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Background: The Candida species are the most important factors of fungal infections in humans and animals. It is necessary to prepare antifungal or antimicrobial drugs because of increasing drug resistance. The natural treatment of diseases of bacterial origin using medicinal plants is important. In this study the effect of antimicrobial medicinal herbal essential oils and conventional antifungal drugs were evaluated on Candida albicans in vitro. Methods: Disc diffusion assay and the microbroth dilution method were used to investigate the anticandidal effects of Foeniculum vulgare Mill, Satureja hortensis L, Cuminum cyminum, and Zataria multiflora Boiss essential oils. The anticandidal effect of these essential oils was compared with that of amphotricin B and ketoconazole in vitro. We then measured the chemical composition of the studied essential oils using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. Results: Z. multiflora Boiss essential oil at the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 34 μg/mL and minimal lethal concentration [i.e., minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC)] of 64 μg/mL had more powerful anti-Candida activity than the other essential oils. C. cyminum essential oil showed the least effect on the tested fungus. A comparison of the effect of the studied essential oils and antifungal drugs showed that the antifungal effect on the C. albicans fungus was better with the fungicides than with the essential oils. Conclusion: In the present study, essential oils with different components showed antifungal activity (especially Z. multiflora Boiss essential oil). They can therefore be used as new antifungal substances.

Although there is a growing research base on Arabic literacy development to inform our understanding of the factors that account for variability in word reading skill, the current body of research is limited by two major constraints. First, although several studies examine one or more early literacy constructs, we were able to locate only two studies that included phonological, orthographic and morphological factors together. Second, all of the studies conducted to date rely on the use of researcher-developed measures that include tasks associated with the construct(s) of interest, but that are not based on a comprehensive conceptual framework of these constructs. In this study, 188 students in grades 1-2 completed measures of phonological processing, orthographic knowledge, morphological awareness, and word reading. Results of multiple regression analyses indicate that phonological awareness, and, in particular, elision, accounted for significant variance in word reading, regardless of how word reading was measured. Morphological awareness and orthographic knowledge measures also accounted for significant variance in some word reading measures. RAN and Phonological Memory measures only contributed to some measures of word reading ability. Results are discussed in the context of the existing literature on Arabic. Implications and next steps for research are discussed.

The growing emergence of multi-drug resistant microbial strains has kept the scientific world searching for novel bioactive compounds with specific chemical characteristics. Accordingly, researchers have started exploring the understudied metabolites from endophytes as a new source of bioactive compounds. In this context, the current study was designed to evaluate the bioactive properties of endophytic fungi from the Mokrzański forest in Wrocław, Poland that have not yet been fully researched. Forty-three endophytic fungi were isolated from twelve distinct plants. Following their cultivation, fungal extracts were separately prepared from biomass and cell-free filtrates, and their antibacterial, antifungal (against human and plant pathogens), and antioxidant properties were examined. Five promising fungi after screening were identified to possess all of these activities. These strains and their respective plant hosts were Trichoderma harzianum BUK-T (Fagus sylvatica), Aspergillus ochraceus ROB-L1 (Robinia pseudoacacia), Chaetomium cochliodes KLON-L1, Fusarium tricinctum KLON-L2 (Acer platanoides), and Penicillium chrysogenum SOS-B2 (Pinus sylvestris). Moreover, gamma irradiation at several doses (Gy) was separately applied to the fungal cultures to study their effects on the recorded activities. Finally, compounds after preparative thin-layer chromatography fractionation of the five fungal strains were identified by GC-MS. These findings suggest that the isolated endophytic fungi could serve as novel sources of bioactive metabolites with antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties, potentially paving the way for future research and the development of new bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infectious diseases, including vector-borne and antibiotic-resistant infections, present significant global health challenges, necessitating the exploration of natural alternatives for disease control. In this study, we investigated the essential oil (EO) profile as well as larvicidal and antibacterial properties of two wild Apiaceae species used in Algeria: Daucus carota L. (DCEO) and Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (FVEO). EO was extracted from the aerial parts by steam distillation and analyzed using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Major constituents identified in DCEO were geranyl acetate (50.07%) and elemicin (10.77%), while FVEO contained estragole (24.93%), fenchone (20.20%), and α-phellandrene (17.96%). Both EOs were highly effective towards Culex pipiens larvae, with low LC50 values of 30.6 ± 1.06 ppm for DCEO and 34.7 ± 1.06 ppm for FVEO, indicating their potential as bioinsecticides due to their bioactivity and bioavailability. Additionally, the two Eos demonstrated moderate antibacterial efficacy against gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Staphylococcus aureus MRSA ATCC 43300, respectively, with DCEO showing MIC values of 10 and 20 mg/mL, respectively, and FVEO exhibiting MIC values > 20 mg/mL. However, both EOs showed limited effectiveness against gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC 700603. These results highlight the potential applications of DCEO and FVEO as natural bioinsecticides and antibacterial agents, offering promising avenues for further research and development in pest control and food preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Egyptian feldspar ores are usually of low grade and need beneficiation to improve their grade for industrial applications. Therefore, feldspar should be ground to a reasonable liberation degree prior to beneficiation processes. Mineralogical studies showed that a good degree of liberation is below 0.25 mm. This work aims to optimize the grinding parameters for an Egyptian feldspar ore that ensures maximum production of size −250 + 45 µm and minimum % − 45 µm. Grinding was performed using a laboratory ball mill. The results displayed that the grinding performance was increased with decreasing the solid content with U between 0.5 and 1. A high milling rate was achieved at ball filling 20–30%. The ideal ball-filling ratio was determined to be 25%, with less production of fines. Hence, it was decided to crush the feed to less than 2 mm before grinding with 36.6 mm balls to reduce fines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trichinosis is acquired through ingesting the infective larvae in pork meat. Drugs employed for the treatment of trichinosis have a limited bioavailability in addition to the adverse side effects. In the current work, the therapeutic effect of ivermectin against experimental muscle trichinosis was evaluated using solid lipid nanoparticles with and without albendazole. Methods: Seven groups of ten albino mice each were created from the 70 total. (GI): normal control, (GII): infected, non-treated, and (GIII): infected treated with albendazole, (GIV): infected treated with ivermectin. (GV) infected treated with solid lipid nanoparticles, (GVI): infected treated with ivermectin loaded on solid lipid nanoparticles, and (GVII): infected and received a combination of albendazole and solid lipid nanoparticles loaded with ivermectin. For the sevenday intestinal phase and the 49-day muscle phase, each group was split into two subgroups of five mice each. The focus of this study is the muscular phase. The mean number of encysted larvae in the muscle tissue was counted for a parasitological evaluation. Using feulgen and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stains, all groups were assessed histopathologically and histochemically, respectively. Liver and kidney parameters were also assessed biochemically. Results: The treatment that combined the use of albendazole and ivermectin loaded on solid lipid nanoparticles (GVII) produced the greatest decrease in the count of encysted muscle larvae (92.16%). The improvement in histological, histochemical, and biochemical markers supported these findings. Conclusion: Ivermectin loaded on solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNPS) could be an additional or synergistic therapeutic agent in treating trichinosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]