Smoking counseling practices of physicians in the United Arab Emirates

Background. Despite the cost effectiveness of physician smoking cessation counseling, many physicians do not adhere to current clinical practice guidelines. Methods. A cross-sectional mail survey was conducted in a sample of general practitioners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), emirates of Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to document cessation-counseling practices and identify correlates of these activities. Results. Of 391 eligible GPs, 218 (56%) completed the questionnaire. Despite favorable beliefs/attitudes about cessation counseling, less than half of GPs (47%) indicated that they have the skills to help their patients quit smoking and only 24% knew of community resources to refer patients to. GPs who perceived physician barriers in offering smoking counseling as very important were significantly less likely to ascertain smoking status of most of their patients (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.09,0.88). Moreover, high self-efficacy and favorable beliefs/attitudes were significantly associated with high level of counseling completeness (OR: 4.44, 95% CI: 1.21, 16.37; OR: 3.78, 95% CI: 1.25, 11.35; respectively). Conclusion. Support, training and intervention programs to overcome lack of awareness and knowledge, unfavorable beliefs/attitudes, and low self-efficacy could increase and enhance cessation-counseling practices among general practitioners in the UAE. © 2010, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved

Phase noise analysis of mutually synchronized spin Hall nano-oscillators

The reduction of phase noise in electronic systems is of utmost importance in modern communication and signal processing applications and requires an understanding of the underlying physical processes. Here, we systematically study the phase noise in mutually synchronized chains of nano-constriction spin Hall nano-oscillators (SHNOs). We find that longer chains have improved phase noise figures at low offset frequencies (1/f noise), where chains of two and ten mutually synchronized SHNOs have 2.8 and 6.2 dB lower phase noise than single SHNOs. This is close to the theoretical values of 3 and 10 dB, and the deviation is ascribed to process variations between nano-constrictions. However, at higher offset frequencies (thermal noise), the phase noise unexpectedly increases with chain length, which we ascribe to process variations, a higher operating temperature in the long chains at the same drive current and phase delays in the coupling between nano-constrictions

Letterer Siwe Disease (LSD): A Case Report

Background: Letterer–Siwe Disease (LSD) is one of the variants of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), which is considered as a rare disease that affects many systems in the body; it is characterized by monoclonal migration and proliferation of specific dendritic cells. The disease affects the bones and skin primarily, but can involveother organs as well, or appear as a multi-system disease leading to different clinical manifestations and eventually death. Summary: The authors present a case report of LSD in a two-year-old child from western Sudan, Messeria tribe, who is presented with one and a half-month history of fever, cutaneous ulcers, purprae,scaly crusted scalp, and pallor. His full blood count showed very low Hb with marked reduction of platelets. TWBC was normal. US showed hepatosplenomegaly with lymphadenopathy. A suspicion of sickle cell anemia and leukemia was suggested. He received treatment in his area in the form of antibiotics, skin care, blood transfusion and platelets aggregate without improvement. Patient was referred to Khartoum for further investigations and management. On presentation, a diagnosis of histiocytosis x was suggested depending on the clinical presentation of a general ill health in a child with purpurae, skin ulcers, and a scaly crusted scalp. A skin biopsy, bone marrow aspirate, and a skull x-ray were requested. Bone marrow aspiration showed hyper cellular BM with marked hemophagocytosis. Patient was admitted in a pediatric ward for further general investigations and blood transfusion, but he passed few days later before starting chemotherapy. Usually this is the prognosis of this rare and fatal aggressive form of histiocytosis x. Conclusion: A sick child with fever, anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, scaly scalp, and skin lesions should be investigated for LSD

Isolation, identification, and bioinformatic analysis of antibacterial proteins and peptides from immunized hemolymph of red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus

Red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, 1791, Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a destructive pest of palms, rapidly extending its native geographical range and causing large economic losses worldwide. The present work describes isolation, identification, and bioinformatic analysis of antibacterial proteins and peptides from the immunized hemolymph of this beetle. In total, 17 different bactericidal or bacteriostatic compounds were isolated via a series of high-pressure liquid chromatography steps, and their partial amino acid sequences were determined by N-terminal sequencing or by mass spectrometry. The bioinformatic analysis of the results facilitated identification and description of corresponding nucleotide coding sequences for each peptide and protein, based on the recently published R. ferrugineus transcriptome database. The identified compounds are represented by several well-known bactericidal factors: two peptides similar to defensins, one cecropin-A1-like peptide, and one attacin-B-like protein. Interestingly, we have also identified some unexpected compounds comprising five isoforms of pheromone-binding proteins as well as seven isoforms of odorant-binding proteins. The particular role of these factors in insect response to bacterial infection needs further investigation

Assessment of Ceruloplasmin, Hemopexin, and Haptoglobin in Asthmatic Children

BACKGROUND: Ceruloplasmin (Cp), haptoglobin, and hemopexin play a role in iron homeostasis and may function to modulate the systemic inflammatory response and be involved in tissue repair. We hypothesized that these proteins could be biological markers for bronchial asthma that reflect the involvement of iron oxidative stress in asthma pathogenesis. AIM: Evaluation of serum levels of proteins involved in iron homeostasis (Cp, hemopexin, and haptoglobin) in asthmatic children and their correlation to pulmonary functions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty moderate to severe persistent asthmatic children aged 6–13 years were included (30 during attacks and 30 in-between attacks). Thirty healthy matched controls were also recruited. All children were subjected to history taking, clinical evaluation and assessment of complete blood picture, serum levels of Cp, haptoglobin, hemopexin, and total IgE. Pulmonary function tests were assessed for all patients. RESULTS: Serum Cp and haptoglobin were significantly elevated in asthmatic children between attacks (448.04 ± 386.79), (993.33 ± 554.56) compared to controls (168.42 ± 13.46), (473.33 ± 350.3), (p = 0.0002, p < 0.0001) and to asthmatics during exacerbations (288.8 ± 219.6), (620 ± 467.86), (p = 0.014, p = 0.006). Serum hemopexin was significantly higher in asthmatics between attacks (509.33 ± 341.51) compared to controls (296.67 ± 158.38) (p < 0.003) but no significant difference compared to acute exacerbations (477.33 ± 396.6). No significant correlations were found between any of the assessed protein levels and pulmonary functions. Hemoglobin concentration was significantly higher among stable asthmatics compared to acute exacerbation and control groups. CONCLUSION: Cp, haptoglobin, and hemopexin can be used as a panel of non-invasive biomarkers that reflect the involvement of iron oxidative stress in asthma pathogenesis

Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Egyptian Obese Women with Insulin Resistance

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major factor in the development of several sub-clinical anomalies. Insulin resistance (IR) is associated with obesity. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a significant role in inflammation and vascular neogenesis. However the precise relationships of its levels with clinical, lipid, and metabolic profiles are unknown. AIM: This study aimed to examine the association between serum VEGF concentrations with IR risk and metabolic and lipid parameters in obese women. METHODS: Serum VEGF, metabolic biomarkers and anthropometry were measured in 83 obese women with IR and 50 healthy women. Fat distributions in the abdominal, subcutaneous and visceral area were assessed. Homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated. For analytical purposes, VEGF levels were categorised into three tertiles groups. RESULTS: Obese women with IR showed significantly higher levels of serum VEGF as compared with the control group. Moreover, obese women in the highest VEGF tertile had significantly higher values of obesity indices, visceral fat index, abnormal lipid levels and HOMA-IR compared to with those in the lower tertile. CONCLUSION: Elevated VEGF levels are associated with IR and high visceral fat index in obese women which in turn increased the risk for metabolic complications

Robust mutual synchronization in long spin Hall nano-oscillator chains

Mutual synchronization of N serially connected spintronic nano-oscillators increases their coherence by a factor $N$ and their output power by $N^2$. Increasing the number of mutually synchronized nano-oscillators in chains is hence of great importance for better signal quality and also for emerging applications such as oscillator-based neuromorphic computing and Ising machines where larger N can tackle larger problems. Here we fabricate spin Hall nano-oscillator chains of up to 50 serially connected nano-constrictions in W/NiFe, W/CoFeB/MgO, and NiFe/Pt stacks and demonstrate robust and complete mutual synchronization of up to 21 nano-constrictions, reaching linewidths of below 200 kHz and quality factors beyond 79,000, while operating at 10 GHz. We also find a square increase in the peak power with the increasing number of mutually synchronized oscillators, resulting in a factor of 400 higher peak power in long chains compared to individual nano-constrictions. Although chains longer than 21 nano-constrictions also show complete mutual synchronization, it is not as robust and their signal quality does not improve as much as they prefer to break up into partially synchronized states. The low current and low field operation of these oscillators along with their wide frequency tunability (2-28 GHz) with both current and magnetic fields, make them ideal candidates for on-chip GHz-range applications and neuromorphic computing.Comment: 9 Pages, 7 figure

Comparative analysis of creatinine and osmolality as urine normalization strategies in targeted metabolomics for the differential diagnosis of asthma and COPD

Peer ReviewedIntroduction Urine is an ideal matrix for metabolomics investigation due to its non-invasive nature of collection and its rich metabolite content. Despite the advancements in mass spectrometry and 1H-NMR platforms in urine metabolomics, the statistical analysis of the generated data is challenged with the need to adjust for the hydration status of the person. Normalization to creatinine or osmolality values are the most adopted strategies, however, each technique has its challenges that can hinder its wide application. Objective Assessment of whether the statistical model established using a targeted urine metabolomics dataset for the differential diagnosis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would be improved by normalization to osmolality instead of creatinine. Methods A metabolomics dataset from 51 patient urine samples previously analyzed using two liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods was used. The data was normalized to creatinine and osmolality. The statistical analysis was achieved using partial least square discriminant analysis and models of separation were generated and compared. Results Creatinine and osmolality values in asthma and COPD patients were strongly correlated. Using the same metabolites, we found that normalization to osmolality did not significantly change the results. The metabolites of importance in separation remained the same for both methods. The statistical strength of the creatinine model was somewhat better than the osmolality normalized model (R2Q2=0.919, 0.705 vs R2Q2 =0.929, 0.671). Conclusion Our findings suggest that targeted urine metabolomics data can be normalized to creatinine or osmolality with no significant impact on the diagnostic accuracy of the model

Toxicological, biological, and biochemical impacts of the egyptian lavender (Lavandula multifida L.) essential oil on two lepidopteran pests

The use of essential oils as an eco-friendly tool in pest management stems from their natural origin and the presence of bioactive compounds that exhibit pesticidal properties, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides. This study explores the toxicity of Lavandula multifida (lavender) essential oil (EO), as a botanical pesticide against two widespread and destructive Noctuidae pests, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) and Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel). GC-MS was employed to characterize 23 compounds in the EO, with 1,3,3-trimethyl-2-oxabicyclo [2.2.2] octane (eucalyptol) (39.84%), being the primary component. The leaf dipping technique was utilized to assess the toxicity of the EO to both insects. At 96 hours post-treatment, the LC50 of lavender EO to S. littoralis and A. ipsilon larvae were 2.350 and 2.991 mg · ml–1, respectively. Concerning its biological effect, both concentrations of the EO (LC15 and LC50) significantly shortened the duration of the larval (to 15.24 and 14.23 days) and pupal (to 11.19 and 10.55 days) stages of S. littoralis. Biochemical assays revealed that the LC50 of lavender EO significantly inhibited α-esterase activity in S. littoralis at 72- and 96 hours post-treatment (0.031 and 0.063 mmol · min–1 · mg–1), and A. ipsilon at 96 hours post-treatment (0.129 mmol · min–1 · mg–1 protein). Given its significant toxicological, biological, and biochemical effects on S. littoralis, it is suggested that lavender EO could be considered for use in integrated pest management strategies while ensuring its safe application to protect non-target organisms

Post-Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis: A Paradigm of Paradoxical Immune Reconstitution Syndrome in Non-HIV/AIDS Patients

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease characterized by immune suppression. Successful treatment is usually followed by immune reconstitution and a dermatosis called post-Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). Recently, PKDL was described as one of the immune reconstitution syndromes (IRISs) in HIV/VL patients on HAART. This study aimed to present PKDL as a typical example of paradoxical IRIS in non-HIV/AIDS individuals. Published and new data on the pathogenesis and healing of PKDL was reviewed and presented. The data suggested that PKDL is a typical example of paradoxical IRIS, being a new disease entity that follows VL successful treatment and immune recovery. PKDL lesions are immune inflammatory in nature with granuloma, adequate response to immunochemotherapy, and an ensuing hypersensitivity reaction, the leishmanin skin test (LST). The data also suggested that the cytokine patterns of PKDL pathogenesis and healing are probably as follows: an active disease state dominated by IL-10 followed by spontaneous/treatment-induced IL-12 priming, IL-2 stimulation, and INF-γ production. INF-γ-activated macrophages eliminate the Leishmania parasites/antigen to be followed by LST conversion and healing. In conclusion, PKDL is a typical example of paradoxical IRIS in non-HIV/AIDS individuals with anti-inflammatory cytokine patterns that are superseded by treatment-induced proinflammatory cytokines and lesions healing