Effect of chloropheniramine maleate on liver and kidney functions as well as blood count of guinea pigs

The present study aimed at exploring the effect of antihistamine chloropheniramine maleate (H1-blocker) on liver and kidney functions as well as on blood count. 60 mature guinea pigs were used. Histamine or chloropheniramine maleate was given, either alone or together, intramuscularly for 7 successive days. At the end of the experimental period, blood samples were collected for determination of blood counts and of the levels of urea, creatinine, GOT, GPT, and alkaline phosphatase in the sera of different groups. The results showed significant groupwise variations in blood count, liver function as well as kidney function.     

Amelioration of salinity stress in different basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) varieties by vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Although the salt resistance mechanisms in plants have received much consideration for many years, varieties’ differences affecting salt resistance are still unsettled. Within the Ocimum genus there occur about 200 species in different varieties and forms. A pot experiment was performed to better understand salt stress responses in crop plants; we compared the impacts of salinity stress on growth and physio-biochemical characteristics in three varieties of basil (Ocimum basilicum) var. odoratus, O. b. var. alba and O. b. var. purpurascens) grown under four levels of salinity stress (0, 50, 100, and 150?mM NaCl) with mycorrhiza (Glomus clarum Nicol. &; Schenck) or without. Results showed significant differences within salinity treatments in all cultivars studied. In this study, the biomass production and physio-biochemical parameters of all cultivars reduced with raised salinity levels except concentration of reducing sugars, sodium, and proline at 150 mM of NaCl, only the variety ‘purpurascens’ didn't show reduction and observed resistant against severe salinity. The colonization of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi enhanced the biomass production and accumulation of nutrients, reducing sugars, total soluble carbohydrates, photosynthetic pigments, proline, and protein by reducing Na. This study should help understand the function of AMF fungi in basil cultivars’ tolerance to salinity stress.     

Cyanobacteria—From the Oceans to the Potential Biotechnological and Biomedical Applications

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotic organisms which represent a significant source of novel, bioactive, secondary metabolites, and they are also considered an abundant source of bioactive compounds/drugs, such as dolastatin, cryptophycin 1, curacin toyocamycin, phytoalexin, cyanovirin-N and phycocyanin. Some of these compounds have displayed promising results in successful Phase I, II, III and IV clinical trials. Additionally, the cyanobacterial compounds applied to medical research have demonstrated an exciting future with great potential to be developed into new medicines. Most of these compounds have exhibited strong pharmacological activities, including neurotoxicity, cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against HCMV, HSV-1, HHV-6 and HIV-1, so these metabolites could be promising candidates for COVID-19 treatment. Therefore, the effective large-scale production of natural marine products through synthesis is important for resolving the existing issues associated with chemical isolation, including small yields, and may be necessary to better investigate their biological activities. Herein, we highlight the total synthesized and stereochemical determinations of the cyanobacterial bioactive compounds. Furthermore, this review primarily focuses on the biotechnological applications of cyanobacteria, including applications as cosmetics, food supplements, and the nanobiotechnological applications of cyanobacterial bioactive compounds in potential medicinal applications for various human diseases are discussed.     

Groundwater Pollution of the Quaternary Aquifer in Northern United Arab Emirates

Natural conditions and human activities have caused serious quality degradation of the Quaternary aquifer in the north of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aquifer within Ajman City is unconfined, receiving limited recharge (12 542 m³/day) from the east and large pollutants flux (4,800 m³/day) from land surface. Field survey and laboratory analyses revealed anomalies in groundwater salinity (TDS), total hardness (TH), dissolved oxygen (DO), cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺), anions ( ${\text{HCO}}_3^ - $ , ${\text{SO}}_4^{2 - } $ , Cl^? and ${\text{NO}}_3^ - $ ) and trace elements (Fe, Pb, Cd and Cr), which can be correlated to point and non-point pollution sources. Concentrations of trace elements are more responsive to anthropogenic sources than natural ones. High Fe and Pb levels were measured close to the untreated sewage disposal site, while high Cd and Cr contents were observed near hospitals and clinics. Iso-concentration maps of salinity and major ions, in addition to hydrochemical profiles were used to define the seawater–groundwater interface in Ajman City. The potentiometric surface map of the Quaternary aquifer within the study area shows that groundwater flows from the east towards the Arabian Gulf in the west. The proposed landfill site is suitable because it lies within a topographic low, receiving groundwater flow from all directions.     

Purification and functional characterization of complement C3 and a novel zymosan-binding protein in tilapia serum

Zymosan, a yeast cell wall preparation that binds activated forms of complement C3, is a useful model target to activate the complement system. In our trial to analyze C3 diversity in Nile tilapia at the protein level using zymosan, we found that a novel 240-kDa serum protein (ZBP-240) also bound to zymosan in addition to C3-derived fragments. In the present study, we aimed to characterize tilapia C3 and ZBP-240, focusing on their immune-related functions. Four distinct C3 isoforms were purified from tilapia serum and shown to possess an intrachain thioester bond. ZBP-240 was also isolated from tilapia serum and examined for its binding properties to various microbial targets. As a result, ZBP-240 showed a wide spectrum of binding to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts. Amino acid sequence analysis of CNBr fragments of ZBP-240 suggested that this is a novel protein with no homologous sequence in protein databases. It was also suggested that the binding of ZBP-240 to microbes largely depends on hydrophobic interactions in a divalent-cation-independent manner, and that there may be a divalent-cation-dependent factor that enhances the binding of ZBP-240 in tilapia serum. Interestingly, ZBP-240 showed opsonic activity for tilapia kidney phagocytes at a level comparable to that of C3, implying that ZBP-240 is a novel teleost opsonic serum protein.     

Two-way germination system of encapsulated clonal propagules of Vitex trifolia L.: an important medicinal plant

In the present study we have developed an efficient and effective method of synthetic seed production and its two-way germination system of Vitex trifolia, for easy transport of the propagules and efficient utilization of its in vitro regeneration system. Nodal segments harvested from 8-week-old in vitro cultures were encapsulated in calcium alginate beads. Three percent (w/v) Na-alginate polymerized in 100 mmol/L CaCl₂.2H₂O for 30 min produced clear and uniform beads. Germination of encapsulated beads with shoot and roots was achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium augmented with 6-furfurylaminopurine (KN, 2.5 µmol/L) + α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA, 1.0 µmol/L). For multiple shoot production, synseeds were incubated on 6-benzyladenine (BA, 5.0 µmol/L) + NAA (0.5 µmol/L) augmented MS medium followed by in vitro rooting on MS + indole-3-butyric acid (IBA, 1.0 µmol/L). The synseeds produced retained about 90% regeneration potential even after 4 weeks of storage at 4°C. Genetic stability of the regenerated plants was evaluated using 13 inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) primers. The study thus provides an efficient system for production of synthetic seeds, their storage and subsequent conversion into genetically identical plants.     

Effects of Sowing Date and Chitosan on Some Characters of Canola (Brassica napus L.) Genotypes

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Changes in the environment that are associated with different sowing dates can be expected to alter canola (Brassica napus L.) growth and development....     

Zur Wirkung einiger organischer Phosphor-Präparate in subletaler Dosis aufSpodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) (Lep. Noctuidae)

Zusammenfassung Das 4. Stadium der Larven von.S. littoralis wurde mit der maximalen nichtletalen Dosis (LD₀) sowie den subletalen Dosen (LD₁₀ und LD₅₀) der 3 Insektizide Cyolane, Monocrotophos und Phosvel im Laboratorium behandelt. Die überlebenden Individuen wurden bis zum Ausschlüpfen der Falter gezogen und anschließend auf ihre Biproduktion untersucht. Die max. LD₀ wirkte stimulierend auf die Eiproduktion, So betrug der prozentuale Anstieg der täglich abgelegten Eizahl je Weibchen in 5 Tagen 70,6% nach Cyolane-, 60,4% nach Monocrotophos- und 34,5% nach Phosvelbehandlung.Die subletalen Dosen wirkten unterschiedlich auf die Eiproduktion. Die LD₁₀ verursachte eine Vermindung, dagegen eine Erhöhung der Eizahl um 12,2% derung der Eizahl um 12,4% nach Cyolane-Anwenper female during 5 days was the following: 70,6%, nach Monocrotophos- und um 7,3% nach Phosvelanwendung. Die LD₅₀ verminderte die Eizahl um 34,6% bei Monocrotophos, führte dagegen bei Phosvel zu einem geringen Anstieg von 3,3%.Die LD₅₀ der 3 Insektizide hatte, verglichen mit der Kontrolle, eine Abnahme des Verpuppungsprozentes, eine Erhöhung der Sterberate bei den Larven und Puppen und eine Störung der Sexualrate zugunsten der mä nnlichen Falter zur Folge, während sich die max. LD₀ und LD₁₀ der o. g. Insektizide auf die Sexualrate, verglichen mit der Kontrolle, zugunsten der weiblichen Falter auswirkten. Im allgemeinen verhielt sich das Verpuppungsprozent umgekehrt proportional zur Insektiziddosis, während die Sterberate für Larven und Puppen proportional der Insektiziddosis war. Alle max. LD₀ hatten nur einen geringen Einfluß auf das Verpuppungsprozent.

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Summary The 4th instar larvae ofS. littoralis (Boisd.) was treated in the laboratory with the maximal non lethal dose (max. LD₀) and the sublethal doses (LD₁₀ and LD₅₀) of 3 insecticides (Cyolane, Monocrotophos and Phosvel). Surviving larvae reared to imagines, and then tested on the egg production. The max. LD₀ of the aforementioned insecticides showed a stimulation effect on the egg production of the females. The percentage of increase in the number of eggs produced 60,4%, 34,5% after Cyolane, Monocrotophos, and Phosvel treatment respect.The sublethal doses showed different effects on the egg production: LD₁₀ decreased the percentage of eggs of 12,4% after Cyolane treatment, while Monocrotophos and Phosvel increased the same (12,2% and 7,3% respect.). LD₅₀ decreased the percentage number of eggs (34,6% after Monocrotophos treatment) and there was a slight increase after Phosvel treatment (3,3%). LD₅₀ furthermore decreased the percent pupation, increased the mortality of the larvae and pupae and disturbed the sex ratio for the benefit of the males, compared with the control, while the max. LD₀ and LD₁₀ of the 3 insecticides affected the sex ratio for the benefit of the females. The percent pupation in general was in inverse relation to the insecticide dose, while the mortality of the larvae and pupae was in proportional relation to the insecticide dose. All max. LD₀ have shown a slight influence on the percent pupation compared with the Control.

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Faris El- Lakwah, Dozent, Polytechn. Institut Cairo, Dep. Agriculture, Moshtohor, A. R. E. — Farid A. Abdel-Salam, Ass.-Prof., Central Laboratory for Pesticides (CAPL), Ministry of Agriculture, Cairo-Dokki, A. R. E.