Haemochromatosis gene mutation H63D is a risk factor for iron overload in Egyptian beta- thalassemic children

Introduction: Iron overload is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with β-thalassemia. The Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of genetic markers (HFE mutations C282Y and H63D) among Egyptian β-thalassemic Children and its effect on their iron status. Patients and Methods: 59 β-thalassemic children attending the pediatric hematology clinic in Menoufiya University Hospital (23 thalassemia major, 23 thalassemia intermedia and13 thalassemia trait) with 50 apparently healthy, Egyptian children (control group) were screened for the prevalence of these two mutations by digestion of PCR products (RFLP). Serum ferritin level was measured by ELISA. Results: Neither carrier status for the C282Y allele nor homozygous status for the H63D allele were detected in any of the thalassemic children or the 50 controls. The H63D heterozygous state was detected in 15 (25.4%) thalassemic patients with an allele frequency of 12.71% and in 11 (22%) controls with an allele frequency of 11%. with no significant difference between the thalassemic groups and the controls. The prevalence of carriers for the H63D mutation was 26.1% with an allele frequency of 13.04% in patients with either β- thalassemia major or intermedia, while in β- thalassemia trait the prevalence of this mutation was 23.1% with an allele frequency of 11.54%. There were significant higher levels of the mean yearly serum ferritin in both β-thalassemia major and intermedia patients who are heterozygotes for the H63D mutation compared to those without this mutation. The mean serum ferritin levels were positively correlated with the age of the patients. On the other hand, the prevalence of iron -induced complications was not statistically different between patients carrying or not carrying this mutation (among TM and TI). Conclusions: There is no difference in the prevalence of H63D mutation between β-thalassemic patients and the normal children and the presence of a heterozygous H63D status and older age are two risk factors for iron overload in Egyptian β-thalassemic children Abbreviations: RFLP= Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism, HCV=Hepatitis C Virus, ALT = Alanine aminotransferase, AST =Aspartate aminotransferase Keywords: Thalassemia, iron overload, hereditary hemochromatosis, HFE geneEgyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics Vol. 9 (2) 2008: pp. 149-16

Acceptability of Financial Incentives for Health Behaviours: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

BACKGROUND: Healthy behaviours are important determinants of health and disease, but many people find it difficult to perform these behaviours. Systematic reviews support the use of personal financial incentives to encourage healthy behaviours. There is concern that financial incentives may be unacceptable to the public, those delivering services and policymakers, but this has been poorly studied. Without widespread acceptability, financial incentives are unlikely to be widely implemented. We sought to answer two questions: what are the relative preferences of UK adults for attributes of financial incentives for healthy behaviours? Do preferences vary according to the respondents' socio-demographic characteristics? METHODS: We conducted an online discrete choice experiment. Participants were adult members of a market research panel living in the UK selected using quota sampling. Preferences were examined for financial incentives for: smoking cessation, regular physical activity, attendance for vaccination, and attendance for screening. Attributes of interest (and their levels) were: type of incentive (none, cash, shopping vouchers or lottery tickets); value of incentive (a continuous variable); schedule of incentive (same value each week, or value increases as behaviour change is sustained); other information provided (none, written information, face-to-face discussion, or both); and recipients (all eligible individuals, people living in low-income households, or pregnant women). RESULTS: Cash or shopping voucher incentives were preferred as much as, or more than, no incentive in all cases. Lower value incentives and those offered to all eligible individuals were preferred. Preferences for additional information provided alongside incentives varied between behaviours. Younger participants and men were more likely to prefer incentives. There were no clear differences in preference according to educational attainment. CONCLUSIONS: Cash or shopping voucher-type financial incentives for healthy behaviours are not necessarily less acceptable than no incentives to UK adults.This work is produced under the terms of a Career Development Fellowship research training fellowship issued by the National Institute of Health Research to JA (grant number NIHR-CDF-2011-04-17; http://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/fellowship-programme.htm). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, The National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health. JA is currently funded in full by the Centre for Diet & Activity Research (CEDAR), and the FFS is funded in full by Fuse: the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health. CEDAR and Fuse are UKCRC Public Health Research Centres of Excellence (http://www.ukcrc.org/research-coordination/joint-funding-initiatives/public-health-research/). Funding for CEDAR (grant number MR/K023187/1) and Fuse (grant number MR/K02325X/1) from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from PLOS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.015740

PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE WITH ANTI-TUMOR ACTIVITY ESTIMATION OF CRUDE EXTRACT, ESSENTIAL OIL AND D-LIMONENE FROM CITRUS AURANTIUM L. AGAINST EHRLICH CARCINOMA

Objective: Plant based drugs have been a solution in the search for more cost-effective and less harmful drugs for the treatment of neoplasia. Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) is abundant in Brazil and D-limonene, a monoterpene used in the prevention and treatment of neoplasia, was identified as a major compound in the oil of this specie. Objective of current study includes estimation of anti-tumor activity of Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) (crude extract, essential oil and D-limonene) against Ehrlich carcinoma, as well as their phytochemical evaluation (D-limonene and essential oil). Methods: There was a randomized non-clinical trial in which were used adult male mice (Balb-C). Four groups of animals were used having 6 numbers of animal in each group. All groups were inoculated with the Ehrlich tumor and then received the treatment (control, crude extract, essential oil and D-limonene) by oral route daily (28 day treatment). Essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by the means of GC (Gas Chromatography) that was attached to mass spectrometry. In last of the observations  hemogram was obtained. Results: Animals treated with the essential oil has shown no significant difference compared to the group treated with D-limonene. The group treated with crude extract had a growth inhibition close to the essential oil and D-limonene groups. Conclusion: It´s concluded that the essential oil and the crude extract of Citrus aurantium, L. (Rutaceae) can become therapeutic agents because of their anti-tumor activity with no toxicity to the blood cells and have low cost of production. Further studies are necessary, so they can be used in the treatment of neoplasia in humans. The chromatographic and spectrometric analyzes indicated the presence of other components in smaller amounts in the essential oil, which suggests that they could have a synergic activity to the D-limonene.                           Peer Review History: Received 2 June 2020; Revised 25 June; Accepted 4 July, Available online 15 July 2020 Academic Editor: Dr. Muhammad Zahid Iqbal, AIMST University, Malaysia, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:                Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 8.0/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Ahmad Najib, Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Makassar, Indonesia, [email protected] Dr. Mohamed Said Fathy Al-Refaey, University of Sadat City, Menofia, Egypt, [email protected]  Similar Articles: CYTOTOXIC EFFECT AND PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF PETROLEUM ETHER EXTRACT OF TILIA CORDATA MIL

The feasibility of using pedometers and brief advice to increase activity in sedentary older women:a pilot study

Background: People over the age of 70 carry the greatest burden of chronic disease, disability and health care use. Participation in physical activity is crucial for health, and walking accounts for much of the physical activity undertaken by sedentary individuals. Pedometers are a useful motivational tool to encourage increased walking and they are cheap and easy to use. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of the use of pedometers plus a theory-based intervention to assist sedentary older women to accumulate increasing amounts of physical activity, mainly through walking. Methods: Female participants over the age of 70 were recruited from primary care and randomised to receive either pedometer plus a theory-based intervention or a theory-based intervention alone. The theory-based intervention consisted of motivational techniques, goal-setting, barrier identification and self-monitoring with pedometers and daily diaries. The pedometer group were further randomised to one of three target groups: a 10%, 15% or 20% monthly increase in step count to assess the achievability and acceptability of a range of targets. The primary outcome was change in daily activity levels measured by accelerometry. Secondary outcome measures were lower limb function, health related quality of life, anxiety and depression. Results: 54 participants were recruited into the study, with an average age of 76. There were 9 drop outs, 45 completing the study. All participants in the pedometer group found the pedometers easy to use and there was good compliance with diary keeping (96% in the pedometer group and 83% in the theory-based intervention alone group). There was a strong correlation (0.78) between accelerometry and pedometer step counts i.e. indicating that walking was the main physical activity amongst participants. There was a greater increase in activity (accelerometry) amongst those in the 20% target pedometer group compared to the other groups, although not reaching statistical significance (p = 0.192). Conclusion: We have demonstrated that it is feasible to use pedometers and provide theory-based advice to community dwelling sedentary older women to increase physical activity levels and a larger study is planned to investigate this further.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A Novel G Protein-Coupled Receptor of Schistosoma mansoni (SmGPR-3) Is Activated by Dopamine and Is Widely Expressed in the Nervous System

Schistosomes have a well developed nervous system that coordinates virtually every activity of the parasite and therefore is considered to be a promising target for chemotherapeutic intervention. Neurotransmitter receptors, in particular those involved in neuromuscular control, are proven drug targets in other helminths but very few of these receptors have been identified in schistosomes and little is known about their roles in the biology of the worm. Here we describe a novel Schistosoma mansoni G protein-coupled receptor (named SmGPR-3) that was cloned, expressed heterologously and shown to be activated by dopamine, a well established neurotransmitter of the schistosome nervous system. SmGPR-3 belongs to a new clade of “orphan” amine-like receptors that exist in schistosomes but not the mammalian host. Further analysis of the recombinant protein showed that SmGPR-3 can also be activated by other catecholamines, including the dopamine metabolite, epinine, and it has an unusual antagonist profile when compared to mammalian receptors. Confocal immunofluorescence experiments using a specific peptide antibody showed that SmGPR-3 is abundantly expressed in the nervous system of schistosomes, particularly in the main nerve cords and the peripheral innervation of the body wall muscles. In addition, we show that dopamine, epinine and other dopaminergic agents have strong effects on the motility of larval schistosomes in culture. Together, the results suggest that SmGPR-3 is an important neuronal receptor and is probably involved in the control of motor activity in schistosomes. We have conducted a first analysis of the structure of SmGPR-3 by means of homology modeling and virtual ligand-docking simulations. This investigation has identified potentially important differences between SmGPR-3 and host dopamine receptors that could be exploited to develop new, parasite-selective anti-schistosomal drugs

Brucellosis remains a neglected disease inthe developing world: a call forinterdisciplinary action

Brucellosis places significant burdens on the human healthcare system and limits the economic growth of individuals, communities, and nations where such development is especially important to diminish the prevalence of poverty. The implementation of public policy focused on mitigating the socioeconomic effects of brucellosis in human and animal populations is desperately needed. When developing a plan to mitigate the associated consequences, it is vital to consider both the abstract and quantifiable effects. This requires an interdisciplinary and collaborative, or One Health, approach that consists of public education, the development of an infrastructure for disease surveillance and reporting in both veterinary and medical fields, and campaigns for control in livestock and wildlife species

Intracellular interferons in fish : a unique means to combat viral infection

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Walk well:a randomised controlled trial of a walking intervention for adults with intellectual disabilities: study protocol

Background - Walking interventions have been shown to have a positive impact on physical activity (PA) levels, health and wellbeing for adult and older adult populations. There has been very little work carried out to explore the effectiveness of walking interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities. This paper will provide details of the Walk Well intervention, designed for adults with intellectual disabilities, and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test its effectiveness. Methods/design - This study will adopt a RCT design, with participants allocated to the walking intervention group or a waiting list control group. The intervention consists of three PA consultations (baseline, six weeks and 12 weeks) and an individualised 12 week walking programme. A range of measures will be completed by participants at baseline, post intervention (three months from baseline) and at follow up (three months post intervention and six months from baseline). All outcome measures will be collected by a researcher who will be blinded to the study groups. The primary outcome will be steps walked per day, measured using accelerometers. Secondary outcome measures will include time spent in PA per day (across various intensity levels), time spent in sedentary behaviour per day, quality of life, self-efficacy and anthropometric measures to monitor weight change. Discussion - Since there are currently no published RCTs of walking interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities, this RCT will examine if a walking intervention can successfully increase PA, health and wellbeing of adults with intellectual disabilities