Evaluation of the Universal Salt Iodization (USI) surveillance system in Tanzania, 2022.

BACKGROUND: The evaluation of surveillance systems has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify the performance and areas for improvement. Universal salt iodization (USI) as one of the surveillance systems in Tanzania needs periodic evaluation for its optimal function. This study aimed at evaluating the universal salt iodization (USI) surveillance system in Tanzania from January to December 2021 to find out if the system meets its intended objectives by evaluating its attributes as this was the first evaluation of the USI surveillance system since its establishment in 2010. The USI surveillance system is key for monitoring the performance towards the attainment of universal salt iodization (90%). METHODOLOGY: This evaluation was guided by the Center for Disease Control Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems, (MMWR) to evaluate USI 2021 data. The study was conducted in Kigoma region in March 2022. Both Purposive and Convenient sampling was used to select the region, district, and ward for the study. The study involved reviewing documents used in the USI system and interviewing the key informants in the USI program. Data analysis was done by Microsoft Excel and presented in tables and graphs. RESULTS: A total of 1715 salt samples were collected in the year 2021 with 279 (16%) of non-iodized salt identified. The majority of the system attributes 66.7% had a good performance with a score of three, 22.2% had a moderate performance with a score of two and one attribute with poor performance with a score of one. Data quality, completeness and sensitivity were 100%, acceptability 91.6%, simplicity 83% were able to collect data on a single sample in < 2 minutes, the system stability in terms of performance was >75% and the usefulness of the system had poor performance. CONCLUSION: Although the system attributes were found to be working overall well, for proper surveillance of the USI system, the core attributes need to be strengthened. Key variables that measure the system performance must be included from the primary data source and well-integrated with the Local Government (district and regions) to Ministry of Health information systems.

Molecular characterization of equine herpes viruses type 1 and 4 among Arabian horse populations in Egypt during the period between 2021 and 2022.

Background: Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is a major cause of abortion and respiratory disease. Equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4), on the other hand, is exclusively associated with respiratory disease in horse populations worldwide, particularly in Egypt and Arabian countries. Aim: This study aims to investigate the circulation of EHV-1 and EHV-4 in the Arabian horse population through molecular detection and genetic characterization of EHV-1 and/or EHV-4 that may threaten the stability of horse industry. Methods: A total of 80 samples including 50 nasal swabs, 10 vaginal swabs and 20 whole blood samples were collected from vaccinated and registered pure-bred Arabian adult horses from different studs in the governorates of northern Egypt (Cairo, Dakahlyia and Qalyubia) from 2021 to 2022. The collected samples were screened using consensus PCR for detection of EHVs using specific primers targeting DNA polymerase gene. The positive samples were subjected to conventional PCR for detection of EHV-1 and/or EHV-4using specific primers targeting glycoprotein (gB) gene. EHV-1 and EHV-4 amplicons were partially sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed using Sanger method. Results: Consensus PCR revealed that 48 out of 80 samples were positive for EHVs with percentage of 60%. Typing of the selected positive samples using conventional PCR showed that 29 out of 80 were positive for EHV-1 with percentage 36.25%, while 24 out of 80 samples were positive for EHV-4 with percentage 30%. Mixed infections with both viruses were detected in five samples. The amplified products were sequenced using Sanger method and submitted to GenBank under accession number OM362231MG-1 for EHV-1 strain and OM362232 MG-4 for EHV-4 strain. Sequence analysis and alignments of the amplified fragments of the EHV-1 and EHV-4 glycoprotein B (gB) gene to that of GenBank-derived reference strains revealed a high degree of similarity. According to the phylogenetic tree, the obtained sequences of EHV-1 and 4 in the current study showed homogeneity with local Egyptian and foreign EHV-1 and 4 strains and heterogeneity with EHV-2 and 5. Conclusion: The current investigation showed that molecular methods are appropriate assays for an efficient and accurate diagnosis of EHVs. Furthermore, it supports earlier research findings about the prevalence of EHV-1 and 4 in Arabian horse populations in Egypt.

Assessment of methomyl-induced adrenal gland disruption in rat fetuses and pups: Potential protective effects of propolis supplementation.

The present study aimed to unravel the possible adverse effects of methomyl on the developing adrenal gland of rat fetuses and pups. Additionally, this study explored the potential improving effects of propolis against these possible hazards induced by methomyl exposure. To achieve that, pregnant rats were divided into four groups: control group, received 1 mL distilled water, propolis group, received 1 mL propolis at a dose of 300 mg/kg, methomyl group, received 1 mL methomyl at a dose of 2 mg/kg, and combined group, received 1 mL methomyl followed by 1 mL propolis, an hour later at the same previous doses. The results revealed that methomyl exposure, during pregnancy and lactation, induced many histological and ultrastructural changes, caused DNA damage and downregulated the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) and CYP11B2 genes in the adrenal glands of both rat fetuses and pups. Interestingly, propolis supplementation demonstrated a remarkable ability to mitigate these deleterious effects and restored the histology and ultrastructure architecture of the adrenal glands of both fetuses and pups, as well as decreased DNA damage and upregulated the expression of StAR and CYP11B2 genes in the adrenal gland of rat fetuses and pups. In conclusion, our study highlights the potential hazardous impact of methomyl exposure during pregnancy and lactation on the development of the adrenal gland in rat fetuses and pups, moreover, the study presents a new approach to alleviate these effects through propolis administration which could be used as a dietary supplement to mitigate the adverse effects of methomyl exposure.

Development and validation of synchronous spectrofluorimetric method for the simultaneous determination of duvelisib and moxifloxacin: greenness metric assessment and application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats.

Duvelisib (DUV) is a potent anticancer drug whereas Moxifloxacin (MOX) is an antimicrobial drug with anti-proliferative potency against cancerous cells, which is empirically administered in cancer treatment. DUV and MOX combination is commonly prescribed to combat infections in patients while they are under chemotherapy treatment. This study describes, for the first time, the development of a simple and green synchronous spectrofluorimetric (SSF) method for the simultaneous estimation of DUV and MOX in plasma. DUV and MOX were quantified at 273 and 362 nm, respectively without interference between each other at Δλof 120 nm. The experimental variables influencing fluorescence intensities were thoroughly investigated and the optimum conditions were established. At pH 3.5, the optimum synchronous fluorescence intensity (SFI) was achieved in water solvent by using sodium acetate buffer solution. Calibration curves for DUV and MOX, correlating the SFI with the corresponding drug concentration, were linear in the range of 50-1000 ng mL-1for both drugs, with good correlation coefficients. The method was extremely sensitive, with limits of detection of 24 and 22 ng mL-1, and limits of quantitation of 40 and 45 ngmL-1for DUV and MOX, respectively. The SSF method was validated according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for validation of analytical procedures, and the validation parameters were acceptable. The proposed SSF method was applied to the pharmacokinetic and bioavailability studies in rats' plasma after single concurrent oral administration of both drugs. The results of the study revealed that caution should be taken with DUV dose when concurrently administered with MOX. The greenness of SSF method was assessed by three different metric tools namely Analytical Eco-scale, Green Analytical Procedure Index, and Analytical Greenness Calculator. The results confirmed that SSF method is an eco-friendly and green analytical approach. In conclusion, the proposed SSF method is a valuable tool for pharmacokinetic/bioavailability studies and therapeutic drug monitoring of simultaneously administered DUV and MOX.

Ecofriendly HPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of the Co-Prescribed Drugs in Chemotherapy Omeprazole, Ondansetron and Deflazacort in Spiked Human Plasma.

Green, selective and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatographic method is presented for simultaneous separation and quantitation of the co-prescribed drugs in chemotherapy omeprazole, ondansetron and deflazacort in spiked human plasma. An isocratic HPLC separation was performed on X Bridge C18 (4.6 × 250 mm) column with 5 µm particle size using mobile phase consisting of methanol: ammonium acetate buffer pH 4 adjusted by acetic acid (60: 40, v/v). The injection volume was 20µL with UV detection wavelength at 237 nm at room temperature. Flow rate of the mobile phase was adjusted to be 2.0 ml/min. Dexamethasone was used as internal standard to correct the variation during sample pretreatment. FDA guidelines were followed to validate the developed method. Successful application of the developed method was revealed by simultaneous determination of omeprazole, ondansetron and deflazacort in spiked human plasma in ranges of 1-20, 0.1-8 and 0.2-8 µg mL-1 for omeprazole, ondansetron and deflazacort, respectively. Four greenness assessment tools were used to evaluate the greenness of the developed method and the results were accepted. This method permitted the accurate simultaneous determination of the studied drugs, thus it can be used during therapeutic drug monitoring in daily clinical practice.

The prevalence and risk factors associated with Iron, vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies in pregnant women: A cross-sectional study in Mbeya, Tanzania.

Maternal nutrition is an important forecaster of infant's and mother's health status in most developing countries. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence and associated risk factors of iron, vitamin B12, and folate deficiencies among pregnant women in Mbeya Tanzania. A cross-sectional study using a cluster randomized sampling was conducted among 420 pregnant women. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and dietary assessment. Body iron store was assessed using serum ferritin measured by immunoturbidimetric assays using a Roche Cobas 400+ biochemistry analyzer. Serum folate was measured by folate microbiological assay, while serum vitamin B12 was measured by immunochemiluminescence assay using a Roche Cobas e411 immunoassay analyzer. Multivariate analysis was performed using Poisson regression. The prevalence of iron, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiencies among pregnant women in Mbeya was 37.8%, 24.0%, and 9.7% respectively. Higher odds of iron deficiency were seen in pregnant women aged 20-24 years older [Adjusted OR = 1.20 (95%CI 1.03, 1.35)], not employed [Adjusted OR = 3.0(95%CI 1.03-1.77)] and, not received iron/folic acid supplementation [Adjusted OR = 1.11 (95%CI 1.003-1.23)]. Pregnant women with highest and middle socio-economic statuses had lower odds of vitamin B12 deficiency [Adjusted OR = 0.83 (95%CI 0.76-0.92)] and [Adjusted OR = 0.89 (95%CI 0.81-0.98)] respectively. Pregnant women who were not employed, not received iron and folic acid supplement during pregnancy and, not consumed edible vegetable cooking oil had significant higher odds of serum folate deficiency [Adjusted OR = 3.0 (95%CI 1.58-5.68)], [Adjusted OR = 1.53 (95%CI 1.21-1.93)] and, [Adjusted OR = 2.77 (1.03-7.44)] respectively. This study confirms that iron, folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies are still a major challenge among pregnant women in Tanzania. We recommend for public health interventions for the provision of vitamin B12 along with iron and folic acid supplementations, especially in pregnant women belong to low socio-economic status and limited knowledge of healthy diet.

Ecofriendly Chromatographic Assay of Metformin Combinations; Content Uniformity Tests and Toxicity Profiling.

Accurate, sensitive and green HPTLC chromatographic method was proposed for simultaneous determination of metformin, glipizide and sitagliptin in the presence of metformin potential toxic impurities melamine and cyanoguanidine. The separation was completed on silica gel HPTLC F254 plates using a mixture of ethyl acetate: methanol: ammonia: formic acid (7: 2: 0.2: 0.2, by volume) as a developing system with UV scanning for the developed bands at 235 nm. The Rf values for metformin, glipizide, sitagliptin, melamine and cyanoguanidine were 0.17, 0.84, 0.67, 0.47 and 0.75, respectively. Linear responses were observed in the ranges of 0.2-3, 0.07-1.5, 1.5-5, 0.8-4 and 0.4-2 µg/band with correlation coefficients of 0.9999, 0.9998, 0.9997, 0.9996 and 0.9998 for metformin, glipizide, sitagliptin, melamine and cyanoguanidine, respectively. The proposed method was validated as per ICH criteria with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity and robustness. The validated method was successfully applied for determination of the studied drugs in Janumet® and Engilor® tablets; also, the results were statistically compared to those obtained by the reported spectrophotometric method and no significant difference was found between them. This method permitted the accurate simultaneous determination of the studied drugs, indicating its ability to be used for routine quality control assays of these drugs.

New Chromatographic Techniques for Sensitive Mebendazole Quantification in the Presence of Degraded Product, Commercial Tablets Application, and Greenness Assessment.

BACKGROUND: Before it spreads to other tissues, mebendazole (MBZ), a highly effective broad-spectrum anthelmintic, is used to treat worm infestations caused by roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, threadworms (pinworms), and the gastrointestinal form of trichinosis. OBJECTIVE: The development of new methods for sensitive quantification of MBZ in the presence of its degraded product is the main objective of the presented research. METHOD: Validated chromatographic techniques with high sensitivity (HPTLC and UHPLC) are used. The HPTLC method was adopted on silica gel HPTLC F254 plates using ethanol, ethyl acetate, and formic acid (3: 8: 0.05, by volume) as a developing system. Furthermore, the UHPLC method is a green isocratic method with a mobile phase containing methanol and 0.1% sodium lauryl sulphate (20:80, v/v). RESULTS: The suggested chromatographic methods are greener than the reported ones in terms of the used greenness assessment methods. To validate the developed methods, International Council on Harmonization (ICH/Q2) guidelines were followed. Successful application of the proposed methods was revealed by the simultaneous analysis of MBZ and its major degradation product, 2-amino-5-benzoylbenzimidazole (ABB). The linear ranges were 0.2-3.0, 0.1-2.0 µg/band for the HPTLC method and 2.0-50, 1.0-40 µg/mL for the UHPLC method for MEB and ABB, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The suggested methods were used to analyze the studied drug in its commercial tablets. Both pharmacokinetic studies and quality control laboratories can make use of the suggested techniques. HIGHLIGHTS: Green and accurate HPTLC and UHPLC methods for the determination of MBZ and its major degradation products.

Multiple micronutrients fortified salt: consumers' acceptability survey, Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Food fortification with micronutrients is an insufficiently used technology in developing countries. Salt is consumed in small, constant daily amounts by most people globally. Salt has been instrumental in delivering iodine to a wide population globally through fortification. There is a proven effective technology for fortifying iodinated salt with iron, folate, and Vitamin B12. Findings have shown that both Double (Iodine and iron) fortified salt (DFS) and quadruple (iron, iodine, folate, and vitamin B12) fortified salt (QFS) are effective in raising hemoglobin levels. AIM: To assess the acceptability and gauge consumers' willingness to use double-fortified and quadruple-fortified salt formulations. METHODS: We conducted an observational study involving 300 households at Haydom Lutheran Hospital catchment area in Northern rural Tanzania between October 2021 and April 2022. Each household was supplied with one type of salt (iodized salt (IS), DFS or QFS) for cooking common family dishes for one week. Thereafter, at least two adult members of the family who used the dishes cooked with study salt were interviewed using the adopted 5-point Hedonic scale. RESULTS: A total of 899 individuals were interviewed after using study salt for one week: 286 IS, 305 DFS, and 308 QFS. The overall acceptability for the salts was QFS (82%), DFS (78%), and IS (79%). The mean sensory (taste, color and appearance) scores of the QFS (1.7) and DFS (1.7) were comparable to standard iodized salt (1.6). CONCLUSION: Quadruple-fortified salt and double-fortified salt are equally acceptable and have similar sensory scores as standard iodized salt when used to cook commonly eaten dishes in the study population.

Genetic characterization of upper respiratory tract virome from nonvaccinated Egyptian cow-calf operations.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the costliest complex disease affecting the cattle industry worldwide, with significant economic losses. BRD pathogenesis involves several interactions between microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses, and management factors. The present study aimed to characterize the nasal virome from 43 pooled nasal swab samples collected from Egyptian nonvaccinated cow-calf operations with acute BRD from January to February 2020 using metagenomic sequencing. Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), first detection of bovine herpesvirus-5 (BHV-5), and first detection of bovine parvovirus-3 (BPV-3) were the most commonly identified in Egyptian cattle. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis of glycoprotein B revealed that the BHV-1 isolate is closely related to the Cooper reference strain (genotype 1.1), whereas the BHV-5 isolate is closely related to the reference virus GenBank NP_954920.1. In addition, the whole-genome sequence of BPV-3 showed 93.02% nucleotide identity with the reference virus GenBank AF406967.1. In this study, several DNA viruses, such as BHV-1 and first detection BHV-5, and BPV-3, were detected and may have an association with the BRD in Egyptian cattle. Therefore, further research, including investigating more samples from different locations to determine the prevalence of detected viruses and their contributions to BRD in cattle in Egypt, is needed.

Environmental impact of the reported chromatographic methods for the determination of the first FDA-Approved therapy for COVID-19 Patients, Remdesivir: A comparative study.

Remdesivir (REM) is considered the first therapeutic option approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical care in case of hospitalized patients suffering in COVID-19 epidemic. In the presented multilateral comparative search, four eco friendlessness approaches -National Environmental Methods Index (NEMI), Eco-Scale Assessment (ESA), Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI), and Analytical Greenness metric (AGREE) are tested to assess 16 analytical chromatographic procedures reported for the analysis of the commonly used antiviral drug; Remdesivir (REM). The values of testing more than one approach when estimating the eco-friendly characters for analytical methods are illustrated in this study. On the light of the outcomes, ESA and AGREE approaches are recommended as they are easily applied and digitally presented. Furthermore, GAPI is also a reliable tool in terms of comprehensiveness for the whole analytical procedures, from sampling till the final assessment. NEMI is the easiest and fastest greenness evaluation tool; however, the information it provides is particularly of limited scope and sometimes inaccurate. To ensure greenness of chromatographic analytical methods, there must be clear planning beforehand, to reduce chemical hazards sent to environment. Additionally, it is highly recommended in method validation protocols to consider the greenness of a given analytical procedure before releasing to routine use. The LC-MS/MS analysis for the active metabolite of REM (Nuc) reported by Avataneo et al. and Du et al. proved to be the best bio-analytical methods regarding the environmental aspects depending on the GAPI and AGREE tools. However, the HPLC method for REM analysis in intravenous solution reported by Jitta et al. proved to be the greenest analytical method for determination of REM in the pharmaceutical dosage forms according to the ESA, GAPI, and AGREE tools.

Impurity-profiling UPLC methods for quantitative analysis of some antiemetics formulated with pyridoxine.

Cyclizine hydrochloride (CYC) and meclozine hydrochloride (MEC) are antihistaminic drugs generally co-formulated with pyridoxine hydrochloride (PYR) to treat nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Several analytical techniques have been applied for the determination of CYC or MEC with PYR, but determination of CYC impurity; benzhydrol (BEH) or MEC impurity; or 4-chlorobenzophenone (BEP) has not been paid attention to. Therefore, micellar UPLC method is introduced for analysis of ternary mixtures containing PYR together with both CYC and BEH (mixture I) or MEC and BEP (mixture II). Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Hypersil gold C8 column (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.9 µm) using 0.01 M sodium dodecyl sulfate modified to pH 3.5 using phosphoric acid:acetonitrile (45:55 by volume) for mixture I and 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, 0.1% sodium bicarbonate adjusted to pH 2.6 by phosphoric acid:acetonitrile (47:53 by volume) for mixture II as mobile phases. The separated peaks were detected at 230 and 245 nm for mixtures I and II, respectively. The adopted methods were validated in conformance with the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) recommendations and were properly applied in commercial pharmaceutical formulation analysis. Comprehensive ecological comparison was achieved, confirming a higher ecological value of the presented methods compared to the earlier reported methods.

Prevalence and factors associated with anaemia among pregnant women attending reproductive and child health clinics in Mbeya region, Tanzania.

Anaemia is a global public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations such as pregnant women. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of anaemia and to identify factors associated with the condition among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in the Mbeya Region of Tanzania. A cross sectional study was conducted with 420 pregnant women (<28 weeks of gestation) attending antenatal visits in the 7 districts of the Mbeya Region. A structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and eating habits using a 24hours dietary recall. A blood sample was collected and tested for hemoglobin content using the HemoCue 201+. Multivariate analysis was performed using standard logistic regression to explore the association between anaemia status with socio-demographic, reproductive and nutritional factors. Overall prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women was 25.5%. Out of 107 pregnant women diagnosed with anaemia and, sixty six had mild anaemia. In a multivariate logistical regression analysis anaemic women was associated with pregnant women coming from lower socio-economic status [adjusted OR = 2.40, 95%CI (1.05, 5.48)]. Moreover, anaemia was less associated with pregnant women who were living in Mbeya district council [adjusted OR = 0.28, 95%CI (0.11, 0.72)], consume at least once a day dark green leafy vegetables [adjusted OR = 0.53, 95% CI (0.30, 0.94)], and vegetable liquid cooking oil [adjusted OR = 0.56, 95% CI (0.34, 0.98)]. The prevalence of anaemia among the pregnant women falls in the category of moderate public health problem according to the WHO classification. Low socio-economic status, consumption of green leafy vegetables and vegetable liquid cooking oil were significantly and independently associated with anaemia during pregnancy. Thus, special attention should be given to pregnant women who are in lower socio-economic status and those not consuming vegetables. Interventions that integrate health and nutrition education in reproductive and child health clinics are needed to combat anaemia.

Spectrophotometric Determination of Metformin in Different Pharmaceutical Combinations With Glipizide or Sitagliptin in Presence of Toxic Impurities of Metformin.

BACKGROUND: The presented quadruple divisor spectrophotometric method was able to resolve and analyze a complex quintuple drug matrix with severe overlapped spectra without previous separation or extraction steps or need of complicated apparatus like chromatographic methods and had the advantage of being green as the solvent used was water. METHOD: A simple, sensitive, and precise quadruple devisor spectrophotometric method was developed for simultaneous determination of metformin, glipizide, and sitagliptin in the presence of metformin potential impurities melamine and cyanoguanidine. The proposed method was applied for analysis of metformin, glipizide, and sitagliptin in pure form and pharmaceutical formulation (tablets). The developed method was validated and met the requirements for ICH guidelines with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity, and robustness. RESULTS: A linear response was observed in the range of 2-27, 2-20, 1-20, 0.5-10, and 1-10 µg/mL for metformin, glipizide, sitagliptin, melamine, and cyanoguanidine, respectively, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996, 0.9998, 0.9997, 0.9997, and 0.9996 for metformin, glipizide, sitagliptin, melamine, and cyanoguanidine, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The validated method was successfully applied for determination of the studied drugs in Janumet® and Engilor® tablets; moreover, the results were statistically compared to those obtained by the reported RP-HPLC method and no significant difference was found between them, indicating the ability of the proposed method to be used for routine quality-control analysis of these drugs. HIGHLIGHTS: Novel application of quadruple divisor spectrophotometric technique is introduced for resolving mixtures containing five components with severely overlapping spectra. A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method was developed for simultaneous determination of metformin, glipizide, and sitagliptin in the presence of metformin potential impurities melamine and cyanoguanidine. The validity of the proposed method was revealed as per ICH guidelines.

Adoption of Advanced Chemometric Methods for Determination of Pyridoxine HCl, Cyclizine HCl, and Meclizine HCl in the Presence of Related Impurities: A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: Noising is an undesirable phenomenon accompanying the development of widely used chemometric models such as partial least square regression (PLSR) and support vector regression (SVR). OBJECTIVE: Optimizations of these chemometric models by applying orthogonal projection to latent structures (OPLS) as a preprocessing step which is characterized by canceling noise is the purpose of this research study. Additionally, a comprehensive comparative study between the developed methods was undertaken highlighting pros and cons. METHODS: OPLS was conducted with PLSR and SVR for quantitative determination of pyridoxine HCl, cyclizine HCl, and meclizine HCl in the presence of their related impurities. The training set was formed from 25 mixtures as there were five mixtures for each compound at each concentration level. Additionally, to check the validity and predictive ability of the developed chemometric models, independent test set mixtures were prepared by repeating the preparation of four mixtures of the training set plus preparation of another four independent mixtures. RESULTS: Upon application of the OPLS processing method, an upswing of the predictive abilities of PLSR and SVR was found. The root-mean-square error of prediction of the test set was the basic benchmark for comparison. CONCLUSION: The major finding from the conducted research is that processing with OPLS reinforces the ability of models to anticipate the future samples. HIGHLIGHTS: Novel optimizations of the widely used chemometric models; application of a comparative study between the suggested methods; application of OPLS preprocessing methods; quantitative determination of pyridoxine HCl, cyclizine HCl and meclizine HCl; checking the predictive power of developed chemometric models; analysis of active ingredients in their pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Seasonal effects on urinary iodine concentrations in women of reproductive age: An observational study in Tanzania and South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Iodine intake in populations is usually assessed by measuring urinary iodine concentrations (UICs) in spot samples. Hot climate conditions may reduce urine volume, thus leading to overestimations of UIC and thereby masking inadequate iodine intake. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of season on UICs in 2 populations exposed to high-temperature climates. METHODS: In this observational study, we examined women (18-49 years) in Tanzania (ncold = 206; nhot = 179) and South Africa (ncold = 157; nhot = 126) during cold and hot seasons. From each woman in both seasons, we obtained two 24-hour urine collections and 2 spot urine samples, as well as salt, water, and cow's milk samples. We measured the urine volume, UIC, and urinary creatinine concentration (UCC). The 24-hour urinary iodine excretion (UIE) was calculated and used to estimate the iodine intake. We used linear mixed-effects models to test for differences between seasons. RESULTS: In Tanzanian women, we observed no seasonal effect on the urine volume, 24-hour UIE, 24-hour UIC, spot UIC, spot UIC:UCC ratio, or salt iodine concentration. In South African women, the median 24-hour urine volume was 1.40 L (IQR, 0.96-2.05 L) in the winter and 15% lower in the summer (P < 0.001). The median 24-hour UIE was 184 µg/day (IQR, 109-267 µg/day) in the winter and 34% lower in the summer (P < 0.001), indicating a lower iodine intake. As a result, UICs did not significantly differ between seasons in 24-hour collections and spot samples, whereas the spot UIC:UCC ratio differed by 21% (P < 0.001) and reflected the lower iodine intake. In both study populations, the within- and between-person variabilities in urine volume, 24-hour UICs, and spot UICs were higher than the variability between seasons. CONCLUSIONS: Spot UIC may slightly overestimate the iodine intake in hot temperatures due to concentrated urine, and methods to correct for urine volume may be considered. Local seasonal differences in iodine intakes may also occur in some populations. This trial was registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03215680.

Neurotoxic effect of nalufin on the histology, ultrastructure, cell cycle and apoptosis of the developing chick embryo and its amelioration by selenium.

The use of opioids during pregnancy has recently dramatically increased presenting major health problems, especially on the developing neonatal nervous system development. Nalufin is considered one of the most used opioid analgesics for treatment of moderate to severe pain, especially during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was firstly to assess the possible neurotoxic effects of nalufin injection during the organogenesis period of chick embryos, and second to investigate the ameliorative effects of selenium as a supplement. Fertilized chicken eggs were in ovo injected with 0.2ml of either nalufin (20 mg/kg egg) or selenium (0.1 mg/kg egg) or both. Nalufin injection resulted in cerebral cortical layer disruption, increase of Caspase-3 immunoexpression and chromatolytic nuclei, degenerated organelles, rarefied cytoplasm and hemorrhage. On the molecular levels, nalufin induced DNA fragmentation, cell cycle arrest and increased the percentage of apoptosis of the neuronal cells. Selenium combined treatment restored the three-layered structure of the cerebral cortex, decreased caspase-3 immuno-expression, improved ultrastructure and recovered cell cycle arrest, decreased apoptosis, and DNA degradation. In conclusion, nalufin treatment during pregnancy imposes great concerns and should not be used during embryonic development, on the other hands, selenium appears to be a promising neuroprotective agent against nalufin-induced neurotoxicity.

Genomic features of first bovine astrovirus detected in Egypt.

Bovine astrovirus (BAstV) is a small single-stranded RNA virus, which belongs taxonomically to genus Mamastrovirus under the family Astroviridae. The BAstV is strongly linked to neonatal diarrhea of calves. A few studies are available on BAstV, mainly from Asia, and to a lesser extent from Europe, South America, and Africa. There is only one report from Egypt, in which BAstV was found in diarrheic calves, either in single- or co-infections, based on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and BAstV-polymerase enzyme targeting primers. One of the samples was further subjected to genomic characterization using Illumina platform for next generation sequencing (NGS). After being processed, the returned BAstV complete genome was subjected to sequence and phylogenetic analysis in comparison to reference strains. The BAstV open reading frames (ORF1a, ORF1b, and ORF2) followed a nearly similar genetic topology, as they belonged to the same unclassified lineage, which was earlier proposed as BAstV-lineage 1, and is known to be disseminated worldwide. This close phylogenetic relationship between the study strain and other members of this lineage was further confirmed by high nucleotide and amino acid (aa) identities. Additionally, a total of 24 unique aa residues were found through the entire BAstV genome. As being the first report in Egypt, indeed Africa, we believe that this record shall be useful in either taxonomic classification or epidemiological tracking of BAstV. The status of BAstV in Egypt should be carefully investigated with possible to-be-implemented precautions for the protection of animal-raising industries. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13337-021-00668-5.

Application of Three Ecological Assessment Tools in Examining Chromatographic Methods for the Green Analysis of a Mixture of Dopamine, Serotonin, Glutamate and GABA: A Comparative Study.

The assessment of greenness of analytical protocols is of great importance now to preserve the environment. Some studies have analyzed either only the neurotransmitters, dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), together or with other neurotransmitters and biomarkers. However, these methods have not been investigated for their greenness and were not compared with each other to find the optimum one. Therefore, this study aims to compare seven published chromatographic methods that analyzed the four neurotransmitters and their mixtures using the National Environmental Method Index, Analytical Eco-Scale Assessment (ESA), and Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI). As these methods cover both qualitative and quantitative aspects, they offer better transparency. Overall, GAPI showed maximum greenness throughout the analysis. Method 6 was proven to be the method of choice for analyzing the mixture, owing to its greenness, according to NEMI, ESA, and GAPI. Additionally, method 6 has a wide scope of application (13 components can be analyzed), high sensitivity (low LOQ values), and fast analysis (low retention times, especially for glutamate and GABA).

An unusual clinical manifestation of a relapsed typical pulmonary carcinoϊd tumor.

Typical carcinoid tumors of the lungs carry an excellent prognosis after complete surgical excision. However, recurrence of these cancers remains poorly described in the literature and may occur many years after surgery. We report a case of carcinoid tumor of the lung. Clinical presentation and follow-up were uneventful. The 55 years old patient had got a surgical removal of a huge typical carcinoid tumor of the left lung. A left pneumonectomy with a mediastinal lymph node resection were performed. Thirteen years later, paraneoplastic acromegaly revealed a pulmonary and extrapulmonary recurrence of the tumor. We prescribed a chemotherapy regimen including Cisplatin and Etoposide. Endocrine paraneoplastic syndromes are related to mutations in specifically known genes. Several mutations may become a promising therapeutic target in the future. In the case of neuro-endocrine pulmonary tumors, authors described BCOR gene mutation as an oncogenic development inducer and an eventual generator of ectopic tumoral secretions. The more we get familiar with carcinoid tumor mutations, the closer we get to targeted therapy for non-resectable tumors.