The antimicrobial potential of Lactobacillus acidophilus on pathogenic bacteria causing diarrhea

Object: Lactobacillus acidophilus is a nonpathogenic member of gastrointestinal tract and it is widely used in fermented dairy products. This study aimed to assess the antimicrobial potential of two strains of L. acidophilus on some pathogenic bacteria frequently causing diarrhea or gastroenteritis.Methods: The antibacterial activity cell free supernatant (CFS) of two control standard strains of L. acidophilus (L. acidophilus-la5 and L. acidophilus against fie control standard strains of bacteria causing diarrhea; Enterotoxogenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O 157:H7(EHEC) Salmonella typhimurium Shigella flxeneri and Staphylococcus aureus were determined using agar well diffusion method. The sensitivity of the pathogenic bacteria to the CFS of each L. acidophilus in relation to time was determined by standard plate count .The antibiotic susceptibility tests of 20 antibiotics against tested organisms with and without CFS were assessed by disc diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ciproflxacin with and without CFS was determined by tube dilution method.Results: Both Lactobacilli strains decrease the colony count of tested strains by more than 90% after 60 min contact time. Both Lactobacilli strains signifiantly improve the antibacterial effect of tested antibiotics against ETEC, S. typhimurium and S. aureus, and S. flxeneri (P< 0.05). The MIC of ciproflxacin alone against all tested strains was 15.625 μg/ml, while when combined with both Lactobacilli CFSs, the MIC decreased signifiantly to 0.488 μg/ml for ETEC, S. typhimurium, and S. flxeneri and to 0.977 μg/ml for EHEC and S. aureus (P= 0.000).Conclusion: living L. acidophilus strains could be used in prevention and treatment of diarrhea caused by certain bacterial pathogens, either in fermented milk/ yoghurt or as mediations

Prevalence of Sexual Long COVID (SLC) in Egypt: A Single Institute Study

Objectives: we conducted a cross section study to assess the prevalence and severity of ED among COVID-19 survivors presenting to andrology outpatients’ clinics, Kasr AlAiny hospital, faculty of medicine, Cairo university. Materials and Methods: a total of 1000 COVID-19 survivors were screened for ED using validated Arabic version of the international index of erectile function (ArIIEF-5) during the period between Jan 2022 till Jan 2023. All patients were previously diagnosed with positive PCR for COVID-19 infection at least 3 months before the time of data collection.   Result: we found that the prevalence of ED among COVID-19 survivors were 11.4%, mild ED in 7%, moderate in 3.2% and severe ED in 1.2%, severity of ED was not associated with demographic, clinical, laboratory and penile duplex characteristics. Conclusion: severity of ED among COVID-19 survivors showed no statistically significant association with demographics, depression, anxiety, penile duplex findings and hormonal disturbances

Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 among healthcare workers: an online survey in 10 countries in the eastern Mediterranean region

BACKGROUND: Willingness of healthcare workers to be vaccinated is an important factor to be considered for a successful COVID-19 vaccination programme. This study aims to understand the willingness of health workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and its associated concerns across 10 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2021 among healthcare workers in EMR using an online survey. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software package version 20.0. RESULTS: A total of 2806 health workers (physicians, nurses and pharmacists) completed and returned the informed consent along with the questionnaire electronically. More than half of the respondents (58.0%) were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, even if the vaccination is not mandatory for them. On the other hand, 25.7% of respondents were not willing to take COVID-19 vaccine while 16.3 % were undecided. The top three reasons for not willing to be vaccinated were unreliability of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials (62.0%), fear of the side effects of the vaccine (45.3%), and that COVID-19 vaccine will not give immunity for a long period of time (23.1%). CONCLUSION: Overall, the study revealed suboptimal acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among the respondents in the EMR. Significant refusal of COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare professionals can reverse hard-won progress in building public trust in vaccination program. The findings suggest the need to develop tailored strategies to address concerns identified in the study in order to ensure optimal vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers in the EMR

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Growth, age and reproduction of the commercially clams <i>Venerupis aurea and Ruditapes decussatus </i>in Timsah Lake, Suez Canal, Egypt </span>

589-600This study was undertaken of natural population of Venerupis aurea and Ruditapes decussatus from three sites in Timsah Lake, Suez Canal, Egypt. Population structures, growth characteristic, age and gametogenic cycle of these clams were studied. Dominant size was 20.1-25 mm for both genera. Age ranged from the first to the fifth with the dominance of the third age group in Venerupis aurea. Whereas it reached to the sixth age group in Ruditapes decussatus with the dominance of the fourth. The male/female ratio was 1.02: 1 and 1.25:1 for Venerupis aurea and Ruditapes decussatus respectively. Five stages of gonadal development were observed and seasonal gonadal changes were registered. Comparisons of the present study with that previously obtained on the same genera were reported