Thrombolytic and cytotoxic activity of different bioactive extracts of E. coli

Novel therapeutic agents discovery have become crucial because humankind is experiencing issues regarding health and the environment. The present study is focusing on thrombolytic agents, which are therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases, eco-friendly, safe and can be used in comparison to synthetic agents that are associated with some side effects and their production is not environment friendly. The main objective of the present research was to evaluate the thrombolytic and cytotoxic potential of different extracts of Escherchia coli-ATCC35218. Soxhlet extraction method with ethanol was used for extraction from cells. Crude protein was extracted from the cell mass with protein extraction buffer. Crude isoprenoid quinone and polar lipids were extracted by using petroleum ether with methanol and chloroform as extraction solvent. In another method, the extracts were prepared using methanol as well as n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and water in serial extraction. These organic and aqueous extracts of E. coli were dried, weighed, dissolved in DMSO and tested for their hemolytic and thrombolytic potential. Mild to moderate percentage of thrombolytic activity was shown by these extracts and compared with citric acid (standard). Chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol soluble extracts showed significant thrombolytic activities that were 43.5% ​± ​0.06, 41.8% ​± ​0.16 and 40.5% ​± ​0.07 respectively, while citric acid showed 73.7% ​± ​0.05. Maximum hemolytic activities were shown by polar lipids, crude methanol extract and n-hexane that are 87.20% ​± ​0.08, 82.5% ​± ​0.06 and 73.46%± ​0.08 respectively as compared with 0.1% Triton X-100 (positive control) with 94.75% ​± ​0.15 hemolysis. Finally, results were analyzed statistically through analysis of variance (ANOVA). Further studies on isolation and identification of bioactive thrombolytic agents from each bioactive thrombolytic extract will help us in reporting natural thrombolytic agents from E.coli that could benefit human medically. This is one of the few reports of thrombolytics available from natural sources

Neigbourhood ethnic composition and social participation of young people in England

We analyse how neighbourhood ethnic diversity and segregation affect adolescents' social participation in England. We distinguish between participation in `purposeful activities' - such as sports and volunteering - and hanging around with friends. We suggest a novel identification strategy to address the problem of endogeneity of ethnic diversity and segregation. We find that ethnic diversity decreases hanging around, while ethnic segregation increases it. No effects are found on participation in purposeful activities

The importance of second look cystoscopy in children with PUV and its impact on future bladder, kidney functions and fertility

This study was designed to assess the importance of second look cystoscopy after primary ablation of posterior urethral valve in children. A prospective study was conducted at Kasr Al Ainy Pediatric Hospital (Aboulreesh), Urology Department, Cairo University on 50 male children, diagnosed to have posterior urethral valve between September 2016 and June 2017. Diagnosis of posterior urethral valve was made by voiding symptoms, ultrasonography and confirmed by voiding cystourethrogram. All children were treated by endoscopic ablation of posterior urethral valve using cold knife and were followed clinically for voiding symptoms and with ultrasonography and laboratory tests. All patients underwent 2nd look cystoscopy one month after primary valve ablation to see residual valves as a routine procedure irrespective of the improvement in symptoms, ultrasonography or laboratory results. Mean age at presentation was 8.3 ± 12.6 months. The presenting symptoms were acute urine retention in (44%); obstructive symptoms in (42%), recurrent febrile UTI in (10%) and two patients (4%) underwent primary valve ablation based on antenatal diagnosis. 92% showed hydronephrosis at presentation. Serum creatinine was elevated in 72% at presentation. Residual valves on 2nd look cystoscopy were found in 60%.&nbsp

The Importance of Second Look Cystoscopy in Children with PUV and Its Impact on Future Bladder, Kidney Functions and Fertility

This study was designed to assess the importance of second look cystoscopy after primary ablation of posterior urethral valve in children. A prospective study was conducted at Kasr Al Ainy Pediatric Hospital (Aboulreesh), Urology Department, Cairo University on 50 male children, diagnosed to have posterior urethral valve between September 2016 and June 2017. Diagnosis of posterior urethral valve was made by voiding symptoms, ultrasonography and confirmed by voiding cystourethrogram. All children were treated by endoscopic ablation of posterior urethral valve using cold knife and were followed clinically for voiding symptoms and with ultrasonography and laboratory tests. All patients underwent 2nd look cystoscopy one month after primary valve ablation to see residual valves as a routine procedure irrespective of the improvement in symptoms, ultrasonography or laboratory results. Mean age at presentation was 8.3 ± 12.6 months. The presenting symptoms were acute urine retention in (44%); obstructive symptoms in (42%), recurrent febrile UTI in (10%) and two patients (4%) underwent primary valve ablation based on antenatal diagnosis. 92% showed hydronephrosis at presentation. Serum creatinine was elevated in 72% at presentation. Residual valves on 2nd look cystoscopy were found in 60%.&nbsp

A combination of α-fetoprotein, midkine, thioredoxin and a metabolite for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction and objectives: The heterogenous nature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) motivated this attempt at developing and validating a model based on combined biomarkers for improving early HCC detection. Patients/materials and methods: This study examined 196 patients for an estimation study (104 patients with HCC, 52 with liver cirrhosis and 40 with liver fibrosis) and 122 patients for the validation study (80 patients with HCC, 42 with liver cirrhosis). All patients were positive for hepatitis C virus. Four markers were measured: Midkine and thioredoxin using ELISA, 1-methyladenosine and 1-methylguanosine using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results were compared with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The performance of the model was estimated in BCLC, CLIP and Okuda staging systems of HCC. Results: The model yielded high performance with an area under ROC (AUC) of 0.94 for predicting HCC in patients with liver cirrhosis, compared with AUC of 0.69 for AFP. This model had AUCs of 0.93, 0.94 and 0.94 in patients who had only one single nodule, absent macrovascular invasion and tumor size <2 cm, respectively, compared with AUCs of 0.71, 0.6 and 0.59 for AFP. The model produced AUCs of 0.91 for BCLC (0-A), 0.92 for CLIP (0–1) and 0.94 for Okuda (stage I) compared with AUCs of 0.56, 0.58 and 0.64 for AFP. No significant difference was found between AUC in the estimation and the validation groups. Conclusion: This model may enhance early-stage HCC detection and help to overcome insufficient sensitivity of AFP

Synthesis of Sr-doped Ni0.5Zn0.5SrxFe2-xO4 and the study of its structural, mechanical, magnetic, and electrical properties for high-frequency applications

The solid-state reaction method has been used to mold the spinel Ni–Zn ferrites with doped strontium (Sr) [Ni0.5Zn0.5SrxFe2-xO4; x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.10]. The powder X-ray diffraction approach was driven to investigate the crystal lattice of the studied samples. By using a variety of methods, including the Debye-Scherrer (D-S) formula, the Williamson-Hall (W–H), the Halder-Wagner (H–W), and the size-strain plot (SSP), where broadening of the XRD peaks are used, we have calculated the crystallographic features of Ni–Zn ferrites to ascertain the crystallite size and lattice strain. With doped Sr contents in samples, the lattice constants of the studied ferrites were decreased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the sample's surface. Using the Image J software, the samples' grain size was calculated. We also performed the FTIR calculation, which confirmed that the ferrites we studied were spinel ferrites. The stiffness constants and elastic moduli were enumerated using the FTIR data to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the studied samples. Important thermal parameters such as Debye temperature (ΘD) and melting temperature (Tm) were also calculated. The magnetic behavior characterizing parameters have been analyzed via a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Our studied samples are soft magnetic materials. We found the magnetic and electric losses to be negligible. Over a wide frequency extent, from 102 to 106 Hz at ambient temperature, an impedance analyzer was utilized to examine the samples' dielectric properties and AC resistivity. In the high-frequency region, the dielectric constant is frequency independent and the values of the dielectric constant are decreased with doped materials. Resistivity is increased with Sr-doped materials