Biomedical subjects

Abdul Bari

Publications and source records attributed to Abdul Bari.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Long-term monitoring of radioactivity in surface air and deposition in New York State.

Gross-beta activities have been determined weekly for 22 y from filtered atmospheric aerosols at seven sites in New York State. The activities, ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 mBq m(-3), varied seasonally and were evaluated in terms of meteorological factors. Cosmogenic beryllium (7Be) concentrations were determined quarterly on the air filters and weekly in deposition collected at one site. Over 98% of the air filters contained observable activity concentrations of 7Be (mean of 3 mBq m(-3)) and 210Pb (mean of 1 mBq m(-3)). However, only 20% of deposition samples contained Be concentrations above analytical detection limits. Tritium (3H) concentrations were below detection limits in deposition samples at the background site, but were present on most samples collected near a H-processing facility. Measurements of 131I were conducted weekly on charcoal canisters, with only one site showing observable concentrations (mean of 1 mBq m(-3)), due to nearby incineration of dried municipal sludge containing patient waste from hospital treatments.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗

PubMed2006

Putative virulence factors of the Aeromonas spp. isolated from food and environment in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Thirty randomly selected Aeromonas isolates from food and the environment in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, were characterized for putative virulence determinants, such as production of cytotoxin, cytotonic toxin, and hemolysin and their capacity to adhere to and invade Henle 407 cells in vitro. Seventy percent of the tested isolates were cytotoxin producers, and 80% were hemolytic. Cytotoxin was produced by 6 of 7 A. hydrophila strains, 6 of 13 A. caviae strains, and 6 of 7 A. veronii bv. sobria strains, mostly from food sources. A. schubertii, A. jandaei, and A. trota also produced both cytotoxin and hemolysin. All of the 30 isolates tested adhered to Henle 407 cells, but none were able to invade the cells, as determined with the in vitro assay. However, no significant correlation of the presence of these putative virulence factors was found among these aeromonad food isolates.

Aeromonas↗

PubMed2006

Mesenteric neurofibromatosis.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a group of heterogeneous multisystemic neurocutaneous disorders that may affect any organ in the body and clinical presentation depends on the body system involved. We present a case of a middle-aged male who presented with a relatively fast growing abdominal mass in the hypogastric and right inguinal area, associated with diarrhea. At laparotomy, a large, solid mass was found in the lower mesentery with loops of small intestine adherent to it. Mass was removed in total along with the loops of intestine and was found to be neurofibroma of mesentery on histopathology.

Follow-Up Studies↗

PubMed2005

Randomized controlled trial of standard versus double dose cotrimoxazole for childhood pneumonia in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing concern over bacterial resistance to cotrimoxazole, which is recommended by WHO as a first-line drug for treating non-severe pneumonia, led to the suggestion that this might not be optimal therapy. However, changing to alternative antimicrobial agents, such as amoxicillin, is costly. We compared the clinical efficacy of twice-daily cotrimoxazole in standard versus double dosage for treating non-severe pneumonia in children. METHODS: A randomized controlled multicentre trial was implemented in seven hospital outpatient departments and two community health programmes. A total of 1143 children aged 2-59 months with non-severe pneumonia were randomly allocated to receive 4 mg trimethoprim plus 20 mg sulfamethoxazole/kg of body weight or 8 mg trimethoprim plus 40 mg sulfamethoxazole/kg of body weight orally twice-daily for 5 days Treatment failure occurred when a child required a change of therapy, died or was lost to follow-up. Children required a change of therapy if their condition worsened (they developed chest indrawing or danger signs) or if at 48 hours after enrollment, their clinical condition was the same (defined as having a respiratory rate that was 5 breaths/minute higher or lower than at the time of enrollment). FINDINGS: The results of 1134 children were analysed: 578 were assigned to the standard dose of cotrimoxazole and 556 to the double dose. Treatment failed in 112 children (19.4%) in the standard group and 118 (21.2%) in the double-dose group (relative risk 1.10; 95% confidence interval = 0.87-1.37). Using multivariate analysis we found that treatment was more likely to fail in children who were not given the medicine correctly (P = 0.001), in those younger than 12 months (P = 0.004), those who had used antibiotics previously (P = 0.002), those whose respiratory rate was > or =20 breaths/minute above the age-specific cut-off point (P = 0.006), and those from urban areas (P = 0.042). CONCLUSION: Both standard and double strength cotrimoxazole were equally effective in treating non-severe pneumonia. Close follow-up of patients is essential to prevent worsening of disease. Definitions of clinical failure need to be more specific. Surveillance in both rural and urban areas is essential in the development of treatment policies that are based on clinical outcomes.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed2003

Non-destructive determination of 224Ra, 226Ra and 228Ra concentrations in drinking water by gamma spectroscopy.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandates that drinking water showing gross alpha-activity greater than 0.19 Bq L(-1) should be analyzed for radium, a known human carcinogen. The recommended testing methods are intricate and laborious. The method reported in this paper is a direct, non-destructive gamma-spectroscopic method for the determination of 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra, the three radium isotopes of environmental concern in drinking water. Large-volume Marinelli beakers (4.1-L capacity), especially designed for measuring radioactive gases, in conjunction with a low-background, high-efficiency (131%) germanium detector were used in this work. It was first established that radon, the gaseous decay product of radium, and its progeny are quantitatively retained in this Marinelli beaker. The 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra activity concentrations are determined from the equilibrium activities of their progeny: 212Pb, 214Pb (214Bi), and 228Ac; and the gamma-lines used in the analysis are 238.6, 351.9 (and 609.2), and 911.2 keV, respectively. The 224Ra activity is determined from the first 1,000-min measurement performed after expulsion of radon from the sample. The 226Ra activity is determined from the second, 2,400-min measurement, made 3 to 5 d later, and the 228Ra activity is determined from either the first or the second measurement, depending on its concentration level. The method's minimum detectable activities are 0.017 Bq L(-1), 0.020 Bq L(-1), and 0.027 Bq L(-1) for 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra, respectively, when measured under radioactive equilibrium. These limits are well within the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations required limit of 0.037 Bq L(-1) for 226Ra and for 228Ra. The precision and accuracy of the method, evaluated using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Resource Associates' quality control samples, were found to be within acceptable limits.

Equipment Design↗

PubMed2002

Identification of model newborn care practices through a positive deviance inquiry to guide behavior-change interventions in Haripur, Pakistan.

A positive deviance (PD) inquiry identifies uncommon, model practices that a follow-on program can spread. PD has been used to rehabilitate malnourished children, but not for improving newborn health. Save the Children Federation/US (SC) conducted newborn PD cycles in communities (total population about 5,000 each) in two project areas in Haripur District, Pakistan among Afghan refugees and among local Pakistanis. Each PD cycle included planning, community orientation, situation analysis, PD inquiries, and community feedback with action planning. PD inquiries were in-depth interviews to identify uncommon behaviors among surviving asphyxiated newborns, thriving low birthweight babies, surviving newborns who had danger signs, and normal newborns. The Afghan caregivers showed better use of services and some household practices than their Pakistani counterparts, consistent with duration of SC presence (15 years vs. 18 months, respectively). The practices of both groups for clean delivery, thermal control, immediate and exclusive breastfeeding, and fathers' involvement were weak. But PD individuals, families, and/or birth attendants modeled good maternal care and immediate, routine and special newborn care. Communities enthusiastically committed to change behavior and form neighborhood support groups for better newborn care, including a demand for hygienic delivery. The PD approach for the newborn is more complex than for child nutrition. Yet this pilot-test proposed a conceptual framework for household newborn care, suggested tools and methods for information gathering, identified PDs in two settings of different risk, galvanized SC staff to the potential of the approach, mobilized communities for better newborn health, and drafted a newborn PD training curricula.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Hakim Muhammad Akbar Arzani.

Presents a summary of the life and accomplishments of Hakim Muhammad Akbar Arzani (d. 1722), a notable Muslim physician and writer from southern Asia who worked extensively in India

Biographies as Topic↗