Outbreak of foodborne botulism in Alexandria, Egypt: modulating indications for administration of heptavalent botulinum antitoxin.

In October 2019, ninety-four patients were admitted into Alexandria Poison Center (APC) with a history of ingestion of Feseekh (salted fish). In an attempt to allocate the resources, not all patients were given HBAT (botulism antitoxin heptavalent (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) equine immediately. The current study aimed to portray the clinical characteristics of the cases, explore the possible relation between these characteristics and necessity of HBAT administration, explore the reliability of mouse lethal test, and establish a clinical guide for management including preservation of resources. The current prospective study included 94 patients who were admitted to Alexandria Poison Center (APC) in the period from the 29th of September to the 27th of October 2019. The patients' data were recorded using a checklist that includes: personal data, past medical history, clinical assessment, investigations, treatment, and the outcome. The checklist was carried out to assess and follow up each patient. Hospitalized patients were categorized according to symptoms consistent with botulism. The equine HBAT, made by Emergent BioSolutions Canada Inc. (formerly Cangene Corporation), was used in the treatment. HBAT was given to thirty-four patients (36.2%) only out of the total admission. However, eighty-two (87.2%) of patients were completely cured, whereas ten patients (10.6%) were discharged with mild neurological sequels and death occurred only in two cases (2.2%). Sixty cases (63.8%) with suspected foodborne botulism could be managed by supportive treatment only with no need for HBAT, while patients with evident neurological signs received HBAT immediately.

Knowledge, perceptions and attitude of Egyptian physicians towards biobanking issues.

OBJECTIVES: Collection and storage of biospecimens and data for biobanking raise many ethical concerns. Stakeholders' opinions about these ethical issues are important since they can help in the development of ethical guidelines to govern biobanking activities. Physicians are among the important stakeholders since they contact potential participants and could be biobank users. The goal of this study is to evaluate the perceptions and attitude of Egyptian physicians towards ethical issues in biobanking. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was designed and distributed with the target group between November 2019 and January 2020. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 223 physicians. While 65.5% reported hearing the term "Biobanking" before, 45.7% knew that there are biobanks in Egypt. Participants had a general positive attitude towards the value of biobanks in research. About 73% agreed that biobanks can share biospecimens with international research organizations, but only 42.6% supported collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, and 44% agreed to the use of user fees by biobanks. About 48% supported the use of broad consent in biobanks, and 73.1% believed that donors of biospecimens should be informed about results of research performed on their biospecimens. CONCLUSION: Although many Egyptian physicians heard about biobanking, they had limited knowledge about the existence of biobanks in Egypt. They had concerns about commercialization, use of broad consent and user fees. A knowledge gap exists among these stakeholders, which should be covered by different educational activities. Community discussions should start to reach consensus about the issues of commercialization and return of research results.

Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Consequences of Burnout Among Egyptian Physicians During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: COVID-19 has been recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and physicians are at the frontline to confront the disease. Burnout syndrome (BOS) is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the frequency and associated risk factors of BOS among a sample of Egyptian physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Using Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey, a cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted to assess BOS among the target group. Results: Two hundred and twenty physicians participated in the study. The frequency of BOS among the research group was 36.36%. The possibility of development of BOS increased two times with the need to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) from participants' own money, with harassment by patients' families, and was less likely to develop in doctors with older age. While male gender was a predictor of depersonalization (DP), female gender showed a significant association with higher emotional exhaustion (EE). Infection or death from COVID-19 among colleagues or relatives showed significant association with elevated EE and lowered personal achievement (PA), respectively. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic added new factors to the development of BOS in our research group. Several measures should be taken to support physicians at this stage. These measures include psychological support, organizing work hours, adjusting salaries, and providing personal protective equipment and training on safety measures.

Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitude of Egyptians Towards the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Global efforts have been exerted to prevent the spreading of the disease through political decisions together with personal behaviors, which depend on awareness of the public. The goal of this study is to assess the knowledge, perceptions and attitude of the Egyptian public towards the COVID-19 disease. We conducted a cross-sectional survey about these points, which was distributed among adult Egyptians. Five hundred and fifty nine persons completed the survey. The mean knowledge score was 16.39 out of 23, gained mainly though social media (66.9%), and the internet (58.3%). Knowledge was significantly lower among older, less educated, lower income participants, and rural residents. Most participants (86.9%) were concerned about the risk of infection. While 37.6% thought that their salary will be continued if they become isolated, 68.5% believed that it should be continued during this period. About 73.0% were looking forward to get the vaccine when available. In general, participants had a good knowledge about the disease and a positive attitude towards protective measures. This knowledge is gained mainly through novel media channels, which have pros and cons. Although the government has taken major steps to educate the public and limit the spread of the disease, more effort is needed to educate and support the lower economic strata. If a vaccine or a treatment is approved, we recommend a government control over its use to preserve the rights of the vulnerable and needy groups.

What Egyptians think. Knowledge, attitude, and opinions of Egyptian patients towards biobanking issues.

BACKGROUND: Biobanking is a relatively new concept in Egypt. Building a good relationship with different stakeholders is essential for the social sustainability of biobanks. To establish this relationship, it is necessary to assess the attitude of different groups towards this concept. The objective of this work is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and opinions of Egyptian patients towards biobanking issues. METHODS: We designed a structured survey to be administered to patients coming to the outpatient clinics in 3 university hospitals in Egypt. The survey included questions estimating the level of knowledge about the term "Biobank", together with questions about the attitudes and opinions about related issues. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-nine patients participated in the survey. Eighty-one percent of participants reported that they never heard about the term before. About 85% expressed that they would be willing to donate their samples for research and about 87% thought that sample donation did not contradict their religious beliefs. Fifty eight percent were willing to participate in a genetic research project, 27.8% supported sharing their sample with pharmaceutical companies, and 32.4% agreed to share their samples with institutions abroad. CONCLUSION: Although there is limited knowledge about biobanking among Egyptian patients, many had a positive attitude towards sample donation and didn't show religious concerns against it. However, they showed concerns regarding participation in genetic research and with sharing their samples across borders or with pharmaceutical companies. Public education about biobanking is possible, taking into consideration the specific cultural and legal framework in Egypt.

Assessment of comorbid mild cognitive impairment and depression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

CONTEXT: Depression, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia are highly prevalent chronic conditions associated with social, medical, and economic burdens. Although there are several epidemiological studies that have reported the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment or depressive syndrome in elderly diabetic population little is known about the comorbidity of these conditions. We aimed to study the prevalence of comorbid mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and depression in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and its relation to glycemic control. MATERIALS AND METHODS: the present work was carried on 400 patients with T2DM. History taking, physical examination, laboratory investigations (with special emphasis on glycemic profile and lipid profile parameters) were done for every patient. Assessment of anxiety and depression using the HADS score and assessment of mild cognitive impairment using MoCA score were done. RESULTS: 76% of studied patients had depression of varying degrees while 56.8% of studied patients had MCI. Decreased level of HDL-cholesterol and increased HADS anxiety score were significant predictors of depression. On the other hand, increased level of total cholesterol, decreased level of HDL-cholesterol, increased HADS depression score and decreased MoCA score were significant predictors of anxiety. HDL-cholesterol HADS anxiety score, FBG, and duration of DM were the significant predictors of MCI. CONCLUSION: Increased level of total cholesterol, decreased level of HDL-cholesterol, increased HADS depression score and decreased MoCA score were significant predictors of anxiety. HDL-cholesterol, HADS anxiety score, FBG, and duration of DM were the significant predictors of MCI.

Relationship of leukocytes, platelet indices and adipocytokines in metabolic syndrome patients.

AIMS: The current study aimed to explore the correlation between leukocytes and platelets indices with adipocytokines (leptin and adiponectin) and MetS components. METHODS: A total of 100 healthy subjects and 200 patients diagnosed with different MetS components were enrolled in the study. Eligible patients were allocated into four groups (50 patients). Group1 include patients with 2 criteria of MetS components, group 2 with 3 criteria, group 3 with 4 criteria and group 4 had patients with 5 criteria. RESULTS: Regarding white blood cell indices, data showed that total leukocyte and neutrophil count as well as neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio were significantly increased in all groups of MetS patients when compared to the healthy group. Additionally, platelets count, platelet distribution width (PDW), and main platelet volume (MPV) levels and platelets/lymphocyte (P/L) ratio were significantly higher in all patients with MetS as compared to the healthy subjects. Serum leptin concentration and leptin-to-adiponectin ratio (LAR) were elevated significantly, while adiponectin level was significantly diminished in all MetS groups when compared to the control. CONCLUSION: leukocytes and platelets indices were associated with hyperleptinemia and hypoadiponectinemia as well as MetS components. The study also suggested the necessary role of leukocytes, platelet indices, and LAR as markers in early diagnoses of individuals with MetS components.

Subclinical atherosclerosis in psoriatic disease: relation to endocan, TNF-α, age of onset, and body fat.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a common multisystem inflammatory disease with several associated comorbidities. Serological markers to detect associated subclinical atherosclerosis in psoriatic patients are needed. We aimed to study serum endocan levels in psoriasis vulgaris and its relation to severity of psoriasis, systemic inflammation, associated atherosclerosis, obesity, and the possible factors affecting its level in psoriatic patients. METHODS: This study was conducted on 30 moderate-severe psoriasis vulgaris patients and 30 healthy controls. Body mass index, body fat percent, and PASI assessments were done. Serum endocan and tumor necrosis factor-α levels were measured by ELISA. Carotid artery intima-media thickness measurement by high-resolution ultrasound was performed. RESULTS: Psoriasis patients showed significantly higher serum tumor necrosis factor-α and endocan levels (P1 = 0.008, P2 = 0.003). Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference between mean carotid artery intima-media thickness of both groups (P = 0.005). Serum endocan levels positively correlated with PASI score (P = 0.002), tumor necrosis factor-α levels (P < 0.001), mean carotid artery intima-media thickness (P = 0.001), and body mass index (P < 0.001) in the patients group. Additionally, the age of onset of disease negatively correlated with serum endocan (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Serum endocan is a promising marker of severity of psoriasis and associated atherosclerosis. Early onset psoriasis is associated with higher serum endocan levels. Body mass index is positively correlated with serum endocan levels. The positive correlation of endocan and tumor necrosis factor-α supports the regulatory effect of the cytokine on endocan production and suggests the role of endocan as an inflammatory marker.

Near-miss cases admitted to a maternal intensive care unit, Alexandria, Egypt.

Survival of severe pregnancy complication is known as maternal near-miss; however, studies on maternal near-miss are few in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. To identify the predisposing factors and diagnoses of near-miss cases, patients admitted to the maternal intensive care unit of El-Shatby University Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt, were assessed. A prospective survey was conducted where 448 cases that fulfill the WHO criteria of near-miss and admitted to El Shatby maternal intensive care unit during 2014 were interviewed, their records were reviewed and were followed up to assess their outcome. Low maternal education and inadequate antenatal care were significantly associated with maternal mortality. Severe pre-eclampsia and post-partum hemorrhage were the most common causes of admission (40.2% and 23.8% respectively). Mortality index was 8.5%. Sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction were significant predictors of maternal mortality.