Elimination of high-refined-sugar diet as treatment strategy for autistic features induced in a rodent model

Purpose: To investigate the potency of ampicillin in altering gut flora in the presence of a high-sucrose diet in rat pups, and to determine its effect on selected neurotransmitters and a cytokine as markers of the persistent autistic features repeatedly induced in orally administered propionic acid rat pups..Methods: Twenty-eight young male Wistar albino rats were divided into four equal groups. The first group served as a control. The second group received an oral neurotoxic dose of propionic acid (PPA, 250 mg/kg body weight/day) for 3 days. The third group was treated with ampicillin (50 mg/kg for 3 weeks) with a standard diet. The fourth group was given the same dose of ampicillin with a high-sucrose diet for 10 weeks.Results: The results showed a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in the investigated neurotransmitters in PPA- and ampicillin-treated rat pups (norepinephrine by 32.49 and 14.58 %, dopamine by 31.45 and 20.22 %, serotonin by 35.99 and 29.09 %), as well as a remarkable increase (p < 0.001) in the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-6 (30.07and 6.07 %). The high-sucrose diet also significantly (p < 0.001) enhanced the neurotoxic effect of ampicillin.Conclusion: The observed dietary modulation of the gut microbiota, coupled with the subsequent modulation of brain neurochemistry and inflammation, demonstrates the considerable potential of dietary intervention through the elimination of highly refined sugar as a treatment strategy to prevent and treat autism.Keywords: Neurotoxicity, Ampicillin, Propionic acid, Neurotransmitters, Cytokines, High-sucrose die

A Sweet Recipe for Consolidated Vulnerabilities: Attacking a Live Website by Harnessing a Killer Combination of Vulnerabilities

The recent emergence of new vulnerabilities is an epoch-making problem in the complex world of website security. Most of the websites are failing to keep updating to tackle their websites from these new vulnerabilities leaving without realizing the weakness of the websites. As a result, when cyber-criminals scour such vulnerable old version websites, the scanner will represent a set of vulnerabilities. Once found, these vulnerabilities are then exploited to steal data, distribute malicious content, or inject defacement and spam content into the vulnerable websites. Furthermore, a combination of different vulnerabilities is able to cause more damages than anticipation. Therefore, in this paper, we endeavor to find connections among various vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting, local file inclusion, remote file inclusion, buffer overflow CSRF, etc. To do so, we develop a Finite State Machine (FSM) attacking model, which analyzes a set of vulnerabilities towards the road to finding connections. We demonstrate the efficacy of our model by applying it to the set of vulnerabilities found on two live websites.Comment: Accepted at 5th International Conference on Networking, Systems and Security (5th NSysS 2018

Numerical simulation of GE 7001 EA gas turbine using experimental data for compressor inlet air cooling

Paper presented to the 10th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Florida, 14-16 July 2014.In this paper computer Simulation of GE 7001 EA gas turbine that widely used in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is reported. Simulation is done using cooled air data obtained previously from different experiments. These data are used as input to the compressor to see its effect on the output power and efficiency of the gas turbine. GE 7001EA gas turbine, (GE7121EA models) is simulated using THERMOFLEX software. The specifications of this type of turbines are built in this software. This type of gas turbine model is used in Riyadh and Taif power stations. ISO conditions and actual weather conditions are used for simulations. The results show that the maximum increase in the net power output is about 12, 6 and 5.8% depend on the used cooling data. On the other hand, the maximum percentage increase in efficiency is turned to about 2.5, 1.3 and 0.9 respectively.cf201

Improving Glass Walls Thermal Resistance In Air-Conditioned Buildings

The solar radiation through an air conditioned building depends on what is called the building envelope. Building envelope consists of the surfaces that separate the inside from the building outdoors. Area, direction, and specifications of glass walls; as one of envelope surfaces; has an important impact on solar radiation. Design and construction of glass walls have significant effects on building comfort and energy consumption. This paper describes methods of improving glass walls thermal resistance in air conditioned buildings. Effect of glass wall radiation temperature on the indoor temperature distribution of building rooms is also investigated. Heat gain through various types of glass is discussed. Optimization and testing of these types are carried out theoretically and experimentally as well. A series of experiments on different types of glass with special strips is performed

The protective effect of Moringa oleifera plant extract against glutamate-induced DNA damage and reduced cell viability in a primary retinal ganglion cell line

Background Glutamate excitotoxicity can cause DNA damage and is linked to many retinal and neurological disorders. In mammals, the visual signal from the eyes to the brain is conducted only by retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which can be damaged by overstimulation of glutamate receptors. Methodology We examined the protective effects of Moringa oleifera seed extract against glutamate-induced DNA damage in RGCs. RGCs cells were treated with 5, 10, 50, or 100 µg/ml of M. oleifera seed extract and glutamate separately and then assessed for DNA damage using the comet assay. We also evaluated the viability of the RGCs after both treatments using the MTT test. Additionally, RGCs were pretreated with M. oleifera seed extract (50 or 100 µg/ml) for 2 h before glutamate treatment (100 µg/ml) to determine the potential protective effects of M. oleifera. We performed a phytochemical analysis of the M. oleifera seed extract using standard reactions. Results The M. oleifera seed extract was found to be rich in many phytochemicals. We observed a significant dose-dependent elevation in all comet assay variables in glutamate-treated RGCs, whereas M. oleifera seed extract treatments did not show any significant change in DNA integrity. Conclusion M. oleifera seed extract demonstrates neuroprotective effects, which suggests it may help to prevent the development of many neurodegenerative disorders

Mechanism of nitrogen metabolism-related parameters and enzyme activities in the pathophysiology of autism

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is evidence that impaired metabolism play an important role in the etiology of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Although this has not been investigated to date, several recent studies proposed that nitrogen metabolism-related parameters may have a pathophysiological role in autism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study enrolled 20 Saudi boys with autism aged 4 to 12 years and 20 healthy controls matched for age and gender. Levels of creatine, urea, ammonia, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate:glutamine (Glu:Gln) ratio, and enzymatic activities of glutamate dehydrogenase, 5'-nucleotidase, and adenosine deaminase (ADA) were determined in plasma samples from both groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found a significant elevation of creatine, 5'-nucleotidase, GABA, and glutamic acid and a significant decrease in the enzymatic activity of ADA and glutamine level in patients with autism compared with healthy controls. The most significant variation between the two groups was found in the Glu:Gln ratio.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A raised Glu:Gln ratio together with positive correlations in creatine, GABA, and 5'-nucleotidase levels could contribute to the pathophysiology of autism, and might be useful diagnostic markers. The mechanism through which these parameters might be related to autism is discussed in detail.</p

Phytoremediation of light non-aqueous phase liquids

Non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) are persistent sources of contamination in the ground, providing a long-term supply of dissolved phase contamination and taking significant periods to dissipate naturally. Light NAPLs (LNAPLs) take the form of a separate phase within the ground, often as individual ganglia in pore spaces within the capillary zone such that the contaminated region is diffuse and comprised of many unconnected small contaminant sources. Consequently, remedial action is challenging and success may be limited to ex-situ remediation techniques. The ability of plants to phytoremediate dissolved-phase contamination is well known, but the impact of LNAPLs on plant growth and subsequent contaminant behaviour is largely unknown. Experimental work with ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is presented, exploring the impact of the physical presence of an LNAPL (mineral oil) on plant growth, root distribution and oil removal. The presence of the oil was found to significantly impact root biomass and distribution, leading to zones of increased root growth alongside decreased shoot growth. Significant removal of the LNAPL was noted in both hydroponic conditions and planted soil