Prevalence of Hypertension and Its Associated Risk Factors Among Adults Attending Medical Outpatient Clinics at Ibn Sina General Hospital Authority in Mukalla City, Yemen.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) is the most generally acknowledged modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and end-stage renal disease. Accordingly, the World Health Organization has listed HTN as the third greatest cause of death globally. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of HTN and its associated risk factors among adults attending medical clinics at Ibn Sina Hospital Authority in Mukalla City, Yemen. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire applied to 384 male and female adults aged ≥18 years attending Ibn Sina General Hospital Authority outpatient clinics in Mukalla City, Yemen, between December 2022 and May 2023. The participant's body weight, height, and waist circumference were measured. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, IBM Corp., Version 25.0, Armonk, NY). P values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among the 384 participants, 20.5% had HTN, and the remaining (79.5%) did not have HTN, with a substantial proportion (47.2%) reporting a positive family history of HTN. Diabetes mellitus was present in 16.1% of the participants, whereas dyslipidemia and other chronic diseases were reported by 9.3% and 15.8% of the participants, respectively. A total of 75.6% of the participants had never smoked, and 11.7% were past smokers. More than half of the participants (57.29%) had never chewed khat, 20.57% were former khat chewers, and 22.14% were currently chewing khat. Nutritional status, as indicated by body mass index, showed that 29.8% were overweight. CONCLUSIONS: HTN was found to be prevalent among the study participants. However, the respondents' awareness of the problem and the overall control rates were very low. Certain factors, such as family history of HTN, diabetes mellitus, and high body mass index, were found to be associated with HTN. Therefore, intervention measures are warranted emphasizing modifiable risk factors to prevent HTN.

Shewanella chilikensis MG22 isolated from tannery site for malachite green decolorization in microbial fuel cell: a proposed solution for recirculating aquaculture system (RAS).

Malachite Green (MG) dye of the triphenylmethane group is a toxic compound used in the aquaculture industry as an antifungal agent, however, it can accumulate in fish and pose toxicity. The present work aims to remove MG in Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) as a sustainable and eco-friendly solution. Out of six samples, the highest malachite green degradation was obtained by a sample obtained from Robiki tannery site in agar plates in 24 h at 37 °C. Robiki sample was used to inoculate the anodic chamber in Microbial Fuel cell, the resulting average electricity production was 195.76 mV for two weeks. The decolorization average was almost 88%. The predominant bacteria responsible for MG decolorization and electricity production were identified using 16S rRNA as Shewanella chilikensis strain MG22 (Accession no. OP795826) and formed a heavy biofilm on the anode. At the end of the decolorization process, MG was added again for re-use of water. The results showed efficiency for re-use 3 times. To ensure the sterility of treated water for re-use, both UV and filter sterilization were used, the latter proved more efficient. The obtained results are promising, MFC can be used as recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The same aquaculture water can be treated multiple times which provides a sustainable solution for water conservation.

Potential role of human umbilical cord stem cells-derived exosomes as novel molecular inhibitors of hepatocellular carcinoma growth.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most critical cancers; thus, novel therapeutical regimens are of great need. In this study, we investigated the effects of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) derived exosomes on HepG2 cell line, and the underlying mechanism to control HCC proliferation, to identify the potential clinical role of exosomes as a novel molecular therapeutic target. Proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis effects were assessed together with the cell viability evaluation by MTT assay in HepG2 cells at 24/48 h. with or without UC-MSCs-derived exosomes. Gene expressions of TNF-α, caspase-3, VEGF, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), and CX chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR-4) were measured by quantitative real-time PCR technique. Expression of sirtuin-1 (SIRT-1) protein was detected by western blot. Treatment of HepG2 cells with UC-MSCs-derived exosomes for 24 and 48 h. demonstrated a significant reduction of cells survival compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The SIRT-1 protein, and VEGF, SDF-1, CXCR-4 expression levels were significantly lower, TNF-α and caspase-3 expression levels were significantly higher in exosomal-treated HepG2 cells for 24 and 48 h. than those in the control group. Moreover, our findings documented that the anti-proliferative, apoptotic, and anti-angiogenic effects were achieved in a time-dependent manner in which more effects were determined after 48 h supplementation compared to 24 h (p < 0.05). UC-MSCs-derived exosomes exert anticarcinogenic molecular effects on HepG2 cells through the involvement of SIRT-1, SDF-1, and CXCR-4. Hence, exosomes would be a potential novel therapy regimen against HCC. Large-scale studies are recommended to verify this conclusion.