Assessment of Serum Level of Paraoxonase-1 in Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatological disease with a strong genetic predisposition and autoimmune pathogenic traits. The hallmark of psoriasis is sustained inflammation that leads to uncontrolled keratinocyte proliferation and dysfunctional differentiation. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate serum level of paraoxonase-1 in psoriasis patients compared to control group. Patients and methods: This research included 50 psoriasis patients and 40 healthy controls that were comparable in age and sex to the cases category. They were chosen at random from the Outpatient Clinic of Dermatology Department, Mansoura University Hospitals. Results: Psoriasis group showed significantly lower level of paraoxonase-1 when compared to control group (median=35.6 versus 54.5; p < 0.001). Additionally, median paraoxonase-1 level decreased gradually with increased psoriasis grades (p < 0.001). No significant associations were found regarding paraoxonase-1 level according to gender, smoking, and FH in psoriasis group (p > 0.05 for each). Paraoxonase-1 level showed significant negative correlation with PASI score (p < 0.001), but not with age, onset, or duration (p > 0.05 for each). Lower paraoxonase-1 level was considered as independent predictor of psoriasis development. Lower paraoxonase-1 level was considered as independent predictor of psoriasis severity (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Paraoxonase-1 level in psoriasis patients had substantially lower levels than healthy controls. Paraoxonase1 level showed significant negative correlations with PASI score. Lower baseline paraoxonase-1 level was suggested to be independent risk predictor for psoriasis occurrence and severity

Bio- and Sequence Stratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous – Palaeogene rocks, East Bahariya Concession, Western Desert, Egypt

This work deals with the plankton stratigraphy of the subsurface Upper Cretaceous-Palaeogene succession of theEast Bahariya Concession based on planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils. The examination of the cuttings from five wells: AQSA-1X, KARMA-E-1X, KARMA-3X, KARMA-NW-1X and KARMA-NW-5X is biostratigraphically evaluated. It is possible to identify the planktonic foraminifera as well as the calcareous nannofossil biozones. The analyses of calcareous nannofossils revealed the presence of several hiatuses. Information obtained from well data such as seismic facies analysis for the studied area has enabled classification of the Upper Cretaceous Palaeogene succession into five major 2nd order depositional sequences, separated by four major depositional sequence boundaries (SB1, SB2, SB3 and SB4). The Upper Cretaceous-Palaeogene succession in the East Bahariya is dividedinto 17 systems tracts. These systems tracts are: 7 System tracts of probable Cenomanian age, (the sequence stratigraphic framework as well as the cycles and system tracts of the Cenomanian Bahariya Formation match well with thoseof CATUNEANUet al., 2006); 4 System tracts of Turonianage, 2 System tracts of Campanian-Maastrichtian ageand 4 System tracts of Eocene age.</p

Establishment of a gnotobiotic pig model of Clostridioides difficile infection and disease

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium known to be the most common cause of hospital-acquired and antibiotic-associated diarrhea. C. difficile infection rates are on the rise worldwide and treatment options are limited, indicating a clear need for novel therapeutics. Gnotobiotic piglets are an excellent model to reproduce the acute pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) caused by C. difficile due to their physiological similarities to humans and high susceptibility to infection. Here, we established a gnotobiotic pig model of C. difficile infection and disease using a hypervirulent strain. C. difficile-infected pigs displayed classic signs of C. difficile infection, including severe diarrhea and weight loss. Inoculated pigs had severe gross and microscopic intestinal lesions. C. difficile infection caused an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines in samples of serum, large intestinal contents, and pleural effusion. C. difficile spores and toxins were detected in the feces of inoculated animals as tested by anaerobic culture and cytotoxicity assays. Successful establishment of this model is key for future work as therapeutics can be evaluated in an environment that accurately mimics what happens in humans. The model is especially suitable for evaluating potential prophylactics and therapeutics, including vaccines and passive immune strategies.Instituto de VirologíaFil: Nyblade, Charlotte. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Parreño, Gladys Viviana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Virología e Innovaciones Tecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Parreño, Gladys Viviana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Parreño, Gladys Viviana. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Zhou, Peng. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Hensley, Casey. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Oakes, Vanessa. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Mahsoub, Hassan M. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Mahsoub, Hassan M. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod‑Borne Pathogens; Estados UnidosFil: Kiley, Kelsey. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Frazier, Maggie. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Frazier, Annie. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Zhang, Yongrong. University of Maryland at Baltimore. Department of Microbial Pathogenesis; Estados UnidosFil: Feng, Hanping. University of Maryland at Baltimore. Department of Microbial Pathogenesis; Estados UnidosFil: Yuan, Lijuan. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Yuan, Lijuan. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod‑Borne Pathogens; Estados Unido

Management of Extremity Venous Thrombosis in Neonates and Infants: An Experience From a Resource Challenged Setting

We aimed to evaluate the outcome of different treatment modalities for extremity venous thrombosis (VT) in neonates and infants, highlighting the current debate on their best tool of management. This retrospective study took place over a 9-year period from January 2009 to December 2017. All treated patients were referred to the vascular and pediatric surgery departments from the neonatal intensive care unit. All patients underwent a thorough history-taking as well as general clinical and local examination of the affected limb. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group I included those who underwent a conservative treated with the sole administration of unfractionated heparin (UFH), whereas group II included those who were treated with UFH plus warfarin. Sixty-three patients were included in this study. They were 36 males and 27 females. Their age ranged from 3 to 302 days. Forty-one (65%) patients had VT in the upper limb, whereas the remaining 22 (35%) had lower extremity VT. The success rate of the nonsurgical treatment was accomplished in 81% of patients. The remaining 19% underwent limb severing, due to established gangrene. The Kaplan-Meier survival method revealed a highly significant increase in both mean and median survival times in those groups treated with heparin and warfarin compared to heparin-only group (P < .001). Nonoperative treatment with anticoagulation or observation (ie, wait-and-see policy) alone may be an easily applicable, effective, and a safe modality for management of VT in neonates and infants, especially in developing countries with poor or highly challenged resource settings

Distinguishing rift-related from inversion-related anticlines: Observations from the Abu Gharadig and Gindi Basins, Western Desert, Egypt

Distinguishing the tectonic origin of anticlinal structures is problematic in regions with a complex history of rifting and inversion. We present the results of seismic mapping, in the form of time-depth (isochron) and time-thickness maps to characterize how sedimentary thickness differentials evolved in response to normal faulting and to inversion events on faults within the Abu Gharadig and Gindi Basins in the Western Desert of Egypt. Late Cretaceous rift-related faults in the Abu Gharadig Basin strike NW-SE, W-E and SW-NE. In the eastern part of the basin, a prominent SW-NE trending interbasinal saddle formed in response to preferential subsidence forming half-grabens to its north-west and southeast, during the Mid-Turonian to Santonian interval. Santonian to Palaeogene inversion in the Abu Gharadig Basin developed on its northern basin margin, the absence of SW-NE striking faults in the eastern central basin resulting in any inversion effects being minor. In the central Gindi Basin, Upper Cenomanian to Lower Turonian SW-NE striking rift faults underwent inversion as early as the Mid-Turonian. The orientation of existing rift faults and modification of the local stress fields control the extent to which inversion was taken up in each basin trough time. The Abu Gharadig and Gindi Basins are two of the rift basins developed in West and Central Africa that underwent rifting, inversion and dextral shearing during the Late Cretaceous. We emphasize the value of high-resolution stratigraphic mapping to characterize short-lived and subtle pop-up events that may have gone unnoticed

CHILD LABOR IN THE GLOBAL MARKET

Child labor is one of the worst forms of abuse imposed on children from mostly impoverished areas in parts of the world. It is crucial to know where a consumer’s goods and products come from to maintain an ethical approach to how consumers do business and make purchasing decisions. The ability for a consumer to research where they are spending their money, and what business practices the companies they purchase through have, relies upon the consumer doing what is morally and ethically right and knowing exactly where their money is going and to whom. A smart and conscious consumer in today’s market, especially with the expansion of online purchases, will take their time to research the company and product they are buying from. Governments and companies use child labor for their own benefit and gain, giving little to nothing to the children or their families. Some goods that are produced or raw materials that are harvested by children, are sometimes dangerous and the children end up deceased. Therefore, it is critical for responsible consumers to know what they are buying, and from whom. Keywords: Child labor, child, children, human traffickin

Real Time PCR-Based Infectivity Assay and Characterization of Cell Surface Receptors for Turkey Hemorrhagic Enteritis Virus

Turkey hemorrhagic enteritis virus (THEV) is responsible for the hemorrhagic enteritis (HE) disease in commercial turkeys through infections by its virulent strains. HE is an acute condition characterized by depression, immunosuppression, bloody droppings, intestinal hemorrhage, and death. THEV (also known as turkey adenovirus 3) is an official member of the family Adenoviridae, genus Siadenovirus, species Turkey siadenovirus A. Two main types of live vaccines are currently used for the protection of turkeys against HE; a crude splenic vaccine propagated in live turkeys, and a cell culture-based vaccine generated in RP19 cells. The only laboratory-adapted tests for assessing the titers of these vaccines are agar gel immunodiffusion test and cell culture endpoint dilution, respectively. The assays suffer from low sensitivity, inaccuracy, and time consumption. A SYBR Green-based real time PCR assay for determining the genomic titer of THEV through the quantification of its hexon gene was developed. The assay was applied as a quality control for the titration of splenic vaccines and was found useful in distinguishing the differences in virus titer among many vaccine batches. Additionally, using the qPCR assay along with a cell culture system, a novel infectivity assay was developed for the titration of THEV, as an alternative for the endpoint dilution assay. Applying the assay on nine batches of commercial HE cell culture vaccines, high variations in infectious virus titers were detected. The new method is rapid, sensitive, and very accurate. A strong correlation was found between the genomic titer and qPCR infectious titer in HE cell culture vaccines. Moreover, the qPCR infectivity assay proved as an instrumental research tool. It was used to measure the effect of several treatments of RP19 cells on virus infection. The main target cell type for THEV infection and replication is B-lymphocytes, which are represented in vitro by the B lymphoblastoid, RP19 cells. The cellular surface components used by the virus to gain entry into cells are unknown. As an adenovirus, we hypothesized that THEV uses two different molecules on RP19 cells for the attachment and internalization. A recent study has shown that the synthesized THEV fiber knob domain binds to sialyllactose, based on a glycan array analysis. In our studies, the treatment of RP19 cells with neuraminidases and lectins resulted in high reduction of virus entry, which provide a strong evidence of the utilization of cell surface sialic acids as attachment receptor for THEV. Destruction of surface carbohydrates and proteins on RP19 cells also reduced virus entry, indicating that these components are part of the THEV receptor. Using virus overlay protein blot assay, THEV was found to specifically bind to two RP19 surface membrane proteins, most likely, representing primary and secondary receptors for virus entry. Further studies are required to identify these proteins and verify their role in THEV endocytosis in host cells.Ph. D