Comparison of Three Protocols: Dietary Therapy and Physical Activity, Acupuncture, or Laser Acupuncture in Management of Obese Females

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare efficiency of three types of obesity management protocols: dietary measures and physical activity; acupuncture or laser acupuncture with   healthy diet among obese females.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Randomized longitudinal prospective study, carried out on 76 adult females. Blood pressure, anthropometric, ultrasonographic and biochemical assessments were done.RESULTS: Females undergo nutritional intervention showed highly significant improvement in the anthropometric measurements, visceral fat at umbilicus by US and diastolic blood pressure (decreased), and insignificant differences in fasting blood sugar and lipid profile. Female undergo acupuncture intervention showed highly significant improvement in visceral fat by US, lipid profile (decreased triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL, and increased HDL), and decreased fasting blood sugar, and insignificant differences in the anthropometric measurements. Those undergo laser intervention showed highly significant improvement in all anthropometric measurements under study, visceral fat at umbilicus by US, blood pressure and some parameters of lipid profile (decreased total cholesterol and LDL). CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional intervention alone could be used to reduce weight if the lipid profile within normal range, but if it is impaired, acupuncture should be used beside. To strength the reduction in body anthropometry, laser intervention was recommended beside the nutritional intervention

Technology Park Company: Harvesting the Fruits of a Family Business

The case addresses Technology Park Company a privately-owned company working in the field of IT. The case starts with a background about the entrepreneur, and his journey to success. It moves through a timeline, which started in Cairo, then USA, and then back to Egypt again. The founding entrepreneur possesses a vast experience in the field of IT. However, he is faced with a lot challenges in his business due to the fast changes happening in the industry. Some of the major concerns related to the family business challenges are discussed, these include: succession, involvement of partners, and finally separation of management from ownership

Cytotoxic essential oil from Annona sengalensis Pers. leaves

The cytotoxicity against brine shrimp of the essential oil obtained from the leaves of Annona senegalensis Pers. (Annonaceae) was studied. The confirmation of this toxicity has been done by using selected tumor cell lines (A549, HT29, MCF 7, RPMI, and U251). The results showed that the total oil and its fractions have showed mild to moderate cytotoxicity in brine shrimp lethality bioassay with LC50 = 27.3 μg/ml, and against some human tumor cell lines. The total oil and its fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Seventy three compounds were identified

Bioactive Azadirachta indica and Melia azedarach leaves extracts with anti-SARS-CoV-2 and antibacterial activities.

The leaves of Azadirachta indica L. and Melia azedarach L., belonging to Meliaceae family, have been shown to have medicinal benefits and are extensively employed in traditional folk medicine. Herein, HPLC analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction of the total methanolic extract emphasized the enrichment of both A. indica L., and M. azedarach L. leaves extracts with phenolic and flavonoids composites, respectively. Besides, 4 limonoids and 2 flavonoids were isolated using column chromatography. By assessing the in vitro antiviral activities of both total leaves extracts against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it was found that A. indica L. and M. azedarach L. have robust anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities at low half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 8.451 and 6.922 μg/mL, respectively. Due to the high safety of A. indica L. and M. azedarach L. extracts with half-maximal cytotoxic concentrations (CC50) of 446.2 and 351.4 μg/ml, respectively, both displayed extraordinary selectivity indices (SI>50). A. indica L. and M. azedarach L. leaves extracts could induce antibacterial activities against both Gram-negative and positive bacterial strains. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of A. indica L. and M. azedarach L. leaves extracts varied from 25 to 100 mg/mL within 30 min contact time towards the tested bacteria. Our findings confirm the broad-spectrum medicinal value of A. indica L. and M. azedarach L. leaves extracts. Finally, additional in vivo investigations are highly recommended to confirm the anti-COVID-19 and antimicrobial activities of both plant extracts

Diagnostic accuracy of prospective ECG gated coronary computed tomography on a 256 slices scanner: Daily practice experience

To determine the accuracy of prospective ECG-gated computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) using 256-slice scanner for detecting significant coronary artery disease (CAD) and to quantitatively estimate lumen narrowing with CTCA in comparison to invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Methods: This study included 109 consecutive patients who had ICA on the basis of a previous CTCA (within 60 days) for clinical suspicious of CAD. All CTCA scans were performed with a 256-slice scanner using prospective ECG-gated image acquisition. The presence of stenosis ⩾50%, measured by QCA for ICA and Visual assessment for CTCA, was considered significant stenosis. Results: Obstructive CAD was present in 73.4% of patients. On patient-based analysis, the sensitivity of CTCA was 98%, specificity 83%, PPV 94% and NPV 92%. For segment-based analysis, a total of 1584 segments were analyzed with a sensitivity of 89%, specificity 98%, PPV 85% and NPV 99%. High correlation was observed between degrees of luminal stenosis assessed by CTCA in comparison to QCA in all segments (r2 = 0.961). There was high agreement between observers regarding the presence of significant luminal stenosis (k = 0.78) and good correlation for percentage of luminal stenosis (r = 0.68, p < 0.001) between both readers. Conclusions: In a highly prevalence diseased population, prospective ECG-gated CTCA using 256-slice scanner is highly accurate for detection and quantification of the degree of coronary luminal stenosis in comparison to ICA