Study of Frequency and Characteristics of Red Blood Cell Alloimmunization in Thalassemic Patients: Multicenter Study from Palestine

Background. - alassemia is a common inherited hemolytic disorder in Palestine. Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is the principal treatment but it may cause RBC alloimmunization. is study was conducted to determine the prevalence and characteristics of RBC alloimmunization among thalassemic patients in northern governorates of Palestine. Methods. A prospective multicenter observational study was conducted in the thalassemia transfusion centers in the northern governorates of Palestine. e study included 215 thalassemia patients who received regular blood transfusions. Clinical and transfusion records of patients were examined. Antibody screening and identi cation was conducted using the microcolum gel technique. Results. Two hundred een patients were included in the study. More than half (52.1%) of the patients were males. e median age of patients was 18 years (range: 12–24 years). e most frequent blood group was A (40.5%). Alloantibodies were detected in 12.6% of patients. Anti-D (33.3%), anti-K (25.9%) and anti-E (14.8%) were the most commonly isolated antibodies. ere was no association between age, sex, starting age of transfusion, number of transfused units, history of splenectomy and alloimmunization. Conclusions. Anti-Rh and anti-K antibodies were common among this cohort of patients. Age, sex, starting age of transfusion, number of transfused units, and history of splenectomy could not predict the occurrence of alloimmunization

Assessment of Variation in Clinical Presentation of Visceral Leishmaniasis Among Patients Attending the Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital in Sudan

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (also known as Kala-azar) is a systemic parasitic infection with many clinical presentations. The present study assesses the variation in presentations among patients who attended the Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital (TDTH) in Khartoum, Sudan. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted at the TDTH between November 2019 and September 2020. Medical records of patients who presented at the TDTH were reviewed using a structured data extraction checklist. The Chi-square test was used to determine the associations between sociodemographic and clinical presentations of patients. P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Out of 195 patients, 79.5% were male and 48.2% were <31 years old. Fever was the main clinical presentation (90.2%) while 53.3% presented with weight loss and 72.3% and 39% presented, respectively, with splenomegaly and hepatomegaly. HIV was detected in 4.6% of the patients. RK39 was the main diagnostic test. We found a significant association between the abdominal distention and the age of the patients (P < 0.05) – age groups 11–20 and 41–50 years were more likely to present with abdominal distention than other age groups. Conclusion: There is no exact clinical presentation or routine laboratory findings that are pathognomonic for visceral leishmaniasis; therefore, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with fever, weight loss, and abdominal distention, and among patients with HIV

Burden of visceral leishmaniasis in villages of eastern gedaref state, Sudan: an exhaustive cross-sectional survey.

Since December 2009, Médecins Sans Frontières has diagnosed and treated patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Tabarak Allah Hospital, eastern Gedaref State, one of the main endemic foci of VL in Sudan. A survey was conducted to estimate the VL incidence in villages around Tabarak Allah

Expression of FGFR3 Protein and Gene Amplification in Urinary Bladder Lesions in Relation to Schistosomiasis

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer represents the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and a major cause of cancer-related morbidity and death. Incidence and mortality rates have remained relatively constant over the past four decades. Urothelial bladder cancers have identified multiple risk factors.AIM: We aimed at evaluating the expression of the FGFR3 protein and gene amplification in the urothelial cells of neoplastic and non-neoplastic urothelial lesions of the urinary bladder, and correlation with tumour grade, stage and associated bilharziasis.MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and five different urinary bladder lesions were studied, including 15 cystitis cases (9 bilharzial and 6 non-bilharzial cystitides), 75 urothelial carcinoma cases (18 bilharzial associated and 57 non-bilharzial associated) and 15 squamous cell carcinoma associated with bilharziasis, beside 5 control cases. Data concerning age, sex, tumour grade, stage, and associated bilharziasis were obtained. Each case was studied for FGFR3 expression, and FISH technique was applied on forty malignant cases that show high protein expression.RESULTS: The highest incidence of cystitis was in the fourth decade while of bladder cancer was in the seventh decade. Tumour grade was correlated significantly with tumour stage. FGFR3 correlates significantly with tumour grade, stage and with a bilharzial infestation. FGFR3 gene amplification was reported mainly in low grade and NNMBIC tumours.CONCLUSIONS: FGFR3 overexpression in malignant cases was significantly higher than in chronic cystitis. FGFR3 gene amplification was reported mainly in low grade and NNMBIC tumours. FGFR3 may be further studied as a subject for target therapy of bladder cancer

Effects of specimen size and shape on compressive strength of foamed concrete containing spent bleaching earth and kenaf fiber

Present research studies the effects of specimen size and shape on compressive strength of foamed concrete containing Processed Spent Bleaching Earth (PSBE) and Kenaf Fiber. There are two mixtures were prepared which namely PFC (30% of PSBE as partial cement replacement of cement and PKF (30% PSBE + 0.5% Kenaf fiber). The mix density was design as 1600 kg/m3. All specimens were tested to determine the workability by measure the flow table of the mixtures and compression test to determine the compressive strength of foamed concrete. This study was focused to determine the effect of size and shape on compressive strength of foamed concrete at 7 days, 14 days and 28 days. The size and shape of specimens used for compressive strength were cubes of size 150x150x150mm, 100x100x100mm and 50x50x50mm and cylinders of 150 x 300 mm and 100 x 200 mm. From the experimental results, both mixtures showed increase in the compressive strength for all sizes and shape of specimens from 7days to 28 days. As compared to PFC mix, the highest compressive strength achieved 17.0 MPa in cubes size 100x100x100mm and 150x150x150mm at 28 days, and in PKF mix, the highest compressive strength achieved 11.0 MPa in cube size 100x100x100mm and 150x150x150mm at 28 days. In other hand the compressive strength of cylinders size 100x200 mm diameter was 21% greater than 150x300 mm diameter which achieved 19.0 MPa and 15 MPa in PFC. Also, the compressive strength of cylinders size 100x200 mm diameter was 30% greater than 150x300 mm diameter which achieved 20 MPa and 14 MPa in PKF

Effect of the La3+ ions substitution on the magnetic properties of spinal Li-Zn-ferrites at low temperature

AbstractThe effect of La3+ ions substitution on the magnetic properties of the composition Li0.5−0.5xZnyLaxFe2.5−0.5x−yO4 (0.02≤x≤0.1; y=0.6) was studied. The structure of the samples was investigated using X-ray, SEM and IR. Both of zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) modes magnetization were studied at low temperature range (2K≤T≤400K). Magnetization applied field-dependence (M–H) curves were measured at low temperature (5K). The experimental data revealed that the samples exhibited a phase transition from ferrimagnetic state at low temperature to paramagnetic state at high temperature (400K). The obtained Curie temperature was shifted to lower value with La3+-content. The M–H carves showed that the samples are soft ferromagnetic and it can be an excellent candidate for industrial applications