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Optimum management of patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic has proved extremely challenging. Patients, clinicians and hospital authorities have had to balance the risks to patients of attending hospital, many of whom are especially vulnerable, with the risks of delaying or modifying cancer treatment. Those whose care has been significantly impacted include patients suffering from the effects of cancer on bone, where delivering the usual standard of care for bone support has often not been possible and clinicians have been forced to seek alternative options for adequate management.At a virtual meeting of the Cancer and Bone Society in July 2020, an expert group shared experiences and solutions to this challenge, following which a questionnaire was sent internationally to the symposium’s participants, to explore the issues faced and solutions offered. 70 respondents, from 9 countries (majority USA, 39%, followed by UK, 19%) included 50 clinicians, spread across a diverse range of specialties (but with a high proportion, 64%, of medical oncologists) and 20 who classified themselves as non-clinical (solely lab-based). Spread of clinician specialty across tumour types was breast (65%), prostate (27%), followed by renal, myeloma and melanoma.Analysis showed that management of metastatic bone disease in all solid tumour types and myeloma, adjuvant bisphosphonate breast cancer therapy and cancer treatment induced bone loss, was substantially impacted. Respondents reported delays to routine CT scans (58%), standard bone scans (48%) and MRI scans (46%), though emergency scans were less affected. Delays in palliative radiotherapy for bone pain were reported by 31% of respondents with treatments often involving only a single dose without fractionation. Delays to, or cancellation of, prophylactic surgery for bone pain were reported by 35% of respondents. Access to treatments with intravenous bisphosphonates and subcutaneous denosumab was a major problem, mitigated by provision of drug administration at home or in a local clinic, reduced frequency of administration or switching to oral bisphosphonates taken at home. The questionnaire also revealed damaging delays or complete stopping of both clinical and laboratory research.In addition to an analysis of the questionnaire, this paper presents a rationale and recommendations for adaptation of the normal guidelines for protection of bone health during the pandemic.

Background: Treatment advances have reduced the adverse events associated with hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and led to an increased number of transplants performed. HSCT patients are living longer with concerns on long-term outcomes. Bone fragility and fracture are at the forefront for long-term morbidities post-HSCT. Results: In HSCT recipients, evidence has accumulated to support recommendations for more extensive monitoring of bone fragility and more appropriate administration of osteoporosis pharmacotherapies for patients at high risk of bone loss and/or fracture. Conclusion: This executive summary reports and summarizes the main recommendations published previously, including bone assessment, dietary and lifestyle recommendations and osteoporosis medication.

This paper reports a novel prototype of heterojunction solar cells based on semiconductor/perovskite structure using the solar cell capacitance one-dimensional simulator (SCAPS 1D). The device schematic consists of Glass/ITO/ETL/MASnBr3 /CZTGS/HTL layers with perovskite i-MASnBr3 as the permeable layer. The thickness of the absorber layer, carrier charge concentration, and the effect of temperature and series resistances are optimized. The research examines several critical parameters essential for solar cell performance, including a power conversion efficiency PCE of 50%, an open-circuit voltage Voc of 1.62 V, a fill factor FF of 91.5%, and a short-circuit current density Jsc of -34.06 mA/ cm2. The temperature and series resistance effects, as well as quantum efficiency QE, and J-V curve simulations with varying acceptor density, are investigated.

Abstract Purpose Dietary factors might contribute to the risk of lung cancer by increasing the concentration of inflammatory markers. The literature-derived Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) has been established to evaluate the inflammatory potential of diet correlated with inflammatory markers. The association between DII scores and the risk of lung cancer has been conflicting. So, in the current study, we aimed to assess the effect of pro-inflammatory dietary patterns measured with DII and the risk of lung cancer. Methods A multi-center case-control study was carried out on 616 patients with lung cancer and 3412 healthy controls. Dietary intakes were collected using a 131-item food frequency questionnaire during a face-to-face interview. The DII scores including thirty-six nutrients were calculated after energy adjustments. Finally, the association between DII level and the risk of lung cancer was evaluated by performing a multi-variable regression method after adjusting for potential confounders. Results The risk of overall lung cancer, small cell, and squamous cell carcinoma was elevated in the third tertile compared to the first tertile of the DII score, (odds ratio [OR] T3 vs. T1 of overall lung cancer = 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–1.77), P trend = 0.01, OR T3 vs. T1 of squamous cell lung cancer = 1.82 (95% CI 1.02–3.24), P trend = 0.04, OR T3 vs. T1 of small cell lung cancer = 1.66 (95% CI 1.08–2.54), P trend = 0.019). However, no increase was observed in the risk of adenocarcinoma by adherence to a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern. Conclusion A positive link was found between DII and the risk of overall lung cancer, small-cell, and squamous-cell lung cancer. However, there was no association between DII and the risk of lung adenocarcinoma.

Aims: To investigate age-related persistence with bisphosphonates (BIS) in women with breast cancer (BC) and bone metastases. Methods: We included a dataset of 1541 patients diagnosed with BC and bone metastases and initially treated with BIS between 1994 and 2013. The primary outcome measure was the age-related rate of BIS discontinuation within 12 months after treatment initiation. Therapy discontinuation was defined as a period of at least 90 days without treatment. A multivariate Cox regression model was created to determine the influence of age on the risk of discontinuation. Health insurance coverage (private/statutory), type of care (gynecological/general), region (West/East Germany), depression, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, pain medication, antidepressants, and the number of co-medications were included as covariates. Results: The mean ages in the group of women

This study aims to explore the political cartoons that highlight the displacement of Palestinians in the village of Sheikh Jarrah. It investigates the way this discourse is portrayed as well as the predominant themes of these cartoons. The data of this study consists of eight political cartoons drawn from Palestinian online newspapers from May to July 2021, featuring the displacement issue of Sheik Jarrah by well-known local cartoonists. Multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) in which language analysis is combined with the analysis of other semiotic resources including colors, gestures, images, etc. for interpreting meaning (O'Halloran et al., 2011), is adopted for the analysis. Visual Social Semiotics of Kress and Van Leeuwen (2006) is also used as a linguistic framework. The study asserts that understanding the three different aspects of the visual compositions, namely, representational, interactive and compositional, that serve as a semiotic mode of communication, is essential for conveying the intended message of the visual compositions. The study also identifies the predominant themes or messages of the selected cartoons, which mainly focus on two main points: (i) the tyranny and oppression of Israel over Palestinians through eradication and displacement; and (ii) the Palestinians' struggle, steadfastness and resistance in the event of Israel's forced displacement.

Background: National Bridging Workshops (NBW) are a tool for reviewing collaboration gaps between line ministries relevant to the One Health framework. Methods: The NBW for Somalia was held on November 11–13, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya with support from WHO and WOAH. Participants included representatives from the Somali government both national and sub-national (including Ministry of Health; Ministry of Livestock, Forestry and Range; Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation; and Ministry of Environment and Climate Change). Other participants included representatives from non-governmental organizations, academia and the quadripartite. Structured sessions guided participants through a step-by-step process, starting from identifying gaps to collectively developing solutions. The design of these sessions aimed to foster active engagement and collaboration with the outcomes of each session contributing to the subsequent one. Results: A total of 60 participants partook in the exercise, representing human health (35%), animal health (27%), agriculture (13%), environmental health (7%) and other relevant sectors (18%). Eighty-three percent of participants represented the national level and 17% the sub-national level. The collaborative effort yielded a joint roadmap comprising 36 activities and 11 objectives. Priority objectives included: development of national joint surveillance systems for selected One Health threats (41/47 votes, or 87% of the total votes); establishment of a high-level ministerial system to govern and coordinate One Health activities (30/47; 64%); and establishment of emergency funding structures for priority zoonotic diseases along with development of a 5-year national investment plan for One Health (27/47; 57%). A total of 94% of activities required low or moderate cost to be implemented, and 90% of activities were identified to have a likely high impact on multisectoral collaboration. The timeline for implementing the activities is projected to span one to two years. Conclusion: The workshop promoted high-level engagement, national ownership, and leadership in addressing health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. The resulting co-created roadmap will be integrated into the National Action Plan for Health Security, supporting ongoing One Health efforts in Somalia.

Abstract: The Algerian legislator adopted the real estate registration system, established by Decree No. 75/74 concerning the preparation of a general land survey and the establishment of a land registry. This system is materialized through a set of material and legal means, and consequently, a public administrative body headed by the land registrar was established. The registrar has been granted broad powers and responsibilities that align with the various stages of implementing the real estate registration system and the land survey procedures. In addition, the land registrar is legally bound to provide public access to relevant information and to register all real estate transactions following due diligence. This process results in the issuance of certified titles that provide legal certainty to property ownership. The registrar is also empowered to reject submissions or procedures that may jeopardize property rights, thereby contributing to the stability of real estate transactions and fostering investment in various sectors such as tourism, industry, and agriculture. Keywords: Real estate conservator; land surveying; protection; procedure rejection. Land advertising

The gold rush in the Faleme catchment between Senegal and Mali involves artisanal miners from the sub-region, European and American multinationals, and medium-sized Chinese companies. These miners, with their disproportionate financial and material resources, practise three types of gold mining (artisanal, industrial and semi-industrial) involving the Faleme River. The mining techniques used by these operators are now a major source of damage to the river. This damage is mainly water pollution, the destruction of riverbanks, and the disappearance of aquatic fauna and agro-pastoral activities. The level of degradation is a source of speculation. Attempts are made to emphasize that artisanal exploitation is the main activity degrading the river. This article deconstructs these arguments with evidence showing that, in addition to artisanal gold mining, industrial and semi-mechanical mining activities are major contributors to the degradation of this river.

The operation of Solar Tower Power (STP) plants requires high solar concentration for power generation. In this study, a Three-Dimensional Compound Parabolic Concentrator (3D-CPC) is used to increase the solar concentration within the receiver and thereby enhancing its thermal performance and, consequently the energy performance of the STP plant. To attain this objective, the solar field is sized for an electrical power of 30 kW. The heliostats are arranged in the field using the radial staggered layout design as seen in PS10 plant. The 3D-CPC is sized, designed and incorporated at the receiver inlet. The solar field is modelled in SolTrace software using an optical model that was developed and validated to gather the average solar flux absorbed by the receiver. In order to ascertain the thermal performance of the receiver, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is created using the volumetric heat source produced from the absorbed solar flux, and then validated to study the heat transfer into the receiver. Subsequently, the energy performance of the STP plant is assessed. The results showed that the solar field consists of 175 heliostats. Each heliostat has a surface area of 2 m2 and a height of 1.5 m. Furthermore, the 3D-CPC enhances solar concentration in the receiver by a factor of 4.90, yielding an optical efficiency of 82.15 %. Additionally, outlet air temperatures of the receiver were higher than those obtained with the conventional Capstone (C30) turbine. For instance, during the summer solstice, the outlet air temperature of the receiver was 1332.77 K and there was a Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) of 549.64 W/m2, resulting in 39.68 % and 28.32 % thermal and solar-electrical efficiencies, respectively.The obtained results showed that 3D-CPC facilitated a rise in solar concentration into the receiver. Thus, it enhanced the receiver’s thermal performance, thereby improving the overall energy performance of the STP plant.