Comprehensive evaluation of zeolite/marine alga nanocomposite in the removal of waste dye from industrial wastewater.

A systematic study integrating laboratory, analytical, and case study field trial was conducted to figure out the effective adsorbent that could be used for the removal of Congo red (CR) dye from industrial wastewater effluent. The ability of the zeolite (Z) to adsorb CR dye from aqueous solutions was evaluated after it was modified by the Cystoseira compressa algae (CC) (Egyptian marine algae). Zeolite, CC algae were combined together in order to form the new composite zeolite/algae composite (ZCC) using wet impregnation technique and then characterized by the aid of different techniques. A noticeable enhancement in the adsorption capacity of newly synthesized ZCC was observed if compared to Z and CC, particularly at low CR concentrations. The batch style experiment was selected to figure out the impact of various experimental conditions on the adsorption behavior of different adsorbents. Moreover, isotherms and kinetics were estimated. According to the experimental results, the newly synthesized ZCC composite might be applied optimistically as an adsorbent for eliminating anionic dye molecules from industrial wastewater at low dye concentration. The dye adsorption on Z and ZCC followed the Langmuir isotherm, while that of CC followed the Freundlich isotherm. The dye adsorption kinetics on ZCC, CC, and Z were agreed with Elovich, intra-particle, and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, correspondingly. Adsorption mechanisms were also assessed using Weber's intraparticle diffusion model. Finally, field tests showed that the newly synthesized sorbent has a 98.5% efficient in eliminating dyes from industrial wastewater, authorizing the foundation for a recent eco-friendly adsorbent that facilitate industrial wastewater reuse.

Activated carbon derived from sugarcane and modified with natural zeolite for efficient adsorption of methylene blue dye: experimentally and theoretically approaches.

The introduction of activated carbon/natural zeolite (AC/NZ) as an efficient and reliable nanoadsorbent for enhancing methylene blue (MB) dye adsorption. By calcining sugarcane waste at various temperatures between 500 and 900 °C, activated carbons (ACs) are formed. Both XRD and SEM were used for the characterization of the prepared adsorbents. Adsorption measurements for the removal of MB dye were made on the impact of pH, beginning MB concentration, and contact time. The maximum AC500/NZ adsorption capacity for MB dye at 25 °C, pH 7, and an AC500/NZ mass of 50 mg was found to be approximately 51 mg/g at an initial concentration of 30 ppm. The pseudo-second-order kinetics model and the Temkin isotherm model describe the adsorption process. The Temkin model shows that the adsorption energy is 1.0 kcal/mol, indicating that the MB-to-AC500/NZ adsorption process occurs physically. Our Monte Carlo (MC) simulation studies supported our findings and showed that the Van der Waals dispersion force was responsible for the MB molecule's physical adsorption. The AC500/NZ adsorbent is thought to be a strong contender for water remediation.

Design, characterization, and adsorption properties of Padina gymnospora/zeolite nanocomposite for Congo red dye removal from wastewater.

A comprehensive study combined experimental, computational and field experiments was conducted to find out the most appropriate adsorbent system for industrial elimination of congo red (CR) dye from simulated industrial wastewater. Modification of the zeolite (Z) by the Padina gymnospora algae (PG) (Egyptian marine algae) was evaluated in terms of the adsorption capability of the zeolite (Z) to remove CR dye from aqueous solutions. The zeolite/algae composite (ZPG) was fabricated using the wet impregnation technique. Various techniques were used to characterize the PG, Z, and the produced ZPG nanocomposite. Batch experiments were performed to study the influence of various practical variables on adsorption processes. The isotherms and kinetics of dye adsorption were also studied. The newly synthesized ZPG nanocomposite exhibits much higher adsorption capacity, especially at low CR concentrations than that of Z. The computational calculations have shown that owing to the presence of intermolecular interactions, the adsorption of the CR molecule on zeolite surfaces is exothermic, energetically favorable, and spontaneous. For all configurations, increasing the zeolite size does not have a noticeable impact on the adsorption energies. The experimental results revealed that the ZPG nanocomposite can be applied as an economical nanoadsorbent to eliminate anionic dyes from simulated industrial wastewater at low CR dye concentrations. The adsorption isotherm of dye onto Z, PG, and ZPG almost agreed with Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics. The sorption mechanism was also evaluated using Weber's intra-particle diffusion module. Finally, the field experiments revealed optimistic results for the newly synthesized adsorbent in removing dyes from industrial wastewater with 82.1% efficiency, which in turn confirmed the foundation of new eco-friendly materials that aid in the reuse of industrial wastewater.

Experimentally and theoretically approaches for disperse red 60 dye adsorption on novel quaternary nanocomposites.

A comprehensive study that combined both experimental and computational experiments was performed to evaluate the usage of organo-metal oxide nanocomposite for the elimination of disperse red 60 dye (DR) from aqueous solutions. Chitosan was modified by Schiff base to form nanoneedles chitosan-4-chloroacetophenone derivative. The derivatives were then impregnated with CeO2-CuO-Fe2O3 or CeO2-CuO-Al2O3 metal oxides to prepare a novel quarternary organo-metal oxide nanocomposite. The novel nanocomposite, chitosan-4-chloroacetophenone/CeO2-CuO-Fe2O3 (CF) and chitosan-4-chloroacetophenone/CeO2-CuO-Al2O3 (CA) are cheap and effective nano adsorbents that can be used for the uptake of DR from aqueous solution. The CF and CA nano-composites were characterized using different techniques. Moreover, the effect of adsorption parameters (initial DR concentration, time of contact, pH, temperature, and adsorbent mass) as well as CA and CF reusability tests were performed. Langmuir adsorption isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics models were best fitted with the adsorption process. The maximum amount of DR adsorbed was 100 mg/g on CF and CA at pH 2 and 4, respectively with a physical spontaneous, and exothermic adsorption process. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation studies indicated the adsorption of DR molecule on the CF and CA surfaces following a parallel mode in most of all studied configurations, confirming the strong interactions between the DR and surfaces atoms of CF and CA. The molecular structure analysis of DR dye adsorbed on the surface of CF and CA indicated that the adsorption process related to Van der Waals dispersion force. Consequently, this helps to trap DR dye molecules on the surface of CF and CA (i.e., physical adsorption), which supports our experimental results.

Synthesis, biological activity and molecular modeling study of novel 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4,5]tetrazines and 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4]triazines.

Different novel 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4,5]tetrazines and 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4]triazines have been obtained from heterocyclization of 3-substituted-4-amino-5-substituted-amino-1,2,4-triazoles (3a-d) and 3-substituted-4-amino-5-hydrazino-1,2,4-triazoles (9a,b) with (α and ß) bifunctional compounds like chloromethyl biphenyl-phosphanoxide, pyruvic acid, phenacyl bromide, diethyl oxalate, triethyl orthoformate, triethyl phosphite, fluorinated benzaldehydes, carbon disulfide and ethyl chloroformate under different experimental settings. Fourier transformer infrared analysis (FTIR), Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), as well as that of the mass spectral data, were used as the appropriate characterization techniques for the chemical structures of all newly synthesized compounds. The newly prepared compounds were examined as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial agents (against E. coli (Escherichia coli) and P. aeruginosa (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) as examples for Gram-negative bacteria and S. aureus (Staphylococcus aureus) as examples for Gram-positive bacteria), as well as antifungal (against C. albicans (Candida albicans)) agents. The newly prepared compound showed high antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activities in comparing with the commercial antibiotics Indomethacin, Nalidixic acid, Imipenem, and Nystatin. Docking of the most active compounds was performed depending on the results of antibacterial screening and the anti-inflammatory assay.

Adsorption of Cd2+ and Cr3+ ions from aqueous solutions by using residue of Padina gymnospora waste as promising low-cost adsorbent.

Recently, a great attention has been given for applying a low-cost and effective adsorbents instead of expensive and dangerous chemical materials as a promising approach to treat wastewater. In this work, residue powder of brown macroalga Padina gymnospora (RPG), after extracting most of its active components by 70% methanol, was used as an adsorbent material for wastewater treatment. This work also reduces the costs of residue disposal. The adsorption ability of RPG is studied for removing Cd2+ and Cr3+from wastewater. We investigated metal adsorption isotherms and kinetics, the effect of initial metal concentration, contact time, adsorbent dosage, temperature, pH and the RPG reusability on metal ions removal. The results showed that the removal % generally increases with decreasing concentration of metal ions. RPG has higher metal removal percentages reaching 96.2% and 78.8% for Cd2+ and Cr3+, respectively, with a maxiumum adsorption capacity of 96.46 and 31.52 mg/g for Cd 2+ and Cr3+,respectively at pH 6.2, 50 mg, 25 °C and initial metal concentration of 100 mg/L. The metal ions removal % increased by increasing the dosage of adsorbent and it decreased after a certain limit. The metal removal % slightly changes with increasing temperature for Cd2+ and decreased at high-temperature for Cr3+. The adsorption increased with increasing pH value from 3 to 5, and decreases at pH value of 6.2 then it increased again at pH 8. The removal % and adsorption capacity at pH 8 reaches 99.58%, 99.65%, 99.85 mg/g and 39.86 mg/g for Cd2+ and Cr3+, respectively. The results also showed that RPG can be reused several times for metal ions removal. In addition, Tempkin isotherms and pseudo-second-order kinetic fit the adsorption of Cd2+ and Cr3+ well.

Influence of probiotic supplementation on immune response in broilers raised under hot climate.

1. The objective of the study was to evaluate the potential effects of dietary probiotic supplementation and stocking density and their interaction on growth performance, humoral and cellular immune responses of broiler chickens raised under hot climate conditions. 2. A total of 1800 1-d-old unsexed broiler chicks (Ross 308) were allocated in a completely randomised 3 × 2 factorial design, with three concentrations of dietary probiotic (0, 200 and 400 mg/kg) containing 4 × 109 cfu/g of Bacillus subtilis and two stocking densities (12 or 18 birds/m2) in a total of 6 treatment subgroups. 3. Dietary probiotic and stocking density had no significant effect on live body weight, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio. 4. Dietary probiotic supplementation had a positive effect on serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) and cell-mediated immunity when compared to the control at 6 weeks of age, whereas serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin Y (IgY) were improved, but not significantly so. Dietary probiotic and stocking density had no effect on relative weights of the bursa of Fabricius and spleen. 5. Dietary probiotic supplementation had a positive significant effect on serum IgM concentration and cell-mediated immunity without penalising growth performance in broilers raised under high ambient temperature.

Going beyond the curriculum to promote medical education and practice in Saudi Arabia.

The foundation of health starts as early as undergraduate medical education. Medical education in the Kingdom has always been successful in promoting the medical profession and population health. The current issue in the Kingdom is quality assurance in all organizations including the health field. Thus emerges the value of evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the current system in meeting health needs and expectations. The aim of this paper was to analyze the current situation in order to design a frame for the direction of promotion of medical education and practice that best meets health needs and expectations. In fact, medical practice is a multidisciplinary process that is showing continuously changing theories. It has a broad scope of serving the whole community and improving the quality of life of all population categories. The huge quantity of information, needed to be retained by medical professionals, necessitates the move away from traditional methods of education to more practical and comprehensive programs of study. Most of the recent reform in medical education, in the Kingdom, has focused on curriculum and disregarded the education process. The requisite for the education process is a complete model of community-based health care, education and research. This study proposes a design aiming to enhance medical education and promote the medical profession, through developing the quality of medical professionals, that will foster growth of their activity and productivity, moving them into the community where clinical practice and experience are more relevant to the true health situation.

Effect of maternal education on the rate of childhood handicap.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to determine the relation between maternal education and various maternal risk factors, identify the impact of maternal education on the risk of childhood handicap and estimate the proportion of childhood handicap that can be prevented by maternal education. METHODS: Data was collected from all married women attending the two major maternity and child hospitals in Jeddah during April 1999. Women with at least one living child were interviewed for sociodemographic factors and having at least one handicapped child. The risk of having a handicapped child and the population attributable risk percent were calculated. RESULTS: Some potential risk factors are dominant in our society as approximately 30% of women did not attend school and 84% did not work. Consanguineous marriages accounted for about 43%. Pre-marriage counseling was limited as only 10% of women counseled before marriage. The proportion of unemployment and consanguineous marriages decreased significantly by increase in maternal education level. Conversely, the proportion of women reporting pre-marriage counseling increased significantly by increase in maternal education level. Approximately, 7% of women reported having at least one handicapped child. The risk of having a handicapped child showed a significant sharp decline with increase in maternal education level. At least 25% of childhood handicap can be prevented by achieving female primary education and up to half of cases can be prevented if mothers finish their intermediate education. CONCLUSION: Female education plays a major role in child health. The results of this study suggest investment in female education, which would have substantial positive effects in reducing incidence of childhood handicap in Jeddah.

A non-comparative descriptive study of the risk factors for childhood disability, and the rehabilitation services in jeddah, saudi arabia.

OBJECTIVES: Identify the possible risk factors in our community that may influence having a disabled child, and identify the rehabilitation services available to disabled children. METHODS: Data were collected from six rehabilitation institutes for auditory, visual and mental disabilities in Jeddah City during April 1999. Complete data available on sociodemographic and medical risk factors were extracted from the institutes' files. Personal interviews with the disabled were conducted to confirm information on the services offered to them. RESULTS: Certain modifiable risk factors affecting child health, such as early and late marriages and childbearing, illiteracy, unemployment, high parity and consanguineous marriages still exist in our community. Occupational hazards were also detected among military workers and working women. Disabilities related to perinatal health with antenatal, natal and postnatal components were also observed. According to resources available, various rehabilitation services are offered to disabled children. CONCLUSION: The need for intervention in two areas of health is crucial. The first is the prevention of future disabilities through continuous research, modification of unfavorable habits and the strengthening of the quality of perinatal care. The second is the improvement of rehabilitation services in order to raise the quality of life of the handicapped.

Hepatitis C infection among drug addicts.

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The impact of passive chemotherapy on Schistosoma mansoni prevalence and intensity of infection in the Egyptian Nile Delta.

We investigated the impact of the passive surveillance and treatment program of the Egyptian Ministry of Public Health on the prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma mansoni infection in the northern Nile Delta region of Egypt. The study was based on a large probability sample of the entire rural population of Kafr El Sheikh. Infection and egg counts were determined by examination of stools using the Kato technique. From a sample of 18,777 villagers, 15,017 provided stool specimens. A detailed history of treatment for schistosomiasis was obtained by interview using standardized questions in colloquial Arabic. A positive history of therapy for schistosomiasis was common, with more than 40% of the participating villagers reporting prior treatment. Treatment was further characterized by frequency, dates, type, and where it had been received. In both male and female adults, a positive history of treatment with praziquantel was associated with a significantly reduced prevalence of S. mansoni infection. For example, odds ratios for 20-24-year-old males and females who did not indicate prior treatment were 5.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.3-7.2) and 6.5 (95% CI = 3.7-9.1), respectively. Geometric mean egg counts (GMECs) were significantly lower by more than two fold (P < 0.01) in both male and female adults who indicated prior treatment. The largest differences in prevalence and GMEC between those with or without a history of prior treatment were seen in the young and middle-aged adults. These results support strengthening programs for encouraging villagers to seek examination and treatment, and strengthen the dissemination and availability of praziquantel in the rural endemic areas of the country.

An epidemiological assessment of Ambrosia maritima on the transmission of schistosomiasis in the Egyptian Nile Delta.

Ambrosia maritima (Damsissa), a proven molluscicide, was investigated in a seven year epidemiological trial in four villages in the northern Egyptian Nile Delta. Schistosoma mansoni prevalence and other measures of infection were initially high in the four villages before the trial began. Two villages were used to test the impact of A. maritima application both on snail populations and on infection in the village population. Two villages were held as controls and not treated with A. maritima. The entire population of all four villages was included in the study. Prevalence and other measures of infection fell dramatically following treatment with praziquantel 40 mg kg-1 body weight. On annual follow ups, the prevalence of infection and geometric mean egg counts began to increase back to original levels in both test and control villages; age adjusted incidence rates were lower in one test village, but higher in the other when compared to the control villages. Snail populations were destroyed in the treated canals and drains located near the test villages. The lack of a clear epidemiologic impact is discussed.

Human fascioliasis in Egypt: effect of infection and efficacy of bithionol treatment.

The present study was conducted on 14 patients with established fascioliasis. The effect of infection on the haematological and biochemical parameters was determined and the liver and gall bladder were studied by ultrasonography. Bithionol was given in the dose of 30 mg kg-1 body weight every other day for 5 doses. The therapeutic efficacy was assessed by egg and eosinophilic counts and quantitative estimation of antibody titres by indirect haemagglutination test. Results revealed that fascioliasis caused normocytic hypochromic anaemia and eosinophilia. Serum bilirubin, ALT and AST were within normal range. Ultrasonography showed a normal echogenic pattern of the liver and gall bladder. One case showed thickness of the gall bladder wall which was tender under the transiducer. Fasciola eggs disappeared completely after the 5th dose giving a cure rate of 100%. Antibody titres reached a normal level at the end of the 3rd month post treatment. Bithionol proved to be a potent fasciolicidal drug with minimal side-effects.