Association of ABO Blood Group Antigens and Body Mass Index in Sudanese Students in Faculty Medicine of International University of Africa

Background: Many studies have supported a number of associations between ABO blood type and certain diseases, including pancreatic cancer, venous thromboembolism, and myocardial infarction in the presence of coronary atherosclerosis, sexual maturity, breast cancer, cancer, infections, Diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases ,hypertension, peptic ulcers, intelligence and socioeconomic class ,personality, suicide ,BMI and obesity . The ABO blood group is one such pivotal genetic determinant that can give valuable information for early detection of risk population. The present study aims to investigate and to reveal the relationship between ABO blood groups and body mass index (BMI) among Sudanese medical students Method: by using the cross –sectional study involve 105 medical students ,53 male ,52 female ,in a group of age 16 and 32 International Africa University (IUA),faculty of medicine. Weight, height for BMI and blood groups were determined in order to find any association between ABO blood group and BMI. Result: Blood group O+ was most prevalent 28.6 % followed by A+ 25.7 %, B+ 23.8 %, O- 8.6 %, AB+ 4.8, A- 4.8 %, B- 1.9 % and AB- 1. Obesity was insignificantly (p= 652) as in our study we did not observe any significant difference regarding the ABO blood group in relation to , BMI, and Rhesus blood group. The prevalence of overweight observed in this study is similar to that of a cross-sectional study conducted among sampled students in other studies. Conclusion: This study provides a ground for future research to confirm or refute the hypothesis of ABO type association with BMI V Abstract

The prevalence of depression among adult asthmatic patients in Jizan Region, Saudi Arabia

Background: Depression is an important issue in asthma. Uncover depression in asthmatic patients has important implications for identifying patients and suitable treatment of these patients this will improve quality of life, decrease medication intake and decrease hospitalization.Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression among adult asthmatic patients in Jizan region, Saudi Arabia.Patients and methods: Cross-sectional study that was conducted in Jizan region at the chest diseases hospital. 270 (18-90 yrs.) asthmatic patients were recruited. The questionnaire including socio-demographic data, clinical risk factors of asthma, assessment of asthma by using asthma control test (ACT) and assessment of depression by using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).Results: Out of 270 adult asthmatic patients, 255 responded (94.4%). The mean age of patients was 41.03 ± 15.893 years. The prevalence of depression among adult asthmatic patients was 32.9%. By multivariate analysis the lower education level [elementary school or below (Odds ratio 3.219 (95% CI; 1.443-7.177)] and longer asthma duration (22 years and above) Odds ratio 2.065 (95% CI; 1.089-3.916) were independently associated with the development of depression in adult patients with asthma.Conclusion: The study showed that there was a high prevalence of depression among adult asthmatic patients in Jizan region, Saudi Arabia. The higher prevalence of depression was associated with lower education level, longer asthma duration, poor control of asthma and among married subjects. Screening for depression in adult asthmatic patients should be emphasized in primary health care centers, chest clinics and in hospitals. Adult asthmatic patients should be motivated to comply with asthma treatment

Anatomical variations of nasal and paranasal sinuses among Sudanese patients undergoing CT scan evaluation at Antalya Diagnostic Center – Khartoum – Sudan, 2017

Introduction: The anatomical variations of the paranasal sinus are common among populations. These variations are asymptomatic most of the time, yet it may be associated with some inflammatory or allergic conditions. Knowledge of these anatomic variations helps in choosing the operative techniques, reducing the surgical complication rates and explains recurrence of disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and type of the anatomical variations of the paranasal sinus among adult Sudanese population by using CT scan. Patients and Method: This is a retrospective descriptive and health facility-based study, conducted at Antalya Diagnostic Center, Khartoum, during the period from July to September 2017. Included in the study all patients referred to the center for CT scan of the sinuses (n=151). A simple random technique was used for anatomical variations; with a sample size of 76 patients. Data collection sheet was used included demographic data and the anatomical variations. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: The total number of patients diagnosed with variations was 76, which constituted of 50.3% of all patients included in the study. The age of patients ranged between 16 to 65 years, with a mean age of 36.46 (±11.12SD) years. The most frequent age groups were (16 to 25) and (26 to 35) years which constituted (52.63%) of the patients. Males were 34 (44.7%) and females were 42 (55.3%), with a male to female ratio 1:1.23. Relationship between age and gender with anatomical variants was found not statistically significant. Ninety variations were detected among the study sample. Nasal septal deviation was the commonest variation observed in (26.7%), followed by Concha bullosa in (20%), Onodi Cells in (11.1%), Agger nasi in  (10%), frontal sinus hypoplasia in  (10%) and other variations in ( 22.2%) of cases. Most of the variants were unilateral (81.6%) and were more on the left side in (46.1%) of cases. Conclusions and recommendations: the commonest variation was Nasal septal deviation, variations were common among the age group 16 to 35 years with slight female predominance. The study emphasizes the importance of CT scan for the detection of anatomical variations of the paranasal sinus in every patients planned for nasal or sinus surgery

Partnership between public and private actors in forest-sector development : Options for dryland Africa based on experiences from Sudan, with case studies on Laos, Nepal, Vietnam, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania

Peer reviewe

IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON LEADERSHIP OUTCOME (EFFECTIVENESS, SATISFACTION AND EXTRA EFFORT) IN THE PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SECTOR IN JORDAN

Background: It can be concluded from past studies that the grounds for day to day exchanges amid leaders and workers are based on leadership styles, and work procedures are assisted and boosted by them. Purpose: To investigate the nature and importance of leadership styles and behaviours of head nurse managers is the purpose of this research; its purpose also includes their influence on diverse organizational outcomes that are part of leader’s efficiency and job satisfaction of workers, together with their readiness to give more input to their work. Methodology: 24 participants were head nurse managers out of the total sample of 96; rest of the sample comprised of juniors. There were 45 things that were a part of The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ, Form 5- X) employed in this study to recognize and determine the important leadership styles together with their results. Findings: The transformational leadership style was discovered to be the most frequently employed style by the outcome of this research. The results also disclosed that amid the overall score of transformational leadership (TRL) and independent variables there was a positive correlation (r= 0.661**, 0.585** and 0.504** for leader effectiveness, staff job satisfaction, and extra effort, respectively). Conclusion: The quality of nursing services is greatly increased when there is an improvement in the development of transformational leadership that in turn boosts nurses’ satisfaction and additional efforts

IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON LEADERSHIP OUTCOME (EFFECTIVENESS, SATISFACTION AND EXTRA EFFORT) IN THE PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SECTOR IN JORDAN

Background: It can be concluded from past studies that the grounds for day to day exchanges amid leaders and workers are based on leadership styles, and work procedures are assisted and boosted by them. Purpose: To investigate the nature and importance of leadership styles and behaviours of head nurse managers is the purpose of this research; its purpose also includes their influence on diverse organizational outcomes that are part of leader’s efficiency and job satisfaction of workers, together with their readiness to give more input to their work. Methodology: 24 participants were head nurse managers out of the total sample of 96; rest of the sample comprised of juniors. There were 45 things that were a part of The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ, Form 5- X) employed in this study to recognize and determine the important leadership styles together with their results. Findings: The transformational leadership style was discovered to be the most frequently employed style by the outcome of this research. The results also disclosed that amid the overall score of transformational leadership (TRL) and independent variables there was a positive correlation (r= 0.661**, 0.585** and 0.504** for leader effectiveness, staff job satisfaction, and extra effort, respectively). Conclusion: The quality of nursing services is greatly increased when there is an improvement in the development of transformational leadership that in turn boosts nurses’ satisfaction and additional efforts

Evaluating the suitability of groundwater for drinking purposes in the North Chengdu Plain, China

Groundwater is a significant and crucial component for all development activities of any life support system. In this study, the hydrochemical analysis and water quality index method (WQI) were used to assess groundwater quality for drinking purposes. Twelve groundwater samples were collected and analyzed into fourteen parameters which were considered as important indicators for assessing groundwater quality. A comparative study of these parameters with that of the Chinese Groundwater Standard (GB/T14848-2017) was conducted. It can be depicted from the results that groundwater quality is categorized as very hard, fresh water and slightly alkaline in nature. The major sequence of dominant cations and anions in groundwater are Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+ and HCO-3 > SO2-4 > Cl- respectively. From the total 12 samples analyzed, the parameters of TH, NH+4, Fe and Mn of samples exceeded the limits set by (GB/T14848-2017) standard. Piper diagram illustrated that groundwater samples of the studied area are mostly of Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO4 type. WQI showed all samples fall between excellent to good category of water and suitable for drinking purposes. The quality of groundwater is mainly affected from anthropogenic activities and natural influence. The proposed method is reliable and effcient for groundwater pollution assessment and can be used in decision-making

Coexistence of HBsAg/Anti-HBs and HBeAg/Anti-HBe in Sudanese Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Seroconversion of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) to hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) is a recognized goal of HBV therapy. This dynamic transition responsible for the coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs is rarely detected in clinical cases. However, with vaccination and the use of various antiviral drugs, as well as the development of new medical technologies, recognizing the coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs has become more common. In addition, mutations in viral genomes, immune status, and human genetic factors may also contribute to such coexistence. The current study was designed to determine the prevalence of the coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs and HBeAg and anti-HBe in CHB patients in Sudan. Methods and Results: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in Khartoum state from November 2018 to January 2019. The study included 70 HBV-infected patients who were positive for HBsAg for more than six months. Blood samples were tested for HBsAg/Anti-HBs and HBeAg/Anti-HBe using Commercial ELISA Kits (Foresight, United Kingdom) and (PRECHEK, USA). Demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and any antiviral agent and laboratory results were also recorded for each participant. The current study showed that one case (1.4%) was reactive for the coexistence of HBsAg/HBsAb and two cases (2.8%) for the coexistence of HBeAg/HBeAb. There was no statistical difference between the coexistence of HBsAg/HBsAb and HBeAg/HBeAb with age, gender, residence, and treatment status. Conclusion: Our study indicates that the frequencies of the coexistence of HBsAg/HBsAb and HBeAg/HBeAb among Sudanese patients with chronic HBV infection were low compared to previous studies in a different population

Ticarcillin degradation product thiophene acetic acid is a novel auxin analog that promotes organogenesis in tomato

Efficient regeneration of transgenic plants from explants after transformation is one of the crucial steps in developing genetically modified plants with desirable traits. Identification of novel plant growth regulators and developmental regulators will assist to enhance organogenesis in culture. In this study, we observed enhanced shoot regeneration from tomato cotyledon explants in culture media containing timentin, an antibiotic frequently used to prevent Agrobacterium overgrowth after transformation. Comparative transcriptome analysis of explants grown in the presence and absence of timentin revealed several genes previously reported to play important roles in plant growth and development, including Auxin Response Factors (ARFs), GRF Interacting Factors (GIFs), Flowering Locus T (SP5G), Small auxin up-regulated RNAs (SAUR) etc. Some of the differentially expressed genes were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. We showed that ticarcillin, the main component of timentin, degrades into thiophene acetic acid (TAA) over time. TAA was detected in plant tissue grown in media containing timentin. Our results showed that TAA is indeed a plant growth regulator that promotes root organogenesis from tomato cotyledons in a manner similar to the well-known auxins, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). In combination with the cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), TAA was shown to promote shoot organogenesis from tomato cotyledon in a concentration-dependent manner. To the best of our knowledge, the present study reports for the first time demonstrating the function of TAA as a growth regulator in a plant species. Our work will pave the way for future studies involving different combinations of TAA with other plant hormones which may play an important role in in vitro organogenesis of recalcitrant species. Moreover, the differentially expressed genes and long noncoding RNAs identified in our transcriptome studies may serve as contender genes for studying molecular mechanisms of shoot organogenesis

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially