Cadmium and zinc in acid tropical soils: II. influence of humic acid addition on soil properties and their adsorption

Cation exchange capacity (CEC) is one of the most important factor in influencing the adsorption of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in some acid tropical soils from Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia. The effect of humic acid addition on chemical properties of the soils was evaluated in an incubation study. Humic acid was added to the three soils, Katai (Typic Hapludult), Koyah (Oxic Dystropept), and Table (Typic Hapludox) at concentrations of 0, 50, 100, 150, and 350 mg carbon (C) kg-1 soil and incubated for 30 days. Changes in pH, organic-C, CEC, and adsorption of Cd and Zn were measured on these soils. With the exception of the Table soil, soil pH increased with increasing levels of humic acid addition; the same trend was also observed for organic-C and CEC of the soils. The adsorption of Cd and Zn by the soils can fully be explained by the Freundlich equation (r = 0.916** - 0.987**). The soils had a greater ability (almost 2-fold) to adsorbed Zn compared to Cd. The highest Cd and Zn adsorbed by the soil were 22.32 mg Cd kg-1 for the Table soil and 42.3 mg Zn kg-1 for the Koyah soil. Sequential extraction of soil amended with humic acid showed that Cd and Zn can be partitioned into five operational geochemical fraction viz. exchangeable, bound to carbonate, bound to iron (Fe)-manganese (Mn) oxides, bound to organic matter, and residual forms. A larger portion (50%) of Cd was in exchangeable form and the lowest (9%) in organic-bound form. Zinc in Fe-Mn oxides form accounted for about 49% of the total 5% in organic-bound form

The assessment of seafarers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices related to STI/HIV/AIDS in northern Morocco

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of seafarers in relation to sexually transmitted infections (STI) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Materials and methods: This transversal, descriptive and behavioural study was conducted in 2014 on a representative sample of 1447 seafarers. Results: The rate of participation was 95%. The mean age was 36.1 ± 8.2 years. Knowledge about transmission and prevention mode was satisfactory on HIV/AIDS; however, some misconceptions still persist. The level of stigmatisation and discrimination towards people living with the virus was considered high. The prevalence of sexual high-risk behaviour was significant: 32% had at least two sexual partners and 26.3% have had sex with sex workers, 60% of them were not protected; 42.8% have never used the condom and only 15.1% used it systematically. The sailors who had sexual intercourse under the influence of alcohol or drugs are less protected. As too HIV testing, only 10.2% did it. Conclusions: This study showed a gap in knowledge about transmission and prevention of HIV infection/AIDS and sexual risk behaviour. Increasing awareness and information among seafarers is of prime importance.

Opportunistic salpingectomy during hysterectomy for benign indications in women at low and high risk for ovarian cancer: a cross-sectional study

Objective Our study aims to evaluate the role of pathology evaluation of fallopian tubesduring hysterectomy for benign indications for the purpose ofearly detection of serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) in women at high and low risk for ovarian cancer. Material and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at Minia Maternity University Hospital, Egypt, between June 2015 and December 2017. Our study included all women undergoing hysterectomy for benign conditions in the genital tract. Appropriate histories were taken, as well as physical exams, and laboratory and ultrasound evaluations were done prior to scheduling surgery. Abdominal hysterectomies including opportunistic salpingectomies were performed and the whole specimens including the tubal fimbria were sent to the pathology lab for histo-pathological examination. Results A total of 526 patients met inclusion criteria for this study. The mean age of the study participants was 49.75±8.95 years, the mean parity was 3.91±1.62 and the mean BMI was 24.21±2.38 Kg/m2. The most common surgical indications for hysterectomy were postmenopausal bleeding (34.6%), a clinically benign adnexal/pelvic mass (31.7%), and menorrhagia (24.7%). The fallopian tubes were found to have either no pathology or benign conditions in 500 out of the 526 patients. Among these patients, 56% had no pathologic abnormality. The most common benign conditions were paratubal cysts (25%), endometriosis (9%), torsion (2%) and hydrosalpinx (1%). STIC was identified in the fallopian tubes of 8 out of 526 patients. Conclusions Microscopic examination of the entire fimbriae from all patients regardless of the clinical context represents a novel method of early detection of sporadic tubal carcinoma, a putative precursor to advanced-stage pelvic cancer

Association between Macronutrients Intake, Visceral Obesity and Blood Pressure in a Sample of Obese Egyptian Women

AIM: Study the association between the total caloric intake, protein, lipid, and some classes of fatty acids of the diet, and their effects on blood pressure in a sample of Egyptian obese women with and without visceral obesity.METHODS: Five hundred forty-nine obese women were included in the study with mean age of 38.1 ± 11.56 years and mean Body mass index [BMI] of 36.17 ± 7.23. They enrolled in a program for losing weight. Visceral fat was determined using ultrasound. Blood pressure was measured 3 times and the mean was recorded. Twenty four hours dietary recall was reported.RESULTS: Thirty point four percentages of samples has visceral obesity ≥ 7cm; they were the older, showed higher values of BMI, visceral obesity and blood pressure. Significant difference was found between groups regarding mean value of BMI, visceral obesity, both systolic blood pressure SBP and diastolic blood pressure DBP and most of the daily macronutrients intake. In groups (2&3) positive significant correlation was recorded between (SBP) & (DBP) and total daily intake of total calories, carbohydrate, total fat, saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, and negative significant correlation with total daily intake of total protein, animal and vegetable protein, linolenic and linoleic fatty acids, while oleic fatty acid showed negative correlation with SBP&DBP in all groups.CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the hypothesis that the macronutrients composition of diet influences blood pressure in different ways, in obese patients with visceral obesity

Relation between Fibrinogen Gene Polymorphisms and Microvascular Complications in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The present work aimed at genotyping fibrinogen beta (FGB) gene rs1800790 polymorphism and studying its relation to plasma fibrinogen (FG) level and microvascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Materials and methods: The study included 100 patients with T1D attending outpatient clinic. Full history taking and physical examination were done. Routine biochemical parameters and plasma FG level were measured. Genotyping of rs1800790 FGB gene polymorphism was done. Results: The study included 52 females and 48 males with T1D with mean diabetes duration of 7.75 ± 2.95 years. Their mean age was 14.71 ± 3.24 years. Plasma FG level was significantly higher in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) (p = 0.024) and in patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) (p = 0.036). No significant relation was found between plasma FG level and rs1800790 FGB gene polymorphism. The GA genotype of gene polymorphism was associated with 6 times increased risk of DPN. The dominant mode GA + AA was associated with a 4 and 7 folds increased risk of DPN in univariate and multivariate analysis respectively. A cut-off values of plasma FG > 348 mg/dL and > 358 mg/dL were able to differentiate patients with DPN and DKD respectively. Conclusions: In patients with T1D, the GA and the GA + AA genotypes of rs1800790 FGB gene polymorphism were significantly associated with DPN while plasma FG level was associated with DPN and DKD but not with rs1800790 FGB gene polymorphism

Serum Level of the Adipokine “Vaspin†in Relation to Metabolic Parameters: Short – Term Effect of Specific Dietary Therapy

AIM: To investigate the association between the circulating vaspin concentration and both of glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients, and also to evaluate the metabolic impact of two different dietary therapies on such conditions.MATERIALS AND METHODS:  Fifty eight obese female volunteers suffering from MetS, followed a specially designed dietary therapy consists of a low caloric balanced diet, accompanied by either 30% doum biscuits (group A), or whole wheat biscuits (group B) for four weeks (phase 1). During the next four weeks, they were continued on the hypocaloric diet alone (phase 2).RESULTS: The health effects of two dietary therapies were more prominent in improving the biochemical markers of the MetS than in the body weight reduction. The lower levels of serum vaspin were significantly increased at the end of the 1st phase in both groups especially group (A). Sustained negative correlations were detected between vaspin level and both of C-peptide and insulin resistance expressed as modified homeostatic model assessment (M.HOMA).CONCLUSION: The effect of the dietary supplements may play a role in alleviating the impact of the components of the MetS and may also sustain the level of the vaspin in the sensitization of the C-peptide in order to attain glucose homeostasis

Vitamin D Status in Neonatal Pulmonary Infections: Relationship to Inflammatory Indicators

AIM: The study aimed to evaluate serum vitamin D concentrations among neonates with pneumonia. METHODS: This case-control study enrolled 33 neonates with pneumonia in addition to 30 healthy controls. CBC, CRP, Serum vitamin D and Pentraxin 3 levels were measured for all participants. RESULTS: There was significant difference between patients and controls regarding Hemoglobin levels, TLC and CRP (p value < 0.01, = 0.002, < 0.01 respectively). Patients with pneumonia showed significant lower levels of Vit. D (9 ± 2.1) compared to controls (14.1 ± 2.8), P value < 0.01. However, patient group had significant higher levels of Pentraxin 3 (29.1 ± 4.8) compared with controls (12.6 ± 3), P value < 0.01. Moreover, mechanically ventilated patients revealed significant lower vit D (7.7 ± 1.8) and higher pentraxin 3 (32.2 ± 2.6) compared to patients on free oxygen (9.1 ± 2.1, 26.4 ± 3.7 respectively), P value = 0.05, 0.02 respectively. Regarding hospital stay, it had significant positive correlation with serum pentraxin 3 (r = 0.6, P value < 0.01) and significant negative correlation with serum vit D (r = -0.4, P value = 0.04). Finally a significant negative correlation between serum levels of vitamin D and Pentraxin 3 was found (r = -0.4, P value = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Lower concentration of serum vitamin D may be significantly associated with neonatal pneumonia. It also can predict the need for mechanical ventilation and duration of hospital stay in neonatal pneumonia. Similarly, higher levels of Pentraxin 3 may be used as an indicator for mechanical ventilation need and a longer hospital stay in neonates with pneumonia

Diagnostic efficacy of monoclonal antibody based sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of Fasciola gigantica excretory/secretory antigens in both serum and stool

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This research was carried out to develop a reliable monoclonal antibody (MoAb)-based sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of active <it>Fasciola gigantica </it>infection in both serum and stool for comparative purposes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From a panel of MoAbs raised against <it>F. gigantica </it>excretory/secretory antigens (ES Ags), a pair (12B/11D/3F and 10A/9D/10G) was chosen due to its high reactivity and strict specificity to <it>F. gigantica </it>antigen by indirect ELISA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The two MoAbs were of the IgG₁and IgG_2asubclasses, respectively. Using SDS-PAGE and EITB, the selected MoAbs recognized 83, 64, 45 and 26 kDa bands of ES Ags. The lower detection limit of ELISA assay was 3 ng/ml. In stool, the sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic efficacy of ELISA was 96%, 98.2 and 97.1%; while in serum they were 94%, 94.6% and 94.3%, respectively. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between ova count in stool of <it>F. gigantica </it>infected patients and the OD readings of ELISA in both stool and serum samples (<it>r </it>= 0.730, p < 0.01 and r = 0.608; p < 0.01, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data showed that the use of MoAb-based sandwich ELISA for the detection of <it>F. gigantica </it>coproantigens in stool specimens was superior to serum samples; it provides a highly efficient, non-invasive technique for the diagnosis of active <it>F. gigantica </it>infection.</p

Body Composition Changes after Weight-Loss Interventions among Obese Females: A Comparison of Three Protocols

AIM: To evaluate body composition changes after use of three different types of obesity management protocols: dietary measures and physical activity; acupuncture or laser acupuncture with healthy diet; aiming at achieving stable weight loss among obese Egyptian females.METHODS:  A randomized longitudinal prospective study included 76 obese adult females; aged 26 up to 55 years. Anthropometric, body composition, ultrasonographic and biochemical assessments were done.RESULTS: The three types of obesity management protocols showed significant improvement in body composition (decrease in fat% and increases in FFM and TBW) and visceral fat by US. However, nutritional intervention showed highly significant improvement in the skin fold thickness at triceps and biceps sites and peripheral adiposity index.  Acupuncture intervention showed highly significant improvement in fasting blood glucose (decreased) and lipid profile (decreased triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL, and increased HDL). Laser intervention showed highly significant improvement in all the skin fold thickness and some parameters of lipid profile (decreased total cholesterol and LDL). CONCLUSIONS: The three obesity management protocols have significant effect on body composition, but acupuncture has the best effect in improving the lipid profile and fasting blood sugar. In addition, Laser intervention was recommended to improve skin fold thickness and subcutaneous fat