Treatment results and prognostic factors of pediatric neuroblastoma: a retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We conducted a retrospective analysis to investigate treatment results and prognostic factors of pediatric neuroblastoma patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This retrospective study was carried out analyzing the medical records of patients with the pathological diagnosis of neuroblastoma seen at South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University during the period from January 2001 and January 2010. After induction chemotherapy, response according to international neuoblastoma response criteria was assessed. Radiotherapy to patients with residual primary tumor was applied. Overall and event free survival (OAS and EFS) rates were estimated using Graphed prism program. The Log-rank test was used to examine differences in OAS and EFS rates. Cox-regression multivariate analysis was done to determine the independent prognostic factors affecting survival rates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty three cases were analyzed. The median follow-up duration was 32 months and ranged from 2 to 84 months. The 3-year OAS and EFS rates were 39.4% and 29.3% respectively. Poor prognostic factors included age >1 year of age, N-MYC amplification, and high risk group. The majority of patients (68%) presented in high risk group, where treatment outcome was poor, as only 21% of patients survived for 3 year.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Multivariate analysis confirmed only the association between survival and risk group. However, in univariate analysis, local radiation therapy resulted in significant survival improvement. Therefore, radiotherapy should be given to patients with residual tumor evident after induction chemotherapy and surgery. Future attempts to improve OAS in high risk group patients with aggressive chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation should be considered.</p

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE BIOCTIVE FRACTIONS OF THE LEAVES OF SCAEVOLA TACCADA (GAERTN.) ROXB

Objective: Scaevola taccada. (Gaertn.) Roxb. is widely dispersed all along the coasts of Africa. It is used in folk medicine for diversity of ailments. This study aims to investigate the major phytoconstituents and biological activities of the leaves of S. taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. Methods: In vitro biological examination viz. antimicrobial, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of the ethanol extract of the leaves (EE) and its fractions; (petroleum ether (PE), methylene chloride (MC), ethyl acetate (EA) and n-butanol(BuOH)) were carried out. Estimation of the phytochemicals of biologically active fractions was done. Results: n-butanol fraction displayed remarkable antimycobacterium activity. Petroleum ether as well as n-butanol fractions evidenced a cytotoxic effect on breast carcinoma cell line (MCF7) and colon carcinoma cell line (HCT) with IC50 11.7 and 15.04 µg/ml respectively. Moreover, ethyl acetate fraction exhibits an antioxidant effect with EC50 476.7±0.57 µg/ml. n-tetradecane 1, α-amyrin palmitate 2, α-amyrin acetate 3, α-amyrin 4, stigmasterol 5, luteolin-7-O-β-glucoside 6, rutin 7 and alidyjosioside 8 were identified in S. taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. leaves. Conclusion: Petroleum ether fraction is a cytotoxic candidate, especially against (MCF-7). It exhibited a moderate antifungal and antibacterial against certain Gram-positive bacteria. Ethyl acetate showed an antioxidant effect along with moderate antifungal activity. n-butanol fraction exerted potential antimycobacterial, significant cytotoxic activity against (HCT), good antifungal and antibacterial against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Stigmasterol, luteolin-7-O-β-glucoside, rutin and alidyjosioside were isolated for the first time from S. taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. Leaves

The Impact of Applying ISO Standards Systems on Improving the Quality of the Performance in Higher Educational Institutions in Egypt

Applying ISO 21001:2018 standard ensures that universities have a competitive advantage as well as the achievement of their objectives. This study aims to identify the impact of implementing ISO 21001: 2018 management systems standards on the performance quality of higher education institutions. The study investigates the reasons why private higher education institutions seek ISO standards certificates in general and the specifications of management systems for educational institutions in particular. The study applied a set of statistical testing methods on paired samples as well as independent samples to ensure quality assurance. The study also proposes the required prerequisites that should be considered. The study investigated a hypothesis stating that "there are no statistically significant differences before and after applying the ISO 21001:2018 management systems specification for educational institutions in improving the quality of performance in higher education institutions" which was rejected by conducting an experiment in Future University in Egypt and accepting the alternative hypothesis. The study confirmed the impact of quality which was previously investigated by prior research that has been discussed in this study. The study further presented the need to apply quality based on determined criteria which were not considered in prior studies. Moreover, the study proposed the impact of ISO standards in educational institutions in general and in Egypt in specific. This recommendation is proved by this study to enhance the quality level in educational institutions

Knowledge and practice of folic acid supplementation and impact of income level on awareness among women of child-bearing age in Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To investigate the knowledge of Saudi women (pregnant and non-pregnant) about the significance of folic acid (FA) supplementation and to determine how income levels affects this knowledge and its implementation. Methods: The study was conducted among women of child-bearing age attending Al-Hada Armed Forces Hospital and Khaliss General Hospital (both in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) for pregnant women and Omm Al-Qura University in Makkah Governorate (Saudi Arabia) for non-pregnant women. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data and to analyze levels of FA knowledge, including general awareness, proper timing of its use, information source, FA benefits, and the perils of FA deficiency. A chi-square test was performed to test the differences between variables. Results: Analysis of the survey data revealed that 81.1 % of non–pregnant and 91.1 % of pregnant women were aware of the term, FA (p &lt; 0.05). Moreover, 71.1 % of the pregnant compared to 35.6% of non-pregnant women knew that this supplement must be taken before becoming pregnant and this difference was statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05). For pregnant women, doctors and previous pregnancies were the main sources of FA knowledge, while mass media was the most frequently reported source for non-pregnant women (p &lt; 0.05). Income level was not associated with FA knowledge in either group. Conclusions: This study illustrates a deficiency in the knowledge and consumption of this important micronutrient in women of childbearing age, the population most in need of this information. Nutrition education should be provided to increase the understanding and practice of FA supplementation periconceptionally and during pregnancy

Evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of fucoxanthin from Dilophys fasciola and as a food additive in stirred yoghurt

We investigated the effects of fucoxanthin isolated from the edible macroalga Dilophys fasciola on pathogenic microbes and probiotics in vitro and the antioxidant activity of fucoxanthin. The yield concentration of the obtained crude was 50.5% fucoxanthin. We found strong inhibition against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes, and lower inhibition against Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The probiotic strains progressed between 1.2 and 1.67 log cycles at a concentration of 30 μg/mL. The antioxidant activity ranged between 54.76% and 88.36% at a concentration of 40 μg/mL. The 50% lethal dose of algal fucoxanthin was shown to be more than 2511.88 mg/kg. The production of stirred yoghurt incorporated with 20 mg and 30 mg of fucoxanthin per kilogram of milk was evaluated through chemical, microbiological, and sensory analyses during storage for 21 days and compared with control samples. The maximum growth for probiotics (Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lacticaseibacillus casei) was found on day 14, but more viability counts were detected in the treatment with 30 mg/kg. All treatments were free from mould and yeast counts up to 7 days, and the small numbers of mould, yeast, and psychrotrophic counts appeared first in control samples. Also, the highest dry matter content was observed for treatments with 30 mg/kg. Moreover, the protein, fat, and ash content of all treatments increased with a progressive cold storage period. Greater reductions in the pH were found in treatments than in the control, and were consistent with the development of acidity. During storage, the amount of crude fucoxanthin had no significant impact on the flavour, colour, or appearance scores. Significance: • Fucoxanthin is a type of carotenoid that offers many benefits to human health. • The fucoxanthin of edible Dilophys fasciola had a strong antimicrobial effect against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and fungi. • Stirred yoghurt fortified with crude fucoxanthin had good overall acceptability and the percentage of crude fucoxanthin had no noticeable effects on the flavour, colour, or appearance. Fucoxanthin, therefore, has potential benefit as a food additive

DEVELOPMENT of HYDROLOGICAL LUMPED MODEL TO ESTIMATE RUNOFF HYDROGRAPH: CASE STUDY WADI SUDR IN SINAI PENINSULA, EGYPT

ABSTRAC

Clinical Utility of Melatonin in Fibromyalgia Diagnosis

       Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disease with an unknown etiology, which is characterized by reduced pain threshold (hyperallgesia) &amp; pain with normally innocuous stimuli (allodynia).This diffuse pain is often disease associated  with wide range of  other symptoms including fatigue, sleep disturbance, stiffness&amp; more.FMS often occur concomitantly  with other rheumatologic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis(RA), systemic lupus erthymatosus(SLE).       The pineal hormone melatonin (MT) exerts a variety of effects on the immune system. MT activates immune cells and enhances inflammatory cytokine and nitric oxide production.Methods: We were studied 75 subjects, 55 of subjects were FMS patients defined by the American Colleague of Rheumatology (ACR 2010) criteria. Patients' mean age was 32.5 ± 13.9 years. They were classified into two groups: Group I of 25  primary FMS patients . Group II of 30 secondary FMS patients with other rheumatologic disease such as RA, SLE. Twenty age and sex matched healthy individuals were included in the study as a control group.Results:Mean Melatonin titers were significantly reduced (p&lt;0.0001) in primary FMs patients compared to the controls (21.32vs. 30.9 pg/ml), but they were significantly elevated (p&lt;0.0001) in secondary FMS compared to controls (138.1vs.30.9 pg/ml). Our data imposed that, in 1ry FMS there were negative correlations of MT titers with tender points (r=-0.848**,p&lt;0.0001), sleep disturbance(r=-0.963**, p&lt; 0.0001**), Fatigue (r= -0.972**, p&lt;0.001**), WPI (r= -0,953 **, p&lt;0.0001) and SS (r=-0.901**, p&lt; 0.0001). Conclusions:In primary FMS patients melatonin level is lower than melatonin level in control, but MT level is high in secondary FMS patients. There was a negative correlation between MT with tender points, sleep disturbance, fatigue, SS &amp; WPI. But there was a positive correlation between MT &amp; cognitive symptoms

Effects of major and trace elements from the El Kahfa ring complex on fish: Geological, physicochemical, and biological approaches

The alkaline rocks are known for enriching rare lithophilic elements, including lithium, uranium, and tin, which negatively impact aquatic life. This study offers an intensive investigation of the influence of alkaline rocks on Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The variation in blood profile, the induction of antioxidant enzymes, morphological erythrocyte, and histological structure have been conducted for the fish after 15 days of exposure to alkaline rocks powder with a dose of 100 μg/L. As a result, there was a pronounced decrease in blood profiles, such as platelets and white blood cell counts. There was a failure in the liver and kidney functions. Moreover, it shows an increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities as antioxidant biomarkers. Also, exposure to alkaline rocks induced DNA mutation and erythrocyte distortion. We concluded that the bulk alkaline rocks induced changes in the hemato-biochemical and antioxidant parameters of Nile tilapia. Additionally, exposure to bulk alkaline rock compounds also caused poikilocytosis and nuclear abnormalities of RBCs. This draws our attention to the seriousness of climatic changes, the erosion of rocks, and their access to water

Antimikrobno djelovanje nekih glukopiranozil-pirimidin karbonitrila i fuzioniranih pirimidinskih sustava

3-Amino-5-(4-chlorophenylamino)-4-cyanofuran-2-carboxamide (2) was used as the key molecule for preparation of various furo- pyrimidines 3-9 and formation of spiro-cycloalkane furopyrimidines 10, 11. Also, poly fused heterocyclic compounds 13-17 were prepared from compound 2. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity.3-Amino-5-(4-klorfenilamino)-4-cijanofuran-2-karboksamid (2) upotrebljen je kao ključni spoj za pripravu različitih furo-pirimidina 3-9 i spiro-cikloalkane furopirimidina 10 i 11. Fuzionirani heterociklički spojevi 13-17 pripravljeni su također polazeći iz spoja 2. Sintetizirani spojevi ispitani su na antimikrobno djelovanje