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Context Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a worldwide health problem. Its presence generally reflects poor tuberculosis control. Adequate knowledge about social and epidemiological factors and their interaction is required for its control. Aims To describe incidence, demographic data, and risk factors of DR-TB in Upper Egypt and to determine its outcome. Patients and methods A total of 186 patients suspected to have tuberculosis either pulmonary or extrapulmonary were screened for tuberculosis. All patients were subjected to full history, direct Smear by Ziehl–Neelsen stain, Xpert MTB/RIF assay, and Lowenstein–Jensen culture (as the gold standard). Patients were classified into non-drug-resistant group (non-DR-TB) and rifampicin-resistant group (TB-RR). Results Of the included TB cases, the incidence of DR-TB was 10.2% (nine cases). Approximately 66% of TB-RR cases were between 19 and 48 years old. Overall, 55.6% of them were males. TB-RR was found more in rural areas and less in educated cases compared with non-DR-TB. TB-RR was also common in farmers, housewives, and smokers. Overall, 33.3% of TB-RR cases were detected after failure category 1 and 33.3% were detected after failure category 2, whereas only one case was new. Mortality rate in TB-RR was 22.2%. Conclusion In Upper Egypt, TB-RR is common in middle age males, noneducated persons, and in rural areas. TB-RR is more common in patients with a previous history of treatment. Treatment outcome of DR-TB is good comparable to previous studies.

Introduction: Infertility interferes with sexual and emotional relationships, fears of separation, feelings of isolation and depression in infertile people, and as a result has adverse effects on marital satisfaction and Quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral counseling on marital satisfaction and Quality of life of infertile women through virtual education in Isfahan. Method: The present study is a Clinical trial study with the approach of an intervention group and a control that was conducted in 2018 with the participation of 60 infertile women in Isfahan. Samples were selected by available method. The intervention group received training and cognitive-behavioral counseling via WhatsApp. In this way, the samples received 30 minutes of training and counseling in 5 weeks, and their questions were answered via text message or call. The two variables of marital satisfaction and quality of life were assessed before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed by paired t-test and Covariance using SPSS 20. Results: Based on the results, the intervention did not cause a significant change in the marital satisfaction of infertile women compared with the control group (P=0.187). Based on the results, the intervention has caused a significant increase in the quality of life of infertile women compared with the control group (P

ان ظهور المهدي الموعود()في اخر الزمن عقيدة تومن بها اغلب الفرق الاسلامية من مثل الامامية والمالكية والحنفية والشافعية والحنبلية والوهابية اذ انها تجمع ان احد احفاد الرسول()سيخرج في اخر الزمن ويملأ الارض عدلا بعد ان ملئت جورا. تعددت الروايات الشيعية والسنية المنقولة عن الرسول واهل بيته()في هذا الصدد. تسعي هذه المقالة من خلال الاسلوب الوصفي والتحليلي وبالاعتماد علي المنهج العلقي والنقلي ان تكشف عن دور الانسان في التمهيد لظهوره والاسباب التي ممكن ان يمهدها تسهيلا لعملية ظهوره. وتخلص الدراسة الي ان هناك نوعين من العلائم فمنها العلائم والإمارات غير الثابتة التي تظهر وتضمحلّ وهناك علائم تظهر وتثبت حتي يوم الحساب وهي تمتاز برابطة علّية مع الظهور وان للناس واجب تجاهها وفق رؤية الأدلة العقلية والايات القرانية والروايات الشريفة. ان ضرورة هذه الثورة هي استعداد كل الناس وتمهيد الارضية لقبول الولاية والحكومة الربانية التي مهدّد لها من خلال ارسال الرسل الكرام بهدف تحقيق سمو الانسان وانتشار العدل ؛ لذا فان تحقق الظهور امر مرهون بجهود الناس والتمهيدات اللازمة التي يجب حصولها للظهور الامام وان زمن ظهور الامام()هو عهد تكاملي في مختلف الابعاد الاعتقادية والثقافية والعلمية والسياسية والاجتماعية في المجتمع الشيعي كي يظهر الامام()من غيبته الكبري

Background & Objectives: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most prevalent form of acute leukemias in adults; unfortunately it carries very poor prognosis. Over the past decade marvelous advances were achieved in understanding pathophysiology of AML and this was reflected in management of AML patients. Nevertheless the standard anthracycline based induction regimens remained the cornerstone for treatment of AML; however their effectiveness is limited by their well known cardiotoxicity. To our knowledge this is the first study that investigated anthracycline versus non-anthracycline induction regimens in patients with AML. Methods: 90- AML patients were enrolled in the study; they were retrospectively recruited from AML patients who were admitted at South Egypt Cancer Institute (SECI) from 2000-2010. Demographic, clinical, hematologic and data concerning treatment and therapeutic response were collected from hospital records of patients. Results: Analysis of the collected data showed lower median age of the study participants compared to other studies, FAB M2, M3, M4, followed by M1 were the commonest FAB subtypes among the study patients. Survival analysis showed longer overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) in those treated with anthracycline induction regimens compared with the non-anthracycline treated group. Also, higher incidence of relapse was observed in the non-anthracycline group. Conclusion: Anthracycline based induction regimens are still more effective than non-anthracycline regimens for treatment of AML, however the search for safer drugs than anthracyclines is still mandatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Cervical Cancer (CC) is the third most common malignancy in the women, the main cause of which is human papillomavirus (HPV). Both E6 and E7 oncogenes of the virus play an important role in its tumorigenesis. Today, methods available for screening CC are not capable of detecting the disease at an early stage. Therefore, it is important to identify new biomarkers for early detection of this cancer. For this purpose, in the present study, miRNAs targeting the two oncogenes E6 and E7 of human papillomavirus (types 16 and 18) were studied in CC by bioinformatics. Methods & Materials: First, using the NCBI database, the E6 and E7 gene sequences were obtained for both human papillomavirus types 16 and 18. Then, using the miRBase and RNA22 bioinformatics databases, the most appropriate targeting miRNAs for these genes were selected. Ethical Considerations: This study was approved by Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences. Results: Based on the P obtained from bioinformatics databases, miRNA including miR-92a-5p (P=7.51e-2), miR-195-3p (P=2.24e-1), miR-34a-5p (P=2.73e-1) and miR-155-5p (P=4.95e-2) were introduced for the two genes E6 and E7. Conclusion: Results from bioinformatics studies revealed that of the four miRNAs identified, miR-155-5p and miR-92a-5p are probably the targeting miRNAs specific for the E6 and E7 genes, respectively. Therefore, it seems that these miRNAs can be a suitable candidate for in vitro studies in CC patients.

Abstract Persisters are a sub-population of genetically sensitive bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment by entering a dormant state. The emergence of persisters from dormancy after antibiotic withdrawal leads to recurrent infection. Indole is an aromatic molecule with diverse signalling roles, including a role in persister formation. Here we demonstrate that indole stimulates the formation of Escherichia coli persisters against quinolone antibiotics which target the GyrA subunit of DNA gyrase. However, indole has no effect on the formation of E. coli persisters against an aminocoumarin, novobiocin, which targets the GyrB subunit of DNA gyrase. Two modes of indole signalling have been described: persistent and pulse. The latter refers to the brief but intense elevation of intracellular indole during stationary phase entry. We show that the stimulation of quinolone persisters is due to indole pulse, rather than persistent, signalling. In silico docking of indole on DNA gyrase predicts that indole docks perfectly to the ATP binding site of the GyrB subunit. We propose that the inhibition of indole production offers a potential route to enhance the activity of quinolones against E. coli persisters.

Background The authors performed this retrospective study to report the experience of mitral valve repair (MVR) repair procedures, including the commonly used operative techniques and recorded outcomes. Patients and methods A total of 100 patients (76 males) who underwent MVR were enrolled in this study. Diagnosis was mainly based on detailed history taking along with an echocardiographic assessment. Data on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were collected retrospectively from the database and patients' records. Missing data for particular outcomes were removed from the analysis. Results The four observed pathologies of the mitral valve [ischemic (67%), myxomatous (18%), postinfective (11%), and rupture chordae (4%)] were repaired with annuloplasty ring, leaflet dissection and annuloplasty ring, pericardial patch closure ± ring annuloplasty, and artificial chordae replacement, respectively. The preoperative and postoperative stay durations were 6.21 ± 6.318 and 12.19 ± 11.54 days, respectively. Only two deaths were recorded (one within the first 30 days of the procedure and one after). Operative bleeding occurred in four patients (of 98; 4.1%), and four patients (of 98; 4.1%) developed arrhythmia. Ten (of 98; 10.2%) patients were re-admitted into the ICU. Twelve (of 95; 12.6%) patients developed infection. At discharge, no cases of mitral regurgitation were observed. Except for preoperative and postoperative stay durations (which were significantly longer in the ischemic group), other outcomes showed no significant difference between the four used techniques. Conclusion The single-center experience highlights the safety of MVR procedure, but indicates that special caution should be warranted to reduce the incidence of post-operative infections. Except for longer preoperative and postoperative stay durations in the ischemic group, no outcome differences were observed between the used techniques. However, large, multicenter, randomized trials with longer follow-up periods are required to validate these findings.

The contamination and shortages of drinking water in the West Bank are among the most important challenges facing the Palestinian National Authority (PA) and the population residing in all sectors. In general, the contamination of water sources makes it difficult to obtain a sufficient quantity of drinking water of suitable quality, since contaminated water has a harmful effect on health, which profoundly impairs the quality of life. Despite knowledge of the adverse health effects of chemical and biological groundwater contamination, few studies have been conducted to suggest measures that can be taken to overcome the contamination and shortages of water. In our review, four levels of domains are used to evaluate the groundwater situation/condition in the West Bank, including (i) assessing the groundwater quality in the West Bank, (ii) identifying the sources of groundwater pollution, (iii) determining the degree of health risks associated with groundwater pollution, and (iv) determining the role of groundwater management in maintaining the quality and sustainability of these sources. To this end, the previous literature on groundwater status was reviewed for the past 27 years. In order to analyze the existing literature, a review matrix based on these four core domains was developed. Our findings revealed only 5 studies corresponding to the first nine years and 9 and 16 studies in the second and third periods, respectively. Furthermore, we found that only a few studies have examined the degree of health risk of groundwater in the West Bank. Although the government of Palestine has made access to safe drinking water a priority for its population, the PA struggles to provide sufficient and clean water to its residents, with a number suffering from water shortages, especially in dry seasons.

In this work, the effects of using natural lignocellulosic-based adsorbents from sugarcane bagasse (SC), cornstalk piths (CP), and corn cob (CC) on the physicochemical properties and quality of fried oils were studied. The properties of lignocellulosic biomasses were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Moreover, the changes in the physicochemical properties of fresh, fried oils (for 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 h) and adsorbents-treated oils were examined. The XRD results revealed that SC and CP biomasses have more amorphous regions than CC biomass, which had the highest crystallinity percentage. The results also showed that lignocellulosic biomasses enhanced the quality of the used oils. SC was the most effective biomass to enhance the properties of the used sunflower oil. For instance, the acid value of oil samples fried for 20 h reduced from 0.63 ± 0.02 to 0.51 ± 0.02 mg KOH/g oil after SC biomass treatment. For the peroxide value, the SC biomass treatment reduced it from 9.45 ± 0.56 (fried oil for 20 h) to 6.91 ± 0.12 meq O2/kg. Similarly, SC biomass adsorbent reduced the p-Anisidine Value (p-AV) of the used oil (20 h) from 98.45 ± 6.31 to 77.92 ± 3.65. Moreover, SC adsorbents slightly improved the lightness of the used oils (20 h). In conclusion, natural lignocellulosic biomasses, particularly SC, could be utilized as natural adsorbents to improve the oil quality. The results obtained from this study could help in developing sustainable methods to regenerate used oils using natural and cheap adsorbents.

Charlie Teo Foundation Brain Tumour Bank (CTFBTB) was started by Charlie Teo Foundation (CTF), an Australian charity funding brain cancer research. CTFBTB was established under the CTF’s research strategy of More Data – to produce and share high-quality, well-annotated, biological and clinical data that has the potential to drive further innovation and scientific breakthroughs. CTFBTB collects samples of human tissue, live cells, DNA and blood to be used for brain cancer research. CTFBTB also has a cell line repository of real-world brain tumours. Researchers can apply to use these valuable and accurate models that enable more refined analysis of the mechanisms that regulate individual patient response to treatment and allow for the further development of models for precision medicine.

ABSTRACT Persister and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells are two clonal subpopulations that can survive multidrug exposure via a plethora of putative molecular mechanisms. Here, we combine microfluidics, time-lapse microscopy, and a plasmid-encoded fluorescent pH reporter to measure the dynamics of the intracellular pH of individual persister, VBNC, and susceptible Escherichia coli cells in response to ampicillin treatment. We found that even before antibiotic exposure, persisters have a lower intracellular pH than those of VBNC and susceptible cells. We then investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed differential pH regulation in persister E. coli cells and found that this is linked to the activity of the enzyme tryptophanase, which is encoded by tnaA. In fact, in a ΔtnaA strain, we found no difference in intracellular pH between persister, VBNC, and susceptible E. coli cells. Whole-genome transcriptomic analysis revealed that, besides downregulating tryptophan metabolism, the ΔtnaA strain downregulated key pH homeostasis pathways, including the response to pH, oxidation reduction, and several carboxylic acid catabolism processes, compared to levels of expression in the parental strain. Our study sheds light on pH homeostasis, proving that the regulation of intracellular pH is not homogeneous within a clonal population, with a subset of cells displaying a differential pH regulation to perform dedicated functions, including survival after antibiotic treatment. IMPORTANCE Persister and VBNC cells can phenotypically survive environmental stressors, such as antibiotic treatment, limitation of nutrients, and acid stress, and have been linked to chronic infections and antimicrobial resistance. It has recently been suggested that pH regulation might play a role in an organism’s phenotypic survival to antibiotics; however, this hypothesis remains to be tested. Here, we demonstrate that even before antibiotic treatment, cells that will become persisters have a more acidic intracellular pH than clonal cells that will be either susceptible or VBNC upon antibiotic treatment. Moreover, after antibiotic treatment, persisters become more alkaline than VBNC and susceptible E. coli cells. This newly found phenotypic feature is remarkable because it distinguishes persister and VBNC cells that have often been thought to display the same dormant phenotype. We then show that this differential pH regulation is abolished in the absence of the enzyme tryptophanase via a major remodeling of bacterial metabolism and pH homeostasis. These new whole-genome transcriptome data should be taken into account when modeling bacterial metabolism at the crucial transition from exponential to stationary phase. Overall, our findings indicate that the manipulation of the intracellular pH represents a bacterial strategy for surviving antibiotic treatment. In turn, this suggests a strategy for developing persister-targeting antibiotics by interfering with cellular components, such as tryptophanase, that play a major role in pH homeostasis.

Objectives: A root canal sealer that can increase the resistance of endodontically treated teeth to compressive strength would be of great advantage. The purpose of this study is to use three different nanoparticles: multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Titanium carbides (TC), and Boron nitrides (BN) into a bioceramic adhesive root canal sealer; BioRoot™ RCS, in an attempt to improve its structural and compressive strength properties. Methods: Three composites of two weight fractions (1- and 2-wt.%) were produced by mixing each nanomaterial separately with a pre-weighed mass of Bioroot powder. The microstructural properties and compressive strength of the different hardened composites obtained were investigated. The composites have been characterized by X-ray Diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Compression testing was performed. Results: The 1-wt.% composites, Bioroot/MWCNTs, and Bioroot/TC, except for the one reinforced with BN, displayed a significant improvement in the compressive strength compared to pristine BioRoot™ RCS. The 2-wt.% composites showed no significant improvement in the compressive strength. Conclusion: The addition of 1-wt.% MWCNTs and TC nanomaterials can be considered in the future for enhancing the microstructure and compressive strength properties of pristine BioRoot™ RCS.