Assessment of Antibacterial Efficacy of Callistemon viminalis (Sol. ex Gaertn.) G. Don against Some Isolates Obtained from Urinary Tract Infections.

This study aimed to examine the antibacterial effects of constituents obtained from Callistemon viminalis leaves. This goal was achieved by using three organic solvents, namely Ethanol, Ethyl acetate, and Hexane to prevent the growth of the causative urinary tract infections isolates, such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Proteus sp. in Iraq. The C. viminalis fresh leaves collected from different regions of Hillah City, during March 2020, were classified according to the taxonomic features of Iraqi Flora. Extractions were completed by a method of digestion and then the stock solution of 200 mg/mL was prepared in 10% of Dimethylsulfoxide. A Millipore filter (0.22 µm) was used for the sterilization of all the extracts used in this study. Agar well diffusion method was utilized to test the antibacterial effects of the constituents separated from the dried leaves of C. viminalis against the urinary tract infection bacteria at three concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 mg/mL for each extracted constitute by the three different solvents. Dimethylsulfoxide 10% and the meropenem were utilized as the negative and positive controls. Constituents separated by ethanol solvent at 200 mg/mL exhibited significant supremacy (P≤0.05) over the meropenem against Proteus sp. isolate, and exhibited the same significant difference (P≤0.05), compared to the meropenem drug against E. coli. Constituents extracted by Ethyl acetate organic solvent at a concentration of 200 mg/mL exhibited a similarly significant effect (P≤0.05), compared to the meropenem against Proteus sp. isolate. However, the hexane extract was the least effective among the other solvents utilized in this study. The results of the current study revealed that constituents in the leaves of C. viminalis could be considered a valuable herbal remedy for controlling urinary tract infections pathogenic bacteria.

Experience with the xylocaine test as a prognostic aid for surgery in Sluder's neuralgia.

Facial pain is a common symptom. Patients with this symptom without any overt disease of nose and paranasal sinuses are often diagnosed as having chronic rhinosinusitis. Thirty-six cases were seen and treated surgically by middle turbinectomy or septal surgery in this series. The xylocaine (10 per cent) test seemed to be a good prognostic aid for the surgical procedures. Medical treatment did not seem to relieve the symptoms. Larger series with control trials are recommended in order to establish this practice.

Surgery of tympanosclerosis.

Eighty-five cases with tympanosclerosis of the middle ear were treated surgically in this series from 1984 to 1995. Twelve of them were associated with cholesteatoma and had radical surgery performed. An attempt is made here to classify the tympanosclerosis on a patho-physiological basis. A planned two-stage procedure was performed in 36 cases after an interval of 18 months. The majority of patients had stapes surgery carried out by a two-stage procedure. One of the patients who did not have stapes surgery developed anacusis after 18 months post-operatively and in another patient recurrence was observed. Post-operative hearing improvement was found to be satisfactory in the short-term follow-up period of two to five years. The hearing improvement was analysed by using Chi-square value (chi 2) and also plotted in the Glasgow Benefit Plot.

Diagnosis and treatment of parotid tumours.

Diagnosis and treatment of 51 cases of parotid tumour seen and treated in King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, are discussed here. More emphasis is placed on proper clinical history and physical examination of patients with parotid lump because usually this will provide enough information to the clinician about the nature of the swelling. Imaging studies are helpful in supporting the clinical diagnosis and determining the extent of the lesion particularly in cases of malignant tumours. Fine needle aspiration biopsy needs an expert cytologist for salivary gland neoplasm and the need for proper communication between the surgeon and cytologist is stressed. All 51 cases underwent surgical excision which is the treatment of choice. Follow-up periods were variable and short.

Granular cell tumour of the larynx.

Granular cell tumour (GCT) of the larynx is an uncommon laryngeal tumour. It is always benign and commonly located in the posterior part of the larynx. Care must be taken to differentiate this lesion from others due to the presence of pseudo-epitheliomatous hyperplasia which overlies the GCT and may occasionally mimic squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, histological differentiation is important because these tumours are normally managed conservatively. The origin of this tumour is a matter of debate, but most authors believe it to be neural in origin. The rarity of this tumour in the male population prompted reporting this case in the literature.

Filariasis elimination in Egypt: impact of low microfilaraemics as sources of infection for mosquitoes.

The elimination strategy for lymphatic filariasis aims at reducing blood microfilaraemia to levels at which vector transmission cannot be sustained. We aimed to determine whether patients with pre-treatment low or ultra-low microfilaria (MF) counts could be a reservoir of infection after mass drug administration (MDA) with a combined regimen. Laboratory-reared mosquitoes were fed on 30 volunteers after 2 rounds of MDA. Microfilaria uptake, infectivity rates and number of Wuchereria bancrofti L3 per mosquito were assessed. One year after MDA-1, 6 subjects transmitted MF, but up to 9 months after MDA-2 transmission failed. Six months after MDA-2 > 90% had clear MF smears and either failed to transmit MF or transmitted MF that did not develop to L3. We conclude that the transmission cycle is seriously weakened after MDA-2.

Harmonic scalpel tonsillectomy: a prospective study.

The harmonic scalpel has been in use for tonsillectomy for the last 5-6 years in western Europe and North America. Although some studies have found this technique to be superior to other conventional methods, its use is still not very popular. In this single-blinded prospective study, the intraoperative events and postoperative morbidity after the use of harmonic scalpel in tonsillectomy (HST) was evaluated in 180 cases in two hospitals and compared with conventional steel tonsillectomy (CST) and hemostasis secured by bipolar diathermy or ligatures in 100 cases. Both bipolar diathermy and ligatures were used to control the intraoperative bleeding in all cases of CST and some cases (n =9) of HST. The study was done in two hospitals. Patients were randomized irrespectively of their age, sex, past history or indication for surgery. The total number of patients operated on was 180 for HST and 100 for CST. The surgical duration, intraoperative blood loss and postoperative pain were compared between the patients who only had tonsillectomy done in either group (n =120 in HST and n = 70 in CST). The mean operative time in the HST group was not longer than the CST group, but the intraoperative blood loss was significantly less in the HST group. Postoperative pain was present in all patients in the HST group, but to a lesser extent than in the CST group. There was no major postoperative hemorrhage in the HST group that required surgical attention. HST has the advantage over CST when secondary hemorrhage after tonsillectomy is considered. Thus, following the results of the National Prospective Tonsillectomy Audit (NPTA), it may be safe to say that HST is superior to most other conventional methods in reducing secondary hemorrhage. The use of disposable blades in CST certainly reduces the risk of the transmission of Cruetzfield-Jacob disease (CJD).

Ectopic meningioma: a case report with a literature review.

Ectopic (extradural) meningiomas that do not originate from either the optic fascicle or the intracranial meninges are exceedingly rare. A patient with an ectopic meningioma in the external auditory canal and mastoid was treated in our unit. The world literature of the last 20 years was reviewed.

Vein graft in stapes surgery.

Sealing the opening of the oval window during stapes surgery is essential; it prevents postoperative complications, such as perilymph fistula and sensorineural hearing loss. In this small series of 269 cases with otosclerosis, tympanosclerosis, and congenital ossicular abnormality, vein grafting was used to seal the opening of the footplate. Hearing improvement after surgery was acceptable, and none had total hearing loss or perilymphatic fistula. World literature from the last half of this century on grafting the oval window is reviewed. Absorbable gelatin sponge (Gelfoam) seems to be causing more complications, so its use is highly discouraged. Temporalis fascia, fat, and perivenous loose areolar tissue have been used by different authors at different times in footplate surgery. The opening created in the oval window during stapes surgery must not be left uncovered.

Spacetime representation of global electrocortical activity.

A model for global electrocortical activity is developed by considering telencephalonic structures as mass of linked oscillators generating activity with a number of resonant modes. Equations for the signals are written in the comoving frame and then transformed into the laboratory frame. The state transition matrix is obtained in the presence of electric and magnetic fields.

Contractile arrest accelerates myosin heavy chain degradation in neonatal rat heart cells.

Mechanical forces influence the growth and metabolism of a variety of cells, including cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. To determine whether mechanical activity affected the synthesis and turnover of myosin heavy chain (MHC) in these striated muscle cells, MHC fractional degradative rates were measured in spontaneously beating cells and in arrested myocytes in which contractile activity was prevented by L-channel blockade (with verapamil, nifedipine, nisoldipine, and diltiazem) or K+ depolarization. MHC degradative rates were measured as the difference between rates of MHC synthesis and accumulation and in pulse-chase biosynthetic labeling experiments. Both methods indicated that contractile arrest markedly increased MHC degradation. Contractile arrest produced by L-channel blockade accelerated MHC degradation to a greater extent than K+ depolarization. The signal transduction pathway linking contractile activity to alterations in MHC degradation did not involve protein kinase C (PKC), because MHC degradation was unaffected by activating PKC in arrested cells or inhibiting PKC in spontaneously beating cells. Chloroquine and E-64 did not suppress the accelerated MHC degradation, suggesting that the rate-limiting step in MHC turnover occurred before degradative processing by cellular proteinases. Using a computer simulation, we hypothesize that the rate-limiting step in MHC turnover preceded (or was coincident with) MHC release from thick filaments. Thus mechanical forces may influence MHC half-life by regulating the rate of myosin disassembly.

Filariasis elimination in Egypt: impact of low microfilaraemics as sources of infection for mosquitoes

The elimination strategy for lymphatic filariasis aims at reducing blood microfilaraemia to levels at which vector transmission cannot be sustained. We aimed to determine whether patients with pre-treatment low or ultra-low microfilaria [MF] counts could be a reservoir of infection after mass drug administration [MDA] with a combined regimen. Laboratory-reared mosquitoes were fed on 30 volunteers after 2 rounds of MDA. Microfilaria uptake, infectivity rates and number of Wuchereria bancrofti L3 per mosquito were assessed. One year after MDA-1, 6 subjects transmitted MF, but up to 9 months after MDA-2 transmission failed. Six months after MDA-2 > 90% had clear MF smears and either failed to transmit MF or transmitted MF that did not develop to L3. We conclude that the transmission cycle is seriously weakened after MDA-2