| 1. |
- Samak, Dalia H., et al.
(author)
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Developmental toxicity of carbon nanoparticles during embryogenesis in chicken
- 2020
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In: Environmental Science and Pollution Research. - : Springer Nature. - 0944-1344 .- 1614-7499. ; 27:16, s. 19058-19072
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nanoparticles (NPs) are very small particles present in a wide range of materials. There is a dearth of knowledge regarding their potential secondary effects on the health of living organisms and the environment. Increasing research attention, however, has been directed toward determining the effects on humans exposed to NPs in the environment. Although the majority of studies focus on adult animals or populations, embryos of various species are considered more susceptible to environmental effects and pollutants. Hence, research studies dealing mainly with the impacts of NPs on embryogenesis have emerged recently, as this has become a major concern. Chicken embryos occupy a special place among animal models used in toxicity and developmental investigations and have also contributed significantly to the fields of genetics, virology, immunology, cell biology, and cancer. Their rapid development and easy accessibility for experimental observance and manipulation are just a few of the advantages that have made them the vertebrate model of choice for more than two millennia. The early stages of chicken embryogenesis, which are characterized by rapid embryonic growth, provide a sensitive model for studying the possible toxic effects on organ development, body weight, and oxidative stress. The objective of this review was to evaluate the toxicity of various types of carbon black nanomaterials administered at the beginning of embryogenesis in a chicken embryo model. In addition, the effects of diamond and graphene NPs and carbon nanotubes are reviewed.
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| 2. |
- Abd El-Wahed, Aida, et al.
(author)
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Wasp Venom Biochemical Components and Their Potential in Biological Applications and Nanotechnological Interventions
- 2021
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In: Toxins. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6651. ; 13:3
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Wasps, members of the order Hymenoptera, are distributed in different parts of the world, including Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Argentina. The lifestyles of the wasps are solitary and social. Social wasps use venom as a defensive measure to protect their colonies, whereas solitary wasps use their venom to capture prey. Chemically, wasp venom possesses a wide variety of enzymes, proteins, peptides, volatile compounds, and bioactive constituents, which include phospholipase A2, antigen 5, mastoparan, and decoralin. The bioactive constituents have anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the limited quantities of wasp venom and the scarcity of advanced strategies for the synthesis of wasp venom’s bioactive compounds remain a challenge facing the effective usage of wasp venom. Solid-phase peptide synthesis is currently used to prepare wasp venom peptides and their analogs such as mastoparan, anoplin, decoralin, polybia-CP, and polydim-I. The goal of the current review is to highlight the medicinal value of the wasp venom compounds, as well as limitations and possibilities. Wasp venom could be a potential and novel natural source to develop innovative pharmaceuticals and new agents for drug discovery.
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| 3. |
- Abouzid, Mohamed, et al.
(author)
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Investigating the current environmental situation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic : urban vs. rural context
- 2022
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In: BMC Public Health. - : Springer Nature. - 1471-2458. ; 22:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundCoronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to a massive global socio-economic tragedy that has impacted the ecosystem. This paper aims to contextualize urban and rural environmental situations during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region.ResultsAn online survey was conducted, 6770 participants were included in the final analysis, and 64% were females. The majority of the participants were urban citizens (74%). Over 50% of the urban residents significantly (p < 0.001) reported a reduction in noise, gathering in tourist areas, and gathering in malls and restaurants. Concerning the pollutants, most urban and rural areas have reported an increase in masks thrown in streets (69.49% vs. 73.22%, resp.; p = 0.003). Plastic bags and hospital waste also increased significantly with the same p-value of < 0.001 in urban areas compared with rural ones. The multifactorial logistic model for urban resident predictors achieved acceptable discrimination (AUROC = 0.633) according to age, crowdedness, noise and few pollutants.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic had a beneficial impact on the environment and at the same time, various challenges regarding plastic and medical wastes are rising which requires environmental interventions.
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| 4. |
- El-Seedi, Hesham, et al.
(author)
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A Spotlight on the Egyptian Honeybee (Apis mellifera lamarckii)
- 2022
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In: Animals. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-2615. ; 12:20
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Egypt has an ongoing long history with beekeeping, which started with the ancient Egyptians making various reliefs and inscriptions of beekeeping on their tombs and temples. The Egyptian honeybee (Apis mellifera lamarckii) is an authentic Egyptian honeybee subspecies utilized in apiculture. A. m. lamarckii is a distinct honeybee subspecies that has a particular body color, size, and high levels of hygienic behavior. Additionally, it has distinctive characteristics; including the presence of the half-queens, an excessive number of swarm cells, high adaptability to climatic conditions, good resistance to specific bee diseases, including the Varro disorder, and continuous breeding during the whole year despite low productivity, using very little propolis, and tending to abscond readily. This review discusses the history of beekeeping in Egypt and its current situation in addition to its morphology, genetic analysis, and distinctive characters, and the defensive behaviors of native A. m. lamarckii subspecies.
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| 5. |
- El-Seedi, Hesham, et al.
(author)
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Insights into the Role of Natural Products in the Control of the Honey Bee Gut Parasite (Nosema spp.)
- 2022
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In: Animals. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-2615. ; 12:21
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The honey bee is an important economic insect due to its role in pollinating many agricultural plants. Unfortunately, bees are susceptible to many pathogens, including pests, parasites, bacteria, and viruses, most of which exert a destructive impact on thousands of colonies. The occurrence of resistance to the therapeutic substances used against these organisms is rising, and the residue from these chemicals may accumulate in honey bee products, subsequently affecting the human health. There is current advice to avoid the use of antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and other drugs in bees, and therefore, it is necessary to develop alternative strategies for the treatment of bee diseases. In this context, the impact of nosema diseases (nosemosis) on bee health and the negative insults of existing drugs are discussed. Moreover, attempts to combat nosema through the use of alternative compounds, including essential oils, plant extracts, and microbes in vitro and in vivo, are documented.
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| 6. |
- Abd El-Wahed, Aida A., et al.
(author)
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Cosmetic Applications of Bee Venom
- 2021
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In: Toxins. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6651. ; 13:11
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bee venom (BV) is a typical toxin secreted by stingers of honeybee workers. BV and BV therapy have long been attractive to different cultures, with extensive studies during recent decades. Nowadays, BV is applied to combat several skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, alopecia, vitiligo, and psoriasis. BV is used extensively in topical preparations as cosmetics and used as dressing for wound healing, as well as in facemasks. Nevertheless, the safety of BV as a therapeutic choice has always been a concern due to the immune system reaction in some people due to BV use. The documented unfavorable impact is explained by the fact that the skin reactions to BV might expand to excessive immunological responses, including anaphylaxis, that typically resolve over numerous days. This review aims to address bee venom therapeutic uses in skin cosmetics.
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| 7. |
- Algethami, Jari S., et al.
(author)
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Bee Pollen : Clinical Trials and Patent Applications
- 2022
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In: Nutrients. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6643. ; 14:14
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bee pollen is a natural cocktail of floral nectar, flower pollen, enzymes, and salivary secretions produced by honeybees. Bee pollen is one of the bee products most enriched in proteins, polysaccharides, polyphenols, lipids, minerals, and vitamins. It has a significant health and medicinal impact and provides protection against many diseases, including diabetes, cancer, infectious, and cardiovascular. Bee pollen is commonly promoted as a cost-effective functional food. In particular, bee pollen has been applied in clinical trials for allergies and prostate illnesses, with a few investigations on cancer and skin problems. However, it is involved in several patents and health recipes to combat chronic health problems. This review aimed to highlight the clinical trials and patents involving bee pollen for different cases and to present the role of bee pollen as a supplementary food and a potential product in cosmetic applications.
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| 8. |
- El Kholy, Samar, et al.
(author)
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Dopamine Modulates Drosophila Gut Physiology, Providing New Insights for Future Gastrointestinal Pharmacotherapy
- 2021
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In: Biology. - : MDPI. - 2079-7737. ; 10:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Simple Summary: Dopamine is involved in a variety of physiological functions in the gastrointestinal tract (GI). Using a Drosophila model, we investigated the effects of dopamine administration on intestinal physiology and gut motility to gain new insights into what could be a potential future promise candidate for GI pharmacology. We investigated whether giving a dopamine-supplemented food medium to adult flies modified the gut contents, defecation rate, and excreta nature. The effects of dopamine on adult gut spontaneous contraction and motility were also studied. We discovered significant gender differences in the effect of dopamine. Drosophila dopamine D1-like receptors (Dop1R1 and Dop1R2) were also displayed by immunohistochemistry to be expressed in all smooth muscles in both larval and adult flies. Furthermore, we showed for the first time that dopamine drives phospholipase C Beta (PLC-beta) translocation from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane in enterocytes. Overall, the data provided new insights into the epidemiology and clinical aspects of neurodegenerative diseases associated with dopamine deficiency, as well as what may be a potential future prospect for GI pharmacotherapy. Dopamine has a variety of physiological roles in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) through binding to Drosophila dopamine D1-like receptors (DARs) and/or adrenergic receptors and has been confirmed as one of the enteric neurotransmitters. To gain new insights into what could be a potential future promise for GI pharmacology, we used Drosophila as a model organism to investigate the effects of dopamine on intestinal physiology and gut motility. GAL4/UAS system was utilized to knock down specific dopamine receptors using specialized GAL4 driver lines targeting neurons or enterocytes cells to identify which dopamine receptor controls stomach contractions. DARs (Dop1R1 and Dop1R2) were shown by immunohistochemistry to be strongly expressed in all smooth muscles in both larval and adult flies, which could explain the inhibitory effect of dopamine on GI motility. Adult males' gut peristalsis was significantly inhibited by knocking down dopamine receptors Dop1R1, Dop1R2, and Dop2R, but female flies' gut peristalsis was significantly repressed by knocking down only Dop1R1 and Dop1R2. Our findings also showed that dopamine drives PLC-beta translocation from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane in enterocytes for the first time. Overall, these data revealed the role of dopamine in modulating Drosophila gut physiology, offering us new insights for the future gastrointestinal pharmacotherapy of neurodegenerative diseases associated with dopamine deficiency.
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| 9. |
- El-Seedi, Hesham, et al.
(author)
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Bee Stressors from an Immunological Perspective and Strategies to Improve Bee Health
- 2022
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In: Veterinary Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 2306-7381. ; 9:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Honeybees are the most prevalent insect pollinator species; they pollinate a wide range of crops. Colony collapse disorder (CCD), which is caused by a variety of biotic and abiotic factors, incurs high economic/ecological loss. Despite extensive research to identify and study the various ecological stressors such as microbial infections, exposure to pesticides, loss of habitat, and improper beekeeping practices that are claimed to cause these declines, the deep understanding of the observed losses of these important insects is still missing. Honeybees have an innate immune system, which includes physical barriers and cellular and humeral responses to defend against pathogens and parasites. Exposure to various stressors may affect this system and the health of individual bees and colonies. This review summarizes and discusses the composition of the honeybee immune system and the consequences of exposure to stressors, individually or in combinations, on honeybee immune competence. In addition, we discuss the relationship between bee nutrition and immunity. Nutrition and phytochemicals were highlighted as the factors with a high impact on honeybee immunity.
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| 10. |
- El-Seedi, Hesham, et al.
(author)
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Honey Bee Products : Preclinical and Clinical Studies of Their Anti-inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Properties
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Nutrition. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-861X. ; 8
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inflammation is a defense process triggered when the body faces assaults from pathogens, toxic substances, microbial infections, or when tissue is damaged. Immune and inflammatory disorders are common pathogenic pathways that lead to the progress of various chronic diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. The overproduction of cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, is an essential parameter in the clinical diagnosis of auto-inflammatory diseases. In this review, the effects of bee products have on inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are discussed with respect to the current literature. The databases of Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Sci-Finder and clinical trials were screened using different combinations of the following terms: immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, bee products, honey, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom, bee pollen, bee bread, preclinical trials, clinical trials, and safety. Honey bee products, including propolis, royal jelly, honey, bee venom, and bee pollen, or their bioactive chemical constituents like polyphenols, demonstrate interesting therapeutic potential in the regulation of inflammatory mediator production as per the increase of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, Il-2, and Il-7, and the decrease of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Additionally, improvement in the immune response via activation of B and T lymphocyte cells, both in in vitro, in vivo and in clinical studies was reported. Thus, the biological properties of bee products as anti-inflammatory, immune protective, antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and antimicrobial agents have prompted further clinical investigation.
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