A prospective, randomized therapeutic trial for schistosomal specific nephropathy

A prospective, randomized therapeutic trial for schistosomal specific nephropathy. In this work 26 patients with schistosomal specific nephropathy were randomly distributed among three groups. Group I cases were given anti-schistosomal drugs (oxamniquine and praziquantel), group II cases were given anti-schistosomal drugs plus prednisolone, and group III cases were given anti-schistosomal drugs plus cyclosporine. The schistosomal specificity of kidney lesions was assessed by detecting the schistosomal specific antigens (CAA and CCA) and antibodies deposited in the renal glomeruli of these patients. Patients who had another etiologic cause which may explain their kidney disease were not admitted to this study. After initiation of the treatment, patients were followed up every other week in the outpatient clinic for 12 months. Follow-up showed complete remission of proteinuria in two cases in group II (duration of remission was 4 and 8 months) and in one case in group III (duration of remission was 6 months) but in none in group I. Partial remission was observed in one case in group I, in three cases in group II and in one case in group HI. During the observation period, improvement in kidney function was observed in two cases in group II but deterioration in kidney function was observed in one case in group I and in one other case in group III. We conclude that in patients with schistosomal nephropathy, none of the tried therapeutic regimens produce regression of the disease if given to patients with established disease

Stay-at-home myopia among school children during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Uncorrected myopia represents a major cause of visual disability in children, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. However, there is still debate about the effect of e-learning and “stay-at-home” guidelines on the refractive status of school children, especially in the absence of long-term follow-up data. This study aimed to assess the impact of stay-at-home enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic on myopia development or progression in students in the Suez Canal Area, Egypt. Methods: This longitudinal observational study included 1650 students. All students aged 8–15 years with visual complaints, who had attended routine annual vision checks since 2018, were enrolled and assessed annually for myopia development and progression until 2021. Cycloplegic and noncycloplegic refraction, axial length (AL), corneal curvature, and uncorrected and best-corrected distance visual acuity were measured. The participants were administered a questionnaire that focused mainly on collecting information on their visual habits. Results: Our study included 3,300 eyes of 1,650 school students with myopia during the 4-year study period from 2018 to 2021. The mean cycloplegic spherical equivalents (CSE) were - 1.02, - 1.52, - 2.00, and - 3.50 diopters (D) in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. This myopic shift in CSE over time was significant (P < 0.001). The average keratometric reading (Avg K) increased significantly during the follow-up period (P < 0.001). The Avg K measurements were 42.32, 42.62, 43.02, and 44.19 D in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. The changes in Avg K were significant (P < 0.001). The mean AL measurements were 22.53, 22.59, 22.69, and 22.71 mm in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. Although statistically significant (P < 0.001), changes in AL were clinically insignificant throughout the study period. The mean durations spent on electronic devices at home were 2.12, 2.46, 3.10, and 6.00 hours in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. The changes over time were significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, studying at home accelerated the degree of refraction toward myopia in school children in Egypt. Further studies are needed to assess the academic performance of students with progressive myopia

Stripping voltammetric methods for determination of the antiparasitic drug nitazoxanide in bulk form, pharmaceutical formulation and human serum

Cyclic voltammograms of nitazoxanide recorded at the hanging mercury drop electrode in the Britton-Robinson universal buffer of pH values 2 to 11 containing 20% (v/v) ethanol exhibited a single 4-electron irreversible cathodic peak corresponding to the reduction of its NO2 group to the hydroxylamine stage. Nitazoxanide was found to adsorb onto surface of the mercury electrode in a monolayer surface coverage of 3.16×10-10 mol cm-2 in which each adsorbed molecule occupies an area of 0.525 nm². Based on its adsorption behavior onto the mercury electrode surface, validated linear sweep (LS), differential pulse (DP) and square wave (SW) adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetric methods were described for determination of bulk nitazoxanide. Limits of detection of 1.5×10-10, 2.4×10-10 and 3.0×10-11 mol L-1 and limits of quantification of 5.0×10-10, 8.0×10-10 and 1.0×10-10 mol L-1 nitazoxanide in the bulk form were achieved by means of the described LS, DP and SW adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetric methods, respectively. The described methods were successfully applied for determination of nitazoxanide in its pharmaceutical formulation (Cryptonaz powder) and in spiked human serum without the necessity for sample pretreatment, time consuming extraction steps or formation of colored chromogens prior to the analysis. Besides, nitazoxanide was successfully determined without interference from its acid or base-induced degradation products indicating the stability-indicating power of the described voltammetric methods

The Influence of Institutional and Conductive Aspects on Entrepreneurial Innovation: Evidence from GEM Data

YesPurpose – The main purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of how different aspects of the national institutional environment may influence the level of innovative entrepreneurial activity across countries. Several institutional and conductive factors affecting a country’s capacity to support innovative entrepreneurship is explored. Design/methodology/approach – Institutional theory is used to examine the national regulatory, normative, cognitive, and conducive aspects that measure a country's ability to support innovative entrepreneurship. A cross-national institutional profile is constructed to validate an entrepreneurial innovation model. The impact of country-level national institutions on innovative entrepreneurial activity as measured by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data is assessed through structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings – Knowledge about the influence of specific institutional aspects on innovative entrepreneurship, and hence of institutional structures within and across countries, is enhanced. For new innovative enterprises, conductive and regulatory aspects seem to matter most. All conductive factors have a significant and positive impact on entrepreneurial activity rates. Research limitations/implications – Results could support policy makers and practitioners in evaluating government policies’ effect on innovative entrepreneurship. Interventions should target both individual attributes and context. Future research could include longitudinal designs to measure the direction of causality. Practical implications – Aspects such as regulatory institutions, and conductive factors such as ICT use and technology adoption, are important for innovation entrepreneurship development.The full text will be made available when the article is officially published