Antimicrobial activity of grape seed and skin extracts coated on Corona treated LDPE and PET films

Consumer demand for ready-to-eat ‘fresh’ and safe food products with less synthetic preservatives together with well documented food-borne microbial outbreaks drive both research and food industry toward new innovative methods for microbial growth inhibition while keeping food freshness, quality, and safety. Incorporation of natural bioactive agents in the packaging material to increase the shelf life of meat products is a promising technology. Grapes are of special interest because of their high content of phenolic compounds that showed antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. The aim of the present work was to investigate grape seed (GSE) and skin (GSKE) extracts’ antibacterial activity and developing bioactive LDPE/PET films that could be used as food packaging for poultry and meat products. Commercial corona treated LDPE and PET were coated with either grape seed or grape skin extract. Agar plate diffusion method was used for the investigation of the microbial properties of both extracts’ coated films against E.coli as a Gram-negative bacterium and Staphylococcus aureus as a Gram-negative one. LDPE and PET films coated with GSE showed inhibition zones of E.coli growth in the range of 16-25mm, while Staph.aureus growth inhibition zones were in the range of 15-20mm. For LDPE corona films coated with grape seed extract, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.002g/1cm2 for E.coli and 0.003g/1cm2 for Staph.aureus. While for corona treated PET films/GSE, the MIC for both E.coli and Staph.aureus was 0.002g/1cm2. Corona treated LDPE and PET coated with GSKE showed inhibition zone range of 13-16.3mm with E.coli and 12-20mm with Staph.aureus. For LDPE corona films/GSKE, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.0009g/1cm2for E.coli and 0.003g/1cm2for Staph.aureus. While for corona treated PET films/GSKE, the MIC was 0.002g/1cm2 for E.coli and 0.003g/1cm2 for Staph. aureus. The Total Phenolic Content of both GSE and GSKE was determined using the Folin- Ciocalteu methodology to be 315.32g (GAE)/kg, and 265.326g (GAE)/kg for GSE and GSKE respectively. The coated films; LDPE/GSE or GSKE, were used to wrap fresh chicken fillets, TVC, Pesudmonads, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Lactic acid bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae counts were determined during the storage period; 10 days for test samples and 8 days for controls. Microbiological analysis for tested samples was done on day 0, 2,4, 6, 8, and10, while for control till day 8. There was a reduction in the populations of the examined bacteria in the range of 0.2-1.4 log cfu/g in case of GSE, while with GSKE the reduction of bacterial populations range was 0.3-1.95 log cfu/g

Transmissibility and mortality trends of COVID-19 epidemic in Egypt

Background: Since identification of the first case on Feb. 14, Egypt had implemented several control measures. This research aimed at study the time trend of the transmissibility and mortality of COVID 19 in Egypt. Methods: Published data on daily reported cases and deaths since the start of the epidemic till week 19 were used. We estimated the basic reproductive number (R0) during the early phase of the epidemic using the simple exponential growth method (SEG) and time dependent method (TD). Then we estimated time varying effective reproductive number (Re) after implementation of the control measures by applying the TD method. Moreover, the trend in the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) throughout the study period was studied. Results: With SEG method, R0 was found to be 2.26 (2.15–2.38) and 2.58 (2.43–2.72) for infectious period of 8 and 10 days, respectively. While by the TD method, R0 was estimated to be 2.34 (95% CrI: 2.05–2.64) and 3.01 (95% CrI: 2.64–3.40) for mean ± SD of SI equals 5.8 ± 2.6 and 7.5 ± 3.4, respectively. With TD method, Re decreased from the initial value of R0 to reach 1.30 (95% crI: 1.17–1.45) in week 7. After that Re values fluctuated closely around 1. CFR reached its peak (7.7%) on April 12 then it decreased to its lowest value (3.4%) after two months before increasing slightly again to (4.1%) in the last days. Conclusion and recommendation: The initial Basic reproductive number was high in Egypt. Effective reproductive number dropped after control measures till fluctuating around one. CFR also declined over time but slight increase in the last days was observed. After relaxation of the control measures, we recommend the instantaneous monitoring of the transmissibility and mortality in Egypt

Novel Approaches are Needed to Develop the Future Methods for Diagnosis of Viral Infections

Diagnostic virology has now entered the mainstream of medical practice. Multiple methods are used for the laboratory diagnosis of viral infections, including viral culture, antigen detection, nucleic acid detection, and serology. The role of culture is diminishing as new immunologic and molecular tests are developed that provide more rapid results and are able to detect a larger number of viruses. This review provides specific recommendations for the diagnostic approach to clinically important viral infections. Rapid, sensitive and rational virus detection and quantification methods are needed. Broadly targeted methods are the major theme of this review. They can reduce the time and cost of diagnosis of infectious disease. Once an accurate diagnosis has been reached, appropriate medical action can be taken

Behavioral and Physiological Indicators of Pain During Nociceptive Procedures Among Mechanically Ventilated Patients at a University Hospital in Cairo

Critically ill mechanically ventilated patients experience significant and prolonged exposure to stressors from many sources related to injury or interventions. Pain is one of the stressors that can alter hemodynamics of such critically ill patients  Aim of the study: to assess behavioral and physiological indicators of pain during nociceptive procedures among mechanically ventilated patients. Research Design: A descriptive exploratory design was utilized. Research questions: a):What are different behavioral indicators of pain during nociceptive procedures among mechanically ventilated patients ? b):What are different physiological indicators of pain during nociceptive procedures among mechanically ventilated patients? Setting: selected intensive care units of a university hospital in Cairo. Sample: A convenience sample of 100 critically ill patients connected to mechanical ventilators. Tools of data collection: Three tools were utilized to collect data pertinent to the current study: tool 1:Mechanically ventilated patients' demographic and medical data, tool 2: Critical Care Pain Observation tool, tool 3: Physiological indicators of pain assessment tool Results:. The current study revealed that during nociceptive procedures ,patients displayed manifestations of pain such: facial expression ,body movement, compliance with ventilator and muscle tension in percentage of:(54%,58%,45%,45%) respectively. Concerning physiological indicators the current study revealed increased means of heart rate, systolic blood pressure ,MAP, diastolic blood pressure ,respiratory rate during endotracheal suction procedure (113.69±11.50,134±17.4,95.5±12.25,76.58±10.86,21.7±7.84) respectively as compared to before and after procedure with significant statically differences as(F/P=8.651/.005,2935.012/.000,2694.048/.000,201.993/.000,488.212/.00). Conclusion: Nociceptive procedures is extremely common in ICUs ,observation of critically ill patients' behavior during those procedures is crucial .Recommendations: There is a need to ensure that pain should be recognized in critical care settings for patients with communication difficulties. Ongoing monitoring of  critically ill patients vital signs during nociceptive procedures. Keywords: Mechanical ventilation, Behavioral indicators, Pain , Nociceptive procedure

Correlation between Body Mass Index and Gastrointestinal Symptoms among Hospitalized Patients

Background: Gastrointestinal problems are highly prevalent in all age groups .The literature and recent studies are inconsistent about the association between body mass index (BMI) and gastrointestinal symptoms. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between BMI and gastrointestinal symptoms among hospitalized patients. Research Design was descriptive exploratory correlational design. Research question: what is the relationship between body mass index and gastrointestinal symptoms? Setting: Different medical critical care units and medical wards at Cairo university hospitals. A sample of convenience of adult male and female patients who met the inclusion criteria was included. Tools: (a) the Structured Interview Questionnaire (SIQ). It covered personal data namely; age, sex, marital status, etc... and Medical history which included chief complaint, present history , past history.  (b)Gastrointestinal assessment questionnaire (GIAQ), it included bowel habit assessment,   common gastrointestinal symptoms and gastrointestinal diseases, and (c) body mass index (BMI). Patients were assigned into four groups based on the BMI using the classification of the World Health Organization. Results: A total of 489 patients were included (25.56%) were overweight (13.49%) were obese. Overall, in obese patients the prevalence of constipation (87.875) distention (83.33%) compared with normal weight; constipation (8.68%) , distention (6.94%)  and dyspepsia (4.51%)  Conclusion: there is a relationship between body mass index and some gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, dyspepsia, heart burn. A positive correlation was found between age and both constipation as well as heart burn and dyspepsia. Recommendation: Replicate the study on a large probability sample to realize generalizability and ensure consistency of results. Key words: Body Mass Index, Gastrointestinal symptoms, Hospitalized patient

Performance of chromID® CARBA-SMART medium and carbapenemase inhibition method for the detection of carbapenemases among Gram negative bacilli

Background:Early detection of carbapenemase enzymes among Gram negative bacilli (GNB) is mandatory to prevent their spread. Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of chromID® CARBA-SMART medium and carbapenemase inhibition method (CIM) for detection of carbapenemases in GNB. Methodology: A total of 142 GNB isolates were collected and tested using Vitek-2® system for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing The carbapenem resistant (CR) GNB were tested for carbapenemase production by phenotypic methods; chromID® CARBA-SMART medium and CIM. Carbapenemase genes (NDM-1, blaSIM-1,VIM-2, KPC-1, blaGIM-1, blaSPM-1 and OXA-48) were detected by PCR. Results: By minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), 111 (78.17 %) of the 142 isolates were shown to be carbapenem resistant. Sensitivity and specificity of CIM and ChromID® CARBA-SMART medium were (100% and 66.7% respectively) for CIM and (86.7% and 100% respectively) for the medium. Resistance to carbapenem was associated with high percentages of resistance to many antibiotic classes. Carbapenemase genes were detected in 82% (91/111) of CR GNB with NDM-1 (58.6%) and OXA-48 (55.9 %) having the highest prevalence, followed by KPC-1 (36 %) then VIM-2 (10.8%) and lastly blaSPM-1 (3.6 %) and blaSIM-1 (1.8 %). The blaGIM-1 gene was not detected in any isolate. Conclusion:  Carbapenemase inhibition method was found to be a very sensitive, easy, and cheap test for carbapenemase detection but needs the addition of ChromID® CARBA-SMART medium to improve the specificity of the test. This study has a high prevalence of carbapenemases among isolates with potential of rapid spread necessitating need for phenotypic tests

A novel Approach for Detection of Sindbis Viral RNA

SINV was approved as a causative agent of pogosta disease. The seroprevalence of SINV antibodies for the Finnish population is around 2%, considering the prevalence varies between different regions of Finland. While the seroprevalence of SINV antibodies in Sweden highest in central parts of the country. The annual incidence rate in endemic regions of affected countries ranges from 2.7/100,000 in Finland and 2.9/100,000 in Sweden to 18/100,000 in Northern Karelia. This is the most widely distributed of all known arboviruses, affecting all age groups. This study describes the design and evaluation of a rapid and robust quantitative PCR assay able to detect a wide range of different SINV. Primers with the potential to detect all SINV were designed from conserved regions of all different strains of sindbis virus sequences, as identified from multiple alignments. By using SYBR-green-based quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR) protocols, this QPCR assay is able to detect 50-100 target molecules of synthetic DNA and less than 100 copies of viral RNA of different SINV. SINV RNA was also detected in clinical samples of patients with SINV has been linked t

Kiman Fariss, Krokodilopolis in griechisch-römischer Zeit: archäologische Untersuchung der Terrakotta-Figuren

Hinsichtlich der Ausgrabungsgeschichte in der historischen Stadt Krokodilopolis und die heutige Situation, in der der Großteil der Fläche unter den modernen Häusern verloren gegangen ist, ist eine Untersuchung von 214 Terrakotta-Figuren aus einem einzigen Fundort, auch wenn sie nicht stratifiziert oder kontextualisiert sind, von großem Interesse. Da diese 214 Figuren aus dem Fayyūm-Magazin ausschließlich aus Kiman Fariss/Krokodilopolis stammen, tragen sie sowohl zu einem Verständnis lokaler religiöser Praktiken als auch der lokalen Terrakotta-Produktion bei. Mithilfe zukünftiger Arbeiten können die Ergebnisse meiner Untersuchung dabei helfen, das Bild der Terrakotta-Produktion in Ägypten zu vervollständigen. Gerade weil die historische Altstadt mittlerweile unter den Neubauten verschwunden ist und daher weitere Ausgrabungen an diesem Ort unwahrscheinlich sind, bietet das Material eventuell die letzte Möglichkeit, Licht auf diesen Forschungsgegenstand zu werfen. Die bislang im Fayyūm-Magazin aufbewahrten Terrakotta-Figuren aus Krokodilopolis werden im Rahmen dieser Arbeit vorgestellt und die Gegenstände in thematische Kategorien angeordnet, wobei ein analytischer Vergleich mit anderen formgleichen Figuren durchgefahren werde. Dabei liegt das Ziel der Arbeit darin, zu einem besseren Bild der Terrakotta-Produktion in Ägypten beizutragen und auf die Frage einer lokalen oder zentralen Produktion einzugehen. Die Datierung von Terrakotta-Figuren stellt nach wie vor eine große Herausforderung für Archäologen dar, da die meisten Gegenstände in Terrakotten-Sammlungen überwiegend aus dem Antikenhandel oder aus nicht stratifizierten Ausgrabungen stammen, wie es der Fall bei den 214 Figuren im Fayyūm-Magazin ist. Somit gibt es in den meisten Fällen kaum stichhaltige Hinweise für eine geographische, geschweige denn historische Einordnung der Figuren. Obwohl in den letzten Jahren moderne wissenschaftliche (stratifizierte) Ausgrabungen nach und nach Terrakotta-Figuren zutage fördern, die kontextualisiert werden können, bleibt das Problem der Datierung bestehen, da die Möglichkeit, viele gleichartige Figuren zum Vergleich zu finden, nicht immer besteht. Deswegen bleiben die typologische und die stilistische Methode, die nur eine näherungsweise Datierung liefern können, in manchen Fällen die einzigen Möglichkeiten für eine historische Einordnung. Die Dissertation besteht aus einem Text mit Appendix und einem Katalog mit Abbildungen. Der Text ist in drei Hauptkapitel gegliedert: Beim ersten Kapitel geht es um eine Einführung in die Untersuchung von Terrakotten aus Ägypten. In diesem Zusammenhang werden relevante religiöse oder historische Hintergründe im Überblick behandelt. Das erste der vier dazugehörigen Unterkapitel gibt eine Einführung ins Material, frühere Studien und die Fragestellung der Untersuchung. Da ein historischer Hintergrund der Region Fayyūm nötig ist, wird dieser im zweiten Unterkapitel wiedergegeben. Dabei liegt ein verstärkter Fokus auf der vorptolemäischen Zeit, um religiöse und ethnische Änderungen mit einzuschließen, die sich auf die Terrakotta-Abbildungen ausgewirkt haben können. Das dritte Unterkapitel widmet sich dem Fundort des Terrakottamaterial s, Krokodilopolis, wobei seine Lage, Namen und die örtlichen Ausgrabungen erläutert werden. Im vierten Unterkapitel geht es um eine Einleitung zur Arbeit an Terrakotten. Diese umfasst Herstellungstechniken, zentrale Begriffe sowie die Problematik der Datierung, die für eine Einordnung des Materials aus dem Fayyūm-Magazin unumgänglich sind. Das zweite Hauptkapitel ist eine archäologische Studie des Terrakottamaterials aus Krokodilopolis im Fayyūm-Magazin (214 Objekte). Dieses habe ich wiederum in vier Unterkapitel aufgeteilt. Beim ersten Unterkapitel handelt es sich um eine Untersuchung der Qualität des Tones der Terrakotten nach dem Wiener System und mithilfe eines Keramik-Spezialisten. Darüber hinaus wird in diesem Kapitel das Themenspektrum der Terrakotta-Statuetten aus Krokodilopolis vorgestellt. Anschließend wird die Untersuchung der Terrakotten vertieft, indem zunächst im zweiten Unterkapitel die Götterdarstellungen typologisch und ikonographisch analysiert werden. Hierbei liegt der Fokus vor allem auf Göttern, die in verhältnismäßig großer Anzahl und zusätzlich in verschiedenen Typen vorliegen. Das dritte Unterkapitel behandelt daraufhin einen weiteren Aspekt der Untersuchung, nämlich die Formengleichheit und Lokalisierung. Die Formengleichheit umfasst Fälle innerhalb und außerhalb des Materials aus Krokodilopolis, um mit ihrer Hilfe eine Lokalisierung und Kontextualisierung der Typen anzustreben. Angesichts der archäologischen Untersuchungen sowie der analytischen, typologischen und ikonographischen Studie werden im vierten Unterkapitel Schlüsse hinsichtlich der Terrakotta-Produktion und der zeitlichen Einordnung der Terrakotten in Krokodilopolis gezogen. Beim dritten Kapitel handelt es sich um einen Appendix, der vier detaillierte Tabellen umfasst. Die erste Tabelle ist ein Überblick der Terrakotta-Typen und Darstellungen, die mit von Terrakotta-Forschern vorgeschlagenen Datierungen versehen sind. In der zweiten Tabelle werden veröffentliche Terrakotten mit der Herkunftsangabe Krokodilopolis außerhalb des Fayyūm-Magazins erfasst, wobei diejenigen mit der Herkunftsangabe Fayyūm in der dritten Tabelle eingeordnet werden. Beide werden durch Verweise mit dem Material aus Krokodilopolis verglichen. Die vierte Tabelle umfasst die Tonarten der individuellen Terrakotten. Im anschließenden Katalog wird jeder Gegenstand des Fayyūm-Magazins untersucht und detailliert beschrieben. Diese Beschreibungen umfassen Angaben zum Erhalt, aktuellem Zustand sowie Maßen. Außerdem wird auf die jeweiligen Abbildungen verwiesen, die ich selbst angefertigt habe und die im nachgestellten Tafelband zu finden sind. Informationen hinsichtlich des Fundorts und des Registrierungsdatums werden aus dem Registerbuch des Fayyūm-Magazins ergänzt

World Wide Epidemiology of Helminths Infection

Helminths (from the Greek Helmins, meaning worm) include three groups of parasitic worm, large multicellular organisms with complex tissues and organs. Helminths do not replicate within the human host except Strongyloides stercoralis. Prevalence is commonly combined with worm burden (intensity of infection), which is commonly measured by the number of eggs per gram (EPGs) of faeces for intestinal helminths and schistosomes. Based on EPGs and their association with morbidity, individuals are classified into categories of light, moderate and heavy infection by the WHO. In the case of soil‐transmitted helminths, the WHO recommends use of both prevalence and intensity of infection to classify communities into transmission categories—category I (high), category II (medium), and category III (low). The neglected status of the helminthiasis should be addressed on community levels and globally all over the world