Egypt’s limited water resources, rapid population growth, and climate change are increasing the gap between water demand and supply. Meanwhile, significant amounts of rain fall in some regions in Egypt during specific storm events, which in some cases, lead to disasters like flash floods and inundations. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) can be considered as a sustainable promising solution to water shortage and inundation problems. In this work, the feasibility of RWH for urban areas was assessed over 22 cities throughout Egypt. Results show that the annual volume of rainwater harvested can reach 142.5 MCM in the considered cities, provided that all rain falling on the urban areas is collected. High potential of rainfall harvesting was found for cities that located on the North Coast, e.g., the potential water saving from the share of RWH in Alexandria can satisfy around 12% of its future supplementary domestic water needs. In contrast, rainfall over the cities located on the middle and the south of the country is insignificant to be harvested. A case study for the 5th settlement region in Cairo was discussed in terms of groundwater recharge and surface runoff estimation for two conditions: No–RWH and RWH systems by implementing recharge wells to store rainwater into the aquifer. Land cover classification maps of urban areas were created by using the ARCGIS software to estimate equivalent infiltration coefficients. The results demonstrate that the implementation of such RWH system has a significant impact on the regional water cycle, where the effective infiltration coefficient increased from 10% (No–RWH) to 75% (RWH) in the case study. Accordingly, the runoff coefficient decreased in the case study from 0.8 (No–RWH) to 0.15 (RWH), and the volume of runoff decreased in the case of RWH by around 82% lower than that of the No–RWH condition. Thus, direct infiltration of RWH into an aquifer can play an important role in sound water management for urban environments, as this may lead to a significant reduction in risks of flooding and expenses of municipal drainage systems installation and operation.

Despite the fact that amphotericin B (AmB) is currently considered as the first choice for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, it is associated with some side effects. This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of vitamins A and E against amphotericin B-induced adverse effects in the kidney and liver of rat. Thirty male Wistar rats aged 7–8 weeks and weighing around 200 g were randomly divided into five groups, each one containing six rats. The first to fifth groups received olive oil as the control groups, AmB, AmB + vitamin A, AmB + vitamin E, and AmB + vitamins A + E, respectively. Rats received vitamins by gavage (vitamin A, 1000 IU/kg and vitamin E, 100 IU/kg) and amphotericin B by injections (5.5 mg/kg body weight). The treatment was constantly continued for 5 days and days 7 and 21. At the end of the study, serum level of TAC, TOS, MDA, liver enzyme activity (ALT, AST, ALP, LDH), renal factors (urea, uric acid, and creatinine), lipid profile as well as histopathological changes of the liver and kidney were investigated. AmB significantly increased serum level of creatinine, urea, uric acid, ALP, TOS, MDA, and kidney and renal tissue damage (p < 0.05). Supplementation AmB with vitamins A and E alone or combination improved oxidative stress status, liver and renal tissue structure, and functional parameters and serum lipid profile. This study highlighted the effects of vitamin A and vitamin E on attenuation of amphotericin B-induced side effects on the kidney and liver of male Wistar rats. Combination of the two vitamins is more effective than either alone improving the oxidative stress status, serum lipid profile, or liver and renal tissue structure and functional parameters.

Providing access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy by adopting hybrid power systems is important for countries looking to achieve their sustainable development goals. This paper presents an optimization method for sizing a hybrid system including photovoltaic (PV), wind turbines with a hydroelectric pumped storage system. In this paper, the implementation of different optimization techniques has been investigated to achieve optimal sizing of grid-connected hybrid renewable energy systems. A comprehensive study has been carried out between Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), Water Cycle Algorithm (WCA), Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA), and Grey Wolf optimizer (GWO) to validate each one. Moreover, the optimal sizing of the system’s components has been studied using real-time information and meteorological data of Ataka region located in Egypt. The purpose of the optimization process is to minimize the cost of energy from this hybrid system while satisfying the operation constraints including high reliability of the hybrid power supply, small fluctuation in the energy injected to the grid, and high utilization of the photovoltaic and wind complementary properties. MATLAB software package has been used to evaluate each optimization algorithm for solving the considered optimization problem. Simulation results proved that WOA has the most promising performance over other techniques.

Ecological quality assessment (EQA) is important for regional socio-economic development and its sustainability. To assess the status of land ecological quality more precisely, an ecological quality assessment system with 11 indicators of ecological stability, ecosystem service function, and habitat stress was established using the analytic hierarchy process for Guangdong Province, a highly urbanized region of China. Remotely sensed data were mainly used to quantify the 11 indicators and acquire regional EQA graphs at high spatial resolution. In addition, we used the spatial autocorrelation measure Moran’s I to capture dynamic signatures of spatial organization of ecological quality in the study area. The results show that the ecological quality of the study area is heterogeneous spatially but relatively consistent in different regions. Significant positive spatial autocorrelation for EQI in Guangdong was revealed by global Moran’s I. Potential ecological hot spot or cold spot were detected based on the spatial clustering patterns that were obtained by local Moran’s I. Lands with low ecological quality is mainly distributed in economically developed areas such as the Pearl River Delta and coastal cities in eastern and western Guangdong, while those with high ecological quality are mostly situated in northern mountainous areas that have lush vegetation. The low assessment scores for Guangdong, especially for the Pearl River Delta, are highly correlated with large populations and degrees of industrial agglomeration; this is mainly because urbanization and economic development jeopardize the environment. The presented case study can facilitate information provision and targeted strategy making for environmental protection. This study provides a helpful approach to assess and to analyze the ecological status in the future research. In contrast with methods that employ a single metric and limited data, the assessment system proposed in this study expands the potential application of the remotely sensed data and enriches the methodological system for EQAs.

The occurrence and persistence of pharmaceutical products (PPs) in the environment have recently been well-documented and are a major concern for public health. Their incidence in aquatic ecosystems is the result of their direct release without any prior treatment or insufficient wastewater treatment. Therefore, an efficient and safe posttreatment process for removing PPs must be developed. In this study, we focused on the ability of photocatalysis or combined photocatalysis and biodegradation to effectively and safely remove diclofenac (DCF) and its by-products from water. The heterogeneous photocatalysis system was based on bio-sourced activated carbon obtained from Argania spinosa tree nutshells and Degussa P25 titanium dioxide (ACP-TiO₂), and biodegradation involved Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Toxicity tests were conducted with zebrafish embryos to evaluate the applicability of the treatment processes. The results showed that photocatalytic treatment with 0.1 mg/L of ACP-TiO₂ 9% for 7.5 h is sufficient to eliminate DCF (50 mg L⁻¹) and its by-products from water. Low levels of malformation (< 20%) were detected in zebrafish embryos treated with photocatalyzed DCF solutions at 1, 5, and 7 mg L⁻¹ after 4 days of exposure. After 3 h of incubation, P. aeruginosa was found to reduce the toxicity of DCF (10 mg L⁻¹) photocatalyzed for 2 and 4 h. Additional studies should be conducted to elucidate the biodegradation mechanism.

The effects of coagulant dosage, alkalinity, turbidity, ionic strength, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the removal of sulfadimethoxazole (SMZ) and oxytetracycline (OTC) by coagulation were studied and the reaction mechanisms of the coagulation process were revealed in this research. From our results, alkalinity, turbidity, ionic strength, and DOM had different effects on the removal of antibiotics. The SMZ and OTC removals were improved with increase in poly-aluminum chloride (PACl) dosage, whereas the turbidity had less influence on the removal of SMZ and OTC because the adsorption of SMZ and OTC to kaolin was low, confirmed by a control when no PACl added. The hydrolysate of PACl played a more important role than turbidity in SMZ and OTC removals. The SMZ and OTC removals were significantly increased with the increase in alkalinity, which provided a suitable condition in situ for coagulant to form more optimal species of hydrolysate. The ionic strength, which was adjusted by NaNO₃, also had a positive effect on the removal of SMZ but no obvious effect on the OTC removal. Furthermore, DOM had a higher effect on the removal of SMZ than that of OTC. In another word, if a water plant wants to improve the removal of SMZ and OTC by coagulation unit, PACl hydrolysate, alkalinity, and DOM are the three key factors to be considered primarily. Moreover, an experiment for the recovery of antibiotics from the flocs was done and the results showed that OTC and SMZ were removed by different mechanisms. The OTC was removed via complexation formed through the reaction between OTC and coagulant while the SMZ was removed through the pathway of adsorption and inter-particle bridging to the surface of coagulant hydrolysate.

BPA, one of the environmental endocrine disruptors, and fructose, reason of liver steatosis which is frequently encountered in the daily diet, contribute to the formation of metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study examines the possible effects of concurrent fructose and BPA administration on MetS and determines the effects of melatonin on this process. In the seven identified groups, a total of forty-two adult male Sprague Dawley rats were treated by following fructose, BPA, and melatonin amounts, separately and together: group 1 (control), group 2 (10% aqueous fructose), group 3 (25 mg/kg BPA), group 4 (10% fructose + 25 mg/kg BPA), group 5 (10% fructose + 20 mg/kg melatonin), group 6 (25 mg/kg BPA + 20 mg/kg melatonin), and group 7 (10% fructose + 25 mg/kg BPA + 20 mg/kg melatonin). At the end of 60 days, histochemical, immunohistochemical, and biochemical procedures were performed on liver tissue. As a result, it was seen that BPA and fructose + BPA induced morphological alteration and inflammation and increased intracellular lipid quantity and amount of collagen and reticular fibers. The percentage of apoptotic liver cells stained by annexin V-FITC/PI was lower in group 7 compared to the group 4 (p < 0,001) and also in group 6 compared to the group 3 (p = 0.014). Both BPA and fructose application caused an increase in lipid peroxidation level due to the increase of oxidative stress. Application of melatonin induced antioxidant enzyme activity and reduced lipid peroxidation level. Our results indicate that fructose and BPA administration triggered the formation of MetS, whereas melatonin healed these variations, although not entirely.

This paper presents the results from a study on the current state of tailing dump, surrounding soil and water in the region of Tarniţa-Suceava, Romania. A number of chemical analyses and germination tests were applied in an attempt to estimate the ability of soil to maintain the plants growing, the bioavailability, and heavy metals uptake. Total heavy metals, exchangeable metals, acidity, and carbon and nitrogen content were determined. A modified sequential extraction method was used to determine geochemical phase distribution of heavy metals. The most abundant heavy metals in the studied samples were Cu, Zn, and Pb. Elevated concentrations of As were also found. The results from sequential extraction revealed that up to 51% of copper was retained by amorphous and crystalline iron oxides in soil. Higher content of lead was noticed in amorphous iron oxide fraction. The heavy metal concentration in river water during dry season varied from 0.13 mg/L (Fe) to 4.2 mg/L (Zn) and was below the maximum contamination level for drinking water. The soil toxicity and heavy metal bioavailability of tailing dump material and surrounding soils were studied by germination tests. The germinated plantlets on the studied soils were found to accumulate elevated concentrations of heavy metals thus indicating the bioavailability of soil contaminants. Soil decontamination by distilled water or magnesium nitrate solution was found to be efficient enough to improve the capability of the studied soils to support the germination process.

Microbial activities and community structures play crucial roles in the soil environment and can be served as effective indicators to assess the ecological influence of heavy metal pollution in soil. This article selected soil samples from five land use types (mining area, mineral processing area, heap mining area, tailing area, and vegetable area) in the Shizishan mining area in Tongling, Anhui Province, China. The physicochemical properties, pollution characteristics, enzyme activities (catalase, urease, alkaline phosphatase, neutral phosphatase, cellulase, and sucrase), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), basal respiration (SBR), and metabolic entropy (qCO₂) in soil were determined and compared, and the relationship between environmental factors and the microbial activities and community diversity was analyzed. The results showed that, according to the Nemerow’s Pollution Index (PN), the values were the heap mining area (24.47) > mineral processing area (12.55) > mining area (9.81) > tailings area (6.02) > vegetable area (4.51). With the increase of heavy metal contamination in the sampling area, the six enzyme activities, MBC and SBR decreased, but the qCO₂ increased. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) showed that the land use types, soil moisture content (MC), heavy metal content, pH, MBC, SBR, and qCO₂ were significantly affected by the microbial community. The most dominant phyla were Proteobacteria (34.73%), Bacteroidetes (9.25%), Acidobacteria (8.99%), and Chloroflexi (8.68%) at the phylum (0.01) level by a total of 18 phyla. It was also found that Firmicutes and Phormidium were more tolerant to heavy metals. These results contributed to an insight into key environmental variables shaping the microbial activities, community structure, and diversity under various land use types in mining area.

Working in poultry farms revealed the exposure to chemical and biological emissions (bioaerosols) that might be related to respiratory diseases in the workers and an increased loss in lung function. The current study aimed to determine the respiratory health status among poultry farm workers and to monitor the biological and the environmental conditions at ten poultry farms in Egypt. It reported that the total dust, ammonia (NH₃), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations in the studied poultry farms did not exceed the permissible exposure limits except farm V where NH₃ was slightly exceeded the recommended levels. 35.7% of the poultry farm workers had positive nose and throat culture (bacterial and fungal). The poultry farm workers had higher prevalence of cough, wheeze, and shortness of breath with lower mean values of spirometric measurements than the controls (P < 0.05). Also, the positive culture poultry farm workers had significantly higher respiratory manifestations and lower spirometry values than negative culture ones (P < 0.05). Therefore, intervention programs for reducing the exposure are amendatory point for the health and safety of poultry farm workers.