Effect of intranasal stem cell administration on the nigrostriatal system in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. It affects the locomotor system, leading to a final severe disability through degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Despite several therapeutic approaches used, no treatment has been proven to be effective; however, cell therapy may be a promising therapeutic method. In addition, the use of the intranasal (IN) route has been advocated for delivering various therapies to the brain. In the present study, the IN route was used for administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in a mouse model of PD, with the aim to evaluate IN delivery as an alternative route for cell based therapy administration in PD. The PD model was developed in C57BL/6 mice using intraperitoneal rotenone administration for 60 consecutive days. MSCs were isolated from the mononuclear cell fraction of pooled bone marrow from C57BL/6 mice and incubated with micrometer‑sized iron oxide (MPIO) particles. For IN administration, we used a 20 µl of 5x105 cell suspension. Neurobehavioral assessment of the mice was performed, and after sacrifice, brain sections were stained with Prussian blue to detect the MPIO‑labeled MSCs. In addition, immunohistochemical evaluation was conducted to detect tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) antibodies in the corpus striatum and dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). The neurobehavioral assessment revealed progressive deterioration in the locomotor functions of the rotenone group, which was improved following MSC administration. Histopathological evaluation of brain sections in the rotenone+MSC group revealed successful delivery of MSCs, evidenced by positive Prussian blue staining. Furthermore, rotenone treatment led to significant decrease in dopaminergic neuron number in SNpc, as well as similar decrease in the corpus striatum fiber density. By contrast, in animals receiving IN administration of MSCs, the degeneration caused by rotenone treatment was significantly counteracted. In conclusion, the present study validated that IN delivery of MSCs may be a potential safe, easy and cheap alternative route for stem cell treatment in neurodegenerative disorder

Mental Health Problems and Sociodemographic Correlates in Elderly Medical Inpatients in a University Hospital in Egypt

Background. Depression and cognitive impairment are two common mental and public health problems especially among elderly. In this study, we determined the prevalence of these problems and their associations with sociodemographic factors among hospitalized elderly in Egypt. To achieve this, 200 elderly medical inpatients were included in this cross-sectional study. Methods. Comprehensive geriatric assessment was done for every participant. Sociodemographic variables were assessed by interviews with patients and their family members. Depressive symptoms were screened for by the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the presence of depressive symptoms was defined as a GDS score of ≥6. Cognitive impairment was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) Scale, and cognitive impairment was defined as a MMSE score of ≤23 out of a total score of 30. Results. The prevalence of both depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment was 72% and 30%, respectively. Significant associations were noticed between each of depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment, and low income and advancing age (), respectively. Other associations were insignificant. Conclusions. The findings of this study may be an alarm for health authorities and staffs involved in elderly care to increase their awareness of social and mental health problems among the elderly

Curcumin and cinnamon mitigates lead acetate-induced oxidative damage in the spleen of rats

Lead toxicity is a common occupational and environmental health hazard that exerts many toxic effects on animals and humans, including immunotoxicity. Curcumin (CUR) and cinnamon (CIN) are common medicinal herbs with immunostimulatory and antioxidant properties. Therefore, this study investigated the protective effect of curcumin and cinnamon against lead acetate (LA)-induced splenotoxicity in rats via hemato-biochemical, immunological, oxidative stress marker, CYP-2E1 expression, histological, and immunohistological evaluations. Four groups of seven rats each were used: the control group received corn oil as a vehicle; the lead acetate group received (100 mg/kg), the CUR + LA group received curcumin (400 mg/kg) plus lead acetate, and the CIN + LA group received cinnamon (200 mg/kg) plus lead acetate orally for 1 month. LA exposure induced macrocytic hypochromic anemia, leukocytosis, neutrophilia, monocytosis, and lymphopenia. Additionally, significant elevations in serum iron, ferritin levels, and transferrin saturation percentage with significant decline of total and unsaturated iron binding capacities (TIBC and UIBC), transferrin, and immunoglobulin G and M levels were recorded. In addition, lead acetate significantly upregulated splenic CYP-2E1 expression, that was evident by significant depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) activity and elevation of malondihyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and protein carbonyl (PC) concentrations in the spleen. Histologically, hyperplasia of lymphoid follicles, hemosiderin deposition, and disturbance of CD3 and CD68 immuno-expressions were evident in the spleen from the lead acetate group. However, curcumin and cinnamon administration restored the hemato-biochemical, immunological, and oxidative stress parameters as well as histological and immunohistological pictures toward normalcy. In conclusion, curcumin and cinnamon can partially ameliorate LA-induced oxidative damage in the spleen, possibly through their antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and gene-regulating activities

Diagnostic accuracy of mathematics Concept and Application Curriculum-based Measures in Screening Fourth Grade Students at Risk for Mathematical Learning Disabilities

هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى قياس الدقة التشخيصية لقياسات المفاهيم والتطبيقات الرياضية القائمة على المنهج في فرز التلاميذ المُعرضين لصعوبات تعلم الرياضيات في الصف الرابع الأساسي. كما سعت الدراسة إلى تحديد المستويات التصنيفية لتصنيف مستويات التلاميذ في المفاهيم والتطبيقات الرياضية. ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة؛ تم بناء ثلاثة اختبارات متكافئة وفق القياسات القائمة على المنهج في المفاهيم والتطبيقات الرياضية المستخدمة في الفرز، ومراقبة التقدم، وهي على هيئة قياساتٍ قائمةٍ على أساس المهارات، تتضمن جميع المهارات المتوقع إتقانها في نهاية العام الدراسي. وتحتوي على أربعةٍ وعشرين سؤالًا؛ طبقًا لمداخل القياسات القائمة على المناهج التقليدية الإمبريقية المعروفة، وقد تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي التحليلي. تكونت عينة الدراسة من 393 تلميذًا وتلميذةً من تلاميذ الصف الرابع الأساسي بمحافظة مسقط. تم التطبيق ثلاث مرات في العام؛ بهدف الفرز واستخراج المحكات (المستويات التصنيفية)، وأظهر تحليل منحنى (ROC) الدقة التشخيصية للدرجات الفاصلة لكل من المئيني 25 والمئيني 75. وباستخدام الدرجات الفاصلة تم تحديد المستويات التصنيفية الثلاثة: إتقان، وتعليمي، وإحباط. وقد أظهرت النتائج وجود فروق ذات دلالةٍ إحصائيةٍ وفقًا لمتغير النوع في مستوى الإحباط لصالح الإناث. كما أظهرت النتائج أنه لا توجد فروقٌ في المستويات التصنيفية (التعليمي، والإتقان) وفق متغير النوع. وخرجت الدراسة بجملةٍ من التوصيات، أبرزها: أن القياس القائم على المنهج في المفاهيم والتطبيقات الرياضية يتوقع أداء التلاميذ، ويكون عُنصرًا فاعلًا في صنع القرارات، ويكون ملائمًا للفرز الشامل، وأن المئيني 25 يمكن الاعتماد عليه في تحديد التلاميذ المُعرَّضين لصعوبات تعلّم الرياضيات.This study aimed to measure the diagnostic accuracy of mathematical concepts and applications curriculum based measures (MCAP-CBM) in screening fourth grade students at risk for mathematical learning disabilities. Additionally, the study sought to determine the benchmarks for the classification of students in MCAP-CBM at the frustration, instructional, and mastery levels. To achieve the objectives of the study, three alternative equivalent forms of (MCAP-CBM) were developed for screening and progress monitoring purposes. The measures included all target skills to be mastered by the school year end according to the Omani curriculum. The (MCAP-CBM) consisted of 24 items as described in the traditionally and empirically developed measures in the literature. The study participants included 393 fourth grade male and female students at school in Muscat. The (MCAP-CBM) were administered three times per the academic year in order to develop benchmarks for the classification levels. The 25th and 75th percentile benchmarks were used to validate the benchmarks for the three-classification level (Frustration, instructional, and mastery). Using t-test, results showed statistically significant differences in frustration level in the favor of female pupils. There were no differences in instructional and mastery levels between males and females. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Curve was used to examine the diagnostic accuracy of the (MCAP-CBM) using mathematics achievement scores as the outcome measure. Based on the study findings, the authors recommend using curriculum based measurement to predict students’ performance and to inform effective decision making in instruction, assessment. It also informs in universal screening. The percentile 25th is a reliable benchmark for identifying students at risk for mathematical learning disabilities

Indications of Validity and Reliability of TIMSS Standards List with the Fourth Grade Cambridge Mathematics Curriculum from Mathematics Teachers and Supervisors Point of View in the Sultanate of Oman

هدفت الدراسة لتوفير قائمة موثوقة تتمتع بدلالات صدق وثبات مرتفعة، لموائمة معايير الدراسة الدولية للعلوم والرياضيات TIMSS مع منهاج الرياضيات كامبريدج للصف الرابع في سلطنة عمان، وتكوّنت القائمة من 39 معيارا، توزعت على خمسة محاور(الأعداد الكاملة، العبارات الجبرية، القياس، الكسور والأعداد الكسرية، الهندسة). طبقت القائمة على عينة تكونت من 616 (584 معلمًا، 32 مشرفًا). توصّلت الدراسة إلى أن المعايير كانت فعّالة لقياس محاور القائمة، وكذلك توصّلت إلى عدة دلالات للصدق تمثلت في الصدق الظاهري وصدق البناء، وتوصلت أيضًا إلى دلالات مناسبة ومرتفعة لثبات القائمة. وأوصت الدراسة باستخدام القائمة لمراجعة منهاج الرياضيات كامبريدج للصف الرابع في سلطنة عمان للحكم على مواءمته لمعايير الدراسة الدولية للعلوم والرياضيات TIMSS

Development and validation of stability indicating method for determination of sertraline following ICH guidlines and its determination in pharmaceuticals and biological fluids

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sertraline is a well known antidepressant drug which belongs to a class called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Most published methods do not enable studying the stability of this drug in different stress conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two new methods were developed for the determination of sertraline (SER). Both methods are based on coupling with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) in borate buffer of pH 7.8 and measuring the reaction product spectrophotometrically at 395 nm (Method I) or spectrofluorimetrically at 530 nm upon excitation at 480 nm (Method II). The response-concentration plots were rectilinear over the range 2-24 μg/mL and 0.25-5 μg/mL for methods I and II respectively with LOD of 0.18 μg/mL and 0.07 μg/mL, and LOQ of 0.56 μg/mL and 0.21 μg/mL for methods I and II, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both methods were applied to the analysis of commercial tablets and the results were in good agreement with those obtained using a reference method. The fluorimetric method was further applied to the in vivo determination of SER in human plasma. A proposal of the reaction pathway was presented. The spectrophotometric method was extended to stability study of SER. The drug was exposed to alkaline, acidic, oxidative and photolytic degradation according to ICH guidelines. Moreover, the method was utilized to investigate the kinetics of oxidative degradation of the drug. The apparent first order rate constant and t_1/2of the degradation reaction were determined.</p

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

The Relationship between Visual-Motor Integration and Reading, Written Language and Academic Achievement among Students from Grades (5-9) in Qatar

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى التعرف إلى طبيعة العلاقة بين مستوى التآزر البصري الحركي، وكل من القراءة، واللغة المكتوبة والتحصيل الدراسي، وإلى إمكانية التنبؤ بمستوى القراءة، واللغة المكتوبة، وبمستوى التحصيل الدراسي للتلاميذ من خلال مستوى التآزر البصري الحركي، كما هدفت الدراسة إلى التعرف إلى إمكانية أن يتوسط كل من مستوى القراءة، ومستوى اللغة المكتوبة العلاقة بين التآزر البصري الحركي، ومستوى التحصيل الدراسي للتلاميذ. وتكونت عينة الدراسة من 996 تلميذًا من تلاميذ الصفوف من 5- 9 من الذكور والإناث، ممن تراوحت أعمارهم الزمنية ما بين 11 إلى 14 سنة، وتم اختيار العينة بالطريقة العشوائية الطبقية المتساوية. وقد أجريت الدراسة بعدد من مدارس المرحلة الابتدائية والإعدادية في دولة قطر. واشتملت أدوات الدراسة على كل من: اختبار التآزر البصري الحركي مكتمل المدى )(FRTVMI) (The Full Range Test of Visual Motor Integration، ومقياس ملاحظة القراءة (The Reading Observation Scale)، ومقياس ملاحظة اللغة المكتوبة (Written Language Observation Scale Version). وأسفرت نتائج الدراسة عن وجود علاقة ارتباطية موجبة بين التآزر البصري الحركي، وكل من القراءة واللغة المكتوبة، والتحصيل، حيث بلغت قيم معامل الارتباط 0.33، 0.35، 0.36 على الترتيب، وهي قيم ذات دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى 0.01، كما أظهرت النتائج إمكانية التنبؤ بمستوى التحصيل الدراسي للتلاميذ، و بمستوى كل من القراءة واللغة المكتوبة من خلال مستوى التآزر البصري الحركي للتلاميذ، وأخيرًا أشارت الدراسة إلى أن التآزر البصري الحركي يسهم في التنبؤ بالتحصيل الدراسي من خلال كل من متغير مستوى القراءة واللغة المكتوبة، وهي تعتبر مسارات غير مباشرة للتنبؤ باعتبارها متغيرات وسيطة.The current study investigated the relationship between visual motor integration (VMI) and reading levels, written language levels, and academic achievement of the students. Additionally, the study examined whether VMI can predict reading, written language and academic achievement of students. The study explored whether reading and written language can mediate the relationship between VMI and academic achievement. The study participants included 996 students from grades 5-9 selected randomly from elementary and middle school students, with an age range between 11-14 years. The study instruments included the full range test of visual motor integration, the reading observation scale, the written language observation scale, and academic achievement scores obtained from school tests. The results indicated that the correlation coefficient values between VMI and reading, written language, and academic achievement were 0.33, 0.35, 0.36 respectively, which are statistically significant at 0.01. Additionally, the results pointed out that reading levels and written language levels of students can be predicted by VMI levels of the students. Further, VMI levels can predict students’ academic achievement scores. Finally, the results showed that VMI contributed to the prediction of achievement scores through, the mediation of reading and written language scores observed by teachers. Implications and future recommendations are discussed

Detection and antibiotic resistance of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae among chicken flocks in Egypt

Background and Aim: Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) are the most significant pathogens of avian mycoplasmosis. This study aimed to isolate and identify MG and MS from chickens and detect the various virulence genes in the isolates. Moreover, the efficacies of different antibiotics were tested to identify suitable treatment regimens. Materials and Methods: We isolated MG and MS from 487 chicken samples of different ages located in different Governorates in Egypt using conventional isolation methods. The isolates were characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and then tested for antibiotic sensitivity by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Results: The prevalence of MG among the isolates was 9.85%, with the highest percentage isolated from air sacs, while the prevalence of MS among the isolates was 1.6%. Moreover, the highest levels of the prevalence of both MG and MS were during the winter and autumn sampling, while the lowest levels were in the summer and spring. Following the 16S rRNA-based detection of Mycoplasma isolates, 14 MG and 5 MS isolates were identified by different PCR-based detection methods for various virulence genes. Nine MG isolates contain the mgc2 gene, six MG isolates contain the gapA gene, and three MS isolates contain the vlhA gene. We validated a duplex PCR method for the simultaneous identification of MG and MS, based on 100% of the MG and MS isolates generating common bands at 55 and 17 kDa, respectively. The MIC method identified tiamulin and spiramycin as the antibiotics of choice for the treatment of MG and MS infections, respectively. Conclusion: For more precise diagnosis of Mycoplasma infections in chicken flocks, conventional isolation methods must be confirmed by PCR. SDS-PAGE analysis helps in epidemiological studies and vaccine preparation. The MIC method can be used to help develop therapies to control avian mycoplasmosis infections