Hair histology as a tool for forensic identification of some domestic animal species

Animal hair examination at a criminal scene may provide valuable information in forensic investigations. However, local reference databases for animal hair identification are rare. In the present study, we provide differential histological analysis of hair of some domestic animals in Upper Egypt. For this purpose, guard hair of large ruminants (buffalo, camel and cow), small ruminants (sheep and goat), equine (horse and donkey) and canine (dog and cat) were collected and comparative analysis was performed by light microscopy. Based on the hair cuticle scale pattern, type and diameter of the medulla, and the pigmentation, characteristic differential features of each animal species were identified. The cuticle scale pattern was imbricate in all tested animals except in donkey, in which coronal scales were identified. The cuticle scale margin type, shape and the distance in between were characteristic for each animal species. The hair medulla was continuous in most of the tested animal species with the exception of sheep, in which fragmental medulla was detected. The diameter of the hair medulla and the margins differ according to the animal species. Hair shaft pigmentation were not detected in all tested animals with the exception of camel and buffalo, in which granules and streak-like pigmentation were detected. In conclusion, the present study provides a first-step towards preparation of a complete local reference database for animal hair identification that can be used in forensic investigations.Comment: 8 pages, 3 Figure

Sensors data collection framework using mobile identification with secure data sharing model

Sensors are the modules or electronic devices that are used to measure and get environmental events and send the captured data to other devices, usually computer processors allocated on the cloud. One of the most recent challenges is to protect and save the privacy issues of those sensors data on the cloud sharing. In this paper, sensors data collection framework is proposed using mobile identification and proxy re-encryption model for data sharing. The proposed framework includes: identity broker server, sensors managing and monitoring applications, messages queuing sever and data repository server. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed proxy re-encryption model can work in real time

Clinical significance and treatment of striae gravidarum during pregnancy: a review article

Abdominal stretch marks found during pregnancy may be indicative of poor skin elasticity. One who does not have stretch marks may have better skin elasticity and may be less likely to tear perineal and vaginal tissue during vaginal delivery. Striae gravidarum (SG) is a common phenomenon of stretch marks observed during pregnancy that may be an indicator of poor skin elasticity. The type and amount of collagen in connective tissue are considered to determine the individual’s elastic index. The skin surface is made up of a complex network of crossing thin lines. The two-dimensional relationship between primary and secondary lines determines the skin texture and its grade of irregularity. SG is caused by changes in the structural connective tissue due to a hormonal elect on the alignment and reduced elastin and fibrillin in the dermis. Severity scoring of SG was observed using the numerical scoring system of Atwal. This score provides a rank based on observation of four areas in which SG is most commonly observed (abdomen, hips, buttocks, and breast)

Sexual behaviour of pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic at Assiut Women's Health Hospital, Egypt

Background: The aim of the current study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behavior of pregnant women regarding sexuality during pregnancy. Study was carried out at Women’s Health Hospital, Assiut University, Egypt.Methods: A cross-sectional study included pregnant women at different gestational ages between December 2016 and Jun 2017 recruited consecutively at the antenatal outpatient clinic of women’s Health Hospital at Assiut University. We used the Arabic version of the Female Sexual Function Index (Ar-FSFI) in the interview to evaluate the sexual functions or problems during the last month. The cut-off score used to indicate sexual dysfunction was 28.1. The obtained data were analyzed by means of SPSS software (version 22.0) and p<0.05 was taken as the significant level.Results: The study included 140 pregnant women at different ages and trimesters and also at different socio-economic states. Concerning the level of knowledge, the classification in recorded a mean score =11.91±4.05 which revealed a level of knowledge below average. Regarding the extent of beliefs in relation to sexuality during pregnancy, the mean score=2.72 of the respondents’ beliefs means that the impact of the beliefs regarding sexuality during pregnancy was weak among respondents. On assessing their perceptions about sexual intercourse during pregnancy, majority of them [130 (93.1%)] felt that sex have no negative impacts on pregnancy while 10 (6.9%) opined that sex during pregnancy had negative effects. Perceived negative effects of sex during pregnancy included vaginal bleeding and miscarriage.Conclusions: The low rate of sexual activity in our study, regardless question about the taboo of sexual intercourse during pregnancy, could be related to a cultural background in which women avoid speaking about their desires and sexual needs

Emergency peripartum hysterectomy in a tertiary hospital in Upper Egypt: six years analysis

Background: Emergency peripartum hysterectomy (EPH) is often performed for life-threatening obstetric conditions especially when conservative treatment approach fails to stop postpartum hemorrhage. The aim of the study is to detect the incidence, indications, and complications of EPH over 6 years in Assiut Women Health Hospital in Upper Egypt.Methods: A historical cohort study conducted between January 2009 and December 2014. Detailed review of all files of cases of EPH including maternal age, parity, gestational age, type of delivery, indications for EPH and outcome of the hysterectomy.Results: The overall incidence of EPH was 1.30 per 1,000 deliveries. The main indications for hysterectomies were uterine atony 60 (48.78 %), abnormal placentation 27 (21.95 %) and rupture uterus 25 (20.32 %). There were 48 (39.02%) maternal deaths, while the perinatal mortality was 20.32% (25 cases). Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found that woman’s age ≥ 40 years and parity ≥ 5 were the most significant independent predictors for maternal mortality in cases of EPH (OR 5.49; 95% CI 2.16 - 13.96) and (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.15 - 0.77) respectively.Conclusions: The incidence of EPH in Upper Egypt is high. Uterine atony is the major indication for EPH in our hospital. Late referral and delayed decisions to perform hysterectomy contributes in the high mortality rate

Phosphonated Lower-Molecular-Weight Polyethyleneimines as Oilfield Scale Inhibitors: An Experimental and Theoretical Study

For many years, amino methylenephosphonate (-CH2-N-PO3H2)-based scale inhibitors (SIs) have been deployed for preventing various scales in the oil and gas industry, particularly for squeeze treatment applications. However, this class of phosphonate inhibitors showed several limitations related to environmental concerns and compatibility with brine solutions. The low toxicity of low-molecular-weight polyethyleneimine (LMW-PEI) encouraged us to phosphonate a series of branched and linear PEIs via the Moedritzer–Irani reaction. The phosphonated polyethyleneimine PPEIs are branched PPEI-600, branched PPEI-1200, branched PPEI-2000, and linear PPEI-5000. The newly synthesized PPEIs (branched and linear) were screened for calcium carbonate and barium sulfate utilizing a high-pressure dynamic tube-blocking rig at 100 °C and 80 bar. Moreover, we report the compatibility activity of all PPEIs with various concentrations of calcium ions (up to 10000 ppm). The morphology of the calcium carbonate and barium sulfate scale crystals in the absence and presence of linear PPEI-5000 was also investigated under static conditions using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results showed that all branched and linear PPEIs gave moderate calcite and barite inhibition activities. It was also found that all branched PPEIs gave moderate to poor calcium compatibility at high dosages of calcium ions (1000–10 000 ppm). Interestingly, linear PPEI-5000 displayed superior compatibility properties at high dosages of SI (up to 50 000 ppm) and high concentrations of Ca2+ ions (up to 10 000 ppm). Furthermore, field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis confirmed that the crystal shapes of CaCO3 and BaSO4 mineral scales are greatly changed in the presence of linear PPEI-5000. At high dosages of linear PPEI-5000 SI (100 ppm), the CaCO3 crystals are completely converted from cubic-shaped blocks (blank calcite) into long cluster shapes. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations reveal favorable interactions of PPEI polymers with the two mineral facets (calcite and barite) with more affinity toward the calcite surface. PPEI with more phosphonate groups exhibits affinities comparable to the commercial-scale inhibitors. The high density of the phosphonate groups on the branched PPEI and its strong affinity toward calcium ions explain its poor calcium compatibility. The polymer flocculation and sluggish barite kinetics are the potential reasons for its low performance against thepublishedVersio

Diatomite alleviates the adverse effects of salinity stress on growth and yield of Stevia rebaudiana

ABSTRACT The present study was planned to investigate the role of diatomitein salt tolerance of Stevia rebaudiana using pot experimental. Diatomite increased the growth characters of plants, hence resulted in higher yields. In contrast, the seawater treatments alone significantly decreased these parameters in both seasons. While, treating Stevia rebaudianaplants with diatomite prior to salinity stress decreased the detrimental effectof salt stress on growth and yield.The Esterase isoenzymesprofiles has indicated that salinity, diatomite and their combinations has caused biochemical changes in Steviar. plants. On the other hand, saline water irrigation decreased Rebaudioside A concentration at the second harvest as estimated by HPLC analysis in both seasons .The effect of the interaction between salinity and diatomite was the mosteffective treatments for Rebaudioside A when Stevia rebaudianaplants treated by salt concentration 4000 ppm and 2.5 g/kgsoil diatomite

Surveillance on A/H5N1 virus in domestic poultry and wild birds in Egypt

The endemic H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (A/H5N1) in poultry in Egypt continues to cause heavy losses in poultry and poses a significant threat to human health. Here we describe results of A/H5N1 surveillance in domestic poultry in 2009 and wild birds in 2009-2010. Tracheal and cloacal swabs were collected from domestic poultry from 22024 commercial farms, 1435 backyards and 944 live bird markets (LBMs) as well as from 1297 wild birds representing 28 different types of migratory birds. Viral RNA was extracted from a mix of tracheal and cloacal swabs media. Matrix gene of avian influenza type A virus was detected using specific real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and positive samples were tested by RT- qPCR for simultaneous detection of the H5 and N1 genes. In this surveillance, A/H5N1 was detected from 0.1% (n = 23/) of examined commercial poultry farms, 10.5% (n = 151) of backyard birds and 11.4% (n = 108) of LBMs but no wild bird tested positive for A/H5N1. The virus was detected from domestic poultry year- round with higher incidence in the warmer months of summer and spring particularly in backyard birds. Outbreaks were recorded mostly in Lower Egypt where 95.7% (n = 22), 68.9% (n = 104) and 52.8% (n = 57) of positive commercial farms, backyards and LBMs were detected, respectively. Higher prevalence (56%, n = 85) was reported in backyards that had mixed chickens and waterfowl together in the same vicinity and LBMs that had waterfowl (76%, n = 82). Our findings indicated broad circulation of the endemic A/H5N1 among poultry in 2009 in Egypt. In addition, the epidemiology of A/H5N1 has changed over time with outbreaks occurring in the warmer months of the year. Backyard waterfowl may play a role as a reservoir and/or source of A/H5N1 particularly in LBMs. The virus has been established in poultry in the Nile Delta where major metropolitan areas, dense human population and poultry stocks are concentrated. Continuous surveillance, tracing the source of live birds in the markets and integration of multifaceted strategies and global collaboration are needed to control the spread of the virus in Egypt

A prospective multicentre study evaluating the outcomes of the abdominal wall dehiscence repair using posterior component separation with transversus abdominis muscle release reinforced by a retro-muscular mesh: filling a step

Background This study aimed to evaluate the results of posterior component separation (CS) and transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR) with retro-muscular mesh reinforcement in patients with primary abdominal wall dehiscence (AWD). The secondary aims were to detect the incidence of postoperative surgical site occurrence and risk factors of incisional hernia (IH) development following AWD repair with posterior CS with TAR reinforced by retromuscular mesh. Methods Between June 2014 and April 2018, 202 patients with grade IA primary AWD (Björck’s first classification) following midline laparotomies were treated using posterior CS with TAR release reinforced by a retro-muscular mesh in a prospective multicenter cohort study. Results The mean age was 42 ± 10 years, with female predominance (59.9%). The mean time from index surgery (midline laparotomy) to primary AWD was 7 ± 3 days. The mean vertical length of primary AWD was 16 ± 2 cm. The median time from primary AWD occurrence to posterior CS + TAR surgery was 3 ± 1 days. The mean operative time of posterior CS + TAR was 95 ± 12 min. No recurrent AWD occurred. Surgical site infections (SSI), seroma, hematoma, IH, and infected mesh occurred in 7.9%, 12.4%, 2%, 8.9%, and 3%, respectively. Mortality was reported in 2.5%. Old age, male gender, smoking, albumin level &lt; 3.5 gm%, time from AWD to posterior CS + TAR surgery, SSI, ileus, and infected mesh were significantly higher in IH. IH rate was 0.5% and 8.9% at two and three years, respectively. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, the predictors of IH were time from AWD till posterior CS + TAR surgical intervention, ileus, SSI, and infected mesh. Conclusion Posterior CS with TAR reinforced by retro-muscular mesh insertion resulted in no AWD recurrence, low IH rates, and low mortality of 2.5%. Trial registration Clinical trial: NCT05278117

Hepatobiliary manifestations following two-stages elective laparoscopic restorative proctocolectomy for patients with ulcerative colitis: A prospective observational study

BACKGROUNDHepatobiliary manifestations occur in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. The effect of laparoscopic restorative proctocolectomy (LRP) with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) on hepatobiliary manifestations is debated.AIMTo evaluate hepatobiliary changes after two-stages elective laparoscopic restorative proctocolectomy for patients with UC.METHODSBetween June 2013 and June 2018, 167 patients with hepatobiliary symptoms underwent two-stage elective LRP for UC in a prospective observational study. Patients with UC and having at least one hepatobiliary manifestation who underwent LRP with IPAA were included in the study. The patients were followed up for four years to assess the outcomes of hepatobiliary manifestations.RESULTSThe patients' mean age was 36 +/- 8 years, and males predominated (67.1%). The most common hepatobiliary diagnostic method was liver biopsy (85.6%), followed by Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (63.5%), Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (62.5%), abdominal ultrasonography (35.9%), and Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (6%). The most common hepatobiliary symptom was Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) (62.3%), followed by fatty liver (16.8%) and gallbladder stone (10.2%). 66.4% of patients showed a stable course after surgery. Progressive or regressive courses occurred in 16.8% of each. Mortality was 6%, and recurrence or progression of symptoms required surgery for 15%. Most PSC patients (87.5%) had a stable course, and only 12.5% became worse. Two-thirds (64.3%) of fatty liver patients showed a regressive course, while one-third (35.7%) showed a stable course. Survival rates were 98.8%, 97%, 95.8%, and 94% at 12 mo, 24 mo, 36 mo, and at the end of the follow-up.CONCLUSIONIn patients with UC who had LRP, there is a positive impact on hepatobiliary disease. It caused an improvement in PSC and fatty liver disease. The most prevalent unchanged course was PSC, while the most common improvement was fatty liver disease