RESPONSE OF STRAWBERRY PLANTS TO SHORTENING DAY LENGTH , SHADING AND COLD STORAGE UNDER EGYPTIAN CONDITIONS

This experiment was performed in 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 seasons at El-Bosaly Protected Cultivation Experimental Site, of the Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate (CLAC), 15 Km west of Rosetta. The current study was conducted in open field to investigate the growth and productivity of strawberry plants under the shading and cold storage methods. Two strawberry cultivars were used, i.e., Camarosa (cv.) and Yael (cv.). Transplants were set up on 15 of March to 15 of September in both two seasons of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, respectively under El-Bosaly conditions. Seven treatments were used i.e., short day, 40% shading, 73% shading, three periods cold storage at 5Co, i.e., (24h, 48h and 73h) and control. Results indicated that the application of 73% shading treatment was the most effective in reducing maximum and minimum of air temperature and radiation, followed by 40% shading, whereas, the highest value of maximum and minimum air temperature, radiation were observed in control treatment throughout the two growing seasons. In addition, 73% shading treatment produced the tallest plants and the highest number of leaves per plant and leaf area per plant. Moreover, flowering and chlorophyll in leaves were increased by application of short day treatment. Also, fruit characters such as average weight and number of fruits per plant were the highest values with 40% shading. Chemical components of fruits, i.e., T.S.S were increased with 73% shading treatment. When plants were grown under 40% shading treatment, followed by 73% shading, while cold storage for 72 h treatment gave the lowest values. Neither cultivars nor the interaction between cultivars and tested factors had any significant effects on many studied characters

EFFECT OF BARLEY ETIOLATED SPROUTING WITH SOME HAYS USING SALINE WATER ON THE NUTRITIONAL AND ECONOMICAL VALUE OF THE PRODUCT

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of barley grain etiolated sprouts mixture with faba bean, Egyptian clover, wheat and rice hays to improve fodder value. Hays were used as media to etiolated sprouts of barley with three seeding densities (10, 20 and 30% w: w). Growing conditions of the system can produce between 12.8 to 38.38Kg of fresh fodder and 3.18 to 9.10Kg of dry fodder in 4 days from one kilogram of dry barley grains. The dry fodder per unit seed volume (Kg/Kg grain) was decreased with increasing seed density. Since hays were decreased but the nutrient content of the fodder, especially protein was increased. Barley etiolated sprouts improved quality of hays fodder from faba bean, Egyptian clover, rice and wheat crop. Carbohydrate lipid, protein and total energy content were increased with increasing barley-seeding density while crude fiber was decreased. In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) was decreased with decreasing seed density especially with rice hays (39.92) and increased with increasing seeding density especially with faba bean hays (74.77). Fiber fraction (Neutral detergent fiber NDF, Acid detergent fiber ADF, Acid detergent lignin ADL), cellulose and lignin percentage were decreased with increasing seeding density of barley, Relative feed value (RFV) was increased with increasing seed density for barley grown on faba bean, Egyptian clover, rice and wheat hays.                      The barley etiolated sprout production system obtained a good quality fresh forage in small area all year around and low cost estimated per ton DM; total digestible nutrients (TDN) and crude protein (CP) compared with hydroponic barely green sprouts. Therefore, the system can recommended as cheap energy (TDN) and protein (CP). In addition, the system saving agricultural lands and partially water consumption for strategy crop production as wheat and corn since its fodder products can produced and grown in small dark area during absence of natural forage

RETENTION OF ZN, PB, CU AND CD METAL IONS ONTO SEWAGE IRRIGATED SOIL

The sorption isotherm and kinetic of Cu2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ , and Cd2+ ions onto sewage irrigated soil (El-Gebal El Aasfar-Qalubia) was examined as a function of the retention time and initial ion concentration using batch equilibrium sorption experiments. Results show that the Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd metal ions onto the soil is relatively rapid and sorption reaches equilibrium at about 240 minutes. Kinetics of the sorption process on the soil is well characterized by the pseudo-second order reaction rate. Langmuir, Freundlich and D–R isotherm models are fitted for the sorption of Cu2+, Pb2, Zn2+, and Cd2+ ions onto the soil. The constants of all models were calculated for each metal ion and compared. It indicated clear differences between the sorption characteristics of Cu2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ ions on the sewage irrigated soil

EFFECTS OF WATER SALINITY AND EGYPTIAN CLOVER AMENDED SUBSTRATES ON TOMATO TRANSPLANT PRODUCTION

This study was conducted to evaluate the growth of tomato transplants irrigated with saline water in a commercial soilless potting media amended with fermented clover produced by anaerobic fermentation of a mixture of clover and water for different periods (1, 2 and 3 weeks). Treatments were distributed in completely randomized factorial design included three salinity levels in irrigation water (260, 1000 and 2000 mg l-1) without and with fermented clover corresponding to 0, 10, 20 and 30% of the substrate (1peat: 1perlite: 1vermiculite) by volume. Plant height (cm), number of leaves, vegetative fresh and dry weights (g) per plant were recorded 35 days after sowing. The obtained results showed that the mean values of the aforementioned parameters were increased due to the incorporation of clover-based amendment with higher pronounced effect recorded for fermented clover as compared to non-fermented clover. The highest values were obtained due to the incorporation of three weeks fermented clover at 20% mixing percentage followed by 30%. There were significant differences among water salinity treatments; fresh water (260 mg l-1) recorded the highest vegetative growth of tomato transplants. Furthermore, fermented clover alleviated the salt stress on transplants and increased the growth parameters under saline water irrigation. These results suggested that clover can be used for producing organic tomato transplants, instead of imported media, supporting by fermentation to enhance the ability of clover to supplement the transplants with the nutrient needs and cope the salinity condition

Diabetes mellitus in Egypt: glycaemic control and microvascular and neuropathic complications

We performed a cross-sectional, population-based survey of persons 20 years of age and older living in Cairo and surrounding rural villages. The purpose was to describe glycaemic control and the prevalence of microvascular and neuropathic complications among Egyptians with diagnosed diabetes, previously undiagnosed diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, and normal glucose tolerance. A total of 6052 households were surveyed. The response rate was 76 % for the household survey and 72 % for the medical examination. Among people with previously diagnosed diabetes, mean haemoglobin A 1c was 9.0 %. Forty-two per cent had retinopathy, 21 % albuminuria, and 22 % neuropathy. Legal blindness was prevalent (5 %) but clinical nephropathy (7 %) and foot ulcers (1 %) were uncommon in persons with diagnosed diabetes. Among people with diagnosed diabetes, microvascular and neuropathic complications were associated with hyperglycaemia. Retinopathy was also associated with duration of diabetes; albuminuria with hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia; and neuropathy with age, female sex, and hypercholesterolaemia. Albuminuria was as common in people with previously undiagnosed diabetes (22 %) as those with diagnosed disease (21 %). Mean haemoglobin A 1c was lower (7.8 %) and retinopathy (16 %) and neuropathy (14 %) were less prevalent in people with previously undiagnosed disease. Ocular conditions, blindness, and neuropathy were prevalent in the non-diabetic population. The microvascular and neuropathic complications of diabetes are a major clinical and public health problem in Egypt. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34940/1/696_ftp.pd

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

Biochemical composition of some marine brown algae from Jeddah Coast, Saudi Arabia

200-201Protein, lipid, alginic acid, crude fiber, chlorophylls a and c, moisture and the ash contents were estimated in Sargassum rulgare, S. enerve, Cystoseira barbata, Turbinaria murrayana and Padina vickersiae. The results suggest their potential use as animal feed and fertilizers

Assessment of intrahepatic regulatory T cells in children with autoimmune hepatitis

Background. T-cell populations regulate the balance of immune responses. The CD (Cluster of differentiation) 4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are crucial for maintaining negative control of various immune responses. There are different T-cell subpopulations with regulatory functions, as natural killer T cells, CD8+ and CD28. The forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) regulates Treg development and is required for its suppressive function.Aim. To evaluate the hepatic expression of the intrahepatic Tregs, Ig (immunoglobulin) G and IgM plasma cells in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and other chronic liver diseases (CLDs).Material and methods. This study included 100 pediatric patients; 50 AIH and 50 CLDs other than AIH. All patients were subjected to routine investigations of CLDs plus immune-staining of liver tissue for FOXp3, IgG and IgM plasma cells, CD4 and CD8 T-cells.Results. The FOXP3+ T cells in patients with AIH (6.3 ± 5) were significantly higher than that in the non-AIH (2.1 ± 2.6). FOXP3+ T cells were abundant in liver tissue with marked inflammatory cellular infiltrate. CD4+ and CD8+ infiltrating the liver tissue and IgG positive cells were significantly higher in AIH group, while the expression of IgM positive cells showed no significant difference. The IgG/IgM was significantly higher in the AIH treatment responders (3 ± 3) than non-responders (1.6 ± 0.5), while there was no significant difference regarding the intrahepatic expression of FOXP3+, CD4+, CD8+ cells, T-cells, IgG and IgM plasma cells.Conclusion. Intrahepatic Tregs were increased in number in patients with AIH in the initial presentation, and their presence is associated with increased activity and inflammation in liver biopsy