Effect of salep‐based edible coating enriched with grape seed extract on postharvest shelf life of fresh strawberries

Effects of novel edible coatings based on salep solution (SS) enriched with grape seed extract (GSE) (1.5% SS, 1.5% SS + 0.5% GSE, 1.5% SS + 1.5% GSE, 1.5% SS + 3% GSE) on the quality characteristics of fresh strawberries were monitored after 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 days of storage (1°C, 95% RH). The lowest growth of microorganisms, weight loss, softening and ascorbic acid, phenol and anthocyanin degradation was measured in strawberries coated with 1.5% SS + 3% GSE. The highest superoxide dismutase activity and the lowest peroxidase activity were determined in strawberries coated with 1.5% SS + 3% GSE. Moreover, they received the highest ranked sensory attributes. Incorporating GSE into the SS coating formulation as a new hurdle increased its antimicrobial properties and extended the shelf life of coated strawberries compared to uncoated by up to 20 days.

Evaluation of the efficacy of transdermal drug delivery of calcipotriol plus betamethasone versus tacrolimus in the treatment of vitiligo

Summary Background Vitiligo is a common pigmentary disorder affecting about 1% of the general population. There are numerous medical and surgical treatments. Microneedling is an evolving treatment technique for an expanding number of dermatologic conditions. It is used also to augment transdermal drug delivery through pores created in the stratum corneum. Aim To evaluate the efficacy of microneedling with tacrolimus versus its efficacy with calcipotriol plus betamethasone in vitiligo treatment. Methods Twenty‐five patients having vitiligo were selected and their symmetrical patches were divided into side A (right side) which received microneedling with dermapen and topical calcipotriol plus betamethasone and side B (left side) which received microneedling and topical tacrolimus. Every patient received a session every 2 weeks for a maximum 6 months (12 sessions) and follow‐up for 3 months. Skin biopsies were taken before and after the treatment to evaluate the clinical results. Results On side A, 60% of the patients showed excellent improvement while 32% showed excellent response on side B. The mean percentage of improvement was significantly higher on side A than side B ( P  = 0.017 * ). It was effective in the most resistant sites of vitiligo such as: elbows, knees, extremities, and acral area. Histopathological examination showed a significant expression of HMB45 on side A more than side B ( P  = 0.005 * ). Conclusion The combination of microneedling with calcipotriol plus betamethasone is more effective than its combination with tacrolimus. They are both effective in resistant sites. Both methods are safe, cheap, and good tolerated office techniques with minimal side effects.

Oil, Polity, and Civil Society: The Construction of a Hegemonic System in Iraq (1945–1958)

Conventional theories of political economy assume that dependency on natural resources, such as oil, have a negative impact on the development of a democratic political system. While there is a developed body of work that explains the different mechanisms that shape this relationship, one mechanism, the role of the civil society, remains mostly ungrasped. As a result, the aim of this paper is to expand our understanding of the group formation effect, first discussed by Michael Ross (2001), and unpack the mechanisms that underline it, by looking at the relationship between rent from oil production, the civil society, and the rise of authoritarianism in Iraq during the period of 1945–1958. We argue that examining the relationship between these variables will help us understand the past and the current situation in Iraq, and it will improve our knowledge of the political formations and activism in oil‐producing countries in general.

Pigmentation abnormalities in nucleotide excision repair disorders: Evidence and hypotheses

Skin pigmentation abnormalities are manifested in several disorders associated with deficient DNA repair mechanisms such as nucleotide excision repair ( NER ) and double‐strand break ( DSB ) diseases, a topic that has not received much attention up to now. Hereditary disorders associated with defective DNA repair are valuable models for understanding mechanisms that lead to hypo‐ and hyperpigmentation. Owing to the UV ‐associated nature of abnormal pigmentary manifestations, the outcome of the activated DNA damage response ( DDR ) network could be the effector signal for alterations in pigmentation, ultimately manifesting as pigmentary abnormalities in repair‐deficient disorders. In this review, the role of the DDR network in the manifestation of pigmentary abnormalities in NER and DSB disorders is discussed with a special emphasis on NER disorders.

Whole genome sequence analysis to detect signatures of positive selection for high fecundity in sheep

Contents Ovulation rate and prolificacy are the most important reproductive traits that have major impact on the efficiency of lamb meat production. Here, we compared the whole genomes of the Romanov sheep, known as one of the high prolific breeds, and four other sheep breeds namely Assaf, Awassi, Cambridge and British du cher, to identify genetic mechanisms underlying prolificacy in sheep. Selection signature analysis revealed 637 and 477 protein‐coding genes under positive selection from F ST and nucleotide diversity (Pi) statistics, respectively. Further analysis showed that several candidate genes including LEPR , PDGFRL and KLF5 genes are involved in sheep prolificacy. The identified candidate genes in the selected regions are novel and provide new insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying prolificacy in sheep and can be useful in sheep breeding programmes to develop improved breeds for high reproductive efficiency.

Effect of Solvent Evaporation Time and Casting Thickness on the Separation Performance of Cellulose Acetate Butyrate Blend Membrane

Global warming and climate change due to greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission, mostly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), have induced global efforts to minimize the concentration of atmospheric CO 2 . To reduce the effects of this problem, membrane technology is selected for the separation of CO 2 due to the energy efficiency and economic advantages exhibited. In this study, the chosen polymeric material, cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) is optimized using a wet phase inversion method with various molecular weight and different casting conditions due to its outstanding film-forming specifications and capabilities of fabricating a defect-free layer of neat membrane. The membrane was synthesized by blending three different molecular weights (Mn) of 12,000, 30,000 and 70,000 at different casting thickness, 150 µm to 300 µm and solvent evaporation time of 3.5 to 5 min. The results of these predominant parameters were then utilized to determine a high performance CAB membrane suitable for an enhanced CO 2 /Nitrogen (N 2 ) separation. Eventually, a high separation performance CAB membrane was successfully synthesized with a CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 1.5819 ± 0.0775 when the solvent evaporation time and casting thickness was optimized at 4.5 min and 300 µm, respectively. Through this study, an improved understanding between membrane casting conditions and membrane performance has been achieved, for future development and progress.

New power of self-assembling carbonic anhydrase inhibitor: Short peptide–constructed nanofibers inspire hypoxic cancer therapy

Fosmanogepix (APX001) Is Effective in the Treatment of Immunocompromised Mice Infected with Invasive Pulmonary Scedosporiosis or Disseminated Fusariosis

There are limited treatment options for immunosuppressed patients with lethal invasive fungal infections due to Fusarium and Scedosporium . Manogepix (MGX; APX001A) is a novel antifungal that targets the conserved Gwt1 enzyme required for localization of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored mannoproteins in fungi. We evaluated the in vitro activity of MGX and the efficacy of the prodrug fosmanogepix (APX001) in immunosuppressed murine models of hematogenously disseminated fusariosis and pulmonary scedosporiosis.

Structure-Activity Relationships of Wollamide Cyclic Hexapeptides with Activity against Drug-Resistant and Intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Wollamides are cyclic hexapeptides, recently isolated from an Australian soilStreptomyces isolate, that exhibit promisingin vitro antimycobacterial activity againstMycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette Guérin without displaying cytotoxicity against a panel of mammalian cells. Here, we report the synthesis and antimycobacterial activity of 36 new synthetic wollamides, collated with all known synthetic and natural wollamides, to reveal structure characteristics responsible forin vitro growth-inhibitory activity againstMycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Rv, H37Ra, CDC1551, HN878, and HN353).

AB0251 ASSESSMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND ITS RELATION WITH LEPTIN AND INTERLEUKIN-6