SLE, An Overlooked Disease: Possibilities for Early Rescue by Early Diagnosis

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a progressive autoimmune disease associated with widespread organ damage that can eventually cause death. Worldwide prevalence of SLE is difficult to report mainly due to difficulty in diagnosis as a result of its heterogeneous nature and nonspecific protean manifestations. Currently, circulating anti-DNA antibodies are the most specific diagnostic biomarkers for SLE where many detection assays are being employed in clinical practice. However, the diagnostic value of these techniques is challenged by the detection of only subpopulations of these antibodies with varying sensitivity and specificity. This is mainly attributed to differences in the antigen source and presentation and in the employed reaction conditions. This chapter will thoroughly discuss the technology, advantages, and limitations of each assay in addition to a special focus on the recently developed diagnostic technologies and novel biomarkers. Moreover, SLE will be presented as a disease model highlighting the importance of personalized medicine

Isolation of Jatropha Curcas Seeds Isolectins with Variable Affinity for Human and Animal Blood Types

Background: Lectins are carbohydrate-binding protein which agglutinate glycoconjugates in a reversible way, they are with wide applications in biological and medical sciences. Jatropha curcas belongs to the family euphorbiaceae and is distributed in many tropical and subtropical countries. The toxicity of this plant is known for long ago and has been attributed to several components among which is a protein called curcin. Methods: Jatropha curcas seeds were pulverized and protein was extracted with suitable buffer. Protein extract thus obtained had undergone successive protein precipitations by salting-out using (NH4)2SO4 (AS) at 40, 60, and 80% saturations. Lectin activity was detected by hemagglutination method using human- and animal blood types. AS-precipitated protein fractions that possess lectin activity were tested for their antimicrobial activity against the pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus aueras, and Candida albicans. Results: At least three isolectins (Lec40, Lec60, and Lec80) were detected by hemagglutination (HA) and isolated by AS fractionation from the crude Jatropha curcas seed extract (CExt). The isolectins exhibited different tendency toward human and animal blood types. None of the isolectins could inhibit any of the used bacterial strains and Candida albicans. Conclusions: In this study, though the detected lectins resemble their counterpart legume lectins, they, however, showed apparently unique and variable behavior toward human and animal blood types. Which might emphasize on the need for further structural analysis on the affinity sites of these proteins. Keywords: Jatropha curcas; euphorbiaceae; lectin; hemagglutination; antimicrobial activit

Does the Visual Attention Span Play a Role in Reading in Arabic?

Published online: 16 Jan 2018.It is unclear whether the association between the visual attention (VA) span and reading differs across languages. Here we studied this relationship in Arabic, where the use of specific reading strategies depends on the amount of diacritics on words: reading vowelized and nonvowelized Arabic scripts favor sublexical and lexical strategies, respectively. We hypothesized that the size of the VA span and its association to reading would differ depending on individual “script preferences.” We compared children who were more proficient in reading fully vowelized Arabic than nonvowelized Arabic (VOW) to children for whom the opposite was true (NOVOW). NOVOW children showed a crowding effect in the VA span task, whereas VOW children did not. Moreover, the crowding in the VA span task correlated with the reading performance in the NOVOW group only. These results are discussed in light of individual differences on the use of reading strategies in Arabic.This report was made possible by a National Priorities Research Program award (Grant NPRP No. 6-378-5–035) from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation)

Thermodynamics Analysis of Refinery Sludge Gasification in Adiabatic Updraft Gasifier

Limited information is available about the thermodynamic evaluation for biomass gasification process using updraft gasifier. Therefore, to minimize errors, the gasification of dry refinery sludge (DRS) is carried out in adiabatic system at atmospheric pressure under ambient air conditions. The objectives of this paper are to investigate the physical and chemical energy and exergy of product gas at different equivalent ratios (ER). It will also be used to determine whether the cold gas, exergy, and energy efficiencies of gases may be maximized by using secondary air injected to gasification zone under various ratios (0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5) at optimum ER of 0.195. From the results obtained, it is indicated that the chemical energy and exergy of producer gas are magnified by 5 and 10 times higher than their corresponding physical values, respectively. The cold gas, energy, and exergy efficiencies of DRS gasification are in the ranges of 22.9–55.5%, 43.7–72.4%, and 42.5–50.4%, respectively. Initially, all 3 efficiencies increase until they reach a maximum at the optimum ER of 0.195; thereafter, they decline with further increase in ER values. The injection of secondary air to gasification zone is also found to increase the cold gas, energy, and exergy efficiencies. A ratio of secondary air to primary air of 0.5 is found to be the optimum ratio for all 3 efficiencies to reach the maximum values

Influence of artificial aging and ZrO2 nanoparticle-reinforced repair resin on the denture repair strength

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of aging process on the tensile strength (TS) of repaired acrylic denture base using ZrO2 nanoparticles (nano-ZrO2)-reinforced autopolymerized resin. Material and Methods: A total of 240 heat-polymerized acrylic resin specimens (n=10) were prepared and sectioned creating 2 mm-repair-gap. Autopolymerized acrylic resin, pure and modified with 2.5, 5, and 7.5wt% nano-ZrO2were used for specimens repair. TS of repaired specimens were measured using the universal testing machine af-ter water immersion at 37oC for 2, 7 and 30 days. At each time interval, half the immersed specimens underwent thermo-cycling aging process (5000 cycles at 5/55°C) before TS testing. One-way ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer multiple-comparison tests were used for data analysis at ?=0.05. Results: Aging process for all groups showed significant differences in TS between unreinforced and nano-ZrO2reinforced groups (p<0.05). Within immersed nano-ZrO2-reinforced specimens, 5% group immersed for 30-days showed the highest significant TS value (p<0.05). With regards to thermocycling, 5% group showed the highest TS values after 2-days and 30-days groups while after 7-days, significant differences were found between 2.5% group and 5% and 7.5% groups (p?0.05). SEM images analysis displayed the ductile fracture type for nano-ZrO2reinforced groups.Conclusions: In summary, 5.0%-nano-ZrO2 addition to repair resin showed an improvement in tensile strength of repaired acrylic resin with different aging processes

Patient Satisfaction and Its Predictors in the General Hospitals of Southwest Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Survey

Background: Patient satisfaction occupies a central position in measuring the quality of care as it provides information on the provider's success, meeting the patient’s values and expectations. Hence, it is an essential tool for assessing health services outcomes. This study aimed to assess patients' satisfaction level and factors influencing healthcare quality of general hospitals in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia (SA). Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 423 patients selected through stratified random sampling from general hospitals of the Jazan region. Results: The overall satisfaction rate among the study participants was 80.9%. Satisfaction with food services was the highest (91.15%) followed by doctor services (81.0%), reception and entry procedures (80%), and nursing services (78.15%). The various aspects of satisfaction with doctors and nurses included the treatment prescribed by physicians, clarity in communication with patients, compassion and providing clear explanation of what they were doing. However, about 27.3% of the patients were dissatisfied with the length of waiting period before seeing a doctor. Binary logistic regression analysis suggested that uneducated patients and patients with secondary school education were more likely to have higher satisfaction level than university-educated patients (OR = 3.40, 95% C.I. [1.56–7.45], p = 0.002), (OR = 2.66, 95% C.I. [1.28–5.55], p = 0.009), and (OR = 2.29, 95% C.I. [1.40–3.73], p = 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: The health services satisfaction level was high in the Jazan population. However, some aspects of dissatisfaction were reported, such as the long waiting period before seeing a doctor. These aspects are recommended to be improved to ensure that the services provided by general hospitals are of high quality

Exploring the antibacterial potential of plant extracts and essential oils against Bacillus thermophilus in beet sugar for enhanced sucrose retention: a comparative assessment and implications

Sugar beet is one of the greatest sources for producing sugar worldwide. However, a group of bacteria grows on beets during the storage process, leading to a reduction in sucrose yield. Our study focused on identifying common bacterial species that grow on beets during manufacturing and contribute to sucrose loss. The ultimate goal was to find a potential antibacterial agent from various plant extracts and oils to inhibit the growth of these harmful bacteria and reduce sucrose losses. The screening of bacterial species that grow on beet revealed that a large group of mesophilic bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus xylosus, Enterobacter amnigenus, and Aeromonas species, in addition to a dominant thermophilic species called Bacillus thermophilus, were found to be present during the manufacturing of beets. The application of 20 plant extracts and 13 different oils indicated that the extracts of Geranium gruinum, Datura stramonium, and Mentha spicata were the best antibacterials to reduce the growth of B. thermophilus with inhibition zones equal to 40, 39, and 35 mm, respectively. In contrast, the best active oils for inhibiting the growth of B. thermophilus were Mentha spicata and Ocimum bacilicum, with an inhibitory effect of 50 and 45 mm, respectively. RAPD-PCR with different primers indicated that treating sugar juice with the most effective oils against bacteria resulted in new recombinant microorganisms, confirming their roles as strong antibacterial products. The characterization of Mentha spicata and Ocimum bacilicum oils using GC/MS analysis identified cis-iso pulegone and hexadecanoic acid as the two main bioactive compounds with potential antibacterial activity. An analysis of five genes using DD-PCR that have been affected due to antibacterial activity from the highly effective oil from Mentha spicata concluded that all belonged to the family of protein defense. Our findings indicate that the application of these pure antibacterial plant extracts and oils would minimize the reduction of sucrose during sugar production.Peer Reviewe

Assessment of the level of awareness about paediatric cataract among the general population of Jeddah

BackgroundCataract is an extremely serious cause of visual impairment in paediatric patients worldwide, with untreated cataract being the leading cause of blindness in children.AimsThe aim of the present study was to assess the level of awareness and knowledge about paediatric cataract among the general population of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Methods This survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted between June and July 2018 and included a representative sample of the general population of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included a set of questions pertaining to paediatric cataract knowledge and awareness. The gathered data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21, and the results were acquired by Pearson’s chi square tests and frequency calculations.Results In total, 678 individuals, including 51.6per cent women and 48.4per cent men, participated in the survey. Approximately 39.7per cent participants did not know whether cataract can affect the paediatric population or not. Although the majority could not recognize the risk factors and symptoms of the disease, 75.2per cent realized that it is treatable. Surgical intervention was identified as the main treatment modality by 46.9per cent participants.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the general population of Jeddah has limited knowledge about paediatric cataract. Thus, educational campaigns and programs are necessary to increase public awareness. In addition, further studies on awareness about this condition should be considered in order to prevent serious eye complications in children

The Protective Properties of the Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats Mediated by Anti-Apoptotic and Upregulation of Antioxidant Genes Expression Effects

The strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) has been extensively used to treat a wide range of ailments in many cultures. The present study was aimed at evaluating the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry juice on experimentally induced liver injury in rats. To this end, rats were introperitoneally injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) with or without strawberry juice supplementation for 12 weeks and the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry was assessed by measuring serum liver enzyme markers, hepatic tissue redox status and apoptotic markers with various techniques including biochemistry, ELISA, quantitative PCR assays and histochemistry. The hepatoprotective effect of the strawberry was evident by preventing CCl4-induced increase in liver enzymes levels. Determination of oxidative balance showed that strawberry treatment significantly blunted CCl4-induced increase in oxidative stress markers and decrease in enzymatic and non-enzymatic molecules in hepatic tissue. Furthermore, strawberry supplementation enhanced the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, and restrained the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 with a marked reduction in collagen areas in hepatic tissue. These findings demonstrated that strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) juice possessed antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic properties, probably mediated by the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids compounds

Perceived Risk of falls among Acute Care Patients

Purpose: In an effort to lower the number of falls that occur among hospitalized patients, several facilities have begun introducing various fall prevention programs. However, the efficacy of fall prevention programs is diminished if patients do not consider themselves to be at risk for falls and do not follow recommended procedures. The goal of this study was to characterize how patients in four different acute care specialist services felt about their risk of falling while in the hospital. Methods: One hundred patients admitted to the study hospital with a Morse Fall Scale score of 45 or higher were given the Patient Perception Questionnaire, a tool designed to assess a patient's perception of their own fall risk, fear of falling, and motivation to take part in fall prevention efforts. Scores on the Morse Fall Scale were gathered through a historical assessment of medical records. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and independent sample t tests were used to examine the data. Results: The average age was 65, and around half (52%) were men and half (48%) were women. Based on their ratings on the Morse Fall Scale, all 100 participants were classified as being at high risk for falls. However, only 55.5% of the individuals agreed with this assessment. The likelihood that a patient would seek assistance and the degree to which they feared falling both declined as their faith in their mobility improved. Patients hospitalized after a fall exhibited considerably lower confidence scores and greater fear scores than patients who had not been injured in a fall. Conclusions: Patients who have a high fall risk assessment score may not believe they are at risk for falls and may not take any steps to reduce their risk. The prevalence of falls in hospitals might be mitigated by the creation of a fall risk assessment technique that takes into account both objective and subjective factors