Moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) and metabolic syndrome: where are we now and where are we going?

BACKGROUND: The metabolic syndrome appears to affect 10% to 25% of adult population worldwide. Several studies have described the association between metabolic syndrome and ischaemic heart disease, however, none linked metabolic syndrome to ischemic mitral regurgitation, a serious clinical problem facing both the cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. Ischemic mitral regurgitation is mitral insufficiency caused by myocardial infarction. The myocardial ischemia can result in altered ventricular geometry, leading to mitral insufficiency. Interestingly metabolic syndrome showed more pronounced alteration of left ventricular geometry and function especially in obese subjects. PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: We have recently proposed that there is link between metabolic syndrome and ischemic mitral regurgitation and associated complications. Operative strategy for moderate ischaemic mitral regurgitation continues to be debated between revascularisation alone and concomitant valve repair at the time of coronary artery bypass surgery. Each of the above group has published studies, with results supporting each argument. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: Generally speaking the treatments available for metabolic syndrome are based in both life style modification (dietary advice and advice to increase physical activity) and medical treatment to enhance insulin sensitivity. Randomised controlled trials may show whether the current available treatment of metabolic syndrome may have an impact on moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation. IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS: Metabolic syndrome was shown to alter left ventricular geometry and therefore it is possible to postulate that the variation in the response of different patients with moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation to current management may be attributed to the absence and presence of metabolic syndrome. Research testing of this hypothesis in the future may reveal whether concomitant treatment of metabolic syndrome will play part in the management of moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation

Association Between Lipid Profile and Glyceamic Control in Sudanese Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus at Gezira State, Sudan

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus describes a metabolic disorder of multiple aetiology characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Objectives This study aimed to assess the metabolic control of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in Sudanese children. Methods: One hundred and seventy four children with type 1 diabetes mellitus were enrolled in this study; 56 healthy non-diabetic children served as a control group. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured, very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL), and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio were calculated. Results: HbA1c,TC, LDL-C LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and TG were significantly higher among diabetic group compared to non-diabetic group (P<0.001 and P<0.05 for TG).In the diabetic group, there was a positive significant correlation of: HbA1c with TC, TG, HDL- C, LDL-C, VLDL and LDL/HDL ratio; TC with TG, HDL- C, LDL-C, VLDL and LDL/HDL; TG with LDL- C, VLDL and LDL/HDL ratio; HDL-C with LDL-C;LDL-C with VLDL and LDL/ HDL;VLDL-C with LDL/HDL ratio. A significant negative correlation was observed between HDL- C and LDL/HDL ratio. Diabetic group with poor metabolic control (HbA1c level >8).had significantly higher levels of TC and LDL-C (P<0.001),TG and VLDL (P<0.01), HDL-C and LDL-C/ HDL-C ratio (P<0.05) compared with diabetic group with good metabolic control (HbA1c <8%). Conclusion: 85.63% of diabetic patients were found to have poor metabolic control (HbA1c level >8). يوصف مرض السكري بأنه من المسببات المرضية المتعددة التي تتميز بفرط  سكر الدم المزمن واضطراب في التمثيل الغذائي ( اضطرابات من الكربوهيدرات والدهون واستقلاب البروتين) الناتج عن نقص في إفراز الأنسولين، عمل الانسولين أو كليهما.هدفت هذه الدراسة لاستخدام التقييم الكيموحيوي لمعرفة مدي التحكم لضبط السكر عند مرضي السكري النوع الاول. إشتملت هذه الدراسه علي 174طفل مصابين مرض السكري و56 أصحاء من نفس العمر.تضمنت هذه الدراسة  القياسات الكيموحيويه الأتيه: خضاب الدم المسكر، الكوليستيرول ، ثلاثي أسيل الجليسرول و الكوليستيرول المرتبط  بالبروتينات الشحميه منخفضة وعاليه الكثافة والبروتينات الشحميه المنخفضة جدا ونسبة البروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة الي البروتينات الشحميه عالية الكثافة. وجد أن تركيز كل من خضاب الدم المسكر، الكوليستيرول ، الكوليستيرول المرتبط  بالبروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة ونسبة البروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة الي البروتينات الشحميه عالية الكثافة وثلاثي أسيل الجليسرول يرتفع إرتفاعا ذا معني عند مجموعة مرضي السكري.مستوي خضاب الدم المسكر يرتبط إرتباطا موجبا ذا معني مع كل من الكوليستيرول ، ثلاثي أسيل الجليسرول والبروتينات الشحميه عالية ومنخفضة الكثافة والبروتينات الشحميه المنخفضة جدا ونسبة البروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة الي البروتينات الشحميه عالية الكثافة، الكوليستيرول مع كل من ثلاثي أسيل الجليسرول والبروتينات الشحميه عالية و منخفضة الكثافة والبروتينات الشحميه المنخفضة جدا ونسبة البروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة الي البروتينات الشحميه عالية الكثافة ، يرتبط ثلاثي أسيل الجليسرول مع كل من البروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة والبروتينات الشحميه المنخفضة جدا ونسبة البروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة الي البروتينات الشحميه عالية الكثافة . كما أن  مستوي البروتينات الشحميه عالية الكثافة يرتبط إرتباطا ذا معني مع نسبة البروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة الي البروتينات الشحميه عالية الكثافة.طبقا لتقسيم مجموعة الدارسين لمرض السكري العالميه الأمريكيه أظهرت هذه الدراسه أن نسبة (85.63)  من المرضي يبلغ معدل خضاب الدم المسكر عندهم أكثر من  8% (ضبط غير مقبول) بينما  (%14.37) يبلغ معدل خضاب الدم المسكر عندهم أقل من  8% (ضبط مقبول).  وجدت هذه الدراسة ان مرضي السكري والذين لديهم ضبط غير مقبول لخضاب الدم المسكر ترتفع عندهم مستويات الكوليستيرول ، ثلاثي أسيل الجليسرول و الكوليستيرول المرتبط  بالبروتينات الشحميه منخفضة وعاليه الكثافة والبروتينات الشحميه المنخفضة جدا ونسبة البروتينات الشحميه منخفضة الكثافة الي البروتينات الشحميه عالية الكثافة ارتفاعا ذا معني مقارنة مرضي السكري والذين لديهم ضبط مقبول لخضاب الدم المسكر

New Concrete Technology Negates Traditional Concrete Placement in Sudan

Self-consolidating concrete, also known as self-compacting concrete (SCC), is an innovative concrete that does not require vibration for placing and compaction. The mixture qualification process of Self Compacting Concrete consists from a small, well controlled laboratory batches are tested, second, the closest mixture/s is tested in production, which includes the use of batch mixing, and placing equipment, and finally a quality assurance/control plan for the fresh and hardened properties is developed. However, this paper presents a full research addressed only a small, well controlled laboratory batches and the laboratory testing phase of the mixture qualification process. For the purpose of study, a small, well controlled laboratory batches are tested using available locally aggregates in Sudan. Therefore, Slumpflow, V-funnel, L-box shape, J-ring, and Sieve stability tests of concrete mixtures were used to determine the flowability, passing ability and segregation resistance of SCC mixtures. The produced self compacting concrete is successfully confirmed the fresh properties of SCC with Slumpflow in range of 650 to 850 mm with high viscosity and excellent segregation resistance. The hardened properties of concrete were also considered and tested. The strength of SCC was found to be same or higher than that of normally vibrated concrete with the same constituent materials. SCC has relatively higher dynamic modulus of elasticity ranged between 38 to 42 GPa, in comparison to normally vibrated concrete for the same strength range of 50 to 60 MPa. Whereas the Spilt Tensile and Flexural strength of SCC are of 2.5 MPa and 10 MPa respectively. The major difficulty which was faced in development of SCC was on account of contradictory factors that the concrete should be fully flowable but without bleeding or segregation. It is required that the cement mortar of the SCC should have higher viscosity to ensure flowability while maintaining non-sedimentation of aggregates and that was achieved by using high content of powder (fine materials less than 0.15 mm includes cementitious materials). Achievement of durable concrete structures independent of the quality of construction work by using Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) has been proposed to solve the problem of the durability of concrete structures due to the gradual reduction of adequate compaction and skilled workers and for complex shape for the prestressed and precast industries in Sudan. The features of high benefit of fluidity and self consolidation will result in a variety of potential benefits for the end-user. Other benefits of the application of this new concrete technology require effort to be achieved. Moreover, areas such as quality control, mixture development, and logistics may need modification or expand resources when develop self-compacting concrete in Sudan. Keywords: Self Compacting Concrete (SCC), Sudan, Flowability, Passing ability, Segregation Resistance Slumpflow, V-funnel, L-box shape, J-ring, and Sieve stability, Powder conten

Genetic variability and interrelationships of grain yield and its components of irrigated rice in Gezira

Nineteen genotypes of irrigated rice were evaluated at the Gezira Research Station Farm, Wad Medani, Sudan, for two consecutive seasons (2004 and 2005) in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. This study was conducted to estimate the genotypic and phenotypic variability, broad sense heritability and traits correlation with grain yield. The highest genotypic coefficient of variation and genetic advance were recorded for plant height and number of panicles/m2, and the lowest for number of tillers/plant, days to 50% flowering, days to 50% maturity and panicle length, in both seasons. High heritability estimates (>80%) were recorded for plant height, days to 50% flowering, days to 50% maturity and 1000-grain weight. The highest estimate of heritability combined with the highest genetic advance as percentage of the mean was shown by plant height and 1000-grain weight, in both seasons. The high yielding genotypes were WITA5 (TOX 3255-82-1-3-2), IRI 3240-108-2-2-3(SAHEL.108)(FKR44) and TOX 3081-36-2-2-3-1. Their grain yields were 4.9, 4.9 and 4.6 t/ha, respectively. Grain yield/ha was significantly and negatively correlated with the percentage of unfilled grains/panicle, plant height and days to 50% flowering. How-ever, it was significantly and positively correlated with number of tillers/ plant, number of panicles/m2, number of filled grains/panicle and 1000-grain weight, in both seasons. Path coefficient analysis indicated that number of filled grains/panicle, 1000-grain weight and number of panicles / m2 were the most directly related traits to grain yield/ha

A Survey of Classification Methods

Classification may refer to categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood. There are many types of classification, researchers face a problem to choose a suitable method that give a good classification performance to solve their classification problems. In this paper, we present the basic classification techniques. Several major kinds of classification method including neural network, decision tree, Bayesian networks, support vector machine and k-nearest neighbor classifier. The goal of this survey is to provide a comprehensive review of the above different classification techniques

Development of Human Body Measurements Size System for Clothing

       Measuring systems for clothes size have to be up dated from time to time, therefore this study aims to develop the human body measurement without any direct contact using image technique to decrease time of measurement, to increase accuracy of measurement and to compare between manual measurement and image technique measurement for human body measurement. Manual and image technique measurements were taken to Fifty subjects ( male and female) students. The general data of the subjects which includes the age, weight and height was recorded.       The image technique measurement had taken a period of 0.96 minutes whereas the manual measurement had taken 3.8 minutes for every subject, which indicates that the measurement by image technique needs a shorter time. Images of the subjects were captured using a digital camera. These images were fed to a computer and processed using Adope Photoshop program. Measurement calculations were transferred to Microsoft Excel program and equations were developed for size measurement.        Concerning the difference in size measurement values for both techniques, the results had shown no difference in these values. Statistical calculations including the mean, standard deviations and correlation coefficients were done to the values of the measurements for both image and manual techniques

A fixed-dose 24-hour regimen of artesunate plus sulfamethoxypyrazine-pyrimethamine for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in eastern Sudan

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin-based combination therapy is increasingly being adopted as first-line antimalarial therapy. The choice of appropriate therapy depends on efficacy, cost, side effects, and simplicity of administration. METHODS: the efficacy of fixed co-formulated (f) artesunate-sulfamethoxypyrazine-pyrimethamine (AS+SMP f) administered at time intervals of 12 hours for a 24-hour therapy was compared with the efficacy of the same drug given as a loose combination (AS+SMP l) with a dose interval of 24 hours for 3 days for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in eastern Sudan. RESULTS: seventy-three patients (39 and 34 in the fixed and the loose regimen of AS+SMP respectively) completed the 28-days of follow-up. On day 3; all patients in both groups were a parasitaemic but one patient in the fixed group of AS+SMP f was still febrile. Polymerase chain reaction genotyping adjusted cure rates on day 28 were 92.3% and 97.1% (P > 0.05) for the fixed and loose combination of AS+SMP respectively. Three (4.1%) patients (one in the fixed and two patients in the loose group of AS+SMP) in the study suffered drug-related adverse effects. Gametocytaemia was not detected during follow-up in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: both regimens of AS+SMP were effective and safe for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in eastern Sudan. Due to its simplicity, the fixed dose one-day treatment regimen may improve compliance and therefore may be the preferred choice

Poultry and Beef Meat as Potential Seedbeds for Antimicrobial Resistant Enterotoxigenic Bacillus Species: A Materializing Epidemiological and Potential Severe Health Hazard

Although Bacillus cereus is of particular concern in food safety and public health, the role of other Bacillus species was overlooked. Therefore, we investigated the presence of eight enterotoxigenic genes, a hemolytic gene and phenotypic antibiotic resistance profiles of Bacillusspecies in retail meat samples. From 255 samples, 124 Bacillus isolates were recovered, 27 belonged to B. cereusand 97 were non-B. cereus species. Interestingly, the non-B. cereus isolates carried the virulence genes and exhibited phenotypic virulence characteristics as the B. cereus. However, correlation matrix analysis revealed the B. cereus group positively correlates with the presence of the genes hblA, hblC, and plc, and the detection of hemolysis (p \u3c 0.05), while the other Bacillus sp. groups are negatively correlated. Tests for antimicrobial resistance against ten antibiotics revealed extensive drug and multi-drug resistant isolates. Statistical analyses didn’t support a correlation of antibiotic resistance to tested virulence factors suggesting independence of these phenotypic markers and virulence genes. Of special interest was the isolation of Paenibacillus alvei and Geobacillus stearothermophilus from the imported meat samples being the first recorded. The isolation of non-B. cereus species carrying enterotoxigenic genes in meat within Egypt, suggests their impact on food safety and public health and should therefore not be minimised, posing an area that requires further research

Outdoor Residual Insecticide Spraying (ODRS), a new approach for the control of the exophilic vectors of human visceral Leishmaniasis : phlebotomus orientalis in East Africa

Background. Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) due to Leishmania donovani is a neglected protozoan parasitic disease in humans, which is usually fatal if untreated. Phlebotomus orientalis, the predominant VL vector in East Africa, is a highly exophilic/exophagic species that poses a major challenge to current Integrated Vector Management (IVM). Here we report results of pilot studies conducted in rural villages in Gedarif state, Sudan, to evaluate outdoor residual spraying of 20mg active ingredient (a.i.) /m2 deltamethrin insecticide applied to the characteristic household compound boundary reed fence and to the outside of household buildings (Outdoor Residual Insecticide Spraying, ODRS), and as an alternative, spraying restricted to the boundary fence only (Restricted Outdoor Residual Insecticide Spraying, RODRS). Methods. Four to six clusters of 20 households were assigned to insecticide treatments or control in three experiments. Changes in sand fly numbers were monitored over 2,033 trap-nights over 43-76 days follow-up in four sentinel houses per cluster relative to unsprayed control clusters. Sand fly numbers were monitored by sticky traps placed on the ground on the inside (“outdoor”) and the outside (“peridomestic”) of the boundary fence, and by CDC light traps suspended outdoors in the household compound. The effects of ODRS on sand fly numbers inside sleeping huts were monitored by insecticide knockdown. Results. After a single application, ODRS reduced P. orientalis abundance by 83%-99% in outdoor and peridomestic trap locations. ODRS also reduced numbers of P. orientalis found resting inside sleeping huts. RODRS reduced outdoor and peridomestic P. orientalis by 60%- 88%. By direct comparison, RODRS was 58%-100% as effective as ODRS depending on the trapping method. These impacts were immediate on intervention and persisted during follow-up, representing a large fraction of the P. orientalis activity season. Relative costs of ODRS and RODRS delivery were $5.76 and$3.48 per household, respectively. Conclusions. The study demonstrates the feasibility and high entomological efficacy of ODRS and RODRS, and the expected low costs relative to current IVM practises. These methods represent novel sand fly vector control tools against predominantly exophilic/exophagic sand fly vectors, aimed to lower VL burdens in Sudan, with potential application in other endemic regions in East Africa

CPU and RAM Energy-based SLA-aware Workload Consolidation Techniques for Clouds

Cloud computing offers hardware and software resources delivered as services. It provides solutions for dynamic as well as ‘‘pay as you go’’ provision of resources. Energy consumption of these resources is high which leads to higher operational costs and carbon emissions in data centers. A number of research studies have been conducted on energy efficiency of data centers, but most of them concentrate on single factor energy consumption, i.e., energy consumed by CPU only, and energy consumption by Random Access Memory (RAM) is neglected. However, recently the focus has been turned towards impact of energy consumption by RAM on data centers. Studies have shown that RAM consumes about 25% of joint energy consumed by a server’s CPU and RAM. In this paper, two energy-aware virtual machine (VM) consolidation schemes are proposed that take into account a server’s capacity in terms of CPU and RAM to reduce the overall energy consumption. The proposed schemes are compared with existing schemes using CloudSim simulator. The results show that the proposed schemes reduce the energy cost with improved Service Level Agreement (SLA)