Designing an Arabic Handwritten Segmentation System

The greatest difficulty facing the recognition of Arabic handwritten words is segmentation, because Arabic handwriting is cursive with complex multi-form styles. Hence, intensive research efforts are needed to reach an effective Arabic handwriting segmentation system. This paper presents a system which uses morphological features of the Arabic characters for segmentation. The proposed system segments non-overlapped (horizontally connected -e.g. "حسن") as well as overlapped (vertically connected - e.g. "نجد") characters. The result is not very good one. However, it arrives at good directives for more research. As the writing was freely without any restrictions, both over-segmentation and under-segmentation problems affect the system.

Six Cases of Fungal Peritonitis Complicating Peritoneal Dialysis in a Single Center in Sudan

Introduction: A national program of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) has only recently been established in Sudan. In the head center of this national program, six of the 67 peritonitis episodes that were diagnosed during its 30 months of function were fungal in origin (9% of all episodes, 0.12 episode per year at risk). Here we describe the clinical features, predisposing factors, and outcomes of these six cases. Case series: Clinical presentation of fungal peritonitis did not differ from other cases of peritonitis. Among the six cases that were diagnosed in our center, five cases were due to Candida species and only one was due to Aspergillus. All patients had received antibiotic therapy within one month of diagnosing fungal peritonitis; five of them had received intraperitoneal (IP) antibiotics for a previous episode of bacterial peritonitis and one patient had received a course of oral antibiotics for exit site infection. Two of the patients were diabetic. All patients were treated with oral fluconazole, 200 mg daily, for three weeks, and all had their dialysis catheter removed. One patient died, and the others were transferred permanently to hemodialysis (HD). Two patients developed encysted intra-abdominal fluid collections 15 and 48 days after catheter removal. Conclusion: Fugal peritonitis complicating CAPD is not uncommon in our center, which serves a major portion of the CAPD population in the Sudan. Most patients responded to oral fluconazole treatment and catheter removal, but two of them suffered from late complications. Keywords: fungal peritonitis, peritoneal dialysis, Suda

Encysted Fluid Collections after Catheter Removal for Peritonitis in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Introduction: Peritonitis is a frequent complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). This case series describes episodes of peritoneal dialysis (PD) related fungal or Pseudomonas peritonitis that were complicated by the formation of encysted intra abdominal fluid collections despite prompt catheter removal and appropriate therapy. Case series: The first patient presented with fever and abdominal pain two weeks after removing his PD catheter because of fungal peritonitis. Examination revealed fluid collection in the former catheter tunnel. This turned out to be pus on surgical drainage. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed another extensive encysted extra-peritoneal fluid collection that was aspirated and found to be clear transudate fluid. The second patient presented with abdominal pain and distention seven weeks after removing her PD catheter because of fungal peritonitis. She had a large intra abdominal encysted fluid collection that was drained under ultra sound guidance. The third patient presented with painless abdominal distention one month after removing the PD catheter because of Pseudomonas peritonitis. He had two encysted extra peritoneal fluid collections that were aspirated under ultra sound guidance. This occurred despite three weeks of treatment with oral fluconazole in the case of the first two patients and appropriate antibiotic therapy in the case of the third patient. Key Words: CAPD, Fungal peritonitis, Pseudomonas peritonitis, Encysted abdominal fluid collection, Suda

Tetra­kis-μ-l-alanine-κ8 O:O′-bis­[tetra­aqua­terbium(III)] hexa­perchlorate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Tb2(C3H7NO2)4(H2O)8](ClO4)6, contains a dinuclear cation and six perchlorate anions, one of which is disordered. In the cation, the four l-alanine mol­ecules are present in their zwitterionic form and bridge two Tb3+ ions through their carboxyl­ate O atoms. Each Tb atom is also coordinated by four water mol­ecules in a square-anti­prismatic geometry. In the crystal structure, the cations and anions are held together via inter­molecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Y Chromosome Lineage- and Village-Specific Genes on Chromosomes 1p22 and 6q27 Control Visceral Leishmaniasis in Sudan

Familial clustering and ethnic differences suggest that visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani is under genetic control. A recent genome scan provided evidence for a major susceptibility gene on Chromosome 22q12 in the Aringa ethnic group in Sudan. We now report a genome-wide scan using 69 families with 173 affected relatives from two villages occupied by the related Masalit ethnic group. A primary ten-centimorgan scan followed by refined mapping provided evidence for major loci at 1p22 (LOD score 5.65; nominal p = 1.72 × 10(−7); empirical p < 1 × 10(−5); λ(S) = 5.1) and 6q27 (LOD score 3.74; nominal p = 1.68 × 10(−5); empirical p < 1 × 10(−4); λ(S) = 2.3) that were Y chromosome–lineage and village-specific. Neither village supported a visceral leishmaniasis susceptibility gene on 22q12. The results suggest strong lineage-specific genes due to founder effect and consanguinity in these recently immigrant populations. These chance events in ethnically uniform African populations provide a powerful resource in the search for genes and mechanisms that regulate this complex disease

Treatment-Based Strategy for the Management of Post-Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis Patients in the Sudan

Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a dermatosis that affects more than 50% of successfully treated visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients in Sudan. PKDL is considered an important reservoir for the parasite and its treatment may help in the control of VL. Currently, treatment is mainly with sodium stibogluconate (SSG), an expensive and fairly toxic drug and without universally in treatment protocols used. A literature review, a consensus of a panel of experts, and unpublished data formed the basis for the development of guidelines for the treatment of PKDL in the Sudan. Six treatment modalities were evaluated. Experts were asked to justify their choices based on their experience regarding of drug safety, efficacy, availability, and cost. The consensus was defined by assigning a categorical rank (first line, second line, third line) to each option. Regarding the use of AmBisome the presence of the drug in the skin was confirmed in smears from PKDL lesions. Recommendations: AmBisome at 2.5 mg/kg/day/20 days or SSG at 20 mg/kg/day/40 days plus four/weekly intradermal injection of alum-precipitated autoclave L. major vaccine are suggested as first-and second-treatment options for PKDL in the Sudan, respectively. SSG at 20 mg/Kg/day/60 or more days can be used if other options are not available