Evolving Morphological changes of testis in UDT patients

Introduction: Undescended testis is a common problem in children. Cryptorchid testis is frequently accompanied by gross morphologic changes with regard to the size and shape of the testis, various degree of detachment between the epididymis and testis. We assessed the epididymal anomalies and patency of process vaginalis in boys with UDT.Material & Method: It is a prospective study which was performed on all cases of UDT operated in a social security hospital between June 2006 and October 2007. All patients were operated on by one surgeon. In addition to general demographic data, the association between the patency of processus vaginalis and epididymal adhesion to testis was evaluated.Results: There were 81 patients. The mean age of patients was 30 months (3 months to 10.9 years). Forty eight patients had unilateral and 33 patients had bilateral UDT. In the unilateral group 79.2% and in the bilateral group 78.8% had palpable testis. The mean (±SD) size of testis in the palpable group was 10.8± 3.1 mm and in the nonpalpable group was 8.5±3.3mm (t=2.89, p=0.005). The Spearman ‹s correlation coefficient showed that with increasing age the size of testis is also increased (rho=0.41, p<0.001).The mean size of testis in patients with normal epididymal adhesion was 12.6±3.3mm, with partial adhesion 10.8±3mm, and in patients without epididymal adhesion was 8.9±2.5mm (F=18.4, p<0.001). Of 110 UDT, the process vaginalis was patent in 101 cases (91.8%). Conclusion: Process vaginalis is patent in most of cases of UDT. There is a meaningful correlation between testis size and epididymal adhesion. Testis abnormality (in size and epididymal adhesion) is seen more commonly in non-palpable cryptorchid patients

Development of Advanced Low Emission Injectors and High-Bandwidth Fuel Flow Modulation Valves

Parker Hannifin Corporation developed the 3-Zone fuel nozzle for NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Program to meet NASAs target of 75 LTO NOx reduction from CAEP6 regulation. The nozzle concept was envisioned as a drop-in replacement for currently used fuel nozzle stem, and is built up from laminates to provide energetic mixing suitable for lean direct injection mode at high combustor pressure. A high frequency fuel valve was also developed to provide fuel modulation for the pilot injector. Final testing result shows the LTO NOx level falling just shy of NASAs goal at 31

The impact of national culture on the adoption of e-tourism in Egyptian tourism companies

Many previous studies shed light on the importance of studying the factors that preclude effective adoption of technology in the tourism industry. Prior studies also affirmed the presence of a relationship between the national culture, the acceptance of technology, and the effective adoption thereof. However, those studies differ in the cultural variables used and in results on their influence on technology adoption. This study used the national culture theory of Hofstede (2010) and the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) to measure the impact of national culture and normative beliefs of marketing managers on the adoption of e-tourism. Data analysis was carried out using multiple linear regressions and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the culture of uncertainty avoidance had a significant positive impact on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Each of the last two elements also affected the attitudes of marketing managers in tourism companies towards e-tourism and their intention to use it. Also, the results affirmed that long-term orientation culture has no significant impact on the perceived usefulness, ease of use or actual use of e-tourism for Egyptian tourism companies. It however seems to affect quality or/and effective adoption of e-tourism business

Laparoscopic Management of Intra-Abdominal Testis: 5-Year Single-Centre Experience—A Retrospective Descriptive Study

Background. Undescended testis is one of the most common urological problems in children, affecting about 1% of boys at age of 1 year. Of these, about 20% have a nonpalpable testis with a very high probability that the testis is absent. This may have a significant impact on the possibility of malignancy in these testes, as well as on the later fertility of these subjects. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed the demographic and clinical findings, as well as immediate and 6-month outcomes, in 91 patients diagnosed with impalpable undescended testes between January 2006 and December 2010. Results. Of the 91 patients, 9 had bilateral and 82 had unilateral impalpable testes. All 100 testes were managed laparoscopically. The largest group of intra-abdominal testes in this series, 42 testes, was entering the internal ring; in these, laparoscopic exploration and standard open orchiopexy resulted in a 66% success rate. The total success rate was 63.3%. Conclusion. Laparoscopy is extremely useful in both the diagnosis and treatment of impalpable testes. Objectively measured mobility of the testis towards the contralateral internal inguinal ring is an excellent intraoperative indicator for type of orchiopexy. Standardization of management may increase the success rate of orchiopexy

Changing Trends of Breast Cancer Survival in Sultanate of Oman

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality in women, with elevated incidence in developing countries. This retrospective study included all 122 patients diagnosed with breast cancer from January 2003 to December 2008 in the Sultanate of Oman. Age at presentation was 47.41 years (SD±12.88), with one-third of patients younger than 40 years. The majority of patients presented with stage III (41.2%) and IV (18.2%) breast cancer. T size (P = .023), skin involvement (P = .003), and stage at presentation (P = .004) were significantly associated with overall survival. Skin involvement at presentation (P = .003), T size (P = .09), lymph node status (P = .013), and stage (P = .003) were strong predictors of relapse-free survival. Patients had a 5-year survival of 78%, compared to 64% of breast cancer patients diagnosed between 1996 and 2002 identified in our previously published study. Thus, despite Omani breast cancer patients continuing to present with advanced breast cancer, survival rates have significantly improved

Role of Kapandji technique in percutaneous fixation of distal radius fractures

Background: The most common fracture in adults is distal radius fracture (DRF). The surgical treatment for distal radius fractures is Kapandji's surgical procedure that uses intrafocal pinning and provides unique fixation.Objective: The aim of the work was to evaluate distal radius fracture union and healing after Kapandji's technique of percutaneous fixing.Patients and Methods: We managed a group of twenty patients, aged from 18 years to 50 years of both sexes with distal radius fracture by K- wires using Kapandji technique at Zagazig University Hospitals and Al Farafra Hospital. The results have been studied regarding complications, time of recovery and rehabilitation.Results: Mean Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) -Specific Function was 30.95, the mean PRWE-Pain subscore was 29.25, the mean PRWE-total score was 54.29. Radial inclination, Volar tilt, and radial height were statistically significant higher in the examined group following surgery. Only 40% of the studied group had superficial infection but no cases had tendon or NV injury or Sudek’s atrophy.Conclusion: It could be concluded that for totally displaced fractures, the Kapandji method of K-wiring is an effective means of reducing the fracture and keeping it reduced over time. By employing the Kapandji technique approach, a close reduction can be achieved with minimal effort

Evaluation of Balanced Scorecard Practices and Their Impacts on Employees' Performance in Hotels

This research aims to evaluate the balanced scorecard practices and their impacts on employees' performance in five-star hotels in Cairo, Egypt. This paper considers a wide range of background information and a literature review that focuses on the implementation of balanced scorecard practices on the performance of employees in hotels. Questionnaires were distributed to employees working within the rooms division department. The study sample covered 30% of Egyptian five-star hotels in Cairo. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze results. In this context, the study found that the application of the balanced scorecard practices significantly affected employees' performance. It was found that the most influential factor affecting employees' performance was the learning and growth perspective. As such, it is recommended that hotels should pay more attention to the application of the balanced scorecard as a crucial tool for enhancing employees' performance. The implementation of the balanced scorecard begin with improving the skills and knowledge of the employees, thus managers in each department in hotels should facilitate the application of balanced scorecard and make use of balanced scorecard not only as a follow up tool for employees but also as a measurement tool

Molecular interaction of 4-amino-N’-(benzoyloxy)-N-(2,4- dimethylphenyl)-1,2,5-oxadiazole-3-carboximidamide with the methotrexate binding site of human DHFR, and its implication in rheumatoid arthritis

Purpose: To identify an improved lead molecule for the human dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibition that ‘sits’ in the same binding cavity as methotrexate by high throughput computationalscreening.Methods: The 3-D structure of the DHFR binding site was examined using ‘CASTp3.0’. Structure based in silico screening of about 5 million drug candidates housed in the MCULE database was performed. The obtained molecule-hits were ranked in accordance with their VINA scores, made to pass through drug-likeness filters, ΔG cut-off criterion, toxicity-checker and finally ‘zero RO5 criterion’.Results: The ‘top molecule’, namely, 4-amino-N'-(benzoyloxy)-N-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-1,2,5-oxadiazole- 3-carboximidamide, displayed robust binding with human DHFR through 21 amino acid residues (ΔG = - 9.6 kcal/mol) while 10 of these residues were the same as those displayed by ‘methotrexate binding interactions’. It passed through relevant drug screening filters including the ‘Toxicity Checker’.Conclusion: This research work describes the molecular interaction of human DHFR with an improved lead molecule named, 4-amino- N’-(benzoyloxy)-N-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-1,2,5-oxadiazole-3- carboximidamide, with a ΔG of -9.6 kcal/mol, thus satisfying adequate ADME features for further in vitro and in vivo validation in the context of rheumatoid arthritis. Keywords: Dihydrofolate reductase, In silico screening, Methotrexate, Rheumatoid arthritis, DHF

The in-vitro evaluation of antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic properties of Marrubium vulgare L. essential oil grown in Tunisia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to validate its antiseptic and anticancer properties with respect to traditional uses, we have screened for the first time the antimicrobial activity of aerial parts of <it>M. vulgare </it>L. essential oil against different pathogenic microorganisms and the cytotoxic activity against HeLa cell lines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The agar disk diffusion method was used to study the antibacterial activity of <it>M. vulgare </it>essential oil against 12 bacterial and 4 fungi strains. The disc diameters of zone of inhibition (DD), the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and the concentration inhibiting 50% (IC₅₀) were investigated to characterize the antimicrobial activities of this essential oil. The <it>in vitro </it>cytotoxicity of <it>M. vulgare </it>essential oil was examined using a modified MTT assay; the viability and the IC₅₀were used to evaluate this test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was investigated in order to evaluate its efficacy against the different tested microorganisms. The present results results showed a significant activity against microorganisms especially Gram (+) bacteria with inhibition zones and minimal inhibitory concentration values in the range of 6.6-25.2 mm and 1120-2600 μg/ml, respectively, whereas Gram (-) bacteria exhibited a higher resistance. As far as the antifungal activity, among four strains tested, <it>Botrytis cinerea </it>exhibited the strongest activity with inhibition zones of 12.6 mm. However, <it>Fusarium solani, Penicillium digitatum </it>and <it>Aspergillus niger </it>were less sensitive to <it>M. vulgare </it>essential oil. About the citotoxicity assay, this finding indicate the capability of this essential oil to inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cell lines under some conditions with IC₅₀value of 0.258 μg/ml.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This investigation showed that the <it>M. vulgare </it>essential oil has a potent antimicrobial activity against some Gram (+) pathogenic bacteria and <it>Botrytis cinerea </it>fungi. The present studies confirm the use of this essential oil as anticancer agent. Further research is required to evaluate the practical values of therapeutic applications.</p

Identification of a putative anti-rheumatoid arthritis molecule by virtual screening

Purpose: To propose an improved chemical skeleton whose scaffolds could be used for the design of future thymidylate synthase (TS)-inhibitors against rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: The drug discovery platform, ‘MCULE’, was employed for inhibitor-screening. The ‘methotrexate-interaction site’ in the crystal (PDB ID 5X66) was used as a target. One ‘RO5 violation’ was permitted. A maximum of ‘10 rotatable bonds’ and ‘100 diverse molecules’ were also allowed in the protocol. The ‘threshold similarity cut off’ was 0.7. The input values describing the remaining parameters were kept as ‘default’. The ‘Open Babel Linear Fingerprint’ was used for the analyses of molecular descriptors, followed by ADME-check. Results: 4-(4-Methyl-1-piperazinyl)-2-phenyl[1]benzofuro[3,2-d]pyrimidine corresponding to the MCULE ID-7590816301-0-93 exhibited the overall best binding with TS. The free energy of binding was -8.6 kcal/mol. A total of 17 amino acid residues were significant for the binding interactions. Importantly, 9 residues were common to methotrexate binding. It satisfied pertinent ADME conditions. Conclusion: 4-(4-Methyl-1-piperazinyl)-2-phenyl[1]benzofuro[3,2-d]pyrimidinemay emerge as a potent seed molecule for TS-inhibitor design in the context of rheumatoid arthritis. It has satisfied pertinent ADME features. However, there is need for further wet laboratory validation. Keywords: Anti-rheumatoid arthritis, Inhibitor design, Methotrexate, Seed molecule, Thymidylate synthase, Virtual screenin