Phytochemical Content and Antioxidant Potential of Citrus reticulata Collected in the Thanjavur District, South India

This study was designed to investigate the phytochemical and the antioxidant activities of fruits, peels and leaves extracts of Citrus reticulata. The total alkaloids, saponin, phenolic acid and flavonoids were determined spectrophotometrically while antioxidant potentials were evaluated with 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) protocols. The fruit extract shows the highest phenolic acid content of 33.94 mg/GAE/g. Flavonoids content was highest in the peels extract 14.30 mg/QE/g. All the extracts showed significant antioxidant activities H2O2, DPPH along a concentration gradient. Antioxidant capacity is also high in the test plant suggesting its biomedicinal value to human health

Influence of Reaction Time, Reducing Agent and Zinc Precursors on the Morphological Structures of Zinc Oxide

ZnO either nanoparticles or nanorods were synthesized via sol-gel technique. Many factors were studied and optimized in order to obtain different morphological structures of nano-ZnO. Effect of reaction time (3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours) has been studied to optimize the best preparation condition. Reducing agent (NH3, NaOH and KOH) is one of the factors affect on morphological structures, which has been studied in this work. Other effect has been studied in this work is zinc precursors such as Zn(NO3)2, ZnAc2, ZnCl2, and ZnBr2. The morphological structures of prepared ZnO were revealed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the aspect ratios were calculated. x-ray diffraction (XRD) patternsexposed a highly crystallized wurtzite structure and used for identifying phase structure and chemical state of ZnO under different preparation conditions.Keywords: sol-gel, morphological structures, reducing agent, SEM, preparation conditions

Interferon gamma: is it a co-player in the pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome

Introduction: Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), the most common form of NS in childhood, was considered 4 decades ago as a systemic disorder of T cells, mediated through its released cytokines. To date, the exact incriminated cytokine or immunological mediator is not properly defined. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is thought to have a role in the provocation of the T cell mediated INS relapse, through promotion of T helper1 (Th1) differentiation and suppression of regulatory T cells (Treg). Aim of the study: to evaluate the immunopathogenic role of IFN-γ in children with steroid sensitive idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) through monitoring the changes in its levels with disease course. Methods: This study included twenty-five newly diagnosed children with SSINS. They were all given full dose prednisolone, evaluated at initial diagnosis and at full remission as regards the serum level of IFN-γ. Results: Serum levels of IFN-γ were lowermost at time of diagnosis and increased with remission on corticosteroids. Conclusions: this study points to a role for the lower serum IFN-γ at diagnosis, in the immunopathogenesis of INS than at remission and the rise in its serum level might be a marker of remission induction, however this awaits confirmation in larger scale studies. Studies on renal biopsy specimens are needed to determine the exact renal in situ levels and effects of IFN-

Families of maps Singularities and its Gauss maps

Abstract: This paper mainly studies the Singularities of smooth mapping. The singularities of the families of Gauss maps corresponding to the family of mappings are studied and the shape of these families and their singularities using mathematica program are illustrated and plotted. By changing the control parameters we find some singular points for the family which can be classified according to the famous theorems in singularity theory. Using the Hessian matrix we can obtain the singular points and singular set. Geometrically these singularities can be plotted but the classification of them can't be a valuable for all points. Using the terminology of level set which tell us the type of singular points like folds (level sets is start line), cusp (level set is semicubical parabola). In general there is no existance of some famous types. where ∆ is the discriminant set and it is a plan. Remark 4 The family of contours is given from z = k (constant), and the family of zero level set corresponding to k = 0 are given through the figurer

Fabrication of ZnO and ZnO:Sb Nanoparticles for Gas Sensor Applications

ZnO and Sb-doped ZnO nanoparticles were successfully prepared using sol-gel technique. Different concentrations of triethanolamine (TEA) were utilized as the preparation procedure to act as complexing agent that enhances the doping probability of the formed Sb-doped ZnO nanopowder. Thick films of the prepared nanopowders were fabricated with spinner coating. Morphological characteristics, phase structure, chemical composition, thermal stability, and optical properties of the prepared nanopowders were measured and analyzed. The average crystallite size of ZnO and ZnO:Sb powders ranged between 19–28 nm according to the XRD calculations and TEM observations. The gas sensitivity of the homemade devices based on Sb-doped ZnO nanoparticles towards O2 and CO2 gases as a function of temperature was measured and compared with undoped ZnO films. The gas sensitivity of the films was greatly improved after doping with Sb and reached its maximum value of ~86% for O2 gas at 93:7 wt% of Zn:Sb

Influence of Reaction Time, Reducing Agent and Zinc Precursors on the Morphological Structures of Zinc Oxide

ZnO either nanoparticles or nanorods were synthesized via sol-gel technique. Many factors were studied and optimized in order to obtain different morphological structures of nano-ZnO. Effect of reaction time (3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours) has been studied to optimize the best preparation condition. Reducing agent (NH3, NaOH and KOH) is one of the factors affect on morphological structures, which has been studied in this work. Other effect has been studied in this work is zinc precursors such as Zn (NO3)2, ZnAc2, ZnCl2, and ZnBr2. The morphological structures of prepared ZnO were revealed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the aspect ratios were calculated. x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns exposed a highly crystallized wurtzite structure and used for identifying phase structure and chemical state of ZnO under different preparation conditions

Pomegranate peel as a natural antioxidant boosts bucks' fertility under Egyptian summer conditions

[EN] Exposure of male rabbits to heat stress during summer adversely affects their fertility, leading to major production losses. A total of 16 male rabbits were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups exposed to temperatures ranging from a high of 30.3 to a low of 27.3 °C. Animals from first to fourth groups were fed diets containing 0, 1.5, 3.0, or 4.5% pomegranate peel (PP) to evaluate the ability of PP feeding to enhance bucks¿ reproductive status. Pomegranate peel treatments significantly increased ejaculate volume by 19, 18 and 12%, increased seminal plasma fructose by 7, 18, and 24%, improved sperm motility by 28, 34 and 49%, increased sperm total output by 37, 69 and 102% and reduced dead sperm by 24, 32 and 64% with diets containing 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5% of PP compared to the heat stressed control animals. Seminal plasma total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides increased while alkaline phosphatase decreased with PP treatments. Seminal plasma total antioxidant capacity increased to reach 126, 143 and 191% with diets containing 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5% of PP, while lipid peroxide (malondialdehyde) levels decreased significantly to reach around 54% of the heat stressed bucks¿ value with the three PP dietary doses used. It was concluded that supplementations of PP in the diet of bucks during summer season in Egypt can improve their semen characteristics, probably due to their antioxidant actions.Zeweil, HS.; Elnagar, S.; Zahran, SM.; Ahmed, MH.; El-gindy, Y. (2013). Pomegranate peel as a natural antioxidant boosts bucks' fertility under Egyptian summer conditions. World Rabbit Science. 21(1):33-39. doi:10.4995/wrs.2013.1209.SWORD333921

Effects of EDTA and aqueous plants extract on the developmental and stress tolerance attributes of Spinacia oleracea and Brassica rapa under sewage water regime

Sewage water is causing a potential threat to agriculture sector due to industrial effluents having heavy metals. Present investigation was carried to study the role of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or aqueous extracts of Hyacinth and Hedychium on soil quality and growth of spinach and turnip plants irrigated with sewage water (SW). Treatment of plants with SW resulted in an increment of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities. However, EDTA or plant extracts further enhanced their activities. At both stages of development of the tested crops, a substantial increase was found in the content of proline and total phenols, indicating the strengthening of the antioxidant protection mechanism to boost the oxidative effects of SW stress. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) studies revealed considerable variation in the protein profile among the different treatments, with an expression of some unique proteins obvious with other treatments. SW treatments increased heavy metals (HM) content in soil and plants; however, EDTA or plant extracts greatly decreased the levels of HMs in both shoots and roots and soils. The present study results suggest that the application of EDTA or aqueous plant extracts can be a useful strategy for phytoextraction in areas irrigated with sewage water