| 1. |
- Drake, TM, et al.
(författare)
-
Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in children: an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study
- 2020
-
Ingår i: BMJ global health. - : BMJ. - 2059-7908. ; 5:12
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, there is a lack of data available about SSI in children worldwide, especially from low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of SSI in children and associations between SSI and morbidity across human development settings.MethodsA multicentre, international, prospective, validated cohort study of children aged under 16 years undergoing clean-contaminated, contaminated or dirty gastrointestinal surgery. Any hospital in the world providing paediatric surgery was eligible to contribute data between January and July 2016. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI by 30 days. Relationships between explanatory variables and SSI were examined using multilevel logistic regression. Countries were stratified into high development, middle development and low development groups using the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI).ResultsOf 1159 children across 181 hospitals in 51 countries, 523 (45·1%) children were from high HDI, 397 (34·2%) from middle HDI and 239 (20·6%) from low HDI countries. The 30-day SSI rate was 6.3% (33/523) in high HDI, 12·8% (51/397) in middle HDI and 24·7% (59/239) in low HDI countries. SSI was associated with higher incidence of 30-day mortality, intervention, organ-space infection and other HAIs, with the highest rates seen in low HDI countries. Median length of stay in patients who had an SSI was longer (7.0 days), compared with 3.0 days in patients who did not have an SSI. Use of laparoscopy was associated with significantly lower SSI rates, even after accounting for HDI.ConclusionThe odds of SSI in children is nearly four times greater in low HDI compared with high HDI countries. Policies to reduce SSI should be prioritised as part of the wider global agenda.
|
|
| 2. |
- Abbafati, Cristiana, et al.
(författare)
-
- 2020
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
|
|
| 3. |
- Adel, Amany, et al.
(författare)
-
Epidemiological and molecular analysis of circulating fowl adenoviruses and emerging of serotypes 1, 3, and 8b in Egypt
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Heliyon. - : Elsevier. - 2405-8440. ; 7:12
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs) are a large group of viruses of different serotypes. They are responsible for inclusion body hepatitis, adenoviral gizzard erosion, and hepatitis hydropericardium syndrome. The present study presents a comprehensive overview of FAdVs in Egypt, with a focus on the epidemiological features of virus serotypes across the country. We conducted molecular investigation of multiple FAdV species based on the genetic signature of hypervariable regions 1-4 in the loop1 (L1) region of the hexon gene. Epidemiologically, the Nile Delta governorates showed high positivity of FAdVs, which were more commonly found in broilers than in layers. Genetically, species D and serotype 8a/E dominated, and the findings also revealed the emergence of new FAdV serotypes 1, 3, and 8b. The comparative analysis of hypervariable regions in the L1 region of the hexon gene revealed variables specific to each virus serotype. In silico predictions of L1 region revealed variations in the molecular structure and predicted the antigenic epitopes which may affect the cross-antigenicity between the different FAdV species and serotypes.
|
|
| 4. |
- El-Sherif, Ahmed M., et al.
(författare)
-
Resource utilization in management of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage without systemic risk factors : Does early surgical decompression matter?
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Clinical neurology and neurosurgery. - : Elsevier. - 0303-8467 .- 1872-6968. ; 231
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Even though different subtypes of spontaneous ICH are frequently linked to a poor prognosis, their causes, pathological features, and prognoses vary. Atypical intracerebral hemorrhage is the subtype of spontaneous ICH that usually occurs due to an underlying localized vascular lesion. It is unrelated to systemic vascular risk factors, mostly affects children and young adults and is associated with a relatively good outcome. This fact should be considered when planning the evaluation and treatment. Investigating the cause of this subtype is fundamental to providing optimal management. However, if resources do not allow completing the investigations, the cause will be more difficult to discover. Treatment decisions will be made under stress to save the patient's life, especially with rapidly deteriorating patients. Methods: We described three cases of spontaneous ICH without systemic risk factors where the bleeding source could not be determined before surgery due to a lack of resources, preventing preoperative vascular investigation. Knowing that the atypical ICH has a distinct identity, regarding etiology and prognosis, encouraged the surgeons to resort to early surgical decompression as an alternative plan. We reviewed the literature searching for supporting evidence. Results: The results of treatment of the presented cases were satisfactory. The lack of reported similar cases was brought to light by a literature analysis that sought to provide backing for the proposed management strategy. In the end, we supplied two graphic organizers to help readers remember the different types and treatment of hemorrhagic stroke. Conclusion: There isn't enough evidence to show that there are other ways to treat atypical intracerebral haemorrhage when resources are limited. The presented cases highlight the importance of decisionmaking in resource-constrained situations when patient outcomes can be improved.
|
|
| 5. |
- Abdul-Jabbar, Thealfaqar A., et al.
(författare)
-
Efficient Battery Cell Balancing Methods for Low-Voltage Applications: A Review
- 2022
-
Ingår i: 2022 IEEE International Conference in Power Engineering Application, ICPEA 2022 - Proceedings.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Battery balancing technologies are a crucial mech anism for the safe operation of electrochemical energy storage systems, such as lithium-ion batteries. Moreover, balancing be tween battery cells is essential for battery systems' life. Without any balancing circuitry, individual cell voltages can reach their maximum/minimum battery voltage limit faster than others, posing safety hazards. Furthermore, battery capacity reduction can occur when overcharging/over-discharging individual cells. So far, many balancing methodologies have been proposed and discussed in available literature. This paper presents a review of different state-of-The-Art cell balancing methods suitable for low voltage applications. The required control complexity, switch stress, balancing speed, cost and circuit size are considered as key aspects. Typically, cell bypass techniques, such as passive balancing, have the lowest cost and require no complex control strategies. In contrast, cell-To-cell balancing techniques can significantly increase the energy efficiency compared to cell bypass balancers, but these come with higher system costs and control complexity.
|
|
| 6. |
- Abouhmad, Adel, et al.
(författare)
-
Exploring the enzymatic and antibacterial activities of novel mycobacteriophage lysin b enzymes
- 2020
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 21:9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mycobacteriophages possess different sets of lytic enzymes for disruption of the complex cell envelope of the mycobacteria host cells and release of the viral progeny. Lysin B (LysB) enzymes are mycolylarabinogalactan esterases that cleave the ester bond between the arabinogalactan and mycolic acids in the mycolylarabinogalactan-peptidoglycan (mAGP) complex in the cell envelope of mycobacteria. In the present study, four LysB enzymes were produced recombinantly and characterized with respect to their enzymatic and antibacterial activities. Examination of the kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis of para-nitrophenyl ester substrates, shows LysB-His6 enzymes to be active against a range of substrates (C4-C16), with a catalytic preference towards p-nitrophenyl laurate (C12). With p-nitrophenyl butyrate as substrate, LysB-His6 enzymes showed highest activity at 37◦C. LysB-His6 enzymes also hydrolyzed different Tween substrates with highest activity against Tween 20 and 80. Metal ions like Ca2+ and Mn2+ enhanced the enzymatic activity of LysB-His6 enzymes, while transition metal ions like Zn2+ and Cu2+ inhibited the enzymatic activity. The mycolylarabinogalactan esterase activity of LysB-His6 enzymes against mAGP complex was confirmed by LC-MS. LysB-His6 enzymes showed marginal antibacterial activity when tested alone against Mycobacterium smegmatis, however a synergetic activity was noticed when combined with outer membrane permealizers. These results confirm that LysB enzymes are lipolytic enzymes with potential application as antimycobacterials.
|
|
| 7. |
- Abouzid, Mohamed, et al.
(författare)
-
Investigating the current environmental situation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic : urban vs. rural context
- 2022
-
Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : Springer Nature. - 1471-2458. ; 22:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundCoronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to a massive global socio-economic tragedy that has impacted the ecosystem. This paper aims to contextualize urban and rural environmental situations during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region.ResultsAn online survey was conducted, 6770 participants were included in the final analysis, and 64% were females. The majority of the participants were urban citizens (74%). Over 50% of the urban residents significantly (p < 0.001) reported a reduction in noise, gathering in tourist areas, and gathering in malls and restaurants. Concerning the pollutants, most urban and rural areas have reported an increase in masks thrown in streets (69.49% vs. 73.22%, resp.; p = 0.003). Plastic bags and hospital waste also increased significantly with the same p-value of < 0.001 in urban areas compared with rural ones. The multifactorial logistic model for urban resident predictors achieved acceptable discrimination (AUROC = 0.633) according to age, crowdedness, noise and few pollutants.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic had a beneficial impact on the environment and at the same time, various challenges regarding plastic and medical wastes are rising which requires environmental interventions.
|
|
| 8. |
- Adel, Amany, et al.
(författare)
-
Genetic Variations among Different Variants of G1-like Avian Influenza H9N2 Viruses and Their Pathogenicity in Chickens
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Viruses. - : MDPI AG. - 1999-4915. ; 14:5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since it was first discovered, the low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H9N2 subtype has established linages infecting the poultry population globally and has become one of the most prevalent influenza subtypes in domestic poultry. Several different variants and genotypes of LPAI H9N2 viruses have been reported in Egypt, but little is known about their pathogenicity and how they have evolved. In this study, four different Egyptian LPAI H9N2 viruses were genetically and antigenically characterized and compared to representative H9N2 viruses from G1 lineage. Furthermore, the pathogenicity of three genetically distinct Egyptian LPAI H9N2 viruses was assessed by experimental infection in chickens. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the H9N2 virus of the Egy-2 G1-B lineage (pigeon-like) has become the dominant circulating H9N2 genotype in Egypt since 2016. Considerable variation in virus shedding at day 7 post-infections was detected in infected chickens, but no significant difference in pathogenicity was found between the infected groups. The rapid spread and emergence of new genotypes of the influenza viruses pinpoint the importance of continuous surveillance for the detection of novel reassortant viruses, as well as monitoring the viral evolution.
|
|
| 9. |
- Alam, Aftab, et al.
(författare)
-
Modeling the Inflammatory Response of Traumatic Brain Injury Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Microglia
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of Neurotrauma. - : Mary Ann Liebert. - 0897-7151 .- 1557-9042. ; 40:19-20, s. 2164-2173
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The neuroinflammatory response after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is implicated as a key mediator of secondary injury in both the acute and chronic periods after primary injury. Microglia are the key innate immune cell in the central nervous system, responding to injury with the release of cytokines and chemokines. In this context, we aimed to characterize the downstream cytokine response of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived microglia when stimulated with five separate cytokines identified after human TBI. The iPSC-derived microglia were exposed to interleukin (IL)-1 & beta;, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the concentration ranges identified in clinical TBI studies. The downstream cytokine response was measured against a panel of 37 separate cytokines over a 72h time-course. The secretome revealed concentration-, time- and combined concentration and time-dependent downstream responses. TNF appeared to be the strongest inducer of downstream cytokine changes (51), followed by IL-1 & beta; (26) and IL-4 (19). IL-10 (11) and IL-6 (10) produced fewer responses. We also compare these responses with our previous studies of iPSC-derived neuronal and astrocyte cultures and the in vivo human TBI cytokine response. Notably, we found microglial culture to induce both a wider range of downstream cytokine responses and a greater fold change in concentration for those downstream responses, compared with astrocyte and neuronal cultures. In summary, we present a dataset for human microglial cytokine responses specific to the secretome found in the clinical context of TBI. This reductionist approach complements our previous datasets for astrocyte and neuronal responses and will provide a platform to enable future studies to unravel the complex neuroinflammatory network activated after TBI.
|
|
| 10. |
- Almasalmeh, O, et al.
(författare)
-
Soil erosion and sediment transport modelling using hydrological models and remote sensing techniques in Wadi Billi, Egypt
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Modeling Earth Systems and Environment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2363-6203 .- 2363-6211. ; 8:1, s. 1215-1226
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modelling soil erosion and sediment transport are vital to assess the impact of the flash floods. However, limited research works have studied sediment transport, especially in Egypt. This paper employs the HEC-HMS lumped hydrological model to predict the sediment load due to the flood event of 9th March 2014 in Wadi Billi, Egypt. The Modified USLE model has been used to calculate the total upland erosion, while Laursen-Copeland has been used to simulate load streams' sediment transport potential. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been applied over Landsat 8 image captured on 20th February 2014 using ArcMap 10.5 to determine the vegetation cover based on its spectral footprint. The resulted sedigraph showed accumulation of more than five thousand tons of sediments at the Wadi's outlet. The results are crucial to design a suitable stormwater management system to protect the downstream urban area and to use flood water for groundwater recharge.
|
|
