Synthesis and characterization of novel acrylamide derivatives and their use as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in hydrochloric acid solution.

Two new acrylamide derivatives were prepared namely: "N-(bis(2-hydroxyethyl) carbamothioyl) acrylamide (BHCA) and N-((2-hydroxyethyl) carbamothioyl) acrylamide( HCA) and their chemical structures were analyzed and confirmed using IR and 1H NMR". These chemicals were investigated as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel (CS) in 1 M HCl medium using chemical method (mass  loss, ML), and electrochemical techniques including potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the acrylamide derivatives work well as corrosion inhibitors, with inhibition efficacy (%IE) reaching 94.91-95.28% at 60 ppm for BHCA and HCA, respectively. Their inhibition depends mainly on their concentration and temperature of the solution. According to the PDP files, these derivatives function as mixed-type inhibitors that physically adsorb on the CS surface in accordance with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, creating a thin coating that shields the CS surface from corrosive fluids. The charge transfer resistance (Rct) increased and the double layer capacitance (Cdl) decreased as a result of the adsorption of the used derivatives. Calculated and described were the thermodynamic parameters for activation and adsorption. Quantum chemistry computations and Monte Carlo simulations were examined and discussed for these derivatives under investigation. Surface analysis was checked using atomic force microscope (AFM). Validity of the obtained data was demonstrated by the confirmation of these several independent procedures.

Mycetoma in north-western Yemen: Clinico-epidemiological and histopathological study.

Background Mycetoma is widespread in Yemen; however, there are only a few documented reports on the entity from this geographical area. Methods A prospective study of 184 cases of mycetoma (male 145 and female 39) from different regions of north-western Yemen was conducted between July 2000 and May 2014. Clinical profile was recorded in a standardized protocol. The diagnosis was based on clinical features, X-ray studies, examination of grains, and histopathology. Results Eumycetoma was diagnosed in 129, caused by Madurella mycetomatis in 124, Leptosphaeria senegalensis in one and pale grain fungus in four, whereas actinomycetoma occurred in 55, caused by Streptomyces somaliensis in 29, Actinomadura madurai in nine, Actinomadura pelletieri in one, and Nocardia in sixteen. Eumycetoma cases were treated with prolonged course of antifungal drugs, mostly ketoconazole, with itraconazole being used in four patients, along with excision or debulking. Results were better when antifungal drugs were given two to three months before surgery and in those who received itraconazole. Actinomycetoma cases were initially treated with co-trimoxazole monotherapy; later streptomycin was added in 30 cases. Six patients who did not show adequate improvement and two others from the start were treated with modified Welsh regimen and with good results. Limitations Identification of different causative agents was done by histopathology and could not be reconfirmed by culture. Conclusion Mycetoma is widespread in north-western Yemen with a higher incidence of eumycetoma and a majority of the cases were caused by Madurella mycetomatis. Modified Welsh regimen in actinomycetoma and itraconazole with excision in eumycetoma showed the best results.

Efficacy of oral agar in management of indirect hyperbilirubinemia in full-term neonates.

AIM: This prospective randomized case control study aimed to investigate effect of oral agar administration in reducing total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels in full-term neonates with jaundice in comparison with control. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred sixty full-term neonates were enrolled with TSB 10-19 mg/dl at first week of age from Assiut University Children's Hospital. Neonates were divided according to TSB into outpatient group (n = 100) (TSB 10-15 mg/dl) and admitted group (n = 60) (TSB > 15-19 mg/dl). Outpatients group were subdivided into agar group received oral agar and control group received placebo. Admitted group were subdivided into agar group received oral agar plus phototherapy combination and control group received phototherapy alone. Neonates in the agar supplementation received oral agar 600 mg/kg/day dissolved in 10 ml distilled water twice daily till TSB decreased to 7 mg/dl. Daily weight, stool frequency and side effects of treatment were observed for each group. TSB was determined pretreatment then serially every 48 h until TSB level reaching ≤7 mg/dl. RESULTS: Agar fed was effective in lowering TSB in neonates with TSB 10-15 mg/dl. TSB percentage changes were not significantly lower in agar-fed newborn with TSB >15-19 mg/dl compared with control groups after 24 h and 7 days. Age fed shortened the time required to decrease TSB and increased stooling frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Oral agar supplemented feeding at 600 mg/kg/day is safe for full-term neonates and useful in decreasing TSB and phototherapy duration. The efficacy of phototherapy in decreasing TSB level in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia can be augmented with oral agar usage.

Multicenter experience: early outcome of mitral valve repair in patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic mitral regurgitation is associated with poor outcomes. The optimal surgical strategy for management of ischemic mitral regurgitation is still debated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the early mortality and morbidity of mitral valve repair in patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, observational, cohort study on prospectively collected data on 136 consecutive coronary artery bypass graft patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation undergoing mitral valve repair between January 2016 and January 2020. Perioperative echocardiogram findings, operative procedures, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 4.4%. Mitral valve repair with a low ejection fraction had a 4-fold increase in the risk of death compared to mitral valve repair with preserved ejection fraction > 30%. However, after adjusting for preoperative risk factors, the number of grafts was not an independent risk factor for mortality (odds ratio = 0.18, 95% confidence interval: 0.03-2.81, p = 0.84). Multivariable analysis showed that preoperative ejection fraction (odds ratio = 1.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.82-4.86, p < 0.01), preoperative left ventricular end-systolic dimension (odds ratio = 1.03, 95% confidence interval: 0.65-3.51, p < 0.01) and preoperative left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (odds ratio = 0.99, 95% confidence interval: 0.64-3.28, p = 0.04) were independent risk factors for mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Mitral valve repair can be performed safely concomitantly with coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with moderate, moderately severe, and severe ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Apoptotic Effects of Azolla pinnata Ethanolic Extract against Lead-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats.

The current study investigated the protective potential of Azolla pinnate ethanolic extract (APE) against lead-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sixty male Wistar albino rats were randomly allocated into six groups (n = 10). The control group was orally administrated with saline. The second group received lead acetate (100 mg/kg body weight (BW) orally for 60 days). The third group was fed with APE (10 mg/kg BW orally for 60 days). The fourth group was administrated with lead acetate like the second group and APE like the third group, concomitantly, for 60 days. The fifth group was administrated with APE like the third group for 30 days, then orally administrated with the lead acetate like the second group for another 30 days. The sixth group was administrated with lead acetate like the second group for 30 days, then with APE like the third group for a further 30 days. Phytochemical analysis of APE indicated the presence of peonidin 3-O-glucoside cation, vitexin, rutin, thiamine, choline, tamarixetin, hyperoside, astragalin, and quercetin. The latter has been elucidated using one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (1D and 2D NMR) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Lead acetate increased the serum levels of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases and that of urea, creatinine, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin 1ß, hepatic tissue malondialdehyde contents, and caspase 3 protein expression, as well as altering the hepatic tissue architecture. However, it decreased the serum levels of interleukin 10 and glutathione (GSH) contents, and the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase in hepatic tissue. In contrast, the administration of APE ameliorated the lead-induced alterations in liver function and structure, exemplifying the benefits of Azolla's phytochemical contents. Collectively, A. pinnate extract is a protective and curative agent against lead-induced hepatotoxicity via its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic impacts.

Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in children with chronic hepatitis C: Shear wave elastography and APRI versus liver biopsy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis. Although liver histopathological examination remains the reference standard for liver fibrosis assessment, noninvasive means of assessment such as shear wave elastography (SWE) and aspartate aminotransferase-platelet ratio index (APRI) have been developed to reduce the need for biopsy. We evaluated the efficacy of SWE and APRI versus liver biopsy for liver fibrosis assessment in children with chronic HCV infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fibrosis staging was performed in 46 children (35 boys, 11 girls; mean age: 15.52 ± 2.71 years) with liver biopsy-proven chronic HCV infection according to the METAVIR system. SWE was performed within 6 months of liver biopsy. APRI scores were calculated using data collected on the day of biopsy. RESULTS: Eighteen children had no or mild fibrosis (

Correction to "Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Novel Piperidinyl Tetrahydrothieno[2,3-c]isoquinolines and Related Heterocycles".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b02604.].

Use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis of head and neck precancerous and cancerous lesions: A systematic review.

This systematic review analyses and describes the application and diagnostic accuracy of Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods used for detection and grading of potentially malignant (pre-cancerous) and cancerous head and neck lesions using whole slide images (WSI) of human tissue slides. Electronic databases MEDLINE via OVID, Scopus and Web of Science were searched between October 2009 - April 2020. Tailored search-strings were developed using database-specific terms. Studies were selected using a strict inclusion criterion following PRISMA Guidelines. Risk of bias assessment was conducted using a tailored QUADAS-2 tool. Out of 315 records, 11 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. AI-based methods were employed for analysis of specific histological features for oral epithelial dysplasia (n = 1), oral submucous fibrosis (n = 5), oral squamous cell carcinoma (n = 4) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (n = 1). A combination of heuristics, supervised and unsupervised learning methods were employed, including more than 10 different classification and segmentation techniques. Most studies used uni-centric datasets (range 40-270 images) comprising small sub-images within WSI with accuracy between 79 and 100%. This review provides early evidence to support the potential application of supervised machine learning methods as a diagnostic aid for some oral potentially malignant and malignant lesions; however, there is a paucity of evidence using AI for diagnosis of other head and neck pathologies. Overall, the quality of evidence is low, with most studies showing a high risk of bias which is likely to have overestimated accuracy rates. This review highlights the need for development of state-of-the-art deep learning techniques in future head and neck research.

Commiphora myrrha Resin Alcoholic Extract Ameliorates High Fat Diet Induced Obesity via Regulation of UCP1 and Adiponectin Proteins Expression in Rats.

This study was performed to evaluate anti-obesity potential of Commiphora myrrha resin ethanolic extract (CME) with the respect to expression of leptin, adiponectin and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in rats. Control rats fed basal diet. Second group fed basal diet and administered CME (500 mg/kg bw) orally for 14 weeks. Third group fed high fat diet (HFD) for 14 weeks. Fourth group fed HFD and administered CME as second group. Fifth group fed HFD for 8 weeks then fed basal diet and administered CME as third group for another 6 weeks. Phytochemical analysis of CME identified the presence of germacrene B, 1,4-benzoquinone, benzofuran, hexadecanoic acid, 9,12-octadecnoic acid methyl ester, reynosin, 11, 14-eicosadienoic acid, isochiapin B, bisabolene epixod, elemene and 1-heptatriacotanol. High fat diet significantly increased food intake, body weight, hyperglycemia, serum levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low density lipoprotein and ketone bodies, AST and AST activities, concentration of malondialdehyde and histopathological changes in hepatic tissues. However, it significantly reduced serum levels of high density lipoprotein, leptin and adiponectin, activity of hepatic glutathione reductase (GR) and brown adipose tissue UCP1 protein expression. In contrast, CME ameliorated HFD increased body weight, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, ketonemia, hepatic tissues lipid peroxidation, restored hepatic tissue architecture and enhanced protein expression of leptin, adiponectin and UCP1 and activity of hepatic GR. This study indicated that CME ameliorated HFD induced hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia through normalization of HFD reduced leptin, adiponectin and UCP1 proteins production and antioxidant activity.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Novel Piperidinyl Tetrahydrothieno[2,3-c]isoquinolines and Related Heterocycles.

A novel series of 1-amino-2-substituted-5-piperidinyl-6,7,8,9-tertahydrothieno[2,3-c]isoquinolines (4a-e) was synthesized upon treatment of 4-cyano-1-piperidinyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinline-3(2H)-thione (2) with α-halo carbonyl compounds such as chloroacetone, ethyl chloroacetate, 2-bromoacetophenone, chloroacetamide, and chloroacetanilide. Construction the pyrrolyl ring associated with the thienotetrahydroisoquinoline moiety was achieved by treatment of compounds 4a, b with 2,5-dimethoxytertahydrofuran in acetic acid. 1-Pyrrolyl-2-substituted-thieno[2,3-c]isoquinolines 5a and 5b which in turn were used as multipurpose precursors for synthesis of other new heterocycles. Assignments of the chemical structures of the respectively synthesized thienotetrahydroisoquinolines and their derivatives were established on the bases of elemental and spectral techniques (Fourier transform infrared, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectroscopy). Furthermore, certain compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity which revealed promising activities against various pathogenic strains of bacteria and fungi.

Circulating Microparticles in Children With Sickle Cell Anemia in a Tertiary Center in Upper Egypt.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetically inherited hemolytic anemia increasingly appreciated as a chronic inflammatory condition and hypercoagulable state with high thrombotic risk. It is associated with disturbed immune phenotype and function and circulating microparticles (MPs) derived from multiple cell sources. This study was carried out to determine MPs profiles in patients with sickle cell anemia (either on hydroxyurea (HU) therapy or those with no disease-modifying therapy) and to compare these profiles with healthy children. Moreover, our study assesses the potential impact of HU on other aspects of circulating MPs. We performed a cross-sectional study on 30 pediatric patients with SCD divided by treatment into 2 groups (those receiving HU or no therapy) attending Hematology Clinic and 20 age-matched healthy children. The blood samples obtained were analyzed for MPs by flow cytometry. Sickle cell disease group with no therapy showed elevated levels of total, platelet, and erythroid MPs. In contrast, therapy with HU was associated with normalization of MPs. This study provided additional evidence that HU is an effective treatment option in pediatric patients with SCD, as it seems that it decreases the abnormally elevated MPs in those patients.

Developing Egyptian water quality index for drainage water reuse in agriculture.

In Egypt, water quality (WQ) is an ordinary activity. However, the calculation of a tailor-made Egyptian WQ index is not. Therefore, this research attempts to develop an index for the agricultural drainage water (EG-DWQI) that can be reused for irrigation based on collected WQ data measured monthly from August 2000 to July 2015. The development of the EG-DWQI was carried out in four main steps, namely, parameters selection, parameter transformation to a common scale, assignment of parameters weights, and aggregation of subindices to produce a final index score. In its final form, the index can be easily estimated using a set of rating curves and their corresponding equations that were statistically tested and proved to be verified. The developed index was successfully employed to delineate the drainage WQ status that can be reused for irrigation in the Nile Delta of Egypt as benchmarking for future comparisons. The EG-DWQI is proved to be easy, fast, and does not entail complex mathematics and can be easily managed by means of a spreadsheet. PRACTITIONER POINTS: This research develops a tailor made water quality index for assessing agricultural drainage water that can be re-used for irrigation. Then, the developed index was successfully employed to delineate the water quality in the main drains located in the Nile Delta of Egypt as benchmarking for future comparisons. The application of the index is proved to be easy, fast and does not entail complicated mathematics especially with the new computer facilities.

The Crosstalk of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress Pathways with NF-κB: Complex Mechanisms Relevant for Cancer, Inflammation and Infection.

Stressful conditions occuring during cancer, inflammation or infection activate adaptive responses that are controlled by the unfolded protein response (UPR) and the nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway. These systems can be triggered by chemical compounds but also by cytokines, toll-like receptor ligands, nucleic acids, lipids, bacteria and viruses. Despite representing unique signaling cascades, new data indicate that the UPR and NF-κB pathways converge within the nucleus through ten major transcription factors (TFs), namely activating transcription factor (ATF)4, ATF3, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (CEBP) homologous protein (CHOP), X-box-binding protein (XBP)1, ATF6α and the five NF-κB subunits. The combinatorial occupancy of numerous genomic regions (enhancers and promoters) coordinates the transcriptional activation or repression of hundreds of genes that collectively determine the balance between metabolic and inflammatory phenotypes and the extent of apoptosis and autophagy or repair of cell damage and survival. Here, we also discuss results from genetic experiments and chemical activators of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress that suggest a link to the cytosolic inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB)α degradation pathway. These data show that the UPR affects this major control point of NF-κB activation through several mechanisms. Taken together, available evidence indicates that the UPR and NF-κB interact at multiple levels. This crosstalk provides ample opportunities to fine-tune cellular stress responses and could also be exploited therapeutically in the future.

Determination of Residues of Diazinon and Chlorpyrifos in Lavender and Rosemary Leaves by Gas Chromatography.

A sensitive gas chromatographic (GC) GC method has been developed for the determination of diazinon and chlorpyrifos residues in lavender and rosemary leaves. The developed method consists of blending weighed samples of chopped leaves with sodium sulfate as the dehydrating agent, extraction with ethyl acetate, filtration, evaporation with a rotary evaporator, and, finally, capillary GC determination of the pesticides. The recoveries of the method were greater than 90%, and the LOQ was less than 0.1 µg/mL. The method was applied to determine the rate of disappearance of diazinon and chlorpyrifos from lavender and rosemary leaves pretreated with the studied pesticides. The half-life values (t1/2) of diazinon were found to be 5.93 and 6.35 days for lavender and rosemary leaves, respectively, whereas the t1/2 values of chlorpyrifos were calculated to be 7.86 and 9.52 days for lavender and rosemary leaves, respectively. The safe harvest interval (preharvest interval; PHI) was suggested to be after 21 and 24 days for diazinon and chlorpyrifos, respectively. The PHI refers to the amount of time that must lapse (in days) after a pesticide application before a crop can be cut.

Selective Determination of Diazinon and Chlorpyrifos in the Presence of Their Degradation Products: Application to Environmental Samples.

An accurate, sensitive, and selective HPLC method was developed and validated for the determination of diazinon and chlorpyrifos. These pesticides were subjected to different stress conditions, such as acidic, alkaline, oxidative, thermal, and photolytic hydrolysis. The proposed method used a C18 Eclipse Plus column (100 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 µm) and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water (70 + 30, v/v) in an isocratic separation mode. The flow rate was 1.5 mL/min, with UV detection at 247 and 230 nm for diazinon and chlorpyrifos, respectively. The proposed method was linear over the range of 0.40-50.00 µg/mL for diazinon and 0.40-40.00 µg/mL for chlorpyrifos. The proposed method was validated per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines and subsequently applied for the successful determination of the studied pesticides in bulk form in their commercial samples in the presence of their degradation products. The developed method was used for the determination of the residues of these pesticides in lavender and rosemary leaves that were pretreated with the recommended doses of these pesticides.

Chromosome analysis in embryos from young patients with previous parity.

This study included 173 young couples of proven fertility who had previously undergone preimplantation genetic screening for chromosomes X and Y for family balancing. Several months later, when the outcome of the pregnancies was already known, the blastomeres from the corresponding embryos transferred were reanalysed by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) for chromosomes 13, 16, 18, 21, 22 with the aim of investigating correlation with embryo viability and the level of FISH sensitivity (embryos confirmed to be euploid). According to the results, informative in 152 couples, the proportion of euploid embryos was significantly lower in 53 nonpregnant women when compared with 99 women with term pregnancy (49% versus 75% respectively, P < 0.001). In addition, in 21 nonpregnant patients, all embryos transferred were found to be chromosomally abnormal. The level of FISH sensitivity was calculated in the group of term pregnancies where the number of euploid embryos was expected to exceed or match with the number of babies born. The resulting false-negative rate was 4.0% per patient and 1.9% per embryo. These findings confirmed the limited prediction power of embryo morphology on implantation but also the relevance of chromosomal abnormalities in causing embryo demise.

Exon skipping restores dystrophin expression, but fails to prevent disease progression in later stage dystrophic dko mice.

Antisense therapy with both chemistries of phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) and 2'-O-methyl phosphorothioate has demonstrated the capability to induce dystrophin expression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients in phase II-III clinical trials with benefit in muscle functions. However, potential of the therapy for DMD at different stages of the disease progression is not understood. In this study, we examined the effect of peptide-conjugated PMO (PPMO)-mediated exon skipping on disease progression of utrophin-dystrophin-deficient mice (dko) of four age groups (21-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50+ days), representing diseases from early stage to advanced stage with severe kyphosis. Biweekly intravenous (i.v.) administration of the PPMO restored the dystrophin expression in nearly 100% skeletal muscle fibers in all age groups. This was associated with the restoration of dystrophin-associated proteins including functional glycosylated dystroglycan and neuronal nitric synthase. However, therapeutic outcomes clearly depended on severity of the disease at the time the treatment started. The PPMO treatment alleviated the disease pathology and significantly prolonged the life span of the mice receiving treatment at younger age with mild phenotype. However, restoration of high levels of dystrophin expression failed to prevent disease progression to the mice receiving treatment when disease was already at advanced stage. The results could be critical for design of clinical trials with antisense therapy to DMD.

Body mass index and labour outcome in Egyptian women.

We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study to evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on maternal medical disorders, progress of labour, mode of delivery and neonatal outcome in Cairo University hospital between September 2012 and March 2013. A total of 574 parturients were divided into two groups: group A with a BMI < 30 and group B with a BMI ≥ 30. A statistically significant difference was found in favour of group B, regarding medical disorders, especially gestational hypertension and pre- eclampsia (p < 0.001), caesarean deliveries (p < 0.001) and neonatal birth weight (p = 0.001). There was no difference regarding gestational age at delivery, progress of labour (cervical dilatation, cervical effacement, duration of first and second stage of labour) and neonatal outcome (Apgar score at 1 and 5 min and neonatal deaths). Our conclusion is that increased maternal BMI is associated with an increased incidence of medical disorders during pregnancy, caesarean section rate and fatal macrosomia.

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of new heterocyclic compounds containing thieno[3,2-c] coumarin and pyrazolo[4,3-c] coumarin frameworks.

Reaction of 4-chlorocoumarin-3-carbonitrile with ethyl thioglycolate and ethyl glycinate hydrochloride leads to a series of title products. Hydrazinolysis of amino thienocoumarin carboxylate afforded the hydrazine derivative which underwent various reactions to build new heterocyclic rings containing thienocoumarin moiety. Chloro acetylation of aminoester compound afforded the chloro acetyl amino which underwent nucleophilic substitution reactions various amines. The following treatment with formaldehyde under Mannich conditions afforded the corresponding imidazo derivatives. Reaction of Ghloroacetylamino with potassium thiocyanate yielded ethylpyrimidothieno coumarin sulfanylacetate which was used as a versatile precursor for synthesis of other heterocycles. On the other hand, reaction of chloro coumarin carbo nitrile with hydrazine gave the aminopyrazolocoumaine which reacted with bifunctionally compounds to give the substituted pyrimido derivatives. Diazotization and coupling of aminopyrazole with ethylcyanoacetate yielded ethylaminotriazinopyrazolocoumarine carboxylate. Several of the compounds obtained demonstrated considerable antifungal and antibacterial activity in the in vitro test systems.