Diagnostic importance of platelet parameters in patients with acute coronary syndrome admitted to a tertiary care hospital in southwest region, Saudi Arabia

AbstractObjectiveIdentifying risk factors for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is important for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Abnormal platelet parameters, mainly platelet count (PC), mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) are thought to be among these risk factors. In this study, the associations between PC, MPV and PDW and ACS were investigated in patients admitted to the tertiary care hospital in the south west region of Saudi Arabia.Materials and methodsA retrospective cohort of 212 patients with the diagnosis of ACS admitted to Aseer Central Hospital during the period extending from February 1, 2008 to October 31, 2008 were included. The control group consisted of 49 matched subjects who were admitted for chest pain investigation and subsequently found to be non-cardiac chest pain after performing relevant investigations. Blood samples were taken at the time of admission for platelet parameters. Statistical analysis was made using SPSS software and P-values were considered significant if <0.05.ResultsA total of 212 patients with acute coronary syndrome (80 patients with MI and 132 patients with UA) and 49 matched controls were studied. The PC was not statistically different among the three groups (283.3±94.8×109L−1 for MI cases, 262±60.8×109L−1 for UA cases and 275.8±58.9×109L−1 for controls). The MPV was significantly larger in MI cases compared to controls (8.99±1.5fl vs. 8.38±0.51fl, respectively, P<0.009), similarly, the MPV was significantly larger in UA cases compared to controls (9.23±1.19fl vs. 8.38±0.51fl, respectively, P<0.001). The PDW was significantly higher in MI cases compared to controls (15.88±1.5fl vs. 11.96±1.8fl, respectively, P<0.001), similarly, the PDW as also significantly larger in UA cases compared to controls (18.1±18fl vs. 11.96±1.8fl, respectively, P<0.019).ConclusionPlatelet parameters mainly MPV and PDW are readily available and relatively simple and inexpensive laboratory tests which we detected to be significantly raised in patients who have suffered an acute coronary syndrome compared with controls

The Effect of Using Vitavax Fungicide on Microbial Flora of Peas and Barley Roots and Some Vegetative Characteristics

The fungicide Vitavax was used to fumigate both barley and pea seeds at concentrations; 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5mg/g seeds and kept for a period reaching five months. The data obtained indicate that germination percentage and the plant growth characteristics were slightly affected with differences in the two plants under investigation. With regard to microbial content in both rhizosphere and rhizoplan; the total viable count was slightly affected after one month of storage, but the counts remained at a good rate till the 5th month of storage. The dominant strains belonged to Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Sarcina and Actinomyces. The counts of Azotobacter were not affected in a high degree. The fungicide concentration of 0.3mg/g was the best among the treatments with 3 months storage period, for either plant growth parameters or bacterial counts although it reached five months with other treatments

Management of the Root-Knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita on Tomato in Egypt

Abstract: The efficacy of carbofuran at 1 mg a.i./kg soil, Serratia marcescens (1 x 10 9 bacterium cells/ml water) at 2 ml of the suspension/kg soil, and three different Trichoderma harzianum isolates each separately added at 50 ml./kg soil against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita on two tomato cultivars Super Strain B and Alisa was assessed in the glasshouse. Fresh and dry weight of shoots were higher (P ≤ 0.05) in nematode-free plants of the two cultivars than both M. incognita-infested plants and the above-mentioned treatments. Carbofuran followed by S. marcescens and T. harzianum generally decreased nematode development and reproduction parameters compared to the untreated control. Although chemical nematicide viz. carbofuran showed a significant effect in increase of growth parameters and in suppression of Meloidogyne incognita multiplication, it can be replaced to some extent by microbial antagonists viz. Serratia marcescens and Trichoderma harzianum isolates to comply with environmental issues confronting the use of chemicals. Our results revealed differences in activities of peroxidase and chitinase related to the above-mentioned treatments on both local (in roots) and systematic (in leaves) levels but late in the growing season as well

Preparation and in vivo Assessment of Nystatin-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for Topical Delivery against Cutaneous Candidiasis

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have gained great attention for the topical treatment of skin associated fungal infection as they facilitate the skin penetration of loaded drugs. Our work deals with the preparation of nystatin loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (NystSLNs) using the hot homogenization and ultrasonication method. The prepared NystSLNs were characterized in terms of entrapment efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, rheological behavior and in vitro drug release. A stability study for 6 months was performed. A microbiological study was conducted in male rats infected with Candida albicans, by counting the colonies and examining the histopathological changes induced on the skin of infected rats. The results showed that SLNs dispersions are spherical in shape with particle size ranging from 83.26±11.33 to 955.04±1.09 nm. The entrapment efficiencies are ranging from 19.73±1.21 to 72.46±0.66% with zeta potential ranging from -18.9 to -38.8 mV and shear-thinning rheological Behavior. The stability studies done for 6 months showed that nystatin (Nyst) is a good candidate for topical SLN formulations. A least number of colony forming unit/ ml (cfu/ml) was recorded for the selected NystSLN compared to the drug solution and the commercial Nystatin® cream present in the market. It can be fulfilled from this work that SLNs provide a good skin targeting effect and may represent promising carrier for topical delivery of Nyst offering the sustained release and maintaining the localized effect, resulting in an effective treatment of cutaneous fungal infection

Involved-site radiation therapy by volumetric modulated arc therapy versus 3D- conformal radiotherapy for treatment of stages I and II supra-diaphragmatic Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Purpose: Based on the observation that recurrences of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) typically occur in sites of initial nodal involvement the need to concise radiotherapy to only involved nodes that was termed as involved nodal radiotherapy (INRT) or of involved site lymph nodes, involved-site radiation therapy (ISRT) is starting to be widely accepted to use in early stage HL. We aimed in our study to compare between volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and 3D-conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) in radiation of early stage supra-diaphragmatic HL.Methods: The clinical and dosimetric data of 34 patients affected with stages I and II supra-diaphragmatic HL, treated between January 2011 and September 2015 with combined modalities therapy in a single institution were analyzed. Patients received 2-8 cycles of combination chemotherapy ABVD (Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine &amp; Dacarbazine) on days 1 and 15 repeated every 28 days. The clinical target volume (CTV) was contoured based on the pre-chemotherapy CT and PET-CT scans. Modification of the CTV was done according to post-chemotherapy anatomical changes. The radiation dose given was 30 Gy/15 fractions.Results: After a median follow up period of 30 months, the progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in both groups were 100%. Oropharengeal mucositis was the commonest toxicity in both groups. There was no statistically significant deference between the acute radiation toxicities in both groups. The Dmean valuefor lung was higher in 3D-CRT than VMAT (12.0 ± 6.1 Gy vs. 9.9 Gy ± 8.6 Gy). For the breasts volume, the V5Gy was slightly higher for 3D-CRT compared with VMAT at, 7.6% and 6.5% respectively. For the heart, V5Gy and V10Gy valueswere higher for the RA than for 3D-CRT accounting for (51.9 ± 28.9%) and (41.0 ± 24.6%) versus (40.0 ± 25.9% and 30.7 ± 22.5%) respectively. Thyroid gland mean dose was lower for VMAT (21.8 ± 7.7 Gy) than for 3D-CRT (26.8 Gy ± 4.1 Gy) but did not reach statistically significant value (P = 0.06).Conclusion: Involved-site VMAT technique is safe and effective in term of providing excellent local control and survival following ABVD-based chemotherapy

Inverse Association between trans Isomeric and Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Pregnant Women and Their Newborns: Data from Three European Countries

Background: trans unsaturated fatty acids are thought to interfere with essential fatty acid metabolism. To extend our knowledge of this phenomenon, we investigated the relationship between trans isomeric and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) in mothers during pregnancy and in their infants at birth. Methods: Fatty acid composition of erythrocyte phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was determined in Spanish (n = 120), German (n = 78) and Hungarian (n = 43) women at the 20th and 30th week of gestation, at delivery and in their newborns. Results: At the 20th week of gestation, the sum of trans fatty acids in PE was significantly (p < 0.01) lower in Hungarian [0.73 (0.51), % wt/wt, median (IQR)] than in Spanish [1.42 (1.36)] and German [1.30 (1.21)] women. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) values in PE were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in Hungarian {[}5.65 (2.09)] than in Spanish [4.37 (2.60)] or German [4.39 (3.3.2)] women. The sum of trans fatty acids significantly inversely correlated to DHA in PCs in Spanish (r = -0.37, p < 0.001), German (n = -0.77, p < 0.001) and Hungarian (r = -0.35, p < 0.05) women, and in PEs in Spanish (r = -0.67, p < 0.001) and German (r = -0.71, p < 0.001), but not in Hungarian (r = -0.02) women. Significant inverse correlations were seen between trans fatty acids and DHA in PEs at the 30th week of gestation (n = 241, r = -0.52, p < 0.001), at delivery (n = 241, r = -0.40, p < 0.001) and in cord lipids (n = 218, r = -0.28, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Because humans cannot synthesize trans isomeric fatty acids, the data obtained in the present study support the concept that high maternal trans isomeric fatty acid intake may interfere with the availability of LCPUFA both for the mother and the fetus. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

Experimental Investigation of Permeability and Fluid Loss Properties of Water Based Mud Under High Pressure-High Temperature Conditions

ABSTRACT Drilling in deeper formations and in high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) environments is a new frontier for the oil industry. Fifty years ago, no one would have imagined drilling in more than 10,000 feet of water depth like we do today. However, more issues need to be researched, tested, and studied in order to maintain a good drilling efficiency as deeper depths are drilled. One of these issues is the great effect that drilling at HPHT conditions has on the behavior of drilling fluids. The goal of this research was to study fluid loss properties of water based mud and its effect on permeability under HPHT dynamic conditions utilizing advanced laboratory equipment that allows for wide ranges of pressure and temperature. Filtration tests were performed at both ambient and HPHT conditions. After several laboratory evaluations of fluid loss additives available in the market, Polysal HT was found to be the most effective in reducing the fluid loss of the water based mud for both static and dynamic tests at HPHT conditions. It is economically designed to be saturated in salt and other brine system. An additive that encapsulates particles with protective polymer coating as colloid. Drilling fluid stabilizer especially in drilling hydratable shale and a remarkable effectiveness in wide range make up water (high saline and high hardness). The fluid loss behavior of the mud and the characteristics of the filter cake produced are the basic factors that need to be considered when determining mud treatment. A detailed workflow of experiments using equipment from OFITE HPHT Fluid Apparatus with differential pressure of 500 psi under 230°F with 2.5&quot; filter paper (30 minutes) as well as OFITE Permeable Plugging Tester with 1,200 psi differential pressure @ 230°F using a ceramic disc were conducted. Also tests were conducted using the Low Temperature-Low Pressure API Filter Press at 100 psi @77°F with 3.5&quot; filter paper for the purpose of comparison

Nutritional Habits and Weight Status among Jazan University Students: Eating Patterns and Healthy lifestyle Assessment

Objectives The purposes of this study were to assess the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity and to evaluate the nutritional habits, and related factors among the Students of Jazan University. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out during the academic year 2014/2015 in Jazan University, Gizan, South West Saudi Arabia. A total of 436 students 19–25 y of age were examined. The questionnaires, including items on eating habits, lifestyle, and socio-demographic characteristics, were completed by the students. Data on weight, height were also collected.&nbsp; The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Differences were considered statistically significant at&nbsp;P. value &nbsp;&lt; 0.05. Results The mean weight for males and females were 67.84 and 54.79 kg respectively, with significant differences between males and females (P. value &lt;0.05). The mean BMI for all study participants was reported as 23.31 (kg/m²), also with significant difference between the males and females groups. About 45% of the students were of normal weight; the rate of obesity and underweight among students was very high (33.6% and 21.1% respectively), and their dietary habits were unhealthy. Regularity of meals was found only among (16.5% and 20.4%) males and females respectively. 83.3% of males and 95.1% of females reported eating snacks during the day. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity were very high among the studied students. The study showed the need for health education programs on nutritional education in universities in order to increase awareness of students towards healthy eating and lifestyle. &nbsp