Pd-MnO2 nanoparticles/TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs) photo-electrodes photo-catalytic properties and their ability of degrading Rhodamine B under visible light

Pd-MnO_2/TiO_2 nanotube arrays(NTAs) photo-electrodes were successfully fabricated via anodization and electro deposition subsequently; the obtained Pd-MnO_2/TiO_2 NTAs photo electrodes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and characterized accordingly. Moreover, the light harvesting and absorption properties were investigated via ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectrum(DRS); photo degradation efficiency was investigated via analyzing the photo catalytic degradation of Rhodamine B under visible illumination(xenon light). The performed analyses illustrated that Pd-MnO_2 codoped particles were successfully deposited onto the surface of the TiO_2 nanotube arrays;DRS results showed significant improvement in visible light absorption which was between400 and 700 nm. Finally, the photo catalytic degradation efficiency results of the designated organic pollutant(Rhodamine B) illustrated a superior photocatalytic(PC) efficiency of approximately 95% compared to the bare TiO_2 NTAs, which only exhibited a photo catalytic degradation efficiency of approximately 61%, thus it indicated the significant enhancement of the light absorption properties of fabricated photo electrodes and their yield of UOH radicals.     

Assessment of patients' medical fitness to drive by primary care physicians: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a significant health burden in Saudi Arabia. The literature has consistently indicated that chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obstructive sleep apnea, and neurodevelopmental disorders, increase the risk of MVCs. Therefore, assessment of driver fitness by primary care physicians (PCPs) remains a major health intervention that might reduce MVCs. We studied the practices of PCPs in assessing medical fitness to drive in at-risk patients.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of all 88 government-funded primary care centers in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We administered a self-reported questionnaire to PCPs that inquired about their driving risk assessment for specific medical conditions.

Results: Among all PCPs and centers, 189 PCPs (63%) from 74 centers (84%) participated in our survey. The mean age of the PCPs was 40 ± 10 years, and 108 (57%) were men. The average clinical experience of the group was 13 ± 9 years. Fewer than half of PCPs considered diabetes mellitus (45%) and obstructive sleep apnea (46%) as potential risks for MVCs. Approximately 45% of PCPs did not notify any authority or relatives of potential driving issues that they noticed in their patients. Only 15% of the participants believed that PCPs were responsible for alerting authorities about their fitness to drive.

Conclusions: PCPs did not adequately assess their patients' driving history and eligibility. Efforts are needed to improve awareness among PCPs regarding the effects of chronic medical conditions on driving.     

Coxsackievirus B4 as a Causative Agent of Diabetes Mellitus Type 1: Is There a Role of Inefficiently Treated Drinking Water and Sewage in Virus Spreading?

This study proposed to detect the enterovirus (EV) infection in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and to assess the role of insufficiently treated water and sewage as sources of viral spreading. Three hundred and eighty-two serum specimens of children with T1D, one hundred serum specimens of children who did not suffer from T1D as control, and forty-eight water and sewage samples were screened for EV RNA using nested RT-PCR. The number of genome copies and infectious units of EVs in raw and treated sewage and water samples were investigated using real-time (RT)-PCR and plaque assay, respectively. T1D markers [Fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, and C-peptide], in addition to anti-Coxsackie A & B viruses (CVs A & B) IgG, were measured in control, T1D-negative EV (T1D–EV^?), and T1D-positive EV (T1D–EV⁺) children specimens. The prevalence of EV genome was significantly higher in diabetic children (26.2%, 100 out of 382) than the control children (0%, 0 out of 100). FBG and HbA1c in T1D–EV^? and T1D–EV⁺ children specimens were significantly higher than those in the control group, while c-peptide in T1D–EV^? and T1D–EV⁺ children specimens was significantly lower than that in the control (n = 100; p < 0.001). Positivity of anti-CVs A & B IgG was 70.7, 6.7, and 22.9% in T1D–EV⁺, T1D–EV^?, and control children specimens, respectively. The prevalence of EV genome in drinking water and treated sewage samples was 25 and 33.3%, respectively. The prevalence of EV infectious units in drinking water and treated sewage samples was 8.5 and 25%, respectively. Quantification assays were performed to assess the capabilities of both wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and water treatment plants (WTPs) to remove EV. The reduction of EV genome in Zenin WWTP ranged from 2 to 4 log₁₀, while the reduction of EV infectious units ranged from 1 to 4 log₁₀. The reduction of EV genome in El-Giza WTP ranged from 1 to 3 log₁₀, while the reduction of EV infectious units ranged from 1 to 2 log₁₀. This capability of reduction did not prevent the appearance of infectious EV in treated sewage and drinking water. Plaque purification was performed for isolation of separate EV isolates from treated and untreated water and sewage samples. Characterization of the EV amplicons by RT-PCR followed by sequencing of these isolates revealed high homology (97%) with human coxsackievirus B4 (CV B4) in 60% of the isolates, while the rest of the isolates belonged to poliovirus type 1 and type 2 vaccine strains. On the other hand, characterization of the EV amplicons by RT-PCR followed by sequencing for T1D–EV⁺ children specimens indicated that all samples contained CV B4 with the same sequence characterized in the environmental samples. CV B4-contaminated drinking water or treated sewage may play a role as a causative agent of T1D in children.     

Groundwater Modeling in Agricultural Watershed under Different Recharge and Discharge Scenarios for Quaternary Aquifer Eastern Nile Delta,Egypt

Different scenarios of recharge and discharge were assessed for sustainable management of groundwater in Quaternary aquifer east of Nile Delta. MODFLOW was utilized to investigate the effect of land use change and damming construction in the upstream of the Nile River on the current and short-term groundwater management strategies. The interpretive transient simulation was performed between 2004 and 2016 after steady-state calibration in 2004, and transient state from 2004 to 2013 with different irrigation recharges associated with land use change in this period. Sensitivity analysis was performed for hydraulic conductivities, recharge, and conductance parameters. The predictive transient simulation was run till 2023 under three scenarios of increasing pumping rates by 15, 30, and 50% for agriculture expansion and specified head reduction of Port Said Canal by 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 m associated with the reduction of Nile water levels after Grand Ethiopian Residence Dam, GERD operation in 2017. Results from the in- and out-flow budgets showed that groundwater aquifer is stable at the current rate of pumping till 2023. Groundwater heads decreased by 0.2 and 0.42 m in the southern section, and a slight increase in the northern part was noticed for the first and second scenarios, respectively. When additional pumping stress is applied (50% increase), groundwater head dropped by 0.66 m, and the storage is no longer able to maintain the aquifer capacity after 2020 (worst-case scenario).     

Comparing the usability and reliability of a generic and a domain-specific medical error taxonomy

Medical error taxonomies are used to report and analyse patient safety incidents. Medical error taxonomies can be generic or domain-specific. In comparing generic and domain-specific medical error taxonomies, the literature compares the information both type of taxonomies classify. There is little evidence the taxonomies have been compared in terms of usability and reliability. Twenty nurses and 21 pharmacists participated in a study comparing the usability and reliability of a generic medical error taxonomy and a medication error taxonomy. The medical error taxonomies utilized were the Patient Safety Event Taxonomy and the NCC MERP Taxonomy of Medication Error. The study found no significant difference in the usability ratings of both taxonomies. The taxonomies required different amount of time to classify patient safety incidents and had significantly different reliability levels. The reliability of the NCC MERP Taxonomy of Medication Error was significantly different when used by nurses and pharmacists. The taxonomy was also preferred by the majority of participants. Some recommendations are made about the design of future medical error taxonomies.     

Dinoflagellate bloom in tropical fish ponds of coastal waters of the South China Sea

Red tide of dinoflagellate was observed in brackish water fish ponds of Terengganu along the coast of the South China Sea during the study period between January 1992 to December 1992. The nearby coastal moat water facing the South China Sea is the source of water for fish pond culture activities of sea bass during the study period. An examination of water quality in fish ponds during the study period indicated that both the organic nutrients were high during the pre-wet monsoon period. The source of the nutrients in coastal water was believed to be derived from the agro-based industrial effluents, fertilizers from paddy fields and untreated animal wastes. This coincided with the peak production of dinoflagellate in the water column in October 1992. The cell count ranges from 8.3 to 60.4×10.4×10⁴/l during the bloom peak period and the bloom species were compared entirely of non-toxic dinoflagellates with Protoperidinium quinquecorne occurring >90% of the total cell count. However, both cultured and indigenous fish species were seen to suffer from oxygen asphyxiation (suffocation due to lack of oxygen). The bloom lasted for a short period (4–5 days) with a massive cell collapse from subsurface to bottom water on the sixth day. The productivity values ranged from 5–25 C g/ l / h with a subsurface maximum value in October 1992. Two species of Ciliophora, Tintinnopsis and Favella, were observed to graze on these dinoflagellates at the end of the bloom period.     

Comparative efficacy of certain plant extracts alone and combination with profenofos against Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Ethyl alcohol, acetone, and petroleum ether extracts of three plant species belonging to three different botanical families [Strychnos nux-vomica (Loganiaceae), Euphorbia lathyrus (Euphorbiaceae), and Datura stramonlum (Solanaceae)], a chemical insecticide; profenofos and their combinations were tested against second and fourth instars of Spodoptera littoralis under lab conditions. Results revealed that the ethanol extract of S. nux-vomica was the most effective among all plant extracts, where the corrected mortality% were 92, 81, 58, and 27% to 2nd instar and 89, 74, 34, and 11% to 4th instar at concentrations 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, and 0.0625%, respectively. Calculated LC₅₀'s were 0.11, 0.22, and 0.34% to 2nd instar and 0.17, 0.37, and 0.52% to 4th instar for ethanol, petroleum ether, and acetone extracts, respectively. Acetone extracts of all plants were of lower effect. The chemical insecticide profenofos displayed higher efficacy than plant extracts (LC₅₀ = 0.002 and 0.003% for S. littoralis 2nd and 4th larval instars, respectively). The co-toxicity factor reached 76 and 60 when mixing S. nux-vomica + profenofos and D. stramonlum + profenofos at ratio 1:1 against S. littoralis 2nd instar larvae, thus indicating a potentiating effect. While treatment of the 4th instar larvae by the same mixtures resulted in a co-toxicity factor below 20 at all mixing ratios indicating, only, an additive effect against this instar.