new antidiabetic drug restoring normal insulin secretion from beta-cells and normal histology

A benzimidazole derivative was prepared and evaluated as antidiabetic drug. It was found to be nontoxic to albino mice up to dose of 3200 mg/kg body weight. It had no hypoglycemic activity but it was found to cause beta-cell regeneration in alloxanoised rats. Measuring blood glucose levels and insulin levels in treated alloxanoised rats were found to reach normal levels after treatment. In addition histological examination of the pancreas from treated alloxanoised rats showed normal islets of langerhans with normal morphology of beta-cells

community study of depression in adolescent girls: Prevalence and its relation to age

To conduct a two-stage epidemiological survey in order to measure the prevalence rate of major depressive disorder in girls 12-19 years of age and to relate it to age. Subjects and The Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] questionnaire was administered to 1,107 girls from 3 elementary and 3 secondary schools in Khartoum, Sudan, 272 of whom were selected for intensive interviews. The estimated prevalence of major depressive disorder for the population was 4.2%. Using a cutoff point of 15 on a short BDI, 11% of the adolescent girls reported severe depression. The BDI scores increased with age. A proportion of girls interviewed reported depressive symptoms which did not meet the criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV [DSM-IV] for major depressive disorder, and the estimated prevalence of this 'partial syndrome' was 8.6%. The findings indicate a high rate of depression. Considering the fact that none of the girls who were identified with major depression reported to the health system, a surveillance system is recommended to identify depression among adolescent girls

Comparison of growth of an elite [norm] group of Sudanese children with the NCSH/CDC reference population

Comparison of three anthropometric growth indices, weight for height, weight for age and height for age from an elite group of children in Khartoum [Sudan] with the international NCHS/CDC American reference population showed a small difference. The three indices were presented as Z - scores using the NCHS/CDC reference. The overall mean Z - score was the same for the three indices, - 0.2, - 0.2 [SD = 0.95] for the weight for height index, - 0.2 [SD = 1.3] and - 0.2 [SD = 0.95] for the weight for age and height for age indices respectively. The difference was small, although the ethnic and geographical background of the studied group and the American reference were vastly different. Thus the use of the NCHS/CDC American standard is recommended