Urinary minerals excretion among primary schoolchildren in Dubai—United Arab Emirates

INTRODUCTION: Urinary excretion of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), iodine and fluoride is used to assess their statuses and/or the existence of metabolic abnormalities. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the urinary concentration of these minerals among children have not been documented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study, including 593 subjects (232 boys and 361 girls), was conducted among healthy 6 to 11-year-old Emirati children living in Dubai. Non-fasting morning urine samples and anthropometrical measurements were collected and analyzed. Results were expressed as per mg of creatinine (Cr). RESULTS: On average, estimated Cr excretion was 17.88±3.12 mg/kg/d. Mean urinary Ca/Cr, Mg/Cr and P/Cr excretions were 0.08±0.07 mg/mg, 0.09±0.04 mg/mg, and 0.57±0.26 mg/mg respectively. Urinary excretion of Ca, Mg and P were found to decrease as age increased. Urinary excretion and predicted intake of fluoride were lower than 0.05 mg/kg body weight per day. Surprisingly, more than 50% of the children were found to have urinary iodine excretion level above adequate. CONCLUSION: The Emirati schoolchildren had comparable levels of urinary Ca, Mg and P excretion to other countries. The 95% percentile allows the use of the current data as a reference value for the detection of mineral abnormalities. Fluoride excretion implies that Emirati children are at low risk of fluorosis. The level of urinary iodine excretion is slightly higher than recommended and requires close monitoring of the process of salt iodization to avoid the harmful impact of iodine overconsumption

A validated stability indicating HPLC method for determination of sitagliptin

A comparative and stability-indicating reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic study have been developed and validated for sitagliptin phosphate. The liquid chromatographic determination was achieved isocratically on Poroshell 120 EC-C18 (100 × 4.6 mm, i.d.; particle size, 2.7 µm), Pursuit 5PFP (150 × 4.6 mm, i.d.; particle size, 5 µm) and Chromolith performance RP-18e (100 × 4.6 mm, i.d.; macropore diameter, 2 µm) columns using a mobile phase consisting of methanol:water:triethylamine:acetic acid (60:40:0.1:0.1; v:v:v:v), at a flow rate 0.5 mL/min and UV detection at 268 nm. The method was linear over the concentration range of 100-1000 µg/mL (r = 0.9998) with a limit of detection and quantitation of 10 and 30 µg/mL, respectively. All the validation parameters and stability indicating study were studied on Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column, which achieved the best separation. The proposed method has been found to have the required accuracy, selectivity, sensitivity, and precision to assay sitagliptin phosphate in bulk form and in a pharmaceutical dosage form. Degradation products resulting from the stress studies did not interfere with the detection of sitagliptin phosphate that indicates that the assay are stability-indicating assay

Assessing knowledge of, and attitudes to, HIV/AIDS among university students in the United Arab Emirates

© 2016 Haroun et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is among the top two regions in the world with the fastest growing HIV epidemic. In this context, risks and vulnerability are high as the epidemic is on the rise with evidence indicating significantly increasing HIV prevalence, new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths. Objective: The aim of the survey was to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes related to HIV/ AIDS among a wide group of university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, a total sample of 2,294 students (406 male; 1,888 female) from four universities in three different Emirates in the UAE were approached to take part in the study. Students self-completed a questionnaire that was designed to measure their knowledge and attitudes to HIV/AIDS. Results: The overall average knowledge score of HIV.AIDS was 61%. Non-Emirati and postgraduates demonstrated higher levels of knowledge compared to Emirati and undergraduate students respectively. No significant differences between males and females; and marital status were found. Eighty-five percent of students expressed negative attitudes towards people living with HIV, with Emirati and single students significantly holding more negative attitudes compared to non-Emiratis and those that are married respectively. Conclusions: The findings provide strong evidence that there is a need to advocate for appropriate National HIV/AIDS awareness raising campaigns in universities to reduce the gaps in knowledge and decrease stigmatizing attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS

Synthesis and preliminary biological screening of certain 5-aralkyl pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids as anticonvulsants

Synthesis of a series of 5-aralkyl pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid derivatives namely, 1-acetyl-4-hydroxy-5-benzyl or 5-(4-alkoxy-benzyl)-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids (3a-e), 1-H-4-hydroxy-5-benzyl or 5-(4-alkoxy-benzyl)-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids (4a-e), 1-acetyl-5-benzyl or 5-(4-alkoxy-benzyl)-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids (8a-e), 1-H-5-benzyl or 5-(4-alkoxy-benzyl)-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids (9a-e) have been accomplished. The structures of the new compounds were assigned from IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and elemental analyses. Compounds 3a-e, 4a-e, 8a-e and 9a-e were biologically screened for their anticonvulsant potential using the subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole seizures (scPTZ) assay and Gabapentin as reference standard. The 1-H-4-hydroxy-5-benzyl or 5-(4-alkoxy-benzyl)-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids (4a-e) showed the highest anticonvulsant activity. Compound 4b was found to be the most potent one which exhibited 100% protection

Design, synthesis, and biological profile of novel N-(5-aryl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) hydrazinecarboxamides

New series of arylthiadiazole hydrazinecarboxamides (5a-e) have been synthesized by hydrazinolysis of carbamates (4a-e) and spectrally characterized. The new candidates have been screened for their anticonvulsant and immunomodulatory activities. Compound 5e was the most potent anticonvulsant candidate as it showed 100% protection against both maximal electroshock seizure (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) screens without neurotoxicity at 100 mg/kg (0.318 mmol/kg). With respect to immunomodulation, compounds 5a and 5d revealed immunostimulatory activity while compounds 5b, 5c, and 5e had immunosuppressive responses based on ELISA detection of IgM and IgG levels, counting the total mesenteric lymph nodes lymphocytes, and histo-pathological examinations

EMT Markers in Locally-Advanced Prostate Cancer: Predicting Recurrence?

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death in men worldwide. It is a heterogeneous disease at molecular and clinical levels which makes its prognosis and treatment outcome hard to predict. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marks a key step in the invasion and malignant progression of PCa. We sought to assess the co-expression of epithelial cytokeratin 8 (CK8) and mesenchymal vimentin (Vim) in locally-advanced PCa as indicators of EMT and consequently predictors of the progression status of the disease.Methods: Co-expression of CK8 and Vim was evaluated by immunofluorescence (IF) on paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 122 patients with PCa who underwent radical prostatectomies between 1998 and 2016 at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). EMT score was calculated accordingly and then correlated with the patients' clinicopathological parameters and PSA failure.Results: The co-expression of CK8/Vim (EMT score), was associated with increasing Gleason group. A highly significant linear association was detected wherein higher Gleason group was associated with higher mean EMT score. In addition, the median estimated biochemical recurrence-free survival for patients with < 25% EMT score was almost double that of patients with more than 25%. The validity of this score for prediction of prognosis was further demonstrated using cox regression model. Our data also confirmed that the EMT score can predict PSA failure irrespective of Gleason group, pathological stage, or surgical margins.Conclusion: This study suggests that assessment of molecular markers of EMT, particularly CK8 and Vim, in radical prostatectomy specimens, in addition to conventional clinicopathological prognostic parameters, can aid in the development of a novel system for predicting the prognosis of locally-advanced PCa

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century