Evaluating the mechanical properties of Epoxy resin with Fly ash and Silica fume as fillers

Composite material consists of merging two composite materials or more are different in mechanical and physical properties, in this study a composite polymeric material has been prepared, it's mainly used in treatment of cracks that happened in concrete slabs, by using Epoxy resin as a major substance in work while the filler were the Fly ash and Silica fume. Samples were prepared by hand-made molds has special dimensions according to the American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and  adding each filler separately with different ratios as ( 10%, 20%, 30 %, 40% and 50%), then  studying the mechanical properties of these material like tensile, hardness, compression, impact and bending properties. Key Words : Epoxy resin, Fly ash, Silica fume, fillers

Cinnamon and ginger extracts attenuate diabetes-induced inflammatory testicular injury in rats and modulating SIRT1 expression

The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of simultaneous administration of Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Cinnamomum cassia (cinnamon) extracts in mitigating testicular changes associated with diabetes mellitus in rats and to investigate its molecular mode of action. After induction of diabetes using streptozotocin, 36 male rats were divided to six groups namely control, diabetic, metformin-treated, cinnamon-treated, ginger-treated and combined, each group having 6 rats. Fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, testosterone was measured. Expression of inflammatory mediators; tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) was assessed in the testicular tissue. Histopathological changes in the testis were observed and spermatogenesis and apoptosis were assessed immunohistochemically. The histological and biochemical studies of the untreated group confirmed structural changes in testes induced by diabetes. Oral administration of ginger and cinnamon increased insulin level significantly increased while the blood glucose level significantly decreased in diabetic rats, improving structural testicular changes considerably. Joint intake of ginger and cinnamon increased antihyperglycemic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects markedly improving the testicular injury compared to the administration of either of them. SIRT1 expression in the testis significantly increased in ginger plus cinnamon-treated rats. These results indicate that when administrated together, ginger and cinnamon synergistically enhanced antioxidant, antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects and induced antihyperglycemic effect comparable to metformin. The combination of ginger and cinnamon also upregulated SIRT1 in the testis

Antibiotic Susceptibility of Bacterial Pathogens Stratified by Age in a Public Hospital in Qassim

Antibiotics have completely transformed medical practice by enabling the treatment of infections that were formerly fatal. However, misuse of antibiotics encourages the formation and spread of germs that are resistant to therapy, hastening the emergence of bacterial resistance. This was a retrospective study that aimed to gather information about the variation in bacterial susceptibility of various patient age groups in a public hospital in Qassim, Saudi Arabia from January 2020 to December 2021. The study included reviewing bacterial susceptibility results that were collected from the laboratory department of the hospital. Four thousand seven hundred and sixty-two isolates were collected. The age of 46.41% of the patients was more than 63 years and the age of 28.96% of the patients was less than 48 years. The most prevalent bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The resistance of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria to different antibiotics in the elderly group was generally higher than the resistance rates in younger patients. For example, in patients less than 48 years old, the resistance of Staphylococcus haemolyticus to clindamycin (53.3%), ampicillin (91.4%), ciprofloxacin (68.2%), erythromycin (86.1%), and penicillin (93.18%) was high. In patients aged more than 63 years, Staphylococcus haemolyticus was highly resistant to sulfamethoxazole (54.8%), clindamycin (63.9%), ampicillin (98.1%), ciprofloxacin (79.1%), erythromycin (93.2%), gentamicin (63.6%), and penicillin (98.7%). Before prescribing the antibiotics, it is important to assess the microbes that patients have and to be aware of the bacterial isolates’ patterns of antibiotic susceptibility among patients of various age groups

Impacts of Heat Stress on Some Performance Parameters of Broiler Chicken Reared Under Different Stocking Densities

The current study was designed to investigate the impacts of heat stress (HS) on performance parameters of broiler chicken reared at different stocking densities, also study assessed the effects of anti-stress (vitamin) supplementation in the mitigation of different levels of stress. A total of 720 7th-day-old Cobb ® chicks were randomly distributed into 18 groups, (two replicates within each group). The experiment with a factorial arrangement of treatments (3x3x2), 3 levels of stocking densities (RSD: 10 chicks/m2, MSD: 14 chicks/m2, and HSD: 18 chicks/m2), 2 levels of vitamin supplementation (0 mg/l and combination of 250 mg/l ascorbic acid plus 0.5 ml/l Vit E + Se) and three temperatures (Thermoneutral temperature (TN), sudden chronic heat stress exposure (CHS) and gradual chronic heat stress exposure). Broilers were kept either under thermoneutral conditions (24 ± 1 ºC) during the whole life period or slowly introduced to CHS from 7th to 21st d of age and kept at high temperature thereafter and the third chamber had chicks that were exposed to CHS (32 ± 2 ºC for 8 h/day) during the period from 21st: 42nd day of age. Chicks were reared on a deep litter system and had free access to feed and water. Performance parameters (FI, BW, BWG, and FCR) were determined on the 42nd day of age. The results showed HSD had adverse effects on the growth performance of broilers reared under thermoneutral or CHS conditions where the differences between densities were significant (P<0.05) under TN and sudden CHS conditions and insignificant in case of gradual CHS exposure conditions for most of the performance parameters. Vitamins supplementation had improved growth performance (BW and FCR) of broilers kept under MSD or HSD and exposed to thermoneutral or sudden CHS conditions as compared to corresponding not supplemented birds. While it was effective in combating the adverse effects of gradual HS exposure in RSD and MSD kept broilers only. In addition, there was no significant difference between RSD not supplemented broilers and MSD-supplemented birds under TN conditions; concluding that broilers can be stocked at MSD under thermoneutral conditions if they were supplemented with vitamins. &nbsp

Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Anonchotaenia Species from Quails in Elbehera Governorate, Egypt

Quail meat has gained a reputation as an outstanding source of protein and other essential nutrients, giving it numerous advantages over other poultry species. However, quail production has some limitations. One of them is vulnerability to parasitic infections that produce severe economic losses. Consequently, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and molecular characterization of Anonchotaenia species infecting quails in Elbehera Governorate, Egypt. A total of 239 quails were examined for gastrointestinal parasites. The total prevalence of Anonchotaenia infection was 0.83%. The prevalence was 1.11% in the Edko district, but no infection was recorded in Rashid. The prevalence of infection in migrant quails was 2.21%, while no infection was recorded in domesticated quails. The prevalence was higher in males than in females. The 18S rRNA sequence of Egypt's Anonchotaenia species has 99% identity with Anonchotaenia brasiliensis. The phylogenetic tree of the 18S rRNA showed that sequence of Anonchotaenia sp. from Egypt is in the same clade as Anonchotaenia macrocephala from Brazil and Chile. Molecular characterization using 18S rRNA gene sequencing is valuable for parasitic helminth genetic identification in quails. The results presented a novel member of the genus Anonchotaenia in quails from Elbehera governorate, Egypt for the first time.                &nbsp

Epidemiology of Healthcare-Associated Infections and Adherence to the HAI Prevention Strategies

Healthcare-associated infections are widely considered one of the most common unfavorable outcomes of healthcare delivery. Ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line-associated bloodstream infections, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections are examples of healthcare-associated infections. The current study was a retrospective study conducted at a public hospital in Unaizah, Saudi Arabia, to investigate the frequency of healthcare-associated illnesses and adherence to healthcare-associated infection prevention techniques in the year 2021. Surgical site infections occurred at a rate of 0.1%. The average number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections per 1000 catheter days was 0.76. The average number of central line-associated bloodstream infections per 1000 central line days was 2.6. The rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was 1.1 per 1000 ventilator days on average. The average number of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms per 1000 patient days was 2.8. Compliance rates were 94%, 100%, 99%, and 76% for ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and hand hygiene bundles, respectively. It is critical to participate in more educational events and workshops, particularly those that emphasize hand cleanliness and personal safety equipment

An audit on public awareness of depression symptoms in Jordan

Objectives: Depression is acommon mental health disorder. The aim of this study is to determine the level of public awareness regarding this illness, its symptoms, associated factors, available forms of treatment, and the attitude towards depressed people. Methods: A self administered questionnaire was filled in by approximately 5000 individuals selected from various regions of Jordan. Results: The majority of participants thought that depression is a treatable condition that can affect patient at any age, and may be controlled by the will power. Loss of interest in things and presence of negative feelings were the most commonly recognized symptoms of depression, while, unemployment and poverty were found to be the most recognized risk factors for depression. In addition, most participants considered support from family and friends (93.6%) as well as exercise (80.4%) to be the best available forms of depression treatment. Respondents found it acceptable to work, make friends with, or marry depressed individuals. The first choice persons for seeking help by most participants were family members and friends (49.8%). Conclusion: Collectively, the level of awareness of depression was acceptable. However, further efforts are necessary to establish public educational programs related to depression in order to raise awareness regarding the disease

Prevalence of Hydatid Cysts in Slaughtered Animals from Elbehera Governorate, Egypt, with a Focus on Histopathology and Molecular Characterization of Camel Cysts

Cystic echinococcosis is a worldwide zoonotic infection that triggers significant economic losses in animals. The study’s goal was to reveal the infection with hydatid cysts in animals slaughtered in Elbehera Governorate, Egypt, as well as perform histopathology and molecular characterization of camel cysts using the cox-1 and G1Y162 genes. Elbehera governorate had a total prevalence of 0.35%. Kom-Hamada abattoir had the highest prevalence of 1.7%. Camels had the highest prevalence of 2.17% among the examined animals. Summer had the highest prevalence, at 0.55%. Females had a higher prevalence than males, except for camels. The older animals were infected at a higher rate than the younger ones, except for the buffalo. Location and season had a significant impact on the prevalence, while sex only impacted the prevalence in cattle and buffaloes. The lung had a higher infection than the liver. The cox-1 and G1Y162 genes PCR reactions provided specific DNA bands, and the sequences were for Echinococcus canadensis. The phylogenetic tree of cox-1 indicated that the Egyptian sequence of Elbehera governorate belongs to genotype 6 (G6) of the Echinococcus complex. The sequence shared an identity percentage of up to 99% with previous Egyptian sequences and other E. canadensis in camels from Iran, Mauritania, Algeria, and Sudan. The phylogenetic tree of the G1Y162 protein sequences confirmed that the Egyptian sequence is E. canadensis. Due to the presence of cysts of zoonotic Echinococcus species in slaughtered animals, stringent health regulations are required to prevent infection in animals and humans. &nbsp