Different varieties of colonic atresia in a series of 13 patients: a single-center experience

Purpose The aim of this study was to review our experience in the management and outcome of colonic atresia, either isolated or associated with anorectal anomalies.Methods A total of 13 neonates with colonic atresia were operated upon in the Pediatric Surgery Unit of Zagazig University Hospital between August 2004 and April 2010. Complete data including age, sex, clinical findings, diagnostic procedure, associated anomalies, preoperative management, intraoperative findings, operative procedures, postoperative course, and outcome were reported for each patient.Results Colonic atresia was found in 13 patients, including nine boys (69.2%) and four girls (30.8%). It was located in the ascending colon in four (30.8%) patients, in the transverse colon in three (23%), and in the sigmoid colon in four (30.8%). The other two (15.4%) patients had colonic atresias extending to the small bowel. Two patients had associated anorectal anomalies. Type III colonic atresia was observed in six patients (46.2%), type II in three (23%), and type I in four patients (30.8%). The treatment included resection and primary anastomosis in seven patients (53.8%) and diverting colostomy in six (46.2%). Two patients died: one because of severe neonatal sepsis and the other because of severe cardiac anomalies. One patient developed anastomotic leakage and another had anastomotic dysfunction.Conclusion Colonic atresia is an uncommon cause of neonatal intestinal obstruction. The combination of colonic atresia and anorectal anomalies should be taken into consideration. Proper postoperative care and management of postoperative complications improve the outcome. Keywords: anorectal anomalies, atresia, colo

Framing Citizenship and Citizenship Formation for Preservice Teachers: A Critical Review of Prominent Trends in the Research Literature

Funded by Thinking Historically for Canada\u27s Future, a research partnership supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, this article considers how, and the extent to which, contemporary research within the area of citizenship education for preservice teachers advances the creation of more genuinely democratic and socially just societies. Drawing on critical and anti-oppressive insights in education, we specifically examine themes, trends, and developments within research related to: (a) preservice teachers’ beliefs about citizenship, democracy, and related themes, and (b) the influence of pedagogical practices and program models on their citizenship dispositions and teaching practices. We conclude by offering a series of recommendations for future research and theorizing in the field of teacher education, including the need for studies that move away from deficiency-based research frames and expanded notions of citizenship beyond universalized liberal democratic understandings that currently dominate the field

Assessment of The Diagnostic Value of TOX Versus CD3 Immunohistochemical Markers in Detection of Early Mycosis Fungoides Cases

Background: Primary cutaneous lymphoma (PCL) with clonal proliferation of atypical CD4+ skin-homing T lymphocyte cells is called Mycosis Fungoides (MF). TOX staining is observed in subtypes of PCL, as MF & Sézary Syndrome (SS) in comparison to controls. Early MF is difficult to diagnose, & its distinction from inflammatory diseases may be impossible.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of the TOX versus CD3 as a diagnostic marker for early MF.Patients and methods: retrospective-cross sectional study includes 30 MF and 30 benign cutaneous inflammatory diseases (BCID) cases. All were evaluated using H & E and immunohistochemical staining for TOX & CD3. Results: There was statistically significant increase of TOX & CD3 expression in MF than BCID & ability of TOX to detect all true positive cases (100.0%) compared to (76.7%) for CD3, (P < 0.001).Conclusion: TOX had the highest sensitivity (100.0%) & accuracy (88.3%). TOX is useful marker in the diagnosis of early MF & differentiating it from BCID

Pancreatic pseudocyst in children: a single-institute experience

Background and objectives: Pancreatic pseudocysts are rare in children, with most series describing not more than 24 patients. At Zagazig University Hospital we have managed a range of cases of this disorder and feel this experience should add to the existing experience with children. This study aimed to analyze the causes, clinical presentation, and management of symptomatic pancreatic pseudocysts treated at our institution.Patients and methods: This study included 19 children. Their ages ranged from 1 month to 17 years. All cases were diagnosed as pancreatic pseudocysts and were admitted and treated in the Pediatric Surgery Unit, Zagazig University Hospital, during the period from 1996 to 2011. The collected data included age, sex, etiology, clinical presentation, radiological information, operative data, postoperative complications, and the final outcome.Results: Twelve patients (63.2%) had a history of abdominal trauma, whereas the remaining seven patients (36.8%) had no abdominal trauma. The pseudocysts were acute in 11 patients, chronic in seven patients, and only one patient had congenital pseudocyst. Nine patients improved with expectant treatment; however, 10 patients required surgery. The surgical intervention included  cystogastrostomy for four patients, cystojejunostomy for two patients, complete excision with distal pancreatectomy in two children, and partial excision with external drainage in the remaining two patients. One patient developed postoperative wound infection, and two cases had external pancreatic fistula.Conclusion: Although spontaneous resolution of pancreatic pseudocysts occurred, more commonly, in acute, small-sized, and post-traumatic cysts, the surgical treatment of pancreatic pseudocyst is a valid, safe, effective, and satisfactory treatment, especially in complicated cases.Keywords: children, drainage, conservative treatment, pancreatic pseudocyst, pancreatitis, surgical treatmen

How Much Privacy Do We Have Today? A Study of the Life of Marc Mezvinsky

In this paper, we present a case study evaluating the level of information available about an individual through public, Internet-accessible sources. Privacy is a basic tenet of democratic society, but technological advances have made access to information and the identification of individuals much easier through Internet-accessible databases and information stores. To determine the potential level of privacy available to an individual in today’s interconnected world, we sought to develop a detailed history of Marc Mezvinsky, a semi-public figure, husband of Chelsea Clinton, and son of two former members of the United States House of Representatives. By utilizing only publicly and freely available data sources accessible over the Internet, we developed a brief biography of Mr. Mezvinsky. We identified his residences throughout his life, his relatives, his businesses and business partners, and other personal aspects of his and his family\u27s lives. We found all of this information even though Mr. Mezvinsky appears to actively avoid the use of online social networks and has clearly sought to minimize his online presence. A great deal of information is available, from photographs to property values to personal phone numbers, about individuals and their family members even if they try to retain some level of privacy. Today’s interconnected society is all social networks, tagged photos, and GPS locations. Constantly connected is only part of the paradigm that is today\u27s society. As a whole, we are potentially losing the meaning of privacy, as well as what is ethically acceptable. As a society, we must determine the level of privacy, or its converse, the level of publicly available information, that is acceptable

Vibration Signature of Normal and Notched Tooth Gear Pump

Gear pumps are critical devices in many industrial applications. An unexpected failure of the gear pump may cause significant effect on its performance. Consequently, there will be economic losses. As a result of that, fault diagnosis in gears has been the subject of intensive research. Vibration analysis has been used as an effective tool in machines diagnosis and in machinery maintenance decisions. As a rule, an increased vibration level is a warning form before failure or breakdown. By measuring and analyzing the gear pump vibration, it is possible to determine both the nature and severity of the defect, and hence predict the machine’s failure. The vibration signal of a gear pump carries the signature of the fault in the gears, and early fault detection of the gear pump is possible by analyzing the vibration signal using different signal processing techniques. This paper presents, experimentally, the external gear pump signature for normal and faulty gear pumps at different rotational speeds (1080, 1200, and 1439rpm). The considered faults herein are two different notches on one of the pump teeth— small notch and large notch. The paper concludes that features of the vibration are different with the notch shape and the rotational speed. The amplitude of vibration increases by increasing both rotational speed and notch size

Risk factors for re-bleeding of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: Meta-analysis of observational studies

Objective The mortality of re-bleeding following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is high, and surviving patients often have poor clinical condition and worse outcome than patients with a single bleed. In this study, we performed an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the most common risk factors for re-bleeding in this patient population, with the goal of providing neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-interventionalists with a simple and fast method to evaluate the re-bleeding risk for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Method We conducted a thorough meta-analysis of the risk factors associated with re-bleeding or re-rupture of intracranial aneurysms in cases published between 2000 and 2013. Pooled mean difference was calculated for the continuous variables (age), and pooled odds ratio (OR) was calculated for categorical factors. If heterogeneity was significant (p<0.05), a random effect model was applied; otherwise, a fixed model was used. Testing for pooled effects and statistical significance for each potential risk factor were analyzed using Review Manager software. Results Our literature search identified 174 articles. Of these, only seven retrospective studies met the inclusion criteria. These seven studies consisted of 2470 patients, 283 of which had aneurysmal re-bleeding, resulting in a weighted average rate of re-bleeding of 11.3% with 95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.1–12.6. In this population, sex (OR 1.46; 95% CI: 1.11–1.92), high systolic blood pressure [SBP] (OR 2.52; 95% CI: 1.40–4.53), aneurysm size (OR 3.00; 95% CI: 2.06–4.37), clinical condition (Hunt & Hess) (OR 4.94; 95% CI: 2.29,10.68), and Fisher grade (OR 2.29; 95% CI: 1.45, 3.61) were statistically significant risk factors for re-bleeding. Conclusion Sex, high SBP, high Fisher grade, aneurysm size larger than 10mm, and poor clinical condition were independent risk factors for aneurysmal re-bleeding. The importance of early aneurysm intervention and careful consideration of patient risk factors should be emphasized to eliminate the risk of re-bleeding and poor outcome

Mycosis Fungoides Diagnosis Using TOX Versus Old Panel Immunohistochemical Markers

Background: For primary cutaneous lymphoma, mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most prevalent form with skin-homing T cells plus clonal proliferation of CD4. In many CTCLs, thymocyte selection associated with the HMG-box (TOX) is an uncontrolled gene, together with MF in comparison with controls. Early mycosis fungoides is difficult to diagnose, and, its distinction from inflammatory diseases is sometimes impossible. Objective: In this study, we compared the TOX vs C7 and CD4 expression as an early mycosis fungoides diagnostic markers & to assess their ability to differentiate Mycosis fungoides from benign cutaneous inflammatory diseases (BCID). Materials and methods: 60 patients who had been previously diagnosed as MF (30 cases) and BCID (30 cases). All were evaluated histopathologically using H & E and immunohistochemically staining for TOX, CD7 & CD 4. Results: There was statistically significant difference between MF and BCID with increased TOX, CD7 & CD4 expression among MF than among BCID and ability of TOX to detect all true positive cases (100.0%) compared to 83.3% for CD4 and 13.3% for CD7. TOX had the highest sensitivity (100.0%) and accuracy (88.3%) followed by CD4 with sensitivity of 88.3% and accuracy of 66.7%, (P < 0.001). Conclusion: TOX had the highest sensitivity (100.0%) & accuracy (88.3%) followed by CD4 with sensitivity of 88.3% and accuracy of 66.7%. Our results suggest that TOX is a useful marker in diagnosis of MF & differentiating it from BCID

A Comparative study of psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatoses on basis of Ki-67 immunohistochemical expression

Introduction: The prototypical psoriasiform tissue pattern is psoriasis, both clinically and histopathologically. However, it should be distinguished from other psoriasiform dermatoses.Objective: This study aimed to determine the expression of Ki-67 immunohistochemically in psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatoses for diagnostic reasons. Material and Methods: Between January 2020 and January 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted on the paraffin blocks of 22 psoriasis and 22 psoriasiform dermatoses patients. Four-micron sections were cut from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from each biopsy specimen. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to colour the initial sections. Additionally, Ki-67 immunohistochemistry was performed.Results: Mean value of KI-67 expression was highly significant in psoriasis (94.4 ± 11) versus (21.1 ± 5.7) than in psoriasiform dermatoses (P value < 0.001). Conclusion: Ki-67 expression was shown to be significantly elevated in psoriasis compared to the other types of dermatoses studied