Aim:

The aim of this study is to investigate the etiology of infertility in couples seeking medical help from the Infertility Clinics and gynecological departments in hospitals in Western Libya.

Patients and Methods:

Data were collected directly from patients' medical records. However, additional data were collected through interviews.

Results:

The total number of couples recruited was 135. Men (mean±standard deviation of age= 41.7±7.0 years) were significantly older than women (35.2±6.5 years)(P= 0.001). Women were more likely to marry younger than men (mean difference= 6.5 years, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 5.1–7.8 years) and the duration of all participant's marriages before the interviews was 9.0±5.0 years. The causes of fertility were as follows: 33 (24.4%)(95% CI 17.16–31.64) cases were due to a female factor, 92 (68.1%)(95% CI= 60.24–75.96) cases were due to a male factor with 6 (4.4%)(95% CI 0.94–7 

The current research was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory action of 100% Saussurea lappa roots’ ethanol extract compared to paracetamol through carrageenan induced hind paw edema model with using of ibuprofen 40 mg/kg as a positive control. Prior to testing, it was important to check the acute toxicity effects of the plant, thus the evaluation test processed by the fixed-dose procedure (FDP). Statistical analysis was attempted to check the mean differences via one-way ANOVA, at that point followed by post-Tukey and Dunnett two-sided tests. The FDP test revealed that extract was safe for additional in-vivo testing, and it was classified as category 5/unclassified on globally harmonized system (GHS) for the classification of chemicals which cause acute toxicity. The extract showed a significant antiphlogistic potential of 15.11% at 500 mg/kg compared to 13.23% of paracetamol 100 mg/kg at P< 0.01. It is assumed that the fundamentally mindful phytoconstituents to share this impact are sesquiterpene lactones (costunolide and dehydrocostus lactone), in which numerous examinations uncovered that these mixtures which found in numerous plants have a powerful anti-inflammatory activity.

Abstract

Objective: Chronic diabetes mellitus is associated with detrimental cardiovascular complications and electrolyte imbalances such as hypomagnesaemia. We investigated the effect of magnesium (Mg2+) on cardiac function and the possible role of histological and electrical alterations in chronic, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Methods: Wistar rats were treated once intraperitoneally with streptozotocin or citrate, and then daily with MgSO4 or saline for four weeks. Cardiac contractile and electrocardiographic parameters were measured on Langendorff-perfused hearts. Other hearts were histologically stained or immunoblotted for the mitochondrial ATP synthase (ATP5A).

Results: In diabetic hearts, Mg2+ prevented a diabetes-induced decrease in left ventricular developed pressure and improved contractility indices, as well as attenuated the reduction in heart rate and prolongation of QT interval, but not the QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc). Histologically, there

were neither differences in cardiomyocyte width nor interstitial collagen. The expression of ATP5A was not different among the treatment groups.

Conclusion: Mg2+ supplementation improved cardiac contractile activity in chronic diabetic hearts via mechanisms unrelated to electrocardiographic or histologically detectable myocardial alterations.

Long time ago, phytotherapy constitutes a major health practice all over the world. Many medicinal plants such as Saussurea lappa (S. lappa) has wide beneficial roles. This study was contrived to explore the antiphlogistic effect of S. lappa roots extract treated by 100% ethanol solvent. Carrageenan induced paw edema model was used to carry out the experiment on laboratory Wistar albino rats. Before testing extract on animals, it was necessary to check the safety of the plant according to performed testing conditions albeit S. lappa is generally recognized as safe plant, hence the acute oral toxicity test by the fixed-dose procedure method (FDP) was performed. Roots’ ethanol extract tested at two doses (100 and 200 mg/kg), ibuprofen used as a positive control, and negative control was distilled water. SPSS statistical analysis was undertaken to check the variance between tested groups via one-way analysis of variance, then pursued by Tukey and Dunnett two-sided tests. FDP experiment disclosed that extract was safe for further in-vivo testing for the dose up to 2000 mg/kg < LD50 < 5000 mg/kg, without reporting of any toxicity signs. The extract manifested a significant (P < 0.05 - 0.01) anti-inflammatory effects at both tested doses. The ethanol extract exposed a clear decrease in edema size by a percentage of 13.73 % at 200 mg/kg dose when compared to that of standard agent which minimized edema by 22.79 %. It is presumed that plant roots contain phytoconstituents that are responsible to share this effect like sesquiterpene lactones (dehydrocostus lactone and cynaropicrin mainly), in which many researches revealed that such compounds which found in many other plants have a potent anti-inflammatory action.

ABSTRACT

Background: Total hip arthroplasty is the most common surgery performed for complications of hip hemiarthroplasty. Hemiarthroplasty has been a good method of treating displaced fracture neck of femur. With the increased demands placed on the prosthesis by highly active patients, the failure rate increased following hemiarthroplasty. Pain is the most reliable complaint that indicates failure. Pain may be due to many complications related to hemiarthroplasty as loosening, sepsis, protrusio, dislocation, and periprosthetic and prosthetic fractures. Conversion to total hip replacement is a good method for treating patients with painful hemiarthroplasties.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the result of revision total hip replacement after failed hemiarthroplasty.

Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective study included 62 patients with ages ranged from 38 years to 75 years with a mean (62.7±11.38), with the conversion of failed hip hemiarthroplasty to total hip arthroplasty between 2000 and 2015 with a minimum follow up 5 years and maximum follow up 10 years at Zagazig University Hospital. Males represented 54.8% (34 cases) and females were 45.2% (28 cases).

Results: Our study that the mean Harris hip score significantly increased from 21.87±8.31 preoperative to 74.21±18.3 postoperative P=0.00** and postoperative radiologically we find that 58 patients (93.5%) has fixed implants and 4 patients (6.5%) has loose implants.

Conclusions: This present study showed that the conversion of failed hemiarthroplasty to THR is a good way of treatment for painful hemiarthroplasties. Conversion is a complicated surgery with a higher rate of complications both intra and postoperatively.

Keywords: Total hip replacement, Failed hemiarthroplasty, Hip arthroplasty. 

The current study was designed to investigate both central and peripheral analgesic activities of crude extract of roots of Saussurea lappa (S. lappa) plant at 100% ethanol concentration. These activities were processed and evaluated through Eddy’s hot plate and acetic acid induced-writhing methods, respectively, on laboratory Swiss albino mice. Reference positive control used was paracetamol, and negative control was distilled water, and statistical analysis done by SPSS version 25 to test one-way ANOVA for group mean differences, followed by Tukey and Dunnett two-sided post-hoc tests. Before the mentioned assessment, an acute oral toxicity test by a fixed-dose procedure method (FDP) was taken to check the safety of the plant. This plant was safe under experimentation, and it exerted significant (P < 0.01) analgesic effects at a dose of 500mg/kg. The crude extract revealed a noticeable increase of latency time to thermal pain stimuli when compared to paracetamol positive control at 100mg/kg concentration by 36.42%, and it reduced the number of writhing contractions by 21.73% when compared even to the positive control. It is presumed that S. lappa contains particular phytoconstituents that are responsible for presenting these effects. In both applied tests, S. lappa proved that it could be used as a safe, powerful analgesic treatment.

Abstract Introduction: Abdominal wall defects (AWD) are a common problem that can become difficult to manage, especially when the defect is large and resources are limited (silo and TPN). Methods: Retrospectively, 85 medical records of patients who have been admitted to TMC over a decade (2005 - 2015) were studied. The defects have been categorized into three groups: omphalocele minor, omphalocele major and gastroschisis. The aim is compare the outcomes within these three groups between developed and developing nations. Results: Out of 85 neonates with abdominal wall defects, 50 are males and 35 are females. 58 patients had omphalocele minor, 16 omphalocele major and 11 with gastroschisis. Associated congenital anomalies are reported in 45% of omphalocele groups (1 and 2) and in 27% of gastroschisis group. Post-operative morbidity rate among the omphalocele groups (1 and 2) is 27.37%, and 54.54% among gastroschisis group. Mortality rate among the group one is 3.45%, group two 12.5%, and group three 27.27%. The mortality rate among the two patients who received devices was 50%. Conclusion: Omphalocele can be treated effectively in the developing world; however, gastroschisis cases need more sophisticated supportive measures to reach the reported rates.

To augment DNA profiling and body fluid identification techniques efforts are being made to increase the amount of information available from a crime scene stain, which includes efforts to identify externally visible characteristics through phenotypic analysis. A key question surrounding crime scene stains is the length of time between deposition of the stain and its subsequent recovery, in that is the stain recovered related to the incident in question or from a previously deposited stain number of weeks earlier? The inability to answer this fundamental question has a detrimental effect upon the successful completion of a criminal investigation. Once a body fluid leaves the body, the oxygen concentration in the environment changes; therefore, it may be that this change could cause a change in the expression of hypoxia-sensitive biomarkers. All samples then underwent quantitative PCR targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGFA) and Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Alpha (HIF1A), with B-Actin (ACTB) as a reference gene. A range of linear and quadratic correlation values was obtained from the qPCR data and used to develop a predictive model with a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 4.2, 2.1, and 5 days for blood, saliva, and semen respectively.

Libya is a lower middle-income country with no national surveillance system for hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). We assessed the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections and antimicrobial use in adult intensive care units (ICUs) in Libya. Objective: Evaluate drug resistance of bacteria isolated from equipment placed close to patients in an Intensive Care Unit of a Central hospital in Gharian.