Susceptibility of Bovans chicks to low dietary levels of Ammi visnaga and Artemisia herba-alba

Ammi visnaga seeds and Artemisia herba-alba shoots were fed to 7-d-old Bovans chicks at 2% and 10% of diet for 9 w. The 10% A visnaga seed was toxic but not lethal to chicks and caused a consistently reduced body weight gain, inefficient feed utilization, enterohepatonephropathy, anemia, and alterations of serum aspartate transaminase and creatine kinase activities and cholesterol, total lipid and uric acid concentrations. The depression in growth and damage to vital organs of chicks fed 10% A herba-alba shoots 2% A visnaga seed, or 2% A herba-alba shoots were less marked.     

Effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on fracture callus mineral density and flexural strength in rabbit tibial fresh fracture

Background  

Low-intensity ultrasound is a biophysical intervention on a fracture repair process. However, the effect of low-intensity ultrasound therapy on fracture healing is controversial. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) therapy on the fracture healing process, including mineral density and strength of callus using a rabbit model.     

Surface Characterization and Photoluminescence Properties of Ce3+,Eu Co-Doped SrF2 Nanophosphor

SrF₂:Eu,Ce³⁺ nanophosphors were successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method during down-shifting investigations for solar cell applications. The phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning Auger nanoprobe, time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. XRD showed that the crystallite size calculated with Scherrer’s equation was in the nanometre scale. XPS confirmed the formation of the matrix and the presence of the dopants in the SrF₂ host. The PL of the nanophosphor samples were studied using different excitation sources. The phenomenon of energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Eu²⁺ has been demonstrated.     

Entecavir treatment of children 2–16 years of age with chronic hepatitis B infection

Background and study aimsChildhood acquired chronic hepatitis B is associated with a significant lifetime risk of developing cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Our objective in this study was to report retrospectively the response to treatment with Entecavir in 8 children with chronic hepatitis B followed at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Patients and methodsThis study is an observational hospital based chart review of children and adolescents with chronic hepatitis B treated with entecavir at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the period between June 2007 and July 2011.ResultsHalf of the studied group was males, and the median age at the time of treatment was 4.8 years (range, 2.6–15). All subjects displayed infection with HBV genotype D and all were HBeAg positive. Half of the patients had been previously treated with lamivudine, while the remaining half was treatment naïve patients. The mean ALT ± SD was 84.9 ± 34.7 IU/L (range, 46–133) and the mean HBV DNA was 5.01 × 10⁸ ± 5.7 × 10⁸ IU/mL (range, 5.5 × 10⁷–1.3 × 10⁹). Patients were treated with a daily oral dose of 0.5 mg entecavir, and the mean duration of treatment was 23.8 ± 11.9 months, (range 14.9–44.7 months). HBV DNA suppression of more than 2 log₁₀ was achieved in all patients. HBV DNA was undetected in 37.5%, with ALT normalization in 87.5% and lastly HBeAg seroconversion and loss occurred in 37.5%. No adverse side effects were observed during the treatment with entecavir.ConclusionWe conclude from this limited data that 37.5% of children treated with entecavir achieved HBeAg loss and seroconversion with no side effects observed during treatment period, however long term safety and efficacy in children should be demonstrated through a multicenter study, enrolling large number of patients.     

Outbreak of W135 meningococcal disease in 2000: not emergence of a new W135 strain but clonal expansion within the electophoretic type-37 complex

In 2000, >400 cases of disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 (MenW135), the largest MenW135 outbreak reported to date, occurred worldwide among Hajj pilgrims and their contacts. To elucidate the origin of the outbreak strains and to investigate their relatedness to major clonal groups, genotypic and phenotypic subtyping was performed on 26 MenW135 outbreak-associated isolates and 50 MenW135 isolates collected worldwide from 1970 through 2000. All outbreak-associated isolates were members of a single clone of the hypervirulent electrophoretic type (ET)-37 complex, designated the "(W)ET-37 clone"; 19 additional MenW135 strains were also members of this clone, and the remaining 31 MenW135 strains were clearly distinct. The 2000 MenW135 outbreak was not caused by emergence of a new MenW135 strain but rather by expansion of the (W)ET-37 clone that has been in circulation at least since 1970; the strains most closely related to those causing the 2000 outbreak have been isolated in Algeria, Mali, and The Gambia in the 1990s.     

Length of marriage and its effect on spousal concordance in kuwait

It was hypothesized that marriage duration affects physical and cultural homogamy and spousal concordance in Kuwaiti marriages. Westernization increased spousal correlations due to fewer arranged marriages and increased individual spousal choice. Spousal similarities for selected physical and cultural traits were also examined for couples married 15 years or less, 16 to 30 years, and 31 years and more. Consanguineous couples belong to the al‐Kandari, one of the largest and most important kindreds in Kuwait, who traditionally married kin and continue to do so. Six physical measurements and blood pressure were taken along with a sociocultural questionnaire to examine cultural preferences. In all, 242 couples (484 people) participated; 62 couples were in non‐consanguineous unions. It was hypotheised that in shorter‐duration unions spouses would be more alike for physical and cultural traits. For physical traits, results for stature, weight, the body mass index, and hip circumference are congruent with the hypothesis, whereas results for the triceps and subscapular skinfolds, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure are not. Overall, for some traits spouses are more alike than in previous generations, and specific aspects of similarity among long‐term spouses reflect historical and cultural phenomena. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 14:1–8, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Estrogen Receptor 1 Gene (ESR1) rs2234693 Polymorphism and Breast Cancer Risk in Saudi Women

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the role of ESR1 gene rs2234693 T/C polymorphism (PvuII) in the susceptibility to breast cancer and to assess the association of this polymorphism within presence or absence of estrogen, progesterone receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and with premenopausal and postmenopausal age in Saudi women. Methods: The study was a retrospective case-control study. In this study, 137 breast cancer and 98 normal breast paraffin embedded tissues were included.  DNA was extracted and ESR1 gene rs2234693 T/C polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-RFLP. Genetic association tests were performed. Results: The results showed no significant difference in distribution of rs2234693 T/C alleles and genotypes frequencies. Odd ratios (95% CI) were 1.15 (0.8-1.66) and 1.06 (0.5-1.98) and p values were 0.51 and 0.87, respectively. The genotypes and alleles frequencies within different hormonal receptors groups and ages of menopause showed no signification association   (odd ratios were less or close to 1 and p values > 0.05). Conclusion: ESR1 gene rs2234693 T/C polymorphism was not associated with susceptibility to breast cancer and different menopausal, hormone receptors, and HER2 status in breast cancer patients.  Further analysis using larger sample size will be needed to assess the association of different polymorphisms within the gene and risk of breast cancer.     

Comparative evaluations of the processed bovine tunica vaginalis implant in a rat model

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the lyophilized and glycerolized bovine parietal tunica vaginalis for repair of a full-thickness abdominal wall defect and to compare their effectiveness with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) Mycro Mesh (Gore-Tex MYCRO MESH; Gore and Designs, W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, AZ, USA) in a rat model. Fresh bovine parietal tunica vaginalis sacs collected from an abattoir were processed and preserved by freeze-drying and by using 99.5% glycerol. Full-thickness abdominal wall defects (3 x 2.5 cm) created surgically in 90 male Sprague-Dawley rats (300-400 g) were repaired with the same size of lyophilized, glycerolized or ePTFE Mycro Mesh with 30 rats in each group. Six rats from each group were killed at post-implantation intervals of 1, 3, 6, 9 and 18 weeks for macroscopic, microscopic and tensiometric evaluations. All rats survived the procedure, except for one rat in the ePTFE Mycro Mesh group. Implants of bovine origin were gradually resorbed and replaced with recipient fibrous tissue, whereas the mesh implant was encapsulated with fibrous tissue and remained without any marked changes throughout the study period. Adhesions between the implant and underlying visceral organs were encountered in 10, 6.6 and 3.3% of rats implanted with lyophilized, glycerolized or ePTFE Mycro Mesh, respectively. Foreign body giant cells and calcification were demonstrated in fibrous capsule and mesh matrix, respectively, in rats implanted with ePTFE Mycro Mesh. Neither of these characteristics were observed in rats implanted with processed bovine tunica vaginalis. Macrophages engorged with lipofuchsin pigments were observed in the recipient tissue that replaced the implants of bovine origin at 3-18 weeks post-implantation. There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in total mean values of healing tensile strength, load at break and Young's modulus of elasticity between the three implant groups. The results of the present study encourage further investigation into the use of processed bovine parietal tunica vaginalis in clinical practice.