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Objectives: The goal of the current study was to evaluate the relative frequency of oral and maxillofacial pathological lesions among Egyptian children., Materials and Methods: Records of biopsies submitted to the department of oral and maxillofacial pathology from the year 1999 to 2019 were retrieved and reassessed for all cases under the age of 18 years. Information on age, sex, location of the lesion, and the histopathologic diagnosis was analyzed., Results: Over the course of twenty-one years, 1108 specimens were analyzed where reactive soft tissue lesions, which accounted for 397 (35.8%) of all cases ranked the highest presented category, followed by inflammatory odontogenic cysts, which accounted for 213 cases (19.2%). With 208 cases, the inflammatory radicular cyst was on the top of the most common 20 lesions, followed by pyogenic granuloma (160 cases). Malignancy was found in 19 cases, with soft tissue tumors (10 cases) being the most common, followed by salivary gland (5 cases) and bone pathologies (4 cases)., Conclusions: The frequency of oral and maxillofacial pathological lesions among Egyptian children increased over the years but remained consistent with global trends., Clinical Relevance: This is the first study evaluating the relative frequency of oral and maxillofacial pathological lesions among Egyptian children and provides an insight into the most commonly encountered pediatric pathologies. This may aid in the understanding of the most prevalent oral lesions that impact the pediatric population, as well as providing the key to early detection of lesions., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Hypertension (HTN) is a common health problem and a major cardiovascular risk factor. Accurate measurement of blood pressure (BP) is mandatory for proper diagnosis and follow-up. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of mercury sphygmomanometer BP-measuring devices in public hospitals in Cairo, Egypt. Fifty public hospitals were included, and 10% of all mercury sphygmomanometer devices in each hospital were tested. Assessment included physical condition (e.g., mercury status, lid of the device, state of the rubber tubes), leakage rate, and calibration accuracy (as compared with a reference device). Devices were approved as accurate when they could successfully pass all three assessment tests. The total number of sphygmomanometer devices was 465. The overall pass rate was 1.3% (six devices). Twenty-five (5.2%) devices passed all of the physical tests, 50 (10.8%) passed the leakage test, and 50 (16.5%) passed the calibration accuracy test. There were 162 (34.8%) devices that showed a high leakage rate (>80 mmHg) and thus were not tested for calibration accuracy. In conclusion, most of the mercury sphygmomanometer devices in hospitals are neglected and not checked regularly for any errors. A plan should be made to gradually replace those failed devices with new, validated, and well-calibrated devices, preferably devices that do not contain mercury., (© 2020. The Author(s).)

Background: The use of antibiotics in dentistry as prophylaxis and treatment is frequent. Their misuse has led to a major public health problem globally known as antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to assess the pattern of antibiotic prescription and its prophylactic use for systemic conditions. Besides, this study evaluated the awareness and adherence to antibiotic prescription guidelines and antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines along with awareness of antibiotic resistance across pediatric and general dentists., Methods: An overall of 378 pediatric and general dentists meeting the required eligibility criteria, fulfilled a pre-designed validated questionnaire. Data were collected, tabulated, and statistically analyzed., Results: A significant statistical difference was found among the pediatric and general dentists regarding antibiotics prescription for most of the oral conditions where Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic among the two groups (53% pediatric dentist and 52% general dentist). The majority of pediatric and general dentists, on the other hand, were aware of antibiotic resistance and prescribing recommendations., Conclusions: The present study showed a tendency to overprescribe and overuse antibiotics in certain dental conditions among the participants. The vast majority of dentists, especially general dentists do not have adherence to professional guidelines for antibiotics prescription in children despite their awareness of antibiotic resistance and prescription guidelines.

Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) which is a leading cause of death in developing countries affecting both genders. Gender dissimilarity in clinical characteristics and hypertension (HTN) management among hypertensive patients has been reported in several reports before. The aim was to detect sex differences in clinical characteristics and HTN management among Egyptian hypertensive patients. Data from 4701 hypertensive patients attending 9 university located Specialized Hypertension clinic (SHC) were collected from October 2014 to September 2017. The collected data included demographics, cardiovascular risk profile, hypertension-related history, anthropometric and blood pressure (BP) measurements, antihypertensive medications used, number of patients attending the follow-up visits, and HTN control rate. Females represented 58.5% of the recruited patients, they were younger, with higher BMI, lower education level, and employment rate compared with males. Females had lower mean office systolic and diastolic BP than males (144.2 ± 22.6 vs. 146.5 ± 22.0 mmHg and 88.1 ± 13.0 vs. 89.9 ± 12.6 mmHg, respectively) and lower rate of uncontrolled BP (54.8% vs. 61.1% in males P < .001). Antihypertensive drugs were comparable among both sexes except for angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors which were more prescribed in males. Compliance to antihypertensive medications was better in females (63.6% vs. 60.1% in males, P = .015). To conclude, Egyptian hypertensive females have different clinical characteristics as compared to their counterpart males with better BP control, adherence to antihypertensive medications, lower systolic and diastolic BP, and no major differences in the prescribed antihypertensive distribution., (© 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Data regarding the prevalence and characteristics of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors among Egyptian hypertensive patients are limited. Nationwide Specialized Hypertension Clinics (SHCs) were initiated for screening, investigating, and treating hypertensive patients. This study aimed to determine the clinical characteristics and the CV risk profile of hypertensive Egyptians attending SHCs. Data from 4701 hypertensive patients were collected from the SHCs of nine university hospitals representing the different geographical regions of Egypt. Data collection started in October 2014 and ended in September 2017. Data included blood pressure (BP) measurements, clinical data, socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and cardiovascular risk profiles. The patients' mean age was 51.8 ± 11.5 years, 58.7% were older than 50 years, and 58.5% were females. The mean office systolic and diastolic BP values were 145.2 ± 22.4 and 88.7 ± 12.9 mmHg, respectively. Regarding CV risk factors, 58.6% were obese, 23.4% were smokers, and 25.1% had diabetes mellitus. Obesity was more prevalent in females than males (65.7% vs. 53.0%, p < 0.001, respectively), while dyslipidaemia and smoking were significantly more common in male patients. The highest levels of BP and the highest global risk were observed in the inhabitants of the Delta region, despite their younger age. In conclusion, this study revealed a high prevalence of modifiable CV risk factors among a cohort of Egyptian hypertensive patients attending SHCs. The pattern of the risk factors across the different geographic regions may be attributed to rapid urbanization. Governmental and community-based approaches are needed for better control of hypertension and its associated CV risk factors.

Background: Coke oven workers are exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with possible genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. Metabolizing enzymes genes and DNA repair genes are suspected to be correlated with the level of DNA damage. They may contribute to variable individual sensitivity to DNA damage induced by PAHs exposure at workplace., Objective: To investigate the relationship between biomarkers of PAHs: 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), DNA adducts, and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in coke oven workers, and to assess the role of cytochrome P2E1 (CYP2E1) gene expression and DNA repairing gene (XRCC1) polymorphism in detecting workers at risk., Methods: 85 exposed workers and 85 unexposed controls were enrolled into this study. Urinary 1-OHP, 8-OHdG, and BPDE-DNA adduct were measured. CYP2E1 gene expression and genotyping of XRCC1 399 Arg/Gln were evaluated by real-time PCR., Results: The median urinary 1-OHP levels (6.3 μmol/mol creatinine), urinary 8-OHdG (7.9 ng/mg creatinine), DNA adducts (6.7 ng/μg DNA) in the exposed group were significantly higher than those in the unexposed group. Carriers of the variant allele (Gln) of XRCC1 had the highest levels of 1-OHP, DNA adducts and 8-OHdG, and the lowest level of CYP2E1 gene expression. In exposed workers, significant positive correlations were found between 1-OHP level and each of the work duration, 8-OHdG, and DNA adducts levels. There was a significant negative correlation between 1-OHP level and CYP2E1 gene expression. Work duration and CYP2E1 gene expression were predictors of DNA adducts level; 1-OHP level and work duration were predictors of urinary 8-OHdG level., Conclusion: Workers with higher exposure to PAH were more prone to oxidative DNA damage and cancer development. DNA adducts level reflects the balance between their production by CYP2E1 and elimination by XRCC1 gene.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases capable of extracellular matrix degradation. MMP2 is the key molecule that control invasion, tumor growth, and metastasis, and has been associated with poor prognosis in several tumors. Several epidemiological studies have focused on the associations between MMP2 promoter polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility; however, little is known about their role in hematological malignancies. The present study aimed to investigate the association of MMP2 -735C/T and -1306C/T promoter polymorphisms with B-NHL susceptibility and their clinicopathological characteristics. The study included 100 B-NHL patients and 100 healthy controls. Genotyping of MMP2 -735C/T and MMP2 -1306C/T was done by polymerase chain reaction restricted fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. MMP2 -735C/T heteromutant genotype (CT) was detected in 23 % of patients, and the homomutant genotype (TT) was detected in 7 % of patients. The polymorphic allele, T allele, was associated with susceptibility to B-NHL (OR = 2.8:95 %CI = 1.48-5.28). For MMP2 -1306C/T, the frequencies of the polymorphic variants were 5 % for the heteromutant genotype (CT) and 3 % for the homomutant genotype (TT). The polymorphic allele, T allele, conferred almost fourfold increased risk of B-NHL (OR = 3.8, 95 %CI = 1.05-13.9), and the risk elevated to be almost eight folds when confined to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (OR = 7.9, 95 %CI = 1.67-32.27). MMP2 -735C/T polymorphic genotypes were correlated with advanced clinical stages of the disease (stages III and IV). In conclusion, the study revealed that the variant alleles of MMP2 -735C/T and MMP2 -1306C/T can be considered as molecular risk factors for B-NHL among Egyptians.

Objective: Our aim was to determine whether the level of plasma total ghrelin varies with the menopause stage (pre-, peri-, and postmenopause)., Participants and Interventions: Women were divided in three groups: premenopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal. All participants had bone mineral densitometry and blood assay of plasma ghrelin, estradiol E2. Correlation between plasma ghrelin levels, their reproductive status and BMD was done., Results: The mean plasma level of ghrelin was significantly decreased in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal groups in comparison to the premenopausal group. A significant positive correlation was found between ghrelin and each of E₂ and BMD (at one or more of the three sites assessed) in all subjects, as well as, in peri- and postmenopausal women, whereas a significant negative correlation was found between ghrelin and FSH., Conclusion: It may be assumed that ghrelin can affect BMD. Whether ghrelin and estrogen work independent or through convergent mechanisms needs further studies.

Background: Recent guidelines stressed the need to adopt different values of waist circumference (WC) measurements to define abdominal obesity in different ethnic groups. The aim of this study is to identify WC cutoff points in normotensive and hypertensive subjects which are diagnostic of abdominal obesity in a Middle Eastern population and the prevalence of abdominal obesity in a nationwide sample., Methods: Data were collected during phase-2 of the Egyptians National Hypertension Project survey. Blood pressure, anthropometric measurements and laboratory studies were performed according to a standardized protocol by trained personnel. To derive the cutoff points for WC, we applied the factor analysis on CV risk factors: diabetes mellitus, decrease in HDL-C and increase in LDL-C, triglycerides and left ventricular mass index by echocardiography., Results: The sample included 2313 individuals above the age of 25 years. WC values (mean ± SD) were 88 ± 14 cm and 95 ± 14 cm for normotensive (NT) and hypertensive (HT) men respectively, and 89.6 ± 14.7 cm and 95.7 ± 15.9 cm for NT and HT women respectively. Applying factor analysis, the weighted average cutoff points were 93.5 cm for both NT and HT men and 91.5 and 92.5 cm for NT and HT women respectively. Based on these thresholds, the prevalence of abdominal obesity was 48% in men and 51.5% in women., Conclusion: This is the first report of specific abdominal obesity cutoff points in a Middle Eastern country. The cutoff points were different from the Europid standards. There is a high prevalence rate of abdominal obesity among Egyptians which is associated with increased prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors.

The lipid content of Atriplex semibacata growing in Egypt was studied. The unsaponifiable fraction was identified by GLC. A series of hydrocarbons ranging from C(14)- C(28) in addition to cholesterol, stigmasterol and the triterpenoids α and β - amyrin were identified. GLC analysis of fatty alcohols fraction revealed the presence of six fatty alcohols in which dotriacontanol (C(32)H(66)O) was the major (14.68%). Six compounds (five coumarins and one phenolic acid) were isolated for the first time from A. semibacata. The coumarin constituents isolated from the chloroform and the ethyl acetate fractions of the aqueous alcoholic extract of A. semibacata were identified as scopoletin, umbelliferorne, coumarin, scopolin, 7-methoxy coumarin in addition to a phenolic acid P-coumaric acid. Also, the flavonoidal compounds isolated from the n-butanol fraction of the plant revealed the presence of kaempferol 3-O glucoside and acacetin. Their identity was proved by m.p., TLC, PC, UV and MS analysis. The alcohol extract showed significant antimicrobial activity against G-ve bacteria, moderate activity against G+ve bacteria. On the other hand, the pet. Ether extract showed marked activity against G+ve bacteria and fungi, also the G-ve bacteria was greatly inhibited by the chloroform extract. The different extracts of the plant exhibited no cytotoxic activity against Erlich-ascites carcinoma cells line at the tested concentrations, also showed a strong antioxidant activity using DPPH.

One factor influencing the outcome of care may be the nursing staffs experience of organizational work climate. We compared organizational climate and nurse's empowerment in specialty units at 2 hospitals in Egypt. Data were collected from 164 diploma school staff nurses using 2 tools: the situational outlook questionnaire to assess organizational climate and the psychological empowerment in the workplace questionnaire. There was no statistically significant difference in the level of organizational climate between the 2 hospitals, which the majority of nurses classified as moderate. Most nurses reported a moderate level of empowerment in both hospitals and there was a statistically significant positive correlation between organizational climate and nurse's empowerment.

Background: HPV infection is the main cause of cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia worldwide. The second-generation HC II test is a liquid hybridization assay designed to detect 18 HPV types. The aim of the present study was to detect the rate of HPV infection and its various genotypes among Egyptian women., Material/methods: We evaluated 166 Egyptian women. They were classified according to cytology into those with normal cytology, chronic nonspecific cervicitis, and squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs)., Results: The overall prevalence of HPV DNA in the studied groups was 15.06% (25/166). Among the 25 HPV-positive women, 16 (64%) were infected with high-risk HPV types, 4 (16%) with low risk HPV types, while 5 (20%) had both types. Twenty-one (84%) of the infected women harbored at least one high-risk HPV type, while 9 (36%) harbored at least one low-risk HPV type. Values of HPV viral load for low-risk HPV infection showed no significant difference in the normal and chronic nonspecific cervicitis groups. But when HPV viral load of high-risk HPV infection was compared in the normal, chronic nonspecific cervicitis, and SIL groups, a significant difference was found. The same was detected between chronic nonspecific cervicitis and SIL and between normal cytology and SIL, suggesting an association between viral load and risk of SIL and, accordingly, cancer., Conclusions: It may be concluded that HPV testing using the HC II assay is a useful tool when combined with cytology in the diagnosis of high-risk HPV viral types in apparently normal tissues.