Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has robustly affected the global healthcare and economic systems and it was caused by coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The clinical presentation of the disease ranges from a flu-like illness to severe pneumonia and death. Till September 2022, the cumulative number of cases exceeded 600 million worldwide and deaths were more than 6 million.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection is the second most common cause of mortality among end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients. Uremic toxins are the main cause of impaired immune response among ESKD patients. Klotho gene, the anti-aging gene, encodes the transmembrane alpha klotho (αKL) protein which acts as an obligate coreceptor for fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Many patients with COVID-19 present the so-called post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 such as fatigue, post-stress discomfort, dyspnea, headache, pain mental impairment, incapacity to perform daily physical tasks ant exercise intolerance. This study aims to investigate the effects of different exercise programs on physical and mental fitness, physical condition and biomarkers of the immune system and oxidative stress in older patients with post-COVID-19 sequelae.
Methods: The sample will be made up of 120 eligible participants, over the age of 60 years who have had COVID-19 disease and are survivors and present persistent COVID-19 symptomatology diagnosed by the corresponding physician.
The integration of biological nitrogen (N) removal with struvite-type material recovery, which contained phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), was proved to be technically feasible in pig slurry treatment. Phosphate (PO) salts were precipitated by raising the pH-value, using denitrified effluent and waste sludge purged from the bioreactor. When P was limiting, the unbalanced composition of the denitrified effluent resulted in low K-removal efficiency from the liquid phase; 10 % maximum when the initial pH-value was adjusted to 11.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStroke is long known to be followed by a series of immunosuppressive events, and infections might be a cause of death after an acute insult of stroke. The aim of our work was to assess the percentage of neutrophils showing spontaneous oxidative burst in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The study included 30 patients with acute cerebral infarction subjected to the following: magnetic resonance imaging of the brain immediately on admission, and blood sampling on day one of admission (baseline) and after 3 days of admission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGraves disease (GD) is a multifactorial disease due to multiple environmental and genetic factors as well as immune malfunction. Human Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in activating innate and adaptive immune cells. Their role in modulating immunity also interferes with the mechanisms that maintain tolerance in the host.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Interprofessional education offers students from different disciplines the opportunity to share learning experiences.
Purpose: To develop and validate a Spanish version of the KidSIM Team Performance Scale, thus providing a tool for assessing the team performance of undergraduate health professionals in our cultural context.
Method: Descriptive observational study consisting of two phases: a) translation and adaptation of the original instrument, b) validation of the Spanish version.
One of the most remarkable presentations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is depression. Our aim was to elucidate the potential relationship between disease activity, depressive symptoms, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in patients with SLE. Sixty female patients with SLE and thirty comparable healthy controls were recruited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEgypt has the highest worldwide prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, caused in part by nosocomial transmission. Patients on hemodialysis (HD) are at especially high risk of infection. We aimed to estimate the incidence of seroconversion among HCV-negative patients undergoing regular HD at a unit in a large public hospital in the Nile Delta of Egypt, which implements the Egyptian Ministry of Health guidelines for infection control, and an isolation policy for hepatitis-positive patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCopper containing fungicides are used to protect vineyards from fungal infections. Higher residues of copper in grapes at toxic concentrations are potentially toxic and affect the microorganisms living in vineyards, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, the response of the metabolic profiles of S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAllergic conjunctival disease (ACD) is a type of ocular allergy, which includes seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC), perennial allergic conjunctivitis (PAC), and vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC). Little is known about the pattern of sensitization or prevalent aeroallergens among patients with isolated ACD in Egypt We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of skin prick test positivity to common aeroallergens among Egyptian patients with isolated allergic conjunctival disease. The study included 75 patients with isolated ACD recruited from a tertiary Egyptian outpatient clinic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study focuses on the extraction of climate signals and processes using a combined approach which includes the analysis of a high number of lipid molecules in marine sediments, and the chemometric analysis of the acquired data. Neutral and acidic fractions of marine sediments from site IODP-U1318 (south-west of the UK, Porcupine Seabight) were quantified by GC-MS. The alkenone unsaturation index, U(k')37, was estimated from the composition of C37 alkenones and it was then used for the estimation of sea surface temperatures (SST) for reference.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA new liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics strategy coupled to chemometric evaluation, including variable and biomarker selection, has been assessed as a tool to discriminate between control and stressed yeast samples. Metabolic changes occurring during yeast culture at different temperatures (30 and 42 °C) were analysed and the complex data generated in profiling experiments were evaluated by different chemometric multivariate approaches. Multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) was applied to full spectral scan LC-MS preprocessed data multisets arranged in augmented column-wise data matrices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
January 2015
The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the blood of 46 residents from Barcelona and to study the factors that affect exposure. Compounds analysed included perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorooctanoate acid (PFOA) and perfluorononanoate acid (PFNA). Blood was liquid-liquid extracted and PFASs were determined by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAllergol Immunopathol (Madr)
January 2016
Background: The pathogenesis of chronic urticaria is incompletely understood. There is growing interest in the role of the coagulation cascade in chronic urticaria. We aimed to assess the possible activation of the coagulation cascade in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in relation to disease severity and activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We aimed to assess the percentage of peripheral blood B-lymphocytes expressing OX40 ligand (OX40L) in adult atopic and non-atopic asthmatic patients, and in healthy controls.
Methods: This case-control study included 15 atopic asthmatic patients, 15 non-atopic asthmatic patients, and 15 healthy controls. Atopic status was determined by skin prick test reaction to the most common locally-encountered allergens.
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr)
November 2015
The objective was to examine the hypothesis that primary unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss might be associated with an inappropriate immunologically mediated response to progesterone and/or estrogen. This prospective study included 47 women with two or more documented consecutive early pregnancy losses of unknown etiology, and no previous history of deliveries. Intradermal skin testing was performed in the luteal phase of the cycle (days 16-20) using estradiol benzoate, progesterone, and a placebo of refined sesame oil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Elevated prolactin and reduced dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels are associated with autoimmune diseases. A limited number of studies have investigated these hormones in chronic urticaria (CU). The autologous serum skin test (ASST) reaction has also been linked to autoimmune diseases, and a positive reaction is usually associated with a more severe disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: INTRODUCTION. The inactive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier state is usually characterized by minimal or absent liver pathology. However, in developing countries, owing to the very early age of infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), this state is reached after a very prolonged immune tolerant and immune reactive phase, during which considerable liver damage may have occurred.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDifferent chemometric techniques have been used to evaluate the effect of distinct experimental conditions and factors on Triticum aestivum L. plant development. The study was conducted using three wheat varieties, Astron, Ritmo and Stakado.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAllergol Immunopathol (Madr)
March 2013
Background: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is expressed at high levels in the lungs and plays a role in the metabolism of the endogenous peptides involved in asthma pathogenesis. ACE gene polymorphisms have been reported to be linked to asthma. However, the results are conflicting, with no reported studies on Egyptian asthmatics.
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