Invertase (E.C. 3.2.1.26) from the Achras sapota fruit was 6.5% and at temperature 20°C. The activity of both invertases were found heat labile and were completely inactivated at 45°C and 70°C within 10 minutes. Invertase I and II activities were increased in the presence of MnCI2, CoCI2 and CaCI2 but completely inhibited with EDTA due to chelation with metal ions. Raffinose and stachyose were hydrolyzed at the rate of 59.52% and 33% with invertase I and 88.88% and 83.33% with invertase II relative to sucrose whereas cellobiose, inulin and maltose were not hydrolyzed with Invertase I and II.

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Gentamicin, a nephrotoxic aminoglycoside antibiotic, was injected into adult male albino rats, alone or together with methimazole and fish oil. The effects on renal and liver functions and renal thiol status were studied. Gentamicin was administered as two i.p. injections (40 mg/kg body weight) for 3, 7 and 10 consecutive days. The animals were sacrificed 12 hours after the last injection. In gentamicin-treated rats, for 7 and 10 days, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine concentrations and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity were significantly increased compared with saline treated controls. Administration of methimazole (20 mg/kg) and fish oil (5 ml/kg) together with gentamicin partially protected against the nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin by returning the urea and creatinine concentrations and urinary NAG activity to normal levels, despite having higher kidney gentamicin concentrations especially with methimazole. Rats given gentamicin alone for 3 days exhibited no elevation of BUN, serum creatinine and urinary NAG values, However, these rats exhibited an increase in nonprotein disulfide concentrations and a decrease in renal protein thiol and protein disulfide concentrations, as opposed to rats given gentamicin and methimazole and rats given gentamicin and fish oil. These results show that methimazole and fish oil were effective antagonists of gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. Methimazole did not inhibit gentamicin renal uptake but may protect against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity by acting as an antioxidant within the kidneys. On the other hand, fish oil may protect against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity by counteracting the biochemical alterations induced by the drug in the renal cortex.
We conclude the methimazole and fish oil may be compounds for reducing gentamicin-toxic side effects, including nephrotoxicity, without compromising its antibiotic activity.

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A modified backfire antenna for x-band is tested and proposed. The antenna comprises a conical back reflector and double plane small front reflectors fed through an open-ended circular waveguides excited with the dominant TE11 mode. The antenna shows a relatively high gain (17.2 db), good suppression of sidelobes (18.2 db below the mainlobe) and symmetrical radiation pattern.

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Calcaneal spur, with its relevant symptoms of pain and irritation, is not an infrequent entity. Several therapeutic regimens approved for the treatment of calcaneal spur are: application of the spin boats, administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local steroid injections, and operative approaches.
In the present study we investigated the utility of physical therapy agents (ultrasound and infrared) in patients with calcaneal spur. The patients were treated with either infrared or infrared plus ultrasound during the study. We achieved gratifying results in both groups, but the efficiacy of ultrasound treatment was more pronounced with regard to the overall data. Especially relief of pain was more striking with ultrasound treatment.

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The stability of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in onions irradiated with three different doses of rays and stored at two different temperatures was studied.
Gamma radiation of bulbs with 0.10; 0.15 and 0.31 KGy causes losses of 10%, 13% and 20% of vitamin C contents respectively.
During storage vitamin C decreased over 12 weeks in both control and irradiated bulbs and at both temperatures. After 12 weeks and till the end of storage period, vitamin C content increased in each share but the final content was lower than the initial. In all cases, no differences were noted in evolution of vitamin C at each temperature and in both untreated and treated bulbs during storage.

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