Selective immunoglobulin M deficiency in an adult with miliary tuberculosis: A clinically interesting coexistence. A case report and review of the literature

AbstractSelective immunoglobulin M (SIgM) deficiency is a rare form of dysgammaglobulinemia. Here we are reporting a 31year old man with multiple cervical and testicular abscesses who was investigated and found to have miliary tuberculosis (MTB) with primary SIgM deficiency (Serum IgM: 17.4mg/dL) and was treated aggressively with anti-tuberculous treatment

EMBEDDING ISLAMIC ETHICAL VALUES IN TEACHERS’ TRAINING PROGRAM: QUR’ANIC APPROACH

Islamic Value is the highest ethical manner of mankind on the earth, concerning man’s behaviours and actions- orally and verbally, it is because of originality and authentication. Value in Arabic term refers to akhlaq and adab. These Islamic Values comprising certain essential moral, ethical, cultural, social, and spiritual values. Such values are important and necessary for children through their all-round development and prepares them as a complete man. The aim of this paper is to overlook the current various ethical issue existing in Muslim communities around the world, the importance of teachers’ rule in inculcating moral values in their students, and to suggest a framework for Islamic Values education to be embedded in the curriculum of Higher Learning Institutions catered for pre-service teachers as part of ethical/moral training before they start their career. To achieve its aim, the paper is based on a descriptive method to describe the Ethical/moral Values from Islamic and non- Islamic perspectives based on current research available on line or/and offline. The focus is on the Quranic approach, specifically stated in surah al-Isra’, verses 22-39 and surah al-An’am, verses 151-153. The finding is expected be used as a guideline for Ethical values course/topics that embedded in Teachers’ training programs

Evaluation of Two Bone Anchored Appliances During En Masse Distalization of Maxillary Buccal Segment with Class II Patients; A Comparative Clinical Study

Objective: to assess quality of orthodontic tooth movement during distalization by two different skeletally anchored distalizing appliances. Patients and methods: the current study was applied on 22 orthodontic patients with class ΙΙ molar relationship. Patients were divided into two active groups; group Ι: include 11 patients treated by modified sagittal screw distalizer and group ΙΙ: include 11 patients treated by modified distal jet distalizer. Quality of distalization was assessed by the following measurements; first and second premolars root horizontal distance (mm), first and second molars root horizontal distance(mm), SNA, SNB, U1 to FH. Results: The highest change (%) in first molar root horizontal distance (mm) was recorded in group II with a decrease by -11.5 % in the left side and -11.4 % in the right side. Conclusion: Bone anchored Distal Jet and modified Sagittal screw distalizer provide an effective tool for treating mild to moderate class II malocclusion. But the modified distal jet produces high quality of distalization than the modified Sagittal screw distalizer

Revival of Endovascular Visual Assessment of Anastomotic Patency in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background : Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is considered the most performed cardiac surgery nowadays. The outcome of CABG surgery has been linked to several aspects. Above all is graft patency which is a crucial element contributing to success of the surgery. Early graft failure following CABG has been recorded in up to 12% of grafts (left IMA 7%; saphenous vein graft 8%). Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy and feasibility of the endovascular visualization to detect anastomotic errors. Patients and methods: The study included 40 patients who presented with CAD and were candidates for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). All anastomoses were assessed using 1.9 mm telescope and endovascular visualisation score was recorded followed by routine assessment of grafts quality using transient time flow meter. Results: In this prospective cross-sectional study, we included a total of forty patients who underwent CABG which enabled intraoperative assessment of the quality of 70 venous grafts. There is a statistically significant correlation between the endovascular visual score and the mean flow across the OM and RCA grafts. For the Diagonal grafts , the correlation was less evident due to the small sample number. Conclusion: Coronary angioscopy is a simple and safe procedure and provides clinically relevant information. It provides immediate control of anastomotic quality and it can assist in the assessment of the native coronary artery. Together with transient time flowmeter, it provides a new alternative for the quality control of CABG surgery

The Evolution of Prognostic Factors in Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy involving the proliferation of plasma cells derived by different genetic events contributing to the development, progression, and prognosis of this disease. Despite improvement in treatment strategies of MM over the last decade, the disease remains incurable. All efforts are currently focused on understanding the prognostic markers of the disease hoping to incorporate the new therapeutic modalities to convert the disease into curable one. We present this comprehensive review to summarize the current standard prognostic markers used in MM along with novel techniques that are still in development and highlight their implications in current clinical practice

Control of tomato early blight and wilt using aqueous extract of neem leaves

The effect of neem (Azadiracta indica) leaf extract against Alternaria solani and Fusarium oxysporum, the causal agents of early blight and wilt of tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) respectively, was studied. Concentrations (5, 10 and 20%) of aqueous neem extract suppressed mycelial growth of both pathogenic fungi and the degree of suppression gradually increased with increasing concentration. A concentration of 20% aqueous neem leaf extract sprayed on tomato plants lowered the incidence of Alternaria early blight from 53.2 to 42.5% after two weeks and from 100 to 79.2% after 4 weeks. Spraying plus irrigation with the same extract lowered the severity of Alternaria early blight from 26.8 to 11.4% after 2 weeks and from 61.7 to 17.9% after 4 weeks (control ratio of 43.71% after 4 weeks). For F. oxysporum wilt, germination of tomato seeds was highest in pots containing the negative control (soil free of pathogen) and in pots irrigated with the aqueous neem extract. The lowest disease incidence (19.04%) was obtained in pots treated with the pathogen and irrigated with aqueous neem extract, where an 81% control of Fusarium wilt was achieved. Growth parameters of tomato (shoot and root length, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots) were studied 4, 6 and 8 weeks after sowing in the presence of the pathogens. There was a significant gradual increase in growth parameters when the plants were sprayed and irrigated with aqueous neem extract with the greatest improvement recorded 8 weeks after sowing

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF SILYBUM MARIANUM L. FOOD SUPPLEMENTS AVAILABLE ON MARKET: INVITRO STUDY

Objective: Silybum marianum L. Food Supplements that contain silymarin is widely used as a therapeutic agent in liver diseases. Many brands are available on the market in USA, Egypt, Europe and other countries. The objective of this study was to compare the biological activity in different preparations of silymarin available on the market in USA and Egypt using paracetamol-induced oxidative stress injury on primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Methods: Forty four silymarin samples available on the market were collected from USA (24) and Egypt (20) and tested for hepat protective antioxidant effects on primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Cytotoxicity was measured by MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethyl-thiazol-2)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assay and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) leakage into culture medium. Antioxidant effects were determined by glutathione reductase (GR), and Nitric oxide (NO) assays in silymarin, pretreated rat hepatocytes for 2 h followed by incubation with 25 mM paracetamol over a period of 1 h. Therapeutic index was calculated for each tested sample for comparative analysis. Results: Silymarin preparations significantly decreased toxicity induced by paracetamol in rat hepatocytes, decreased lactate dehydrogenase leakage and prevented GSH depletion (P<0.01) and returned NO to basal levels in rat hepatocytes. The therapeutic index was 80, 40 and 20 for samples No. 20, 19 and 5 respectively. Conclusions: The 44 different silymarin preparations tested in this study exhibited variation in antioxidant capacity and in reducing nitric oxide produced as a result of paracetamol injury. This variation in biological activity did not always correspond to the amount of silymarin recorded on samples

Acetyl-L-carnitine and/or liposomal co-enzyme Q10 prevent propionic acid-induced neurotoxicity by modulating oxidative tissue injury, inflammation, and ALDH1A1-RA-RARα signaling in rats

Propionic acid (PPA) is a short-chain fatty acid produced endogenously by gut microbiota and found in foodstuffs and pharmaceutical products as an additive. Exposure to PPA has been associated with the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect of acetyl‐L‐carnitine (ALCAR) and liposomal Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) against cerebral and cerebellar oxidative injury, inflammation, and cell death, and alterations in ALDH1A1-RA-RARα signaling in an autism-like rat model induced by PPA. The rats were treated with PPA and concurrently received ALCAR and/or CoQ10 for 5 days. The animals were sacrificed, and the cerebral cortex and cerebellum were collected for analysis. PPA caused histopathological alterations along with increased malondialdehyde (MDA), NF-κB p65, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the cerebrum and cerebellum of rats. Reduced glutathione (GSH) and antioxidant enzymes were declined in the brain of rats that received PPA. Concurrent treatment with ALCAR and/or CoQ10 prevented tissue injury, decreased MDA, NF-κB p65, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and enhanced cellular antioxidants in PPA-administered rats. ALCAR and/or CoQ10 upregulated Bcl-2 and decreased Bax and caspase-3 in the brain of rats. In addition, ALCAR and/or CoQ10 upregulated cerebral and cerebellar ALDH1A1 and RARα in PPA-treated rats. The combination of ALCAR and CoQ10 showed more potent effects when compared with the individual treatments. In conclusion, ALCAR and/or CoQ10 prevented tissue injury, ameliorated oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and apoptosis, and upregulated ALDH1A1-RA-RARα signaling in the brain of autistic rats

A flavonoid-rich fraction of Euphorbia peplus attenuates hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress in a type 2 diabetes rat model

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance (IR) and hyperglycemia. Plants are valuable sources of therapeutic agents for the management of T2D. Euphorbia peplus has been widely used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, but its beneficial role in T2D has not been fully explored. Methods: The anti-diabetic efficacy of E. peplus extract (EPE) was studied using rats with T2D induced by high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ). The diabetic rats received 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg EPE for 4 weeks. Results: Phytochemical fractionation of the aerial parts of E. peplus led to the isolation of seven known flavonoids. Rats with T2D exhibited IR, impaired glucose tolerance, decreased liver hexokinase and glycogen, and upregulated glycogen phosphorylase, glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase), and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (F-1,6-BPase). Treatment with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg EPE for 4 weeks ameliorated hyperglycemia, IR, liver glycogen, and the activities of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes. EPE attenuated dyslipidemia, serum transaminases, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and liver lipid accumulation, nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, and lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide and enhanced antioxidants. All EPE doses upregulated serum adiponectin and liver peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in HFD/STZ-induced rats. The isolated flavonoids showed in silico binding affinity toward hexokinase, NF-κB, and PPARγ. Conclusion: E. peplus is rich in flavonoids, and its extract ameliorated IR, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, inflammation and redox imbalance, and upregulated adiponectin and PPARγ in rats with T2D