Structure and function of the retinal pigment epithelium, photoreceptors and cornea in the eye of Sardinella aurita (Clupeidae, Teleostei)

AbstractThe structure of the pigment epithelium, photoreceptors and the cornea in the eye of a teleost, Sardinella aurita was examined by light and electron microscopy. The retinal pigment epithelium forms a single layer of cells joined laterally by cell junctions. Centrally in the retina these cells are columnar, while more peripherally they become cuboidal in shape. The basal (scleral) border of the pigment epithelial cells is not infolded but is relatively smooth. Phagosomes containing lysosome-like bodies are also common features of the retinal pigment epithelium. Numerous melanosomes (pigment granules) are abundant throughout the epithelial cells. These melanosomes probably absorb light which has passed through the photoreceptor layer. Four photoreceptor cells were identified; rods, long single cones, short single cones and double cones. The presence of these types suggests a diversity of photoreceptor function. Square mosaic pattern of cones and well-developed choroid gland are also main features of the eye. The inner segment of rods and cones were rich in organelles indicating much synthetic activity. Calycal processes projecting from cone outer segments are also observed. The cornea includes an epithelium with a complex pattern of surface microplicae, a basement membrane, dermal stroma, an iridescent layer, scleral stroma, Descemet’s membrane and endothelium. The autochthonous layer which is seen in some teleosts has not been observed in the cornea of this species. These and other observations were discussed in relation to the photic environment and habits of this fish

The way ahead ? an analysis of the Camp David Accords and the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty

In one sense, the Palestinian problem dates back to early history when the Canaanites, Israelites and Philistines contended for the territory and its resources. However, the modern Palestine problem dates only from the Balfour Declaration in 1917, and yet has proved to be more deadly, with six wars if one includes the Gulf War, and more intractable, with attempts to create a state of Palestine for nearly three-quarters of a century. A recent attempt to solve the problem was the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979. If that had been the only purpose of Presidents Carter and Sadat and Prime Minister Begin at Camp David and of the last two in signing the Treaty in Washington, their efforts could only be described as futile. But more was at stake: the ending of a state of war and the resolution of outstanding territorial claims. In that regard the `Camp David process' was successful - indeed successful to the extent that an issue not resolved during the process, the question of Taba, was amicably settled by Egypt and Israel through arbitration. This thesis seeks to analyse the `Camp David process' and the terms of the Treaty in an attempt to answer the question of how the state of war, equally important for Egypt and Israel, could be satisfactorily ended for both parties, how the territorial claims, equally important for both Israel and Egypt, could be resolved, when the issue of Palestine, the source of virtually all the present conflicts in the Middle East and essential for the Egyptians as part of the Arab nation, should remain unresolved, despite the provisions of the Camp David Accords and the Treaty

Fossil otoliths of some lower Cenozoic perciform fishes of the Gulf Coast

Nineteen perciform species from the lower Cenozoic and one Recent species are described, and included under eight genera. The main characters that were considered as generic are the outline of the sagitta and the structure of the sulcus. The other features of the otolith were regarded as secondary in importance. The characters that were believed to be valuable at specific level are almost the same as those for the genus but in more detail. These species are considered to be within the Suborder Percoidei. The fossil species of Nemipterus were put in the Family Nemipteridae as they resembled the Recent N. virgatus (Houttuyn). Genus E is found to resemble closely the Recent Boops boops (leaf) of the Family Sparidae. Genus A resembles the Recent Brachydeuterus auratus of the Family Pomadasyidae. Genus D resembles Otolithus (Carangidarum) americanus Koken. A survey of Recent perciform sagittae was made, specimens from 345 species having been examined. The morphological features of the otolith of the Order Perciformes were studied. The valuable characters for the subordinal, familial, generic, and specific levels were evaluated. Lineages are suggested for Nemipterus and Genus E. In the first, three divergent lines are indicated: a main one ranging from Paleocene to Recent and containing five species; and two offshoots, one occurring in the upper part of the Vicksburg group, Oligocene. In Genus E three lines also are suggested: a main one ranging from middle Eocene to Oligocene, containing three species; and two offshoots, both occurring in the Oligocene. The changes that were recognized in these two lineages are the outline of the sagitta, structure of the sulcus, and relative height of the otolith --Abstract, pages ii-iii

Efficacy and safety of a multiherbal formula with vitamin C and zinc (Immumax) in the management of the common cold

Mostafa Yakoot1, Amel Salem21Green Clinic, Alexandria, Egypt; 2Mabbarah Hospital, Alexandria, EgyptObjective: To study the potential efficacy and tolerability of a natural multiherbal formula (Immumax) containing Echinacea extract 120 mg, garlic powder 100 mg, Nigella sativa oil 200 mg, and Panax ginseng extract 50 mg plus vitamin C 50 mg and elemental zinc 7.5 mg in the treatment of patients suffering from the common cold.Design and setting: The study was conducted in a prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled study design in an outpatient setting.Patients and methods: Sixty-two eligible patients with symptoms of the common cold were randomized to either Immumax or placebo treatment groups for the duration of their symptoms or a maximum of 14 days. Resolution rates were estimated using Kaplan–Meier analysis, and resolution profiles were compared between groups using the log-rank test. The mean percentage change in total symptom severity scores at days 4 and 8 from baseline were compared between the two groups by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results: The median (interquartile range) time to resolution of all symptoms was 8 (5–9) days in the placebo group and 4 (3–6) days in the Immumax group. The results of the log-rank test indicate that symptoms resolved significantly faster in the Immumax group than in the placebo group (P < 0.001). The mean percentage reduction in total symptom severity scores from baseline at days 4 and 8 was significantly greater in the Immumax group than in the placebo group by one-way ANOVA (P < 0.01).Conclusion: We can conclude from our study that Immumax is helpful in reducing the duration and severity of common cold symptoms.Keywords: Immumax, common cold, multiherba

Evaluation of a dual-T-type converter supplying an open-end winding induction machine

The multilevel inverter is a promising technology compared to two-level inverters in the applications of ac-drives and smart-grid applications. In this paper, a dual-T-type three-level inverters is used to drive an open-end winding induction machine. The Space-Vector Pulse-Width Modulation is selected as a good-performing control strategy to control the dual-inverter. Furthermore, an optimized method is used to select the proper switching state for the new configuration to decrease the converter losses. A comparison between the proposed configuration and the conventional diode clamped converter is made. The proposed drive system is designed and modelled by using Matlab/Simulink. It is shown that the converter can give the same hexagon, wave forms and harmonic spectrum of the five level converter. An optimized switching state selection is used to reduce the converter losses. The advantages and drawbacks of the dual-T-type configuration are discussed. In addition, the harmonic analysis and the loss calculations of the dual-T-type converter are provided and compared to the T-type three-level converter and the conventional five-level diode-clamped-converter

Factors Affecting The Investment Climate For An International Financial Center In Kuwait

In recent years, an increasing worldwide interest in developing a competitive international financial center (IFC) raises the important issue of identifying the factors or elements of the investment climate of an IFC. Drawing on the theories and literature of financial intermediation, innovation, governance, social relationships, and information in IFCs, the authors develop five hypotheses and examine them using a survey of 200 MBA students at a private university in Kuwait. The findings obtained from conducting a hierarchical linear regression indicate that finance and innovation are positively and significantly related to the investment climate in an IFC. Implications for theory and practice, and areas of further research are made

Acute kidney injury after ascending aorta and aortic arch replacement surgery with moderate hypothermia, circulatory arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass

The correlation between deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and their effect on renal function is still not clear enough. Renal failure after surgical replacement of ascending aorta in DHCA und CPB in patients due to aneurysm or calcification represents nowadays a major concern. This major study focused on the impact of DHCA and CPB on renal function in those patients. In the presented retrospective cohort study, the database for Kiel University clinic was searched for patients with aortic arch and aortic ascending replacement surgeries with HCA and CPB techniques. Between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2017. 1359 patients were found in our database with different causes for those operations such as ascending aortic and aortic arch -aneurysm, -dissections or -calcifications, who were operated upon. The patient records were abstracted, and the data were entered into a database and then revised for accuracy by randomly checking chart data with data on the computer. Pre- and postoperative renal function are observed and documented. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was classified according to the current ‘Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes’ (KDIGO} Guidelines. The potential correlation of the length of DHCA-CPBT and worsening renal function was evaluated using Spearman’s rank correlation. The data obtained from our analysis outlined the predictive role of longer moderate HCA and CPB times a for AKI. The complex multifactorial pathophysiology plays an underlying prognostic role regarding the outcome for this life-threatening complication and requires more focused clinical trials to illustrate the contradicting results from the previous analyses regarding the causing pathophysiology. In addition to that we found out that the incidence of AKI after ascending aorta and aortic arch replacement surgery using moderate HCA and CPB is approximately 15 %. And those patients with Postopertaitve AKI have an increase in the mortaliy rate by more than 6 times and 3 times longer ICU sta

Effect of clindamycin vaginal pessary before cesarean section on postpartum infectious morbidity

Background: Post-cesarean section (CS) infections, namely, endometritis, fever and wound infection are considered a major health problem which necessitates effective interventions. Antibiotic prophylaxis before CS cannot completely eliminate the risk of postpartum infections. Preoperative antiseptic vaginal cleansing is one of the commonest methodsto reduce infectious morbidities after CS. Aim of the work: The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of prophylactic administration of clindamycin vaginal suppository before elective CS on postpartum infectious morbidity. Methods: 196 patients were included in this intervention. They were divided equally into two groups (each 98 patients); intervention group (which received clindamycin 100 mg vaginal suppository at bedtime for 3 nights before CS) and control group (which received nothing). Both groups were followed till the end of puerperium for the development of postpartum infections namely, endometritis, fever, and wound infection. Results: There was statistically significant decrease in the frequency of endometritis, fever, and wound infection in the intervention group when compared to control group. Also, there was highly statistically significant decrease in the frequency of overall post-CS infectious morbidity in the intervention group when compared to control group. There was statistically significant difference between both groups as regard white blood cells count and C-reactive protein level 24 hours after cesarean section. Conclusion: Prophylactic administration of clindamycin vaginal suppository before elective CS reduces the risk of postpartum infections namely endometritis, fever, wound infection and overall post-CS infectious morbidity. Preoperative clindamycin vaginal suppository could be  protective against post-CS infectious morbidities

Clinical efficacy of farcosolvin syrup (ambroxol–theophylline–guaiphenesin mixture) in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis

Mostafa Yakoot1, Amel Salem2, Abdel-Mohsen Omar31Green Clinics and Research Center, Alexandria, Egypt; 2Al-Mabarah Hospital, 3Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, EgyptBackground: Acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB) are defined as recurrent attacks of worsening bronchial inflammation that are marked by an increase in the volume of daily sputum produced, a change in color of the expectorated sputum, and worsening dyspnea. Farcosolvin® (Pharco Pharmaceuticals, Alexandria, Egypt) is a mixture of ambroxol (15 mg); theophylline (50 mg); and guaiphenesin (30 mg), per 5 mL syrup.Objective: To test the clinical efficacy of Farcosolvin in the treatment of AECB in a randomized, single-blinded, controlled study design.Patients and methods: One hundred patients with AECB were randomized to either Farcosolvin or guaiphenesin treatment groups, in addition to the standard medical treatment for their cases. Baseline clinical symptomatolgy of breathlessness, cough, and sputum severity scoring were compared before and after 3 and 7 days of treatment in both groups and the differences compared between groups. Changes in perceived improvement were also compared between groups using the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement or Change Scale (CGIC).Results: There were statistically significant improvements in breathlessness and cough scores in both groups (pretreatment versus posttreatment at day 3 and at day 7; P < 0.05). There were highly statistically significant differences between groups in improvement in ­breathlessness and cough scores, after 3 and 7 days treatment, in favor of the Farcosolvin ­treatment group (P < 0.001). Out of 50 patients, 48 (96%) in the Farcosolvin-treated group rated their ­improvement on the CGIC scale as “much” and “very much” improved, while only 41 patients (82%) reported such a degree of improvement in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).Conclusion: We concluded from our study that Farcosolvin syrup might be safe and effective in improving symptoms in cases of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis.Keywords: acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, ambroxol, theophyllin

Dexamethasone for the prevention of neonatal respiratory morbidity before elective cesarean section at term

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is the principal cause of early neonatal morbidity and mortality. Objective: The current study aims to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone administration 48 hours before elective cesarean section (CS) at term on neonatal respiratory morbidity. Methods: The current study was a case-control study conducted between June 2015 and November 2015. Women who attended the labor ward in Sohag University Hospital, Egypt, after 37 weeks of gestation for elective CS were approached for participation. The patients received 2 intramuscular doses of 12 mg dexamethasone 12 hours apart in the 48 hours before CS (N=246). The control group included women who did not receive dexamethasone before CS during the same period of the study (N=275). Results: No significant differences were detected between the study and control groups with regard to age, parity or gestational age at delivery. There was a significantly higher number of neonates with RDS and transient tachypnea in the control group compared to the study group (p=0.001). The rate of neonatal admission to the neonatal care unit (NICU) was significantly lower in the study group (p=0.001). Conclusions: Prophylactic dexamethasone administration before elective CS at term significantly reduces neonatal respiratory morbidity and admission to NICU