Evaluation of the protective efficacy of immunoglobulin Y (IgY- antibodies) prepared against Walterinnesia aegyptia snake venom in Saudi Arabia

Four groups of eight chickens were immunized intramuscularly with Walterinnesia aegyptia snake venoms mixed with Freund's complete adjuvant during the period from 1st October 2009 to 1st October 2011 at the Center of Excellence in Biotechnology Research, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Three weeks later, the injections were repeated with the venoms in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Three boosters were given with the venoms at three weeks intervals. The immunoglobulin Y (IgY)-antibodies was extracted by ammonium sulphate-caprylic acid method, the antibody titer were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay and the protective efficacies of the extracted immunoglobulins were performed. IgY-preparation extracted by ammonium sulphate-caprylic acid method showed lack of low molecular weight bands (non-immunoglobulin proteins) and the bands representing IgY-antibodies, which have molecular weights ranging from 180 to 200 kDa, appeared sharp and clear. Moreover, evaluation of the protective value of the IgY - antibodies prepared revealed that, one milliliter of extracted IgY-antibodies containing 15 mg/ml anti-W. aegyptia venom specific IgY could produce 100% protection against 50 LD50 and 75% protection against 60 LD50. Laying hens could be used as an alternative source of polyclonal antibodies against W. aegyptia snake venoms due to several advantages as compared with mammals traditionally used for such purpose.Keywords: Snake venom, Walterinnesia aegyptia, immunoglobulins Y, protective efficacy, caprylic aci

Emergency Response of Indian Hajj Medical Mission to Heat Illness Among Indian Pilgrims in Tent-Clinics at Mina and Arafat During Hajj, 2016

Introduction: Extreme heat claims more lives than all other weather-related exposures combined. Hajj rituals at Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah involve a minimally-clothed, moving assemblage of 3.5 million pilgrims who are exposed to a harsh, hot, desert climate during physically challenging outdoor rituals and unsheltered night stays, rendering them prone to heat illness, dehydration, and sunburn. This cross-sectional study assessed the emergency response of the Indian Hajj Medical Mission to overwhelming heat illnesses in Mina and Arafat among Indian pilgrims during Hajj, 2016. Methods: In 2016, 88 patients affected by the heat were brought to central tent-clinics at 36 maktabs in Mina and Arafat that were established by the Indian Hajj Medical Mission. Patients were offered rapid external evaporative cooling (wet towels) and cold intravenous saline infusion on patient couches and wheelchairs. Results: The incidence of heat illness among Indian pilgrims in 2016 was 0.62/1000. The ratio of males to females was 1.8:1. Mean ages of males and females were 62.2 ± 7.43 and 52.6 ± 9.3, respectively. Pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension, were present in 93.2% of the patients. The most common presentations included hyperthermia, fatigue, and restlessness. Heatstroke presented in five patients and resulted in one fatality. Twenty-eight patients were referred to Saudi hospitals, and 12 of them were institutionalized. Exertion related to the stoning of Satan ritual during late morning and afternoon hours was the leading cause of heat illness. Conclusion: The overwhelming incidence of heat illness among Indian pilgrims in the critical five-day period of the Hajj represents the tip of the iceberg as the Hajj attracts over 3.5 million pilgrims from 200 countries annually. Heat illness is difficult to manage in the presence of pre-existing comorbidities and mandates clientele education and outreach warning systems to enhance resilience capital amongst Hajj pilgrims, sportspersons, outdoor enthusiasts, and military personnel

Clarifying the role of three-dimensional transvaginal sonography in reproductive medicine: an evidenced-based appraisal

This overview describes and illustrates the clinical applications of three-dimensional transvaginal sonography in reproductive medicine. Its main applications include assessment of uterine anomalies, intrauterine pathology, tubal patency, polycystic ovaries, ovarian follicular monitoring and endometrial receptivity. It is also useful for detailed evaluation of failed and/or ectopic pregnancy. Three-dimensional color Doppler sonography provides enhanced depiction of uterine, endometrial, and ovarian vascularity

Democratization and the Diffusion of Shari'a Law: Comparative Insights from Indonesia

The democratization of politics has been accompanied by a rise of Islamic laws in many Muslim-majority countries. Despite a growing interest in the phenomenon, the Islamization of politics in democratizing Muslim-majority countries is rarely understood as a process that unfolds across space and time. Based on an original dataset established during years of field research in Indonesia, this article analyzes the spread of shari’a regulations across the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy since 1998. The article shows that shari’a regulations in Indonesia diffused unevenly across space and time. Explanations put forward in the literature on the diffusion of morality policies in other countries such as geographic proximity, institutions, intergovernmental relations and economic conditions did not explain the patterns in the diffusion of shari’a regulations in Indonesia well. Instead, shari’a regulations in Indonesia were most likely to spread across jurisdictions where local Islamist groups situated outside the party system had an established presence. In short, the Islamization of politics was highly contingent on local conditions. Future research will need to pay more attention to local Islamist activists and networks situated outside formal politics as potential causes for the diffusion of shari’a law in democratizing Muslim-majority countries

A Jurisprudential Analysis of Government Intervention and Prenatal Drug Abuse

This article takes a different approach in considering the problem of prenatal drug abuse. After briefly discussing government intervention and constitutional issues, this article will consider the concept of duty and correlative rights. This discussion of duty and correlative rights suggests that the government can take measures to curb prenatal drug use without recognizing fetal rights. The article concludes with a discussion of the utility of criminal legislation as compared to public health legislation that treats drug addiction as a disease requiring treatment. As formulated, the proposal for public health legislation is not based on any concept of fetal rights. Instead, it is based on the recognition of societal interests, as well as the woman’s needs

Importance of the Global Regulators Agr and SaeRS in the Pathogenesis of CA-MRSA USA300 Infection

CA-MRSA infection, driven by the emergence of the USA300 genetic background, has become epidemic in the United States. USA300 isolates are hypervirulent, compared with other CA- and HA-MRSA strains, in experimental models of necrotizing pneumonia and skin infection. Interestingly, USA300 isolates also have increased expression of core genomic global regulatory and virulence factor genes, including agr and saeRS. To test the hypothesis that agr and saeRS promote the observed hypervirulent phenotype of USA300, isogenic deletion mutants of each were constructed in USA300. The effects of gene deletion on expression and protein abundance of selected downstream virulence genes were assessed by semiquantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot, respectively. The effects of gene deletion were also assessed in mouse models of necrotizing pneumonia and skin infection. Deletion of saeRS, and, to a lesser extent, agr, resulted in attenuated expression of the genes encoding α-hemolysin (hla) and the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (lukSF-PV). Despite the differences in hla transcription, the toxin was undetectable in culture supernatants of either of the deletion mutants. Deletion of agr, but not saeRS, markedly increased the expression of the gene encoding protein A (spa), which correlated with increased protein abundance. Each deletion mutant demonstrated significant attenuation of virulence, compared with wild-type USA300, in mouse models of necrotizing pneumonia and skin infection. We conclude that agr and saeRS each independently contribute to the remarkable virulence of USA300, likely by means of their effects on expression of secreted toxins