Variables Affecting the Mothers Access to Quality Care during Childbirth using the Neural Networks and Logistic Regression Models

Quality pregnancy and birth care is crucial in reducing maternal and child mortality in Egypt, requiring both supply and demand interventions. Using data from the Egypt Demographic Health Survey 2014, a neural networks and logistic regression models were built to determine demographic, social, and economic determinants affecting mothers access to care during childbirth. The study found that mothers working status had a significant impact on access to care, with an inverse relationship. Logistic regression outperformed neural networks in analyzing the relationship between explanatory variables and mothers access to care during childbirth

INFLUENCE OF IN-OVO INJECTION OF SELENIUM NANOPARTICLES AND SELENOMETHIONINE ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF BROILER CHICKS

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of in ovo injection of broiler eggs with different levels and forms of selenium on growth performance and some blood parameters of post hatched chicks.  A total of 300 fertilized eggs obtained from a commercial Arbor Acres broiler breeder flock, were used in the present experiment. They were divided randomly into six treatment groups, 50 eggs each. The first one was kept as a control– non injected  group, the second group  (sham)  injected with phosphate buffered saline (PBS), the 3rd and 4th groups were injected with  selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) at 10 and 20  ug/egg, while the 5th and 6th groups were injected with organic selenium (Se-Methionine) at 50 and 100 ug/egg , respectively.  All eggs were incubated in a forced draught incubator at the recommended temperature, relative humidity and turning patterns .The in ovo injection procedure was done at the 16th day of incubation. The criteria of response includes: live body weight, weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, total protein, albumin, globulin, A/G ratio, cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and glucose. The results showed that the supplementation of Se did not significantly affect growth performance traits. Supplementation of nano-Se increased plasma concentrations of total protein, albumin and HDL, and decrease glucose, however, no significant differences in globulin, A/G ratio, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It can be concluded that the use of 20 ug /egg of Nano-Se caused an improvement of growth performance and feed conversion ratio without negative effects on blood constituents

Markers of progression in early-stage invasive breast cancer: a predictive immunohistochemical panel algorithm for distant recurrence risk stratification

Accurate distant metastasis (DM) prediction is critical for risk stratification and effective treatment decisions in breast cancer (BC). Many prognostic markers/models based on tissue marker studies are continually emerging using conventional statistical approaches analysing complex/dimensional data association with DM/poor prognosis. However, few of them have fulfilled satisfactory evidences for clinical application. This study aimed at building DM risk assessment algorithm for BC patients. A well-characterised series of early invasive primary operable BC (n=1902), with immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of a panel of biomarkers (n=31) formed the material of this study. Decision tree algorithm was computed using WEKA software, utilising quantitative biomarkers’ expression and the absence/presence of distant metastases. Fifteen biomarkers were significantly associated with DM, with six temporal subgroups characterised based on time-to-development of DM ranging from 15 years of follow-up. Of these 15 biomarkers, 10 had a significant expression pattern where Ki67LI, HER2, p53, N-cadherin, P-cadherin, PIK3CA and TOMM34 showed significantly higher expressions with earlier development of DM. In contrast, higher expressions of ER, PR, and BCL2, were associated with delayed occurrence of DM. DM prediction algorithm was built utilising cases informative for the 15 significant markers. Four risk groups of patients were characterised. Three markers; p53, HER2 and BCL2 predicted the probability of DM, based on software-generated cut-offs, with a precision rate of 81.1% for positive predictive value and 77.3%, for the negative predictive value. This algorithm reiterates the reported prognostic values of these three markers and underscores their central biologic role in BC progression. Further independent validation of this pruned panel of biomarkers is therefore warranted

A del(X)(p11) carrying <it>SRY </it>sequences in an infant with ambiguous genitalia

Abstract Background SRY (sex-determining region, Y) is the gene responsible of gonadal differentiation in the male and it is essential for the regular development of male genitalia. Translocations involving the human sex chromosomes are rarely reported, however here we are reporting a very rare translocation of SRY gene to the q -arm of a deleted X chromosome. This finding was confirmed by cytogenetic, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Case presentation A 7-month infant was clinically diagnosed as an intersex case, with a phallus, labia majora and minora, a blind vagina and a male urethra. Neither uterus nor testes was detected by Ultrasonography. G-banding of his chromosomes showed 46,X,del(X)(p11) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis showed a very small piece from the Y chromosome translocated to the q-arm of the del(X). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed the presence of material from the sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene. Conclusion It is suggested that the phenotype of the patient was caused by activation of the deleted X chromosome with SRY translocation, which is responsible for gonadal differentiation.</p

In Vitro Fumonisin Biosynthesis and Genetic Structure of Fusarium verticillioides Strains from Five Mediterranean Countries

Investigating the in vitro fumonisin biosynthesis and the genetic structure of Fusarium verticillioides populations can provide important insights into the relationships between strains originating from various world regions. In this study, 90 F. verticillioides strains isolated from maize in five Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Egypt and Iran) were analyzed to investigate their ability to in vitro biosynthesize fumonisin B1, fumonisin B2 and fumonisin B3 and to characterize their genetic profile. In general, 80% of the analyzed strains were able to biosynthesize fumonisins (range 0.03&ndash;69.84 &mu;g/g). Populations from Italy, Spain, Tunisia and Iran showed a similar percentage of fumonisin producing strains (&gt;90%); conversely, the Egyptian population showed a lower level of producing strains (46%). Significant differences in fumonisin biosynthesis were detected among strains isolated in the same country and among strains isolated from different countries. A portion of the divergent FUM1 gene and of intergenic regions FUM6-FUM7 and FUM7-FUM8 were sequenced to evaluate strain diversity among populations. A high level of genetic uniformity inside the populations analyzed was detected. Apparently, neither geographical origin nor fumonisin production ability were correlated to the genetic diversity of the strain set. However, four strains from Egypt differed from the remaining strains

Effect of Au Plasmonic Material on Poly M-Toluidine for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation from Sewage Water

This study provides H2 gas as a renewable energy source from sewage water splitting reaction using a PMT/Au photocathode. So, this study has a dual benefit for hydrogen generation; at the same time, it removes the contaminations of sewage water. The preparation of the PMT is carried out through the polymerization process from an acid medium. Then, the Au sputter was carried out using the sputter device under different times (1 and 2 min) for PMT/Au-1 min and PMT/Au-2min, respectively. The complete analyses confirm the chemical structure, such as XRD, FTIR, HNMR, SEM, and Vis-UV optical analyses. The prepared electrode PMT/Au is used for the hydrogen generation reaction using Na2S2O3 or sewage water as an electrolyte. The PMT crystalline size is 15 nm. The incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) efficiency increases from 2.3 to 3.6% (at 390 nm), and the number of H2 moles increases from 8.4 to 33.1 mmol h&minus;1 cm&minus;2 for using Na2S2O3 and sewage water as electrolyte, respectively. Moreover, all the thermodynamic parameters, such as activation energy (Ea), enthalpy (&Delta;H*), and entropy (&Delta;S*), were calculated; additionally, a simple mechanism is mentioned for the water-splitting reaction

A del(X)(p11) carrying SRY sequences in an infant with ambiguous genitalia

BACKGROUND: SRY (sex-determining region, Y) is the gene responsible of gonadal differentiation in the male and it is essential for the regular development of male genitalia. Translocations involving the human sex chromosomes are rarely reported, however here we are reporting a very rare translocation of SRY gene to the q -arm of a deleted X chromosome. This finding was confirmed by cytogenetic, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). CASE PRESENTATION: A 7-month infant was clinically diagnosed as an intersex case, with a phallus, labia majora and minora, a blind vagina and a male urethra. Neither uterus nor testes was detected by Ultrasonography. G-banding of his chromosomes showed 46,X,del(X)(p11) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis showed a very small piece from the Y chromosome translocated to the q-arm of the del(X). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed the presence of material from the sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the phenotype of the patient was caused by activation of the deleted X chromosome with SRY translocation, which is responsible for gonadal differentiation