Updates in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of ectopic varices

Ectopic varices (EcV) comprise large portosystemic venous collaterals located anywhere other than the gastro-oesophageal region. No large series or randomized-controlled trials address this subject, and therefore its management is based on available expertise and facilities, and may require a multidisciplinary team approach. EcV are common findings during endoscopy in portal hypertensive patients and their bleeding accounts for only 1–5% of all variceal bleeding. EcV develop secondary to portal hypertension (PHT), surgical procedures, anomalies in venous outflow, or abdominal vascular thrombosis and may be familial in origin. Bleeding EcV may present with anaemia, shock, haematemesis, melaena or haematochezia and should be considered in patients with PHT and gastrointestinal bleeding or anaemia of obscure origin. EcV may be discovered during panendoscopy, enteroscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, wireless capsule endoscopy, diagnostic angiography, multislice helical computed tomography, magnetic resonance angiography, colour Doppler-flow imaging, laparotomy, laparoscopy and occasionally during autopsy. Patients with suspected EcV bleeding need immediate assessment, resuscitation, haemodynamic stabilization and referral to specialist centres. Management of EcV involves medical, endoscopic, interventional radiological and surgical modalities depending on patients’ condition, site of varices, available expertise and patients’ subsequent management plan

Economic Analysis of Potato Demand in Saudi Arabia

A Linear Approximation Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) was used to fit import and domestic data for potato in four importing and one domestic markets. Significance level of estimated marginal shares, expenditure elasticities, signs of own price Slutsky parameters, and Cournot own price elasticities indicated that the model fit the data reasonably well. The results indicate that increasing potatoes expenditure by 1% will increase the demand for domestic production by 2% compared with 0.58% and 0.29% for Egyptian and Syrian potatoes respectively, while potatoes impotes from other countries will decrease by 0.52%. Results of price elasticities indicated that if domestic price increase by 1% would result to decrease domestic demand for potato by 1.58%. Increasing price of Syria, Lebanon, and other countries by 1% would result to increase domestic market share by 0.13%, 0.15%, and 0.01%, respectively. The result illustrated that the demand for domestic potato has a strong preference while for other sources were substantially weake

Leukocyte apheresis in the management of ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the colon and rectum. Its pathogenesis is probably multifactorial including the influx of certain cytokines into the colonic mucosa, causing disease activity and relapse. The hypothesis of removing such cytokines from the circulation by leukocytapheresis was implemented to reduce disease activity, maintain remission, and prevent relapse. Many recent reports not only in Japan, but also in the West, have highlighted its beneficial effects in both adult and pediatric patients. Large placebo-controlled studies are needed to confirm the available data in this regard. In this article, we shed some light on the use of leukocyte apheresis in the management of autoimmune diseases, especially ulcerative colitis

Effect of gut bacterial isolates from Apis mellifera jemenitica on Paenibacillus larvae infected bee larvae

The probiotic effects of seven newly isolated gut bacteria, from the indegenous honey bees of Saudi Arabia were investigated. In vivo bioassays were used to investigate the effects of each gut bacterium namely, Fructobacillus fructosus (T1), Proteus mirabilis (T2), Bacillus licheniformis (T3), Lactobacillus kunkeei (T4), Bacillus subtilis (T5), Enterobacter kobei (T6), and Morganella morganii (T7) on mortality percentage of honey bee larvae infected with P. larvae spores along with negative control (normal diet) and positive control (normal diet spiked with P. larvae spores). Addition of gut bacteria to the normal diet significantly reduced the mortality percentage of the treated groups. Mortality percentage in all treated groups ranged from 56.67% up to 86.67%. T6 treated group exhibited the highest mortality (86.67%), whereas T4 group showed the lowest mortality (56.67%). Among the seven gut bacterial treatments, T4 and T3 decreased the mortality 56.67% and 66.67%, respectively, whereas, for T2, T6, and T7 the mortality percentage was equal to that of the positive control (86.67%). Mortality percentages in infected larval groups treated with T1, and T5 were 78.33% and 73.33% respectively. Most of the mortality occurred in the treated larvae during days 2 and 3. Treatments T3 and T4 treatments showed positive effects and reduced mortality

Predicting chemical speciation of metals in soil using Visual Minteq

International audienceSoil processes affect metal chemical speciation and their biogeochemical activity. • The current study predicted chemical speciation of eight metals in two soil layers. • Divalent forms of metals predominated in both soil layers (79.9%). • Chromium showed a chemical speciation that varied from that of the other metals (95.8% as CrOH+). • Mean percentage ages of all metal ions were similar for all 15 field locations investigated. From soil contamination and risk assessment perspectives, it is imperative to understand the ecological processes occurring in soils. Certain soil processes greatly affect chemical speciation of potentially toxic metals (PTMs), and thus also influence their biogeochemical activity. The current study analyzed chemical speciation of eight PTMs (Cd, Cr, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn, and Pb) in upper and lower soil layers for 15 agronomic fields of Vehari-Pakistan using Visual Minteq software. The divalent forms of most PTMs (PTM2+) generally predominated in both soil layers (79.9% overall occurrence). However, chromium revealed a different pattern of chemical speciation (95.8% as CrOH+) compared to other PTMs. The mean percentage of all the PTMs2+ was slightly higher for the lower soil layer (81.3%) than in the upper layer (78.4%), the trend being same for all the PTMs, except Cr. This higher PTMs2+ percentage in lower soil layers than upper layers was due to lower content of organic matter and other anions such as Cl− and HCO3−. The mean percentage ages of all the PTMs2+ was similar among all the 15 agronomic fields, which was confirmed by strong Pearson correlation values (R2 > 0.95). The PCA graph grouped all the agronomic fields and PTM2+ closely, except Cr2+ and Cu2+. This grouping confirmed the similar chemical speciation of PTMs, except Cu and Cr in studied fields.