Qualitative Study to Assess Plastic Packaging Materials in Gezira State, Sudan

This study was conducted to assess the quality and safe descriptions of the commercial plastic packaging materials produced in Sudan, which are used for filling, preserving and packaging foodstuffs. A total of 144 plastic samples were collected randomly from a local market in Wad-Medan town, central Sudan. Some of the physical properties of plastic samples were determined. The results shown that overall mean values of thickness ranged between 60.7±7.6 µm and density between 0.084 ± 0.044 mg/cm³ is higher and lower, respectively, when compared with those of plastic packaging materials manufactured in Sudan. In addition, the descriptions of the commercial plastic packaging materials have not been labeled with symbol code numbers and safety symbol as recommended for plastic materials and articles manufactured in the European Union and United States of American countries

Disappearance of Azoxystrobin and difenoconazole in green beans cultivated in Souss Massa valley (Morocco)

A study was undertaken to evaluate the degradation behavior and residue levels of azoxystrobin and difenoconazole in Belma green beans variety grown in an experimental plastic greenhouse. The measurements were made over a 3 week period in which up to two successive treatments with azoxystrobin and a 5 week period in which up to two successive treatments with difenoconazole were carried out. Residue levels of dicofol and difenoconazole were determined by Gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD), liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), solid phase extraction (SPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). During the study, residue levels in the plantation ranged between 0.35 and 0.01 mg/kg for azoxystrobin and between 0.25 and 0.01 mg/kg for difenoconazole. The residual concentrations after the preharvest intervals (PHI) were below the legal limits

Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in Eastern Mediterranean region: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the costly challenges in the health field. Despite the individual studies in the Eastern Mediterranean, there is no comprehensive study in this regard. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of GDM in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Methods: In this meta-analysis and systematic review, three international databases (PubMed, Web of science and Scopus) were searched from inception until 30 December 2018. The Hui tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Results: Thirty-three studies performed on 887166 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Based on the results of random effect method, the overall prevalence of GDM was 11.7%. Between six country with have three or more study, pooled prevalence for Saudi Arabi it was 3.6 times more than Israel (17.6 vs. 4.9%), and for Pakistan, Qatar, Bahrain and Iran were 15.3%, 14.7%, 12.2%, and 8.6%, respectively. Conclusion: Despite the high diversity of methods, the results of the present study indicate a high prevalence of GDM in the Eastern Mediterranean region, indicating more policymakers’ interest in timely screening and proper management

Flow and magnetic structures in a kinematic ABC-dynamo

Dynamo theory describes the magnetic field induced by the rotating, convecting and electrically conducting fluid in a celestial body. The classical ABC-flow model represents fast dynamo action, required to sustain such a magnetic field. In this letter, Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) in the ABC-flow are detected through Finite-time Lyapunov exponents (FTLE). The flow skeleton is identified by extracting intersections between repelling and attracting LCSs. For the case A = B = C = 1, the skeleton structures are made up from lines connecting two different types of stagnation points in the ABC-flow. The corresponding kinematic ABC-dynamo problem is solved using a spectral method, and the distribution of cigar-like magnetic structures visualized. Inherent links are found to exist between LCSs in the ABC-flow and induced magnetic structures, which provides insight into the mechanism behind the ABC-dynamo

Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease in Iranian General Population: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CKD in the Iranian general population. In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, international (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google scholar) and national databases (SID, Magiran) were searched until December 30, 2017. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Hoy instrument. Out of 1170 initial studies, 9 studies with a total of 70605 participants were included in the final stage of this study. Based on the results of the random effect method (95 CI), the overall prevalence of chronic kidney disease in 70605 people was 15.14 (I2=99.77). The prevalence of CKD in female patients (18.80) was 1.7 times higher than in male patients (10.83). The results of the present study indicate a higher than the global average prevalence of CKD in Iran and the need for additional attention of policy makers on better planning for control and implementation of screening programs in high-risk populations, such as patients with hypertension and diabetes. © 2018 International Society for Apheresis, Japanese Society for Apheresis, and Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy