Dissipation and Residues of Imidacloprid and Its Efficacy against Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, in Tomato Plants under Field Conditions.

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, is the main pest for many field and horticultural crops, causing main and significant problems. The efficiency of imidacloprid insecticide as seed treatment and foliar spray at three rates against the whitefly, B. tabaci, was evaluated in tomato plants under field conditions; in addition, insecticide residues were determined in tomato leaves and fruits. The obtained results revealed that the seedlings produced from treated seeds with imidacloprid were the most effective treatment in decreasing whitefly stages. Reduction percentages of whitefly stages in seedlings produced from treated seeds and sprayed with ½, ¾ and 1 field rates of imidacloprid were more than that produced from untreated seeds. Tomato fruit yield in seedlings produced from treated seeds and sprayed with one recommended rate of imidacloprid was more than that of untreated seeds. The residues of imidacloprid in leaves and fruits in seedlings produced from treated seeds and sprayed with field rate were more than that of untreated seeds; additionally, the residues were higher in leaves than in fruits. The residual level in fruits was less than the maximum residual level (MRL = 1 mg kg-1) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The half-life (t ½) was 6.99 and 6.48 days for leaves and fruits of seedlings produced from treated seeds and 5.59 and 4.59 days for untreated seeds. Residues in tomato fruits were less than the MRL, therefore, imidacloprid is considered an unconventional insecticide appropriate for B. tabaci control that could be safe for the environment.

Efficacy of modified constraint-induced movement therapy in acute stroke.

BACKGROUND: Modified constraint induced movement therapy (m-CIMT) discourages the use of the unaffected extremity and encourages the active use of the hemiplegic arm in order to restore the motor function. AIM: The aim was to assess the efficacy of m-CIMT on functional recovery of upper extremity (UE) in acute stroke patients, as compared to conventional rehabilitation therapy. DESIGN: This is a prospective comparative study. SETTING: This study included sixty patients with acute stroke recruited from neurology department. METHODS: This study included sixty acute stroke patients. Inclusion criteria were: patients within two weeks from the onset of stroke, persistent hemiparesis leading to impaired upper extremity function, evidence of preserved cognitive function, and a minimum of 10 degrees of active finger extension and 20 degrees of active wrist extension. Exclusion criteria were: intra-cerebral hemorrhage, previous stroke on the same side, presence of neglect or a degree of aphasia impeding understanding of instructions, and conditions that limit the use of the upper limb before the stroke. Patients were assessed by Fugl-Meyer motor assessment (FMA), action research arm test (ARAT) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs), recorded from the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) of the affected hand. The clinical and neurophysiological tests were performed pre and postrehabilitation. The patients were divided into two groups: Conventional rehabilitation program group (CRP) included 30 patients who were given a conventional rehabilitation program for two weeks. CIMT group included 30 patients who were subjected to modified CIMT for two consecutive weeks. Total treatment time was the same in both groups. RESULTS: CRP group showed a non-significant improvement in FMA and ARAT. CIMT group showed a significant improvement in clinical scores on all tests (P<0.05). When comparing both groups using FMA and ARAT tests pre- and post- therapy, a significant difference (P<0.05) was found between both groups with CIMT group showing greater improvement. When comparing MEPs in CRP group, pre and postrehabilitation, a non-significant improvement was found for resting motor threshold (RMT), central motor conduction time (CMCT) and amplitude of MEPs. In contrast, each of the MEP parameters exhibited a significant improvement in CIMT group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In contrast to conventional rehabilitation therapy, modified CIMT revealed a significant functional and MEP improvement in acute stroke patients indicating that m-CIMT might be a more efficient treatment strategy. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: It is advised to use modified constraint movement therapy in rehabilitation of cerebrovascular stroke during acute stage.

Engineering judgment of children bone fracture.

Supracondylar humerus fracture (SCHF) is one of the commonest elbow fractures in children. It is common injury for children with age from four to fourteen. In current study, the finite element technique is used to evaluate two techniques, namely, parallel and crossed K-wire fixation for treatment of SCHF, using K-wire fixation.

One-stage bilateral open reduction through a medial approach in developmental dysplasia of the hip.

The outcome of one-stage bilateral open reduction through a medial approach for the treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip in children under 18 months was studied in 23 children, 18 girls and five boys. Their mean age at operation was 10.1 months (6 to 17) and the mean follow-up was 5.4 years (3 to 8). Acceptable clinical and radiological results were achieved in 44 (95.7%) and 43 (93.5%) of 46 hips, respectively. Excellent results were significantly evident in patients younger than 12 months, those who did not require acetabuloplasty, those whose ossific nucleus had appeared, and in those who did not develop avascular necrosis. One-stage bilateral medial open reduction avoids the need for separate procedures on the hips and has the advantages of accelerated management and shorter immobilisation and rehabilitation than staged operations.

Displaced fracture of the distal radius in children: factors responsible for redisplacement after closed reduction.

We retrospectively reviewed 183 children with a simple fracture of the distal radius, with or without fracture of the ulna, treated by closed reduction and cast immobilisation. The fracture redisplaced after an initial, acceptable closed reduction in 46 (25%). Complete initial displacement was identified as the most important factor leading to redisplacement. Other contributing factors were the presence of an ipsilateral distal ulnar fracture, and the reduction of completely displaced fractures under deep sedation or local haematoma block. We recommend that completely displaced fractures of the distal radius in children should be reduced under general anaesthesia, and fixed by primary percutaneous Kirschner wires even when a satisfactory closed reduction has been achieved.

Clinical and microbiologic determinants of serious bloodstream infections in Egyptian pediatric cancer patients: a one-year study.

OBJECTIVES: Bloodstream infections (BSI) remain a major cause of morbidity and death in patients undergoing treatment for cancer. However, all recent epidemiological and therapeutic studies underline the absolute need for knowledge of the factors governing the infections in each center. The aim of this study is to identify the factors affecting BSI in the pediatric service of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Cairo University. More tailored policies for the treatment of patients with febrile neutropenia following chemotherapy can then be created. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Over a 12-month period, all children with cancer and fever, with or without neutropenia, who were admitted to the NCI for empirical therapy of febrile episodes and who had a microbiologically confirmed bloodstream infection were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 328 BSI occurred in 1135 febrile episodes in pediatric cancer patients at the NCI in one year. Gram-positive bacteria were isolated in 168 episodes (51.2%) and 61.9% of the total isolates (either single or mixed), Gram-negative in 97 (29.6%), and mixed infections in 45 (13.7%). The common causative agents of bloodstream infections in this study were coagulase-negative staphylococci (16.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (13.4%), Streptococcus spp. (12.1%) followed by Acinetobacter spp. (6.7%) and Pseudomonas spp. (5.5%). Fungemia was encountered in 18 episodes, being mixed in nine of them. A more serious BSI in terms of a prolonged episode was encountered in 30.2% of the episodes and was significantly associated with patients being hospitalized, having intensified chemotherapy, polymicrobial and fungal infection, lower respiratory tract infections and persistent neutropenia at day seven. CONCLUSIONS: In a large population of children, common clinical and laboratory risk factors were identified that can help predict more serious BSI. These results encourage the possibility of a more selective management strategy for these children.

Assessment of bone turnover by measurement of serum estradiol and interleukin-6.

This study was done in a trial to understand how estrogen performs its antiosteoporotic action. Twenty six postmenopausal women and twenty premenopausal women were included in the study. We measured serum estradiol, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and osteocalcin. We found a highly significant difference in serum estradiol and IL-6 between the two groups. In postmenopausal group, there was a negative significant correlation between estradiol level and both IL-6 and osteocalcin levels. Also there was a significant positive correlation between serum osteocalcin and IL-6. For the premenopausal group of patients there was no significant correlation between any of the parameters. When correlating the parameters of all the 46 patients, there was a highly negative significant correlation between estradiol level and IL-6 and a negative significant correlation between estradiol level and osteocalcin, while there was a positive significant correlation between osteocalcin and IL-6. We can conclude that estrogen exerts its antiosteoporotic effect by modulating the production of IL-6, thus inhibiting its stimulatory effect on osteoblasts.