Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor as an additive treatment after successful balloon dilation of a critical pulmonary valve stenosis

AbstractA 2days old, 2.7kg heavy baby boy with critical pulmonary stenosis, underwent successful balloon dilation. After the uneventful procedure, he remained oxygen dependent. The baby was given oral angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE inhibitor), instead of an infusion of alpha blocker.Within few hours, in the afternoon of the same day after administration of ACE Inhibitor, the baby could be weaned off oxygen, maintaining on room air, oxygen saturation between 87% and 92%. At follow-up, two months later, his saturation was 99% on room air.We believe that some neonates with critical pulmonary valve stenosis who remain oxygen dependent despite successful balloon dilation, could benefit from such management

Actividades antioxidantes y anticancerígenas del extracto obtenido por ultrasonido de piel de maní (Arachis hypogaea L.)

This study evaluates the effect of ultrasound-assisted extraction on the extractability of polyphenols from peanut skins (PS) and their antioxidant, and anticancer activities. The extraction was performed with solid/solvent ratios of 1:20 and 1:30 (w/v) at ultrasound intensity ranging from 5.8 to 15.4 W/cm2 for different extraction times (10, 20, 30 and 40 min). The highest polyphenol yield was 167.46 mg GAE/g dried PS. The most abundant polyphenols were catechin, syringic acid, and vanillic acid. The PS ultrasound extract (PSUE) increased the oxidative stability of sunflower oil by four times its initial level. PSUE possessed high inhibitory activity against MCF-7, HepG-2, HCT-116, and PC-3 cancer cell lines, with IC50 ranging from 1.85 ± 0.13 to 6.1 ± 0.43 μg/ml. In addition, the cytotoxicity of PSUE was examined on HFB4 human normal melanocytes using the MTT assay. These results suggest that PSUE can be used as a natural antioxidant and anticancer agent.Este estudio evalúa el efecto de la extracción asistida por ultrasonido sobre la extractabilidad de los polifenoles de la piel de maní (PS) y sus actividades antioxidantes y anticancerígenas. La extracción se realizó con relaciones sólido/solvente de 1:20 y 1:30 (p/v) a una intensidad de ultrasonido que varió de 5,8 a 15,4 W/cm2 para diferentes tiempos de extracción (10, 20, 30 y 40 min). El mayor rendimiento de polifenoles fue de 167,46 mg GAE/g de PS seco. Los polifenoles más abundantes fueron la catequina, el ácido siríngico y el ácido vanílico. El extracto de ultrasonido PS (PSUE) aumentó cuatro veces la estabilidad oxidativa del aceite de girasol. PSUE poseía una alta actividad inhibitoria contra las líneas celulares de cáncer MCF-7, HepG-2, HCT-116 y PC-3, con IC50 que oscilaba entre 1,85 ± 0,13 y 6,1 ± 0,43 μg/ml. Además, se examinó la citotoxicidad de PSUE en melanocitos humanos normales HFB4 utilizando el ensayo MTT. Estos resultados sugieren que el PSUE puede usarse como un antioxidante natural y un agente anticancerígeno

The Performance of Polycrystalline and Monocrystalline Solar Modules Under The Climate Conditions of El-Kharga Oasis, New Valley Governorate, Egypt

This research seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of two commercially accessible photovoltaic technologies in the specific desert conditions of El-Kharga Oasis, New Valley Governorate, Egypt. The performance of photovoltaic cells is significantly affected by certain weather factors such as temperature, dust, and clouds. The photovoltaic technologies under investigation include monocrystalline and polycrystalline systems. Data collection was carried out over a period of 12 months in a systematic manner. The study places particular emphasis on analyzing how temperature, cloud cover, and dust impact the performance of PV modules. The results showed that monocrystalline and polycrystalline performed better at high irradiance levels, but they miss operated at lower irradiance levels. The loss of % in power output for polycrystalline and monocrystalline due to cloud cover is 80.503 and 79.240%, respectively. The loss percentage in power output for polycrystalline and monocrystalline due to dust accumulation were 41 and 42%, respectively. The polycrystalline module realized a decrease in open circuit voltage by 0.075 V/oC while monocrystalline showed a reduction of 0.1666 V/oC. The short circuit current increased slightly with temperature increasing by about 0.0082, and 0.0008 A/oC for monocrystalline and polycrystalline, respectively. The monocrystalline had the largest drop in output power at about 0.0704 W/oC while it was 0.0514 W/oC for polycrystalline. It could be concluded that polycrystalline photovoltaic modules are the best choice in hot areas such as El-Kharga Oasis, New Valley Governorate, Egypt since they experience less temperature loss due to their low-temperature coefficient

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Percutaneous nephrolithotripsy under assisted local anaesthesia for high risk patients: Is it effective?

Objectives: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of performing PNL under local anesthesia in a selected group of patients who are at high risk for general anesthesia. Patients and methods: Forty seven patients underwent PNL under local anesthesia. There were 38 males and 9 females with a mean age of 62 years. All patients were at medical high-risk for general anesthesia, with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 3. The indications for local anesthesia in this study were obstructed single functioning kidney with azotemia in 29 patients, hepatic insufficiency in 8 patients, cardiac problems in 7 patients and 3 patients had hepatocellular carcinoma. The mean stone size was 2.7 cm (range 2–3.1 cm). Local infiltration with 10–20 cc of 2% lidocaine at the site of puncture was used in all cases. Narcotics were given 30 min prior to the procedure and medazolam was given intraoperatively upon demand. Utrasound guided puncture was performed in all cases and tract dilatation was then done under fluoroscopy using high pressure balloon catheter in 35 and Alken's metal dilators in 12 cases. Stones were then retrieved after disintegration in the same cession in 33 patients, while the other 14 patients underwent staged PNL, where a 12 Fr. nephrostomy tube was placed in the first stage, followed by tract dilatation and stone retrieval one week later. Results: Out of 47 patients included, 44 had successful PNL either one stage (30 patients) or two stages (14 patients). Only 3 patients could not tolerate pain and the procedure was terminated after placement of nephrostomy tube and stone retrieval was completed later under general anesthesia. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that PNL under local anesthesia with narcotics and sedatives seems to be a satisfying solution for the treatment of a selected group of patients with renal pelvic stones and who have high anesthetic risk. However, additional studies with different groups of patients are required to validate our results