Synthesis And Characterization Of PVP Based Catalysts For Selected Application In Catalysis

This research aims to study the catalyst activity in specific reactions and the characteristics of the catalyst in order to optimize its performance. This research investigates PVP based catalysts and their properties and applications. PVP was prepared in combination with different metal oxides in order to be tested for different catalytic applications including dye removal. Methyl orange was used as a dye and different concentrations were tested against different metallic ions in order to optimize the catalyst for being used in dye removal applications. Spectrophotometer was used to calculate the concentration of the dye before and after catalyst exposure and investigate the relation between contact time and concentrations. Applying different contact time to the same weight percent of PVP based catalyst with metallic ions revealed that increasing the contact time with a good shaking lead to decrease in the concentration of the dye mixed with the sample. The tests showed that the mixture between PVP and Nickel has the best dye removal within the other metal ions (copper and ferric) as well it showed that ferric has the least effect on dye removal. Wide angle x-ray diffraction (WA-XRD) was applied to different sample copper with PVP and ferric with PVP

Synthesis, reactions and biological evaluation of benzyltriazolophthalazine derivatives

A series of triazolophthalazine derivatives (4-22) were synthesized and characterized. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectral data. The newly synthesized compounds were also screened for their antimicrobial activity

Quantitative expression of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) in egyptian acute leukemia patients and its clinical significance

Purpose: The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E is part of the eIF4F protein complex, which includes, in addition to eIF4E, eIF4G (a scaffolding protein) and eIF4A (an ATP-dependent RNA helicase). The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E is a potent oncogene elevated in many cancers including leukemias.Methods: In this study, the expression level of eIF4E gene was analyzed in 20 normal healthy controls and 64 patients with de novo acute leukemia (33 Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 31 Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)) using a real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RTQ-PCR) to investigate a possible relation, association or correlation with the clinical features at diagnosis, such as age, gender, lineage, hemoglobin (Hb), total leucocytic count (TLC), platelet count and bone marrow (BM) blast cell infiltration as well as its effect on patients̒ outcome.Results: Comparing AML and ALL patients as regards their clinical and laboratory data showed no statistical significance for TLC and hemoglobin (p-0.838 and 0.920) respectively, but was of statistically significant difference for platelets (p = 0.022) and bone marrow blasts percentage (p = 0.007). Comparison between the 2 groups as regards eIF4E level was of no statistically significant difference, p-value being (p = 0.257) but there was statistically significant difference between eIF4E expression level in AML/Control (p = 0.002), ALL/Controls (p = 0.025). Also analysis of overall survival (OS) time and disease free survival (DFS) in each group and its relation to eIF4E gene showed no statistical significance (p = 0.843 and 0.310) respectively in AML group and (p = 0.971 and no p-value for DFS in ALL as all cases remained alive except for one case while 3 cases were relapsed) in ALL group. Correlation studies showed no significant correlation between AML group and eIF4E gene level as regards age, TLC, hemoglobin and platelets (r = -0.064, p = 0.722; r = 0.062, p = 0.732; r = 0.068, p = 0.712; and r = -0.318, p = 0.071) respectively, while there was significant positive moderate correlation on comparing bone marrow blast% and eIF4E gene level (r = 0.545 and p = 0.001). There was no significant correlation between ALL group and Eif4e gene level as regards age, TLC, hemoglobin, platelets and bone marrow blasts% (r = -0.214, p = 0.248; r = 0.175, p = 0.347; r = -0.056, p = 0.766; r = -0.072, p = 0.700; and r = -0.0004, p = 0.983) respectively.Conclusion: eIF4E was found to be elevated in acute leukemia patients in relation to normal controls and its levels were more in myeloid than lymphoid leukemia and positively correlated with the blast percentage in AML thus its level may contribute to leukemogenesis. eIF4E levels and translation initiation may be an attractive target for anticancer therapeutics

Microwave Assisted Synthesis Of Binary Metallic Oxides For Catalysis Applications

Herein, versatile, and reproducible method to prepare binary metal oxides via microwave assisted synthesis. Catalysts are substances that basically speeds up chemical reactions. Ideally, bonds are formed between the catalysts and the reactants. Also, catalysts permit formation of products from the reactants. These formed products, splits off the catalyst without affecting or changing it. Catalytic kinetics studies the correlate chemical reaction rate with some properties of reactants and/or products for instance, temperature, concentration and pressure. The aim of the project is to prepare pure and bi-metal iron-based catalyst by co-precipitation method and to characterize the prepared sample using X-ray diffraction. Metal oxides nanoparticles is a field of interest in catalysis, such that these oxides are used to oxidize carbon monoxide. The samples were prepared through co-precipitation method in laboratory scale. The metals used was copper, iron and cobalt. After preparing pure sample of each metal a mix of two metals were introduced in different ratios. The samples were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and then the results were compared to exist data introduced from others research, the prepared samples XRD was having a great matching with the data retrieved from internet and we found that the metal could exist in two form of oxides and even could exist as pure metal. Each peak in the XRD figure could indicate one or more phase of the metal

Diagnostic value of ascitic fluid homocysteine and calprotectin in cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Background and study aim: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is mainly diagnosed by ascitic polymorphonuclear (PMNL) leukocyte greater than 250/mm3. We intended to assess ascitic homocysteine and calprotectin for SBP diagnosis.Materials and methods: In our study, we collected ascitic fluids from 70 patients with liver cirrhosis (46 SBP plus 24 non-SBP according to PMNL>250 cells/mm3). Complete blood count, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, serum albumin, total bilirubin, prothrombin time, INR, and serum creatinine were measured. Ascitic fluid sample was taken for chemical analysis, homocysteine was calculated in ascites by human homocysteine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) kits and calprotectin was measured in the ascitic fluids using available human calprotectin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) kits.Results: SBP patients had considerably greater ascitic homocysteine levels than non-SBP (5.66± 7.15 vs. 2.97±.61 μmol/l) P=0.001. Homocysteine at a cut-off of 3.6 μmol/l had 91.7% specificity, 69.9% sensitivity, PPV 94.1% and NPV 61.1% for SBP diagnosis (area under the curve: 0. 754). SBP patients had considerably greater ascitic calprotectin than the non-SBP (182.98± 76.27 vs. 118.1± 27 ng/mL) P=0.000. Using a cut-off 142 ng/mL, calprotectin had 91.7% specificity, 71.7% sensitivity, PPV 94.2% and NPV 62.9% for SBP diagnosis (area under the curve: 0.768).Conclusion: We found that ascitic homocysteine and calprotectin can be suitable diagnostic markers for SBP diagnosis

Assessment of Variation in Clinical Presentation of Visceral Leishmaniasis Among Patients Attending the Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital in Sudan

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (also known as Kala-azar) is a systemic parasitic infection with many clinical presentations. The present study assesses the variation in presentations among patients who attended the Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital (TDTH) in Khartoum, Sudan. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted at the TDTH between November 2019 and September 2020. Medical records of patients who presented at the TDTH were reviewed using a structured data extraction checklist. The Chi-square test was used to determine the associations between sociodemographic and clinical presentations of patients. P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Out of 195 patients, 79.5% were male and 48.2% were <31 years old. Fever was the main clinical presentation (90.2%) while 53.3% presented with weight loss and 72.3% and 39% presented, respectively, with splenomegaly and hepatomegaly. HIV was detected in 4.6% of the patients. RK39 was the main diagnostic test. We found a significant association between the abdominal distention and the age of the patients (P < 0.05) – age groups 11–20 and 41–50 years were more likely to present with abdominal distention than other age groups. Conclusion: There is no exact clinical presentation or routine laboratory findings that are pathognomonic for visceral leishmaniasis; therefore, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with fever, weight loss, and abdominal distention, and among patients with HIV

Vitiligo: Is It Grace or Curse?

Vitiligo is a common depigmented skin disorder that is caused by selective destruction of melanocytes. Since melanin is a unique light absorbing and ultraviolet filtering pigment, it is generally accepted that its main function resides in the protection of skin cells against the deleterious effect of ultraviolet rays (UVR). Occurrence of skin cancer in long lasting vitiligo is rare despite multiple evidences of DNA damage. The aim of the study was to detect the expression of P53 and Mdm2 proteins in both depigmented as well as normally pigmented skin of vitiligo patients and to compare it to control subjects suffering from non melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Thirty-four patients with vitiligo and 30 age and sex matched patients with nodulo-ulcerative basal cell carcinoma (BCC) as a control group were selected. Both patients and control subjects have outdoor occupations. Skin biopsies were taken from each case (from depigmented and normaly pigmented UVR-exposed skin). Skin biopsies were taken from control subjects as well (from perilesional healthy skin). Histopathological examination of hematoxylin and eosin stained sections was done. Expression of P53 and Mdm2 proteins were examined immunohistochemically. Both P53 and Mdm2 were strongly expressed in depigmented as well as normally pigmented skin of vitiligo patients. This expression involves the epidermis, skin adnexa and blood vessels with significant differences between cases and controls. These results suggest that the over-expression of P53 and Mdm2 proteins in both depigmented and normally pigmented skin of patients with vitiligo could contribute to the decreased occurrence of actinic damage and NMSC in these patients.</p

Nuclear Localization of COX-2 in relation to the Expression of Stemness Markers in Urinary Bladder Cancer

Inflammation may activate stem cells via prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production mediated by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. We performed an immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of stemness markers (Oct3/4 and CD44v6) and COX-2 in urinary bladder tissues obtained from cystitis and cancer patients with and without Schistosoma haematobium infections. Immunoreactivity to Oct3/4 was significantly higher in S. haematobium-associated cystitis and cancer tissues than in normal tissues. CD44v6 expression was significantly higher in bladder cancer without S. haematobium than in normal tissues. COX-2 was located in the cytoplasmic membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus of the cancer cells. Interestingly, the nuclear localization of COX-2, which was reported to function as a transcription factor, was significantly associated with the upregulation of Oct3/4 and CD44v6 in bladder cancer tissues with and without S. haematobium infection, respectively. COX-2 activation may be involved in inflammation-mediated stem cell proliferation/differentiation in urinary bladder carcinogenesis

Estimation of key potentially toxic elements in arid agricultural soils using Vis-NIR spectroscopy with variable selection and PLSR algorithms

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pose a significant threat to soil and the environment. Therefore, the fast quantification of PTEs is crucial for better management of contaminated sites. Versatile technique such as Visible near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis–NIRS) (350–2,500 nm) has attracted tremendous attention for assessing PTEs and has achieved promising results combined with successful multivariate analysis. This research investigated the potential of Vis–NIRS combined with partial least squares regression (PLSR) and variable selection methods to assess key PTEs (Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Pb, and Zn) in agricultural soils under arid conditions. The soil samples (80) were collected from a polluted area around Al-Moheet drainage, Minya Governorate–upper Egypt. The samples were scanned using an ASD FieldSpec-4 spectroradiometer. Simulated annealing (SA) and uninformative variable elimination (UVE) were used to select the effective wavelengths in predicting PTEs. PLSR was used to develop the spectral models using the full range (FR-PLS) and feature-selected spectra techniques SA (SA-PLS) and UVE (UVE-PLS). The results indicated that UVE-PLS models performed better than FR-PLS and SA-PLS models in predicting the key PTEs. The obtained coefficient of determination (R2) and the ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) were 0.74 and 2.48 (Cr), 0.72 and 2.03 (Pb), 0.62 and 1.86 (Cd), 0.59 and 1.78 (Cu), 0.52 and 1.68 (Co), and 0.46 and 1.41 (Zn), respectively. The results suggested that the UVE-PLS spectral model is promising for predicting Cr, Pb, and Cd, and can be improved for predicting Cu, Co, and Zn elements in agricultural soils

Expression of hnRNPK & Claudin-4 in HCV-Induced Early HCC and Adjacent Liver Tissue

BACKGROUND: HCC in Egypt usually occurs in HCV cirrhotic livers with poor prognosis due to late diagnosis. High hnRNPK &amp; low Claudin-4 profiles indicate Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), malignant transformation and high-grade tumours.AIM: We studied the immunohistochemical expression of hnRNPK and Claudin-4 in HCV induced early HCC (eHCC) and adjacent liver tissue in Egyptian patients to improve eHCC detection in cirrhotic livers with better curative therapy options.METHOD: We studied the immunohistochemical expression of hnRNPK and Claudin-4 in 100 Egyptian patients resection specimens of HCV induced early HCC (eHCC) and adjacent liver tissue, in order to improve eHCC detection in cirrhotic livers, thus improving their therapeutic options.RESULTS: Early HCC grade significantly directly correlated with nuclear hnRNPK/5HPFs count and inversely correlated with Claudin-4 expression %, with a converse correlation between hnRNPK and Claudin-4. Moreover in eHCC, combined hnRNPK ³ 30/5HPFs &amp; Claudin-4 ³ 40% significantly distinguished low grade eHCC (G1) from high grade eHCC (G2&amp;G3), with sensitivity 97% &amp; specificity 69.7% for hnRNPK ³ 30/5HPFs, and with sensitivity 70% &amp; specificity 94.3% for Claudin-4 ³ 40%. Moreover in the adjacent liver, both markers expressions significantly directly correlated with each other and with METAVIR fibrosis score but not with activity. Furthermore, 58% of eHCCs showed hnRNPK ³ 30 Claudin-4 &lt; 40% profile, indicating EMT type3, compared to 26% with hnRNPK ³ 30 Claudin-4 £ 10% profile in adjacent cirrhotic/ precirrhotic liver, with significant use of combined hnRNPK ³30/5HPFs &amp; Claudin 4 £ 10% as eHCC prediction cut offs in cirrhosis (p &lt; 0.05).CONCLUSION: Combination of hnRNPK and Claudin-4 can indicate early HCC development in HCV cirrhotic livers using hnRNPK ³ 30/5HPFs &amp; Claudin-4 £ 10% cut offs. Also, combination of hnRNPK ³ 30/5HPFs &amp; Claudin-4 ³ 40% can distinguish low grade eHCC (G1) from high grade eHCC (G2&amp;G3)