Analysis of Different Rare Metals, and Rare Earth Metals in Harvested Rain Water in Gaza Strip/Palestine by ICP/MS-Data and Health Aspects

This rain water samples harvested for drinking and agriculture from Gaza collected in November 2012 were analyzed for different rare metals (Rb, Zr, Ti, Tl, Sb, Sc, Y), and rare earth metals (La, and Ce). These metals usually have no maximum acceptable limits as there is no sufficient data about their toxicity to human health. Their control should be therefore controlled in water to monitor their concentration in water (ground, harvested, etc.). This study was conducted to determine the water quality of harvested water which is used for drinking in the study area. 43 water samples were collected in November 2012 during the first rain from house wells and rain water pools. The concentrations of the metals detected in the collected harvested rainwater vary significantly between the 43 samples, and all of them were detected in all water samples analyzed in this study. The results obtained from this study suggest a possible risk to the population of the study area given the high concentration of some metals that have no maximum allowed concentration, and the fact that for many people in the study area, harvested rain water is a main source of their water supply.The authors are grateful to the Association of Arab Universities for their financial support. The authors would like also to thank the volunteers at MECA (Middle East Children’s Alliance) who worked tirelessly on short notice to mobilize volunteers and collect water samples across the entire Gaza strip during the first rain after the bombings in November, 2012

Analysis of Different Rare Metals, and Rare Earth Metals in Harvested Rain Water in Gaza Strip/Palestine by ICP/MS-Data and Health Aspects

This rain water samples harvested for drinking and agriculture from Gaza collected in November 2012 were analyzed for different rare metals (Rb, Zr, Ti, Tl, Sb, Sc, Y), and rare earth metals (La, and Ce). These metals usually have no maximum acceptable limits as there is no sufficient data about their toxicity to human health. Their control should be therefore controlled in water to monitor their concentration in water (ground, harvested, etc.). This study was conducted to determine the water quality of harvested water which is used for drinking in the study area. 43 water samples were collected in November 2012 during the first rain from house wells and rain water pools. The concentrations of the metals detected in the collected harvested rainwater vary significantly between the 43 samples, and all of them were detected in all water samples analyzed in this study. The results obtained from this study suggest a possible risk to the population of the study area given the high concentration of some metals that have no maximum allowed concentration, and the fact that for many people in the study area, harvested rain water is a main source of their water supply.The authors are grateful to the Association of Arab Universities for their financial support. The authors would like also to thank the volunteers at MECA (Middle East Children’s Alliance) who worked tirelessly on short notice to mobilize volunteers and collect water samples across the entire Gaza strip during the first rain after the bombings in November, 2012

Modeling of Groundwater Recharge by Rainwater Harvesting-Wadi Bayer (Case Study)

Wadi Bayer is one of Jordan's desertic areas with very low precipitation and limited water resources. It is a typical example of the Jordanian water scarcity chronic condition. Groundwater recharging strategy is one of the long-term solutions of such water scarcity problem due to harsh climatic conditions and high evaporation rate. The groundwater resources in the area are utilized by the Bedoins for their domestic and cattles' uses. The groundwater is abstracted through three shallow wells drilled in the course of Wadi Bayer. The limited amount of the groundwater in the area is attributed to the limited natural recharge through the wadi bed during the occurrence of floods. In this study, a location of recharging dike was proposed at a distance of 150-200 m to the south-west of the existing wells, its reservoir area was estimated by 0.0285% of the catchment area of Wadi Bayer, which reflects the rare runoff occurrence. A home-made spread sheet model and an HEC-HMS model were used in order to estimate the surface runoff. The alluvium deposits and Rijam formation are the only rock unit groupings in the study area. The permeability of the topmost 2 meters, which form the floor of the reservoir, is 11.82*10-2 cm/sec. The top soil column was tested for permeability in the lab through test pit excavation. Seven boreholes were drilled in the site with different depths ranging from 5 to15m, the permeability test was conducted for different depths, ranging between 7.331* 10-6 and 1.805*10-3. A groundwater model was run using Processing Mode Flow software to indicate the natural recharge in the area due to the filling of the reservoir from flood water, for 30 day- and 15 day- retention periods. It was found that the groundwater table will rise in the range of 0.33 to 1.5 m and 0.11 to 0.90 m for both retention periods, respectively

Determination of trace metals in harvested rain water after the November 2012 bombing in Gaza by using ICP/MS

Rain water samples harvested for drinking and agriculture from Gaza collected after the November 2012 bombing, were analyzed for different trace metals (Ba, Cu, Zn, Co, Mn, V, Al, Pb, Cr, Ni, As, U, and Cd) as well as phosphorous content by ICP/MS. This study was conducted to determine the water quality of harvested rain water used for drinking in Gaza after the 2012 bombing, and to assess the potential effect of bombing on the amounts of trace metals in harvested rainwater. A total of 43 water samples were collected in November 2012 during the first rain after eight days of bombings from 43 house wells and rain water pools. The samples were analyzed for their pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and different trace (heavy) metals content. The pH of all water samples was within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits. The concentrations of the metals detected in the collected harvested rainwater vary significantly between the 43 samples, and all of them were detected in all water samples analyzed in this study. The concentration of eight trace metals (Pb, Ni, As, Cd, Cr, Ba, Mn, and Al) is higher than the allowed WHO limits in drinking water, and the rest of metals and phosphorous were detected in all water samples analyzed in this study. Overall our findings revealed that bombing in Gaza 2012 may have detrimental effects on the quality of harvested rain water used for drinking and agriculture in this part of Gaza where it is contaminated with metals that affect human health.The authors are grateful to the Association of Arab Universities for their financial support. The authors would like also to thank the volunteers at MECA (Middle East Children's Alliance) who worked tirelessly on short notice to mobilize volunteers and collect water samples across the entire Gaza strip during the first rain after the bombings in November, 2012

Effect of Harvesting Date and Variety of Date Palm on Antioxidant Capacity, Phenolic and Flavonoid Content of Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera)

The effect of date palm variety and harvesting date on total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity of seven varieties of date palm fruits collected at different maturation stages obtained from date palm farms located in the Jericho area of the Jordan valley was investigated in this study. During different harvesting times (from June to September 2011), total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity varied between 13.75-231.40 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE), 1.72-9.6 mg catechin equivalents, and 142.0-719.3 μmol Trolox equivalents per 100 g dry weight sample for the seven varieties of date palm, respectively. Pearson correlation indicated that there is a strong significant correlation between antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content, as well as between antioxidant capacity and total flavonoid content for all date palm varieties investigated in this study. It is expected that these results will be useful to farmers particularly in their selection of harvesting time of the date palm fruits with high content of the bioactive compounds to meet the increasing demand on such healthy products.We are grateful to Beit Jala pharmaceutical company for performing HPLC analyses in their laboratories

HPLC Analysis of Chemical Composition of Selected Jordanian Medicinal Plants and their Bioactive Properties

Three medicinal plants grown wild in Jordan, namely Achillea santolina L, Achillea fragrantisimma, Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk.) Less, were extracted with ethyl acetate by continuous shaking at room temperature for three days. The antibacterial activity of the crude extract was evaluated. The extracts were analyzed for their phenolic and flavonoids content by HPLC-PDA. The HPLC analysis of the plant extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids and phenolic compounds in the three plant extracts. Results revealed a strong antibacterial activity of A. graveolens against three bacterial strains (B. subtilis, E. coli, and S.aureus). while A. fragrantissima inhibited the growth of B. subtilis. Bioactivities were attributed mainly to the immense content of phenol-based compounds in plants.University and Al-Quds University for providing facilities, and encouragemen

Neratinib plus trastuzumab is superior to pertuzumab plus trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer xenograft models

Lapatinib (L) plus trastuzumab (T), with endocrine therapy for estrogen receptor (ER)+ tumors, but without chemotherapy, yielded meaningful response in HER2+ breast cancer (BC) neoadjuvant trials. The irreversible/pan-HER inhibitor neratinib (N) has proven more potent than L. However, the efficacy of N+T in comparison to pertuzumab (P) + T or L + T (without chemotherapy) remains less studied. To address this, mice bearing HER2+ BT474-AZ (ER+) cell and BCM-3963 patient-derived BC xenografts were randomized to vehicle, N, T, P, N+T, or P+T, with simultaneous estrogen deprivation for BT474-AZ. Time to tumor regression/progression and incidence/time to complete response (CR) were determined. Changes in key HER pathway and proliferative markers were assessed by immunohistochemistry and western blot of short-term-treated tumors. In the BT474-AZ model, while all N, P, T, N + T, and P + T treated tumors regressed, N + T-treated tumors regressed faster than P, T, and P + T. Further, N + T was superior to N and T alone in accelerating CR. In the BCM-3963 model, which was refractory to T, P, and P + T, while N and N + T yielded 100% CR, N + T accelerated the CR compared to N. Ki67, phosphorylated (p) AKT, pS6, and pERK levels were largely inhibited by N and N + T, but not by T, P, or P + T. Phosphorylated HER receptor levels were also markedly inhibited by N and N + T, but not by P + T or L + T. Our findings establish the efficacy of combining N with T and support clinical testing to investigate the efficacy of N + T with or without chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting for HER2+ BC

Integrase inhibitors in late pregnancy and rapid HIV viral load reduction

Minimizing time to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) viral suppression is critical in pregnancy. Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs), like raltegravir, are known to rapidly suppress plasma HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA) in nonpregnant adults. There is limited data in pregnant women

HER2-Enriched Subtype and ERBB2 Expression in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treated with Dual HER2 Blockade

Background: Identification of HER2-positive breast cancers with high anti-HER2 sensitivity could help de-escalate chemotherapy. Here, we tested a clinically applicable RNA-based assay that combines ERBB2 and the HER2-enriched (HER2-E) intrinsic subtype in HER2-positive disease treated with dual HER2-blockade without chemotherapy. Methods: A research-based PAM50 assay was applied in 422 HER2-positive tumors from five II-III clinical trials (SOLTI-PAMELA, TBCRC023, TBCRC006, PER-ELISA, EGF104090). In SOLTI-PAMELA, TBCRC023, TBCRC006, and PER-ELISA, all patients had early disease and were treated with neoadjuvant lapatinib or pertuzumab plus trastuzumab for 12-24 weeks. Primary outcome was pathological complete response (pCR). In EGF104900, 296 women with advanced disease were randomized to receive either lapatinib alone or lapatinib plus trastuzumab. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: A total of 305 patients with early and 117 patients with advanced HER2-positive disease were analyzed. In early disease, HER2-E represented 83.8% and 44.7% of ERBB2-high and ERBB2-low tumors, respectively. Following lapatinib and trastuzumab, the HER2-E and ERBB2 (HER2-E/ERBB2)-high group showed a higher pCR rate compared to the rest (44.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 35.4% to 53.9% vs 11.6%, 95% CI = 6.9% to 18.0%; adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 6.05, 95% CI = 3.10 to 11.80, P <. 001). Similar findings were observed with neoadjuvant trastuzumab and pertuzumab (pCR rate of 66.7% in HER2-E/ERBB2-high, 95% CI = 22.3% to 95.7% vs 14.7% in others, 95% CI = 4.9% to 31.1%; adjusted OR = 11.60, 95% CI = 1.66 to 81.10, P =. 01). In the advanced setting, the HER2-E/ERBB2-high group was independently associated with longer PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.79, P <. 001); higher ORR (16.3%, 95% CI = 8.9% to 26.2% vs 3.7%, 95% CI = 0.8% to 10.3%, P =. 02); and longer OS (HR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.44 to 0.97, P =. 01). Conclusions: Combining HER2-E subtype and ERBB2 mRNA into a single assay identifies tumors with high responsiveness to HER2-targeted therapy. This biomarker could help de-escalate chemotherapy in approximately 40% of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer

Different mechanisms for resistance to trastuzumab versus lapatinib in HER2- positive breast cancers -- role of estrogen receptor and HER2 reactivation

Introduction: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapies trastuzumab (T) and lapatinib (L) show high efficacy in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, but resistance is prevalent. Here we investigate resistance mechanisms to each drug alone, or to their combination using a large panel of HER2-positive cell lines made resistant to these drugs. Methods: Response to L + T treatment was characterized in a panel of 13 HER2-positive cell lines to identify lines that were de novo resistant. Acquired resistant lines were then established by long-term exposure to increasing drug concentrations. Levels and activity of HER2 and estrogen receptor (ER) pathways were determined by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and immunoblotting assays. Cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis in parental cells and resistant derivatives were assessed in response to inhibition of HER or ER pathways, either pharmacologically (L, T, L + T, or fulvestrant) or by using siRNAs. Efficacy of combined endocrine and anti-HER2 therapies was studied in vivo using UACC-812 xenografts. Results: ER or its downstream products increased in four out of the five ER+/HER2+ lines, and was evident in one of the two intrinsically resistant lines. In UACC-812 and BT474 parental and resistant derivatives, HER2 inhibition by T reactivated HER network activity to promote resistance. T-resistant lines remained sensitive to HER2 inhibition by either L or HER2 siRNA. With more complete HER2 blockade, resistance to L-containing regimens required the activation of a redundant survival pathway, ER, which was up-regulated and promoted survival via various Bcl2 family members. These L-and L + T-resistant lines were responsive to fulvestrant and to ER siRNA. However, after prolonged treatment with L, but not L + T, BT474 cells switched from depending on ER as a survival pathway, to relying again on the HER network (increased HER2, HER3, and receptor ligands) to overcome L's effects. The combination of endocrine and L + T HER2-targeted therapies achieved complete tumor regression and prevented development of resistance in UACC-812 xenografts. Conclusions: Combined L + T treatment provides a more complete and stable inhibition of the HER network. With sustained HER2 inhibition, ER functions as a key escape/survival pathway in ER-positive/HER2-positive cells. Complete blockade of the HER network, together with ER inhibition, may provide optimal therapy in selected patients