Evaluation of acute toxicity of genabilic acid (menbutone 10%) in rabbits

[EN] A complete investigation of the acute toxicity of a choleretic compound, menbutone, was performed in rabbits, including lethal dose for 50% of rabbits determination, clinical signs observation and in vivo and post-mortem examinations. Haematological, biochemical and histopathological changes resulting from intramuscular injection of menbutone were also investigated at dose 400 mg/kg body weight. Acute toxicity of menbutone at dose of 400 mg/kg BW induced interstitial myocarditis and multifocal necrosis, whereas serum creatine phosphokinase, creatinine phosphokinase-MB isoenzyme and aspartate aminotransferase activities were significantly increased. Elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activities and total bilirubin level associated with lowered albumin content was consistent with histopathological changes of hepatic tissues; hepatic necrosis and fatty infiltration were pronounced indicators of injuries. Renal tubular necrosis and interstitial nephritis were also observed in intoxicated rabbits. Menbutone also induced variations in some haematological parameters. We concluded that acute toxicity of menbutone in rabbits occurred at accidental high doses, as the lethal dose was about 50 fold over the recommended therapeutic dose for other animals. Cardiac muscle, liver and kidneys are the main target organs for menbutone toxicity. Menbutone is not recommended for use in rabbits suffering from any cardiacand hepatic disorders, especially in overdosing situations.El Okle, SO.; Tohamy, GH.; Lebda, AM. (2014). Evaluation of acute toxicity of genabilic acid (menbutone 10%) in rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 22(3):215-222. doi:10.4995/wrs.2014.1791.SWORD215222223Cardinale, D., Sandri, M. T., Colombo, A., Colombo, N., Boeri, M., Lamantia, G., … Cipolla, C. M. (2004). Prognostic Value of Troponin I in Cardiac Risk Stratification of Cancer Patients Undergoing High-Dose Chemotherapy. Circulation, 109(22), 2749-2754. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000130926.51766.ccCulling C.F. 1983. Handbook of Histopathological and Histochemical Techniques, 3rd ed. London, Boston: Butterworth.De la Cruz-Hernández N.I., Argudín-Salomón O.A., Zertuche- Rodríguez J.L., Medellín-Ledezma J.A., Flores-Gutiérrez G.H. 2012. Case report: outbreak of sodium monensin intoxication in feedlot cattle from Mexico. Revue Med. Vet., 163: 60-63.Pershin G.N. 1971. Methods of experimental chemotherapy: Practical guidance, 2nd edition, Moscow. Russia: Medicina

Tomato yield, physiological response, water and nitrogen use efficiency under deficit and partial root zone drying irrigation in an arid region

Water scarcity in arid regions is a serious problem, which calls for innovative irrigation water management. Partial root zone drying (PRD) technique can considerably reduce irrigation amount for crops. To investigate this further, tomato plants were imposed to either surface drip (SUR) with full irrigation (FI) at 100% of evaporative demands and regulate deficit irrigation (RDI) at 50% water of FI or subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) with fixed PRD at 75 (PRD75) and 50% (PRD50) of the FI. Surface evaporation under SUR with FI constitutes a large fraction of water losses from cropped fields while SDI with PRD75 preserved more water for plant uptake. Plants grown under water saving treatments showed lower stomatal conductance and transpiration rates compared to FI plants. Tomato yield under SDI with PRD75 was comparable to yield under SUR with FI for both tested seasons along with 25% water saving and 30% increase in water use efficiency (WUE). Otherwise, PRD50 reduced yield by 18-20%, but a substantial amount of irrigation water was saved along a 60 and 65% higher WUE compared to FI treatment. Fruit dry weight and harvest index (HI) were significantly higher with PRD75 compared to the other treatments. Seasonal N uptake and in turn N recovery was higher in PRD75 than any other treatment associated with improving N use efficiency

The Midlife Crisis

This paper documents a longitudinal crisis of midlife among the inhabitants of rich nations. Yet middle-aged citizens in our datasets are close to their peak earnings, have typically experienced little or no illness, reside in some of the safest countries in the world, and live in the most prosperous era in human history. This is paradoxical and troubling. The finding is consistent, however, with the prediction—one little-known to economists—of Elliott Jaques (1965). Our analysis does not rest on elementary cross-sectional analysis. Instead, the paper uses panel and through-time data on, in total, approximately 500,000 individuals. It checks that the key results are not due to cohort effects. Nor do we rely on simple life satisfaction measures. The paper shows that there are approximately quadratic hill-shaped patterns in data on midlife suicide, sleeping problems, alcohol dependence, concentration difficulties, memory problems, intense job strain, disabling headaches, suicidal feelings, and extreme depression. We believe that the seriousness of this societal problem has not been grasped by the affluent world's policy-makers

Highly Efficient One-pot Synthesis, Antimicrobial and Docking Studies of Newer β-amino Carbonyl Derivatives Catalyzed by Silica Sulfuric Acid

Mannich reaction was applied between 4-fluorobezaldehyde, selected acetophenone and several anilines, catalyzed by silica sulfuric acid for the synthesis of β-amino carbonyl derivatives. Reaction time and yield of the products depended on the nature of acetophenone and aniline subsituents. Using aliphatic amines instead of aromatic amines under same reaction conditions, afforded aldol condensation products without yielding the expected β-amino ketones. Replacing the acetophenone derivatives with rhodanine yielded 5-(4-fluorobenzylidene)-thioxothiazolidin-4-one. Using 2-aminothiophenol instead of the aniline derivatives, 2-(4-fluorophenyl)benzothiazole was obtained without isolation of the expected (mercapto-phenylamino)-1-(4-substitutedphenyl)propan-1-ones. A proposed reaction mechanism was suggested. Docking studies were designed to gain clear picture of the high active compound(s). A model of high active molecules was mapped for the antimicrobial screening and compared with least active compound(s). (doi: 10.5562/cca1983

Natural Radioactivity, Radiological Hazard and Petrographical Studies on Aswan Granites Used as Building Materials in Egypt

The present study was carried out on commercial types of Aswan granite used as building and decorative materials. Nearly 29 granitic rocks samples from 11 classes (black Aswan, red Aswan, dark Rosa, light Rosa, yellow Verdi, grey Shirka, Gandolla, Forsan, red Nefertiti, Royal, and white Halayeb) were collected from three stations near Aswan city for petrographical description and assessment of natural radioactivity. The petrographical study of granites was conducted by polarized-light microscope in order to determine their mineralogical composition and investigate their texture; the activity of the natural radionuclides238 U, Ra226,232 Th, and40 K was measured by gamma-ray spectrometry with a NaI(Tl) detector. The average values of the activities, 52.2 Bq kg−1, 57.8 Bq kg−1, 31.2 Bq kg−1, and 1055.7 Bq kg−1 of U-238, Th-232, Ra-226, and K-40, respectively, were higher than that the world average values of 35 Bq kg−1, 30 Bq kg−1 and 400 Bq kg−1 for226 Ra,232 Th, and40 K, respectively, according to the recommended levels from UNSCEAR reports. The minimum and maximum values obtained were compared with the value ranges from other locations in the Eastern Desert, highlighting the fact that that the maximum values obtained in this work are higher than those in other areas. According to the radiological hazards indices results, most samples lie in the permissible level ranges, suggesting their favorability for use as building materials. In contrast to that, some samples have some environmental parameters higher than the international levels, indicating their unsuitability as building materials. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: The APC is funded by “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, Romania

Analysis of the Radiological, Mineralogical and Long-Term Sustainability of Several Commercial Aswan Granites Used as Building Materials

The widespread usage of granite in the building sector motivated us to conduct this research and examine the material’s sustainability in terms of the investigated characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the statistical analysis results for the mineralogical impact on radiological hazards indices, such as the equivalent of radium, absorbed gamma dose rate, annual effective dose, internal and external hazard indices, as well as the gamma-ray index, that were cal-culated to estimate the environmental risks associated with these granites used as building materi-als, to protect the public from excessive radioactivity exposure. We focused primarily on statistical significance at a 95% confidence level. We employed a non-parametric test (Kruskal–Wallis Test) rather than a one-way ANOVA, to determine the statistical significance of the samples due to the lack of homogeneity or normality among them. To assess the difference between the samples, we used the Mann–Whitney Test on each pair of samples. Additionally, Pearson correlation coefficients for all the mineralogical results are computed. The presence of K-rich minerals (Kefeldspars, biotite) and accessories such as uranophane, uranothorite, allanite, xenotime, fergusonite, aeschynite, zir-con, cassiterite, apatite, and sphene, which are mostly found in granitic rocks, determines the level of natural radioactivity of the investigated granites. Most of the rock samples analyzed have indicators of radioactive dangers that are within the acceptable level range, indicating that they are suitable for use as building materials. On the other hand, some samples have environmental criteria that are higher than international standards, indicating that they are unsuitable for use as construction materials. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.RF 3621/2021Funding: The work of A.E. and the APC is funded by “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, Romania and grant no. RF 3621/2021.The work of A.E. and the APC is funded by ?Dunarea de Jos? University of Galati, Romania and grant no. RF 3621/2021

Comparison of Three Protocols: Dietary Therapy and Physical Activity, Acupuncture, or Laser Acupuncture in Management of Obese Females

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare efficiency of three types of obesity management protocols: dietary measures and physical activity; acupuncture or laser acupuncture with   healthy diet among obese females.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Randomized longitudinal prospective study, carried out on 76 adult females. Blood pressure, anthropometric, ultrasonographic and biochemical assessments were done.RESULTS: Females undergo nutritional intervention showed highly significant improvement in the anthropometric measurements, visceral fat at umbilicus by US and diastolic blood pressure (decreased), and insignificant differences in fasting blood sugar and lipid profile. Female undergo acupuncture intervention showed highly significant improvement in visceral fat by US, lipid profile (decreased triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL, and increased HDL), and decreased fasting blood sugar, and insignificant differences in the anthropometric measurements. Those undergo laser intervention showed highly significant improvement in all anthropometric measurements under study, visceral fat at umbilicus by US, blood pressure and some parameters of lipid profile (decreased total cholesterol and LDL). CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional intervention alone could be used to reduce weight if the lipid profile within normal range, but if it is impaired, acupuncture should be used beside. To strength the reduction in body anthropometry, laser intervention was recommended beside the nutritional intervention