Anaemia among school children aged 6-11 years old in Gaza Strip, Palestine

The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of anaemia among children aged 6-11 old years due to causes other than parasitic infections. The present study was a cross-sectional study that included 1446 school children of both sexes, distributed in three localities (Khanyounis, Gaza and Beit-lahia) of Gaza strip. The cut-off point for anaemia was determined according to the mean of haemoglobin for all studied school age children, which was (12 g/dl) in accordance to WHO criteria. The observed mean level of Hb was 12 g/dl; standard deviation was 0.915 while the normal value is ranged between 8.9-15.2. Anaemia was found slightly higher in girls (36.3%) than boys (34%). The results showed that anaemia constitute a health problem in Gaza with a prevalence of 35.3%. No variation in the prevalence of anaemia among the three studies areas. It is concluded that anaemia still constitutes a health problem among schoolchildren with a present prevalence among school–age children of 35.3%. It is expected that the prevalence of anaemia may be higher than that reported by this study due to Israeli siege to Gaza Strip

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among university female students, Gaza, Palestine

The intestinal parasites are still endemic among children, women, and men in Gaza Strip. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of intestinal parasites among young female students of Islamic University of Gaza to report the existence and prevalence of intestinal parasites. A total of 305 stool samples were collected from female students in all faculties and were examined by wet mount and formal ether sedimentation technique. This study showed that the overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 20.6%. The detected intestinal parasites were as follows: (7.5%), (4.9%), (0.3%), (2.6%), (1.0%), and (3.9%). Science students showed the highest prevalence for parasitic infections (35.3%), and married students (16.7%) had higher prevalence than single students (6.5%). It was concluded that female students also are under risk of gaining parasitic infection in spite of their education. It is recommended that university students should be subjected to regular medical examinations for parasitic infections. [Abstract copyright: Copyright: © 2019 Avicenna Journal of Medicine.

Characterization of polygalacturonases from fruit spoilage Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus tubingensis

We reported the partial purification and characterization of polygalacturonases from fruit spoilage Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus tubingensis isolated from banana and peach, respectively. By using diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-Sepharose column, one and two forms of polygalacturonases were separated from F. oxysporum (PGase) and A. tubingensis (PGaseI and PGaseII), respectively. The polygalacturonases examined had higher affinity toward various polygalacturonic acids and pectins. The apparent Km and Vmax values were reported for the enzymes. Acidic pH optima (4.0 to 6.0) was also reported for the enzymes. Optimal temperature and thermal stability of the enzymes showed a range from 40 to 60°C. The effect of metal cations on the enzymes was studied. The most chemical compounds caused moderate inhibitory effect except benzoic and citric acids which had strong inhibitory effect on the polygalacturonases. The benzoic and citric acids were used as antifungal compounds for F. oxysporum and A. tubingensis. The citric acid was found to be more effective against fungal growth than benzoic acid.Keywords: Fruit, spoilage, Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus tubingensis, polygalacturonas

Enterobiasis among Pre-School Children in Gaza Strip, Palestine.

Background: Enterobius is one of the common nematode causing health problem in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to estimates the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis in Gaza Strip. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which included 149 pre-school children who are residing in four Governorates in Gaza Strip; north Gaza, Gaza, mid zone and Khanyounis in Gaza Strip. Scotch tape preparation (STP) was used for the detection of E. vermicularis eggs. Results: Children with employee father had high prevalence of E. vermicularis with a percentage of (47.3%) while those with un-employee father had a percentage of (45.7%) but there was no significant difference. The same results were found with working mother. Families with low family income had children with low rate of E. vermicularis (40.5%) but families with high family income had children with high rate of E. vermicularis (52.8%). Children who are drinking water from filters had high rate of E. vermicularis than others who are drinking from other sources (65%) with a significant difference (p= 0.003). Conclusion: The study concluded that enterobiasis constituted a high prevalence among pre-school children in Gaza strip (46.3%). These results may shed the light on an infectious disease in Gaza Strip and help health authorities to take serious measures for prevention and control, and educate peoples towards the biology of Enterobius

Isolation and molecular characterization of cry gene for Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from soil of gaza strip

Bacillus thuringiensis, insecticide, polymerase chain reactions (PCR), crystalline protein, Cry gene, Gaza strip. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a rod-shaped, gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, and spore-forming bacterium (Konecka et al., 2007). During sporulation, it produces insecticidal proteins, which are deposited within the sporangium as crystalline aggregates (Crickomre et al., 1998

Filistin Gazze’de Al-Azhar Üniversitesi öğrencilerinin HIV/AIDS’e yönelik bilgi ve tutumlarının değerlendirilmesi

Objective: The study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of students’ at a university in Gaza regarding HIV/AIDS and identified differences in knowledge about HIV, and attitudes by gender, locality, and social and economic status. Methods: This descriptive study targeted 492 students of Al-Azhar University-Gaza. The participants completed self-administered questionnaires that included the following dimensions: socio-demographic, measurements of student's knowledge level and measurement of student's attitudes towards HIV/AIDS. Results: Findings showed moderate level of knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS although there was a very low of perception regarding the acceptance and sharing of HIV/AIDS persons. It means that only one third of the study respondents are willingness to be in close touch with people living with HIV or even communication with them, and less than fifty percent thought that it is their right to be engaged in a public or governmental job, stigma and discriminatory attitudes toward HIV/AIDS persons is high only 48% of the students thought it right to employ people living with HIV (PLHIV) and 35.5% refused to work in the same place with PLHIV. Conclusion: This study indicates the need for improving the level of knowledge as well as promoting the students' towards positive attitude

Weight Reduction Perception and Practice among Female Students in Al-Azhar University-Gaza, Palestine

Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the frequency of weight reduction perception. Methods: A sample of 467 female students from Al-Azhar University in the Gaza Strip was selected on a convenience basis. Information obtained from the participants included: age, marital status, place of residence, employment status, health status, methods of weight reduction, sources of information about weight control, and current physical activities. Results: The present study found that 38.8% of female students had practiced weight reduction. The most prevailing attitudes for reducing weight described by the students was sports with 83.3%, followed by exclusion of some principal meals or principal nutrients (57.8%). It was found that 38.5% of the students did not practice any physical exercise. An inverse association was also present between the satisfaction about body weight and the practice of weight reduction