Heterocyclic synthesis with ω-bromoacetophenone: Synthesis of some new pyrazole, pyridazine and furan derivatives

p-Bromophenacylnitrile derivatives 3a,b react with hydrazinederivatives under different conditions to afford the diaminopyrazoles 4a,b, the pyridazine-6-imines 5a,b,and 5-aminopyrazoles 11a,b. Refluxing of 5a in ethanol/hydrochloric acid mixture furnished its transformation into the pyridazine-6-one 6 while 5b under the same reaction conditions, underwent ring contraction expelling phenyl hydrazine to afford the furan derivative 7.Compound 7 could also be obtained from 3a upon refluxin ethanol catalyzed by triethylamine. Ethyl  phenacylcyanoacetate 3b reacts with hydrazine hydrate and phenylhydrazine to afford the 4-phenacylpyrazole derivatives11a,b respectively. Compound 3b afforded a mixture ofthe two furan derivatives 12 and 13 upon reflux in ethanolcatalyzed by triethylamine. Compound 3b also undergoesthe coupling reaction with the aromatic diazoniumsalts 14a-d to afford the pyrazole derivatives 16a-d presumablyvia the hydrazo derivatives 15a-d respectively

Radon Calibration System

In this chapter, an irradiation radon system was explained in detail. This system is based on soil gas as a natural radon source. The radon system was used to determine both the calibration factor of the radon detector and the equilibrium factor between radon and its short-lived daughters. Also, the calibration factor has been calculated theoretically and experimentally. The effect of humidity upon the calibration factor has been investigated. The diffusion of radon through polyethylene membrane has been determined using new nuclear method. This method depends upon the physical decay of radon

Predicting successful weaning in patients treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Introduction: Increasing use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for acute respiratory failure may increase resource requirements and hospital costs. Prediction of successful weaning in these patients may improve resource use and patients outcome. The Respiratory ECMO Survival Prediction (RESP) score has been proposed as an outcome prediction tool for patients undergoing venovenous (VV-ECMO). However, it was developed and validated on patients established on ECMO. This may limit its usefulness as an adjunct tool for decision-making process at the pre-ECMO stage. Aim: The aim of the work was to assess the efficacy of RESP score as a tool to predict successful weaning in patients treated with VV-ECMO before initiation of treatment. Patients and methods: The study was carried out on 23 adult patients who were admitted to the units of Critical Care Medicine Departments in Egyptian Armed Forces Hospitals within 1 year and were treated with VV-ECMO; all of them received the same treatment as recommended by ELSO guidelines for adult respiratory failure. They were classified into two groups according to ECMO weaning successfulness at the end of the study: group I (successful weaning) and group II (failed weaning). Complete physical assessment, laboratory investigations, and RESP score calculation were done before ECMO initiation. Results: Pre-ECMO RESP score, in group I it ranged from −8 to 7 (mean 1.75 ± 3.65), while in group II it ranged from −11 to 1 (mean −6.38 ± 1.88), there was statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0. 003). The ROC curve of RESP score showed an AUC of 0.880 (95% CI 0.658–0.981) (p < 0.001). The best cutoff value was −1, at that level the sensitivity was 69.7%, specificity was 81.5%. Calculated positive predictive value of RESP score was 88.9% while negative predictive value was 63.6%. Conclusion: RESP score may be effective tool to predict ECMO weaning successfulness before initiation of ECMO

BH-centroids: A New Efficient Clustering Algorithm

The k-means algorithm is one of most widely used method for discovering clusters in data; however one of the main disadvantages to k-means is the fact that you must specify the number of clusters as an input to the algorithm. In this paper we present an improved algorithm for discovering clusters in data by first determining the number of clusters k, allocate the initial centroids, and then clustering data points by assign each data point to one centroid. We use the idea of Gravity, by assuming each data point in the cluster has a gravity that attract the other closest points, this leads each point to move toward the nearest higher gravity toward the nearest higher gravity point to have at the end one point for each cluster, which represent the centroid of that cluster. The measure of gravity of point (X) determined by its weight, which represent the number of points that use point X as the nearest point. Our algorithm employ a distance metric based (eg, Euclidean) similarity measure in order to determine the nearest or the similar point for each point. We conduct an experimental study with real-world as well as synthetic data sets to demonstrate the effectiveness of our techniques

Glucose (xylose) isomerase production from thermotolerant and thermophilic bacteria

Glucose (xylose) isomerase (GI) is one of the most important industrial enzymes. It is used widely to catalyze the reversible conversion of D-glucose to D-fructose in vivo. The latter is used on a wide scale in the production of the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from corn starch. The great need of a thermostable GI, which is still active at higher temperatures (up to 90°C), opened the door to screen more microorganisms for the production of a more efficient industrial enzyme. Whole cells of 50 thermotole-rant/thermophilic bacterial isolates were used to evaluate their potential to produce GI when they were grown in broth medium (pH 7.0) containing D-xylose as a sole carbon source. Klebsiella and Pseudomonas showed the highest enzyme activity of 0.7; Bacillus came second with an activity of 0.3; while Acetobacter and Staphylococcus showed moderate activity of 0.3 for both, and Clostridium, Corynebacterium and Enterobacter showed the lowest enzyme activity of 0.2 each. The results reveal the need for optimizing the conditions for enhancing the production of the enzyme from Klebsiella and Pseudomonas isolates.Key words: Glucose isomerase, xylose isomerase, enzyme activity, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas

Urine Cytology for Detection of Bladder Carcinoma: Experience of Gezira Hospital for Renal Disease and Surgery(GHRDS)

Background: Urine cytology has been and remains the standard in the initial evaluation of lower urinary tract lesions to rule out bladder cancer. Objectives:  To evaluate the significance of urine cytology as a diagnostic tool for bladder cancer and a to assess the cytological pattern in voided and washed urine. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive hospital-based study. A total of 43 patients who were suspected to have bladder tumors based on both clinical and radiological findings. Pre-cystoscopy voided urine specimens and post-cystoscopy bladder wash specimens were collected. Three stains were used in preparation of cytological smears Hematoxylin / Eosin, Diff-Quik and May-Grünwald Giemsa, whenever possible equivalent histopathological diagnosis was obtained. Results: This study included 86 urine cytology specimens obtained from a total of 43 cases of suspected bladder cancer. Muscle invasive cases had the higher percentage (37.2%) with more prominent features of malignancy in cytology than the earliest stages. In 30.2% of voided urine specimens were excellent, while 79.1% of bladder wash specimens had excellent quality with more cellularity and preservation of cells in cytological smears. Conclusion: Urine cytology is a reliable method in the diagnosis of bladder cancer. The quality of washed urine is better than voided urine in cytological results

Characterisation Of Solid Wood And Almond Gum Bonded Rhizophora Spp. Particleboard As Breast Phantom For Mri And Ct

Tujuan penyelidikan ini adalah mengkaji kesesuaian penggunaan keaslian (kayu padu asli) fabrikasi Rhizophora spp. Papan partikel sebagai fantom payu dara bagi penggunaan aplikasi MRT dan CT. Masa santaian T1 dan T2, nombor-nombor CT dan ketumpatan bagi Rhizophora spp. The aim of this research is to study the suitability of using natural (fresh solid wood) and fabricated Rhizophora spp. particleboard as a breast phantom for MRI and CT application. The relaxation times T1 and T2, CT numbers and density for the fresh Rhizophora spp

Management of oesophageal foreign bodies

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of the study was to evaluate the management of foreign bodies in the oesophagus and to determine the association with socioeconomic status.MethodsThis cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat and head and neck surgery of Bahawal Victoria Hospital affiliated with Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, Pakistan, between December 2012 and May 2013. The medical records of 34 consecutive cases of foreign body ingestion were searched, and the data were recorded on a questionnaire prepared for this purpose.ResultsThe average age of the patients was 10.38 years; 29 cases (85.2%) were in children under 12 years. There were 18 females (52.9%) and 16 males (47.1%). Thirty patients (88%) presented with a history of dysphagia, and 25 (73.6%) had vomiting. The site of impaction was the post-cricoid region in 22 patients (66%), the lower oesophagus in 5 (15%), the mid-oesophagus in 4 (13%), the posterior pharyngeal wall in 1 (3%) and the pyriform fossa in 1 patient (3%). Coins were the most common foreign body (61.8%). Socioeconomic analysis showed that 18 patients (52.9%) were in the low socioeconomic class, 12 (35.3%) in the middle class and 4 (11.8%) in the upper class.ConclusionThe presence of a foreign body in the oesophagus is a serious condition, and early removal is recommended. Foreign body lodgement is commoner among poor families

Effect of Biotitania and Titania Addition on Bioactivity and Antibacterial Properties of Calcium Silicate Cement

Introduction: Nanoparticles are gaining more interest in dentistry for their antimicrobial, physical as well as other properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding two types of nanoparticles (NPs) on calcium silicate hydraulic cement’s (CSHC) unique bioactivity and antibacterial properties. Methods and Materials: Biotitania/AgCl NPs were synthetized and characterized for its morphology, types of formed functional groups and crystalline AgCl using field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The former NPs and commercial titania (TiO2) NPs were added (0.5, 1.5 and 3-weight %) to commercial CSHS powder. A total of 140 disk-shaped specimens (10 mm×1 mm) were prepared (seven material groups per each test in addition to the eighth cell control group) to evaluate cell viability and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) after 3 and 12 days, respectively. All were incubated with mesenchymal stem cells. Antibacterial efficacy against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) was evaluated through the bacterial growth curve slopes while being in direct contact with the tested material groups for 18 h. Results: Addition of all NPs percentages had no significant effect (P>0.05) on cell viability in comparison to positive control CSHC. Commercial TiO2 NPs (0.5 weight %) had statistically significant lower values (P≤0.05) for bacterial growth curve slope. However, addition of all NPs percentages had significantly improved (P≤0.05) the ALP activity of CSHC with the most prominent effect to 3-weight% biotitania/AgCl NPs. Conclusion: Based on this in vitro study, addition of biotitania/AgCl NPs up to 3-weight% significantly improved the bioactivity of CSHC without having a significant negative impact on its antibacterial efficacy. Interestingly, the addition of commercial TiO2 even in small amounts can significantly improve CSHC antibacterial efficacy

First volumetric records of airborne Cladosporium and Alternaria spores in the atmosphere of Al Khor (northern Qatar): a preliminary survey

Daily monitoring of airborne fungal spores was carried out for the first time in Al Khor city, Qatar, using a Hirst type 7-day recording volumetric spore trap, from May 2017 to May 2019. During the sampling period, the annual and monthly fluctuations, as well as intradiurnal variations of airborne fungal spore concentrations, were evaluated. Cladosporium, followed by Alternaria, were the spore types most abundant in the atmosphere of the city, with a strong interannual variability in the atmospheric concentrations being observed. The Annual Spore Integrals (ASIns) were 3334 and 1172 spore * day/m3 (2017–2018), and 6796 and 1538 spore * day/m3 (2018–2019) for Cladosporium and Alternaria, respectively. Total daily spore concentrations showed significantly positive correlations with mean, minimum, and maximum temperatures but significantly negative correlations with relative humidity. However, due to the scarce rainfalls’ days, we did not find a statistically significant correlations between Cladosporium and Alternaria spore concentrations and this parameter. Despite this, the spore peaks were strongly related to precipitations that occurred during the previous month. In general, no significant correlations were found with wind speed but, regarding wind direction, the higher percentage of spores were collected when wind blows from the 4th quadrant (NW). According to the intradiurnal pattern, Cladosporium fungal spores displayed their maximum daily concentration during 8:00–10:00 h in the morning, with a second peak in the afternoon, while for Alternaria, the maximum peaks were observed between 08:00 and 14:00 h. Because no consistent previous aerobiological studies exist from Qatar, the aim of this study is to define the seasonality and intradiurnal behaviour of these two airborne fungal spore and the role that, in such arid scene, the meteorological parameters play on the spore concentrations.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA. We declare that the research reported in this manuscript received supported grant funding from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)-Qatar (Project NPRP 9–241-3–043)