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BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) causes the severe contagious acute respiratory syndrome. Therefore, massive vaccination campaign is mandatory to control the spread. Sputnik COVID-19 vaccines induce immunity through different mechanisms involving antibody response that bind to the spike protein to neutralize the viral entry into the cells. AIM: This study aims to compare the titers of specific antibodies in the pre- and post-vaccination sera in the vaccinated Egyptian population to evaluate the efficacy of the sputnik vaccine. METHODS: Samples were collected from 205 adult volunteers receiving the Sputnik vaccine in the Reference Laboratory of Egyptian University Hospitals. Samples were collected before vaccination and within 1, 2, or 3 months after receiving two doses of Sputnik SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from August to October 2021, serum samples collected were tested by quantitative chemiluminescent immunoassay using (Mindray CL-960i chemiluminescence analyzer, India) at the Reference laboratory of Egyptian University Hospitals for neutralizing antibodies, anti-spike antibodies, and total antibody levels before and after vaccination. RESULTS: The results of the 205 paired samples illustrated that there was a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-vaccination antibody levels with a p-value of (< 0.001) indicating that the vaccine produced significantly high levels of antibodies. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 Sputnik vaccines induce immunity through an antibody response that binds to the virus to neutralize its entry into cells. Our study showed a significant increase in the measured post-vaccination levels of the three antibodies among the enrolled volunteers compared to the basal pre-vaccination level and thus sputnik vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 infections.

BACKGROUND: Detection of positive 2019-nCoV nucleic acids by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR)-based assays performed on the upper and lower respiratory samples remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of COVID-19. However, antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests can offer a faster (15–30 min) and less expensive way to diagnose active severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection than nucleic acid amplification tests. AIM: Hence, the present study aimed to compare and evaluate the results of different SARS-CoV-2 rapid point-of-care antigen tests with SARS-CoV-2 PCR as a reference method. METHODS: Sixty-five nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected from attendees of the Reference Laboratory of Egyptian university hospitals. The samples were placed in viral transport medium for RNA extraction. The remaining part of the suspension was stored at −70°C until use for COVID-19 antigen testing. All samples were processed for the COVID-19 Ag rapid test and RT-PCR simultaneously. RESULTS: RT-PCR assay revealed 46 (70.8%) positive samples and 19 (29.2%) negative samples for COVID-19. All eight rapid antigen assays indicated specificity and positive predictive value of 100% each. As for the other parameters, the sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy ranged from 43.8 to 93.8, 33.3 to 90, and 60 to 96, respectively. Biozak exhibited the best performance with the highest sensitivities 91.3, 81.8, and 93.75, respectively, while Viro and Standard Q were the worst among the tested kits with sensitivity, NPV, and accuracy of 50, 33.3, and 60 each. Regarding the relationship between the viral load of COVID-19 detected by RT-PCR and the results of the eight rapid antigen tests (RAT), we deduced that the higher the viral load, the better the sensitivity observed. CONCLUSION: The RATs used, in our study, exhibited heterogeneous diagnostic performance, where some of them showed very promising results in comparison to the reference RT-PCR assay.

BACKGROUND: Readily available, accurate, and rapid diagnostic technologies are of high priority to contain emerging and re-emerging pandemics and to properly allocate personal protective equipment usage and preventing nosocomial spread with subsequent community transmission. Detection of positive 2019-nCoV nucleic acids by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR)-based assays remains the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnostics. However, these assays take an average over 3–5 h to generate results and the PCR tests require certified laboratories, expensive equipment, and trained technicians to operate. Therefore, there is an urgent need for rapid point of care molecular tests that can be readily used in a healthcare setting that generates reliable results within few hours. Those tests should provide reliable results in the setting to facilitate the diagnosis and rapid decision-making. AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of Abbott ID NOW SARS-CoV-2 compared to two gold standard assays (Allplex 2019- nCoV and VIASURE SARS-CoV-2) and to detect the relation between viral load and the sensitivity of ID NOW SARS-CoV-2 assay. METHODS: A total of 86 and 42 nasopharyngeal swabs collected from patients attending the Reference Laboratory of Egyptian University Hospitals during the period from January 2022 to May 2022, were tested by our reference methods of RT-PCR for COVID-19 detection; VIASURE kit and Allplex kits, respectively. Corresponding dry nasal swabs were collected from the same patients for ID NOW SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) detection assay. RESULTS: As regards the results of the 86 nasopharyngeal swabs tested by both VIASURE kit and ID NOW, there was a good agreement between both methods (95%) (kappa = 0.924), where the ID NOW method was not able to detect three COVID-19-positive samples (3/86, 5.1%). ID NOW exhibited specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 94.9%, respectively. As for comparing results of ID NOW with Allplex kit, the results of the 42 nasopharyngeal swabs tested by both tests revealed good agreement between both methods (kappa = 0.908). In comparison with Allplex kit, ID NOW exhibited specificity and sensitivity of 90% and 100%, respectively. Regarding the relation between the viral load detected by VIASURE kit and results of the ID NOW test, we found that ID NOW showed a sensitivity of 82.35% in samples with low viral load (CT > 30), while for samples with intermediate (CT: 20–30) and high (CT < 20) viral loads, sensitivity was 100%. CONCLUSION: ID NOW assay in our study exhibited a high diagnostic performance when evaluated with the gold standard RT-PCR methods. Our study further substantiates the high sensitivity of ID NOW in the presence of intermediate and high viral loads detected by molecular RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 testing. Its analytical performances, combined with the very short 13 min reactional time and the friendly device-guided handling procedure, constitute an additional advantage of ID NOW COVID-19 for setting up a rapid diagnosis within the clinical laboratories and for timely identification of outbreaks allowing for aggressive contact tracing and containment.

[Objectives] Integration between different methods of treatment will be beneficial to patients. We aimed to evaluate the effect of adding dynamic ankle-foot orthosis while carrying a task-specific training based-program to improve gait performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP). [Methods] Thirty-six patients were included in this study from 7 – 9 years. They were assigned randomly into two equal groups: experimental and control groups. Both groups received selected task-specific training-based programs, including lower limb strengthening exercises and treadmill gait training without body support. In comparison, the experimental group used dynamic ankle-foot orthosis. The intervention program was performed three times per week for 12 successive weeks for a total of 36 hours. All children were evaluated through a 6-minute walk test (6MWT), a 10-meter walk test (10MWT), and the modified pediatric version of the Wisconsin gait scale (WGS). Measured variables were recorded twice: pre-and post-treatment. [Results] Significant improvement was noticed in both groups; the post-treatment improvements were significantly greater in favor of the experimental group concerning results of 6MWT, 10MWT, and the modified pediatric version of WGS as P=.0001. [Conclusions] Integration between the task-specific training based-program and dynamic ankle-foot orthosis is beneficial in improving gait performance in children with unilateral CP.

BACKGROUND: To date, the molecular assay is the gold-standard method for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis. However, they are expensive and complex. There is a pressing necessity for developing other effective diagnostics for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 patients. Therefore, serological detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 might provide a good alternative. AIM: We aimed to compare and evaluate seven rapid diagnostic tests with Mindray chemiluminescent automated immunoassay as a reference method for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detection. METHODS: This study included the serum of a total of 49 attendees to the Reference Laboratory of Egyptian university hospitals during the period from April 2021 to May 2021. Anti-COVID-19 antibodies detection in serum samples was performed by Mindray fully automated system as our reference method and seven rapid antibody tests;Wondfo, Vazyme, Dynamiker, Panbio, Artron Maccura and Roche. RESULTS: The chemiluminescent assay revealed 30 (61.2%) positive samples and 19 (38.8%) negative samples for COVID-19 immunoglobulin (Ig) G. For COVID-19 IgM, 11 (22.4%) samples were positive and 38 (77.6%) samples were negative. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were not detected in any of the PCR-negative individuals. The best diagnostic performance was demonstrated by Roche IgG and IgM, and Vazyme IgG and IgM antibody tests followed by Panbio. For Roche, the sensitivity and specificity for IgG and IgM were (83.3% and 89.5%) and (72.7% and 81.6%), respectively. Vazyme showed sensitivity and specificity for IgG and IgM were (77.8% and 85.7%) and (75% and 91.7%), respectively. Regards Panbio, the sensitivity and specificity for IgG and IgM were (63.6% and 87.5%) and (50% and 86.7%) respectively. Cohen’s Kappa values revealed a substantial agreement for Roche IgG, Vazyme IgG and IgM of (0.7076, 0.6250, 0.6667) respectively. The worst agreement was reported for Maccura IgG, Wondfo, and Dynamiker IgM with Cohen’s Kappa values of (0.2508, 0.1893, and 0.0313), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid tests in our study exhibited heterogeneous diagnostic performances. Roche, Vazyme, and Panbio antibody tests showed promising results in concordance with our reference method with the best-reported results. On the other hand, the other tests were inferior and failed in providing valid and reliable results. Further studies are necessary to determine the practicality of these tests in different settings and communities.

The present study investigated the role of inoculation with Nitrobien biofertilizer (N-Bio, Azospirillum and azotobacter spp.) on the response of maize plants to cadmium-toxicity (applied as 2 and 10 mM CdSO4). Cd-stress caused a significant reduction in the fresh and dry biomass of leaves and roots as well as a marked disturbance in the anatomical features of roots and stomatal structure and behavior. Cd-stress significantly depressed the total photosynthetic pigments, photochemical efficiency of PS II, total carbohydrates, and proteins content. Furthermore, increasing Cd level prompted oxidative stress measured in terms of malondialdehyde and H2O2 contents in maize plants. Application of N-Bio improved these attributes in Cd-stressed maize plants. Moreover, NO3- uptake and its assimilating enzymes (nitrate reductase, NR; glutamine synthase, GS; and, glutamate dehydrogenase GDH) were significantly increased in N-Bio-pretreated Cd-stressed plants than Cd- stressed ones and that was associated with a decrease of NH4+ content. N-Bio pretreatment also stimulated the accumulation of amino acids and markedly increased endogenous phytohormone content (IAA, GA3) of Cd-stressed maize plants. These results revealed the potentiating effect of N-Bio pretreatment in regulating Cd-induced damages in maize plants. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers

In March 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak was declared as a world pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The only measures for controlling the outbreak are testing and isolation of infected cases. Molecular real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are very sensitive but require highly equipped laboratories and well-trained personnel. In this study, a rapid point-of-need detection method was developed to detect the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), envelope protein (E), and nucleocapsid protein (N) genes of SARS-CoV-2 based on the reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay. RdRP, E, and N RT-RPA assays required approximately 15 min to amplify 2, 15, and 15 RNA molecules of molecular standard/reaction, respectively. RdRP and E RT-RPA assays detected SARS-CoV-1 and 2 genomic RNA, whereas the N RT-RPA assay identified only SARS-CoV-2 RNA. All established assays did not cross-react with nucleic acids of other respiratory pathogens. The RT-RPA assay's clinical sensitivity and specificity in comparison to real-time RT-PCR (n = 36) were 94 and 100% for RdRP; 65 and 77% for E; and 83 and 94% for the N RT-RPA assay. The assays were deployed to the field, where the RdRP RT-RPA assays confirmed to produce the most accurate results in three different laboratories in Africa (n = 89). The RPA assays were run in a mobile suitcase laboratory to facilitate the deployment at point of need. The assays can contribute to speed up the control measures as well as assist in the detection of COVID-19 cases in low-resource settings.

Background: Giardia is a unicellular flagellated parasite infecting wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans. Infection is usually transmitted through ingestion of cyst stage. Infection occurs worldwide, but particularly affects populations in the developing countries. Giardiasis is usually asymptomatic but, mild to moderate self-limiting diarrhea commonly occurs. In other cases, diarrhea may be severe, prolonged or even life threatening. Aim of the work: The aim of this study was to assess the value and reliability of the immunochromatographic Giardia strip test (RIDAQUICK)* in a routine diagnostic setting as a point of care test for diagnosis of Giardiasis. The results will be compared to those obtained using conventional microscopy and the ELISA test “reference method” (RIDASCREEN)*. Patients and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 30 random stool samples recruited from symptomatic infants and children (

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among diabetic patients suffering from retinopathy, and to identify crucial risk factors that affect patients’ quality of life and whether social support mediates the relationship between retinopathy and depression. Methods: The sample comprises 155 participants with diabetic retinopathy recruited from the Jordan University Hospital during the year 2017. Arabic versions of all study tools were employed as follows: the Beck Depression Inventory; the short form of the health survey; the Berlin social support scale; ophthalmic examinations; patients’ records; and a demographic questionnaire. Analyses: Descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation, linear regression using SPSS, and mediation analysis using the Sobel test were applied. In addition, the odds ratio analysis and qualitative analyses for the open-ended questions were included. Results: In general, 13 (8.9%) of our patients did not manifest any symptoms of depression while 42 (27.1%) had a mild mood disturbance, 26 (16.8%) were on the borderline of clinical depression, 47 (30.3%) had moderate depression, 22 (14.2%) with severe depression, and 5 (3.2%) had extreme depression. The results indicate a nonsignificant positive correlation between social support and health-related quality of life and a nonsignificant positive relationship between retinopathy severity and depression. Meanwhile, our results revealed a significant negative relationship between depression and social support and a nonsignificant negative relationship between retinopathy severity and social support. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that diabetic patients with retinopathy have a higher risk of developing depression. Hence, psychological interventions are highly needed to meet the mental health needs of these patients.

Objective To describe the epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in Egyptian hospitals reporting to the national HAI surveillance system. Methods Design: Descriptive analysis of CRE HAIs and retrospective observational cohort study using national HAI surveillance data. Setting: Egyptian hospitals participating in the HAI surveillance system. The patient population included patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in participating hospitals. Enterobacteriaceae HAI cases were Klebsiella, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter isolates from blood, urine, wound or respiratory specimen collected on or after day 3 of ICU admission. CRE HAI cases were those resistant to at least one carbapenem. For CRE HAI cases reported during 2011–2017, a hospital-level and patient-level analysis were conducted using only the first CRE isolate by pathogen and specimen type for each patient. For facility, microbiology, and clinical characteristics, frequencies and means were calculated among CRE HAI cases and compared with carbapenem-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae HAI cases through univariate and multivariate logistic regression using STATA 13. Results There were 1598 Enterobacteriaceae HAI cases, of which 871 (54.1%) were carbapenem resistant. The multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that carbapenem resistance was associated with specimen type, pathogen, location prior to admission, and length of ICU stay. Between 2011 and 2017, there was an increase in the proportion of Enterobacteriaceae HAI cases due to CRE (p-value = 0.003) and the incidence of CRE HAIs (p-value = 0.09). Conclusions This analysis demonstrated a high and increasing burden of CRE in Egyptian hospitals, highlighting the importance of enhancing infection prevention and control (IPC) programs and antimicrobial stewardship activities and guiding the implementation of targeted IPC measures to contain CRE in Egyptian ICU’s .

Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) intake is a risk factor for coronary heart diseases and cancer. Egypt, considered among the highest TFA consumers in the world, lacks proper dietary analysis of TFAs. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze TFAs in traditional and frequently consumed food products. A market survey was conducted to identify products and brands that are mostly consumed in major governorates in Egypt. Laboratory analysis allowed for the profiling of TFAs, and saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Products having more than 2 g of TFA/100 g of fat were considered to have an elevated TFA content. Commonly consumed food items (n = 208) in the Egyptian market were identified. On average, 34% of the products exceeded the TFA limit. Sambosk meat, a traditional meat item, had the highest TFA content of 5.2%, followed by foods fried with used oils. Oriental sweets had a TFA content three times higher than that of doughnuts. The fast-food group had the largest proportion of TFA-rich products, followed by the canned and frozen item groups and confectionaries. This study revealed that around one third of products in the Egyptian market have a high TFA content. This calls for urgent legislative action to regulate composition.

[Purpose] Cervicogenic headache is a major problem in patients with upper cervical dysfunction. However, its physical therapy management is a topic of debate. This study aims to determine the effect of C1-C2 Mulligan sustained natural apophyseal glide mobilizations on cervicogenic headache and associated dizziness. [Participants and Methods] This study included 48 patients with cervicogenic headache, who were randomly assigned to three equal groups: Group A (Headache SNAG), group B (C1-C2 SNAG rotation), and group C (combined). Neck Disability Index was used to examine neck pain intensity and cervicogenic headache symptoms. The 6-item Headache Impact Test scale was used to examine headache severity and its adverse effects on social life and functions. Flexion-Rotation Test was used to assess rotation range of motion at the level of C1-C2 and confirmed by a cervical range of motion device. Dizziness Handicap Inventory scale was used to evaluate dizziness. The evaluation was done pre- and post-treatment and compared between the groups. [Results] Group C showed significant improvement in all variables compared with groups A and B. [Conclusion] Sustained natural apophyseal glide mobilizations used in the study were effective in reducing cervicogenic headache and dizziness in all groups with a greater improvement in the combined group. The use of cervical SNAG mobilizations is encouraged as a noninvasive intervention depending on the therapist's assessment, findings, and clinical reasoning.

Background Forward head and rounded shoulder posture (FHRSP) is a common clinical postural misalignment. It leads to flexion posture of the spine which increases the amount of tension on the nerve roots, which inversely affects muscle strength and function of the upper extremity. So, this study was conducted to examine the effect of FHRSP on hand grip strength in asymptomatic young adults and to explore the relationship between the craniovertebral angle (CVA) and hand grip strength. Results There was no significant difference in hand grip strength between the groups (p = 0.812). There was no correlation between the CVA and right and left hand grip of the normal group (p = 0.840, 0.816 respectively), rounded shoulder posture (RSP) group (p = 0.523, 0.650 respectively), and FHRSP group (p = 0.855, 0.736 respectively). Regarding the right and left hand grip strength, there was no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.798, 0.826 respectively). The right hand grip strength was significantly higher than the left hand for all groups (p = 0.001). Conclusion This study displayed that hand grip strength was not affected by FHRSP nor RSP in asymptomatic young adults. Moreover, the degree of the CVA was not associated with an inverse effect on hand grip strength.

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) remains a huge worldwide burden, despite extensive vaccination coverage with the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the only vaccine available against this disease, indicating that BCG-driven immunity is inadequate to protect the human population against TB. This underscore the critical necessitate to develop an improved TB vaccine, based on a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions and immune responses during mycobacterial infection. Aim of the work To examine whether the exogenous addition of IFN-β could improve dendritic cell (DC) response to Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and to evaluate the effect induced by the infection of human DCs with M. bovis (with and without IFN-β) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) on DC viability as well as to compare the ability of BCG and Mtb to provide DCs with a Th1-polarizing capacity through the assessment of the immunoregulatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-12, IL-10 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). Methods Immature DCs (iDCs) were generated in vitro using peripheral blood monocytes separated by anti-CD14–conjugated microbeads in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-4, cultured cells were analyzed using flow cytometry, then we tested DC viability after inoculation with M. bovis (with and without IFN-β pretreatment) and Mtb using light microscopic examination and trypan blue exclusion method. Additionally, supernatants from infected-DCs cultures were analyzed for IFN-γ, IL-12 and IL-10 by ELISA. Results The viability of BCG-infected DCs was significantly higher than that of Mtb-infected DCs (61.55% vs 52.10%). BCG-infected DC produced significantly more IL-12 (p = 0.02) and less IL-10 (p = 0.01) compared with Mtb-infected cells. IFN-β-pretreated BCG-infected DCs produced significantly larger amounts of IL-12 than did BCG-infected DCs (p = 0.03) and Mtb-infected cells (p Conclusion IFN-β improves DC functions following BCG infection, thus assuming that IFN-β could be used as a vaccine adjuvant.

Background Health care–associated infections (HAIs) are a major global public health concern. The lack of surveillance systems in developing countries leads to an underestimation of the global burden of HAI. We describe the process of developing a national HAI surveillance program and the magnitude of HAI rates in Egypt. Methods The detailed process of implementation of a national HAI surveillance program is described. A 3-phase surveillance approach was implemented in intensive care units (ICUs). This article focuses on results from the phase 2 surveillance. Standard surveillance definitions were used, clinical samples were processed by the hospital laboratories, and results were confirmed by a reference laboratory. Results Ninety-one ICUs in 28 hospitals contributed to 474,544 patient days and 2,688 HAIs. Of these, 30% were bloodstream infections, 29% were surgical site infections, 26% were pneumonia, and 15% were urinary tract infections. Ventilator-associated pneumonia had the highest incidence of device-associated infections (4.3/1,000 ventilator days). The most common pathogens reported were Klebsiella spp (28.7%) and Acinetobacter spp (13.7%). Of the Acinetobacter spp, 92.8% (157/169) were multidrug resistant, whereas 42.5% (151/355) of the Klebsiella spp and 54% (47/87) of Escherichia coli were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers. Conclusions Implementation of a sustainable surveillance system in a resource-limited country was possible following a stepwise approach with continuous evaluation. Enhancing infection prevention and control programs should be an infection control priority in Egypt.

Background. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has created significant epidemiological, infection-control, and therapeutic management challenges during the past three decades. Aim. To analyze the pattern of resistance of healthcare- and community-associated MRSA in Egypt and the trend of resistance of HA-MRSA over time (2005–2013). Methods. MRSA isolates were recovered from healthcare-associated (HA) and community-associated (CA) Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections. They were tested against 11 antimicrobial discs and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of vancomycin was determined. Inducible clindamycin resistance (iMLSB) was also screened using D-test. Findings. Of 631 S. aureus, MRSA was identified in 343 (76.6%) and 21 (11.5%) of HA and CA S. aureus isolates, respectively. The proportion of HA-MRSA increased significantly from 48.6% in 2005 to 86.8% in 2013 (p value < 0.001). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 85.8% of HA-MRSA and 48.6% of CA-MRSA. Vancomycin intermediate resistant S. aureus (VISA) was detected in 1.2% of HA-MRSA and none was detected in CA-MRSA. Among HA-MRSA strains, 5.3% showed iMLSB compared to 9.5% among CA-MRSA. Conclusion. The upsurge of the prevalence rates of HA-MRSA over time is alarming and urges for an effective infection control strategy and continuous monitoring of antimicrobial use.

The wedding dress is the finest produced by the ready-made garment industry, and the materials used in its preparation vary from natural or industrial materials such as plastics, and among these modern materials is tyvek, which is a non-woven material, white in color, non-toxic, chemically inert, very opaque and with a printable surface It is characterized by light weight and is characterized by its resistance to rotting as it does not allow the formation of fungi or any microorganisms on its surface, and is characterized by high opacity due to the multiple reflections of light between the microfiber and the air inside the tyvek plate, and the tyvek fibers can remain in a curved and wrinkled position indefinitely without that She loses strength as she is flexible. The study aims to use economic raw materials in designing wedding dresses and exploiting the capabilities of these materials in designing and producing economic wedding dresses of high aesthetic value, exploiting and highlighting the plastic capabilities of "Tyvek" material in designing wedding dresses, and forming a new technical vision to use unconventional materials in preparing dresses wedding. The study includes the use of different techniques for tyvek material in preparing five designs for wedding dresses and evaluating these techniques from multiple axes by a jury consisting of ten specialized academics and analyzing these results statistically. The research follows the descriptive approach in the theoretical part, while the experimental approach follows the practical experience, The quantitative approach to statistical treatment. The study concluded that tyvek is a material rich in formative capabilities and with characteristics that allow the creation of techniques and treatments of its own that give unique results and the use of tyvek in its raw form does not give good results, due to its strong susceptibility to crunching and its lack of response to ironing, so it can not be used in clothing only after His treatment with any of the known or developed techniques, and the results of the application of the questionnaires for specialists showed an increase in the percentage of their degree of acceptance, and the proposed designs that got the lowest percentages got high degrees with regard to the suitability of the material and the attractiveness of the technology developed, which indicates the success of the idea of ​​using the material and the success of Its innovative technologies.

Biotransformation of Furanocoumarins; psoralen ( 1 ), bergapten ( 2 ), xanthotoxin ( 3 ) and imperatorin ( 4 ) was explored by Cunninghamella elegans NRRL 1392, revealing the metabolism of psoralen ( 1 ) and bergapten ( 2 ) into bergaptol ( 5 ), while xanthotoxin ( 3 ) and imperatorin ( 4 ) were converted into xanthotoxol ( 6 ). On the other hand unexpected conversion of xanthotoxin ( 3 ) into 3,4 dihydroxanthotoxin ( 7 ) occurred. The structure of the isolated pure metabolites was established using physical and spectroscopic techniques including, melting points, IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and mass spectroscopy.

Inappropriate antibiotic use leads to increased risk of antibiotic resistance and other adverse outcomes. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence and characteristics of antibiotic use in Egyptian hospitals to identify opportunities for quality improvement. A point prevalence survey was conducted in 18 hospitals in March 2011. A total of 3408 patients were included and 59% received at least one antibiotic, with the most significant use among persons

Objective.To report type and rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) as well as pathogen distribution and antimicrobial resistance patterns from a pilot HAI surveillance system in Egypt.Methods.Prospective surveillance was conducted from April 2011 through March 2012 in 46 intensive care units (ICUs) in Egypt. Definitions were adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network. Trained healthcare workers identified HAIs and recorded data on clinical symptoms and up to 4 pathogens. A convenience sample of clinical isolates was tested for antimicrobial resistance at a central reference laboratory. Multidrug resistance was defined by international consensus criteria.Results.ICUs from 11 hospitals collected 90,515 patient-days of surveillance data. Of 472 HAIs identified, 47% were pneumonia, 22% were bloodstream infections, and 15% were urinary tract infections; case fatality among HAI case patients was 43%. The highest rate of device-associated infections was reported for ventilator-associated pneumonia (pooled mean rate, 7.47 cases per 1,000 ventilator-days). The most common pathogens reported were Acinetobacter species (21.8%) and Klebsiella species (18.4%). All Acinetobacter isolates tested (31/31) were multidrug resistant, and 71% (17/24) of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers.Conclusions.Infection control priorities in Egypt should include preventing pneumonia and preventing infections due to antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

Background: Headache is that the most prevailing pain disorder, affecting sixty six percent of the worldwide population. Cervicogenic headache may be a common condition inflicting significant