Inappropriate use of antibiotics in the treatment of pharyngo-tonsilitis in children in Khartoum, Sudan

Background: Pharyngo-tonsillitis represents a major public health problem all over the world. Recent studies in Sudan have revealed alarming results reporting antibiotics over prescription in the management of acute tonsillitis.Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Group A Beta hemolytic streptococci and document the appropriateness of using antibiotics in the treatment of acute tonsillo-pharyngitis in Jaafar Ibn Auf Pediatrics Hospital.Materials and Methods: A cross sectional hospital based study was conducted in the period January to August 2012 in Jaafar Ibn Auf Hospital, the largest tertiary pediatrics hospital in Sudan. The sample size was 100 including children aged 2-17 years and got antibiotics treatment for their current sore throat. A pharyngeal swab was collected at presentation from tonsils and posterior pharynx. Gram staining was done first, and then Group A Beta hemolytic streptococci were isolated and identified in the laboratory by their growth characteristics. All children included in the study were assessed clinically and subjected to a structural questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 19.Results: The estimated prevalence of Group A Beta hemolytic streptococci tonsillitis and/or pharyngitis was 22%, nevertheless the proportion of antibiotic prescription was 100%.Conclusion: Most children were treated inappropriately regarding the need for using antibiotics, the type of antibiotics used and the duration of management. As many studies suggested that increased using of antibiotics may be due to uncertainty of diagnosis, requesting scoring system or rapid diagnostic test can contribute to the reduction of the rate of antibiotics prescription.Keyword: Pharyngo-tonsillitis, inappropriate, children, antibiotics, Suda

Fabrication of Lateral Polysilicon Gap of Less than 50nm Using Conventional Lithography

We report a thermal oxidation process for the fabrication of nanogaps of less than 50 nmin dimension.Nanogaps of this dimension are necessary to eliminate contributions from double-layer capacitance in the dielectric detection of protein or nucleic acid. The method combines conventional photolithography and pattern-size reduction techniques. The gaps are fabricated on polysiliconcoated silicon substrate with gold electrodes. The dimensions of the structure are determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An electrical characterization of the structures by dielectric analyzer (DA) shows an improved conductivity as well as enhanced permittivity and capacity with the reduction of gap size, suggesting its potential applications in the detection of biomolecule with very low level of power supply. Two chrome Masks are used to complete the work: the first Mask is for the nanogap pattern and the second one is for the electrodes. An improved resolution of pattern size is obtained by controlling the oxidation time. The method expected to enable fabrication of nanogaps with a wide ranging designs and dimensions on different substrates. It is a simple and cost-effective method and does not require complicated nanolithography process for fabricating desired nanogaps in a reproducible fashion

Investigation of the association of AGTR1 A1166C rs5186 and FTO rs9939609 polymorphisms with the obesity in children and adolescents

تزيد السمنة من مخاطر الإصابة بالعديد من الأمراض المزمنة. ويتم تعريف السمنة سريريًا باستخدام مؤشر كتلة الجسم (BMI) الذي يعرف بأنه الوزن بالكيلوجرام مقسومًا على (الطول) 2 بالمتر المربع المرتبط بالسمنة. لذلك حاليا تم دراسة العلامات الجينية للسمنة. حيث كان الهدف من هذه الدراسة هو التحقق من ارتباط جين مستقبل الأنجيوتنسين الثاني من النوع الأول AGTR1  (A1166C)   و جين كتلة الدهون والسمنة, أيضًا يُعرف باسم ديوكسجيناز المعتمد على ألفا كيتوجلوتارات المرتبطة  بها  FTO (rs9939609) في مرضى السمنة  لدى الأطفال والمراهقين في منطقة روستوف (روسيا).  تم تضمين خمسمائة  مواطن  روسي من أطفال ومراهقون لدراسة الحالات والشواهد وتم التحقيق في العلاقة بين تعدد الأشكال A1166C لجين AGTR1 مع 300 طفل ومراهق مدرجين في المجموعة غير الصحية ، والمجموعة الصحية - 200 مشارك. كما تم إجراء التنميط الجيني لتعدد الأشكال A1166C  من جين AGTR1 re5186  وجين FTO re9939609  التي استخدمت  بادئات خاصة  بأليل في تفاعل البلمرة المتسلسل. وتم تحديد تعدد الأشكال لجينات (AGTR1 A1166C (rs5186 في عينات DNA المتبرع وبالطريقة الرحلان الكهربائي باستخدام أنظمة اختبار تجارية من شركة Lytech  للابحاث والانتاج. اظهرت النتائج عدم تحديد العلاقة  بين السمنة  وتعدد الاشكال الجيني AGTR1 (A1166C)  بين مجموعتي السمنة  والسيطرة من حيث تكرار حدوث النمط الجيني CC  وكان ] P = 1.000 ; OR 1.05 ; 95% CI (0.05 – 2.10) [ وكان الاليل C ]  P = 0.942 ; OR 1.01 ; 95% CI (0.76 – 1.35) [ بينما كان في جين  FTO re9939609  لحدوث  تكرار النمط  الجيني AA ] P = 0003 ; OR 0.57 ; 96% CI (0.39 – 0.82) [ و الاليل T كان ] P = 0.006 ; OR 1.44 ; 95% CI (1.11 – 1.87) [ لذلك  كانت  تعدد الاشكال لهذا الجين احصائيا عالية وبشكل معنوي (P <0.05)  بين مجموعتي المرضى  والسيطرة. كما تم تحديد الارتباط بين خطر الاصابة بالسمنة من الانماط الجينية، واظهرت علاقة كبيرة بين حدوث السمنة مع تعدد الاشكال لجين FTO re9939609.Obesity is a risk factor for a number of chronic conditions. Obesity is clinically defined using the body mass index (BMI) as weight in kg divided by (height)2 in m2 correlated with obesity. Currently, genetic markers of obesity are being studied. This study focused on the association between the angiotensin II receptor AGTR1 gene (A1166C) and fat mass and obesity-associated protein also known as alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase (FTO) (rs9939609) in obese children and adolescents patients in Rostov region, Russia.  Five-hundreds of Russian nationality child and adolescent were recruited for the obesity-control studies. The relationship between the A1166C polymorphism of the AGTR1 gene in 300 children and adolescents included as the unhealthy group, compared with healthy group of 200 participants were investigated. Genotyping of A1166C polymorphisms of the AGTR1 rs5186 gene was performed using PCR allele-specific primers. Polymorphisms of the AGTR1 A1166C (rs5186) genes in donor DNA samples were typed by the electrophoretic method using commercial test systems from the Lytech research and production company. The relationship between obesity and AGTR1 gene polymorphism (A1166C) was not established between the obesity and control groups in terms of the frequency of occurrence of the CC genotype (P = 1.000) and (OR 1.05; 95% CI (0.53 – 2.10)) and the C allele (P = 0.942) and (OR 1.01; 95% CI (0.76 – 1.35)). However, in the occurrence of frequency genotype of AA (P = 0.003; OR 0.57; 95% CI (0.39 – 0.82)) and T (P = 0.006) of allele and (OR 1.44; 95% CI (1.11 – 1.87)) the rs9939609 of the FTO gene were revealed differences (P <0.05) between patients and control groups. The association between genotypes obesity risk was indicated, and a significant relationship was shown between the occurrence of obesity with the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism

Predicting the safety and efficacy of butter therapy to raise tumour pHe: an integrative modelling study

Background: Clinical positron emission tomography imaging has demonstrated the vast majority of human cancers exhibit significantly increased glucose metabolism when compared with adjacent normal tissue, resulting in an acidic tumour microenvironment. Recent studies demonstrated reducing this acidity through systemic buffers significantly inhibits development and growth of metastases in mouse xenografts.\ud \ud Methods: We apply and extend a previously developed mathematical model of blood and tumour buffering to examine the impact of oral administration of bicarbonate buffer in mice, and the potential impact in humans. We recapitulate the experimentally observed tumour pHe effect of buffer therapy, testing a model prediction in vivo in mice. We parameterise the model to humans to determine the translational safety and efficacy, and predict patient subgroups who could have enhanced treatment response, and the most promising combination or alternative buffer therapies.\ud \ud Results: The model predicts a previously unseen potentially dangerous elevation in blood pHe resulting from bicarbonate therapy in mice, which is confirmed by our in vivo experiments. Simulations predict limited efficacy of bicarbonate, especially in humans with more aggressive cancers. We predict buffer therapy would be most effectual: in elderly patients or individuals with renal impairments; in combination with proton production inhibitors (such as dichloroacetate), renal glomular filtration rate inhibitors (such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors), or with an alternative buffer reagent possessing an optimal pK of 7.1–7.2.\ud \ud Conclusion: Our mathematical model confirms bicarbonate acts as an effective agent to raise tumour pHe, but potentially induces metabolic alkalosis at the high doses necessary for tumour pHe normalisation. We predict use in elderly patients or in combination with proton production inhibitors or buffers with a pK of 7.1–7.2 is most promising

Kinetic and Equilibrium Isotherm Studies for The Removal of Tetracycline from Aqueous Solution Using Engineered Sand Modified with Calcium Ferric Oxides

The novel aspect of this research is the fabrication, characterisation, and application of an engineered adsorbent made from quartz sand coated with calcium ferric oxides (QS/CFO) derived from the wastepaper sludge ash (WPSA) for the removal of tetracycline (TC) from synthetic water. Initially, the new adsorbent was fabricated using a Ca/Fe molar ratio, sand/FeCl3 ratio, pH (of synthesising environment), ethylene glycol dose, and temperature of 1:0.75, 1:1, 12, 6 mL/100 mL, and 95℃, respectively. Then, the new adsorbent was applied to treat water having 50 mg/L of TC in batch experiments, taking into account the effects of the contact time (0–180 min), pH of water (2–12), the dose of adsorbent (0.05–0.5 g), and agitation speed (0–250 rpm). The results obtained proved the engineered adsorbent can remove as much as 90% of the TC (adsorption capacity of 21.96 mg/g) within 180 min at an initial pH, adsorbent dosage, and agitation speed of 7, 0.3g per 50 mL, and 200 rpm, respectively. It was also found that the pseudo-second-order model describes the kinetic measurements better than the pseudo-first-order model, which indicates that the TC molecules have been bonded with the prepared sorbent through chemical forces. Furthermore, the intra-particle diffusion model results demonstrated that the diffusion mechanism plays a significant role in TC adsorption; however, it was not the predominant one. Finally, the outcomes of the characterisation analysis proved that the newly formed layer on the quartz sand substantially contributed to the removal of the TC from the contaminated water

Eco‑friendly remediation of tetracycline antibiotic from polluted water using waste‑derived surface re‑engineered silica sand

A new green reactive adsorbent (calcium ferric oxide silica sand (CFO-SS)) made from wastepaper sludge ash and ferric ions was synthesised and shown to remove tetracycline antibiotics (TC) from contaminated water effectively. The synthesised sand was dried at 95 °C, and a series of batch and fixed bed experiments were performed to determine the optimum operating conditions. Results showed that the adsorption capacity of the CFO-SS increases with the concentration gradient between the solid and liquid phases. 0.3 g of the new adsorbent was proven sufficient to remove more than 90% of the TC at a pollutant dose of 50 mg/L in 50 mL of simulated groundwater with an agitation speed of 200 rpm for 3 h. The adsorption isotherm followed the Langmuir isotherm model, with a loading capacity of 21.96 mg/g at pH 7, while the Pseudo second-order model best described the absorption kinetics. The adsorption mechanisms proposed included electrostatic interaction, intraparticle diffusion, hydrogen bonding, and cation-π interactions. Characterisation investigations revealed that the newly precipitated oxides on silica sand play an essential role in TC adsorption support. In fixed-bed experiments, it was discovered that reducing the flow rate and inflow concentration of TC and increasing the sorbent mass significantly extended the lifetime of the produced sorbent in the packed column. The measured breakthrough curves were best fit with the Adams-Bohart and the Clark models, as they provided the highest square root number (R2) values. Finally, considering the efficacy of CFO-SS in TC adsorption performance, it can be noted that the novel synthesised reactive material is an efficient and environmentally friendly material for TC removal, and it presents a potential solution to resolving the challenge of TC-rich groundwater

Initial State Dependence of the Breakup of Weakly Bound Carbon Isotopes

The one-neutron nuclear breakup from the Carbon isotopes $^{19}$C and $^{17}$C, is calculated as an example of application of the theory of transfer to the continuum reactions in the formulation which includes spin coupling. The effect of the energy sharing between the parallel and transverse neutron momentum distributions is taken into account thus resulting in a theory which is more general than sudden eikonal approaches. Both effects are necessary to understand properly the breakup from not too weakly bound $l_i>1$ orbitals. Breakup which leaves the core into an excited state below particle threshold is also considered. The core-target interaction is treated in the smooth cut-off approximation. By comparing to presently available experimental data we show how to make some hypothesis on the quantum numbers and occupancy of the neutron initial state. Possible ambiguities in the interpretation of inclusive cross sections are discussed.Comment: 22 RevTeX pages,3 ps figures. Phys. Rev. C, accepte

A comprehensive review for groundwater contamination and remediation: occurrence, migration and adsorption modeling

Provision of safe water for people is a human right; historically, a major number of people depend on groundwater as a source of water for their needs, such as agriculture, industrial or human activities. Water resources have recently been affected by organic and/or inorganic contaminants as a result of population growth and increased anthropogenic activity, soil leaching, and pollution. Water resource remediation has become a serious environmental concern since it has a direct impact on many aspects of people’s lives. For decades, the pump-and-treat method has been considered the predominant treatment process for the remediation of contaminated groundwater with organic and inorganic contaminants. On the other side, this technique missed sustainability and the new concept of using renewable energy. Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) have been implemented as an alternative to conventional pump-and-treat systems for remediating polluted groundwater because of their effectiveness and ease of implementation. In this paper, a review of the importance of groundwater, contamination, the biological, physical besides the chemical remediation techniques have been discussed. In this review, the principles of the permeable reactive barrier’s use as a remediation technique have been introduced along with commonly used reactive materials and the recent applications of the permeable reactive barrier in the remediation of different contaminants, such as heavy metals, chlorinated solvents and pesticides. This paper also discusses the characteristic of reactive media and contaminants uptake mechanisms. Finally, remediation isotherms, the breakthrough curves and kinetic sorption models are also being presented. It has been found that groundwater could be contaminated by different pollutants and must be remediated to fit the human, agricultural and industrial needs. PRB technique is an efficient treatment process that is an inexpensive alternative for the pump and treat procedure and represent a promising technique to treat groundwater pollution