Intestinal fatty acid binding proteins (I-FABPs) are mainly expressed in the intestinal villi, which are the initial site of destruction in viral gastroenteritis.
This study was designed to assess ...serum I-FABPs as a predictor of gut wall integrity loss in viral gastroenteritis.
This case-control cross-sectional study was conducted on 93 cases of acute viral gastroenteritis. Twenty-eight healthy children matching in age were recruited as control group. Serum I-FABPs were measured using ELISA technique. Viral detection and typing were done by PCR for adenovirus, and by Reverse transcriptase PCR for rotavirus, astrovirus and norovirus.
Serum I-FABPs level was significantly higher in the cases compared to the controls and was also higher in the 46 rotavirus gastroenteritis cases compared to other viral gastroenteritis cases. Serum I- FABPs level was significantly higher in severely dehydrated cases as compared to mildly dehydrated ones (P=0.037).
Serum I-FABPs could be used as an early and sensitive predictor marker of gut wall integrity loss in children with viral gastroenteritis and its level can indicate case severity.
BACKGROUND: Lockdown and school closure related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have unfavorable effects on children and adolescents.
AIM: This study was conducted to survey the changes in ...dietary pattern and related health factors in Egyptian children and adolescents during the COVID-19 outbreak closure.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected through a dietary pattern, eating behavior, and physical activity electronic questionnaire conducted through social media sites, targeting parents of children and adolescents after two whole months of lockdown and school closure in Egypt.
RESULTS: This study included 765 participants, 31.8% noted increased appetite, 45.6% reported increased sweets and unhealthy food consumption, and 37.6% showed increased frequent snacking between meals. Alongside 53.1% showed increase in late snacks during night after COVID-19 closure. The majority of our participants 82.0% noted associative change in eating behavior with boring and 94.6% revealed increased usage of electronics and screen time. This study showed significant positive correlation between increased appetite and mobile screen time, laptop screen time, and video gaming. Increased sweets and unhealthy food consumption was positively correlated with TV watching and mobile screen time. A significant positive correlation was revealed between uncaring about eating fruits and vegetables and increase screen time for each of mobile, and laptop and remote learning. Furthermore, there was positive correlation between decreased protein serving intake and each of mobile screen time and remote learning. TV watching and laptop screen times showed positively significantly association with frequent snacking between meals. Mobile screen time, TV screen time, and video gaming were positively significantly correlated with late night snacking.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study concluded prolonged lockdown leads to changes in eating patterns, related to contributing factors of physical inactivity and prolonged screen time.
BACKGROUND: The rate of obesity is increasing throughout the world. Obesity in adults’ research is characterized by chronic inflammation, associated with type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular risk. ...The degree to which these changes occur in childhood obesity is not fully defined.AIM: This study was designed to explore the relation between circulating levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and obesity.PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross sectional case control study was carried out in 50 randomly selected pre-pubertal overweight and obese children compared with fifty apparently healthy children of matched age and sex. Serum levels of transforming growth factor-β1, interleukin-6, and haptoglobin were quantified by ELISA technique.RESULTS: ANOVA test followed by Post Hoc test showed highly significant increase in the serum levels of the transforming growth factor-β1, interleukin-6 and haptoglobin among obese children compared to overweight and healthy children respectively. The body weight, BMI and BMI z-score were significantly positively correlated with serum levels of the three pro-inflammatory cytokines. Serum levels of interleukin-6, and haptoglobin were found to be strong predictors of complications in severe obesity by linear regression analysis.CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation. High levels of interleukin-6 and haptoglobin are considered to be early biomarkers of inflammation associated with severe obesity with subsequent cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes risk.
BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, premature atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease in the future.AIM: This ...study is designed to assess the relationship between serum adiponectin, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and lipid profile among Egyptian overweight and obese children.METHODS: This cross sectional case control study included 40 selected pre-pubertal overweight and obese children, 24 girls (60%) and 16 boys (40%) aged between 5 to 13 years (8.85 ± 2.7 years), from new cases attending the National nutrition institute clinic during 2013. Forty apparently healthy children of matched age and sex were recruited as a control group.RESULTS: Obese group showed highly significant higher levels of serum ADMA, triglycerides, and total cholesterol compared with healthy controls (P <0.000 in all). However, serum adiponectin levels were highly significant lower in obese children compared to healthy controls (P < 0.000). Serum ADMA showed significant positive correlations with height, serum total cholesterol and serum triglycerides levels and significant negative correlation with the body mass index and weight for age z score. Serum adiponectin showed significant negative correlations with BMI, weight, and weight for age z score and significant positive correlation with serum triglycerides. By linear regression analysis; serum adiponectin, and serum triglycerides levels were significant predictors of high serum ADMA level (p =0.045 and 0.015 respectively). BMI, weight, height and serum triglycerides were significant predictors of low serum adiponectin levels (p = 0.005, 0.022, 0.026 and 0.015 respectively).CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that ADMA, Adiponectin and lipid profile can be considered as predictive biomarkers in prediction and prevention of atherosclerotic risk in the future among overweight and obese Egyptian children.
BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, premature atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease in the future.
AIM: This ...study is designed to assess the relationship between serum adiponectin, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and lipid profile among Egyptian overweight and obese children.
METHODS: This cross sectional case control study included 40 selected pre-pubertal overweight and obese children, 24 girls (60%) and 16 boys (40%) aged between 5 to 13 years (8.85 ± 2.7 years), from new cases attending the National nutrition institute clinic during 2013. Forty apparently healthy children of matched age and sex were recruited as a control group.
RESULTS: Obese group showed highly significant higher levels of serum ADMA, triglycerides, and total cholesterol compared with healthy controls (P < 0.000 in all). However, serum adiponectin levels were highly significant lower in obese children compared to healthy controls (P < 0.000). Serum ADMA showed significant positive correlations with height, serum total cholesterol and serum triglycerides levels and significant negative correlation with the body mass index and weight for age z score. Serum adiponectin showed significant negative correlations with BMI, weight, and weight for age z score and significant positive correlation with serum triglycerides. By linear regression analysis; serum adiponectin, and serum triglycerides levels were significant predictors of high serum ADMA level (p =0.045 and 0.015 respectively). BMI, weight, height and serum triglycerides were significant predictors of low serum adiponectin levels (p = 0.005, 0.022, 0.026 and 0.015 respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that ADMA, Adiponectin and lipid profile can be considered as predictive biomarkers in prediction and prevention of atherosclerotic risk in the future among overweight and obese Egyptian children.
This study aimed at assessing the dominance of risk practices associated with HCV endemicity in Egypt and detecting the behavioral development level concerning different aspects of HCV risk behaviors ...with respect to age and gender. The survey highlights the most cost-effective strategies that could accelerate HCV elimination in Egypt.
A national household survey targeted 3780 individuals (age range: 10-85 years). The sample was a systematic probability proportionate to size from 6 governorates representing the six major subdivisions of Egypt. The indicators used for assessing the behavioral development level towards HCV included six domains: awareness (7 indicators), perceived risk (5 indicators), motivation with the intention to change (4 and 5 indicators for males and females respectively), trial, rejection or adoption (6 and 5 indicators for males and females respectively).
The study revealed that along the continuum of behavior development, the percentage of the participants who acquired half of the scores was as follows: 73.1% aware, 69.8% developed perceived risk, 80.6% motivated with only 28.9% adopting the recommended behaviors, 32% rejected them, 2.3% were in the trial stage versus 35.8% who did not try any. Adolescents had significantly lower levels of development for almost all domains when compared to adults. Statistical higher significance was detected in favor of adults, employees, married, Lower Egypt governorates, and university-educated participants (p<0.001) regarding awareness, perceived risk, and motivation scores. More than half of the participants incorrectly believed that contaminated food, sharing food utilities, contaminated water, mosquitoes, and schistosomiasis would lead to HCV transmission.
Egypt would be closer to HCV elimination when cost-effective strategies are directed not towards creating awareness, perceived risk or motivation to change- (at an acceptable level)- but towards motivating adopting risk-reduction behaviors for HCV, tackling misconceptions and reinforcement of social support.
Molnupiravir is an oral antiviral drug developed to provide significant benefit in reducing hospitalizations or deaths in mild COVID-19. Integrated green computational spectrophotometric method was ...developed for the determination of molnupiravir. Theoretical calculations were performed to predict the best coupling agent for efficient diazo coupling of molnupiravir. The binding energy between molnupiravir and various phenolic coupling agents, α-naphthol, β-naphthol, 8-hydroxyquinoline, resorcinol, and phloroglucinol, was measured using Gaussian 03 software based on the density functional theory method and the basis set B3LYP/6-31G(d). The results showed that the interaction between molnupiravir and 8-hydroxyquinoline was higher than that of other phenolic coupling agents. The method described was based on the formation of a red colored chromogen by the diazo coupling of molnupiravir with sodium nitrite in acidic medium to form a diazonium ion coupled with 8-hydroxyquinoline. The absorption spectra showed maximum sharp peaks at 515 nm. The reaction conditions were optimized. Beer's law was followed over the concentration range of 1-12 μg/ml molnupiravir. Job's continuous variation method was developed and the stoichiometric ratio of molnupiravir to 8-hydroxyquinoline was determined to be 1:1. The described method was successfully applied to the determination of molnupiravir in pure form and in pharmaceutical dosage form. The results showed that the proposed method has minimal environmental impact compared to previous HPLC method.
This research focuses on a photovoltaic system that powers an Electric Vehicle when moving in realistic scenarios with partial shading conditions. The main goal is to find an efficient control scheme ...to allow the solar generator producing the maximum amount of power achievable. The first contribution of this paper is the mathematical modelling of the photovoltaic system, its function and its features, considering the synthesis of the step-up converter and the maximum power point tracking analysis. This research looks at two intelligent control strategies to get the most power out, even with shading areas. Specifically, we show how to apply two evolutionary algorithms for this control. They are the “particle swarm optimization method” and the “grey wolf optimization method”. These algorithms were tested and evaluated when a battery storage system in an Electric Vehicle is fed through a photovoltaic system. The Simulink/Matlab tool is used to execute the simulation phases and to quantify the performances of each of these control systems. Based on our simulation tests, the best method is identified.
Field and mineralogical studies are integrated with multispectral and radar satellite data to unravel the occurrence of sulfide dissemination in the Gabal Monqul area (Eastern Desert, Egypt). This ...study was motivated by the strong belief that the widespread hydrothermal alteration haloes and sulfide disseminations in this area were ambiguously deciphered as a porphyry-style mineralisation. NE-Elongate bodies of silicified and sulfidized rocks frequently occur at the contacts between andesite-dacite, granodiorite, and porphyritic biotite granite intrusions.
Hydrothermal alteration zones are best identified and outlined by employing band ratios (BR) and independent component analysis (ICA) techniques for the distinction between ferric and ferrous iron minerals. If fused with the clay and OH-bearing minerals maps, ferric iron oxides may characterise epithermal and porphyry mineralisation in which ore formation occurs under oxidising conditions. Iron-hydroxide, copper hydro-carbonate (malachite), and hydrous copper phosphate (pseudomalachite) are supergene mineral phases.
The resultant processed images show that alteration extends beyond unit boundaries and overlaps different crosscutting lithologies. This observation implies that hydrothermal alteration of the host rock represents a secondary overprint, yet gypsum (±anhydrite) and barite in association with iron oxides and pyrite disseminations pinpoint a porphyry-related alteration assemblage. The poor metal endowment in the potassic alteration zones goes against the supergene enrichment typical of the porphyry mineralisation system and is coupled with the lack of hydrothermal breccia bodies, implying a rather epithermal sulfidation genesis. However, a thorough assay program is required to outline the potential metal-rich lithological unit(s) using XRD and remote sensing investigations that point to zonal alteration anomalies.
•Sulfide mineralisation at G Monqul detected using petrological & remote sensing data.•Mineralised zones form a widespread NE-SW quartz and iron oxide veins.•Maximum Likelihood Classifier of ASTER is the most accurate for lithological mapping.•Independent component analysis distinct between ferric and ferrous iron minerals.•Potential metal enrichment, XRD and remote sensing define alteration zonal anomalies.
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