Articles

Introduction: Percutaneous kidney biopsy is a necessary tool to diagnose many kidney diseases. However, major complications were reported in adults, including bleeding in the kidney or around it, creation of arteriovenous fistula, wound infection, damage to adjacent organs, or even loss of the kidney. Such complications can rapidly develop serious consequences. Exploring risk factors might help in preventing them.Objective: The current study aims to evaluate and explore the complications that happened after percutaneous kidney biopsy in children and associated risk factors.Methodology: A retrospective record-based study was conducted by reviewing the medical records of children with post-ultrasound-guided percutaneous kidney biopsy complications at King Saud Medical City, a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the period from May 2014 to June 2021. Data were extracted using pre-structured data collection sheet. Data collected included children’s age, gender, primary disease, laboratory findings, and kidney complications with needed management. Results: The study identified 76 children who had undergone 86 ultrasound-guided percutaneous kidney biopsies in the study period and fulfil the inclusion criteria. Children’s ages ranged from 1 years to 15 years with a mean age of 7.3 ± 4.0 years old. Most of the study children had nephrotic syndrome (61.6%; 53), followed by glomerulonephritis (25.6%; 22). Thirty-five (40.7%) children developed at least one of the complications. The most-reported complication was microscopic haematuria (32.6%; 28), followed by gross haematuria (3.5%; 3), Flank pain was reported among 3 (3.5%) children also and hematoma (1 child), only 2 children (3.9%) among those who had no complications recorded Haemoglobin drop > 2 g/dl compared to 3 of those who had complications with no statistical significance (p = .365). Prothrombin time was significantly higher among children who had renal complications than others who had not (11.7 ± 1.8 vs. 10.8 ± 1.2 seconds; p = .022).Conclusion: Suggestive by the low need to intervene in complications, ultrasound-guided percutaneous kidney biopsy is a relatively safe procedure in children. Even in the most commonly observed complication, i.e. hemorrhagic ones, blood transfusion is rarely needed.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy are the most common causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in developed countries, accounting for about 30% of these cases. Up to 40% of patients with type 2 diabetes with micro albumin uria progress to overt nephropathy and develop ESRD after one to two decades. Albumin uria is the most important indicator of diabetic nephropathy and its progression. Also, hyperuricemia has been suggested as a risk factor for kidney damage, this study was designed to determine the relationship between serum uric acid level and proteinuria in patients with type 2 diabetes.Materials and methods: In this descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study, data collection was performed among patients with type 2 diabetes referred to the diabetic Center in Gorgan from the years 2015 to 2018. The data collection tool was a two-part questionnaire including demographic and anthropometric characteristics and information about the disease. Serum levels of Uric Acid, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Creatinine (Cr), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) and Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) were measured in all patients. 24-hour urine collection was performed for proteinuria, albuminuria, urinary volume, and Cr volume. Patients’ GFR was also calculated using the CKD-EPI formula. Patients were re-evaluated 1 year after the initial evaluation in terms of measured factors and the relationship between serum uric acid and albuminuria, proteinuria, kidney function, and other serum factors were evaluated.Results: Among 823 diabetic patients that were referred to the nephrology center in this study, 90 patients were included. 34 (37.8%) of these patients were men. The age range of patients was between 32 years to 70 years with a mean of 56.31 and a standard deviation of 7.84 years. According to the Pearson correlation coefficient, a direct correlation was observed between uric acid with proteinuria and creatinine levels, and an inverse correlation was observed between uric acid and GFR. But we didn’t find any correlation between uric acid and microalbuminuria.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the relationship between uric acid level and the severity of nephropathy (based on proteinuria) is proven. It seems that maintaining serum uric acid levels in patients with type 2 diabetes within the normal range and treatment with serum uric acid-lowering drugs may be possible to reduce the progression of diabetic nephropathy and proteinuria.

Aim: The current paper presents a subjective symptom survey regarding postpartum discomfort (Study 1) and a case study on postpartum care using the program developed based on the survey results (Study 2). Thereafter, health care during the postpartum period is discussed.Methods: Study 1 analyzed 1638 postpartum women who completed the Subjective Fatigue Symptom Scale (SFSS) over the period from June 2012 to December 2019. Study 2 detailed the case of a 33-year-old primiparous woman who answered questions regarding the rehabilitation care program.Results: The 1638 subjects included in Study 1 had a mean age of 32.4 ± 8.2 years and a mean postpartum duration of 4.3 ± 2.3 months. Subjective symptoms included lower back pain, shoulder stiffness, sleepiness, wanting to lie down, yawing, and eye strain. The case included in Study 2 showed certain psychological and physical changes following the exercise program. The results of Study 1 showed that motor system discomfort, such as stiff shoulders and lower back pain, occurred in women across all postpartum stages. Our results demonstrated that care and exercise geared toward improving motor system function are imperative after childbirth. Meanwhile, the results of Study 2 imply that our rehabilitation program based on postpartum physical conditions had positive psychological and physical effects.Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that continuing rehabilitative care based on the physical condition during each postpartum stage facilitates improvement in mothers’ physical and psychological discomfort.

Background: Liver Transplantation (LT) is the definitive treatment for Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. Outcomes of LT in AIH among black-Africans are not well-defined. We performed a single-center retrospective-review of adult LT patients. The study period was from 1st August 2004-31st August 2019. The primary aim was to document 1- & 5- year patient and graft survival. A secondary aim was to compare the survival of black-Africans to Caucasians. Data was analyzed using survival-analysis. Results: A total of 56 LT were performed for AIH. Sixty-seven percent (n = 38/56) had confirmed AIH on explant histology. Of these, the majority i.e., 79% (30/38) were female and 21% (8/38) were male. There were equal numbers of black-African 42% (n = 16/38) and Caucasian 42% (n = 16/38) patients. Rejection was four-times higher in black-Africans as compared to Caucasians. Forty-four percent (n = 17/38) had an acute rejection episode and 13% (5/38) had chronic rejection. Recurrence was found in four black-African females. Post-LT patient survival at 1- and 5- years was 86.5% and 80.7%, and graft survival was 94% and 70.8% respectively. The 5- year patient survival was insignificantly lower for black-Africans (73.9%) as compared to Caucasians (83.7%) (p - value 0.26, CI 6.3 - 12.2). Five-year graft survival was significantly lower among black-Africans (55%) as compared to Caucasians (84.8%) (p - value 0.003 CI 3.8 - 8.1)Conclusion: Black-Africans had a four-fold higher rate of rejection compared to Caucasians. Recurrent AIH was only found in patients of black ethnicity. Similar 1- & 5- year patient survival rates were observed between the two ethnicities. The 5-year graft survival among black-Africans was significantly lower than Caucasians.

Meat species identification has become essential with the increasing events of frauds like the illegal slaughter of cows, meat adulteration, and substitution. Food scam directly influences public well-being, trade, and wildlife. In Pakistan, donkey meat is used as adulterants for cow meat and is considered Haram in Islamic concepts. In this study PCR, based detection methods are used for identification purposes. The mitochondrial gene cytochrome b has been used in this study to identify the origin of meat specie. Specie-specific primers of cyt b of cow and donkey were used for identification. DNA from different binary ratios of cow and donkey meat was extracted by the phenol-chloroform method. Ratios were made from 1-10 and extracted DNA was subjected to PCR to amplify the target fragment of the cyt b gene. Primers were sensitive to identifying species origin in all meat ratios. Multiplex PCR was designed to identify both species and the results were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Fragment size of 309bp for cow and 475bp for donkey was observed.Results of the current study conclude that PCR assays, including multiplex PCR, is efficient and has a high sensitivity for even small amount of meat. It is concluded that multiplex PCR is useful and reliable for adulterated meat detection.

The stem rot disease has emerged globally as a major threat to oilseed Brassica's productivity and seed quality. The generalist causal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary shows large variability in their aggressiveness and pathogenicity. Revealing the pathogen's metabolic profile and signaling components in host-pathogen interaction is fundamental in understanding host resistance to the disease. In this study, the metabolites released by the pathogenic strains of S. sclerotiorum under the axenic culture have been identified using the untargeted high-resolution UPLC-QTOF-ESI-MS/MS. The analysis of the ethyl acetate extracts of the S. sclerotiorum culture revealed ten major secondary metabolites namely, sclerin, sclerotinin-B, sclerone, melanin, bostrycoidin, botcinin-D, botcinin-A, gliovirin, scleramide, and botcinic acid. The later six metabolites are being reported for the first time in the culture extract of the S. sclerotiorum pathogen. Based on the overlapping and unique informative peaks in the chromatograms, the six S. sclerotiorum strains were grouped into three major clades in the phylogenetic analysis. The clustering based on metabolic profiles does not substantiate the diversity based on morphology or virulence differences over the host. The findings of the study signified the metabolites secreted under the axenic conditions are varies based on their growth and developmental stages and may not necessarily be the determining factors for their differential aggressiveness and virulence to their host. 

In the long run people around the globe particularly those who live in underdeveloped Countries in Africa, especially in Ethiopia a large number of communities has a misconception that disease may be transmitted by utilizing health service due to a lack of trust in health service delivery system, Most of the population strongly related with religion, they claimed that it is sin or God or Allah driven. According to a health behavior model, knowledge and practice are contributing factors for increasing healthcare seeking among patients with low levels of trust [1,2]. 

Marfan syndrome is a dominant autosomal genetic disease of the connective tissue, leading to various complications. Cardiovascular complications are the main ones, with dilation of the aorta and aortic dissection which is the main cause of death. Double dissection with different sites of departure is scarcely reported by the literature. We reported the case of a 22-year’s-old young patient admitted for acute chest and abdominal pains, and cardiogenic shock. Investigations reported a double dissection of the aorta with a recent one of type A and an old one of type B. Ghent diagnostic criteria were used to allow the diagnosis of Marfan disease. Surgical management corrected successfully the type A dissection.Early diagnostic and adequate management of aortic complications can reduce the high mortality rate of patients with Marfan syndrome.

Due to the adverse environmental impacts of synthetic plastics, biodegradable plastics development for both industrial and commercial applications is essential for the present scenario. In addition to the non-degradability of petroleum-based plastic and its impacts, so it is very important to find an alternative to petroleum-based plastic. Starch-based bioplastics are an excessive substitute for petroleum-based plastics due to their significant properties compared with natural sources. This research aims to formalize five new formulas of bioplastic by combining two sources of starch, extracted from various biomass sources, its properties and comparison between them. The moisture content shows 2.07% and 0.984% for samples F and B respectively and that indicates that the samples which contain a high amount of corn starch have less moisture content. The highest results of biodegradation percentages were 68.27% and 52.6% which are for samples A and D respectively, and the lowest biodegradation percentage were 34.33% and 31.29% which are for samples F and B respectively.

Although emotion management is essential to mental health, public health has not paid much attention to emotional conditions or disorders. By analyzing a nine-year diagnostic trend and sociodemographic characteristics of two mental disorders: Hwabyung and Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), this study demonstrated the importance of managing emotions precautionarily.Data reconstructed from the National Health Insurance Service were used to analyze the yearly diagnostic trend in the two mental disorders characterized by anger.Hwabyung was more common among women and middle-aged individuals, despite the varied number of diagnoses by year. Between 2010 and 2018, IED diagnoses gradually rose, with the average rate of increase the highest in the 20s for male IED diagnoses in 2017. The low prevalence of the IED in Korea compared to other Western countries and the gender and age differences in both Hwabyung and IED diagnoses suggest the role of cultural influences related to emotions (or emotional management).Especially in light of the world’s emphasis on resilience to COVID-19, these results indicate how public emotional management is essential during stressful situations. The results also highlight the need for community mental health programs tailored to gender and age.