Assessment of some toxic elements (Co, Cr, Mn, Se, and As) in muscle, offal, hair, and blood of camels (Camelus dromedaries) and their risk assessment.

Background: Camel meat tainted with heavy metals or trace elements may pose a health risk to consumers. Heavy metal contamination poses a severe danger due to both their toxicity and bioaccumulation in the food chain. Aim: To estimate the residual levels of heavy metals (Co, Cr, Mn, Se, and As) in muscle, liver, kidney, hair, and serum of three camel breeds (Magaheem, Maghateer, and Wadha) collected from Al-Omran abattoir, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A total of 225 tissue samples (muscles, liver, kidney, serum, and hair) were taken and analyzed using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Health risk assessment was assessed using the guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Results: Camel breed significantly (p < 0.05) influences Co, Cr, Mn, and Se accumulation and distribution in organs and muscle; however, arsenic accumulation was not significantly affected (p < 0.05) by camel breeds. The highest values of Co, Cr, Se, and Mn in all examined samples were detected in the liver samples of Maghateer and Magaheem breeds. Furthermore, significant strong positive correlation between serum and liver cobalt, chromium, manganese, and arsenic. The estimated daily intake owing to camel meat consumption was less than the tolerated daily intake. Conclusion: Heavy metals were distributed among different breeds of camel. Trace elements (Pb and Cd) in meat and offal were below the international maximum permissible limit. The correlation between samples reflects the role of hair as a good tool for the identification of heavy metal pollution.

The Application of Natural Camel Milk Products to Treat Autism-Spectrum Disorders: Risk Assessment and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Camel milk is better tolerated than the milk of other ruminants, potentially expanding its consumer appeal. It also contains essential vitamins, minerals, and immunoglobulins, providing the milk with antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. These properties may reduce oxidative stress in camel milk consumers, ameliorating many conditions, including those of the CNS, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which camel milk administration (boiled or raw) was examined as an ASD treatment intervention. The primary endpoint was participants' total autism scores, determined using the Childhood Autistic Responsiveness Scale (CARS). A comparison of the responsiveness in these ASD intervention groups yielded a mean difference (MD) of 1.99 (0.89, 3.08) in those consuming boiled camel milk, MD = 2.77 (1.92, 3.61) in raw camel milk consumers, and MD = -1.02 (-0.10, 2.13) in cow milk consumers. Heterogeneity was notably low among the examined studies. Treatment of ASD with raw and boiled camel milk resulted in significantly lower CARS scores than the placebo. Our findings support the development of larger, more populated RCTs to establish camel milk's overall potential as a therapeutic intervention for CNS disorders.

Infected Tibial Nonunion: Assessment of compression distraction Ilizarov technique without debridement.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of infected nonunion requires radical debridement with stable fixation. Sever soft tissue compromise of the nonunion site might interfere with radical debridement. This study discussed the outcome of treatment of infected tibial nonunion with sever soft tissue compromise by a cyclic compression distraction technique using Ilizarov without radical debridement. METHODS: This study comprised 17 patients with unilateral infected tibial nonunion; 10 with diaphyseal and 7 with metaphysial locations.Their mean age was 21.9 years. There were 12 males and 5 females. The right side was affected in 11 patients and the left side in 6 patients. According toGustilo and Anderson classification, all patients were grade III. The mean limb shortening was 1.3cm. All patients were treated initially in another institute by uniplanner external fixator with rotational skin flap done in 11 patients and thiersch graft in 6 patients. One patient had common peroneal nerve affection. Distal circulation was sufficient in all patients. None of our patients had chronic diseases. Two to three cycles of gradual distraction compression were done. Each cycle consisted of distraction, followed by compression, then distraction, and lastly compression. The mean follow up period was 29.35 months. RESULTS: Union was achieved in all patients at a mean time of 23.9 weeks. According to Hammer et al.; there were 8 patients with grade 1, and 9 patients with grade 2. According to Johner and Wruhs' criteria; the outcome was excellent in 6 patients, goodin 3 patients, poor in 4 patients, and fair in 4 patients. Complications had occurred as pin tract infection (47.1%), persistent discharging sinus (5.9%), and valgus ankle deformity (11.8%). Refracture did not occur in any case till the final follow up. CONCLUSION: Although debridement is essential in the treatment of infected tibial nonunion, it could harm the limb in severe soft tissue compromise. Cyclic compression distraction by Ilizarov had a satisfactory outcome in the treatment of such cases through enhancement of a biological environment to achieve union. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV; prospective case series.