Assessment of Behavioural Disorders in Children with Functional Constipation

BACKGROUND: Functional constipation (FC) is a common health problem in paediatrics that causes significant physical and emotional distress to patients and their families. AIM: In the current work, we assessed the presence of behavioural problems in children with functional constipation and their pattern and relation to various demographic and disease-associated factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted, including 55 consecutive children aged 4-16 years diagnosed with functional constipation and 55 healthy age and sex-matched controls. Psychological assessment was done using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist – 17 (PSC-17). RESULTS: Twenty-six (47.3%) patients with FC had positive total PSC-17 scores while none of the controls had positive scores (p-value < 0.001). Positive internalising and externalising behaviours scores and attention problems were found in 36 (65.5%), 15 (27.3%) and 12 (21.8%) of the patients respectively in contrary to controls where only 6 (10.9%) had positive scores in internalising behaviour, and non-showed externalising behaviour and 4 (7.3%) were inattentive. Older age, longer duration of illness, residency in rural areas and presence of encopresis were found to have a significant association with the presence of such problems. CONCLUSION: Children with FC have more behavioural disorders compared to healthy controls. Integration of psychosocial aspects and their management is recommended during dealing with patients with FC

Awjedni: A Reverse-Image-Search Application

The abundance of photos on the internet, along with smartphones that could implement computer vision technologies allow for a unique way to browse the web. These technologies have potential used in many widely accessible and globally available reverse-image search applications. One of these applications is the use of reverse-image search to help people finding items which they're interested in, but they can't name it. This is where Awjedni was born. Awjedni is a reverse-image search application compatible with iOS and Android smartphones built to provide an efficient way to search millions of products on the internet using images only. Awjedni utilizes a computer vision technology through implementing multiple libraries and frameworks to process images, recognize objects, and crawl the web. Users simply upload/take a photo of a desired item and the application returns visually similar items and a direct link to the websites that sell them

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD): a review on properties, occurrence, mechanism of formation, toxicity, analytical approach and mitigation strategy

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) is one of the most common food contaminants in processed oils which forms mostly during the deodorization step of edible oil refining process. It has been detected in many types of food products such as infant formula, margarine, bread and soy sauce, which could result in kidney and testicular damage. The presence of 3-MCPD contaminant have been occurring for more a decade, which warrants a maximum permissible amount of 2 µg/kg body weight in food products in national and international levels. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview in the past 12 years on its physicochemical properties, occurrence, potential precursors and formation mechanism of 3-MCPD in foodstuffs. The toxicity, its quantification methods and mitigation strategy are also reviewed with an emphasis on the applicability, efficiency and issues encountered during the analysis. This review provides an elucidation regarding 3-MCPDEs and their food safety implications

Insight into possible therapeutic applications of Ephedra transitoria: in-vitro biological, toxicological activities and GC-MS analysis of aerial parts’ extract

Most Arab nations have arid regions where Ephedra transitoria, a plant, flourishes. It has a variety of medical benefits. It belongs to the Ephedraceae family. The plant's aerial portions were procured from the Hail region of Saudi Arabia, methanol was used to extract bioactive phytochemicals with variable solubility in an efficient manner, and the resulting extract was tested on several cancer cell lines. The extract's cytotoxic potential was measured by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay method against standard vinblastine sulfate and for each cell line, the pertinent half maximal inhibitory concentration values were calculated. Additional apoptosis assays were conducted. Also, the antioxidant activity of plant extract was examined using 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and [2, 2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate)] methods compared to ascorbic acid standard. Also, antimicrobial effect of extract was evaluated on different gram positive and gram-negative bacteria by zone inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentration assay methods. GC-MS analysis was further applied to identify major bioactive substances. Extract showed good cytotoxic activity against both lung and liver cancer cells with relevant half maximal inhibitory concentration values comparable to those of standard. Extract resulted in S-phase arrest, primarily via inducing apoptosis mediated through activating caspase-3, Bax, and p53 proteins. Plant extract showed good antibacterial activities against S. aureus, E. coli and B. subtilis. Also, it showed high antioxidant activity with relevant half maximal inhibitory concentration values comparable to those of standard. Some bioactive compounds were separated and identified by GC-MS analysis such as; ephedrine and quercetin. ephedra transitoria extract possess high cytotoxic activity against lung and liver cancer cells via S-phase arrest mediated by activation of apoptotic proteins. It also possesses high antioxidant and antibacterial activities

Polymer hydrogel-based microneedles for metformin release

Drug delivery devices ensure the effective delivery of a broad range of therapeutics to millions of patients worldwide on a daily basis.1 Microneedles are a class of drug delivery device that provide pain free transdermal delivery with improved patient compliance.2-4 The release of metformin, a drug used in the treatment of cancer and diabetes, from polymer hydrogel-based microneedle patches was demonstrated in vitro. Tuning the composition of the polymer hydrogels enabled preparation of robust microneedle patches with mechanical properties such that they would penetrate skin (insertion force of a single microneedle to be ca. 40 N). Swelling experiments conducted at 20°C, 35°C and 60°C show temperature dependent degrees of swelling and kinetics (Fickian diffusion). Drug release from the hydrogel-based microneedles was fitted to various models (e.g., zero order, first order, second order, Korsmeyer-Peppas, Peppas-Sahlins), observing the best fit for the zero-order model. Such microneedles have potential application for transdermal delivery of metformin for the treatment of cancer and diabetes

Poly(2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate) Hydrogel-Based Microneedles for Metformin Release

The release of metformin, a drug used in the treatment of cancer and diabetes, from poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), pHEMA, hydrogel-based microneedle patches is demonstrated in vitro. Tuning the composition of the pHEMA hydrogels enables preparation of robust microneedle patches with mechanical properties such that they would penetrate skin (insertion force of a single microneedle to be ≈40 N). Swelling experiments conducted at 20, 35, and 60 °C show temperature-dependent degrees of swelling and diffusion kinetics. Drug release from the pHEMA hydrogel-based microneedles is fitted to various models (e.g., zero order, first order, second order). Such pHEMA microneedles have potential application for transdermal delivery of metformin for the treatment of aging, cancer, diabetes, etc

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

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