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Objective: To investigate the effect of unheated and heat-treated of Sahara honey. Methods: A total of 24 Swiss albino mice weighing 25–35 g were divided into four groups (n = 6). Anti-inflammatory effect was assessed at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 h after subplantar injection of carrageenan (0.5 mL of a 1% solution in normal saline). In addition, total phenolic content was determined by modified Folin-Ciocalteu method. Results: The total phenolic content capacity of the Sahara honey before and after heat treatment was between 72 and 97.9 mg of gallic acid equivalents/100 g of honey respectively. Administration of unheated honey (oral administration) reduced significantly (P < 0.05). The carrageenan induced mice paw edema model at 1, 3 and 6 h for 21.85%, 5.43% and 80.43%, respectively. Administration of heat-treated honey showed insignificant inhibition of carrageenan and induced paw edema at 1 h (31.16%), 3 h (0.25%) and 6 h (34.19%). The 50 mg/kg diclofenac exhibited percent reduction in paw volume 16.12%, 8.90% and 15.32% after 1 h, 3 h and 6 h, respectively, when compared with control animals. No toxicity was identified. Conclusions: Our results suggest that unheated Sahara honey has anti-inflammatory effects by reducing the mice paw edema size while heat-treated Sahara honey decreases the antiinflammatory activity.

Three Algerian honey samples (nectar honey, mixed honey and honeydew honey) were analysed for their total phenolic content (TPC) using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and total flavonoid content (TFC) by the aluminium chloride method. The antioxidant activity was tested both against reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated equine polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and on purified equine myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme activity. The ROS production by stimulated PMNs was measured by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence. Specific immunological extraction followed by enzymatic detection (SIEFED) was used to measure specifically the activity of equine MPO. Nectar honey, mixed honey and honeydew honey had TPCs of 59.52 ± 1.31, 68.36 ± 1.20 and 122.76 ± 4.20 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g honey, respectively (mean ± SD). As for the TPC, the highest TFC was observed for honeydew honey [20.55 ± 0.72 mg catechine equivalents (CE)/100 mg honey], followed by mixed ...

Objective: To search for further synergistic combinations of gentamicin and raw honey that might have potential in treating wounds. Methods: The antibacterial activity and synergistic interaction of raw honey and gentamicin was assessed by using agar well diffusion method. Two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 2154) bacteria were selected for antibacterial activity assay. The cultures of bacteria were maintained in their appropriate agar slants at 4 °C throughout the study and used as stock cultures. Results: Raw honey and gentamicin interacted synergistically to inhibit Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conclusions: These results suggest that combinations of raw honey and gentamicin have therapeutic benefits in prophylaxis of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of unheated and heat-treated Sahara honey on wound healing in rabbits on the basis of macroscopic observation changes. Methods: Eight female rabbits were used. Using aseptic surgical technique, a 3 cm incision was made on the back of each rabbit and two rabbits with injuries in each group were treated daily with a topical application of unheated and heated honey, sulfadiazine and sterile saline, respectively. Results: The unheated honey demonstrated the highest activity on the wound compared to reference ointment silver sulfadiazine, heat-treated honey and sterile saline respectively. Further the present investigation proves that unheated honey is possessing superior wound healing activity than that of heat-treated honey. Conclusions: The result of this study confirms that unheated honey had the best wound healing effect even better than heat-treated honey.

The fragility curves are an essential tool in the seismic assessment of structures and provide a versatile tool to conduct vulnerability analysis for retrofitting and strengthening purposes. The available advancements of computer computational power led to the improvement of the efficiency of the analytical fragility curves. Therefore, this paper focuses on reviewing the recent research developments in the analytical fragility analysis methods. Furthermore, the developments of the intensity and damage measures are presented. In addition, the joint hazards effects on structural fragility are addressed particularly for the environmental degradation and mainshock-aftershock sequence. Finally, recommendations are presented for improving the fragility analysis and highlighting the possible future research areas.

Although pockets of bioinformatics excellence have developed in Africa, generally, large-scale genomic data analysis has been limited by the availability of expertise and infrastructure. H3ABioNet, a pan-African bioinformatics network, was established to build capacity specifically to enable H3Africa (Human Heredity and Health in Africa) researchers to analyze their data in Africa. Since the inception of the H3Africa initiative, H3ABioNet's role has evolved in response to changing needs from the consortium and the African bioinformatics community.H3ABioNet set out to develop core bioinformatics infrastructure and capacity for genomics research in various aspects of data collection, transfer, storage, and analysis.Various resources have been developed to address genomic data management and analysis needs of H3Africa researchers and other scientific communities on the continent. NetMap was developed and used to build an accurate picture of network performance within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world, and Globus Online has been rolled out to facilitate data transfer. A participant recruitment database was developed to monitor participant enrollment, and data is being harmonized through the use of ontologies and controlled vocabularies. The standardized metadata will be integrated to provide a search facility for H3Africa data and biospecimens. Because H3Africa projects are generating large-scale genomic data, facilities for analysis and interpretation are critical. H3ABioNet is implementing several data analysis platforms that provide a large range of bioinformatics tools or workflows, such as Galaxy, the Job Management System, and eBiokits. A set of reproducible, portable, and cloud-scalable pipelines to support the multiple H3Africa data types are also being developed and dockerized to enable execution on multiple computing infrastructures. In addition, new tools have been developed for analysis of the uniquely divergent African data and for downstream interpretation of prioritized variants. To provide support for these and other bioinformatics queries, an online bioinformatics helpdesk backed by broad consortium expertise has been established. Further support is provided by means of various modes of bioinformatics training.For the past 4 years, the development of infrastructure support and human capacity through H3ABioNet, have significantly contributed to the establishment of African scientific networks, data analysis facilities, and training programs. Here, we describe the infrastructure and how it has affected genomics and bioinformatics research in Africa.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of the temperature on honey colour, polyphenol contents and antimycotic capacity and to evaluate the correlation between these parameters. Methods: Sahara honey were heated up to 25, 50, 75 and 100 °C for 15, 30 and 60 min, and their colour intensity, polyphenol contents and antimycotic capacity. The Folin-Ciocalteu test was used to determine the total polyphenol contents (TPC). The antimycotic activity was evaluated both by agar diffusion method and micro wells dilution method against the Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Candida glabrata (C. glabrata). Results: Initial values for TPC in Sahara honey ranged from 0.55 to 1.14 mg of gallic acid per kg of honey, with the average value of 0.78 mg of gallic acid per kg of honey. The TPC values after heat-treatment were 0.54 to 1.54 with the average value of 1.49 mg. The minimal inhibitory concentrations before heat-treatment of Sahara honey against C. albicans and C. glabrata ranged from 3.06%-12.5% and 50% respectively. After heat-treatment the minimal inhibitory concentrations between 12.5% and 50% for C. albicans and C. glabrata, respectively. The diameters of inhibition zones of Sahara honey with 50% concentration varied from (12.67-15.00) mm by C. albicans to (14.33-15.67) mm by C. glabrata. The diameters of inhibition zones after heat-treatment at 25 and 50 °C for 15.30 and 60 min ranged from (2.00-18.67) mm by C. albicans to (8.00-16.67) mm by C. glabrata. Statistically significant relations between the TPC and the colour intensity of Sahara honey (r=0.99, P

Objectives To analyze activities involving veteran resource parents and patients in a family partnership program; their perspectives were also explored. Study design The multiple roles assumed by family stakeholders in neonatal initiatives were reviewed. Quality control questionnaires were distributed to resource parents and patients and providers who worked with them. Mixed methods were used to analyze results. Results Thirty resource parents and patients were involved in a total of 653 activities related to clinical care (n = 413), teaching (n = 31), and research (n = 209); 7 initiatives were described to illustrate the positive impact of family stakeholders on clinical care, teaching, and/or research. Resource parents and patients had different degrees and intensity of involvement: all were involved in low-risk initiatives and 9 in more complex activities. In the questionnaire, family stakeholders all described positive impacts associated with their participation and benefits to themselves, such as meaning making. Three resource parents reported traumatic memories that occurred during medical simulations. The majority of providers report that resource parents and patients improved their projects, but some also report this new collaboration is complex. Conclusions Although stakeholder participation increasingly is recommended, practical knowledge and the impact of their participation is scarce. Having several resource parents and patients bring their contributions may be more valuable than a few “expert stakeholders.” Recruiting and orienting resource parents and patients toward different types of activities should take into account the complexity and risks of the tasks. Family stakeholders are appreciated and have a positive impact on projects in which they are involved.

To evaluate the in vitro activity and synergism of the combinations of natural honey and curcuma starch against Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in correlation with total phenolic, flavonoid contents, and diastase activity.The Folin-Ciocalteu test was used to determine the total polyphenols content and the flavonoid content was analyzed using by the aluminum chloride method. The antifungal activity of the natural honey, determined by an agar well diffusion assay and agar incorporation method.Total phenolic content varied from (63.930.11) to (95.366.08) mg GAE/100 g honey as gallic acid equivalent. Total flavonoids content varied from (5.41±0.04) to (9.94±0.54) mg CE/100 g. Diastase activity values were between (7.3±2.8) and (26±2.8). The zone inhibition diameter for the six honey samples without starch ranged between 6 and 20 mm. When starch was mixed with honey and then added to well, a zone inhibition increase diameter 7 and 21 mm. The percentage increase was noticed with each variety and it ranged between 5% and 62.5%. The minimal inhibitory concentrations for the six varieties of honey without starch against Rhodotorula mucilaginosa ranged between 28% and 36% (v/v). When starch was incubated with honey and then added to media, a minimal inhibitory concentration drop has been noticed with each variety. It ranged between 6.66 % and 20% (w/v). No significant correlation was established between diastase activity and bioactive compounds.The mixture of curcuma starch and honey could lead to the development of new combination antibiotics against Rhodotorula infections.

The aim of this study was to determine the anti-Candia albicans activity of 6 varieties of honey and their combination with Curcuma starch in correlation with diastase number (α-amylase) andphenolic compounds. The quality parameters (principally, diastase number and hydroxymethyl furfural levels (HMF) of honey were investigated. The total flavonoids contents by the aluminum chloride method. An agar incorporation technique was used to assess the Minimum inhibition concentration (MICs) and Minimum additive inhibitory concentration (MAICs) of honey against C. albicans ATCC10231. Hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) content shows values between 3.8 and 78.4 mg kg-1(Mean=23.15); diastase values were between 7.3 and 26 (Mean = 16.55). The mean total flavonoid content was found to be 8.11 mg CE/kg, with a minimum of 5. 41 mg CE/ kg, and a maximum of 9.94 mg. The MICs for the six samples of honey without starch against C. albicans ranged between 40 % and 50 % (vol/vol). When starch was incubated with honey and th...

Sahara honey samples from Algeria were screened for total phenolic contents by Folin Ciocalteau method and colour characteristics.Two different assays were performed to evaluate the antibacterial capacity of the honey samples: agar-well diffusion and Growth inhibition %.Total phenolic content varied from 0.620 to 1.044 mg/100 g honey as gallic acid equivalent.The colour of the Sahara honeys, analysed in this study was very variable and ranged from pale yellow to dark brown.In the antibacterial tests using two bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosawere moderately sensitive to honey samples. There was no correlation between antibacterial activity and total phenolic contents