Impact of core stability exercises vs. interferential therapy on pelvic floor muscle strength in women with pelvic organ prolapse.

OBJECTIVE: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is the descent of the pelvic organs into or through the vaginal walls. Females who have prolapse have symptoms that interfere with their daily lives, sexual function, and exercise. POP can have a negative effect on one's sexuality and body image. This study attempted to assess the significance of core stability exercises vs. interferential therapy on the power of the pelvic floor muscles in females with prolapsed pelvic organs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomized control trial was conducted on forty participants (aged between 40-60 years, diagnosed with mild degree pelvic organ prolapse participated in the research. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: (group A; n = 20) and (group B; n = 20). The participants were tested twice, before and after 12 weeks, during which group (A) performed core stability exercises while group (B) received interferential therapy. A modified Oxford grading scale and the perineometer were used to assess how the vaginal squeeze pressure changed. RESULTS: The study's findings demonstrated that the modified Oxford grading scale values and vaginal squeeze pressure had a non-statistically significant difference (p-value ≥ 0.05) between both groups pre-treatment while had a statistically significant difference (p-value ≤ 0.05) between both groups post-treatment in favor of group A. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that both training programs are efficient at strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, but the core stability exercises were more effective.

[Serological markers of viral hepatitis B and C in children with sickle cell disease monitored in the Pediatrics Department at the University Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso)]. / Étude des marqueurs sérologiques des hépatites virales B et C chez les drépanocytaires suivis en pédiatrie au CHU de Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso).

Viral hepatitis B and C are universal public health problems. Burkina Faso is a high endemic area for hepatitis B. Patients with sickle cell disease are at risk. The aim of this study was to investigate and quantify the serological markers of viral hepatitis B and C among pediatric patients with sickle cell disease. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, which took place from July to November 2014 at the Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Bobo- Dioulasso. The study included 44 SS and 26 SC sickle cell patients. General data (age, gender) and medical information (vaccinations, medical history including transfusion) were collected. Blood samples were taken for research and titration of serological markers of hepatitis viruses B and C with a commercial Elisa test on the ARCHITECT i1000® automat of Abbott Laboratories. The mean age of the patients was 7.98 years. Seventeen patients (13 SS and SC 4) had already been transfused at least once. The transfusion rate was significantly higher among the SS patients than among SC (29.5% and 15.3% respectively) patients. No patient with HBs Ag was been found. In two patients, the anti-HBc Ab was found alone. In 33% of cases, no markers of hepatitis B were found. Less than 20% of children fully vaccinated (N = 45) had a protective level of anti-HBs Ab (greater than 10 IU/l). The prevalence of anti-VHC Ab was 2.8%. No case of HBV-HCV co-infection was found. The prevention of infection is an important part of the management of sickle cell patients. Immunization against hepatitis B should be systematic. The results of this study assume that blood safety was good.

Incidence et risque résiduel de transmission des virus de l'hépatite B et C par transfusion sanguine à Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) : Étude de cohorte

l'objectif de notre étude était d'évaluer l'incidence et le risque de transmission des virus des hépatites B et C par transfusion. nous avons conduit une étude de cohorte rétrospective de janvier 2009 à décembre 2014 portant sur les dons de 12 969 donneurs bénévoles et réguliers de sang au Centre Régional de Transfusion Sanguine de Bobo-dioulasso. le diagnostic de l'infection par le VhC ou le VhB était obtenu par technique eliSa devant la présence dans le sérum des anticorps anti-VhC pour le VhC ou de l'antigène hBs pour ce qui est du VhB. le taux d'incidence du VhB était de 2,16 pour 100 donneurs-années et celui du VhC était de 2,59 pour 100 donneurs-années. le risque de transmission du VhB était estimé à 1 pour 302 dons et celui du VhC à 1 pour 213 dons. un renforcement de la sélection des donneurs de sang s'avère indispensable devant un risque élevé de transmission des virus de l'hépatite B et/ou C par don de sang provenant des donneurs bénévoles réguliers

Prehypertension among young adult females in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of prehypertension and associated risk factors among young adult females in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of about one-third of female students enrolled in 4 colleges of the University of Dammam. They were screened for high blood pressure and associated cardiovascular risk factors by an interview questionnaire. Weight and height, waist and hip and blood pressure measurements and random blood glucose testing were done. The results revealed that 13.5% of the 370 students were prehypertensive. The most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases was physical inactivity (53.2%), followed by overweight/obesity (29.1%); 16.3% of prehypertensive students had 3 or more risk factors. Logistic regression analysis revealed that overweight/ obesity was the strongest predictor of prehypertension. Our study indicates a need for routine blood pressure measurements and risk assessment in young adult females in Saudi Arabia.

Prehypertension among young adult females in Dammam, Saudi Arabia

The aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of prehypertension and associated risk factors among young adult females in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of about one-third of female students enrolled in 4 colleges of the University of Dammam. They were screened for high blood pressure and associated cardiovascular risk factors by an interview questionnaire. Weight and height, waist and hip and blood pressure measurements and random blood glucose testing were done. The results revealed that 13.5% of the 370 students were prehypertensive. The most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases was physical inactivity [53.2%], followed by overweight/obesity [29.1%]; 16.3% of prehypertensive students had 3 or more risk factors. Logistic regression analysis revealed that overweight/ obesity was the strongest predictor of prehypertension. Our study indicates a need for routine blood pressure measurements and risk assessment in young adult females in Saudi Arabia

[Factors contributing to smoking among students in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)]. / Facteurs favorisant le tabagisme des élèves à Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).

INTRODUCTION: Smoking is of great concern to the international community because of the sharp increase in tobacco consumption among adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a transverse descriptive study on 23 to 27 May 2006, on a sample of 500 smoking students randomly selected from secondary schools in the city of Ouagadougou, to identify their motivation with the aim of prevention. RESULTS: The main factors encouraging smoking among students were: *Economic conditions: 64% came from a favourable economic environment with daily pocket money (100%) and a means of travel (74.8%). *Difficulties with their studies: 57.2% of smoking students had repeated at least one class and half had a class average lower than 10/20. *A smoking environment: 72% of smokers lived away from their parents, 46% of students had smoked in imitation of their colleagues. School was the preferred place for the consumption of cigarettes (67.9%). *The influence of the media: 80.8% were drawn into smoking by the influence of advertising. CONCLUSION: Prevention programmes must take all these factors into account.

Quality assessment of primary health care services provided for diabetes mellitus control in Alexandria.

Diabetes is a growing health problem worldwide. It is recognized as a particular threat to public health of the third world communities, particularly those living in rapidly developing countries. Therefore, the present study was conducted aiming at: assessment of the quality of primary health care (PHC) services provided for the control of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Alexandria; and opportunistic screening of high risk individuals attending PHC facilities for DM. Accordingly, the availability of human and nonhuman resources for DM control in two rural and two urban PHC centers in Alexandria (one of them was serving a desert area) was assessed by a pre-designed checklist 920 adult PHC attendants were screened for risk factors of DM. Individuals having more than one of the following risk factors: age above 50 years, overweight (body mass index > or =27 kg/m2), family history of DM in first degree relatives, history of hypertension, hypertension (systolic blood pressure > or =140 mm Hg and /or diastolic blood pressure > or =90 mm Hg), history of hyperlipidemia and history of gestational diabetes or birth of a large sized baby in females- were subjected to random capillary blood glucose (RCBG) testing. Cases were considered likely diabetic if RCBG was >200 mg/dl The performance of all PHC physicians examining and managing 560 diabetic patients was observed over a period of two months. One fourth of the diabetic cases were checked for the level of glycaemic control by fasting capillary blood glucose testing. The results revealed that 61.7% of the studied PHC attendants were at risk of developing DM and 14% were likely diabetic, with an urban: desert ratio of 2:1 The following factors were found to be independently associated with an increasing risk of DM occurrence among males: overweight (about 14 folds), family history of DM (9 folds), age above 50 years and history of hypertension (4 folds each). Whereas, among females the following risk factors were found: family history of DM (8 folds), history of gestational diabetes (6 folds) and overweight (4 folds). The majority of diabetic patients were poorly examined, investigated and managed; and an optimal level of glycaemic control was achieved in only 12.9% of the cases, as the PHC physicians didn't follow a model treatment plan for DM and due to unavailability of some equipment, laboratory facilities and essential drugs.

The role of primary health care in patient education for diabetes control.

The major components of diabetes management are dietary therapy, exercise and drug treatment. Therefore, education of people with diabetes is the cornerstone of management. The aim of the present work was to study the role of primary health care (PHC) in patient education for diabetes control in Alexandria. Accordingly, the knowledge and perception concerning diabetes and its management of all 88 PHC physicians and 104 nurses working in the two rural health centers and two randomly chosen urban health centers of Alexandria governorate were assessed by pre-designed self-administered questionnaire. All diabetic patients over 20 years of age attending the study health facilities over a period of two months were assessed for their knowledge and attitude concerning diabetes and self-management and asked about their degree of satisfaction with the provided PHC services by a pre-designed interview questionnaire. They amounted to 560 diabetic patients. The results revealed that the PHC physicians had sufficient knowledge about causes and complications of the disease, but insufficient knowledge about diagnosis and management, as only 10.2% & 4.5% of the physicians recognized the importance of regular exercise and patient education for diabetes management. Some misconceptions and false beliefs were observed among PHC nurses, as many of them considered diabetes a contagious disease or primarily caused by stress; that liver failure, hearing impairment and splenomegaly are among the complications of diabetes and that young age and immunodeficiency disorders are among the risk factors for developing diabetes. Moreover, most of them believed that the amount of carbohydrates given to diabetic patients should be reduced or even completely restricted; that vitamins are essential for all diabetic patients and that hot-water bottles are good for providing warmth to the diabetic feet. They also disagreed on the use of artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes. Most of the diabetic patients had poor knowledge about diabetes and its management (85.7%) and a negative attitude towards self-management (61.6%) and only 23.6% of them were satisfied with the services provided by the PHC facilities for diabetes control. They were mainly dissatisfied with the role of PHC physicians in patient education. Some misconceptions and false beliefs were also recognized among diabetic patients. Many of them considered diabetes a contagious disease or primarily caused by stress. They didn't know the importance of regular exercise in diabetes control. They also believed in the efficacy of herbal therapy in diabetes control; that vitamins are essential for all people with diabetes; that water intake should be decreased when passing large amounts of urine, that anti-diabetic drugs should be stopped during associated illnesses and that patients on insulin treatment can't be shifted to oral drugs. Moreover, they believed that the amount of carbohydrates in diet should be reduced or even restricted and that the amount of proteins should not be reduced. They also refused the use of artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes. Thus, it may be concluded that there is a serious gap in the provision of basic educational services to the majority of diabetic patients attending PHC facilities in Alexandria.

UV-B irradiation increases susceptibility of mice to malarial infection.

We here examined whether exposure of mice to UV-B affected their susceptibility to the murine malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi. When BALB/c mice with depilated skin were irradiated with UV-B and subsequently infected with the parasite, 80 to 100% of the UV-B-irradiated mice died within 12 days of infection with a sublethal dose. In addition, UV-B irradiation of C57BL/10 (B-10) mice, which are otherwise naturally resistant to the parasites, rendered them susceptible, and 100% of irradiated B-10 mice died within 11 days postinfection. The level of plasma gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in unirradiated B-10 mice at 5 days after infection increased to 566 pg/ml, whereas the UV-B exposure of mice impaired the production of IFN-gamma, which showed a maximum level of 65 pg/ml in response to the parasite infection. The maximum level of plasma interleukin-10 in UV-B-irradiated mice in response to the parasite infection was approximately 1,100 pg/ml, which was approximately fourfold higher than the maximum level in unirradiated control mice. When UV-B-irradiated B-10 mice were administered murine recombinant IFN-gamma after infection, the mice regained parasite resistance. These results demonstrated that the UV-B exposure of mice enhances the susceptibility to the malaria parasites and suggested that the enhanced susceptibility following UV-B exposure was mediated by impairment of IFN-gamma production in response to the parasite infection.

Serum biochemical values in two inbred strains of mastomys (Praomys coucha).

Serum samples collected from 119 (72 male and 47 female) mastomys (Praomys coucha) of 2 specific-pathogen-free inbred strains (RI4 and RI7) were analyzed for 12 serum biochemical parameters. Sex-related differences (p < 0.01) were noted in alkaline phosphatase and glucose; the both higher in females than in males. Age-related changes (p < 0.01) were observed in total protein, albumin, total cholesterol, and alkaline phosphatase, with higher values for the first three parameters in the older group (200-250 days of age) than in the younger group (90-140 days of age). Four out of 12 parameters showed strain-related differences (p < 0.01), consistent with the large amount of genetic heterogeneity reported in this species. These serum biochemical reference values should provide information for the use of mastomys in laboratory research.

Inhibition of listeriolysin O-induced hemolysis by bovine lactoferrin.

Lactoferrin (LFR) plays an important role in the anti-microbial defense through iron binding, lipopolysaccharide binding and immunomodulation. In this study, we demonstrate that bovine LFR specifically inhibits the hemolytic activity of listeriolysin O (LLO) produced by Listeria monocytogenes. The hemolytic activity of LLO was completely inhibited in the presence of bovine LFR that was highly purified on two cation-exchange columns, whereas that of streptolysin O or perfringolysin O was not inhibited at all. A rabbit anti-LFR antibody canceled this inhibitory activity of bovine LFR. Although human transferrin exhibits 62% amino acid identity with bovine LFR, human apo-transferrin could not inhibit LLO-induced hemolysis. An increase in the concentration of FeCl3 or the Fe3+-saturation of bovine LFR, however, slightly reduced its inhibition of the hemolysis. The inhibitory activity of bovine LFR was dependent on pH, since it was observed under neutral and alkali conditions, but not under acidic conditions. These results suggest that the inhibition of LLO-induced hemolysis by bovine LFR is influenced by pH and iron ions, both of which may lead to conformational changes of LFR.

Increased susceptibility of mice to malarial infection following UV-B irradiation.

Using a mouse model, we examined whether UV-B was a risk factor for malarial infection. Two mouse strains, susceptible (BALB/c) and resistant (C57BL/10) to murine malaria (Plasmodium chabaudi), were UV-preirradiated and infected with a sub-lethal dose of malaria parasite (104 and 105, respectively). Parasite growth was assayed with tail-blood smears counting parasitized red blood cells. Mice resistant to malaria were bled by heart puncture and the plasma cytokines were determined. Our results showed that UV-B irradiation worsened the malarial infection and 100% of the malaria-resistant mice strains died due to a usual infection at sub-lethal dose following UV-B irradiation. In the resistant mice strain infected with the parasite, the plasma IFN-gamma production was inhibited by UV-B irradiation and the maximum titer was about one-fifth of the non-irradiated mice. Furthermore, activation of macrophages from UV-irradiated mice also decreased compared with that of non-irradiated mice. IFN-gamma administration prevented the death of UV-B irradiated resistant mice and the cure ratio was 60%. In conclusion, UV-B increased the susceptibility of both strains of mice and impaired IFN-gamma production in the malaria-resistant mice strain.

Quality assessment of the primary health care services provided for ARI control in Alexandria.

The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of services provided for acute respiratory infections (ARI) control in Alexandria after about five years of its integration into primary health care (PHC). The ARI training coverage of actively practicing physicians was only 35% and of nurses 37.5%, due to inappropriate allocation of trained human resources. The knowledge of trained PHC physicians was slightly better than that of untrained staff and both were unsatisfactory. The main deficiency was in detecting the dangerous signs and in classifying "cough or difficult breathing", which resulted in missing all cases of "severe pneumonia" and "very severe disease" needing referral to higher levels, in order to reduce the ARI specific mortality rates. The rate of oral antibiotic abuse reached about 55%, which was much higher than that found in the ARI annual report 1997 and is more likely to be the true figure. On the other hand, long acting penicillin was underutilized, due to fear of its allergic reaction and oral antibiotics were used instead of it. Therefore, the later were unavailable at the PHC facilities for about 7 months, mainly during winter and spring time.

Sequence analysis of the actA gene of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from human.

The region encoding proline-rich units of actA genes was amplified from 24 strains of Listeria monocytogenes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products of 13 strains showed the expected size of 623 bp, whereas those of 11 strains showed a short size of 518 bp. The shortening of these PCR products resulted from the deletion of one proline-rich unit. These results indicate that ActA proteins are divided into at least two different types which are unrelated to bacterial serotypes.

Health status assessment of drug addicts in Alexandria.

The case-control study was conducted among addicts in Alexandria to determine the different health problems among them, as well as to study the correlation between addiction and these problems. One hundred drug addicts and eighty apparently healthy controls were included in this study. The whole sample was subjected to the following: filling a predesigned questionnaire sheet, clinical and electrocardiogram (ECG) examination, measurements of Body Mass Index (BMI), complete blood picture and antistreptolysin O titre (ASO), testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti HBc), skin scrapings from superficial fungal lesions in addition to complete urine and stool examination. The results revealed that chest rhonchi, hepatomegaly, central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities, skin lesions lymphadenopathy, underweight and anaemia were significantly higher among addicts than the controls. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) exposure and HBsAg seropositivity were found 48.0% and 21.0%, respectively among addicts compared to 26.3% and 5.0%, respectively among the controls. The intravenous injections and tattooing were the most risky routes for HBV infection among addicts. A positive correlation was revealed between HBV exposure and both the duration and the number of daily injections. Chest X-ray suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis were found in 7.0% of the addicts. Addiction potentiated the risk of fungal infection among low social class, but it had no effect on the relationship between anaemia and social class nor on that between loss of appetite and underweight.

Expression of listeriolysin O by intracellular Listeria monocytogenes following infection of lipopolysaccharide-treated or untreated J774.1 macrophage-like cells.

Listeria monocytogenes replicates in a phagocytic cell following escape into the host cytoplasm. Listeriolysin O, secreted by L. monocytogenes, which belongs to the thiol-activated hemolysin family, is known to play an important role in the escape of the bacterium into the host cytoplasm. In this study, we demonstrated that expression of listeriolysin O by infecting L. monocytogenes was lightly induced in J774.1 macrophage-like cells pretreated with lipopolysaccharide, although the growth of the bacteria was suppressed. The number of viable L. monocytogenes decreased until 4 h post-infection and then increased between 4 and 8 h post-infection in untreated J774.1 host cells, but it decreased until 8 h post-infection in lipopolysaccharide-treated host cells. However, expression of listeriolysin O by L. monocytogenes was not induced in the untreated host cells, while it increased 0 and 4 h post-infection in the lipopolysaccharide-treated host cells. Expression of listeriolysin O mRNA in the lipopolysaccharide-like cells. These results suggest that macrophage activation induced with lipopolysaccharide could lead to the expression of the listeriolysin O gene and the synthesis of listeriolysin O protein under suppression of the intracellular growth of L. monocytogenes.

Mosaic structures of neurotoxins produced from Clostridium botulinum types C and D organisms.

We isolated the gene encoding a botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) of 1285 amino acids with a molecular weight of 147,364 from the toxigenic bacteriophage d-sA of Clostridium botulinum type D strain South African (Dsa). The BoNT of Dsa (BoNT/Dsa) is composed of three regions on the basis of the homology to BoNT types C1 (BoNT/C1) and D (BoNT/D). The N-terminal (Met-1 to Val-522) and the C-terminal regions (Trp-945 to Glu-1285) have high identity to corresponding regions of BoNT/D (96% identity) and BoNT/C1 (74% identity), respectively. The core region (Pro-523 to Lys-944) is common to three toxins (83% to 92% identity). These results suggest that neurotoxins produced from Clostridium botulinum types C and D are composed in a mosaic-like fashion.

Molecular cloning of the gene encoding the mosaic neurotoxin, composed of parts of botulinum neurotoxin types C1 and D, and PCR detection of this gene from Clostridium botulinum type C organisms.

The DNA fragment common to the genes encoding botulinum neurotoxin types C1 (BN/C1) and D (BN/D) was amplified by PCR from the culture supernatant of Clostridium botulinum type C strain 6813 (C6813) that was treated with either DNase I or proteinase K but not from the supernatant that was treated with both DNase I and proteinase K, suggesting the neurotoxin gene is located on a certain bacteriophage DNA. Thus, to isolate the neurotoxin gene, we performed PCR with the culture supernatant of C6813 and seven primer pairs designed from the genes encoding BN/C1 and BN/D. The coding region in the connected sequence encodes a neurotoxin composed of 1,280 amino acids with a molecular weight of 147,817. The neurotoxin from C6813 has 95% amino acid identity to BN/C1, except for its C-terminal one-third, which is quite similar to the C-terminal one-third of BN/D (95% identity). When we performed PCRs with four primer pairs designed from the 5'-terminal two-thirds of the BN/C1 gene and two primers from the 3'-terminal one-third of the BN/D gene, DNA fragments of the expected sizes (0.5 to 1.3 kbp) could be amplified from C. botulinum type C strains 6812 and 6814. These results suggest that some strains of C. botulinum type C contain the gene encoding the mosaic neurotoxin composed of parts of BN/C1 and BN/D.

Development in vitro of preimplantation embryos from 55 mouse strains.

Mouse pronuclear embryos were obtained by in vitro fertilization with oocytes of 55 strains of immature females by gonadotrophin-induced ovulation and epididymal sperm of Slc:ICR strain. The number of oocytes ovulated with hormones (5.3-49.4 oocytes per head; average, 22.6), rates of in vitro fertilization (12.2-95.3%; average, 70.7%) and subsequent preimplantation development in Whitten's medium (WM) varied greatly among strains. F1 hybrids developed significantly better than other strains of mice and outbred animals did not develop as well as inbred animals. Within inbred mice, coat colour had no significant effect. In addition, the observation of preimplantation development in WM supplemented with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) showed that the beneficial effect of the chelator was not universal to mouse embryos; EDTA had a good effect on ICR and PW/aSlc embryos but not on AKR or ddY embryos. The results indicate that strain differences should be considered when interpreting reproductive experiments using mouse embryos.

Early ultrastructural glomerular alterations in neonatal nephrotic mice (ICGN strain).

ICGN is a strain of mice with hereditary nephrotic syndrome of an unknown cause. In this study, early glomerular alterations in newborn ICGN mice were observed with electron microscopy to gain a better insight into the onset of the disease. Development of the glomeruli was normal until fusion of epithelial and endothelial basement membranes in the developing capillary stage. From the maturing glomerulus stage onward, the fused glomerular basement membrane (GBM) increased in thickness by excessive accumulation of the basement membrane material secreted from the epithelial cells. This accumulation was followed by overall loss of epithelial foot processes in the glomeruli. These findings indicate that the disease in ICGN mice is caused by some defect(s) in the GMB maturation process, which may be crucial for the generation of the glomerular permselectivity.