Parasitic Contamination of Commonly Consumed Fresh Leafy Vegetables in Benha, Egypt

This study evaluated the degree of parasitic contamination of vegetables which are commercialized and consumed fresh in Benha, Egypt. It included 530 vegetables: lettuce, watercress, parsley, green onion, and leek. Vegetables were collected randomly from markets within Benha. Samples were washed in saline, and the resulting washing solution was filtered and centrifuged to concentrate the parasitic stages. Sediments and supernatants were examined by iodine and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stained smears. Intestinal parasites were detected in 157/530 (29.6%) samples. Giardia lamblia cysts were the most prevalent parasite (8.8%) followed by Entamoeba spp. cysts (6.8%), Enterobius vermicularis eggs (4.9%), various helminth larvae (3.6%), Hymenolepis nana eggs (2.8%), Hymenolepis diminuta eggs (2.1%), and Ascaris lumbricoides eggs (0.6%). The highest contaminated vegetable was lettuce (45.5%) followed by watercress (41.3%), parsley (34.3%), green onion (16.5%), and leek (10.7%). These results indicate a significant seasonal variation ( < 0.05), with highest prevalence in summer (49%) and the lowest in winter (10.8%). These findings provide evidence for the high risk of acquiring parasitic infection from the consumption of raw vegetables in Benha, Egypt. Effective measures are necessary to reduce parasitic contamination of vegetables

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

Flow and irreversible mechanism of pure and hybridized non-Newtonian nanofluids through elastic surfaces with melting effects

The significance of nanofluid research in nanotechnology, pharmaceutical, drug delivery, food preparation, and chemotherapy employing single- and two-phase nanofluid models has drawn the attention of researchers. The Tiwari–Das model does not capture the diffusion and random movement of nanoparticles (NPs) when they are injected into complex functional fluids. In order to fix the peculiar behavior of NPs, more complex models like the Buongiorno model are coupled with the single-phase model. To examine the heat-mass transfer attributes of nanofluids, a single- and two-phase mixture model is coupled for the first time. The effect of hybrid NPs on the hemodynamic properties of the blood flow through a stretched surface with interface slip in the neighborhood of the stagnation point is examined. Due to their significance in medicinal uses and nominal toxicity, blood is loaded with zinc–iron (ZnO−Fe2O3){\rm{ZnO}}\left-{\rm{F}}{{\rm{e}}}_{2}{{\rm{O}}}_{3}) NPs. However, blood is speculated to have the hematocrit viscosity of the Powell–Eyring fluid. The single-phase model predicts an improvement in heat transport due to an increased volumetric friction of NPs, while the two-phase models provide closer estimates of heat-mass transfer due to Brownian and thermophoretic phenomena. Entropy evaluation predicts the details of irreversibility. The mathematical structures are effectively solved with a Runge–Kutta fourth-order algorithm along with a shooting mechanism. The Eyring–Powell parameters decrease the drag coefficient and mass/thermal transport rate. A higher estimation of the slip, material, and magnetic parameters decreases the flow behavior. The Bejan number increases with the diffusion parameter and decreases as the magnetic and Brinkman numbers increase. The effect of iron oxide (Fe2O3)\left({\rm{F}}{{\rm{e}}}_{2}{{\rm{O}}}_{3}) is observed to be dominant

Transdermal patches loaded with L-cysteine HCL as a strategy for protection from mobile phone emitting electromagnetic radiation hazards

Mobile phone usage has been increased in the last few years emitting electromagnetic radiation (EMR), which disturbs normal cellular processes via oxidative stress. L-cysteine, a glutathione precursor, prevents oxidative damage. Transdermal patches (TDPs) loaded with L-cysteine hydrochloride (L-CyS-HCL) were fabricated by dispersion of L-CyS-HCL 5% w/w and different concentrations of sorbitol as a plasticizer in room-temperature vulcanizable synthetic silicone matrices (RTV-Si). The effect of sorbitol on patch physicochemical parameters was assessed; in-vitro L-CyS-HCL release profiles and ex-vivo permeation were studied. Pharmacokinetic parameters of endogenous synthetized in-vivo glutathione, after receiving IV bolus dose of L-CyS-HCl and L-CyS-HCl-RTV-Si-TDPs were studied in rat model. The influence of L-CyS-HCL-RTV-Si-TDPs against damaging effects of mobile phone EMR on rats' blood and brain tissues was studied. The results revealed that patch plasticity, intensity reflections, surface porosity, L-CyS-HCL release rate and skin permeation increased with increasing sorbitol concentration. Pharmacokinetic profile for IV dose and L-CyS-HCl-RTV-Si-TDPs revealed that the L-CyS-HCl-RTV-Si-TDPs provided a sustained glutathione plasma concentration–time profile over entire patch application. High significant differences in biological parameters (blood and brain samples) were observed for radiated rats using the patch in study compared with positive control rats. Promising long-term strategy for protection against mobile phone hazards was obtained. Keywords: Electromagnetic radiation, Mobile phone hazards, L-cysteine, Transdermal patches, Silicone transdermal patches, Glutathion

Zinc and strontium co-substituted hydroxyfluorapatite: Synthesis, sintering and mechanical properties

International audienc

Kinematic modelisation and parametric study of mechanosynthesis of hydroxyfluorapatite

International audienceThe nanocrystalline hydroxyfluorapatite (HFA) was synthesized by mechanosynthesis with a planetary ball mill (PM200). The disc to jar speed ratio was constant (equal to 0.5). The effect of different milling parameters such as grinding duration, balls number's, initial powder mass and disc rotation speed were studied to apprehend their effects on both the process of grinding/mechanosynthesis and the synthesis of nanocrystalline HFA. Unlike previous studies in which milling parameters have been independently studied, the effects of these parameters on the phase contents were simultaneously studied. Abdellaoui's model was also introduced to analyse the physical milling parameters effect such as the injected shock power, the shock kinetic energy, the shock frequency and the cumulated kinetic energy on the microstructural properties and synthesized phases contents. The results predicted by the model were compared to experimental ones. This study showed that the optimal conditions for the synthesis of nanocrystalline HFA were reached when the mechanosynthesis was carried out with a speed of 450 rpm, 6 balls, 1.2 g of starting material and 24 h of grinding duration. X-ray diffraction characterization confirmed the purity phase of HFA nanocrystalline powders

InxGa1-xN/GaN double heterojunction solar cell optimization for high temperature operation

International audienceInxGa1-xN/GaN solar cells are ideal candidates for use in extreme temperature applications. The conversion efficiency potential of double heterostructure solar cells was investigated at high temperatures using physical simulation. For a targeted working temperature, optimized efficiency lies in a compromise between the absorber bandgap energy determined by In composition and the band offsets at the heterointerface directly correlated with the capability for the photogenerated carriers to cross through the barrier by thermoionic emission. An optimized efficiency of 18% is obtained for an In content of 50% at 400K and decrease down to 10% for an In content of 35% at 500K. As the operating temperature goes higher, the indium content needs to be reduced in order to limit the detrimental effect of increasing intrinsic carrier concentration. The consequence is a decreasing efficiency due to the reduced covered range of the solar spectrum. In the same time, the band offsets are no more a limiting parameter, as there are reduced as the In content decreases, and as higher temperature increases the thermionic transport probability. This result shows the interest of InxGa1-xN/GaN double heterostructure design for high temperatures applications

A study on controlling Setaria viridis and Corchorus olitorius associated with Phaseolus vulgaris growth using natural extracts of Chenopodium album

The effects of water extracts of Chenopodium album leaves and roots on the growth of grass weed (Setaria viridis) and broad leaf weed (Corchorus olitorius) grown with beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in greenhouse pots were studied in the National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt. In this experiment fresh leaf and root extracts and their corresponding dry leaf and root extracts at different concentrations were used. There were significant inhibitions in the dry weights of S. viridis and C. olitorius by all extracts at the flowering stage of beans and at harvest. The inhibition effect of all C. album extracts on both weeds (dry weight/pot) depended on the extracted plant organ (leaf or root), its fresh or dry form as well as its concentrations. The inhibition caused by the leaf extract was much higher on weed growth than that of root extract. A higher concentration of fresh leaf extract (25%) had the highest significant inhibition effect. The results also indicated that C. olitorius was more sensitive to the extracts than S. viridis. On the other hand, the inhibition effect of the extracts on the growth of both weeds was accompanied by increased bean growth and yield/plant. The analysis of both leaf and root extracts of C. album revealed that the total content of polyphenols and flavonoids in the leaf extract was more than triple that of the root extract. The results suggested that the fresh leaf extract of C. album may be a possible tool for the development of weed control using natural herbicides

Design, theoretical study, druggability, pharmacokinetics and properties evolution of a new organo-bromocadmate compound as prospective anticancer agent

International audienceCrystals of the organic-inorganic hybrid complex [H3NCH2(C5H4NH)]2CdBr6·2H2O ([H3NCH2(C5H4NH)] = diprotonated 3-picolylamine or 3-ampH2), were grown successfully by slow evaporation solution growth method at room temperature and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared absorption, optical absorption and thermal analysis. The title compound belongs to the triclinic space group P1 ̅, with a crystal structure consisting of inorganic layers built up from hexabromocadmate anions [CdBr6]4- and free water molecules, linked together by O-H···Br hydrogen bonds and halogen···halogen interactions, along the b axis. The organic cations, 3-ampH2, are intercalated between the mineral layers via N-H···Br hydrogen bonds. The optimized molecular structure and the vibrational spectra were calculated thanks to the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method resorting to the B3LYP function with the LanL2DZ basis set. Infrared spectrum was used to gain more information of the title compound, with the assignment of the observed vibration modes. Good agreement has been found between the calculated results and the experimental data. Subsequently, the optical properties were diagnosed throughout optical absorption explaining the possible charge transfer interactions that happen within the molecules. The thermal behavior was studied by TG/DT analyses. In silico analyses showed that the synthesized compound bound several anticancer receptors (TNF-α, COX-2, VEGF...) with high affinities, which together with molecular interactions, druggability and pharmacokinetics satisfactory explain the anticancer potential of the compound