Lipoproetin pattern in patients with chronic renal failure and those who had renal transplantation

Background: Vascular disease is common in patients with chronic renal failure as well as in patients with renal transplantation. It is a common cause of death in these patients. One possible factor for this increased incidence of vascular disease is hyperlipidaemia that frequently occurs in these patients. Purpose: To determine the lipoprotein pattern in patients with chronic renal failure and patients who had renal transplantation in our community. Methods: 78 patients, age ranging between 10-75 years (mean value of 42.7) were studied. They were 21 pre-dialysis patients, 42 dialyzed patients (20 peritoneal dialysis and 22 Haemodialysis), and 15 patients following renal transplantation. Fasting blood Cholesterol, triglyceride, high and low density lipoprotein (HDL and LDL) were determined. Results: 2 patients of the pre-dialysis group had high cholesterol levels, while 6 patients had high triglyceride levels and 7 patients had high serum HDL levels. Only 9 patients had ischaemic changes on E.C.Gs. 3(7.3%) patients on dialysis group had high cholesterol levels, 11.9% had high triglyceride levels. 24 patients of the dialysis group had ischaemic changes in E.C.G. 7 transplant patients had high serum triglyceride levels and only two have elevated LDL. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 1(1) 2006: 37-4

Epilepsy among elderly Sudanese patients

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation and characteristics of elderly Sudanese patients with epilepsy. Methodology: This is a prospective study (from Feb. 2005 to Jun 2008). The study population included 240 elderly epileptic patients (age 60 years or above). Results: Cerebrovascular accident was found to be the most common cause of secondary epilepsy (31%).Generalize epilepsy was seen in 120 (50%) of patients. Abnormal neurological findings were more common (49%) among patients with partial epilepsy. Fifty percent of our patients showed abnormal EEG. Abnormal CT brain findings were common among patients with partial epilepsy. Conclusion: The pattern of clinical presentation of epilepsy among elderly Sudanese epileptic patients is similar to what was mentioned in the literature except that the percentage of epilepsy following infections was more among our studied group (6%Keywords: Cerebrovascular, EEG, seizure

CT-based texture analysis potentially provides prognostic information complementary to interim fdg-pet for patients with hodgkin's and aggressive non-hodgkin's lymphomas

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of computed tomography texture analysis (CTTA) to provide additional prognostic information in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: This retrospective, pilot-study approved by the IRB comprised 45 lymphoma patients undergoing routine 18F-FDG-PET-CT. Progression-free survival (PFS) was determined from clinical follow-up (mean-duration: 40 months; range: 10-62 months). Non-contrast-enhanced low-dose CT images were submitted to CTTA comprising image filtration to highlight features of different sizes followed by histogram-analysis using kurtosis. Prognostic value of CTTA was compared to PET FDG-uptake value, tumour-stage, tumour-bulk, lymphoma-type, treatment-regime, and interim FDG-PET (iPET) status using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cox regression analysis determined the independence of significantly prognostic imaging and clinical features. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients had aggressive NHL and 18 had HL. Mean PFS was 48.5 months. There was no significant difference in pre-treatment CTTA between the lymphoma sub-types. Kaplan-Meier analysis found pre-treatment CTTA (medium feature scale, p=0.010) and iPET status (p<0.001) to be significant predictors of PFS. Cox analysis revealed that an interaction between pre-treatment CTTA and iPET status was the only independent predictor of PFS (HR: 25.5, 95% CI: 5.4-120, p<0.001). Specifically, pre-treatment CTTA risk stratified patients with negative iPET. CONCLUSION: CTTA can potentially provide prognostic information complementary to iPET for patients with HL and aggressive NHL

Candida albicans and Napkin Dermatitis: Relationship and Lesion Severity Correlation

Introduction: Napkin Dermatitis (ND) is a common problem in infancy that affects almost every child during the early months and years of their lifetime. It is a skin disease that becomes a challenge for both parents and physicians because of its frequency and difficulty in eliminating all of the causative factors in diapered infants. Usually Napkin dermatitis is self-limiting but when associated with Candida albicans (C. albicans) seems to be moderate to severe.Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine the colonization of C. albicans in children with Napkin dermatitis and to correlate between intensity of C. albicans colonization and the severity of napkin rash.Patients and Methods: This case-controlled study was conducted at Qassim University pediatric outpatient clinics, during the period from August 2014 to July 2015. Sixty patients with diaper dermatitis and 33 healthy controls were enrolled to this study. Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained from the parents of each participant using questionnaires Paired (stool and skin) samples were collected from all cases and healthy control children. The samples were cultured on differential and selective chromogenic medium for isolation and initial identification of candida species. Identification confirmation of the isolates was determined by the Vitek 2 compact automated system.Results: Diaper dermatitis shows significant outcome to washing diaper area (per day) (P=0.001), History of diarrhea last 7 Days (P˂0.001), skin lab results (+/-) for Candida albicans, (P˂0.001), skin colony count, (P˂0.001), However, there is no correlation to age (P=0.828), gender (P=0.368) and feeding style (P=0.401).Conclusion: The severity score of napkin dermatitis was significantly observed among cases with diaper dermatitis (p-value&lt;0.001) and control children (p-value&lt;0.001) respectively.Keywords: Candida albicans; Napkin dermatitis; Diaper dermatitis; Vitek 2 compact system; Qassim

Knowledge and Attitude of Community Pharmacists Toward Cow Milk Protein Allergy Complications and Treatment in Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Sudan

Zahraa Elrasheed Ali,1 Abdelrahim Elameen,2 Fatima A Fadul,2 Rawan R Babikir,2 Ahmed H Arbab3 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan; 2Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan; 3Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, SudanCorrespondence: Ahmed H Arbab, Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Al-Qasr Ave, 11111, Khartoum, Sudan, Tel +249 991893200, Email [email protected]: Cow’s milk protein allergy is the most frequent type of food allergy in newborns and young children. It affects numerous body systems. A community pharmacist possessing adequate knowledge and appropriate practices is crucial for the management of the disease.Objectives: : This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of community pharmacists toward the complications and treatment of cow milk protein allergy.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 332 randomly selected community pharmacists in the Capital of Sudan (Khartoum state). Data were collected using a validated and internally consistent (Cronbach Alpha = 0.712) self-administered questionnaire Descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis were conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25.Results: The response rate was 95.8%, and about 47.8% of the population had 1– 5 years of experience as community pharmacists, and 37.4% of them had a post-graduate degree. Only 30.8% of respondents had good knowledge, while 40.6% had poor knowledge, and 28.6% had scored as having fair knowledge of complications of Cow’s milk protein allergy. Regarding knowledge toward treatment, 65.1% of respondents had a poor knowledge, 24.5% had fair knowledge, and only 10.4% had good knowledge. Overall, 39.62% of participants had a positive attitude, and 60.38% had a negative attitude toward this disease. Data analysis showed no significant association between the sociodemographic characteristics of respondents and their knowledge and attitude.Conclusion: Community pharmacists in Khartoum State had inadequate knowledge and attitude about the complications and treatment of cow milk protein allergy. As a result, we recommend the implementation of strategies to raise pharmacists’ knowledge and attitude.Keywords: community pharmacist, cow milk protein allergy, knowledge, attitude, Suda

Is Prolonged Sitting a Risk Factor in Developing Hemorrhoids and Anal Fissures?

Background: Anal fissures and hemorrhoids are common anal conditions. They cause significant morbidity, social embarrassment, and work absenteeism. In addition, they form a significant workload on the healthcare system. Nevertheless, the etiology of these conditions is still contentious. It has been observed that hemorrhoids and anal fissures are associated with prolonged sitting. This study aims to investigate this observation.Methods: This is a case–control study. We compared 81 patients with symptomatic and endoscopically proven hemorrhoids and/or anal fissures with 162 controls with no symptoms or endoscopic evidence of perianal disease. The study was conducted at Khartoum North Teaching Hospital (KNTH) endoscopy unit between January and December 2019. Demographic data, sitting hours per day, and endoscopic findings of patients and controls were recorded in a proforma. The cases and controls were matched for age, sex, and bowel habits. Data were analyzed and compared using the SPSS version 23.Results: The mean sitting hours for cases was 5.99 (SD 3.4) whereas that for controls was 4.0 (SD 3.0) with a highly significant difference (P &lt; 0.001). Sitting for 5 hr or more per day (exposure) was associated with an increased risk of developing hemorrhoids and/or anal fissures [odds ratio 3.68, 95% CI: 2.1–6.47].Conclusion: The study showed that sitting down for 5 hr or more per day might increase the risk of developing hemorrhoids and/or anal fissures. This finding could help in the prevention and treatment of these diseases and the reduction of recurrences

Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring in Cardiogenic Shock Is Associated With Lower In-Hospital Mortality

Background: There is increasing utilization of cardiogenic shock treatment algorithms. The cornerstone of these algorithms is the use of invasive hemodynamic monitoring (IHM). We sought to compare the in-hospital outcomes in patients who received IHM versus no IHM in a real-world contemporary database. Methods and Results Patients with cardiogenic shock admitted during October 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018, were identified from the National Inpatient Sample. Among this group, we compared the outcomes among patients who received IHM versus no IHM. The primary end point was in-hospital mortality. Secondary end points included vascular complications, major bleeding, need for renal replacement therapy, length of stay, cost of hospitalization, and rate of utilization of left ventricular assist devices and heart transplantation. Propensity score matching was used for covariate adjustment. A total of 394 635 (IHM=62 565; no IHM=332 070) patients were included. After propensity score matching, 2 well-matched groups were compared (IHM=62 220; no IHM=62 220). The IHM group had lower in-hospital mortality (24.1% versus 30.6%, P\u3c0.01), higher percentages of left ventricular assist devices (4.4% versus 1.3%, P\u3c0.01) and heart transplantation (1.3% versus 0.7%, P\u3c0.01) utilization, longer length of hospitalization and higher costs. There was no difference between the 2 groups in terms of vascular complications, major bleeding, and the need for renal replacement therapy. Conclusions: Among patients with cardiogenic shock, the use of IHM is associated with a reduction in in-hospital mortality and increased utilization of advanced heart failure therapies. Due to the observational nature of the current study, the results should be considered hypothesis-generating, and future prospective studies confirming these findings are needed

The influence of multimedia in teaching languages - Arabic language as a study

Modern technologies today have become the basis of human life, and their uses have reached all areas of life. The use of modern technologies has also been greatly employed in education, especially in language learning. The Arabic language is one of the most important languages that native speakers and non-native speakers are interested in learning. Teaching languages using modern technologies and multimedia included all aspects of language such as composition, classification, classrooms and teaching methods. The aim of the study is to highlight the importance of modern educational technologies and multimedia in the field of Arabic language teaching and make it an important and indispensable basis for teaching Arabic and an integral part of the mechanisms used in teaching Arabic and a role model in its teaching methods

Modular multilevel converter-based microgrid : a critical review

Recently, the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) has drawn significant attention due to its diverse merits and its applicability to a wide range of medium to high-power applications. The growing interest in the MMC can be attributed to its attractive features such as modularity, reliability, and high voltage capability. Significant research has been conducted on the MMC over the last few years to develop its operation and control in various applications. However, the application of MMCs in microgrids remains a largely unexplored topic. Therefore, this paper aims to address this research gap by offering an in-depth review of the latest developments concerning circuit topologies, control schemes, and fault-tolerance strategies of MMC within microgrid applications. This comprehensive review not only provides a synthesized overview of the current state of the art but also paves the way for future investigations in this promising field. The outcomes from this study are expected to stimulate further advancements in MMC applications in microgrid systems, thus contributing to the continuous improvement and evolution of microgrids.University of Sharjahhttps://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=6287639Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineerin