Nutritional adequacy in patients of the intensive care unit in Suez Canal University Hospital who are tube fed enterally

To assess the actual energy received by the patients of the intensive care unit in Suez Canal University hospital who are enterally fed compared to their estimated daily caloric requirement and to find out the causes of interruption of tube feeding. A descriptive study, to assess the adequacy of enteral tube nutrition intake and the factors that affect its delivery in the critically ill patients in Suez Canal university hospital, by monitoring the patients nutrition by Harris benedict equation [HBE] and laboratory investigations. The study was carried out in the general intensive care unit. All the patients receiving enteral nutrition were included with a target sample size of 92 patients. A date sheet was used to collect informations about the daily nutritional intake along with daily laboratory investigations including baseline values of blood glucose, potassium, phosphorus and blood gases, Urine analysis, CBC, triglycerides, creatinine, BUN, sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, coagulation, liver enzymes, billirubin, amylase, total protein, transferrin and transthyretin, twice weekly measurement of blood glucose, potassium, phosphorus and blood gases and once weekly measurement of CBC, triglycerides, creatinine, BUN, sodium, calcium, magnesium, coagulation, liver enzymes, billirubin, amylase, total protein, transferrin, transthyretin and urine analysis. Patients were followed up until enteral feeding withheld or death. Through following up the patients by measuring the daily caloric intake and laboratory investigations, the study showed that 67.4% of the patients were underfed and only 29.3% were adequately fed. The mean cause of feeding interruption was gastrointestinal factors [65.2%], such as vomiting and diarrhea, followed by intensive care unit factors [10.9%], such as surgical procedures and diagnostic procedures. Significant decrease in the values of BUN, total billirubin, total protein [T.protein], magnesium, PH and bicarbonate was found one week after starting enteral feeding. The majority of the included patients were found to be underfed. Gastrointestinal problems as diarrhea and vomiting played a major rule in unsuccessful delivery of adequate energy requirements to the patients

Correlation between leptin hormone levels and bone mineral density in hepatitis C patients with chronic liver disease

There is accumulating evidence that leptin has a pleiotropic role in hematopoiesis, immune response, fibro-genesis, and hepatocarcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between leptin levels and bone mineral density in HCV chronic liver disease patients. A medical history to retrieve information about health status, current medications and history of viral or toxic hepatitis; a physical examinations including height and weight; a fasting blood draw for the determination of liver profile and leptin. BMD values were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DEXA] at the L2-L4 lumbar spine and femoral neck. Fasting leptin was highly increased in HCV CLD patients with osteopenia than HCV CLD patients with normal hone mineral density [p<0.05]. Leptin showed a significant negative correlation with bone mineral density [BMD] in HCV CLD patients [r=-0.191, p=0.039] and significant positive correlation with age [r=0.331, p=0.041]. Serum concentrations of leptin is positively correlated in chronic liver disease patients with age and negatively correlated with BMD especially in patients with hepatitis C infection

Study of serum protein C level in a group of neonates with sepsis

Sepsis associated with acute organ dysfunction results from a generalized inflammatory and procoagulant response to an infection. Activated protein C, an endogenous protein that promotes fibrinolysis and inhibits thrombosis and inflammation, is an important modulator of coagulation and inflammation associated with severe sepsis. The study was conducted on twenty neonates fulfilling criteria of neonatal sepsis clinically and by laboratory investigations. Twenty healthy neonates were assigned as control group. We measured protein C level by enzyme immunoassay in both cases and control groups within 24 hours of diagnosis. Results of this study showed that there was decrease in level of protein C in neonates with sepsis when compared to control group, and this difference was statistically significant, although there was no cases in our study suffering from frank coagulation disturbances. Also gestational age, birth weight, and duration of illness were predictors of lower protein C level in study cases when doing regression analysis. We recommend larger study with measurement of levels of other protein C system in serum like active protein C and thrombomodulin assays

Induced polarization in humid limestone in the radio frequency range and lower

Experimental investigations in the laboratory led to a better understanding of the fundamental relationship between rock properties and electrical characteristics. Some fundamental relationships and mechanisms are represented for a quantitative interpretation of the induced polarization data of limestone rock samples, when subjected to humid atmosphere. An equivalent circuit is assumed to identify the diffusion ZD, reaction and adsorption impedances. Limestone rock samples are studied at a frequency range of 102 - 107 Hz and at atmospheric relative humidities between 18%-50%. Abnormal high dielectric Constant and abnormal behavior of the conductivities for the studied samples are observed which are ascribed to electrochemical kinetics

Biochemical and radiological changes in Saudia patients with gall stones

A study including 217 patients, 189 females and 28 males, undergoing surgical removal of gall stones at Alkharj Hospital in Saudi Arabia has been carried out. It aimed at screening the diagnostic efficiency of biochemical changes and radiological findings in these patients. There was a significant increase in total cholesterol, triacylglycerol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol [P < 0.001] whereas HDL- cholesterol and phospholipids were significantly decrease [P < 0.001] compared to the control group. On the other hand, total lipids did not show any significant change. Electrophoretically, there was increase in Alpha-lipoproteins. Analysis of the composition of gall stones revealed that cholesterol was the main constituent either alone or present with other compounds in 65% of stones. Radiological findings indicateed that ultrasonography was the method of choice for diagnosis. It could be concluded that gall stone disease in Saudi Arabia is mainly the result of metabolic abnormalities in both lipids and lipoproteins. Infection and hemolytic anemias are other contributing factors