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A highly efficient procedure for the synthesis of 4-alkyl(aryl)-6-aryl-3-cyano-2(1H)-pyridinones and their 2-imino isosteres via a one-pot multicomponent reaction of 3,4-dimethoxyacetophenone, malonitrile or ethyl cyanoacetate, an aldehyde and ammonium acetate in the presence of K2CO3 is achieved in good yields.

A highly efficient procedure for the synthesis of 2-iminochromenes via condensation of o-hydroxybenzaldehydes and malononitrile using a catalytic amount of mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 in good yields is achieved.

Phenols were nitrated regioselectivity with NH4NO3 in the presence of KHSO4 as a catalyst in high yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii) is a parasite that obtains the iron it needs for its own metabolism from the host-cell iron pool. In this work, we aimed to investigate if iron supplementation or deficiency affected the course of T. gondii infection. Eighty mice were divided into four groups, each with 20 animals: Group (I): Uninfected control group. Group (II): Infected control group: injected with Phosphate buffered saline. Group (III): Infected group: received iron sucrose treatment. Group (IV): Infected group: treated with deferoxamine. Quantitative PCR studies were performed on days 3 and 8 post-infection to detect the expression of iron metabolism genes (hamp and ferroprotin) and immune-histochemical analysis to study the percentage of TNF-α and TGF-β tissue expression. Iron supplementation induced progressions of infection evident by increased tissue expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and downregulation of TGF-β which is mostly linked to suppression of the inflammatory process caused by T. gondii . Increased expression of TGF-β and decreased expression of TNF-α was noticed when iron deprivation occurred. On day 3, we noticed increased expression in the hamp gene with iron supplementation while it decreases when the iron supply is low. On the contrary, iron deficiency increased ferroprotin gene expression whereas supplementing decreased it. On day 8, the level of expression of these genes returned to normal levels. These observations document the potential role of iron in controlling toxoplasmosis infection and indicate that the transcription of hamp and ferroprotin in T. gondii -infected cells appears to be regulated by a sophisticated indirect mechanism., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declared that they have no conflict of interest., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Introduction: Cryptosporidiosis has become an issue of great interest being life-threatening among immunocompromised hosts worldwide. This study explored the curative effect of Allium sativum (garlic) and Artemisia herba-alba ethanolic extract versus Nitazoxanide drug on both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed-Cryptosporidium experimentally-infected mice., Methodology: One hundred male Swiss albino mice were divided into the following groups: (GI) non-infected non-treated group, (GII) infected non-treated group, (GIII) garlic treated group, (GIV) A. herba-alba treated group, (GV) Nitazoxanide treated group, each group subdivided into two subgroups (a) Immunocompetent, (b) immunosuppressed. The assessment was performed by parasitological counting of fecal oocysts, histological examination of intestinal tissue, immunological detection of interferon-gamma levels in mice sera, and ultrastructural study by transmission electron microscopy., Results: Garlic and A. herbal-alba extracts showed a decrease in the mean oocyst counts through all days of follow-up. This was associated with significant up-regulation of interferon-gamma cytokine levels in serum and histological improvement in intestinal tissues of mice compared to control groups and the results were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The highest efficacy was obtained by garlic, then by A. herbal-alba extracts followed by Nitazoxanide treated group; where the immunocompetent groups showed better improvement than immunosuppressed ones., Conclusions: Garlic has a perfect effect as a promising therapeutic agent against Cryptosporidiosis and therefore validates their traditional use in parasitic infections. Accordingly, it may offer a good option for cryptosporidium treatment in immunocompromised patients. They could be used as a natural safe product for the preparation of a new therapeutic agent., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2023 Enas Said Elbahaie, Reda Lamei El Gamal, Ghada Mahmoud Fathy, Asmaa Mohammed Farouk Al-Ghandour, Nadia El-Akabawy, Basma Hosny Abd El Hameed, Samah Hassan Yahia.)

Background: Food-borne parasites are major sources of human and animal illness, posing severe health risks in places with contaminated soil, poor water quality, cleanliness, and poor sanitation. The usage of untreated organic fertilizers arising from the excreta of the parasites' definitive hosts either man or animal pollutes the agricultural soil and is reflected in its products of vegetables and green fodders causing serious health problems. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, this will be the first study that investigated the combination of parasitic contamination of the agricultural soil and its products of raw eaten vegetables and green fodder in East Nile Delta, Egypt., Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the type and degree of contamination caused by parasites in regularly used raw vegetables, green fodder, and soil samples collected from open fields in Egypt's East Nile Delta. Study Procedures . A cross-sectional study comprised a simple random collection of 400 soil samples, 180 green fodder samples, and as well as 400 vegetable samples, including lettuce, radish, coriander, parsley, dill, watercress, tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, and carrot, that were gathered throughout one year period from January to December 2021 to represent all seasons (winter, spring, summer, and autumn). The research locations were chosen from various open green fields and farming regions in Egypt's East Nile Delta producing ready-to-eat vegetables for human consumptions and planting green fodder for animal feeding. Concentrations, including sedimentation, and flotation, and staining techniques were used to recover the greatest number of parasitic life forms. The parasitic structures discovered were identified using biometric and imaging data and compared with known parasite morphology. Statistical analysis was performed with the SPSS software version 22 (IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). Data were presented in numbers and percentages. P -values equal to or less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. The difference in parasitic contamination among the different categories was compared using the chi-square test., Results: In this investigation, 243 out of 400 soil samples (60.7%) confirmed positive for parasitic contamination ( P < 0.05). Various parasitic life forms were significantly found in 249 out of 400 (62.25%) of the vegetable samples, with (65.1%) of them harboring one parasite species, whereas 9.2% significantly contained up to three parasites. Ascaris eggs, Trichuris eggs, and Giardia cysts were the most prevalent parasites, which were predominantly isolated from vegetables with uneven surfaces. 109 of 180 (60.0%) green fodder samples confirmed insignificantly positive for parasitic pollution. The proportion of parasite contamination in vegetable samples was insignificant although the highest was in spring (29.3%), followed by summer (27.7%), whereas it is significant in autumn (24.5%). The prevalence rate was the lowest in winter (20.1%). Conclusion and Recommendations . Our findings demonstrated a significant load of parasites notably the soil-transmitted parasitic infection in raw vegetables and green fodder cultivated in open fields as well as in their mother soil in the east of the Nile Delta, Egypt. These results confirm the urgent need to deploy strict control measures to the soil, especially during the pre-harvest period of raw eaten vegetables and green fodder, a critical step in reducing food-borne transmission of soil-transmitted parasites to man and animals., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare(s) that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Samah H. Yahia et al.)

In this study, the potential anti-cryptosporidial effect of Nigella sativa (black seeds) and Zingiber officinale (ginger) alcoholic extracts versus Nitazoxanide (NTZ) medication was investigated in immunosuppressed (IS) laboratory mice. Parasitological, histopathological studies were used to assess their therapeutic efficacy. Serum level and tissue expression percentage of IFN-γ was also used. Nigella extract succeeded to reduce the mean oocyst counts in the feces of immunosuppressed mice followed by NTZ. Ginger-treated ones showed the lowest reduction percentage. Nigella sativa showed the best results in terms of restoring the normal architecture of ileal epithelium in histopathological sections stained with H&E. NTZ treatment sub-groups showed mild improvement, followed by ginger-treated mice, which showed a slight improvement in small intestine microenvironment. A significant substantial rise in serum and intestinal tissue IFN-γ cytokine levels were recorded in Nigella subgroups compared to those of NTZ and ginger respectively. According to our findings Nigella sativa outperformed Nitazoxanide in terms of anti-cryptosporidial effectiveness and regeneration characteristics revealing a promising medication. When compared to the commonly used Nitazoxanide medication or Nigella extracts, the outcomes of ginger extract were suboptimal., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors state that the publishing of this paper does not include any conflicts of interest., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Background: Sesame allergy (SA) is a common cause of life-threatening, persistent food allergy, not only in the Middle East and Asia, but increasingly worldwide. Commercially available tests such as extracts for skin testing or specific IgE for sesame or its components in serum, have very limited predictive values. Therefore the diagnosis is dependent on the performance of oral food challenges (OFC), frequently avoided in children, due to time and resource constraints, as well as the risk of anaphylaxis. In the current study we aimed to develop a simple, readily available, clinical tool, able to predict sesame OFC outcomes in children., Methods: Children with a history of SA were evaluated in the outpatient allergy clinic. All children underwent natural sesame OFC, with an additional baked-sesame challenge offered to children with SA. Clinical data were compared between the sesame tolerant (ST) and SA groups. Machine-learning tools were applied, to create a simple, clinically driven, decision tree analysis (DTA), predicting the outcome of sesame OFCs and the diagnosis of SA., Results: One hundred four children, mean age 47.2 months, 58% boys were included, with a high prevalence of additional food allergies, atopic dermatitis, asthma, and rhinitis. Following OFC, 56 (54%) were diagnosed as ST and 48 (46%) SA. Among SA children, 85% were able to consume baked-sesame in equal or higher protein amounts compared to natural sesame paste. Compared to ST, SA children had a tendency towards a higher incidence of allergic rhinitis (5% Vs 17%, p = 0.062), multiple food allergies (3.6% vs 12.5%, p = 0.09) and requiring medical treatment after the initial SA reaction (27% vs 41%, p = 0.022). As a group, skin tests with both commercial and natural tahini paste differed significantly between ST and SA (mean wheal in mm, for extract 4.2 vs 13.4, p < 0.001 and for natural sesame paste 6.7 vs 24.4, p < 0.001), However, the PPV of any individual test was only between 60%-85%. Our exploratory, clinical DTA, predicted OFC outcomes and the presence or absence of Sesame Allergy, with ≥96% positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values., Conclusion: OFCs remain the gold standard for the diagnosis of Sesame Allergy and are indicated to define ST/SA status even in highly atopic patients with previous immediate allergic reactions to sesame. A decision-tree analysis based on clinical parameters easily available in every allergy clinic, can predict the outcome of sesame OFC in the vast majority of children, increasing the safety and availability of such diagnostic procedures., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Background: Allergic reactions to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have raised concerns, particularly as repeated doses are required. Skin tests with the vaccines excipient were found to be of low value, whereas the utility of skin tests with the whole vaccine is yet to be determined., Objective: To evaluate a panel of skin tests and the outcomes of subsequent doses of immunization among subjects who suffered an immediate allergic reaction to the BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccine., Methods: Between March and December 2021, patients who experienced symptoms consistent with immediate allergic reactions to the BNT162b2 vaccine and were referred to the Sheba Medical Center underwent skin testing with polyethylene glyol (PEG)-containing medicines, Pfizer-BNT162b2, and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (AZD1222). Further immunization was performed accordingly and under medical observation., Results: A total of 51 patients underwent skin testing for suspected allergy to the COVID vaccines, of which 38 of 51 (74.5%) were nonreactive, 7 of 51(13.7%) had no skin sensitization but suffered a clinical reaction during skin testing (mainly cough), and 6 of 51 (11.7%) exhibited immediate skin sensitization. Both skin sensitization and cough during testing were related to a higher use of adrenaline following immunization (P = .08 and P = .024, respectively). Further immunization with the BNT162b2 vaccine was recommended unless sensitization or severe reaction to previous immunization was evident. The latter were referred to be tested/receive the alternative AZD1222 vaccine. Ten patients underwent skin testing with AZD1222: 2 of 10 (20%) demonstrated skin sensitization to both vaccines; thus, 8 of 10 were immunized with the AZD1222, of which 2 of 8 (25%) had allergic reactions., Conclusions: Immediate allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines are rare but can be severe and reoccur. Intradermal testing with the whole vaccine may discriminate sensitized subjects, detect cross-sensitization between vaccines, and enable estimation of patients at higher risk., (Copyright © 2022 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Toxoplasmosis is a serious health problem in humans and animals resulting from obligatory intracellular invasion of reticuloendothelial tissue by Toxoplasma gondii . The profound pathologic effect of toxoplasmosis is confined to nervous tissue, but many other organs, including the liver and spleen, are insulted. Many molecules like caspase-3, CD3, and CD138 are implicated in the tissue immune response in a trial to alleviate hazardous toxoplasmosis impact. This study aimed to investigate the effect of chronic toxoplasmosis on the liver and spleen tissues of mice using biochemical and histopathological techniques and to detect the activity and level of expression of caspase-3, CD3, and CD138 in these tissues using immunohistochemical labeling. Compared with normal control, altered normal histological features accompanied by inflammatory reaction were recorded in hepatosplenic reticuloendothelial tissues in chronically infected mice. The biochemical profile of the liver has been changed in the form of increased liver enzymes, and oxidative stress has been evidenced by elevated nitric oxide (NO) concentration in liver homogenate. The levels of caspase3, CD3, and CD138 were markedly expressed in the liver and spleen of infected mice. Our findings revealed the persistent effect of latent toxoplasmosis on the host's histological architecture, metabolic, and immunological profile, creating a continued challenging host-parasite relationship., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2022 Samah Hassan Yahia et al.)

Peanut allergy is an increasing concern in younger children. Available bedside diagnostic tools, i.e., prick tests with commercial extracts or peanut-containing foods have only limited predictive values. In a cohort of preschoolers with both a history of allergic reactions and sensitization to peanut proteins, we aimed to characterize the impact of skin tests with a novel composition of peanuts LPP-MH. Almost one quarter (27/110) of preschool children, with a history of allergic reactions to peanuts and positive standard IgE-mediated tests for peanut allergy, can tolerate the reintroduction of peanut proteins into their diet after resolving their allergy and, thus, can avoid adverse health outcomes associated with the false diagnosis. In the younger age group, a quarter of peanut allergic children, display a relatively high threshold, potentially enabling an easier and safer oral immunotherapy protocol in this window of opportunity in childhood. The use of the novel diagnostic skin test, LPP-MH, significantly improves the predictive value of outpatient evaluation for the outcomes of peanut challenge as well as the expected threshold at which the PA child will react, thus, making for a better informed decision of how, when, and where to challenge., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Kidon, Yahia, Machnes-Maayan, Levy, Frizinsky, Maoz-Segal, Offenganden, Kenett, Agmon-Levin and Hovav.)

Belimumab, an anti-B-lymphocyte stimulator monoclonal antibody, was recently approved for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. Alopecia areata is characterized by an acute immune-mediated hair loss. Herein, we report on three adult systemic lupus erythematosus patients who developed alopecia areata in association with belimumab treatment. Alopecia areata was resolved in all three patients and belimumab was discontinued in two of them. Thus, in the current report, we explore the plausible link between alopecia areata and belimumab.