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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]

Background: Stroke is a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Four out of five strokes occur in the low- and middle-income countries. This study aims tofind lifetime prevalence of stroke in Upper Egypt and to identify clinical presentations and possible risk factors of stroke in this population. Methods: This is a door-to-door (every door) study conducted on all inhabitants in Al Kharga district (representative of western desert) and Al Quseir city (representative of eastern desert). The study was conducted in two stages, and every stage consisted of three phases (screening, diagnostic, and investigatory). Results: The total lifetime prevalence of stroke was 8.5/1,000 in the population aged 20 years and more. It increased with advancing age and was higher among males than females among all age groups except in the childbearing period (20 years to <40 years of age). Lifetime prevalence of ischemic stroke (7.2/1,000) was higher than hemorrhagic stroke (1.1/1,000). Hemiparesis and hemiplegia were the commonest presentation of stroke. Headache, vomiting, and vertigo were found to be significantly more common accompaniments of hemorrhagic stroke. The most common risk factor was hypertension, followed by hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: The total lifetime prevalence of stroke in the population aged 20 years and more in Upper Egypt (desert area) lies within the range that is recorded in developing countries. Clinical presentation and risk factors are similar to those recorded from developing and developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of cellulose/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites with n-octadecyl-modified bagasse nanofibers (MBNF) were compared to those with maleated polypropylene (MAPP) coupling agent. The nanocomposites were prepared by twin-screw extrusion with bagasse nanofiber (BNF) content varying from 2.5 to 10 wt%. The compression molded nanocomposites sheets were characterized regarding their tensile strength properties, dynamic mechanical thermal properties, crystallinity, water absorption, transparency and loss of strength due to composting in soil. As a compatibilizer to improve the tensile strength properties and transparency of PP/cellulose nanofibers nanocomposites, MAPP was more effective than n-octadecyl-modified cellulose nanofibers. The crystallinity of the nanocomposites was lower than that of neat PP except for those prepared using high loading of MBNF. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) of the prepared materials showed that adding the different nanofibers (treated or untreated) resulted in better mechanical thermal properties above glass transition temperature (Tg) of PP. Water absorption capability in all nanocomposites was weakened while that in PP/MBNF was the lowest. No significant differences were found between the nanocomposites with different kinds of nanofibers regarding the loss of their tensile strength after compositing in soil up to six months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of microorganisms to reduce inorganic metals has launched an exciting eco-friendly approach towards developing green nanotechnology. Thus, the synthesis of metal nanoparticles through a biological approach is an important aspect of current nanotechnology. In this study, Streptomyces aizuneusis ATCC 14921 gave the small particle of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) a size of 38.45 nm, with 1.342 optical density. AgNPs produced by Streptomyces aizuneusis were characterized by means of UV-VIS spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The UV-Vis spectrum of the aqueous solution containing silver ion showed a peak between 410 to 430. Moreover, the majority of nanoparticles were found to be a spherical shape with variables between 11 to 42 nm, as seen under TEM. The purity of extracted AgNPs was investigated by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), and the identification of the possible biomolecules responsible for the reduction of Ag+ ions by the cell filtrate was carried out by Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum (FTIR). High antimicrobial activities were observed by AgNPs at a low concentration of 0.01 ppm, however, no deleterious effect of AgNPs was observed on the development and occurrence of Drosophila melanogaster phenotype. The highest reduction in the viability of the human lung carcinoma and normal cells was attained at 0.2 AgNPs ppm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the most prominently apparent stroke consequences is spasticity. By preventing acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction, intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin can reduce post-stroke stiffness. Additionally, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a type of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS), is well recognised to impact neuroplastic changes and control the healing of injured brain areas. Objective: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the combined effect of local botulinum toxin injection and ipsilesional highfrequency rTMS (HF-rTMS) on spastic UL in post-stroke patients, and if this effect could add together to the other treatment modalities available to these patients. Patients and Methods: 45 patients with post-stroke spastic upper limb (UL) were injected with botulinum toxin type-A (BoNT-A), then randomly designated to treatment with 20 Hz rTMS (Real rTMS group), N= 22 and SHAM rTMS group, N=23, applied over the ipsilesional cortex over 4 weeks. Spasticity was assessed with Modified Ashworth scale (MAS), the motor function of the affected upper limb was evaluated serially by Wolf Motor Function Tests (WMFT) and motor power was assessed by Medical Research Council (MRC) just before administration, 1.5 months and 3 months after administration of BoNT-A. Results: The real rTMS group showed significant improvement of spastic muscles as evident by reduction of their MAS score with significant improvement of motor function and motor power as shown by WMFT and MRC. Conclusion: These findings suggested that, the application of HF-rTMS over the ipsilesional cortex following local BoNT-A injection contributes in reduction of spasticity and improves motor power and function in post-stroke patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The production of biopolymers from waste resources is a growing trend, especially in high-population countries like Egypt. Beta-glucan (β-glucan) belongs to natural polysaccharides that are derived from plant and microbial origins. In this study, following increasing demands for β-glucan owing to its bioactive properties, a statistical model to enhance microbial β-glucan production was evaluated for its usefulness to the food and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, a trial to convert β-glucan polymer to nanostructure form was done to increase its bioactivity. Results: Ingredients of low-cost media based on agro-industrial wastes were described using Plackett–Burman and central composite design of response surface methodology for optimizing yeast β-glucan. Minerals and vitamin concentrations significantly influenced β-glucan yield for Kluyveromyces lactis and nitrogen and phosphate sources for Meyerozyma guilliermondii. The maximum predicted yields of β-glucan recovered from K. lactis and M. guilliermondii after optimizing the medium ingredients were 407 and 1188 mg/100 ml; respectively. For the first time, yeast β-glucan nanoparticles (βGN) were synthesized from the β-glucan polymer using N-dimethylformamide as a stabilizer and characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The average size of βGN was about 300 nm as determined by DLS. The quantitative variation of functional groups between β-glucan polymer and βGN was evaluated by FT-IR for explaining the difference in their biological activity against Normal Homo sapiens-Hela contaminant and Hepatic cancer cell lines. Conclusions: Enriching the low-cost media based on agro-industrial wastes with nutritional ingredients improves the yield of yeast β-glucan. The present study succeeds to form β-glucan nanoparticles by a simple method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is a widely available byproduct from sugar industry in several countries. In the current work, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were isolated from SBP depectinated using two different methods, namely sulfuric acid hydrolysis and hydrothermal extraction, to obtain nanofibers with different residual pectic substance. The isolated CNFs had width of ~ 5 nm and several microns in length using both methods of pectin extraction. Chemical composition was studied regarding α-cellulose, pentosans, residual pectic substance, and degree of polymerization (DP). Films cast from CNFs were characterized regarding their crystallinity, mechanical properties (tensile strength, Young's modulus, and strain), water contact angle measurement, as well as by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The results showed higher tensile strength properties and higher hydrophilicity for films made from CNFs isolated from the hydrothermal-depectinated SBP (HDCNF) than those from the acid-depectinated SBP (ADCNF). Both of HDCNF and ADCNF were used as coating for bagasse paper sheets; the coated paper sheets were characterized regarding their tensile strength, burst strength, water vapor permeability, air porosity, and grease-proof properties. Coating of paper sheets with CNFs resulted in remarkable increase in their mechanical properties and decrease in air porosity; higher effect was recorded in case of using the HDCNF coating. Paper sheets coated with HDCNF or ADCNF showed good grease-proof property. Finally, measuring the overall migration of the CNFs-coated paper sheets showed safety of the applied coatings for food packaging applications. • CNFs were isolated from SBP depectinated by hydrothermal treatments (water at 140 ºC). • The isolated CNFs were compared to those isolated from SPB depectinated by conventional acid extraction. • Method of pectin extraction affected chemical composition and properties CNF films. • CNFs were used as coating for bagasse paper sheets. • Coating with CNFs from hydrothermal-depectinated SBP gave higher mechanical properties than that from acid-depectinated SBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current work, cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were isolated from unbleached kraft pulps of date palm fruit stalks (DPFS) and date palm rachis (DPR) residues by ultrafine grinding. The isolated CNF were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential measurement, tensile strength properties, contact angle, as well as oil-proof testing. The CNF were applied as a coating material for cardboard paper sheets made from unbleached kraft DPFS and DPR pulps. The results showed that CNF from DPFS and DPR had close dimensions (4–14 nm in width and several microns in length) but their zeta potential was different (−44.65 eV and −51.46 eV for CNF from DPFS and DPR pulps, respectively), as well as their crystallinity (79.4% and 75.5% for CNF from DPFS and DPR pulps, respectively). CNF films from DPFS had tensile stress and Young's modulus of 113.3 MPa and 3.81 GPa, respectively, while those from DPR had tensile stress and Young's modulus of 71.0 MPa and 2.93 GPa, respectively. Films from DPFS CNF showed lower hydrophilicity than that from DPR, nevertheless excellent oil-proof property was obtained in both kinds of films. Coating of cardboard sheets prepared from unbleached kraft DPFS and DPR pulps with CNF layer of about 7-µm thickness resulted in significant changes in some physical properties of paper sheets, such as decreasing their air permeability, water vapor transmission rate, and water absorption; both kinds of CNF imparted paper sheets good oil-proof properties. CNF coating also imparted paper sheets remarkable wet tensile strength properties. The results showed the feasibility of utilizing date palm wastes in producing CNF films with distinct properties from low-cost unbleached kraft pulp, as well as using these CNF as a multi-functional coating material in papermaking industry. • Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were isolated from unbleached date palm pulps. • The properties of CNF were dependent on the date palm residue used. • CNF films had excellent oil-proof and good mechanical properties. • CNF were successfully used for coating cardboard sheets. • CNF coating improved wet strength, air, oil, and moisture barrier properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Theoretical measurement and optimization of drug solubility. • Predicting the solubility of Pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate via ML. • The models were validated with experimental data. • Gradient boosting was selected as the main model of this work. Theoretical/experimental measurement and optimization of solubility is considered as an active field of research in different scientific areas such as pharmaceutics. Novel orally administered therapeutic medicines have recently suffered from low solubility and bioavailability. Therefore, finding better methods to improve the drug solubility and bioavailability are of prime importance. Application of CO 2 supercritical fluid (CO 2 SCF) as a well-known procedure has attracted numerous attentions in pharmaceutical industry to increase the drug solubility and bioavailability due to its low flammability, reasonable cost, and negligible detrimental impacts for ecosystem. Pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate is an extensively-used drug, which is indicated for the alleviation of the undesirable signs of esophagitis caused by stomach acid due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The purpose of this research is to analyze and optimize the solubility of Pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate using four different tree-based models where we have temperature and pressure as input features. These models include the regression tree, the boosting model based on it (gradient boosting), the bagging model based on it (random forest), and finally a more recently developed boosting model (extreme gradient boosting). All of these models, after optimization with their hyper-parameters, show an R2-score of more than 0.9. Finally, extreme gradient boosting was selected as the main model of this work, which has a 1.07 × 10-2 maximum error and an RMSE error rate of 5.85 × 10-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to screen the bioactive components in Streptococcus equinus WC 1 (SE-WC 1 ) and Limosilactobacillus reuteri GM 4 (LR-GM 4 ) 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-WC 1 at a low or a high dose (0.5 ml *10 6 or 0.5 ml *10 8  cfu), the EST mice that received LR-GM 4 at the low or the high dose (0.5 ml *10 6 or 0.5 ml *10 8  cfu), and the EST mice that received SE-WC 1 plus LR-GM 4 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-WC 1 and LR-GM 4 , respectively. The main compound in SE-WC 1 was lupeol; however, the main compound in LR-GM 4 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-GM 4 was more effective than SE-WC 1 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., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

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., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

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., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Pectin is widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. However, due to its polysaccharide nature it lacks antimicrobial activity. In the current work, new pectin derivatives with interesting optical and antimicrobial properties were prepared via supramolecular chemistry utilizing Fe- or Cu-terpyridine (Tpy-Fe and Tpy-Cu) motifs. To proof derivatization of pectin, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) were used. In addition, the prepared pectin derivatives retained the known emulsification activity of the non-modified sugar beet pectin as seen from the particle size analysis of oil-in-water emulsions. The prepared derivatives showed antibacterial activity toward selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, cytotoxicity test showed that the Tpy-Fe-pectin derivative was non-toxic to cells of human hepatocarcinoma, breast adenocarcinoma MCF7, and colorectal carcinoma cells at concentrations up to 100 μg/ml, while Tpy-Cu-pectin had moderate toxicity toward the aforementioned cells at the same concentration levels. The prepared derivatives could have potential applications in emulsions with antibacterial activity., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

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.

The ability to deliver transgenes into the human genome using viral vectors is a major enabler of the gene-modified cell therapy field. However, the control of viral transduction is difficult and can lead to product heterogeneity, impacting efficacy and safety, as well as increasing the risk of batch failure during manufacturing. To address this, we generated a novel analytical method to measure vector copy distribution at the single-cell level in a gene-modified, lentiviral-based immunotherapy model. As the limited amount of genomic DNA in a single cell hinders reliable quantification, we implemented a preamplification strategy on selected lentiviral and human gene targets in isolated live single cells, followed by quantification of amplified material by droplet digital PCR. Using a bespoke probability framework based on Bayesian statistics, we show that we can estimate vector copy number (VCN) integers with maximum likelihood scores. Notably, single-cell data are consistent with population analysis and also provide an overall measurement of transduction efficiency by discriminating transduced (VCN ≥ 1) from nontransduced (VCN = 0) cells. The ability to characterize cell-to-cell variability provides a powerful high-resolution approach for product characterization, which could ultimately allow improved control over product quality and safety., (© 2020 The Authors.)