Cryptosporidiosis in Children in Duhok City / Kurdistan Region / Iraq.

This is the first study to detect cryptosporidiosis among children in Duhok city/Kurdistan region of Iraq. The study included 332 stool samples of children using Modified Ziehl Neelsen Method (MZNM) and 122 of these were randomly selected to detect Cryptosporidium by ELISA. By MZNM, the infection rate of Cryptosporidium oocysts was 66.95% in children; 44.68% in immunocompromised (ICD) and 22.27% in immunocompetent (ICT) group. Among ICT children, the infection rate was highest among less than one year of age (39.34%) in diarrheoic group, while in non-diarrheoic group, it was highest among 1-4 years age (28.57%). Among ICD children, the relations were non-significant among ages. Out of 122 stool samples of children, 26 (21.31%), and 30 (24.59%) were positive by MZNM and ELISA, respectively. In conclusion, ELISA was more sensitive and specific than MZNM which were 82.5% and 90.91% respectively. This study indicates that asymptomatic infection is common among different age groups of children.

Sunlight-Driven Combustion Synthesis of Defective Metal Oxide Nanostructures with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

Synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures through combustion routes is a promising technique owing to its simplicity, rapidity, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Herein, a sunlight-driven combustion approach is developed to synthesize pristine metal oxides and their heterostructures. Sunlight, a sustainable energy source, is used not only to initiate the combustion reaction but also to create oxygen vacancies on the metal oxide surface. ZnO nanostructures are successfully synthesized using this novel approach, and the products exhibit higher photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of methyl orange (MO) than ZnO nanostructures synthesized by the conventional methods. The higher photocatalytic activity is due to the narrower band gap, higher porosity, smaller and more uniform particle size, surface oxygen vacancies, as well as the enhanced exciton dissociation efficiency induced by the sunlight. Porous Fe3O4 nanostructures are also prepared using this environmentally benign method. Surprisingly, few-layer Bi2O3 nanosheets are successfully obtained using the sunlight-driven combustion approach. Moreover, the approach developed here is used to synthesize Bi2O3/ZnO heterostructure exhibiting a structure of few-layer Bi2O3 nanosheets decorated with ZnO nanoparticles. Bi2O3 nanosheets and Bi2O3/ZnO heterostructures synthesized by sunlight-driven combustion route exhibit higher photocatalytic activity than their counterparts synthesized by the conventional solution combustion method. This work illuminates a potential cost-effective method to synthesize defective metal oxide nanostructures at scale.

Direct Z-Scheme Cs2O-Bi2O3-ZnO Heterostructures as Efficient Sunlight-Driven Photocatalysts.

Limited light absorption, inefficient electron-hole separation, and unsuitable positions of conduction band bottom and/or valence band top are three major critical issues associated with high-efficiency photocatalytic water treatment. An attempt has been carried out here to address these issues through the synthesis of direct Z-scheme Cs2O-Bi2O3-ZnO heterostructures via a facile, fast, and economic method: solution combustions synthesis. The photocatalytic performances are examined by the 4-chlorophenol degradation test under simulated sunlight irradiation. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis, electrochemical impedance test, and the observed transient photocurrent responses prove not only the significant role of Cs2O in extending light absorption to visible and near-infrared regions but also its involvement in charge carrier separation. Radical-trapping experiments verify the direct Z-scheme approach followed by the charge carriers in heterostructured Cs2O-Bi2O3-ZnO photocatalysts. The Z-scheme charge carrier pathway induced by the presence of Cs2O has emerged as the reason behind the efficient charge carrier separation and high photocatalytic activity.

Device-associated infection rates in adult and pediatric intensive care units of hospitals in Egypt. International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) findings.

PURPOSE: To determine the rate of device-associated healthcare-associated infections (DA-HAIs) at a respiratory intensive care unit (RICU) and in the pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) of member hospitals of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) in Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort DA-HAI surveillance study was conducted from December 2008 to July 2010 by applying the methodology of the INICC and the definitions of the NHSN-CDC. RESULTS: In the RICU, 473 patients were hospitalized for 2930d and acquired 155 DA-HAIs, with an overall rate of 32.8%. There were 52.9 DA-HAIs per 1000 ICU-days. In the PICUs, 143 patients were hospitalized for 1535d and acquired 35 DA-HAIs, with an overall rate of 24.5%. There were 22.8 DA-HAIs per 1000 ICU-days. The central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) rate was 22.5 per 1000 line-days in the RICU and 18.8 in the PICUs; the ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rate was 73.4 per 1000 ventilator-days in the RICU and 31.8 in the PICUs; and the catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rate was 34.2 per 1000 catheter-days in the RICU. CONCLUSIONS: DA-HAIs in the ICUs in Egypt pose greater threats to patient safety than in industrialized countries, and infection control programs, including surveillance and guidelines, must become a priority.

Epidemiological studies on tropical theileriosis (Theileria annulata infection of cattle) in Kurdistan Region, Iraq.

In an ad hoc survey conducted during 2006, the epidemiology of tropical theileriosis in Kurdistan Region, Iraq, was addressed. For this purpose, a total of 299 blood samples were collected from female cattle older than 1 year reared under open system management in Duhok (n = 99), Sulaimanyia (n = 100) and Erbil (n = 100) governorates. The samples were subjected to TaSP indirect ELISA as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR assays. The results indicated that the seroprevalence was 77.9%, and PCR reported an infection rate of 68.9% in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The implication of the results in the epidemiology of tropical theileriosis in the region is discussed with emphasis on comparisons between the two tests used and recommendations for the future work are outlined.

Role of IL-13 in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lung. Although it is multifactorial in origin, the inflammatory process is believed to be a result of inappropriate immune responses to common aeroallergens in genetically susceptible individuals. As such, it has been reported that Th2 cytokines play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of IL-13 in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. The study was carried out on 71 subjects out of which 54 were asthmatic patients and 17 were normal controls. Patients with bronchial asthma were further classified according to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) into 4 groups: intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent and severe persistent. IL-13 serum levels were estimated in patients and controls by ELISA. Asthmatic patients showed a statistical significant elevation of serum IL-13 levels (mean = 78.5 +/- 64.5 pg/ml) as compared to controls (mean = 51.8 +/- 24.9 pg/ml). When patients with different degrees of severity were compared, a significant increase in serum IL-13 was found in patients with intermittent asthma (mean = 106 +/- 105 pg/ml) as compared to those with mild (mean = 63.6 +/- 14.7 pg/ml) and severe persistent asthma (mean = 64.9 +/- 29.1 pg/ml). Only patients with intermittent asthma showed a highly significant increase in serum IL-13 than controls. No statistically significant difference was found between patients not on steroids, patients on inhaled steroids and those on systemic steroids. A statistically significant increase in IL-13 serum levels was observed in patients not on steroids compared to normal controls. A significant increase in blood eosinophil counts was found in patients during acute asthmatic attacks as compared to those who were stable. In conclusion, IL-13 is a key cytokine with critical role in the immunopathogenesis of bronchial asthma. Steroids can downregulate IL-13, but inhaled steroids alone might not be able to abolish the airway remodeling process in asthmatics. Although patients with intermittent asthma are asymptomatic in between exacerbations, inflammation and remodeling are ongoing in their lungs.