Appendicular mucinous cystadenoma: a case report.

Mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix is a rare condition characterized by abnormal mucus accumulation in the appendiceal. Laparoscopic appendectomy is a common approach worldwide and can be used in the management of mucinous cystadenoma with lower postoperative complication rates. A 30-year-old female had sharp pain localized to the right abdomen for 2 days. It was aggravated by movement and associated with nausea and vomiting. Laboratory findings were normal, but the abdominal computerized tomography scan demonstrated a cystic tumor in the right abdomen dorsal to the cecum and the ascending colon. Diagnostic laparoscopy showed a large cystic mass well-circumscribed encapsulated involving the appendix in the lower right abdomen. After demonstrating pathologic examination, the final diagnosis was mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix. Management of the appendicular mucinous cystadenoma can be successfully achieved through atraumatic laparoscopic excision of the tumor, it is safe, feasible and has a short postoperative recovery period.

Knowledge and Attitudes towards Epidural Analgesia among Women of Childbearing Age in Jazan, Saudi Arabia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study to Identify Predictors through Multivariate Modeling.

Epidural analgesia (EA) is a central nerve blockade technique. It is linked to a significant reduction of labor pain and side effects. This study was designed to investigate the knowledge and attitudes towards EA among women of childbearing age (18-45 years) in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, and identify predictors through multivariate modeling. A random sampling technique (n = 680) was used for this cross-sectional, self-administered survey. A previously validated online questionnaire was distributed. After establishing a P value of less than 0.05 to denote statistical significance, SPSS was used to examine the data using descriptive analysis, the chi-square test of homogeneity, and multivariate logistic regression. Six hundred and eighty women were studied. Over 75% of the participants were university educated; less than half (46.3%) were 21-30 years old, students (42.2%), and had never been pregnant (49%). The previous mothers who had never had EA labor accounted for 64.6% (n = 347, 51.0%). "Family/friends" (39%), followed by "internet" (32%), were the most common sources of EA information. Those who correctly defined the EA accounted for 61.8%. Those who reported weak or no contractions after EA accounted for 32.2%. Those who said EA insertion hurt more than labor did accounted for 56.3%. Those women who said one should give consent to EA accounted for 83.1%. Those who believe EA is safe for the baby accounted for 50.1%. Those who knew about EA complications accounted for 24.34%. According to multivariate modeling, attitude score plays a significant role in determining the participant's knowledge level. This study found that childbearing women know a little about EA. Attitudes affected this knowledge level, and demographics did not. Cognitive intervention is needed to change these attitudes and spread EA-related knowledge.

A Novel Approach for the Availability and Ocular Delivery of Tenoxicam Potassium: Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vivo Application.

Tenoxicam (TX) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent that can be used to control pain in various ophthalmic lesions like cataracts, refractive surgery, and corneal abrasion. TX has a very slightly aqueous solubility of 0.072 mg/mL resulting in difficulty to be formulated in ophthalmic solutions. This study aims to improve TX solubility by converting it into its potassium salt to achieve a target of 10 mg/mL (1%w/v) concentration of TX in the desired aqueous medium for the formulation of aqueous ophthalmic solutions. The synthesized TX salt was characterized by different evaluation parameters such as solubility studies, 1H NMR, IR, and elemental analyses. Different TX potassium solutions were formulated at concentrations of 0.5% and 1% w/v using different viscosity-imparting agents. The prepared solutions were characterized for their physicochemical properties including visual inspection, pH, rheological, in vitro release, and kinetic behavior. Also, the formulations were biologically evaluated in vivo using male albino rabbits. The obtained results showed the successful synthesis of TX salt, as indicated by IR and NMR, and elemental analysis. The solubility study showed that the solubility of TX was improved hugely to 18 mg/mL (250-fold). In addition, the results showed that the prepared formulations showed acceptable physicochemical properties. The highest release rate was obtained with formula F1, which contains no viscosity-imparting agents. While as, the lowest release rate was obtained in the case of formula F9, composed of Pluronic F127 (12% w/v). The in vivo results showed that TX optimized ophthalmic solutions F8 and F9 inhibited the redness and edema in an extended or sustained manner.

Structure - Function Analysis of Peptide Analogs of SQSPA with Respect to α-glucosidase and α-amylase Inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Peptide-based therapeutics offer a unique avenue for the development of novel agents for the treatment of diabetes mellitus including α-glucosidase inhibitors. The peptide, SQSPA, was reported to possess to α -glucosidase inhibitory activity in addition to resistance to Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) digestion. METHODS: In this study, the in silico and in vitro structure-activity analyses of the peptide was conducted using alanine scanning to identify key amino acid residues. RESULTS: The alanine scanning led to four analogs viz; AQSPA, SASPA, SQAPA and SQSAA which were GIT stable. Initially, the peptides were subjected to molecular docking on human α- glucosidase and α -amylase where the binding affinities to the enzymes were in the order; AQSPA>SASPA>SQSPA>SQAPA> SQSAA and AQSPA>SQSAA>SASPA>SQSPA> SQAPA, respectively. Hydrogen bond were important for the binding of all peptides but SASPA and AQSPA had the highest hydrogen bonds interactions with the α-glucosidase and α-amylase, respectively. In vitro analysis revealed that the α -glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities of the peptides were in the order AQSPA>SQSPA>SQAPA>SASPA>SQSAA and AQSPA>SASPA> SQAPA>SQSPA>SQSAA, respectively. Using inhibition kinetics, SQSPA was a mixed inhibitor of α-glucosidase while AQSPA, SQAPA and SQSAA showed non-competitive inhibition. For α- amylase inhibition, SQSPA was a non-competitive inhibitor while AQSPA and SQSAA were mixed inhibitors; SASPA and SQAPA showed uncompetitive inhibition. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that P4 and Q2 are important requirements for the α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities of the parent peptide, SQSPA. Furthermore, alanine scanning has led to the design of a novel α-glucosidase inhibitory peptide, AQSPA, with increased activities.

Effect of pulsed electromagnetic field on nonspecific low back pain patients: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Further research on pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) effects on the different conditions of low back pain was warranted due to lack of studies in this area. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy with 50Hz frequency, with low intensity of 20Gauss compared to conventional non-invasive treatment modalities in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. METHODS: Design - A prospective, randomized, patient-blinded, controlled trial. Setting - The study was conducted at Outpatient Physiotherapy Clinic in Cairo, Egypt. The study was conducted between May 2015 and September 2016. Participants - Fifty participants with non-specific low back pain enrolled into experimental and control groups. Interventions - The experimental group received the Conventional physical therapy Protocol as well as magnetic field, while the control group received the same Conventional physical therapy and sham electromagnetic field. Both groups received 12 sessions over 4 weeks' period. Outcome measures - Primary outcome measures was pain intensity while the secondary outcome measures were disability and lumbar range of motion - ROM. There were no adverse events occurred during the study. RESULTS: Fifty participants with non-specific low back pain (control group n=25; experimental group n=25) were randomized. There were significant between-group differences in pain scores (mean difference - MD 1.52; 95%CI -0.34 to 3.35), function disability (MD 8.14; 95%CI 6.5 to 9.96), Range of Motion (ROM) of lumbar flexion (MD -1.27; 95%CI -1.09 to -1.45), ROM of lumbar extension (MD -1.1; 95%CI -0.97 to -1.23), ROM of lumbar right side bending (MD 8.2; 95%CI 6.56 to 9.84) and ROM of lumbar left side bending (MD 10.4; 95%CI 8.81 to 11.99) in favour of the experimental group. CONCLUSION: Adding pulsed electromagnetic field to Conventional physical therapy Protocol yields superior clinical improvement in pain, functional disability, and lumbar ROM in patients with non-specific low back pain than Conventional physical therapy alone.

Potential biological activity of acacia honey.

Recent advances in functional foods-based research have increasingly become an area of major interest because it affects human health and activities. Functional foods are classes of foods with health promoting and disease preventing properties in addition to multiple nutritional values and of such type is honey. Acacia honey is a type of honey produced by bees (Apis mellifera) fed on Acacia flowers, hence the name. This review focuses on the potential biological activities of Acacia honey which includes quality, antioxidant, immuno-modulatory, antiproliferative and neurological properties at in vitro and in vivo levels. Based on our review, Acacia honey used from various researches is of high purity, contains some bioactive compounds ranging from vitamins, phenolics, flavonoids and fatty acids. It's highly nutritional with strong antioxidant and immuno-modulatory potentials which may therefore be considered a potential candidate for both cancer prevention and treatment. Neurologically, it may be considered as a viable therapeutic agent in the management of Alzheimer's disease.

Safe Cosmetic Leg Lengthening for Short Stature: Long-term Outcomes.

It is well known that limb lengthening is performed to treat limb-length discrepancies resulting from congenital anomalies and developmental problems. However, few studies discuss lengthening for cosmetic purposes. The current authors conducted a prospective study with long-term follow-up. From July 2002 through June 2007, 133 patients requested that their height be increased. Fifty-two were approved to undergo limb-lengthening surgery. Two were lost to final follow-up, leaving 50 in the study group. For all patients, the Ilizarov ring external fixator was applied with a maximum-stability technique that achieved frame stability and allowed patients to ambulate with a walker from the first week postoperatively. The method requires close follow-up for early detection of problems. Physiotherapy improved ankle function and prevented plantar flexion deformity, which can occur during lengthening. Excellent final outcomes were achieved in all patients except one, who required additional surgery. The Ilizarov device is a safe tool for limb lengthening in individuals of short stature when applied with the authors' maximum stability technique. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first article on this topic to report long-term results (minimum 5-year follow-up for all patients). Many factors influence the outcome of lengthening surgery performed with Ilizarov devices: the material of the rings, the use of a hybrid technique combining pins and wires, the diameter and number of pins over each bone segment, the size of the rings around the limb, the surgical technique for pin insertion, and the use of hydroxyapatite-coated pins or regular stainless pins.

Inhibitory effects of sodium arsenite and acacia honey on acetylcholinesterase in rats.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of sodium arsenite and Acacia honey on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and electrolytes in the brain and serum of Wistar rats. Male Wistar albino rats in four groups of five rats each were treated with distilled water, sodium arsenite (5 mg/kg body weight), Acacia honey (20% v/v), and sodium arsenite and Acacia honey, daily for one week. The sodium arsenite and Acacia honey significantly (P < 0.05) decreased AChE activity in the brain with the combined treatment being more potent. Furthermore, sodium arsenite and Acacia honey significantly (P < 0.05) decreased AChE activity in the serum. Strong correlation was observed between the sodium and calcium ion levels with acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain and serum. The gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of Acacia honey revealed the presence of a number of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, sugar derivatives, and fatty acids. These findings suggest that sodium arsenite and/or Acacia honey modulates acetylcholinesterase activities which may be explored in the management of Alzheimer's diseases but this might be counteracted by the hepatotoxicity induced by arsenics.

Patterns and predictors of malaria care-seeking, diagnostic testing, and artemisinin-based combination therapy for children under five with fever in Northern Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Despite recent improvements in malaria prevention strategies, malaria case management remains a weakness in Northern Nigeria, which is underserved and suffers the country's highest rates of under-five child mortality. Understanding malaria care-seeking patterns and comparing case management outcomes to World Health Organization (WHO) and Nigeria's National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) guidelines are necessary to identify where policy and programmatic strategies should focus to prevent malaria mortality and morbidity. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey based on lot quality assurance sampling was used to collect data on malaria care-seeking for children under five with fever in the last two weeks throughout Sokoto and Bauchi States. The survey assessed if the child received NMCP/WHO recommended case management: prompt treatment, a diagnostic blood test, and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). Deviations from this pathway and location of treatment were also assessed. Lastly, logistic regression was used to assess predictors of seeking treatment. RESULTS: Overall, 76.7% of children were brought to treatment-45.5% to a patent medicine vendor and 43.8% to a health facility. Of children brought to treatment, 61.5% sought treatment promptly, but only 9.8% received a diagnostic blood test and 7.2% received a prompt ACT. When assessing adherence to the complete case management pathway, only 1.0% of children received NMCP/WHO recommended treatment. When compared to other treatment locations, health facilities provided the greatest proportion of children with NMCP/WHO recommended treatment. Lastly, children 7-59 months old were at 1.74 (p = 0.003) greater odds of receiving treatment than children ≤6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Northern Nigeria's coverage rates of NMCP/WHO standard malaria case management for children under five with fever fall short of the NMCP goal of 80% coverage by 2010 and universal coverage thereafter. Given the ability to treat a child with malaria differs greatly between treatment locations, policy and logistics planning should address the shortages of essential malaria supplies in recommended and frequently accessed treatment locations. Particular emphasis should be placed on integrating the private sector into standardized care and educating caregivers on the necessity for testing before treatment and the availability of free ACT in public health facilities for uncomplicated malaria.

Flavanones from Miconia prasina.

A glycosidic flavanone miconioside C (1) has been isolated from the methanolic extract of the stems of Miconia prasina, together with 7-O-ß-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-ß-D-glucopyranosylmatteucinol (2), miconioside B (3), matteucinol (4), farrerol (5) and desmethoxymatteucinol (6). Their structures were mainly established by extensive NMR studies (1H NMR, 13C NMR, DEPT, 1H-1H COSY, HSQC, HMBC) and mass spectrometry. The compounds 1- 3 were evaluated for in vitro binding assays using cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2).

Overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 is an independent predictor of poor virological response to interferon therapy in chronic HCV genotype 4 patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: COX-2 and TGF-ß1 are overexpressed in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and are related to hepatitis pathogenesis and hepatic fibrosis. The current study investigated the relationship between pretreatment COX-2 and TGF-ß1 hepatic expression in HCV genotype 4 and the virological response to interferon therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Liver biopsies of 55 patients with HCV infection genotype 4 were selected together with 10 liver biopsies as control. The patients' clinicopathological data were collected. Immunohistochemistry was done using anti-COX-2 and anti-TGF-ß1 antibodies. Statistical tests were used to determine the association between both COX-2 and TGF-ß1 expression in relation to clinicopathological parameters and response to interferon therapy. RESULTS: COX-2 was upregulated especially in nonresponders and was an independent predictor of poor virological response. However, COX-2 showed no association with other clinicopathological features. TGF-ß1 was upregulated and associated with nonresponders, histological activity, and fibrosis stage. There was no association between TGF-ß1 and other clinicopathological features. There was an association between COX-2 and TGF-ß1 immunoexpression. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of COX-2 and TGF-ß1 is an independent predictor for poor outcome of interferon and ribavirin therapy and these might be useful markers for the response to treatment. Both molecules are associated together; however, their role during hepatitis treatment has to be clarified.

A New Antimicrobial Prenylated Benzo-lactone from the Rhizome of Cissus cornifolia.

BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants remain one of the largest reservoirs of new bioactive compounds. In this study, a new prenylated benzo-lactone (4, 6-dihydroxy-5-methoxy-3-(1, 2, 3, 4, 5-pentahydroxypentyl)-2-benzofuran-1(3H)-one) was isolated from the acetone extracts of the rhizome of Cissus cornifolia. The antimicrobial activity of the compound was evaluated against some microorganisms including Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, and Candida albicans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The acetone extracts of the rhizome of C. cornifolia was separated and purified by various chromatographic techniques. The structure of the isolated compound was characterized by analysis of spectral data including one and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance. RESULTS: The isolated compound was characterized as (4, 6-dihydroxy-5-methoxy-3-(1, 2, 3, 4, 5-pentahydroxypentyl)-2-benzofuran-1(3H)-one), it showed activity against 6 out of 10 tested clinical isolates of some microorganisms including S. aureus, S. typhi, and C. albicans. The inhibition zones ranged between 17 mm and 25 mm. The inhibition zones observed compare favorably with the positive control used. CONCLUSION: The compound could serve as a lead for the development of more potent antimicrobial agent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the isolation and characterization as well as antimicrobial screening of the compound.

Phenolics-rich fraction of Khaya senegalensis stem bark: antitrypanosomal activity and amelioration of some parasite-induced pathological changes.

CONTEXT: The stem bark of Khaya senegalensis A. Juss (Meliaceae) is currently used for the treatment of trypanosomiasis by traditional practitioners in Nigeria. OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated the anti-Trypanosoma brucei brucei activity of phenolics-rich fraction of K. senegalensis (pfks) and its ameliorative effects on trypanosome-induced pathological changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The fraction was initially analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A 60 min time course experiment was conducted with various concentrations of the fraction using a 96-well microtiter plate technique and was further used to treat T. brucei infected rats at 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight (BW). Indices of anemia as well as hepatic and renal functions were analyzed in all experimental animals at the end of the experiment. RESULTS: The GC-MS analysis of the pfks revealed that the most abundant phytochemicals are phloroglucinol (40.56%) and 3,4-(dihydroxyphenyl) acetic acid (41.76%). The fraction showed a concentration dependent in vitro antitrypanosomal activity. Interestingly, the fraction completely eliminated the parasites from the bloodstream of infected rats without relapse during the experimental period at the dose of 300 mg/kg BW and also kept the parasites consistently lower at 100 and 200 mg/kg BW than that was recorded in the untreated infected rats. Furthermore, the severity of T. brucei-induced anemia and hepatic damage was significantly (p < 0.05) ameliorated in the 300 mg/kg BW treatment group whereas the parasite-induced renal damage was significantly (p < 0.05) ameliorated in all treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Data from this study may suggest that phenolics play an important role in the antitrypanosomal activity of K. senegalensis.

Free radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacity of root extracts of Anchomanes difformis Engl. (Araceae).

Antioxidants activities from plants sources have attracted a wide range of interest across the world in recent times. This is due to growing concern for safe and alternative sources of antioxidants. The free radical scavenging activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), reducing power assay, total antioxidant capacity of the phosphomolybdenum method and the total phenolics content using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent were carried out on the acetone, n-butanol and methanol root extracts of Anchomanes difformis. The results of the total phenolics content expressed in mg/100 g of gallic acid equivalent (GAE) showed that the n-butanol extract has significantly (p < 0.05) higher phenolics content (381 +/- 1.13) than the methanol and acetone extracts. All the extracts displayed strong concentration dependent radical scavenging activity. It was also observed that the n-butanol extract showed higher activity of 70.87% and 78.59% at low concentrations of 31.25 microg/mL and 62.5 microg/mL, respectively, than methanol and acetone extracts. The results also showed that the n-butanol extract has strongest reducing ability which is comparable to that of gallic acid at all the concentrations tested. Phytochemical screening on the extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, and tannins. The results suggest that n-butanol extract of the plant is very rich in antioxidant compounds worthy of further investigations.

The Prevalence of Aflatoxinogenic Aspergillus parasiticus in Jordan.

Aflatoxins are potent carcinogens and produced by almost all Aspergillus parasiticus isolates and about 35% of Aspergillus flavus isolates. Chemical methods are used for detection of aflatoxins in food and feed. These methods cannot detect aflatoxinogenic fungi in samples, which contain undetectable amounts of aflatoxins. The objective of this research work was to ascertain the importance of molecular and microbiological methods in detection of aflatoxinogenic fungus A. parasiticus in food and feed samples in Jordan. Specific media for the detection of aflatoxins showed the prevalence of A. parasiticus (6-22%) in contaminated food and feed samples. HPLC method confirmed the presence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in food sample contaminated with A. parasiticus. Primer set OmtBII-F and OmtBII-R amplified DNA fragment of 611 base pairs from genomic DNA of aflatoxinogenic A. parasiticus isolated from food and feed samples but could not amplify DNA fragment of nonaflatoxinogenic A. flavus. The results of this study showed the prevalence of aflatoxinogenic A. parasiticus in food and feed samples in Jordan and give further evidence of suitability of microbiological and molecular methods in detection of aflatoxins, which are reliable low-cost approach to determine food and feed biosafety.

Quasi-Likelihood Techniques in a Logistic Regression Equation for Identifying Simulium damnosum s.l. Larval Habitats Intra-cluster Covariates in Togo.

The standard methods for regression analyses of clustered riverine larval habitat data of Simulium damnosum s.l. a major black-fly vector of Onchoceriasis, postulate models relating observational ecological-sampled parameter estimators to prolific habitats without accounting for residual intra-cluster error correlation effects. Generally, this correlation comes from two sources: (1) the design of the random effects and their assumed covariance from the multiple levels within the regression model; and, (2) the correlation structure of the residuals. Unfortunately, inconspicuous errors in residual intra-cluster correlation estimates can overstate precision in forecasted S.damnosum s.l. riverine larval habitat explanatory attributes regardless how they are treated (e.g., independent, autoregressive, Toeplitz, etc). In this research, the geographical locations for multiple riverine-based S. damnosum s.l. larval ecosystem habitats sampled from 2 pre-established epidemiological sites in Togo were identified and recorded from July 2009 to June 2010. Initially the data was aggregated into proc genmod. An agglomerative hierarchical residual cluster-based analysis was then performed. The sampled clustered study site data was then analyzed for statistical correlations using Monthly Biting Rates (MBR). Euclidean distance measurements and terrain-related geomorphological statistics were then generated in ArcGIS. A digital overlay was then performed also in ArcGIS using the georeferenced ground coordinates of high and low density clusters stratified by Annual Biting Rates (ABR). This data was overlain onto multitemporal sub-meter pixel resolution satellite data (i.e., QuickBird 0.61m wavbands ). Orthogonal spatial filter eigenvectors were then generated in SAS/GIS. Univariate and non-linear regression-based models (i.e., Logistic, Poisson and Negative Binomial) were also employed to determine probability distributions and to identify statistically significant parameter estimators from the sampled data. Thereafter, Durbin-Watson test statistics were used to test the null hypothesis that the regression residuals were not autocorrelated against the alternative that the residuals followed an autoregressive process in AUTOREG. Bayesian uncertainty matrices were also constructed employing normal priors for each of the sampled estimators in PROC MCMC. The residuals revealed both spatially structured and unstructured error effects in the high and low ABR-stratified clusters. The analyses also revealed that the estimators, levels of turbidity and presence of rocks were statistically significant for the high-ABR-stratified clusters, while the estimators distance between habitats and floating vegetation were important for the low-ABR-stratified cluster. Varying and constant coefficient regression models, ABR- stratified GIS-generated clusters, sub-meter resolution satellite imagery, a robust residual intra-cluster diagnostic test, MBR-based histograms, eigendecomposition spatial filter algorithms and Bayesian matrices can enable accurate autoregressive estimation of latent uncertainity affects and other residual error probabilities (i.e., heteroskedasticity) for testing correlations between georeferenced S. damnosum s.l. riverine larval habitat estimators. The asymptotic distribution of the resulting residual adjusted intra-cluster predictor error autocovariate coefficients can thereafter be established while estimates of the asymptotic variance can lead to the construction of approximate confidence intervals for accurately targeting productive S. damnosum s.l habitats based on spatiotemporal field-sampled count data.

The effect of aqueous extracts of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Sorrel) calyces on heamatological profile and organ pathological changes in Trypanasoma congolense - infected rats.

The effects of aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces on haematology and pathological changes in some selected organs during experimental Trypanosoma congolense infection of rats were investigated. Three groups of rats were intraperitoneally infected with T. congolense (Karu stock). One group was administered with the aqueous extract and another given a solution of vitamin C in drinking water; the remaining infected group was left untreated. Data from these groups were compared with those of two groups of healthy rats, one of which was similarly treated with the aqueous extract. The experiment was terminated three weeks, post-infection (pi). The uninfected and infected rats administered the extract consumed the equivalent of 9.94 mg - and 9.61 mg ascorbic acid / 100g / day during the experiment. Consumption of the extract significantly (p<0.01) retarded the rate of weight gain in both healthy and infected rats; even though the feed-intake was not significantly affected. After two weeks of infection the extract and vitamin C kept the parasitaemia significantly (p<0.01) lower than the untreated infected group. The anaemia in the untreated infected group was significantly (p<0.01) more severe than that of the corresponding extract- or vitamin-treated groups. Trypanosoma congolense infection caused significant (p<0.01) decreases in serum total proteins and albumin; serum and organ ascorbic acid as well as significant (p<0.01) elevation of serum alanine amino transferase levels in untreated rats. Consumption of the extract or vitamin C, however, prevented these disease-induced anomalies in the treated infected rats. Serum creatinine and urea levels were not affected by infection but the extract elevated these parameters significantly (p<0.01) above infection levels. It was concluded that consumption of the extract ameliorated the pathological changes in blood and organs of T. congolense-infected rats.

Psychiatry in Qatar.

The State of Qatar is a peninsula overlooking the Arabian Gulf, with an area of 11 400 km2. The Al Thani family has ruled the country since the mid-1800s. The population of just over 860 000 is of a multi-ethnic nature, and predominantly resides in the capital, Doha. Only about 20% of the population is Qatari. Around 73% of the population are between the ages of 15 and 64 years. Life expectancy at birth is 74.8 years for males and 73.8 years for females. The literacy rate is 94.9% for men and 82.3% for women. Arabic is the official language and English is a common second language. The economy is dominated by oil and natural gas, and the country has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. The per capita government expenditure on health is $574 (international dollars), which is among the highest in the region.

Dementia in Qatar.

OBJECTIVE: Dementia is a major public health problem among the elderly in developed countries and a growing problem in the underdeveloped countries. There are no published data on dementia in any of the Arabic countries. The aim of this study was to determine the different sub-types of dementia among Qataris. METHODS: A retrospective and prospective ongoing hospital-based study in which all medical records of the patients with diagnosis of dementia seen at the Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar, between June 1997 and June 2003, whether inpatient or outpatient were reviewed. Dementia was defined according to diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM) IV criteria. Those who had dementia were evaluated by a psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist and a geriatrician. All had brain computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or both and routine blood tests. Finally, they were classified into sub-types according to the cause of dementia. RESULTS: Out of 300 patients, 134 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, most of them were illiterate, married and non-smokers. Among those dementia sub-types were: Alzheimer disease (AD) 39 (29%), vascular dementia (VaD) 30 (22%), mixed AD and VaD 20 (15%) and Parkinson's disease with dementia 8 (6%) were noted. The rest of them had dementia due to other medical conditions. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that AD is more prevalent than VaD. It also showed that patients and their families seek medical help late due to the general belief among the public that forgetfulness and other associated cognitive impairment are part of the normal aging process. The emergence of new drugs and advancement in the prevention of cerebrovascular diseases makes early diagnosis of dementia sub-type important. A community based study, to show the real prevalence and incidence of sub-types of dementia, is highly indicated. These data are necessary for planning and setting up community services and health care programs for demented patients.