Work stress, work-family conflict, and psychological distress among resort employees: a JD-R model and spillover theory perspectives.

The hospitality industry is well-known for its challenging and high-pressure work settings. In this context, employees commonly face a multitude of stressors originating from their roles and job responsibilities, which can significantly impact their psychological wellbeing. Hence, based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and the spillover theory, this study aims to empirically explore the direct and indirect effect of work stress (assessed by role overload, ambiguity, and conflict) on psychological distress among frontline employees in 3- and 4-star Egyptian resorts while considering the mediating influence of work-family conflict (WFC). Four hypotheses were put to the test through the application of the PLS-SEM 4.0 version (4.0.9.9). Based on the findings from 563 frontline employees who participated in this research, the study supports the four hypotheses affirming that work-related stressors significantly contributed to employees' psychological distress. Further, the findings highlighted that these stressors significantly spill over into employees' family lives, generating conflicts between work and family roles. In addition, the results emphasized the significance of WFC as a contributing factor to employees' psychological distress. Finally, the study concluded that WFC partially mediates the link between work stress and employees' psychological distress. Based on these findings, some theoretical and practical implications for hospitality scholars, resort management, and policymakers were suggested to enhance the employees' wellbeing and mitigate psychological distress in this vital sector.

Regulation of miR-126 and miR-122 Expression and Response of Imatinib Treatment on Its Expression in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been observed to exhibit altered expression patterns in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the clinical importance of miR-126 and miR-122 expression in concert to imatinib response in CML patients. METHODS: The present study included 100 CML and 100 healthy subjects. The expression of the 2 miRNAs was performed using TaqMan probe chemistry, and snU6 was used as internal control. RESULTS: The expression of miR-126 and miR-122 was downregulated in CML patients, with a mean fold change ± SD 0.20 ± 0.33 and 0.22 ± 0.37, respectively. While the expression of both miRNAs was analysed before and after imatinib treatment, it was observed that the expression levels of both were increased after imatinib treatment by 26.25-fold (5.33 against 0.20) and 13.95-fold (3.07 against 0.22) and the increase was statistically significant (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). The expression of miR-126 was not conclusive when compared in different clinical stages of the CML disease as it showed a decreased expression in patients with accelerated phase compared to chronic phase (mean fold change = 0.03 and 0.27, respectively), but patients with chronic phase and blastic phase had comparable expression (mean fold change = 0.27 and 0.24, respectively). We also observed an increased expression of both miRNAs after imatinib therapy in each clinical phase. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that expression of miR-126 and miR-122 increases after imatinib treatment in CML patients and that miR-126 defines the good responders of imatinib therapy.

Frequency and genotyping of alpha thalassemia in individuals undergoing premarital screening.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency of alpha thalassemia and detect mutations in the alpha genes in individuals undergoing premarital screening. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at King Fahad Central Hospital, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, from January 2018 to May 2019, and comprised blood samples of individuals visiting the premarital screening clinic. The samples were analyzed for complete blood counts and haemoglobin electrophoresis. Molecular analysis of samples suspected for alpha thalassemia was done using alpha-globin StripAssay kit. Data was anlaysed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Of the 3,970 samples analysed, 1,859(46.83%) were from males and 2,111(53.17%) from females. The overall frequency of suspected alpha thalassemia was 4.43% based upon haematological parameters including complete blood count and haemoglobin electrophoresis. Overall, 80 suspected samples were selected for genetic analyses, and, of them, 76 (95%) were positive for deletional and non-deletional mutations of alpha-globin genes, while 4 (5%) were negative for any of the 21 mutations tested. CONCLUSIONS: Alpha thalassemia was found to be highly prevalent in the study area.

Corrigendum to "An Unusual Cause of Bleeding in a Patient with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Chronic Phase".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2019/5674193.].

An Unusual Cause of Bleeding in a Patient with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Chronic Phase.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterized by dysregulated and uncontrolled proliferation of mature and maturing granulocytes with normal differentiation. A genetic hallmark of CML is the presence of the fusion gene product BCR-ABL. Bleeding diathesis in CML patients is rare (<10%) and primarily caused by acquired platelet dysfunction. We report a rare case of an adult CML chronic phase patient who presented with spontaneous muscle hematoma due to acquired Glanzmann's thrombasthenia (GT). On laboratory workup, a GT was confirmed along with the diagnosis of CML in chronic phase. The muscle hematoma was completely resolved following imatinib therapy. The present case demonstrates that bleeding is a complication of MPNs and highlights the importance of both acquired GT diagnosis to determine the cause of bleeding in CML and of prompt treatment with imatinib to reverse this condition.

Concurrent juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia with thalassemia in a case with Plasmodium knowlesi infection from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

A 3-year-old male child was presented with worsening abdominal pain, abdominal distension, lethargy, pallor and hepatosplenomegaly. The patient had multiple outpatient visits in the past and was treated with oral antibiotics, oral anthelmintic agents, albeit with minimal benefit. The patient also had non-neutropenic pyrexia spikes and oral ulcers. The patient was an adopted child; hence details about his biological parents' previous history were unclear. Differential diagnosis of Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML), Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML), Gaucher's disease, Thalassemia and discrete pancreatic pathology was considered. Hemoglobin electrophoresis was indicative of thalassemia. Also, molecular detection method by polymerase chain reaction confirms a concurrent infection with Plasmodium knowlesi malaria. The BCR-ABL fusion gene was found to be negative. Correlating with peripheral monocytosis, bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy with blasts only 3-4% and hepatosplenomegaly, a diagnosis of JMML was established. We present a rare phenomenon with an overlap of signs and symptoms between JMML, underlying thalassemia, and Plasmodium knowlesi, posing a diagnostic challenge to physicians.

microRNA-21 Expression as Prognostic and Therapeutic Response Marker in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia Patients.

Background: Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder categorized by malignant transformation of a single stem cell of hematopoietic cells. microRNAs (miRNAs) belong to transcription regulators in hematopoiesis and their altered expression associates with pathogenesis of CML. Aim: Current study aimed to access the miR-21 expression profile in CML patients and therapy response as well as its prognostic significance. Methods: 100 CML cases, 100 controls were included in study and miR-21 expression was analyzed. Overall 9.22 mean fold increased expression was observed in CML patients before treatment. Results: Patients with different CML phases such as chronic phase, accelerated phase and blast crisis showed 7.16, 10.30 and 13.20 fold increased expression respectively. Overall 3.57 mean fold expression was observed in imatinib treated patients suggested more than 5 fold decreased expression in CML patients. Prognostic significance was calculated and observed that miR-21 expression at 7.29 fold cutoff, 75% sensitivity and 50% specificity was observed (AUC=0.75, p<0.0001). Study observed miR-21 overexpression in CML patients as well as gradually increased expression with advancement of disease. Conclusion: miR-21 overexpression represented molecular prognostic marker and predictive tool enabling efficient monitoring of drug response and therapy outcomes in CML patients.

Influence of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Promoter Gene Polymorphisms (-174G>C, -572G>C, and -597G>A) on IL-6 Plasma Levels and Their Impact in the Development of Acute Ischemic Stroke in Young Indians.

This study aimed to determine whether there is an influence of interleukin 6 (IL-6) gene promoter polymorphisms on IL-6 plasma levels and its role in the development of ischemic stroke in young Indians. One hundred young patients with ischemic stroke (age ≥ 45 years) and equal number of age- and sex-matched controls were genotyped for 174G>C, -572G>C, and -597G>A promoter polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Plasma IL-6 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Plasma IL-6 levels were significantly higher in patients as compared to controls (patients: 28.61 ± 8.61 pg/mL, controls: 7.60 ± 4.10 pg/mL, P = .001). Both -174G>C (allelic χ2/P value: 4.79/.028, genotypic χ2/P value: 5.3/.021) and -572G>C (allelic χ2/P value: 9.63/.00113 Genotypic χ2/P value: 74/.0002) polymorphisms exhibited genotypic as well as allelic significant association with the disease phenotype. Comparison was made between patients and controls for all 3 polymorphisms using a recessive model with respect to plasma IL-6 levels; no polymorphism showed any significant correlative association with the increased IL-6 levels (P = .31, .51, .32). Interleukin 6 is an inflammatory marker that is considerably influenced by nongenetic factors and is not a good candidate gene for studying genetic components associated with ischemic stroke. It seems that the variability in IL-6 levels is an integrated effect of nongenetic influences and the inflammatory events that follow ischemic stroke instead of being its cause. It is suggested that there is no direct association between -174G>C, -572G>C, and -597G>A polymorphisms and elevated IL-6 levels in the development of ischemic stroke.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C virus infection and their co-relation with hematological and hepatic parameters in subjects undergoing Premarital Screening in the Jazan Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis is a serious health concern with a high rate of mortality and morbidity world over. Saudi Arabia also has its course of the disease incidence. The data on the prevalence of the disease is still limiting. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus [HBV] and hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection in the Jazan region and study its effects on hematological and hepatic parameters. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at premarital screening centre located in King Fahd Central Hospital, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A total of 7,826, Saudi couples undertaking premarital screening from Jazan region, were enrolled in the study and screened between January 2014 and June 2015 for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Complete blood counts and hepatic profile were carried out for individuals who were Hepatitis B and or C virus positive. RESULTS: A higher prevalence of hepatitis virus infection in male participants [HBV 1.9%; HCV 0.4%] than in females [HBV 1.43%; HCV 0.2%] was seen. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) ratios were significantly decreased among HBV- and HCV-infected patients. The concentration of hepatic enzymes showed a statistically significant increase in seropositive individuals. The levels of albumin were significantly decreased in individuals with hepatitis B and C when compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The study concludes that the prevalence of HBV infection among Saudi subjects in Jazan was higher than the prevalence of HCV infection, and both HBV and HCV were higher in men than in women.

Effect of Intravenous Iron Supplementation on Hepcidin Levels in Iron Deficient Pregnant Females in Second and Third Trimester.

Objective of the study was to assess effect of iron therapy on serum hepcidin levels in iron deficient pregnant women and its correlation with hemoglobin, serum iron profile and C-reactive protein (CRP). A total of 100 pregnant women were enrolled in the study; 25 were included in the "control group" having normal hematological and biochemical parameters while 75 iron deficient pregnant women were enrolled in the "patient group" with low hematological and biochemical parameters. CRP was done to rule out inflammation and to observe its association with hepcidin. Intravenous iron was administered to the patient group. Post treatment CBC, serum iron, serum ferritin and serum hepcidin were determined. Difference between pre and post treatment hemoglobin, serum iron, serum ferritin and serum hepcidin levels were determined and correlation among them was calculated. Post treatment serum hepcidin levels were significantly higher than pretreatment level (p = 0.001). However, no correlation was seen between serum hepcidin, serum iron, serum ferritin and hemoglobin. Hepcidin levels remain low during pregnancy as there is increased demand for iron in pregnancy. Iron supplementation results in increased hepcidin levels; however no mathematical correlation was found between serum hepcidin level and serum iron profile.

The Role of PAI-1 4G/5G Promoter Polymorphism and Its Levels in the Development of Ischemic Stroke in Young Indian Population.

The plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene has been found to be associated with the pathogenesis and progression of vascular diseases including stroke. A 4G/5G, PAI-1 gene polymorphism has been found to be associated with the plasma PAI-1 levels in different ethnic populations but results are still controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the potential association of 4G/5G polymorphism and plasma PAI-1 levels in the development of ischemic stroke (IS) in young Asian Indians. One hundred patients with IS and an equal number of age- and sex-matched controls were studied. The 4G/5G polymorphism was genotyped in the study population through allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. Plasma PAI-1 levels were evaluated using a commercial kit. The PAI-1 levels were significantly higher in patients when compared to the controls ( P = .03). The variant 4G allele for the PAI-I 4G/5G polymorphism showed both genotypic ( P = .0013, χ2 = 10.303; odds ratio [OR] = 3.75) as well as allelic association ( P = .0004, χ2 = 12.273; OR = 1.99) with IS. The homozygous variant 4G/4G also was found to be associated with the higher PAI-1 levels (0.005). The variant allele 4G of PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism and higher plasma PAI-1 levels were found to be significantly associated with IS in young Asian Indians.