EIGENVALUES OF SYMMETRIC MATRICES

This project is concerned with the solution of eigenvalues of symmetric Matrices. The basic concept are defined, the using of eigenvalues and their properties with simple examples are explained numerically. This project also included some theories of eigenvector and eigenvalues. Jacob’s method in explained as an application of the eigenvalues in symmetric matrices. A MATLAB function implements the method and results have been obtained

Acute Abdomen with Ileus: A Heralding Presentation of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

The pathophysiology of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) with use of psychotropic drugs is still unclear. Although a rare event with an incidence of 0.02–3.2%, when not promptly recognized and managed, it carries a high mortality (10–20%) and morbidity rate. Presentation can be either typical, with muscle rigidity and hyperpyrexia, or atypical, the latter posing diagnostic and early management challenges in clinical practice. Our patient presented with delayed fever and ileus, making early diagnosis difficult. We propose that NMS be considered an alternate diagnosis in patients using psychotropic medications and manifest ileus and delayed fever, especially after other differentials have been excluded

Assessment of the Learning styles of MBBS Students at the University of Kassala, Kassala State, Sudan, 2022

Introduction: Since the 1970s, Learning styles of health science students have been researched. It’s important to know the Learning styles of medical students these will be rewarding for both the instructor and the student. Objectives: This study aims to determine the learning styles of the medical students at the University of Kassala. Methodology: Cross sectional descriptive study conducted between 21/3/22 to 23/8/22 at the University of Kassala. After collecting the completed questionnaires, the data was analyzed using R language software Version R i386 4.0.2. Results: Out of 251 study sample, 228 responded with Questionnaire response rate of 90.8%. Wrong filled questionnaires were excluded resulting in 206 usable survey. 66.50485 % of our participants were females, 33.49515 % were males. The average age of the participants in years was 21.71359 +/- 1.933755. Reflectors (61.16505%) were the most prevalent learning style among medical students at the University of Kassala. Differences was noted in learning styles among the different sexes (p-value= 0.0371). No difference between the educational levels concerning the learning style (p-value = 0.09029). The living area does not affect the learning style (P-value = 0.3143). Conclusion and recommendations: Most of our students are reflectors, thus they prefer to watch rather than practice, they might be good at subjects that are more of watching type more than subjects that need practice. The results reveal the need to endorse self-directed learning. Further research is need to identify the most reliable teaching modality and instructional strategies. Keywords: Learning styles, Klob’s Inventory, Medical students DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-30-01 Publication date:October 31st 202

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

Biodegradation of Phenanthrene by Klebsiella sp Isolated from Organic Contaminated Sediment

This study report the ability of some bacterial strain to degrade the phenanthrene which is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and to optimize the condition controlling the phenanthrene<br>biodegradatio

Electronic cigarette among health science students in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Electronic cigarette (E-cigarette) is an electronic nicotine delivery device that has been advocated as a safe alternative for cigarette smokers. Since the introduction of E-cigarette internationally and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), it gained popularity, particularly among the youth and young adults. Moreover, many nonsmoker (nicotine-naïve) youth started to use E-cigarette as a new social habit. Recent researches have casted shadows on the E-cigarette safety profile. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of E-cigarette use among students of health science colleges in Jeddah-KSA. It also assesses E-cigarette effectiveness as a smoking cessation method and its possible addictiveness. METHODS: The study is an epidemiological, cross-sectional study, which was conducted between November 2017 and December 2017 in three different universities in Jeddah. A self-administered online questionnaire related to E-cigarette and the conventional cigarette was used. RESULTS: A total of 1007 completed an electronic survey which was distributed to 3000 health sciences colleges' students. Of the participants 14.1% were cigarette smoker, 46% of them smoke regularly. Students who smoke half a pack per day and above were 22% of the smokers. More college students use the E-cigarette (27.7%). Moreover, one-fifth of the E-cigarettes users were using it on the regular daily basis. The study found that 42.7% of E-cigarettes users have used it as a tool to quit smoking. Interestingly, more than half (56.7%) of the students who used it to stop smoking has succeeded. However, only 46% of E-cigarettes users who tried to quit vaping have succeeded. Young aged, students believed that smoking is more addictive than vaping or recommended E-cigarette for smoking cessation found to have a higher chance of quitting smoking in the univariate regression analysis. While, in the multivariate analysis, students who believed that conventional smoking is more addictive than E-cigarettes; students started vaping to quit smoking, or used E-cigarettes with fruit flavor found to have significantly higher chance of quitting. CONCLUSION: The E-cigarettes vaping is more prevalent than conventional cigarette smoking among health sciences students in Jeddah-KSA. E-cigarettes are used as a tool to help smoking cessation in less than half of the user. E-cigarettes help some smokers to quit smoking. However, it seems as addictive to the users as conventional cigarette smoking

Predictors of Mortality in Adult Population Admitted with COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study from New York City

Introduction: Rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States, especially in New York City (NYC), led to a tremendous increase in hospitalizations and mortality. There is very limited data available that associates outcomes during hospitalization in patients with COVID-19.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the health records of patients with COVID-19 who were admitted from March 9–April 9, 2020, to a community hospital in NYC. Subjects with confirmed reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) were included. We collected data related to demographics, laboratory results, and outcome of hospitalization. Outcome was measured based on whether the patient was discharged home or died during hospitalization.Results: There were 888 consecutive admissions with COVID-19 during the study period, of which 513 were excluded with pending outcome or incomplete information. We included a total of 375 patients in the study, of whom 215 (57%) survived and 160 (43%) died during hospitalization. The majority of patients were male (63%) and of Hispanic origin (66%) followed by Blacks (25%), and others (9%). Hypertension (60%) stands out to be the most common comorbidity followed by diabetes mellitus (47%), cardiovascular disease (17%), chronic kidney disease (17%), and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (9%). On multiple regression analysis, increasing odds of mortality during hospitalization was associated with older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.06 per year increase; p &lt; 0.0001), admission D-dimer more than 1000 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) (OR 3.16; 95% CI, 1.75-5.73; p&lt;0.0001), admission C-reactive protein (CRP) levels of more than 200 milligrams per liter  (mg/L) (OR 2.43; 95% CI, 1.36-4.34; p = 0.0028), and admission lymphopenia (OR 2.63; CI, 1.47-4.69; p 0.0010).Conclusion: In this retrospective cohort study originating in NYC, older age, admission levels of D-dimer of more than 1000 ng/mL, CRP of more than 200 mg/L and lymphopenia were associated with mortality in individuals hospitalized for COVID-19. We recommend using these risk factors on admission to triage patients to critical care units or surge units to maximize the use of surge capacity beds

Predictors of Mortality in Adult Population Admitted with COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study from New York City

Introduction: Rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States, especially in New York City (NYC), led to a tremendous increase in hospitalizations and mortality. There is very limited data available that associates outcomes during hospitalization in patients with COVID-19.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the health records of patients with COVID-19 who were admitted from March 9–April 9, 2020, to a community hospital in NYC. Subjects with confirmed reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) were included. We collected data related to demographics, laboratory results, and outcome of hospitalization. Outcome was measured based on whether the patient was discharged home or died during hospitalization.Results: There were 888 consecutive admissions with COVID-19 during the study period, of which 513 were excluded with pending outcome or incomplete information. We included a total of 375 patients in the study, of whom 215 (57%) survived and 160 (43%) died during hospitalization. The majority of patients were male (63%) and of Hispanic origin (66%) followed by Blacks (25%), and others (9%). Hypertension (60%) stands out to be the most common comorbidity followed by diabetes mellitus (47%), cardiovascular disease (17%), chronic kidney disease (17%), and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (9%). On multiple regression analysis, increasing odds of mortality during hospitalization was associated with older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.06 per year increase; p &lt; 0.0001), admission D-dimer more than 1000 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) (OR 3.16; 95% CI, 1.75-5.73; p&lt;0.0001), admission C-reactive protein (CRP) levels of more than 200 milligrams per liter  (mg/L) (OR 2.43; 95% CI, 1.36-4.34; p = 0.0028), and admission lymphopenia (OR 2.63; CI, 1.47-4.69; p 0.0010).Conclusion: In this retrospective cohort study originating in NYC, older age, admission levels of D-dimer of more than 1000 ng/mL, CRP of more than 200 mg/L and lymphopenia were associated with mortality in individuals hospitalized for COVID-19. We recommend using these risk factors on admission to triage patients to critical care units or surge units to maximize the use of surge capacity beds

The Antimicrobial and Mosquitocidal Activity of Green Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized by an Aqueous Peel Extract of <i>Punica granatum</i>

An aqueous extract of Punica granatum peel was used as a biocatalyst for magnesium oxide nanoparticle (MgO-NP) synthesis, which was characterized via UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, EDX, FT-IR, XRD, DLS, and zeta potential. Data showed the efficacy of the plant aqueous extract in forming spherical, crystalline-nature, well-arranged MgO-NPs with sizes in the range of 10–45 nm with average sizes of 24.82 ± 8.85 nm. Moreover, EDX analysis revealed that the highest weight and atomic percentages were recorded for Mg and O ions. The green synthesized MgO-NPs showed antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans in a concentration-dependent manner with clear zones in the range of 8.7 ± 0.6 to 19.7 ± 0.5 mm with various concentrations. Also, the MIC value was varied to be 25 µg mL−1 for Gram-negative bacteria, B. subtilis, and C. albicans and 50 µg mL−1 for S. aureus. Moreover, MgO-NPs showed high activity against the 3rd-instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus. The mortality percentages were concentration- and time-dependent. Data analysis showed that the highest mortality was 88.3 ± 3.2%, attained at a concentration of 100 µg mL−1 after 72 h. Also, all originated pupae were malformed and did not hatch to adults, with mortality percentages of 100% at all concentrations. Overall, the P. granatum-mediated MgO-NPs showed promising activity in inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microbes and the hatching of C. quinquefasciatus larvae to adults