Chronic sleep restriction (CSR) has been implicated in higher risk of insulin resistance (IR) and immune-metabolic dysfunction. No studies investigated the effect of CSR on macrophage differentiation in vWAT in relation to leptin synthesis and glucose homeostasis. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing blood glucose levels and vWAT expression of leptin, CD38, and CD163 following CSR. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were housed under 12:12 L/D cycle (lights on at 0700 hrs) with free access to food. Following a two-week acclimatization period, animals were divided into 2 groups: 1) control (C, N=8) ...

Since the first rise of extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL), ESBLproducing organisms have posed a remarkable threat to hospitalized patients due to their activity against cephalosporins, restricting available treatment option. This rapid emergence of ESBLs has been confronted by limited data regarding both phenotypic and genotypic profiles. This lack of information requires more exploration. The aim of this study was, in the first place, to investigate the effect of garlic (A ilium sativum) ethanolic plant extract against ESBL- producing Escherichia co/i and its effect in combination ...

Chronic moderate alcohol consumption has been implicated in promoting bone health in acyclic (postmenopausal) women via increasing bone mineral density. To our knowledge, no studies investigated the potential effects of ethanol on the bone-specific markers osteocalcin and RANKL which are important in regulating osteoblast - osteoclast activity and bone metabolism. Therefore, the aim of the study was to look into RANKL expression in serum and RANKL and osteocalcin expression in the femoral neck following chronic alcohol consumption of 12% v/v ethanol in water in acyclic C57BL/6 mice. Female ...

Ceratitis capitata or the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) is a highly invasive and destructive pest due to its tolerance of various climatic and environmental conditions as well as broad host range, including hundreds of fruits and vegetables. Medfly has a great economic impact on fruit production, national market and world trade. The population in Lebanon has been on the rise since 2007 due to several factors including optimal climate and host conditions, insecticide resistance, and negligent regulatory and detection measures during fruit harvest and transportation. Medfly infestation in Lebanon ...

Purpose: With the rapid increase in respiratory illnesses and pollution, face masks such as clothe masks, N95 masks, and surgical masks are becoming increasingly more common in everyday life. The recent SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has led to the exponential worldwide use of these masks in everyday activities. However, little is known about the effects of these masks on maximal oxygen consumption during exhaustive exercise. Methods: 11 Athletic individuals and 7 recreational individuals were recruited and took part in the 20 m shuttle run test, also known as the “beep test”, while wearing surgical masks ...

Eggs are one of nature’s most nutritious and economical foods. Besides their nutritional value, antioxidant, anti‐cancerous, antihypertensive activity, and immunomodulatory effects, chemical and microbial contamination of eggs pose a risk on human health. Chemical contamination is due to the abuse of antibiotics in poultry. Microbial contamination can be through horizontal or vertical transmission. Microbial contamination accompanies a high risk of spread of antibiotic resistance. Microbial contamination can be controlled by choosing the egg source wisely and by storing eggs carefully. A lot of ...

Humans are exposed to a notable variety of toxicants including lead as a heavy metal resulting from occupations and through environmental accumulation as in the Lebanese coastal and freshwaters. It is well established that lead exposure in the workplace contributes to worker infertility and decreased reproductive efficiency. Several reports have reported the detrimental impact toxic effects on human male reproduction by subsiding libido, spermatogenesis, semen quality, hormonal production and regulation, and much more. The objectives of this study were to inspect the effects of ...

During recent years, the practice of administering antibiotics to animal feed at sub-therapeutic levels has raised concern with consumers because of the apparent increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the human food chain. Researchers have found that probiotics composed of naturally occurring beneficial live microbes such as bacteria (lactobacilli) could be the novel growth promoters. Supplementing poultry diet with probiotics has been found to improve growth performance, feed conversion efficiency, and immune responses, and help in combating enteric pathogens. The aim of this study is ...

The HPG axis interacts with the Sertoli and Leydig cells to ensure the proper functioning of the male reproductive system. Environmental insults, which are becoming increasingly more common, affect the sensitive male reproductive system in harmful ways. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to, analyze a network of the paternally imprinted infertility genes shared between the HPG axis and the Sertoli and Leydig cells. With this network in place, we aimed to develop a cell culture system that would allow the evaluation of the effects of certain environmental contaminants such as mycotoxins on ...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequent cancer malignancy among men and the third leading cause of cancer death in the developed world. To date, the exact molecular mechanism underlying the role of caffeine one of the major coffee constituents on PCa prognosis is not yet unraveled. Caffeine has many antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti carcinogenic properties through the modulation of certain inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and TNF-α. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of caffeine on PCa cell lines viability, namely PC3 and PC3-PSMA and assessing as well their ...