IMPACT OF CULTIVAR AND HARVEST TIME ON GROWTH, PRODUCTION AND ESSENTIAL OIL OF ANETHUM GRAVEOLENS CULTIVATED IN EGYPT

Objective: The objective of this research was to compare growth and essential oil content and composition among eight dill cultivars harvested two times before the bolting of inflorescences.Methods: A two years field experiment was conducted on eight cultivars of dill in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons. Growth, herb fresh weight (g/plant) and essential oil content of the eight cultivars of dill were recorded at the first and second harvests after 60 and 90 d from sowing. The volatile oil content was analyzed by GC/MS.Results: Common cultivar was the best in plant height, the number of branches and fresh herb weight while Elephant cultivar was the best in the essential oil percentage. On the other, Compatto cultivar was least in plant height, the number of branches, fresh herb weight and essential oil %. The essential oil content was found to vary from 0.007-0.008% in the first harvest (harvest 60 d after sowing) and 0.042-0.045% in the second harvest (harvest 90 d after sowing). Anethum graveolens cv. Elephant was the highest in essential oil followed by cv. Bouquet, cv. Dukat and then cv. Common, cv. Tetra, cv. Vierling, cv. Local and finally cv. Compatto, which gave the lowest essential oil content. From the results of GC/MS obtained for the eight dill cultivars, six major compounds exist in eight cultivars, but with different percentages. α-phellandrene>limonene>dill apiol (Anethum graveolens cv. Local, cv. Compatto, cv. Common and cv. Bouquet); α-phellandrene>limonene>myristcin (Anethum graveolens cv. Tetra, cv. Vierling, cv. Dukat and cv. Elephant) were the major components in the first harvest (α-phellandrene chemotype). α-phellandrene>limonene>dill ether (Anethum graveolens cv. Local, cv. Tetra, cv. Vierling, cv. Ducat and cv. Common); α-phellandrene>limonene>p-cymene>dill ether (Anethum graveolens cv. Compatto, cv. Bouquet and cv. Elephant) were the major components in the second harvest(α-phellandrene and limonene chemotype). The second harvest gave the best values of growth, fresh herb weight and essential oil content as well as α-phellandrene, limonene, p-cymene and dill ether percentage in all cultivars than the first harvest. Except, myristcin which decreased in the European cultivars and increased in local cultivar in the second harvest than first one. Also, dillapiole increased only in Tetra cultivar in the second harvest and decreased in the other cultivars compared to the first harvest.Conclusion: The results obtained in this research clearly indicated superiority of European cultivars (Common, Bouquet, Elephant, Dukat, Vierling and Tetra, except Compatto cultivar) than the Egyptian cultivar (Local) in fresh herb weight (g/plant) and volatile oil content. Also, Common cultivar was more superior in growth characters, fresh herb weight (g/plant), essential oil content and the percentage of both α-phellandrene, limonene and dill ether. Elephant cultivar gave the lowest % of dill apiol (2.30-0.25%) in the first and second harvests, respectively.Keywords: Dill, Cultivar (cv.), Essential oil, α-phellandrene, Limonene, p-cymene, Dill ether, Dill apiol, Myristci

ESSENTIAL OIL CONTENT AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF EIGHT DILL (ANETHUM GRAVEOLENS L.) CULTIVARS CULTIVATED UNDER EGYPTIAN CONDITIONS

Objective: The objective of this research was to evaluate the essential oil content and composition of the eight dill cultivars under Egypt conditions.Methods: A two years field experiment was conducted on eight dill cultivars in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons. The volatile oil content of the eight dill cultivars was studied at fruiting stage. Extracted volatile oil by water distillation was analyzed with GC-MS.Results: Essential oil % of the eight dill cultivars under study was varied from 1.93-3.26%. Anethum graveolens cv. Common was the highest in essential oil followed by cv. Local, cv. Compatto, cv. Bouquet, cv. Elephant cv. Vierling, cv. Tetra and then cv. Dukat which gave the lowest in essential oil content. From the results of GC/MS obtained for the eight seeds dill cultivars, two chemotypes were found. The seven European cultivars that belong to type 1 contained limonene (9.60–18.0%), carvone (81.35–89.98%), whereas the Local cultivar belongs to type 2 (cv. Local) contains limonene (18.81%), carvone (56.61%), dillapiole (15.71%) and piperitone (7.41%). No dillapiole and piperitone were found in the essential oil of the first type cultivars (European cultivars).Conclusion: The results obtained in this research work clearly indicated superiority of European cultivar (Common) to all cultivars on volatile oil content. Also all European cultivars were best in the volatile oil quality. European cultivars contain the highest percentage of carvone and were free from dillapiol and piperitone.Keywords: Dill, Cultivar (cv.), Essential oil, Chemotype, Carvone, Limonene, Dillapiole, Piperiton

HUMIC ACID AND INDOLE ACETIC ACID AFFECT YIELD AND ESSENTIAL OIL OF DILL GROWN UNDER TWO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN EGYPT

Objective: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of humic acid, indole acetic acid or combination on productivity, essential oil of dill plant cultivated in two different locations. Also, to study the dill straw as a new source of essential oil instead of neglecting this by-product.Methods: In 2010/2011 and 2011/2012, a field experiment was conducted in Egypt to evaluate the effect of humic acid (0 and 400 ppm), indole acetic acid (0 and 400 ppm) and region (Nile Valley and Delta, Giza governorate and Sinai Peninsula, North Sinai governorate) on dill productivity, oil content and its composition.Results: Results demonstrated that dill straw can be explored as a new source of essential oil. Generally found that the cultivation of dill in Giza gave the best results from cultivation in the North Sinai. For spraying treatments, there was a disparity in the response studied characters, where spraying by humic acid gave the best results of survival %, plant height, number of branches, number of umbles and seed oil yield (l/fed). While the best values of dill straw (g/plant or kg/fed) and the percentage of oil seed were obtained with indole acetic acid spray. Also, indole acetic acid+humic acid gave the best values of seed weight (g/plant or kg/fed) and straw volatile oil content (% or l/fed). But, non-spraying plants gave lower values of all studied characters. As for interaction treatments, spraying by humic acid gave the best results of plant height, number of branches and number of umbles in both regions and seed oil (% or yield) at Giza as well as straw oil yield at North Sinai. At the same time, indole acetic acid gave the highest straw (g/plant or kg/fed) and seeds oil % at North Sinai. But, indole acetic acid+humic acid gave the highest seeds (g/plant or kg/fed) and straw oil in regions as well as seeds and straw oil yields in North Sinai and Giza, respectively. Overall, indole acetic acid under the conditions of the Giza region gave the best results for straw (g/plant or kg/fed), while spray with humic acid gave the highest values of plant height, number of branches, number of umbles and seed volatile oil (% or yield) in Giza as well as the highest of seed weight (g/plant or kg/fed) and straw volatile oil (% or yield) was obtained by indole acetic acid+humic acid. In view of the components of the volatile oil found that carvone, dihydrocarvone, limonene, dill apiol and piperitone compounds in the seed and α-phellandrene, limonene, β-phellandrene, p-cymene and dill ether compounds in straw was the main compounds. The percentages of these compounds affected by factors under study.Conclusion: Cultivation of dill in Giza region gave the best results from cultivation in the North Sinai region. Humic acid and indole acetic acid play an important role in plant growth, yield and ameliorate the deleterious effects of salt stress. The content of carvone, dihydrocarvone, limonene, dill apiol and piperitone in the seed oil as major compounds and α-phellandrene, limonene, β-phellandrene, p-cymene, dill ether as major compounds in the straw oil affected by factors under study. Dill straw can be explored as a new source of essential oil

SIGNALING PATHWAYS REGULATED BY BRASSICACEAE EXTRACT INHIBIT THE FORMATION OF ADVANCED GLYCATED END PRODUCTS IN RAT BRAIN

Background: The goal of this study was identification signaling molecules mediated the formation of AGEs in brain of rats injected with CdCl2 and the role of camel whey proteins and Brassicaceae extract on formation of AGEs in brain. Methods: Ninety male rats were randomly grouped into five groups; Normal control (GpI) and the other rats (groups II-V) were received a single dose of cadmium chloride i.p (5 μg/kg/b.w) for induction of neurodegeneration. Rats in groups III-V were treated daily with whey protein (1g/kg b.w) or Brassicaceae extract (1mg/kg b.w) or combined respectively for 12 weeks. Results: It was found that whey protein combined with Brassicaceae extract prevented the formation of AGEs and enhance the antioxidant activity compared with untreated group (

Normal kidney size and its influencing factors - a 64-slice MDCT study of 1.040 asymptomatic patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Normal ultrasound values for pole-to-pole kidney length (LPP) are well established for children, but very little is known about normal kidney size and its influencing factors in adults. The objectives of this study were thus to establish normal CT values for kidney dimensions from a group of unselected patients, identify potential influencing factors, and to estimate their significance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In multiphase thin-slice MDCTs of 2.068 kidneys in 1.040 adults, the kidney length pole to pole (LPP), parenchymal (PW) and cortical width (CW), position and rotation status of the kidneys, number of renal arteries, pyelon width and possible influencing factors that can be visualized, were recorded from a volume data set. For length measurements, axes were adjusted individually in double oblique planes using a 3D-software. Analyses of distribution, T-tests, ANOVA, correlation and multivariate regression analyses were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>LPP was 108.5 ± 12.2 mm for the right, and 111.3 ± 12.6 mm for the left kidney (p < 0.0001 each). PW on the right side was 15.4 ± 2.8 mm, slightly less than 15.9 ± 2.7 mm on the left side (p < 0.0001), the CW was the same (6.6 ± 1.9 mm). The most significant independent predictors for LPP, CW, and PW were body size, BMI, age, and gender (p < 0.001 each). In men, the LPP increases up to the fifth decade of life (p < 0.01). It is also influenced by the position of the kidneys, stenoses and number of renal arteries (SRA/NRA), infarctions suffered, parapelvic cysts, and absence of the contralateral kidney; CW is influenced by age, position, parapelvic cysts, NRA and SRA, and the PW is influenced in addition by rotation status (p < 0.05 each). Depending on the most important factors, gender-specific normal values were indicated for these dimensions, the length and width in cross section, width of the renal pelvis, and parenchyma-renal pyelon ratio.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Due to the complex influences on kidney size, assessment should be made individually. The most important influencing factors are BMI, height, gender, age, position of the kidneys, stenoses and number of renal arteries.</p

Synthesis and Investigation of a Radioiodinated F3 Peptide Analog as a SPECT Tumor Imaging Radioligand

A radioiodinated derivative of the tumor-homing F3 peptide, (N-(2-{3-[125I]Iodobenzoyl}aminoethyl)maleimide-F3Cys peptide, [125I]IBMF3 was developed for investigation as a SPECT tumor imaging radioligand. For this purpose, we custom synthesized a modified F3 peptide analog (F3Cys) incorporating a C-terminal cysteine residue for site-specific attachment of a radioiodinated maleimide conjugating group. Initial proof-of-concept Fluorescence studies conducted with AlexaFluor 532 C5 maleimide-labeled F3Cys showed distinct membrane and nuclear localization of F3Cys in MDA-MB-435 cells. Additionally, F3Cys conjugated with NIR fluorochrome AlexaFluor 647 C2 maleimide demonstrated high tumor specific uptake in melanoma cancer MDA-MB-435 and lung cancer A549 xenografts in nude mice whereas a similarly labeled control peptide did not show any tumor uptake. These results were also confirmed by ex vivo tissue analysis. No-carrier-added [125I]IBMF3 was synthesized by a radioiododestannylation approach in 73% overall radiochemical yield. In vitro cell uptake studies conducted with [125I]IBMF3 displayed a 5-fold increase in its cell uptake at 4 h when compared to controls. SPECT imaging studies with [125I]IBMF3 in tumor bearing nude mice showed clear visualization of MDA-MB-435 xenografts on systemic administration. These studies demonstrate a potential utility of F3 peptide-based radioligands for tumor imaging with PET or SPECT techniques

The humanistic roots of Islamic administration and leadership for education : philosophical foundations for cross-cultural and transcultural teaching

For a number of decades, a humanistic approach has been a minor but persistent one in the Western field of administrative and leadership studies, and only recently has been broadening to include other humanist traditions (Dierksmeier et al., 2011) and has yet to be fully explored in educational administration and its pedagogy and curriculum although some foundational work has been done (e.g., Samier, 2005). The focus in this chapter is on the Islamic humanist tradition as it relates to the teaching of educational administration and leadership in a Muslim context, with implications for cross-cultural and transcultural use. The second purpose of the chapter is to show the correspondences that exist between the Islamic and Western humanist traditions in terms of human values, knowledge and educational ideal, which in this chapter are argued to be close to the Western Idealist tradition and the German Bildung conception of education as well as the strong interpretive and hermeneutic foundations that originated in the Islamic tradition and which influenced the foundations of many relevant European schools of thought, particularly in the Enlightenment.The initial section of the chapter is a comparative examination of the central principles of the Islamic humanist tradition from the classical through to contemporary times with the Western humanist tradition as they relate to conceptions of the good, ethics, the construction of meaning and a set of higher order values predicated upon human dignity, integrity, empathy, well-being, and the public good (Goodman, 2003) covering a number of important scholars like Al Farabi, al Isfanhani, and Edward Said (e.g., Kraemer, 1986). In both, professions are viewed as meaningful work that allow for large measures of decision making, and are grounded in human qualities and needs including autonomy, freedom and emancipation balanced with responsibilities, obligations and duties to society. These are compared with the corresponding principles of knowledge in Western humanism which includes a strong constructivist view of reality (Makdisi, 1990). Secondly, the chapter examines the principles of good or ideal leadership and administration that humanism aims at in its preparation of officials, including those in the educational sector in both the classical Islamic tradition (Hassi, 2012) and Western approaches to humanistic administration and leadership (Czarniawska-Joerges & Guillet de Monthoux, 1994; Gagliardi & Czarniawska, 2006; Leoussi, 2000). The third section focusses on close correspondences that exist between the Islamic (Afsaruddin, 2016; al-Attas, 1980; Yasin & Jani, 2013) and Western (Aloni, 2007; Veugelers, 2011) humanist education traditions in terms of educational ideal as well as the kind of teaching practices that distinguish these traditions (Daiber, 2013; Dossett, 2014) as they apply to educational administration and leadership (Greenfield & Ribbins, 1993). The chapter concludes with a discussion of how the Islamic humanist tradition can contribute to cross-cultural and transcultural graduate teaching in international educational administration (Khan & Amann, 2013)

Editors’ Introduction: An Overview of the Educational Administration and Leadership Curriculum: Traditions of Islamic Educational Administration and Leadership in Higher Education

This chapter provides an overview of several topics relevant to constructing an approach to teaching educational administration and leadership in Muslim countries. First, it places the topic in the context of the changing nature and critiques of the field that argue for a greater internationalisation to both resist some of the negative aspects of globalisation and to represent countries’ traditions in the professional curriculum. Then, it identifies literature that presents the underlying principles and values of Islamic education that guide curriculum and pedagogy and shape its administration and leadership including the Qur’an and Sunnah and the classical educational literature which focuses on aims, values and goals of education as well as character development upon which a ‘good’ society is built. This is followed by a section on the Islamic administration and leadership traditions that are relevant to education, including the values of educational organisations and how they should be administered, identifying literature on the distinctive Islamic traditions of leadership and administrator education and training as it applies to education from the establishment of Islam and early classical scholars and senior administrators in the medieval period who laid a strong foundation for a highly sophisticated preparation and practice of administration in philosophical writings and the Mirrors of Princes writings, and subsequent authors who have built upon it up to the contemporary period. The final section provides an overview of the chapters in this collection

Tim-3 Negatively Regulates IL-12 Expression by Monocytes in HCV Infection

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (Tim-3) is a newly identified negative immunomodulator that is up-regulated on dysfunctional T cells during viral infections. The expression and function of Tim-3 on human innate immune responses during HCV infection, however, remains poorly characterized. In this study, we report that Tim-3 is constitutively expressed on human resting CD14+ monocyte/macrophages (M/MØ) and functions as a cap to block IL-12, a key pro-inflammatory cytokine linking innate and adaptive immune responses. Tim-3 expression is significantly reduced and IL-12 expression increased upon stimulation with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) ligand - lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and TLR7/8 ligand - R848. Notably, Tim-3 is over-expressed on un-stimulated as well as TLR-stimulated M/MØ, which is inversely associated with the diminished IL-12 expression in chronically HCV-infected individuals when compared to healthy subjects. Up-regulation of Tim-3 and inhibition of IL-12 are also observed in M/MØ incubated with HCV-expressing hepatocytes, as well as in primary M/MØ or monocytic THP-1 cells incubated with HCV core protein, an effect that mimics the function of complement C1q and is reversible by blocking the HCV core/gC1qR interaction. Importantly, blockade of Tim-3 signaling significantly rescues HCV-mediated inhibition of IL-12, which is primarily expressed by Tim-3 negative M/MØ. Tim-3 blockade reduces HCV core-mediated expression of the negative immunoregulators PD-1 and SOCS-1 and increases STAT-1 phosphorylation. Conversely, blocking PD-1 or silencing SOCS-1 gene expression also decreases Tim-3 expression and enhances IL-12 secretion and STAT-1 phosphorylation. These findings suggest that Tim-3 plays a crucial role in negative regulation of innate immune responses, through crosstalk with PD-1 and SOCS-1 and limiting STAT-1 phosphorylation, and may be a novel target for immunotherapy to HCV infection