The effect of electronic job aid assisted one‐to‐one counselling to support exclusive breastfeeding among 0–5‐month‐old infants in rural Bangladesh

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months has established benefits, yet had slow improvements globally. Little is known about electronic job aid‐assisted counselling to support EBF. As a secondary outcome of a cluster randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh, we assessed the effect of electronic job aid‐supported nutrition counselling and practical demonstration on EBF. We randomized pregnant women to one of five study arms in the trial and followed mother–child dyads until 2 years of age. Community health workers (CHWs) provided breastfeeding counselling with or without prenatal and complementary nutrient supplements in all four intervention arms. The comparison arm continued with the usual practice where mothers could receive nutrition counselling at routine antenatal and postnatal care, and during careseeking for childhood illnesses. We assessed breastfeeding indicators at birth and monthly until the child was 6 months old, in both intervention and comparison arms. To evaluate the effect of nutrition counselling on breastfeeding, we combined all four intervention arms and compared them with the comparison arm. Intervention newborns had half the risk (relative risk [RR]: 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.39, 0.76) of receiving prelacteal feeds than those in the comparison arm. EBF declined steeply in the comparison arm after 3 months of age. EBF was 16% higher in the intervention than the comparison arm at 4 months (RR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.23) and 22% higher at 5 months of age (RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.33). Maternal background and household characteristics did not modify the intervention effect, and we observed no difference in EBF among caesarean versus vaginal births. Breastfeeding counselling and practical demonstration using an electronic job aid by CHWs are promising interventions to improve EBF and are scalable into existing community‐based programmes.     

Intracranial bifocal germinoma

Primary intracranial germ cell tumors are rare, often affecting children and young patients. Germinomas are the most common type of germ cell tumors. We present the case of a 10-year-old child, who was admitted with decreased visual acuity, asthenia, polyuro-polydipsic syndrome, and gait disorder. His biological assessment showed an hypocortisolemia and diabetes insipidus. Imaging found a bifocal process in the suprasellar and pineal region, suggestive of a bifocal germinoma. Imaging data and the positivity of human chorionic gonadotrophin in the cerebrospinal fluid were in favor of the diagnosis of bifocal germinal tumor confirmed by biopsy. Currently the patient is hospitalized in pediatric oncology department.The diagnosis of germ cell tumors is based on imaging, tumor marker assays, and biopsy. They are treated by radiation therapy alone or in combination with reduction chemotherapy, and surgery for tumor residues. The location of the tumor usually makes surgery difficult.     

Photocatalytic Activity of Silicon Nanowires Decorated with PbS Nanoparticles Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition for Efficient Wastewater Treatment

The present work aims to study the photocatalytic properties of nanohybrids composed of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) decorated with PbS nanoparticles (NPs). The elaborated material was intended to be utilized in wastewater treatment. The SiNWs were elaborated from the Metal Assisted Chemical Etching route (MACE), while the PbS NPs were deposited at room temperature onto SiNWs using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The influence of decorating SiNWs (having different lengths) with PbS-NPs on their structural, morphological, optoelectronic, and photocatalytic properties was scrutinized. PbS/SiNWs nanohybrids exhibited enhanced photocatalytic degradation towards Black Amido (BA) dye for 20 µm SiNWs length and 0.2% of BA volume concentration. These optimized conditions may insinuate that this nanocomposite-like structure is a promising efficient photocatalytic systems contender, cost-effective, and recyclable for organic compound purification from wastewaters.     

Dysphagia revealing a giant cystic parathyroid adenoma

The aim of this observation was to report a rare case of symptomatic and non-functional cystic parathyroid adenoma in a 52-year-old female, diagnosed with imaging and treated by surgical resection of the gland.     

Nose to brain delivery of melatonin lipidic nanocapsules as a promising post-ischemic neuroprotective therapeutic modality

Ischemic stroke accounts for about 87% of all strokes, causing long-term disability in adults, and is the second leading cause of death worldwide. In search of new therapeutic modalities, the use of neuroprotective agents loaded in nanocarriers to be delivered by noninvasive means (i.e. via intranasal route) became a popular approach. In the current study, melatonin (MEL) was loaded in lipidic nanocapsules (LNCs) prepared using the phase inversion method, and characterized in terms of size, polydispersity, zeta potential, in vitro drug release, viscosity, storage stability, and ex vivo permeation across sheep nasal mucosa. Moreover, MEL-LNCs were tested for efficacy in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R/) injury model through histopathological assessment, and analysis of oxidative stress markers, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and apoptotic markers. Results showed that LNCs exhibited particle size ranging from 18.26 to 109.8 nm, negative zeta potential, good storage stability, spherical morphology, and a burst release followed by a sustained release pattern. LNCs exhibited 10.35 folds higher permeation of MEL than the drug solution across sheep nasal mucosa. Post-ischemic intranasal administration of MEL-LNCs revealed lowering of oxidative stress manifested by a decrease in malondialdehyde levels, and elevation of glutathione and superoxide dismutase levels, lowering of the inflammatory markers tumor necrosis factor-α, NO, myeloperoxidase, and significant inhibition of Caspase-3 activity as an apoptotic marker. Western blot analysis delineated a recovery of protein expression Nrf-2 and HO-1 with downregulation in the parent inflammatory markers nuclear factor kappa B p65, inducible nitric oxide synthase, Bax, and Cytochrome C expressions, and upregulation of B-cell lymphoma-2 Bcl-2, hence promoting neuronal survival. This was supported by histological evidence, revealing significant restoration of hippocampal neurons. In light of the above, it can be concluded that MEL-LNCs could be a promising delivery system for nose to brain delivery for treatment of cerebral ischemia.     

Insights into Genetic Characteristics and Virological Features of Endemic Avian Influenza A (H9N2) Viruses in Egypt from 2017–2021

From 2010 to 2013, genotype I avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses of the G1-lineage were isolated from several poultry species in Egypt. In 2014, novel reassortant H9N2 viruses were detected in pigeons designated as genotype II. To monitor the subsequent genetic evolution of Egyptian A(H9N2) viruses, we characterized the full genomes of 173 viruses isolated through active surveillance from 2017 to 2022. In addition, we compared the virological characteristics and pathogenicity of representative viruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the HA indicated that all studied sequences from 2017–2021 were grouped into G1-like H9N2 viruses previously detected in Egypt. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Egyptian A(H9N2) viruses had undergone further reassortment, inheriting four genes (PB2, PB1, PA, NS) from genotype II, with their remaining segments deriving from genotype I viruses (these viruses designated as genotype III). Studying the virological features of the two most dominant genotypes (I and III) of Egyptian H9N2 viruses in vitro and in vivo indicated that both replicated well in mammalian cells, but did not show any clinical signs in chickens, ducks, and mice. Monitoring avian influenza viruses through surveillance programs and understanding the genetic and antigenic characteristics of circulating H9N2 viruses are essential for risk assessment and influenza pandemic preparedness.     

Immune-mediated neurological syndromes in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients

Journal of Neurology - Evidence of immune-mediated neurological syndromes associated with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection is limited. We therefore...     

Chronic hyperammonemia alters the circadian rhythms of corticosteroid hormone levels and of motor activity in rats

Patients with liver cirrhosis may present hepatic encephalopathy with a wide range of neurological disturbances and alterations in sleep quality and in the sleep‐wake circadian rhythm. Hyperammonemia is a main contributor to the neurological alterations in hepatic encephalopathy. We have assessed, in an animal model of chronic hyperammonemia without liver failure, the effects of hyperammonemia per se on the circadian rhythms of motor activity, temperature, and plasma levels of adrenal corticosteroid hormones. Chronic hyperammonemia alters the circadian rhythms of locomotor activity and of cortisol and corticosterone levels in blood. Different types of motor activity are affected differentially. Hyperammonemia significantly alters the rhythm of spontaneous ambulatory activity, reducing strongly ambulatory counts and slightly average velocity during the night (the active phase) but not during the day, resulting in altered circadian rhythms. In contrast, hyperammonemia did not affect wheel running at all, indicating that it affects spontaneous but not voluntary activity. Vertical activity was affected only very slightly, indicating that hyperammonemia does not induce anxiety. Hyperammonemia abolished completely the circadian rhythm of corticosteroid hormones in plasma, completely eliminating the peaks of cortisol and corticosterone present in control rats at the start of the dark period. The data reported show that chronic hyperammonemia, similar to that present in patients with liver cirrhosis, alters the circadian rhythms of corticosteroid hormones and of motor activity. This suggests that hyperammonemia would be a relevant contributor to the alterations in corticosteroid hormones and in circadian rhythms in patients with liver cirrhosis. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Thiosemicarbazide functionalized carbon quantum dots as a fluorescent probe for the determination of some oxicams: application to dosage forms and biological fluids

In this study, highly fluorescent water-soluble nitrogen and sulfur doped carbon quantum dots (N, S-CQDs) were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal process utilizing citric acid as a carbon source and thiosemicarbazide as a sulfur and nitrogen source. The obtained N, S-CQDs exhibited an intense emission band at 415 nm (λ_ex = 345 nm). In the presence of either piroxicam, tenoxicam or lornoxicam, the emission band at 415 nm was significantly quenched which might be triggered due to destruction of the surface passivation layer of the N, S-CQDs. A linear correlation was found between the reduction in the fluorescence intensity of N, S-CQDs and the concentration of each drug in the ranges of 2.0–25.0 μM, 10.0–100.0 μM and 20.0–200.0 μM with correlation coefficients of more than 0.999 for all drugs. The detection limits were 0.49 μM, 1.58 μM and 4.63 μM for piroxicam, tenoxicam and lornoxicam, respectively. The effect of experimental parameters affecting the performance of the method was investigated and optimized. The developed sensor has the advantages of simplicity, time-saving, convenience and satisfactory selectivity for determination of the studied drugs in dosage forms with high % recoveries (98.86–101.69%). The method was extended for determination of piroxicam in spiked plasma with % recoveries ranging from 97.95–101.36%. The method was validated in accordance with International Council of Harmonization (ICH) standards, and the results obtained were compared statistically to those given by reported methods, indicating no significant differences in the level of accuracy and precision. The mechanism of the quenching process was studied and elucidated. The structure–activity relationship between the three drugs and the quenching efficiency was also studied and discussed.

Highly fluorescent nitrogen and sulfur doped carbon quantum dots were synthesized via hydrothermal process using citric acid and thiosemicarbazide. The dots had an emission band at 415 nm (λ_ex = 345 nm). The polarity of the studied drugs affects the method’s sensitivity.