Mohamed Zaki

Aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, ASP) is one of the mostwidely used artificial sweeteners. Manyconcerns have been raised about the sideeffects of ASP consumption and its safety since different studies that investigatedthe effects of ASP revealed controversial results. The aim of the present study is toinvestigate whether the daily oral administration of ASP (40 mg/kg) for 2, 4 and 6weeks induce oxidative stress in the rat cerebral cortex.

The preliminary phytochemical screening of extracts of Rumex vesicarius L. and Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Willd. showed the presence of compounds that are biologically active against the two root rot pathogens Drechslera biseptata and Fusarium solani in vitro. The relative efficacy of this action, however, differed according to the extracted plant, solvent used, extract concentration, the target fungus and phase of growth. Ethanolic extract ranked first, followed by the remaining aqueous layer fraction. Eight flavonoid subfractions (rutin, quercetin, myricetin, apigenin, quercetin-3-O-galactoside, luteolin, kaempherol and kaempherol-3-O-robinoside) and six flavonoid subfractions (apigenin-7-O-glucoide, quercitrin, quercetin, isovitexin, rutin and quercetin-3-O lucoside-7-O-rhamnoside) were isolated from the remaining aqueous layer fraction of R. vesicarius and Z. spina-christi, respectively. Generally, spore production and germination as well as cellulolytic and pectolytic activity of F. solani were affected by plant extracts more than that of D. biseptata. F. solani failed completely to produce spores when treated

Background: An intensive research effort in the field of non-invasive evaluation of liver fibrosis has recently permitted the description of several blood markers of fibrosis, mainly in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a panel of simple blood markers of liver fibrosis in CHC patients. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirty two patients with CHC evaluated for deciding on antiviral therapy were included. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and a stepwise combination algorithm was developed to assess and compare the diagnostic accuracy of blood markers. Results: The areas under the ROC curves of AST/ALT ratio, albumin, platelet count, APRI and fibronectin for discriminating advanced liver fibrosis (F3-F4) were 0.58, 0.73, 0.76 , 0.73 and 0.74; respectively. The AUC of combined markers score based on AST-ALT ratio, albumin, fibronectin and platelets count was 0.86 for advanced liver fibrosis patients. The combined markers correctly classified 35 positive patients from 43 patients with 81% sensitivity and classified 64 patients as negative from a total of 89 patients with 72% specificity. Discussions.we have developed multivariate discriminate analysis (MDA), a function may contribute to differentiating advanced fibrosis in patients with CHC. The MDA function is based on easily and routinely analyzed four blood markers as noninvasive, reproducible, quantitative, precise, accurate and low cost method that can be applied to patients who either have contraindications or refuse liver biopsy for the management of their HCV infection.

Abstract
Objectives : Hyperacusis appears to be a subjective phenomenon, which is not easily defi ned or quantifi ed by objective
measurements. The primary aim of this work was to evaluate the Arabic version of the Khalfa questionnaire for hyperacusis
on a sample of normal hearing Egyptians complaining of hyperacusis. The secondary aim was to compare the audiological
criteria of this group of hyperacusis patients (with or without tinnitus) with a control group of similar age and
gender. Study design : The study group comprised 60 adult patients (age range 19 – 45 years) having normal hearing and
complaining of hyperacusis with or without tinnitus. The control group comprised 20 normal hearing age and gendermatched
individuals. All patients were subjected to full history-taking, otological examination, pure tone audiometry,
immittance audiometry, uncomfortable loudness levels (ULLs) assessment, a transient evoked otoacoustic emissions
(TEOAEs) test and, in addition, to the Arabic version of the Khalfa hyperacusis questionnaire. Results: The uncomfortable
loudness levels indicated a markedly contracted dynamic range in the hyperacusis group, with the majority of individuals
showing ULLs less than 90dB HL. Hyperacusis patients with tinnitus showed signifi cantly lower TEOAEs amplitudes, with
overall echo level and reproducibility percent lower than for hyperacusis patients without tinnitus or for the control group.
Hyperacusis patients had higher means of total, attentional, social, and emotional scores on the Khalfa questionnaire compared
to the control group. The emotional parameter of the questionnaire had the highest score for the hyperacusis patients.
Both the emotional and attentional dimension scores were higher in females, while attentional scores were higher for males.
The total and social dimensions were affected by age. Conclusions: The emotional impact of noise exposure was more severe
than the attentional and social impact in hyperacusis patients. There was a gender difference evident in the results of the
Khalfa questionnaire in hyperacusis patients. The Arabic version of the Khalfa hyperacusis questionnaire seems to be a
fairly effective tool for the assessment of hyperacusis patients.
Key words: hypersensitivity to sound , hyperacusis , questionnaire , noise exposure , hearing loss , tinnitus

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Background, congenital anomaly is a defect that is present at birth, and can result from either genetic, environmental factors, or both. Aim, was to explore the risk factors which may lead to fetal congenital anomalies. Design, a descriptive research design was adopted. Sample, a total of 100 pregnant women was recruited according to the following criteria: pregnant in a fetus with a congenital anomaly; at any reproductive age; no specific gravidity or parity; single or multiple gestations. Setting, Fetal Medicine Unit at El-Manial Maternity Hospital. Tools, two tools were constructed and filled in by the researchers: 1) Ultrasonographic fetal assessment record 2) structured interview schedule. Results, age range of the pregnant women were 17-44 years with a mean of 26.52 +5.48 years old. Twelve percent of them cannot read and write while, 22% had university education. Renal anomalies, central nervous system (CNS), muscloskeletal, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal anomalies were the most common congenital anomalies constituted 38%, 31%, 20%, 10%, 8% respectively of the total anomalies. Regarding to risk factors for congenital anomalies, 44% of the pregnant women had first degree consanguinity, 17% had a family history of a congenital anomalies, 19% had a previous child with a congenital anomalies, 33% gave a history of consuming drugs during present pregnancy, 21% of the pregnant women live near industrial source and 22% of them experienced infection during present pregnancy. In conclusion, renal, CNS and muscloskeletal anomalies were the most common type of congenital anomalies. Positive consanguinity, family history for congenital anomalies, previous child with a congenital anomaly, consuming drugs during pregnancy, living near industrial source and exposure to infections during pregnancy, were the most common risk factors associated with congenital anomalies. Recommendations, premarital examination for consanguineous marriages should be encouraged. Antenatal care is very important for suspecting and early detection of congenital anomalies.

Analysis of the literature reveals that metabolic syndrome is invariably linked to microvascular disturbances, such as abnormalities in arteriolar reactivity, capillary recruitment, permeability, and hemorheology. The aim of this study was to assess skin microcirculation under baseline conditions and maximum skin hyperemia in response to heating (vasodilatory capacity)

Limiting factors to the tilapia farming industry are numerous and deeply embedded in the environmental paradigm. Infectious diseases are moved to the top list of limiting factors that harshly endangering the fish health with consequent negative impact on the entire population ecology.

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