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Sickle cell disease (SCD), a chronic debilitating disorder that may negatively affect health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). In this observational, case–control study, we aim to assess the prevalence of impaired psychosocial profile and poor HRQoL among SCD patients and their caregivers as well as to determine the association of such impairment with parameters of disease severity. Sixty-five children and adolescents with SCD and 65 age- and sex-matched healthy controls and their caregivers were recruited. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected, and a thorough clinical and psychiatric assessments and HR QoL were conducted. Recruited children and adolescents with SCD were 34 (52.3%) boys and 31 (47.7%) girls, and their mean age was 11.40 ± 3.55. Most of them (n = 44, 67.7%) had sickle HbSβ+, and vaso-occlusive crises were the most common causes for hospital admission (n = 24, 36.9%). Children with SCD and their caregivers had depression and anxiety symptoms scores higher than reported in the control group. Children with SCD had significantly less self-esteem and less QoL scores with the least scores were in the communication domain. This adverse psychological profile was significantly negatively correlated with the age of the child, duration of illness, number and duration of hospitalizations, disease severity score, and occurrence of complications. We conclude that HRQoL of children suffering from SCD, and their caregivers are adversely affected necessitating implementation of interventions which focus on reducing depressive symptoms, enhancing self-esteem and QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-purpose cereals culturally provide the opportunity to graze a crop during the vegetative phase, and still harvest grain yield at the end of the growing season. It can also help to face climatic changes like frost or dry conditions risk. The aim of the study was to determine the benefits of a dual-purpose barley culture in relation to livestock feed, human nutrition, risk mitigation, and whether a malting variety can also be used for dual-purpose use. A field experiment was carried out in the farm of Nubaria Agricultural Research Station, El-Behera Governorate, Egypt, using five barley varieties during the two successive growing seasons of 2019/2020 - 2020/2021 for dual purpose utilization. No significant differences between the two seasons. The cutting treatment revealed significant or highly significant differences on all studied traits except number of tillers.m-2 and number of spikes.m-2. Green forage weight was highly significantly affected. Concerning normal cultivation, the differences among the five barley cultivars were highly significant for all studied traits except number of spikes m-2. Significant or highly significant differences were found among studied traits concerning cultivars and cutting treatment interaction. Normal cultivation conditions also exhibited that Giza 132 gave the highest grain yield followed by Giza133 and Giza 126. While Giza 2000 gave the heaviest green forage weight followed by Giza 133 and Giza 126 under dual purpose utilization. Moreover, under dual purpose utilization, Giza 126 and Giza 2000 were the best barley cultivars for both green forage and grain yield production. The existing improved dual barley variety conserve the purpose in specified environment as alternative for the green forage demand without sacrificing the grain yield in the rainfed, arid, and semi-arid regions of Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the high environmental risks of chemical pesticides, biological control of plant pests with bio-pesticides is highly encouraged and recommended. Chitosan and oligochitosan are well-known biological control agents for their nontoxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible properties. A field experiment was conducted at Nubaria Research Station during the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 growing seasons to study the effect of different applications of chitosan on barley plants against aphid infestation under field artificial infestation conditions as well as yield and physiologic related traits. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications and seven treatments among spraying, soaking, and combinations between them at two concentrations 250 and 500 mg. The study results revealed that there were significant variations among the seven treatments for all studied traits. The highest mortality percent was obtained from the treatment T7 (soaking seeds & spraying with 500 mg/L.), which was 99.5 % compared with untreated 2.66%; this treatment induced an increase in the thickness of grains and stem tissues, which caused a reduction in the feeding of aphids, resulting in a clear drop in population number. Significant increases were recorded for total phenolic content, protein content, yield and its components in T7 and T5 treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic, debilitating disorder can negatively affect health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes in SCD. Aim of the Study: Primary objective was to assess the prevalence of impaired psychosocial profile and poor HRQoL among SCD patients and their caregivers in comparison to age and sex matched controls, while secondary objective was to determine the association of such impairment if any with parameters of disease severity. Methods: An observational, case control study recruited sixty-five children and adolescent with confirmed SCD, conducted at Paediatric Haematology Oncology clinic, Ain Shams University, Egyptfrom1st of August 2020 to 28th of February 2021. Demographic and clinical data were collected, and thorough clinical and psychiatric assessments were conducted. Quality-of-life (QoL) of both children and their caregivers were performed compared to 65 matched healthy control. Results: sixty five children and adolescents with confirmed SCD were included; there were 34 (52.3%) boys and 31 (47.7%) girls and their mean age was 11.40 ± 3.55. Most patients 44(67.7%) had sickle HbSβ+-thalassemia, the most frequent manifestations were vasoooclusive crises in 24 (36.9%) patients, The most common causes for hospital admission were pain crisis in 14 (33.3%) patients and vasoocclusive crisis in 14 (33.3%). Results indicated that patients with SCD and their caregivers had depression and anxiety symptoms scores more than reported in control group. Sickle children had significantly less self-esteem and quality of life than control children, least scores in sickle children QOL were in communication domain. These were significant negative consequences, advanced age, duration of illness, number and duration of hospitalizations, disease severity score and occurrence of complications were associated with psychological disorders. Conclusion: The QOoL of children suffered from SCD and their caregivers is adversely affected necessitate implementation of interventions which focus on reducing depressive symptoms, enhancing self-esteem and QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Thoughts and feelings of stress and worry are common for any person facing the challenges of a serious illness. Aim The aim was to assess the effect of COVID-19 on the psychological well-being of patients with malignancy compared with age-matched and sex-matched controls and to compare the psychological effect of COVID-19 with the psychological effect of malignancy among the patient group. Patients and methods This case–control study included 46 participants diagnosed with malignancy who were compared with 45 healthy age-matched and sex-matched individuals serving as a control group. Their ages were more than 8 years. All patients and controls were subjected to history taking with an emphasis on age, sex, educational level, history of chronic medical illness in the family, disease status, physical symptoms during the last 14 days, and data about COVID-19 infection. The psychological effect was measured using the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale Crises- 13. Results Mean age of the patient group was 11.76±3.31 years. There were 30 male and 16 female in the case group, who were compared with 45 age-matched and sex-matched healthy children and adolescents. There was a significantly higher prevalence of psychological stressful effect among the healthy children group than the oncological pediatric patients. The psychological effect related to malignancy diagnosis was significantly higher than the psychological effect related to COVID-19. Conclusion COVID-19 pandemic is a stressful event; however, the psychological effect related to cancer diagnosis among the oncological patients showed a higher stressful effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 280.000 barley accessions (Hordeum vulgare L.) were recorded in gene banks around the world. Most of the genetic diversity that local or traditional varieties of cultivated crops possess is being lost. The experiment was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, Egypt, during 2016 to characterize different barley cultivars and lines under different salt concentrations. Fourteen barely cultivars and eight lines were used in the current research. All the tested samples were sown in petri dish (15 cm dimeter) under different salt concentrations (0, 100, 200 and 300 Mm NaCl) using complete randomized design in three replicates. Morphological parameters were selected and measured after two weeks from each replicate. The morphological parameters were germination percentage (%), seedling height (cm) and root length (cm). Grains of each cultivar were squashed and total protein were sequentially separated. One dimensional SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was performed to separate the total protein. The genetic relationships among cultivars and lines were measured based on morphological and biochemical markers aiming to use in the future breeding program based on genetic variations. The results revealed significant variations among the tested cultivars and lines under different salt concentrations. Line number 5 and 6 showed the highest mean values of morphological traits under high salt concentrations, while barely cultivars showed different response to salinity levels. The tolerant cultivars showed unique bands in total protein analysis that mean when barely plants subject to abiotic stress such as salinity, plants try to increase the total enzyme contact and some amino acid like proline as defense mechanism for protect the cell wall from damage, this fact was achieved during current results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Complex vascular malformations involving the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are expected to develop iron deficiency.However, the haemoglobin and iron status of vascular anomalies unrelated to GIT were not addressed. Our aim: was to study the frequency of anemia and iron status among pediatric patients with large/complex vascular malformations without evident bleeding and to correlate the findings with the type, site, severity and extension of vascular malformationand treatment with sirolimus. Patients and method: A case control study of participants with large complex vascular malformationregistered at Ain Shams University vascular anomalies clinic during the period from June 2019 to June 2020.They were compared to 20 age, sex and socioeconomic standard matched healthy controls. Clinical and laboratory studies for iron status were performed. Results: fifty percentof patients were anemic versus 65% of the control group (p value = 0.33).As regards iron status of patients, 35% has combined iron deficiency versus 40% of controls, 20% has functional iron deficiency versus 20% of controls, 5% has absolute iron deficiency versus 10% of controls (p value = 0.90). There was no significant difference between patients receivingsirolimus and who are not as regards anemia and iron status (p value = 0.36, 0.84, respectively). Conclusion: The frequency of anemia and it s iron related classification are comparable in children with large vascular malformations with no bleeding manifestations to normal children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menopausal loss of neuroprotective estrogen is thought to contribute to the sex differences in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Activation of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) can be clinically relevant since it avoids the negative systemic effects of ERα activation. However, very few studies have explored ERβ-mediated neuroprotection in AD, and no information on its contribution to the sex differences in AD exists. In the present study we specifically explored the role of ERβ in mediating sex-specific protection against AD pathology in the clinically relevant App NL-G-F knock-in mouse model of amyloidosis, and if surgical menopause (ovariectomy) modulates pathology in this model. We treated male and female App NL-G-F mice with the selective ERβ agonist LY500307 and subset of the females was ovariectomized prior to treatment. Memory performance was assessed and a battery of biochemical assays were used to evaluate amyloid pathology and neuroinflammation. Primary microglial cultures from male and female wild-type and ERβ-knockout mice were used to assess ERβ's effect on microglial activation and phagocytosis. We find that ERβ activation protects against amyloid pathology and cognitive decline in male and female App NL-G-F mice. Ovariectomy increased soluble amyloid beta (Aβ) in cortex and insoluble Aβ in hippocampus, but had otherwise limited effects on pathology. We further identify that ERβ does not alter APP processing, but rather exerts its protection through amyloid scavenging that at least in part is mediated via microglia in a sex-specific manner. Combined, we provide new understanding to the sex differences in AD by demonstrating that ERβ protects against AD pathology differently in males and females, warranting reassessment of ERβ in combating AD., Competing Interests: COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no competing interest.