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IntroductionIntroduction: Obesity is one of the most burdensome health problems closely linked to leptin resistance. The study examined whether alternate-day high-fat diet (ADF)- and / or GLP-1 agonist (exenatide) modulate brain leptin resistance caused by high-fat diet (HFD).Material and methodsSixty adult male mice were divided into 6 groups: (i) normal palatable diet (NPD), (ii) exenatide control ( NPD received exenatide) (iii) HFD, (iv) ADF treated, (v) exenatide treated, (vi) ADF and exenatide treated. All animal groups were fed on HFD for 8 weeks, before they received treatment (ADF and/ or Exenatide) for 8 additional weeks. Body weight was assessed at the start and at the end of the experiment, lipid profile, brain leptin and its receptor expression with the leptin-sensitive pathway, JAK2/STAT3/SOCS3/PTP1B, fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum insulin, Liver metabolic handling via its regulators IRS1/PI3K/GLUT4 for hyperinsulinemia/obesity-induced PDK3/NAFLD2 modification, and liver enzymes were determined at the end of the experiment.ResultsADF and exenatide reduced body weight and FBG in HFD-obese mice (p < 0.05). The combined ADF and exenatide regimen enhanced the brain anorexic leptin/JAK2/STAT3 and attenuated the SOCS3/PTP1B pathway (p < 0.05). The ADF/exenatide anorexigenic brain effect also modulated liver glucose via IRS1/PI3K/GLUT4 expression (p < 0.05), attenuating NAFLD2 and PDK3 expression (p < 0.05). Liver enzymes and the histopathological profile confirmed the improvement.ConclusionsIn HFD caloric consumption, a combination of ADF and GLP-1 agonist enhances the brain leptin anorexigenic effect with the improvement of the metabolic sequel as hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia and liver steatosis.

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North Sinai, desertification risk is one of the main environmental and also social and economic problems. This study aims to use geospatial information to assess the environmental sensitivity for desertification in Ber El-Abd area, North Sinai, Egypt. Based on the Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) approach and the characteristics of the study area. This model could provide a valuable quantitative assessment of environmental sensitivity to desertification. It also could support decision makers with important information that could help in protecting and sustaining natural resources. Five main indicators of desertification including soil (soil depth, soil texture, electrical conductivity, rock fragments, drainage, and calcium carbonate), climate (rainfall, evapotranspiration, and aridity index), vegetation (erosion protection, drought resistance, and plant cover), erosion (wind erosion, water erosion) and management (land use, grazing intensity as well as policy and management) were considered for estimating the environmental sensitivity to desertification. Arc-GIS 10.4.1 and ENVI 5.4 software were used for assessing the desertification sensitive index, of which the map of environmentally areas of Ber El-Abd are, North Sinai Peninsula is produced. The obtained data reveals that 47.9% of Ber El-Abd area is characterized by very sensitive areas to desertification, sensitive areas about 1.1%, while the low sensitive areas only 6%. The moderately sensitive areas occupies approximately 4.8% of the study area.

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