Polyphenols-Rich Extract of Calotropis procera Alone and in Combination with Trichoderma Culture Filtrate for Biocontrol of Cantaloupe Wilt and Root Rot Fungi.

Fungal diseases have always been a major problem for cantaloupe crops; however, synthetic fungicides are hazardous to humans and the environment. Consequently, a feasible alternative to fungicides without side effects could be by using bio agents and naturally occurring plants with antibacterial potential. This study has achieved a novel procedure for managing wilt and root rot diseases by potentially using Trichoderma sp. culture filtrates in consortium with plant extract of Calotropis procera, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, and Pythium ultimum, which were isolated from infected cantaloupe roots with identified root rot symptoms. The antagonistic activity of four Trichoderma isolates and analysis of antibiotics and filtrate enzymes of the most active Trichoderma isolate were determined as well as phytochemical analysis of C. procera plant extract using HPLC-UV. The obtained results showed that all Trichoderma isolates considerably lowered the radial growth of P. ultimum, R. solani, and F. oxysporum in varying degrees. The scanning electron micrographs illustrate the mycoparasitic nature of Trichoderma sp. on F. oxysporum. The phytochemical analysis of C. procera indicated that phenolic contents were the major compounds found in extracts, such as vanillin (46.79%), chlorogenic acid (30.24%), gallic acid (8.06%), and daidzein (3.45%) but including only a low amount of the flavonoid compounds rutin, naringenin, and hesperetin. The Pot experiment's findings showed that cantaloupe was best protected against wilting and root rot diseases when it was treated with both Trichoderma sp. culture filtrates (10%) and C. procera extract of (15 mg/mL), both alone and in combination. This study demonstrates that the application of bio agent Trichoderma spp. filtrate with C. procera phenol extract appears useful for controlling wilting and root rot disease in cantaloupe. This innovative approach could be used as an alternative to chemical fungicide for the control of wilting and rot root diseases.

Hematologic, lipid profile, immunity, and antioxidant status of growing rabbits fed black seed as natural antioxidants.

It is known that using antibiotics by way of growth promoters has harmful side effects on both animals and consumer health due to cross-resistance among pathogens and residues in meat. Using antibiotic to promote growth has been banned in the most countries for this reason; so, we must search for feed additives alternative in animal production. One of them is the black seed (Nigella sativa). Fifty-four growing V-line unsexed rabbits, 4 weeks of age, with an average weight of 776.7 g were randomly allocated to one of three treatments (n = 18): rabbits fed the basal diet (control), rabbits supplemented with either 300 or 600 mg of Nigella sativa seed (NSS)/kg diet. At 12 weeks of age, NSS supplementation significantly improved final body weight, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and performance index with significantly reduced feed consumption. Addition of 300 and 600 mg NSS/kg diet resulted in a significant increase in the number of RBCs and WBCs as compared to basal diet group. Compared to controls, NSS supplementation significantly stimulated the IgG and IgM immune responses of rabbits, significantly reduced serum total lipids, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein, and significantly increased the high-density lipoprotein concentration. All NSS treatments significantly increased the observed blood total antioxidant capacity and significantly decreased the malondialdehyde values, compared to the basal diet group. In conclusion, the results displayed that addition of NSS in rabbit diets improved productive performance, blood lipid profile, immunity, and antioxidant status, and supplementation with 600 mg/kg NSS was more effective than 300 mg/kg NSS seed supplementation.

Forgotten Right Ventricle in Pediatric Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

To evaluate the right ventricular (RV) function in relation to that of the left ventricle (LV) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Echocardiographic examination was done using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) for 32 pediatric patients with DCM comparing them to another 32 normal matched controls. The global longitudinal strain (GLS) derived from 2D-STE was used to reflect the LV systolic function. Tricuspid annular plan systolic excursion (TAPSE) and the following RV TDI derived indexes: peak systolic velocity (S'), peak early diastolic velocity E', peak late diastolic velocity A', isovolumic acceleration (IVA) and myocardial performance index (MPI) were measured. RV had significant systolic and diastolic dysfunction; TAPSE, S' velocity, IVA, peak early diastolic velocity (E') and peak early diastolic velocity/peak late diastolic velocity (E'/A') ratio were significantly decreased while MPI was significantly prolonged compared to controls. Moreover, TAPSE, S', IVA, E', E'/A' and RV MPI were significantly correlated to LV GLS. For prediction of LV dysfunction among patients, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.98 for RV MPI, 0.906 for RV IVA. For identifying severe LV dysfunction; RV MPI  > 0.29 had 100% sensitivity and 93.7% specificity, while the RV IVA  ≤ 3 had 84.4% sensitivity and 90.6% specificity. In pediatric patients with DCM the RV systolic and diastolic functions are affected beside the LV dysfunction. Non-conventional echocardiographic evaluation of RV function is recommended in among this cohort.

Efficacy of Human Platelet Rich Fibrin Exudate vs Fetal Bovine Serum on Proliferation and Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The imperative role of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in regenerative therapy demands an in-vitro expansion which must deal with the safety and ethical problems associated with fetal bovine serum (FBS). The primary aim of this study was to compare the effects of human platelet rich fibrin (hPRF) exudate Vs FBS on proliferation and osteodifferentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). The secondary one was to determine the optimum concentration of hPRF exudate inducing hDPSCs proliferation and osteodifferentiation. METHODS: The direct method was used to prepare hPRF exudate. hDPSCs were isolated from impacted mandibular third molars of twelve donors by the outgrowth method. For cell viability and proliferation rate testing, 96 well plates were used and the assay was done in duplicate and the trial repeated four times under the same conditions. Six wells were used to contain 10% FBS, serum free media, 1%, 5%, 10% and 20% concentrations of hPRF exudates, respectively. The proliferation assay was carried out by MTS tetrazolium cell proliferation assay kit and Elisa reader. The study design for osteodifferentiation protocol was exactly as the proliferation one and instead the assay was carried out by alizarin red with Elisa reader. RESULTS: Compared to 10% FBS, 10% hPRF exudate was the optimum concentration for hDPSCs proliferation, while 1% hPRF exudate was the optimum concentration for osteodifferentiation of hDPSCs. Conclusions: Avoiding the risk of zoonosis which may be occurred with FBS, it is recommended to use 10% hPRF exudate for proliferation and 1% for osteodifferentiation.

Platelet-12 lipoxygenase targeting via a newly synthesized curcumin derivative radiolabeled with technetium-99m.

BACKGROUND: One of the most popular techniques for cancer detection is the nuclear medicine technique. The present research focuses on Platelet-12-lipoxygenase (P-12-LOX) as a promising target for treating and radio-imaging tumor tissues. Curcumin was reported to inhibit this enzyme via binding to its active site. RESULTS: A novel curcumin derivative was successfully synthesized and characterized with yield of 74%. It was radiolabeled with the diagnostic radioisotope technetium-99m with 84% radiochemical yield and in vitro stability up to 6 h. The biodistribution studies in tumor bearing mice confirmed the high affinity predicted by the docking results with a free binding energy value of (ΔG -50.10 kcal/mol) and affinity (13.64 pki) showing high accumulation in solid tumor with target/non-target ratio >6. CONCLUSION: The newly synthesized curcumin derivative, as a result of a computational study on platelet-12 lipoxygenase, showed its excellent free binding energy (∆G -50.10 kcal/mol) and high affinity (13.64 pKi). It could be an excellent radio-imaging agent that targeting tumor cells via targeting of P-12-LOX.Graphical abstractThis novel curcumin derivative was successfully synthesized and radiolabeled with technetium-99m and biologically evaluated in tumor bearing mice that showed high accumulation in solid tumor with target/non-target ratio >6 confirming the affinity predicted by the docking results. Predicted binding mode of a new curcumin derivative in complex with 12-LOX active site. b Curcumin itself in the 12-LOX active site biological distribution of 99mTc-curcumin derivative complex in solid tumor bearing Albino mice.

The value of serum FGF-23 as a cardiovascular marker in HD patients.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) is a recently discovered regulator of phosphate and mineral metabolism and has been associated with both progression of CKD and mortality in dialysis patients. To evaluate the association between serum FGF-23 levels and echocardiographic measurements in long-term HD (HD) patients without cardiac symptoms, we studied 90 consecutive patients treated in a single HD center (51 males, 39 females; mean age 41.5 ± 14.2 years, mean HD duration 71.2 ± 14.2 months). Comprehensive echocardiography was performed after HD and blood samples were obtained before HD. The serum FGF-23 level in dialysis patients was 95.7 ± 88.4 pg/mL. In univariate analysis, serum calcium levels (r = 0.33, P <0.05), serum creatinine (r = 0.34, P <0.05), serum albumin (r = 0.35, P <0.05) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (r = 0.33, P <0.001) were correlated weakly with the FGF-23 levels. Neither s. phosphorus nor calcium x phosphorus product correlated with FGF-23. In univariate regression analysis, only LVMI [ß = 0.42, P <0.05, confidence interval (CI) 0.3-4.3], serum calcium (ß= 0.87, P <0.001, CI 0.8-7.3), serum albumin (ß= 0.87, P < 0.001, CI 0.8-7.3) and serum creatinine (ß= 0.67, P <0.05, CI 0.5-6.5) significantly correlated with FGF-23. FGF-23 was identified as a factor that is weakly associated with LVMI. Thus, FGF-23 alone may not be a parameter that can be used for evaluation of the cardiac status in HD patients.