Prevalence and factors associated with stunting among school children in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Stunting adversely affects children's health and development. Few studies on the prevalence of stunting and factors associated with stunting have been done in Upper Egypt. AIMS: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with stunting in schoolchildren in Sohag, Egypt. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 in Sohag governorate. Two public schools were randomly selected (one urban, one rural) and all children in these schools aged 4-12 years whose parents consented were included in the study. Parents were interviewed to collect data on child and family characteristics. The children were examined for vitamin deficiency, anaemia and parasitic infection, and body mass index was calculated. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to determine factors significantly associated with stunting; odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are given. RESULTS: A total of 1786 children were included (response rate 69%), of whom 329 (18.4%) were stunted (-2 z-score and below). Factors significantly associated with stunting were: parasite infestation (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.3-2.5), anaemia (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.3-2.7), low body mass index (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1-1.3), frequent gastroenteritis (OR = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.06-1.2), first-cousin consanguinity of parents (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.2-1.6) and familial short stature (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2-2.1). CONCLUSION: Screening and treatment of parasitic infestation, provision of iron/multivitamin supplementation and education on healthy nutrition should be part of school health programmes to prevent stunting in schoolchildren in Sohag.

Integrating insulin into single-step culture medium regulates human embryo development in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of supplementing single-step embryo culture medium with insulin on human embryo development. DESIGN: Comparative study. SETTING: Two private centers. PATIENT(S): The study involved a sibling oocyte split of 5,142 retrieved oocytes from 360 patients. INTERVENTION(S): Sibling oocytes split after intracytoplasmic sperm injection for culture from day 0 through day 5 or 6 in insulin-supplemented or control medium. Women were split to receive their embryos from insulin-supplemented or control medium. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Clinical pregnancy rate. RESULT(S): There were significantly higher rates of clinical, ongoing, and twin pregnancies in the insulin-supplemented arm than in the control arm. On day 3, embryo quality and compaction were higher in insulin-supplemented medium. On day 5, insulin supplementation showed higher rates of blastocyst formation, quality, and cryopreservation. CONCLUSION(S): Insulin supplementation of single-step embryo culture medium from day 0 through day 5 or 6 improved clinical pregnancy rate and human embryo development. However, these findings need further confirmation through a multicenter randomized controlled trial that may include other patient populations and different culture media.

Treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids with green tea extract: a pilot randomized controlled clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Uterine fibroids (UFs, also known as leiomyoma) affect 70% of reproductive-age women. Imposing a major burden on health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) of premenopausal women, UF is a public health concern. There are no effective medicinal treatment options currently available for women with symptomatic UF. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of green tea extract (epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG]) on UF burden and quality of life in women with symptomatic UF, in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial. METHODS: A total of 39 reproductive-age women (age 18-50 years, day 3 serum follicle-stimulating hormone <10 \U/mL) with symptomatic UF were recruited for this study. All subjects had at least one fibroid lesion 2 cm(3) or larger, as confirmed by transvaginal ultrasonography. The subjects were randomized to oral daily treatment with either 800 mg of green tea extract (45% EGCG) or placebo (800 mg of brown rice) for 4 months, and UF volumes were measured at the end, also by transvaginal ultrasonography. The fibroid-specific symptom severity and HRQL of these UF patients were scored at each monthly visit, using the symptom severity and quality-of-life questionnaires. Student's t-test was used to evaluate statistical significance of treatment effect between the two groups. RESULTS: Of the final 39 women recruited for the study, 33 were compliant and completed all five visits of the study. In the placebo group (n = 11), fibroid volume increased (24.3%) over the study period; however, patients randomized to green tea extract (n = 22, 800 mg/day) treatment showed significant reduction (32.6%, P = 0.0001) in total UF volume. In addition, EGCG treatment significantly reduced fibroid-specific symptom severity (32.4%, P = 0.0001) and induced significant improvement in HRQL (18.53%, P = 0.01) compared to the placebo group. Anemia also significantly improved by 0.7 g/dL (P = 0.02) in the EGCG treatment group, while average blood loss significantly decreased from 71 mL/month to 45 mL/month (P = 0.001). No adverse effects, endometrial hyperplasia, or other endometrial pathology were observed in either group. CONCLUSION: EGCG shows promise as a safe and effective therapeutic agent for women with symptomatic UFs. Such a simple, inexpensive, and orally administered therapy can improve women's health globally.

Serum vitamin D3 level inversely correlates with uterine fibroid volume in different ethnic groups: a cross-sectional observational study.

PURPOSE: Currently there is no effective medicinal treatment for uterine fibroids (UFs), a common health disorder that affects women of reproductive age. Identification of modifiable risk factors such as vitamin D (Vit D) deficiency could help develop novel strategies for the prevention and/or treatment of UFs. The purpose of this study was to identify whether low serum Vit D3 levels correlate with increased risk of UFs. METHODS: A total of 154 premenopausal women were recruited for this cross-sectional study. The control group comprised 50 subjects with a normal, fibroid-free uterine structure, confirmed by transvaginal ultrasonography. The 104 case subjects had at least one fibroid lesion that was 2 cm(3) in volume or larger, confirmed by transvaginal ultrasonography. For each case subject, total uterine volume and total volume of all existing fibroids were measured in three perpendicular planes, with volume determined according to the prolate ellipse formula (a × b × c × 0.523), where a is height, b is width, and c is depth. Serum Vit D [25(OH) D3] levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. The independent t-test was used to compare serum Vit D levels across groups. Correlations were assessed by Spearman's rank correlation test. RESULTS: Lower serum 25-(OH) Vit D levels were significantly associated with the occurrence of UFs (P = 0.01). A statistically significant inverse correlation was also observed between serum 25-(OH) Vit D levels and total UF volume (r = -0.31; P = 0.002) within the case cohort. Subjects with larger fibroid volumes had lower serum Vit D levels and vice versa. Data stratified for ethnicity showed a statistically significant inverse correlation between serum 25-(OH) Vit D levels and total fibroid volume in black subjects (r = -0.42; P = 0.001). An inverse correlation was also evident in white subjects (r = -0.86; P = 0.58) but this did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Lower serum Vit D levels are inversely correlated with UF burden in different ethnic groups. Vit D deficiency is a possible risk factor for the occurrence of UFs.

Laparoscopic management of a large torted ovarian cyst in an adolescent virgin: a case report.

We report a case of a torted mature cystic teratoma in a 23-year-old, sexually inactive, virgin female which necessitated immediate laparoscopy. The patient and her family stressed that the integrity of the hymen must be maintained at any cost, for cultural reasons. We opted out of our routine intravaginal preparation for laparoscopic surgery to honor the patient's request to maintain the integrity of the hymen. Left salpingo-oophorectomy was accomplished, and the specimen was removed using a large nephrectomy endobag. Here, we describe techniques that are useful for this procedure, including the use of gauze attached to ovum forceps to manipulate the uterus through the rectum, and a review of the literature.