The Scientific World Journal

Background. Pasteurella species are frequently encountered as serious diseases in small ruminants. It is the main cause of respiratory pasteurellosis in sheep and goats of all age groups. Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to April 2023 in Haramaya district, eastern Ethiopia, to isolate and identify Pasteurella multocida and Mannheimia haemolytica and estimate their prevalence, associated risk factors, and antimicrobial sensitivity of isolates in small ruminants using a purposive sampling method. A total of 384 samples (156 nasal swabs from clinic cases and 228 lung swabs from abattoir cases) were collected. STATA 14 software was used to analyze the data. In addition, multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess an association of risk factors. Results. Out of the 384 samples examined, 164 were positive for pasteurellosis, resulting in a 42.70% prevalence. Similarly, 63 (38.4%) of the 164 positive results were from nasal swabs, while 101 (61.6%) came from lung samples. M. haemolytica accounted for 126 (76.82%) of the isolates, while P. multocida accounted for 38 (23.17%). Of the 63 nasal swab isolates, 33 (37%) were from goats and 30 (42.8%) were from sheep. And 17 (10.89%) and 46 (29.58%), respectively, were P. multocida and M. haemolytica. Of the 46 (40%) of the 101 (44.3%) isolates of the pneumonic lung, samples were from goats, while 55 (48.47%) were from sheep. In this study, the risk factors (species, age, and body condition score) were found to be significant (). Pasteurella isolates evaluated for antibiotic susceptibility were highly resistant to oxacillin (90.90%), followed by gentamycin (72.72%), and penicillin (63.63%). However, the isolates were highly sensitive to chloramphenicol (90.90%), followed by tetracycline (63.63%), and ampicillin (54.54%). Conclusion. This study showed that M. haemolytica and P. multocida are the common causes of mannheimiosis and pasteurellosis in small ruminants, respectively, and isolates were resistant to commonly used antibiotics in the study area. Thus, an integrated vaccination strategy, antimicrobial resistance monitoring, and avoidance of stress-inducing factors are recommended.

Several studies have demonstrated that Moringa oleifera (MO) has different pharmacological properties, including neuroprotective effects. However, the role of MO in preventing brain impairment in high-fat, high-fructose diet (HFFD) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of MO leaves aqueous extract (MOE) and moringa seed oil (MOO) against brain impairment in mice with HFFD. Twenty-eight male mice were randomly divided into four groups: normal diet, HFFD, HFFD + MOE 500 mg/kgBW, and HFFD + MOO 2 mL/kgBW. Cognitive function was assessed using the Y-maze and novel object recognition (NOR) tests. The p16, p21, and BDNF expressions were analyzed using the RT-PCR method. Senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining in the brain was also performed. The results showed that administration of MOE or MOO could increase the percentage of alternation and recognition of new objects, prevent the increase of p16 and p21 expression, and ameliorate SA-β-Gal activity in the brain. MOO, but not MOE, increased BDNF expression in senescence brains isolated from HFFD mice. The findings indicate that MOO and MOE possess neuroprotective properties, with MOO demonstrating a greater ability to inhibit the brain senescence process compared to MOE.

Objective. To evaluate the profile of patients operated for maxillofacial space infections and associated risk factors for the length of hospital stay. Materials and Methods. We conducted a retrospective study among patients operated for maxillofacial infections at our center from 2010 to 2020. Information collected from the records were age, sex, type and number of spaces involved, clinical signs and symptoms (pain, swelling, toothache, sore throat, otalgia, hoarseness, headache, cough, neck swelling, rancid breath, sialorrhea, gingival swelling, muffled voice, trismus, fever, dysphagia, odynophagia, malaise, lymphadenopathy, dyspnoea, pus discharge), treatment modality, total leukocyte count, evidence of bacterial growth, comorbidities, complications if any and length of hospital stay. Results. A total of 128 medical records were examined, out of which 59 were female. The mean age was 38.59 ± 19.7 and the length of hospital stay was 7.56 ± 3.8 days. The most commonly involved space was submandibular space (46.1%) and the common symptoms reported were swelling (99.2%), pain (86.7%), and trismus (68%). Four patients had complications like necrotizing fasciitis (1.6%), pneumonia (0.8%), and death in one patient (0.8%). Logistic regression showed that patients more than 36 years of age, male sex, evidence of bacterial growth, and diabetics had higher odds of increased hospital stay (>6 days). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age (; OR: 2.98) and evidence of bacterial culture (; OR:6.64) were potential predictors associated with increased hospital stay. Conclusion. Our study showed that the age of the patient and evidence of bacterial culture were potential predictors of prolonged hospital stay among patients operated for maxillofacial space infections.

The primary energy source in Ethiopia is biomass. Over 80% of Ethiopians are rural dwellers who rely on biomass energy for lighting and cooking. In most parts of Ethiopia, injera is traditionally baked using an open fire, a three stone, or a device using woody biomass. These baking stoves have very low efficiency and consume a significant amount of fuel. Moreover, these traditional baking stoves have released large amounts of indoor air pollution, which has led to different types of health-related risks, especially for women and children in the country. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate efficient and fuel-saving injera baking technologies. Rigorously, an injera baking gasifier stove was designed, developed, and characterized in detail through water boiling and control cooking test methods. The indoor air pollution level was evaluated using particulate matter measuring instruments. The result indicated that the developed gasifier stove had a thermal efficiency of 21.8%. Furthermore, an 86% fuel savings performance was demonstrated by the controlled cooking test for the injera baking gasifier stove. The average emission concentrations of particulate matter and carbon monoxide were 608 µg/m³ and 9 ppm, respectively, during indoor air pollution determination. The study showed that injera baking gasifier stoves are a promising cooking technology for societies where baking is mostly dependent on traditional biomass fuel.

Background. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major medical problem affecting patients’ quality of life and healthcare costs. Objectives. This study evaluated the severity, risk factors, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with acute kidney injury (AKI), including community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI) and hospital-acquired AKI (HA-AKI), who were admitted to tertiary institutions in Palestine. Methods. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at multiple tertiary care hospitals in Palestine by reviewing patient charts from January 2020 to March 2023. The study included all patients aged ≥18 years who were admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with AKI at admission (CA-AKI) or who developed AKI 48 hours after admission (HA-AKI). Patients with incomplete medical records and those with no reported creatinine levels during their stay, pregnant women, kidney transplant patients, and end-stage renal disease patients were excluded. Data were analyzed using SPSS v22.0. The incidence of AKI in each group was compared using the chi-squared test. Results. This study included 259 participants. HA-AKI was present in 27.3% of the patients, while CA-AKI was 72.7%. The most common stage among patients was stage 3 (55.7%, HA-AKI) (42.9%, CA-AKI), and the most common comorbidity contributing to AKI was CKD. NSAIDs, ACE-I/ARBs, and DIURETICs were the most nephrotoxic drugs contributing to AKI. Patients with hyperphosphatemia, hyperkalemia, severe metabolic acidosis, or stage 3 AKI require renal replacement therapy. In addition, our findings revealed a significant association among AKI mortality, age, and heart disease. Conclusion. CA-AKI was more prevalent than HA-AKI in Palestinian patients admitted for AKI. Risk factors for AKI included diabetes, CKD, and medications (antibiotics, NSAID, diuretics, and ACE-I/ARB). Preventive measures, medication management, and disease state management are necessary to minimize AKI during hospital admission or in the community.

The Lebanese population has faced numerous stressors due to multiple crises in the past four years. This study aims to measure the perceived stress of the Lebanese population, identify the coping mechanisms being used, and determine whether they are associated with their stress levels. A cross-sectional study of 205 individuals randomly selected from Beirut was conducted. Frequency distribution, descriptive analysis, and multivariable cumulative logit models were used to determine the associations between coping mechanisms and perceived stress. Our results indicated that 95.4% of our population had moderate to high perceived stress levels. Problem-focused coping was the most adopted mechanism and was associated with a statistically significant lower stress level, whereas avoidant coping was associated with a statistically significant higher stress level. Our study can pave the way for raising awareness on the importance of managing stress with adaptive coping mechanisms.