Relation between Interleukin 8 and Bronchial Asthma in Children: Review Article

Background: Asthma is a frequent respiratory condition to treat. A persistent airway inflammation characterizes this frequent form of pulmonary disease. Immune responses are triggered by cytokines and chemokines produced by airway epithelial cells. Human bronchial epithelial cells secrete IL-8 in response to the presence of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13, both of which are increased in asthmatics. There are two receptors for IL-8, the IL-8 receptor alpha (also known as CXCR1) and beta (also known as the IL-8 RB, CXCR2). IL8 is a potent chemotactic cytokine that activates inflammatory cells by recruiting mast cells, mononuclear phagocytes T lymphocytes, and neutrophils to the site of inflammation. Objective: To determine the relationship between IL8 and bronchial asthma in children. Conclusion: The assessment of IL8 levels in pediatric asthmatic patients is a useful biomarker reflecting the status of asthma and also to glucocorticoids and treatment responses

Polymorphism RS2227306 in the Interleukin 8 gene and its relation to bronchial asthma: Review article

Background: Allergy symptoms such as wheezing, breathlessness, and coughing are all symptoms of asthma, which is a long-term respiratory condition characterized by inflammation and reversible airway blockage. If you're a child or young adult, asthma is the most common long-term condition, with more severe symptoms. The CXC chemokine superfamily includes the Interleukin 8 (IL-8) chemokine. T lymphocytes, neutrophils, and mast cells are all chemotactic cytokines that IL-8 attracts in the body. A polymorphism in the promoter region of IL-8 - 781C/T (rs2227306) has been found to be associated with an elevated level of the cytokine IL-8. There is a gene in the first intron of the IL-8 - 781C/T (rs2227306) that has been reported to aid in both gene transcription and gene regulation.Objective: The aim of the present review was to study polymorphism RS2227306 in the interleukin 8 gene and its relation to bronchial asthma.Conclusion: IL8 polymorphism rs2227306 has the potential to be utilized as a marker in interpretation of assessment of severity of asthma

Rapid photocatalytic degradation of phenol from water using composite nanofibers under UV

Background The removal of phenol from aqueous solution via photocatalytic degradation has been recognized as an environmentally friendly technique for generating clean water. The composite nanofibers containing PAN polymer, CNT, and TiO$_{2}$ NPs were successfully prepared via electrospinning method. The prepared photocatalyst is characterized by SEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy. Different parameters are studied such as catalyst amount, the effect of pH, phenol concentration, photodegradation mechanism, flow rate, and stability of the composite nanofiber to evaluate the highest efficiency of the photocatalyst. Results The composite nanofibers showed the highest photodegradation performance for the removal of phenol using UV light within 7 min. The pH has a major effect on the photodegradation of phenol with its maximum performance being at pH 5. Conclusions Given the stability and flexibility of the composite nanofibers, their use in a dynamic filtration is possible and can be even reused after several cycles

Artificial Neural Network for Predicting COVID 19 Using JNN

Abstract: The emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2019 has presented the world with an unprecedented global health crisis. The rapid and widespread transmission of the virus has strained healthcare systems, disrupted economies, and challenged societies. In response to this monumental challenge, the intersection of technology and healthcare has become a focal point for innovation. This research endeavors to leverage the capabilities of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to develop an advanced predictive model for forecasting the spread of COVID-19. It involves the collection, analysis, and integration of diverse datasets encompassing epidemiological, clinical, and social factors that influence the virus's dissemination

Effect of Aromatase Inhibitor Letrozole on the Placenta of Adult Albino Rats: A Histopathological, Immunohistochemical, and Biochemical Study

Background: Letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, has recently been introduced as the preferred treatment option for ectopic pregnancy. To date, no study has investigated the effect of letrozole alone on placental tissue. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of different doses of letrozole on the placenta of rats and to clarify the underlying mechanism. Methods: Sixty pregnant female rats were equally divided into three groups, namely the control group (GI), low-dose (0.5 mg/Kg/day) letrozole group (GII), which is equivalent to the human daily dose (HED) of 5 mg, and high-dose (1 mg/Kg/day) letrozole group (GIII), equivalent to the HED of 10 mg. Letrozole was administered by oral gavage daily from day 6 to 16 of gestation. Data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s post hoc test and Chi square test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Compared to the GI and GII groups, high-dose letrozole significantly increased embryonic mortality with a high post-implantation loss rate (P<0.001) and significantly reduced the number of viable fetuses (P<0.001) and placental weight (P<0.001) of pregnant rats. Moreover, it significantly reduced placental estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) (P<0.001) and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (P<0.001), while increasing the apoptotic index of cleaved caspase-3 (P<0.001).Conclusion: Letrozole inhibited the expression of ER and PR in rat placenta. It interrupted stimulatory vascular signals causing significant apoptosis and placental vascular dysfunction. Letrozole in an equivalent human daily dose of 10 mg caused a high post-implantation loss rate without imposing severe side effects

Evaluation of Some Prognostic Biomarkers in Human Papillomavirus-Related Multiphenotypic Sinonasal Carcinoma

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related multi phenotypic sinonasal carcinoma (HMSC) is a recently described tumor subtype with an unknown prognosis, often misdiagnosed with other sinonasal carcinomas, and associated with high-risk HPV (HR-HPV). The present study aimed to evaluate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX), epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR), ProEx™C, and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and assess their association with survival and clinicopathological characteristics.Methods: Between 2017 and 2022, 40 HMSC patients underwent surgical resection at the School of Medicine, Zagazig University Hospitals (Zagazig, Egypt). Tissue samples were examined for the presence of HR-HPV; absence of myeloblastosis (MYB), MYB proto-oncogene like 1 (MYBL1), and nuclear factor I/B (NFIB) fusions and the presence of myoepithelial proteins (calponin, S100, SMA), squamous differentiation markers (p63, p40, calponin), VEGF, BAX, ProEx™C, and hTERT by immunohistochemistry. All patients were followed up for about 54 months until death or the last known survival data. Data were analyzed using the Chi square test and Kaplan-Meier method.Results: The expression of VEGF, hTERT, and ProEx™C was significantly associated with age, advanced tumor stages, lymph node metastasis, tumor size, mortality, relapse, poor disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) (P<0.001). BAX expression was significantly associated with tumor size, age, poor DFS, and relapse (P=0.01, P<0.001, P=0.035, and P=0.002, respectively). Conclusion: HMSC is strongly associated with HR-HPV. The expression of VEGF, EGFR, BAX, hTERT, and ProEx™C is associated with aggressive malignant behavior, poor survival, and poor prognosis, making them novel prognostic biomarkers for targeted therapeutics in HMSC

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

On-line coupling of derivatization with pre-concentration to determine trace levels of methotrexate

A new simple, sensitive and precise green analytical procedure using an automated packed-reactor derivatization technique coupled with on-line solid-phase enrichment (SPEn) has been developed and evaluated to determine trace levels of methotrexate (MTX). The method was based on injection of MTX into a flowing stream of phosphate buffer (0.04 M, pH 3.4), carried through the packed oxidant reactor of Cerium (IV) trihydroxyhydroperoxide for oxidative cleavage of the drug into highly fluorescent product, 2,4-diaminopteridine-6-carboxylic acid, followed by SPEn on a head of short ODS column (10 mmÃ4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size). The flow rate was 0.25 mL/min and packed reactor temperature was 40 °C. The trapped product was back-flush eluted from the ODS column to the detector by column-switching with an environmentally friendly mobile phase consisting of ethanol and phosphate buffer (0.04 M, pH 3.4) in the ratio of 5:95 (v/v). The eluent was monitored at emission and excitation wavelengths of 460 and 360 nm, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 1.25â50 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.08 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied to determine MTX in pharmaceutical formulations with mean percentage recovery ranging from 99.48 to 99.60. Keywords: Methotrexate, Flow injection analysis, Cerium (IV) trihydroxyhydroperoxide, On-line solid-phase enrichment, Fluorescence detectio

Role of Circ-ITCH Gene Polymorphisms and Its Expression in Breast Cancer Susceptibility and Prognosis

Introduction/Objective: Breast cancer (BC) is the first leading cause of cancer-related mortality in females worldwide. We have investigated the correlation between circ-ITCH gene polymorphisms, circ-ITCH expression, and their effect on β-catenin levels and BC development. Methods: Participants included 62 BC and 62 controls matched in terms of age. The circ-ITCH polymorphisms rs10485505 and rs4911154 were genotyped using whole blood samples. In addition, mRNA expression analysis of circ-ITCH was performed on BC tissues. The β-catenin levels in serum samples were measured using ELISA. Results: The qRT-PCR results demonstrated that circ-ITCH was significantly downregulated in BC compared to normal healthy tissues. The genotype distribution of rs10485505 and rs4911154 were significantly associated with BC risk. For rs10485505, genotype CT and TT were significantly associated with an increased BC risk. In contrast, there was a significant association between rs4911154, genotypes GA and AA, and an increased BC risk. Regarding the rs10485505 genotype, carriers of the T allele frequently have a poor prognosis compared to carriers of the CC genotype. Serum β-catenin in the BC patients’ group was significantly higher than in the control group. The relative expression levels of circ-ITCH were remarkably decreased in the BC samples of patients carrying the A allele at rs4911154 compared to patients with a GG genotype. Conversely, β-catenin protein levels were increased in patients carrying the A allele, while rs10485505 genotype carriers of the CT and TT genotypes showed downregulation of circ-ITCH expression fold compared to the CC genotype. Contrarily, β-catenin levels markedly increased in TT and CT genotypes compared with the CC genotype. Conclusions: Our research showed that the rs10485505 polymorphism (T allele) and the rs4911154 polymorphism (A allele) are associated with the risk and prognosis of BC. This finding may be due to the effect on the level of circ-ITCH mRNA expression in BC tissues as well as the level of β-catenin in BC patients