Time-Dependent J-Integral Solution for Semi-elliptical Surface Crack in HDPE

This work focuses on a linear elastic analysis by the finite element method and the development of a shape function, commonly known as geometrical correction factor, for the case of semi-elliptical crack in a cylindrical rod. We used the same shape function to analyze the behavior of the rod in the case of a viscoelastic medium materialized by a polymeric material such as HDPE. A linear viscoelastic model calibrated from a relaxation test was developed and implemented in Abaqus. Results showed a relatively good performance, compared with finite element method

Phytochemical study and antibacterial activity of different extracts of Pistacia lentiscus L collected from Dahra Region West of Algeria

The purpose of this study was to investigate the phytochemical proprieties, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of different extracts of Pistacia lentiscus on two pathogenic bacteria. The concentration of total phenols was analyzed using Folin-Ciocalteu’s method. Exracts of plant were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Esherichia coli using the agar disk diffusion method and the minimal inhibitory concentration. The phytochemical study revealed the presence of major bioactive chemical constituents in different extracts of P. lentiscus (flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides and steroids). Results showed that this plant has antioxydant activity and high quantity of total phenols and flavonoids. Antibacterial activity of the aerial parts of P. lentiscus against tested bacteria has shown that Gram-negative strains were more resistant compared to the Gram- positive ones. We can conclude that Pistacia lentiscus from Dahra region under investigation can be a potential source of useful drugs.Keywords: Pistacia lentiscus; Phytochemicals; total phenol; Flavonoids; Antibacterial activit

Impact of UGT2B7 His268Tyr polymorphism on the outcome of adjuvant epirubicin treatment in breast cancer

Introduction: Epirubicin is a common adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. It is mainly eliminated after glucuronidation through uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase 2B7 (UGT2B7). The present study aimed to describe the impact of the UGT2B7(His268Tyr) polymorphism on invasive disease-free survival in breast cancer patients after epirubicin treatment. Methods: This is a pharmacogenetic study based on samples collected from 745 breast cancer patients of the Austrian Tumor of breast tissue: Incidence, Genetics, and Environmental Risk factors (TIGER) cohort who did not present metastases at baseline. This cohort included 205 women with epirubicin-based combination chemotherapy, 113 patients having received chemotherapy without epirubicin and 427 patients having received no chemotherapy at all. Of the epirubicin-treated subgroup, 120 were subsequently treated with tamoxifen. For all women UGT2B7(His268Tyr) was genotyped. Invasive disease-free survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox's proportional hazard regression analysis. Results: Among the 205 epirubicin-treated patients, carriers of two UGT2B7(268Tyr) alleles had a mean invasive disease-free survival of 8.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.9 to 9.3) years as compared to 7.5 (95% CI 6.9 to 8.0) years in carriers of at least one UGT2B7(268His) allele (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 2.64 (95% CI 1.22 to 5.71); P = 0.014). In addition, the impact of the UGT2B7(His268Tyr) polymorphism became even more pronounced in patients subsequently treated with tamoxifen (adjusted HR = 5.22 (95% CI 1.67 to 26.04); P = 0.015) whereas no such difference in invasive disease-free survival was observed in patients not receiving epirubicin. Conclusions: Breast cancer patients carrying the UGT2B7(268Tyr/Tyr) genotype may benefit most from adjuvant epirubicin-based chemotherapy. These results warrant confirmation in further studies

Ethnobotanical survey of an -diabe c plants applied in West of Algeria

This study was carried out in order to set up an inventory list of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine to treat diabetes for which an ethnobotanical test was carried out on 670 diabe c subjects in the Western region of Algeria (Chlef, Mostaganem, Mascara, Oran, Sidi-bel-Abbes, Saida and Tiaret) using a survey. 24 an hyperglycemic medicinal plants were listed of which Berberis vulgaris, Zygophyllum geslini, Erythraea centaurium and Olea eu- ropea represented a broad spectrum of use. Likewise, the an hyperglycemic recipes were prepared mainly in decoc on (45.37%) and infusion (39.62%), and from leaves (42%) and aerial parts (16%). A very valuable data base has been reported for further research, especially for some elds such as phytochemistry and phytopharmacology that aim to identify new natural principles. </jats:p