A simple, environmental friendly and selective sample preparation technique employing porous membrane protected micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) loaded with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) is described. After the extraction, the analyte was desorbed using ultrasonication and was analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of OTA for coffee, grape juice and urine were 0.06 ng g−1, 0.02 and 0.02 ng mL−1, respectively while the quantification limits were 0.19 ng g−1, 0.06 and 0.08 ng mL−1, respectively. The recoveries of OTA from coffee spiked at 1, 25 and 50 ng g−1, grape juice and urine samples at 1, 25 and 50 ng mL−1 ranged from 90.6 to 101.5%. The proposed method was applied to thirty-eight samples of coffee, grape juice and urine and the presence of OTA was found in eighteen samples. The levels found, however, were all below the legal limits.
Use of electrodes that provide a high surface area for reaction, such as Nickel foam and Carbon Fiber Felt, has proven highly efficient in treating wastewater. In this study, a mixture of dyes (Eosin Y, Methylene Blue, and Methylene Violet) was treated using Ni foam as a cathode and carbon fiber felt as an anode in the Electro-Fenton process, relying on iron waste, such as iron filings, as the catalyst source. The analysis characterization of electrodes and iron filings was determined by Energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests. The results showed high efficiency in decomposing the dye mixture. The highest Re % 96.4591 which attained after accomplishing the experiments based on Response Surface Method (RSM)
... Show MoreThe present study evaluates the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract as monotherapy on the glycemic status, insulin resistance (IR), body mass index (BMI), and visceral adiposity index (VAI), in addition to the inflammatory markers, oxidative status and leptin level in patients with metabolic syndrome in comparison with metformin.
The study is a randomized, double-blind pilot study conducted during the period May to September, 2020. Fifty patients were recruited in the study and they were allocated into two groups (25 per each group): Ginkgo biloba and Metformin groups, they received (120 mg Ginkgo biloba extract/ capsule) and (500 mg Metformin/ capsule) respectively; orally as a single dose for 90 days. Blood samples were taken at z
... Show MoreBackground/Objectives: optimization of the therapeutic efficacy of antidiabetic agents is still a great challenge in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and attention is becoming more and more focused on the use of adjunctive agents that help target the drug action beyond the classic glycemic target. This study examined the effect of co-administration of an Artemisia herba-alba Asso (Asteraceae) aqueous extract on the glucose-lowering effect of dapagliflozin, a sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. Methods: qualitative phytochemical screening and total phenolic and total flavonoid content were used to characterize the aqueous preparation. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into eight groups (10 rats ea
... Show MoreLasmiditan (LAS) is a recently developed antimigraine drug and was approved in October, 2019 for the treatment of acute migraines; however, it suffers from low oral bioavailability, which is around 40%.
This study aimed to improve the LAS bioavailability via formulation as nanoemulsionbased in situ gel (NEIG) given intranasally and then compare the traditional aqueous-LASsuspension (AQS) with the two successful intranasal prepared formulations (NEIG 2 and NEIG 5) in order to determine its relative bioavailability (F-relative) via using rabbits.
Hydrate dissociation equilibrium conditions for carbon dioxide + methane with water, nitrogen + methane with water and carbon dioxide + nitrogen with water were measured using cryogenic sapphire cell. Measurements were performed in the temperature range of 275.75 K–293.95 K and for pressures ranging from 5 MPa to 25 MPa. The resulting data indicate that as the carbon dioxide concentration is increased in the gas mixture, the gas hydrate equilibrium temperature increases. In contrast, by increasing the nitrogen concentration in the gas mixtures containing methane or carbon dioxide decreased the gas hydrate equilibrium temperatures. Furthermore, the cage occupancies for the carbon dioxide + methane system were evaluated using the Van der Wa
... Show MoreBackground: Although various imaging modalities are available for evaluating suspicious breast lesions, ultrasound-based Shear-Wave Elastography (SWE) is an advanced, non-invasive technique complementary to grayscale sonography. This technique evaluates the elasticity of a specific tissue by applying sonic pressure to that tissue.
Objective: The aim is to assess the role of SWE in evaluating solid breast masses in correlation to histopathological study results.
Subjects and Methods: This prospective study was done in a tertiary care teaching hospital from September 2019 to August 2020. A study population of 50 women aged 18 years or above with an
... Show MoreAdvancements in horizontal drilling technologies are utilized to develop unconventional resources, where reservoir temperatures and pressures are very high. However, the flocculation of bentonite in traditional fluids at high temperature and high pressure (HTHP) environments can lower cuttings transportation efficiency and even result in problems such as stuck pipe, decreased rate of penetration (ROP), accelerated bit wear, high torque, and drag on the drill string, and formation damage. The major purpose of the present research is to investigate the performance of low bentonite content water-based fluids for the hole cleaning operation in horizontal drilling processes. Low bentonite content water-based drilling fluids were formulated by re
... Show MoreBackground: The possibility of converting the organic fraction of municipal solid waste to mature compost using the composting bin method was studied. Nine distinct treatments were created by combining municipal solid waste (MSW) with animal waste (3:1, 2:1), poultry manure (3:1, 2:1), mixed waste (2:1:1), agricultural waste (dry leaves), biocont (Trichoderm hazarium), and humic acid. Weekly monitoring of temperature, pH, EC, organic matter (OM percent), and the C/N ratio was performed, and macronutrients (N, P, K) were measured. Trace elements, including heavy metals (Cd and Pb), were tested in the first and final weeks of maturity. Results: Temperatures in the first days of composting reached the thermophilic phase in MSW compost
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