Factors Affecting Outcomes of COVID-19 Infection among Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Single Center, Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: COVID-19 infection and the factors affecting it are major concerns worldwide. This retrospective study aimed to investigate clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics associated with disease severity and hospitalization among older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) with COVID-19. Materials and methods: A retrospective case series study was conducted to review the records of older adults with T2D infected with COVID-19. Sociodemographic, COVID-19-related data, laboratory tests at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis and CT findings were collected. Bivariate and multivariate regression analysis were done to determine the predictors of the studied outcome, either hospitalization or complete recovery. Results: A total of 343 patients’ records were reviewed, with a mean age of 73.6 ± 6.4 years. Most of patients had fever and cough at the time of diagnosis and ground glass opacities was found on CT in 62.1% of patients. Hospitalized patients had higher duration of diabetes, suffered more from dyspnea, body aches and chest pain, had higher HbA1c, CRP and ferritin and lower lymphocytes and hemoglobin. Fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c positively affected the duration from onset of symptoms till resolution, while hemoglobin level negatively affected it. Logistic regression analysis revealed that duration of diabetes, HbA1c, ferritin and dyspnea were significant predictors of hospitalization. Conclusions: Among older adults with T2D infected with COVID-19, poor glycemic control is associated with higher risk of hospitalization and longer duration till recovery of symptoms. Longer duration of diabetes, high serum ferritin and the presence of dyspnea are associated with higher risk for hospitalization among these patients

Effect of Smartphone Usage on Neck Muscle Endurance, Hand Grip and Pinch Strength among Healthy College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in global smartphone usage driven by different purposes. This study aimed to explore the effect of smartphone usage on neck muscle (flexors and extensors) endurance, hand grip, and pinch strength among young, healthy college students. In total, 40 male students were recruited for this study; 20 of them belonged to the smartphone-addicted group, while the other 20 were in the non-addicted group based on their smartphone addiction scale—short version (SAS-SV) scores (the threshold for determining smartphone addiction: 31/60). Neck flexor endurance time, the ability to perform a neck extensor muscle endurance test, and hand and pinch grip strength were assessed. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to assess between-group differences in the mean values of neck flexor endurance time, hand grip, and pinch grip. A significant group effect (Wilks’ lambda = 0.51, F (5,34) = 6.34, p = 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.48) was found. A decrease in neck flexor endurance time was observed in the smartphone-addicted group compared with that of the non-addicted group (p < 0.001). However, there was no notable difference in the neck extensor muscle endurance test or in hand grip and pinch grip strength of both hands between groups (p > 0.05). Using a smartphone for a prolonged time might affect neck flexor muscle endurance; however, more research is needed to explore the long-term effects of using smartphones on neck muscle endurance and hand/pinch grip strength and the risk of developing upper limb neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction

Zinc and Copper Levels Are Not Correlated with Angiographically Defined Coronary Artery Disease Among Sudanese Patients

A cross sectional study was conducted in El-Shaab Hospital, Sudan to investigate zinc and copper in angiographicaly-defined obstructive (CAD) in patients undergoing elective coronary angiography. One hundred and forty two patients were enrolled. Socio-demographic, medical characteristics were gathered using a questionnaire. Glucose, lipid, zinc, copper levels were investigated using the suitable lab methods.Out of 142, 102 (71.8%) and 40 (28.2%) patients had CAD and patent coronary arteries, respectively. There was no significant difference in the median ( inter-quartiles) zinc [118.5 (97.2 - 151.0) vs. 130.0 (106.0 - 174.0) µg/ml, P = 0.120], copper [150.6 (125.0 - 183.0) vs 158(132.0- 180.0) µg/mL, P = 0.478] levels between the patients with CAD and patent coronary arteries. Likewise, in linear regression analysis there was no associations between zinc, copper levels and CAD. Thus the current study failed to show a significant association between zinc, copper levels and CAD

Sun-Exposed versus Sun-Protected Cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinoma: Clinico-Pathological Profile and p16 Immunostaining

Introduction: Although widespread, BCC is still relatively poorly understood in regards to pathogenesis and prognosis, particularly the lesions formed on anatomical sites away from sun exposure. With the aim of deepening our understanding of the pathogenesis and clinico-pathological correlations of BCCs, we conducted this study. Methods: Tissue blocks and data of 52 Egyptian patients diagnosed with BCC were retrieved for clinical information and inclusion criteria, then re-examined histologically; p16 immunostaining was carried out and evaluated for analysis and comparison between the two groups, i.e., sun-exposed and sun-protected. Results: Sex, age, clinical suspicion, tumor size, recurrence status, and histologic variants did not show a significant difference between the sun-protected and sun-exposed groups; however, the mean ages recorded were 67.2 vs. 62.7 for the sun-protected and sun-exposed groups, respectively. A total of 52% of BCCs were positive for p16. The sun-protected lesions showed p16 positivity in 61% of cases, whereas 49% of the sun-exposed lesions were positive with no significant difference. There was a significant difference in p16 expression between the recurrent and non-recurrent lesions. Conclusions: A significant difference was seen in the case of cancer recurrence, where all the recurrent BCCs in this study demonstrated negative p16 immunostaining of the primary lesions; however, the positively stained cases in total were 52% of BCCs. The mean patient age of the sun-protected group was much higher than in previous peer studies. We assume that the biological, prognostic, and clinical aspects of p16 protein expression in BCCs are still far from being clearly understood. Further studies are highly recommended, with more focus on its role in the pathogenesis and the prognostic factors

Optimization of Postural Control, Balance, and Mobility in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Comparative Analysis of Independent and Integrated Effects of Pilates and Plyometrics

The paradigm of comprehensive treatment approaches for children with cerebral palsy has gained traction, prompting clinicians to deliberate between independent and integrated treatment delivery. However, this decision-making process is often hindered by the dearth of empirical evidence available to inform optimal therapeutic strategies. This study, therefore, sought to compare the effects of Pilates-based core strengthening (PsCS), plyometric-based muscle loading (PlyoML), and their combination on postural control, balance, and mobility in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (ULCP). Eighty-one children with ULCP (age: 12–18 years) were randomized to PsCS (n = 27), PlyoML (n = 27), or a combined intervention (n = 27; equated for total sets/repetitions) group. The three interventions were applied twice/week over 12 successive weeks. Postural control (directional and overall limits of stability—LoS), balance, and mobility (Community Balance and Mobility Scale—CB&M; Functional Walking Test—FWT; Timed Up and Down Stair test—TUDS) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The combined group exhibited greater increases in directional LoS compared to PsCS and PlyoML including the backward (p = 0.006 and 0.033, respectively), forward (p = 0.015 and 0.036, respectively), paretic (p = 0.017 and 0.018, respectively), and non-paretic directions (p = 0.006 and 0.004, respectively)], and this was also the case for overall LoS (p p = 0.037 and p = 0.002, respectively), FWT (p = 0.012 and p = 0.038, respectively), and TUDS (p = 0.046 and p = 0.021, respectively). In conclusion, the combined PsCS and PlyoML exercise program promotes considerably greater improvements in postural control, balance, and mobility compared to unimodal training in children with ULCP

Distribution and Characterization of Actinomycetes in Mangrove Habitats (Red Sea, Egypt) with Special Emphasis on Streptomyces mutabilis M3MT483919

Ten sediment samples were gathered from several geographical locations around mangrove habitat, Red Sea coast, Egypt, during summer 2019. Actinobacteria are widespread in most mangrove soil samples. The average actinomycetes counts in sediment samples were ranged from 4 to 15 CFUg-1, also physico-chemical characters for soil samples were determined. Statistical analysis was applied to assess if the geographical location and physico-chemical characters influenced the communities of actinomycetes. A total of 10 actinomycetes were isolated and characterized physiologically and biochemically. The antimicrobial activities of different actinomycetes isolates were assessed. Isolate M3 was chosen as the most promising isolate with broad antagonistic activity against Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Escherichia coli ATCC 19404, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6538, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 with inhibition zones ranged from 12.0 ± 0.9 to 20.0 ± 1.9 mm. Genotypic characterization of isolate M3 was made using 16S rDNA sequence analysis and identified as Streptomyces mutabilis M3 with accession number MT483919. This strain exhibited anticancer activity against breast cancer cell line (Mcf7), liver cancer cell line (HepG2) and colon cancer cell line (HCT116) and the IC50 values were 324.77, 333.71 and 354.46, respectively. Streptomyces mutabilis M3 MT483919 had high bio-flocculating activity for seawater treatment, and the recovery of the samples ranged between 71.97 and 76.05%. The crude extract of Streptomyces mutabilis MT483919 M3 was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR) and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)