Energy drinks are available worldwide and frequently consumed to increase energy level and compensate lack of sleep. Energy drinks consumers aim to improve their cognitive functions. Red Bull is the most popular energy drink consumed in Egypt. However, the link between the impact of energy drinks on the structure of hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) and dentate gyrus (DG), a highly vulnerable brain regions to various insults, has not yet documented. To study the effect of energy drinks on structure of hippocampal CA1 and DG of adult male albino rats. Twenty one adult male albino rats were divided into three groups; group I control group, groups II and III received Red Bull, with a dose of 3.75 ml/kg/day orally using gastric tube for four and eight consecutive weeks respectively. At the end of the experiment, brains were dissected and hippocampal specimens were processed for histopathological and immunohistochemical studies. Histopathological examination of hippocampal sections in group II revealed vacuoles, decrease thickness of pyramidal cell layer with irregular dark or ghost nuclei. However, changes were more severe in group III with cracks in pyramidal cell layer, massive vacuolation and signet ring cells. Moreover, star shaped astrocytes and glial fibrillary acidic protein immuno-reactivity were more abundant in group III than in group II. Caffeinated energy drinks produced neurodegenerative changes and reactive astrocytosis in hippocampal CA1 and DG of adult male albino rats. These changes were duration-dependent being more severe in longer duration of intake.
BackgroundRheumatic diseases in children are associated with significant morbidity and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). There is no health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scale available specifically for children with less common rheumatic diseases. These diseases share several features with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) such as their chronic episodic nature, multi-systemic involvement, and the need for immunosuppressive medications. HRQOL scale developed for pediatric SLE will likely be applicable to children with systemic inflammatory diseases.FindingsWe adapted Simple Measure of Impact of Lupus Erythematosus in Youngsters (SMILEY©) to Simple Measure of Impact of Illness in Youngsters (SMILY©-Illness) and had it reviewed by pediatric rheumatologists for its appropriateness and cultural suitability. We tested SMILY©-Illness in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and then translated it into 28 languages.Nineteen children (79% female, n=15) and 17 parents participated. The mean age was 12±4 years, with median disease duration of 21 months (1-172 months). We translated SMILY©-Illness into the following 28 languages: Danish, Dutch, French (France), English (UK), German (Germany), German (Austria), German (Switzerland), Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Slovene, Spanish (USA and Puerto Rico), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Venezuela), Turkish, Afrikaans, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Arabic (Egypt), Czech, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Romanian, Serbian and Xhosa.ConclusionSMILY©-Illness is a brief, easy to administer and score HRQOL scale for children with systemic rheumatic diseases. It is suitable for use across different age groups and literacy levels. SMILY©-Illness with its available translations may be used as useful adjuncts to clinical practice and research.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1546-0096-12-49) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Introduction:Thyroid dysfunctions are considered one of the most important endocrine disorders. Alterations in the level of thyroid hormones cause various subclinical or clinical manifestations. Salivary glands act as the biological media for food and the first line of defense for oral cavity and teeth. Any alterations in their integrity and activity can affect the patient's health. Aim: This study aimed to compare the possible histo-functional alterations that may occur in the parotid gland structure in an experimentally induced hyperthyroid and hypothyroid state. Materials and Methods: Twenty four adult male rats were divided into three equal groups. Group I: served as euthyroid.Group II (hyperthyroid group): rats received Eltroxine in a dose 600 μg/kg/day via an oral gavage feeding needle for three successive weeks. Group III (hypothyroid group): rats received Neomercazole in a dose of 1.35 mg /kg/day via an oral gavage feeding needle for three successive weeks. At the end of the experiment, all animals were weighed, blood samples were collected then all were sacrificed. The parotid glands were weighed and sampled for histopathological, Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies. Results: Examination of parotid sections of treated groups showed histopathological changes in the form of swollen serous acini, vacuolation, dilated duct, changes in secretory granules density, congested blood vessels and cellular infiltration. That is accompanied by significant changes in parotid gland weight, rat's body weight, mast cell number, Bcl-2 positive cells and serum amylase. Conclusion: It is recommended in cases of thyroid dysfunctions to monitor oral and dental health to follow salivary glands dysfunction.
Background and Objective: Owing to swelling properties and easy fabrication, hydrogels are employed intensively in agricultural applications. Nano-particles were used in agriculture due to their high surface area and reactivity in soil. This study aims to improve the adsorption capacity of soil from nutrients and enhance water holding capacity using hydrogel grafted with magnetic nanoparticles. Materials and Methods: Herein, hydrogel composite of acrylic acid or sodium acrylate co-polymer cross-linked with magnetic nanoparticle (HG-MNP) were synthesized and characterized by FTIR, TGA, BET and TEM techniques as compared with the hydrogel (HG). A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of HG and HG-MNP on crop productivity, quality and water-use efficiency of eggplant under different irrigation and mineral fertigation doses. Results: The results indicated that the incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) into the hydrogel matrix can significantly improve both the thermal stability and the swelling ratio of the hydrogel samples. The results of the pot experiment conducted on eggplant treated with the modified HG showed a significant increase in the studied morphological characteristics including plant high, stem diameter, number of branches, leaves, fruits, chlorophyll concentrations and crop yield compared to the control. This was attributed to the higher swelling ratio of HG-MNP and the higher adsorption ratios of nutrients than HG, which ensured an adequate supply of water and nutrients throughout the growth period of the crop. Conclusion: These results indicated that the integration of HG-MNP is beneficial for agricultural applications, especially under water stress.
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