Development of a minigenome cassette for Lettuce necrotic yellows virus: A first step in rescuing a plant cytorhabdovirus

Rhabdoviruses are enveloped negative-sense RNA viruses that have numerous biotechnological applications. However, recovering plant rhabdoviruses from cDNA remains difficult due to technical difficulties such as the need for concurrent in planta expression of the viral genome together with the viral nucleoprotein (N), phosphoprotein (P) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L) and viral genome instability in E. coli. Here, we developed a negative-sense minigenome cassette for Lettuce necrotic yellows virus (LNYV). We introduced introns into the unstable viral ORF and employed Agrobacterium tumefaciens to co-infiltrate Nicotiana with the genes for the N, P, and L proteins together with the minigenome cassette. The minigenome cassette included the Discosoma sp. red fluorescent protein gene (DsRed) cloned in the negative-sense between the viral trailer and leader sequences which were placed between hammerhead and hepatitis delta ribozymes. In planta DsRed expression was demonstrated by western blotting while the appropriate splicing of introduced introns was confirmed by sequencing of RT-PCR product

Sacrococcygeal teratoma: 10-year experience in upper Egypt

Purpose To evaluate our experience with 45 patients with sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) in our community (upper Egypt) over a period of 10 years between 2001 and 2011 and determine the outcome of the management and recommendations for treatment strategies.Patients and methods A retrospective study was conducted at our Pediatric Surgical Unit, Assiut University Hospital. The medical records were reviewed for age at presentation, clinical manifestations and investigations, time of surgical approach, histopathology, recurrences, bladder and anorectal function, and cosmetic outcome.Results Forty-five patients with SCT were referred to the Pediatric Surgical Unit. The time of referral was as follows: immediately after birth in the case of five patients; during the first week for 17 patients (four of them died before surgery because of hemodynamic instability and other associated congenital anomalies and were excluded from the study); later in infancy for 22 patients; and at one and half years of age for one child. The lesion was excised in the case of 41 patients. Teratomas were of type I (n =9), type II (n = 20), type III (n= 11), and type IV (n =1) (Altman’s classification). The age of patients at surgery ranged from 2 days to 1.5 years. Histological analysis of results revealed mature teratoma (n =27), immature teratoma (n =9), and malignant teratoma (n= 5). The coccyx was not removed in two cases during the early period of the study. The follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 10 years. Recurrence occurred in five (12%) cases, wound infection in four (9.7%), and diarrhea in two (4.8%) cases. The a-fetoprotein level was high in 35 cases and was normal in two patients; it decreased after excision. Fetal diagnosis was made in five cases by means of a prenatal sonographic scan.Conclusion Prenatal diagnosis of SCT is very important and it is recommended to save the baby from obstructed labor. Early diagnosis allows early surgical intervention and avoids malignant transformation. The coccyx should be excised to decrease the risk of recurrence. Skin flap modification is feasible for large teratomas with healthy skin. Keywords: infants, neonates, sacrococcygeal teratom

Isolation and indentification of fungi associated with date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera, Linn) sold at Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria

Mycological investigation on spoilage fungi in 30 apparently infected date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera, Linn.), sampled from both new and old campuses of Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria was carried out between August and September 2008. The samples were cut into 3 mm pieces on a clean and sterilized tile with the aid of sterilized razor blade, surface-sterilized in 1% hypochlorite for 2 minutes, placed on Potato Dextrose Agar and incubated at room temperature for 5 days. Pure cultures of the resulting fungi were obtained from subcultures of the primary plates. These were identified morphologically and microscopically in accordance with standard procedures. The investigation showed that the most dominant isolated fungi were Rhizopus sp. (100%) and Mucor sp. (100%), followed by Torula sp. (40%),Penicillium sp. (30%), Aspergillus sp. (16.67%) and Alternaria sp. (13.33%) respectively. Of all the samples, soft dates were the most heavily contaminated probably owing to the artificial increase in moisture content and improper storage facilities associated with it. Aspergillus species appeared to be the most toxigenic fungi recovered from the dates. It was recommended that soft dates should be stored in a cold environment while dry dates should be stored under dry condition so that they will not increase in moisture and avoid constant exposure to air at sales time, hence the use of paper wraps should be encouraged. Similarly, contaminated dates should be sorted and eliminated to avoid re-infection while washing the dates with clean water prior to consumption should be strongly encouraged by appropriate authorities with the view to checking the spread of these fungi. Key words: Phoenix dactylifera, fungi, contamination, spoilage, Kan

Reclosure Efficiency of Plastic Container Used for Multidose Packaging of Moisture Sensitive Aspirin Tablets.

This study was conducted to determine the suitability of packaging aspirin tablets in one thousand tablet packs that require reclosure after dispensing each dose. The reclosure efficiency of the push-fit type closure of a plastic container in preventing moisture entry was determined and compared to a control container. Aspirin tablets used in this study were shown to be susceptible to moisture degradation leading to significant losses of potency (p = 0.005). Loose placement of closure on container allowed significant gain of moisture into the container (p = 0.05) and this could lead to significant loss of potency of aspirin tablets. However, if the closure is properly pushed down to fit, the moisture gain is not significant (p = 0.05). It can, therefore, be concluded that the proper use of push-fit closures on containers for packaging aspirin tablets provides effective protection and the use of more expensive single unit strip packaging, for example, is therefore not necessary. Keywords: Reclosure efficiency, moisture sensitive aspirin tablets, plastic container. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 2002; 1(2):111-11

Transcolostomy-site endorectal pullthrough for Hirschsprung’s disease

Purpose To present our results for an endorectal pullthrough operation as the second stage for the treatment of Hirschsprung’s disease through the colostomy site.Materials and methods This study included 13 patients, four girls and nine boys. Their ages ranged from 9 months to 7 years. They presented with a leveling colostomy with a diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s disease. The colostomy was carried out in the neonatal period because of neonatal intestinal obstruction in three patients (one female and two males), in two patients because of recurrent attacks of enterocolitis, and three patients because of the inability of the patient to withstand major surgery. Four patients presented without a clear history of the cause for the colostomy. One patient aged 7 years presented with sigmoid volvulus. All the patients were subjected to a transcolostomy endorectal pullthrough.Results The operation was completed as described in all patients. The time from colostomy to pullthrough ranged from 3 to 7 months (median 4.7 months). The operation time ranged from 95 to 140 min (median 113 min). All the patients passed stool within 24–48 h. Stool output ranged from two to six stools per day. Optimal wound healing occurred in all patients without wound complications. Postoperative perineal excoriation occurred in four patients. A urinary tract infection developed in one patient. A patient with a history of recurrent attacks of preoperative enterocolitis developed mild enterocolitis 2 weeks after the operation. Adhesive intestinal obstruction occurred in one patient. Recurrence of symptoms occurred in two patients because of stricture at the anastomotic site, one responded to repeated dilatation and the other required internal sphincterotomy.Conclusion Transcolostomy endorectal pullthrough has the following advantages: it is associated with less pain and a shorter hospitalization than the classic endorectal pullthrough. Wound complications are rare. The cosmetic result is better than the classic Soave operation. It has no specific technique-related complications. Long-term outcome and functional results are good. To our knowledge, this approach has not been described before. Keywords: Hirschsprung’s disease, leveling colostomy, pullthroug

Removal of Congo Red Dye from Aqueous Solution using Sugarcane Bagasse and Bambara Groundnut Shell

A methodology involving sugarcane bagasse (SB) and Bambara groundnut shell (BGS) as adsorbents was developed in order to remove the carcinogenic Congo red dye from aqueous medium. The effect of contact time, sorbent dosage, initial concentration and pΗ were investigated. The results showed high efficiency of ≈ 93% and 75% using 4.5g of SB and BGS respectively. The results also indicated that the % removal increases with increase in dye loading concentration, while it decreased with an increase in pΗ of the solution from 4 to 10. From the results, it is possible to conclude that sugarcane bagasse and Bambara groundnut shell are good adsorbents for dye effluent treatment.Keywords: Bambara groundnut shell, Congo red, Sugarcane Bagasse, % Dye Removal

The Journey of Islamic Education in Universities in the Southern Frontier Provinces of Thailand and Their Response to the Global Crisis

This study aims to describe the journey of Islamic education in universities in the border province of southern Thailand and how they respond to the global crisis. Is research with a qualitative approach to ethnographic methods of Realist ethnography, which is an objective view of information learned in the field and usually uses a third-person point of view. Data sources were obtained through interviews, field observations, and sociocultural phenomena. Based on the study of researchers, the results of the study concluded that the journey of Islamic education in ASEAN countries including the Southern Border Province of Thailand both Muslim majority and minority can be divided into four phases sequentially. First phase is the introduction phase. Second phase is when Islamic education faces external and global challenges. The third phase is when Islamic education is strong enough to face challenges and be able to solve problems. Fourth phase, Islamic education will provide all the solutions for the global crisis. By looking at the phases of the Journey of Islamic Education in Higher Education in the Southern Border Province of Thailand, will be able to provide all solutions for the global crisis. Keywords: muslim, islamic education, global crisi

Diabetic Septic Foot in Omdurman Teaching Hospital

Objective: To audit the management of diabetic septic foot [DSF] lesions in Omdurman Teaching Hospital, usingWagner classification. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective study on 208 patients with DSF admitted to Omdurman Teaching Hospital, Sudan between June 2006 and May 2007. Data were analyzed manually Results: The male to female ratio was 2:1. The mean age± SD was 56 ± 12.35 year. 16.8% patients were grade 1. 33 (15.9%) patients were grade 2. grades 3, 4, 5 patients were 66 (37 %), 38 (18.3%) and 36 (17.3%) respectively. Major lower limb amputation and mortality were 19.2%, and 6.7% respectively.Conclusion: Preventive measures for patients at risk are highly needed as well early presentation isencouraged when ulcer develops in diabetic foot to avoid subsequent complications.Key words: Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetic septic foot, amputatio

In vivo activity of stem bark aqueous extract of Khaya senegalensis against Trypanosoma brucei

Aqueous extract of Khaya senegalensis A. Juss (Meliaceae) stem bark was used to treat trypanosomiasis in rats in vivo and changes in levels of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT)were studied. The treatment involved oral infusion of the crude extract at 60 mg/kg body weight (b.w) simultaneously with Trypanosoma brucei infection, and 60 and 100 mg/kg b.w infusion of the extract 3days post infection (p.i). In all the rats treated with the extract, a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in parasitemia was recorded on day 6 p.i and there was also significant (P < 0.05) increase in the levels ofAST and ALT when compared with rats that were neither infected nor given the infusion of the extract. It was concluded that orally infused K. senegalensis extract possessed in vivo activity against T. brucei butcould not prevent the disease-induced liver damage