Investigation of the Ameliorating Effect of Copper Albumin Complex on Lysyl oxidase in monosodium iodoacetate -Induced Knee Osteoarthritis in Rats

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common type of joint degeneration which causes progressive damage of the joint structure and has less therapeutic options. It has been found that oral consumption of Copper Albumin Complex as anti-inflammatory drug has a positive effect on the treatment of joint deterioration. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of oral administration of Copper Albumin Complex (cu-albumin complex) on Lysyl oxidase (LOX) which acts as a protective factor in KOA. Fifty adult albino rats were divided into 3 groups: negative control (10 normal rats); positive control (20 rats with KOA which left without induction treatment); and treated group (20 rats with KOA which treated with administration of copper albumin complex). Treated and untreated arthritic groups were subdivided equally into mild and severe groups (10 rats for each) according to the severity of clinical signs. KOA was induced by intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). At the experimental end, the joints were examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically after cervical dislocation of rats. It was observed that the treatment with CU- was effective in reducing disease severity and in improvement of Lysyl oxidase KOA. It was concluded that Copper albumin complex has a positive effect in the improvement of LOX of Knee joint cartilages of rats affected by osteoarthritis (OA)

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

DNA Computing: Challenges and Application

Much of our scientific, technological, and economic future depends on the availability of an ever-increasing supply of computational power. However, the increasing demand for such power has pushed electronic technology to the limit of physical feasibility and has raised the concern that this technology may not be able to sustain our growth in the near future. It became important to consider an alternative means of achieving computational power. In this regard, DNA computing was introduced based on the usage of DNA and molecular biology hardware instead of the typical silicon based technology. The molecular computers could take advantage of DNA's physical properties to store information and perform calculations. These include extremely dense information storage, enormous parallelism and extraordinary energy efficiency. One of the main advantages that DNA computations would add to computation is its self - parallel processing while most of the electronic computers now use linear processing. In this paper, the DNA computation is reviewed and its state of the art challenges and applications are presented. Some of these applications are those require fast processing, at which DNA computers would be able to solve the hardest problems faster than the traditional ones. For example, 10 trillion DNA molecules can fit in one cubic centimeter that would result in a computer that holds 10 terabytes of data. Moreover, this work focuses on whether a large scale molecular computer can be built

A Hybrid Extreme Gradient Boosting and Long Short-Term Memory Algorithm for Cyber Threats Detection

The vast amounts of data, lack of scalability, and low detection rates of traditional intrusion detection technologies make it impossible to keep up with evolving and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Therefore, there is an urgent need to detect and stop cyber threats early. Deep Learning has greatly improved intrusion detection due to its ability to self-learn and extract highly accurate features. In this paper, a Hybrid XG Boosted and Long Short-Term Memory algorithm (HXGBLSTM) is proposed. A comparative analysis is conducted between the computational performance of six established evolutionary computation algorithms and the recently developed bio-inspired metaheuristic algorithm called Zebra Optimisation Algorithm. These algorithms include the Particle Swarm Optimisation Algorithm, the Bio-inspired Algorithms, Bat Optimisation Algorithm, Firefly Optimisation Algorithm, and Monarch Butterfly Optimisation Algorithm, as well as the Genetic Algorithm as an Evolutionary Algorithm. The dimensionality curse has been mitigated by using these metaheuristic methods for feature selection, and the results are compared with the wrapper-based feature selection XGBoost algorithm. The proposed algorithm uses the CSE-CIC -IDS2018 dataset, which contains the latest network attacks. XGBoost outperformed the other FS algorithms and was used as the feature selection algorithm. In evaluating the effectiveness of the newly proposed HXGBLSTM, binary and multi-class classifications are considered. When comparing the performance of the proposed HXGBLSTM for cyber threat detection, it outperforms seven innovative deep learning algorithms for binary classification and four of them for multi-class classification. Other evaluation criteria such as recall, F1 score, and precision have been also used for comparison. The results showed that the best accuracy for binary classification is 99.8\%, with F1-score of 99.83\%, precision of 99.85\%, and recall of 99.82\%, in extensive and detailed experiments conducted on a real dataset. The best accuracy, F1-score, precision, and recall for multi-class classification were all around 100\%, which does give the proposed algorithm an advantage over the compared ones

Big Data and Cloud Computing: Trends and Challenges

Big data is currently one of the most critical emerging technologies. Big Data are used as a concept that refers to the inability of traditional data architectures to efficiently handle the new data sets. The 4V’s of big data – volume, velocity, variety and veracity makes the data management and analytics challenging for the traditional data warehouses. It is important to think of big data and analytics together. Big data is the term used to describe the recent explosion of different types of data from disparate sources. Analytics is about examining data to derive interesting and relevant trends and patterns, which can be used to inform decisions, optimize processes, and even drive new business models. Cloud computing seems to be a perfect vehicle for hosting big data workloads. However, working on big data in the cloud brings its own challenge of reconciling two contradictory design principles. Cloud computing is based on the concepts of consolidation and resource pooling, but big data systems (such as Hadoop) are built on the shared nothing principle, where each node is independent and selfsufficient. The integrating big data with cloud computing technologies, businesses and education institutes can have a better direction to the future. The capability to store large amounts of data in different forms and process it all at very large speeds will result in data that can guide businesses and education institutes in developing fast. Nevertheless, there is a large concern regarding privacy and security issues when moving to the cloud which is the main causes as to why businesses and educational institutes will not move to the cloud. This paper introduces the characteristics, trends and challenges of big data. In addition to that, it investigates the benefits and the risks that may rise out of the integration between big data and cloud computing

Leg elevation decreases the incidence of post-spinal hypotension in cesarean section: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Maternal hypotension is a common complication after spinal anesthesia for cesarean section (CS). In this study we investigated the role of leg elevation (LE) as a method for prevention of post-spinal hypotension (PSH) for cesarean section. Methods One hundred and fifty full term parturients scheduled for CS were included in the study. Patients were randomized into two groups: Group LE (leg elevation group, n = 75) and group C (Control group, n = 75). Spinal block was performed in sitting position after administration of 10 mL/Kg Ringer’s lactate as fluid preload. After successful intrathecal injection of local anesthetic, Patients were positioned in the supine position. Leg elevation was performed for LE group directly after spinal anesthesia and maintained till skin incision. Intraoperative hemodynamic parameters (Arterial blood pressure and heart rate), intra-operative ephedrine consumption, incidence of PSH, and incidence of nausea and vomiting were reported. Results LE group showed lower incidence of PSH (34.7% Vs 58.7%, P = 0.005) compared to the control group. Arterial blood pressure was higher in the LE group compared to the control group in the first two readings after spinal block. Other readings showed comparable arterial blood pressure and heart rate values between both study groups; however, LE showed less ephedrine consumption (4.9 ± 7.8 mg Vs 10 ± 11 mg, P = 0.001). Conclusion LE performed immediately after spinal block reduced the incidence of PSH in parturients undergoing CS. Trial registration The study was registered at Pan African Clinical Trials Registry system on 5/10/2015 with trial number PACTR201510001295348

Loaded Functional Strength Training versus Traditional Physical Therapy on Hip and Knee Extensors Strength and Function Walking Capacity in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: Randomized Comparative Study

Objective: This study&rsquo;s objective was to see how loaded functional strengthening exercises using a plantigrade foot position and a shoe supporter affected muscle strength and walking ability in spastic hemiplegic children. Methods: Seventy-two children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy, both sexes, aged ten to twelve years, were randomly assigned into two groups equal in number (control and intervention groups). The control group received a specially designed physical therapy program, whereas the intervention group received a loaded functional strengthening exercises program using a shoe supporter to maintain a plantigrade foot position. The training program was carried out for 60 min, three times per week for three consecutive months. All participants were evaluated both before and after the therapy program by using a Medical Commander Echo Manual Muscle Tester dynamometer to assess isometric muscle power of hip and knee extensors on the affected side. To assess functional walking capacity, a 6 min walking (6MWT) test was used. Results: Study groups were comparable with respect to all outcome measures at entry (p &gt; 0.05). Within-group comparison showed significant improvements in all measured variables. Furthermore, between-group comparison revealed significantly greater improvements (p &lt; 0.05) in hip and knee extensors strength as well as the functional walking capacity in favor of the intervention group. Conclusions: In all the analyzed variables, loaded functional strength exercises from the plantigrade foot position were found to be considerably more effective in the intervention group than in the control group

Hemodynamic effects of lateral tilt before and after spinal anesthesia during cesarean delivery: an observational study

Abstract Background Post-spinal hypotension is a common maternal complication during cesarean delivery. Aortocaval compression by the gravid uterus has been assumed as a precipitating factor for post-spinal hypotension. The role of left lateral tilting position in improving maternal cardiac output after subarachnoid block (SAB) is unclear. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of left lateral tilting on maternal hemodynamics after SAB. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted including 105 full term pregnant women scheduled for cesarean delivery. Mean arterial pressure, heart rate, cardiac output (measured by electrical cardiometry), stroke volume, and systemic vascular resistance were recorded in three positions (supine, 150, and 300 left lateral positions) before SAB, after SAB, and after delivery of the fetus. Results Before SAB, no significant hemodynamic changes were reported with left lateral tilting. A significant decrease was reported in mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, stroke volume, and systemic vascular resistance after SAB (in supine position). When performing left lateral tilting, there was an increase in cardiac output, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure. No difference was reported between the two tilt angles (150 and 300). Conclusions Changing position of full term pregnant woman after SAB from supine to left lateral tilted position results increased cardiac output and mean arterial pressure. There is no difference between the two tilt angles (150 and 300). Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT02828176 ) retrospectively registered