Antibiotic activity of two Anabaena species against four fish pathogenic Aeromonas species

Three organic extracts (chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol) of ten cyanobacterial species (Anabaena solitaria, Anabaena variabilis, Anabaena cylindrical, Anabaena spiroides, Anabaenacircinalis, Oscillatoria ornate, Oscillatoria salins, Oscillatoria tenuis, Oscillatoria rubescens and Oscillatoria prolifica) were investigated for their antibacterial activities against 4 fish pathogenicbacterial species belonging to genus Aeromonas, namely, Aer. salmonicida, Aer. hydrophila, Aer. formicans and Aer. liquefaciens using oxytetracycline as reference antibiotic. Of all cyanobacterialsamples, only ethyl acetate extracts of A. variabilis and A. circinalis were proved to be the most effective against all tested Aeromonas species. Bioautographic investigation for 13 organic solventsystems indicate that the spot with Rf = 0.79 for A. variabilis and that of Rf = 0.84 for A. circinalis were the most effective. The median lethal doses (LD50) for the purified antibacterial compounds against micewere 246.67 and 231.67 mg/kg for that extracted from A. variabilis and A. circinalis, respectivel

Harmful effects of endosulfan treatment on cyanobacterial distribution and some macromolecules of soybean plant

In a trial to evaluate the impact of one of the commonly used insecticides in Egypt, a plot area cultivated with soybean was sprayed with endosulfan. Some of the biochemical criteria of the treated soybean and the biodiversity and biochemical activity of its companion cyanobacteria were compared with those of the untreated ones. The results revealed that endosulfan application caused inhibition in the attendance and biodiversity of the soil cyanobacteria found in the rhizosphere of the treated soybean, specially the filamentous species. The treated soil showed a highly significant inhibition in their ARA (acetylene-reducing activity) and exopolysaccharides. The biochemical analysis showed a high significant decrease in all the carbohydrate fractions as well as DNA and RNA contents of the treated soybean plants compared with the untreated ones. However, the total soluble proteins significantly Increased, indicating some defense pattern against the lethal effects of endosulfan. From the results, it could be concluded that application of endosulfan has a significant potential to change ecosystems and soil biological processes and could potentially reduce future farm productivity and cause harmful impact to agriculture

Agricultural importance of algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of microorganisms that can carry out photosynthesis since they capture energy from sunlight. Algae play an important role in agriculture where they are used as biofertilizer and soil stabilizers. Algae, particularly the seaweeds, are used as fertilizers, resulting in less nitrogen and  phosphorous runoff than the one from the use of livestock manure. This in turn, increases the quality of water flowing into rivers and oceans. These organisms are cultivated around the world and used as human food  supplements. They can produce a clean and carbon-neutral food also and can be grown on abandoned lands and arid desert lands with minimal demands for fresh water. Seaweeds are an important source of iodine. Iodine levels in milk depend on what the cow producing the milk has been fed with. Feeding milk cattle with seaweeds can increase the quantity of iodine in milk, according to Fuzhou Wonderful Biological Technology. Egg-laying rate in hen is also increased by algae feed additives. In this article, we discussed the most important aspects of algae and its agricultural uses to those who work in this area.Key words: Algae, seaweeds, agriculture, biofertilizer, soil stabilizers

PREVALENCE OF CONSANGUINEOUS MARRIAGES IN SOUTH SINAI, EGYPT

A total of 3961 married couples from six major geographical areas representing the South Sinai governorates in Egypt were studied to assess the rate of consanguineous marriage. The population of six selected areas (St Catherines, Nuweiba, Abu Rudeis, Ras Sudr, El Tor and Abu Zenima) were subdivided into Bedouin, urban and mixed populations. A questionnaire-based interview was conducted showing that the consanguinity rate in this region is 37.5%, with the highest rate recorded in Abu Rudeis (52.3%) and lowest rate in Nuweiba (24.1%). Consanguinity was significantly higher among the Bedouin population compared with the urban population in Abu Rudeis, Ras Sudr, El Tor and Abu Zenima, while in St Catherines and Nuweiba there was no statistically significant difference. Among consanguineous couples, 5%, 60% and 35% were double first cousins, first cousins and second cousins respectively. The mean inbreeding coefficient α of the studied population was 0.0184

Prediction of Gut Wall Integrity Loss in Viral Gastroenteritis by Non-Invasive Marker

BACKGROUND: Intestinal fatty acid binding proteins (I-FABPs) are mainly expressed in the intestinal villi, which are the initial site of destruction in viral gastroenteritis.AIM: This study was designed to assess serum I-FABPs as a predictor of gut wall integrity loss in viral gastroenteritis.PATIENTS AND METHODS: This case-control cross-sectional study was conducted on 93 cases of acute viral gastroenteritis. Twenty-eight healthy children matching in age were recruited as control group. Serum I-FABPs were measured using ELISA technique. Viral detection and typing were done by PCR for adenovirus, and by Reverse transcriptase PCR for rotavirus, astrovirus and norovirus.RESULTS: Serum I-FABPs level was significantly higher in the cases compared to the controls and was also higher in the 46 rotavirus gastroenteritis cases compared to other viral gastroenteritis cases. Serum I- FABPs level was significantly higher in severely dehydrated cases as compared to mildly dehydrated ones (P=0.037).CONCLUSION: Serum I-FABPs could be used as an early and sensitive predictor marker of gut wall integrity loss in children with viral gastroenteritis and its level can indicate case severity

A time-motion analysis of lightweight women’s judo in the 2010 World Championships

The Olympic sport of judo has a growing base of performance analysis research considering the technical aspects, the tactical aspects and time motion analysis. This study aimed to further analyse this sport by specifically considering the time motion aspects of work, rest, kumi-kata and ne-waza in lightweight women's judo to establish if there are differences in this specific population of judo athletes. Pre-recorded footage of the women's u48kg, u52kg and u57kg weight divisions (143 contests) from the 2010 world judo championships were coded into temporal sequences. The coding of five KPIs across the three weight groups produced a total of 1756 hajime to matte blocks (work), 1422 matte to hajime blocks (rest), 1786 kumi-kata sequences (gripping sequences), and 516 ne-waza sequences (ground work). The results suggest the time spent in hajime to matte (work) and in matte to hajime (rest) are similar to those seen in other studies. This suggests there is little difference in the work to rest segments for lightweight women's judo compared to heavier weights and males

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe