Prevalence and risk factors for hearing disorders in secondary school students in Ismailia, Egypt

This study estimated the prevalence of hearing disorders and associated risk factors in a 10% sample of all secondary-school students in Ismailia city, Egypt. All participants were given a questionnaire and Weber and Rinne tests for hearing disabilities. Among 2633 students, the prevalence of hearing loss was 22.2%, mostly sensorineural hearing loss. More students at technical schools had mixed sensorineural and conductive hearing loss [46.2%] than students at general [28.6%] or commercial [25.3%] schools. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the number of attacks of otitis media, history of ear disease treatment, history of admission to fever hospital and history of ear surgery as independent risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss

Lipid peroxidation and antioxidants in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients

Plasma lipid peroxidation [MDA], activity of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase [SOD], and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase [GSH-Px] as antioxidants in uremic patients were examined in 2 groups of dialysis. Group I included 8 patients with end stage renal failure on continuous ambulatory pertional dialysis [CAPD] and group II included 8 patients with end stage renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis compared with 8 healthy subjects as control. Dialysis was found to produce increased lipid peroxidation, with a simultaneous decrease of SOD and GSH-Px activity as compared with the control group. There is a significant negative correlation between the duration of dialysis [CAPD], and levels of antioxidants. In dialysis patients there is an indirect evidence of increased free radical activity and reduced antioxidant activity, which may be influence by the mode of dialysis. It is suggested that intensification of lipid peroxidation during dialysis could account for accelerated progress of atherosclerosis in patients with chronic renal failure

Iron and folic acid metabolism in chicks

The effects of iron and/or folic acid deficiency on hemoglobin, hematocrit, growth rates, liver weights and folic acid metabolism were investigated in chicks. A severe anemia developed in all chicks fed the deficient diets; those fed the diet low in iron and folic acid developed the most severe anemia. Maximum growth retardation was noted in chicks fed the folic acid deficient diet rather than in the double deficient chicks. A significant decrease in plasma folic acid was noted in the folate deficient groups and a comparable reduction in plasma N[5]- methyl tetrahydrofolic acid was observed in the iron deficient chicks. Perhaps the most interesting observation made from this study is that the chick maintains more than half of its plasma folic acid as tetrahydrofolic acid rather than in the form of N[5]- methyl tetrahydrofolale which is the major circulating form in most mammals tested. It was concluded from this study that as in man or the rat prolonged iron deficiency may enhance or induce secondary folate deficiency in the chicks. Further, the chicks susceptibility to dietary folate deficiency in contrast to other species may be related to the form in which it maintains its circulating folate