Assessment of Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Hazards in Brain and Bone Marrow Cells of Newborn Rats Exposed to Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Field

The present study aimed to evaluate the association between whole body exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) and genotoxic , cytotoxic hazards in brain and bone marrow cells of newborn rats. Newborn rats (10 days after delivery) were exposed continuously to 50 Hz, 0.5 mT for 30 days. The control group was treated as the exposed one with the sole difference that the rats were not exposed to magnetic field. Comet assay was used to quantify the level of DNA damage in isolated brain cells. Also bone marrow cells were flushed out to assess micronucleus induction and mitotic index. Spectrophotometric methods were used to measure the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activity of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The results showed a significant increase in the mean tail moment indicating DNA damage in exposed group (P<0.01,0.001,0.0001). Moreover ELF-MF exposure induced a significant (P<0.01,0.001) four folds increase in the induction of micronucleus and about three folds increase in mitotic index (P<0.0001). Additionally newborn rats exposed to ELF-MF showed significant higher levels of MDA and SOD (P<0.05). Meanwhile ELF-MF failed to alter the activity of GSH. In conclusion, the present study suggests an association between DNA damage and ELF-MF exposure in newborn rats

Heating rate and electrode charging measurements in a scalable, microfabricated, surface-electrode ion trap

We characterise the performance of a surface-electrode ion "chip" trap fabricated using established semiconductor integrated circuit and micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) microfabrication processes which are in principle scalable to much larger ion trap arrays, as proposed for implementing ion trap quantum information processing. We measure rf ion micromotion parallel and perpendicular to the plane of the trap electrodes, and find that on-package capacitors reduce this to <~ 10 nm in amplitude. We also measure ion trapping lifetime, charging effects due to laser light incident on the trap electrodes, and the heating rate for a single trapped ion. The performance of this trap is found to be comparable with others of the same size scale.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figure

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p&lt;0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p&lt;0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

NMR spectroscopic investigation of benzothiazolylacetonitrile azo dyes : CR7 substitution effect and semiempirical study

Ebead et al. had reported in the synthesis and the UV-Visible solvatochromism combined with semiempirical calculations to study the tautomerism of 1,3-benzothiazol-2-ylacetonitrile azo dyes [1]. In this study, 1,3-ben zothiazol-2-ylacetonitrile azo dyes (1-6) have been resynthesized, one and two dimensional H-1 and C-13 NMR, as well as absorption and emission spectra, were collected and interpreted. The obtained results were used to clarify the tautomerization phenomenon of these dyes. Predominantly, these dyes exist in Z-hydrazone form reinforced through intramolecular hydrogen bonding in deuterated chloroform. Substituents (R) in carbon7 (CR7) are the key player of the changes in H-1 and C-13 NMR chemical shifts, also in the absorption and emission wavelengths of benzothiazole azo dyes. Also, the relative photoluminescence quantum yields (PL QY) of these dyes (1-6) were estimated and related to the nature of substituents. Finally, PM6 semiempirical calculations were employed to confirm the preferred geometric structure and experimental NMR, absorption, and emission results

Novel sublingual tablets of Atorvastatin calcium/Trimetazidine hydrochloride combination; HPTLC quantification, in vitro formulation and characterization

Background: Ischemic heart disorders and accumulation of lipids in blood vessels could contribute to angina pectoris. Therefore, the aim of this study was to formulate sublingual tablets containing a novel combination of Atorvastatin calcium (ATOR) and Trimetazidine HCl (TMZ) for efficient treatment of coronary heart disorders. Methods: The dissolution rate of water-insoluble ATOR was enhanced via complexation with sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) and addition of soluplus as a polymeric solubilizer excipient. The solubilized ATOR and TMZ were compressed into a sublingual tablets by direct compression technique and evaluated for their tableting characteristics. In addition, a new validated method based on High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) was developed for simultaneous determination of both drugs in pure forms and sublingual tablets. Results: The developed HPTLC method showed LODs of 0.056 and 0.013 μg/band and LOQs of 0.17, 0.040 μg/band for TMZ and ATOR, respectively and proved to be linear, accurate, precise and robust. The optimum formulation containing mixture of superdisintegrants; Ac-Di-Sol and crospovidone (4.8% w/w, each) showed the shortest disintegration time (65 s) and enhanced release profiles of both drugs. Conclusions: The prepared sublingual tablets combining ATOR and TMZ will be a promising dosage form for coronary heart disease patients with an instant action and improved patient compliance. Keywords: Atorvastatin, Trimetazidine, Sublingual tablets, HPTLC, Sulfobutylether-β-Cyclodextri

Prevalence of neurological disorders in Al Quseir, Egypt: methodological aspects

Hamdy El-Tallawy,1 Wafa Farghaly,1 Nabil Metwally,2 Tarek Rageh,1 Ghaydaa A Shehata,1 Reda Badry,1 Esam El Moselhy,2 Mahmoud Hassan,2 Mohamed M Sayed,3 Ahmed A Abdelwarith,1 Y Hamed,2 I Shaaban,2 Talal Mohamed,4 Mohamed Abd El Hamed,1 MR Kandil1 1Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt; 2Department of Neurology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University (Assiut branch), Assiut, Egypt; 3Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt; 4Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Qena University, Qena, Egypt Abstract: Methodology and strategy play a very important role in epidemiological studies. Determination of the study area, geographical features, facilities, difficulties, and key personnel from the same area are important factors for successful methodology. Over 31 months (July 1, 2009 to January 31, 2012), a screening and an examination survey were carried out to ascertain the prevalence of epilepsy, stroke, dementia, cerebellar ataxia, migraine, cerebral palsy, Parkinsonism, chorea, athetosis, dystonia, trigeminal neuralgia, Bell&#39;s palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders in Al Quseir, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt. A total of 33,285 people were screened by three neurologists in a door-to-door manner, including every door, using a standardized Arabic questionnaire to detect any subject with a neurological disorder. The methodological aspects of this project were carried out through eight phases: (1) data collection; (2) preparation; (3) screening; (4) case ascertainment; (5) investigations; (6) classifications; (7) data entry; and (8) statistics and tabulations. The results of this study reveal that the total prevalence of neurological disorders in Al Quseir was 4.6% and higher among females (5.2%) than males (3.9%). The highest prevalence was recorded in the elderly population (60+ years [8.0%]) and among the age group 18&ndash;39 years (5.4%). Keywords: methodological aspects, demographic data, prevalenc