Objective: Evaluation of the effect of different concentrations of fentanyl added to the local anesthetic mixture on the onset and duration of globe anesthesia, after peribulbar block, with the least side effects. Design: Double blinded randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: Kasr Al Aini hospital, Cairo University. Methods: 60 patients with cataract grade 1-3 in the age group 40-70 years, with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade I, II and III, scheduled for elective cataract surgery under regional anesthesia. They were randomly divided into four groups: in Group 1 (Control Group), patients received Lidocaine 2% and Hyaluronidase 15 IU/ml; in Groups 2, 3 and 4 (Fentanyl Groups), the patients received Lidocaine 2% and Hyaluronidase 15 IU/ml in addition to Fentanyl 1 lg/ml, 2 lg/ml and 3 lg/ml respectively. The onset and duration of lid and globe akinesia were assessed. Postoperative Visual Analogue Score was recorded each hour up to 6 h. Results: No statistical significant difference was observed between the four groups in the onset and duration of lid and globe akinesia. There was a significant difference between the control group and the fentanyl groups as regards the duration of analgesia that was significantly prolonged in the groups that received fentanyl at concentrations of 2 lg/ml and 3 lg/ml in these group patients required analgesia after 116 ± 19 min and 144 ± 11 min respectively compared to the control group and the group that received fentanyl at a concentration of 1 lg/ml group who required analgesia after 100-103 min. Conclusion: Adding Fentanyl at concentrations P 2-3 lg/ml to the local anesthetic mixture (Lidocaine and Hyaluronidase) for regional peribulbar block provides safe and effective method in improving postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing cataract surgery.

Background: The present study was designed to evaluate the expected beneficial effect of watermelon juice (WJ) on γ-radiation induced inflammation and testes tissue damage in rats.Methods: The values for total phenolic contents, antioxidant activity and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl for WJ were detected. 28 Male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (seven rats in each group) as follows; Control group, WJ group (received WJ by oral gavage 100 mg/kg B.Wt. / day/ 6 weeks), group 3 and 4: Irradiated group only (6Gy; the 1st week) and irradiated and WJ group, respectively. At the end of the experiment, blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical analysis and histopathological examination.Result: It has been found that γ-irradiation led to testicular oxidative stress accompanied by hormonal disturbance (elevation of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and reduction of testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels) and elevation of inflammatory factors (serum tumor necrotic factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) ). Rats received WJ after exposure to γ-rays showed significantly less severe damage and remarkable improvement in all of the measured parameters and also restored the histological changes in the testis when compared to irradiated rats.

Isoprenaline (ISO) is one of synthetic catecholamine that can be used as a model to produce myocardial infarction (MI). Frankincense is a gum resin that possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. Gamma-irradiation is used for decontamination of Boswellia tears to achieve satisfactory microbiological quality and public health safety. Hence, examining the effect of gamma-irradiation on the contents of Boswellia oleo-gum resin and also investigating the role of gamma-irradiate frankincense aqueous extract (GFAE) against ISO-induced MI in rats were the two aims of this study. The total phenolic content and total flavonoids of frankincense has been significantly increased under the effect of gamma-rays in this work. Injection of isoprenaline hydrochloride (100 mg/ kg B.Wt./day) to rats resulted in cardiac oxidative stress, inflammation, hyper-lipidemia and increase cardiac marker enzymes. Treatment of rats with GFAE (45 mg/kg/day) prior to injection of ISO provide significant cardio-protective effects evidenced by an obvious reduction in the level of cardiac marker enzymes, inflammatory factors and lipid contents with marked improvement in the cardiac antioxidant status and reduction of lipid peroxidation relative to untreated infarcted group. The study concluded gamma irradiation could be used as an efficient method for sterilization and increasing the active contents of frankincense. Also, gamma-irradiated frankincense can be used as an effective cardio protective natural agent in MI.

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IstIllers dried grains with soluble (DDGs) are a co-product of ethanol production from starch cereals (mainly corn). Dietary fiber is the sum of carbohydrates and lignin that are resistant to digestion by the small intestine enzymes. DDGs contains approximately 3 times dietary fiber more than corn. Dietary fiber in DDGS consists mainly of insoluble dietary fiber. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of gamma (γ) irradiation on crude fiber, soluble fiber and non-soluble fiber of irradiated corn DDGs at different doses 0, 10, 20 and 30kGy, and to evaluate the effect of feeding irradiated DDGs for rabbits and their effects on rabbit's performance (body weight, gain weight, feed intake, feed conversion, water intake, rectum temperature and respiration rate), apparent digestibility (dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber and ether extracts), carcass traits (carcass weight, dressing (%) and prime cuts (%) and blood biochemistry (Ast, Alt, total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine, total lipids, total cholesterol, and blood urea). sixty New Zealand White weaned male rabbits of 35 days age were randomly divided to 4 treatment groups of approximately equal average weight (706g) with 15 animals each. The first group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 10% DDGS (nonirradiated) (control), 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th groups were fed the control diet supplemented with 10% irradiated DDGS at 10, 20 and 30kGy, respectively. The obtained results revealed a decrease in crude fiber and increases in soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. The increases were linearly correlated with the increasing irradiation dose. The supplemented irradiated 10% DDGS up to 30kGy in the diet of growing rabbits resulted in a significant improvement of body weight, gain weight, feed conversion, the apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, carcass traits (carcass weight, dressing (%) and prime cuts(%)), and the improvement was parallel with increasing the radiation dose. While, feed intake, water intake, rectal temperature, respiration rate, ether extracts digestibility, Ast, Alt, total protein, albumin, globulin, total lipids, total cholesterol, creatinine and blood urea were not altered by the treatments. Generally, it can be concluded that radiation processing with γ-rays improved the soluble and insoluble fiber and the digestibility of DDGS, and that DDGS supplemented diets fed to growing rabbits improved rabbits' growth performance without any deleterious effect on physiological and biochemical attributes.