Effect of sludge treatment processes on ASCARIS destruction for safe utilisation of sewage sludge in Egypt

PhD ThesisTwo different types of sludges from two popular sewage treatment systems were used in this study; namely, anaerobic pond sludge from a wastewater stabilisation pond system and filter pressed primary sludge from a primary sewage treatment plant. Under Egyptian conditions, Ascaris eggs represent the main health concern for sludge application on land and, accordingly, the effect of sand drying beds and a passive composting system (using agricultural wastes as bulking agents and cement dust as an additive to the sludge) were studied in terms of the inactivation of Ascaris eggs. From the characterisation and assessment of the anaerobic pond sludge from the Mit Mazah wastewater stabilisation pond system, it has been concluded that the sludge was well digested and free of viable Ascaris eggs. Consequently, this sludge is considered to be safe for land application, after appropriate dewatering. For the purposes of the study, anaerobic pond sludge was seeded with Ascaris vitilorum eggs (cattle ascarid). Within 30 days of dewatering on sand drying beds during the winter season (October and November), the Ascaris eggs were found to be inactivated only in the top layers, where the average solids content was approximately 85%. By the end of the two month drying period, the middle and bottom layers of sludge on the drying beds contained an average solids content of 74% to 77% and 72 to 73%, respectively, yet viable Ascaris eggs were still detected. During a second sludge application during the winter season (December and January), unfavourable weather conditions prevailed and, by the end of the 60 days drying period, total solids content averaged 54% in the top layer of sludge. The middle and bottom layers had an average total solids content of 49% and 44%, respectively. Throughout the winter drying period, all samples collected were positive for viable Ascaris eggs throughout the full depth of sludge. However, during the summer season, samples collected from the drying beds after 17 days of drying did not contain viable Ascaris eggs in the top sludge layers, where the solids content ranged from 74% to 63%. After one month of summer drying, no viable Ascaris eggs were detected throughout the entire depth of sludge on the drying beds and the lowest solids content recorded was 80% for the bottom layers. From this study, it can be concluded that, during the wet season in Egypt, drying beds were not efficient in destroying Ascaris eggs throughout the entire sludge depth. During the summer season, Ascaris eggs can be inactivated much more rapidly, compared to the winter season. Desiccation does not seem to be the only factor influencing the destruction of Ascaris eggs, with sludge temperature, solar radiation intensity and exposure time being possible major factors. By comparing the composting of filter pressed primary sludge in passive and windrow piles (used as control piles), it has been proved that the passive composting system is much more efficient in maintaining regular high temperatures in the composting mixture for a much longer duration (additional 10 days), due to the favourable aerobic conditions. Moreover, passive composting preserves the nitrogen content through the naturally controlled internal temperature, less need for turning and lower loss of moisture. By the end of the composting process, the total nitrogen content for the passive and windrow piles was a gain of 17.5% and a loss of 0.7%, respectively, while the ammoniacal nitrogen content in the product was 1109 mg/l and 837 m/l, respectively. From the hygienic point of view, passive composting technology proved to be much more effective in inactivating Ascaris eggs present in the primary sludge, compared to the windrow pile system. Viable Ascaris eggs were not detected after 30 days of composting using the passive system, compared with 60 days of composting for the windrow pile. Industrial cement dust as an additive and agricultural wastes (from fennel and basil production) were incorporated with sludge to form a range of composing mixtures. From the sludge/cement dust composting piles with agricultural wastes as bulking agent, it can be concluded that more than 35% concentration of cement dust was unfavourable for the decomposition process, due to the high pH and high temperature levels attained as a result of the effect of cement dust and dehydration of the organic matter. Moreover, loss of nitrogen was very high, due to the release of ammonia, encouraged by the high pH and high temperature in the composting mixture. The passive composting system was very efficient in naturally controlling the internal temperature in all the sludge/cement dust piles with bulking agent. Excessive heat was released to the atmosphere through the chimney effect created by the circulation of air through the perforated pipes and upwards into the pile. Internal temperatures for even the piles with the highest proportion of cement dust did not exceed 73°C. Inactivation of Ascaris eggs was achieved after only 15 days of composting for all the different cement dust concentrations, mainly due to the influence of high pH and high temperature levels for long periods but may also be due to the high release of ammonia gas. The passive composting of sludge amended with 30% cement dust without bulking agent was inefficient for both the decomposition process and inactivation of Ascaris eggs. No biological activity was taking place during the two months fermentation stage, due to the prevailing anaerobic conditions (lack of air voids and high moisture content) By considering all the different parameters for evaluating a treated compost, including the stability, maturity, nutrient content, heavy metals content and viable Ascaris eggs content for the sludge/cement dust piles with bulking agent, it can be concluded that more than 30% cement dust concentration would be unfavourable, according to the relatively high loss of nitrogen. More than 35% cement dust concentration is certainly unfavourable, mainly as a result of the delay of the decomposition process, the elongation of the composting period and the high loss of nitrogen content. There is no need to separate out the agricultural waste bulking materials after composting because they are organic in nature. Likewise, there is no need to consider separating out the cement dust, as the physicochemical analysis of the final sludge/cement compost with bulking materials showed its suitability for adding to agricultural land as an amendment. In conclusion, sand bed drying is considered to be a suitable process for dewatering of anaerobic stabilisation pond sludge in Egypt and, for extended periods between pond desludging of the order of 6 years, the dewatered sludge will be suitable for direct application to agricultural land. Passive composting is an appropriate technique for preparation of Egyptian filter pressed primary sludge for safe application to agricultural land. Cement dust additions of less than 30% concentration, to the composting mixture in a passive composting system produces sanitised and mature compost. The potential for co-disposal of agricultural wastes and cement kiln dust as bulking agents and additive, respectively, with sewage sludge in the production of compost, is very promising to produce a safe and beneficial outcome to the community

Bilaterality of varicocele: The overlooked culprit in male infertility. Case series study

Objectives: Varicocele is the most common correctable cause of male infertility that always has been a debatable subject as regards how it affects fertility and the best way to treat it. Proper assessment of the disease bilaterality is crucial not to miss one side and not to jeopardize treatment outcome. This study aimed to objectively assess varicocele bilaterality in infertile men aiming to improve treatment outcome in this cohort of patients. Methods: This prospective study was conducted between January 2019 and January 2022 including infertile males with varicoceles. Assessment of missed concomitant contralateral varicocele done pre-operatively by Color Doppler Ultrasound and intraoperatively by intraoperative Doppler device and measurement of maximal vein diameter of contralateral side. Results: A total of 329 cases completed the study. A hundred cases (30.4%) were initially referred as unilateral varicoceles and 229 (69.6%) as bilateral varicoceles. After reassessment of the study population, bilaterality of varicocele was found to be as high as 98.5% (324/329). Repeat CDUS strongly correlated with the intraoperative measured varicocele diameter (r = 0.9, p < 0.001). Moreover, sperm parameters showed significant improvement 3 and 6 months post varicocelectomy. Normal pregnancy after 1 year of surgery occurred in 118 cases (35.9%). Conclusions: Varicocele bilaterality in infertile men is underreported. Thorough assessment by expert radiologists and andrologists is of paramount importance not to miss significant pathology or hazard treatment outcome

Evaluation of new scoring system predicting the occurrence of deep infection in open fractures patients

Background: Open fractures of long bones incidence is 11.5 per 100,000 person per year. The management of open fractures had been improved by early adequate surgical debridement and various types of fracture fixation. The Gustilo classification is commonly used for treatment decisions and comparison. Although it had a good prediction power for deep infection but the variability among the inter observer was a problem. Yokoyama et al., 2009 he had advised a new scoring system based on three items of HFS-98 to predicting significant deep infections in open upper and lower extremity fractures.Methods: This study was conducted at Emergency Department Suez Canal University Hospital on 233 Patients with open fractures of long bones from April 2014 till November 2015. The patients were classified according to the criteria proposed by Gustilo classification &amp; Yokoyama’s new scoring system. The relationship between the new score three items were investigated by categorical regression multivariate analysis.Results: In this study, we had 233 Patients with open fractures of long bones. Road traffic accidents were the mechanism of injury in (44.6%). Deep infection was positive in 70/233 patients with Gustilo GI. The cut-off point of application of Yokoyama’s new scoring system was 30, Sensitivity; 63.3%, Specificity; 89%, significant P-value &lt;0.001.Conclusions:The cut-off point of the new Yokoyama’s new scoring application in this study was slit different from the reported applicable values before. This revised scoring system was thought to be useful for predicting deep. Further prospective trial is needed for advising new scoring system.

Induction of Biologically Active Flavonoids in Cell Cultures of Morus nigra and Testing their Hypoglycemic Efficacy

The antidiabetic activity of both leaves and MJ-treated cell cultures of Morus nigra was evaluated after their oral administration to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The antidiabetic activity of extracts from leaves given to streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats for 10 days increased with increasing doses of leaves extract up to 500 mg/kg/day. The administration of 500 mg/kg/day of leaves extract reduced the concentration of glucose from 370 ± 7.31 mg/dl (control) to 154 ± 6.27 mg/dl, and a significant increase in the insulin level from 11.3 ± 0.31 μU/ml (control) to 14.6 ± 0.43 μU/ml was recorded. Cell suspension cultures were established from the young leaves of Morus nigra cultivated on modified MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/l 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 0.2 mg/l 6-(furfurylamino)purine (kinetin). The changes in cell weight and flavonoid content were monitored between day zero and 12. The linear increase in fresh weight was found to be parallel to flavonoids production. Cell cultures treated with 100 μM methyl jasmonate for 24 hours showed a noticeable increase in level of flavonoids and significant and more effective hypoglycemic activity than that for extract from leaves. The major flavonoids were isolated by TLC and HPLC and identified as rutin, quercetin, Morusin and cyclomorusin by co-chromatography and mass spectrometry in comparison to samples of authentic reference compounds

Role of circulating vascular cell adhesion protein–1 as a biomarker in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Background: As a result of the obesity pandemic, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. NAFLD is the hepatic manifestation of obesity and a precursor of and independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes.Objective: The aim of the current work was to assess the level of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) as non-invasive diagnostic tools for diagnosis of NAFLD degree of fibrosis.Patients and Methods: This Case-Control clinical study included a total of 60 subjects, 30 patients with fatty liver disease, FLD (Group A) and 30 healthy subjects as a control (group B), attending at Internal Medicine and Hepatology Outpatient Clinic, Ain Shams University Hospitals. Group A was further subdivided into NAFLD subgroup (15 patients) and non- alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) subgroup (15 patients)Results: In the present study, the mean VCAM-1 was 2.392± 0.3 in NAFLD group, 9.893± 2.3 in NASH group and 1.983 ± 0.3 in control group with high statistically significant increase in NASH followed by NAFLD than in control group. Regarding to ROC curve, VCAM-1 had excellent Diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.994. A best cut-off criterion of VCAM-1 &gt; 7.7 ng/mL could discriminate between patients with NASH from control group with a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100% In our study, there was no significant correlation in between VCAM-1 and age, AST, ALT. In the present study, the significant predictors of bad outcome in patients with NAFLD and NASH were higher VCAM-1, GGT and AST levels.Conclusion: It could be concluded that the significant predictors of bad outcome in patients with NAFLD and NASH were higher VCAM-1 level, GGT and higher AST level

The impact of Oligo-miocene basaltic intrusions on the petroleum system in Gulf of Suez rift basin, Egypt: new insights into tikhermal maturity and reservoir quality

In recent years, the petroleum industry has prioritized the exploration of new and unconventional petroleum reservoirs. As a result, this study assessed the significance of basaltic intrusions from two key aspects: their impact on the thermal maturity of pre-rift source rocks and their potentiality as reservoirs. The present study attempts to integrate surface field investigations of basaltic dykes in Wadi Nukhul and Wadi Matulla as surface analogs with petroleum system modeling of pre-rift source rocks containing subsurface basaltic intrusions in the Abu Rudeis-Sidri field. Therefore, the fracture networks were observed in Wadi Nukhul and Wadi Matulla, suggesting that both the basaltic dykes and host rocks have interconnected fractures, which is critical for a high-quality reservoir of the dykes and efficient oil expulsion. As a result, the analysis of burial history, temperature, maturity, generation, transformation ratio, and expelled oil quantity revealed a significantly high value for basaltic intrusions. Moreover, the Abu Rudeis-Sidri field had a good petroleum system with thermally mature source rocks by basaltic intrusions. Furthermore, the fractured basaltic intrusions presented a high-quality oil reservoir well-sealed by the thick Rudeis Formation. Oil production has doubled since the discovery of this reservoir. This study introduces a novel approach to understanding the distribution pattern of basaltic intrusions in subsurface and surface analogs, which can serve as a model for exploring new potential unconventional basaltic reservoirs in the Gulf of Suez rift basin

IL-10 Gene polymorphism and graft outcome in live-donor kidney transplantation

Background: The description of polymorphisms in many of the key immunoregulatory molecules involved in the rejection process has offered a possible explanation for the individual variation in susceptibility to rejection and differences in allograft survival independent of the many known contributory factors. The aim of this work is to study the impact of IL-10 cytokine gene polymorphism on renal transplant clinical course and outcome.Methods: This work studied 50 transplant recipients maintained on sirolimus based immunosuppression for IL-10 cytokine gene polymorphisms. After transplantation patients were divided into two groups. Group (A) patients (12 patients) received sirolimus, tacrolimus and steroid, while Group (B) patients (38 patients) received sirolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and steroid. Results were correlated with acute and chronic rejection episodes as well as graft and patient outcome.Results: In our study, we found no impact of IL-10 on incidence and degree of acute rejection episodes, incidence of chronic allograft nephropathy, pathological changes in protocol biopsies, graft function and graft and patient survivals.  Conclusion: From this work, we can conclude that the potential impact of IL-10 cytokine gene polymorphisms on renal transplant clinical course and outcome have shown no influence, and probably other genes rather than IL-10 could be involved as key molecules for graft function