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Abstract Aflatoxins (AFs) are hazardous carcinogens and mutagens produced by some molds, particularly Aspergillus spp. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to isolate and identify endophytic bacteria, extract and characterize their bioactive metabolites, and evaluate their antifungal, antiaflatoxigenic, and cytotoxic efficacy against brine shrimp (Artemia salina) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2). Among the 36 bacterial strains isolated, ten bacterial isolates showed high antifungal activity, and thus were identified using biochemical parameters and MALDI-TOF MS. Bioactive metabolites were extracted from two bacterial isolates, and studied for their antifungal activity. The bioactive metabolites (No. 4, and 5) extracted from Bacillus cereus DSM 31T DSM, exhibited strong antifungal capabilities, and generated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polyphenols. The major VOCs were butanoic acid, 2-methyl, and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z) in extracts No. 4, and 5 respectively. Cinnamic acid and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid were the most abundant phenolic acids in extracts No. 4, and 5 respectively. These bioactive metabolites had antifungal efficiency against A. flavus and caused morphological alterations in fungal conidiophores and conidiospores. Data also indicated that both extracts No. 4, and 5 reduced AFB1 production by 99.98%. On assessing the toxicity of bioactive metabolites on A. salina the IC50 recorded 275 and 300 µg/mL, for extracts No. 4, and 5 respectively. Meanwhile, the effect of these extracts on HepG2 revealed that the IC50 of extract No. 5 recorded 79.4 µg/mL, whereas No. 4 showed no cytotoxic activity. It could be concluded that bioactive metabolites derived from Bacillus species showed antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic activities, indicating their potential use in food safety.

Abstract Background Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) has emerged as a promising eco-friendly alternative to traditional petrochemical-based plastics. In the present study, we isolated and characterized a new strain of Salinicola salarius, a halophilic bacterium, from the New Suez Canal in Egypt and characterized exclusively as a potential PHB producer. Further genome analysis of the isolated strain, ES021, was conducted to identify and elucidate the genes involved in PHB production. Results Different PHB-producing marine bacteria were isolated from the New Suez Canal and characterized as PHB producers. Among the 17 bacterial isolates, Salinicola salarius ES021 strain showed the capability to accumulate the highest amount of PHB. Whole genome analysis was implemented to identify the PHB-related genes in Salinicola salarius ES021 strain. Putative genes were identified that can function as phaCAB genes to produce PHB in this strain. These genes include fadA, fabG, and P3W43_16340 (encoding acyl-CoA thioesterase II) for PHB production from glucose. Additionally, phaJ and fadB were identified as key genes involved in PHB production from fatty acids. Optimization of environmental factors such as shaking rate and incubation temperature, resulted in the highest PHB productivity when growing Salinicola salarius ES021 strain at 30°C on a shaker incubator (110 rpm) for 48 h. To maximize PHB production economically, different raw materials i.e., salted whey and sugarcane molasses were examined as cost-effective carbon sources. The PHB productivity increased two-fold (13.34 g/L) when using molasses (5% sucrose) as a fermentation media. This molasses medium was used to upscale PHB production in a 20 L stirred-tank bioreactor yielding a biomass of 25.12 g/L, and PHB of 12.88 g/L. Furthermore, the produced polymer was confirmed as PHB using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC–MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analyses. Conclusions Herein, Salinicola salarius ES021 strain was demonstrated as a robust natural producer of PHB from agro-industrial wastes. The detailed genome characterization of the ES021 strain presented in this study identifies potential PHB-related genes. However, further metabolic engineering is warranted to confirm the gene networks required for PHB production in this strain. Overall, this study contributes to the development of sustainable and cost-effective PHB production strategies.

Aflatoxins are toxic carcinogens and mutagens formed by some moulds, specifically Aspergillus spp. Therefore, this study aimed to extract and identify bioactive secondary metabolites from Lactobacillus species, to evaluate their efficacy in reducing fungal growth and aflatoxin production and to investigate their toxicity. The bioactive secondary metabolites of Lactobacillus species showed variable degrees of antifungal activity, whereas L. rhamnosus ethyl acetate extract No. 5 exhibited the highest antifungal activity and, thus, was selected for further identification studies. Data revealed that L. rhamnosus ethyl acetate extract No. 5 produced various organic acids, volatile organic compounds and polyphenols, displayed antifungal activity against A. flavus, and triggered morphological changes in fungal conidiophores and conidiospores. L. rhamnosus ethyl acetate extract No. 5 at a 9 mg/mL concentration reduced AFB1 production by 99.98%. When the effect of L. rhamnosus ethyl acetate extract No. 5 on brine shrimp mortality was studied, the extract attained a 100% mortality at a concentration of 400 µg/mL, with an IC50 of 230 µg/mL. Meanwhile, a mouse bioassay was performed to assess the toxicity of L. rhamnosus ethyl acetate extract No. 5, whereas there were no harmful effects or symptoms in mice injected with L. rhamnosus ethyl acetate extract at concentrations of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 mg/kg body weight.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria represent a serious public health threat. For that reason, the development of new and effective antibiotics to control pathogens has become necessary. The current study aims to search for new microorganisms expressing antibiotic production capacity. Fifteen sites covering a wide range of harsh environmental conditions in Egypt were investigated. Two hundred and eighty bacterial isolates were obtained and then tested against pathogenic bacteria using the agar disk diffusion technique. Fifty-two (18.6% of the total) of the isolates exhibited antagonistic properties, which affected one or more of the tested pathogens. The isolate 113 was identified as Bacillus licheniformis and isolate 10 was identified as Brevibacillus borstelensis using the 16S rRNA technique. The B. licheniformis strain was stronger in antibiotic production against S. typhi, M. luteus, and P. ariginosa, whereas the strain Br. borstelensis was more efficient against B. cereus, E. coli, and Klebs. sp. The sensitivity of the strains to commercial antibiotics showed that B. licheniformis was highly sensitive to seven commercial antibiotics, whereas Br. borstelensis was sensitive to nine antibiotics. The two strains were subjected to ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis to obtain mutants with a higher antibiotic production. The total bacterial count was measured after treatment with EMS mutagen and showed a significant gradual increase in the antimicrobial activity, which was achieved via shaking in the presence of EMS for 60 min. High antimicrobial activities were noted with 17 and 14 mutants from the B. licheniformis and Br. borstelensis strains, respectively. The mutant B. licheniformis (M15/Amo) was more active than the parent strain against S. aureus (212.5%), while the mutant Br. borstelensis (B7/Neo) was more effective against S. typhi (83.3%). The present study demonstrates the possibility of obtaining potent antibiotic-producing bacteria in hot spring waters and further improving the indigenous bacterial capacity to produce antibiotics by using EMS mutagenesis.

Aflatoxins (AFs) are hazardous carcinogens and mutagens produced by some molds, particularly Aspergillus spp. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to isolate and identify endophytic bacteria, extract and characterize their bioactive metabolites, and evaluate their antifungal, antiaflatoxigenic, and cytotoxic efficacy against brine shrimp (Artemia salina) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2). Among the 36 bacterial strains isolated, ten bacterial isolates showed high antifungal activity, and thus were identified using biochemical parameters and MALDI-TOF MS. Bioactive metabolites were extracted from two bacterial isolates, and studied for their antifungal activity. The bioactive metabolites (No. 4, and 5) extracted from Bacillus cereus DSM 31T DSM, exhibited strong antifungal capabilities, and generated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polyphenols. The major VOCs were butanoic acid, 2-methyl, and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z) in extracts No. 4, and 5 respectively. Cinnamic acid and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid were the most abundant phenolic acids in extracts No. 4, and 5 respectively. These bioactive metabolites had antifungal efficiency against A. flavus and caused morphological alterations in fungal conidiophores and conidiospores. Data also indicated that both extracts No. 4, and 5 reduced AFB1 production by 99.98%. On assessing the toxicity of bioactive metabolites on A. salina the IC50 recorded 275 and 300 µg/mL, for extracts No. 4, and 5 respectively. Meanwhile, the effect of these extracts on HepG2 revealed that the IC50 of extract No. 5 recorded 79.4 µg/mL, whereas No. 4 showed no cytotoxic activity. It could be concluded that bioactive metabolites derived from Bacillus species showed antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic activities, indicating their potential use in food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the role of ξ Potential on Monometallic (MM) and Bimetallic (BM) Calcium Oxide/Magnetite Iron Oxides nanoparticles to stimulate the immune response. Metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) were biosynthesis using Pseudomonas fluorescens S48. MNPs characterization was carried out by UV–Vis spectra, XRD analysis, Zeta potential and Particles size, SEM-EDS, and TEM, and the concentrations were calculated by ICP-AES. The immune system activity was measured by estimation of lymphocytes transformation, phagocytic activity. The end point was in evaluating the toxicity of Metallic NPs by comet assay. SEM-EDS and TEM micrographs showed that MM CaO and Fe3O4 represent a perfect example of zero-dimensional (0-D) NPs with cubic and spherical particles in shape, while BM CaO/Fe3O4 NPs appeared in the form of Core–shell structure. The variations effect of novelty MM, BM CaO/Fe3O4 NPs in enhancing immune activity were based on the ξ Potential whereas negatively and positively charged. These findings demonstrate that the cationic CaO/Fe3O4 NPs are inefficient in stimulating the immune system which causes a high cytotoxic effect. But the anionic CaO/Fe3O4 NPs have advantages in targeting the immune system because of enhanced delivery to the cells through adsorptive endocytosis as well as the half-life clearance from the blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Behcet's syndrome (BS) is a variable-vessel vasculitis characterized by hyperactive innate immunity. The nuclear factor kappa B (NFKB) pathway is involved in the regulation of inflammatory responses including innate and adaptive immune responses. BS could be associated with NFKB hyperactivation. We aimed to study the association between the NFKB1 A > G (rs4648068) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and BS in Egyptian patients, in comparison to healthy controls, and to correlate the presence of rs4648068 SNP with the different activity domains of the disease. After ethical committee approval (Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt, code MD-228-2022), the International Study Group Criteria for Behçet's Disease (ISG) criteria was used to recruit 60 BS patients, and the activity of the disease was assessed using Behcet’s Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) and the Behcet Syndrome Activity Score (BSAS). Another 60 matched controls were recruited. DNA extraction was done followed by PCR amplification to detect the target SNP. Results The GG genotype was significantly higher in BS versus controls (21.7% and 5%, respectively, p value = 0.015). Also, the G allele was significantly higher in BS versus controls (43.3% and 30%, respectively, p value = 0.033). Of the whole activity domains, only arthralgia was found to be significantly correlated with rs4648068 SNP. Conclusion NFKB1 rs4648068 A > G SNP increases the risk of developing BS. Among patients with BS, the GG genotype is protective against developing arthralgia. There is no statistically significant relation between rs4648068 SNP and either other activity domains of BS or the different activity scores of the disease.

Objective: A few studies indicate that human papillomavirus (HPV) induces aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) and correlate this with p16INK4a in oral dysplasia (OD) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the expression of miRNA-21, miRNA-22, and miRNA-224 by q-PCR and the p16INK4a by immunohistochemical (IHC) as markers for HPV-positive OSCC and OD in comparison to controls as miRNA expression can be altered by the HPV oncogenes and hence can be used as a biomarker for HPV positive cases. Material and Methods: Fifty-two specimens were collected from archived paraffin blocks for patients aged between 19 and 88 (31 males and 21 females) from various oral sites. They were examined by IHC using p16INK4a, by RT-PCR for the detection of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 42, 43, 44, 45, 52, 53, 56), and by q-PCR for the expression of miRNA-21, miRNA-22, and miRNA-224 in positive specimens. Results: Out of the 15 OD, three were positive by both techniques. Meanwhile, 17 out of all OSCC specimens showed intense nuclear and cytoplasmic staining by p16INK4a, and only 16 were also positive by RT-PCR. However, all control specimens were negative. MiRNA-21, miRNA-22, and miRNA-224 were overexpressed in 3 specimens of OD and 16 of OSCC. Conclusion: MiRNA-21, miRNA-22, and miRNA-224, besides p16INK4a, could be used as indicators for HPV-associated OD and OSCC as their expression is attributed to the HPV oncoprotein. Further studies using follow-up data should be done to correlate it with miRNA overexpression.

Abstract Background The scientific community has been particularly interested in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) because of the cancer’s extremely high incidence and fatality rates worldwide. It has been proposed that paxillin is involved in certain malignancies as an oncogene. Additionally, several investigations have assessed paxillin expression and investigated its function in developing distinct human carcinomas, including squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, it was discovered that there is a strong link between paxillin levels and cancer progression and spread. Objective This investigation was carried out to analyze and compare the salivary paxillin levels between oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), OSCC and the healthy controls to assess its potential role as a biomarker of oral cancer aiming for early diagnosis and better prognosis of OSCC. Methods Forty-five patients, ranging in age from thirty to seventy-five, were divided into three groups: fifteen patients with OPMDs, fifteen patients with OSCC, and fifteen controls. Paxillin was identified in saliva samples by using an ELISA kit. Results Patients with OSCC and OPMDs have considerably greater salivary Paxillin levels than the healthy control group. The receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was used in our study to distinguish patients with OPMDs from those with OSCC. The ROC curve constructed with the OPMDs group as the positives had lower sensitivity and area under the curve (AUC) values [100% and 1] than the ROC curve with the malignant group as the positives [93.3% and 0.997], respectively. Furthermore, ROC analysis performed between OPMDs group and the malignant group showed a specificity of 73.3% and a cut-off value ≥ 7.9 . Conclusion Paxillin can be considered a reliable biomarker for identifying and comparing OPMDs and OSCC cancerous changes. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT06154551- 4/12/2023.

Abstract Background Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have decreased bone health. We aimed to investigate serum levels of bone turnover markers (BTMs) (markers of bone formation and bone resorption) and bone mineral density (BMD) at three sites (lumber, neck femur, and total femur) in middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes and to analyze the relationship between them. Also to evaluate serum osteoglycin as a novel marker and its relation to BTMs, BMD, and diabetic status. Methods We recruited seventy-eight patients with T2DM and thirteen non-diabetic, male volunteers as a control group. BMD was measured using a DEXA scan. BTMs (carboxy-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type 1 collagen [CTX] and procollagen type 1 N propeptide [P1NP]), osteoglycin, PTH, and vitamin D were estimated. Data was compared among subjects and statistical analysis was performed. Results Most of the patients were having normal BMD with no significant difference between patients and the controls. BTMs and osteoglycin were significantly higher and vitamin D was significantly lower in the diabetic patients. Serum osteoglycin was positively correlated with DEXA Neck Femur (r = 0.233; p-value

Abstract The expression of ACE2 is linked to disease severity in COVID-19 patients. The ACE2 receptor gene polymorphisms are considered determinants for SARS-CoV-2 infection and its outcome. In our study, serum ACE2 and its genetic variant S19P rs73635825 polymorphism were investigated in 114 SARS-CoV-2 patients. The results were compared with 120 control subjects. ELISA technique and allele discrimination assay were used for measuring serum ACE2 and genotype analysis of ACE2 rs73635825. Our results revealed that serum ACE2 was significantly lower in SARS-CoV-2 patients (p = 0.0001), particularly in cases with hypertension or diabetes mellitus. There was a significant difference in the genotype distributions of ACE2 rs73635825 A > G between COVID-19 patients and controls (p-value = 0.001). A higher frequency of the heterozygous AG genotype (65.8%) was reported in COVID-19 patients. The G allele was significantly more common in COVID-19 patients (p

Abstract Background Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic mucocutaneous immunologically mediated condition that has a great adverse effect on oral functions. Corticosteroids are still the first drugs of choice used in the treatment of OLP; however, they have extensive medical side effects. The present study was carried out to assess the clinical therapeutic effect of the topical use of coenzyme Q10 (coQ10 or ubiquinol) versus topical corticosteroids in the management of symptomatic OLP and to determine whether the effect, if any, was due to the powerful antioxidant activity of coQ10. Subjects and methods We performed a randomized, double blinded controlled trial at the Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Egypt. The study was conducted on 34 patients suffering from symptomatic OLP. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: intervention group (I),who received topical CoQ10 in the form of mucoadhesive tablets (40% CoQ10) 3 times daily for one month and control group (II),who received topical corticosteroid (kenacort in Orabase: triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% 5-g adhesive paste – dermapharm), 4 times daily for one month. Patients were evaluated at one-week intervals using the clinical parameters (score) of pain (VAS) and lesion size. Additionally, salivary levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected in both groups before and after treatment using ELISA. All recorded data were analysed using independent t test, ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post hoc test for lesion size and salivary level of MDA data and Mann–Whitney U test and Friedman test for VAS data. Results Both groups showed a significant reduction in pain and the size of the lesions (p ≤ 0.05) with no statistically significant difference between them (p > 0.05), and this clinical improvement was associated with a reduction in the salivary levels of MDA in both groups. Conclusions The topical use of CoQ10 mucoadhesive tablets was as effective as the topical use of triamcinolone acetonide, and its clinical effect was associated with a reduction in the salivary level of MDA. Trial registration The study protocol was registered at www.clinicaltrial.gov (NCT04091698) and registration date: 17/9/2019.

Abstract Background Cisplatin is a wide-ranging antineoplastic drug. Neurotoxicity is one of cisplatin’s side effects that restrict its usage. This study aimed to investigate the possible protective properties of sweet basil oil against cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity in mice. A docking study was carried out to elucidate the fundamental mechanism of sweet basil oil’s ameliorative influence. Thirty male mice were allocated into three groups as follows: control group, cisplatin group (2.3 mg/kg), and sweet basil oil group (25 µl/kg basil oil + cisplatin 2.3 mg/kg). Cisplatin was given for five successive days, followed by five days of rest, for two cycles, while sweet basil oil was orally administered for 21 successive days. Results Our results revealed that sweet basil oil’s antioxidant activity ameliorated the oxidative stress induced by cisplatin in mice’s brains via lowering MDA levels and increasing CAT activity and Nrf2 levels. Also, the anti-apoptotic activity of sweet basil oil was obvious via lowering the gene expression levels of Bid and caspase-3 but did not affect the serum level of P38 MAPK. Changes in acetylcholinesterase activity, serotonin and dopamine levels induced by cisplatin were significantly alleviated by sweet basil oil. Conclusion Sweet basil oil can be used as a food supplement to guard against cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity. Graphical abstract

Downregulating Angiotensin Converting Enzyme2 (ACE2) expression may be a shared mechanism for RNA viruses. Aim: Evaluate the expressions of ACE2 effectors: the long non-coding RNA ‘MALAT-1’, the micro-RNA ‘miR-200c-3p’ and the histone deacetylase ‘SIRT1’ in SARS-COV-2 patients and correlate to disease severity. Sera samples from 98 SARS-COV-2 patients and 30 healthy control participants were collected. qRT-PCR was used for MALAT-1 and miR-200c-3p expression. SIRT1 was measured using ELISA. Results: In sera of COVID-19 patients, gene expression of miR-200c-3p is increased while MALAT-1 is decreased. SIRT1 protein level is decreased (P value

الملخص: الأهداف البحثية: تتأثر القيم المهنية والإلتزام التنظيمي بشدة بالإختلافات الفردية. إن معرفة ماهية وكيفية عمل هذه الإختلافات هو أمر بالغ الأهمية لكل منظمة صحية. لذلك فإن الهدف من هذه الدراسة هو دراسة كيفية انعكاس الإختلافات في الخصائص الديموغرافية في القيم المهنية والإلتزام التنظيمي بين الممرضين والممرضات. طرق البحث: أجريت الدراسة باستخدام تصميم ارتباط وصفي مقطعي. تم استخدام القيم المهنية التمريضية ومقاييس الإلتزام التنظيمي لجمع البيانات. تكونت العينة من 412 ممرضً وممرضة ممن رغبوا في الإلتحاق بالدراسة. نتائج البحث: أظهرت النتائج أن القيم المهنية للممرضين والممرضات تختلف باختلاف العوامل الديموغرافية مثل الخبرة والقسم وأسباب اختيار المهنة وأخذ دورة أخلاقية، بينما لا توجد فروق على أساس التعليم أو الجنس. تختلف مستويات الإلتزام بإختلاف الخبرات والدين بالإضافة لحصولهم على دورة في علم الأخلاق وآداب المهنة. خلاصة البحث: يمكن أن تساهم المعرفة حول ما يمكن أن يؤثر على قيم وإلتزام الممرضين والممرضات في إعادة تصميم تعليم الأخلاقيات السريرية وتطوير خطط الإستقطاب الوظيفي. Abstract: Objectives: Both professional values and organizational commitment are strongly affected by variations among individuals. Identifying personal differences and their effects on professional values and organizational commitment is crucial for every hospital setting. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine how differences in demographic characteristics are reflected in professional values and organizational commitment among nurses. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design. Nursing professional values and organizational commitment scales were used to collect the data. The sample consisted of 412 staff nurses recruited through a convenience sampling technique. Results: Nurses' professional values differed according to demographic factors such as experience, department, career choice and having taken an ethics course, whereas no differences associated with education or gender were observed. Nurses’ levels of commitment differed according to their experience, their religion and whether they had taken an ethics course. Conclusion: Deeper knowledge regarding the factors affecting nurses’ values and commitment may contribute to redesigning clinical ethics education for nurses and the development of non-traditional retention plans.

Objective(s): The prevalence of chronic kidney disease in diabetics is progressively increasing with an increased risk of fatal complications. Materials and Methods: Sixty male albino rats were used in the study, and type 2 diabetes mellitus were induced. Diabetic rats were divided randomly into 5 groups, the control diabetic group and 4 treated groups were treated with metformin (group3), dulaglutide (group 4), metformin & cilostazol (group 5), and the last group was treated with dulaglutide & cilostazol (group 6). At the end of the experiment, the weight of rats and systolic blood pressure were estimated. After overnight fasting, the serum levels of blood glucose, lipid profile, and kidney function were measured. After scarification, gene expression of eNOS and NFKB in kidney tissue were estimated and kidney tissues were examined for histopathology. Results: Diabetic rats showed a significant increase in body weight, blood pressure, serum blood glucose, lipid profile, and impaired kidney function. Metformin and dulaglutide are associated with a significant decrease in blood pressure, blood glucose level, serum lipid profile, and improved kidney function. These changes are associated with a significant increase in anti-oxidative markers, and decreased inflammatory and fibrotic markers, especially with the addition of cilostazol. Conclusion: Metformin and dulaglutide have been shown to ameliorate kidney damage in diabetics by stimulating the anti-oxidant defense system, normalizing kidney functional parameters, and improving histopathological changes. The addition of cilostazol to metformin or dulaglutide increased some of their anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

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Abstract Background Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could be used for bio-production of lactic acid (LA) from wastes of dairy industries. This study aimed to produce LA using isolated and identified LAB capable of withstanding high salt concentration of salted cheese whey and adopting immobilization technique in repeated batch fermentation process. Results Seventy four isolates of LAB were isolated from salted cheese whey and examined for lactic acid production. The superior isolates were biochemically and molecularly identified as Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, and Enterococcus hirae. Then the best of them, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus hirae and dual of them besides Lacticaseibacillus casei were immobilized by sodium alginate 2% in entrapped cells. Repeated batch fermentation was executed for LA production from the mixture of salted whey and whey permeate (1:1) using immobilized strains during static state fermentation under optimum conditions (4% inoculum size in mixture contained 5% sucrose and 0.5% calcium carbonate and incubation at 37 °C). The potent bacterial strain was Enterococcus faecalis which gave the maximum LA production of 36.95 g/l with a yield of 81% after 36 h incubation at 37 °C in presence of 5% sugar. Conclusion Immobilized cells exhibited good mechanical strength during repetitive fermentations and could be used in repetitive batch cultures for more than 126 days.

Aim: To investigate the expression profile and diagnostic potentials of serum miR-92a, 134, and 375 in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. Materials & methods: Serum miRs-92a, 134, and 375 expression profiles were estimated by qRT-PCR for 70 AIS patients, age-matched with 25 control subjects. Their diagnostic potential was estimated by ROC analysis. Results: Down-expression of miR-92a and miR-375 was found (56; 96.5%; -1.86 ± 1.36; and 53; 91.4%; -1.63 ± 1.38, respectively), while miR-134 showed a predominant upregulation (46; 79.3%; 0.853 ± 1.34). The diagnostic accuracy was the highest for miR-92a and miR-375 (area under the curve = 0.9183 and 0.898, respectively), with greater specificity for miR-375 (Sp = 96%). Conclusion: Serum miR-92a and miR-375 could be promising early detective biomarkers of AIS.

Abstract Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) and waste pickle liquor (WPL); two major side products of the steel industry with negative environmental impact were used for the synthesis of nickel zinc ferrite (NZF); the important magnetic ceramic material of versatile industrial applications. The structural and magnetic properties of the prepared material were examined which showed good magnetic properties (high saturation magnetization and low coercivity) compared with those synthesized from pure reagents. In the applied process, nano sized nickel zinc ferrite (NZF) with a composition of Nix(Zn + impurities)1−xFe2O4 (where x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and impurities of manganese, magnesium, and calcium were prepared using zinc-containing electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) and waste pickle liquor (WPL). The chemical compositions of the prepared samples were determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The optimum acetic acid concentration for EAFD treatment was found 2% v/v that decreased Ca content of EAFD by 70.6% without loss of Fe and Zn. The structural and morphological characterization was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) to confirm the formation of Ni–Zn ferrite nanoparticles and estimate the particle sizes. The maximum saturation magnetization (Ms) of 73.89 emu/g was achieved at 0.5 Ni content and the minimum coercivity of 2.55 Oe was obtained at 0.25 Ni content.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a relatively common autoimmune disease in which genetic risk factors are well defined. Genetic studies are promising in exploring the long noncoding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs): growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) and H19, and their possible role in the assessment of RA. Aim of the Work: The aim of the study was to describe the expression of GAS5 and H19 in serum samples of Egyptian RA patients in comparison to healthy controls, then to investigate its possible relation to RA clinical characteristics and disease activity. Patients and Methods: Levels of GAS5 and H19 expression were compared in serum samples from Egyptian RA patients (n = 100) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 100) and then correlated within the RA group to disease activity measured by the Disease Activity Score 28–erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR). Results: GAS5 was downregulated (0.59 ± 0.36), while H19 was upregulated (7.41 ± 1.3) in sera of Egyptian RA patients in comparison with controls (1.07 ± 0.09 and 1.1 ± 0.09 respectively). Further analysis showed a significant negative correlation of GAS5 to DAS28-ESR (r = -0.380). However, H19 showed a positive correlation to DAS28-ESR (r = 0.487 (P < 0.05). Conclusion: GAS5 was related to less disease activity, while H19 tended to be associated with more active disease. They might be useful in RA as potential biomarkers for disease activity assessment in the following years. Still, further researches are needed to support our findings and precisely determine their potential utility in RA.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as a major risk factor of HCC. Circulating microRNAs are deregulated in HCC and are candidate biomarkers. The aim of this study was to explore the expression profile of miRNA-122, miR-483, and miR-335 in the serum of HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 90 HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, 90 non-malignant HCV patients, and 60 healthy controls were included. Serum microRNAs were measured by a qRT-PCR custom array. The expression levels of miR-122 and miR-483 were upregulated in HCC patients, while the miR-335 expression level was downregulated versus controls and HCV groups. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was created to examine miRNAs. miR-483 presented the best diagnostic potential because it showed the highest diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing HCV-related HCC patients from controls (AUC = 0.98) with 100% sensitivity. Moreover, there was obvious prognostic power in distinguishing HCV from HCC (AUC = 0.95) with 88% sensitivity. In conclusion, studied microRNAs (miR-122, miR-483, and miR-335) could serve as potential non-invasive early diagnostic biomarkers for HCC, and we identified a panel of three serum microRNAs with high accuracy in HCC diagnosis. Additional studies are required to confirm this panel and test its prognostic significance.

Many fashion designers have pursued the principle of sustainability to provide clothes that meet consumer’s needs and aim to make the major benefits of clothing product and change the wearer’s practices in ways to wear and improve the pattern of rapid consumption of less consumption. Transformable clothing is one of the applications of sustainability in fashion design, which can be comfortably worn in multiple ways. It can be transformed into another shape and able to transform back to the original shape by altering its components. The standards of convertible fashion design are flexibility, mobility and adaptability. The standards of transformable clothes are flexibility, mobility and adaptability. Using the modular design system as one of the types of transformable clothes, more than one dress style can be obtained for one clothing product using modules that can be added or removed to the clothing design and inspired by the abstract geometric thought of Mondrian.The present research aims to create fashion designs for women in the age group (18-25 years) inspired by the abstract geometric thought of the artist Mondrian with a new vision as an application of the theory of sustainability using the modular design system, which can be obtained from more than one style to wear for basic design using remove and/or add modular units, and implement them with appropriate implementation techniques.The findings indicate that modular design allows wearers customize the garment into any possible combinations by modifying the modules, so various styles are created from the main design, thus the researchers created three proposed designs. Each design consists of the main design and numbers of modules which can be remove and/or added by using appropriate fasteners.

Aim: The aims of this study were to study the prevalence of smartphones addiction among college and university students in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and to determine the risk factors and complications associated with smartphone addiction. Method: This study was conducted in all provinces of KSA from December 2015 to June 2016 by sending questionnaire to student clubs of various universities through Survey Monkey. Questionnaire included (1) sociodemographics, (2) smartphone usage patterns and addiction behavior, (3) impact of smartphone usage on driving and medical complications, and (4) smartphone addiction scale. Result: The total number of participants was 1941 (response rate 80.9%) students representing most of the provinces of Saudi Arabia. The prevalence of smartphones addiction was 19.1%. Female participants were more addicted than male participants (P < 0.001). Smartphone addition was also significantly associated with musculoskeletal complication, upper limb, eyes and sleep complications. Conclusion: High frequent usage with prolonged duration of smartphone was associated with high risk to addiction. Furthermore, smartphone addiction had significant impact on performing daily activities, sleeping disorder, and health problems. Awareness about harm of smartphones addiction is required to provide to students and parents as well. Smartphones should not be given at younger age and it only be given when a child can differentiate its healthy and productive use from addiction.

BackgroundInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. We aimed to investigate, for the first time, the expression profile of serum level of LncRNA THRIL and MiR-125b in IBD patients and their relations with patient's clinical and biochemical investigations.MethodsOur study included 210 subjects divided into 70 healthy subjects considered as control group (male and female), 70 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 70 patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Blood samples were obtained from all subjects. Expression of LncRNA THRIL and MiR-125b in serum was detected by Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR).ResultsOur results showed a significant increase in the fold change of LncRNA THRIL in UC patients (Median = 11.11, IQR; 10.21-12.45, PConclusionSerum LncRNA THRIL and MiR-125b could be used as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

This study was designed to examine the prevalence of Candida albicans alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (CaADH1) gene in oral dysplasia as well as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with and without lymph node metastasis (LNM) using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in order to determine its role in initiation, propagation and metastasis of oral dysplasia and carcinoma. Formalin-fixed parafin-embedded specimens were grouped into four groups: 7 control, 16 oral dysplasia, 16 OSCC without LNM and 15 OSCC with LNM. All specimens were examined by periodic acid Schiff (PAS) stain to detect Candida hyphae, while CaADH1 gene was detected using RT-PCR. Candida hyphae were detected by PAS stain in one specimen of oral dysplasia group, 5 OSCC without LNM and 5 OSCC with LNM. CaADH1 gene was detected in 29 specimens (one case of sever dysplasia, 16 OSCC without LNM and 12 OSCC with LNM), with a highly statistically significant between the groups. CaADH1 gene is associated with OSCC with and without metastasis whereas in oral dysplasia it could not be estimated. Further studies with larger sample size are needed to confirm the role of CaADH1 in oral dysplasia and OSCC.