Sequence stratigraphic evolution of The post-rift MEGASEQUENCE in The northern part of The Nile Delta basin, Egypt

The stratigraphic succession of the subsurface Pliocene-Quaternary post-rift megasequence in the north-central part of the Nile Delta includes the rock units; Kafr El-Sheikh Formation (Early-Middle Pliocene), El- Wastani Formation (Late Pliocene), Mit-Ghamr and Bilqas formations (Quaternary). These rock units were analyzed according to the sequence stratigraphic principles to construct their stratigraphic architecture and discuss the depositional events influencing their evolution. Accordingly, seven 3rd order depositional sequences were encountered, of which six 3rd order seismic depositional sequences (sequences 1–6) are found in the Early–Middle Pliocene Kafr El-Sheikh Formation, whereas sequence-7 includes the Quaternary rock units. Sequences 1 and 7 were further subdivided, on the basis of high-resolution sequence stratigraphy into 8 and 11 4th order subsequences respectively. The results of the sequence stratigraphic analyses suggested that the depositional evolution of the examined Pliocene-Quaternary megasequence represents a complete prograding depositional phase during the Nile Delta history. The lower part of Kafr El-Sheikh Formation (sequences 1, 2, 3 and 4) was deposited as a thick outer marine shelf succession over which the younger rock units were deposited. However, the depositional sequences 5 & 6 of Kafr El-Sheikh Formation and the lower parts of El-Wastani Formations may indicate a deposition within active prograding prodelta sub-aqueous deltaic-subenvironments. The upper parts of El-Wastani Formation were deposited as a constructive delta-front pushing its way northward. The Pleistocene Mit-Ghamr Formation was evolved as a direct result of a huge fluvial input, organized as coalescing laterally extensive sand-rich bars. These were laid-down by active fluvial distributary streams that dominated the delta plain as the final phases of the present deltaic subaqueous environments

Epidemiological Pattern and Management of Pediatric Asthma Review of Ain Shams Pediatric Hospital Chest Clinic Data Cairo, Egypt 1995-2004

Background: Pediatric asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in childhood and has an impact on child's quality of life. Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical data of asthmatic children followed up in the Pediatric Chest Clinic Ain Shams University during a 10 year period. Methods: Files of asthmatic children attending the Clinic in the period from1995 to 2004 were selected. Relevant data were extracted and analyzed. Results: Out of 1006 recorded cases, a total of 691 (68.7%) were asthmatic. The proportion of asthmatics among all chest patients attending the clinic was lowest in 2002 being 51.6% and highest in 1995, being 78.3%. Male to female ratio was1.6:1, mean age was 5.27 yrs (SD ±3.65), mean age of onset of disease was 1.84 yrs (SD ± 2.78). Persistent asthma was significantly more prevalent in males p < 0.01. Severe asthma; using the American Thoracic Society Classification, was found in 151 (41.1%) of cases. From 2002, using GINA Guidelines Classification, severe persistent asthma accounted for 13.5%. Episodic attacks were reported by 270 (39%) of patients, nocturnal attacks by 302 of patients (43.7%) and exercise induced asthma in 97 (14%) of patients. Exacerbations occurred in 300 (43.4%) patients after respiratory infections, in 275 (39.8%) on exposure to smoke, in 139 (20%) with special food, in 91 (13.2%) following allergen exposure and 51 (7.4%) on exposure to inhaler sprays. Half of the patients were treated by combination of drugs (49.2%), corticosteroid inhalers in 32.1%, and ß agonists (short acting) in 31.4%. Conclusion & recommendations: Asthma constitutes a main problem in the Pediatric Chest Clinic. Respiratory infection and environmental factors are major exacerbating factors. Better documentation of patient's data and complete record in the files is needed.Keywords: pediatric asthma, epidemiology, pattern, chest clinic, hospital filesEgypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2008; 6(2): 51-5

A Saas-Based Approach in an E-Learning System

In the United States schools in the K12 School System, that provide education for primary, junior and senior high school students, are moving toward information systems to solve and automate some manual processes performed in these schools. With this movement, and the pressure on schools to use technology to improve student achievement, many schools are turning to learning management systems as a way to enhance student learning. Recent surveys show that K-12 online learning is a rapidly growing phenomenon. Also, many states in the United States, including Michigan, require an online experience for all graduates. Due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) there has been a shift towards web applications in some E-Business systems. Another shift is in the way software is being delivered to the end-user, namely using the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. System integration is part of the huge challenge facing K12 schools in small and large school districts. Not having an integrated system is causing schools many tribulations, such as inconsistent data, duplicate manual data entry, and extra time needed to manage user accounts, and non-productive time spent on technical support. In addition, the task of maintaining the individual systems is time consuming. Despite the potential advantages, these systems can bring challenges to schools’ existing architecture. This research paper focuses on a comprehensive and innovative solution based on a conceptual framework and utilizing Web 2.0 technologies. The aim with the research project was to design a conceptual architecture for next generation of education system (E-Education 2.0), based on open source and Web 2.0 technologies, and utilizing cloud computing. This proposed solution has involved an analysis of all the business and information technology systems in the K12 environment. The solution also addresses the concerns of stakeholders by utilizing an integrated enterprise architecture, and when implemented would result in a cost effective, adaptable and scalable E-learning System. Teachers will be able to integrate information technology based features into the curriculum. Furthermore, the proposed solution provides a clear roadmap of how to transition existing individual systems into one integrated system, based on SaaS and PaaS technologies. The introduction of E-learning management systems into the mainstream K12 schools is expected to solve some of the problems in this education sector, but poses challenges such as systems integration of existing architectures. While SaaS has been widely used and adopted in several countries, there are still barriers to entry in developing countries

Neuronal intermediate filament IgGs in CSF: Autoimmune Axonopathy Biomarkers

Objectives: To describe CSF-defined neuronal intermediate filament (NIF) autoimmunity. Methods: NIF-IgG CSF-positive patients (41, 0.03% of 118599 tested, 1996-2019) were included (serum was neither sensitive nor specific). Criteria-based patient NIF-IgG staining of brain and myenteric NIFs was detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA); NIF-specificity was confirmed by cell-based assays (CBAs, alpha internexin, neurofilament light [NF-L]), heavy-[NF-H] chain). Results: Sixty-one percent of 41 patients were men, median age, 61 years (range, 21-88). Syndromes were encephalopathy predominant (23), cerebellar ataxia predominant (11), or myeloradiculoneuropathies (7). MRI abnormalities (T2 hyperintensities of brain, spinal cord white matter tracts. and peripheral nerve axons) and neurophysiologic testing (EEG, EMG, evoked potentials) co-localized with clinical neurological phenotypes (multifocal in 29%). Thirty patients (73%) had 65 1 immunological perturbation: cancer (paraneoplastic), 22; systemic infection (parainfectious [including ehrlichosis, 3] or HIV), 7; checkpoint-inhibitor cancer immunotherapy, 4; other, 5. Cancers were as follows: neuroendocrine-lineage carcinomas, 12 (small cell, 6; Merkel cell, 5; pancreatic, 1 [11/12 had NF-L-IgG detected, versus 8/29 others, P = 0.0005]) and other, 11. Onset was predominantly subacute (92%) and accompanied by inflammatory CSF (75%), and immunotherapy response (77%). In contrast, CSF controls (15684 total) demonstrated NIF-IgG negativity (100% of test validation controls), and low frequencies of autoimmune diagnoses (20% of consecutively referred clinical specimens) and neuroendocrine-lineage carcinoma diagnosis (3.1% vs. 30% of NIF cases), P < 0.0001. Median NF-L protein concentration was higher in 8 NF-L-IgG-positive patients (median, 6718 ng/L) than 16 controls. Interpretation: Neurological autoimmunity, defined by CSF-detected NIF-IgGs, represents a continuum of treatable axonopathies, sometimes paraneoplastic or parainfectious

Functional Folate Receptor Alpha Is Elevated in the Blood of Ovarian Cancer Patients

Background Despite low incidence, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths and it has the highest mortality rate of all gynecologic malignancies among US women. The mortality rate would be reduced with an early detection marker. The folate receptor alpha (FRα) is one logical choice for a biomarker because of its prevalent overexpression in ovarian cancer and its exclusive expression in only a few normal tissues. In prior work, it was observed that patients with ovarian cancer had elevated serum levels of a protein that bound to a FRα-specific monoclonal antibody relative to healthy individuals. However, it was not shown that the protein detected was intact functional FRα. In the current study, the goal was to determine whether ovarian cancer patients (n = 30) had elevated serum levels of a fully functional intact FRα compared to matched healthy controls (n = 30). Methodology/Principal Findings FRα levels in serum were analyzed by two methods, immunoblotting analysis and a radiolabeled folic acid-based microfiltration binding assay. Using the immunoassay, we observed that levels of FRα were higher in serum of ovarian cancer patients as compared to controls. Similar results were also observed using the microfiltration binding assay, which showed that the circulating FRα is functional. Importantly, we also found that the levels of FRα were comparable between early and advanced stage patients. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that ovarian cancer patients have elevated levels of functional intact FRα. These findings support the potential use of circulating FRα as a biomarker of early ovarian cancer

Enhancing life effectiveness skills: Impacts of length of program in outdoor education camp / Muhammad Wafi A. Rahman … [et al.]

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of length of outdoor education program on life effectiveness skills among two public universities students in Malaysia. Life Effectiveness Questionnaire (LEQ-H) was administrated among 256 participants who were chosen as a sample by using purposive sampling. The data were analysed using MANOVA analysis. The result showed that there was a statistically significant difference for overall psychological factor of life effectiveness on length of program for both universities outdoor education program. The implication of the findings provides evidence on the effectiveness duration of outdoor education program in improving students’ life effectiveness. This study provides useful input for Ministry of Higher Education, universities and outdoor. education practitioners. This study also provides an empirical data for future study in this field

Magnetic resonance imaging pattern recognition in childhood bilateral basal ganglia disorders

Bilateral basal ganglia abnormalities on MRI are observed in a wide variety of childhood disorders. MRI pattern recognition can enable rationalization of investigations and also complement clinical and molecular findings, particularly confirming genomic findings and also enabling new gene discovery. A pattern recognition approach in children with bilateral basal ganglia abnormalities on brain MRI was undertaken in this international multicentre cohort study. Three hundred and five MRI scans belonging to 201 children with 34 different disorders were rated using a standard radiological scoring proforma. In addition, literature review on MRI patterns was undertaken in these 34 disorders and 59 additional disorders reported with bilateral basal ganglia MRI abnormalities. Cluster analysis on first MRI findings from the study cohort grouped them into four clusters: Cluster 1—T2-weighted hyperintensities in the putamen; Cluster 2—T2-weighted hyperintensities or increased MRI susceptibility in the globus pallidus; Cluster 3—T2-weighted hyperintensities in the globus pallidus, brainstem and cerebellum with diffusion restriction; Cluster 4—T1-weighted hyperintensities in the basal ganglia. The 34 diagnostic categories included in this study showed dominant clustering in one of the above four clusters. Inflammatory disorders grouped together in Cluster 1. Mitochondrial and other neurometabolic disorders were distributed across clusters 1, 2 and 3, according to lesions dominantly affecting the striatum (Cluster 1: glutaric aciduria type 1, propionic acidaemia, 3-methylglutaconic aciduria with deafness, encephalopathy and Leigh-like syndrome and thiamine responsive basal ganglia disease associated with SLC19A3), pallidum (Cluster 2: methylmalonic acidaemia, Kearns Sayre syndrome, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency) or pallidum, brainstem and cerebellum (Cluster 3: vigabatrin toxicity, Krabbe disease). The Cluster 4 pattern was exemplified by distinct T1-weighted hyperintensities in the basal ganglia and other brain regions in genetically determined hypermanganesemia due to SLC39A14 and SLC30A10. Within the clusters, distinctive basal ganglia MRI patterns were noted in acquired disorders such as cerebral palsy due to hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy in full-term babies, kernicterus and vigabatrin toxicity and in rare genetic disorders such as 3-methylglutaconic aciduria with deafness, encephalopathy and Leigh-like syndrome, thiamine responsive basal ganglia disease, pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration, TUBB4A and hypermanganesemia. Integrated findings from the study cohort and literature review were used to propose a diagnostic algorithm to approach bilateral basal ganglia abnormalities on MRI. After integrating clinical summaries and MRI findings from the literature review, we developed a prototypic decision-making electronic tool to be tested using further cohorts and clinical practice

Vaccination Targeting a Surface Sialidase of P. acnes: Implication for New Treatment of Acne Vulgaris

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris afflicts more than fifty million people in the United State and the severity of this disorder is associated with the immune response to Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes). Systemic therapies for acne target P. acnes using antibiotics, or target the follicle with retinoids such as isotretinoin. The latter systemic treatment is highly effective but also carries a risk of side effects including immune imbalance, hyperlipidemia, and teratogenicity. Despite substantial research into potential new therapies for this common disease, vaccines against acne vulgaris are not yet available. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here we create an acne vaccine targeting a cell wall-anchored sialidase of P. acnes. The importance of sialidase to disease pathogenesis is shown by treatment of a human sebocyte cell line with recombinant sialidase that increased susceptibility to P. acnes cytotoxicity and adhesion. Mice immunized with sialidase elicit a detectable antibody; the anti-sialidase serum effectively neutralized the cytotoxicity of P. acnes in vitro and P. acnes-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) production in human sebocytes. Furthermore, the sialidase-immunized mice provided protective immunity against P. acnes in vivo as this treatment blocked an increase in ear thickness and release of pro-inflammatory macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP-2) cytokine. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated that acne vaccines open novel therapeutic avenues for acne vulgaris and other P. acnes-associated diseases

Manufacture Techniques of Chitosan-Based Microcapsules to Enhance Functional Properties of Textiles

In recent years, the textile industry has been moving to novel concepts of products, which could deliver to the user, improved performances. Such smart textiles have been proven to have the potential to integrate within a commodity garment advanced feature and functional properties of different kinds. Among those functionalities, considerable interest has been played in functionalizing commodity garments in order to make them positively interact with the human body and therefore being beneficial to the user health. This kind of functionalization generally exploits biopolymers, a class of materials that possess peculiar properties such as biocompatibility and biodegradability that make them suitable for bio-functional textile production. In the context of biopolymer chitosan has been proved to be an excellent potential candidate for this kind of application given its abundant availability and its chemical properties that it positively interacts with biological tissue. Notwithstanding the high potential of chitosan-based technologies in the textile sectors, several issues limit the large-scale production of such innovative garments. In facts the morphologies of chitosan structures should be optimized in order to make them better exploit the biological activity; moreover a suitable process for the application of chitosan structures to the textile must be designed. The application process should indeed not only allow an effective and durable fixation of chitosan to textile but also comply with environmental rules concerning pollution emission and utilization of harmful substances. This chapter reviews the use of microencapsulation technique as an approach to effectively apply chitosan to the textile material while overcoming the significant limitations of finishing processes. The assembly of chitosan macromolecules into microcapsules was proved to boost the biological properties of the polymer thanks to a considerable increase in the surface area available for interactions with the living tissues. Moreover, the incorporation of different active substances into chitosan shells allows the design of multifunctional materials that effectively combine core and shell properties. Based on the kind of substances to be incorporated, several encapsulation processes have been developed. The literature evidences how the proper choices concerning encapsulation technology, chemical formulations, and process parameter allow tuning the properties and the performances of the obtained microcapsules. Furthermore, the microcapsules based finishing process have been reviewed evidencing how the microcapsules morphology can positively interact with textile substrate allowing an improvement in the durability of the treatment. The application of the chitosan shelled microcapsules was proved to be capable of imparting different functionalities to textile substrates opening possibilities for a new generation of garments with improved performances and with the potential of protecting the user from multiple harms. Lastly, a continuous interest was observed in improving the process and formulation design in order to avoid the usage of toxic substances, therefore, complying with an environmentally friendly approach