Labile-barleys (Hordeumvulgare L. convar. labile (Schiem.) Mansf.) Are found in the highlands of Ethiopia, Eretria and North India-Pakistan districts. They represent a distinct spike form showing row-type alterations even within individual spikes of the same genotypes. Variation at the six-rowed spike 1 (vrs1) locus is sufficient to control barley lateral spikelet fertility, which is also modified by alleles at the intermedium-c (int-c) locus. This study aimed at re-sequencing these two loci to investigate whether labile-barleys have a two-rowed genetic background, resulting in increased lateral spikelet fertility, or show reduced lateral fertility if they possess a six-rowed genetic background. The Vrs1 re-sequencing results of 221 supposedly labile-barley accessions from Ethiopia revealed 13 accessions with two novel vrs1.a1 haplotypes. Following the current nomenclature of vrs1 haplotypes, the new haplotypes were named as haplotypes 66 and 67. Re-sequencing at the int-c locus showed that 118 of the labile-barleys possessed the previously described Int-c.a allele but only one accession was found having a novel Int-c.a haplotype in the homozygous state (termed Int-c.a haplotype1; Hap_1). Interestingly, 101 labile-barleys carried the Int-c.a allele and Int-c.a haplotype1 simultaneously, suggesting maintained heterozygosity or recent gene duplication at this locus. Only one accession had a two-rowed haplotype (Vrs1.b3, int-c.b1) and one accession possessed the Vrs1.t (deficiens) and Int-c.a alleles (six-rowed). These two accessions were considered as misclassified labile genotypes and not included in further analysis. Thus, these results confirmed that all of the 219 labile accessions studied in this work showed six-rowed alleles at vrs1 but reduced lateral spikelet fertility. This reduction is most likely caused by the recessive labile (lab) locus which we are in the process to characterize further.

The objective of the study was to identify factors affecting the fractions of the bacteria naturally present on surfaces of beef cuts that are carried into deep tissues when the meat is mechanical tenderized by piercing with banks of thin blades. The surfaces and ten strips of meat from the deep tissues of beef primal cuts tenderized first and last on each of five days at a retail store meat fabrication facility were sampled for enumeration of total aerobic counts. Each strip was excised from the whole thickness of a cut after surfaces were sterilized. The mean log numbers of total aerobes recovered from the surfaces of cuts tenderized first or last each day were 2.18 and 1.57 log cfu cm−2, respectively. The mean log numbers recovered per strip from individual cuts tenderized first or last each day ranged from 0.30 to 1.45 and from 0.03 to 1.04 log cfu, respectively. These findings indicate that bacteria from the tenderizing equipment augmented the numbers of aerobes on the surfaces of cuts tenderized first each day, with some of the additional aerobes being carried into deep tissues. Subsequently, pieces of cuts stored in air at 2 °C were tenderized at a laboratory using commercial equipment. Each cut was divided into three pieces with one piece being not treated, one being sprayed with water and one being sprayed with 5% lactic acid. The mean log numbers of total aerobes recovered from the surfaces of not treated pieces of cut stored for 0, 2, 4, 6, 10 or 14 days were 0.6, 0.8, 2.6, 4.2, 8.5 and 8.9 log cfu cm−2, respectively. No aerobes were recovered from the deep tissues of any of the pieces of cuts tenderized on day 0. Mean log numbers recovered from the deep tissues of not treated tenderized pieces of cuts stored for 2, 4, 6, 10 or 14 days were 0.3, 0.3, 2.2, 7.8 and 8.1 log cfu per strip, respectively. Spraying with 5% lactic acid reduced the mean log numbers of aerobes on pieces of cuts stored for 2, 4, or 6 days by 1, 2 or 2 log units, respectively, but did not reduce the numbers on pieces of cuts stored for 10 or 14 days. Mean log numbers recovered from the deep tissues of tenderized pieces of cuts sprayed with 5% lactic acid were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from the mean log numbers recovered from the corresponding, tenderized not treated pieces of cuts. These findings showed that the fraction of the total aerobes on cut surfaces that are carried into deep tissues during mechanical tenderizing can vary with the stage of growth of the spoilage flora; and that reduction of numbers of aerobes on the surface by treatment with lactic acid before tenderizing does not necessarily reduce the numbers carried into deep tissues during tenderizing.

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive patients' compliance to the clinic's follow-up visits is associated with a better blood pressure control. The aim of this study was to detect the reasons of non-compliance to office visits in Egyptian hypertensive patients.

RESULTS: This is an observational, prospective, cross-sectional research study where patients were enrolled from the registry of the specialized hypertension clinics of 9 university hospitals. Those who attended less than 3 office visits, throughout the registry period, were considered non-compliant and were contacted through the phone. A simple questionnaire was prepared, which included questions about the reasons of non-compliance to follow up. There were 3014 patients eligible for inclusion in this study but only 649 patients (21.5%) completed the questionnaire. Patients claimed that the reasons of non-compliance to the follow up visits in the specialized hypertension clinics were as follows: 444 patients (68.4%) preferred to follow up elsewhere mostly in pharmacies, 53 patients (8.2%) claimed that the healthcare service was unsatisfactory, 94 patients (14.5%) were asymptomatic, and 110 patients (16.9%) said that the clinic was far from their homes. Despite non-compliance to office visits, 366 patients (59.2%) were compliant to their antihypertensive medications and 312 (48.1%) patients were compliant to salt restriction. About 34% of patients used herbs, mainly hibiscus, as adjuvant to their antihypertensive medications.

CONCLUSIONS: Reasons for non-compliance to office visits in hypertensive patients were either patient-related, or healthcare-related. To improve patients' compliance, physicians need to educate their patients about hypertension, patients need to follow their doctors' instructions as regard medications, salt restriction and scheduled office visits, and governments need to provide better and cheaper healthcare services.

Abstract
Entomopathogenic nematodes can be considered effective biocontrol agents of pest insects in aquatic habitat. Larvae of Culex quinquefsciatus Say were exposed to infective juveniles of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, H. indica, Steinernema carpocapsae, and S. feltiae under laboratory conditions. The bioassay studies revealed the suppressive role of H. bacteriophora and H. indica nematode in controlling the mosquito, C. quinquefasciatus. They successfully established themselves in the host cadaver and produced infective juveniles. On the other hand, both S. carpocapsae and S. feltiae failed to establish in the host larvae or attain significant host mortality values. This is the first report of parasitism of entomopathogenic nematodes isolates from Egypt against larvae of C. quinquefasciatus, with promising results. Therefore, further studies must be carried out to determine if these nematodes would be effective as autochthonous agents for the control of Culex sp. and other mosquitoes of sanitary interest.

PURPOSE: Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of glypican3 (GPC3) in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from metastatic carcinomas of the liver in cell block material.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty cell blocks were prepared from liver FNAs performed in the radiodiagnosis department, National Cancer Institute, in the period between August 2011 and May 2012. Cases diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma, or metastatic carcinoma were included in the study. Cell block sections were stained with anti GPC-3. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values, of GPC3 were calculated. The final diagnosis was based on the triple approach of clinical data, radiological findings, as well as cytomorphologic features aided by GPC-3 results.

RESULTS: 70% of cases were diagnosed as HCC, and 30% as metastatic carcinomas. 95.2% of HCC cases expressed GPC3. Poorly differentiated cases showed the highest GPC3 sensitivity (100%), followed by moderately differentiated cases (96.5%), while well differentiated cases expressed GPC3 in 90% of cases. 83.3% of metastatic carcinomas were negative for GPC3. In this study, sensitivity of GPC-3 in HCC was 95.2%, specificity was 83.3%, positive and negative predictive values were 93% and 88.2% respectively, and total accuracy was 91.7%.

CONCLUSION: Immunocytochemical staining for GPC3 in cell block material is a highly sensitive and specific method capable of distinguishing HCC from the vast majority of metastatic carcinomas of the liver.

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic potential of inflammatory response biomarkers neutrophil to lymphocyte
ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte to
monocyte ratio (LMR) in predicting the outcome of gastric cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiation
prior to surgical resection.
Methods: Patients with localized, gastric adenocarcinoma received two cycles of induction chemotherapy of
fluorouracil, docetaxel, and cisplatin (TPF) followed by 45 Gy of radiation and concurrent fluorouracil plus docetaxel
then surgery for non-metastatic patients. Baseline NLR, dNLR, PLR and LMR calculated from peripheral blood cell
count taken at pre-operation were compared with clinicopathological parameters. The prognostic value of baseline
NLR, dNLR, PLR and LMR for disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using Log rank
and Cox regression.
Results: The final analysis included 80 patient who had resection after neoadjuvant chemoradiation. The
receiver operating curve (ROC) cut off values of baseline NLR, dNLR, LMR and PLR in predicting outcome were
2.4, 1.7, 5.1 and 130 respectively. Elevated NLR, dNLR, PLR, LMR, age of patients (≥ 50 years), stage III, grade 3
tumors, R1 resection and partial response to preoperative chemoradiation course with >10% residual tumor were
significantly associated with decreased OS, and DFS. Multivariate analysis revealed that elevated NLR and dNLR
were independent factors for worse OS and DFS hazard ratio (HR) 2.04 (95% CI=2.41-8.24), 6.63 (95% CI, 1.61-
10.32) and DSF with (HR) 1.84 (95% CI=3.27-7.36), 4.63 (95% CI=3.61-12.12) respectively.
Conclusion: The baseline NLR, dNLR, LMR and PLR showed a significant association with different
clinicopathological prognostic factors in gastric cancer patients receiving preoperative chemoradiation. Additionally,
NLR, dNLR may be considered as potential independent prognostic indicators of clinical outcomes in this group of
patients.