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The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of natural Pomegranate juice supplementation on performance and acute and delayed responses of muscle soreness and biomarkers of muscle damage after a weightlifting training session. Nine elite weightlifters (21±0.5 years) performed two Olympic-Weightlifting-sessions after either placebo (PLA) or natural pomegranate juice (POMj) supplementations. Heart rate, blood pressure and blood samples (hematological parameters, muscle damage and C-reactive protein (CRP)) were collected at rest, 3min and 48h after each session. Weightlifting performance, RPE, and DOMS were also assessed after each training session. T-test showed higher performance (+8.30%) and lower RPE values (-4.37%) using POMj supplementation (p<0.05) in comparison with PLA. For the DOMS values, a significant improvement (13.4%) was shown only for the knee extensors (p<0.01) using the POMj. Compared to PLA condition, POMj attenuated the acute (i.e., 3min) increase of systolic blood pressure (SBP), HR, CK and LDH (p<0.05; -4.46%, -1.81%, -8.75%, -1.64%, respectively) and blunted the significant increase of ASAT, PAL and CRP (p>0.05). Additionally, during the 48h following the training session, POMj improved the recovery kinetic of SBP (p<0.01, 7.97%), CK (p<0.001, 11.34%), LDH (p<0.05, 7.30%) and ASAT (p<0.05, 6.77%). Indeed, the present study showed that 48h of recovery associated to natural POMj supplementation was sufficient to reach the resting values of the selected muscle damage markers after intensive training session. Natural POMj seems to ameliorate the capacity to adhere to an intensive training program. Therefore, elite weightlifters are advised to use natural POMj during intensive training program and competition to accelerate muscle recovery. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02697903.

The large quantity of olive roots resulting from a large number of old and unfruitful trees encouraged us to look for ways of adding value to these roots. For this reason, the current research work is devoted to the valorization of olive roots by identifying active phytochemicals and assessing their biological activities, including the cytotoxicity and antiviral potential of different extracts from the Olea europaea Chemlali cultivar. The extract, obtained by ultrasonic extraction, was analyzed using the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique (LC-MS). The cytotoxicity was evaluated through the use of the microculture tetrazolium assay (MTT) against VERO cells. Subsequently, the antiviral activity was determined for HHV-1 (Human Herpesvirus type 1) and CVB3 (Coxsackievirus B3) replication in the infected VERO cells. LC-MS analysis allowed the identification of 40 compounds, classified as secoiridoids (53%), organic acids (13%), iridoids (10%), lignans (8%), caffeoylphenylethanoid (5%), phenylethanoids (5%),sugars and derivatives (2%), phenolic acids (2%), and flavonoids (2%). It was found that extracts were not toxic to the VERO cells. Moreover, the extracts did not influence the appearance of HHV-1 or CVB3 cytopathic effects in the infected VERO cells and failed to decrease the viral infectious titer.

Background Rose-scented geranium ( Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér.), which is used in traditional Tunisian folk medicine for the treatment of hyperglycaemia, is widely known as one of the medicinal herbs with the highest antioxidant activity. The present paper is conducted to test the hypoglycemic and antioxidative activities of the leaf essential oil of P. graveolens . Methods The essential oil P. graveolens was administered daily and orally to the rats at two doses of 75 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) for 30 days. The chemical composition of P. graveolens essential oil, body weight, serum glucose, hepatic glycogen, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), the components of hepatic, and renal and serum antioxidant systems were evaluated. The hypoglycemic effect of rose-scented geranium was compared to that of the known anti-diabetic drug glibenclamide (600 μg/kg b.w.). Results After the administration of two doses of essential oil of Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér. together with glibenclamide which is known by its antidiabetic activities and used as reference (600 μg/kg b.w.), for four weeks, the serum glucose significantly decreased and antioxidant perturbations were restored. The hypoglycemic effect of P. graveolens at the dose of 150 mg/kg b.w. was significantly ( p < 0.05) more effective than that of glibenclamide. It is through the histological findings in hepatic and renal tissues of diabetic rats that these beneficial effects of geranium oils were confirmed. Conclusions It suggests that administration of essential oil of P. graveolens may be helpful in the prevention of diabetic complications associated with oxidative stress. Our results, therefore, suggest that the rose-scented geranium could be used as a safe alternative antihyperglycemic drug for diabetic patients.

This study is undertaken to determine the storage stability of Chemlali extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) in different containers such as clear and dark glass bottles, polyethylene (PE) and tin containers. The different oil samples were stored under light at room temperature. Quality parameters monitored during a 6-month-storage period included: acidity, peroxide value (PV), spectrophotometric indices (K 232 and K 270 ), chlorophyll and carotene pigments, fatty acids and sterol compositions, total phenols, Rancimat induction time as well as sensory evaluation. Tin containers and dark glass bottles recorded the lowest oxidation values. In addition, oil packed in tin containers and dark glass bottles showed better physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics than that stored in clear glass bottles and PE containers. A significant decrease ( p  < 0.05) in the antioxidant contents (carotenes, chlorophylls and total phenols) was observed in the oil stored in the clear glass bottles and PE containers. Such results proved that the storage of oil in tin containers and dark glass bottles appeared most adequate, and showed a gradual loss of quality during storage, especially in PE containers and clear glass bottles. This study has shown that the best packaging materials for the commercial packing of Chemlali extra-virgin olive oil are tin containers and dark glass bottles.

Peppers are among the spices possessing a wide plethora of biological properties due to their excellent supply of health-related metabolites. Capsicum annuum L. (Solanaceae) is cultivated throughout Tunisia, and there is a shortage of information on the identification of the secondary metabolites in the seeds of this species as well as on their biological activities. In the present work, we intended to undertake a chemical characterization of the bioactive compounds from the hydro-methanolic seed extract of C. annuum as well as an evaluation of its broad spectrum of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The chemical profile was evaluated by RP-HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS, whereas the total phenol and flavonoid content, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities were determined in in vitro assays. In this work, 45 compounds belonging to various phytochemical classes, such as organic acids (2), phenolic compounds (4 phenolic acids and 5 flavonoids), capsaicinoids (3), capsianosides (5), fatty acids (13), amino acids (1), sphingolipids (10), and steroids (2) were identified in the hydro-methanolic seed extract of C. annuum. The phenolic and flavonoid content (193.7 mg GAE/g DW and 25.1 mg QE/g DW, respectively) of the C. annuum extract correlated with the high antiradical activity (IC50 = 45.0 µg/mL), reducing power (EC50 = 61.3 µg/mL) and chelating power (IC50 = 79.0 µg/mL) activities. The hydro-methanolic seed extract showed an important antimicrobial activity against seven bacterial and four fungal strains. In fact, the inhibition zones (IZs) for bacteria ranged from 9.00 ± 1.00 mm to 12.00 ± 0.00 mm; for fungi, the IZs ranged from 12.66 ± 0.57 mm to 13.66 ± 0.57 mm. The minimal inhibition concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration values showed that the extract was more effective against fungi than bacteria.

Context: To find bioactive medicinal herbs exerting anti-asthmatic activity, we investigated the effect of an aqueous extract of Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae) leaves (UD), the closest extract to the Algerian traditional use.Objective: In this study, we investigated the in vivo anti-asthmatic and antioxidant activities of nettle extract.Materials and methods: Adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Group I: negative control; group II: Ovalbumin sensitized/challenged rats (positive control); group III: received UD extract (1.5 g/kg/day) orally along the experimental protocol; group IV: received UD extract (1.5 g/kg/day) orally along the experimental protocol and sensitized/challenged with ovalbumin. After 25 days, blood and tissue samples were collected for haematological and histopathological analysis, respectively. The oxidative stress parameters were evaluated in the lungs, liver and erythrocytes. Then, correlations between markers of airway inflammation and markers of oxidative stress were explored.Results: UD extract significantly (p < 0.01) inhibited eosinophilia increases in BALF (−60%) and the levels of leucocytes (−32.75%) and lymphocytes (−29.22%) in serum, and effectively suppressed inflammatory cells recruitment in the asthmatic rat model. Besides, the lipid peroxidation generated by allergen administration was significantly (p < 0.05) diminished by UD treatment in lung tissue (−48.58%). The nettle extract was also investigated for the total phenolic content (30.79 ± 0.96 mg gallic acid/g dry extract) and shows DPPH radical scavenging activity with 152.34 ± 0.37 μg/mL IC50 value.Conclusions: The results confirmed that UD administration might be responsible for the protective effects of this extract against airway inflammation.

The aim of this work was to compare the frying stability of refined olive pomace oil alone and blended with refined coconut oil during 60 successive sessions. Frying experiments were carried out at 180 °C and samples were evaluated by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), measuring the polymers and polar compounds formed. The tocopherol content was also analyzed. At the end of the frying process, the lowest content of polymeric compounds (PC) and total polar compounds (TPC) were detected for the blend of refined olive pomace oil–refined coconut oil (ROPO/RCO) with 13.20% and 25%, respectively, compared to refined olive pomace oil (ROPO) pure with 16.9% and 34.5%, respectively. Hence, the present study based on PC and TPC as best quality indicators of frying oil degradation indicated that the frying behavior of ROPO pure significantly improved by the blending application with RCO and showed a higher chemical stability.Graphical abstract

Phenolics, volatiles, squalene, tocopherols, and fatty acids of virgin olive oils (VOO) from adult and young olive trees of the Oueslati variety, typically cultivated in the Center of Tunisia, were analyzed at three different harvesting periods. Significant differences in contents of saturated fatty acids ( p  < 0.05), squalene ( p  < 0.05), alpha-tocopherol and total tocopherol ( p  < 0.02) and oxidized form of decarboxymethyl oleuropein aglycon ( p  < 0.05) were seen between VOO from adult and young trees during maturation. Moreover, the volatile profiles of VOO from adult and young trees showed significant differences in the amounts of hexanal, 1-penten-3-ol ( p  < 0.05), ( Z )-3-hexenal and ( Z )-2-penten-1-ol ( p  < 0.01). Principal component analysis showed that olives from adult trees should be harvested at the cherry stage of maturation to obtain a satisfactory level of oil quality, while olives from young trees should be harvested at the black maturation stage.

Electricity–water cogeneration power plants are an important tool for advancing sustainable water treatment technologies because they provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for meeting the energy and water needs of communities. By integrating power and water production, these technologies can reduce carbon emissions and help mitigate the impact of climate change. This work deals with the energy and exergy analysis of a cogeneration plant for electrical power generation and water desalination using real operational data. The power side is a pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plant (NPP), while the desalination side is a multi-effect distillation (MED) system with a thermo-vapor compressor (TVC) plant coupled with a conventional multi-effect plant (ME-TVC-MED). A mathematical model was implemented in MATLAB software and validated through a comparison with previously published research. The exergy analysis was carried out based on the second law of thermodynamics to evaluate the irreversibility of the plant and the subsystems. In this study, the components of the sub-systems were analyzed separately to identify and quantify the component that has a high loss of energy and exergy. According to the energy and exergy analyses, the highest source of irreversibility occurs in the reactor core with 50% of the total exergy destruction. However, turbines, steam generators, and condensers also contribute to energy loss. Further, the thermodynamic efficiency of the cogeneration plant was obtained as 35.38%, which is more effective than other systems. In the ME-TVC-MED desalination unit, the main sources of energy losses are located in the evaporators and the thermo-compressor (about 50% and 36%, respectively). Moreover, the exergetic efficiency of the ME-TVC-MED unit was found to be low at 6.43%, indicating a high degree of technical inefficiency in the desalination process. Therefore, many opportunities exist to improve the performance of the cogeneration system.

The main research paper focuses on the optimal hybrid system using HOMER software in the central plant of Hassi R’mel. Indeed, the system is composed of PV panels, a battery bank, and a diesel engine, all of which are used to supply an industrial load. Hence, the present work proposes a solution to optimize the power generated by the power sources, maximize the photovoltaic source use, and minimize the use of the battery bank and the diesel generator. Moreover, the solution aims to guarantee the safe operation of the system components and continuity in the load power supply. These objectives are performed by the minimization of a cost function, in which the power generation cost, the energetic balance, and the environmental parameters are taken into consideration. Among the five solutions, the most optimal system obtained is PV/Diesel/batteries /Grid. This system consists of 1200 KW PV, an 1100 KW diesel generator, 800 units of battery, and an 1100 KW converter. Therefore, to supply the station with 49% of electricity by PV and 51% by diesel while the reduction of emissions is 60%, and 708020 liters of diesel is saved. Applying the sensitivity analysis also showed that renewable resources have an impact on the sizing of PV. When solar radiation increases, the size of renewable energy decreases and the NPC decreases as well. It can, thus, be illustrated that the PV/diesel/battery system is not fully-optimal. This strategy is recommended for industrial system security since it can be used to ensure systems from an energetic and economic point of view.