Copper (Cu) is an essential trace element for the efficient functioning of living organisms. Cu can enter the body in different ways, and when it surpasses the range of biological tolerance, it can have negative consequences. The use of different nanoparticles, especially metal oxide nanoparticles, is increasingly being expanded in the fields of industry and biomedical materials. However, the impact of these nanoparticles on human health is still not completely elucidated. This comparative study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) and copper sulphate (CuSO4 0.5 (H2O)) on infertility and reproductive function in male albino mice BALB/c. Body weight, the weight of male reproductive organs, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, caspase-3 level, and the presence of Ki67 and CD68, as detected using the amino-histochemistry technique, were investigated. Animals were treated with 25 and 35 mg/kg of CuO NPs and CuSO4 0.5 (H2O) by oral gavage for 14 days. The control group was given distilled water by oral gavage. Body weight significantly decreased at the end of experiments in both treated groups in a concentration- and time-dependent manner compared with the control group. Weights of testes and epididymis (head and tail), as well as the weight of the seminal vesicle, showed a significant decrease compared with the control. However, the average weights of the seminal vesicle and prostate significantly increased. Caspase-3 and MDA levels increased in the CuO NP and CuSO4 0.5 (H2O) groups compared with the control group, and there was a significant difference between the two concentrations used. Immunohistochemical results detected a significant decrease in Ki67 protein in the treatment groups compared with the control. However, increase in CD68 protein was found in groups treated with CuO NPs and CuSO4 0.5 (H2O) compared with the control group. Overall, this in vivo comparative study of CuO NPs and CuSO4 0.5 (H2O) showed that oral intake of copper NPs at 25 and 23 mg/kg was safer to the mice reproductive system than CuSO4 0.5 (H2O) at the same dose. CuSO4 0.5 (H2O) significantly influenced the histopathological and toxicological alteration responses.
The effect of heat treatment using different annealing temperatures on optical properties of bulk heterojunction blend (BHJ) Alq3: C60 thin films which are fabricated by the spin coating technique were investigated in this study. The films have been coated on a glass substrate with speed of 2000 rpm for one min and treated with different annealing temperature (373, 423 and 473) K under vacuum. The optical properties and the chemical bonds structure of blends as-deposited and heat treated have been studied by UV-Vis spectroscopic and Fourier Transform-Infra Red (FTIR) measurements respectively. The results of UV visible show that the optical energy gap decreasing with increasing the annealing temperature for the ratio (100:1) while decrea
... Show MoreGlass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) beams have gained attention due to their promising mechanical properties and potential for structural applications. Combining GFRP core and encasing materials creates a composite beam with superior mechanical properties. This paper describes the testing encased GFRP beams as composite Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under low-velocity impact load. Theoretical analysis was used with practical results to simulate the tested beams' behavior and predict the generated energies during the impact loading. The impact response was investigated using repeated drops of 42.5 kg falling mass from various heights. An analysis was performed using accelerometer readings to calculate the generalized inertial load. The in
... Show MoreThis study aims at examining and confirming the patterns of phenetic relationships and the levels of variations within and among the species of Lotus L., 1753 in Egypt by using morphometric analysis techniques. We have evaluated 24 morphological characters from about 300 herbarium specimens representing 19 species of Lotus that are currently recognized. Based on numerical analyses of macromorphological characters (cluster analysis, principal coordinate analysis and principal component analysis), 19 species of Lotus were recognized from Egypt. These species were clustered in six species-specific groups: (I) Lotus halophilus Boiss. & Spruner, L. angustissimus L., L. glinoides Delile and L. schimperi Steud. ex Boiss., (II) Lotus glaber
... Show MorePre-eclampsia is the most common medical complication of pregnancy associated with increased maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. Its exact etiology is not known, although several evidences indicate that various elements might play an important role in pre-eclampsia. This study was carried out to analyze and to compare the concentration of calcium, in mild pre-eclampsia and in normal pregnant women , and to determine the effect of oral supplementation with calcium on mild pre-eclampsia , and whether this effect is related to the change in the level of serum calcium. Forty- five women in the third trimester of pregnancy were selected to participate in this study and divided into: fifteen apparently healthy, normo
... Show MoreBackground : It has been suggested that pretreatment with a statin agent prior to
myocardial infarction limits myocardial
creatine kinase release, and thus may act to
limit myocardial infarct size in humans.
Objective : To examine the effect of very
early statin initiation for acute myocardial
infarction (AMI), to the extent of
myonecrosis as manifested by peak serum
creatine kinase levels.
Methods : Patients with AMI admitted to AlKindy teaching hospital cardiac care unit
from 1st February 2007 to 28th February
2008, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria
cited in the present study, were randomly
assigned into two study groups. The statin
group patients have received a single oral
dose of 40 mg
The current research aims to describe the level of responsiveness and awareness of the officials of the General Company for Construction Industries to the indicators of the blue market strategy of (1. reduction 2. exclusion 3. increase 4. innovation) and the degree of prioritization according to their importance as well as the differences in the responses of the sample investigated according to the personal variables. As a main tool in the collection of data from the sample, which consisted of(34) officers (Associate, Manager, Section Manager, Division Officer) in the company being investigated, and computed mean, standard deviations, percentage weights,and test (x2 ) based on the SPSS. The research reached the following
... Show MoreThis paper proposes a new approach, of Clustering Ultrasound images using the Hybrid Filter (CUHF) to determine the gender of the fetus in the early stages. The possible advantage of CUHF, a better result can be achieved when fuzzy c-mean FCM returns incorrect clusters. The proposed approach is conducted in two steps. Firstly, a preprocessing step to decrease the noise presented in ultrasound images by applying the filters: Local Binary Pattern (LBP), median, median and discrete wavelet (DWT), (median, DWT & LBP) and (median & Laplacian) ML. Secondly, implementing Fuzzy C-Mean (FCM) for clustering the resulted images from the first step. Amongst those filters, Median & Lap