Does folic acid reduce congenital anomalies and adverse pregnancy outcomes in women received long-term low dose methotrexate?

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) which is folic acid antagonist is used to treat many diseases, including rheumatic, inflammatory, autoimmune disorders or malignancies; it is also used for the medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy and termination of pregnancy. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of folic acid in preventing congenital anomalies (CAs) in the fetus of pregnant that take long-term low dose methotrexate.Methods: The study included 1569 with history of low dose methotrexate therapy <25 mg/week that stopped one month before pregnancy, they were divided into 3 groups; Group 1 comprised 272 pregnant women, Group 2 comprised 367 pregnant women both groups take folic acid 4-5 weeks preconception and for the first 12-13 weeks gestation, the dose in the 1st group was 0.4 mg/day while in 2nd Group 4 mg/day, Group 3 comprised of 930 pregnant disease-matched with no folic acid. Group 4 comprised of 1015 pregnant no underlying autoimmune and no folic acid intake.Results: The overall rate of CAs and cardiovascular CAs were higher in fetuses of Group 3 (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1-2.7) and (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.4-5.2) respectively compared to the overall rate of CAs and cardiovascular CAs in other groups. Other adverse outcomes as abortion, preterm delivery, preeclampsia, placenta abruption, PROM, low birth weight, admission to NICU, IUGR and IUFD were higher in Group 3 and 4 than in Group 1 and 2. There were no significant differences in umbilical arterial PH. The Apgar scores <7 at 1, 5 min and gestational age at delivery were higher in Group 1 and 2 than Group 3 and 4.Conclusions: There was a certain reduction in methotrexate teratogenic effect on the fetuses with folic acid intake during pregnancy, these pregnancies might benefit from taking of folic acid in high doses before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy and improvement in fetal and maternal outcomes but the explanation of this effect requires further study

Development of two reference materials for all trans-retinol, retinyl palmitate, α- and γ-tocopherol in milk powder and infant formula

AbstractVitamins are important food constituents that can be present in almost every foodstuff. Food quality and safety depends on food surveillance by reliable quantitative analysis enabled by appropriate quality control. Certified matrix reference materials are versatile tools to support quality assurance and control. However, in the case of vitamins, which are important in various foods, there is a lack of matrix reference materials. Two certified reference materials for the determination of all–trans-retinol, retinyl palmitate, and α- and γ-tocopherol in milk powder and infant formula have been developed by the National Institute of Standards, Egypt. This article presents the preparation, characterization, homogeneity, and stability testing as well as statistical treatment of data and certified value assignment. The assignment of the certified values and associated uncertainties in the prepared natural-matrix reference materials were based on the widely used approach of combining data from independent and reliable analytical methods

Thermodynamic Study of Operation Properties Effect on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEM)

Th thermodynamic analysis of PEM fuel cell energy production depends on the entropy and enthalpy of reaction with the changing of the operating temperatures that ranges between 50 and 100ºC, the electrical work done will be equal to the Gibbs free energy released. Ths paper presents a mathematical model of PEM fuel cells, based on physical-chemical procedures of the phenomena occurring inside the fuel cell, and it was theoretically studied the performance at diffrent operation variables and conditions. Th C++ program is designed to calculate all thermo-chemical parameters, i.e. enthalpy of formation, Gibbs free energy, work and effiency for any type of fuel cells. Th results are plotted as a function of fuel cell operating temperature. Th results shows that the highest value of Gibbs energy is at the lowest operating temperature, and decreases gradually with increasing the temperature, the output voltage is determined by cell’s reversible voltage that arises from potential difference produced by chemical reaction and several voltage losses that occur inside a cell. In addition the results showed that the efficiency of this type of the fuel cells is much higher than the ideal Carnot’s efficiency, it changes between 82% to 85% depends on temperature operation. Th heat output (required heat) from the fuel cell increases with increasing the operating temperature, this heat is used for many thermal applications such as buildings space heating

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine CDK2 Inhibitors as Anti-Tumor Agents

A series of 2,5,7-trisubstituted pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK2) inhibitors is designed and synthesized. 6-Amino-2-thiouracil is reacted with an aldehyde and thiourea to prepare the pyrimido[4,5-d]-pyrimidines. Alkylation and amination of the latter ones give different amino derivatives. These compounds show potent and selective CDK inhibitory activities and inhibit in vitro cellular proliferation in cultured human tumor cells

Polymorphism of growth hormone gene and its association with wool traits in Egyptian sheep breeds

Growth hormone (GH) gene has been described as a candidate gene for marker-assisted selection in different farm animals. The present study was designed to identify the polymorphism in GH gene and its association with variation of wool traits in Egyptian sheep breeds. Wool and blood samples were collected from 42 animals including two breeds (Barki and Rahmani) and one crossbred (Rahmani x Awase). Measurements of wool traits were analyzed and involved staple strength (Str), staple length (STL), fiber diameter (FD) and clean fleece yield (CFW). DNA was extracted from blood samples and a 365-bp fragment from exon V was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Single strand conformation polymorphisim (SSCP) analysis showed two conformational patterns. The pattern I was recorded to be more frequent (83.3, 92.86 and 90%) than pattern II (16.7, 7.14 and 10%) in Barki, Rahmani and crossbred, respectively. The sequence analysis showed one single nucleotide polymorphism (C/T). The pattern I (allele T) has been found to affect CFW and FD than pattern II (allele C). Whereas, C allele was more pronounced for Str and STL. These traits are the most important parameters determining commercial values of wool that are preferred for clothing or carpets industry. The nucleotide sequences of C and T alleles were submitted to GenBank and have the accession numbers: KT250511 and KT250512, respectively. In conclusion, the present results provide evidence that there is a single nucleotide polymorphism within GH gene in Egyptian sheep breeds. This mutation was found to have some effects on wool traits. Therefore our data show interesting prospects in future selection programs for improving wool industry.Key words: Sheep, wool, growth hormone (GH) gene, polymorphism, single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP)

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF POLYMER NICKEL (II) COMPLEX

4-vinyl pyridine nickel complex containing polymerizable vinyl group, prepared by condensing (4:1 molar ratio) of 4-vinylpyridine with Nickel chloride, then polymerized with methyl methacrylate at 70 °C using AIBN as initiator. Metal complexand polymer metal complex have been characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance, IR, 1H-NMR , Massspectra and thermal analyses (DTA and TGA). Conductivity measurement reveals the nonelectrolytic nature of thecomplex. This confirms that, the anion is coordinated to the metal ion. The IR reveal the metal ion is coordinated via thenitrogen atom of 4-VP. Nickel complex and polymer nickel complex have been tested invitro against number of tumor andnumber of microorganisms in order to assess their anti tumor and antimicrobial properties. The antimicrobial activity wasobserved by compounds VP-Ni and MMA-VP-Ni under the screening conditions. The activity against HCT-116 cells wasdetected for compound VP-Ni (with IC50 value 9.8±0.6 µg/ml), compared with reference standard (24.6±0.3 µg/ml) followedby MMA-VP-Ni (48.3±1.5). In conclusion, this study highlighted the synthesis of polymer nickel complex, and proved thepromising biological activity of the synthesized compounds

Telenursing Future in Solving the Nursing Global Workforce Gap

Although there are 28 million nurses worldwide, it is not enough to meet patient needs. So we face a future with too much work, with too few workers. Telenursing can help in solving this issue by utilizing the technology in providing distance healthcare and health education to patients/clients with lower costs, effective services and proper clients’ satisfaction especially in rural areas through insufficient accessibility to local clinics or hospitals. Telenursing can use phone calls, video visits and remote monitoring devices in different nursing fields as family, pediatric, geriatric nursing and/or others. Telenursing can improve the quality of nursing care for patients by building relationships with them and improve the preferable outcomes. Telenursing also can decrease the work burden on nurses and direct contacts with patients with negative related health consequences specially after COVID 19 pandemic

Horizontal Gene Transfer as an Indispensable Driver for Evolution of Neocallimastigomycota into a Distinct Gut-Dwelling Fungal Lineage

Survival and growth of the anaerobic gut fungi (AGF; Neocallimastigomycota) in the herbivorous gut necessitate the possession of multiple abilities absent in other fungal lineages. We hypothesized that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) was instrumental in forging the evolution of AGF into a phylogenetically distinct gut-dwelling fungal lineage. The patterns of HGT were evaluated in the transcriptomes of 27 AGF strains, 22 of which were isolated and sequenced in this study, and 4 AGF genomes broadly covering the breadth of AGF diversity. We identified 277 distinct incidents of HGT in AGF transcriptomes, with subsequent gene duplication resulting in an HGT frequency of 2 to 3.5% in AGF genomes. The majority of HGT events were AGF specific (91.7%) and wide (70.8%), indicating their occurrence at early stages of AGF evolution. The acquired genes allowed AGF to expand their substrate utilization range, provided new venues for electron disposal, augmented their biosynthetic capabilities, and facilitated their adaptation to anaerobiosis. The majority of donors were anaerobic fermentative bacteria prevalent in the herbivorous gut. This study strongly indicates that HGT indispensably forged the evolution of AGF as a distinct fungal phylum and provides a unique example of the role of HGT in shaping the evolution of a high-rank taxonomic eukaryotic lineage.IMPORTANCE The anaerobic gut fungi (AGF) represent a distinct basal phylum lineage (Neocallimastigomycota) commonly encountered in the rumen and alimentary tracts of herbivores. Survival and growth of anaerobic gut fungi in these anaerobic, eutrophic, and prokaryote-dominated habitats necessitates the acquisition of several traits absent in other fungal lineages. We assess here the role of horizontal gene transfer as a relatively fast mechanism for trait acquisition by the Neocallimastigomycota postsequestration in the herbivorous gut. Analysis of 27 transcriptomes that represent the broad diversity of Neocallimastigomycota identified 277 distinct HGT events, with subsequent gene duplication resulting in an HGT frequency of 2 to 3.5% in AGF genomes. These HGT events have allowed AGF to survive in the herbivorous gut by expanding their substrate utilization range, augmenting their biosynthetic pathway, providing new routes for electron disposal by expanding fermentative capacities, and facilitating their adaptation to anaerobiosis. HGT in the AGF is also shown to be mainly a cross-kingdom affair, with the majority of donors belonging to the bacteria. This study represents a unique example of the role of HGT in shaping the evolution of a high-rank taxonomic eukaryotic lineage

A proposed protocol for GMP-BoK implementation gap analysis - case study at AASTMT

Purpose: Maritime Education and Training (MET) plays a crucial role in maintaining the safety and sustainability of the maritime industry. However, it remains behind the industry expectations to fulfill the gap regarding the required level of maritime capacities to safely control efficient new technology and keep them sustainable and effective during the industrial revolution era. The International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) developed the Global Maritime Professional Body of Knowledge (GMP-BoK) to address the current gap between the maritime industry expectations and the delivered Maritime Education and Training (MET) programs. Design/methodology/approach: This paper briefly introduces the GMP-BoK and proposes a protocol for a new analogous instrument to efficiently implement the GMP-BoK via a user-friendly method developed at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT). The developed analogous instrument helps maritime universities and institutes to digitalize and develop an integrated curriculum framework that is based on robust evaluation and data analysis to develop strategic plans to improve seafarer capabilities. Moreover, the paper suggests a protocol for mapping and analysis of maritime programs and courses, enabling educators to reliably perform gap analysis and identify repetitions within delivered courses and programs based on the GMP-BoK recommended practices. As a case study, the proposed protocol was validated utilizing the Maritime Engineering Technology Program (METP). Findings: The findings of this study revealed that the examined METP includes 30% repetition and focuses on the cognitive and psychomotor methods of education, with little focus on the affective technique