Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a disease caused by Leishmania tropica parasite. Current treatments for this parasite are undesirable because of their toxicity, resistance, and high cost. Macrophages are key players against pathogens. Nitric oxide (NO), a molecule produce by immune cells, controls intracellular killing of pathogens during infection. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against various types of infectious diseases. It has the ability to stimulate oxygen species production. This study aims to analyze the macrophages activation through NO production and estimate the cytotoxicity based on the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release upon exposure to L. tropica and Ag NPs. Serially concentrations of Ag NPs were used under two conditions during and following macrophages exposure to L. tropica. MTT assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of Ag NPs on L. tropica amastigotes during infection of macrophages in vitro. The results showed that by increasing the Ag NPs concentrations, the viability percentage of L. tropica amastigotes decreased and reached to 21.7 ± 0.64 % during infection compared with the control. The 50% inhibitory concentration of Ag NPs on amastigotes was 2.048µg/ml during infection. Moreover, post-phagocytosis study involved the assessment of NO and LDH release by macrophages upon exposure to L. tropica. It have shown that untreated macrophages released low levels of NO while in the presence of Ag NPs, macrophages were activated to produce higher levels of NO under all experimental conditions. On the other hand, macrophages were capable of controlling cytotoxicity and decreasing LDH levels during phagocytosis of L. tropica amastiogotes. Taking together, these findings suggest that Ag NPs can enhance macrophages NO production which provides a method for the identification of Ag NPs ligands with microbicidal and anti-cytotoxic properties against L. tropica pathogens.
The current study shows the cytotoxicity effect of the Crassula ovata n-hexane extract on esophagus can¬cer. C. ovata is a perennial succulent plant belonging to the Crassulaceae family. In Africa, the leaves were used medicinally to cure epilepsy and diarrhoea by boiling them in milk. The hexane fraction, which is obtained through the maceration method, demonstrates the presence of many compounds that have an anticancer effect, which are ob¬tained by gas chromatography - mass spectroscopy. The phytosterol compound was isolated by a preparative thin layer chromato¬graph and was identified by liquid chromatography - mass spectroscopy. The hexane fraction was found to possess a strong anticancer effect against esophagus cancer. The
... Show MoreBackground: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a disorder of systemic inflammatory condition. Its important features are represented by recurrent oral, genital ulcerations and eye lesions. Aims. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate and compare cytological changes using morphometric analysis of the exfoliated buccal mucosal cells in Behçet’s disease patients and healthy controls, and to evaluate the clinical characteristics of Behçet’s disease. Methods. Twenty five Behçet’s disease patients have been compared to 25 healthy volunteers as a control group. Papanicolaou stain was used for staining the smears taken from buccal epithelial cells to be analyzed cytomorphometrically. The image analysis sof
... Show MoreThe rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria necessitates the exploration of novel antimicrobial agents. Yttrium oxide nanoparticles (Y₂O₃) have shown potential due to their unique physicochemical properties and antibacterial activities against various pathogens. This study investigates the cytotoxic and antibacterial effects of Y₂O₃ nanoparticles against Serratia fonticuli and Citrobacter koseri, bacteria isolated from cholangitis patients. Bacterial strains were isolated from bile specimens and confirmed using standard microbiological techniques. The methods of X-ray diffraction (XRD), (SEM), and Frequency transform-infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) were used to characterize YO₃ particles. Using a microdilution technique, the minimum
... Show MoreABSTRACT:In this paper, Cd10–xZnxS (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5) films were deposited by using chemical spray pyrolysis technique, the molar concentration precursor solution was 0.15 M/L. Depositions were done at 350°C on cleaned glass substrates. X-ray dif- fraction technique (XRD) studies for all the prepared film; all the films are crystalline with hexagonal structure .The optical properties of the prepared films were studied using measurements from VIS-UV-IR spectrophotometer at wave- length with the range 300 - 900 nm; the average transmission of the minimum doping ratio (Zn at 0.1%) was about 55% in the VIS region, it was decrease at the increasing of Zn concentration in the CdS films, The band gap of the doped CdS films was varied as 3.7, 3
... Show MoreCorrosion rate tests were carried out on carbon steel under concentration cells conditions of oxygen and sodium chloride. The effect of aeration in one compartment on the corrosion rate of both coupled metals was determined. In addition, the effects of time and temperatures on the corrosion rate of both coupled metals and galvanic currents between them were investigated. Corrosion potentials for the whole range of operating conditions under concentration cell conditions were also studied. The results showed that under aeration condition, the formation of concentration cell caused a considerable corrosion rate of the Carbon steel specimens coupled in different concentrations of O2 and NaCl due to the galvanic effect
... Show MoreBackground: Preeclampsia occurs in 3-5% of
pregnancies and is a major cause (12-20 %) of
maternal mortality in developed countries. It is the
leading cause of preterm birth and intra-uterine
growth restrictions (IUGR).
Objective: The study was designed to determine and
demonstrate the ultra structural changes of
endothelial cells in placenta of women suffering from
hypertensive disease.
Patients & Methods: Placental samples were
obtained from two groups of pregnant women
groups (preeclamptic and normal pregnant women).
The specimens were fixed in 2.5% gluteraldehyde
and preceded for electron microscopic examination.
Results: Placenta of women with preeclampsia has
shown marked degenerative
An efficient modification and a novel technique combining the homotopy concept with Adomian decomposition method (ADM) to obtain an accurate analytical solution for Riccati matrix delay differential equation (RMDDE) is introduced in this paper . Both methods are very efficient and effective. The whole integral part of ADM is used instead of the integral part of homotopy technique. The major feature in current technique gives us a large convergence region of iterative approximate solutions .The results acquired by this technique give better approximations for a larger region as well as previously. Finally, the results conducted via suggesting an efficient and easy technique, and may be addressed to other non-linear problems.
In this paper the effect of mixing TiO2 nanoparticles with epoxy resin is studied. The TiO2 nanoparticles would be synthesis and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), XRD FTIR, for two particle sizes of 50 and 25 nm. The thermal conductivity is measured with and without composite epoxy resin; the results showed that the thermal conductivity was increased as nanoparticle concentration increased too. The thermal conductivity was increased as particle size decreased.