DIFFERENTIAL STAINING WITH ORCEIN,GIEMSA, CMA,AND DAPI FOR COMPARATIVE CHROMOSOME STUDY OF 12 SPECIES OF AUSTRALIAN DROSERA (DROSERACEAE)

Differential stainings with orcein, Giemsa, CMA, and DAPI were compared in 12 species of Western Australian Drosera. Chromosome numbers of D. roseana, D. barbigera, D. leioblasta, D. oreopodion, D. mannii, D. walyunga, D. sewelliae, D. helodes, and D. echinoblasta are reported here for the first time. A marked difference regarding chromosome number was observed in Drosera dichrosepala (2n = 12) from that of the previous report (2n = 18). The karyotypes of the species showed commonly that degree of asymmetry in chromosome length was directly proportional to the mean chromosomal length whereas the number of chromosomes was inversely proportional. Bimodal karyotypes were observed in D. oreopodion, D. walyunga, D. barbigera, and D. echinoblasta, which perhaps resulted from interspecific hybridization of the former two and fragmentation in the latter two. Sat-chromosomes found in D. falconeri, D. sewelliae, D. helodes, and D. echinoblasta responded differently in differential staining. The C and fluorescent bands at the mostly terminal region revealed that maximum C-positive heterochromatin-rich segments, GC-rich segments, and AT-rich segments were accumulated at the ends of Drosera chromosomes. Some chromosomes could be identified by their specific staining property. On the basis of chromosome number and C- and fluorescent-banding pattern, we suggest that D. helodes and D. sewelliae are closely related.     

Mortality among patients with frequent emergency department use for alcohol-related reasons in Ontario: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND:Little is known about the risk of death among people who visit emergency departments frequently for alcohol-related reasons, including whether mortality risk increases with increasing frequency of visits. Our primary objective was to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of this high-risk population and examine their 1-year overall mortality, premature mortality and cause of death as a function of emergency department visit frequency in Ontario, Canada.METHODS:We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using linked health administrative data (Jan. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2016) in Ontario for people aged 16–105 years who made at least 2 emergency department visits for mental or behavioural disorders due to alcohol within 1 year. We subdivided the cohort based on visit frequency (2, 3 or 4, or ≥ 5). The primary outcome was 1-year mortality, adjusted for age, sex, income, rural residence and presence of comorbidities. We examined premature mortality using years of potential life lost (YPLL).RESULTS:Of the 25 813 people included in the cohort, 17 020 (65.9%) had 2 emergency department visits within 1 year, 5704 (22.1%) had 3 or 4 visits, and 3089 (12.0%) had 5 or more visits. Males, people aged 45–64 years, and those living in urban centres and lower-income neighbourhoods were more likely to have 3 or 4 visits, or 5 or more visits. The all-cause 1-year mortality rate was 5.4% overall, ranging from 4.7% among patients with 2 visits to 8.8% among those with 5 or more visits. Death due to external causes (e.g., suicide, accidents) was most common. The adjusted mortality rate was 38% higher for patients with 5 or more visits than for those with 2 visits (adjusted hazard ratio 1.38, 95% confidence interval 1.19–1.59). Among 25 298 people aged 16–74 years, this represented 30 607 YPLL.INTERPRETATION:We observed a high mortality rate among relatively young, mostly urban, lower-income people with frequent emergency department visits for alcohol-related reasons. These visits are opportunities for intervention in a high-risk population to reduce a substantial mortality burden.

Alcohol is a leading driver of morbidity and mortality worldwide.¹ An estimated 3 million deaths in 2016 — 5% of all global deaths — were attributable to alcohol consumption.² The 2016 Global Burden of Disease Study showed that alcohol was the single greatest risk factor for ill health worldwide among people aged 15–49 years.³ In Canada, hospital admissions for alcohol-attributable conditions out-number those for myocardial infarction.⁴ Alcohol-related harms cost Canadians about $14.6 billion annually, with $3.3 billion in health care costs.⁵In addition to the societal impact of mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol (henceforth referred to as alcohol-related) — mainly acute intoxication and withdrawal — these disorders are common reasons for emergency department visits.^6,7 Data from the United States and Canada, furthermore, suggest that alcohol-related emergency department visits have increased in recent years.^8,9 For example, a study in Ontario showed that, between 2003 and 2016, the age-standardized rates of alcohol-attributable emergency department visits increased by 86.5% in women and 53.2% in men.⁸ People who visit emergency departments frequently for alcohol-related reasons have high levels of comorbidity and social disadvantage,^10,11 and represent a readily identifiable patient population for whom interventions to address unmet social and health care needs could be developed.^12–14 A systematic review suggested that screening and brief intervention for alcohol-related problems in the emergency department is a promising approach for reducing problematic alcohol consumption.¹³Despite this, little is known about the risk of death, a key outcome for health system performance, among people who use emergency departments frequently for alcohol-related reasons, including whether mortality risk increases with increasing frequency of visits. To address this gap, our primary objective was to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of this high-risk population and examine their 1-year overall mortality, premature mortality and cause of death as a function of emergency department visit frequency in Ontario, the most populous Canadian province.¹⁵     

Epiglottitis--an increasing problem for adults.

In a 2-year period, 9 adults were admitted to hospital with acute epiglottitis confirmed by direct laryngoscopy or lateral neck radiograph, or both. The mean age was 53 +/- 14 years, with acute epiglottitis occurring in 89% during the months of September to March. Intubation was required in 4 patients. The duration of symptoms was 7.8 +/- 2.4 hours for intubated patients versus 18.8 +/- 8.9 hours for those not intubated. For 6 patients an incorrect diagnosis was made on their first presentation. All 8 patients having laryngoscopy had typical findings, and none had respiratory obstruction precipitated by the procedure. In 5 patients blood cultures were positive, 4 for Hemophilus influenzae type b, and 1 for Streptococcus pneumoniae. In 2 patients the H influenzae was ampicillin-resistant. All patients recovered after receiving parenteral steroid therapy and appropriate antibiotics.     

The Mectizan® Donation Program – highlights from 2005

Through the Mectizan^® Donation Program, Merck & Co., Inc. has donated Mectizan (ivermectin, MSD) for the treatment of onchocerciasis worldwide since 1987. Mectizan has also been donated for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) since 1998 in African countries and in Yemen where onchocerciasis and LF are co-endemic; for LF elimination programs, Mectizan is co-administered with albendazole, which is donated by GlaxoSmithKline. The Mectizan Donation Program works in collaboration with the Mectizan Expert Committee/Albendazole Coordination, its scientific advisory committee. In 2005, a total of 62,201,310 treatments of Mectizan for onchocerciasis were approved for delivery via mass treatment programs in Africa, Latin America, and Yemen. Seventy-seven percent and 20% of these treatments for onchocerciasis were for countries included in the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) and the former-Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa (OCP), respectively. The remaining 3% of treatments approved were for the six onchocerciasis endemic countries in Latin America, where mass treatment is carried out twice-yearly with the goal of completely eliminating morbidity and eventually transmission of infection, and for Yemen. All 33 onchocerciasis endemic countries where mass treatment with Mectizan is indicated have ongoing mass treatment programs. In 2005, 42,052,583 treatments of co-administered albendazole and Mectizan were approved for national Programs to Eliminate LF (PELFs) in Africa and Yemen. There are ongoing PELFs using albendazole and Mectizan in nine African countries and Yemen; these represent 35% of the total number of countries expected to require the co-administration of these two chemotherapeutic agents for LF elimination. In Africa, the expansion of existing PELFs and the initiation of new ones have been hampered by lack of resources, technical difficulties with the mapping of LF endemicity, and the co-endemicity of LF and loiasis. Included in this review are recommendations recently put forward for the co-administration of albendazole and Mectizan in areas endemic for LF, loiasis, and onchocerciasis.     

Soluble proteins and hydrolases during crown-gall induction in the tomato,Lycopersicon esculentum

Synopsis Soluble proteins isolated from tissues of the tomatoLycopersicon esculentum, after inoculation withAgrobacterium tumefaciens to induce tumours, have been examined by gel electrophoresis and cytochemically. Changes that occur include the suppression of host enzymes, the appearance of bacterial enzymes in the host tissues and the appearance of new enzyme bands in the affected cells. These changes are detectable within 6 hr of infection and prior to evident morphological changes, and may be explained as derepression and repression of host genes, or the expression of released bacterial genes in the host cells.     

Antimicrobial activity of certain bacteria and fungi isolated from soil mixed with human saliva against pathogenic microbes causing dermatological diseases

Soil samples (collected from El-Madina El-Monawara, Kingdom Saudi Arabia) were mixed with human saliva, incubated in media suitable for bacterial and fungal growth and filtered. Eighteen bacterial and five fungal species were isolated and identified. The bacterial and fungal filtrates as well as the isolated species were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against some pathogenic microbes causing dermatological diseases (Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and Aspergillus niger). The bacterial filtrate showed significant antagonistic effect against S. aureus and methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), whereas showed non inhibitory action on the pathogenic fungus. In contrast, the fungal filtrate antagonized the growth of the pathogenic fungus (A. niger) and did not produce any inhibitory effect on the two tested pathogenic bacteria. The isolated bacterial species showed different levels of antagonistic activities against the three tested microbes. Bacillus subtilis was described as potent isolate against the three pathogens, followed by Esherichia coli. However, Bacillus megaterium strongly inhibited the growth of the pathogenic bacteria only. On the other side, all the fungal filtrates of the isolated species, except Cochliobolus lanatus showed antagonistic activity against the pathogenic fungus (A. niger). The filtrate of Fusarium oxysporum and Emericella nidulans counteracted the growth of S. aureus, whereas, the growth of MRSA was inhibited only by the filtrate of E. nidulans. From the passage way of our respected prophet, how is never tells from him self, if any person complains from awound or ulcer, the messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) put his forefinger on the ground and lift it then he says: (In the Name of God, soil of our land, with the saliva of some of us, our sick person will get well after the permission of our God) Al-Bukhari. The meaning of this Hadith that the prophet takes his saliva on the forefinger then he put it on the soil and wipe on the wound place while saying the above Hadith that is shows the Prophet’s miracle, which is evidence of healing by using soil and saliva.