Appraisal of a newly developed ALBI-sarcopenia score as a prognostic marker in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the combined Albumin-bilirubin (ALBI)/sarcopenia score as a newly developed prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a focus on its utility in predicting mortality. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted on HCC patients who were followed for 1 year or until death. Sarcopenia was assessed radiologically by computed tomography at the level of L3. The study consisted of two sets: a development set in which the new ALBI-sarcopenia score was created, comprising 262 HCC patients, followed by an internal validation set with 100 patients. RESULTS: The development cohort primarily included males (69.5%), aged 59.6 ± 8.09 years. In patients with sarcopenia, the ALBI score was -2.03 ± 0.42 ( P < 0.006), the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was 11.29 ± 2.43 ( P < 0.001*), and the MELD-sarcopenia score was 21.29 ± 2.43 ( P < 0.001*). The distribution of barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) staging was as follows: BCLC A 18 (15.9%), BCLC B 63 (55.8%) and BCLC C 32 (28.3%) ( P < 0.001*), with a notable association with higher mortality ( P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified sarcopenia and ALBI scores as independent predictors of mortality in HCC ( P < 0.001*). In the development set, the ALBI-sarcopenia score successfully predicted mortality at a cutoff >-11 with an area under a curve of 0.837 (95% CI, 0.784-0.889), while in the validation set, it predicted mortality at a cutoff >-11.55 with an area under a curve of 0.842 (95% CI, 0.753-0.930). CONCLUSION: The newly introduced ALBI-sarcopenia score has demonstrated superior effectiveness in comparison to MELD-sarcopenia score, overcoming the shortcomings associated MELD score in forecasting outcomes for patients with HCC.

Synergistic Influence of Arbuscular mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculation with Nanoparticle Foliar Application Enhances Chili (Capsicum annuum L.) Antioxidant Enzymes, Anatomical Characteristics, and Productivity under Cold-Stress Conditions.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungus (AMF) inoculation, foliar application of zinc oxide and selenium nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs and Se-NPs), and their combined interactions on the growth and productivity of chili pepper under cold-stress conditions. Two field experiments were successfully conducted during the winter seasons of 2021 and 2022 in an experimental field at the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. The results showed that, under cold stress, the combination of AMF inoculation and ZnO-NPs + Se-NPs as a foliar spray increased the average fruit weight by 92.4% and 98.7%, and the number of fruits by 34.6% and 54.8 compared to control treatment in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively. Additionally, the combination of AMF and a mixture of nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs + Se-NPs) significantly increased the total marketable yield by 95.8% and 94.7% compared to the control, which recorded values of 2.4 and 1.9 kg m-2 in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively. Furthermore, the combination of AMF and a mixture of nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs + Se-NPs) showed the highest total content of ascorbic acid and capsaicin in chili fruits compared to the other treatments. The combination of AMF and a mixture of nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs + Se-NPs) stimulated the accumulation of peroxidase (POD) and nitrogen glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) while decreasing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and lipid peroxidation (MDA) contents. SDS analysis revealed that the application of ZnO-NPs, Se-NPs, AMF + ZnO-NPs, and AMF + ZnO-NPs + Se-NPs induced the emergence of new protein bands and reconstitution of those damaged by cold stress. Regarding histological structure, the combination of AMF inoculation and ZnO-NPs + Se-NPs as a foliar spray showed an enhancement in the thickness of grana thylakoids and increased the number of chloroplasts. Intriguingly, the findings showed that AMF and a mixture of nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs + Se-NPs) could offer guidance for increasing plant development and productivity under cold-stress conditions.

Novel tetrahydroisoquinolines as DHFR and CDK2 inhibitors: synthesis, characterization, anticancer activity and antioxidant properties.

In this study, we synthesized new 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinolines and 6,7,8,9-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-c]isoquinolines based on 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenyl moiety as expected anticancer and/or antioxidant agents. The structure of all synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectral date (FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR) and elemental analysis. We evaluated the anticancer activity of these compounds toward two cell lines: A459 cell line (lung cancer cells) and MCF7 cell line (breast cancer cells). All tested compounds showed moderate to strong anti-cancer activity towards the two cell lines. Compound 7e exhibited the most potent cytotoxic activity against A549 cell line (IC50: 0.155 µM) while compound 8d showed the most potent one against MCF7 cell line (IC50: 0.170 µM) in comparison with doxorubicin. In addition, we examined the effect of compounds 7e and 8d regarding the growth of A549 and MCF7 cell lines, employing flow cytometry and Annexin V-FITC apoptotic assay. Our results showed that compound 7e caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase with a 79-fold increase in apoptosis of A459 cell line. Moreover, compound 8d caused cell cycle arrest at the S phase with a 69-fold increase in apoptosis of MCF7 cell line. Furthermore, we studied the activity of these compounds as enzyme inhibitors against several enzymes. Our findings by docking and experimental studies that compound 7e is a potent CDK2 inhibitor with IC50 of 0.149 µM, compared to the Roscovitine control drug with IC50 of 0.380 µM. We also found that compound 8d is a significant DHFR inhibitor with an IC50 of 0.199 µM, compared to Methotrexate control drug with IC50 of 0.131 µM. Evaluation of the antioxidant properties of ten compounds was also studied in comparison with Vitamin C. Compounds 1, 3, 6, 7c and 8e have higher antioxidant activity than Vitamin C which mean that these compounds can used as potent antioxidant drugs.

Anti-Culex pipiens activity of different pomegranate cultivars and determination of their bioactive compounds using LC-MS profiling.

INTRODUCTION: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peels are rich in various bioactive compounds. Characterization of these compounds is crucial for the utilization of peel waste in industrial processing. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed (1) to establish and compare the metabolic profiles of the peel of seven pomegranate cultivars and (2) to identify bioactive compounds contributing to the larvicidal activity against the third instar larvae of Culex pipiens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: UPLC-ESI-MS/MS was utilized to analyze peel methanol extracts of different pomegranate cultivars. The larvicidal activity was determined by calculating the larval mortality among the third instar larvae of C. pipiens. Multivariate data analysis was conducted to identify the metabolites that exhibited a larvicidal effect. RESULTS: A total of 24 metabolites, including hydrolyzable tannins, flavonoids, and alkaloids, were tentatively identified in both negative and positive ionization modes. The extract of cultivar 'Black' exhibited the most potent larvicidal effect with LC50 values of 185.15, 156.84, and 138.12 ppm/mL after 24, 48, and 72 h of treatment, respectively. By applying chemometric techniques, the larvicidal activity could be directly correlated to the bioactive compounds punicalagin, quercetin-O-rhamnoside, quercetin-O-pentoside, and galloyl-HHDP-glucose. CONCLUSION: The present study implemented UPLC-ESI-MS/MS and chemometric techniques as potential tools for metabolomics analysis and differentiation between peels of different pomegranate cultivars. In addition, cultivar 'Black' extract could be a promising natural insecticide against mosquitoes since it is rich in bioactive compounds with larvicidal activity.

Ras Association Domain Family 1A Gene Promoter Methylation as a Biomarker for Chronic Viral Hepatitis C-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background One of the most prevalent aberrant epigenetic modifications found in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is abnormal DNA methylation. Our study aimed to evaluate serum Ras association domain family 1A (RASSF1A) gene promoter methylation in patients with chronic viral hepatitis C (HCV)-associated liver cirrhosis with and without HCC as a potential new marker for the early detection of HCC. Methodology The 60 participants who participated in the trial were divided into the following three groups: 20 patients with newly diagnosed primary HCC on top of HCV-related liver cirrhosis, 20 patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis, and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals as a control group. All participants underwent methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction testing to detect the blood level of the RASSF1A gene's methylated promoter. Results Methylated RASSF1A was found in 30% of patients with liver cirrhosis caused by HCV and in 65% of patients with HCC, but not in any of the controls. It was discovered that the serum methylation RASSF1A had an accuracy of 82.50% and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.825 for separating HCC patients from healthy controls. With an AUC of 0.675 and an accuracy of 67.50%, it was able to differentiate patients with HCC from those with HCV-related liver cirrhosis. Additionally, there was no statistically significant association between RASSF1A methylation status and HCC mass size (p = 0.449). Conclusions Serum RASSF1A promoter methylation status detection could be useful for detecting HCC early, especially in high-risk individuals such as those with HCV.

Antimicrobial activities of metabolites isolated from endophytic Aspergillus flavus of Sarcophyton ehrenbergi supported by in-silico study and NMR spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Endophytic Aspergillus species produce countless valuable bioactive secondary metabolites. In the current study, Aspergillus flavus an endophyte from the soft coral Sarcophyton ehrenbergi was chemically explored and the extracted phytoconstituents were subsequently evaluated for antimicrobial activity. This is accomplished by employing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and computational techniques. Additionally, An in vitro anticancer analysis of A. flavus total extract against breast cancer cells (MCF-7) was investigated. RESULT: Six compounds were separated from the crude alcohol extract of the endophytic Aspergillus flavus out of which anhydro-mevalonolactone was reported for the first time. The anti-fungal and anti-Helicobacter pylori properties of two distinct compounds (Scopularides A and B) were assessed. Additionally, computational research was done to identify the binding mechanisms for all compounds. Both the compounds were found to be active against H. pylori with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 7.81 to 15.63 µg/ mL as compared with clarithromycin 1.95 µg/ mL. Scopularides A was potent against both Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger with MIC values ranging from 3.9 to 31.25 µg/ mL, while scopularides B only inhibits Candida albicans with MIC value of 15.63 µg/ mL and weak inhibitory activity against A. niger (MIC = 125 µg/ mL). Furthermore, cytotoxic activity showed a significant effect (IC50: 30.46 mg/mL) against MCF-7 cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings report that cytotoxic activity and molecular docking support the antimicrobial activity of Aspergillus flavus, which could be a promising alternative source as a potential antimicrobial agent.

Ultrasounds assisted one-pot oxidative desulfurization of model fuel using green synthesized aluminum terephthalate [MIL-53(Al)].

Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) is considered to be one of the most promising desulfurization processes as it is energy-efficient and requires mild operating conditions. In this study, a novel green synthesized Al- based metal-organic framework with high surface area has been synthesized hydrothermally using waste polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PET) as a source of terephthalic acid as an organic linker. The prepared Al based MOF have been characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The catalytic activity of the prepared Al-MOF was evaluated in the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of both modeled and real crude oil samples. The different operating parameters (temperature, time, catalyst dose, oxidant loading and sonication) on the ODS performance have been optimized. The optimal conditions for maximum removal of thiophene from modeled oil samples were found to be 30 min, 0.5 g of catalyst and 1:3 oil to oxidant ratio. Under the optimized conditions, sulfur removal in real oil samples obtained from Alexandria petroleum company was 90%. The results revealed that, the presented approach is credited to cost-effectiveness, environmental benignity, and ease of preparation, predicting great prospects for desulfurization of fuel oils on a commercial level.

Insights into the Role of Erythrina corallodendron L. in Alzheimer's Disease: in Vitro and in Silico Approach.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major health problem. Cholinergic transmission is greatly affected in AD. Phytochemical investigation of the alkaloid rich fraction (AF) of Erythrina corallodendron L leaves resulted in isolation of five known alkaloids: erysodine, erythrinine, 8-oxoerythrinine, erysovine N-oxide and erythrinine N-oxide. In this study, eysovine N-oxide was reported for the second time in nature. AF was assayed for cholinesterase inhibition at the concentration of 100 µg mL-1 . AF showed a higher percent inhibition for butyrylcholinesterase enzyme (BuChE) (83.28 %) compared to acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) (64.64 %). The isolated alkaloids were also assayed for their anti-BuChE effect. In-silico docking study was done for the isolated compounds at the binding sites of AChE and BuChE to determine their binding pattern and interactions, also molecular dynamics were estimated for the compound displaying the best fit for AChE and BuChE. In addition, ADME parameters and toxicity were predicted for the isolated alkaloids compared to donepezil.

Long Non-coding RNA Genes Polymorphisms H19 (rs2251375) and MALAT1 (rs3200401) Association with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Their Correlation with Disease Activity in a Cohort of Egyptian Patients: A Pilot Study.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive, inflammatory, autoimmune disease that could be disabling throughout its course. It affects people in their most reproductive years with relatively high morbidity and mortality. Long non-coding RNAs became one of the epigenetic mechanisms to prove a link to RA pathogenesis and development, including H19 and MALAT1 genes. These two genes' expressions had proved to increase in multiple diseases, attracting attention to their polymorphisms and their possible risk role. Assess the association between H19 SNP (rs2251375) and MALAT1 SNP (rs3200401) and the susceptibility of RA and its disease activity. In this pilot study, 200 hundred subjects (100 RA patients and 100 healthy controls) were investigated for a possible link between the polymorphisms H19 SNP (rs2251375) and MALAT1 SNP (3200401) and RA susceptibility and disease activity. RA-related investigations and clinical assessment were done. Real-time PCR genotyping of both SNPs was done using TaqMan® MGB probes. There was no association between the SNPs and risk of developing RA. However, both SNPs had a significant association with high disease activity. H19 SNP (rs2251375) heterozygous genotype CA had an association with elevated levels of ESR (p = 0.04) and higher DAS28-ESR score (p = 0.03). MALAT1 (rs3200401) C allele had an association with elevated ESR (p = 0.001), DAS28-ESR (p = 0.03), and DAS28-CRP (p = 0.007), while CC genotype had an association with DAS28-CRP (p = 0.015). Linkage disequilibrium and haplotyping of the alleles of both SNPs were analyzed as both genes are present on chromosome 11, but no significant association was found between any of the combinations of the alleles (p > 0.05), denoting that (rs2251375) and (rs3200401) are not in linkage disequilibrium. There is no association between H19 SNP (rs2251375) and MALAT1 SNP (rs3200401) and the susceptibility of RA. However, there is an association between H19 SNP (rs2251375) genotype CA and MALAT1 SNP (rs3200401) genotype CC with RA high disease activity.

Essential Oil of Cestrum diurnum L.: GC/MS Analysis, in Vitro and in Silico Anti-HCoV-229E Effects and Inhibitory Activity against LPS-Induced Inflammation.

Cestrum diurnum L. (Solanaceae) is a fragrant ornamental tree cultivated in different parts around the world. In this study, the essential oil (EO) of the aerial parts was extracted by hydrodistillation (HD), steam distillation (SD) and microwave-assisted hydro-distillation (MAHD). GC/MS analysis of the three EOs revealed that phytol represents the major component in SD-EO and MAHD-EO (40.84 and 40.04 %, respectively); while in HD-EO it only represented 15.36 %. The SD-EO showed a strong antiviral activity against HCoV-229E with IC50 of 10.93 µg/mL, whereas, MAHD-EO and HD-EO showed a moderate activity with IC50 values of 119.9 and 148.2 µg/mL, respectively. The molecular docking of EO major components: phytol, octadecyl acetate and tricosane showed a strong binding to coronavirus 3-CL (pro). Moreover, the three EOs (50 µg/mL) decreased the levels of NO, IL-6 and TNF-α and suppressed IL-6 and TNF-α gene expression in LPS-induced inflammation model in RAW264.7 macrophage cell lines.

Protective Efficacy of Inactivated H9N2 Vaccine in Turkey Poults under Both Experimental and Field Conditions.

Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H9N2 virus is one of the major poultry pathogens associated with severe economic losses in the poultry industry (broiler, layers, breeders, and grandparents' flocks), especially in endemic regions including the Middle East, North Africa, and Asian countries. This work is an attempt to evaluate the efficacy of whole inactivated H9N2 vaccine (MEFLUVACTM H9) in turkey poults kept under laboratory and commercial farm conditions. Here, 10,000 white turkey poults (1-day old) free from maternally derived immunity against H9N2 virus were divided into four groups; G1 involved 10 vaccinated birds kept under biosafety level-3 (BLS-3) as a laboratory vaccinated and challenged group, while G2 had 9970 vaccinated turkeys raised on a commercial farm. Ten of those birds were moved to BLS-3 for daily cloacal and tracheal swabbing to check for the absence of any life-threating disease, before conducting analyses. G3 (10 birds) served as a non-vaccinated challenged control under BSL-3 conditions, while G4 (10 birds) was used as a non-vaccinated and non-challenged control under BSL-3 conditions. Sera were collected on days 7-, 14-, 21-, and 28-post-vaccinations to monitor the humoral immune response using a hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test. At these same intervals, cloacal and tracheal swabs were also checked for any viral infection. The challenge was conducted 28 days post-vaccination (PV) using AI-H9N2 in BSL-3 by intranasal inoculation of 6-log10 embryo infective dose50 (EID50). At 3-, 6-, and 10-days post-challenge, oropharyngeal swabs were taken from challenged birds to quantify viral shedding by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results of this study showed that vaccinated groups (G1/2) developed HI titers of 1.38, 4.38, 5.88, and 7.25 log2 in G1 vs. 1.2, 3.8, 4.9 and 6.2 log2 in G2 when measured at 7-, 14-, 21- and 28-days PV, respectively, while undetectable levels were recorded in non-vaccinated groups (G3/4). Birds in G3 showed 90% clinical sickness vs. 10% and 20% in G1/2, respectively, over a 10-day monitoring period following challenge. Vaccinated birds showed a significant reduction in virus shedding in terms of the number of shedders, amount of shed virus and shedding interval over the non-vaccinated challenged birds. Regarding mortality, all groups did not show any mortality, which confirms that the circulating H9N2 virus still has low pathogenicity and cannot cause mortality. However, the virus may cause up to 90% clinical sickness in non-vaccinated birds vs. 10% and 20% in laboratory- and farm-vaccinated birds, respectively, highlighting the role of the vaccine in limiting clinical sickness cases. In conclusion, under the current trial circumstances, MEFLUVACTM-H9 provided protective seroconversion titers, significant clinical sickness protection and significant reduction in virus shedding either in laboratory- or farm-vaccinated groups after a single vaccine dose.

Rootstock Priming with Shikimic Acid and Streptomyces griseus for Growth, Productivity, Physio-Biochemical, and Anatomical Characterisation of Tomato Grown under Cold Stress.

With this research, we aimed to determine the impact of grafting and rootstock seed treated with Streptomyces griseus (MT210913) (S. griseus) or shikimic acid (SA) at a 60 ppm concentration on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production grown under low-temperature conditions. Two open-field trials were performed during both winter seasons of 2020 and 2021 at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. A tomato cultivar (Peto 86) was used as a scion and two tomato phenotypes were employed as rootstocks (Solanum cheesmaniae L. (line LA 524) and GS hybrid), as well as self-grafted as a control. Effects of sub-optimal temperature on vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality were tested. The results indicate that, under cold stress, rootstock seed priming, especially with S. griseus, enhanced plant growth, total yield, and fruit quality properties. GS hybrid rootstock was more effective than that of S. cheesmaniae rootstock in terms of mitigating the negative effect of cold stress. GS hybrid, inoculated with S. griseus, increased the total yield per plant by 10.5% and 5.7% in the first and second seasons, respectively. Higher levels of GA3 and mineral content were noticed in leaves that were grafted and treated with S. griseus compared to the control treatment. Additionally, the great enhancing effects of all anatomical features of tomato plants were recorded with GS hybrid rootstock, inoculated by S. griseus. These results prove that grafting on GS hybrid rootstock treated with S. griseus is a potential choice to alleviate the cold stress of commercial tomato varieties.

Evaluation of antiviral activity of Carica papaya leaves against SARS-CoV-2 assisted by metabolomic profiling.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge health crisis all over the globe. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the disease and it is highly contagious leaving millions of confirmed infected cases and a dangerous death toll. Carica papaya is a tropical plant known for its antiviral activity since it possesses different classes of compounds that are believed to combat various viral classes. In this study, the extracts prepared from C. papaya leaves cultivated in Egypt were evaluated for their anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity using crystal violet assay and for their cytotoxicity through MTT assay. The total methanolic extract, n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol fractions of papaya leaves were used in the study and the results revealed that the n-hexane fraction has a high anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity with an IC50 value = 1.98 µg mL-1. Moreover, it also showed a high selectivity index value = 104.7. Dereplication of the secondary metabolites in the crude methanolic extract of C. papaya leaves revealed the presence of different classes of compounds including sterols, terpenes, fatty acid, alkaloids and flavonoids that are known to possess antiviral activities against various classes of viruses. The current study was assisted by molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and MM-PBSA calculations for the annotated compounds against 6 SARS-CoV-2 target proteins. The results of these in silico-based investigations showed high to moderate binding on the targeted proteins. This postulation may instigate further research studies concerning the compounds responsible for this high anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of the n-hexane fraction of C. papaya leaves.

GC/MS profiling of essential oils from Bontia daphnoides L., chemometric discrimination, isolation of dehydroepingaione and evaluation of antiviral activity.

Bontia daphnoides L. has been utilized in traditional medicine for treatment of herpes, cough and colds. The aim of this study was to analyze the volatile constituents of this plant by GC/MS (Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry) and to assess their antiviral activity. A total of 64 compounds were identified where dehydroepingaione represented 83.60, 72.36, 58.78 and 34.18% in the leaves, stems, flowers and fruits, respectively. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed the discrimination of the organs as the leaves and stems were distributed in the same cluster in contrast to the flowers and fruits. Furthermore, the antiviral activity was assessed where the oils of leaves and stems exhibited potent antiviral activity displaying IC50 of 11.98, 12.62 µg/ml against HSV-1 and 13.34, 14.50 µg/ml against CoxB4, respectively. Dehydroepingaione was isolated from the n-hexane fraction of the leaves and showed activity against HSV-1 and CoxB with IC50 of 24.46 and 25.32 µg/ml, respectively. Molecular modelling studies illustrated that the major compounds showed good affinity towards HSV type-1 thymidine kinase. Therefore, it can be concluded that the oils from B. daphnoides have promising antiviral activity that may be attributed to the major oxygenated sesquiterpenes.

A potential herbal therapeutic for trichinellosis.

Background: Trichinellosis is a helminthic disease caused by Trichinella spiralis via the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat of infected animals. Current estimates indicate that 11 million humans have trichinellosis, worldwide. The effective use of anti-trichinella medications is limited by side effects and resistance which highlight the critical need for safe and effective drugs, particularly those derived from medicinal plants. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the ethanolic extract of Artemisia annua (A. annua) in treatment of experimentally induced trichinellosis. Materials and methods: Trichinellosis was induced experimentally in male 6-8 weeks BALB/c mice. BALB/c mice were divided into four groups, 10 mice each. One group was left uninfected and untreated, whereas three groups were infected with T. spiralis. One infected group of mice was left untreated (negative control) while the remaining two infected groups received either 300 mg/kg of the ethanolic extract of A. annua or 50 mg/kg of albendazole (positive control). All treatments started from the third day post-infection (dpi) for 3 successive days. All animals were sacrificed on the 7th dpi for evaluation of treatment efficacy. Results: Our findings showed that A. annua treatment reduced the T. spiralis adult-worm count in the intestine of infected animals. Moreover, treatment with A. annua restored the normal intestinal architecture, reduced edema, alleviated inflammation as demonstrated by reduced inflammatory infiltrate and expression of TGF-ß in intestinal tissues of A. annua-treated animals compared to infected untreated animals. Conclusions: Our findings show that A. annua extract is effective in treating experimentally induced trichinellosis which highlight the therapeutic potential of A. annua for intestinal trichinellosis.

Unravelling the Effect of Triacontanol in Combating Drought Stress by Improving Growth, Productivity, and Physiological Performance in Strawberry Plants.

To explore the effects of triacontanol (TR) on drought tolerance of strawberry plants (cv Fertona), two field experiments were carried out to study the effects of three supplementary foliar TR rates (0, 0.5, and 1 ppm) under the following three levels of water irrigation: 11 m3/hectare (40% of water holding capacity (WHC) severe as a drought treatment, 22 m3/hectare (80% of WHC) as moderate drought stress, and normal irrigation with 27 m3/hectare (100% of WHC) server as a control treatment. TR treatments were applied five times after 30 days from transplanting and with 15-day intervals. The results showed that drought stress (40% and 80%) markedly decreased the growth, fruit yield, and chlorophyll reading, as well as the gas exchange parameters (net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate). Meanwhile, drought stress at a high rate obviously increased antioxidant enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), and catalase (CAT) contents in the leaves of the strawberry plants. The moderate and high drought stress rates enhanced some strawberry fruit quality parameters such as total soluble solids (TSS), vitamin C, and anthocyanin content compared to the control. Additionally, TR increased the activities of SOD, POX, and CAT. TR treatment significantly increased the chlorophyll contents, gas exchange parameters (photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance), and water use efficiency (WUE). Plant height, fruit weight, and total biomass were increased also via TR application. Total yield per plant was increased 12.7% using 1 ppm of TR compared with the control. In conclusion, our results suggested that TR application could relieve the adverse effects of drought stress on the growth of strawberry plants by enhancing the antioxidant enzymes, photosynthesis rate, and WUE of the leaves.

Ginger Is a Potential Therapeutic for Chronic Toxoplasmosis.

Background:Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an opportunistic parasite that causes serious diseases in humans, particularly immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women. To date, there are limited numbers of therapeutics for chronic toxoplasmosis which necessitate the discovery of effective and safe therapeutics. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the antitoxoplasmosis potential of ginger extract in mice with experimentally induced chronic toxoplasmosis. Results: Treatment with ginger extract significantly reduced cysts count in the brains of T. gondii-infected mice with a marked alleviation of edema and inflammation, and a reversal of neuronal injury. Moreover, ginger extract treatment reduced inflammation in liver and lungs and protected hepatocytes from infection-induced degeneration. Consistently, apoptosis was significantly mitigated in the brains of ginger extract-treated mice compared to infected untreated animals or spiramycin-treated animals. Methods: Four groups of Swiss albino mice (10 mice each) were used. The first group was not infected, whereas 3 groups were infected with Me49 T. gondii strains. One infected group remained untreated (infected untreated), whereas the other two infected groups were treated with either ginger extract (250 mg/kg) or spiramycin (positive control; 100 mg/kg), respectively. The therapeutic potential of ginger extract was evaluated by calculation of the parasite burden in infected animals, and examination of the infected tissues for reduced pathologic changes. Conclusions: Our results showed for the first time that ginger extract exhibited marked therapeutic effects in mice with chronic T. gondii infection which indicates that it can be used as a safe and effective treatment for chronic toxoplasmosis.

Cyclodepsipeptides: Isolation from Endophytic Fungi of Sarcophyton ehrenbergi and Verification of Their Larvicidal Activity via In-Vitro and In-Silico Studies.

Culex pipiens mosquitoes are vectors to many viruses and can transmit diseases such as filariasis and avian malaria. The present study evaluated the larvicidal activity of marine-derived endophytic fungi Aspergillus nomius and Aspergillus flavus from the soft coral Sarcophyton ehrenbergi along with two known cyclodepsipeptide compounds, scopularide A (1) and B (2), isolated from A. flavus extract, against third-instar larvae of C. pipiens, using distilled water as a negative control and toosenedanin as a positive control. The structures of the isolated compounds were confirmed by various spectroscopic analyses. The lethal concentrations (LC50 and LC90) were calculated by probit analysis. Scopularide A was the most potent after 96 h treatment, with LC50 and LC90 values of 58.96 and 994.31 ppm, respectively, and with 82.66% mortality at a concentration of 300 ppm. To unravel the biochemical mechanism of the tested extracts and compounds, their effects against protease, chitinase, phenoloxidases and lipase enzymes from the whole-body tissue of C. pipiens were evaluated after 72 h treatment at LC50 dose. Superior activity was observed for A. flavus extract against all tested enzymes. A molecular docking study was conducted for scopularide A and B on the four tested enzymes, to further verify the observed activity. Results revealed good binding affinities for both compounds as compared to the docked ligands, mainly via a number of hydrogen bonds. This was the first study to report the isolation of endophytic fungi A. flavus and A. nomius from the marine soft coral S. ehrenbergi. The endophytic fungal extract of A. flavus was found to be a promising source for a natural larvicidal agent against C. pipiens populations.

Nitrophenyl-Group-Containing Heterocycles. I. Synthesis, Characterization, Crystal Structure, Anticancer Activity, and Antioxidant Properties of Some New 5,6,7,8-Tetrahydroisoquinolines Bearing 3(4)-Nitrophenyl Group.

Regioselective cyclocondensation of 2,4-diacetyl-5-hydroxy-5-methyl-3-(3-nitrophenyl/4-nitrophenyl)cyclohexanones 1a,b with cyanothioacetamide afforded the corresponding 7-acetyl-4-cyano-1,6-dimethyl-6-hydroxy-8-(3- and -4-nitrophenyl)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrosoquinoline-3(2H)-thiones 2a,b. Reaction of compounds 2a,b with ethyl iodide, 2-chloroacetamide (4a), or its N-aryl derivatives 4b-e in the presence of sodium acetate trihydrate gave 3-ethylthio-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinoline 3 and (5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinolin-3-ylthio)acetamides 5a-i, respectively. Cyclization of compounds 5b-d,f,g into their isomeric 1-amino-6,7,8,9-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-c]isoquinoline-2-carboxamides 6b-d,f,g was achieved by heating in ethanol containing a catalytic amount of sodium carbonate. Structures of all synthesized compounds were characterized on the basis of their elemental analyses and spectroscopic data. The crystal structure of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinoline 5d was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. In addition, the biological evaluation of some synthesized compounds as anticancer agents was performed, and only six compounds showed moderate to strong activity against PACA2 (pancreatic cancer cell line) and A549 (lung carcinoma cell line). Moreover, the antioxidant properties of most synthesized compounds were examined. The results revealed high antioxidant activity for the most tested compounds.

Ameliorating effects of probiotics on alterations in iron homeostasis and inflammation in COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) and still threatens human life. This pandemic is still causing increased mortality throughout the world. Many recent studies have been conducted to discover the pathophysiology of this virus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: However, in this narrative review, we attempted to summarize some of the alterations in physiological pathways that were evident in this viral invasion. Excessive inflammation that progresses to cytokine storm, changes in humoral and cell-mediated immunity, and observed alterations in iron metabolism are included in the pathogenesis of the virus. Iron homeostasis disturbances may persist for more than two months after the onset of COVID-19, which may lead to reduced iron bioavailability, hypoferremia, hyperferritinemia, impaired hemoglobin, and red blood cell synthesis. Furthermore, hypoferriemia may impair immune system function. Until now, the traditional treatments discovered are still being tried. RESULTS: However, using probiotics as an adjuvant was shown to have beneficial effects on both iron homeostasis and immunity in COVID-19. Herein, we discussed the possible mechanisms achieved by probiotics to ameliorate iron and immunity changes based on the available literature. CONCLUSION: We concluded that supplementing probiotics with conventional therapy may improve COVID-19 symptoms and outcomes. Taking into consideration the use of good quality probiotics and appropriate dosage, undesirable effects can be avoided.