Correlation between serum interleukin- lß and neonatal sepsis in neonatal intensive care unit in Zagazig University Hospitals

Background: The role of interleukin-lß in the pathogenesis of sepsis is widely accepted, but less is known regarding its role in the newborn period.Objective: The aim of the work was to detect relation between serum level of IL- lß and clinical presentation of neonatal sepsis.Patients and Methods: This case control trial study included a total of thirty-six newborns, attending at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Zagazig University Hospitals. They were categorized into two groups; 18 each: Group I: newborns with suspected clinical sepsis, and Group II (control group) healthy newborns with no sepsis. Interleukin- lß was assessed in all neonates.Results: IL-lß showed significant increase in diseased versus control group (20.07±8.68 versus 1.21±0.48, respectively with p <0.001). IL-lß showed insignificant difference in preterm versus full term neonates. IL-lß showed significant difference in subgroup analysis. Full term neonates in patient group had the highest mean (23.811±10.55 pg/ml, p<0.001).Conclusion: It could be concluded that premature babies have lower IL-1ß serum concentrations, while mature newborns with sepsis had higher IL-1ß serum concentrations than healthy newborns

Geomatics-Based Modeling and Hydrochemical Analysis for Groundwater Quality Mapping in the Egyptian Western Desert: A Case Study of El-Dakhla Oasis

Groundwater is the single source of water in El-Dakhla Oasis, western desert, Egypt. The main objective of this study is an assessment of groundwater in the area for agriculture and drinking compared to Egyptian and World Health Organization criteria. Most the contamination of water in the study area comes from human and agricultural activities. Thirty soil profiles were studied in the area and we assessed soil quality. Seventy-four samples were taken from the area’s groundwater wells to assess the chemical characteristics of the groundwater. Moreover, the contamination of groundwater by farming and anthropogenic activities was assessed using a land use/land cover (LULC) map. Nine standard water criteria were determined to assess groundwater quality for agriculture. Furthermore, the resulting risk to human health and agricultural crops has been addressed. Therefore, the drinking quality of groundwater samples is graded as low as the hydrochemical study showed high TH, EC, TDS, Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, and Fe2+ contents of 40.5%, 2.7%, 1.4%, 3.8%, 1.6%, 86.5%, and 100%, respectively. Human health is risked by drinking this water, which negatively affects hair, skin, and eyes, with greatest exposure to enteric pathogens. Using these criteria, the majority of groundwater samples cause harmful effects on soil types and are toxic to sensitive crops (vegetable crops). In conclusion, the output of this research is a map showing groundwater suitable for consumption and agriculture in El-Dakhla Oasis based on all indices using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) model. Additionally, there was evidence of a linear relationship between soil quality and irrigation water quality (R2 = 0.90). This emphasis on tracking changes in soil/water quality was brought on by agricultural practices and environmental variables

Groundwater Quality Assessment Using Multi-Criteria GIS Modeling in Drylands: A Case Study at El-Farafra Oasis, Egyptian Western Desert

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Groundwater Quality Assessment Using Multi-Criteria GIS Modeling in Drylands: A Case Study at El-Farafra Oasis, Egyptian Western Desert by Hanaa A. Megahed 1,Hossam M. GabAllah 1,Rasha H. Ramadan 2ORCID,Mohamed A. E. AbdelRahman 2,*ORCID,Paola D’Antonio 3,*ORCID,Antonio Scopa 3ORCID andMahmoud H. Darwish 4ORCID 1 Division of Geological Applications and Mineral Resources, National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), Cairo 1564, Egypt 2 Division of Environmental Studies and Land Use, National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), Cairo 1564, Egypt 3 Scuola di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali, Alimentari ed Ambientali (SAFE), Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Viale dell’Ateneo Lucano, 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy 4 Geology Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El Kharga 72511, Egypt * Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed. Water 2023, 15(7), 1376; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15071376 Received: 15 February 2023 / Revised: 26 March 2023 / Accepted: 27 March 2023 / Published: 3 April 2023 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Security, Water Economics and the Evolution of Water Consumption) Download Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract The most critical issue that was the main research interest is its groundwater quality which is vital for public health concerns. Groundwater is a significant worldwide water supply for diverse communities, especially in dryland regions. Groundwater quality assessment in desert systems is largely hindered by the lack of hydrological data and the remote location of desert Oases. This study provides a preliminary understanding of the influences of climate, land usage, and population growth on the groundwater quality in El-Farafra Oasis in the Western Desert in Egypt from 2000 to now. Therefore, the study’s main objective was to determine the extent of change in temporal water quality and the factors causing it. The present study integrates chemical analyses and geospatial modeling better to assess groundwater quality in the study area. A chemical analysis of thirty-one groundwater samples from wells representing each study area was carried out during three time periods (2000, 2010, and 2022). Several chemical properties of groundwater samples gathered from wells in the research area were analyzed. Furthermore, the groundwater quality trend from 2000 to the present was identified using three approaches: Wilcox and Schoeller Diagram in Aq.QA software, interpolation in the ArcGIS software, and Ground Water Quality Index (GWQI). Moreover, the influence of changing land usage on groundwater quality was studied, and it was found that the increase in agriculture and urbanization areas is linked to groundwater quality degradation. The findings revealed that the barren area in 2000, 2010, and 2022 was 371.7, 362.0, and 343.2 km2, respectively, which indicates a substantial decrease of 6.2% within this research timeframe. In contrast, agriculture and human-made structures have expanded by 1.8%. Also, population growth has led to an increase in water consumption as the population has grown at a rate of 7.52% annually from 2000 to 2020. As the climatic condition increases from 2000 to 2022, these changes could extend to the water quality in shallow aquifers with increasing evaporation. Based on the water quality spatial model, it is found that, despite a declining tendency in the rate of precipitation and an expansion in agricultural areas and population growth, the water quality was still appropriate for human and farming consumption in large areas of the study area. The presented approach is applicable to the assessment of groundwater in desert regions in the Middle East area

Enhanced oral permeability of Trans-Resveratrol using nanocochleates for boosting anticancer efficacy; in-vitro and ex-vivo appraisal

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent liver cancer representing the fourth most lethal cancer worldwide. Trans-Resveratrol (T-R) possesses a promising anticancer activity against HCC. However, it suffers from poor bioavailability because of the low solubility, chemical instability, and hepatic metabolism. Herein, we developed T-R-loaded nanocochleates using a simple trapping method. Nanocarriers were optimized using a comprehensive in-vitro characterization toolset and evaluated for the anticancer activity against HepG2 cell line. T-R-loaded nanocochleates demonstrated monodispersed cylinders (163.27 ± 2.68 nm and 0.25 ± 0.011 PDI) and −46.6 mV ζ-potential. They exhibited a controlled biphasic pattern with minimal burst followed by sustained release for 72 h. Significant enhancements of Caco-2 transport and ex-vivo intestinal permeation over liposomes, with 1.8 and 2.1-folds respectively, were observed. Nanocochleates showed significant reduction of 24 h IC50 values compared to liposomes and free T-R. Moreover, an efficient knockdown of anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) and cancer stemness (NANOG) genes was demonstrated. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to develop T-R loaded nanocochleates and scrutinize its potential in suppressing NANOG expression, 2-folds lower, compared to free T-R. According to these auspicious outcomes, nanocochleates represent a promising nanoplatform to enhance T-R oral permeability and augment its anticancer efficacy in the treatment of HCC

Can PRP Injection (Platelet-Rich Plasma) Effectively Treat hamstring strain Injuries?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous concentration of human platelets and has been used for the treatment of tendon, ligament, and muscle injuries. However, it contains deleterious cytokines and growth factors that can cause fibrosis and inhibit optimal muscle healing. PRP therapy has grown in popularity over the past few years but the effect of the PRP with physical rehabilitation is not clear. PURPOSE: To assess the effect of physical rehabilitation with PRP injection on the treatment of hamstring strain injuries. METHOD: Eight physically active males (age 22.7±3.6) with acute hamstring strain injuries and nine matched controls (age 21.9±2.8) were recruited as research participants. Approximately 60 mL of blood was drawn from an antecubital venipuncture then centrifuged to approximately 5-6 mL of PRP by BioMet System. The PRP was injected into the biceps femoral muscle using ultrasound guidance with a single injection that occurred after 5-7 days of injury and before an 8 weeks physical rehabilitation program. After 48 hours of PRP injection, the serums were vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (0.346 ± 0.182 vs 1.504 ± 0.463 pg/L), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) (0.352±0.11 vs 5.72±1.57 pg/L), and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) (0.577±0.28 vs 1.101±0.381) (p \u3c 0.05). Dependent measures were taken immediately before the PRP injection (pre-test), and after the 8-week rehabilitation program (post-test) for the two groups and included hamstring force (HF), knee flexion range of motion (ROM). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the posttests of the two groups in hamstring force (105.75±3.18 N vs 107.06± 1.64 N), and (ROM) (148.62±0.78 N vs 147.36± 0.88 N) (p \u3e 0.53). CONCLUSION: Despite the theoretical benefits of PRP to regenerate muscle tissue and expedite return to activity, results indicated that PRP did not affect HF or ROM values when compared to a control group not receiving PRP

Phytoplankton assemblage of a solar saltern in Port Fouad, Egypt

The present study is the first investigation of the phytoplankton community inone of Egypt's saltworks. The phytoplankton composition and distribution infive ponds of increasing salinity were investigated in the solar saltern of Port Fouad.The phytoplankton community consisted of 42 species belonging to cyanobacteria(16), diatoms (12), dinoflagellates (11), Euglenophyceae (2) and Chlorophyceae (1).The number of species decreased significantly and rapidly with increasing salinity,varying between 33 species in the first pond (P1) and one species in the crystallizerpond (P5). Conversely, the total phytoplankton density, except that recordedin P1, increased significantly with rising salinity, fluctuating between 8.7 and56 × 105 individuals l-1 in P2 and P5 respectively. In spiteof the local variations in climate and nutrient availability, the phytoplankton composition, density and spatialvariations along the salinity gradient were, in many respects, very similar towhat has been observed in other solar saltworks. The pond with the lowest salinity(P1 - -1) was characterized by a significant diversity andblooming of diatoms and dinoflagellates. Intermediate salinity ponds (P2 andP3) with salinity ∼ 112-180 g l-1 exhibited a decline in bothspecies richness and density, but the stenohaline blue green algae (Synechocystis salina) did flourish. The highly saline concentrating ponds andcrystallizers (P4 and P5) with salinity ∼ 223-340 g l-1 werecharacterized by few species, the disappearance of blue green algae and thethriving of the halotolerant green alga Dunaliella salina

Six-week physical rehabilitation protocol for anterior shoulder dislocation in athletes

Anterior shoulder dislocations are common in young athletes. The mechanism for the first or primary shoulder dislocation may involve a collision or a fall typically with the arm in an abducted and externally rotated position. The aim of this study was to design a physical rehabilitation program using the elastic band and resistive exercise to improve joint strength and range of motion in individuals diagnosed with a first-time shoulder dislocation. Twelve physically active males with a first-time acute shoulder dislocation were asked to volunteer. Participants began a physical rehabilitation program 2 weeks after the shoulder dislocation, which was confirmed by a referring physician. The rehabilitation program was 6 weeks in duration and required the participants to engage in progressive resistive loads/duration using elastic bands and weights 5 days per week. Pretest and posttest measures included shoulder strength and range of motion. All outcome measures were compared between the injured and uninjured shoulder, which served as the control condition in this study. There were statistically significant differences between the injured and uninjured shoulder for measures of strength and range of motion during pretests (P\u3c0.01) but not post-tests (P\u3c0.53). Finally, there were no differences between shoulders in regards to the volume measure suggesting that any changes in muscle atrophy or swelling were not detected. The physical rehabilitation program proposed in this study was effective at improving strength and range of motion in the injured shoulder as evidenced by the similarity in posttest values between the injured and uninjured shoulder