Appraisal of surface-groundwater anthropogenic indicators and associated human health risk in El Sharqia Governorate, Egypt.

The aim of this study was to integrate hydrogeochemistry with a multivariate statistical approach to understand the various processes that control the evolution/contamination of water resources in El Sharqia Governorate, Egypt with a particular emphasis on direct/indirect risks to human health. To achieve this, a representative collection of 21 groundwater and 35 drainage samples was taken and examined for physical, chemical, and trace element measurements. Results indicated that in shallow groundwater and drainage water samples, the relative abundance of major cations is Na+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > K+, and for anions it is HCO3- > Cl- > SO42- (on a molar basis). Natural processes involving the dissolution/precipitation of some minerals and other processes including leaching of solid waste, overuse of agricultural fertilizers application, and high loads of discharged sewage water are responsible for the evolution of water resources in El Sharqia Governorate. Ammonia, nitrate, biological oxygen demand (BOD), phosphate, turbidity, iron, manganese, lead, and aluminum concentrations were found to be higher than the limits set by internatio2nal drinking water regulations. The health risk index (HRI) values for children were found to be higher than those for adults when the water resources are used for drinking purposes, which poses a risk to human health.

Integration of groundwater vulnerability with contaminants transport modeling in unsaturated zone, case study El-Sharqia, Egypt.

Nowadays, irrigation uses large amount of marginal wastewater due to continuous decline in fresh water supply. As a consequence, using this wastewater for different purposes can cause some adverse environmental impacts. Anthropogenic activities such as septic tanks, sewage ponds, and polluted drains have large influence on deterioration of shallow groundwater aquifers. So, construction of many wastewater treatment plants in these areas is mandatory to control and mitigate this deterioration. Groundwater vulnerability assessment maps and contamination simulation in unsaturated zone can be beneficial in understanding contaminants pathways and groundwater quality evolution. This work is mainly focused on aquifer vulnerability assessment to pollution and the role of vadose zone in attenuation of contaminants transport through it prior to groundwater seepage. Therefore, about 56 drainage and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for potentially toxic elements. The most vulnerable sector was determined using GOD method revealing that central parts of the study area are the most threatened zones with some scattered sporadic zone of sensitivity to pollution and this was verified through the zonation of Pb, Fe, and Mn spatial concentrations. The leakage of these elements through the unsaturated zone was further simulated using HYDRUS-1D model for the next 10-year period to determine the extent of the pollution plumes and maximum concentration of these elements that percolate to the groundwater directly. The concentration of Fe, Pb, and Mn at the end of the simulation reached low concentrations at the bottom layer of the unsaturated zone.

Tracking anthropogenic nitrogen-compound sources of surface and groundwater in southwestern Nile Delta: hydrochemical, environmental isotopes, and modeling approach.

This research aims to assign the specific and potential sources that control migration and transformation mechanisms of ammonium/nitrate contaminants of surface and groundwater systems in the southwestern Nile Delta, Egypt. To achieve that, an integration of hydrogeochemistry, multiple environmental stable isotopes (δ2H-H2O, δ18O-H2O, δ15N-NH4, and δ15N-NO3) coupled with three-dimensional nitrogen transport numerical model (MODFLOW-MT3D) was done. A set of representative water samples (20 canals and drainage water) and 14 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for physical, chemical, and stable isotope analysis. NH4+ and NO3- concentrations in surface water samples varied from 0.29 to 124 mg/l and 0.52 to 39.67 mg/l, respectively. For groundwater samples, NH4+ and NO3- concentrations varied from 0.21 to 1.75 mg/l and 0.33 to 32.8 mg/l, respectively. Total risk quotient (THQ) level of nitrate (oral and dermal effects) from drinking water exceeds unity for all water samples indicating a potential noncancer risk for the southwestern Nile Delta residents. The potential sources of nitrogen compound pollution are water from sewage treatment plants used for irrigation, sludge and animal manure, septic tanks, soil nitrogen, and artificial fertilizers according to results of δ15N values. Results of ammonium/nitrate modeling in shallow groundwater aquifers are compared with observed concentrations and are found to be in good agreement. Some recommendations are given to decrease nitrogen loads in the study area through suggested a need for adoption of N-fertilizer management practices and treatment of sewage water before to application in agricultural activities.

Psychological distress related to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic and coping strategies among general population in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress is considered a threat to the mental health of human beings. This research was conducted at the beginning of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, when most people had limited knowledge about coronavirus, mode of transmission, associated manifestations, with uncertainty about treatment, vaccine, future life, and coping capacity. This study examined the nature of the psychological distress related to the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and coping strategies adopted among the general population in Egypt. METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study assessing a convenience sample consisting of 312 participants from the general population in Egypt. Data were gathered as online responses to a questionnaire which incorporated a sociodemographic datasheet, psychological distress scale, and ways of coping scale. RESULTS: Forty-two percent of the participants showed severe psychological distress and 26% showed mild to moderate psychological distress. There was a strong positive correlation between the distress score and the overall coping score-that is, the higher the distress, the more ways of coping were adopted (p < 0.001). This study also showed that the methods of adaptation used by most of the population were based on emotional coping strategy. The most adaptive people were those who work in the health field and the residents in the cities with a monthly income sufficient enough to meet their needs; better adaptation methods were also seen among both divorced and highly educated people. We also found a significant relationship between sociodemographic characteristics except for sex and overall coping methods (p < 0.001). Further, significant relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and psychological distress were observed (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Most of the study population as a sample of the general population in Egypt reported suffering from varying degrees of psychological distress during the COVID-19 crisis. However, the more severe an individual's level of psychological distress, the greater their adaptation ability was. This study focuses light on the importance to provide appropriate interventions against COVID-19-related stresses and equipping people with suitable strategies for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Role of MRI Pancreatic Protocol in Assessing Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy for Patients With Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer (BRPC) remains a unique entity that is difficult to categorize due to variance in definitions and the small number of patients. The ultimate goal is to achieve a free resection (R0) after a favorable response to neoadjuvant therapy that is somewhat difficult to assess by current radiological parameters. AIM: To evaluate the role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) pancreatic protocol, including Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI), in patients with BRPC receiving neoadjuvant therapy, and further compare it to RECIST criteria and outcome. METHODS: Histologically confirmed BRPC patients were prospectively included. DWI-MRI was performed pre- and post-therapy. Clinical characteristics with ensuing operability were recorded and correlated to radiological RECIST/apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) change, preoperative therapy administrated, surgical resection status, and survival. RESULTS: Out of 30 BRPC cases, only 11 (36.7%) ultimately underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. Attaining a stationary or stable disease via ADC/RECIST was achieved in the majority of cases (60%/53.3% respectively). Of the 12 patients (40%) who achieved a regression by ADC, 11 underwent surgery with an R0 status. These surgical cases showed variable RECIST responses (PR=5, SD=4, PD=3). Responders by ADC to neoadjuvant therapy were significantly associated to presenting with abdominal pain (p =0.07), a decline in post-therapy CA19-9 (p<0.001), going through surgery (p<0.001), and even achieving better survival (p<0.001 vs. 0.66). CONCLUSION: DWI-MRI ADC picked up patients most likely to undergo a successful operative procedure better than traditional RECIST criteria. An algorithm incorporating novel radiological advances with CA19-9 deserves further assessment in future studies.

Evaluation of Environmental Pollution and Microbial Treatment of Shallow Groundwater in El Omayed Area, Egypt.

In the last few years, the northwestern coastal zone of Egypt has been affected by many stresses that impact its water resources, leading to undesirable consequences related to water quantity and quality. This paper aims to evaluate the possible contamination sources of shallow aquifers in the El-Omayed area, Egypt, that are causing its deterioration; this was achieved through an integration of hydrochemical and isotopic techniques, an assessment of the undesirable consequences of potential toxic metals (PTMs) on human health risk as a result of direct water consumption, and finally, the application of biological treatment in the remediation of some metal contamination. The chemical composition, environmental isotopes (δ18 O and δ2 H), and microbial analyses were analyzed from 13 collected water samples. Approximately 20% of the groundwater samples were classified as fresh water, and the rest were classified as slightly saline to moderately saline. Stable isotopes proved the contribution of the El Sheikh Zoied canal (which is mainly recharged from the Nile system) as a recharge source. The toxicity of PTMs (Cd, Cu, Co, Cr, Pb, Zn, B, and Fe) was evaluated on the basis of their exceedance values. It was proven that the majority of the groundwater samples were contaminated, which might be attributed to natural and anthropogenic actions in the study area; however, according to human health risk exposure assessment calculations, there is no human cancer risk posed via ingestion of drinking groundwater. The total bacterial count was determined for all water samples; autochthonous microorganisms were capable of removing heavy metals in the polluted water sample. The bacterial strain M52, which was identified by 16S rRNA sequencing as Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, showed the best results, by removing 75% and 65% of the initial concentrations of Fe and B, respectively. The results indicate that this bacterial strain may be useful and represents an environmentally friendly method to remove pollutants and heavy metals from contaminated water. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:461-471. © 2020 SETAC.

Paraphenylene diamine hair dye poisoning in an adolescent.

A 14-year-old female was referred to the pediatric nephrology unit with a short history of progressive angio-oedema of the face requiring tracheostomy. She ingested an unusual substance which caused swollen tongue, cervical oedema and dark coloured brown urine. These clinical features with the laboratory tests confirmed the diagnosis of paraphenylene diamine (PPD) poisoning. Psychological assessment confirmed that the child had severe depression. The suicide attempt was just immediately after failure in the final qualifying examination to secondary school. She did not have any family support but she used to be punished in different ways. In Sudan PPD in its pure form is available in the local market and until recently there was no restrictions for its use or trade. Adolescents are well aware of its toxic effects and it is commonly used to attempt suicide. Legislation and laws should prevent its use in different hair dye formulations and look for another substitute. Clinical management is hampered by the lack of a rapid diagnostic test; no other treatment other than supportive measures can be offered.