Management of Undescended Testis in Gezira National Center for Pediatric Surgery (2009–2011)

Background: Undescended Testis (UDT) or Cryptorchidism is the most common genital problem encountered in paediatrics. Untreated UDT/cryptorchidism clearly has deleterious effects on the testis over time. In Gezira National Center for Pediatrics Surgery (GNCPS) UDT\Cryptorchidism had been treated since early 80s. During this period no study was taken to evaluate this condition. Methods:  This is a retro-prospective descriptive study done over a 2 year period from Oct 2009 to Oct 2011 including all patients with UDT operated on in the GNCPS. Patients were evaluated regarding the age at presentation, age at surgery, site of the UDT, location of the testes, investigations done and treatment modality. Results: A total of 232 children underwent orchidopexy for UDT in GNCPS, 81.5% of those patients were older than 2 years. Bilateral cases were 16.8%. Nonpalpable testes found in 36.6% of cases. Dartos pouch fixation was used in 79.8 % of the cases. Conclusion:  the majority of children with UDT presented at an age older than two year which reflect the delay in diagnosis due to lack of adequate neonatal examination. ملخص: خلفية: مرض الخصية المعلقة هو من اكثر الأمراض المتعلقة بالجهاز التناسلي شيوعا لدى الاطفال. عدم انزال الخصية المعلقة له اثار وخيمة على الخصية كلما تقدم الزمن. في مركز الجزيرة القومي لجراحة الاطفال يتم علاج الخصية المعلقة بانتظام منذ اوائل الثمانينات ورغما عن ذلك لم تجرى اي ابحاث لدراسة هذه الحالة. الطريقة والبحث: هذه الدراسة هي دراسة وصفية لاحقة تم اجراؤها خلال عامين ابتداء من اكتوبر 2009 حتى اكتوبر 2011 جميع المرضى الذين تم اجراء عمليات جراحية لهم لإنزال الخصية المعلقة تمت دراستهم من حيث العمر الذي حضر به للمستشفى, العمر الذي اجريت فيه العملية٬ اتجاه الخصية المعلقة ومكانها٬ الفحوصات التى اجريت له والعلاج الذي تلقاه. النتائج: خلال فترة الدراسة 232 طفل تم علاجهم في المركز 81.5% منهم كانت اعمارهم فوق السنتين %16.8  منهم كانت المشكلة بالجانبين و %36.6 منهم لم تكن الخصية محسوسة بالكشف السريري. تم استعمال التثبيت في جراب دارتوس في %79.8 من الحالات. الخلاصة: ان غالبية الحالات تحضر في عمر اكثر من عامين مما ينعكس سلبا على العلاج ويحدث هذا التأخير نتيجة لقلة الكشف على حديثي الولادة. &nbsp

The Effect of Water Deprivation on Blood Constituents of the Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

The study aimed to elucidate the status of blood constituents and the physiological body reactions in term of core temperature, pulse rate and respiration rate in five male dromedary camels aged three to four years and weighed 350 to 420kg, housed in open yards in the experimental farm of Sudan University for Science and Technology and deprived of water for 48 hours. The results revealed significant increase (P< 0.05) in temperature, insignificant change in respiratory rate and a significant decrease in the pulse rate. With the exception to WBCs and level of glucose, the remaining blood constituents showed significant difference (P< 0.05) when compared with the control group. Of these, significant increase was found for RBCs, Urea, total protein and creatinine whereas significant decrease for the mean values of PCV and haemoglobin concentration. Based on the results achieved and the discussion undertaken in relation to data of relevant studies conducted elsewhere, the present study would conclude that the changes revealed were indicative to the adaptive ability of the animal to tolerate water deprivation for 48h.  

Handling Imbalanced Data through Re-sampling: Systematic Review

Handling imbalanced data is an important issue that can affect the validity and reliability of the results. One common approach to addressing this issue is through re-sampling the data. Re-sampling is a technique that allows researchers to balance the class distribution of their dataset by either over-sampling the minority class or under-sampling the majority class. Over-sampling involves adding more copies of the minority class examples to the dataset in order to balance out the class distribution. On the other hand, under-sampling involves removing some of the majority class examples from the dataset in order to balance out the class distribution. It's also common to combine both techniques, usually called hybrid sampling. It is important to note that re-sampling techniques can have an impact on the model's performance, and it is essential to evaluate the model using different evaluation metrics and to consider other techniques such as cost-sensitive learning and anomaly detection. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that increasing the sample size is always a good idea to improve the performance of the model. In this systematic review, we aim to provide an overview of existing methods for re-sampling imbalanced data. We will focus on methods that have been proposed in the literature and evaluate their effectiveness through a thorough examination of experimental results. The goal of this review is to provide practitioners with a comprehensive understanding of the different re-sampling methods available, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, to help them make informed decisions when dealing with imbalanced data

Effect of dehydration on the pharmacokinetics of oxytetracycline hydrochloride administered intravenously in goats (Capra hircus)

1. The effects of various levels of dehydration induced by water deprivation were studied in six Nubian goats on the pharmacokinetics of oxytetracycline after intravenous administration (5 mg/kg). 2. In goats that had lost an average of 7.6% body weight after 2 days of water deprivation, the elimination rate constant of the drug was significantly decreased (P<0.01) and the total body clearance was significantly slower (P<0.001). No statistically significant changes were observed in the pharmacokinetic parameters describing the distribution of the drug at this dehydration level. 3. Water deprivation for 3 or 4 days resulted in a level of dehydration at which the goats lost an average of 10.3% or 12.7% of their body weight, respectively; significant changes were observed in the pharmacokinetic distribution and elimination parameters of oxytetracycline. The volume of distribution at steady state was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Significantly slower total body clearance (P<0.001) and subsequent prolongation of the elimination half-life were found at these dehydration levels. 4. The alterations caused by dehydration on the disposition kinetics of the drug should be considered for better definition of dosage regimens for sick, dehydrated animals

Anti-bacterial potential of (Acacia nilotica, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Punica granatum and Commiphora myrrha) crude extracts against diverse drug sensitive and resistant bacterial species

The alarming increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics caused some authors to state that we are approaching a post-antibiotic era and medical catastrophe, the study aimed to assess the antimicrobial effects of selected plant extracts against several sensitive and resistant bacterial isolates. Experimental cross-sectional study was conducted, 70% ethanol crude Acaccia nilotica, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Punica granatum and Commiphora myrrha extract was prepared and several commercial antimicrobials agent tested, the antibacterial activity was investigated using the disc diffusion method. The inhibition zones' diameters (mm) were calculated and interpreted by Zone Diameter Interpretative Standards. Data were analyzed by using (SPSS) software version 22. About 200% of A. nilotica and T. foenum-graecum showed bactericidal effects against Enterococcus faecalis, means ±SD (12.3 ± 2.8 and 12.5 ± 2.1). The activity of 200% C. myrrha extract was highest against all diverse bacterial. Despite a relatively high inhibition zone among all plant ethanol extracts, the findings demonstrate that there is no statistical significance in the inhibitory activity impact of varying concentrations of 70% ethanol extracts of all plants extract against bacterial isolates (P. value ? 0.05). The outcomes of the ethanol extracts of the used plant under study demonstrated that the herbal extract can be a superior antimicrobial potential than the result of the commercial broad spectrum antimicrobial agent utilized. C. myrrha extract was potent antimicrobial activity against all diverse bacterial species

Knowledge and Attitude among Doctors towards Use of Prophylactic Vitamin K in Neonatal Bleeding Disorders in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology: Experience from Haj El-Safi Hospital, Sudan

Background: Vitamin K is crucial for neonates to prevent bleeding disorders. Raising awareness of vitamin K use would show positive outcomes. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of prophylactic use of vitamin K for bleeding disorders in neonates among doctors working in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Haj El-Safi Hospital, Sudan.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2019, involving 36 doctors selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected by an interview-based questionnaire designed to measure the knowledge level of doctors toward vitamin K deficiency classification and interactions, guidelines availability and adherence, and parents counseling. Data were analyzed and presented in tables. Results: The doctors involved in this study were 36, including 7 registrars, 6 medical officers, 23 house officers, mostly aged 20–25 years (n=29), and female (n=27). The level of knowledge about the classification of vitamin K deficiency and the interaction of vitamin K with other drugs among doctors was mostly good (n=14 and n=15, respectively). Registrars were the most in the good category (n=6, and n=7, respectively). Most doctors (n=23) were aware of vitamin K guidelines, while only 15 have continuous adherence, 16 of doctors counseled parents about the importance of prophylactic vitamin K.Conclusion: The level of knowledge towards prophylactic vitamin K use in neonatal bleeding disorders among doctors in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Haj El-Safi Hospital is good

The Effect of Electric Shocks Produced by Various Amperes and Voltages on Larvae of Anopheles arabiensis Patton and Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera, Culicidae).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This study was carried to determine the response of Anopheles arabiensis and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae when exposed to electric shocks. Karkoug village was chosen for collection of Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes (larvae). The collected larvae were immediately transferred to the University of Gezira, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Basic Science Laboratory, where the tests were run. The electric shocks were performed by using a current of 1, 2, and 3 amperes by using a power supply (Popular, PE-23005, Made in India). The voltages used in each experiment were, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 volts. The duration of the electric shock was 2 minutes. These tests were repeated for three times and the average was subjected to probit analysis. The results showed that, changing of the electric current from 1, 2 to 3 amperes was associated with the decreases of Lethal Electric Shocks of 50% of the population form 31.468, 26.488 and 27.357 volts, respectively on Anopheles larvae, while they were 29.04, 28.58, and 25.65 volts, on Culex larvae. Culex larvae were more susceptible to the electric shocks than Anopheles larvae. The electric shocks also shortened the life span of the produced adults of both Culex and Anopheles. Also, the electric shocks induced a state of sterility (fail to reproduce) on the subjected species

Autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Variation Based on 15 Loci in a Population from the Central Region (Riyadh Province) of Saudi Arabia

INTRODUCTION: The small size of Short Tandem Repeats (STRs), their ubiquitous genome-wide distribution and polymorphic nature enhances their value in human forensic/population genetics applications. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the short tandem repeat variation based on 15 loci in a population from the central region of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Allele frequency variation for 15 Short Tandem Repeat (STR) loci was examined in 190 unrelated Saudi volunteers. Results: This study summarizes the allele distribution in the Saudi population and compares them to other populations located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The standard forensic parameters of Observed Hetrozygosity (Ho), Expected Heterozygosity (He) and Gene Diversity Index (GD) were determined for the following 15 STR loci: D8S1179, D21S1, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH0, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S5, D5S818 and FGA. The most frequent alleles in the Saudi population were: 8 repeats (0.558) at TPOX, 12 (0.411) at D13S317, 12 (0.385) at CSF1PO, 11 (0.382) at D16D539 and 10 (0.358) at D7S820. The 15 markers utilized in this study are highly informative as evidenced by their high power of discrimination (PD) values with D2S1338, D19S433 and FGA having the highest PD values. The relationship between the Saudi population and other geographically distributed populations, assessed by a Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) plot, showed that the Saudi population clustered with groups from Yemen, Iraq, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. CONCLUSION: TPOX, D13S317, CSF1PO, D16D539 and D7S820 markers were found suitable for forensic analysis, paternity testing and can also be used for chimerism study after allogenic bone marrow transplantation for Saudi population. On the other hand, the population admixture with other ethnic origins might explain the variable degree of genetic distances of this population and other Arab-related groups

Ethyl 1-sec-butyl-2-(4-chloro­phen­yl)-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl­ate

In the title compound, C20H21ClN2O2, the ethyl 1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl­ate ring system, excluding the methyl­ene and methyl H atoms, is almost planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.055 (1) Å, and makes a dihedral angle of 40.63 (4)° with the benzene ring. The sec-butyl group is disordered over two positions, with refined site occupancies of 0.855 (4) and 0.145 (4). In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into chains along [010] via inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and are further inter­connected by C—H⋯Cl inter­actions into two-dimensional networks parallel to (001). The crystal structure is further consolidated by C—H⋯π inter­actions

Clients’ Perception of Quality of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment and Care in Resource-Limited Setting: Experience from Nigeria

Background: Quality care is essential to the well-being and survival of people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The aim of this study is to explore how MDR- TB patients, who were voluntarily hospitalized, perceived care and treatment strategy and to assess the influence of psychosocial factors on their perception of care and treatment strategy in Nigeria. Methods: The study enrolled 98 MDR-TB patients on voluntary confinement in four MDR-TB hospitals in Nigeria. Patients’ perceptions of quality of care and treatment strategy were evaluated with 28-item and 6-item instruments, respectively. Bivariate analysis was used to test for an association and multivariate analysis for factors that might contribute to the perceived quality of care. Results: Seventy-eight per cent (78%) of the participating patients perceived the quality of care to be good. Patients with better psychosocial well-being had five times higher odds to report good quality of care. Conclusion: The majority of MDR-TB patients perceived the quality of inpatient care to be good in Nigerian hospitals; however, their psychological health influenced their perception significantly. Health care providers need to improve treatment strategies to encourage acceptance of care as poor perception to health care service delivery may deter treatment completion and also cause relapse among clients on treatment