Effect of fennel essential oil on performance, serum biochemistry, immunity, ileum morphology and microbial population, and meat quality of broiler chickens fed corn or wheat-based diet.

1. The effect of Foeniculi aetheroleum essential oil (EO) on growth performance, nutrient utilisation, serum biochemistry, immune response, ileum morphology, microbial population and meat quality of broiler chickens fed a corn- or wheat-based diet were determined.2. A total of 360 broiler chickens were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial assay in a completely randomised design with six replicates and 15 birds per experimental unit. Birds were fed corn- or wheat-based diets supplemented with (200 mg/kg) or without fennel EO.3. Birds fed wheat-based diets had lower BWG and FCR during grower period and lower FI during finisher period as compared to those fed corn-based diet (P < 0.05) whereas addition of fennel EO decreased chickens BWG during finisher period and EPEF, both in wheat or in corn-based diets. Dietary treatments had no effect on serum glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, AST, ALT, ALP, and MDA concentrations (P < 0.05).4. Antibody titres against avian influenza and sheep red blood cell antibody titres, crude protein and crude fat utilisation, villus height, crypt depth and epithelium thickness were not influenced by dietary treatments (P > 0.05). Inclusion of Fennel EO to the corn-based diet resulted in greater villus width and villus surface area while it reduced lamina propria thickness (P < 0.05). Fennel EO reduced ileal E. coli and Lactobacillus spp. populations (P < 0.05). Dietary treatments had no significant effect on meat pH, cooking loss, drip loss, crude protein, crude fat content and cholesterol concentration of breast and thigh meat, total phenolic and MDA concentrations, and breast meat sensory parameters (P > 0.05).5. These results showed that addition of fennel EO to wheat-based diets had a negative effect on chicken growth performance variables and decreased gut E. coli populations. However, immunity, meat quality and nutrient utilisation were not affected by dietary treatments.

Chemotaxis-based smart drug delivery of epirubicin using a 3D printed microfluidic chip.

Recent developments on self-propelled microdroplets, moving controllably in response to an external stimulus like chemical, electrical, or magnetic field, have opened a new horizon for smart drug delivery investigations. On the other hand, the new achievements in 3D printing technology has provided a promising option for the fabrication of microfluidic devices, which is an unrivalled platform for in-vitro drug delivery studies. By synergizing the features of chemotaxis, 3D printing, and microfluidic techniques a new approach was introduced to deliver the drug to targeted sites with a well-controlled method and a reasonable speed. A self-propelled ionic liquid ([P6,6,6,14][Cl]) microdroplet, as the drug carrier, was utilised for the targeted delivery of epirubicin anticancer drug within an integrated drug delivery microfluidic system. The asymmetric diffusion of [P6,6,6,14]+ ion from the microdroplet into an aqueous solution with chloride gradient concentration (created under an external electrical field) caused the microdroplet to move. The spatial and temporal position of the moving microdroplet could be controlled by changing the magnitude and polarity of the external electrical field. A piece of hollow-fiber, fixed next to the anode, was filled with phosphate buffer (as the receptor) and used to remove the drug from the carrier. The receptor solution was then taken and injected into a HPLC system for quantification of the released drug. After one-at-a-time optimization of the channel geometry and electrolyte concentration, the experimental variables affecting the drug loading including contact time, pH, and volume of carrier were optimized via a central composite design (CCD) approach.

Evaluation of a cooling/heating-assisted microextraction instrument using a needle trap device packed with aminosilica/graphene oxide nanocomposites, covalently attached to cotton.

A low-cost and reliable cooling/heating-assisted microextraction (CHaME) instrument was designed and fabricated for use in different modes of microextraction methods. The CHaME setup is able to cool down the sorbent and simultaneously heat the sample in a wide temperature range. Consequently, it can create a large thermal gap between the sorbent and the sample matrix, to promote the release of analytes from the sample tissue and enhance their effective trapping on the microextraction phase. The primary versions of the instrument have previously been evaluated, coupled with different modes of solid- and liquid-phase microextraction strategies. Compared with conventional microextraction systems, it is able to extract volatile organic compounds from complicated solid matrices more effectively, rapidly and without any need for a sample preparation step. In this research, the final and compact version of the CHaME instrument was fabricated and employed in a cooling/heating-assisted needle trap device (CHaME-NTD) for microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in contaminated soil samples, prior to GC-FID determination. An aminosilica/graphene oxide nanocomposite was synthesized, covalently attached to cotton (Am-Si/GO/Cot), packed inside a needle, and applied as an effective sorbent for trapping of the analytes. The influence of experimental parameters on the extraction efficiency of the TC-NTD-GC-FID strategy was evaluated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, linear dynamic ranges (LDRs), limits of detection (LODs), and relative standard deviations (RSDs) for the PAHs were 0.001-2.0 µg g-1, 5-38 pg g-1, and 6.2-9.8% (n = 6), respectively. The CHaME-NTD-GC-FID procedure was compared with the traditional NTD-GC-FID method. Additionally, the Am-Si/GO/Cot nanocomposite sorbent was compared with the most frequently used commercial sorbents. The results demonstrated the remarkable performance of the CHaME-NTD procedure and the Am-Si/GO/Cot composite sorbent. The developed setup was also used for the extraction and determination of PAHs in contaminated soil samples, through the CHaME-NTD-GC-FID procedure.

Survey of iron, zinc, calcium, copper, lead, and cadmium in rice samples grown in Iran.

In the present study ninety nine polished white rice samples were collected in three areas, all over Lorestan Province located in the west of Iran, and analysed for six elements by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS). For individual elements, Zinc (Zn) showed the highest concentration among the analysed essential elements with a mean of 28.6 mg kg(-1) and next to copper (Cu) of 22.8 mg kg(-1). Analysis of the essential and toxic elements for possible inter-area variation by ANOVA showed that there are significant differences between the areas. There was no significant difference between areas for Zn concentrations. Most of the samples nearly contained world wide average concentration of iron (Fe) and Zn in rice grains that were reported by various researches. But, the content of calcium (Ca) in the rice samples produced in Lorestan Province were much lower than other countries, meanwhile Cu concentrations were much higher than other studies. Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) concentrations in the sampled rice were lower in comparison with their upper limits (0.1 and 0.2 mg kg(-1) for Cd and Pb, respectively) approved by Iranian Ministry of Health. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is no health problems result from Lorestan rice consumption, for these two elements.

Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for the selective separation and preconcentration of ultra trace molybdenum.

A new simple and efficient homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for the selective separation and preconcentration of molybdenyl ions was developed. alpha-Benzoin oxime (ABO) was investigated as a complexing ligand, and perfluorooctanoate ion (PFOA(-)) was applied as a phase-separator agent under strongly acidic conditions. Under the optimal conditions ([ABO]=2.1x10(-3)M, [PFOA(-)]=1.8x10(-2)M, [HNO(3)]=1.7M, [acetone]=11.8% (v/v)), 10mug of molybdenum in 5ml aqueous phase could be extracted quantitatively into 40mul of the sedimented phase. The maximum concentration factor was 125-fold. Thiocyanate was applied as a chromogenic reagent for the direct spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum in the sedimented phase. The reproducibility of the proposed method is at the most 2.4%. The influence of the type and concentration of acid solution, the concentration of ABO, the type and volume of the water-miscible organic solvent, the concentration of PFOA(-), and the effect of different diverse ions on the extraction and determination of molybdenum(VI) were investigated. The proposed method was applied to the extraction and determination of molybdenum(VI) in natural water, Spinach, and Lucerne samples. A satisfactory agreement exists between the results obtained by the proposed method and those reported by GF-AAS.

Selective preconcentration of ultra trace copper(II) using octadecyl silica membrane disks modified by a recently synthesized glyoxime derivative.

A new simple and reliable method has been developed to selectively separate and concentrate ultra trace amounts of copper ion in aqueous samples for subsequent measurement by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The Cu(2+) ions are adsorbed selectively and quantitatively during passage of aqueous solutions through octadecyl silica membrane disks modified with bis(2-hydroxyphenylamino) glyoxime. The retained copper ions then stripped from the disk with a minimal amount of 0.2M nitric acid solution as eluent, and determined by AAS. The proposed method permitted large enrichment factors of about 100 or higher. The limit of detection of the proposed method is 0.004ngml(-1). The maximum capacity of the membrane disks modified with 25mg of ligand was found to be 280+/-32mug of copper(II). The effects of various cationic interferences on the percent recovery of copper in binary mixtures were studied. The method was successfully applied to the recovery and determination of copper in several water samples.

Solid-phase extraction of ultratrace uranium(VI) in natural waters using octadecyl silica membrane disks modified by tri-n-octylphosphine oxide and its spectrophotometric determination with dibenzoylmethane.

A simple and reliable method for rapid extraction and determination of uranium in natural waters using octadecyl-bonded silica membrane disks modified with tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) and spectrophotometry with dibenzoylmethane is presented. Extraction efficiency and the influence of sample matrix, type, and optimum amount of extractant, flow rates, and type and minimum amount of organic eluent were evaluated. The maximal capacity of the membrane disks modified by 50 mg of TOPO was found to be 4033 micrograms of uranium. The limit of detection of the proposed method is 100 ng/1000 mL. The method was applied to the extraction and determination of uranium in natural waters.

Flow injection spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of selenium.

A simple, rapid and sensitive flow injection spectrophotometric method for determination of selenium (0.005-1.5 mug ml(-1)) is described. The method is based on the catalytic effect of Se(IV) on the reduction reaction of thionine (TN) with sulphide ion, monitored spectrophotometrically at 598 nm. The detection limit is 5 ng ml(-1) the relative standard deviation for eight replicate measurements is 1.1% for 1 mug ml(-1) of selenium. The sampling rate is 25-30 samples h(-1). The procedure was applied successfully to the determination of selenium in real samples.