Assessment of knowledge, attitude and behavior towards antibiotic use in primary health care patients in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt

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Significance of Left Atrial Electromechanical Function for Atrial Fibrillation Prediction after Cardiac Surgery

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most important type of secondary AF. POAF is a complication in approximately one-third of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The duration from P-wave onset on ECG to the peak of the A’ lateral wave on tissue Doppler imaging (PA-TDI) provides a reliable estimation of total atrial conduction time. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the PA-TDI duration for predicting post-operative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.Patients and methods: This prospective study was conducted at national heart institute for 70 patients who were eligible and planned for undergoing cardiac surgery. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence of postoperative AF. Accordingly, patients in the study were divided into group (I) that included patients who developed POAF and group (II), which included patients who remained in sinus rhythm and did not develop POAF.Results: PA-TDI duration in group I was longer than in group II with highly significant difference between the two groups with P-value < 0.001. It was found that PA-TDI duration (≥ 171.5 ms) has sensitivity equal to 91 and specificity 95%. Conclusion: PA interval measured by TDI preoperatively seems to be a simple method to predict incidence of POAF in patients undergoing cardiac surgery and it may be part of preoperative cardiovascular examination. The current study suggests that longer PA-TDI duration to be additive to conventional risk factors and biomarkers in predicting POAF and that PA-TDI duration is a predictor of POAF, and the best cut off value of PA-TDI duration for POAF is 171.5 ms

Myocardial function in Saudi adolescents with vitamin D deficiency: Tissue Doppler imaging study

AbstractVitamin D deficiency is a common health problem in Saudi Arabia especially in children and adolescents. Many studies have reported the relation between low 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels with cardiovascular diseases risk factors as well as cardiovascular events, including stroke, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of 25(OH)D deficiency on the myocardial function and other echocardiographic variables in adolescent, using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and to correlate these parameters with 25(OH)D level. The study included 84 healthy adolescents, consecutively selected from adolescents attending the outpatient clinic of Saad Specialist Hospital, KSA between September 2013 and October 2014. The study population was classified into two groups; vitamin D deficient group with 25(OH)D level less than 20ng/mL and normal vitamin D (control group) with 25(OH)D equal or more than 30ng/mL. Both groups were subjected to measuring hemoglobin level, serum albumin, creatinine, total calcium, Phosphorous, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and 25(OH)D levels. Both conventional and pulsed wave TDI were done for all participants. TDI measurements showed significant higher LV Tei Index and RV Tei index when compared to the control group (0.61±0.11 Vs 0.32±0.05 p<0.0001), (0.54±0.14 Vs 0.40±0.06 p<0.0001) respectively. Mitral and tricuspid annular systolic velocities were significantly lower in vitamin D deficient group (6.99±1.92 Vs 10.69±0.31cm/sec p<0.0001 and 12.30±2.14 Vs 13.89±0.29 p<0.0001 respectively). The mitral and tricuspid E/Em ratio was significantly higher in vitamin D deficient group than control group (p<0.0001, p 0.005) respectively. Left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole (LVIDd) was significantly higher in vitamin D deficient group (44.72±6.33 Vs 40.36±6.21 p 0.003). Serum 25(OH)D level showed significant negative correlation with LV Tei index (r=−0.668, p<0.0001), RV Tei index (r=−0.421, p<0.0001). Vitamin D deficiency is associated with subtle systolic and diastolic myocardial dysfunction in Saudi adolescents. TDI is a useful tool for detecting early changes in the myocardium in this particular group

Biochemical and Genetical Evaluation of Pomegranate Impact on Diabetes Mellitus Induced by Alloxan in Female Rats

Abstract: Various food industries explored the possibility of developing a nutritional supplement rich in natural antioxidants from pomegranates. This study has focused on the ability of pomegranate peel and juice to study the antioxidant status. Thirty two rats were allocated in 4 groups as follows: GroupI; control group without any treatment; GroupII: diabetic animals injected with alloxan; Group III: diabetic peel group animals injected with alloxan and then feed on peel pomegranate; GroupIV: diabetic juice group animals injected with alloxan and then gavage with pomegranate juice. After 4 weeks of treatment biochemical analysis were measured such as glucose, insulin, alpha-amylase, lipid profile (cholesterol, triglyceride HDL, LDL and total lipids), total protein, homocysteine, total antioxidant capacity and liver enzymes (AST&amp;ALT). In addition, pancreas and liver tissues were separated for genetic analysis in which pancreatic tissues were used for RAPD-PCR analysis and liver tissues for DNA fragmentation assay. Results showed significant increase in glucose and alpha amylase levels in diabetic group, while insulin decreased. Peel and juice of pomegranate ameliorates this effect and decreased glucose, alpha amylase while insulin level increased. Cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and total lipids increased while HDL decreased in diabetic group. Peel and juice of pomegranate prevented these changes. The more pronounced effect appeared in group III treated with peel pomegranate. Total protein was not affected by alloxan or pomegranate. Homocysteine was significantly increased while total antioxidant capacity decreased in diabetic group. After treatment by pomegranate peel and juice, these parameters become near to the control values. AST and ALT were significantly increased in diabetic group. But after treatment with peel and juice, AST and ALT levels decreased and become near to the control level especially ALT value. Furthermore, rate of DNA fragmentation and DNA band polymorphism increased significantly in diabetic group. While after treatment by peel and juice rate of DNA band polymorphism and DNA fragmentation were decreased significantly. Pomegranate peel and juice showed significant reduction in LDL oxidative susceptibility and an increase in total antioxidant status. Pomegranate is able to reduce the progression in atherosclerosis. The antioxidant content in foods decreased the oxidative stress related diseases

Characteristics of high-performance steel fiber reinforced recycled aggregate concrete utilizing mineral filler

[EN] In current state of the World, the pollution is increasing very fast. One of its major reason is the production of huge quantity of cement which causes outflow of CO2 into the environment and land dumping of construction and demolition waste which leads to the land pollution. In order to address this major issue, it is important to decrease the utilization of cement by substituting the cement with by product such as slag and using recycled aggregates as a replacement of natural aggregates. This research aimed to utilize evaluate the performance of sustainable high- performance concrete reinforced with steel fibers which is produced with recycled aggregate. Crushed stone aggregates are supplanted with recycled aggregates extracted from source concrete that had compression strength of 45 MPa and 85 MPa at proportions of 50% and 100%. Steel fibers are used at 2% to produce high-performance concrete, and in a few of the mixtures, the cement was substituted with granulated blast furnace slag. In addition to mechanical perfor- mance, the durability properties, i.e., electrical resistivity, drying shrinkage, and water absorp- tion, of concrete blends were examined. The test outcomes show that high-performance concrete with the required characteristics can be developed utilizing recycled aggregates extracted from source concrete of high strength. The inclusion of double hooked end steel fibers considerably improves the mechanical characteristics of RAC. Concrete formed with high-quality recycled concrete aggregates and mixes comprising granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and double hooked end (DHE) steel fibers shows decreased drying shrinkage and water absorption in com- parison to normal concrete. The outcomes of the present study assist in making of suitable high- performance concrete which is sustainable and budget friendly.SIt F. M. Mukhtar would like to acknowledge the support of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM

Effectiveness of Echinacea purpurea extract on immune deficiency induced by azathioprine in male albino rats

This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of Echinacea purpurea (E.P.) on azathioprine (AZA)-induced immune deficiency in albino rats. Thirty six male albino rats were divided into six equal groups. The first group served as normal control, the second and third groups were treated with two doses of AZA (3 and 5mg/kg/b.w/day IP), respectively for six weeks. The fourth group was treated with 50 mg kg/b.wt/day of Echinacea. The fifth and sixth groups were treated with3 and 5 mg AZAm respectively followed by50 mg E.P. administration. At the end of the experimental period, both doses of AZA revealed a significant reduction in total body and spleen weights, increase in tissue total protein with a significant increase in serum total protein and albumin, a marked decrease in the number of WBCS associated with a decrease in the number of lymphocytes, a significant decrease in serum total anti-oxidant capacity. Also,concentration of immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) and interleukins (IL4 &IL6) showed a significant increase, while the level of IL10 decreased significantly in splenic tissue. The dose of AZA (5 mg /kg b.wt.) only resulted in a highly significant increase in serum level of T3 and T4. However, treatment with Echinacea purpurea extract had a significant influence on immune deficiency induced by azathioprine. These findings demonstrated that E.P. extract is a promising immunomodulatory agent with a potent therapeutic value in stimulating the immune response

Histopathological and immunohistochemical study of the protective effect of triptorelin on the neurocytes of the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex of male albino rats after short-term exposure to cyclophosphamide

AbstractChemotherapy treats many types of cancer effectively but it often causes side effects. Chemotherapy works on active cells, such as cancer cells, and some healthy cells. Side effects happen when chemotherapy damages these healthy cells. Today, many more drugs are available to treat side effects than in the past. Triptorelin (Decapeptyl) is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist that is reported to have many therapeutic effects besides being an anti-cancer agent. In the current study, intraperitoneal cyclophosphamide (65mg/kg/day) was administered for 4 weeks to induce marked dystrophic changes in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of male albino rats. After 4 weeks, we observed significant degeneration of neurocytes with dystrophic changes. Subcutaneous triptorelin (0.05mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks significantly improved histological signs of degeneration and apoptosis. Anti-Bcl2 staining of sections of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus showed that the apoptotic index was increased. This finding was confirmed by the anti-p53 staining, which showed a significant decrease in the apoptotic index. Ultimately, such improvements were accompanied by significant restoration of normal brain histology, as revealed by hematoxylin and eosin. In conclusion, triptorelin can reverse the apoptotic changes induced by cyclophosphamide therapy, which is more marked in the hippocampus than cerebral cortex

Multi-Classification Model for Brain Tumor Early Prediction Based on Deep Learning Techniques

Brain tumor early prediction is a critical task in medical imaging, as early detection and classification of tumors can significantly improve patient outcomes and treatment planning. In this study, we propose multi-classification models based on deep learning techniques for early prediction of brain tumors using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Specifically, we investigate the effectiveness of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) in the You Only Look Once (YOLO) approach for an accurate classification of brain tumors into multiple classes based on their morphological characteristics. The proposed model is designed to extract spatial features from MRI images, capturing local patterns and structures indicative of different tumor types. Moreover, the model is employed to analyze sequential MRI images over time, capturing temporal dynamics and changes in tumor characteristics. Experimental results on a large dataset of labelled MRI scans demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-classification model in accurately predicting brain tumor types at an early stage. Comparative analysis and evaluation metrics such as accuracy, validation, and losses\u27 curves versus epochs, in addition to a confusion matrix, are presented to assess the performance of each model. Results have indicated that YOLO v8 yielded 96% accuracy in training samples and up to 100% accuracy in testing samples

Beneficial Effects of Hesperidin against Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in Rats

Abstract: Cisplatin has been frequently used for treatment of wide variety of tumors. The use of cisplatin is associated with severe cytotoxicity such as nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and spermiotoxicity which radically limits its clinical use. The present study aimed to investigate the possible protective effects of multiple doses of hesperidin against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity induced by single i.p injection of cisplatin (7.5 mg/kg). Hesperidin was given to rats at two different doses (100 and 200 mg/kg p.o) for 7 days starting one day before cisplatin injection. Blood samples were collected for determination of serum creatinine and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) levels. Kidneys were used for the determination of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione (GSH) and total nitrate and nitrite contents. Liver samples were also used for histopathological examination. Results showed that hesperidin significantly reduced cisplatin-induced elevations in serum creatinine and BUN levels. It also significantly reduced kidney MDA and NO content and elevated GSH content. In conclusion, hesperidin greatly protected kidney against cisplatin-induced toxicity in a dose-dependent manner