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The use of chemical drugs for the control of Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) causes rapid development of resistance to anthelmintics in worm populations. The possible use of bioactive ingredients from plants has been identified as a valuable solution to modulate the biology of parasitic nematodes and consequently to counteract the negative effects in the hosts. However, the concentration of these bio-actives in anthelmintic plants can be seasonal and we hypothesized that this may cause different anthelmintic bio-activity. Using a two-species but steady population of parasitic nematodes (ca. 20% Teladorsagia circumcinta and 80% Trichostrongylus colubriformis ), we tested this hypothesis by using the larval exsheathment inhibition assay (LEIA). We examined effect on L3 larval exsheathment kinetics and the polyphenol content of ethanol 70% extracts of Pistacia lentiscus , Phillyrea latifolia , and Inula viscosa clipped on December (winter), May (spring), June (summer), and September (fall). Extract concentrations in assays were 600, 900, 1200, and 2400 ppm. Extracts obtained from P. latifolia showed similar inhibition of larval exsheathment throughout the year; in contrast, the inhibition by both extracts of P. lentiscus and I. viscosa was affected by season, ranking fall > summer > spring = winter and spring > summer = fall > winter, respectively. The total polyphenol content in foliage of the three plant species was highest in the fall for P. lentiscus and in spring for I. viscosa , but did not vary significantly for P. latifolia . Differences in larval exsheathment inhibition did not completely fit differences in phenolics contents. Seasonal variation in anthelmintic activity should be taken into account where plants are integrated into anthelmintic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water shortage is an ongoing cardinal issue in the Middle East region. Wastewater reuse offers some remediation, but to-date many rural communities in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and in Jordan are not connected to centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), many of them are disposing of their wastewater using infiltration septic tanks. This highlights the need for a small, local, low cost WWTP that can directly benefit local communities, producing effluents suitable for unrestricted irrigation. Constructed wetlands (CW5) could offer a solution as they are relatively easy and cheap to construct and maintain, and effective in removal of many pollutants. Nevertheless, pathogen removal in CWs is often not adequate, calling for additional disinfection. Here we describe the use of low-cost, consumer level, UV based disinfection systems coupled to CWs for wastewater treatment in three CWs: in Israel, Jordan and in the PA. Once mature, our adapted CWs reduced chemical oxygen demand (COD) load, and, given proper use of the UV systems, inactivated indicator bacteria (faecal and E. coli) to levels suitable for irrigation, even when UV transmission (UVT) levels were low (~40%). Our results demonstrate the promise in this combined treatment technique for cheap and simple wastewater treatment suitable for the Middle East region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decoction of leaves and unripe fruits prepared from C. aronia syn. azarolus (L) (Rosaceae), the indigenous Israeli hawthorn, is used to treat diabetes in Arab traditional medicine. There is a growing body of evidence reporting the presence of systemic oxidative stress in insulin-dependent and non-insulin dependent diabetes. We have already reported that this decoction has antioxidant properties in vitro. In this report, we extended these in vitro observations to study its antioxidant action in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat in which we measured its effect on plasma and tissue indices of oxidative stress, as well as blood glucose levels. In an experiment lasting 24 days, 30 diabetic and 30 control rats were each subdivided into three separate groups. Group 1 rats drank tap water, group 2 rats drank the decoction containing 50 mg grounded dried plant/mL and group 3 rats drank the decoction containing 350 mg grounded dried plant/mL. Upon completion of the treatment period, the rats were anesthetized and blood glucose was measured using a drop of blood obtained by tail vein puncture. The abdomen was opened and aortic blood was withdrawn for measurement of the plasma levels of lipid peroxides, glutathione, cholesterol and triglycerides and the livers were harvested for determination of the extent of lipid peroxidation. The results of these experiments show that a decoction prepared from the leaves and unripe fruits of C. aronia normalizes plasma lipid peroxide levels and lowers blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. These findings indicate that the therapeutic benefit of the decoction could be due to these two actions, thereby providing a basis for its use in treating diabetes in traditional Arab medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-nine plant extracts of local species were evaluated for their potential as a source of bioactive ingredients with significant acaricidal activity that could lead to the development of new and safe bio-acaricides. The crude extracts (70% ethanol) of these plants were tested for their acaricidal activity against the carmine spider mite Tetranychus cinnabarinus in a bioassay under controlled conditions. Mortality, repellency, and the number of eggs laid were measured. Extracts from Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Inula viscosa caused more than 25% mortality. Sixteen plant extracts showed significant repellency compared with the control. The six best extracts, resulting in more than 75% repellency, were from Allium sativum, Capparis spinosa, Cupressus sempervirens, Lupinus pilosus, Rhus coriaria and Tamarix aphylla. Extracts from 16 plants were found to cause a significant reduction in the number of eggs laid compared with the control. The greatest reduction was achieved by extracts from C. spinosa, Cyperus rotundus, E. camaldulensis, L. pilosus, Punica granatum, R. coriaria and T. aphylla. A relatively negative fit was found between the mean number of repelled mites and the number of eggs laid (r=−0.65), which might indicate that most repelled mites were unable to lay eggs before leaving the leaf discs of the bioassay. Our results show that several plant extracts have good potential for acaricidal activity and are worth further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ethnobotanical survey was conducted among 31 local Arab practitioners living in Galilee, Negev, Golan Heights and West Bank. Seeing that the Arabic traditional medicine is in danger of disappearing, a multilevel program is required, involving the training of local practitioners, an establishment of a regional medicinal plant botanical garden and a field gene bank for plant preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological control of the western flower thrips (WFT) Frankliniella occidentalis, using the entomopathogenic Metarhizium anisopliae-7 ( M. a-7) strain was studied in three consecutive seasons under greenhouse conditions. Cucumber plants infested with WFT were sprayed with spore suspension of the fungus M. a-7 (0.5 g m-2), or the soil was treated with dry powder of the fungus (0.5 g m-2); the control was without fungus application. In the 1997 spring experiment, when the cucumber plants were initially infested with only three or four insects per leaf, the spore suspension spray caused a significant reduction in growth of the thrips population compared with the other treatments and the control. However, in the 1997 summer experiment, when the plants were initially heavily infested with WFT (10–15 insects per leaf), the spray treatment caused only a modest reduction in WFT population growth, and only after 4 weeks of treatment was the reduction significant. In the 1999 experiment, with a low initial WFT population of three or four insects per leaf, the spray treatment was effective in reducing the population growth to a lower level than in the other treatments or control. The M. a-7 strain was found to be effective in reducing the population growth of WFT under greenhouse conditions, particularly when the initial thrips population was low to moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary roots of intact maize plants (Zea mays L.) grown for several days in nutrient solutions containing 100 mol m-3 NaCl and additional calcium, had relatively inhibited rates of elongation. Possible physical restraints underlying this salt induced inhibition were investigated. The inhibition did not involve reductions in osmotic potential gradients and turgor in the tip tissues responsible for root elongation growth. The apparent yield threshold pressure, which is related to capacity of cell walls to undergo loosening by stress relaxation, was estimated psychrometrically in excised root tips. Salinity increased yield threshold values. Comparative root extensibility values were obtained for intact plants by determining the initial (1 mm) increase in root elongation rate induced by an 0.1 MPa osmotic jump. Comparative extensibility was significantly reduced in the salinized root tips. Salinity did not reduce capacities for water efflux and associated elastic contraction in root tip tissues of intact plants exposed to hypertonic mannitol. We conclude that cell wall hardening in the elongating root tips is an important component of root growth inhibition induced by long-term salinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of rhizosphere and bulk soil microbes to volatilize selenate, selenite, and selenomethionine was studied in liquid culturesunder controlled conditions. Microbes cultured from the rhizosphere of bulrush (Scirpus robustus) plants showed higher Se volatilization than those from bulk soil of a flow-through, constructed wetland areacontaminated with selenite. The data show that bacteria are the dominant microbes involved in Se volatilization; fungi contribute relatively little to this process. Bactericides significantly decreased bothSe volatilization and the number of culturable bacteria in rhizosphere cultures compared to an untreated control. In the absence of addedC, Se volatilization was greatest from selenomethionine, then selenite, then selenate. Aeration substantially increased the percent ages of Se volatilized from rhizosphere soil cultures to which no C was added. Up to 95, 21, and 3% of the Se was volatilized from selenomethionine, selenite, and selenate, respectively. When both C and aeration treatments were applied to the rhizosphere cultures, the corresponding percentages changed to 20, 57, and 4%, that is, selenomethionine volatilization by rhizosphere microbes decreased when C was added whileselenite volatilization substantially increased. Since selenite volatilization was the greatest when rhizosphere microbes were supplied with C and aeration, we suggest that microbes in this selenite-contaminated wetland are adapted to volatilize Se by using C released from roots, and that Se volatilization may be enhanced by oxygen and environmental conditions provided by the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed at providing a first evaluation of willow tree ( Salix acmophylla ) irrigated by secondarily-treated wastewater as a fodder for goats. The nutrient and mineral contents in stems and leaves of two willow types (termed “red” and “white” for their bark color) and the concentration of secondary compounds were established. The adaptation of naïve goats to willow forage and its effect on the milk composition of late lactating goats were also studied. Willow fodder was composed of 45% leaves and 55% stems, on a DM basis; the weighted content of CP, ME, NDF, Ca, and P were (on a DM basis): 13.6%, 1.8 Mcal, 44.9%, 1.1%, and 0.2%, respectively. Lead, nickel and cadmium were found below the detection threshold in willow fodder and the concentrations of metals did not exceed the recommended ranges in feed. Intake was higher for red than for white willow fodder. The adaptation rate to white willow was low (27 g/d) but steady and intake was similar to that of clover hay after one week. White willow contained 1.2-fold more salicin (P < 0.05), 1.5-fold more gallic acid (P < 0.01) and 1.8-fold more kaempferol than red willow. The two types of willow did not differ in their concentrations of salicylic acid, hyperin, salidroside and helicon. No evidence was found that willow at the amounts consumed in this study – up to 500 g/d during the adaptation period and ca . 600 g/d in late lactation – could be harmful to goats, as neither of the liver enzymes increased in blood, following exposure to willow. When Baladi (Mamber) goats at their third lactation at 240 days post-partum were provided with willow after grazing hours for a period of 10 days, milk yield was not affected. Somatic cell counts soared from 1.3*10 6 to up to 2.9*10 6 in the control group, but did not change in the group that was fed willow. These initial results imply that willow that is irrigated with treated wastewater can serve as medium-quality forage for dairy goats. Specific compounds contained in willow fodder may be of significant value in maintaining and improving the health and welfare of dairy goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olive mill wastewater (OMWW) presents a challenge to the control of effluents due to the presence of a high organic load, antimicrobial agents (monomeric-polymeric phenols, volatile acids, polyalcohols, and tannins), salinity and acidity. In this study, the production of extracellular laccase, monomeric or polymeric phenol, from an OMWW isolate based on its ability to biodegrade phenols and gallic acid as a model of phenolic compounds in OMWW was investigated. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S RNA gene sequences identified the bacterial isolate (Acinetobacter REY) as being closest to Acinetobacter pittii. This isolate exhibited a constitutive production of extracellular laccase with an activity of 1.5 and 1.3 U ml/L when supplemented with the inducers CuSO4 and CuSO4+phenols, respectively. Batch experiments containing minimal media supplemented with phenols or gallic acid as the sole carbon and energy source were performed in order to characterize their phenolic biodegradability. Acinetobacter REY was capable of biodegrading up to 200 mg/L of phenols and gallic acid both after 10 h and 72 h, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The activity of shepherding in the Middle-East is laden with millennia-old cultural content – not the least of which is the recognition by shepherds of the medicinal uses of indigenous vegetation for treating humans and animals. In Israel of the 21st century, this knowledge survives in no more than fifty individuals and there is serious concern that all the ethno-veterinary knowledge in Israel, including drug preparation from local plants, could be lost in this generation. We have surveyed the ethno-veterinary practices of 30 informants in the Galilee, the Carmel Heights, the Samaria Hills, the Northern Negev, and the Golan Heights. Most of the retrieved information was related to the treatment of small ruminants. We grouped our findings into the following categories of ailments: external parasites; stomach disorders, internal parasites, and poisoning; infections, fevers and external wounds; reproductive management; bites and stings; and kai or wasm – cauterization medicine. We added a category of magical practices. Most herbal recipes consisted of plants offered as fodder, monospecies infusions or decoctions, ointments with olive oil as excipient, generally involving wild plant taxa that were neither rare nor endangered such as Pistacia lentiscus, Inula viscosa, oak and cypress or cropped species such as tobacco, barley, sesame or grapevine. We also report management practices aimed at improving reproductive performance, improving sanitation in premises, and coping with toxic plants on rangelands. Comparisons of our results with other published sources from the Mediterranean and the Arab world suggest that the same plant species are often used with different applications. Some preparations and practices having proven anthelmintic and anti-coccidial value might gain interest as anthelmintics are under consumers’ scrutiny and challenged by parasitic resistance and chemical coccidiostats are being ruled out. Some practices that emerge from this survey challenge our understanding of plant chemistry and pharmacology and animal physiology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An extensive ethnopharmacological survey was conducted among the most well known Arabic indigenous herbal practitioners in Israel, the Golan Heights and the West Bank in order to evaluate the potential of local plants used in treating different diseases and illnesses. Thirty-one indigenous practitioners'' of Arabic traditional medicine ranging in age from 40 to 116 years, were interviewed using a previously prepared questionnaire. The current survey revealed that 129 plant species are still in use in Arabic traditional medicine for the treatments of various diseases. Among these plants, there are 40 species used for treating skin diseases, 27 species for treating kidney and urinary system, 26 species for treating diabetes, 23 species for treating digestive system including stomach and intestinal pain and inflammation, 22 species for treating liver diseases, 16 species for treating respiratory system and coughing, 13 species for treating forms of cancer and nine species for treating weight loss and cholestrol reduction. Additional findings and implications of this current survey including preparation methods and route of use are discussed in this report. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]