Child labor is alarmingly prevalent in Egypt, a country with a population of nearly 75 millions; there are some 1.5 million (12%) child workers between 6 and 15 years. Agricultural work posses several characteristics that are risky for health: exposure to extremes of weather, close contact with animals and plants, extensive use of chemical and biological products, difficult working postures and lengthy hours and use of hazardous agricultural tools and machinery. Aim of the study: Determine the causes of agricultural child labor in Koom Abousheel village, Assiut, Egypt and highlight some of its related health problems. Methods: Descriptive cross sectional study included 630 randomly selected students enrolled in primary and preparatory schools aged from 6 to 17 years old in Koom Abousheel village 2008-2009. Data collection from the target population using structured personal interview. Anthropometric measures: weight, height and body mass index were measured. Laboratory investigations including urine and stool examination were done to detect parasitic infections in these children. Urine samples were collected, centrifuged and examined microscopically. Stool examination was done macroscopically and stored in two different fixative (10% formalin and sodium acetate-acetic acid-formalin), concentrated and examined microscopically by: direct wet mount using saline, iodine and lacto-phenol cotton blue and stained by modified Kinyoun acid-fast stain. Data analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: 52.7% of the studied students worked in agricultural duties and 73.2% of them began work at early age (less than 10 years). Boys were more often involved in labor activities than girls. About half of the worked students helped their fathers in their work. Worked students reported negative impact on their education and social life. Health hazards at the farm such as exposure to high temperature, animal bite, and injuries were prevalent among them. Parasitic infections were more prevalent in worked students (69.3 %). The detected parasites were Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma doudenale, Hymenolepis nana, Enterobius vermicularis, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, Blastocystis hominis and Entamoeba coli. Conclusion: The problem of child labor is serious. In rural areas especially, children work as cheap labor because their parents are poor and do not earn enough to support the family, thus the problem of child labor will persist and it exposes the children to many health hazards and risks. Improving legislation and enforcement measures to establish a legal minimum age for work, community education and mobilization are essential and have been the traditional response to the problem of child labor.

Child labor is alarmingly prevalent in Egypt, a country with a population of nearly 75 millions; there are some 1.5 million (12%) child workers between 6 and 15 years. Agricultural work posses several characteristics that are risky for health: exposure to extremes of weather, close contact with animals and plants, extensive use of chemical and biological products, difficult working postures and lengthy hours and use of hazardous agricultural tools and machinery. Aim of the study: Determine the causes of agricultural child labor in Koom Abousheel village, Assiut, Egypt and highlight some of its related health problems. Methods: Descriptive cross sectional study included 630 randomly selected students enrolled in primary and preparatory schools aged from 6 to 17 years old in Koom Abousheel village 2008-2009. Data collection from the target population using structured personal interview. Anthropometric measures: weight, height and body mass index were measured. Laboratory investigations including urine and stool examination were done to detect parasitic infections in these children. Urine samples were collected, centrifuged and examined microscopically. Stool examination was done macroscopically and stored in two different fixative (10% formalin and sodium acetate-acetic acid-formalin), concentrated and examined microscopically by: direct wet mount using saline, iodine and lacto-phenol cotton blue and stained by modified Kinyoun acid-fast stain. Data analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: 52.7% of the studied students worked in agricultural duties and 73.2% of them began work at early age (less than 10 years). Boys were more often involved in labor activities than girls. About half of the worked students helped their fathers in their work. Worked students reported negative impact on their education and social life. Health hazards at the farm such as exposure to high temperature, animal bite, and injuries were prevalent among them. Parasitic infections were more prevalent in worked students (69.3 %). The detected parasites were Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma doudenale, Hymenolepis nana, Enterobius vermicularis, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, Blastocystis hominis and Entamoeba coli. Conclusion: The problem of child labor is serious. In rural areas especially, children work as cheap labor because their parents are poor and do not earn enough to support the family, thus the problem of child labor will persist and it exposes the children to many health hazards and risks. Improving legislation and enforcement measures to establish a legal minimum age for work, community education and mobilization are essential and have been the traditional response to the problem of child labor.

Background The association of adipocyte-derived proteins, adiponectin and leptin, with the degree of coronary atherosclerosis has not been not been well elucidated. This study aimed to determine the relationship between serum adiponectin and leptin with the presence and degree of coronary atherosclerosis. Methods Seventy patients and 20 matched controls were recruited. Angiographic evaluation of coronary atherosclerosis was carried out by assessing three atherosclerotic indices, severity (transverse disease), extent (longitudinal disease), and pattern (lesion complexity). Results The independent predictors of atherosclerosis severity were larger waist/hip ratio, followed by higher lowdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol, low serum adiponectin level, older age, higher leptin level, current unstable angina, and finally previous myocardial infarction (MI). This model is a good one as indicated by the model-adjusted r2 (50%). For extent index, lower serum adiponectin level was by far the most important independent predictor, followed by higher low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, older age, and previous MI, whereas higher serum leptin level was only a univariate predictor. The model-adjusted r2 was 65%. For pattern index, the independent predictors were previous MI, lower serum adiponectin level, larger waist/hip ratio, higher serum leptin level, older age, and higher fasting blood glucose level. The model-adjusted r2 was 62%. Conclusion Both serum adiponectin and leptin might play an important pathogenic role not only in the occurrence but also in the severity, extent, and lesion complexity in coronary artery disease patients. Coron Artery Dis 22:264–269 c 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Aim To compare inter-reader agreement for planar and SPECT/CT interpretation of equivocal osseous lesions detected on bone scintigraphy in cancer patients. Materials & Methods This prospective study recruited patients known to have primary tumor referred for bone scintigraphy with their planar images showing solitary or few equivocal osseous lesions. Every patient underwent planar whole body scan followed by SPECT/CT for the concerned region(s). The gold standard was based on clinical/ imaging follow-up for at least 6-12 months. Two experienced readers (reader 1 has 8-year experience&reader 2 has 12-year experience) scored each lesion on a subjective 5-point score for the possibility of being malignant (1=benign, 2= probably benign, 3 = equivocal, 4=probably malignant & 5 = malignant). True & false results were identified were identified in relation to the gold standard. Kappa measure of agreement was measured for both modalities. Results A total of 150 patients were included in this study (110 females ,40 males) with median age 54 years (range:7-84). On planar imaging, both readers successfully identified 48 true positive (TP) & 19 true negative (TN) patients. Both readers were false positive (FP) in 31&false negative (FN) in 3 patients. They disagree in 2 patients. Moderate agreement was noted (kappa = 0.55). While on SPECT/CT imaging, both readers successfully identified 58 TP & 62 TN patients. Both readers reported FP results in 11 & FN in 2 patients. They disagree in a total of 9 patients. Perfect agreement was noted (kappa = 0.82). Conclusion SPECT/CT significantly improved inter-observer agreement among readers for equivocal osseous lesions detected on planar bone scintigraphy.

Abstract: A 57-year-old man was referred for an fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET/CT) study of a primary tumor after a poorly differentiated carcinoma with neuroendocrine features which was biopsied from the liver. A 4-phase abdominal CT showed a large liver right lobe mass, suspicious for hypovascular hepatocellular carcinoma. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound showed normal findings. Colonoscopy revealed a benign sigmoid colon polyp. PET/CT showed FDG avid bilateral hepatic lobe lesions, disseminated bone lesions, and an intense focus in the prostate suspicious for a prostatic primary. However, PSA was within the normal range. Tissue sampling of the prostatic lesion revealed small cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine features.