Evaluation of Turkish oregano (Origanum onites L.) under organic farming system

Spice production is crucial for the world economy. Today, the farming of spices faces significant challenges under climate change, such as heat stress, rising salinity, water stress, low soil nutrients, and increased pests, which lead to reduced yield and quality. The present study was conducted in Egypt on Turkish oregano (Origanum onites L.) plants. The trial was achieved under organic farming conditions. The purpose was to investigate the responses of the plant towards two natural stimulators, chitosan and biofertilizer. The design of the work was a split plot. Main plots were assigned to the foliar spray of chitosan at three concentrations (0, 5, and 10 liters/hectare) and sub-plots to biofertilizer EM (with and without). The collected data comprised plant height, fresh and dry herb weights per plant, fresh and dry herb yields per hectare, essential oil percentage, oil yield per plant and hectare, and GC-MS analysis of oils. The significant maximum growth and yield characteristics were obtained by spraying with chitosan at the highest concentration of 10 liters/hectare combined with soil drenching by biofertilizer EM. The major essential oil component was carvacrol, which is responsible for its pungent flavour. This previous treatment also recorded the maximum carvacrol percent in oil of all cuts. So, this treatment could be used to increase the quantity and quality of the organic product

Displacement cloud point extraction procedure for preconcentration of iron(III) in water and fruit samples prior to spectrophotometric determination

ABSTRACT. For the enrichment of iron(III) prior to spectrophotometric determination, displacement cloud point extraction (D-CPE) technique was applied depending on the difference in stability constant of metal complexes. Zinc(II) as gallic acid complex was first separated into a Triton X-100 surfactant. Then, once the aqueous phase has been removed, the sample containing Fe(III) is added, and another CPE process is performed. Because Fe-GA has a higher stability than Zn-GA, Fe(III) can displace Zn(II) from the pre-extracted Zn-GA, allowing for Fe(III) separation from the complex sample matrix and its spontaneous spectrophotometric determination at 560 nm. The effects of pH, ligand, and surfactant quantities, temperature and heating time, centrifuge processes, and interferences were all studied. At the optimal conditions, the calibration graph was linear from 0.5 to 500 µg L-1 with enrichment factor of 75.0. The LOD was 0.15 µg L-1 and the RSD was 1.3% for 60 µg L-1 of Fe(III), n = 10. Accuracy was also evaluated using the standard reference substance (SRS) and flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) approaches. This procedure was used for separation and micro-determination of Fe(III) in water and fruit tests (banana, strawberry, lemon, orange, and peaches) with recoveries ranged from 96.5 to 105%.   KEY WORDS: Displacement cloud point extraction, Iron, Spectrophotometry, Fruit samples   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2023, 37(1), 1-10.                                                                       DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v37i1.1                                                        &nbsp

Action Initiation in the Human Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) has previously been implicated in processes that influence action initiation. In humans however, there has been little direct evidence connecting dACC to the temporal onset of actions. We studied reactive behavior in patients undergoing therapeutic bilateral cingulotomy to determine the immediate effects of dACC ablation on action initiation. In a simple reaction task, three patients were instructed to respond to a specific visual cue with the movement of a joystick. Within minutes of dACC ablation, the frequency of false starts increased, where movements occurred prior to presentation of the visual cue. In a decision making task with three separate patients, the ablation effect on action initiation persisted even when action selection was intact. These findings suggest that human dACC influences action initiation, apart from its role in action selection

In vitro, Alternative Methods to the Biological Control of the Aphids by Entomopathogenic Fungi Beauveria bassiana Isolates from Gaza Strip

Sustainable vegetable production it depends mainly on yield and quality, if not properly managed, pests and diseases can dramatically reduce crop yield, quality and subsequent returns. Plant diseases need to be controlled to maintain the quality and abundance of food, feed, and fiber produced by growers around the world (Pal and Gardener, 2006). Disease control is an essential component of crop management for increase yield potential. A low disease loss in your fields in the recent past does not ensure disease losses will remain low (Tobacco disease management (2015). Every year gardeners confront many insect pests feasting on fruits and vegetables (Jackman, 1998). Plants have many pests, such as aphids and mites. Aphids are important herbivores of both wild and cultivated plants that feed on the phloem of vascular plants (Züst and Agrawal, 2016). Most vegetables crops attached by this pest and also it can stunt and distort the growth of plants and cause wilting and bud drop, resulting in poor flowering and fruit set. Synthetic pesticides have played a central role for control plant pathogen (Chandler et al., 2011; El-Wakeil, 2013). In the recent years, the negative effects on health and the environment as a result of the indiscriminate use of pesticides have led the EU to the prohibition of many synthetic pesticides (D'Addabbo et al., 2014). Consequently

Did salvage ICE chemotherapy improve the outcome in primary resistant/relapsing stage III/IV neuroblastoma?

AbstractBackground and purposeNeuroblastoma is the most common extracranial and deadly solid tumor in children. It accounts for 15% of the deaths from cancer in the pediatric age group. Approximately half of the newly diagnosed children are at “high risk” of treatment failure.The aim of this study is to evaluate the response rate of salvage chemotherapy by the ICE (Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, and Etoposide) regimen when administered to previously treated primary refractory or progressive high risk neuroblastoma patients.Patients and methodsSixty-six patients from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Cairo University and the Children Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE) received salvage chemotherapy (ICE) either due to primary resistance in 51/66 (77.2%) or due to disease progression on primary chemotherapy in 15/66 (22.8%).ResultsThey were 40 males (60.6%) and 26 females (39.4%). Patients’ age ranged between 3months and 12.5years. The most common tumor site was suprarenal, followed by retroperitoneal mass. Two patients (3%) died from chemotherapy toxicity during ICE administration. Evaluation of tumor response in the remaining 64 patients showed the following: CR/PR in 24 patients (36.5%), SD in 11 patients (16.6%), and PD in 29 patients (43.9%).Fourteen patients (21.2%) were considered eligible for auto BMT, while 50/64 patients (78.8%) failed this second line (salvage) chemotherapy and had palliative lines of therapy.By the end of the study (May 2010), 47/66 (71.2%) of the patients were still alive, while 19/66 (28.8%) were dead. Two out of 14 patients (14.2%) who underwent HSCT died from post transplantation disease progression, while 12/14 (85.8%) were in CCR.ConclusionChemotherapy by ICE for primary resistant or progressive stage III/IV NB seems well tolerated. With a 36.6% response rate, 18% CCR, and 3% treatment mortality rate, it could be considered a good salvage therapy in the category of patients who are condemned for palliation

siRNA blocking of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) attenuates pathology in annonacin-induced tauopathy in mice

Tauopathy is a pathological hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. It is characterized by abnormal aggregates of pathological phosphotau and somatodendritic redistribution. One suggested strategy for treating tauopathy is to stimulate autophagy, hence, getting rid of these pathological protein aggregates. One key controller of autophagy is mTOR. Since stimulation of mTOR leads to inhibition of autophagy, inhibitors of mTOR will cause stimulation of autophagy process. In this report, tauopathy was induced in mice using annonacin. Blocking of mTOR was achieved through stereotaxic injection of siRNA against mTOR. The behavioral and immunohistochemical evaluation revealed the development of tauopathy model as proven by deterioration of behavioral performance in open field test and significant tau aggregates in annonacin-treated mice. Blocking of mTOR revealed significant clearance of tau aggregates in the injected side; however, tau expression was not affected by mTOR blockage

TOXICOLOGICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF GOLD NANORODS IN NORMAL RATS

Objective: assessment of acute, subchronic and chronic toxicity of pegylated gold nanorods (PEG-gold NRs) in Wistar rats of both sex in three routes of administration {intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SC)}.Methods: in the acute toxicity study; PEG-gold NRs were injected once by three different routes, blood and tissue samples were collected after 14 d. In the subchronic and chronic studies; PEG-gold NRs were injected via three different routes, at 0.225, 0.45 and 0.9 mg/kg, once daily for 5 consecutive days, followed by a 23-day recovery period, for three and six months in the subchronic and chronic toxicity studies, respectively. Hematology, urinalysis, biochemical and histopathological examinations were conducted at the end of each study.Results: acute toxicity showed a significant decrease in serum triglycerides and cholesterol levels after single IV, IM and SC injection of PEG-gold NRs, while serum creatinine was significantly increased after IV and IM injection. Subchronic results revealed a significant decrease in serum triglycerides and cholesterol levels. The chronic study showed a significant decrease in serum triglycerides, sodium levels, total leukocytes count and significant increase in serum creatinine after IV injection. IM injection resulted in significant decrease in serum alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, cholesterol, sodium levels and total leukocytes count. SC injection resulted in significant decrease in serum triglycerides, glucose, red blood cell count with increased creatinine and hematocrit.Conclusion: PEG-gold NRs at the three examined doses is apparently safe since no serious signs of toxicity were detected. IM and SC routes of injection were irritating, so we recommend the IV route.Â

Assessment of the competence in electrocardiographic interpretation among Arabic resident doctors at the emergency medicine and internal medicine departments: A multi-center online cross-sectional study

BackgroundThis study aims to assess the electrocardiographic interpretation abilities of resident doctors at internal medicine and emergency medicine departments in eight Arabic countries.MethodsAn online cross-sectional study was conducted between October 7, 2022 and October 21, 2022 in eight Arabic countries. The questionnaire consisted of two main sections: the first section included sociodemographic information, while the second section contained 12 clinical case questions of the most severe cardiac abnormalities with their electrocardiography (ECG) recordings.ResultsOut of 2,509 responses, 630 were eligible for the data analysis. More than half of the participants were males (52.4%). Internal medicine residents were (n = 530, 84.1%), whereas emergency medicine residents were (n = 100, 15.9%). Almost participants were in their first or second years of residency (79.8%). Only 36.2% of the inquired resident doctors had attended an ECG course. Most participants, 85.6%, recognized the ECG wave order correctly, and 50.5% of the participants scored above 7.5/10 on the ECG interpretation scale. The proportions of participants who were properly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, third-degree heart block, and atrial tachycardia were 71.1, 76.7, and 56.6%, respectively. No statistically significant difference was defined between the internal and emergency medicine residents regarding their knowledge of ECG interpretation (p value = 0.42). However, there was a significant correlation between ECG interpretation and medical residency year (p value < 0.001); the fourth-year resident doctors had the highest scores (mean = 9.24, SD = 1.6). As well, participants in the third and second years of postgraduate medical residency have a probability of adequate knowledge of ECG interpretation more than participants in the first year of residency (OR = 2.1, p value = 0.001) and (OR = 1.88, p value = 0.002), respectively.ConclusionAccording to our research findings, resident doctors in departments of internal medicine and emergency medicine in Arabic nations have adequate ECG interpretation abilities; nevertheless, additional development is required to avoid misconceptions about critical cardiac conditions