Prevalence of symptoms of depression among patients with chronic kidney disease

Objective: Depression is the most common psychiatric illness in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Depression has been shown to affect mortality in end-stage renal disease patients. The objective of this study was to determine prevalence of depressive symptoms among CKD patients.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with CKD (Stages 3-5) attending the renal clinic of a tertiary hospital was conducted. Demographic and clinical data were documented. A self-administered Zung depression questionnaire was administered. The Zung depression questionnaire has 20 weighted questions. Individuals with a total score of 50 are considered to be depressed, while a score of 70 and above is indicative of severe depression.Results: One hundred and eighteen patients and fifty controls were interviewed. There were 73 (61.9%) males and 45 (38.1%) female patients. The mean age did not differ: males 43.8 ± 15.4 years, females 43.2 ± 14.7 yrs, P = 0.83. The prevalence of depression among the CKD patients was 23.7%, while for the control group was 2%; χ2 = 10.14, P < 0.001. Further analysis showed that CKD patients on dialysis were more likely to be depressed than the pre-dialysis patients with frequency of depressive symptoms of 34.5% for dialysis patients versus 13.3% in pre-dialysis patients; χ2 = 6.17, P = 0.01. No difference was observed in the mean Zung score among males, and female patients mean Zung score was 40.1 in females and 40.7 in male patients; P > 0.05.Conclusion: Depression is highly prevalent among our patients with CKD and treatment modality was the major predictor of depression among our patients

Antioxidant Activity of Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Blighia sapida Stem Bark in the Pancreas of Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Blighia sapida is a plant belonging to the family of sapindaceae. In this study we aimed at investigating the possible antioxidant activities of hydro-ethanolic extract of Blighia sapida stem bark in the pancreas of  alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Administration of the extract at 100mg/kg body weight significantly (P<0.05) increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in the pancreas of diabetic rats. Also the concentration of reduced glutathione increased in the pancreatic tissues of the diabetic rats while the levels of malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl generally decreased in the pancreas of alloxan-induced diabetic rats during the course of the experiment. These are indications of antioxidant properties of the stem bark of Blighia sapida with 100mg/kg body weight of the hydro-ethanolic extract showing good antioxidant activities by comparing favourably well with metformin, a standard antidiabetic drug. Keywords: Blighia sapida, diabetes mellitus, antioxidants, antioxidant enzymes DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/9-16-03 Publication date: August 31st 201

Phytochemical Screening and in vitro Antioxidant Activity of Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Blighia sapida Stem Bark

Blighia sapida is a plant belonging to the family of Sapindaceae. In this study we aimed to carry out the phytochemical screening of hydro-ethanolic (15%) extract of Blighia sapida stem bark and evaluate its in vitro antioxidant activity. It was found that the hydro-ethanolic extract of Blighia sapida stem bark showed the presence of saponin, flavonoid, alkaloid, phenols and ascorbic acid. It also contains trace elements zinc and selenium. Furthermore it showed some scavenging activity but not as such could be compared with the various standards used except for nitric oxide scavenging activity. Keywords: Blighia sapida, phytochemicals, antioxidant, trace elements DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/9-16-04 Publication date: August 31st 201

Alpha lipoic acid and diabetes mellitus: potential effects on peripheral neuropathy and different metabolic parameters

Introduction: Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is an antioxidant used in the treatment of neuroinflammation, diabetes and diabetic nephropathy. The current study aiming to gauge the effect of oral ALA on diabetic peripheral neuropathy, glycemic control, LDL-C, and HDL-C. Methods: This is a prospective, interventional study carried out on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who were following at the outpatient internal medicine & diabetes clinics at Benha University Hospital. Treatment with ALA for 3 months was given to patient with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Data in the form of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), duration & treatment of DM, manifestations of peripheral neuropathy were collected. LDL-C, HDL-C, HbA1c, TSH, ALT, AST were measured before and after intervention. Peripheral neuropathy symptoms, nerve conduction velocities, cardiovascular (CV) tests of autonomic neuropathy, and cross-section area of the posterior tibial nerve were performed before and after treatment intervention. Results: 90 adult diabetic patients were recruited in the study, 42.2% were females and 57.8% were males with a median age of 50–60.3 years (IQR = 52). A statistically significant improvements of neuropathic symptoms, nerve conduction velocity, and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy were noted after 3 months of administration of ALA (p ˂0.001). However, the cross-section area of the posterior tibial nerve at baseline and after treatment did not change significantly (p value of 0.84). There was a significant improvement in the BMI, HDLC, LDL-C, HbA1c (p ˂ 0.001). Conclusion: Oral treatment with ALA might cause ameliorations of peripheral neuropathy, HbA1c, and LDL-C & HDL-C levels in diabetic patients. Our result failed to proof effect of ALA on nerve cross-section area. The global data encourage further studies with this medication as an ancillary treatment of DM2.Clinical trial registration: It was registered in clinical trial website; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier(NCT number): NCT04322240

Physicochemical Properties of Palm Kernel Oil

Abstract: Physicochemical analyses were carried out on palm kernel oil (Adin) and the following results were obtained: Saponification value; 280.5±56.1 mgKOH/g, acid value; 2.7±0.3 mg KOH/g, Free Fatty Acid (FFA); 1.35±0.15 KOH/g, ester value; 277.8±56.4 mgKOH/g, peroxide value; 14.3±0.8 mEq/kg; iodine value; 15.86±4.02 mgKOH/g, Specific Gravity (S.G) value; 0.904, refractive index; 1.412 and inorganic materials; 1.05%. Its odour and colour were heavy burnt smell and burnt brown, respectively. These values were compared with those obtained for groundnut and coconut oils. It was found that the physico-chemical properties of palm kernel oil are comparable to those of groundnut and coconut oils except for the peroxide value (i.e., 14.3±0.8 mEq) which was not detectable in groundnut and coconut oils. Also the odour of both groundnut and coconut oils were pleasant while that of the palm kernel oil was not as pleasant (i.e., heavy burnt smell)

Architecture in Sudan: The Post–Independence Era (1956-1970). Focus on the Work of Abdel Moneim Mustafa

This article is part of a study on the Sudanese social and political context during the formation of the Modern Movement and the manifestations in built form and spatial expression during the period 1900-1970. The study has been on–going for several years and includes a literature search, local surveys (of unpublished and undocumented information) as well as photographs taken by the authors, sourced from architects or published material. It is argued that the Sudanese response to the International Style was in fact early experimentation in critical regionalism. The most notable architectural heritage in Sudan are the archaeological remains at Kerma and Napata as well as the remains of ancient Meroe about 180 km north of Khartoum. These cultures demonstrated sophistication in building materials and construction techniques. Due to climate changes, political changes and religious changes over a large stretch of time (642AD with the signing of the Bagt Treaty–1898 at the demise of the Mahdist era) the qualities of the built environment became more transient and rudimentary in character with a greater focus on manifesting tradition through body images, clothing and rituals that were not necessarily tied to a particular physical location rather than through monuments. With foreign interest in the strategic location of the Sudan, and as a part of the scramble for Africa, came specific stylistic and technical manifestations

The neurotoxic effects of Methotrexate (MTX) on rat hippocampus and to explore the neuroprotective role of Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA): Review article

Background: The hippocampus is a major component of the mammalian brains and the brains of other vertebrates. It belongs to the limbic system and plays important roles in memory consolidation. Methotrexate (MTX) belongs to the antimetabolite group, which is an antineoplastic group of drugs. MTX has a wide range of therapeutic effects: e.g. at high doses in many malignancies and at low doses in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, due to its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. The therapeutic actions of Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is based on its antioxidant properties including its capacity in regenerating endogenous antioxidants, its metal chelating abilities, its action as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and its capability to repair oxidative damage.Objective: This work aimed to study the neurotoxic effects of methotrxate (MTX) on rat hippocampus and to explore the neuroprotective role of alpha lipoic acid (ALA).Methods: The databases were searched for articles published in English in 4 data bases [PubMed – Google scholar- Science direct and Egyptian bank of knowledge] and Boolean operators (and, or, not) had been used such as neurotoxic effects of methotrxate and rat hippocampus OR alpha lipoic acid and in reviewed articles.Conclusion: So, from this review article, it can be concluded that, alpha lipoic acid administration along with methotrxate therapy can ameliorate the harmfull effects of methotrxate on hippocampus

Global and regional prevalence of disabilities among children and adolescents : analysis of findings from global health databases

Objective: The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require population-based data on children with disabilities to inform global policies and intervention programs. We set out to compare the prevalence estimates of disabilities among children and adolescents younger than 20 years as reported by the world's leading organizations for global health statistics. Methods: We purposively searched the disability reports and databases of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank and the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) Study. We analyzed the latest disability data reported by these organizations since 2015. We examined the methodologies adopted in generating the reported prevalence estimates and evaluated the degree of agreement among the data sources using Welch's test of statistical difference, and the two one-sided t-test (TOST) for statistical equivalence. Results: Only UNICEF and GBD provided the most comprehensive prevalence estimates of disabilities in children and adolescents. Globally, UNICEF estimated that 28.9 million (4.3%) children aged 0–4 years, 207.4 million (12.5%) children aged 5–17 years and 236.4 million (10.1%) children aged 0–17 years have moderate-to-severe disabilities based on household surveys of child functional status. Using the UNICEF estimated prevalence of 10.1%, approximately 266 million children aged 0–19 years are expected to have moderate-to-severe disabilities. In contrast, GBD 2019 estimated that 49.8 million (7.5%) children aged under 5 years, 241.5 million (12.6%) children aged 5–19 years and 291.3 million (11.3%) children younger than 20 years have mild-to-severe disabilities. In both databases, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia accounted for more than half of children with disabilities. A comparison of the UNICEF and GBD estimates showed that the overall mean prevalence estimates for children under 5 years were statistically different and not statistically equivalent based on ±3 percentage-point margin. However, the prevalence estimates for children 5–19 years and < 20 years were not statistically different and were statistically equivalent. Conclusion: Prevalence estimates of disabilities among children and adolescents generated using either functional approach or statistical modeling appear to be comparable and complementary. Improved alignment of the age-groups, thresholds of disability and the estimation process across databases, particularly among children under 5 years should be considered. Children and adolescents with disabilities will be well-served by a variety of complementary data sources to optimize their health and well-being as envisioned in the SDGs

Monitoring temporal changes in coastal mangroves to understand the impacts of climate change : Red Sea, Egypt

Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Dr Samira R Mansour for help in reviewing the paper. The present paper is not funded from any agency or organization, all work completed in the Suez Canal University, Ismailia Egypt. Open access funding provided by The Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) in cooperation with The Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB). Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Perceptions and Experiences with Flavored Non-Menthol Tobacco Products: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

Although a few countries have banned flavored cigarettes (except menthol), flavors in most tobacco products remain unregulated across the globe. We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies examining perceptions of and experiences with flavored non-menthol tobacco products. Of 20 studies on flavored tobacco products included in our qualitative systematic review, 10 examined hookah, six examined e-cigarettes, two examined little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs), and three examined other tobacco products, including cigarettes. The majority of studies, regardless of product type, reported positive perceptions of flavored tobacco products, particularly among young adults and adolescents. In six studies that assessed perceptions of harm (including hookah, LCCs, and other flavored tobacco products), participants believed flavored tobacco products to be less harmful than cigarettes. In studies that examined the role of flavors in experimentation and/or initiation (including three studies on e-cigarettes, one hookah study and one LCC study), participants mentioned flavors as specifically leading to their experimentation and/or initiation of flavored tobacco products. Given that many countries have not yet banned flavors in tobacco products, these findings add to existing research on why individuals use flavored tobacco products and how they perceive harm in flavored tobacco products, providing further support for banning non-menthol flavors in most tobacco products