Cell therapy for acute liver injury - in vivo efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells in toxic and immune-mediated murine hepatitis

The ability of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs) to immunomodulate offers therapeutic potential in liver injury but the inherent heterogeneity of unsorted MSC populations may explain varied/reduced function as well as posing regulatory challenges. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of purified CD362+ MSC infusion in murine models of acute liver injury. UC-MSCs were injected intravenously into mice injured by single dose of Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) & OVA-BIL mice. MSC used were either unsorted or sorted CD362+. The extent of liver damage was determined by liver histology, serum analysis, gene expression and FACS analysis 3 or 5 days after cell infusion. Homing and bio-distribution of stem cells was determined by whole mouse cryo-imaging of Q-dot labelled MSC following infusion of UC-MSC into injured mice. CD362+ MSC were as effective as unsorted MSC in ameliorating liver injury, with reductions in serum ALT seen in both models. In contrast heat-inactivated MSC had no effect on liver injury. MSC also led to a reduction in CD45+staining on liver sections in both models of liver injury corroborated by an accompanying reduction in hepatic CD45+ cells in (FACS analysis of liver digest). In addition, there was a significant reduction in hepatic CD19+ B cells in digested liver in CCl4 injury. CD362+ MSCs were found to have the ability to reduce the level of adhesion molecules (ICAM and VCAM) in Ova-Bil mice. Cryo-imaging of time-course in both animal models indicated that MSC had migrated to the lung within 1 hour and were then cleared rapidly, although there was a liverspecific increase in MSC 2-3 day in Ova-Bil mice. CD362+ human MSC exert potent anti-inflammatory activity in toxic and immune-mediated murine liver injury with demonstrable reductions in infiltrating inflammatory leucocytes and B cells

Evaluation of BACTEC™ FX and BacT/Alert™ Automated Blood Culture Systems for Detection of Clinically Relevant Bacterial and Yeast Species

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSI) are a significant health concern, necessitating effective diagnostic tools. This study evaluates the performance of the BD Bactec FX system in comparison to the established BacT/Alert system, examining mean time till detection (TTD) across various blood culture bottles.Methods: The study involves 148 blood culture bottles, inoculated with representative bacterial ATCC strains (n= 15) and 04 yeast isolates. Parallel testing is conducted by seeding 10–30 colony-forming units (CFU) in duplicate in both BD Bactec FX and BacT/Alert systems. TTD is assessed across aerobic, anaerobic, and pediatric bottles for diverse microbial species.Results: All 148 bottles tested in parallel show positive signals in both systems. BD Bactec FX demonstrates significantly shorter TTD for adult-seeded cultures in aerobic and anaerobic bottles compared to BacT/Alert Similarly, pediatric bottles with BD Bactec FX exhibit a shorter TTD compared to BacT/Alert. The statistical significance of TTD, 95% confidence intervals (CI), and p-values is evident for Bactec FX aerobic, anaerobic, and pediatric bottles across tested organisms. Notable examples of faster TTD include; Bacteroides ovatus (16.6h by Bactec FX vs. 70.5h by Bact/Alert 3D), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (33.7h vs. 72.5h), and Streptococcus pyogenes (8.1h vs. 11.9h).Conclusions: In conclusion, the study’s findings demonstrate that BD Bactec FX surpasses BacT/Alert in prompt microbial detection, showcasing potential for early identification of bacteremia and fungemia. Faster TTD implies the potential to initiate timely antimicrobial treatment, thereby reducing patient morbidity and mortality. However, exceptions in certain microbial species highlight the need for comprehensive clinical validation to establish the broad applicability of these findings.Keywords: Blood Culture System; Recovery Rate; Time to detection; Blood stream infection; BTA3D; Bactec FX 

Perception of Psychological and Social Workers Regards to Addiction Services in Irada Hospital for Mental Health, Jizan 2022

Introduction: World health organization stated in 2109 report that 35 million people worldwide suffer from drug use disorders while only 1 in 7 people receive treatment. Further than the destructive effects for the person with drug addiction its negative effects can harm further people, pregnant mother affects her pregnancy. Materials and Methods: This is cross sectional study conducted between August to November 2022 in Jazan, it included all psychological and social workers in Iraha hospital for mental health, aiming to assess the perception of psychological and social workers about the of prevention services provided by Iradah hospital and the associated factors, data was collected with pre-structured and pre-tested questionnaire, and analyzed with Statistical backage of social science version 25. Results: (82.6%) were male, more than 80% fromage group 25 to 45, education levels varied from university level (78.9%) and post graduate (21.1%) , 81% were married and 66% lived in urban areas, only 35% of them think the addict have the knowledge about the addiction prevention services and 26.8% think the addict is willing to seek care those facilities. 87% of them agree about the role of family in prevention addiction as well as 87% agree that family breakdown leads to clutches of addiction, there is statistical significance between the sex of psychological and social workers (P-value 0.007) and their perception about the knowledge of addict in importance of addiction prevention services, 60% from both male and female agree about the role of different societies in addiction prevention with no statistical association (Pvalue 0.122) we found that female and age group ( 25-35) is an associated factors with a statistical significance (Pvalue.000) and (Pvalue.02) consecutively Conclusion: Psychological and social workers are a corner stone in addiction prevention and treatment services, they have a good perception about the role of family, community, education, sport and social  support , they participate actively in health education and awareness raising activities, more effort is needed to be involving in research and be up to date  countries experience in addiction prevention and treatment

Prosopis juliflora leave extracts induce cell death of MCF-7, HepG2, and LS-174T cancer cell lines

Prosopis juliflora (P. juliflora) is a widespread phreatophytic tree, which belongs to the Fabaceae family. The goal of the present study is to investigate the potential anti-cancer effect of P. juliflora leave extracts and to identify its chemical composition. For this purpose, MCF-7 (breast), HepG2 (liver), and LS-174T (colorectal) cancer cell lines were cultivated and incubated with various concentrations of P. juliflora leave extracts, and its impact on cell viability, proliferation, and cell cycle stages was investigated. P. juliflora leave extracts induced concentration-dependent cytotoxicity against all tested cancer cell lines. The calculated IC50 was 18.17, 33.1 and 41.9 μg/ml for MCF-7, HePG2 and LS-174T, respectively. Detailed analysis revealed that the cytotoxic action of P. juliflora extracts was mainly via necrosis but not apoptosis. Moreover, DNA content flow cytometry analysis showed cell-specific anti-proliferative action and cell cycle stages arrest. In order to identify the anti-cancer constituents of P. juliflora, the ethyl extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major constituents identified in the ethyl extracts of P. juliflora leaves were hydroxymethyl-pyridine, nicotinamide, adenine, and poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). In conclusion, P. juliflora ethyl acetate extracts have a potential anti-cancer effect against breast adenocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and colorectal adenocarcinoma, and is enriched with anti-cancer constituents

Surgical Approaches to Congenital Anomalies of Esophagus

With prevalence of about 1 in 3000 live births, pediatric surgeons commonly deal with esophageal abnormalities, which may provide substantial clinical complications. Surprisingly, the embryologic processes underlying esophageal atresia (EA) with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), one of the hallmark disease entities of pediatric surgery, have only lately been largely uncovered. When it comes to the treatment of congenital esophageal abnormalities, notably esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula, surgical methods are essential. In order to address the anatomical abnormalities and restore normal function, surgical correction is often necessary in the care of congenital esophageal anomalies, including esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula. In this review we are going to cover surgical approaches to repair those malformations, long-term outcomes, and latest developments in esophageal surgical approaches

Diversity among Coffea arabica populations in southwestern Saudi Arabia as revealed by their morphometric features

Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) is one of the most important agricultural commodities traded worldwide. The livelihoods of millions of households in Asia, Africa and America depend on it. The sustainability of the supply chain of this crop is increasingly under threat due to the impact of climate change in the main producing countries in the tropics and sub-tropics. The resilience of these agro-ecosystems will depend on the ability of breeders to develop new coffee varieties that can better adapt to changing environmental conditions. Therefore, studying the diversity of coffee populations in the Arabian Peninsula could reveal agronomically interesting genotypes that can be exploited in breeding programs. The objective of the study was to evaluate the diversity among coffee populations in southwestern Saudi Arabia using quantitative morphological, pomological and agronomic traits. The analysis of variance of the data showed differences among the accessions for most of the measured quantitative traits. The accessions varied in growth habit, canopy shape and cherry, bean and leaf dimensions. Cherry fresh mass ranged from 96.5 to 234.8 g in 100 cherries while 100-bean dry mass varied from 9.3 to 22.5 g. The hierarchical cluster analysis divided the accessions into four main groups. The study revealed considerable variability among the 61 accessions. Based on this investigation, accessions KSA-7R, KSA-8 and KSA-9R from Tallan valley, KSA20, KSA21 and KSA52 from Fayfa, KSA38 from Eddayar district, KSA10 and KSA60 from Assir region and KSA61 from Jebel Shada are recommended for further investigation for their promising agronomic traits

Thyroid disorders, epidemiology and outcome among patients in South Western region: Southern Saudi Arabia

Background: Thyroid gland may have a group of a medical condition that affects its main function. The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck and produces thyroid hormones. The released hormones go through the blood to many body organs for regulating their function, meaning that it is an endocrine organ. These hormones normally act in the body to regulate energy use, infant development, and childhood development. The study aimed to assess the epidemiology of thyroid disorders among cases in the south-western region, Saudi Arabia, and to assess the reporting quality for these cases data.Methods: A retrospective record based descriptive approach was used through reviewing medical records of all cases that were admitted and diagnosed as thyroid related disorders for different indications in the main hospital (king Khalid Hospital) during the period from January 2018 to January 2020. Data extracted throng pre-structured questionnaire including patient's bio-clinical data, preoperative radiological and laboratory investigations. Also, laryngoscope pre and post operatively was reviewed to record findings.Results: The study included 405 cases with thyroid disorders whose ages ranged from 15 to 71 years old with a mean age of 30.5±10.6 years. Females were 82.7% of the included cases, and 83.8% were Saudi. Thyroid related symptoms were recorded for 1-2 years among 58.1% of the cases and for more than 5 years among 15.8%. Thyroid enlargement was recorded for 73.1% of the cases. The multinodular enlargement was recorded for 53.5% of the cases followed with diffuse thyroid enlargement (27.3%). Regarding the type of surgery undergone, total thyroidectomy was the most recorded followed with lobectomy.Conclusions: The study revealed that the majority of the cases were females at middle age presented with benign lesions with Euthyroid status. The most important conclusion was the significant remarkable underreporting of the different clinical data for the cases with many missing items

Zinc oxide nanoparticles prepared through microbial mediated synthesis for therapeutic applications: a possible alternative for plants

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) synthesized through biogenic methods have gained significant attention due to their unique properties and potential applications in various biological fields. Unlike chemical and physical approaches that may lead to environmental pollution, biogenic synthesis offers a greener alternative, minimizing hazardous environmental impacts. During biogenic synthesis, metabolites present in the biotic sources (like plants and microbes) serve as bio-reductants and bio-stabilizers. Among the biotic sources, microbes have emerged as a promising option for ZnO-NPs synthesis due to their numerous advantages, such as being environmentally friendly, non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible. Various microbes like bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, and yeast can be employed to synthesize ZnO-NPs. The synthesis can occur either intracellularly, within the microbial cells, or extracellularly, using proteins, enzymes, and other biomolecules secreted by the microbes. The main key advantage of biogenic synthesis is manipulating the reaction conditions to optimize the preferred shape and size of the ZnO-NPs. This control over the synthesis process allows tailoring the NPs for specific applications in various fields, including medicine, agriculture, environmental remediation, and more. Some potential applications include drug delivery systems, antibacterial agents, bioimaging, biosensors, and nano-fertilizers for improved crop growth. While the green synthesis of ZnO-NPs through microbes offers numerous benefits, it is essential to assess their toxicological effects, a critical aspect that requires thorough investigation to ensure their safe use in various applications. Overall, the presented review highlights the mechanism of biogenic synthesis of ZnO-NPs using microbes and their exploration of potential applications while emphasizing the importance of studying their toxicological effects to ensure a viable and environmentally friendly green strategy

Anti-inflammatory activity of d-pinitol possibly through inhibiting COX-2 enzyme: in vivo and in silico studies

Introduction: D-pinitol, a naturally occurring inositol, has diverse biological activities like antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. This study aimed to evaluate anti-inflammatory effect of d-pinitol in a chick model. Additionally, in silico studies were performed to evaluate the molecular interactions with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2).Methods: The tested groups received d-pinitol (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg) and the standard drugs celecoxib and ketoprofen (42 mg/kg) via oral gavage prior to formalin injection. Then, the number of licks was counted for the first 10 min, and the paw edema diameter was measured at 60, 90, and 120 min.Results and Discussion: The d-pinitol groups significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the number of paw licks and paw edema diameters, compared to negative control. When d-pinitol was combined with celecoxib, it reduced inflammatory parameters more effectively than the individual groups. The in silico study showed a promising binding capacity of d-pinitol with COX-2. Taken together, d-pinitol exerted anti-inflammatory effects in a dose-dependent manner, possibly through COX-2 interaction pathway