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This study aimed to screen the bioactive components in Streptococcus equinus WC1 (SE-WC1) and Limosilactobacillus reuteri GM4 (LR-GM4) and estimate the therapeutic role in Ehrlich solid tumors (EST) mice model. Forty-four male albino EST mice were assigned into 7 groups and treated daily for 2 weeks, including the EST group, the EST mice that received SE-WC1 at a low or a high dose (0.5 ml *106 or 0.5 ml *108 cfu), the EST mice that received LR-GM4 at the low or the high dose (0.5 ml *106 or 0.5 ml *108 cfu), and the EST mice that received SE-WC1 plus LR-GM4 at the low or the high dose. Tumors were harvested, weighed, examined, and used for the determination of apoptosis-related gene expression. Samples of the intestine, liver, and kidney were gathered for histological examination. The GC–MS identified 24 and 36 bioactive compounds in SE-WC1 and LR-GM4, respectively. The main compound in SE-WC1 was lupeol; however, the main compound in LR-GM4 was retinaldehyde. EST mice showed disturbances in Bcl-2, Bax, and p53 mRNA expression along with histological changes in the intestine, liver, and kidney. Administration of both bacterial strains reduced the tumor weight, alleviated the disturbances in the gene expression, and improved the histological structure of the intestine, liver, and kidney in a dose-dependent. Moreover, LR-GM4 was more effective than SE-WC1 due to its higher content of bioactive compounds. It could be concluded that these strains of probiotics are promising for the treatment of solid tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of material science and technology places a high importance on the creation of better processes for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles. So that, an easy, ecological, and benign process for producing copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) has been developed using candy leaf (Stevia rebaudiana) leaves aqueous extract for the first time. UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM), Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR), and zeta potential were applied to demonstrate strong characterization for the biosynthesized stevia-CuNPs. The UV-visible absorbance at 575 nm of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was 1.2. The particle size mean diameter was recorded as 362.3 nm with − 10.8 mV zeta potential. The HR-TEM scanning revealed 51.46–53.17 nm and spherical-shaped stevia-CuNPs surrounded by coat-shell proteins. The cytotoxicity and cytocompatibility activity assay revealed that stevia-CuNPs was safe in lower concentrations and had a significant cell viability reduction in higher concentrations. The produced stevia-CuNPs were applied as antimicrobial agents against eight pathogenic bacteria and five fungi strains. The inhibitory action of the stevia-CuNPs was more pronounced in bacteria than in fungi, and they likewise demonstrated further inhibition zones in Staphylococcus aureus (50.0 mm) than in Aspergillus flavus (55.0 mm). With inhibition zone sizes of 50.0 mm and 47.0 mm and 50 µg/ml minimum inhibitory concentration, S. aureus and A. flavus were the most inhibited pathogens. The minimum lethal effect (MLC) estimate for S. aureus was 50 µg/ml, whereas 75 µg/ml for A. flavus. The stevia-CuNPs mode of action was characterized as bactericidal/fungicidal as the ratio of MIC to MLC was estimated to be equal to or less than 2. After all, stevia-CuNPs could be used as an alternative to commercial antibiotics to solve the problem of multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms. Key points: • Stevia-CuNPs in lower than 200 ug/ml concentrations are safe and tolerant for Vero normal cells. • Stevia-CuNPs has high antimicrobial activity which has a significant effect on various pathogenic bacteria. • Stevia-CuNPs has bactericidal/fungicidal mode of action for various pathogenic bacteria and fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart failure (HF) represents an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children. It is mostly caused by congenital heart disease (CHD) and cardiomyopathy. The Ross HF classification was developed to assess severity in infants and has subsequently been modified to apply to all pediatric ages. The modified Ross classification for children provides a numeric score comparable with the New York Heart Association (NYHA) HF classification for adults. The aim of this work is to investigate the role of modified Ross score in the evaluation of children with severe lower respiratory tract infection admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). One hundred and sixty-four children with severe LRTI admitted to the PICU were enrolled in this prospective cohort study, which was carried out at Assiut University Children Hospital, from the start of July 2021 up to the end of December 2021. Sixty patients (36.6%) of studied cases with severe LRTI admitted to PICU had HF. Out of these, 37 (61.7%) had mild HF; 17 (28.3%) had moderate HF, while six cases (10%) had severe HF according to the modified Ross score. The value of modified Ross score was significantly higher in children with heart failure with sensitivity and specificity 100% with cutoff value of 2. Admission to NICU, history of previous ventilation, and prematurity were higher in patients who developed HF. Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and those with raised neutrophil lymphocyte ratio were significantly higher in the group of patients with moderate and severe degree of HF. Conclusion: Modified Ross score is a simple clinical score which may help in assessing and predicting children with severe LRTI. What is Known: • Hear failure is common complication to lower respiratory tract infection. • Modified Ross score was used to predict and classify heart failure in adult with lower respiratory infection. What is New: • Modified Ross score found to be of value in prediction of heart failure in children with lower respiratory tract infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poloxamers possess unique gelling properties for use in drug delivery applications; however, their rheological and drug release properties are significantly affected by change in pH. In the current work, the effect of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) on rheological, liquid crystal properties of poloxamer 407 (PL) gel, and release of metronidazole drug at different pH values at 37 °C was studied. Addition of CNCs resulted in increasing the gelling temperature of PL prepared using water, pH 4.8 or 8 buffers. At 37 °C, CNCs resulted in improving strength of PL gel prepared in pH 4.8 and 8 buffers while their addition increased gel strength of PL prepared in water only at concentrations ≥ 3.75%. Addition of CNCs at concentration ≥ 1.25% to PL gel prepared using water and pH 4.8 buffer resulted in formation of new long-range birefringent marble texture of nematic and oily streaks chiral liquid crystalline phases, respectively, while in case of PL gel prepared in pH 8 buffer, discrete birefringent clusters with smectic lamellar phase was formed. Regarding release of metronidazole, CNCs resulted in more availability of metronidazole over the studied period (up to six days) when compared to neat PL gel, which shows availability of ~ 50 and 56%, respectively, while PL/CNC gel showed drug availability up to ~ 74 and 92% at the pH 4.8 and 8, respectively. Finally, presence of CNCs in the PL gel did not affect the antibacterial activity of metronidazole when tested against the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Migraine has been recently studied as a risk factor for ischemic stroke (IS) and a possible link to a broader range of ischemic vascular disorders including angina and myocardial infarction is suggested. Objectives: to study migraine and its relation to other risk factors in patients with acute IS and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Patients and methods: We studied 200 patients, 114 patients had acute IS and 86 patients with ACS, in addition to 850 control participants. All patients were subjected to detailed clinical and laboratory evaluation; including evaluation of traditional risk factors. All stroke patients were subjected to CT scan. Diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome was established clinically by ECG and cardiac specific enzymes. Migraine was diagnosed according to the international headache society and assessment of migraine severity was measured by the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire. Results: In patients with ischemic stroke, Risk Ratios (RR) of migraine was 3.3 for all migrainous patients, higher for migraine with aura (MA). In the cardiovascular group, it was 2.75 and again higher in MA. A positive correlation between migraine severity and both stroke severity and cardiac affection severity was found though non-significant in the cardiovascular group. There was no significant difference in hospital outcome in migrainous patients in both groups. Conclusions: Patients with migraine have higher risk than non-migrainous patients for both cerebrovascular and coronary vascular diseases. Risk is stronger in MA in both conditions. Considering migraine in risk stratification of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of pectin extraction method on the properties of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) isolated from sugar beet pulp (SBP) was studied. Pectin was extracted by the industrially practiced method by sulfuric acid hydrolysis or by enzymatic hydrolysis using a cellulase/xylanase enzymes mixture. The CNFs were then isolated by high-pressure homogenization and investigated in terms of their chemical composition, crystallinity, size, degree of polymerization, and re-dispersion in water after freeze-drying. The mechanical properties and surface characteristics of CNF films were also studied. The results showed that fibrillation of the de-pectinated SBP was more efficient for the acid hydrolyzed SBP. CNFs from the acid-hydrolyzed SBP had a slightly wider diameter, higher crystallinity, viscosity, and α-cellulose content but a lower degree of polymerization than CNFs from the enzyme-hydrolyzed SBP. Owing to the presence of more residual hemicelluloses in the CNFs from the enzyme-hydrolyzed SBP, the CNFs had higher re-dispersion ability in water. CNF films from enzyme-hydrolyzed SBP displayed slightly better mechanical properties and higher water contact angle than acid-hydrolyzed CNF films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality, traceability and reproducibility are crucial factors in the reliable manufacture of cellular therapeutics, as part of the overall framework of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). As more and more cellular therapeutics progress towards the clinic and research protocols are adapted to comply with GMP standards, guidelines for safe and efficient adaptation have become increasingly relevant. In this paper, we describe the process analysis of megakaryocyte manufacture from induced pluripotent stem cells with a view to manufacturing in vitro platelets to European GMP for transfusion. This process analysis has allowed us an overview of the entire manufacturing process, enabling us to pinpoint the cause and severity of critical risks. Risk mitigations were then proposed for each risk, designed to be GMP compliant. These mitigations will be key in advancing this iPS-derived therapy towards the clinic and have broad applicability to other iPS-derived cellular therapeutics, many of which are currently advancing towards GMP-compliance. Taking these factors into account during protocol design could potentially save time and money, expediting the advent of safe, novel therapeutics from stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an increasing interest in recent years in isolating cellulose nanofibers from unbleached cellulose pulps for economic, environmental, and functional reasons. In the current work, cellulose nanofibers isolated from high-lignin unbleached neutral sulfite pulp were compared to those isolated from bleached rice straw pulp in making thin-film ultrafiltration membranes by vacuum filtration on hardened filter paper. The prepared membranes were characterized in terms of their microscopic structure, hydrophilicity, pure water flux, protein fouling, and ability to remove lime nanoparticles and purify papermaking wastewater effluent. Using cellulose nanofibers isolated from unbleached pulp facilitated the formation of a thin-film membrane (with a shorter filtration time for thin-film formation) and resulted in higher water flux than that obtained using nanofibers isolated from bleached fibers, without sacrificing its ability to remove the different pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes the impregnation of coffee extract (CE) into bacterial cellulose synthesized from kombucha tea fungus (KBC) of different cellulose content, incubated for different incubation periods (2, 4, and 10 days), to prepare biocomposites having the potential for wound healing applications. Total polyphenols in hydroalcoholic extracts from ground roasted coffee and its release from the prepared biocomposites were determined as gallic acid equivalent. The polyphenols content was found to be 13.66 mg/g and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the CE was determined using colony-forming unit (CFU) method against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus where the growth inhibition was 86 and 97% respectively. Biocomposites (KBC/CE) with the lowest cellulose and CE content showed the highest wet tensile stress (3.35 MPa), absorption of pseudo extracellular fluid (154.32% ± 4.84), and water vapor transmission rate (3184.94 ± 198.07 g/m2/day), whereas it showed the lowest polyphenols' release (51.85% ± 2.94)when immersed in PBS buffer of pH 7.4. The impregnation of CE into KBC provided biocomposites that can enlarge the range of BC in the biomedical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is a recent interest in producing cellulose nanofibers with different surface properties from unbleached cellulose pulps for economic and environmental reasons. In the current study we investigated the use of xylanase pretreatment on two types of unbleached rice straw pulps, namely, soda and neutral sulfite, and their fibrillation to nanofibers using ultrafine grinding. The effect of xylanase pretreatment on the fibrillation progress, energy consumption, and nanofiber dimensions was studied. In addition, mechanical properties, water contact angle, water absorption, and roughness of produced nanopapers were studied. Although very thin nanofibers with a homogenous width could be isolated from both xylanase-treated and untreated pulps, the xylanase pretreatment resulted in faster fibrillation. In addition, nanopapers prepared from xylanase-treated nanofibers had better mechanical properties than those isolated from the untreated pulps. The energy consumption during fibrillation depended on the type of pulp; a slightly lower energy consumption (~ 8%) was recorded for xylanase-treated soda pulp while a higher energy consumption (~ 21%) was recorded for xylanase-treated neutral sulfite pulp compared to the untreated pulps.Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallo-terpyridine compounds and polymers exhibit unique optical, electrical, magnetic and antimicrobial properties. Recently, metallo-terpyridine-modified cellulosic films with interesting porous structure, that exhibit these properties, have been prepared. Herein we report the use of Cu-terpyridine-modified oxidized cellulose nanofibers (OXCNF-Cu-Tpy) as membranes for treatment of effluents of paper mills to produce re-usable water. The OXCNF-Cu-Tpy was prepared by modification of TEMPO-oxidized CNF (OXCNF) using copper(II) complex of 4′-Chloro [2,2′:6′,2″] terpyridine. The modification was proven by elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The prepared OXCNF-Cu-Tpy was also characterized using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The prepared membranes were evaluated regarding their microscopic structure using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, contact angle measurement, water flux and rejection of sub-micron size suspended particles in papermaking wastewater effluent. Chemical modification of OXCNF with the Cu-Tpy groups significantly increased pure water flux of the membranes by about 52 and 194% depending on pressure used during filtration (0.5 and 1 MPa, respectively). Although both OXCNF and OXCNF-Cu-Tpy exhibited high efficiency in removing the sub-micron size suspended particles from wastewater effluent, OXCNF-Cu-Tpy membranes showed about 30% higher flux rate than OXCNF membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Diagnosis of the epileptogenic zone is the main aim of the presurgical evaluation in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Different diagnostic tools are being used to identify it. Objective This study aimed at studying the value of long-term scalp video-electroencephalography (video-EEG) monitoring to diagnose laterality and locality of the epileptic focus by comparing its results with other noninvasive methods, including interictal magnetoencephalography ( MEG), interictal iodine-123 iomazenil single-photon emission computed tomography (123I-IMZ SPECT), and interictal fl uorine-18 fl uorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET. Patients and methods A total of 24 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy were included in this study; 17 had mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, whereas the remaining seven had neocortical epilepsy. All patients were admitted to Jichi University Hospital in Japan for the presurgical evaluation and surgical intervention. All patients were subjected to clinical evaluation, brain MRI, and long-term scalp video-EEG monitoring; a total of 23 patients had interictal 123I-IMZ SPECT, 19 had interictal MEG recording, and 10 had interictal 18F-FDG PET. The laterality and locality of the epileptogenic area predicted by these methods were defi ned in relation to the resected area. Results Long-term scalp video-EEG monitoring was signifi cantly superior to interictal 123I-IMZ SPECT and interictal 18F-FDG PET in diagnosing laterality and locality of the epileptogenic zone and superior to interictal MEG in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and patients with epileptogenic MRI fi ndings. Conclusion Long-term scalp video-EEG monitoring is the cornerstone in the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofibers (NF) were isolated from bleached bagasse and rice straw pulps. The pulps were refined using high-shear ultrafine grinder and then homogenized using high-pressure homogenizer. The efficiency of the used isolation processes was studied by optical microscopy (OM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and testing the tensile properties (wet and dry) of nanopaper sheets made from the nanofibers. In addition, opacity and porosity of nanopaper sheets made after different processing steps were investigated. The microscopy studies showed that the processes used resulted in nanofibers with diameters ranging from 3.5 to 60 nm. The results indicated that main isolation of nanofibers took place during refining using the ultrafine grinding process, while high-pressure homogenization resulted in smaller and more homogeneous size of nanofibers. Nanopaper sheets made from bagasse showed better wet and dry tensile strength properties than those made of rice straw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bleached bagasse pulp was pretreated with dilute alkali and xylanase enzymes before isolation of microfibrillated cellulose using ultra-high friction grinding and high-pressure homogenization. The isolated nanofibers were used with chitosan polymer to prepare chitosan nanocomposites by solution casting at nanofiber loading from 2.5 to 20%. The effect of nanofibers loading on moisture sorption, dry and wet tensile strength, crystallinity, thermal stability, and dynamic mechanical thermal properties was studied using tensile testing, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). Nanocomposites with good transparency were obtained at the different nanofibers loadings. Chitosan nanocomposites made using nanofibers isolated from bagasse fibers treated with xylanase or alkali showed higher dry and wet tensile strength than those made using nanofibers isolated from untreated bagasse pulp. DMTA results showed higher storage modulus and indicated higher glass transition temperature for the chitosan nanocomposites than that of neat chitosan. XRD patterns showed that, at low nanofibers loading, addition of bagasse nanofibers to chitosan matrix increased ordering of chitosan chains upon drying the nanocomposites films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke is the most common reason for disability and the third cause of mortality in the world per year. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is known as an independent risk factor of coronary artery disease and stroke. Aim of the work: To investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and risk of ischemic stroke, whether stroke patients with metabolic syndrome differ from other ischemic stroke patients in demographic variables, stroke presentation, stroke severity, neuroimaging, and prognosis. Patients and methods: This is a hospital-based, prospective observational study. The study population constituted of patients with first-ever atherothrombotic ischemic stroke who were admitted to the neurology department within 6 months (between January 1st, 2016 and July 1st, 2016). Patients were subjected to full neurological examination, assessment of stroke severity using National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), screening for MetS components, brain imaging, transthoracic echocardiography, and carotid duplex. Results: MetS was of higher frequency in atherothrombotic stroke patients compared to previous studies, more in females and older age. MetS with diabetes mellitus (DM) patients had the worst clinical presentation and the worst in-hospital outcome. High high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was the predictor for worse clinical presentation. Conclusion: The higher the number of MetS components, the higher the risk of ischemic stroke. High HDL-C was the predictor for worse clinical presentation. Thus, diagnosing and adequately managing MetS is an important step in preventing cerebrovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A high prevalence of epilepsy in children is frequently found in developing countries.Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical pattern of childhood and adolescence epilepsy in Upper Egypt.Methods: This is a door-to-door study conducted on all inhabitants < 18 years in Al Kharga district and Al Qusier city (36,195 subjects). The study was conducted through two stages; every stage consisted of two phases (screening and diagnostic).Results: Lifetime prevalence of childhood and adolescence epilepsy (children < 18 years) in Upper Egypt was 9.7/1000, with higher prevalence among children < 12 years (10.8/1000) than adolescents (7.2/1000). The age-specific prevalence was highest in early childhood (12.01/1000) and least at adolescence (7.2/1000). More than half of the patients (59.4%) had idiopathic epilepsy. The most frequent etiology for structural/metabolic epilepsy was perinatal complications, particularly in infancy, followed by central nervous system (CNS) infections, in childhood, and post-traumatic epilepsy in adolescence. Partial seizures were more frequent in infancy, while generalized seizures were more frequent in late childhood and adolescence. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) were the most frequent type of seizures.Conclusion: Prevalence of childhood and adolescence epilepsy in Upper Egypt was not so much different from other developing countries. Idiopathic epilepsy was more prevalent than structural/metabolic cases. Perinatal complications, CNS infections, and head injury were the most frequent etiologies, and generalized tonic-clonic seizures were the most frequent seizure type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]