Consumption inequality and inflation differentials among different income groups in Egypt

One of the dilemmas about inequality in Egypt is that perception of inequality has always exceeded actual measures of inequality. Egyptians have long called for more equal income distribution while Gini coefficient according to income figures has maintained its same magnitude ranging from 37.8 percent to 36.6 percent in the last decade (World Bank, 2012). One claim to explain this puzzle is that inequality directly impacts on welfare; people feeling worse off compared to the rest of the economy. When it comes to welfare, consumption captures people utility better than income does. Using consumption expenditure data from different waves of Household Income and Consumption survey 1999-2013, this thesis investigates consumption inequality among different income groups in Egypt and found an improvement in consumption inequality overtime. In addition, we examine to what extent does inflation affect different income groups in Egypt. We find that differences in baskets of goods consumed, perceptions of necessities and luxuries and the fact that people do not pay the same prices for the same goods weaken CPI power in estimating the average consumer\u27s cost of living. More accurate weighting for different consumption baskets based on income groups used throughout the thesis show statistically significant different inflation rates. One policy recommendation is to improve indexation policies because the lower income groups burden a proportional share of inflation

Fonctions de la phospholipase D et des récepteurs de la prostaglandine PGE2 durant la maturation des ostéoblastes, le processus de la minéralisation physiologique et la calcification cardiovasculaire

Lipid metabolism affects the maturation and the differentiation of bone cells. The aim of my PhD thesis is to explore two unknown sides of lipid metabolism which are the actions of phospholipase D (PLD) and those of prostaglandin PGE2 receptors during cell differentiation. Human lineage, Saos-2 cells and primary osteoblasts from calvaria of mice were used as cellular models of physiological mineralization. The ex vivo aorta culture under hyperphosphatemia conditions has been used to reproduce the calcification of the aorta, which is an ex vivo model of cardiovascular calcification (CVC). We showed that the expression and the activity of PLD increased in Saos-2 and primary osteoblasts after the fifth day of differentiation while in the aorta under hyperphosphatemia condition, PLD activity increased at the end of the sixth day. PLD inhibitors decreased the activity of alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) in osteoblasts and in calcified aorta while the overexpression of PLD1 in the Saos-2 increased it. In the second part of this work, we monitored the variation of the expression of PGE2 receptors during the maturation of Saos-2 cells. The EP3 gene expression increased in the late stage of the mineralization while that of EP4 decreased. In conclusion, these results indicated that the PLD activity by affecting the activity of TNAP could modulate the physiological mineralization and CVC. We showed that the mineralization is dependent of the change of the expression of PGE2 receptors in Saos-2 cellsLe métabolisme lipidique affecte la maturation et la différenciation des cellules osseuses. L'objectif de ma thèse est d'approfondir deux aspects du métabolisme lipidique mal connus, soit les actions de la phospholipase D (PLD) et celles des récepteurs de prostaglandine PGE2 pendant la différenciation des cellules. Une lignée humaine, les Saos-2 et les ostéoblastes primaires issus de calvaria de souriceaux ont servi de modèles cellulaires de la minéralisation physiologique. La culture d'aorte ex vivo sous des conditions d'hyperphosphatémie a été utilisée pour reproduire la calcification de l'aorte qui est un modèle ex vivo de calcification cardiovasculaire (CCV). Nous avons montré que l'expression et l'activité de la PLD augmentent dans les Saos-2 et les ostéoblastes primaires au bout du 5ème jour de la différenciation tandis qu'elles s'accroissent au bout du 6ème jour de traitement de l'aorte dans un milieu d'hyperphosphatémie. Les inhibiteurs de PLD diminuent l'activité de phosphatase alcaline (TNAP) dans les ostéoblastes et dans l'aorte calcifiée tandis que la surexpression de la PLD1 dans les Saos-2 l'augmente. Dans une deuxième partie de ce travail, nous avons suivi la variation d'expression des récepteurs de PGE2 au cours de la maturation des Saos-2. L'expression du gène EP3 augmente au stade tardif de la minéralisation tandis que celle d'EP4 diminue. Pour conclure, ces résultats indiquent que l'activité de la PLD en affectant l'activité de la TNAP pourrait moduler finement la minéralisation physiologique et la CCV et que la minéralisation s'accompagne d'un changement d'expression des récepteurs de PGE2, dans les Saos-

Hypoglossal Facial Nerve Anastomosis for Post-Operative and Post-Traumatic Complete Facial Nerve Paralysis

AIM: This study aims to evaluate the outcome of patients with complete facial paralysis following surgery to cerebellopontine angle tumours or following traumatic petrous bone fractures after reanimation by hypoglossal-facial anastomosis as regards clinical improvement of facial asymmetry and facial muscle contractility as well as complications associated with hypoglossal-facial reanimation procedure. METHODS: This thesis included a prospective study to be carried out on 15 patients with unilateral complete lower motor neuron facial paralysis (11 patients after cerebellopontine angle tumour resection and 4 patients after traumatic transverse petrous bone fracture) operated upon by end to end hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis in Cairo university hospitals in the period between June 2015 and January 2017. RESULTS: At one year follow up the improvement of facial nerve functions were as follows: Three cases (20%) had improved to House Hrackmann grade II, eleven cases (73.33%) had improved to grade III, and one patient (6.66%) had improved to House Brackmann grade IV. CONCLUSION: Despite the various techniques in facial reanimation following facial nerve paralysis, the end to end hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis remains the gold standard procedure with satisfying results in cases of the viable distal facial stump and non-atrophic muscles. Early hypoglossal-facial anastomotic repair after acute facial nerve injury is associated with better long-term facial function outcomes and should be considered in the management algorithm

WHEATGRASS JUICE AND ITS NUTRITIONAL VALUE AS AFFECTED BY SPROUTING CONDITION

Wheatgrass juice is the young grass of the common wheat plant (Triticum aestivum) freshly juiced for human consumption. The objective of the investigation performed was to assess the nutritional value of wheatgrass juice under laboratory and open field conditions at two different cuts. Protein, chlorophyll contents, minerals content (Ca, Fe, Mg, Zn and Se) and amino acids content as well as phytochemical constituents were determined. Grown wheatgrass at laboratory caused an increase of the protein content of its juice over open field condition. High chlorophyll content was observed under open field especially at second cut. Most of minerals content underwent to increase under open field except Mg content. Aspartic acid was recorded the highest amino acid in both laboratory and open field. Total essential amino acids were increased under open field condition at both first and second cut followed by first cut at laboratory. No big changes of natural phytochemicals constituents can shown between laboratory and open field condition while it was more pronounced compare with wheat seeds. The study suggested that sprouting wheat seeds at laboratory and open field improve the nutritional value of grass juice with preferably to laboratory condition especially at first cut and for saving agricultural land

Melasma and Associated Factors in Arar City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

Melasma is a common dermatological disorder characterized by irregular brownish patches with unclear etiology and a variety of factors may be associated with its occurrence. Melasma patients suffer significant emotional and psychological problems making assessment of their quality of life is increasingly necessary. Aim of the study: This study was conducted to identify the frequency and factors associated with occurrence of Melasma in in Arar, KSA and its effect on some determinant of quality of life in the affected patients. Subjects and methods: A population based cross sectional study was conducted from January 2016 to January 2017. It included 470 individuals attended five randomly selected primary healthcare centers in Arar city in the Northern Province of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and were selected by systemic random sampling. Data were collected by means of personal interview with the sampled population using a predesigned questionnaire. Results: Findings revealed that18.7 % of the studied population suffered from Melasma. Age and positive family history were significantly associated with the development of Melasma among the studied patients while gender, skin color, sun exposure and cosmetic use had no significant effect. Most of the studied determinants of quality of life were not affected by suffering from Melasma while lack of self-confidence was significantly associated with the presence of Melasma. Conclusion: less than on fifth (18.7%) of the studied patients suffered from Melasma. Age and positive family history are the most common associations. Melasma had a significant impact on self-confidence of the affected patients.Keywords: Melasma, risk factor, quality of life

Genus Salsola : chemistry, biological activities and future prospective-a review

The genus Salsola L. (Russian thistle, Saltwort) includes halophyte plants and is considered one of the largest genera in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus involves annual semi-dwarf to dwarf shrubs and woody tree. The genus Salsola is frequently overlooked, and few people are aware of its significance. The majority of studies focus on pollen morphology and species identification. Salsola has had little research on its phytochemical makeup or biological effects. Therefore, we present this review to cover all aspects of genus Salsola, including taxonomy, distribution, differences in the chemical constituents and representative examples of isolated compounds produced by various species of genus Salsola and in relation to their several reported biological activities for use in folk medicine worldwide

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London