The frequency of vitamin D deficiency among asthmatic Egyptian children

Background: Vitamin D plays a role in the pathogenesis of asthma as it has a potent immunomodulatory effect acting on the cells of the innate immunity. It also reduces the risk of respiratory viral infections which are important initiators of asthma exacerbations. Besides, it potentiates the antiinflammatory action of corticosteroids which are considered the mosteffective controllers of asthma. Objective: To detect the frequency of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among Egyptian asthmatic children and to correlate vitamin D levels to the severity of asthma. Methods: This case control study was conducted on 60 asthmatic children and 40 healthy controls. All were subjected to clinical history taking including history of sun exposure and asthma medications and full clinical examination. Laboratory investigations included measurement of serum calcium, serum alkaline phosphatase and serum 25-OH-D levels and lung functions (spirometery). Results: There was a significant correlation between vitamin D deficiency and severity of asthma, yet there was no significant relation between sun exposure and 25-OH-D level. Moreover, there was a significant relation between decreased serum 25-OH-D levels and the intensity of corticosteroid use. Vitamin D was also significantly lower in asthmatic patients with coexistent allergic rhinitis. Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in Egyptian children with asthma .Lower levels of serum vitamin D are associated with high asthma severity, reduced asthma control and increased corticosteroid use.Keywords: Vitamin D, Bronchial asthma, Egyptian, Childre

Coastline changes and sedimentation related with the opening of an artificial channel: the Valo Grande Delta, SE Brazil

The role played by human activity in coastline changes indicates a general tendency of retreating coasts, especially deltaic environments, as a result of the recent trend of sea level rise as well as the blockage of the transfer of sediments towards the coast, especially due to the construction of dams. This is particularly important in deltaic environments which have been suffering a dramatic loss of area in the last decades. In contrast, in this paper, we report the origin and evolution of an anthropogenic delta, the Valo Grande delta, on the south-eastern Brazilian coast, whose origin is related to the opening of an artificial channel and the diversion of the main flow of the Ribeira de Iguape River. The methodology included the analysis of coastline changes, bathy metry and coring, which were used to determine the sedimentation rates and grain-size changes over time. The results allowed us to recognize the different facies of the anthropogenic delta and establish its lateral and vertical depositional trends. Despite not being very frequent, anthropogenic deltas represent a favorable environment for the record of natural and anthropogenic changes in historical times and, thus, deserve more attention from researchers of different subjects.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) [06/04344-2]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Water Quality Observations in the Marine Aquaculture Complex of the Deeba Triangle, Lake Manzala, Egyptian Mediterranean Coast

Coastal aquaculture is faced with extreme variation in water quality. The Deeba Triangle on Lake Manzala is the largest marine coastal aquaculture-producing area on the Egyptian Mediterranean. Samples from 16 ponds were taken during four seasons (2014–2015), to investigate the variation of 12 water quality parameters at that region. We tested the hypothesis that there is no spatial or temporal variation in water quality of the fish ponds. Fish ponds were statistically clustered into three groups (p = 0.0005) coincident with their geographical location. Hypersaline and transparent waters characterized the western ponds; higher dissolved oxygen and higher nutrients characterized the central region. These spatial differences were principally due to variations in salinity and nutrients of the water sources used for irrigation of the ponds and to differences in the aeration management styles. Strong seasonality was seen in water temperature (following air temperature), nutrients, and turbidity (following the seasonal cycles of various water sources from the Lake Manzala and the seasonality of the petrochemical plants effluents close to these ponds). We conclude that municipal effluents significantly affected, spatially and temporally, the quality of the irrigation water used for coastal aquaculture purposes, which consequently might affect fish yield