Quality control of sputum microscopic examinations for acid fast bacilli in southern Ethiopia

No Abstract.Ethiopian Journal of Health Development Vol. 19 (2) 2005: 104-10

Comparison of HemoCue® hemoglobin-meter and automated hematology analyzer in measurement of hemoglobin levels in pregnant women at Khartoum hospital, Sudan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Assessment of hemoglobin is one of the most reliable indicators for anemia, and is widely used to screen for anemia among pregnant women. The HemoCue^®has been widely used for as a point-of-care device for hemoglobin estimation in health facilities. Previous studies showed contradictory results regarding the accuracy of HemoCue^®.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a hospital-based cross sectional study carried- out among pregnant women at Khartoum hospital in Sudan to find out whether the measurement of hemoglobin concentration by HemoCue^®using venous or capillary samples was comparable to that of the automated hematology analyzer as standard. Bland and Altman method was used to compare the measurements with an acceptable difference of ± 1.0 g/dl.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the 108 subjects in this study the mean (SD) level of hemoglobin level using HemoCue^®venous sample, HemoCue^®capillary sample and automated hematology analyzer were 12.70 (1.77), 12.87 (2.04) and 11.53 (1.63) g/dl, respectively. Although the correlations between the measurements were all significant there was no agreement between HemoCue^®and automated hematology analyzer. The bias + SD (limits of agreement) for HemoCue^®venous versus hematology analyzer was 1.17 ± 1.57 (-1.97, 4.31) g/dl, HemoCue^®capillary versus hematology analyzer was 1.34 ± 1.85 (-2.36, 5.04) g/dl, and HemoCue^®venous versus HemoCue^®capillary samples was 017 ± 1.90 and (3.97-3.63) g/dl.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Hemoglobin concentration assessment by HemoCue^®using either venous or capillary blood samples has shown unacceptable agreement with automated hematology analyzer.</p> <p>Virtual slides</p> <p>The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: <url>http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/8797022296725036</url></p

Effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa on high blood pressure, lipid profile and C- reactive protein among adult hypertensive patients

BackgroundHypertension is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Hibiscus is a cheap readily available preparation.AimsWe aimed to assess the effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa on blood pressure, lipid profile, plasma sugar, and h-sensitive C-reactive protein.MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study conducted among 19 College staff members at the University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia during January 2020. The participants signed written informed consent, then responded to a questionnaire to report their demographic data. At baseline,  the blood pressure was measured, anthropometric measures collected, and, and a blood sample was taken to measure fasting plasma sugar, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins, and high-sensitive C-reactive protein. Participants thereafter took Hibiscus sabdariffa for four weeks, then the above measurements were repeated. The compliance of the participants was also assessed.Results No significant effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa consumption were observed on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, and high-sensitive C-reactive protein, P-value< 0.05.ConclusionNo significant effects were observed among Hibiscus sabdariffa users on blood pressure, plasma sugar, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein. Further larger multicenter studies are recommended

Primary Fibrosarcoma of the Testicle with Puzzling Post-surgery Presentation: Mimicking Recurrence

Sarcomas of the testis are extremely rare tumors, their incidence being difficult to assess accurately. The authors report a case of a 21-year-old male, presented with painless scrotal swelling that increased in size insidiously within three months. The examination revealed a 10 cm right testicular swelling—hard, not tender and oval in shape. Testicular ultrasound revealed right heterogenous testicular mass. Tumor markers (Human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) and alpha fetoprotein) were normal. CT chest and abdomen were normal. Radical orchidectomy was done through an inguinal approach. Histopathology showed testicular fibrosarcoma with spindle cells. After one month, the patient noticed reappearance of a swelling in the right hemiscrotum. Right inguinal exploration with massive resection of the recurrent scrotal mass was done. Histopathology revealed inflammatory process dominated by stitch granuloma. In conclusion, the recurrence rate of testicular sarcomas is high following radical orchidectomy, but still there was a place of non-malignant massthat looks like recurrence; it might occur like nonspecific inflammatory mass and stich granuloma

The Roles of Newspapers Ownership Pattern and Access to Governmental Information in Framing of Issues of Corruption in Sudan

Corruption is a global threat to state efficiency which is common to both developed and developing countries alike. However corruption is more evident in developing countries such as; Sudan and its ravaging effects are particularly apparent in Sudan. However, the media contributes largely to the success of democracy in toda

Induction of osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells on 3D polyester-based scaffolds solely by subphysiological fluidic stimulation in a laminar flow bioreactor

The fatal determination of bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BMSC) is closely associated with mechano-environmental factors in addition to biochemical clues. The aim of this study was to induce osteogenesis in the absence of chemical stimuli using a custom-designed laminar flow bioreactor. BMSC were seeded onto synthetic microporous scaffolds and subjected to the subphysiological level of fluid flow for up to 21 days. During the perfusion, cell proliferation was significantly inhibited. There were also morphological changes, with F-actin polymerisation and upregulation of ROCK1. Notably, in BMSC subjected to flow, mRNA expression of osteogenic markers was significantly upregulated and RUNX2 was localised in the nuclei. Further, under perfusion, there was greater deposition of collagen type 1 and calcium onto the scaffolds. The results confirm that an appropriate level of fluid stimuli preconditions BMSC towards the osteoblastic lineage on 3D scaffolds in the absence of chemical stimulation, which highlights the utility of flow bioreactors in bone tissue engineering.publishedVersio

Meta-Cognitive Thinking Skills of Arabic Teachers and their Basic Stage Students in Jordan: Evaluation Study

This study aims to recognize the meta-cognitive thinking skills of Arabic teachers and their basic stage students in Jordan. An observation form list which proved credible and consistent was used to identify these skills which consisted of three main domains distributed onto sub-skills for each domain. Thirty-six tenth grade classes of 6 Arabic teachers at 6 schools in the Irbid city, Jordan, were observed. The meta-cognitive skills used by the teachers and their students were registered. Findings show that the skills highly centered on domains of planning, monitoring, and controlling. Evaluation domain, findings reflect considerable drop though. Therefore, the study presents several suggestions and recommendations. Key words: skills, meta-cognitive thinking, basic stage

Optimisation and validation of a custom-designed perfusion bioreactor for bone tissue engineering: Flow assessment and optimal culture environmental conditions

Various perfusion bioreactor systems have been designed to improve cell culture with three-dimensional porous scaffolds, and there is some evidence that fluid force improves the osteogenic commitment of the progenitors. However, because of the unique design concept and operational configuration, the experimental setups of perfusion bioreactor systems are not always compatible. To reconcile results from different systems, the thorough optimisation and validation of the experimental configuration are required in each system. In this study, optimal experimental conditions for a perfusion bioreactor were explored in 3 steps. First, an in silico modelling was performed using a scaffold geometry obtained by microCT and an expedient geometry parameterised with porosity and permeability to assess the accuracy of calculated fluid shear stress and computational time. Then, environmental factors for cell culture were optimised, including the volume of the medium, bubble suppression, and medium evaporation. Further, by combining the findings, it was possible to determine the optimal flow rate at which cell growth was supported but osteogenic differentiation was triggered. Here, we demonstrated that fluid shear stress, ranging from nearly 0 to 15 mPa, was sufficient to induce osteogenesis, but cell growth was severely impacted by the volume of perfused medium, the presence of air bubbles, and medium evaporation, all of which are common concerns in perfusion bioreactor systems. This study emphasises the necessity of optimisation of experimental variables, which may often be underreported or overlooked, and indicates steps which can be taken to address issues common to perfusion bioreactors for bone tissue engineering.publishedVersio

Engineering 3D degradable, pliable scaffolds toward adipose tissue regeneration; optimized printability, simulations and surface modification

We present a solution to regenerate adipose tissue using degradable, soft, pliable 3D-printed scaffolds made of a medical-grade copolymer coated with polydopamine. The problem today is that while printing, the medical grade copolyesters degrade and the scaffolds become very stiff and brittle, being not optimal for adipose tissue defects. Herein, we have used high molar mass poly(L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) (PLATMC) to engineer scaffolds using a direct extrusion-based 3D printer, the 3D Bioplotter®. Our approach was first focused on how the printing influences the polymer and scaffold’s mechanical properties, then on exploring different printing designs and, in the end, on assessing surface functionalization. Finite element analysis revealed that scaffold’s mechanical properties vary according to the gradual degradation of the polymer as a consequence of the molar mass decrease during printing. Considering this, we defined optimal printing parameters to minimize material’s degradation and printed scaffolds with different designs. We subsequently functionalized one scaffold design with polydopamine coating and conducted in vitro cell studies. Results showed that polydopamine augmented stem cell proliferation and adipogenic differentiation owing to increased surface hydrophilicity. Thus, the present research show that the medical grade PLATMC based scaffolds are a potential candidate towards the development of implantable, resorbable, medical devices for adipose tissue regeneration.publishedVersio