Association of serum trefoil factor 3 and leptin levels with obesity: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity has a detrimental impact on individuals, communities, and healthcare systems. Trefoil factor 3 is a secretory protein involved in metabolic processes related to weight regulation. However, its relation with obesity is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the serum trefoil factor 3 level and to immunohistochemical detect the leptin in obese patients to evaluate their relation to obesity pathogenesis. METHODS: As a case-control study, we enrolled 83 non-obese persons as a control group with a BMI (18.5-24.9) and 83 obese persons as a patient group with a BMI > 30. All the study volunteers are subjected to anthropometric measurements, glucose, and lipid profile analysis by colorimetric methods. Serum trefoil factor 3 level was estimated by ELISA and leptin hormone was detected immunohistochemically in the blood using cell block technique. RESULTS: ROC curve analysis for TFF3 showed a good relation with obesity with an AUC of 0.891 and a cut-off value of > 96 ng/ml. There was a significant positive correlation between TFF3 and fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. The logistic regression analysis showed that TFF3 is a good risk factor for obesity incidence [p = 0.008; OR = 1.117; (95 % CI): 1.029-1.213]. This was confirmed by multiple linear regression that gave an equation for the possibility of predicting BMI using several factors including TFF3 [BMI = 0.821 + 0.051 × TFF3 + 0.044 × FBS + 0.85 × TC]. The more surprising was the ability of the immunohistochemistry cell block technique to detect leptin antigens associated with an obese person blood not only adipose tissue or serum. CONCLUSION: Leptin hormone and TFF3 could be good indicators for obesity incidence. Further research with a larger sample size and in different populations could completely approve our results.

The protective role of resveratrol against sulfoxaflor-induced toxicity in testis of adult male rats.

This work was designed to explore the protective role of resveratrol (RES) against sulfoxaflor (Sulfx)-induced reproductive toxicity in adult male rats. The animals were divided into six groups: Control group, Sulfx treated groups (79.5 and 205 mg/kg/day), RES treated group (20 mg/kg/day), RES + Sulfx treated groups (20 mg/kg Res + 79.5 or 205 mg/kg Sulfx) orally for 28 consecutive days. Testicular samples were collected from all groups at the end of the treatment period. Tissue supernatants were isolated for oxidative stress and cellular energy parameters; tissue samples were prepared for histopathological examination. In addition, caspase-3 activity was calculated to assess spermatogenesis. Finally, DNA laddering assay was performed to detect DNA fragmentation as a hallmark of apoptosis. Our results showed that Sulfx treatment induced a significant increase in testicular levels of MDA, NOx, GSSG and reduced GSH level and cellular energy parameters in a dose-dependent manner compared to the control group. The results were confirmed by histopathological study which showed pathological changes in Sulfx treated groups. A significant increase in caspase 3 and DNA fragmentation was also observed. However, concomitant administration of RES to Sulfx -treated rats showed significant modulation against Sulfx-induced reproductive toxicity and attenuated the biochemical, apoptotic and histopathological changes. In conclusion, our results suggest that exposure to Sulfx at the two selected doses induces testicular toxicity and these effects can be ameliorated by supplementation of RES.

Sustainable waste management of medical waste in African developing countries: A narrative review.

Africa is the second populous continent, and its population has the fastest growing rate. Some African countries are still plagued by poverty, poor sanitary conditions and limited resources, such as clean drinking water, food supply, electricity, and effective waste management systems. Underfunded healthcare systems, poor training and lack of awareness of policies and legislations on handling medical waste have led to increased improper handling of waste within hospitals, healthcare facilities and transportation and storage of medical waste. Some countries, including Ethiopia, Botswana, Nigeria and Algeria, do not have national guidelines in place to adhere to the correct disposal of such wastage. Incineration is often the favoured disposal method due to the rapid diminishment of up to 90% of waste, as well as production of heat for boilers or for energy production. This type of method - if not applying the right technologies - potentially creates hazardous risks of its own, such as harmful emissions and residuals. In this study, the sustainability aspects of medical waste management in Africa were reviewed to present resilient solutions for health and environment protection for the next generation in Africa. The findings of this research introduce policies, possible advices and solutions associated with sustainability and medical waste management that can support decision-makers in developing strategies for the sustainability by using the eco-friendly technologies for efficient medical waste treatment and disposal methods and also can serve as a link between the healthcare system, decision-makers, and stakeholders in developing health policies and programmes.

The role of propolis against paclitaxel-induced oligospermia, sperm abnormality, oxidative stress and DNA damage in testes of male rats.

Paclitaxel (taxol) is one of the most powerful anticancer drugs but it possesses toxic effects on male reproductive system. Propolis, from folkloric remedy, have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. The present study established to examine the protective impact of Propolis against malformation of semen induced by taxol. Twenty-four male rats equally divided into four groups. Group I (normal control); group II, administrated Propolis alone; group III, taxol-treated group received taxol; group IV, co-administered of taxol and Propolis extract. After 4 weeks of treatment, the semen were collected and testis 24 hr after the last treatment. Sperm count, motility, viability and sperm morphology were assayed. Tissue supernatants were isolated for oxidative stress, cell energy parameters and 8-OHdG. DNA damage was evaluated using Comet assay in testes. Our results confirmed that taxol-induced significant reduction in sperm count, motility, viability and recorded marked elevation in sperm abnormalities. Also, taxol caused increased in 8-OHdG and DNA damage versus that recorded in control group. Treatment with Propolis improving semen quality and protected testis from detrimental effects of taxol and minimises its toxicity. In conclusions, Oral administration of Propolis modulates the toxic impact of taxol by amelioration semen quality, diminishing oxidation state, DNA damage and preserving cell energy.

Three gold indicators for breast cancer prognosis: a case-control study with ROC analysis for novel ratios related to CBC with (ALP and LDH).

Science is still unable to develop a specific strategy for predicting breast cancer in humans. Several attempts are done to obtain the best and closest prognostic predictive biomarkers for breast cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of novel ratios calculated between the blood indices with CA15.3, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase as prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer. This study was conducted on two groups (Breast cancer Patients group in comparison to a control group who has no tumor family history). All the volunteers are subjected to the routine analysis included liver and kidney function tests, complete blood count with blood indices, tumor markers (CA15.3) assessment, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase analysis. Thirty different ratios were calculated in the present research between blood indices and three inexpensive serum biomarkers; CA15.3, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase. Fifteen ratios of them were significant in breast cancer group than the control group. Three ratios (PDW/lymphocytes, MPV/lymphocytes, and ALP/RDW) of them gave a sensitivity of 100% with high specificity as indicators for breast cancer incidence. The correlation between significant ratios was very interesting. The more interesting was in the results of subgroup analysis which showed that the ALP/RDW ratio is more specific for pre-menopause while PDW/lymphocytes ratio is more specific for post-menopause. The ratios PDW/lymphocytes, MPV/lymphocytes, and ALP/RDW can be used as prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer patients. The interesting advantage in the results depends on the availability of these indicators in routine blood analysis and will not increase the cost of the diagnostic plan.

Influences of straw alkaline pretreatment on biogas production and digestate characteristics: artificial neural network and multivariate statistical techniques.

Anaerobic digestion is one of the best options for producing valuable end products (biogas and biofertilizer). The aim of this study was to investigate the influences of thermoalkaline pretreatment of wheat straw on biogas production and digestate characteristics from codigestion with waste-activated sludge. Different alkaline conditions (NaOH, KOH and Na2CO3) and pretreatment durations (1, 3 and 5 h) were used for straw pretreatment. Batch anaerobic codigestion of sludge and pretreated straw was conducted under different pretreatment conditions. A feedforward neural network (FFNN) model, logistic model and statistical analysis were applied to the experimental data to predict biogas and investigate the significance and relationships among the variables. NaOH pretreatment for 5 h showed the best treatment conditions: biogas yield was 6.59 times higher than that without treatment. Moreover, the proportions of total solids, total volatile solids, chemical oxygen demand and microbial count removed reached 63.52%, 74.60%, 78.15% and 82.22%, respectively. The methane content was 67.50%, indicating that the biogas had a high quality. The thermoalkaline pretreatment significantly affected biogas production and digestate characteristics, allowing it to be used as a biofertilizer. Experimental data were successfully modelled for predicting biogas production using the applied models. The R2 values reached 0.985 and 0.999 for the logistic and FFNN models, respectively.

Role of DNA repair and cell cycle control genes in ovarian cancer susceptibility.

Recent studies have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the population that are associated with variations in the risks of many different cancer diseases. For ovarian cancer, the known highly penetrant susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) are probably responsible for only 40% of the excess familial ovarian cancer risks, suggesting that other susceptibility genes of lower penetrance exist. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of SNPs in three genes, XRCC2 (R188H), ERCC2 (K751Q) and CDKN1B (V109G) which are with moderate risk for ovarian cancer susceptibility in Egyptian women. We further investigated the potential combined effect of these genes variants on ovarian cancer risk. The three genes polymorphisms were characterized in 100 ovarian cancer Egyptian females and 100 healthy women by (RFLP-PCR) method in a case control study. Our results revealed that the frequencies of AC genotypes of ERCC2 (K751Q), and GG genotypes of CDKN1B (V109G) polymorphisms were significantly higher in EOC patients than in normal individual (P = 0.007, 0.02 respectively). The frequencies of AA genotype of XRCC2 (R188H) and CC genotype of ERCC2 (K751Q) were higher in EOC patients than in normal individual but without significance (P = 0.06, 0.38 respectively). Also, no association between any one of the three studied genes polymorphisms and the clinical characteristics of disease. The combination of GA (XRCC2) + AC (ERCC2) + GG (CDKN1B) was significantly associated with increased EOC risk. Also, the combination for GA (XRCC2) + AC (ERCC2) and the combination of AA (XRCC2) + CC (ERCC2) were significantly associated with increased EOC risk. There was significant difference in CA125 values between EOC and control Group (P < 0.001). Our results suggested that, XRCC2, ERCC2 and CDKN1B genes are important candidate genes for susceptibility to EOC. Also, gene-gene interaction between GA (XRCC2) + AC (ERCC2) + GG (CDKN1B) polymorphism may be associated with increased risk of EOCC in Egyptian women.

Selenium and vitamin E ameliorate lead acetate-induced hepatotoxicity in rats via suppression of oxidative stress, mRNA of heat shock proteins, and NF-kB production.

BACKGROUND: Lead exposure results in a terrible rise in heat shock protein levels. OBJECTIVE: This research was conducted to look at the effects of lead poisoning on heat shock response, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers in albino rats, as well as the power of selenium and vitamin E to resist lead toxic effects. METHODS: Eight groups of albino rats are used. Each group contained six rats where the first group represented the negative control, and the other groups were treated with olive oil, vitamin E, selenium, lead, (vitamin E + lead), (selenium + lead), and (vitamin E + selenium + lead). All the treatments lasted for 28 days. Then, the mRNA expression of interested heat shock proteins (HSP90, HSP70, and HSP60) was assessed. For oxidative stress disruption, we investigated nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants activity respectively in rat livers. RESULTS: our results revealed the synergetic protective effect of the combination of two antioxidants (vitamin E and selenium) against lead poising. This was clear in regulating HSPs expression, inflammatory markers, glucose, lipid profile, liver functions, and antioxidant enzymes more than the treatment with one antioxidant. CONCLUSION: Pb is a toxic material that can induce HSPs and inflammatory markers expression. Selenium and vitamin E can give excellent effects in ameliorating Pb toxicity when used together.

Arctium lappa (Burdock): Insights from ethnopharmacology potential, chemical constituents, clinical studies, pharmacological utility and nanomedicine.

Arctium lappa L. is a medicinal edible homologous plant, commonly known as burdock or bardana, which belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is widely distributed throughout Northern Asia, Europe, and North America and has been utilized for hundreds of years. The roots, fruits, seeds, and leaves of A. lappa have been extensively used in traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A. lappa has attracted a great deal of attention due to its possession of highly recognized bioactive metabolites with significant therapeutic potential. Numerous pharmacological effects have been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo by A. lappa and its bioactive metabolites, including antimicrobial, anti-obesity, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-allergic, antiviral, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective activities. Additionally, A. lappa has demonstrated considerable clinical efficacies and valuable applications in nanomedicine. Collectively, this review covers the properties of A. lappa and its bioactive metabolites, ethnopharmacology aspects, pharmacological effects, clinical trials, and applications in the field of nanomedicine. Hence, a significant attention should be paid to clinical trials and industrial applications of this plant with particular emphasis, on drug discovery and nanotechnology.

Gelatin nanofibers: Recent insights in synthesis, bio-medical applications and limitations.

The use of gelatin and gelatin-blend polymers as environmentally safe polymers to synthesis electrospun nanofibers, has caused a revolution in the biomedical field. The development of efficient nanofibers has played a significant role in drug delivery, and for use in advanced scaffolds in regenerative medicine. Gelatin is an exceptional biopolymer, which is highly versatile, despite variations in the processing technology. The electrospinning process is an efficient technique for the manufacture of gelatin electrospun nanofibers (GNFs), as it is simple, efficient, and cost-effective. GNFs have higher porosity with large surface area and biocompatibility, despite that there are some drawbacks. These drawbacks include rapid degradation, poor mechanical strength, and complete dissolution, which limits the use of gelatin electrospun nanofibers in this form for biomedicine. Thus, these fibers need to be cross-linked, in order to control its solubility. This modification caused an improvement in the biological properties of GNFs, which made them suitable candidates for various biomedical applications, such as wound healing, drug delivery, bone regeneration, tubular scaffolding, skin, nerve, kidney, and cardiac tissue engineering. In this review an outline of electrospinning is shown with critical summary of literature evaluated with respect to the various applications of nanofibers-derived gelatin.

Neuroprotective effects of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) juice and seed extract in paraquat-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Paraquat, (PQ), an herbicide that can induce Parkinsonian-like symptoms in rodents and humans. The consumption of phytochemical-rich plants can reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of pomegranate seed extract (PSE) and juice (PJ) against PQ-induced neurotoxicity in mice. METHODS: Mice were assigned into 4 groups; three groups received PQ (10 mg/kg, i.p.) twice a week for 3 weeks. Two of the PQ-induced groups pretreated with either PSE or PJ. Detection of phytochemicals, total phenolics, and total flavonoids in PSE and PJ was performed. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) level was measured in the substantia nigra (SN) by Western blotting technique. Striatal dopamine (DA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes were estimated in the striatum by colorimetric analysis. Striatal pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as well as DNA fragmentation degree by qualitative DNA fragmentation assay, were evaluated. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was performed for the detection of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-кB) gene expression. Moreover, Western blotting analysis was used for the estimation of the cluster of differentiation 11b (CD11b), transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß), and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) levels in the striatum. RESULTS: Pretreatment with PSE or PJ increased the levels of TH in the SN as well as DA and its metabolite in the striatum that were reduced by PQ injection. PSE and PJ preadministration improved the PQ-induced oxidative stress via a significant reduction of the MDA level and the augmentation of antioxidant enzyme activities. PSE and PJ also significantly downregulated the striatal NF-кB gene expression, reduced the PQ-enhanced apoptosis, decreased the levels of; pro-inflammatory cytokines, CD11b, and TGF-ß coupled with a significant increase of; interleukin-10 (IL-10), GDNF, and ATP levels as compared with PQ-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS: The current study indicated that PSE and PJ consumption may exhibit protective effects against PQ-induced neurotoxicity in mice.

Assessment of the greenness of new stability indicating micellar UPLC and HPTLC methods for determination of tenofovir alafenamide in dosage forms.

In this study, a green stability indicating chromatographic methods were developed and validated for the quantitative determination of tenofovir alafenamide in the presence of its degradation products in bulk powder as well as in dosage forms. The first method was micellar UPLC in which separation was achieved on kinetex ® 1.7 µm HILIC 100A, LC column using an ecofriendly micellar mobile phase consisting (0.05 M sodium dodecyl sulphate and 0.05 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate, (pH 5.5) and 10% 1-propanol (70:30) at a flow rate of 1 mL min-1 with a UV detection at 210 nm. The second method depended on HPTLC method performed on HPTLC plates pre-coated with silica gel 60 F254 using a mobile phase consisting of n-butanol-acetic acid (7:3, v/v) and detection at 260 nm. Tenofovir alafenamide was subjected to stress conditions including alkaline and acidic degradation. Beer' law was obeyed over the concentration range of 1-18 µg mL-1 and 0.1-4 µg/spot for micellar UPLC and HPTLC methods, respectively. Both methods are successfully applied to the analysis of the drug in its tablets and validated according to ICH guidelines. In addition, their greenness was assessed using three different tools indicating their least hazardous effect on the environment.

Application of an artificial neural network for the improvement of agricultural drainage water quality using a submerged biofilter.

Artificial neural network (ANN) mathematical models, such as the radial basis function neural network (RBFNN), have been used successfully in different environmental engineering applications to provide a reasonable match between the measured and predicted concentrations of certain important parameters. In the current study, two RBFNNs (one conventional and one based on particle swarm optimization (PSO)) are employed to accurately predict the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from polluted water streams using submerged biofilter media (plastic and gravel) under the influence of different variables such as temperature (18.00-28.50 °C), flow rate (272.16-768.96 m3/day), and influent COD (55.50-148.90 ppm). The results of the experimental study showed that the COD removal ratio had the highest value (65%) when two plastic biofilter media were used at the minimum flow rate (272.16 m3/day). The mathematical model results showed that the closeness between the measured and obtained COD removal ratios using the RBFNN indicates that the neural network model is valid and accurate. Additionally, the proposed RBFNN trained with the PSO method helped to reduce the difference between the measured and network outputs, leading to a very small relative error compared with that using the conventional RBFNN. The deviation error between the measured value and the output of the conventional RBFNN varied between + 0.20 and - 0.31. However, using PSO, the deviation error varied between + 0.058 and - 0.070. Consequently, the performance of the proposed PSO model is better than that of the conventional RBFNN model, and it is able to reduce the number of iterations and reach the optimum solution in a shorter time. Thus, the proposed PSO model performed well in predicting the removal ratio of COD to improve the drain water quality. Improving drain water quality could help in reducing the contamination of groundwater which could help in protecting water resources in countries suffering from water scarcity such as Egypt.

Impact of epidermal growth factor receptor and transforming growth factor-α on hepatitis C virus-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

Epidermal growth factor receptor system plays a central hepato-protective and pro-regenerative role in liver. Transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) is an important autocrine growth regulator of hepatocytes that plays a role in development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). This study was done on 40 core liver biopsies from patients with CHC, 20 liver specimens from HCC cases on top of CHC as well as five normal controls. All were immunohistochemically stained with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and TGF-α antibodies. Some selected HCC cases were submitted for FISH technique to detect EGFR gene alteration. By immunohistochemistry EGFR and TGF-α were overexpressed in HCC and cirrhotic cases compared to CHC cases without cirrhosis. Also, their expression was stronger in CHC cases with higher grades of activity and stages of fibrosis compared to lower ones. FISH positive results for EGFR were detected in 33.3% of the examined HCC cases. EGFR and TGF-α can be used as predictive markers for activity, fibrosis, and carcinogenesis in CHC patients. Overexpression of EGFR in HCC patients can be promising in selecting those who can get benefit from anti-EGFR target therapy.