Reproductive toxic impact of subchronic treatment with combined butylparaben and triclosan in weanling male rats

The effect of treatment with combined butylparaben and triclosan on male gonadal toxicity in weanling rats was investigated. All treated groups experienced atrophy in the ventral prostate and seminal vesicle, likewise significant depletion in the number and motility of sperm. Given individually or combined butylparaben and triclosan, significantly decreased testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle‐stimulating hormone levels. Individual treatment with tested compounds caused significant elevation in the E₂ level, whereas combined treatment did not alter the E₂ level. Testicular DNA damage was recorded in all treated groups. Moreover, the testicular malondialdehyde level was significantly elevated, along with a significant decrease in catalase enzyme activity in all treated groups. Superoxide dismutase enzyme activity was significantly decreased in the butylparaben‐treated group, increased in the triclosan‐treated group, and nonsignificantly changed the butylparaben‐triclosan‐treated group. The combined treatment produced an endocrine disturbance with a concomitant induction of testicular oxidative stress, which may represent a common mechanism of endocrine disruptor‐mediated dysfunction.     

Investigating the antimicrobial,antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the biological synthesized glutathione selenium nano-incorporation

BioMetals - Aqueous glutathione selenium nano-incorporation (GSH-SeN-Inco) was prepared by gamma radiation in presence of microbial glutathione (GSH) and selenium dioxide. The novel prepared...     

Iron and zinc supplies mitigate cadmium toxicity in micropropagated banana (Musa spp.)

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that negatively affects plant growth and physiology. Plants display multiple changes in physiological and...     

The role of tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 4 (TNFRSF4) gene expression in diagnosis and prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia

Molecular Biology Reports - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still challenging in predicting the prognosis due to its high heterogeneity. Molecular aberrations and abnormalities play a significant...     

Ameliorative role of Ziziphus spina-christi leaf extracts against hepatic injury induced by Plasmodium chabaudi infected erythrocytes

One of the most common deadliest parasitic diseases is Malaria. The biology and the pathogenesis of this fascinating parasite are not yet fully understood which make discovering effective alternative drugs a challenging task. Moreover, the emergence of resistant strains added an additional burden in the journey of malaria elimination. Traditional medicine used to be an alternative therapy choice owing to the presence of potent natural products. Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) considered being one of the common potent natural plant in gulf region and other nations. Therefore, this study designed to evaluate the ameliorative role of Z. spina-christi leaf extracts (ZSCLE) against Plasmodium chabaudi-induced hepatic injury. The study involved three groups were as follows; a vehicle control group, infected with 10⁶P. chabaudi-parasitized erythrocytes group and ZSCLE treated-infected mice with 10⁶P. chabaudi-parasitized erythrocytes group. The results showed a remarkable reduction of parasitemia level and notable reverse of the anemic picture among ZSCLE treated-infected mice. The effects of ZSCLE on the liver functions enzymes and on the histopathological pictures of liver were significant. It could be concluded that Z. spina-christi leaf extracts have a protective role against Plasmodium infection that also marked through significant restoration of hepatic oxidative markers.     

Limited survey on aflatoxin contamination in rice

Aflatoxins (AFS) are toxic and carcinogenic fungal metabolites. Aflatoxin B1 is the most toxic and has been classified as a Group I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Samples of imported rice were analyzed for their AFS content. Finley ground rice subsamples were extracted with water/methanol (100:150 v/v) followed by purification with Immunoaffinity columns (IAC). AFS purified from extracts were determined with RP-HPLC-FLD using post column electrochemical derivatization with a Kobra Cell. Concentrations of aflatoxin B1 and total AFS in test rice samples were ≤0.123 and ≤2.58 µg/kg, respectively. Tween 80 improved recoveries (86 and 106%) of aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxin G1 from brown rice. Recoveries of Aflatoxin B2 and aflatoxin G2 were substantially reduced (non-detected to 27%) by Tween 80 used in IAC cleanup of brown rice extracts. Visible dense growth of Aspergillus parasiticus (food isolate) occurred at 25 °C but higher aflatoxin B1amounts (23.9–39.3 µg/kg) accumulated when the mold grew at 37 °C in rice seeds stored for three weeks. It could be concluded that levels of aflatoxin B1 and total AFS in rice samples were within the permissible amounts of the EU and other international legislations.     

Effect of post- and pre-crosslinking of cotton fabrics on the efficiency of biofinishing with cellulase enzyme

Four different types of cotton-based fabrics, namely, loom-state cotton, cotton/polyester (50/50), cotton/polyester (35/65) and grey mercerized fabrics were bioscoured and bleached. The four substrates are given enzymatic treatment using cellulase enzyme to affect bio-polishing followed by crosslinking using N,N-dimethylol 4,5-dihydroxyethylene urea (DMDHEU) to affect easy care finishing. In another series of experiments the said bioscoured–bleached substrates were similarly crosslinked followed by bio-polishing. Technical properties of the treated fabric that were monitored include: nitrogen content, loss in fabric weight, tensile strength, elongation at break, tear strength, whiteness index, surface roughness and wrinkle recovery angle. Scanning electron micrograph was also examined. Conclusions arrived at from these studies indicated that: post-crosslinking and pre-crosslinking revealed marginal differences in N%, wrinkle recovery angle and whiteness index, a point which validates the argument that cellulase enzyme could not break down the DMDHEU crosslinks within the molecular structure of cotton-containing fabrics. Meanwhile the surface roughness obtained with pre-crosslinking is a bit higher than those of post-crosslinking. Moreover, post-crosslinking caused higher losses in strength properties than pre-crosslinking. Scanning electron micrograph shows that cotton sample pre-crosslinked is almost smooth than those post-crosslinked.     

The role of circulating tumor cells and K-ras mutations in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer: a prospective study

Molecular Biology Reports - Rectal cancer is a common malignancy with a relatively poor prognosis. We assessed the possible prognostic and predictive role(s) of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and...