Floristic composition and soil characters in representative habitats of the southern Nile Deltaregion in Qalyubia were analyzed in terms of habitat variations and species diversity. A totalof 90 sites were surveyed and nineteen environmental factors were recognized in four main habitats: canal banks, cultivated lands, waste lands and sandy plains. Basic statistical treatments were established by using SPSS v. 10.0. The produced data were subjected to cluster analysis by using MVSP v. 3.1; indirect and direct ordination methods i.e. Detrended and Canonical Correspondence analyses, respectively by using CANOCO v. 4.5. A total of 164 species representing c. 7.7% of the Egyptian plant species were recorded and their life-form spectrum was identified. The majority of species were belonging to the families: Gramineae, Compositae, Leguminosae and Cruciferae.

We describe the identification and characterization of the H9N2 influenza subtype reported in Egyptian broiler and broiler breeder farms for the first time. Circulation of this subtype in a highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus endemic population provides an opportunity for genetic reassortment and emergence of novel viruses.

AIMS: ABT-288 is a potent and selective H3 receptor antagonist with procognitive effects in several preclinical models. In previous studies, 3 mg once daily was the maximal tolerated dose in healthy volunteers. This study characterized the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of ABT-288 in stable subjects with schizophrenia.

METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalating study of ABT-288 (10 dose levels, from 1 to 60 mg once daily for 14 days) in stable subjects with schizophrenia treated with an atypical antipsychotic. In each dose group, five to seven and two to three participants were assigned to ABT-288 and placebo, respectively.

RESULTS: Of the 67 participants enrolled, nine participants (on ABT-288) were prematurely discontinued, in seven of these due to adverse events. ABT-288 was generally safe and tolerated at doses up to 45 mg once daily. The most common adverse events, in decreasing frequency (from 31 to 5%), were abnormal dreams, headache, insomnia, dizziness, somnolence, dysgeusia, dry mouth, psychotic disorder, parosmia and tachycardia. Adverse events causing early termination were psychotic events (four) and increased creatine phosphokinase, pyrexia and insomnia (one each). The half-life of ABT-288 ranged from 28 to 51 h, and steady state was achieved by day 12 of dosing. At comparable multiple doses, ABT-288 exposure in subjects with schizophrenia was 45% lower than that previously observed in healthy subjects. At trough, ABT-288 cerebrospinal fluid concentrations were 40% of the total plasma concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS: ABT-288 was tolerated at a 15-fold higher dose and 12-fold higher exposures in subjects with schizophrenia than previously observed in healthy volunteers. The greater ABT-288 tolerability was not due to limited brain uptake.

Although mitochondria are presumed to emit and consume reactive oxygen species (ROS), the quantitative interplay between the two processes in ROS regulation is not well understood. Here, we probed the role of mitochondrial bioenergetics in HO metabolism using rainbow trout liver and heart mitochondria. Both liver and heart mitochondria emitted HO at rates that depended on their metabolic state, with the emission rates (free radical leak) constituting 0.8-2.9% and 0.2-2.5% of the respiration rate in liver and heart mitochondria, respectively. When presented with exogenous HO, liver and heart mitochondria consumed it by first order reactions with half-lives (s) of 117 and 210, and rate constants of 5.96 and 3.37 (× 10 s), respectively. The mitochondrial bioenergetic status greatly affected the rate of HO consumption in heart but not liver mitochondria. Moreover, the activities and contribution of HO scavenging systems varied between liver and heart mitochondria. The significance of the scavenging systems ranked by the magnitude (%) of inhibition of HO removal after correcting for emission were, liver (un-energized and energized): catalase > glutathione (GSH) ≥ thioredoxin reductase (TrxR); un-energized heart mitochondria: catalase > TrxR > GSH and energized heart mitochondria: GSH > TrxR > catalase. Notably, depletion of GSH evoked a massive surge in HO emission that grossly masked the contribution of this pathway to HO scavenging in heart mitochondria. Irrespective of the organ of their origin, mitochondria behaved as HO regulators that emitted or consumed it depending on the ambient HO concentration, mitochondrial bioenergetic state and activity of the scavenging enzyme systems. Indeed, manipulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics and HO scavenging systems caused mitochondria to switch from being net consumers to net emitters of HO. Overall, our data suggest that the low levels of HO typically present in cells would favor emission of this metabolite but the scavenging systems would prevent its accumulation.

Infection with influenza A (H1N1) virus contributes significantly to the global burden of acute respiratory diseases. Glucose uptake and metabolic changes are reported in different cell types after infections with different virus types, including influenza A virus. Alteration of glucose metabolism specifically in immune cells has major health consequences. The aim of this study was to monitor glucose concentration in unstimulated and stimulated U937 human monocytes with infectious or heat inactivated H1N1 or or in nonpathogenically stimulated monocytes with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. Stimulated or unstimulated U937 human monocytes were subjected to H1N1 infection for different time points and the glucose profile in the growth medium was measured post infection. Results showed that regardless to whether the initial stimuli on U937 cells were of pathogen or nonpathogen origins, challenge infection by H1N1 causes a significant reduction of glucose levels 36 h post infection. In conclusion, H1N1 infection has a direct effect on the glucose uptake of U937 cells . This effect can be related to either H1N1 infection or cell differentiation status that might occur due to the exerted stimuli.

Infection with influenza A (H1N1) virus contributes significantly to the global burden of acute respiratory diseases. Glucose uptake and metabolic changes are reported in different cell types after infections with different virus types, including influenza A virus. Alteration of glucose metabolism specifically in immune cells has major health consequences. The aim of this study was to monitor glucose concentration in unstimulated and stimulated U937 human monocytes with infectious or heat inactivated H1N1 or or in nonpathogenically stimulated monocytes with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. Stimulated or unstimulated U937 human monocytes were subjected to H1N1 infection for different time points and the glucose profile in the growth medium was measured post infection. Results showed that regardless to whether the initial stimuli on U937 cells were of pathogen or nonpathogen origins, challenge infection by H1N1 causes a significant reduction of glucose levels 36 h post infection. In conclusion, H1N1 infection has a direct effect on the glucose uptake of U937 cells . This effect can be related to either H1N1 infection or cell differentiation status that might occur due to the exerted stimuli.

Abstract
Background: Cervical radiculopathy is a pathology of the cervical nerve root and mostly caused by a cervical disk
herniation leading to chronic pain and disability.
Objectives: This study was conducted to show the effect of the combined application of intermittent cervical
traction with median nerve mobilization on flexor carpi radialis (FCR) muscle H-reflex latency of median nerve in
patients with unilateral cervical radiculopathy due to disk lesion in a pre-post design.
Methods: Fifteen patients (10 females and 5 males) with a mean age of 38.07 ± 5.85 years received simultaneous
application of intermittent cervical traction and median nerve mobilization. Six sessions were given every other day
for 2 weeks. Also, patients perormed chin in exercises and upper back extension with scapular retraction. FCR Hreflex
latency was measured pre- and post-treatment.
Results: Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant reduction of H-reflex latency at post-treatment in
comparison to pretreatment (t = 5.447, p value = 0.0001*).
Conclusion: Simultaneous application of intermittent cervical traction and median nerve mobilization are effective
in improving FCR H-reflex latency in patients with unilateral cervical radiculopathy.
Keywords: Cervical radiculopathy, Intermittent traction, Median nerve mobilization, H-reflex