Understanding the influence of applying plant extracts and microorganism culture filtrates against barley leaf rust disease

Rust fungi are devastating plant pathogens, and several Puccinia species have exerting substantial financial impacts on global barley cultivation. Fungicides are used on a large scale as an effective method for combating phytopathogenic fungi. The negative environmental impacts of fungicides are steadily escalating on a daily basis. Consequently, researchers are currently exploring alternative approaches to mitigate the use of fungicides, such as the utilization of plant extracts. This method has proven effective due to its incorporation of natural antifungal substances. Among the nine natural elicitors that were tested, the application of plant extracts on barley seedlings resulted in an increase in the incubation and latent periods of Puccinia hordei. These periods are integral components of partial and induced resistance, effectively mitigating the incidence of barley leaf rust disease by over 70% on mature plants. Similarly, the biochemical analyses demonstrated a notable augmentation in all the tested treatments’ overall phenolics and oxidative enzyme activities (peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase). Random amplified polymorphic DNA (SCoT) test serves as a viable approach for assessing the impact of plant extracts and microorganisms on barley plants. The results obtained from this study indicate that the detection of DNA polymorphism through SCoT analysis holds a significant potential powerful tool to evaluate genetic changes compared with untreated plants although some of them tested displayed high similarities at the morphological reaction

Naproxen-Loaded Poly(2-hydroxyalkyl methacrylates): Preparation and Drug Release Dynamics

Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate)/Naproxen (NPX/pHEMA) and poly (2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate)/Naproxen (NPX/pHPMA) composites with different NPX content were prepared in situ by free radical photopolymerization route. The resulted hybrid materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). These composites have been studied as drug carrier systems, in which a comparison of the in vitro release dynamic of NPX between the two drug carrier systems has been conducted. Different factors affecting the performance of the release dynamic of this drug, such as the amount of Naproxen incorporated in the drug carrier system, the pH of the medium and the degree of swelling, have been investigated. The results of the swelling study of pHEMA and pHPMA in different media pHs revealed that the diffusion of water molecules through both polymer samples obeys the Fickian model. The “in vitro” study of the release dynamic of Naproxen from NPX/pHEMA and NPX/pHPMA drug carrier systems revealed that the higher percentage of NPX released was obtained from each polymer carrier in neutral pH medium, and the diffusion of NPX trough these polymer matrices also obeys the Fickian model. It was also found that the less the mass percent of NPX in the composites, the better its release will be. The comparison between the two drug carrier systems revealed that the pHEMA leads to the best performance in the release dynamic of NPX. Regarding Naproxen solubility in water, the results deducted from the “in vitro” study of NPX/pHEMA10 and NPX/pHPMA10 drug carrier systems revealed a very significant improvement in the solubility of NPX in media pH1 (2.33 times, 1.43 times) and 7 (3.32 times, 2.60 times), respectively, compared to those obtained by direct dissolution of Naproxen powder

Assessment knowledge of dental erosion, signs and symptoms, and causes among adult in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional survey

Introduction: Dental erosion results from the chemical effect of nonbacteria origin. The causes of dental erosion could be from the intrinsic or extrinsic origin. Dental erosion is a silent disease as symptoms and signs occur gradually. Aims: To assess the knowledge of adults in Saudi Arabia about the causes, signs, symptoms, and factors that increase the possibility of getting dental erosion. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online-based self-administrated questionnaire. The sampling was convenient with a snowball effect. It was divided into four sections; demographic data, signs, and symptoms, causes, and factors that increase acidic effect. Results and Discussion: A total of 765 respondents completed the online survey. Looking at dental erosion signs and symptoms, 57% identified chipping of the incisal edge of the teeth, and 47.6% increased teeth translucency. Asking the participants about causes of dental erosion 59% identified soft drinks and citrus fruit, followed by 44% putting lemon near the teeth for a long time. Eighty-three percent of the participants recorded visiting the dentist when noticing signs or symptoms of dental erosion. The responses highlighted dental students had higher level of knowledge compared to other. Conclusion: Increasing public awareness of dental erosion is important, as only a third of all participants were able to identify three or more dental erosion signs and symptoms, and 10% identified 5 out of 8 dental erosion causes. Participants with dental backgrounds showed the highest percentage of identifying dental erosion causes and, signs and symptoms, however, it is still low. Therefore, improving dental erosion learning outcomes should be improved in our colleges

Rare presentation of infective endocarditis due to Salmonella entrica subspecies salamae (subgroup ll) in a sickle cell anemia girl

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a common inherited kind of hemolytic anemia in Africa and some areas of Asia. In Saudi Arabia, SCA is prevalent as well. The patient of SCA is prone to some bacteria species more than the others, and Salmonella is one of the most prevalent infections in SCA that were known to cause bacteremia, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, and gastroenteritis. Herein, we report a 7-years old girl who presented with a history of fever for five days and jaundice with abdominal pain and mild respiratory distress. Later, the patient was diagnosed to have infective endocarditis due to Salmonella enterica subspecies salamae (subgroup II). The patient improved completely after receiving proper antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one case of adult SCA that has been reported with infective endocarditis due to Salmonella entrica but no reported case in pediatric

Effects of Chronic Inhalation of Electronic Cigarette Vapor Containing Nicotine on Neurobehaviors and Pre/Postsynaptic Neuron Markers

Nicotine-exposed animal models exhibit neurobehavioral changes linked to impaired synaptic plasticity. Previous studies highlighted alterations in neurotransmitter levels following nicotine exposure. Vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT1) and vesicular gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter (VGAT) are essential for the transport and release of glutamate and GABA, respectively, from presynaptic neurons into synapses. In our work, an e-cigarette device was used to deliver vapor containing nicotine to C57BL/6J mice for four weeks. Novel object recognition, locomotion, and Y-maze tests were performed to investigate the behavioral parameters. Protein studies were conducted to study the hippocampal expression of VGLUT1, VGAT, and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) as well as brain cytokine markers. Long-term memory and locomotion tests revealed that e-cigarette aerosols containing nicotine modulated recognition memory and motor behaviors. We found that vapor exposure increased VGLUT1 expression and decreased VGAT expression in the hippocampus. No alterations were found in PSD95 expression. We observed that vapor-containing nicotine exposure altered certain brain cytokines such as IFNβ-1 and MCP-5. Our work provides evidence of an association between neurobehavioral changes and altered hippocampal VGLUT1 and VGAT expression in mice exposed to e-cigarette vapors containing nicotine. Such exposure was also associated with altered neurobehaviors, which might affect neurodegenerative diseases

Resistance profiles, virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes of XDR S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium

Abstract Avian salmonellosis is concomitant with high financial crises in the poultry industry as well as food-borne illness in man. The present study is designed to investigate the emergence of Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium in diseased broilers, resistance profiles, and monitoring virulence and antibiotic resistance genes. Consequently, 450 samples (cloacal swabs, liver, and spleen) were collected from 150 diseased birds from different farms in Giza Governorate, Egypt. Subsequently, the bacteriological examination was done. Afterward, the obtained Salmonella isolates were tested for serogrouping, antibiogram, PCR monitoring of virulence (invA, stn, hilA, and pefA), and antimicrobial resistance genes (bla TEM, bla CTX-M, bla NDM, ermA, sul1, tetA, and aadA1). The total prevalence of Salmonella in the examined diseased broilers was 9.3%, and the highest prevalence was noticed in cloacal swabs. Among the recovered Salmonella isolates (n = 35), 20 serovars were recognized as S. Enteritidis and 15 serovars were identified as S. Typhimurium. Almost 60% of the retrieved S. Enteritidis serovars were extensively drug-resistant (XDR) to seven antimicrobial classes and inherited sul1, bla TEM, tetA, bla CTX-M, ereA, and aadA1 genes. Likewise, 25% of the recovered S. Enteritidis serovars were multidrug-resistant (MDR) to six classes and have sul1, bla TEM, tetA, bla CTX-M, and ereA resistance genes. Also, 66.7% of the retrieved S. Typhimurium serovars were XDR to seven classes and have sul1, bla TEM, tetA, bla CTX-M, ereA, and aadA1 genes. Succinctly, this report underlined the reemergence of XDR S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis in broiler chickens. Meropenem and norfloxacin exposed a hopeful antimicrobial activity toward the re-emerging XDR S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis in broilers. Moreover, the recurrence of these XDR Salmonella strains poses a potential public health threat

Copolymer Involving 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate and 2-Chloroquinyl Methacrylate: Synthesis, Characterization and In Vitro 2-Hydroxychloroquine Delivery Application

The Poly(2-chloroquinyl methacrylate-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (CQMA-co-HEMA) drug carrier system was prepared with different compositions through a free-radical copolymerization route involving 2-chloroquinyl methacrylate (CQMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA) using azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator. 2-Chloroquinyl methacrylate monomer (CQMA) was synthesized from 2-hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and methacryloyl chloride by an esterification reaction using triethylenetetramine as the catalyst. The structure of the CQMA and CQMA-co-HEMA copolymers was confirmed by a CHN elementary analysis, Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. The absence of residual aggregates of HCQ or HCQMA particles in the copolymers prepared was confirmed by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and XR-diffraction (XRD) analyses. The gingival epithelial cancer cell line (Ca9-22) toxicity examined by a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay revealed that the grafting of HCQ onto PHEMA slightly affected (4.2–9.5%) the viability of the polymer carrier. The cell adhesion and growth on the CQMA-co-HEMA drug carrier specimens carried out by the (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) (MTT) assay revealed the best performance with the specimen containing 3.96 wt% HCQ. The diffusion of HCQ through the polymer matrix obeyed the Fickian model. The solubility of HCQ in different media was improved, in which more than 5.22 times of the solubility of HCQ powder in water was obtained. According to Belzer, the in vitro HCQ dynamic release revealed the best performance with the drug carrier system containing 4.70 wt% CQMA