Influence of exogenous enzymes on nutrient digestibility, extent of ruminal fermentation as well as milk production and composition in dairy cows

This experiment studied effects of a mixture of exogenous enzymes (ZADO®) from anaerobic bacteria on ruminal fermentation, feed intake, digestibility, as well as milk production and composition in cows fed total mixed rations (TMRs; 0.7 corn silage and 0.3 of a concentrate mixture). Twenty lactating multiparous Brown Swiss cows (500±12.4 kg live weight) were randomly assigned into two experimental groups of 10 immediately after calving and fed a TMR with or without (CTRL) addition of 40 g/cow/d of enzymes for 12 weeks. Addition of enzymes increased (P<0.05) rumen microbial N synthesis. Intake of dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) was positively influenced (P<0.05) by supplementation, and digestibility of all nutrients was higher (P<0.05) in the total tract of supplemented cows, although the magnitude of the improvement varied among nutrients, with the highest improvement in aNDFom and ADFom (418–584 and 401–532 g/kg respectively; P<0.05) than the other nutrients. Supplementation of enzymes also increased (P<0.05) rumen ammonia N and total short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, and individual SCFA proportions were also altered with an increase in acetate (61.0–64.8 mol/100 mol; P=0.05) before feeding, and acetate and propionate increased 3 h post-feeding (60.0–64.0 and 18.3–20.8 mol/100 mol respectively; P<0.05). Milk and milk protein production was higher (12.8–15.7 and 0.45–0.57 kg/d respectively; P<0.05) forcowsfed the ZADO® supplemented diet. This exogenous enzyme product, supplemented daily to the TMR of cows in early lactation, increased milk production due to positive effects on nutrient intake and digestibility, extent of ruminal fermentation and microbial protein synthesis

β-Thalassemia: Genotypes and Phenotypes

β-Thalassemias are extremely heterogeneous at the molecular level. More than 200 disease-causing mutations have been identified. The majority of mutations are single nucleotide substitutions. Rarely, β-thalassemia results from gross gene deletion. The degree of globin chain imbalance is determined by the nature of the mutation of the β-gene. β0 refers to the complete absence of production of β-globin on the affected allele. β+ refers to alleles with some residual production of β-globin (around 10%). In β++, the reduction in β-globin production is very mild. The broad spectrum of β-thalassemia alleles can produce a wide spectrum of different β-thalassemia phenotypes. In this chapter, we review the molecular basis of the marked heterogeneity of the thalassemia syndromes or in other words the genotype-phenotype relationship in β-thalassemia

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the frontal region in patients with metabolic syndrome : correlation with anthropometric measurement

Purpose: to demonstrate 1H-MR spectroscopy of the frontal region in patients with metabolic syndrome and to correlate the metabolic ratios with anthropometric measurement. Material and methods: A prospective study was conducted upon 20 patients with metabolic syndrome (10 male, 10 female; mean age 52 years) and 20 age- and sex-matched volunteers. Patients were mild-moderate (n = 14) and marked and morbid obesity (n = 6). Patients and volunteers underwent 1H-MR spectroscopy of the frontal region. The Ch/Cr and NAA/Cr ratio were calculated and correlated with anthropometric measurement. Results: The Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr of patients with Mets (1.03 ± 0.08 and 1.62 ± 0.08) were significantly different (p = 0.001) to those of volunteers (0.78 ± 0 and 1.71 ± 0.61, respectively). The Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr cutoffs used to differentiate patients from volunteers were 0.89 and 1.77 with areas under the curve of 0.992 and 0.867 and accuracy of 97% and 93%, respectively. There was a significant difference in Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr between patients with marked-morbid obesity and moderate-mild obesity (p = 0.001 respectively). Conclusions: We concluded that NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios of the frontal region can differentiate patients with metabolic syndrome from volunteers and are well correlated with the anthropometric measurement

Stress and Burnout among Preretirement Employee in Hospital at 10th of Ramadan City

Employees are at high risk for stress and burnout. The aim of this study was to assess job stressors and burnout among employees in hospital at Tenth of Ramadan city. Design: cross-sectional descriptive design. Setting: the National Health Insurance Hospital at 10th of Ramadan city. Samples: convenience sample consisted of 100 employees. Tools: a self-administered questionnaire including scales for job stress and strain, burnout, and coping strategies, in addition to socio-demographic data was used in data collection. Results: the majority of the nurses were younger than 30 years (78%), with diploma degree (93%), and insufficient income (69%). More nurses had high exposure to stressors (49%), than strains (19%), and 20% had high burnout. Conclusion: the coping strategy most commonly used was effective behavioral confrontation. Nurses’ stress, strain, and burnout are strongly correlated and are influenced by personal factors such as age, qualification, experience, and residence, as well as job factors such as work hours, income, and the use of ineffective coping. Recommendations: the hospital administration should deal with and periodic assess the job factors underlying nurses’ stress and burnout. Further research is proposed to investigate the effectiveness of changing work environment factors and nursing care system on nurses’ burnout

Economic Analysis of Stand-Alone Hybrid Wind/PV/Diesel Water Pumping System: A Case Study in Egypt

The design and evaluation of a stand-alone hybrid renewable energy system for pumping underground water for small farm irrigation is presented. Given environmental conditions, system specifications and daily load demand data, the optimal size of main system components is obtained using a sizing algorithm. Different renewable energy systems are compared using yearly simulations, on hourly base via specialized commercial software simulation packages PVSYST and HOMER, to simulate the system performance and to reach the optimum configurations based on the objective criteria. The criteria used in economic optimization are the net present cost and the cost of energy, with the percent of the capacity shortage. The following systems can be compared: PV only, PV with horizontal axis wind turbine, PV with vertical axis wind turbine, and PV with horizontal axis wind turbine and diesel generator and diesel generator only. The simulation also was carried out for different load patterns for optimum operation. The study was illustrated for climatic conditions of an isolated area in El-Tour City, Sinai, Egypt. The installed 3.42 kW PV water pumping system for irrigation purposes in the same site was also described

Frequency of neurological manifestations in β-thalassaemic patients in Zagazig University Hospitals

Background: Beta thalassemia syndrome is a hereditary disorder characterized by reduced or absent synthesis of thebeta chains of hemoglobin that disturbs the normal shape of red blood cells. Chronic hypoxia of the nerves resulting from severe anemia may contribute to the pathogenesis of the peripheral neuropathy in patients with β-thalassemia. The aim of this study was to find out the frequency of neurological manifestations in β- thalassemia patients and to determine the contributing factors that lead to these manifestations.Patients and Methods: This study was prospective cross sectional study conducted during the period from June 2019 to December 2020. This study was carried out on 120 thalassemia patients (67 males and 53 females), with ages ranged from 11 to 22 years old with a mean age of 16.45+3.31 years.Results: About 31.7% of the studied cases had neurological manifestations. Tingling and numbness were the main neurological symptoms among cases (24.1% and 23.3% respectively) followed by headache (21.7%), joint and muscle pain (20.8%) and tremors in hands (3.3%). Hypotonia was found in 25 cases (20.8%). Grade 4 muscle power was reported in 13 cases (10.8%) and normal (grade 5) muscle power was reported in 107 cases (89.1%). Deep tendon reflexes were normal in (89.2%) cases, while (10.8%) cases had brisk deep tendon reflexes.Conclusion: Frequency of neurological manifestations in beta thalassemia patients was 31.7%. About 26.3% of them had abnormal nerve conduction study (NCS). Age &gt;16 years old, short stature, prolonged duration of the disease, transfusion frequency &gt;10 times/year, delayed puberty and jaundice were risk factors for neurological manifestations in our studied cases

Target Therapy in Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is an embryonal malignancy that originates in the sympathetic nervous system. It is the most common solid tumor in infants and the most frequent extracranial solid tumor in children. Neuroblastoma accounts for 10% of childhood malignancies with 75% occurring in children <4 years. Stage, age, clinical and tumor genomic features are the principal criteria for determining treatment policy. Treatment modalities traditionally employed in the management of neuroblastoma are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Intensive multimodal treatment in patients with neuroblastoma has resulted in improved survival rates. However, there is a considerable percentage of patients with refractory and relapsed disease. Targeted therapy for neuroblastoma involves treatment aimed at molecular targets that have a unique expression in this childhood cancer. A large number of molecular targets have been identified for the treatment of high-risk and relapsed neuroblastoma. Treatment in this way aims at providing a more selective way to treat the disease and decreasing toxicities associated with the conventional treatment regimen

DIRECT EMBRYOGENESIS AND INDIRECT ORGANOGENESIS OF DATE PALM (PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA L.) CV. SEWI USING IMMATURE FEMALE INFLORESCENCES

This study was achieved at the Tissue Culture Laboratory of the Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute, Giza, Egypt during the period from 2013 to 2017, Direct embryo initiation and callus formation of date palm cv. Sewi from immature female inflorescences have been achieved on modified MS medium supplemented with 4 mg l-1 Picloram plus 3 mg l-1 2 iP and 2 g l-1 PVP. Results also showed that BA at 0.5 mg l-1 produce the highest number of differentiated embryos/culture, while kinetin at 0.25 mg l-1 significantly increased the average number of adventitious shoots/culture. NAA at 1.0 mg l-1 induced the highest rooting percentage and micro-shoot length. On the other hand the best survival percentage during the acclimatization stage was observed with plantlets produced from IBA at 0.5 mg l-1 during the rooting stage

Visual, ocular surface, and extraocular diagnostic criteria for determining the prevalence of computer vision syndrome: a cross-sectional smart-survey-based study

Background: The American Optometric Association defines computer vision syndrome (CVS), also known as digital eye strain, as “a group of eye- and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer, tablet, e-reader and cell phone use”. We aimed to create a well-structured, valid, and reliable questionnaire to determine the prevalence of CVS, and to analyze the visual, ocular surface, and extraocular sequelae of CVS using a novel and smart self-assessment questionnaire. &nbsp; Methods: This multicenter, observational, cross-sectional, descriptive, survey-based, online study included 6853 complete online responses of medical students from 15 universities. All participants responded to the updated, online, fourth version of the CVS questionnaire (CVS-F4), which has high validity and reliability. CVS was diagnosed according to five basic diagnostic criteria (5DC) derived from the CVS-F4. Respondents who fulfilled the 5DC were considered CVS cases. The 5DC were then converted into a novel five-question self-assessment questionnaire designated as the CVS-Smart. &nbsp; Results: Of 10000 invited medical students, 8006 responded to the CVS-F4 survey (80% response rate), while 6853 of the 8006 respondents provided complete online responses (85.6% completion rate). The overall CVS prevalence was 58.78% (n = 4028) among the study respondents; CVS prevalence was higher among women (65.87%) than among men (48.06%). Within the CVS group, the most common visual, ocular surface, and extraocular complaints were eye strain, dry eye, and neck/shoulder/back pain in 74.50% (n = 3001), 58.27% (n = 2347), and 80.52% (n = 3244) of CVS cases, respectively. Notably, 75.92% (3058/4028) of CVS cases were involved in the Mandated Computer System Use Program. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the two most statistically significant diagnostic criteria of the 5DC were greater than or equal to 2 symptoms/attacks per month over the last 12 months (odds ratio [OR] = 204177.2; P &lt;0.0001) and symptoms/attacks associated with screen use (OR = 16047.34; P &lt;0.0001). The CVS-Smart demonstrated a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.860, Guttman split-half coefficient of 0.805, with perfect content and construct validity. A CVS-Smart score of 7–10 points indicated the presence of CVS. &nbsp; Conclusions: The visual, ocular surface, and extraocular diagnostic criteria for CVS constituted the basic components of CVS-Smart. CVS-Smart is a novel, valid, reliable, subjective instrument for determining CVS diagnosis and prevalence and may provide a tool for rapid periodic assessment and prognostication. Individuals with positive CVS-Smart results should consider modifying their lifestyles and screen styles and seeking the help of ophthalmologists and/or optometrists. Higher institutional authorities should consider revising the Mandated Computer System Use Program to avoid the long-term consequences of CVS among university students. Further research must compare CVS-Smart with other available metrics for CVS, such as the CVS questionnaire, to determine its test-retest reliability and to justify its widespread use

Consensus evidence-based clinical practice recommendations for the diagnosis and treat-to-target management of osteoporosis in chronic kidney disease stages G4-G5D and post-transplantation: An initiative of Egyptian Academy of Bone Health

The aim of this study was to reach a consensus on an updated version of the recommendations for the diagnosis and Treat-to-Target management of osteoporosis that is effective and safe for individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) G4-G5D/kidney transplant. Delphi process was implemented (3 rounds) to establish a consensus on 10 clinical domains: (1) study targets, (2) risk factors, (3) diagnosis, (4) case stratification, (5) treatment targets, (6) investigations, (7) medical management, (8) monitoring, (9) management of special groups, (10) fracture liaison service. After each round, statements were retired, modified, or added in view of the experts' suggestions, and the percent agreement was calculated. Statements receiving rates of 7-9 by more than 75% of experts' votes were considered as achieving consensus. The surveys were sent to an expert panel ( = 26), of whom 23 participated in the three rounds (2 were international experts and 21 were national). Most of the participants were rheumatologists (87%), followed by nephrologists (8.7%), and geriatric physicians (4.3%). Eighteen recommendations, categorized into 10 domains, were obtained. Agreement with the recommendations (rank 7-9) ranged from 80 to 100%. Consensus was reached on the wording of all 10 clinical domains identified by the scientific committee. An algorithm for the management of osteoporosis in CKD has been suggested. A panel of international and national experts established a consensus regarding the management of osteoporosis in CKD patients. The developed recommendations provide a comprehensive approach to assessing and managing osteoporosis for all healthcare professionals involved in its management. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2022 by The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.