Dietary supplementation of quercetin nanoparticles enhances the growth performance hematological and immunological responses and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila infection in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to silver nanoparticles toxicity

The wide incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in aquaculture could result in releasing of these particles into the environment with environmental impacts and health hazards. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the impacts of the dietary supplementation of quercetin nanoparticles (QNPs) on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) growth, antioxidants, and immunity besides its susceptibility to the infection with Aeromonas hydrophila with or without the aqueous exposure to AgNPs. First, the 96-h LC50 value for AgNPs in O. niloticus wa estimated to be 19.81 mg/L (the 1/10th of the 96 h LC50 of AgNPs = 1.98 mg/L). Then a total of 240 Nile tilapias (40.00 ± 0.45 g) were randomly distributed into 4 groups (each group contains 60 fish in 3 replicates of 20 fish). The 1st group (control) was fed on a basal diet without QNPs and AgNPs. The 2nd group (QNPs) received the basal diet supplemented with QNPs (400 mg/kg), the 3rd group (AgNPs) was exposed to 1/10th 96-h LC50 of AgNPs (1.98 mg/L) and fed on QNPs free diet, while the 4th group (AgNPs+ QNPs) was exposed to AgNPs (1.98 mg/L) and cosupplemented with QNPs (400 mg/kg). Besides, AgNPs resulted in marked elevation in the serum myeloperoxidase (MPO) 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) contents, and declines in lysozyme activity and the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and immunoglobulins (IgM and IgG) in the exposed fish (AgNPs group). These effects were accompanied with significant downregulation in the relative mRNA expressions of SOD, CAT, and GSH and upregulation in the expressions of INF-γ, TNF-α, and Il-1β. Feeding QNPs-enriched diet, alone or combined with AgNPs exposure, conversed most of these effects and restored some to the control levels. AgNPs exposure increased mortalities, lowered survival rates and altered Nile tilapia’s resistance to A. hydrophila infection in the AgNPs exposed fish, whereas co-supplementation with QNPs enhanced their resistance with less mortalities. In summary, the reported immunomodulation, and protective properties of QNPs dietary supplementation, strengthen its applicability as an effective and promising feed supplement to alleviate the AgNPs associated toxicity in fish

Extender Supplementation with Glutathione (GSH) and Taurine Improves In Vitro Sperm Quality and Antioxidant Status of New Zealand Rabbits during Chilled Storage for up to 72 hours

This study assessed the influence of supplementing the rabbit semen extender with various concentrations of glutathione (GSH) and taurine at 24, 48, and 72 h postchilling at 5 degrees C. Semen samples were collected from 20 New Zealand bucks, and ejaculates with standard color, motility (>85%), about 0.5 mL volume, and similar to 400 x 10(6)/mL concentration were used and diluted with extenders supplemented with 0.5, 1, and 2 mM of GSH and 1, 5, and 10 mM of taurine and chilled at 5 degrees C. Nonsupplemented samples were used as a control. Sperm's progressive motility, acrosome reaction, and extracellular oxidative stress biomarkers such as MDA contents and GPx, SOD, and CAT concentrations and intracellular transcriptomic levels of SOD and CAT genes were assessed. GSH and taurine supplementation improved the sperm's kinetics by reducing cooling-associated stress, which was ascertained by lowering MDA concentration and increasing SOD, CAT, and GPx concentrations (P < 0.05). Increasing the levels of antioxidant enzymes in the extender was due to the increasing mRNA copies of the SOD and CAT genes (P < 0.05). Furthermore, GSH and taurine maintained the fructose levels in the extender and lowered the GPT levels, which implies sperm membrane stability is maintained through GSH and taurine supplementation. GSH and taurine supplementation to the extender had protective influences on the in vitro rabbit semen quality during chilled storage for up to 72 h, which were remarkable with increasing supplementation dose and cooling time at 5?

Cap-Assisted Technique versus Conventional Methods for Esophageal Food Bolus Extraction: A Comparative Study

Background/Aims Food bolus impaction is the most common form of esophageal foreign body impaction observed in adults. Clinical guidelines recommend using the push technique or retrieval methods in such cases. The push technique can cause injuries in certain clinical situations. Notably, conventional retrieval methods are time and effort consuming. Cap-assisted endoscopic extraction of an impacted food bolus is an easy and effective technique; however, more data are needed for its validation. This study compared the capassisted extraction technique with conventional methods. Methods This prospective observational multicenter study compared the success and en bloc removal rates, total procedure time, and adverse events in both techniques.. Results The study included 303 patients who underwent food bolus extraction. The push technique was used in 87 patients (28.7%) and a retrieval procedure in 216 patients (71.3%). Cap-assisted extraction was performed in 106 patients and retrieval using conventional methods in 110 patients. The cap-assisted technique was associated with a higher rate of en bloc removal (80.2% vs. 15%, p<0.01), shorter procedure time (6.9±3.5 min vs. 15.7±4.1 min, p<0.001), and fewer adverse events (0/106 vs. 9/110, p<0.001). Conclusions Cap-assisted extraction showed no adverse events, higher efficacy, and a shorter procedure time compared with conventional retrieval procedures

In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic efficacy of condensed tannins extracted from the seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) against Haemonchus contortus infection

This study was designed to examine in vitro and in vivo anthelmintic efficacy of condensed tannins (CT) extracted from seeds of Medicago sativa on Haemonchus contortus in sheep. CT's in vitro anthelmintic effect was assessed at a 300 μg/ml concentration compared with albendazole (reference drug) at 10 μg/ml. The results showed that CT had a nematocidal effect on H. contortus, and the cuticle of the adult worm appeared to be its initial target. For the in vivo experiment, nine 3-month-old helminths-free lambs were distributed into three groups. Group 1 (n=3) was challenged only as infected untreated controls; Group 2 (n=3) was treated with condensed tannin, and Group 3 (n=3) was treated with albendazole. Fecal and blood samples were collected every 3 days until the end of the experiment; for fecal egg count (FEC) and anti- H. contortus IgG titers determination, respectively. The lambs treated with the CT in G2 exhibited a pronounced decrease of mean FEC with great FECR% detected from the first-week post-treatment (PT) until the end of the experiment compared with G1 animals. The antibody levels gradually increased in G2 following the 2nd dose of CT treatment compared to other groups. A brilliant consistent relation between the elevation of IgG response and reduction of FEC was observed following the second booster dosing of the CT in G2. In conclusion, the CT evoked strongly in vitro and in vivo anthelmintic activity against H. contortus and could be used as a natural alternative treatment of high potency against haemonchosis in sheep

Improving tadalafil dissolution via surfactant-enriched tablets approach: Statistical optimization, characterization, and pharmacokinetic assessment

Tadalafil suffers from poor aqueous solubility that could lead to fluctuating blood levels and unreproducible effect. Thus, this work aimed at improving tadalafil dissolution utilizing the approach of surfactant-enriched tablets. The feasibility of minimizing various surfactants quantities was investigated by establishing the ratio of the surfactant to drug that is required for drug solubilization in micellar solutions. Based on the computed ratios, Tween was precluded from formulation studies due to its poor solubilizing capacity towards the drug. 23 factorial design was employed to assess the impact of formulation attributes on tablets' characteristics. Based on the statistical analysis and the desirability function approach, tablet formulation F6 prepared using CTAB, Avicel PH 102, and 5% Ac-Di-Sol was selected as the optimum formulation. The selected formulation showed adequate stability after storage at 40 C and 75% R.H. for twelve weeks. Pharmacokinetic study revealed that the selected surfactantenriched tablet formulation F6 showed enhanced bioavailability compared to the market product Cialis®

Heparin and Progesterone Exert Synergistic Effects to Improve the In-Vitro Fertilization Rate of Bovine Sperm Bound to Oviduct Cell Aggregates from the Isthmus

After the copulation process, some sperm start the long journey with an ultimate goal of fertilizing the oocyte. Inside the oviduct, sperm are stored, waiting for the ovulated oocyte where they bind to the apical surface of the oviduct cells, which in turn hold sperm to form a sperm nest. The essential functions of the sperm reservoir include attaching spermatozoa to oviduct epithelial cells, selecting intact, good-quality sperm with an end result of extending sperm life expectancy. The current study aimed to evaluate the fertilization ability of sperm that bind to cell aggregates from different parts of the oviduct (infundibulum-ampulla-isthmus), and to assess the effect of heparin and or progesterone (P4) on the in-vitro fertilization ability of sperm co-incubated with cell aggregates from the isthmus. In-vitro fertilization was identified as a cleaved oocyte to two cells or more. The sperm bound to cell aggregates from the isthmus improved the rate of in-vitro fertilization (48.09%) compared to aggregates from the infundibulum (36.90%) and ampulla (37.61%). Moreover, pre-treatment of mature COCs with heparin (40 &mu;g/mL) and P4 (80 nanomolar) play a coactive role that improves the in-vitro fertilization ability of sperm bound to cell aggregates from isthmus (63.33%), compared to 42.61% in the absence of cells aggregates. In conclusion, binding to cell aggregates from isthmus improves the in-vitro fertilization ability of Bovine sperm. Additionally, heparin, together with P4, exerts a synergistic action that improves the in-vitro fertilizing potential of sperm attached to cell aggregates from the isthmus of the bovine oviduct

Adsorption of heavy metal ion from aqueous solution by nickel oxide nano catalyst prepared by different methods

Environmental pollution by heavy metal is arising as the most endangering tasks to both water sources and atmosphere quality today. The treatment of heavy metals is of special concern due to their recalcitrance and persistence in the environment. To limit the spread of the heavy metals within water sources, nickel oxide nanoparticles adsorbents were synthesized and characterized with the aim of removal of one of the aggressive heavy elements, namely; lead ions. Nano nickel oxide adsorbents were prepared using NaOH and oxalic acid dissolved in ethanol as precursors. The results indicated that adsorption capacity of Pb(II) ion by NiO-org catalyst is favored than that prepared using NaOH as a precipitant. Nickel oxide nanoparticles prepared by the two methods were characterized structurally and chemically through XRD, DTA, TGA, BET and FT-IR. Affinity and efficiency sorption parameters of the solid nano NiO particles, such as; contact time, initial concentration of lead ions and the dosage of NiO nano catalyst and competitive adsorption behaviors were studied. The results showed that the first-order reaction law fit the reduction of lead ion, also showed good linear relationship with a correlation coefficient (R2) larger than 0.9

Assessment of Serum Vitamin D in Patients with Bronchial Asthma

Background: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide and has been increasing in prevalence over the last few decades; its exact cause remains unknown and likely has its origin in complex interactions among multiple genetic and environmental factors. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that approximately 300 million people have asthma. Recently the effects of vitamin D as a hormone have gained attention. Vitamin D appears to have regulatory effects on every part of the immune system, vitamin D deficiency being linked to an array of immunologically based diseases focusing on asthma. So the assessment of serum vitamin D in patients with bronchial asthma is useful. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the level of serum vitamin D in patients with bronchial asthma. Methods: The present study, included 50 subjects, 40 patients diagnosed as bronchial asthma and 10 healthy volunteers. The asthmatic patient group was divided into group (A) asthma in between attack and group (B) exacerbated asthma, that was divided into subgroups (I), (II) and (III) mild, moderate and severe exacerbated asthma, respectively according to severity of symptoms and FEV1. Results: Serum vitamin D level was highly significantly lower in the asthmatic patient group compared to the control subject group and lowest serum 25 hydroxy(OH) vitamin D value in the severely exacerbated asthma group. There was a positive correlation between decreased serum 25 (OH)D levels and decreased FEV1. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent in asthmatic patients, there was a strong correlation between asthma severity and 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations and there was a direct and a positive significant correlation between vitamin D levels and pulmonary function tests in asthmatic patients, so the measurement of serum vitamin D levels in patients with bronchial asthma is very useful

Effects of Moringa oleifera aqueous extract on the growth performance, blood characteristics, and histological features of gills and livers in Nile tilapia

Moringa oleifera is well known as a highly nutritious plant and a water purifier in fish culture. Tilapia fish has many impressive qualities making them very suitable for aquaculture. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation of Moringa oleifera aqueous extract (MOAE) at varying concentrations (0, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg diet for 90 days) on growth performance, hematological, and some biochemical parameters of Nile tilapia. Additionally, histological changes and immunohistochemical expression of caspase 3 in gills and livers were evaluated. Significant enhancements (P < 0.05) in the final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, red blood cells, hemoglobin, packed cell volume, white blood cells, and total serum protein were observed in fish fed 200 mg MOAE/kg diet compared with other groups. However, a significant reduction (P < 0.05) of liver and kidney function tests and non-significant changes in lipid profile were recorded. On the other hand, fish fed 400 mg MOAE/kg diet revealed disturbance in the corresponding parameters. Severe histological degenerative changes were detected in the gills and liver of fish fed 400 mg MOAE/kg diet. In comparison, fish fed 200 mg MOAE/kg diet showed the best histo-architectures of these organs compared with other groups. Concomitant immune expressions of caspase 3 were determined where gills and liver of fish fed 400 mg MOAE/kg diet revealed extensive number of positive caspase 3 cells indicating severe apoptotic features. Accordingly, a dietary MOAE at 200 mg/kg diet is recommended to improve the growth performance, hematological parameters, liver and kidney functions in Nile tilapia. Meanwhile, caution must be considered when using MOAE at a concentration over 200 mg/kg diet