Allergen-specific immunotherapy in children

Egypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2012;10(2):55-6

Effect of Designing and Implementing Nursing Guidelines on Nurses' Performance in Caring Women with Ectopic Pregnancy

Context: Ectopic pregnancy is a condition presenting a significant health problem for women of the childbearing period. Ectopic pregnancy remains one of the primary causes of maternal mortality. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of nursing guidelines for improving maternity nurses' performance regarding ectopic pregnancy. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to achieve the aim of the study. The study was conducted at Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Benha University Hospital. A convenient sample of all nurses (90 nurses) working in Obstetrics and Gynecology departments at Benha university hospital. Tools of data collection included a structured self-administered questionnaire to assess nurses' knowledge regarding ectopic pregnancy, an observational checklist to evaluate nursing practice regarding ectopic pregnancy before and after implementing the nursing guidelines. Results: 78.9% of the studied nurses had a total incorrect knowledge preprogram, which improved to 88.9% of them and had correct knowledge post-program. The study also shows that 47.2% of the studied nurses had unsatisfactory total practice score preprogram, which improved to 54.4% of the studied nurses who had high satisfactory total practice post-program. There was a highly statistically significant difference before and after nursing guidelines of the studied nurses’ knowledge and practice regarding ectopic pregnancy (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: The study concluded that nursing guidelines positively affect the nurses' performance in terms of their knowledge and practice regarding ectopic pregnancy. The study recommended that simple guidelines regarding ectopic pregnancy nursing care should be distributed to nurses in the emergency obstetrics department to standardize and optimize nursing care provided to women with ectopic pregnancies. Continuous refreshment courses and follows up programs for nurses regarding ectopic pregnancy

Liquidity Risk in the Mena Region Banking Sector: Does Bank Type Make a Difference?

Liquidity risk is a challenge facing banks in their efforts to maintain financial stability. Islamic banks are under added pressure with the constraint of having to adhere to Sharia\u27h principles. The goal of this paper is to investigate the determinants of liquidity risk in Islamic and conventional banks in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. The generalized, least squares model is utilized to estimate the determinants of liquidity risk in 257 banks (90 Islamic and 167 Conventional) over the period 2009–2016, in which the struggles of both types of banks to mitigate the impacts of the global financial crisis were observed. A dummy variable representing the bank type is included to allow for comparison between liquidity risk determinants in both types of banks. The model investigated the impact of four bank specific variables and a macroeconomic one on bank liquidity represented by five alterative ratios. The results show a positive effect of bank size on liquidity risk of all sample banks, thus demonstrating that both bank types follow the too big to fail rule. Capital adequacy has a positive impact on the liquidity risk of all sample banks irrespective of bank type. Return on assets has no significant effect while credit risk has a negative impact on liquidity risk of both bank types. That is, higher credit risk encourages a more conservative liquidity management policy in both bank types, despite the theoretical fact that Islamic banks have higher credit risk due to the risk sharing principle . Similarly, real per capita GDP has a positive impact on liquidity risk of conventional and Islamic banks, reflecting their procyclical lending behaviour. Evidently, bank type in the MENA region does not affect the determinants of a bank\u27s liquidity risk; Islamic and conventional banks use different terms for their practices, but in reality mobilize funds the same way. This is due to the fact that both banks operate under the same micro- and macroeconomic conditions and are both influenced by the same domestic and international liquidity regulations. Introducing more efficient financial products and having a unified regulatory and supervisory framework can offer Islamic banks better opportunities

ASSESSMENT OF DICKKOPF-1 AS A BIOMARKER OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA IN EGYPTIANS.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered to be one of the most aggressive malignancies. Several studies have shown that dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is overexpressed in HCC tissue. Objective and Methods: The present study aimed at demonstrating the diagnostic efficacy of serum levels of DKK1 in HCC in comparison to alpha fetoprotein (AFP). Eighty individuals were included in the present study, and categorized to three groups: Group I: 40 patients with HCC on top of viral liver cirrhosis, Group II: 20 patients with viral induced liver cirrhosis without HCC, and Group III: 20 healthy individuals. Serum levels of AFP and DKK1 were measured and compared in all groups. Results:The values of AFP and DKK1 in group I were statistically higher than those in groups II and III. At the optimum value of 11.7 ng/ml, the sensitivity and specificity of serum AFP were 70.0% and 87.5%, respectively. DKK1 had higher sensitivity (80.0%) and specificity (90.0%) than AFP, at the cut-off value of 1.28 ng/ml for the diagnosis of HCC. Area under the curve (AUC) was higher in DKK1 (0.811) than AFP (0.779) when discriminating between group I and other groups. It was noted that the combination of both markers had a higher sensitivity and specificity, and a larger AUC than each alone. Conclusion: Serum DKK1 is a promising biomarker and is superior to AFP for HCC diagnosis. Combination of AFP and DKK1 improved the accuracy of HCC diagnosis in relation to each test alone

Flotation-separation of toxic metal ions from aqueous solutions using thiosemicarbazide derivatives as chelating agents and oleic acid as a surfactant

A simple and rapid procedure was developed for flotation-separation of toxic metal ions namely Hg2+, Mn2+ and Cd2+ from aqueous solutions. Thiosemicarbazide derivatives such as: 1-(amino-N-phenylmethanethio)-4-(pyridine-2-yl)thiosemicarbazide (H2PPS), N-phenyl-2-(pyridine-2-ylcarbamothioyl)hydrazinecarboxamide (H2PBO), 1-(amino(thioformyl)-N-phenylform)-4-(pyridine-2-yl)thiosemicarbazide (H2APO), and 1-(amino-N-(pyridine-3-yl) methanethio)-4-(pyridine-2-yl)thiosemicarbazide (H2PPY) have been used as organic chelating agents and oleic acid (HOL) as a surfactant. The different parameters affecting the flotation process namely, metal ion, ligands and surfactant concentrations, foreign ions (which are normally present in fresh and saline waters), pH and temperature are examined. About 100% of mercury, cadmium and manganese ions float at room temperature (~ 25 oC), at a metal:ligand ratio of 1:2  and at pH ~5. The procedure was successfully applied to recover Hg2+, Mn2+ and Cd2+ ions spiked into some water samples. The flotation mechanism is suggested based on some physical and chemical studies on the ligands and metal-complexes isolated from the floated layers

Spirulina Ameliorates Oxidative Damage and Inflammation in Rotenone-Induced Neurotoxicity in Male Mice

Background: Rotenone, a chemical compound produced naturally by leguminous plants, has conventionally been used as a pesticide by blocking the uptake of oxygen by body cells. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of spirulina on oxidative damage, inflammation, and neurotoxicity in male mice treated by rotenone.Methods: The experimental animals were divided into 5 groups. Group (I) served as control that received Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO); Group (II) mice treated with rotenone (1.5 mg/kg, s.c.3 times per week); Group (III) mice received rotenone/L-dopa (25 mg/kg, P.O. daily); Group (IV) and Group (V) mice were treated with rotenone/spirulina (200 and 400 mg/kg, P.O. daily) respectively for two weeks.Results: Rotenone-treated mice indicated impaired motor coordination and activity in wire hanging, wood walking, open field, and stair tests. Furthermore, rotenone treatment caused elevation in striatal levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric Oxide (NO), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α), Interleukin -1 beta (IL-1β), and caspase 3 and decrement in Bcl-2; dopamine and Glutathione (GSH) levels. Moreover, severe neuronal degeneration, striatal DNA fragmentation, and increased striatal 8-OHdG levels and MTH1 expression in the rotenone group. Additionally, spirulina treatment prevented rotenone-induced motor deficits striatal DNA fragmentation and demonstrated good restoration of the substantial neurons with reservation of the typical dark appearance. Besides, rotenone-induced biochemical changes were ameliorated by spirulina treatment as dopamine, Bcl-2, and GSH levels were increased, and striatal MDA, TNF-α, IL-1β, and caspase 3 levels were decreased.Conclusion: Natural products like spirulina could reverse rotenone-induced neurotoxicity in male mice due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties

Design, synthesis, and biological profile of novel N-(5-aryl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) hydrazinecarboxamides

New series of arylthiadiazole hydrazinecarboxamides (5a-e) have been synthesized by hydrazinolysis of carbamates (4a-e) and spectrally characterized. The new candidates have been screened for their anticonvulsant and immunomodulatory activities. Compound 5e was the most potent anticonvulsant candidate as it showed 100% protection against both maximal electroshock seizure (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) screens without neurotoxicity at 100 mg/kg (0.318 mmol/kg). With respect to immunomodulation, compounds 5a and 5d revealed immunostimulatory activity while compounds 5b, 5c, and 5e had immunosuppressive responses based on ELISA detection of IgM and IgG levels, counting the total mesenteric lymph nodes lymphocytes, and histo-pathological examinations

Inhibition of growth of Leishmania donovani promastigotes by newly synthesized 1,3,4-thiadiazole analogs

AbstractLeishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, is transmitted by sand flies and replicates intracellularly in their mammalian host cells. The emergence of drug-resistant strains has hampered efforts to control the spread of the disease worldwide. Forty-four 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives and related compounds were tested in vitro for possible anti-leishmanial activity against the promastigotes of L. donovani. Micromolar concentrations of these agents were used to study the inhibition of multiplication of L. donovani promastigotes. Seven compounds were identified with potential antigrowth agents of the parasite. Compound 4a was the most active at 50μM followed by compound 3a. These compounds could prove useful as a future alternative for the control of visceral leishmaniasis

Impact of a psychoeducation program on reducing anger behavior of primary school students at New Assiut city

The increasing prevalence of childhood antisocial behavior is a serious social problem presenting major costs and challenges for individuals, families, schools, and communities.This study aimed to study the effect of a psychoeducation program on reducing anger behavior of primary school students with anti-social behaviors.A total number of 50 primary studentsof AGS language at New Assiut city were included in the study .Tools: Demographic data sheet, socio-economic assessment scale, and Personal experiences associated with anger feeling scale were used for gathering the required data. Results: There were highly statistical significance differences between pre and posttest of anger scale and its domain (p= 0.0001) with greet improvement in the behaviors of the studied children after the intervention. Also, Correlation was found between mean and 'r' values of anger behavior total scores and its domains throughout the intervention program. Statistically, a significant difference was found between the standard deviation and 'r' values of pre-test and post-test anger total score (p <0.0001).Conclusion: There was a great improvement in children's behaviors after program application. Male students show signs of anger behavior than female students. Recommendations: Counselors need to be employed in schools. Professionally training of teachers is required to deal with the anger behavior of the children. Proper application of reward and punishment by both the teachers and parents can help. Keywords: psychoeducation program, primary school, students, anti-social behavior