Confirmation of the validity of using birth MCV for the diagnosis of alpha thalassemia trait

Thirty-four blood samples of neonates in Dubai, UAE, with an MCV below 90 fL were checked by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for hemoglobin variants to confirm a previous study carried out in Western Province of Saudi Arabia which showed a very high predictive index of such MCV for alpha (α-) thalassemia minor (ATM). MCH below 30 pg was an additional factor which supported such a prediction. The Dubai study confirmed the original finding with 100% of such neonates showing Hb Barts band. A control group of 26 neonates with an MCV between 90 and 95 fl showed Hb Barts in only 11 cases (42.3%). Of these, 6 (23.1%) were preterm babies, expected to have higher MCV. Five cases (19.2%) had an MCH below 30 pg, though MCV was 90 or higher. Three of the preterm babies also had MCH below 30. The study confirmed the Saudi results in neonates. It seems very highly probable that a term neonate with MCV below 90 and MCH below 30 has ATM

Comparison between Complications of Infants of Diabetic Mothers in Treated & Non-Treated Mothers in Babylon Teaching Hospital for Maternity and Pediatrics.

المقدمة: ان رضيع الام السكري هو الذي يولد للام التي لديها ارتفاع دائمي في نسبة السكر في الدم خلال فترة الحمل. تسبب هذه الحالة ارتفاع نسبة السكر في دم الجنين وبالتالي العديد من المضاعفات للطفل حديث الولادة. تهدف هذه الدراسة لمعرفة المحصلة النهائية لرضيع الام السكري   طرق العمل: شملت الدراسة 100 رضيع الام السكري 1-4-2015 الى 17-8-2016. وقد اجريت عدة تقييمات وفحوصات سريرية و كيماوية وشعاعية لاكتشاف المضاعفات. ثم تم مقارنة النتائج بين رضيع الام السكري التي استلمت علاج مع التي لم تستلم علاج باستخدام برنامج SPSS. النتائج: وجدت الدراسة ان رضيع الام السكري التي لم تستلم علاج اظهروا نسبة اكبر من المضاعفات بالمقارنة مع رضع الام السكري اللواتي استلمن علاج مثل انخفاض السكري في الدم 83% انخفاض الكالسيوم في الدم 4% ولم يسجل انخفاض المغنسيوم في الدم بينما ان الرضيع للام السكري بدون علاج كانت نسبة انخفاض السكر في الدم 94% انخفاض الكالسيوم 29% وانخفاض المغنسيوم 17%. كذلك وجدت الدراسة نسبة اعلى للمضاعفات في الجهاز التنفسي, القلب, العصبي و الجهاز البولي والتناسلي بين الرضيع الام السكر التي لم تستلم علاج بالمقارنة مع التي استلمت علاج. الاستنتاجات: ان رضيع الام السكري التي لم تستلم علاج لديه نسبة اعلى من المضاعفات السريرية والكيماوية وان معظم المضاعفات المسخية تحدث في هؤلاء الرضع.Background: Infants of diabetic mother are those  born to mother who has persistently elevated blood sugar during pregnancy. It causes fetal hyperglycemia, which contributed to many complications happen on those infants. This study aims To show the outcome of  infants of diabetic mothers. Methods: the study included 100 infant born to diabetic mothers in the period between 1st. April 2015 to 17th. August  2016 . multiple clinical, biochemical and radiographic assessments was done to them to discover any complication. The results then are compared between infants of treated to non-treated mothers using SPSS software. Results: the study found that infants of non-treated diabetic mothers show higher percentage of complications in comparison to those treated mothers like    Hypoglycemia 83%, hypocalcemia 5% and no hypomagnesemia in treated mothers group while in untreated mothers show 94% hypoglycemia, 29% hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia 17%. Also the study found higher percentage of respiratory, cardiac, neurological and genito-renal complication in neonates of non-treated infants compared to treated one. Conclusion: Higher clinical &biochemical complications are seen in neonates of non- treated mothers or poorly control diabetes. Most teratogenic complications occur in infants born to mothers with diabetes that is poorly controlled

Attitudes of Saudi Arabian Undergraduate Medical Students towards Health Research

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate attitudes, perceptions and perceived barriers towards health research among Saudi Arabian undergraduate medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between August and October 2014 and included 520 students from five medical schools across Saudi Arabia. An anonymous online survey with 21 close-ended questions was designed to assess students’ attitudes towards research, contribution to research-related activities, awareness of the importance of research, perception of available resources/opportunities for research, appreciation of medical students’ research contributions and perceived barriers to research. Responses were scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: A total of 401 students participated in the study (response rate: 77.1%). Of these, 278 (69.3%) were female. A positive attitude towards research was reported by 43.9% of the students. No statistically significant differences were observed between genders with regards to attitudes towards and available resources for research (P = 0.500 and 0.200, respectively). Clinical students had a significantly more positive attitude towards research compared to preclinical students (P = 0.007). Only 26.4% of the respondents believed that they had adequate resources/opportunities for research. According to the students, perceived barriers to undertaking research included time constraints (n = 200; 49.9%), lack of research mentors (n = 95; 23.7%), lack of formal research methodology training (n = 170; 42.4%) and difficulties in conducting literature searches (n = 145; 36.2%). Conclusion:Less than half of the surveyed Saudi Arabian medical students had a positive attitude towards health research. Medical education policies should aim to counteract the barriers identified in this study

Emerging wireless communication technologies in Iraqi government: Exploring cloud, edge, and fog computing

This study aims to structure the implementation of a governmental cloud of things (CoT), edge computing (EC), and fog computing in Iraq in the context of sustainable wireless communication. A base of literature was built that included any challenges, opportunities, and best practices relevant to these innovative technologies to set up the background for this paper. A concept model was created that included core components (cognitive technologies and fog computing), key processes (resource analysis, infrastructure design), and stakeholders (governments, industry, community). A strategic methodology made up of stakeholder involvement, capacity building, and pilot projects was used in the project. Concerning IoT planned deployment and services provision, network infrastructure was put in place to support the devices and a higher level of security measures were recommended. Using scenario hypothesis, MATLAB simulator was employed to simulate data value distribution as well as received power distribution based on different institutions for 12 months. Monitoring and evaluation should be followed to measure performance indicators and effects on this process. Continuously improvement strategies were the highlight of the session which further stimulated innovations. Acquainted projects will be put in the function to extend the range of activities by including additional government agencies, regions, or sectors. Reporting of the collected data and funding will be done with stakeholders to share and pool knowledge

Seasonal abundance of four Culicoides spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) at Al-Ahsa oasis, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

This report constitutes the first study of Culicoides spp. and their seasonal abundance at Al-Ahsa, the largest oasis in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. New Jersey light traps were used to collect the midges at Mastock farm and Al-Mansura village. The mean monthly abundance was determined from October 1993 to October 1994. The mean monthly number per trap reached its minimum value during January 1994, increasing gradually from February to reach its maximum value during September 1994. During the study period, the following species were collected: Culicoides schultzei group (September), non-spotted group of Culicoides (September), Culicoides imicola (May) and Culicoides newstaedi (March). The potential importance of the Culicoides spp. in relation to arboviral activity in Saudi Arabia is discussed.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (Grant No. AT-12-71).mn201

Assessment of urban green space dynamics influencing the surface urban heat stress using advanced geospatial techniques

Urban areas are mostly heterogeneous due to settlements and vegetation including forests, water bodies and many other land use and land cover (LULC) classes. Due to the overwhelming population pressure, urbanization, industrial works and transportation systems, urban areas have been suffering from a deficiency of green spaces, which leads to an increase in the variation of temperature in urban areas. This study investigates the conceptual framework design towards urban green space (UGS) and thermal variability over Kolkata and Howrah city using advanced remote sensing (RS) and geospatial methods. The low green space is located in the highly built-up area, which is influenced by thermal variations. Therefore, the heat stress index showed a high area located within the central, north, northwestern and some parts of the southern areas. The vegetated areas decreased by 8.62% during the ten years studied and the other land uses increased by 11.23%. The relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) showed significant changes with R2 values between 0.48 (2010) and 0.23 (2020), respectively. The correlation among the LST and the normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) showed a notable level of change with R2 values between 0.38 (2010) and 0.61 (2020), respectively. The results are expected to contribute significantly towards urban development and planning, policymaking and support for key stakeholders responsible for the sustainable urban planning procedures and processes

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in low-resource settings: a statement by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, supported by the AFEM, EUSEM, IFEM, and IFRC.

Most recommendations on cardiopulmonary resuscitation were developed from the perspective of high-resource settings with the aim of applying them in these settings. These so-called international guidelines are often not applicable in low-resource settings. Organisations including the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) have not sufficiently addressed this problem. We formed a collaborative group of experts from various settings including low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries, and conducted a prospective, multiphase consensus process to formulate this ILCOR Task Force statement. We highlight the discrepancy between current cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines and their applicability in low-resource settings. Successful existing initiatives such as the Helping Babies Breathe programme and the WHO Emergency Care Systems Framework are acknowledged. The concept of the chainmail of survival as an adaptive approach towards a framework of resuscitation, the potential enablers of and barriers to this framework, and gaps in the knowledge are discussed, focusing on low-resource settings. Action points are proposed, which might be expanded into future recommendations and suggestions, addressing a large diversity of addressees from caregivers to stakeholders. This statement serves as a stepping-stone to developing a truly global approach to guide resuscitation care and science, including in health-care systems worldwide

Conditionally Replicating Adenovirus Expressing TIMP2 Increases Survival in a Mouse Model of Disseminated Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer remains difficult to treat mainly due to presentation of the disease at an advanced stage. Conditionally-replicating adenoviruses (CRAds) are promising anti-cancer agents that selectively kill the tumor cells. The present study evaluated the efficacy of a novel CRAd (Ad5/3-CXCR4-TIMP2) containing the CXCR4 promoter for selective viral replication in cancer cells together with TIMP2 as a therapeutic transgene, targeting the matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) in a murine orthotopic model of disseminated ovarian cancer. An orthotopic model of ovarian cancer was established in athymic nude mice by intraperitonal injection of the human ovarian cancer cell line, SKOV3-Luc, expressing luciferase. Upon confirmation of peritoneal dissemination of the cells by non-invasive imaging, mice were randomly divided into four treatment groups: PBS, Ad-ΔE1-TIMP2, Ad5/3-CXCR4, and Ad5/3-CXCR4-TIMP2. All mice were imaged weekly to monitor tumor growth and were sacrificed upon reaching any of the predefined endpoints, including high tumor burden and significant weight loss along with clinical evidence of pain and distress. Survival analysis was performed using the Log-rank test. The median survival for the PBS cohort was 33 days; for Ad-ΔE1-TIMP2, 39 days; for Ad5/3-CXCR4, 52.5 days; and for Ad5/3-CXCR4-TIMP2, 63 days. The TIMP2-armed CRAd delayed tumor growth and significantly increased survival when compared to the unarmed CRAd. This therapeutic effect was confirmed to be mediated through inhibition of MMP9. Results of the in vivo study support the translational potential of Ad5/3-CXCR4-TIMP2 for treatment of human patients with advanced ovarian cancer

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century