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Abstract Background Insects withstand foreign substances and infection by expressing robust defense responses, which are mediated by hemocytes, fat body, midgut, and many other tissues. The Egyptian cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval), is a polyphagous pest with considerable economic importance in Egypt and globally. Many control strategies were employed to control this pest. Nowadays, there is a trend to use nanotechnology tools in agricultural practices as they balance minimal concentration and maximum pest control, safe concentration, and reduce the cost of pest control. The present study aimed to evaluate the hematological and histopathological response of S. littoralis larvae post-treatment with sublethal concentrations of emamectin benzoate and its nanoform, besides the silver nanoparticles. Results The results revealed the high toxicity of emamectin benzoate and its nanoform (LC50 values were 0.0524 and 0.023 ppm, respectively). The results also showed that all tested compounds significantly influenced the mean number of laid eggs/female. The emamectin benzoate nanoform (837.3 ± 52.09) was the most efficient compound compared to the control (1999.3 ± 46.5). The hematological responses against the EMB + AgNP were lowered total hemocyte counting (22.41 ± 1.3) compared to the untreated larvae (38.08 ± 0.83). In addition, there were some histopathological changes in the midgut tissues. They were represented as destroying the integrity of the epithelial cells and the ciliated border. The columnar cells began to disintegrate, and the peritrophic membrane became vacuolized. In contrast, the cuticle layers were not affected by various treatments. Conclusion We can conclude that the employment of emamectin benzoate, either in its original form or as its nanoform, is considered a promising substitute for conventional insecticides. The nanoform of emamectin benzoate proved its high efficiency against the larvae of the cotton leafworm, which may allow the application of this formulation at low concentrations.

Background: Senescence is accompanied by a progressive decrease in male reproductive performance, mainly due to oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a potent antioxidant, that diffuses freely in aqueous and lipid phases, possessing anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties. This study aimed to examine the effects of supplemental dietary ALA on testicular hemodynamics (TH), circulating hormones, and semen quality in aged goats. Twelve Baladi bucks were divided into two groups (n = 6 each); the first fed a basic ration and served as a control group (CON), while the second received the basic ration supplemented with 600 mg ALA/ kg daily for consecutive eight weeks (ALA). Results: There were improvements in testicular blood flow in the ALA group evidenced by a lower resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) concurrent with higher pampiniform-colored areas/pixel (W3-W6). There were increases in testicular volume and decreases in echogenicity (W3-W5; ALA vs. CON). Compared to the CON, ALA-bucks had higher serum concentrations of testosterone, estradiol, and nitric oxide (W3-W5). There were enhancements in semen traits (progressive motility, viability, morphology, and concentration, alanine aminotransferase enzyme) and oxidative biomarkers (catalase, total antioxidant capacity, and malondialdehyde). Conclusions: ALA dietary supplementation (600 mg/kg diet) improved aged bucks' reproductive performance by enhancing the testicular volume, testicular hemodynamics, sex steroids, and semen quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder without a cure. Hence, developing an effective treatment or protective agent is crucial for public health. The present study aims to characterize orange peel extract (OPE) through in vitro and in silico studies. Furthermore, it examines the protective effect of OPE against experimentally-induced Alzheimer’s disease in rats. The total phenolic and flavonoid content of OPE was 255.86 ± 1.77 and 52.06 ± 1.74 (mg/100 g), respectively. Gallic acid, the common polyphenol in OPE detected by HPLC was 3388.60 μg/100 g. OPE antioxidant IC50 was 67.90 ± 1.05, 60.48 ± 0.91, and 63.70 ± 0.30 by DPPH, ABTS and Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity methods, respectively. In vitro anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) IC50 was 0.87 ± 0.025 mg/mL for OPE and 2.45 ± 0.001 mg/mL for gallic acid. Molecular docking analysis for human AChE (4EY7) with donepezil, gallic acid, and acetylcholine showed binding energy ΔG values of −9.47, −3.72, and −5.69 Kcal/mol, respectively. Aluminum chloride injection (70 mg/Kg/day for 6 weeks) induced Alzheimer’s-like disease in male rats. OPE (100 and 200 mg/kg/d) and gallic acid (50 mg/kg/d) were administered orally to experimental animals for 6 weeks in addition to aluminum chloride injection (as protective). OPE was found to protect against aluminum chloride-induced neuronal damage by decreasing both gene expression and activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and a decrease in amyloid beta (Aβ42) protein level, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and nitric oxide (NO), and increased reduced glutathione (GSH) level and activity of the antioxidant enzymes in the brain tissues. Additionally, gene expressions for amyloid precursor protein (APP) and beta secretase enzyme (BACE1) were downregulated, whereas those for presinilin-2 (PSEN2) and beta cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) were upregulated. Furthermore, the reverse of mitochondrial alternation and restored brain ultrastructure might underlie neuronal dysfunction in AD. In conclusion, our exploration of the neuroprotective effect of OPE in vivo reveals that OPE may be helpful in ameliorating brain oxidative stress, hence protecting from Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Sesame butter (tahini) is a common appetizer and food additive in the Mediterranean basin. Pathogenic strains and mycotoxin content are the most hazardous issues in the final product. This investigation aimed to enhance the quality and safety properties of tahini products against microbial hazards and mycotoxins. Local samples of tahini were evaluated for natural contamination, including mycotoxin level determinations. Agaricus blazei was utilized as a bioactive source and evaluated for the bioactive content of laccase, B-glucan, antioxidant activity, and phenolic content, as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant potency. Two fortification ratios (0.5% and 1.0%) were chosen to apply Agaricus in tahini sesame as a model. Chemical composition, color attributes, sensory properties, emulsion, and oxidative stability were evaluated for the fortified samples versus the control. The results reflected increments of protein (22.91 ± 0.64% to 29.34 ± 0.96%), fiber content (3.09 ± 0.05% to 6.27 ± 0.06%), emulsion stability (84.9 ± 1.24% to 95.41 ± 0.56%), oxidative stability, and bioactive group content. The fortification process is reflected by the absence of Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli bacteria from contaminated samples after 30 days of storage. The water activity for 1.0% fortification (0.154 ± 0.001) was recorded as lower than the control sample (0.192 ± 0.002). Moreover, the degradation of aflatoxins and zearalenone content was recorded during storage. The degradation ratio reached 68% and 97.2% for 0.5% and 1.0% fortifications, respectively, while zearalenone degradation recorded a decline of 26.7% and 33.7%, respectively, for the same fortification ratios. These results recommended 1.0% lyophilized mushroom fortification as a quality and ameliorative safety treatment for tahini products.

A traditionally prepared Saccharomyces yeast helps to improve nutritive food qualities and health impacts. Zinc-Yeast was formulated with the aim to enhance bakery products, extend shelf-life, improve safety, and diet-support by an essential mineral (Zn). A strain NRC112 was pre-treated to evaluate Zn-support optimum conditions. The best uptake was recorded at 1623 µg/g using zinc- sulphate. For safety-production increment; Zn-yeast effect on toxigenic fungi and aflatoxins was estimated on liquid media and diffusion tests. Fino was designed for comparing the differences between Zn-yeast and the control. In comparing the result of the paste and bread; Zn-yeast was more effective in aflatoxins reduction than the control. Organoleptic and chemical properties of Fino was also investigated to explore if Zn-yeast application distinct compared to the control. The Fino manufacturing by Zn-yeast was not significantly different from control. The sensory evaluation results were so close in the two types. Zn-yeast confers Fino fungal resisting properties and long shelf-life.

Rice is a broad-spectrum meal consumed annually in large amounts. Ready-to-eat rice is a member of dishes with a high risk of contamination. The present study aimed to increase the safety and shelflife of ready-to-eat rice during temporary storage. To prepare a mixture for extraction, three spices were chosen ginger: thyme:coriander (1:2:1). Two types of extract were prepared, aromatic and water extracts. The bioactive aromatic extract was preserved by encapsulation using chitosan nanoparticle preparation, while water extracts were prepared by warm diffusion. The aromatic extract possessed volatiles with antimicrobial features, including α-pinene, cymene, camphor, 1, 8 cineol, and limonene. The results expressed the extracts’ better antifungal and antibacterial effect, with a distinguishing aromatic one. Water extract was recorded as being rich in phenolic and flavonoids, like Salysilic, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic, Luteolin 7 glucoside, and quercitin. These molecules play functionality for microbial inhibition in the simulated media. Ready-to-eat rice shelflife was extended by applying the aromatic extract of the encapsulated mixture at the late stage of cooking and before packaging. It can preserve the samples for up to five days at room temperature and up to eight days of refrigerator storage (8 °C). However, water extract had lower activity as antibacterial and antifungal than the aromatic one. Again, water extract activity reduces fungal citrinin secretion by low efficiency more than the aromatic extract. These results recommended the addition of aromatic extract to the ready-to-eat rice meals as a final additive just before packaging.

The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 resulted in many disastrous effects and negative repercussions on the people and State. It reflected on the Iraqi regime and its people as those effects have been extended to all Arab States and the world at large, where those effects and repercussions have taken on many aspects of political, economic and social. The invasion not only had been effected Kuwait but also broadly in the gulf region. This study aims: firstly to study and analyse the political, economic and social implications as the consequences of the Iraqi invasion over Kuwait; secondly, to elucidate and analyse the effects of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on Arab relations; thirdly, to explore on the role of international organizations in addressing the effects of the invasion. The result shows that the invasion has brought to a disastrous schism in the unity of the Arab states and put them left behind in the international stage, and the opening of the area to the Western military presence in the Gulf. The economic loss suffered by the Arab Group reached approximately $1 trillion. The social and psychological effects on society and the individual in Kuwait required long years to be addressed. The international organizations have played a prominent role particularly on recording the file of the prisoners and missing persons, and the compensation is also given to them.DOI: 10.15408/insaniyat.v2i2.7607

Pomegranate, similar to other fruits, has juice-extraction by-products. Pomegranate seed oil (PGO) is a non-traditional oil with health benefits, rich in bioactive components. This study was aimed to assess PGO phytochemicals and their influence as bioactive components to reduce mycotoxin secretion. The encapsulation was applied in micro and nanoforms to protect the quality and enhance the efficacy of the oil. The PGO was extracted using ultrasound-assisted methods. Carotenoids, tocochromanols, sterols, phenolic, flavonoid, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity were determined. The fatty acid profile was analyzed by the GC-MS, while mycotoxin was determined utilizing the HPLC apparatus. The toxicity and protective action of oil were examined using the hepatocytes’ cell line. The resultant oil acts as oleoresin that is rich in bioactive molecules. Phenolics and antioxidant potency recorded higher values compared to traditional vegetable oils, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids were 87.51%. The major fatty acid was conjugated punicic acid (81.29%), which has high biological effects. Application of the PGO on fungal media reduced aflatoxins secretion up to 63%, and zearalenone up to 78.5%. These results confirm the bio-functionality of oil to regulate the fungal secondary metabolites process. The PGO is a unique prospective non-traditional oil and has several functionalities in food, which achieve nutritional, antioxidant, and anti-mycotoxigenic activities.

Islamic civilization represents one of the most important civilization achievements phases that enriched human movement on earth, the Islamic architecture and urbanism as its physical container and one of its tributaries occupies a privileged position among the various urban and architectural styles and patterns known to human civilization across time and space. The Islamic architectural heritage patterns spread through various Islamic eras from Jakarta-Indonesia to Tangier-Morocco and from Ghana- Africa to Ferghana-Asia, in a unique urban planning compositions and variations of architectural forms. And in spite of the multiplicity of Islamic eras and its differentiation and multi-cultural aspects, it provided an integrated urban model (methodology, theory and legislation) reflected honestly the personality and characteristics of the Muslim community and the goals and purposes of the cultural model doctrine, law and ethics, which was behind the creative physical movement. The contemporary Muslim planner and architect finds himself in front of a civilized/urban dilemma, one hand, he stands impressed by the heritage of the Islamic Urban model and its artistic,aesthetic,engineering and constructive creativity. On the other he stands bewildered in front of the contemporary western urban model and its planning and architectural methodologies,theoriesand legislations,building technologies,methods and materials,which cause dramatic urban and cultural changes threaten the sustainability of the Islamic communities and its human and natural resources andfortunes. And it stands on the other hand,unable to formulating an urban theory for architecture and planning, be an intellectually springboard and a source of inspiration filling the gap between past and present, and connecting the intellectual and creative discontinuation in the Islamic urban thought and contribute in constructingthe Islamic contemporary urban model (methodology, theory and legislation). The research problem revolves around the absence of purposes of Islamic philosophy and thought from the formation of the awareness,conscience and thinkingof the contemporary Muslim architectand planner,or in another way the absence of the architectural theory, which represents the Islamic intellectual springboard which catalyst the creative design and planning processes, the way it reflected upon his architectural and planning production no longer express the contemporary Islamic society.And then the research aims to deduct a theory for contemporary Islamic urbanism, originates from the induction of the Architectural Heritage variables and the jurisprudenceof the Islamic Cultural model constants, and provides a contemporary intellectually paradigm obtained from a trial to understand the mysteries and contents of the Islamic planning and architectural formations based on a framework of Knowledge of values and purposes of Islamic law (MQASSED ASHAREEAH). The research based on the historical descriptive methodology of the origins and evolution of urban Islamic heritage across different ages, and on the inductive analytical methodology for eclectic range of urban architectural and planning to figure out the architectural and planning principals of her and the secrets of its formations and creative results, and then use deductive approach to detect and extract the goals and objectives of urban potential that can be that constitute the theory underlying the urban contemporary architecture contemporary Muslim and planned to resolve the problems and challenges of globalization and to contribute to the formulation of the features of a the better world;environment,community and urbanism.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a global effort in developing vaccines to combat the virus. While several COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized and distributed internationally, there is a lack of research on the knowledge and perceptions of pharmacy students regarding these vaccines in Jordan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacy students at a private university in Jordan from July 28 to August 5, 2022. A Google survey consisting of 12 questions was administered to 200 respondents. Results: The survey aimed to assess pharmacy students’ understanding of COVID-19 clinical characteristics, transmission routes, precautionary measures, hazard control, and knowledge of the different types of COVID-19 vaccines available in Jordan. Literature review indicated that students primarily obtained information from social media (80%), written articles (20%), and television (10%). The overall score for students’ awareness of COVID-19 and its vaccines was 85%. The majority of students (82%) demonstrated a high level of knowledge and awareness of the pandemic. However, their understanding of hypercoagulation as an adverse event of COVID-19 vaccination and mask-wearing practices in various settings was limited. Most students believed that effective immunization strategies could eradicate the virus. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that pharmacy students possess a good understanding of COVID-19 and its vaccines. To enhance infection prevention among future pharmacists, measures and public awareness campaigns should be implemented to promote knowledge about the benefits of immunization in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Human infections caused by Candida albicans are common and range in severity from relatively treatable skin and mucosal conditions to systemic, fatal invasive candidiasis. The treatment of fungal infections is challenged by major obstacles, including the scarcity of effective therapeutic options, the toxicity of available medications, and the escalating antifungal resistance. Hence, there exists an urgent need to develop new classes of antimicrobial agents. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of KW-23 peptide against standard and resistant strains of C. albicans alone and in combination with fluconazole. Materials and Methods: A conjugated ultrashort antimicrobial peptide (KW-23) was designed and synthesized. KW-23 was challenged against standard and multidrug-resistant C. albicans alone and in combination with fluconazole using standard antimicrobial and checkerboard assays. The toxicity of the peptide was examined using hemolytic assays. Results: KW-23 positively affected the standard and resistant Candidal strains (at 5 and 15 µg/mL respectively), exhibiting potent synergistic antimicrobial activity against the standard strain when combined with fluconazole. The effect of the combination was additive against the resistant strain (0.6 µg/mL). Furthermore, the peptide exhibited negligible toxicity on human erythrocytes. Conclusion: KW-23 and its combination with fluconazole could be a promising candidate for developing anticandidal agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of bacteria has been one of the most significant advances in medical science. The need for the development of novel antibacterial is clear, but the development of new antibacterial classes is more important. In this study, the new ruthenium complex bearing the NN chelating ligand 3,3’-dicarboxy-2,2’-bipyridine (3,3’-dcbpy) and the dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) ligand, [Ru(3,3’-dcbpy) (DMSO)2Cl2], was synthesized and characterized using FT-IR, ¹H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and UV-Vis spectrometry. In addition, the Ru-complex was examined for its activity as an antibacterial against gram-positive and gramnegative strains. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentrations (MBCs) of the compound were assessed using sterile 96-well plates, in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The results show that the compound shows a MIC value of 35 µg mL−1 against Staphylococcus aureus and 65 µg mL−1 against Escherichia coli with the bacteria’s mode of action. In conclusion, Ru(3,3’-dcbpy) (DMSO)2Cl2 complex can be candidate as antibacterial agent against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]