Vol.5 No.4 – 1: Bioremediation Protocols of Hydrocarbon Contamination: A critical Appraisal of a Case Study of Soil Contamination

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By: Yousef Albalawi1, Furat Al-Faraj2

1Environmental Specialist.

Department of Chemical Safety and Hazardous Waste Management.

General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, Saudi Arabia

2School of Engineering, University of Bolton, United Kingdom Programme leader of MRes in Environmental Management

Abstract

Soil contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons is a widespread and global environmental contamination concern that needs to be carefully treated and controlled. This research investigates, compare, and analyse the viability of bioremediation technologies for the ex situ remediation of hydrocarbon polluted soils. It also outlines the most appropriate bioremediation technique. Results showed one of the important advantages of necrophytoremediation as a remediation protocol. The degradation amount of oil in different treatments follows this sequence: pea straw (PS) > combination of pea straw and Bacillus consortium (BAPS) > Bacillus consortium (BA) > natural attenuation (NA). The same amount of “bacteria” was added into treatment BAPS and BA. Necrophytoremediation using pea straw has a positive effect on the degradation of TPH by 96% during 12 weeks of treatment; the same pattern was followed for the combination of necrophytoremediation and bioaugmentation (pea straw and Bacillus consortium) with 95% total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) reduction. Natural attenuation and bioaugmentation microcosms modified with Bacillus were the least practical with TPH reduction of 79% and 76% respectively. The findings from this study recommend researching the possibility of relying on in situ necrophytoremediation as valuable, economical and invulnerable method for enhancing the bioremediation efficiency of oil contaminated soils.

Bioremediation Protocols of Hydrocarbon Contamination A critical Appraisal of a Case Study of Soil Contamination-converted

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Vol.5 No.3 – 11 : Study the effect of pheromones on gene expression in the brain of the honeybee Apis mellifera

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By: Husham Naji Hameed

Department of Biology, College of Education, University of Samarra, Tikrit, Iraq

Abstract:

          This Research deals with the effect of pheromones  queen mandibular pheromone onegene expression of brain adult for workers honeybee Apis mellifera, these expressions can explain the response behavior induced by pheromones  QMP, the impact of gene expression by affecting the movement of workers A. mellifera in the colony of honeybees in the case of the presence of the Queen. Queen’s absence means the lack of workers as a result of the lack of pheromones  (QMP) or the presence of a few compared to the presence of the Queen.  The behavior of workers is linked to the existence of pheromones released by the Queen .

Study the effect of pheromones on gene expression in the brain of the honeybee Apis mellifera-converted

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Vol.5 No.3 – 10 : The Protective Role of CoQ10 and DHEA and Their combination on CCl4 Induced Liver Injury In Adult Male Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

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By: Bassim K. Kuoti Al-Rekabi *; Mohammed A. Al-Diwan ** ; Alaa A. Sawad ***

* Department of Animal Production, College of Agriculture, University of Sumer, Thi-Qar, Iraq.

** Department of Physiology, Pharmacology and Chemistry, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.

*** Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the protective role of exogenous CoQ10 and DHEA and their combination on CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in adult male rats. Thirty adult male rats 225-250 grams, 12-14 weeks old were used in this study and randomly divided into five equal groups, 6 animals each as in the following: Control group (G1): 6 male rats received orally DMSO 0.5ml/animal/day, First treated group (T1): 6 male rats received daily CCl4 1ml/kg (1:1 olive oil, IP), Second treated group (T2): 6 male rats received CCl4 1ml/kg and after 1hour injected daily with CoQ10 200 mg/kg IP, Third treated group (T3): 6 male rats received CCl4 1ml/kg and after 1hour injected daily with DHEA  25 mg/kg IP, Fourth treated group (T4): 6 male rats received CCl4 1ml/kg and after 1hour injected daily with a combination of CoQ10 200 mg/kg + DHEA 25 mg/kg IP. The experiment lasted for 28 successive days. The obtained results illustrated that male rats received CCl4 (1ml/kg) caused a significant increased in hepatic function enzymes AST, ALT and ALP, as well as MDA levels, and caused significant decrease in antioxidant enzyme activity GPx, SOD and CAT levels. In addition, CCl4 also caused various degree of liver damage such as dilation and congestion of central vein with hemorrhage, clear fatty degeneration and infiltration of inflammatory cells compared to the  control group. Whereas, the group that treated with CoQ10 200 mg/kg and DHEA 25 mg/kg showed a significant decreased (P< 0.05) in serum AST, ALT and ALP as well as MDA value, and significant increased in GPx, SOD with declined in CAT levels compared to group treated with CCl4 intoxication. It is also observed from the results that combination of CoQ10 and DHEA it caused a highly significant (P < 0.05) declined in AST, ALT and ALP as well as MDA levels, and significant elevated in GPx, SOD and declined in CAT, and almost return to normal level compared to control. As well as, the histopathological examination on liver revealed that rats treated with CoQ10 and DHEA and their combination had normal central vein and hepatocytes compared to groups treated with CCl4 due to anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties. It has been concluded that CoQ10 and DHEA have an evident protective effect against liver damage induced by CCl4 through improving antioxidant enzyme activity in CCl4 treated group leading to a declined MDA level and reduced lipid peroxidation.

The Protective Role of CoQ10 and DHEA and Their combination on CCl4 Induced Liver Injury In Adult Male Rats (Rattus norvegicus)-converted

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Vol.5 No.3 – 9 : Comparing the level of some stress biomarkers among smoking and non-smoking healthy adults in Egypt

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By: Asmaa Fathi Galal1*, Mai Sabry Saleh2, Nagat Mohamed Amer2, Amal Saad-Hussein2

1Narcotics, Ergogenics and Poisons department, Medical Research Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

2Environmental and Occupational Medicine Department, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

Abstract

Objective: The causal effect relation between smoking and stress is a subject that invites continuous research.  Hypothetically, investigation of stress biomarkers that are reported to be affected by tobacco intake may give us some explanation of the association between stress and smoking as a habit.  Consequently, the aim of the present study was to assess serum level of some stress biomarkers and compare them among smokers and non-smokers in a sample of Egyptian male health volunteers. Methods: Fifty-nine subjects were enrolled in the study (29 smokers and 30 non-smokers of matched age and gender). We measured serum levels of cortisol and interleukin-6 (IL-6) using ELISA technique, and serum levels of α-amylase, triglycerides (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) using colorimetric methods. Results: Serum cortisol levels were decreased in smokers, and IL-6, TG and TC were significantly higher in smokers than non-smokers, whereas, serum α-amylase did not show significant difference. Serum cortisol showed to be negatively correlated with serum IL-6 in smokers. Conclusions: The present studyassumes that smokers suffer from a state of chronic stress as evidenced by the observed decrease in serum cortisol due to negative feedback effect and increase in levels of serum IL-6, TG and TC. This in turn enhances craving to smoke to face stressors and leads to a vicious circuit that smokers fail to quit smoking.

Comparing the level of some stress biomarkers among smoking and non-smoking health adults in Egypt-PDF

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Vol.5 No.3 – 8 : Improving Intravenous Medication Administration and Reducing Medication Errors Among Critical Care Nurses at Jordan University Hospital

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By: Mahmoud Abdul Hameed Shahin

Al-Ghad International Colleges for Applied Medical Sciences, KSA

Abstract

Background: Medication errors represent a serious problem in the hospital setting and remain a challenge to navigate among hospitalized patients in all departments. Mistakes in medication administration are considered a significant issue that threatens a patient’s safety and may increase their hospital stay, treatment costs, and mortality rate. Medication errors commonly committed by nurses may include medication preparation or administration errors, which are associated with the highest risk areas in nursing practice.Methodology: A pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental, observational design was used. Convenience sampling was employed to include all intravenous medication errors committed by nurses in three ICUs of Jordan University Hospital (pretest: 236 errors and post-test: 68 errors, respectively). A designed incident report was used for data collection. Data collection was carried out simultaneously in the three ICUs during nurses’ preparation and administration of intravenous medications over two months for pretest and posttest data (May and June 2018). A tailored evidenced-based educational program designed using Phillips’s Manual of I. V. Therapeutics: Evidence-based Practice for Infusion Therapy was furnished to all registered nurses utilizing structured classroom lectures and on-the-job training; moreover, educational medals of common medications and illustration posters were used as additional reminders.Results and Conclusion: More than half of nurses were females and held bachelor’s degrees. Half of the observed medication errors were identified in the surgical ICU. Intravenous medication errors observed during the day shift were significantly higher in number than those in the night shift. A significant reduction in the number of medication errors was noted after the implementation of a bundle of interventions (i.e., there was a reduction from 236 errors to 68 errors). Giving (1) an omeprazole push and then (2) administering vancomycin rapidly thereafter, followed by (3) administering omeprazole at the wrong time, were the three most observed medication errors in the ICUs. Most medication errors were not reported officially using incident reports. Based on the category of the intravenous medication error, ‘wrong medication rate’ followed by ‘wrong medication time’, and then ‘mixing the medication with another drug’ were the most prominent errors noticed. The rate of reported medication errors was significantly higher after program implementation. An ongoing surveillance system is required to monitor intravenous medication errors and to know the causes so as to find a solution to further decrease them and their consequences. Also, all nurses should receive an intensive specialized evidence-based educational program about medication handling, utilizing clinical training and frequent reminding.

Improving Intravenous Medication Administration and Reducing Medication Errors Among Critical Care Nurses at Jordan University Hospital-converted (1)

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Vol.5 No.3 – 7 : Downregulation of miR-23a and miR-24 in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by Sorafenib via transforming growth factor beta 1 in a SMAD dependent manner

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By: Eman G. Ayad1, Mohga S. Abdulla*1, Hayat M. Sharada1, Abdel Hady A. Abdel Wahab2, and Abeer M. Ashmawy2.

1Department of chemistry, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Egypt.

2 Departments of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Egypt.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression through post-transcriptional interactions with mRNA. MiRNAs have recently considered as key regulators of various cancers including liver cancer. Sorafenib is one of antitumor drug for treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. It acts as a multikinase inhibitor suppressing cell proliferation and angiogenesis. This study try to investigate a potential microRNA-based mechanism of action of the drug,by studying the effect of sorafenib on miR-23a and miR-24 levels in HCC cell lines HepG2 /Huh7 and revealing the possible drug mechanism against these oncogenic mi-RNAS,in this study cell viability of cultured HepG2 /Huh7 after treatment with sorafenib were evaluated using Sulphorhodamine-B (SRB) assay, cell cycle and apoptosis estimated by flowcytometry assay. Caspase-3 level was determined using ELISA assay. Moreover, MiR-23a and miR-24 expressions levels analyzed by qPCR. Finally, TGF-β levels and phosorylated smad2, 3 were examined after treatment with sorafenib using ELISA and western blotting. Our data confirmed the Sorafenib inhibition of cell growth in both cell lines which was accompanied by significantly increased in cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Cells treated with sorafenib showed a significant decrease in miR-23a and miR-24 levels in both cell lines. Interestingly,   the change in these oncogenic miRNA was accompanying with a significant decrease of (TGF-β1) and phosorylated smad2, 3 proteins levels. Our study suggested that inhibition of tgf beta pathway in smad dependent manner could be the way characteristic of sorafenib to inhibit the oncogenic miR-23a and miR-24 levels in HCC.  

Downregulation of miR-23a and miR-24 in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by Sorafenib via transforming growth factor beta 1 in a SMAD dependent manner

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Vol.5 No.3 – 6 : Towards Sustainable Management of E-Waste in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Comparative Study of Three International Models

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By: Asma Abdullah Ahmad Filimban1, Furat Ahmed Mahmood Al-Faraj2, Akponanabofa Henry Oti2

1General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, Saudi Arabia.

2School of Engineering, University of Bolton, United Kingdom

Abstract

Waste produced from end of useful life electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) denoted as e-waste, is one of the fastest waste streams worldwide. The growing amount of e-waste has caused a considerable challenge for policy makers to manage e-waste in an environmentally-sound mode in both developed and developing countries. Effective management of e-waste has become a global concern that is receiving growing attention due to the rapid increase in the quantity of e-waste. This mainly attributed to the rapid technology innovation and shortening product’s useful lifespan coupled with tendency of people to keep up with the advanced technologies. This study compared and critically appraised three e-waste management models (producer responsibility, not-producer responsibility, and sharing responsibility) currently applied in Malaysia and the United States of America (USA), in an attempt to explore best management practices for the collection and treatment of e-waste that can be adopted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data presented in this paper are secondary data obtained from a wide range of authoritative sources. This study recommends developing an e-waste national policy and regulatory framework to effectively manage the rapid growing rate of e-waste in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Towards Sustainable Management of E-Waste in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia A Comparative Study of Three International Models-converted

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Vol.5 No.3 – 5 : Serum cytokine profile during disease progression stages in male and female hepatitis C patients

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By: Abdel-Rahman N. Zekri1, Abeer M. Badr2*, Shimaa Rabah2, Maysa El Razky3, Somaya El Deeb2

1Molecular Virology and Immunology Unit, Department of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo 11976, Egypt.

2Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt.

3Hepatology Department and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, 11441, Egypt.

Abstract

T helper (Th) cytokines play a key role in the immunological aspects of hepatitis C virus (HCV) pathogenesis. The pattern of Th1 (IL-2, interferon (IFN)-γ), Th2 (IL-10), and immunomodulatory cytokines (IL-12, IL-1β, IFN-α and tumor necrosis factor-α receptor (TNF-αR2) balance participated in the outcome of host immune responses. The study aimed toinvestigate the serum levels of Th1/Th2 and immunomodulatory cytokines in HCV infected patients in both genders during various liver disease stages compared to healthy controls. Blood samples were collected from 16 healthy individuals and 77 patients at different disease stages including chronic, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Serum cytokine levels were measured by ELISA. Levels of serum IL-12 and IL-10 were significantly higher in both genders in all groups than those in corresponding healthy subjects. Whereas, HCV infected female patients showed significant lower levels of IL-2, IL-1β, IFN-α in chronic and cirrhosis stages than corresponding males. Serum level of IFN-γ could be utilized as biomarker for early detection of HCC. Finally, cytokine response variation in gender during various stages of disease, imply that the subsequent activation and attenuated functional immune responses displayed differences in the balance of Th1 and immunomodulatory related cytokines between females and males upon infection.

Serum cytokine profile during disease progression stages in male and female hepatitis C patients-converted

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Vol.5 No.3 – 4 : Tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-1, Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio as potential early biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy

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By: Mohamed M. Omran 1,*, Rasha A. Youssef 2, Fathy M. Eltaweel2, Ashraf A. Tabll3, Ahmed A. Eldeeb4

1 Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt

2 Chemistry Department,Faculty of Science, Damietta University, Egypt

3 Microbial Biotechnology Department, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt

4Nephrology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt


Abstract

Background: Albuminuria is used to screen early stages of diabetic nephropathy (DN) but it is limited by the fact that structural damage may precede albumin excretion. This necessitates identifying better biomarkers that diagnose or predict diabetic nephropathy.  The aim of the study was  to evaluate tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as potential biomarkers for early detection of diabetic nephropathy and its progression in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods: A total of 88 subjects were included in this cross-sectional hospital based study, healthy individuals (N=10) and diabetic patients (n= 78). Diabetic patients were classified according to an albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) into normoalbuminuria (A1=30), microalbuminuria (A2=14) and macroalbuminuria  (A3 =34). TIMP-1, PAI-1 levels, NLR were measured in all subjects. Multivariate discriminant analysis (MDA) was used to develop a novel index. The diagnostic value of TIMP-1, PAI-1 and NLR was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Results: The mean ± SD of NLR, PAI-1 (ng/ml) and TIMP-1  (ng/ml) in healthy were (1.9±0.30; 6.8 ±2.4 and 76.8±15.7) and in A1 were                             (3.0 ± 2.5;7.7±1.8 and 91.4±19.8) and in A2 were ( 2.2±1.5; 7.6±1.9 and 104.5±20.9) and in A3 were (5.2±3.9; 8.7±1.2 and 120.6±18.2).  The differences between the mean of NLR, PA1-1 and, TIMP in A2 and that of A3 were significant (p <0.007, p =0.03 and, p < 0.011; respectively).  TIMP-1 was the most efficient marker with AUC of 0.72 for discriminant diabetics with A1 from A2; 0.88 for A1 vs A3 and 0.82 for A2 vs A3. A novel index was developed for differentiated between stages of DN based on three blood markers (TIMP-1, PAI-1 and NLR) named TPN.  The mean ± SD  of TPN index  in healthy was  (1.1±0.4)  and in A1 was  (1.2 ±0.3) and in A2 was (1.3 ±0.2) and in A3 were (1.8±0.3) with high significant difference between A2 and A3.The AUC of TPN index was 0.61, 0.88, and 0.88  for discriminant diabetics with A1  from A2 ,A1 vs A3, and A2 vs A3. Conclusions: A novel index named TPN based on three blood markers (TIMP-1, PAI-1 and NLR) may be potentially useful for early detection and to discriminate macro-albuminuria from micro-albuminuria stages.

Tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase1 Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio as potential early biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy-converted

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Vol.5 No.3 – 3 :Curcumin suppresses cellular adhesion and migration of A549 lung cancer cells via a LIMK1/MLCK dependent mechanism

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By: Ahmed A. Soffar 1, Cecil A. Matta 2, Saleh O. Albatati 3

1. Division of Molecular Biology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

2. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

3. Basic Medical Sciences Department, College of Medicine, Mukalla-B.O: (50512-50511), Hadhramaut, Yemen.

Abstract

Cancer cell migration is a major cause of mortality in lung cancer patients. Despite intensive research regarding its efficacy in cancer treatment, the anti-metastatic properties of curcumin have been poorly investigated. Therefore, this work aims to explore the potential anti-migratory and anti-adhesive properties of curcumin on lung cancer cells. We also investigated the underlying molecular mode of action of curcumin. We performed scratch and adhesion assays to investigate the migratory and adhesive potentials of A549 cells. The cellular topological differences upon curcumin treatment were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope. We also investigated the molecular mechanism triggered by curcumin using quantitative real-time PCR. In addition, we performed MTT toxicity assay to explore the toxic potential of curcumin on cancer cells. Student’s t-test was applied for evaluating the data significance using Microsoft Excel 2016. Our results showed that curcumin attenuates migration and adhesion of A549 cancer cells at non-toxic concentrations. In coincidence, the scanning electron microscope study showed a decreased density of lamellipodia and filopodia upon curcumin treatment. Interestingly, we found that the expression levels of LIMK1 and MLCK genes were downregulated upon curcumin application. Taken together, curcumin inhibits the migration and adhesion abilities of lung cancer cells and could possibly be used as a therapeutic agent against cancer cell migration. The underlying mechanism involves modulation of the expression levels of critical molecular targets including LIMK1 and MLCK proteins.

Curcumin suppresses cellular adhesion and migration of A549 lung cancer cells via a LIMK1 MLCK dependent mechanism-converted

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