Discovery and Validation of New Regulatory RNA Elements in Chlamydia trachomatis

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that exhibits a unique biphasic developmental cycle that can be disrupted by growth in the presence of IFN-g and b-lactams, giving rise to an abnormal growth state termed persistence. Relatively little is known about the regulatory mechanisms that control temporal gene expression during the developmental cycle or the control of persistence and reactivation. Here we have examined the expression of a newly defined family of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that are differentially expressed during the developmental cycle and the induction of persistence and reactivation (Using IFNγ and Carbenicillin). Non-coding RNAs were initially identified using an intergenic tiling microarray and were confirmed by Northern blotting. A group of 10 ncRNAs were mapped and characterized and compared to the previously described chlamydial ncRNAs (IhtA, pCHL antisense transcripts). The 5’ and 3’ ends of the ncRNAs were determined using an RNA circularization procedure. Promoter predictions indicated that all ncRNAs were expressed from s66 promoters and 9 ncRNAs contained non-templated 3’ poly-A or poly-AG additions. Expression of ncRNAs was studied by Northern blotting during i) the normal developmental cycle, ii) IFN-g-induced persistence, and iii) carbenicillin-induced persistence. Differential temporal expression during the developmental cycle was seen for all ncRNAs and distinct differences in expression were seen during IFN-g and carbenicillin-induced persistence and reactivation. Two of the studied ncRNAs were cis acting antisense molecules (CTIG270 and CTIG153). Expression of CTIG270 in a surrogate E. coli system along with its target gene ftsI proved that it was an antisense RNA, and it effectively controlled ftsI availability. A screening system was developed to determine the targets of potential trans-acting ncRNAs. The screen was composed of two compatible plasmids, a high copy effector plasmid expressing the ncRNA and a low/medium copy target plasmid expressing chlamydial library. Target plasmid contained translational fusion between chlamydial library and a positive/negative selection fusion system (ccdB/CAT fusion/TEV protease). The selection process to identify potential targets for ncRNAs was carried out over two stages. Stage one was to eliminate self ligated plasmids and non translational fusions, in this phase, only CAT+ ccdB resistant cells survived chloramphenicol selection i.e. cells representing true translational fusions survived antibiotic selection. Plasmids enriched for by stage one selection were subjected to stage two selection. In stage two ccdB sensitive cells were double transformed with both target plasmid and effector plasmid. Only in instances when ncRNA inhibits translation of ccdB would cells survive this selection. Stage two selection enriched for target(s) of ncRNA under test. We show in details the construction of this screening system and its functional aspect

Redo mitral valve replacement for initially rheumatic heart disease: In-hospital outcomes and operative risk prediction

Background: Redo mitral valve replacement (redo-MVR) remains a challenge despite advances in surgical techniques. Little is known about the outcomes of redo-MVR in patients with rheumatic heart disease. We aimed To evaluate the in-hospital outcomes and associated risk factors for mortality and morbidity after re-operative mitral valve replacement in patients with initial rheumatic heart disease. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 214 patients, 96 males (44.9%) and 118 females (55.1%), who underwent redo-MVR between January 2015 and December 2020. The mean age was 41.87±11.7 years. European Heart Surgery Risk Assessment System II (EuroSCORE II), Age, Creatinine, Ejection Fraction (ACEF) scores were used for risk stratification. The primary endpoints were in-hospital mortality, major morbidity (renal failure, prolonged ventilation, stroke, reoperation, or deep sternal wound infection), and the composite outcome of mortality and/or morbidity). Results: Major morbidities occurred in 31.8% of patients, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 19.6%. Predictors of mortality were New York Heart Association class (NYHA) III/IV (OR: 5.4; p˂ 0.001), cardiogenic shock (OR: 13.74, p˂0.001), low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (OR: 4.36; p= 0.01), and perioperative intra-aortic balloon pump (OR: 6.79; p= 0.01). The significant predictors of mortality and/or major morbidity were NYHA III/IV (OR: 2.39; p˂0.001), low LVEF (OR: 4.44; p= 0.001), active endocarditis (OR: 2.4; p=0.04), and perioperative IABP (OR: 3.88; p= 0.045). EuroSCORE II had better accuracy than the ACEF score to predict adverse outcomes (AUC: 0.70 [95% CI: 0.63-0.78] versus 0.58 [95% CI: 0.50-0.66], p= 0.01) . Conclusion: Advanced NYHA class and low LVEF could be associated with poor outcomes after redo-MVR in patients with primary surgery for rheumatic mitral valve disease. EuroSCORE II is a helpful tool for risk stratification during redo-MVR

The Role of Architecture and Urbanization in Developing the Capabilities of Government Housing Users (Case study: Al Mahrousa Project 1,2)

extract : The role of architecture and urbanism in developing the capabilities and capabilities of government housing users ..The Egyptian state is making great efforts to establish new urban communities aimed at serving citizens and meeting the needs of society from the increasing demand for housing and basic services and the re-exploitation of available resources to provide adequate housing. Due to the growing interest in establishing development projects for social housing, there are still problems that affect the success and sustainability of these projects, especially in the absence of cultural awareness and discipline concepts among its residents. Therefore, it has become necessary to pay attention to management curricula after implementation while providing awareness programs for the people to support the desired sustainable development.This is done by understanding the needs of the users of these projects, their cultural, social and economic backgrounds and their financial capabilities. The most common problem is that the new residential areas for low-income people are located in places far from the means of livelihood, and therefore the high cost of transportation becomes an obstacle to these families, as well as what these families suffer from. Families from the collapse of societal ties with the surrounding areas and the occurrence of social imbalance, and the high cost of the current basic services in the new residential areas is in turn a major concern.And then the research deals with the development of a more effective framework for policies and directions to deal with these problems using architectural facilities that aim to develop and develop the cultural, economic and social concepts of the population and meet their material and moral needs through these projects in general and Al Mahrousa project 1 and 2 in particular, by identifying the The segment of the population of government projects, and working to exploit the urban and architectural spaces to benefit from them in the work of architectural programs aimed at developing the capabilities and tools of the residents of these projects

The impacts of substance abuse and dependence on neuropsychological functions in a sample of patients from Saudi Arabia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A lot of studies were directed to explore the relation between drug abuse and neuropsychological functions. Some studies reported that even after a long duration of disappearance of withdrawal or intoxication symptoms, many patients have obvious deterioration of cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the substance use disorders and the executive functions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two groups were selected for this study. An experimental group consisted of 154 patients and further subdivided according to the substance used into three different subgroups: opioid, amphetamine and alcohol groups which included 49, 56 and 49 patients respectively. The control group was selected matching the experimental group in the demographic characteristics and included 100 healthy persons. Tools used were: Benton visual retention tests, color trail making test, Stroop colors-word test, symbol digit modalities test, the five dots cognitive flexibility test, and TAM verbal flexibility test. All the data were subjected to statistical analysis</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study showed that the group of drug-dependent subjects performed significantly worse than the comparison group on all measures Also, there were significant differences among the subgroups as the alcoholic group was much worse followed by the amphetamine then the opioids groups. Patients with longer duration of dependence and multiple hospital readmissions were much worse in comparison to patients with shorter duration of dependence and less readmission.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study confirmed that the functions of specific brain regions underlying cognitive control are significantly impaired in patients of drug addiction. This impairment was significantly related to type of substance, duration of use and number of hospitalization and may contribute to most of behavioral disturbances found in addicts and need much attention during tailoring of treatment programs.</p

Urbanization of Egyptian Universities as One of the Factors of the Legal Personality of Universities and its Impact on the Quality of Education and Study Environment (Case study: Helwan University).

Universities are the path to progress, urbanization and comprehensive development, and the pulse and artery of countries, and they have a major role in serving the community and forming youth awareness. And universities, with their human components represented by faculty members, leaders and students, in addition to their physical components represented in their educational buildings and urban spaces, are among the most important elements and factors that greatly affect the personalities and capabilities of their users, especially the youth category.Studies and research have proven that there is a close relationship between the nature of the university environment and students’ behavior, achievement and attitudes towards study. Perhaps one of the most influential urban spaces on students is the external spaces of the university campus, where community activities and their actual needs overlap.Despite the presence of many universities in important locations within the Egyptian cities, it is spent on these universities annually under the terms of maintenance and raising efficiency and development from the government budget, but these universities lack in most of them the legal architectural personality that characterizes each of them.Therefore, the research aims to identify the urban problems in Egyptian universities, and studying the impact of the urban design of the university on the quality of education, the study environment and the personality of the student, with an attempt to make a study of the needs and activities of the users, including students and faculty, and taking Helwan University as a study sample and extracting the results of the study, which can then be generalized and applied to Egyptian universities

Primer Informe de Bacterias Endofíticas Aisladas de Senecio glaucus L., Egipto

Microorganisms are naturally associated with plants in several ways. The study was conducted to isolate bacteria endophytes from the internal cells of roots, stems, leaves, and capitula of Senecio glaucus collected from 2 diverse (coastal and desert) habitats in Egypt. A total of 10 endophytic bacteria were obtained from the isolation; the highest diversity of bacterial endophytes was observed in desert samples roots and leaves. The isolates were recognized based on morphology, biochemical and 16S rRNA sequence genes. All isolates indicated the ability for enzyme production as amylase, cellulase, lipase, catalase, and protease in their biochemical descriptions; analyses also gave a significant indication of their potential to produce plant growth hormones, as their ability to dissolve Phosphate. In the world and Egypt, we are the first to report bacterial endophytes isolated from Senecio glaucus. This study could aid in determining the role of endophytic bacteria in severe habitats, as well as their potential applications in medicine, bioremediation, agriculture, and industry.Los microorganismos están naturalmente asociados con las plantas. El presente experimento se llevó a cabo para aislar bacterias endófitas de las células internas de raíces, tallos, hojas y Tejido capitulear de Senecio glaucus recolectadas en 2 hábitats diversos (costeros y desérticos) de Egipto. Del aislamiento se obtuvieron un total de 10 bacterias endófitas; la mayor diversidad de endófitos bacterianos se observó en raíces y hojas de muestras del desierto. Los aislamientos se reconocieron con base en la morfología, la bioquímica y los genes de la secuencia del ARNr 16S. Todos estos aislados indican la capacidad de producir enzimas como amilasa, celulasa, lipasa, catalasa y proteasa en sus descripciones bioquímicas; los análisis también mostraron una indicación significativa de su potencial para producir hormonas de crecimiento vegetal; como su capacidad para disolver el fosfato. En el mundo y en Egipto, somos los primeros en reportar endófitos bacterianos aislados de Senecio glaucus. Este estudio podría ayudar a determinar el papel de las bacterias endófitas en hábitats severos, así como sus posibles aplicaciones en medicina, biorremediación, agricultura e industria

USING MOBILE AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGIES IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

Effective applied research is based on close collaboration between research and industry. The teaching and learning methods used for decades in Architectural learning process should be reviewed taking into account habits of learning and the existing challenges provided by contemporary information technologies for a new generation of students. This paper introduces a pilot study based on using Augmented Reality (AR) as a new tool in architectural learning process. AR is an emerging technology which enables participants to interact with digital information embedded within the physical environment. Egyptian educational architectural institutions today are largely unaware of new concepts such as Augmented Reality opportunities for architectural practice, and the prototypes that are being developed by researchers worldwide. The paper goal is to present how it is very helpful to use such new advanced technology in architectural learning process. Testing its possibilities for graphical and spatial capabilities and recognition improvements for the first year architectural students in the Building Construction course, at the Department of Architecture, Menoufia University, Egypt. The case study was applied at the first semester of the academic year of 2015-2016

Factors affecting mental fitness for work in a sample of mentally ill patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mental fitness for work is the ability of workers to perform their work without risks for themselves or others. Mental fitness was a neglected area of practice and research. Mental ill health at work seems to be rising as a cause of disablement. Psychiatrists who may have had no experience in relating mental health to working conditions are increasingly being asked to undertake these examinations. This research was done to explore the relationship of mental ill health and fitness to work and to recognize the differences between fit and unfit mentally ill patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study was cross sectional one. All cases referred to Al-Amal complex for assessment of mental fitness during a period of 12 months were included. Data collected included demographic and clinical characteristics, characteristics of the work environment and data about performance at work. All data was subjected to statistical analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Total number of cases was 116, the mean age was 34.5 ± 1.4. Females were 35.3% of cases. The highly educated patients constitute 50.8% of cases. The decision of the committee was fit for regular work for 52.5%, unfit for 19.8% and modified work for 27.7%. The decision was appreciated only by 29.3% of cases. There were significant differences between fit, unfit and modified work groups. The fit group had higher level of education, less duration of illness, and better performance at work. Patients of the modified work group had more physical hazards in work environment and had more work shift and more frequent diagnosis of substance abuse. The unfit group had more duration of illness, more frequent hospitalizations, less productivity, and more diagnosis of schizophrenia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There are many factors affecting the mental fitness the most important are the characteristics of work environment and the most serious is the overall safety of patient to self and others. A lot of ethical and legal issues should be kept in mind during such assessment as patient's rights, society's rights, and the laws applied to unfit people.</p

Thermoelastic Stresses Alleviation for Two-Dimensional Functionally Graded Cylinders Under Asymmetric Loading

Open Access via the Taylor and Francis Agreement Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Peer reviewedPublisher PD