Wadi Kharit is a major drainage system dissecting the southern part of the eastern desert of Egypt in an east-west orientation. Due to the volcanic nature of the rocks it originates at, the eluviation of soil along its course is distinguished into three main recognizable soil types. Three plant communities recognized in the wadi, apparently highly related to its edaphic characteristics, are identified for the first time in the eastern desert, The floristic composition of such communities are quite rich in both variety of species as well their abundance values. Little resemblance exists between such communities and other communities previously identified in northern wadies of this desert, as revealed frOm data obtained in previous studies in this series as well as those of other investigators.

Wadi Quena is one of the major wadis of the Eastern Desert in Egypt. It is unique in its nourth-south orientation among other wadis in this desert. Phytosociological study of this wadi is based on the analysis of vegetation in 21 stands, using the Ziirich Montpellier technique. The vegetation survey indicated the prevailance of perennials in this wadi. Thirty nine species comprising the vegetation of the wadi are segregated in two community types: I. Anabasis setifera - Acacia ehrenbergiana and 2. Zygophyllum coccineum-Shouwia thebaica. The second community type has two subcommunities: a. Tamarix nilotica '- Artemisia judaica and b. Cotula cinerea - Cleome droserifolia. Elements of the alliance Zygophyllaeion coccini previously recognized in other wadis of this desert are well represented in this wadi. The distribution of the communities recognized in this study seems to be dependent upon the moisture retention properties and on the soil depth.

Wadi Quena is one of the major wadis of the Eastern Desert in Egypt. It is unique in its nourth-south orientation among other wadis in this desert. Phytosociological study of this wadi is based on the analysis of vegetation in 21 stands, using the Ziirich Montpellier technique. The vegetation survey indicated the prevailance of perennials in this wadi. Thirty nine species comprising the vegetation of the wadi are segregated in two community types: I. Anabasis setifera - Acacia ehrenbergiana and 2. Zygophyllum coccineum-Shouwia thebaica. The second community type has two subcommunities: a. Tamarix nilotica '- Artemisia judaica and b. Cotula cinerea - Cleome droserifolia. Elements of the alliance Zygophyllaeion coccini previously recognized in other wadis of this desert are well represented in this wadi. The distribution of the communities recognized in this study seems to be dependent upon the moisture retention properties and on the soil depth.

A polymeric chelate based on salicylidene-o-aminophenol (SAP) chelating with zinc (Zn(II)) ion was studied by several spectroscopic techniques. A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of Zn(II) ion in solution by chelating with SAP is proposed. This method has been applied successfully to the determination of Zn(II) ion in Immu-C sachets samples (mg/g). The proposed method is in excellent agreement with the determination of Zn(II) ion by atomic absorption spectrometry.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal disease of plasma cells that reside in the bone marrow (BM). MM is an incurable disease; thus, screening for novel anti-myeloma drugs remains critically important. We recently described a silica nanoparticle-based snake venom delivery model that targets cancer cells, but not normal cells. Using this model, we demonstrated a strong enhancement of the antitumor activity of snake venom extracted from Walterinnesia aegyptia (WEV) in two breast carcinoma cell lines when the venom was combined with silica nanoparticles (WEV+NP). In the present study, we aimed to delineate the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of WEV+NP in an MM-bearing experimental nude mouse model. We found that treatment with WEV+NP or WEV alone significantly inhibited tumor growth compared to treatment with NP or vehicle. WEV+NP- and WEV-treated cancer cells exhibited marked elevations in oxidative stress and robust reductions in the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and B cell-activating factor (BAFF). WEV+NP also decreased the surface expression of the chemokine receptors CXCR3, CXCR4 and CXCR6 to a greater extent than WEV alone, and WEV+NP subsequently reduced migration in response to the cognate ligands CXCL10, CXCL12 and CXCL16. Furthermore, we found that WEV+NP strongly inhibited insulin-like growth factor 1 (EGF-1)- and IL-6-mediated MM cell proliferation, altered the cell cycle and enhanced the induction of apoptosis of MM cells. In addition, the results of treatment with WEV+NP or WEV alone revealed that the combination of WEV with NP robustly decreased the expression of cyclin D1, Bcl-2 and the phosphorylation of AKT; increased the expression of cyclin B1; altered the mitochondrial membrane potential; increased the activity of caspase-3, -8 and -9; and sensitized MM cells to growth arrest and apoptosis. Our data reveal the therapeutic potential of the nanoparticle-sustained delivery of snake venom to fight cancer cells.

urea as a combustion fuel. The fabrication was carried out by refluxing a mixture of cobalt nitrate and urea followed by calcination, for 3 h in static air atmosphere, at 400 °C. The thermal genesis of the Co3O4 was explored by means of thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses in air atmosphere in the temperature range 25-1000 °C. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the Co3O4. The obtained results conrmed that the resulting oxides were comprised of pure single-crystalline Co3O4 nanoparticles. Moreover, various comparison experiments showed that several experimental parameters, such as the reflux time and the urea/cobalt nitrate molar ratio, play important roles in the crystallite size as well as the morphological control of Co3O4 powders. Consequently, the minimum crystallite size can be obtained at 12 h reflux and a urea/cobalt nitrate molar ratio of 5.

urea as a combustion fuel. The fabrication was carried out by refluxing a mixture of cobalt nitrate and urea followed by calcination, for 3 h in static air atmosphere, at 400 °C. The thermal genesis of the Co3O4 was explored by means of thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses in air atmosphere in the temperature range 25-1000 °C. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the Co3O4. The obtained results conrmed that the resulting oxides were comprised of pure single-crystalline Co3O4 nanoparticles. Moreover, various comparison experiments showed that several experimental parameters, such as the reflux time and the urea/cobalt nitrate molar ratio, play important roles in the crystallite size as well as the morphological control of Co3O4 powders. Consequently, the minimum crystallite size can be obtained at 12 h reflux and a urea/cobalt nitrate molar ratio of 5.