The Biochemical Effects of Silver Nanoparticles and Spirulina Extract on Experimentally Induced Prostatic Cancer in Rats.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most diagnosed cancer in 112 countries and the second leading cause of death in men in 48 countries. We studied the outstanding agents silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and Spirulina algae (Sp) for the management of PCa once as monotherapy or last as a combination. PCa in rats was induced using bicalutamide (Casodex®) and testosterone, followed by (7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene). Then, testosterone was injected s.c. for 3 months. Rats were divided into six groups, with 12 rats in each group. Group I was assigned as the control (co), group II as the PCa model, group III treated with AgNPs, group IV treated with Spirulina extract, group V treated with a combination of AgNPs plus Spirulina, and group VI treated with bicalutamide. The results show that AgNPs could normalize IL-6 levels and could overcome the hormonal disturbance induced in PCa rats along the hypothalamic-pituitary-testis axis. Spirulina revealed a significant reduction in the level of total and free prostatic specific antigen (PSA) to the same level as bicalutamide treatment, which was the same as the control group. Histopathological study revealed regression (75%) of the histological pattern of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) for Spirulina alone, and (50%) for bicalutamide. The best effect on IL-6 decline was reached with the AgNPs/Spirulina combination as well as bicalutamide treatment compared with the PCa group. Bicalutamide treatment significantly decreased the PSA concentration relative to the PCa group and reached the normal level. Adding Spirulina to AgNPs as a combination enhanced its effect on all mentioned drawbacks associated with PCa except hormonal imbalance that needs more adjustments.

Risk Factors, Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment Outcomes of Portal Vein Thrombosis: A Five-Year Hospital-Based Study From Qatar.

Background: There is a lack of robust epidemiological information on portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in Qatar. This study aimed to describe the risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes of PVT in patients with and without liver cirrhosis admitted to Hamad General Hospital. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted at Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. Consecutive patients with PVT between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019 were included in this study. Results: We included 363 cases representing 0.05% of all inpatients admitted to our hospital during the study period. Their mean age was 47.79 ± 14.48 years. There were 258 (71.1%) males and 105 (28.9%) females. Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom (160 (44.1%)), while splenomegaly was the most common presenting sign (158 (43.5%)). Liver cirrhosis was the most frequent risk factor for PVT (147 (40.5%)), while no risk factors were identified in 49 (13.5%) patients. Anticoagulant therapy was given to 171/207 (82.6%) patients with acute PVT and 19/156 (12.2%) patients with chronic PVT. The options used for anticoagulation treatment were: low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or unfractionated heparin alone, LMWH/unfractionated heparin followed by warfarin, and direct-acting oral anticoagulants (rivaroxaban). Out of the 262 patients in whom PVT recanalization was assessed, 43.8% of the cases had recanalization after anticoagulation treatment, while 12.6% of them had spontaneous recanalization without such therapy. A comparison between different anticoagulants used in this study showed no significant difference in the effectiveness of the three regimens used. The 30-day mortality was recorded for 71 patients (19.5%). The major risk factors for 30-day mortality were: age over 45 years, male sex, hepatic failure, malignancies, and bilirubin > 34 µmol/L. Conclusion: PVT is a rare clinical entity in Qatar with liver cirrhosis being the most common risk factor. Early administration of anticoagulation therapy is associated with a significant recanalization, while age > 45 years, male sex, hepatic failure, malignancies, and bilirubin > 34 µmol/L are independent risk factors for 30-day mortality.

The Emergence of Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Producing GIM-1 and SIM-1 Clinical Isolates in Khartoum-Sudan.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to detect multidrug resistant GIM-1 and SIM-1 producing Enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates from hospitalized patients across three Khartoum State Teaching Hospitals, Sudan. Patients and Methods: From May 2018 to October 2019, Enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates from inpatients admitted to different Khartoum state hospitals. Genes for carbapenemase (GIM-1 and SIM-1) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Agar dilution method was used to determine MICs for imipenem and meropenem after antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Results: Five (1.29%) isolates of Enterobacteriaceae [2 (0.51%) Escherichia coli isolates produce GIM-1, 2 (0.51%) Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (one [0.25%] of each produce of GIM-1 and of SIM-1), and 1 (0.25%) Enterobacter cloacae isolate produce GIM-1]. Susceptibility profiling of the isolates showed a low-level resistance to imipenem and meropenem MICs (8, 16 and 32 µg/mL). It also had resistance to ampicillin, extended-spectrum cephalosporin's, aztreonam, and amoxicillin-clavulanate and with the two K. pneumoniae strains showing resistance to colistin. Conclusion: We report the emergence of four GIM-1 producing Enterobacteriaceae strains and one strain of SIM-1 producing K. pneumoniae genes, isolated from hospitalized patients, with a high resistance pattern to antimicrobial agents. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is necessary for precise identification of clonal diversity backgrounds of acquired carbapenemase genes in diagnostic laboratories as the number of cases of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae infection increases annually.

Rare case of simultaneous cerebral artery and venous sinus thrombosis in the setting of elevated factor VIII and combined oral contraceptive pills.

We report a rare case of combined cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and ischemic stroke in a 35-year-old female on combined oral contraceptive pills (COCPs) with persistently elevated factor VIII, presenting with headache and sudden onset vertigo, found to have extensive cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and PICA territory ischemic infarct.

Monitoring of iron, lipid and liver profiles in Egyptian hepatitis C virus patients on sofosbuvir therapy.

Hepatitis C virus is a major cause of inflammation of liver tissue. In serious cases the disease can progressed to cirrhosis, fibrosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and end stage liver disease. The research was designed to monitoring the iron, lipid and liver profiles in hepatitis C patients before and during treatment with sofosbuvir antiviral drug. To achieve this aim, the study was conducted on 22 patients with hepatitis C virus infection and 9 control normal volunteers after taking their consent. The monitoring done through biochemical determination of serum iron, ferritin, transferrin as well as total iron binding capacity. Also, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, VLDL, AST, ALP, total protein and albumin was determined. The result showed that, the increased serum iron (205.59±8.27 µg/dl), cholesterol (237.96 ± 10.92 mg/dl), triglycerides (246.58 ± 8.23 mg/dl), LDL (172.82 ± 8.47 mg/dl), VLDL (50.91 ± 1.65 mg/dl), AST (164.58 ± 8.45 U/L), ALP (142.61 ± 7.41 U/L) in hepatitis C virus patients was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) upon treatment with sofosbuvir and the decreased serum ferritin (18.55±1.39 ng/dl), transferrin (128.41 ± 6.43 mg/dl), total iron binding capacity (204.41 ± 8.82 mg/dl), total protein (5.81 ± 0.24 g/dl), albumin (2.83 ± 0.09 g/dl) and HDL (14.22 ± 1.17 mg/dl) in hepatitis C virus patients was significantly increased (P < 0.05) upon treatment with sofosbuvir. According to our finding we concluded that, treatment with sofosbuvir 12 week ameliorate disruption of iron, lipid and liver parameters caused by infection with Hepatitis C virus.

Cardiac Amyloidosis Presenting with Pre-Excitation Syndrome, Heart Failure, and Severe Factor X Deficiency as Part of Systemic Amyloid Light-Chain (AL) Amyloidosis - A Fatal Combination.

BACKGROUND Amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a disease that results in systemic amyloid deposition, which may present with multi-organ dysfunction. It carries a poor prognosis at the time of diagnosis. CASE REPORT A 37-year-old patient with a history of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and thyroiditis presented with syncope and hypovolemia. ECG showed non-specific T wave inversions in the lateral leads with no signs of ischemia. Laboratory investigations revealed deranged coagulation parameters with prolonged prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and follow-up factor assays revealed severe factor X deficiency. A transthoracic echocardiogram and subsequent cardiac MRI showed signs of cardiac amyloidosis. Bone marrow biopsy was consistent with AL amyloidosis, demonstrating period acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive adipose deposits and interstitial infiltration by clusters of lambda restricted plasma cells with aberrant expression of CD 56 and CD 117.The patient was treated with bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone, but died early during his treatment due to cardiac arrest, suspected to be secondary to conduction abnormalities caused by cardiac infiltration. CONCLUSIONS This case represents a novel pattern of disease in AL amyloidosis with cardiac, thyroid, and hematological involvement as a result of systemic amyloid deposition.Our report highlights the need for physicians to be aware of cardiac amyloidosis-related complications and the morbidity and mortality associated with concurrent hematological involvement in these cases.

Brucellosis manifesting as reversible ataxia caused by SIADH-related hyponatremia.

Brucellosis is an infectious disease commonly presents with fever, fatigue, arthralgia, and muscle pain. Nonetheless, hyponatremia and its related symptoms have been reported as presenting features of brucellosis. Herein, we report a 56-year-old male presenting with ataxia and SIADH-related hyponatremia induced by brucellosis. The ataxia improved following hyponatremia correction. Up to our knowledge, this is the first case of reversible cerebellar ataxia occurring in the setting of brucellosis-related SIADH.

Primary Bone Lymphoma in Axial Skeleton in a Middle-Aged Female Presented as Recurrent Anemia.

Primary bone lymphoma (PBL) is a peculiar extranodal presentation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Primary bone diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common pathological type, comprising about 80% of PBL. The diagnosis of PBL depends on the combined clinical examination and imaging studies and is confirmed with immunohistochemical examination. Due to the rarity of this disease, more relative studies and case reports are needed to provide insight into this obscure lymphoproliferative malignancy. Here, we report one rare case of primary bone DLBCL involving the axial skeleton in a 37-year-old female.

Graves' Disease-Related Pancytopenia Improved after Radioactive Iodine Ablation.

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid glands which often results in enlarged thyroid glands, and it is the most common cause of clinical hyperthyroidism especially in young patients. Radioiodine ablation is a radiation therapy in which radioactive iodine is administered to destroy or ablate thyroid cells. It is commonly used for the treatment of Graves' disease. We report on a 39-year-old male, who presented with Graves' disease, found to have pancytopenia and hypocellular bone marrow. Pancytopenia is a rare complication of thyrotoxicosis that is usually not severe and does not require supportive blood product transfusions. Our patient was treated with antithyroid medications followed by radioactive iodine ablation followed by a spontaneous recovery of pancytopenia.

Genome Sequence of Escherichia coli Clone O25:H4 Sequence Type 131, Isolated from a Sudanese Patient with Urinary Tract Infection.

We report here the whole-genome sequence of Escherichia coli NUBRI-E, a representative of E. coli clone O25:H4 sequence type 131 with bla CTX-M-15, which was obtained from a Sudanese patient with a urinary tract infection.

Whole-Genome Sequence of High-Risk Clone Sequence Type 111 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain NUBRI-P, Isolated from a Wounded Sudanese Patient.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common nosocomial pathogen often associated with a high mortality rate in vulnerable populations. Here, we describe the genomic sequence of a pan-resistant, high-risk clone of P. aeruginosa sequence type 111 (ST111) isolated from a hospital patient in Sudan.

Whole-Genome Sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii Strain NUBRI-A, Isolated from a Hospitalized Patient in Khartoum, Sudan.

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important pathogen leading to multiple nosocomial outbreaks. Here, we describe the genomic sequence of a multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii sequence type 164 (ST164) isolate from a hospital patient in Sudan. To our knowledge, this is the first reported draft genome of an A. baumannii strain isolated from Sudan.

First Whole-Genome Sequence of a Highly Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Sequence Type 14 Strain Isolated from Sudan.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen that accounts for a significant proportion of hospital-acquired infections and is a leading cause of nosocomial outbreaks. Here, we describe the genomic sequence of a highly resistant K. pneumoniae sequence type 14 (ST14) strain isolated from Sudan.

Cross-linked graphene oxide sheets via modified extracted cellulose with high metal adsorption.

We have studied the extraction of Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions from different types of aqueous solution by novel cross-linked graphene oxide sheets by modified extracted cellulose. The novel sorbent cellulose was extracted from the mangrove trees (Avicennia marina) and it was then grafted with acrylamide and immobilized by ethylenediamine for cross-linking process. The cross-linked graphene oxide sheets were identified by means of FT-IR, SEM and XRD. The adsorption studies of synthesized sorbent was optimized. Langmuir and Freundlich models were used for establish sorption equilibria. The cross-linked graphene oxide sheets showed maximum adsorption capacity 46.39 and 186.48mgg-1 for Cu(II) and Pb(II), respectively. The potential applications of this sorbent was applied to remove Cu(II) and Pb(II) metal ions from hard water samples by using a multi-stage micro-column technique.

Removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) from wastewater by using triethylenetetramine functionalized grafted cellulose acetate-manganese dioxide composite.

In this manuscript, we have studied the removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by using triethylenetetramine functionalized cellulose acetate grafted with the copolymer-manganese dioxide composite. The novel sorbent cellulose was extracted from the mangrove trees (Avicennia marina) and it was then acetylated and grafted with acrylamide. The sorbent composite was designed to interact simultaneously with higher metal loading by complexation-adsorption process. FT-IR, SEM, EDAX and TGA techniques were employed to characterize the cellulose modified composite. Sorption equilibria were established after 30min and their data were described by Langmuir and Freundlich models. The functionalized hybrid cellulose composite showed maximum adsorption capacity 82.06 and 196.84mgg(-1) for Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively. The studied metal ions were successfully recovered from real wastewater samples of different matrices.

Effect of vitamin C dietary supplementation in reducing the alterations induced by fenitrothion in Oreochromis niloticus.

The objective of this study was to investigate the dietary effect of vitamin C in amelioration some of studied alterations induced by fenitrothion in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Nile tilapia was exposed to sub-lethal concentration of fenitrothion 0.04 mg/l (96 h LC50 value was 0.8 mg/l), and basal diet was supplemented with two different dose of vitamin C (500 and 1200 mg/kg B wt/day) for 30 days. Vitamin C supplemented groups showed significant decrease in plasma cortisol and glucose level, enzymes activity of liver and gills (catalase, glutathione-S-transferase and superoxide dismutase) and % of tail DNA damage compared to exposed group. Moreover, fish revealed significant increase in total plasma protein, albumin, globulin and A/G ratio. High dose of vitamin C dietary supplementation (1200 mg/kg B wt/day) returns these parameters to its normal levels with no significant difference compared to non exposed control group. These results indicated that incorporation of high dose of vitamin C (1200 mg) in aqua feed for 30 days could be potentially less expensive and effective in reducing the alterations induced by fenitrothion in Nile tilapia.

Circular dichroism and anomeric configuration assignment of benzimidazole C-nucleoside analogs.

The circular dichroism of a series of acyclic polyhydroxyalkyl benzimidazole C-nucleoside analogs was correlated with the stereochemistry of the chiral carbon atom α to the benzimidazole base moiety. This correlation was used for the assignment of the anomeric configuration of 2-(ß-L-erythrofuranosyl) benzimidazole C-nucleoside analogs without a need to have the other anomer on hand, in a similar manner to the correlation obtained for assignment of the anomeric configuration of triazole C-nucleoside analogs.

Clinical, haematological and biochemical alterations in heat intolerance (panting) syndrome in Egyptian cattle following natural foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Clinical signs of heat intolerance (panting) syndrome were observed in Holstein cows in a private farm in Egypt. There were heat intolerance (fever), panting, profuse salivation, hirsutism, lameness and reduced milk production. Blood and serum samples were collected from ten diseased cows and five apparently healthy cows as control. Serological tests confirmed the presence of non-structural protein of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) infection. There were significant reductions in the total red blood cell count with increased leucocytic and lymphocytic counts in diseased group compared to control. The serum Na, Cl, Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe were significantly reduced but P was increased in diseased animals compared to control. The total protein, albumin, cholesterol and cortisol were significantly reduced but the glucose and malonaldehyde were significantly increased in diseased cows. This was the first report in Egypt to describe the clinical and haemato-biochemical changes in panting syndrome following FMD.