Sero-molecular Epidemiology of Hepatitis E Virus in Blood Donors, Gezira State, Sudan: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a hepatotropic pathogen that causes significant morbidity and mortality in humans. It is an important causative agent of viral hepatitis outbreaks. This study investigates the serological and molecular prevalence of HEV in blood donors attending the Central Blood Bank in Wad Medani City in Gezira State, Sudan. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data concerning demographic information and risk factors associated with HEV transmission. All enrolled participants (N = 300) were screened for HEV IgG antibodies using commercial ELISA kits, then strong positive samples (N = 84) were selected and rescreened for HEV IgM and HEV RNA by RT PCR. SPSS version 24.0 was used for analysis. Results: Out of 300 male participants, 36.3% (109/300) were positive for HEV IgG. However, only one participant was IgM positive, while the HEV RNA was negative. The highest prevalence rates of the virus were 42 (44.6%) among the age group of 31–40 years, 20 (48.8%) in those who consumed food from outside, 13 (50%) in three to four multiple blood donations, and 5 (62.5%) in those who consumed water from the river source. A significant association of HEV IgG prevalence concerning the occupation of the participants being students or farmers was detected using univariate and multivariate analysis (P-value = 0.007). Conclusion: High prevalence of HEV IgG was demonstrated among the healthy blood donors in this study. Given the possibility of HEV transmission by transfusion from donors to recipients, we recommend that routine screening for HEV should be adopted by blood banks in Sudan

Phase II study of paclitaxel combined with capecitabine as second-line treatment for advanced gastric carcinoma after failure of cisplatin-based regimens

Purpose To determine the safety and the efficacy of paclitaxel and capecitabine as second-line combination chemotherapy after failure of platinum regimens in advanced gastric cancer. Methods Patients with histologically proven gastric cancer and measurable metastatic disease received capecitabine 825 mg/m2 twice daily (1,650 mg/m2 per day) on days 1–14 and paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 by intravenous infusion on day 1 every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. Results Between June 2003 and October 2005, 26 patients, of median age 59 years (range 41–84 years) were included in the study and were treated by paclitaxel/capecitabine combination. Overall response rate was 34.6% (95%CI = 17.2–55.7%) with one complete response and 42.3% (95%CI = 17.2–55.7%) of patients achieved a stable disease. Median progression-free survival was 4.5 months (95%CI = 4–4.5 months). Median overall survival was 7.5 months (95%CI = 6–10 months). Cumulated overall survival including cisplatin regimens was 15.5 months (95%CI = 11–18 months). Grade 3/4 adverse events included alopecia (30.8%), neutropenia (11.5%), hand foot skin reaction (11.5%), neuropathy (11.5%), arthralgias (7.5%), and anemia (3.8%). Conclusions Paclitaxel and capecitabine combination was safe and effective in advanced gastric cancer after failure of cisplatin regimens. The cumulated overall survival of 15.5 months suggests a particular interest of taxanes in second-line treatment after failure of platinum salts

Le kawal, un condiment a base de feuilles fermentees de senna obtusifolia: technologies et valeurs nutritionnelles

De nombreux aliments fermentés à base de légumes-feuilles sont consommés dans le monde, particulièrement en Afrique et en Asie. Ces aliments très répandus, représentent le régime de base en plus de leurs matières premières disponibles et constituent une part importante dans l’alimentation des populations locales. Le kawal obtenu par fermentation naturelle et alcaline des feuilles de Senna obtusifolia encore appelé Cassia obtusifolia, est un aliment très apprécié et largement consommé par les populations au Tchad et au Soudan. Les feuilles de S. obtusifolia occupent une place importante dans le système alimentaire de nombreuses communautés en Afrique. Elles sont riches en acides aminés essentiels et peuvent être considérées comme des produits d’intérêt nutritionnel de par leur valeur protéique. Le kawal contient des quantités appréciables de protéines et est utilisé comme substitut de viande et ou de poisson. Il est également riche en hydrates de carbone et en sels minéraux. La technologie de production du kawal reste traditionnelle avec des équipements rudimentaires et une fermentation incontrôlée. Cependant, cette technique de fermentation bien que traditionnelle permet l’élimination des facteurs antinutritionnels contenus dans les feuilles. Elle contribue aussi à l’amélioration de la valeur nutritionnelle et au développement de composés aromatiques tout en permettant d’augmenter la biodisponibilité des minéraux aboutissant ainsi à un produit qui permet de réduire les problèmes de carences en minéraux chez l’Homme. Les bactéries fermentaires du kawal, principalement celles des genres Bacillus et Lactobacillus du fait de leurs aptitudes probiotiques sont bénéfiques pour la santé humaine. La transformation de ce produit constitue un enjeu économique important en raison des revenus générés et contribue ainsi à la valorisation des ressources végétales et à la sécurité alimentaire des populations. Les technologies de la transformation du kawal n’étant pas bien maitrisées et variant d’une région à l’autre et ou d’une productrice à une autre il est donc indispensable de faire une synthèse sur les technologies de sa transformation et sa valeur nutritionnelle en vue de son amélioration.Mots clés: Kawal, feuilles fermentées, Senna obtusifolia, technologies, valeursnutritionnelle

Procjena anthelmintičke učinkovitosti pripravaka albendazola i ivermektina u magaraca u Darfuru u Sudanu

The therapeutic efficacies of albendazole and ivermectin drench formulation at the manufacturer’s recommended dose were evaluated in a controlled trial in Nyala town, South Darfur State, Sudan. The study involved 24 donkeys naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes; they were divided into four groups of equal size. Albendazole was administered orally once at a dose rate of 10 mg/kg body mass, or twice, 14 days apart at dose rate of 10 mg/kg body mass. Ivermectin was administered orally as a single dose at 200 μg/kg body mass. Treatment efficacy was based on the mean faecal egg count reduction 14 days post treatment. A faecal egg count reduction of 100% was found after treatment with albendazole and ivermectin. In addition efficacy percentages of albendazole and ivermectin against immature and adult nematodes were as follows: Trichostrongylus axei 67.09% and 100%, Parascaris equorum 100% and 100%, Oxyuris equi 100% and 100%, Strongylus sp. 98.4% and 100%; and small strongyles 100% and 100%. Albendazole single and twice and ivermectin with the single dose showed moderate efficacy (33%, 59.08% and 62.71%, respectively) against larvae found in the cranial mesenteric artery aneurisms. No adverse reactions were observed in treated donkeys during the experiment period.Učinkovitost pripravaka albendazola i ivermektina u preporučenoj dozi istražena je u kontroliranom pokusu provedenom na magarcima u gradu Nyala u južnom Darfuru u Sudanu. Istraživanje je obuhvatilo 24 magarca prirodno invadirana želučanocrijevnim oblićima. Magarci su bili ravnomjerno raspoređeni u četiri skupine te peroralno liječeni albendazolom u dozi od 10 mg/kg tjelesne mase jednokratno ili dvokratno u razmaku od dva tjedna. Ivermektinom su liječeni peroralno i to jednokratno u dozi od 200 mg/kg tjelesne mase. Ljekovit učinak bio je određen na temelju smanjenja broja jaja u izmetu dva tjedna nakon liječenja. Dokazano je bilo 100%-tno smanjenje broja jaja nakon liječenja obama pripravcima. Učinkovitost je bila dokazana i postmortalnom parazitološkom pretragom i to prebrojavanjem nezrelih i odraslih oblića. U liječenih životinja ustanovljeno je 67,9% manje nezrelih te 100% manje odraslih oblića Trichostrongylus axei. Stopostotna učinkovitost bila je dokazana za nezrele i za zrele obliće Parascaris equorum, Oxyuris equi te male strongilide. Nešto manja učinkovitost (98,4%) bila je dokazana za nezrele obliće Strongylus sp. Kombinacija jednokratnoga i dvokratnoga davanja albendazola s jednokratnim davanjem ivermektina pokazala je prosječno dobru učinkovitost (33%, 59,08% i 62,71%) protiv ličinki u aneurizmama na području kranijalne mezenterijske arterije. U magaraca nisu bile primijećene nikakve nuspojave nakon primjene lijekova

Procjena anthelmintičke učinkovitosti pripravaka albendazola i ivermektina u magaraca u Darfuru u Sudanu

The therapeutic efficacies of albendazole and ivermectin drench formulation at the manufacturer’s recommended dose were evaluated in a controlled trial in Nyala town, South Darfur State, Sudan. The study involved 24 donkeys naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes; they were divided into four groups of equal size. Albendazole was administered orally once at a dose rate of 10 mg/kg body mass, or twice, 14 days apart at dose rate of 10 mg/kg body mass. Ivermectin was administered orally as a single dose at 200 μg/kg body mass. Treatment efficacy was based on the mean faecal egg count reduction 14 days post treatment. A faecal egg count reduction of 100% was found after treatment with albendazole and ivermectin. In addition efficacy percentages of albendazole and ivermectin against immature and adult nematodes were as follows: Trichostrongylus axei 67.09% and 100%, Parascaris equorum 100% and 100%, Oxyuris equi 100% and 100%, Strongylus sp. 98.4% and 100%; and small strongyles 100% and 100%. Albendazole single and twice and ivermectin with the single dose showed moderate efficacy (33%, 59.08% and 62.71%, respectively) against larvae found in the cranial mesenteric artery aneurisms. No adverse reactions were observed in treated donkeys during the experiment period.Učinkovitost pripravaka albendazola i ivermektina u preporučenoj dozi istražena je u kontroliranom pokusu provedenom na magarcima u gradu Nyala u južnom Darfuru u Sudanu. Istraživanje je obuhvatilo 24 magarca prirodno invadirana želučanocrijevnim oblićima. Magarci su bili ravnomjerno raspoređeni u četiri skupine te peroralno liječeni albendazolom u dozi od 10 mg/kg tjelesne mase jednokratno ili dvokratno u razmaku od dva tjedna. Ivermektinom su liječeni peroralno i to jednokratno u dozi od 200 mg/kg tjelesne mase. Ljekovit učinak bio je određen na temelju smanjenja broja jaja u izmetu dva tjedna nakon liječenja. Dokazano je bilo 100%-tno smanjenje broja jaja nakon liječenja obama pripravcima. Učinkovitost je bila dokazana i postmortalnom parazitološkom pretragom i to prebrojavanjem nezrelih i odraslih oblića. U liječenih životinja ustanovljeno je 67,9% manje nezrelih te 100% manje odraslih oblića Trichostrongylus axei. Stopostotna učinkovitost bila je dokazana za nezrele i za zrele obliće Parascaris equorum, Oxyuris equi te male strongilide. Nešto manja učinkovitost (98,4%) bila je dokazana za nezrele obliće Strongylus sp. Kombinacija jednokratnoga i dvokratnoga davanja albendazola s jednokratnim davanjem ivermektina pokazala je prosječno dobru učinkovitost (33%, 59,08% i 62,71%) protiv ličinki u aneurizmama na području kranijalne mezenterijske arterije. U magaraca nisu bile primijećene nikakve nuspojave nakon primjene lijekova

Direct Extraction and Assessment of Genomic DNA of Mycetoma Fungi from Black-grains Specimen

Background: Direct isolation of genomic DNA of mycetoma fungi from black-grains achieve rapid diagnosis and may overcome culture disadvantages. Objectives: This study aimed to isolate and assess the DNA of mycetoma fungi using black-grains and to apply amplification of ITS region and nucleotide sequences. Methods: CTAB method was followed by manual homogenization alternatively to liquid nitrogen and glass beads disruption to obtain the genomic DNA. Results: Yielded DNA concentrations vary from 1.50 to 47.97 μg/ml (mean 10.09 μg/ml) while the optimum DNA purity recorded with 75.8% of specimens (n=69/91).Successful amplification of ITS region was done using pan-fungal primers (ITS4/5) with 90.1 (n=82/91)percentage. Species nucleotide sequences were detected with 67 (94.4%) amplicons from a total of 71.Conclusion: The study recommended using of black-grain specimens for DNA extraction of mycetoma fungi parallel with culture to insure rabid diagnosis and identification

Evaluation of the Efficiency of N-terminal Pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide for Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: Cardiac diseases are one of the major causes of death worldwide with increasing incidence rate per year, particularly in developing countries such as Sudan owing to urbanization and changing lifestyle. Myocardial infarction is a consequence of the imbalance between the heart blood supply and the required heart cell; this disorder leads to necrosis of myocardium and may cause death. It could be diagnosed by at least two of the following criteria: chest pain, electrocardiography (ECG) elevation, and levels on cardiac biomarkers. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).  Methods: This analytical case–control hospital-based study was conducted on a total of 70 individuals, of which 40 participants were suspected of or diagnosed with AMI, while 30 healthy subjects  were included as a control group. Three ml of venous blood were collected in lithium heparin containers. Troponin I (TnI) as a cardiac biomarker was measured by TOSOH AIA-360, while the NTproBNP level was detected using I-Chroma II. Personal and clinical data were collected directly from each participant using a predesigned questionnaire. Results: A significant increase in the TnI level (mean: 13.13 ± 18.9 ng/ml) and NTproBNP (mean: 5756.5 ± 8378.2 pg/mL) in AMI patients were detected when compared with control mean (0.02 ± 0.00 ng/ml and 57.8 ± 42.32 pg/mL, respectively). Conclusions: NTproBNP gave a high sensitivity (87.5%), specificity (100%), positive predictive value (100%), and negative predictive value (85.7%) in the diagnosis of AMI when compared with another cardiac biomarker such as TnI. Keywords: acute myocardial infarction, NTproBNP, troponin I, Medani Heart Center, Suda

Susceptible trichostrongyloid species mask presence of benzimidazole-resistant Haemonchus contortus in cattle

Background Benzimidazole (BZ) anthelmintics are widely used to control infections with parasitic nematodes, but BZ resistance is an emerging threat among several nematode species infecting humans and animals. In Sudan, BZ-resistant Haemonchus contortus populations were recently reported in goats in South Darfur State. The objective of this study was to collect data regarding the situation of BZ resistance in cattle parasitic nematodes in South Darfur using phenotypic and molecular approaches, besides providing some epidemiological data on nematodes in cattle. Methods The faecal egg count reduction test and the egg hatch test (EHT) were used to evaluate benzimidazole efficacy in cattle nematodes in five South Darfur study areas: Beleil, Kass, Nyala, Rehed Al-Birdi and Tulus. Genomic DNA was extracted from pools of third-stage larvae (L3) (n = 40) during trials, before and after treatment, and pools of adult male Haemonchus spp. (n = 18) from abattoirs. The polymorphisms F167Y, E198A and F200Y in isotype 1 β-tubulin genes of H. contortus and H. placei were analysed using Sanger and pyrosequencing. Results Prevalence of gastro-intestinal helminths in cattle was 71% (313/443). Reduced albendazole faecal egg count reduction efficacy was detected in three study areas: Nyala (93.7%), Rehed Al-Birdi (89.7%) and Tulus (88.2%). In the EHT, EC50 values of these study areas ranged between 0.032 and 0.037 µg/ml thiabendazole. Genus-specific PCRs detected the genera Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus and Cooperia in L3 samples collected after albendazole treatment. Sanger sequencing followed by pyrosequencing assays did not detect elevated frequencies of known BZ resistance-associated alleles in codon F167Y, E198A and F200Y in isotype 1 β-tubulin gene of H. placei (≤ 11.38%). However, polymorphisms were detected in H. contortus and in samples with mixed infections with H. contortus and H. placei at codon 198, including E198L (16/58), E198V (2/58) and potentially E198Stop (1/58). All pooled L3 samples post-albendazole treatment (n = 13) were identified as H. contortus with an E198L substitution at codon 198. Conclusions To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first report of reduced albendazole efficacy in cattle in Sudan and is the first study describing an E198L substitution in phenotypically BZ-resistant nematodes collected from cattle

From least action in electrodynamics to magnetomechanical energy -- a review

The equations of motion for electromechanical systems are traced back to the fundamental Lagrangian of particles and electromagnetic fields, via the Darwin Lagrangian. When dissipative forces can be neglected the systems are conservative and one can study them in a Hamiltonian formalism. The central concepts of generalized capacitance and inductance coefficients are introduced and explained. The problem of gauge independence of self-inductance is considered. Our main interest is in magnetomechanics, i.e. the study of systems where there is exchange between mechanical and magnetic energy. This throws light on the concept of magnetic energy, which according to the literature has confusing and peculiar properties. We apply the theory to a few simple examples: the extension of a circular current loop, the force between parallel wires, interacting circular current loops, and the rail gun. These show that the Hamiltonian, phase space, form of magnetic energy has the usual property that an equilibrium configuration corresponds to an energy minimum.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, 65 reference