Sequence stratigraphic evolution of The post-rift MEGASEQUENCE in The northern part of The Nile Delta basin, Egypt

The stratigraphic succession of the subsurface Pliocene-Quaternary post-rift megasequence in the north-central part of the Nile Delta includes the rock units; Kafr El-Sheikh Formation (Early-Middle Pliocene), El- Wastani Formation (Late Pliocene), Mit-Ghamr and Bilqas formations (Quaternary). These rock units were analyzed according to the sequence stratigraphic principles to construct their stratigraphic architecture and discuss the depositional events influencing their evolution. Accordingly, seven 3rd order depositional sequences were encountered, of which six 3rd order seismic depositional sequences (sequences 1–6) are found in the Early–Middle Pliocene Kafr El-Sheikh Formation, whereas sequence-7 includes the Quaternary rock units. Sequences 1 and 7 were further subdivided, on the basis of high-resolution sequence stratigraphy into 8 and 11 4th order subsequences respectively. The results of the sequence stratigraphic analyses suggested that the depositional evolution of the examined Pliocene-Quaternary megasequence represents a complete prograding depositional phase during the Nile Delta history. The lower part of Kafr El-Sheikh Formation (sequences 1, 2, 3 and 4) was deposited as a thick outer marine shelf succession over which the younger rock units were deposited. However, the depositional sequences 5 & 6 of Kafr El-Sheikh Formation and the lower parts of El-Wastani Formations may indicate a deposition within active prograding prodelta sub-aqueous deltaic-subenvironments. The upper parts of El-Wastani Formation were deposited as a constructive delta-front pushing its way northward. The Pleistocene Mit-Ghamr Formation was evolved as a direct result of a huge fluvial input, organized as coalescing laterally extensive sand-rich bars. These were laid-down by active fluvial distributary streams that dominated the delta plain as the final phases of the present deltaic subaqueous environments

Risk factors and in-hospital outcomes in stroke and myocardial infarction patients

BACKGROUND: Acute stroke (AS) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) share major risk factors such as age, gender, and high blood pressure. The main objective of this study was to compare vascular risk factor profiles with in-hospital outcomes in AS and AMI patients. METHODS: We evaluated 486 consecutive patients who were admitted to Bjelovar General Hospital with diagnoses of AS (ischaemic stroke or intracerebral haemorrhage; N = 380) or AMI (N = 106) during a one year period. The frequency of risk factors and in-patient mortality rates were assessed in both groups. For statistical analysis we used t-tests and χ(2 )tests. RESULTS: AS patients were significantly older than AMI patients: the mean age for AS patients was 68.9 ± 9.1 years, and for AMI patients was 62.8 ± 11.7 years (p < 0.001). AMI was significantly more common than AS in patients younger than 65 years; 51% of this group had AMI and 26% had AS (p < 0.001). Hypertension was a more common risk factor in AS patients (69% AS patients vs. 58% AMI patients; p = 0.042). Patients who died did not differ significantly in age between the groups. In-patient mortality rates were significantly higher in AS than AMI cases (31% vs. 12%, p < 0.001 for all patients; 37% vs.5%, p < 0.001 for men). Women hospitalized for AMI were more likely to die in hospital than men (28% vs. 5%; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: We found that age at the time of presentation was a significant differentiating factor between patients with AS and AMI. The only exceptions were women, whose ages at the onset of AS and AMI were similar. In contrast, patients who died did not differ significantly in age. We observed significantly higher inpatient mortality for men (when adjusted for age) than for women with AS. The five-fold higher in-patient mortality rate in women than in men with AMI is most likely to have resulted from other factors related to treatment

Epidemiology of nonfatal stroke and transient ischemic attack in Al-Kharga District, New Valley, Egypt

Wafaa MA Farghaly,1 Hamdy N El-Tallawy,1 Ghaydaa A Shehata,1 Tarek A Rageh,1 Nabil M Abdel-Hakeem,2 Mohamed A Abd Elhamed,1 Bastawy MA Al-Fawal,3 Reda Badry1 1Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 2Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, Assiut, 3Aswan Health Insurance Hospital, Ministry of Health, Aswan, Egypt Background: Stroke is a medical emergency. Nonfatal stroke may cause permanent neurologic damage, complications, and disability. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of nonfatal stroke in Al-Kharga District, New Valley, Egypt. Methods: The total population (62,583) was screened via a door-to-door study by three neurology specialists and 15 female social workers for demographic data collection. All subjects with probable stroke were subjected to a full clinical examination, neuroimaging (computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging of the brain), and laboratory investigations including blood sugar, lipid profile, serum uric acid, a complete blood count, blood urea, and serum creatinine. Stroke severity and outcome were assessed using the Scandinavian Stroke Scale and Barthel Index. Carotid Doppler, echocardiography, and thyroid function tests were done in selected cases. Results: During the study period (June 1, 2005 to May 31, 2008), 351 subjects were diagnosed as having suffered a cerebrovascular stroke at some point during their lives, yielding a total lifetime prevalence of 5.6 per 1,000 population. Of these, 156 subjects were identified as having suffered a stroke during the year from January 1 to December 31, 2007, with an incidence rate of 2.5 per 1,000. Both prevalence and incidence rates were higher in urban (5.8 per 1,000 and 2.6 per 1,000, respectively) than rural communities (5.2 per 1,000 and 2.3 per 1,000), and were higher in males (6.1 per 1,000 and 2.7 per 1,000, respectively) than in females (5.1 per 1,000 and 2.3 per 1,000). Thrombotic stroke had the highest prevalence and incidence rates (4.2 per 1,000 and 1.7 per 1,000, respectively), whereas subarachnoid hemorrhage had the lowest prevalence and incidence rates (0.03 per 1,000 and 0.02 per 1,000). Conclusion: The prevalence of cerebrovascular accident in Al-Kharga lies in the lower range of that in developing countries, and is similar to that in industrialized countries. Keywords: prevalence, incidence, stroke, Egyp

Expression of immunoregulatory genes and its relationship to lead exposure and lead-mediated oxidative stress in wild ungulates from an abandoned mining area

Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic metal that can induce oxidative stress and affect the immune system by modifying the expression of immunomodulator-related genes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between Pb exposure and the transcriptional profiles of some cytokines, as well as the relationship between Pb exposure and changes in oxidative stress biomarkers observed in the spleen of wild ungulates exposed to mining pollution. Red deer and wild boar from the mining area studied had higher spleen, liver, and bone Pb levels than controls, indicating a chronic exposure to Pb pollution. Such exposure caused a depletion of spleen glutathione levels in both species and disrupted the activity of antioxidant enzymes, suggesting the generation of oxidative stress conditions. Deer from the mining area also showed an induced T-helper (Th)–dependent immune response toward the Th2 pathway, whereas boar from the mining area showed a cytokine profile suggesting an inclination of the immune response toward the Th1 pathway. These results indicate that environmental exposure to Pb may alter immune responses in wild ungulates exposed to mining pollution. However, evidence of direct relationships between Pb-mediated oxidative stress and the changes detected in immune responses were not found. Further research is needed to evaluate the immunotoxic potential of Pb pollution, also considering the prevalence of chronic infectious diseases in wildlife in environments affected by mining activities.J. Rodríguez-Estival had a Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha predoctoral grant. The Department of Education and Science of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha funded this study (projects PCC-05-004-2 and PCI08-0096-1295).Peer reviewe