Insights of early feeding regime supplemented with glutamine and various levels of omega-3 in broiler chickens: growth performance, muscle building, antioxidant capacity, intestinal barriers health and defense against mixed Eimeria spp infection.

Early nutritional management approach greatly impacts broilers' performance and resistance against coccidiosis. The current study explored the impact of post-hatch feeding with a combination of glutamine (Glut) and different levels of omega-3 on broiler chickens' growth performance, muscle building, intestinal barrier, antioxidant ability and protection against avian coccidiosis. A total of six hundred Cobb 500 was divided into six groups: first group (fed basal diet and unchallenged (control) and challenged (negative control, NC) groups were fed a basal diet without additives, and the other groups were infected with Eimeria spp and supplemented with 1.5% Glut alone or with three different levels of omega-3 (0.25, 0.5 and 1%) during the starter period. Notable improvement in body weight gain was observed in the group which fed basal diet supplemented with glut and 1% omega 3 even after coccidia infection (increased by 25% compared challenged group) while feed conversion ratio was restored to control. Myogeneis was enhanced in the group supplemented with Glut and omega-3 (upregulation of myogenin, MyoD, mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase and insulin like growth factor-1 and downregulating of myostatin genes). Groups supplemented with Glut and higher levels of omega-3 highly expressed occluding, mucin-2, junctional Adhesion Molecule 2, b-defensin-1 and cathelicidins-2 genes. Group fed 1% Glut + omega-3 showed an increased total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase and super oxide dismutase enzymes activities with reduced levels of malondialdehyde, reactive oxygen species and H2O2. Post-infection, dietary Glut and 1% omega-3 increased intestinal interleukin-10 (IL) and secretory immunoglobulin-A and serum lysozyme, while decreased the elevated inflammatory mediators comprising interleukin IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, nitric oxide (NO) and inducible NO synthase. Fecal oocyst excretion and lesions score severity were lowered in the group fed 1% Glut and omega 3. Based on these findings, dietary Glut and omega-3 supplementation augmented restored overall broilers' performance after coccidial challenge.

Chlorella vulgaris extract conjugated magnetic iron nanoparticles in nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Growth promoting, immunostimulant and antioxidant role and combating against the synergistic infection with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis and Aeromonashydrophila.

Nile tilapia reared under intensive conditions was more susceptible for Ichthyophthirius multifilii (I. multifiliis) infection eliciting higher mortality, lower productive rate and further bacterial coinfection with Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophila). The higher potency of magnetic field of iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) can kill pathogens through inhibiting their viability. Herein, coating of Chlorella vulgaris extract (ChVE) with magnetic iron oxide NPs (Mag iron NPs) can create an external magnetic field that facilitates their release inside the targeted tissues. Thus, the current study is focused on application of new functionalized properties of Mag iron NPs in combination with ChVE and their efficacy to alleviate I. multifiliis and subsequent infection with A. hydrophila in Nile tilapia. Four hundred fingerlings were divided into: control group (with no additives), three groups fed control diet supplemented with ChVE, Mag iron NPs and ChVE@Mag iron NPs for 90 days. At the end of feeding trial fish were challenged with I. multifiliis and at 9 days post challenge was coinfected by A. hydrophila. A remarkable higher growth rate and an improved feed conversion ratio were detected in group fed ChVE@Mag iron-NPs. The maximum expression of antioxidant enzymes in skin and gills tissues (GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD) which came in parallel with higher serum activities of these enzymes was identified in groups received ChVE@Mag iron-NPs. Furthermore, group fed a combination of ChVE and Mag iron-NPs showed a boosted immune response (higher lysozyme, IgM, ACH50, and MPO) prior to challenge with I. multifiliis. In contrast, fish fed ChVE@Mag iron-NPs supplemented diet had lower infection (decreased by 62%) and mortality rates (decreased by 84%), as well as less visible white spots (decreased by 92 % at 12 dpi) on the body surfaces and mucous score. Interestingly, post I. multifiliis the excessive inflammatory response in gill and skin tissues was subsided by feeding on ChVE@Mag iron-NPs as proved by down regulation of IL-1ß, TNFα, COX-2 and iNOS and upregulation of IL-10, and IgM, IgT and Muc-2 genes. Notably, group exposed to I. multifiliis-showed higher mortality when exposed to Aeromonas hydrophilia (increased by 43 %) while group fed ChVE@Mag iron-NPs exhibited lower morality (2%). Moreover, the bacterial loads of A. hydrophilia in fish infected by I. multifiliis and fed control diet were higher than those received dietary supplement of ChVE, Mag iron-NPs and the most reduced load was obtained in group fed ChVE@Mag iron-NPs at 7 dpi. In conclusion, ChVE@Mag iron-NPs fed fish had stronger immune barrier and antioxidant functions of skin and gills, and better survival following I. multifiliis and A. hydrophilia infection.

Neurological study on the effect of CeNPs and/or La Cl3 on adult male albino rats.

Lanthanides are a group of 15 elements (8 heavy and 7 light) grouped for their proximity in the chemical and physical properties. Recently, this group of elements has received great attention because of their importance, and their entrance into many industrial technologies making the probability of the living organisms' exposure to it increase. The present study aims to study ability of cerium nanoparticles (CeNPs) or lanthanum (LaCl3) to cross the blood brain barrier also, investigate their neuro effect separately or together on some parameters in six brain areas (cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, striatum, midbrain, and hypothalamus) of the adult male albino rats. The results showed the ability of both elements to distribute and accumulate in the different brain areas. Also, the results of CeNPs or LaCl3 treatment were in the same line where each element caused a significant decrease in norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) and GABA accompanied with a significant increase in 5- hydroxyl indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) glucose level. On the other hand, GSH and MDA showed a significant decrease after CeNPs treatment while, with LaCl3 treatment, MDA showed a significant increase in the different brain areas after 3 weeks of treatment. The coadministration of CeNPs and La Cl3 caused an ameliorating effect in all the tested parameters. In conclusion, from the previous studies the effects of lanthanides in the present study may be in part due to its effect on the release or turnover of neurotransmitters and insulin secretion. Finally, the ameliorative effect of CeNPs may be regarded as its high activity to scavenge the free radicals.

Distribution pattern of antibiotic resistance genes in Escherichia coli isolated from colibacillosis cases in broiler farms of Egypt.

Background and Aim: Multidrug resistance (MDR) of Escherichia coli has become an increasing concern in poultry farming worldwide. However, E. coli can accumulate resistance genes through gene transfer. The most problematic resistance mechanism in E. coli is the acquisition of genes encoding broad-spectrum ß-lactamases, known as extended-spectrum ß-lactamases, that confer resistance to broad-spectrum cephalosporins. Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes (conferring resistance to quinolones) and mcr-1 genes (conferring resistance to colistin) also contribute to antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of antimicrobial susceptibility and to detect ß-lactamase and colistin resistance genes of E. coli isolated from broiler farms in Egypt. Materials and Methods: Samples from 938 broiler farms were bacteriologically examined for E. coli isolation. The antimicrobial resistance profile was evaluated using disk diffusion, and several resistance genes were investigated through polymerase chain reaction amplification. Results: Escherichia coli was isolated and identified from 675/938 farms (72%) from the pooled internal organs (liver, heart, lung, spleen, and yolk) of broilers. Escherichia coli isolates from the most recent 3 years (2018-2020) were serotyped into 13 serotypes; the most prevalent serotype was O125 (n = 8). The highest phenotypic antibiotic resistance profiles during this period were against ampicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, and nalidixic acid. Escherichia coli was sensitive to clinically relevant antibiotics. Twenty-eight selected isolates from the most recent 3 years (2018-2020) were found to have MDR, where the prevalence of the antibiotic resistance genes ctx, tem, and shv was 46% and that of mcr-1 was 64%. Integrons were found in 93% of the isolates. Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of E. coli infection in broiler farms associated with MDR, which has a high public health significance because of its zoonotic relevance. These results strengthen the application of continuous surveillance programs.

Validated HPLC-PDA methodology utilized for simultaneous determination of Etoricoxib and Paracetamol in the presence of Paracetamol toxic impurities.

Etoricoxib (ETO), Paracetamol (PCM), and two toxic impurities for Paracetamol impurity K (4-aminophenol (PAP)) and impurity E (para-hydroxy acetophenone (PHA)) were separated using a simple and selective HPLC method that was tested for the first time. PCM is a commonly used analgesic and antipyretic medication that has recently been incorporated into COVID-19 supportive treatment. Pharmaceuticals containing PCM in combination with other analgesic-antipyretic drugs like ETO help to improve patient compliance. The studied drugs and impurities were separated on a GL Sciences Inertsil ODS-3 (250 × 4.6) mm, 5.0 µm column, and linear gradient elution was performed using 50 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate adjusted to pH 4.0 with ortho-phosphoric acid and acetonitrile as mobile phase at 2.0 mL/min flow rate at 25 °C and UV detection at 220 nm. The linearity range was 1.5-30.0 µg/mL for ETO and PCM while 0.5-10.0 µg/mL for PAP and PHA, with correlation coefficients (r) for ETO, PCM, PAP, and PHA of 0.9999, 0.9993, 0.9996, and 0.9998, respectively. The proposed method could be used well for routine analysis in quality control laboratory.

Experimentally designed electrochemical sensor for therapeutic drug monitoring of Ondansetron co-administered with chemotherapeutic drugs.

The experimental design extracts valuable information about the main effects and interactions from the least number of experiments. The current work constructs a solid-state sensor for selective assay of Ondansetron (OND) in pharmaceutical dosage form and plasma samples. During optimization, the Design Expert® statistical package constructed a custom design of 15 sensors with different recipes. We fed the software with the experimentally observed performance parameters for each sensor (slope, LOQ, correlation coefficient, and selectivity coefficient for sodium ions). The computer software analyzed the results to construct a prediction model for each response. The desirability function was adjusted to optimize the Nernstian slope, minimize the LOQ and selectivity coefficients, and maximize the correlation coefficient (r). The practical responses of the optimized sensor were close to those predicted by the model (slope = 60.23 mV/decade slope, LOQ = 9.09 × 10-6 M, r = 0.999, sodium selectivity coefficient = 1.09 × 10-3). The sensor successfully recovered OND spiked to tablets and human plasma samples with mean percentage recoveries of 100.01 ± 1.082 and 98.26 ± 2.227, respectively. Results were statistically comparable to those obtained by the reference chromatographic method. The validated potentiometric method can be used for fast and direct therapeutic drug monitoring of OND co-administered with chemotherapeutic drugs in plasma samples.

Highly selective heteroaromatic sulfur containing polyamides for Hg+2 environmental remediation.

Environmental remediation concerns about pollution and contamination removal from environmental media, such as soil, air, or surface water. Enormous efforts have been applied in metal removal from surface water. In this study, four novel heteroaromatic sulfur-containing polyamides 6a-d carry both types of aliphatic and aromatic species in their polymer backbones as selective adsorbents for Hg+2 metal ion from aqueous solution have been synthesized in considerable amounts. The polycondensation method at low temperature is used as a simple and low coast polymerization technique. This occurred by the interaction of the thiophene-based monomer 5 with different diacid chlorides of both types. Beforehand the polymerization, the structures of monomer 5 were confirmed by spectral and elemental analyses. Also, the structures of the new polymers were investigated by both spectral and elemental analysis; besides their solubility, GPC data, XRD diffraction patterns, thermal analysis, and FE-SEM micrographs. The synthesized polymers were freely soluble in polar protic solvents due to the presence of heteroaromatic sulfur functional groups. Furthermore, the analytical competition of the new polymers has been tested using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for its selective extraction across different metal ions. Polymer 6c was the most selective toward Hg+2 and considered as a highly selective adsorbent for Hg+2 environmental remediation among all derivatives and its adsorption detection and efficiency were also investigated. Polymer 6c showed the most effective adsorption quantity on its surface at pH = 1. Moreover, the calculated adsorption isotherm showed a typical isotherm to the Langmuir adsorption type. This showed that the adsorption capacity of polymer 6c for Hg+2 was 47.95 mg g-1. These novel polymers are serving as simple and inexpensive heavy metal ions adsorbent materials from drinking water and wastewater.

Saussurea lappa root extract ameliorates the hazards effect of thorium induced oxidative stress and neuroendocrine alterations in adult male rats.

The present study was aimed to estimating the effect of Saussurea lappa (costus) root extract on thorium accumulation in different brain regions (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hypothalamus) of adult male albino rats and also to evaluate the antioxidant effect and thyroid gland modulation activity of costus following thorium toxicity. Adult male rats were randomly allocated into four groups; control group receiving saline (0.9% NaCl), thorium group receiving an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of thorium nitrate (Th; 6.3 mg/kg bwt), costus group receiving an oral administration of costus extract at 200 mg/kg bwt and costus + thorium group receiving costus 1 h before thorium injection. Thorium injection in rats for 28 days resulted in the accumulation of Th maximally in the cerebellum followed by the cerebral cortex and then in the hypothalamus. The accumulation of Th was associated with significant disturbance in sodium and potassium ions. A significant decrease in monoamines was also observed in different brain regions. Furthermore, the results indicated that Th-induced oxidative stress evidenced by increased lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide and decrease the glutathione content. Additionally, Th caused a significant increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) levels in the serum of rats. However, the pre-administration of costus alleviated all of those disturbances. Our results revealed that costus extract exerted its protective effect mainly through potentiating the antioxidant defense system.

Thorium exerts hazardous effects on some neurotransmitters and thyroid hormones in adult male rats.

Assessment of the hazardous effects of thorium, a naturally radioactive element, on the nervous and endocrine systems, which are intimately involved in maintaining homeostasis, is important. In the present study, rats were divided into control and thorium groups and were decapitated after 2, 4, and 6 weeks. We observed that intraperitoneally injected thorium (6.3 mg/kg body weight) crossed the blood-brain barrier and was localized in the cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and hypothalamus of the rats in the given order. Thorium administration significantly decreased the GSH level and increased MDA, NO, and Fe3+ levels. Furthermore, thorium administration decreased NE and DA levels and induced fluctuations in 5-HT level. Thorium administration also increased serum TSH level, which in turn increased T4 and T3 levels. Together, these results indicate that thorium administration stimulates TSH secretion, which significantly increases T4 and T3 secretion from the thyroid gland. Moreover, these results indicate that thorium administration exerts hazardous effects on the neuroendocrine axis.

Environmentally Evaluated New HPLC/UV Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Acesulfame-K, Butylated Hydroxytoluene, and Aspartame and Its Degradant in Chewing Gum.

Background: Acesulfame-K (ACE), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and aspartame (ASP) are a common combination of food additives added to chewing gums. The abuse of these additives results in severe adverse health effects; however, they are still extensively used owing to their high performance and low cost. Objective: The development and optimization of a simple, cheap, sensitive, and eco-friendly HPLC/UV method for the simultaneous determination of ASP, ACE, and BHT along with aspartame degradation product phenylalanine (PHEN) in chewing gum. Methods: The method was optimized using a 5 µm C18 column and an eluent consisting of methanol and 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 5.0) according to a suitable gradient elution program. Simple sample preparation, consisting of dilution, homogenization, and sonication followed by centrifugation and filtration, was optimized and used for the extraction of chewing gum. The greenness of the method was evaluated. Results: The proposed method exhibited excellent linearity (R² > 0.9996), low LOQ (0.08-0.95 µg/mL), and recoveries between 85.3 and 98.83% with relative SD (RSD) ≤ 2.7%. High resolution was obtained with <25 min run times with excellent precision (RSD: 0.28-1.33%). This method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of ACE, ASP, and BHT in commercial chewing gum; PHEN was not detected. Furthermore, our method is considered to be environmentally acceptable. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that the developed method can be used to detect ACE, BHT, ASP, and PHEN in chewing gum. Highlights: A new sensitive, green HPLC/UV method is developed to be used as a minimal-cost routine analysis procedure for commercial chewing gum.

Simultaneous Determination of Curcumin and Resveratrol in Lipidic Nanoemulsion Formulation and Rat Plasma Using HPLC: Optimization and Application to Real Samples.

Background: Curcumin and resveratrol are naturally occurring polyphenols that are highly effective in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. A robust reversed-phase HPLC method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of these two natural drugs. Objective: The method was adapted to analyze both drugs in pure forms, in lipidic nanoemulsion formulation as well as in rat plasma. The method was applied to real samples after intravenous (IV) injection of rats. Method: Analysis utilized C18 column using acetonitrile (ACN)-water (pH adjusted to 4.6 by 1% orthophosphoric acid) in the ratio of 55+45 (v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min with detection at 425 and 304 nm for curcumin and resveratrol, respectively. Results: Extraction efficiency of curcumin and resveratrol using ACN-methanol was 96.10-101.00% (RSD 2.49) and 95.00-99.87% (RSD 2.59), respectively. The assay was linear from 0.05 to 4.00 µg/mL (correlation coefficient of 0.9989 and 0.9981, respectively) and precise [average interday and intraday precision for curcumin RSD% (0.45, 2.04) and resveratrol RSD% (2.25, 1.71)] in spiked rat plasma. The LOD and LOQ were found to be (0.0085 µg/mL, 0.025 µg/mL) and (0.02, 0.06), respectively. Conclusions: The data presented demonstrate that the method provides rapid, sensitive, and precise determination of curcumin and resveratrol in spiked rat plasma and in nanoemulsion dosage form without tedious cleanup procedure, which was successfully applied for quantitation of both drugs following their IV administration to albino rats. Highlights: Validated chromatographic method has been developed for simultaneous determination of curcumin and resveratrol. Optimization of chromatographic conditions was achieved. Application of the method on nanoemulsion formula, on spiked rat plasma, and pharmacokinetics study.

Differential effects of Th17 cytokines during the response of neutrophils to Burkholderia cenocepacia outer membrane protein A.

T helper 17 cells are involved in the immunopathology of cystic fibrosis. They play a key role in recruitment of neutrophils, which is the first line of defence against bacteria. Additionally, Burkholderia cenocepacia outer membrane protein A (OmpA) BCAL2958 is considered a potential protective epitope for vaccine development. The present study aimed to investigate the neutrophil response to OmpA in the presence of Th17 cytokines, IL-17 and IL-22 at different times of activation. Neutrophils were isolated from whole blood of healthy volunteers and activated with OmpA in the presence of IL-17, IL-22 or both cytokines together. Supernatant was collected after 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, and 12 h. Neutrophil activation was assessed by measuring MPO, TNF-α, elastase, hydrogen peroxide, catalase and NO. The results revealed that the combination of IL-17 and IL-22 cytokines induced the release of NE, catalase, H2O2 and TNF-α from neutrophils activated with Burkholderia OmpA at late stages of activation. However, IL-22 alone or IL-17 alone decreased the myeloperoxidase (MPO), catalase and NE levels at early stages of neutrophil activation. The presence of IL-17 alone led to a significant increase in TNF-α level after 1 h and 12 h. However, the presence of IL-22 alone led to a significant increase in TNF-α level after only 1 h but a significant decrease after 8 h of activation was observed as compared to OmpA stimulated neutrophils. In conclusion, Th17 cytokines IL-17 and IL-22, have differential effects during the neutrophil response to Burkholderia OmpA.

Graphene nanoplatelets in potentiometry: A nanocomposite carbon paste and PVC based membrane sensors for analysis of Vilazodone HCl in plasma and milk samples.

Graphene is the ''new star'' material for electrochemical sensing. It has unique mechanical, thermal and electrical properties, in addition to its ultra light weight. In the present work we combine for the first time the special features offered by graphene and the advantages of ion selective potentiometric sensors in a single study. We propose two types of sensors, a graphene based carbon paste and a poly vinyl chloride (PVC) based membrane sensors for the analysis of Vilazodone hydrochloride in bulk, human plasma and formula milk samples. Electro active agent is an ion- association complex based on coupling of Vilazodone cationic cite with anionic cite of Molybdate ion in a ratio 1:1. Both sensors are evaluated according to the IUPAC recommendation data, revealing linear response in the concentration range 10-7 - 10-3 and10-8 - 10-3 M with a Nernestian slope 59.89 and 59.91 mV/decade for PVC membrane and Carbon paste sensors, respectively. Both sensors were successfully applied to the analysis of Vilazodone HCl in human plasma and formula milk samples showing good recovery percentage values. Graphene based carbon paste sensor shows several advantages over conventional PVC membrane sensor regarding lower limit of detection, faster response time, longer life time and higher selectivity towards target ion.

Simultaneous determination of cis-permethrin and trans-permethrin in rat plasma and brain tissue using gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

A sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of cis-permethrin (cis-PERM) and trans-permethrin (trans-PERM) in small volumes (100µL) of rat plasma and brain homogenate was developed, using a liquid-liquid extraction for sample preparation and gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GCNCI-MS) for detection. Quantitation of trace levels of the insecticide in small volumes of biological samples is essential to support toxicokinetic studies in small animals. There are currently no validated methods in the literature for determining cis-PERM and trans- PERM in volumes as low as 100µL of rat plasma or brain homogenate. The method provided a linear range of 0.2-150.0ng/mL for analytes in both matrices. The intra- and inter-batch precision (as% relative standard deviation, RSD) and accuracy (as relative error, RE) of the method were better than 20% at the limit of quantitation and better than 15% across the remaining linear range. The validated method was applied in a toxicokinetic study in adult rats with oral dosing of 10mg/kg (cis-PERM) and 100mg/kg (trans-PERM) in corn oil. cis-PERM and trans- PERM were monitored in rat plasma and brain tissue samples for 6h following dosing, and both analytes were detected in all plasma and brain samples.

Design, synthesis and cytotoxic activity of water-soluble quinones with dibromo-p-benzoquinone cores and amino oligo(ethylene glycol) side chains against MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

A series of novel quinones was synthesized by reacting tetrabromo-p-benzoquinone with amino oligo(ethylene glycol) dendrons of generation numbers g = 0-2. According to the performed shake-flask experiments, their aqueous solubility (S = 18 mg l-1-1.6 g ml-1) and partition coefficients (log Poct/wat = 2.53-0.21) can be tuned in a wide range as a function of g. In vitro cytotoxicity assays of tetrabromo-p-benzoquinone and its derivatives against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells showed a concentration- and generation-specific biological activity with IC50-values as low as 0.8 µM. Further investigations revealed a considerable selectivity against cancer cells, as indicated by a weak cytotoxicity against human skin fibroblast cells (>80% survival) within the studied range of concentrations. The results demonstrate that these novel amino oligo(ethylene glycol) dendrons depict versatile tools to ameliorate physical and pharmacological characteristics of extremely hydrophobic molecules and make them susceptible to biological applications.

The Burkholderia cenocepacia OmpA-like protein BCAL2958: identification, characterization, and detection of anti-BCAL2958 antibodies in serum from B. cepacia complex-infected Cystic Fibrosis patients.

Respiratory infections by bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality among cystic fibrosis patients, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies. In the present work we have studied the B. cenocepacia protein BCAL2958, a member of the OmpA-like family of proteins, demonstrated as highly immunogenic in other pathogens and capable of eliciting strong host immune responses. The encoding gene was cloned and the protein, produced as a 6× His-tagged derivative, was used to produce polyclonal antibodies. Bioinformatics analyses led to the identification of sequences encoding proteins with a similarity higher than 96 % to BCAL2958 in all the publicly available Bcc genomes. Furthermore, using the antibody it was experimentally demonstrated that this protein is produced by all the 12 analyzed strains from 7 Bcc species. In addition, results are also presented showing the presence of anti-BCAL2958 antibodies in sera from cystic fibrosis patients with a clinical record of respiratory infection by Bcc, and the ability of the purified protein to in vitro stimulate neutrophils. The widespread production of the protein by Bcc members, together with its ability to stimulate the immune system and the detection of circulating antibodies in patients with a documented record of Bcc infection strongly suggest that the protein is a potential candidate for usage in preventive therapies of infections by Bcc.

Solvatochromism of dye-labeled dendronized polymers of generation numbers 1-4: comparison to dendrimers.

Two series of dendronized polymers (DPs) of generations g = 1-4 with different levels of dendritic substitution (low and high) and a solvatochromic probe at g = 1 level are used to study their swelling behavior in a collection of solvents largely differing in polarity as indicated by the Kamlet-Taft parameters. This is done by measuring the UV-Vis spectra of all samples in all solvents and determining the longest wavelength absorptions (λmax). The λmax values fall into a range defined by the extreme situations, when the solvatochromic probe is either fully surrounded by solvent or completely shielded against it. The former situation is achieved in a model compound and the latter situation is believed to be reached when in a poor solvent the dendritic shell around the backbone is fully collapsed. We observe that solvent penetration into the interior of the DPs decreases with increasing g and does so faster for the more highly dendritically substituted series than for the less highly substituted one. Interestingly, the swelling of the more highly substituted DP series already at the g = 4 level has decreased to approximately 20% of that at the g = 1 level which supports an earlier proposal that high g DPs can be viewed as nano-sized molecular objects. Furthermore, when comparing these two DP series with a g = 1-6 series of dendrimers investigated by Fréchet et al. it becomes evident that even the less substituted series of DPs is much less responsive to solvent changes as assessed by the solvatochromic probe than the dendrimers, suggesting the branches around the (polymeric) core in DPs to be more densely packed compared to those in dendrimers, thus, establishing a key difference between these two dendritic macromolecules.

Thermoresponsive dendrimers based on oligoethylene glycols: design, synthesis and cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Three interesting thermoresponsive branched oligoethylene glycol dendrimers based on tetrabromohydroquinone were efficiently synthesized from tetrabromohydroquinone and three different oligoethylene glycol derivatives. By visual inspection, all these dendrimers are water-soluble at room temperature. The thermoresponsive behaviors were investigated by using UV/vis turbidity measurement at different temperatures for 0.25 wt% of aqueous solutions from D1, D2 and D3. The cytotoxicity of the prepared dendrimers was tested against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. All tested dendrimers showed considerable results, where D2 dendrimer gave the best result; it showed cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cell line with IC50 of 1.07 µg/mL and resistant fraction equals 1.97%, the other two dendrimers showed a modest cytotoxic profile.

Evaluation of the possible epileptogenic activity of ciprofloxacin: the role of Nigella sativa on amino acids neurotransmitters.

The neuroprotective effect of Nigella sativa (NS) on amino acid neurotransmitters alteration in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) and ciprofloxacin (CFX) treated rats in different brain regions was examined. The oral administration of NS induced an elevation in aspartate and glutamate contents, whereas the levels of GABA and glycine were decreased. Furthermore, the treated groups with PTZ and CFX caused a decrease in aspartate, glutamate and total antioxidant capacity levels, while the concentrations of GABA and glycine were increased after 14 days. Moreover, the pre- and post-treatment with NS in PTZ and CFX treated rats return the levels of these parameters near control values. So, it could be concluded that the treatment with CFX induced imbalance between the excitatory and the inhibitory amino acids which may lead to the initiation of epileptic seizures and the treatment with NS was found to ameliorate these neurological defects which reflect its potent antiepileptic activity.