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Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is one of highly contagious viral diseases of small ruminants with high economic losses due to the high morbidity and mortality. In Egypt, PPR in the last 10 years re-emerged again with high mortality in sheep flocks. There is no much data regarding the circulating Peste des petits ruminants’ virus and the epidemiological distribution in small ruminants. The study was carried out on a sheep flock of 50 rams aged of 9-12 months with clinical signs suggestive to PPR infection (fever, erosions of the buccal mucosa, pneumonia, diarrhea high morbidity and mortality). Buffy coat and lymph nodes from diseased and dead animals were sent for diagnosis and molecular diagnosis was confirmed using RT-PCR with specific primers targeting three genes; nucleo-capsid (N), fusion (F), and hemagglutinin (H). Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis was carried out on the PCR products and revealed that, the circulating virus is belonged to lineage IV along with Ethiopian strain. Key words: peste des petits ruminants; molecular; epidemiological; diagnosis; Egypt MOLEKULARNA EPIDEMIOLOŠKA ŠTUDIJA KUGE DROBNICE V EGIPTU LETA 2015 Povzetek: Kuga drobnice (PPR; iz angl. peste des petits) je ena izmed zelo nalezljivih virusnih bolezni malih prežvekovalcev, ki zaradi visoke obolevnosti in umrljivosti povzroča visoke gospodarske izgube. V Egiptu se je v zadnjih desetih letih PPR znova pojavila z visoko smrtnostjo pri ovcah. O kugi drobnice in epidemiologiji te bolezni pri malih prežvekovalcih v literaturi ne najdemo veliko podatkov. Opisana raziskava je bila opravljena v čredi 50 ovnov, starih od 9 do 12 mesecev, s kliničnimi znaki, ki so kazali na prisotnost bolezni PPR (zvišana telesna temperatura, erozije ustne sluznice, pljučnica, driska, visoka obolevnost in smrtnost). Za natančno diagnosticiranje bolezni je bil uporabljen del krvi, pridobljen s centrifugiranjem, ki vsebuje veliko levkocitov in trombocitov (angl. Buffy coat) in bezgavke obolelih in mrtvih ovnov. Z uporabo specifičnih oligonukleotidov za določanje prisotnosti nukleotidne (N), fuzijske (F) in hemaglutininske (H). beljakovine v reakciji RT PCR smo na molekularnem nivoju potrdili prisotnost okužbe s povzročiteljem PPR. Analiza zaporedja genov in filogenetske analize so bile izvedene na produktih analize PCR, pri tem pa smo ugotovili, da virus pripada liniji IV skupaj z etiopijskim sevom. Ključne besede: kuga drobnice; molekularna diagnostika; epidemiologija; Egipt

Abstract Background The viva, or traditional oral examination, is a process where the examiners ask questions and the candidate answers them. While traditional viva has many disadvantages, including subjectivity, low validity, and low reliability, it is advantageous for assessing knowledge, clinical reasoning, and self-confidence, which cannot be assessed by written tests. In order to overcome these disadvantages, structured viva was invented and is claimed to be highly valid, reliable, and acceptable, but this was not confirmed by an overall systematic review or meta-analysis of the studies. The research aims to investigate the studies to reach an overall decision regarding the quality of structured viva as an assessment tool according to the agreed standards in medical education in terms of validity, reliability, and acceptability. Methods This systematic review was done following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) website reviews, Google Scholars, and ScienceDirect databases were searched for any article addressing the research questions from inception to December 2022. Data analysis was done by the OpenMeta Analyst open-source app, version Windows 10. Results A total of 1385 studies were identified. Of them, 24 were included in the review. Three of the reviewed studies showed higher validity of structured viva by a positive linear correlation coefficient compared with MCQs, MCQs and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and structured theory exam. In the reviewed studies, the reliability of structured viva was high by Cronbach alpha α = 0.80 and α = 0.75 in two different settings, while it was low α = 0.50 for the traditional viva. In the meta-analysis, structured viva was found to be acceptable by overall acceptability of (79.8%, P

This study presents a techno-economic analysis of a mini-grid solar photovoltaic system for five typical rural communities in Chad while promoting renewable energy systems adaptation and rural electrification. The assessment techniques include the establishment of the socio-economic state of the rural communities through a field survey. The costs of system development, electricity tariff and sizing of energy production are realised via the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) technique. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to identify the parameters that affect the evolution of the LCOE during the life cycle of the project. The results have shown that the annual energy production at all sites varies between 233 MWh/year and 3585 MWh/year. The highest amount of energy production is estimated at Guelendeng at a rate of 3218 MWh/year and a capacity of 2041 kW, while the lowest is predicted at Mombou at a rate of 211 MWh/year and a capacity of 134 kW. The standard LCOE for the system during the 25-year lifespan in the five villages is estimated at 0.30 €/kWh except at Mailo which was 0.31 €/kWh. This cost per kilowatt-hour is more attractive and competitive compared with the current rate charged by the national electricity company.

In this study, a techno-economic feasibility analysis of hybrid renewable energy systems for four household categories in rural areas of Chad was studied based on the multi-criteria assessment technique. The problem of this study is to know the best optimal solution in the technical and economic feasibility study of the decentralized mini-grids for the rural electrification of isolated villages in Chad. The main objective of the work is to assess technically, economically and environmentally the feasibility of six scenarios of hybrid systems in five isolated sites in Chad. The performance analysis involved six scenarios of possible hybrid solutions while achieving a supply-demand balance for sustainable electrification of the remote villages, using the HOMER software. The results have shown that the optimum combination of the hybrid system was the photovoltaic/battery system with a Net Present Cost (NPC) of US $ 328,146 and it was found at Etena village. The photovoltaic/Wind/Diesel/Battery hybrid configuration was the least optimum system and it has appeared in Mandelia village. In terms of energy cost, the lowest Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) was estimated at US $ 0.236/kWh in a photovoltaic/Wind/Battery configuration at Koundoul site and the highest costs US $ 0.363/kWh in the photovoltaic/Battery configuration at the Linia site. It is established that hybrid solutions can be developed to make electricity available and accessible to the population of the remote rural areas in Chad. However, it is imperative that the local government must subsidize the diesel price to promote the adaptation of the abundant renewable solutions.

Objectives Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common indication of liver transplantation in children. Several reports attributed BA to both prenatal and perinatal etiologies, including a viral infection-induced autoimmune response that targets the bile ducts. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains the most common virus being linked to BA. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate to what extent CMV infection is detected in patients with BA. Methods This study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases of MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, WHO-Virtual Health Library (VHL), ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were used for the systematic search. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Random effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence estimate with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software version 3.3. Results A total of 19 studies that fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The total number of infants with BA was 630 patients, and the pooled overall prevalence of CMV infection among them was 25.4% (95% CI: 15.9%–38.0%). There was high heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 85.1%, p

Abstract Objective This meta-analysis was done to estimate the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATDs) in Turner Syndrome patients, and to determine the clinical status of thyroid autoimmune diseases that occur frequently in association with Turner Syndrome. Results A total of 18 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled overall prevalence of autoimmune thyroid diseases in Turner Syndrome patients was 38.6% (95% CI 29.7–47.6%), with 12.7% (95% CI 9.30–16.1%) of them had clinical hypothyroidism and 2.6% (95% CI 1.5–3.8%) had hyperthyroidism. I-squared test had a high result of heterogeneity. In subgroup analyses, the prevalence of ATDs was higher in the European region than Asian region. Autoimmune thyroid diseases are commonly associated with Turner Syndrome. Early detection of thyroid diseases by optimal screening among children with Turner Syndrome is required to ensure effective management.

Background: The rapid progression of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its increasing burden on health systems necessitate the identification of parameters of severe infection to help in monitoring, prognoses and development of treatment algorithms. Objectives: This review aims to investigate the association of lymphocyte count, CRP, LDH, and D-Dimer with the severity of COVID-19. Methods: This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases of MEDLINE/PubMed, WHO-Virtual Health Library (VHL), and ScienceDirect were used for the systematic search. Random effects model was used to estimate the pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), using OpenMeta Analyst software. Results: A total of 11 studies, with 2437 COVID-19 patients, which fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The analysis revealed that lymphocyte count was significantly lower in patients with the severe form of COVID-19 (SMD = - 1.025, P value

Competing Interests: Competing interests: The BMJ has judged that there are no disqualifying financial ties to commercial companies. The authors declare the following other interests: none.

Background and Aims: Obesity and type 2 diabetes are significant risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide, but the underlying pathophysiological links are poorly understood. Neurotensin (NT), a 13-amino-acid hormone peptide, facilitates intestinal fat absorption and contributes to obesity in mice fed a high-fat diet. Elevated levels of pro-NT (a stable NT precursor produced in equimolar amounts relative to NT) are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and CVD in humans. Whether NT is a causative factor in CVD is unknown., Methods: Nt +/+ and Nt -/- mice were either injected with adeno-associated virus encoding PCSK9 mutants or crossed with Ldlr -/- mice and fed a Western diet. Atherosclerotic plaques were analyzed by en face analysis, Oil Red O and CD68 staining. In humans, we evaluated the association between baseline pro-NT and growth of carotid bulb thickness after 16.4 years. Lipidomic profiles were analyzed., Results: Atherosclerotic plaque formation is attenuated in Nt-deficient mice through mechanisms that are independent of reductions in circulating cholesterol and triglycerides but associated with remodeling of the plasma triglyceride pool. An increasing plasma concentration of pro-NT predicts atherosclerotic events in coronary and cerebral arteries independent of all major traditional risk factors, indicating a strong link between NT and atherosclerosis. This plasma lipid profile analysis confirms the association of pro-NT with remodeling of the plasma triglyceride pool in atherosclerotic events., Conclusions: Our findings are the first to directly link NT to increased atherosclerosis and indicate the potential role for NT in preventive and therapeutic strategies for CVD., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Three new cross-linked chitosan derivatives were yielded through intensification of chitosan with diverse types of bis-aldehydes. The prepared cross-linked chitosan was characterized by FTIR, 1 H NMR, XRD, and TGA techniques. TGA indicated an improvement in thermal stability of the cross-linked chitosan compared with pure chitosan. Batch adsorption experiments showed that the three novel cross-linked chitosan bis-aldehyde derivatives possessed good adsorption capacity against U(VI) in the order of BFPA > BFB > BODB (adsorption capacity of the three adsorbents for U(VI) reaches 142, 124, and 114 mg/g respectively) and the adsorption isotherm and kinetic were well described by the Langmuir and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, respectively. In addition, the prepared cross-linked chitosan bis-aldehyde derivatives were examined as U(VI) catcher from waste solutions., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Activated macrophages contribute to the pathogenesis of vascular disease. Vein graft failure is a major clinical problem with limited therapeutic options. PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9) increases low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels via LDL receptor (LDLR) degradation. The role of PCSK9 in macrophage activation and vein graft failure is largely unknown, especially through LDLR-independent mechanisms. This study aimed to explore a novel mechanism of macrophage activation and vein graft disease induced by circulating PCSK9 in an LDLR-independent fashion., Methods: We used Ldlr -/- mice to examine the LDLR-independent roles of circulating PCSK9 in experimental vein grafts. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector encoding a gain-of-function mutant of PCSK9 (rAAV8/D377Y-mPCSK9) induced hepatic PCSK9 overproduction. To explore novel inflammatory targets of PCSK9, we used systems biology in Ldlr -/- mouse macrophages., Results: In Ldlr -/- mice, AAV-PCSK9 increased circulating PCSK9, but did not change serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. AAV-PCSK9 promoted vein graft lesion development when compared with control AAV. In vivo molecular imaging revealed that AAV-PCSK9 increased macrophage accumulation and matrix metalloproteinase activity associated with decreased fibrillar collagen, a molecular determinant of atherosclerotic plaque stability. AAV-PCSK9 induced mRNA expression of the pro-inflammatory mediators IL-1β (interleukin-1 beta), TNFα (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) in peritoneal macrophages underpinned by an in vitro analysis of Ldlr -/- mouse macrophages stimulated with endotoxin-free recombinant PCSK9. A combination of unbiased global transcriptomics and new network-based hyperedge entanglement prediction analysis identified the NF-κB (nuclear factor-kappa B) signaling molecules, lectin-like oxidized LOX-1 (LDL receptor-1), and SDC4 (syndecan-4) as potential PCSK9 targets mediating pro-inflammatory responses in macrophages., Conclusions: Circulating PCSK9 induces macrophage activation and vein graft lesion development via LDLR-independent mechanisms. PCSK9 may be a potential target for pharmacologic treatment for this unmet medical need.

Objective: Vascular calcification is a critical pathology associated with increased cardiovascular event risk, but there are no Food and Drug Administration-approved anticalcific therapies. We hypothesized and validated that an unbiased screening approach would identify novel mediators of human vascular calcification. Approach and Results: We performed an unbiased quantitative proteomics and pathway network analysis that identified increased CROT (carnitine O-octanoyltransferase) in calcifying primary human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Additionally, human carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques contained increased immunoreactive CROT near calcified regions. CROT siRNA reduced fibrocalcific response in calcifying SMCs. In agreement, histidine 327 to alanine point mutation inactivated human CROT fatty acid metabolism enzymatic activity and suppressed SMC calcification. CROT siRNA suppressed type 1 collagen secretion, and restored mitochondrial proteome alterations, and suppressed mitochondrial fragmentation in calcifying SMCs. Lipidomics analysis of SMCs incubated with CROT siRNA revealed increased eicosapentaenoic acid, a vascular calcification inhibitor. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Crot deficiency in LDL (low-density lipoprotein) receptor-deficient mice reduced aortic and carotid artery calcification without altering bone density or liver and plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations., Conclusions: CROT is a novel contributing factor in vascular calcification via promoting fatty acid metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction, as such CROT inhibition has strong potential as an antifibrocalcific therapy.

Aims: Many genetic association studies reported the contribution of KCNJ11 gene to type 2 diabetes susceptibility in different populations. We aimed to evaluate the association between E23K variant of KCNJ11 and type 2 diabetes in the Mauritanian population., Materials and Methods: We performed a case-control association study including 135 type 2 diabetes Mauritanian patients and 135 controls. Genotyping for the E23K variant was performed using a TaqMan allelic discrimination assay., Results: We found significant association between KCNJ11 E23K variant and type 2 diabetes (Global model, OR=2.08, 95% CI=1.09-3.97, p=0.026). In the Moor ethnic group, E23K was also associated with type 2 diabetes in the general model (OR=2.08, 95% CI=1.09-3.97, p=0.026) and under the dominant model (OR=2.49, 95% CI=1.12-5.55, p=0.026). In the Mauritanians of African descent, KK genotype was not found. Besides, E23K variant was not associated with type 2 diabetes (OR=0.69, 95% CI=0.04-11.32, p=0.793)., Conclusions: Our results revealed the risk of type 2 diabetes conferred by KCNJ11 E23K gene variant in the Mauritanian population., (Copyright © 2013 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: We estimated the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes, analyzed the influence of family history on the occurrence of T2D and evaluated its aggregation pattern in the Mauritanian population., Methods: The prevalence of unknown diabetes was obtained using data compiled from 1278 Mauritanian adults applying a questionnaire and fasting serum glucose tests. Detailed family history of diabetes and clinical characteristics were gathered from 421 T2D patients., Results: The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was 4.7 ± 1.2% in the studied population (3.1% in men and 6.4% in women). 27% of T2D patients reported at least one relative with diabetes. Association between family history and diabetes was higher among first degree compared to second degree relatives (p=0.003). We observed more probands with an affected mother than those who have a father with diabetes (p = 0.002), suggesting a preferential maternal effect which did not extend to second degree relatives., Conclusions: These results show that the prevalence of diabetes in the Mauritanian population could be higher than currently thought. Family history screening may be used in the management of this condition in Mauritania., (Copyright © 2012 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)