Mohamed Zaghloul - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Mohamed Zaghloul

ArXiv, 2018

Physically-based overland flow models are computationally demanding, hindering their use for real... more Physically-based overland flow models are computationally demanding, hindering their use for real-time applications. Therefore, the development of fast (and reasonably accurate) overland flow models is needed if they are to be used to support flood mitigation decision making. In this study, we investigate the potential of Self-Organizing Maps to rapidly generate water depth and flood extent results. To conduct the study, we developed a flood-simulation specific SOM, using cellular automata flood model results and a synthetic DEM and inflow hydrograph. The preliminary results showed that water depth and flood extent results produced by the SOM are reasonably accurate and obtained in a very short period of time. Based on this, it seems that SOMs have the potential to provide critical flood information to support real-time flood mitigation decisions. The findings presented would however require further investigations to obtain general conclusions; these further investigations may inclu...

n integrated geophysical survey including Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), Transient Electroma... more n integrated geophysical survey including Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), Transient Electromagnetic (TEM), and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) was conducted in the area of Wadi Sakhr, Northwestern Coastal Zone of Egypt. The objective of this survey is to characterize the conditions under which the groundwater occurs in the Middle Miocene carbonate rocks, which dominate the study area. The inversion results of 9 VES and 17 TEM measured sounding data revealed that the subsurface geoelectrical succession in most of the study area consists of five layers in addition to a sixth geoelectrical layer capping the succession at the northern part of the study area. The water-bearing zones were detected within the lower part of the third layer in the northern part of the area and the lower part of the fifth layer in the southern part of the study area. The inversion results of 11 ERT profiles revealed the detailed resistivity distribution of the subsurface layers and confirmed the r...

Port-Said Engineering Research Journal, 2021

Neuro-Oncology, 2020

INTRODUCTION The role of diagnostic biopsy in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains in ... more INTRODUCTION The role of diagnostic biopsy in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains in question. Distinguishing radiographically between DIPG and other pontine tumors with more favorable prognosis and different therapy is critically important. METHODS Cases submitted to the International DIPG registry with histopathologic data were analyzed. Central imaging review was performed on diagnostic brain MRI (if available) by two neuro-radiologists; all cases with imaging features or histopathology suggestive of alternative diagnoses were re-reviewed. Imaging features suggestive of alternative diagnoses included non-pontine origin, < 50% pontine involvement (without typical DIPG pattern on follow-up), focally exophytic morphology, sharply-defined margins, or marked diffusion restriction throughout. RESULTS Among 294 patients with pathology from biopsy and/or autopsy available, 27 (9%) had histologic diagnoses not consistent with DIPG, most commonly pilocytic astrocytomas (n=11...

Neuro-Oncology, 2020

PURPOSE To review data from DIPG Registry patients recorded to have received a second course of r... more PURPOSE To review data from DIPG Registry patients recorded to have received a second course of radiation therapy (rRT). METHODS The International DIPG Registry was searched for patients with DIPG who were treated with a known dose of rRT. Doses of rRT, timing from initial diagnosis and primary radiation therapy (pRT), radiographic response to rRT and survival from diagnosis (OS) were evaluated. RESULTS Sixty (11.2%) of 535 Registry patients underwent rRT; dose was provided for 44 patients. Median (range) data from those 44 revealed that rRT was given at 12 (2–65) months from initial diagnosis of DIPG and at 9.6 (1–61) months from completion of pRT at a dose of 26.7 (1.8–74) Gy. After completion of rRT, MRI showed response, progression, stable disease or was not available in 19, 8, 3 and 14 patients, respectively. Median PFS and OS were 11 and 18.1 months, respectively. 475 Registry patients did not undergo rRT; their ages, duration of symptoms, and primary treatment with or without...

Neuro-Oncology, 2020

Pediatric craniopharyngioma is a rare tumor with excellent survival but significant long-term mor... more Pediatric craniopharyngioma is a rare tumor with excellent survival but significant long-term morbidities due to the loco-regional tumor growth or secondary to its treatment. Visual impairment, panhypopituitarism, hypothalamic damage and behavioral changes are amongst the main challenges. This tumor should be managed under the care of a multidisciplinary team to determine the optimum treatment within the available resources. This is particularly important for low middle-income countries (LMICs) where resources are variable. We provide a risk-stratified management guideline for children diagnosed with craniopharyngioma in a resource limited setting based on the service levels describing the facilities and personnel required for management as previously specified by the Pediatric Oncology in Developing Countries (PODC) committee of The International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP). A multi-disciplinary group of neurosurgeons, radiation and pediatric oncologists, radiologists, ped...

JCO Global Oncology, 2020

PURPOSE Adequate clinical services have yet to be established in the majority of African countrie... more PURPOSE Adequate clinical services have yet to be established in the majority of African countries, where childhood cancer survival rates vary from 8.1% to 30.3%. The aim of this review is to describe the landscape of pediatric oncology trials in Africa, identify challenges, and offer future opportunities for research collaborations. METHODS The study includes data from the International Pediatric Oncology Society (SIOP) global mapping survey, meta-research identifying trials in Africa in ClinicalTrials.gov, and a literature overview of publications on the subject of pediatric oncology clinical research supported by expert opinions on the current situation and challenges. RESULTS The SIOP global mapping survey received responses from 47 of 54 African countries, of which 23 have active clinical research programs. A preliminary search of ClinicalTrials.gov showed that only 105 (12.1%) of 868 African oncology studies included children and adolescents. Of these, 53 (50.5%) were interven...

Afro-Egyptian Journal of Infectious and Endemic Diseases, 2017

Background and study aim: Serotonin is a one of the monoamine neurotransmitters secreted by serot... more Background and study aim: Serotonin is a one of the monoamine neurotransmitters secreted by serotonergic nerve endings in multiple sites in the brain and gastrointestinal tract wall. The presence of serotonin receptors on hepatic stellate cells can cause contraction of these cells closing the sinusoidal fenestrae and raising the portal vein pressure. The aim of this work is to study the relation between free serotonin level and the presence of varices in patients with cirrhosis. Patients and Methods: This prospective case control study was carried out on 70 patients with liver cirrhosis attended or admitted to Hepatology Department in Shebein El-Kom Teaching Hospital within the period between May and October 2015. They divided into two groups: Group 1: 40 patients with varices diagnosed by upper GIT endoscopy. Group 2: 30 patients without varices. In addition, 20 healthy persons served as control group (Group 3). All subjects were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination and laboratory investigation including plasma free serotonin by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay (ELISA). Results: serum serotonin level in group I was significantly higher than group II and control group. Serum serotonin level was significantly correlated to esophageal varices grade, Child, MELD and updated MELD scores. It was also clear that serotonin level rises significantly with higher grades of esophageal varices. Conclusion: Free serotonin had a good power of prediction for development of varices and correlated well with severity of liver disease in patients with cirrhosis assessed by Child, MELD and updated MELD scores as well as OV grade.

PeerJ, 2019

The incidence of pediatric cancer is lower than that of adult cancer worldwide. However, the form... more The incidence of pediatric cancer is lower than that of adult cancer worldwide. However, the former has detrimental side effects on the health of individuals, even after the cancer is cured, due to the impact of treatment on development. Recently, correlations have been made between the gut microbiome and cancer in several studies but only on adult participants. There is always a complication of dealing with pediatric cancer treatment protocols because they usually include a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and intensive prophylactic antibiotics. In the current study, a pilot study was conducted to analyze ten fecal samples from three pediatric cancer patients, suffering from rhabdomyosarcoma near their pelvic region, and two healthy individuals. A correlation between microbial composition and response to treatment was reported, in which the responders had generally a lower microbial diversity compared to non-responders. In addition, nucleotide changes and deletions in the...

Pediatric blood & cancer, 2017

Pediatric radiotherapy is a critical part of pediatric oncology protocols and the quality of the ... more Pediatric radiotherapy is a critical part of pediatric oncology protocols and the quality of the radiotherapy may determine the future quality of life for long-term survivors. Multidisciplinary team decision making provides the basis for high-quality care. However, delivery of high-quality radiotherapy is dependent on resources. This article provides guidelines for delivery of good quality radiation therapy in resource-limited countries based on rational procurement and maintenance planning, protocol development, three-dimensional planning, quality assurance, and adequate staff numbers and training.

Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination, 2016

In developing countries, and due to the high cost of treatment of industrial wastewater, municipa... more In developing countries, and due to the high cost of treatment of industrial wastewater, municipal wastewater treatment facilities usually receive a mixture of municipal wastewater and partially treated industrial wastewater. As a result, an increased potential for shock loads with high pollutant concentrations is expected. The use of mathematical modelling of wastewater treatment is highly efficient in such cases. A dynamic model based on activated sludge model no. 3 (ASM3) describing the performance of the activated sludge process at a full scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) receiving mixed domestic–industrial wastewater located in an arid area is presented. ASM3 was extended by adding the Arrhenius equation to respond to changes in temperature. BioWin software V.4 was used as the model platform. The model was calibrated under steady-state conditions, adjusting only three kinetic and stoichiometric parameters: maximum heterotrophic growth rate (μH = 8 d−1), heterotrophic aero...

Journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery : official journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Jan 10, 2017

This study evaluated the effect of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) on degenerative changes... more This study evaluated the effect of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) on degenerative changes of TMJ associated with bovine collagen type II (BCII) induced-arthritis. Fifty rabbits were divided into 3 groups. Group I (n = 10) received no treatment. Group II (n = 20) was divided into 2 subgroups according to treatment type. One subgroup (n = 10) received an intra-articular (IA) injection of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and the other (n = 10) received an IA injection of PBS plus BMSCs. Group III (n = 20) received an injection of oil emulsion of BCII before treatment with PBS or PBS plus BMSCs as in group II. Rabbits were euthanized after the third week and the joints were processed for histology. Compared to TMJs of subgroup III treated with PBS, TMJs of subgroup III treated with combined therapy showed improvements in all parameters tested. Mean values in mm(3) for this subgroup regarding fibrous condylar covering, cartilaginous condylar plate, subchondral bone, articular emin...

Catrina: The International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2015

There are increasing threats facing the rare plants including the endemic populations. Also the p... more There are increasing threats facing the rare plants including the endemic populations. Also the potential development of the earth's vast desert areas for agriculture and other human-needs demands an awareness of the ecological characteristics and requirements of desert vegetation. Saint Catherine area has a unique location and environment. The vegetation and wild life in Saint Catherine area is subjected to great disturbance through the unmanaged human activities. In the present study we had used seed ecology in order to contribute in designing a sound long term conservation plan for the threatened endemic studied medicinal species; Hypericum sinaicum, at two levels; (a) soil seed bank and its relationship to above ground vegetation and (b) the germination response at different conditions and pretreatments on wetted substrate. Hypericum sinaicum grows in Sinai on mountainous sheltered moist crevices and in Hijaz in the extreme northwest of Saudi Arabia and in Edom in Jordan. The results revealed that seven endemic species were identified in soil seed bank; Veronica khaiseri, Hypericum sinaicum, Nepeta septemcrenata, Plantago sinaica, Origanum syriacum, Phlomis aurea, and Primula boveana. Germination treatments on Hypericum sinaicum seeds showed that calcium carbonate (CaCO 3) and hot water of 50°C treatment was found to be most effective to improve seed germination depending on doses, while other treatments were efficient to a lesser degree. As a general conclusion, the present study clarified that the behaviour of endemic species along environmental gradients varies greatly, as well as in its strategies in struggling for existence.

Catrina: The International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2014

Ballota undulate (rare), B. Saxatilis (endangered), and B. Kaiseri (extremely endangered and ende... more Ballota undulate (rare), B. Saxatilis (endangered), and B. Kaiseri (extremely endangered and endemic) are three of Mediterranean origin species grow in southern Sinai Mountains. They are very close morphologically and have been confused and mixed in their natural habitats. The present study aimed to provide genetical and morphological differentiation among the three Ballotas peceis using allozyme, PCA, and discriminant analyses for plants growing in a common environment. Electroporetic analysis of enzymes coded by 21 gene loci demonstrated that there is a high degree of genetic similarity among the three Ballota species suggesting that speciation apparently has occurred in this genus with little divergence at genes coding for allozymes. Twelve quantitative and nine qualitative characters were selected for the study of phenotypic similarity and morphological variation in a sample of 147 plants, served as OUT's. The analyses could differentiate between B. undulata as one group and B. kaiseri and B. saxatilis as another group, but could not separate B. saxatilis from B. kaiseri. The incomplete isolation of B. undulata, B. kaiseri, and B. saxatilis, in combination with their high genetic identities and their very similar morphology, raise the question as to whether they should be retained as separate species.

Introduction / Purpose: Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignancy of infancy and e... more Introduction / Purpose: Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignancy of infancy and early childhood. In developing countries the decreased access to health care poses a major challenge and increases the possibility of extra-ocular dissemination. Surgical pathological examination aim at discerning histopathological features that pose a higher risk for extraocular spread and are indicative of a need for adjuvant therapy. Our aim is to study the prevalence of histopathological high risk features amongst the enucleated eyes, measure the Event- free survival (EFS) in those patients and compare the EFS in two groups 1) the ones who received adjuvant chemotherapy, 2) the ones who did not. Materials & Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who were presented to Children’s Cancer Hospital - Egypt 57357 between July 2007 and April 2012. Only unilateral cases were included in the study. Pathological examination of the enucleated eyes was conducted for all cases. Pathologists...

ArXiv, 2018

Physically-based overland flow models are computationally demanding, hindering their use for real... more Physically-based overland flow models are computationally demanding, hindering their use for real-time applications. Therefore, the development of fast (and reasonably accurate) overland flow models is needed if they are to be used to support flood mitigation decision making. In this study, we investigate the potential of Self-Organizing Maps to rapidly generate water depth and flood extent results. To conduct the study, we developed a flood-simulation specific SOM, using cellular automata flood model results and a synthetic DEM and inflow hydrograph. The preliminary results showed that water depth and flood extent results produced by the SOM are reasonably accurate and obtained in a very short period of time. Based on this, it seems that SOMs have the potential to provide critical flood information to support real-time flood mitigation decisions. The findings presented would however require further investigations to obtain general conclusions; these further investigations may inclu...

n integrated geophysical survey including Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), Transient Electroma... more n integrated geophysical survey including Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), Transient Electromagnetic (TEM), and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) was conducted in the area of Wadi Sakhr, Northwestern Coastal Zone of Egypt. The objective of this survey is to characterize the conditions under which the groundwater occurs in the Middle Miocene carbonate rocks, which dominate the study area. The inversion results of 9 VES and 17 TEM measured sounding data revealed that the subsurface geoelectrical succession in most of the study area consists of five layers in addition to a sixth geoelectrical layer capping the succession at the northern part of the study area. The water-bearing zones were detected within the lower part of the third layer in the northern part of the area and the lower part of the fifth layer in the southern part of the study area. The inversion results of 11 ERT profiles revealed the detailed resistivity distribution of the subsurface layers and confirmed the r...

Port-Said Engineering Research Journal, 2021

Neuro-Oncology, 2020

INTRODUCTION The role of diagnostic biopsy in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains in ... more INTRODUCTION The role of diagnostic biopsy in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains in question. Distinguishing radiographically between DIPG and other pontine tumors with more favorable prognosis and different therapy is critically important. METHODS Cases submitted to the International DIPG registry with histopathologic data were analyzed. Central imaging review was performed on diagnostic brain MRI (if available) by two neuro-radiologists; all cases with imaging features or histopathology suggestive of alternative diagnoses were re-reviewed. Imaging features suggestive of alternative diagnoses included non-pontine origin, < 50% pontine involvement (without typical DIPG pattern on follow-up), focally exophytic morphology, sharply-defined margins, or marked diffusion restriction throughout. RESULTS Among 294 patients with pathology from biopsy and/or autopsy available, 27 (9%) had histologic diagnoses not consistent with DIPG, most commonly pilocytic astrocytomas (n=11...

Neuro-Oncology, 2020

PURPOSE To review data from DIPG Registry patients recorded to have received a second course of r... more PURPOSE To review data from DIPG Registry patients recorded to have received a second course of radiation therapy (rRT). METHODS The International DIPG Registry was searched for patients with DIPG who were treated with a known dose of rRT. Doses of rRT, timing from initial diagnosis and primary radiation therapy (pRT), radiographic response to rRT and survival from diagnosis (OS) were evaluated. RESULTS Sixty (11.2%) of 535 Registry patients underwent rRT; dose was provided for 44 patients. Median (range) data from those 44 revealed that rRT was given at 12 (2–65) months from initial diagnosis of DIPG and at 9.6 (1–61) months from completion of pRT at a dose of 26.7 (1.8–74) Gy. After completion of rRT, MRI showed response, progression, stable disease or was not available in 19, 8, 3 and 14 patients, respectively. Median PFS and OS were 11 and 18.1 months, respectively. 475 Registry patients did not undergo rRT; their ages, duration of symptoms, and primary treatment with or without...

Neuro-Oncology, 2020

Pediatric craniopharyngioma is a rare tumor with excellent survival but significant long-term mor... more Pediatric craniopharyngioma is a rare tumor with excellent survival but significant long-term morbidities due to the loco-regional tumor growth or secondary to its treatment. Visual impairment, panhypopituitarism, hypothalamic damage and behavioral changes are amongst the main challenges. This tumor should be managed under the care of a multidisciplinary team to determine the optimum treatment within the available resources. This is particularly important for low middle-income countries (LMICs) where resources are variable. We provide a risk-stratified management guideline for children diagnosed with craniopharyngioma in a resource limited setting based on the service levels describing the facilities and personnel required for management as previously specified by the Pediatric Oncology in Developing Countries (PODC) committee of The International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP). A multi-disciplinary group of neurosurgeons, radiation and pediatric oncologists, radiologists, ped...

JCO Global Oncology, 2020

PURPOSE Adequate clinical services have yet to be established in the majority of African countrie... more PURPOSE Adequate clinical services have yet to be established in the majority of African countries, where childhood cancer survival rates vary from 8.1% to 30.3%. The aim of this review is to describe the landscape of pediatric oncology trials in Africa, identify challenges, and offer future opportunities for research collaborations. METHODS The study includes data from the International Pediatric Oncology Society (SIOP) global mapping survey, meta-research identifying trials in Africa in ClinicalTrials.gov, and a literature overview of publications on the subject of pediatric oncology clinical research supported by expert opinions on the current situation and challenges. RESULTS The SIOP global mapping survey received responses from 47 of 54 African countries, of which 23 have active clinical research programs. A preliminary search of ClinicalTrials.gov showed that only 105 (12.1%) of 868 African oncology studies included children and adolescents. Of these, 53 (50.5%) were interven...

Afro-Egyptian Journal of Infectious and Endemic Diseases, 2017

Background and study aim: Serotonin is a one of the monoamine neurotransmitters secreted by serot... more Background and study aim: Serotonin is a one of the monoamine neurotransmitters secreted by serotonergic nerve endings in multiple sites in the brain and gastrointestinal tract wall. The presence of serotonin receptors on hepatic stellate cells can cause contraction of these cells closing the sinusoidal fenestrae and raising the portal vein pressure. The aim of this work is to study the relation between free serotonin level and the presence of varices in patients with cirrhosis. Patients and Methods: This prospective case control study was carried out on 70 patients with liver cirrhosis attended or admitted to Hepatology Department in Shebein El-Kom Teaching Hospital within the period between May and October 2015. They divided into two groups: Group 1: 40 patients with varices diagnosed by upper GIT endoscopy. Group 2: 30 patients without varices. In addition, 20 healthy persons served as control group (Group 3). All subjects were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination and laboratory investigation including plasma free serotonin by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay (ELISA). Results: serum serotonin level in group I was significantly higher than group II and control group. Serum serotonin level was significantly correlated to esophageal varices grade, Child, MELD and updated MELD scores. It was also clear that serotonin level rises significantly with higher grades of esophageal varices. Conclusion: Free serotonin had a good power of prediction for development of varices and correlated well with severity of liver disease in patients with cirrhosis assessed by Child, MELD and updated MELD scores as well as OV grade.

PeerJ, 2019

The incidence of pediatric cancer is lower than that of adult cancer worldwide. However, the form... more The incidence of pediatric cancer is lower than that of adult cancer worldwide. However, the former has detrimental side effects on the health of individuals, even after the cancer is cured, due to the impact of treatment on development. Recently, correlations have been made between the gut microbiome and cancer in several studies but only on adult participants. There is always a complication of dealing with pediatric cancer treatment protocols because they usually include a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and intensive prophylactic antibiotics. In the current study, a pilot study was conducted to analyze ten fecal samples from three pediatric cancer patients, suffering from rhabdomyosarcoma near their pelvic region, and two healthy individuals. A correlation between microbial composition and response to treatment was reported, in which the responders had generally a lower microbial diversity compared to non-responders. In addition, nucleotide changes and deletions in the...

Pediatric blood & cancer, 2017

Pediatric radiotherapy is a critical part of pediatric oncology protocols and the quality of the ... more Pediatric radiotherapy is a critical part of pediatric oncology protocols and the quality of the radiotherapy may determine the future quality of life for long-term survivors. Multidisciplinary team decision making provides the basis for high-quality care. However, delivery of high-quality radiotherapy is dependent on resources. This article provides guidelines for delivery of good quality radiation therapy in resource-limited countries based on rational procurement and maintenance planning, protocol development, three-dimensional planning, quality assurance, and adequate staff numbers and training.

Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination, 2016

In developing countries, and due to the high cost of treatment of industrial wastewater, municipa... more In developing countries, and due to the high cost of treatment of industrial wastewater, municipal wastewater treatment facilities usually receive a mixture of municipal wastewater and partially treated industrial wastewater. As a result, an increased potential for shock loads with high pollutant concentrations is expected. The use of mathematical modelling of wastewater treatment is highly efficient in such cases. A dynamic model based on activated sludge model no. 3 (ASM3) describing the performance of the activated sludge process at a full scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) receiving mixed domestic–industrial wastewater located in an arid area is presented. ASM3 was extended by adding the Arrhenius equation to respond to changes in temperature. BioWin software V.4 was used as the model platform. The model was calibrated under steady-state conditions, adjusting only three kinetic and stoichiometric parameters: maximum heterotrophic growth rate (μH = 8 d−1), heterotrophic aero...

Journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery : official journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Jan 10, 2017

This study evaluated the effect of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) on degenerative changes... more This study evaluated the effect of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) on degenerative changes of TMJ associated with bovine collagen type II (BCII) induced-arthritis. Fifty rabbits were divided into 3 groups. Group I (n = 10) received no treatment. Group II (n = 20) was divided into 2 subgroups according to treatment type. One subgroup (n = 10) received an intra-articular (IA) injection of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and the other (n = 10) received an IA injection of PBS plus BMSCs. Group III (n = 20) received an injection of oil emulsion of BCII before treatment with PBS or PBS plus BMSCs as in group II. Rabbits were euthanized after the third week and the joints were processed for histology. Compared to TMJs of subgroup III treated with PBS, TMJs of subgroup III treated with combined therapy showed improvements in all parameters tested. Mean values in mm(3) for this subgroup regarding fibrous condylar covering, cartilaginous condylar plate, subchondral bone, articular emin...

Catrina: The International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2015

There are increasing threats facing the rare plants including the endemic populations. Also the p... more There are increasing threats facing the rare plants including the endemic populations. Also the potential development of the earth's vast desert areas for agriculture and other human-needs demands an awareness of the ecological characteristics and requirements of desert vegetation. Saint Catherine area has a unique location and environment. The vegetation and wild life in Saint Catherine area is subjected to great disturbance through the unmanaged human activities. In the present study we had used seed ecology in order to contribute in designing a sound long term conservation plan for the threatened endemic studied medicinal species; Hypericum sinaicum, at two levels; (a) soil seed bank and its relationship to above ground vegetation and (b) the germination response at different conditions and pretreatments on wetted substrate. Hypericum sinaicum grows in Sinai on mountainous sheltered moist crevices and in Hijaz in the extreme northwest of Saudi Arabia and in Edom in Jordan. The results revealed that seven endemic species were identified in soil seed bank; Veronica khaiseri, Hypericum sinaicum, Nepeta septemcrenata, Plantago sinaica, Origanum syriacum, Phlomis aurea, and Primula boveana. Germination treatments on Hypericum sinaicum seeds showed that calcium carbonate (CaCO 3) and hot water of 50°C treatment was found to be most effective to improve seed germination depending on doses, while other treatments were efficient to a lesser degree. As a general conclusion, the present study clarified that the behaviour of endemic species along environmental gradients varies greatly, as well as in its strategies in struggling for existence.

Catrina: The International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2014

Ballota undulate (rare), B. Saxatilis (endangered), and B. Kaiseri (extremely endangered and ende... more Ballota undulate (rare), B. Saxatilis (endangered), and B. Kaiseri (extremely endangered and endemic) are three of Mediterranean origin species grow in southern Sinai Mountains. They are very close morphologically and have been confused and mixed in their natural habitats. The present study aimed to provide genetical and morphological differentiation among the three Ballotas peceis using allozyme, PCA, and discriminant analyses for plants growing in a common environment. Electroporetic analysis of enzymes coded by 21 gene loci demonstrated that there is a high degree of genetic similarity among the three Ballota species suggesting that speciation apparently has occurred in this genus with little divergence at genes coding for allozymes. Twelve quantitative and nine qualitative characters were selected for the study of phenotypic similarity and morphological variation in a sample of 147 plants, served as OUT's. The analyses could differentiate between B. undulata as one group and B. kaiseri and B. saxatilis as another group, but could not separate B. saxatilis from B. kaiseri. The incomplete isolation of B. undulata, B. kaiseri, and B. saxatilis, in combination with their high genetic identities and their very similar morphology, raise the question as to whether they should be retained as separate species.

Introduction / Purpose: Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignancy of infancy and e... more Introduction / Purpose: Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignancy of infancy and early childhood. In developing countries the decreased access to health care poses a major challenge and increases the possibility of extra-ocular dissemination. Surgical pathological examination aim at discerning histopathological features that pose a higher risk for extraocular spread and are indicative of a need for adjuvant therapy. Our aim is to study the prevalence of histopathological high risk features amongst the enucleated eyes, measure the Event- free survival (EFS) in those patients and compare the EFS in two groups 1) the ones who received adjuvant chemotherapy, 2) the ones who did not. Materials & Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who were presented to Children’s Cancer Hospital - Egypt 57357 between July 2007 and April 2012. Only unilateral cases were included in the study. Pathological examination of the enucleated eyes was conducted for all cases. Pathologists...