ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE PATTERNS OF PROTEUS ISOLATES FROM CLINICAL SPECIMENS

Total of 6840 clinical samples were collected from King Fahd Hospital at Medina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Clinical samples were screened for Proteus spp. It is found that Proteus spp isolates representing about 3% of all positive samples isolated from different clinical sources. Males were found to be more vulnerable than females in acquiring Proteus infections. Results showed that the greatest number of Proteus spp. isolates from clinical specimens were isolated from wound and sputum swabs specimens representing about 88% of all clinical specimens.Thirteen different antibiotics representing different families of antibiotics were tested on Proteus spp. specimens for studying its antimicrobial sensitivity pattern. Results of antimicrobial sensitivity tests revealed that imipenem (IMP) antibiotic was the most effective antibiotic against Proteus spp. with 91% of antimicrobial sensitivity. Imipenem (Imp) was followed by amikacin (AK) with 61% of antimicrobial sensitivity.Results are recommending prescribing of imipenem (IMP) antibiotic in the treatment of Proteus spp infections. It is recommended also to prescribe amikacin (AK) in the case of sensitivity to imipenem (IMP). In acute cases, Proteus infections could require use of combined antimicrobial therapy (imipenem- amikacin). Results also demonstrated that percentage of Proteus spp. infections was highest during summer season representing about 40% of infections all year along. Summer season was followed by winter season with about 32% of infections

Gender, economics and culture: diversity and the international evolution of smoking prevalence

Aims: To examine whether the observed diversity between national patterns of smoking prevalence could require modification of the World Health Organization (WHO) linear model for an international `smoking pandemic' (a worldwide epidemic) to address data from non-western countries. Method: We conducted secondary research using current measures in three publicly available databases: Globalink, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank (all internetaccessible). The measures we used are the separate percentage data for men and women on: smoking and employment and national income per capita (US$) and percentage growth per annum. Results: Regression analysis showed that women smokers were more frequent in countries with higher national income, but women were less likely to smoke in countries of rapid growth. Men were less likely to smoke in countries with higher national income, but more likely to smoke in countries of rapid growth. Two principle components together explained 62% of all the variance in the international data. The largest factor was positively correlated with the percentage of employed females, the percentage of female smokers and national income per capita, but negatively correlated with the percentage of male smokers and percentage annual growth. The effect of female employment was not continuous, but above a threshold of 51%, was associated with a higher prevalence of female smoking. The smaller, second factor was only weakly correlated with any smoking variables. Conclusions: In his 1994 model (subsequently adopted by the WHO) Lopez looked at historical trends in `stages' of smoking prevalence. These have been associated with `stages' of economic development. We extended this analysis to look at a dynamic change (% annual growth) and a social indicator (employment). Male and female smoking is affected differentially by economic change and by level of income. These are also strongly related to the percentage of women in employment. This has implications for workplace policies on smoking

Features of Tourist Movement in Hashemia District

تعتبر السياحة أحد الأنشطة الاقتصادية المهمة التي شهدت تطوراً كبيراً في المدة الأخيرة, لأنها تعد من مرتكزات التنمية الاقتصادية الشاملة. وبما أن منطقة الدراسة تنشط فيها الحركة السياحية الناتجة عن مرور الزوار القادمين من المحافظات الجنوبية لزيارة العتبات المقدسة في كربلاء والنجف حيث يقوم السياح والزوار بزيارة المراقد والمقامات الدينية وبعض المواقع الترفيهية وأماكن أخرى في المنطقة وعن طريق تكرار الزيارة أصبحت منطقة الدراسة معروفة سيما وأنها تحتضن كثيراً من المراقد والمقامات الدينية والمواقع الأثرية والمواقع الطبيعية المشجعة للسياحة. وقد أظهرت الدراسة الميدانية ان 87% يقصدون المنطقة لغرض السياحة الدينية، وان 34% منهم جاءوا من أجزاء محافظة بابل الأخرى، وكانت نسبة الاناث منهم 80%. كما تبين ان 64% من الزائرين يفدون الى المنطقة بصحبة عوائلهم. وبهذا فان منطقة الدراسة تشهد حركة سياحية جديرة بالاعتبار، ومن المهم تطويرها كي يكون لها دور أكبر في اقتصادياتها.     يقترح البحث زيادة الاهتمام بالمزارات الدينية وتطويرها والعمل على توفير أماكن لاستراحة الزائرين، واصدار دليل سياحي لمحافظة بابل ومنها منطقة الدراسة، ومن المهم ايضا ايلاء المناطق الأثرية مزيدا من الاهتمام بدءا من تنشيط عمليات التنقيب والصيانة والتعريف بها وتشجيع السفرات الجماعية نحوها، فضلا عن تشجيع الصناعات التراثية بأنواعها وجعلها في متناول السياح والزوار لدورها الاعلامي وأهميتها الاقتصادية.Tourism is one of the most important economic activities which has witnessed a great development in recent times, because it is one of the pillars of comprehensive economic development. As the area of ​​study is active in the tourism movement resulting from the passage of visitors from the southern provinces to visit the holy shrines in Karbala and Najaf where tourists and visitors visit shrines, religious sites, some recreational sites, and other places in the region. Repeating  visitsthe study area will be known spicily that it embraces many religious shrines, archaeological sites and natural sites that encourage tourism. The field study showed that 87% of the population of the region is for the purpose of religious tourism, and 34% came from parts of the other province of Babylon, and the proportion of females is 80%. It was also found that 64% of visitors come to the area with their families. Thus, the study area is witnessing a remarkable tourist movement, and it is important to develop it to have a bigger role in their economies..  It is also to give the archaeological areas more attention, developing, provide it with comfort sites, publishing tourist index, give antiquities sites more attention and encourage tourism  trips toward them, as well as the promotion of traditional industries , make them accessible to tourists and visitors for their media role and economic importance

Development of new thiazolidine-2,4-dione hybrids as aldose reductase inhibitors endowed with antihyperglycaemic activity: design, synthesis, biological investigations, and in silico insights

This research study describes the development of new small molecules based on 2,4-thiazolidinedione (2,4-TZD) and their aldose reductase (AR) inhibitory activities. The synthesis of 17 new derivatives of 2,4-TZDs hybrids was feasible by incorporating two known bioactive scaffolds, benzothiazole heterocycle, and nitro phenacyl moiety. The most active hybrid (8b) was found to inhibit AR in a non-competitive manner (0.16 µM), as confirmed by kinetic studies and molecular docking simulations. Furthermore, the in vivo experiments demonstrated that compound 8b had a significant hypoglycaemic effect in mice with hyperglycaemia induced by streptozotocin. Fifty milligrams per kilogram dose of 8b produced a marked decrease in blood glucose concentration, and a lower dose of 5 mg/kg demonstrated a noticeable antihyperglycaemic effect. These outcomes suggested that compound 8b may be used as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetic complications

Growth performance, in vitro antioxidant properties and chemical composition of the halophyte Limonium algarvense Erben are strongly influenced by the irrigation salinity

Limonium algarvense Erben (sea lavender) is a halophyte species with potential to provide natural ingredients with in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and antidiabetic properties. This study reports for the first time the 1) cultivation of sea lavender in greenhouse conditions under irrigation with freshwater (approx. 0 mM NaCl) and saline aquaculture wastewater (300 and 600 mM NaCl), and 2) the influence of the irrigation salinity on the plant performance (e.g growth, number of produced leaves and flowers), in vitro antioxidant properties [radical scavenging activity (DPPH and ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), metal chelating properties on copper (CCA) and iron (ICA)], toxicity (in vitro on three mammalian cell lines) and chemical composition (determined by LC-ESI-HRMS/MS). The freshwater-irrigated plants had better growth performance than those irrigated with saltwater. Extracts from wild plants, had the highest antioxidant activity, but those from cultivated ones kept high in vitro antioxidant properties and interesting chemical profile. The flowers' extracts of plants irrigated with 300 mM NaCl had the highest antioxidant activities against DPPH, whereas those from freshwater-irrigated plants were more active on ABTS, CCA and FRAP. Most of the extracts showed nil toxicity. The flowers' extracts displayed the highest diversity of compounds, mainly quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, naringenin and their glycoside derivatives. Moreover, their abundance varied with the irrigation salinity. These data indicate that sea lavender plants can be successfully cultivated in greenhouse conditions under fresh- and saltwater irrigation, maintaining interesting biological and chemical properties.Funding Agency Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology Portuguese National Budget CCMAR/Multi/04326/2019 GreenVet project ALG-01-0145-FEDER-028876 XtrerneAquaCrops FA-05-2017-028 Lisboa-01-0145-FEDER-022125-RNEM-IST ID/QUI/00100/201 Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology SFRH/BD/116604/2016 CEECIND/00425/2017info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Self-reported use of tobacco products in nine rural INDEPTH Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems in Asia

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of premature death and disability. Even though tobacco use is common in many Asian countries, reliable and comparable data on the burden imposed by tobacco use in this region are sparse, and surveillance systems to track trends are in their infancy. OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the prevalence of tobacco use and its associated factors in nine selected rural sites in five Asian countries. METHODS: Tobacco use among 9,208 men and 9,221 women aged 25-64 years in nine Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) sites in five Asian countries of the INDEPTH Network were examined in 2005 as part of a broader survey of the major chronic non-communicable disease risk factors. All sites used a standardised protocol based on the WHO STEPS approach to risk factor surveillance; expanded questions of local relevance, including chewing tobacco, were also included. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess demographic factors associated with tobacco use. RESULTS: Tobacco use, whether smoked or chewed, was common across all sites with some notable variations. More than 50% of men smoked daily; this applied to almost all age groups. Few women smoked daily in any of the sites. However, women were more likely to chew tobacco than men in all sites except Vadu in India. Tobacco use in men began in late adolescence in most of the sites and the number of cigarettes smoked daily ranged from three to 15. Use of both forms of tobacco, smoked and chewed, was associated with age, gender and education. Men were more likely to smoke compared to women, smoking increased with age in the four sites in Bangladesh but not in other sites and with low level of education in all the sites. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of tobacco use, regardless of the type of tobacco, was high among men in all of these rural populations with tobacco use started during adolescence in all HDSS sites. Innovative communication strategies for behaviour change targeting adolescents in schools and adult men and women at work or at home, may create a mass awareness about adverse health consequences of tobacco smoking or chewing tobacco. Such efforts, to be effective, however, need to be supported by strong legislation and leadership. Only four of the five countries involved in this multi-site study have ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and even where it has been ratified, implementation is uneven.Supplement: 1</p

Establishing a Target Exposure for Once-Daily Intravenous Busulfan Given with Fludarabine and Thymoglobulin before Allogeneic Transplantation

AbstractA combination of fludarabine (Flu) and daily i.v. busulfan (Bu) is well tolerated and effective in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Although there is some evidence that Bu exposures exceeding 6000 μM/min may lead to excessive toxicity, there is little information on the effect of exposures below this level on outcomes. We studied Bu exposure, as measured by area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), in 158 patients with various hematologic malignancies in an attempt to identify an optimal range for targeted therapy. The preparative chemotherapy regimen comprised Flu 50 mg/m2 on days -6 to -2 and i.v. Bu 3.2 mg/kg on days -5 to -2 inclusive. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis included methotrexate, cyclosporin A, and antithymocyte globulin. Patients with Bu exposures below the median AUC of 4439 μM/min were at increased risk for acute GVHD grade II-IV (hazard ratio [HR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 4.49; P = .014). Those in the highest and lowest Bu exposure quartiles (daily AUC <3814 μM/min and >4993 μM/min) had an increased risk of nonrelapse mortality (subdistribution HR, 3.32; 95% CI, 1.46 to 7.54; P = .004), as well as worse disease-free survival (HR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.09 to 2.99; P = .021) and overall survival (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.12 to 3.37; P = .018). Bu exposures between 4440 and 4993 μM/min were accompanied by the lowest risk of both nonrelapse mortality and acute GVHD

Tobacco Smoking Using Midwakh Is an Emerging Health Problem – Evidence from a Large Cross-Sectional Survey in the United Arab Emirates

INTRODUCTION: Accurate information about the prevalence and types of tobacco use is essential to deliver effective public health policy. We aimed to study the prevalence and modes of tobacco consumption in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), particularly focusing on the use of Midwakh (Arabic traditional pipe). METHODS: We studied 170,430 UAE nationals aged ≥ 18 years (44% males and 56% females) in the Weqaya population-based screening program in Abu Dhabi residents during the period April 2008-June 2010. Self-reported smoking status, type, quantity and duration of tobacco smoked were recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study findings; prevalence rates used the screened sample as the denominator. RESULT: The prevalence of smoking overall was 24.3% in males and 0.8% in females and highest in males aged 20-39. Mean age (SD) of smokers was 32.8 (11.1) years, 32.7 (11.1) in males and 35.7 (12.1) in females. Cigarette smoking was the commonest form of tobacco use (77.4% of smokers), followed by Midwakh (15.0%), shisha (waterpipe) (6.8%), and cigar (0.66%). The mean durations of smoking for cigarettes, Midwakh, shisha and cigars were 11.4, 9.3, 7.6 and 11.0 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking is most common among younger UAE national men. The use of Midwakh and the relatively young age of onset of Midwakh smokers is of particular concern as is the possibility of the habit spreading to other countries. Comprehensive tobacco control laws targeting the young and the use of Midwakh are needed