Background: Libya has been malaria-free since 1973. The risk of malaria re-introduction to Libya is increasing because of the increase in imported malaria cases due to immigration to Libya from countries where malaria is endemic. Cases are mainly due to P. falciparum and Sub-Saharan Africa is the most common origin. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of malaria positive cases among illegal immigrants in the southern region of Libya. Methods: A prospective, observational, multi-center study was conducted. Three hundred and three illegal immigrants from 12 different countries were included. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the presence of serum malaria antibodies. Results: A total of 303 immigrants were included in the study with mean age of 25.78±5.92 years. Of them, 195 tested positive for malaria antibodies. Two hundred and sixty nine of the participants came from Brak Al-Shati, 16 from Sebha and 18 from Bergan centers, with 175, 15 and 5 positive cases, respectively. Most of the positive cases (172) arrived in Libya within 1-10 months. The highest number of positive cases (70) came from Ghana followed by (40) from Niger and (39) from Bangladesh. Conclusions: Illegal immigration is a major malaria re-introduction route. The issue of illegal immigration have to be treated urgently to stop the huge influx of illegal immigrants and increase the surveillance activities of infectious diseases in order to keep Libyan territories as a malaria-free lands. Key words: Illegal immigration, Malaria, Libya.
Fadwa Jamaledden Mustafa Kamel Mahanay, Badereddin Bashir K. Annajar, Asma A Ali Oun(11-2021)

Ten vinegar samples were collected from the Libyan local market in the city of Tripoli. The elements have been investigated were:As, Pb, Cu, Fe and Zn. The samples were treated and prepared according to Indian standard IS 14703-1999, and the measurements have been done by using inductively coupled plasm – atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) available in the Libyan Petroleum Institute. The analysis indicated that the concentration of Arsenic of all the samples was less than 0.02mg/kg whereas, the concentration of lead is less than 0.03mg/kg. The concentration ranges of Cu, Fe and Zn were 0.11-0.59mg/kg, 0.72-2.67mg/kg and 0.08-0.28mg/kg respectively. The concentrations of the elements AS, Pb, Cu, Fe and Zn are within the limits of a variety of standards such as Libyan, Indian and Pakistani ones. arabic 21 English 134
ABUBAKER A BASHIR ATRROG, RAGIAB ALI MOKHTAR ISSA, ِAburawi Mohammed Aburawi Algornazi(11-2020)

Modern improvements in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy instrumentation spread out the application of this technique to the field of food research. This study is focused to evaluate the efficiency of FT-IR spectroscopy in order to assess the Libyan virgin olive oil adulteration with cheaper vegetable oils: sunflower oil and corn oil. Taking a closer inspection to different regions of recorded IR spectra of both pure oil sample (virgin olive oil, sun flower oil, corn oil) and their mixture: It is noticed that an absorbance shift was identified at about 3000 cm-1 due to the C-H stretching vibration of the cis-double bond proved to be reliable index for assessing of virgin olive oil adulteration by vegetable oil addition. Also, the absorbance at about 3008 cm-1, characteristic to the oils with a high saturated fatty acids content and short carbohydrate chain, recorded appreciable changes by increasing of vegetable oil percent added in virgin olive oil. Based on the calibration curve (absorbance versus percent of vegetable oil added in virgin olive oil), it is possible to determine the degree of virgin olive oil adulteration. A significant positive correlation for both adulterant oils (R2 > 0.97) at wavenumber 3008.3 cm-1 was observed in our study. Our data demonstrated that FT-IR spectroscopy proved to be a valuable tool to identify the differences recorded in oil samples spectra and finally, to appreciate the degree of virgin olive oil adulteration
Ragiab Ali Mokhtar Issa(1-2018)