Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Patients with Androgenetic Alopecia: Could the Monocyte/HDL Ratio Be the Link?

Introduction: Both Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) shared the microinflammatory milieu and increased oxidative stress as important criteria in pathogenesis.   Objectives: To assess the monocyte/High density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (MHR) in patients with AGA and its correlation to AMD in these patients, if any. Methods: 40 patients with AGA aged 40 years or more of both sexes and 40 control subjects participated in this case-control study. General, dermatological, and ophthalmologic examination, MHR evaluation and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed. Results: The mean MHR was significantly higher in AGA patients (6.98 ± 2.21) than controls (3.82 ± 0.68) (p<0.001). AMD was significantly higher in patients than control (p <0.001). 80% of patients were diagnosed with AMD vs 20% of control subjects. Presence of AMD in AGA was significantly related to the degree of severity of AGA in male patients (P= 0.02). MHR was significantly higher in AGA patients found to have AMD (9.37 ± 1.1 and 7.01 ± 1.42 in wet and dry type respectively) than those without AMD (P<0.001). The best cutoff value of MHR in prediction of wet type among patients of AGA is ≥8.2337 with overall accuracy 80%. While the best cutoff value of MHR in prediction of dry type among AGA patients is ≥4.1408 to <8.2337 with overall accuracy 86.7%. Conclusion: AMD may develop more frequently in those with AGA, and this may correspond with the disease's severity. MHR seems to be a missing link between both conditions

Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance trends of Acinetobacter species in the United Arab Emirates: a retrospective analysis of 12 years of national AMR surveillance data

Introduction: Acinetobacter spp., in particular A. baumannii, are opportunistic pathogens linked to nosocomial pneumonia (particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia), central-line catheter-associated blood stream infections, meningitis, urinary tract infections, surgical-site infections, and other types of wound infections. A. baumannii is able to acquire or upregulate various resistance determinants, making it frequently multidrug-resistant, and contributing to increased mortality and morbidity. Data on the epidemiology, levels, and trends of antimicrobial resistance of Acinetobacter spp. in clinical settings is scarce in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions. Methods: A retrospective 12-year analysis of 17,564 non-duplicate diagnostic Acinetobacter spp. isolates from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was conducted. Data was generated at 317 surveillance sites by routine patient care during 2010-2021, collected by trained personnel and reported by participating surveillance sites to the UAE National AMR Surveillance program. Data analysis was conducted with WHONET. Results: Species belonging to the A. calcoaceticus-baumannii complex were mostly reported (86.7%). They were most commonly isolated from urine (32.9%), sputum (29.0%), and soft tissue (25.1%). Resistance trends to antibiotics from different classes during the surveillance period showed a decreasing trend. Specifically, there was a significant decrease in resistance to imipenem, meropenem, and amikacin. Resistance was lowest among Acinetobacter species to both colistin and tigecycline. The percentages of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and possibly extensively drug-resistant (XDR) isolates was reduced by almost half between the beginning of the study in 2010 and its culmination in 2021. Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. (CRAB) was associated with a higher mortality (RR: 5.7), a higher admission to ICU (RR 3.3), and an increased length of stay (LOS; 13 excess inpatient days per CRAB case), as compared to Carbapenem-susceptible Acinetobacter spp. Conclusion: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. are associated with poorer clinical outcomes, and higher associated costs, as compared to carbapenem-susceptible Acinetobacter spp. A decreasing trend of MDR Acinetobacter spp., as well as resistance to all antibiotic classes under surveillance was observed during 2010 to 2021. Further studies are needed to explore the reasons and underlying factors leading to this remarkable decrease of resistance over time

Novel 1,2,3-Triazole Derivatives as Antimicrobial Agents

2-Substituted benzimidazoles 3a-c was prepared via condensation of ethyl pyruvates 2a-c with 2-phenylenediamine in glacial acetic acid. Pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives 5 and 8 were prepared via cyclocondensation of compounds 3a,b with phosphorus oxychloride or acetic anhydride in presence of sodium acetate respectively. Reactivity of pyruvate 2 towards 2-aminophenol, hydroxylamine and cyanothioacetamide was also investigated. They exhibited potent antimicrobial activity comparable to clinical drugs such as ciprofloxacin and ketoconazole. Compounds 3a, 11 and 13 showed excellent antimicrobial activity against all the tested microbes, and Compound 11 showed lower MIC values against all the tested organisms

Novel Antimicrobial Agents: Fluorinated 2-(3-(Benzofuran-2-yl) pyrazol-1-yl)thiazoles

A new series of 2-pyrazolin-1-ylthiazoles 8a–d and 13–16 was synthesized by cyclization of N-thiocarboxamide-2-pyrazoline with different haloketones and 2,3-dichloroquinoxaline. The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by elemental analyses as well as NMR, IR, and mass spectral data. The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities, and also their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against most of test organisms was performed. Amongst the tested ones, compound 8c displayed excellent antimicrobial activity

The Effective Role of Nano-Silicon Application in Improving the Productivity and Quality of Grafted Tomato Grown under Salinity Stress

This study aims to determine the influence of grafting and nano-silicon fertilizer on the growth and production of tomatoes (Solanumlycopersicum L.) under salinity conditions. A commercial tomato hybrid (cv. Strain B) was used as a scion and two tomato phenotypes were used as rootstocks: S. pimpinellifolium and Edkawy. The rootstock effect was evaluated by growing plants at two NaCl concentrations plus the control (0, 4000, and 8000 ppm NaCl). Nano-silicon foliar application (0.5 ppm) after 20, 28, and 36 days from transplanting was also used to mitigate salinity stress. Antioxidants, hormones, and proline were evaluated for a better understanding of the physiological changes induced by salinity and grafting. The results showed that grafting either on S. pimpinellifolium or Edkawy combined with nano-silicon application enhanced shoot and root growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality. The Edkawy rootstock was more effective than the S. pimpinellifolium rootstock in terms of counteracting the negative effect of salinity. Higher levels of mineral contents, GA3, ABA, and proline were detected in shoots that were subjected to grafting and nano-silicon application compared to the control treatment. This study indicates that grafting and nano-silicon application hold potential as alternative techniques to mitigate salt stress in commercial tomato cultivars

The Effective Role of Nano-Silicon Application in Improving the Productivity and Quality of Grafted Tomato Grown under Salinity Stress

This study aims to determine the influence of grafting and nano-silicon fertilizer on the growth and production of tomatoes (Solanumlycopersicum L.) under salinity conditions. A commercial tomato hybrid (cv. Strain B) was used as a scion and two tomato phenotypes were used as rootstocks: S. pimpinellifolium and Edkawy. The rootstock effect was evaluated by growing plants at two NaCl concentrations plus the control (0, 4000, and 8000 ppm NaCl). Nano-silicon foliar application (0.5 ppm) after 20, 28, and 36 days from transplanting was also used to mitigate salinity stress. Antioxidants, hormones, and proline were evaluated for a better understanding of the physiological changes induced by salinity and grafting. The results showed that grafting either on S. pimpinellifolium or Edkawy combined with nano-silicon application enhanced shoot and root growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality. The Edkawy rootstock was more effective than the S.&nbsp;pimpinellifolium rootstock in terms of counteracting the negative effect of salinity. Higher levels of mineral contents, GA3, ABA, and proline were detected in shoots that were subjected to grafting and nano-silicon application compared to the control treatment. This study indicates that grafting and nano-silicon application hold potential as alternative techniques to mitigate salt stress in commercial tomato cultivars

Early hemodynamic and neurohormonal response after transcatheter aortic valve implantation

The conventional surgical aortic bioprostheses used for treatment of aortic stenosis (AS) are inherently stenotic in nature. The more favorable mechanical profile of the Medtronic CoreValve bioprosthesis may translate into a better hemodynamic and neurohormonal response

Potential use of cowpea protein hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in broiler chickens: effects on growth, intestinal morphology, muscle lipid profile, and immune status

In the current study, we tested the effects of dietary cowpea protein hydrolysate (CPH) on broilers’ growth, carcase traits, intestinal histomorphology, The fatty acid profile of breast muscle, blood biochemical parameters, and immune status. Three-day age male Ross-308 broilers (n = 300, average weight 86.72 g ± 0.20) were distributed into five groups and fed on five diets supplied with five levels of CPH at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 g kg−1 for 35 days. The results revealed that dietary CPH did not change (P  0.05) changes in response to dietary CPH. Moreover, the dietary CPH levels 4–8 g kg−1 upregulated the immunostaining of IgG in the spleen of these groups. These findings suggested that including CPH in broiler diets could be an effective candidate for modulating the chickens’ metabolic and immune status; however, it had no increased effect on broiler growth

Pathology, bacteriology and molecular studies on caseous lymphadenitis in Camelus dromedarius in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2015-2020.

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) or pseudotuberculosis is a chronic zoonotic bacterial disease caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, which affects livestock and humans. This study aimed to describe the pathology, bacteriology and confirm the identity of the pathogen by 16S rRNA gene sequencing in Camelus dromedarius. A total of 12 camels with suspected CLA in three regions of Abu Dhabi Emirate (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra), United Arab Emirate (UAE) were subjected to clinical and postmortem examinations from January 2015 to December 2020. Clinically, camels were emaciated and showed the presence of external caseous abscesses suggestive of CLA. Postmortem examination showed multiple abscesses of variable sizes with caseous material encapsulated by fibrous tissue in the liver, lungs, muscle, and lymph nodes. Following clinical and postmortem examination, blood, pus and different tissue samples were collected for subsequent analysis. Histopathological examination of all organs stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) indicated a central caseo-necrotic core that was admixed with bacterial colonies and infiltration of chronic inflammatory cells, surrounded by a pyogenic membrane, and an outer fibrous connective tissue capsule. Bacterial culture identified the isolates of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biotype ovis strain, and these isolates were shown to be sensitive to all antibiotics tested (penicillin, ampicillin, Co-trimoxazole, enrofloxacin and tetracycline). Moreover, the identity of the isolates was confirmed by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene which showed a 100% identity to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence clearly differentiates Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis from other species of Corynebacterium. Briefly, this study provided the basic information for infection of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in Camels and will help in controlling of this pathogen in the region