

Molecular characterization of Fasciola flukes using mitochondrial 28S rRNA gene in Naimi Saudi sheep

Fasciolosis is a parasitic disease of medical and economic importance. This retrospective study was conducted on 110 Fasciola flukes collected from livers of 14 infected Naimi sheep slaughtered at Riyadh abattoir in Saudi Arabia during winter season of 2016. Collected specimens were analyzed for their species identification on the basis of partial sequences of mitochondrial 28S rRNA gene. Results have shown the presence of both Fasciola hepatica (F. hepatica) and Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica) species. Where Fasciola hepatica was predominate (80%). Both intra-species and interspecies genetic distance was studied and results showed that the intraspecific variability among individuals of both species i.e., F. hepatica and F. gigantica, ranging between 0 and 1% while the interspecific diversity between F. hepatica and F. gigantica was only 1%. In conclusion, mitochondrial 28S rRNA gene is a proved as a good marker in identifying Fasciola of different species. Where, the F. hepatica and F. gigantica are present in sheep breed in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. Keywords: Fasciola, 28s rRNA gene, DNA, Shee

Comparison of non-maximal tests for exercise prescription and outcome assessment

This study examined the accuracy of non-maximal tests: the Talk Test (TT), Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) extrapolation, Rockport Walking Test (RWT) and non-exercise VO2max prediction equation for predicting exercise capacity (VO2max and VT). Subjects (N=20) were 18-50 yrs. of low to moderate fitness level. Subjects performed three exercise sessions. Test 1 was a maximal incremental test to measure VO2max and VT. Test 2 was a submaximal incremental exercise test without respiratory gas exchange measurements, using the TT and RPE. Test 3 was the RWT. Also, VO2max was calculated using the non-exercise prediction equation of Matthews et al. (1997). The results showed that there was no significant difference between measured VO2max and predicted VO2max using the non-exercise equation, extrapolation to RPE19 and the RWT. However, measured VO2max was significantly less than predicted VO2max using extrapolation to RPE 20 (p≤0.05). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the VO2 at VT, the LP, and EQ stages of the TT, and at RPE13 and RPE14. However, the VO2 at RPE 15 was significantly higher than VO2 at VT (p≤0.05). In conclusion, the results showed that the non-maximal methods could be used as primary methods for exercise prescription and outcome assessment

Characterization of the 12S rRNA Gene Sequences of the Harvester Termite <i>Anacanthotermes ochraceus</i> (Blattodea: Hodotermitidae) and Its Role as A Bioindicator of Heavy Metal Accumulation Risks in Saudi Arabia

Termites are social insects of economic importance that have a worldwide distribution. Identifying termite species has traditionally relied on morphometric characters. Recently, several mitochondrial genes have been used as genetic markers to determine the correlation between different species. Heavy metal accumulation causes serious health problems in humans and animals. Being involved in the food chain, insects are used as bioindicators of heavy metals. In the present study, 100 termite individuals of Anacanthotermes ochraceus were collected from two Saudi Arabian localities with different geoclimatic conditions (Riyadh and Taif). These individuals were subjected to morphological identification followed by molecular analysis using mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequence, thus confirming the morphological identification of A. ochraceus. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis was conducted to determine the genetic relationship between the acquired species and other termite species with sequences previously submitted in the GenBank database. Several heavy metals including Ca, Al, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ba, Cr, Co, Be, Ni, V, Pb, Cd, and Mo were measured in both collected termites and soil samples from both study sites. All examined samples (termite and soil) showed high concentrations of metals with different concentrations and ratios. Generally, most measured metals had a significantly high concentration in soil and termites at Taif, except for Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, and Ni showing significantly high concentrations at Riyadh. Furthermore, termites accumulated higher amounts of heavy metals than the soil at both locations. The mean concentrations of the measured metals in soil samples were found to be in the descending order Ca ˃ Al ˃ Mg ˃ Zn ˃ Fe ˃ Cu ˃ Mn ˃ Ba ˃ Cr ˃ Co ˃ Be ˃ Ni ˃ V ˃ Pb ˃ Cd ˃ Mo, while it was Ca ˃ Mg ˃ Al ˃ Fe ˃ Zn ˃ Cu ˃ Mn ˃ Be ˃ Ba ˃ Pb ˃ Cr ˃ V ˃ Ni ˃ Cd ˃ Mo ˃ Co in termite specimens. The mean concentrations of the studied metals were determined in the soil and termite specimens at both locations. In addition, the contamination factor, pollution load index (PLI) and degree of contamination were calculated for all studied metals in different samples, indicating that both studied sites were polluted. However, Taif showed a significantly higher degree of pollution. Thus, the accurate identification of economically important insects, such as termites, is of crucial importance to plan for appropriate control strategies. In addition, termites are a good bioindicator to study land pollution

Developing a Cyber Incident Exercises Model to Educate Security Teams

Since cyber attacks are increasing and evolving rapidly, the need to enhance cyber-security defense is crucial. A cyber incident exercise model is a learning technique to provide knowledge about cyber security to enhance a security team’s incident response. In this research work, we proposed a cyber incident model to handle real-time security attacks in various scenarios. The proposed model consisted of three teams: (1) the black team, (2) the red team, and (3) the blue team. The black team was a group of instructors responsible for setting up the environment. They had to educate the red and blue teams about cyber security and train them on facing cyber attacks. Once the training period was completed, the members were divided into two teams to conduct a cyber-security competition in a cyber game scenario. Each of the two teams performed a different task. The red team was the offensive team that was responsible for launching cyber-security attacks. The blue team was the defensive team that was responsible for countering attacks and minimizing the damage caused by attackers; they had to conduct both cyber-security configuration and incident handling. During the scenario, the black team was responsible for guiding and monitoring both the red and the blue teams, ensuring the rules were applied throughout the competition. At the end of the competition, the members of each team changed with each other to make sure every team member was using the knowledge they gained from the training period and every participant was evaluated impartially. Finally, we showed the security team’s offensive and defensive skills via the red team and the blue team, respectively

Synthesis and Antibacterial Aspects of Graphitic C3N4@Polyaniline Composites

In this work, Pani and Pani@g-C3N4 was synthesized by in situ oxidative polymerization methodology of aniline, in the presence of g-C3N4. The as prepared Pani@g-C3N4 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphological analysis showed well dispersed Pani in g-C3N4, as well as the coating of Pani on g-C3N4. The XRD further revealed this, and peaks of Pani as well as g-C3N4 was observed, thereby suggesting successful synthesis of the composite. The DC electrical conductivity studies under isothermal and cyclic aging conditions showed high stability of composites over 100 &deg;C. Further, the synthesized composite material proved to be an excellent antimicrobial agent against both type i.e., gram positive Streptococcus pneumoniae and negative bacteria Escherichia coli. In the zone inhibition assay 18 &plusmn; 0.5, 16 &plusmn; 0.75 and 20 &plusmn; 0.5, 22 &plusmn; 0.5 mm zone diameter were found against E. coli and S. pneumoniae in presence of pure g-C3N4 and Pani@g-C3N4 at 50 &micro;g concentrations, respectively. Further antimicrobial activity in the presence of sunlight in aqueous medium showed that Pani@g-C3N4 is more potent than pure g-C3N4