Endophytic Enterobacter cloacae exhibits antagonistic activity against Pythium damping-off of cucumber / Enterobacter cloacae endofítica exibe atividade antagonista contra a podridão de pepino causada por Pythium

ABSTRACT: The study was performed to examine the potential presence of biological control agents against Pythium damping-off disease of cucumber.Examining eleven bacterial strains isolated from acid lime roots and rhizosphere soil showed that the bacterial strain RB1 was the most efficient in suppressing mycelial growth of P. aphanidermatum, producing an inhibition zone of 5mm. Scanning electron microscopy study of the mycelia at the interaction zone showed that the pathogen hyphae were deformed and shriveled by the bacterial strain.In pot experiments, pretreatment with the RB1 bacterial strain reduced disease incidence significantly by 63%.The bacterial strain did not exhibit any negative significant effects on cucumber growth (plant height and root dry weight) in comparison with untreated control under growth chamber conditions. Molecular identification of strain RB1 based on the 16S rRNA gene revealed that it is Enterobacter cloacae. Findings from this study suggested that E. cloacae has a potential to be used as a biocontrol agent for suppressingcucumber damping-off disease caused by P. aphanidermatum. This is the first report of the antagonistic activity of E. cloacae against P. aphanidermatum-induced damping-off of cucumber.

RESUMO: O estudo foi realizado para examinar a presença potencial de agentes no controle biológico da doença do apodrecimento do pepino causado por Pythium. Examinando onze cepas bacterianas isoladas de raízes de cal ácida e solo da rizosfera mostraram que a cepa bacteriana RB1 foi a mais eficiente na supressão do crescimento micelial de P. aphanidermatum, produzindo uma zona de inibição de 5 mm. O estudo de microscopia eletrônica de varredura dos micélios na zona de interação mostrou que as hifas do patógeno foram deformadas e enrugadas pela cepa bacteriana. Em experimentos com vasos, o pré-tratamento com a cepa bacteriana RB1 reduziu significativamente a incidência da doença em 63%. A cepa bacteriana não exibiu nenhum efeito negativo. Efeitos significativos no crescimento do pepino (altura da planta e peso seco da raiz), em comparação com o controle não tratado sob condições da câmara de crescimento. A identificação molecular da cepa RB1 com base no gene 16S rRNA revelou que é a Enterobacter cloacae. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que E. cloacae tem potencial para ser usado como agente de biocontrole para suprimir a doença da podridão de pepino causada por P. aphanidermatum. Este é o primeiro relato da atividade antagônica de E. cloacae contra o amortecimento induzido por P. aphanidermatum de pepino.

Are there differences in risk factors, microbial aspects, and prognosis of cellulitis between compensated and decompensated hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cellulitis is a common infection in patients with liver cirrhosis. We aimed to compare risk factors, microbial aspects, and outcomes of cellulitis in compensated and decompensated hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis. METHODS: Six hundred twenty consecutive HCV-related cirrhotic patients were evaluated for cellulitis. Demographic and clinical data were evaluated, along with blood and skin cultures. Severity of cirrhosis was assessed using Child-Pugh score. In-hospital mortality was assessed. RESULTS: Seventy-seven (12.4%) cirrhotic patients had cellulitis (25 with compensated and 52 with decompensated disease). Smoking and venous insufficiency were risk factors of cellulitis in compensated cirrhosis. Leg edema, ascites, hyperbilrubinemia and hypoalbuminemia were risk factors in decompensated cirrhosis. Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus pyogenes) were the infective organisms in compensated patients, while gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were the predominant organisms in decompensated cirrhosis. Fungi (Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger) were detected in 3 decompensated cases. In-hospital mortality in patients with cellulitis was 27.3%, approaching 100% in decompensated patients with gram-negative cellulitis. Prolonged hospitalization, higher model for end-stage liver disease (MELD)-Na score, septic shock, local complication, and recurrent cellulitis were predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Cellulitis in compensated cirrhosis is different from that of decompensated patients regarding microorganisms, pathogenesis, and prognosis. Cellulitis has a poor prognosis, with mortality rates approaching 100% in decompensated patients with gram-negative cellulitis. Stratifying patients according to severity of cirrhosis is important to identify the proper empirical antibiotic and to decide the proper means of care.

Prevalence of Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Adult Patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms in a Locality in Upper Egypt

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is gaining importance in the diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) symptoms. Diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation of esophageal dysfunction and pathological findings in the absence of other causes of tissue eosinophilia. Our study was designed to evaluate EoE prevalence in patients with UGI symptoms in our locality (El-Minia, Egypt). METHODS: This single-center, cross-sectional study recruited all patients with UGI symptoms who agreed for endoscopic evaluation. Esophageal biopsy samples were obtained and histological evaluation for the presence of eosinophils was performed for every patient. EoE was defined when at least 15 eosinophils were present in a single high-power field, in the absence of other causes of esophageal eosinophilia. RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2015, 218 of 476 adult patients with UGI symptoms underwent upper endoscopy after giving consent. Among the 218 patients, only 4 (1.87%) had the diagnosis of EoE based on the presence of eosinophils in esophageal biopsies and exclusion of other causes of esophageal eosinophilia. Three patients with EoE presented mainly with dysphagia (75%) and/or other UGI symptoms, such as heartburn. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a low prevalence of EoE in our locality. The diagnosis of EoE should be considered in patients with dysphagia and/or heartburn.

Amelioration of insulin resistance in rats treated with rice bran oil

Background: insulin resistance [IR] is a pathological condition characterized by inadequate peripheral tissue metabolic response to circulating insulin. It plays pathophysiological role in type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM]. High dosage of fructose in the diet [60 g/100 g diet] may induce insulin resistance accompanied by deleterious metabolic consequences including hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. Rice bran oil [RBO], is a rich source of antioxidants especially gamma-oryzanol, alpha-tocopherols and tocotrienols which contribute to high oxidative stability, longer shelf life than other edible oils and high antioxidant property against free radicals. The present work was undertaken to study if the addition of rice bran oil in rat's diets ameliorate the insulin resistance

Materials and methods: to achieve this target, plasma fasting glucose, serum insulin and calculated HOMA-IR, which assesse the presence of insulin resistance, was evaluated. Serum lipid profile [cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol [HDL] and low-density lipoprotein- cholesterol [LDL] was also evaluated. In addition, the oxidative stress was assessed through hepatic malondialdehyd [MDA] as an oxidative biomarker and the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase [SOD] was also estimated

Results: RBO ameliorated HOMA-IR, oxidative biomarker [MDA] and increased SOD activity

Conclusion: high fructose diet induced oxidative stress which lead to insulin resistance, this was ameliorated by addition of RBO

revised scope in different prognostic models in cirrhotic patients: Current and future perspectives, an Egyptian experience

Background and study aim: The prognosis of cirrhosis is of great interest for liver transplantation and new therapies of related complications. Traditional prognostic models such as Child-Pugh [CP] and Model for End-stage Liver Disease [MELD] were developed to predict mortality in decompensated cirrhosis, but lack parameter[s] related to complications. Recently, new models such as creatinine-modified Child-Turcotte-Pugh [CrCTP] and sodium-based MELD variants were developed to improve prognostic accuracy and enhance outcome predictive capability. Our aim was to investigate the prognostic ability of these models and their relation to complications among Egyptian cirrhotic patients to determine the best one and to assess adding new variables to improve the prognostic ability of that model

Patients and methods: A total of 1000 cirrhotic patients were enrolled in a retrospective study; traditional and new prognostic models such as CP, MELD, CrCTP, integrated MELD [iMELD], MELD plus sodium [MELD-Na, MELDNa] and MELD:sodium ratio [MESO] were calculated. The predictive abilities of prognostic models were compared using the area under receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] and 1-year survival rates were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. An index of cirrhosis-related complications was added to reveal the best prognostic model

Results: Using AUC, MELD and its sodium variants was significantly better than CP and CrCTP scores in predicting risk of 1-year mortality, where MELD-sodium [MELD-Na] had the highest AUC [0.743]. Adding an index of cirrhosis-related complications [C] to MELD-Na creating a new scoring system [MELD-Na-C] improved its prognostic accuracy [AUC 0.753]. Kaplan-Meier survival curves predicted increased mortality with higher prognostic scores

Conclusions: All prognostic models were good predictors of 1-year mortality in patients with decompensated cirrhosis; however, MELD-Na was the best for outcome prediction. MELD-Na-C was a new model enhancing the predictive accuracy in assessing cirrhotic patients with related complications

Health profile of Egyptian school adolescents in Cairo and Giza governorates

The objectives of this study were to describe the physical, physiological, and psychosocial characteristics of male and female Egyptian adolescents; to describe a set of patterns that characterize Egyptian adolescents' health habits; to identify their health concerns and to identify the reproductive health needs of female adolescents; and to detect any health-related problems among Egyptian adolescent. A sample of 1000 male and female adolescents [11 - 18 years of age] was randomly selected from preparatory and secondary schools in Cairo and Giza governorates. Several tools were developed and utilized to fulfill the study objectives: a questionnaire sheet that contains social, health habits and health problems data; growth and development assessment sheet that covers data related to physical, physiological and psychosocial development and an adolescent health concern questionnaire. The main findings indicated that the majority of the subjects were from governmental schools in Cairo and Giza governorates [80. 0% and 83.8% respectively]. Preparatory schools represented 38.0% and 44.0%, while secondary school represented 61.0% and 56% in Cairo and Giza respectively. Male adolescent accounted for 39.2% and 50.6%. While female adolescents accounted for 60.8.% and 49.4% respectively. More than half of the adolescents, had school-related problems and mare than 40% of them had previous injuries, their main health concerns were centered on their general appearance followed 'by their feeling of identity, and self-control. Most of the adolescents' physical and psychological characteristics were within normal ranges except that female adolescents suffered fmm anemia and showed reproductive health-related concerns. The majority of male and female adolescents indicated their need for more health information. The study concluded that Egyptian adolescents are in need for more health attention of concerned personnel

Pre-operative anxieties as perceived by hospitalized school age children

Hospitalization and surgery, are usually accompanied with severe stress which makes the child feels unable to perform his/her usual activities, and unable to act as his /her peers. Surgery causes the child to be immobilized and exposed to frequent painful procedures [Younghblut and Brooten, 1999; Manley, Bellman and Lumby, 2000]. The degree of anxiety experienced by children undergoing surgery is under investigated. So the aim of the current study was to identify the level of pre-operative anxiety experienced by hospitalized school age children. A descriptive exploratory research design was adopted to carryout the present study on a convenient sample of 30 hospitalized school age children [8-12 years] admitted to surgical unit in Specialized Pediatric University Hospital, Cairo University. Two tools were used to collect the required data, sociodemographic sheet and the Child Drawing Hospital Tool to measure the child level of anxiety, which designed by Clatwothy, Simon and Tiedeman [1999]. The results have shown that all children in the preoperative period had some degree of anxiety, 26.7 %of them had a very high level of anxiety. The study recommended that the pediatric nurse caring for children with surgical problems should follow through assessment of pre-operative anxieties experienced by children. And using different nursing strategies and approaches to enhance children coping abilities is paramount to good quality of childcare

effect of a preoperative preparation program for mothers on postoperative recovery of their infants and children with hirschsbrung's disease

Research studies indicate that Hirschsprung's Disease [HD] was not adequately treated and managed by health team members and mothers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a preoperative preparation of mothers of infants and children with HD on postoperative recovery of their children. Two research hypotheses were utilized to reach to this aim: 1] children with HD whose mothers are preoperatively prepared will have better postoperative outcome than children of unprepared mothers and 2] children with HD whose mothers are preoperatively prepared will have fewer postoperative complications than children of unprepared mothers. A total sample of 60 mothers of children with HD were divided equally into two groups; the control and the study group. A pre-post quasi- experimental design was adopted to conduct this study. The tools used for data collection were; a questionnaire sheet [pre- post test] to assess mothers' knowledge about HD, two observational checklists to evaluate mothers practices regarding HD, and an outcome sheet to evaluate the recovery of those children. A preparation program was developed to enrich mothers' knowledge and practice about HD. The study results revealed that a highly significant difference was present between the control and study group regarding the mean scores of different items of knowledge in the post- test. The study group had better performance than the control group in relation to children's care. Results also indicated that children in the immediate [2-4 days postoperatively] and late [2 months later] follow up in the study group had better postoperative outcome and less complications than the control group. Results supported the research hypotheses and concluded that improvement of mothers' awareness about their children's illness preoperatively may help in improving children's postoperative outcome