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High salt intake increases inflammatory and oxidative stress responses and causes an imbalance of neurotransmitters involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension that is related to the onset of cerebral injury. Using natural compounds that target oxidative stress and neuroinflammation pathways remains a promising approach for treating neurological diseases. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seeds are rich in protein, fiber, minerals, and phenolic compounds, that exhibit potent neuroprotective effects in various neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate the efficacy of barley ethanolic extract against a high salt diet (HSD)-induced cerebellum injury in hypertensive rats. Forty-eight Wistar rats were divided into six groups. Group (I) was the control. The second group, the HSD group, was fed a diet containing 8% NaCl. Groups II and III were fed an HSD and simultaneously treated with either amlodipine (1 mg /kg b.wt p.o) or barley extract (1000 mg /kg b.wt p.o) for five weeks. Groups IV and V were fed HSD for five weeks, then administered with either amlodipine or barley extract for another five weeks. The results revealed that barley treatment significantly reduced blood pressure and effectively reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in rat's cerebellum as indicated by higher GSH and nitric oxide levels and lower malondialdehyde, TNF-α, and IL-1ß levels. Additionally, barley restored the balance of neurotransmitters and improved cellular energy performance in the cerebellum of HSD-fed rats. These findings suggest that barley supplementation exerted protective effects against high salt-induced hypertension by an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilating effects and restoring neurochemical alterations.

Background Proper assessment of mammographically detected asymmetries is essential to avoid unnecessary biopsies and missed cancers as they may be of a benign or malignant cause. According to ACR BIRADS atlas 2013, mammographically detected asymmetries are classified into asymmetry, focal asymmetry, global asymmetry, and developing asymmetry. We aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of artificial intelligence in mammographically detected asymmetries compared to breast ultrasound as well as combined mammography and ultrasound. Results This study was a prospective study that comprised 51 women with breast asymmetry found on screening as well as diagnostic mammography. All participants conducted full-field digital mammography and ultrasound. Then the obtained mammographic images were processed by the artificial intelligence software system. Mammography had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 73%, a positive predictive value of 56.52%, a negative predictive value of 100%, and diagnostic accuracy of 80%. The results of Ultrasound revealed a sensitivity of 100.00%, a specificity of 89.47%, a positive predictive value of 76.47%, a negative predictive value of 100.00%, and an accuracy of 92.16%. Combined mammography and breast ultrasound showed a sensitivity of 100.00%, a specificity of 86.84%, a positive predictive value of 72.22%, a negative predictive value of 100.00%, and an accuracy of 90.20%. Artificial intelligence results demonstrated a sensitivity of 84.62%, a specificity of 94.74%, a positive predictive value of 48.26%, a negative predictive value of 94.47%, and an accuracy of 92.16%. Conclusions Adding breast ultrasound in the assessment of mammographically detected asymmetries led to better characterization, so it reduced the false-positive results and improved the specificity. Also, Artificial intelligence showed better specificity compared to mammography, breast ultrasound, and combined Mammography and ultrasound, so AI can be used to decrease unnecessary biopsies as it increases confidence in diagnosis, especially in cases with no definite ultrasound suspicious abnormality.

Through the study, we will deal with the production control system, improving it with the presence of: Disruption in supply - uncertainty in demand. There are two types of orders, discontinuous ordering and random ordering. In the case of demand disruption we find an increase in the indicators of the dynamic performance of the system (peak order price, production completion, inventory) with the duration of supply disruption, but we find increase and decrease sequentially with the start time of supply disruption. The direction of change is different Each peak will be independent of the onset of supply disruption with no disruption to demand. In random order: Dynamic performance indicators increase with the duration of the disruption (inventory amplification - variance of inventory relative to demand), since the downward trend increases demand variance. We propose an algorithm related in dynamic performance indicators of the system where it reduces the objective function by choosing suitable parameters of the system. The optimal parameters are related to: Under intermittent demand: the time and duration of the interruption of supply Under random demand: duration of supply interruption

Asthma is a chronic disease with abnormal inflammatory and immunological responses. The disease initiates by antigens in subjects with genetic susceptibility. However, environmental factors play a role in the initiation and exacerbation of asthma attack. Asthma is a T-helper 2 (Th2)-cell-mediated disease. Recent studies indicate that asthma is not a single disease entity, but it occurs with multiple phenotypes and endotypes. The pathophysiological changes in asthma include a series of continuous vicious circles of cellular activation contributing to the induction of chemokines and cytokines that potentiate inflammation. The heterogeneity of asthma influences the treatment response. The asthma pathogenesis is driven by varied sets of cells, such as eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils, macrophages, epithelial cells, and T cells. Macrophages induce a set of mediators that are involved in asthma pathogenesis and include MIF, Prostaglandin, CXCR3L, IL-12, IL-1ß, TSLP, IL-18, IL-33, LTC4, MMP-2, TNF-α, IL-17, IL-10, TGF-ß and IL-27. While, T-cells mediators effect in asthma is induced via TNF-α, IL-17, IL-10, TGF-ß, IL-27, Tim, GM-CSF, IL-2, IL-4, IL-13, INF- γ, and PPAR γ. However, the epithelial cells induced mediators potentiate proinflammatory effects, increase the number of Th2 cells, activate dendritic cells, increase the number of mast cells, and recruit eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils, T-cells, monocytes and dendritic cells. In this review, the role of T cells, macrophages, and epithelial cells is discussed.

Introduction: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. PCOS is a heterogeneous complex disorder of defined aetiology. Some studies report its association with various endocrine, metabolic and immunological abnormalities. The hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin affect the pathogenesis of PCOS and might lead to the development of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in obese women. Aim: The study aims at evaluating the role of ghrelin and leptin level in females with polycystic ovary syndrome as a biochemical marker for the diagnosis and monitoring progression. Subjects and Methods: The study included one hundred PCOS patients and fifty apparently healthy subjects with regular menstrual cycle, visiting gynecology outpatient clinic of Kalar General Hospital, from the beginning of February 2015 to the end of June 2015. Body Mass Index (BMI) along with serum ghrelin, leptin, Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and testosterone levels were measured for both groups. Serum leptin was determined using sandwich ELISA, while serum ghrelin was determined using competitive ELISA. Differences between patient and control groups were assessed by using a t-test. Also, one-way Anova was used to test the relationships among different groups. Results: A significant decrease in ghrelin level and an increase in leptin levels in women with PCOS were observed compared to the control group. Also, a significant elevation in serum levels of LH, Testosterone, Prolactin, and a decrease in serum FSH in PCOS patients were observed, when compared to the control group. Additionally, serum ghrelin decreased and serum leptin level increased significantly in women with PCOS compared to controls in all age and BMI groups. Conclusion: A significant decrease in ghrelin and an increase in leptin in PCOS patients were observed than in controls, indicating that they are at high risk for metabolic syndrome development.

The research aims to prepare a new ionic membrane selective electrode for NYM Neomycin based on tungstophosphoric acid (TPA), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) and DPPH (Di-Butyl Phthalate). It was found that the electrode is sensitive to concentrations ranging between (1 x 10-1-1 x 10-5) mol/L, and it gave a Nernstian response of (29.7 mV/decade) and a correlation coefficient (r) of (0.9939). The factors affecting the response of the electrode were studied, as it was found that the best concentration of the internal filling solution was (1 x 10-3) mol/L, and that the best pH range in which the electrode worked was between (3.5-1.5) and the best Nernstian response at pH (pH = 2.5) The effect of temperature was also studied, as it was found that the best temperature was (25°C) and the response time of the electrode was between (20-40) seconds. It was also found that the chronological age of the electrode was (25) days. The selectivity coefficient (Ki,jpot) was calculated in the presence of negative and positively charged interfering ions.

Rickets is a worldwide bone disease that is associated with disorders of calcium and phosphate homeostasis and can lead to short stature and joint deformities. Osteomalacia is a major metabolic bone disease that results from a chronic and severe deficiency of vitamin D or phosphate from any cause after growth has stopped. A deficiency of vitamin D or phosphate leads to defective bone mineralization and generalized or localized vague bone pain in various parts of the skeleton and / or proximal muscle weakness. Rickets and osteomalacia are two different clinical diseases with impaired bone mineralization. Rickets occurs throughout the growing skeleton in infants and children, while osteomalacia occurs in adults after fusion of the growth plates. Rickets and osteomalacia are increasingly common in Saudi Arabia, with vitamin D deficiency being the most common etiological cause. Early skeletal deformities can occur in infants, such as soft, thin skull bones, a condition known as craniotabes. In adults, as a result of demineralization, the bones become less rigid (soft bone) with pathological fractures. The diagnosis of both diseases is based on the medical history and physical examination, radiological characteristics, and biochemical tests. Management depends on the underlying etiology.

Background: Psoriasis is a skin disease affecting 2.3% of the Iraqi population and begins as a local disease with subsequent systemic comorbidities. Aim: The aim was to clarify whether psoriasis is a local or systemic disease. Materials and Methods: A total of 211 subjects with psoriasis and 163 sex- and age-matched controls were included in the study. Serum adiponectin, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-23 (IL-23), interleukin-18 (IL-18), paraoxonase, lipoprotein (a), osteopontin, chemerin, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), high-sensitivity C- reactive protein (hs-CRP), bilirubin, D-dimer, and creatinine were determined using commercial kits. Results: There was no significant difference in the mean age and BMI between psoriasis and the control groups. However, there was significantly higher mean serum values of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-23, lipoprotein (a), chemerin, TNF-a, hs-CRP, osteopontin, D-dimer, troponin I, creatinine, bilirubin, and platelet counts in psoriatic patients than in the controls. Meanwhile, the serum mean values of adiponectin, paraoxonase, and cortisol were significantly lower in psoriasis subjects than in the controls. The mathematical model was proposed to clarify whether psoriasis is a systemic or local disease. The application of the model to our data of biomarkers indicated the presence of systemic inflammation in psoriasis. Conclusion: The present study finding suggests that psoriasis is a systemic disease rather than a local skin disease. However, there is a need for the application of the model in a large-scale study.

This paper presents the superiority of data mining techniques in predicting the amount of power generated by thermal power plants, over the traditional approaches that use thermodynamic laws or the power plant manufacturer’s guides. The paper first compares between amount of power calculated using thermodynamic laws, and the amount of power predicted using manufacturers’ guides with the actual power generated. Then prediction model was built to predict the amount of generated power using the controllable parameters at turbine inlet. Models were evaluated using separate test sets, or cross validation in case of small sets. The values predicted by this model is then compared with actual and other predicted values to prove that data mining tool is most accurate than traditional methods.

Patients in need of healthcare expect high quality personalized care, which is also the primary goal of service providers. The main objective of our study was to synthesize the current evidence on the quality of patient care in hospital management. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and ASSIA were searched from 2000 to April 2021, and reference lists of included studies were searched. The included studies describe the current evidence for the quality of patient care in hospital management. No software was used to analyze the data. The data are extracted on the basis of a specific form containing (Name of the author, year of publication, country, method and results). Results and Conclusions: Communicating a better understanding of health care quality is an important preliminary step towards health care quality research and initiatives. Without clear meaning, quality improvement can be sporadic or ineffective. Competent authorities should consider shaping the curriculum to provide training for future professionals to increase patient satisfaction. Improving the quality of health services requires strong leadership from national governments, targeted local support and action at the health facility level. At all levels, there is a need to engage and empower the communities served by the health system. Improving the quality of health services requires special attention to the creation and learning of knowledge. Lessons on the delivery of quality care should be systematically documented, documented and shared within and across countries.

The friction stir welding (FSW) process was recently developed to overcome the difficulty of welding non-ferrous alloys and steels. In this study, dissimilar butt joints between 6061-T6 aluminum alloy and AISI 316 stainless steel were welded by FSW using different processing parameters. The grain structure and precipitates at the different welded zones of the various joints were intensively characterized by the electron backscattering diffraction technique (EBSD). Subsequently, the FSWed joints were tensile tested to examine the mechanical strength compared with that of the base metals. The micro-indentation hardness measurements were conducted to reveal the mechanical responses of the different zones in the joint. The EBSD results of the microstructural evolution showed that a significant continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) occurred in the stir zone (SZ) of the Al side, which was mainly composed of the weak metal, Al, and fragmentations of the steel. However, the steel underwent severe deformation and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX). The FSW rotation speed increased the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) from 126 MPa at a rotation speed of 300 RPM to 162 MPa at a rotation speed of 500 RPM. The tensile failure occurred at the SZ on the Al side for all specimens. The impact of the microstructure change in the FSW zones was significantly pronounced in the micro-indentation hardness measurements. This was presumably attributed to the promotion of various strengthening mechanisms, such as grain refinement due to DRX (CDRX or DDRX), the appearance of intermetallic compounds, and strain hardening. The aluminum side underwent recrystallization as a result of the heat input in the SZ, but the stainless steel side did not experience recrystallization due to inadequate heat input, resulting in grain deformation instead.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, ranging from simple steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) to cirrhosis, with its complications including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The non-invasive diagnostic markers of NAFLD are gaining interest due to the invasive nature and potential side effects of liver biopsy, and are the current gold standard of diagnosis. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate hyaluronic acid (HA) as a potential non-invasive biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of NAFLD and to compare it with the traditional non-invasive techniques. Patients and methods: This study included 63 subjects divided into 3 groups; including 21 patients with fatty liver, 21 patients with NASH, in addition to 21 healthy controls. Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis was done to all study subjects using aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 score (FIB4), in addition to measurement of HA serum levels. Results: As regard assessment of liver fibrosis, there was a highly significant statistical difference between groups as regard APRI and Fib4 scores. As for HA there was a highly significant statistical difference between study groups. HA receiver operating characteristics curves (ROC) achieved excellent diagnostic performance for fatty liver with 100% sensitivity and specificity at cutoff of 25 ng/ml for fatty liver, versus a sensitivity of 95.2% and specificity of 85.7% for NASH at cutoff of 110 ng/ml. Conclusion: HA can be used as an accurate and specific non-invasive biomarker for the diagnosis of NAFLD and staging of the severity of disease compared with the traditional known non-invasive scores.

Biomass has potential as a carbon-neutral alternative to petroleum for chemical and energy products. However, complete replacement of fossil fuel is contingent upon efficient processes to eliminate undesirable characteristics of biomass, e.g., low bulk density, variability, and storage-induced quality problems. Mechanical size reduction via comminution is a processing operation to engineer favorable biomass flowability in handling. Crumbler rotary shear mill has been empirically demonstrated to produce more uniformly shaped particles with higher flowability than hammermilled biomass. This study combines modeling and experimentation to unveil fundamental understandings of the relation between granular particle characteristics and biomass flow behavior, which elucidate underlying mechanisms and guide selection of critical processing parameters. For this purpose, the impact of critical material attributes, including particle size (2–6 mm), particle shape (briquette, chip, clumped-sphere, cube, etc.), and surface roughness, on the angle of repose (AOR) of milled pine chips were investigated using discrete element method (DEM) simulations. Forest Concepts Crumbler rotary shear system is used to produce milled pine particles within the same size range considered in DEM simulations. AOR of different sets of these particles were measured experimentally to benchmark DEM results against experimental data. Specific energy consumption for the comminution of biomass with different particle size and moisture content are measured for technoeconomic analysis. Our results show that the smaller size (2 mm) of pine particle achieves better followability (i.e., smaller AOR) while the energy cost of comminution is significantly higher and bulk density is almost the same as the 6-mm pine particles. For the 2-mm particle size, Crumbles from veneer have better flow properties than Crumbles from chips. Contrarily, no significant difference was observed between the AOR of the two materials for the 6-mm particle size. Furthermore, from DEM simulations, mechanical interlocking between particles was found as a dominant factor in determining AOR of complex-shaped particles such as milled pine, which cannot be accurately captured by using simple particle shapes (e.g., mono-sphere) with a rolling resistance model. Conversely, clumped-sphere model alleviates this limitation without increasing computational cost significantly and can be used for accurate representation of biomass granular particles when simulating free-flow behavior.

Although the Sudanese Cinema started with the British colonization of Sudan, but it is still considered as undeveloped industry. The first film produced was Alarming Queen’s Company of Grenadier Guards in Omdurman Battle in 1898. The history of Cinema in Sudan could be categorized into three periods according to the colonization and present cituation: colonial (1898-1956), post-independence (Mid 1950s-Mid 1980s), and recent (Mid 1980s-2010) history. Films were produced under the supervision of the General Liaison Office of the British Government till 1949; then, the Sudan Film Unit (SFU) was established to serve and highlight the progress achieved by the government and to show the development of the British Empire. Similar units were installed in different parts of Africa with other names. The 1960s-1980s witnessed the emerging of Sudanese filmmakers, directors, actors and the most famous Sudanese films. The gradual collapse of Sudanese Cinema started in the mid-1980s. The paper also highlighted the pioneer Sudanese in filmmaking, directors, actors, producers, the essential feature films directed by Sudanese directors and their awards. Governmental and private institutions related to film production since 1898 and the role played by the USA, India, European and Arab countries in Sudanese Cinema were discussed. The present Challenges facing Cinema in Sudan and the deplorable state of cinema theaters were also documented. After the 2010s active private associations, independent filmmakers, young actors and armature, who are actively engaged in filmmaking, have been trying to revive the film industry in Sudan and design its future.

Nitrogen-rich materials such as poultry litter (PL) contributes to substantial N and C loss in the form of ammonia (NH

Column chromatography afforded the isolation of seven secondary metabolites (1-(2,4,6-trihydroxy phenyl)-ethanone-4

Additional file 1: Fig. S1. Yeast episomal vector with a UA3 marker for construction of lacZ fusions. The MCS is reversed in YEp356. Fig. S2. DNA sequences and Agarose gel electrophoresis analysis of PCR product of Per-K, UA3 and AmpR amplicons. Fig. S3. Phylogenetic tree of Per-K gene sequence of this study and the most genetically related taxa on NCBI, this tree was designed through MEGA 7 software. Fig. S4. DNA nucleotides alignment between our Per-K query and the most related two DNA sequences, alignment run through online Clustal Omega and finished through Jalview software. Fig. S5. Complete gene sequence open reading frame (ORF) started from 141 to 1145 bps. Table S1. Restriction endonucleases used in fungus genomic DNA and vector digestion. Table S2. Digestion buffers.

Purpose: The motivation behind this article is to provide a lot of rules to be utilized in lean strategy standards and instruments in modern associations. This article expects to feature the pretended by lean strategy technique for vital strategic planning and management, especially in reference to the Hoshin Kanri strategy deployment system. This article is addressing a gap in the knowledge of effective Hoshin Kanri process over the association. Methodology/Design/Approach: A systematic literature review using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Emerald databases, resulting in the selection of high-quality papers with a great focus on the Toyota Way. Originally/Value: This article review subjects driven and finished up by Toyota that are required to implement strategies and adjust objectives all over the association. The article centers around the Hoshin Kanri deployment process. It underlines the significance of leadership/pioneering and the helpfulness of utilizing the right daily training practice to help lean progress and improve strategy execution in the whole association. This is the first article to comprehensively review Hoshin Kanri with reference to the Toyota business practice. Findings: Hoshin Kanri might be successfully utilized for deploying strategies and to improve correspondence from top to down, which must be accomplished if experts are to be adequately prepared and frontline staff is to be engaged in daily, continuous improvement efforts.

The Islamic Research Academy is the normal extension of the Council of Senior Scholars that was formed by Law No. 10 of 1911 AD. The Islamic Research Academy is considered the connective between Al-Azhar and the outside world. The Islamic research academy was formed by Law No. 103 of 1961. It sends preachers to various parts of the world to call for Islam and uphold the word of God. In addition, Holding annual conferences to discuss the most important issues. They also help to solve the issues and problems of Muslims, spread the true Islamic religion, and repel the campaigns that aim to distort Islam

Beam hardening is a significant artifact that comes from the polychromatic nature of the X-ray source in computed tomography. It appears because the object tends to absorb more low-energy photons within the beam, which leads to a nonlinear relationship between attenuation and material thickness. As a result, the reconstructed image is spoiled. This work articulates an approach to promoting the correction of MeV X-ray beam hardening. In order to calculate the attenuation of the polychromatic beam, the following terms were evaluated: the energy spectra S(E) for sets of X-ray spectra with a maximum energy of 2, 4, 6 and 9 MeV were simulated using the Geant4 toolkit; the counting efficiency λ(E) was estimated based on the Lifton method; and the attenuation coefficient µ(E) was taken from the NIST database. The non-linear relationship between the attenuation and the thickness of iron was investigated. The beam hardening for each energy set was successfully corrected by polynomial fitting, transforming the polychromatic attenuation data into equivalent monochromatic data. The corrected attenuation was used to estimate the penetration capability of the X-ray source and produced a result that was consistent with what has been reported in the literature.

Background: The department of emergency medicine is well-known for its mental and physical difficulties. Previous research has shown that emergency medicine physicians experience higher levels of burnout than the general population, which has detrimental consequences for both patients and physicians. Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the current burden of burnout syndrome among emergency physicians in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020. Systematic search was conducted on 6 databases using keywords relevant to burnout syndrome among emergency professionals in Saudi Arabia. We used Rayyan-Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) [18] for importing and managing search results, as well as for detection and removal of duplicates. Quantitative data synthesis was done using Review Manager 5.4. Random effects model was applied. Higgin’s I2 test has been used in order to detect heterogeneity. Results: A total of 7 studies including a total population of 671 EMS professional have been enrolled for the pooled estimation of the prevalence of high emotional exhaustion (51% (95% CI: 33%-69%)), high depersonalization (37% (95% CI: 24%-50%)), low personal accomplishments (31% (95% CI: 25%-37%)), and overall burnout syndrome prevalence (28% (95% CI: -45%-101%)). Significant heterogeneity was evident in all pooled estimates except for low PA and prevalence of overall burnout. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrates high rates of high EE, high DP, and low PA among emergency physicians in Saudi Arabia. Evident from literature, our study suggests that EM physicians are more prone to burnout in comparison to physicians in other departments and other medical staffs.

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide, ranging from simple steatosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) to liver cirrhosis, with its complications including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aim of the Work to evaluate the efficacy and reliability of Hyaluronic Acid as a potential noninvasive biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of NAFLD and to compare it with the traditional noninvasive techniques and if it can replace liver biopsy. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 63 subjects from the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department of Ain Shams University Hospital. They were divided into three different groups as following: a healthy control group, fatty liver and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). All patients and controls were subjected to routine laboratory tests and serum Hyaluronic acid test. Results There were high statistical significant differences between groups as regard INR. Regarding to liver functions, there was a high statistical significant difference between groups as regard AST and ALT ,Bilirubin and Albumin.. Comparison between groups regarding to RBS, there was high statistical significant difference between groups as regard RBS. Comparison between groups regarding to lipid profile, there was high statistical significant difference between groups as regard LDL and cholesterol. Regarding to APRI and Fib4, there was high statistical significant difference between groups as regard APRI and Fib4. Regarding to H.A, there was high statistical significant difference between groups as regard H.A. The study shows that there is non-significant correlation between either APRI or Fib4 and H.A in fatty liver, and there is also nonsignificant correlation either APRI or Fib4 and H.A in NASH. Conclusion Hyaluronic Acid can be reliably used as an accurate and specific noninvasive biomarker for the diagnosis of Nonalcoholic fatty Liver Disease and staging of the severity of disease compared with the traditional known noninvasive scores

Background Hepcidin has long been postulated as a key regulatory peptide in iron homeostasis. Its reduced clearance and elevated levels in hemodialysis (HD) patients lead to functional iron deficiency (FID) and ESA resistance. Vitamin C may be used as adjuvant therapy in FID anemia, but there are limited studies investigating the direct relation between vitamin C and hepcidin levels in HD patients. We aimed to test the reducing effect of Oral vitamin C therapy on hepcidin levels among hemodialysis patients with functional iron deficiency anemia. Patients and Methods This study is an open label randomized controlled clinical trial. It was conducted in the hemodialysis units of Ain Shams University hospitals. 48 adult prevalent HD patients were included and were divided into two groups. Group 1 (study group) included 31 patients who received the conventional treatment of erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESAs) together with oral supplementation of vitamin C 500 mg every other day for 3 months in addition to IV iron therapy. Group 2 (control group) included 17 patients who received only the conventional therapy of ESAs according to their hemoglobin (Hb) levels in addition to IV iron therapy. Laboratory parameters including serum hepcidin levels, highly sensitive CRP (hs-CRP) titer, CBC, kidney function tests and iron indices were measured at the baseline of the study and after 3 months. Results Oral vitamin C therapy resulted in a statistically significant reduction in both hepcidin and hs-CRP levels in the study group after 3 months. The study group showed a significant reduction in serum iron and ferritin levels (P Conclusion Oral vitamin C may be a promising therapy in decreasing serum hepcidin and hs-CRP levels in prevalent hemodialysis patients with functional iron deficiency anemia.

Understanding gluon density distributions and how they are modified in nuclei are among the most important goals in nuclear physics. In recent years, diffractive vector meson production measured in ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) at heavy-ion colliders has provided a new tool for probing the gluon density. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of $J/\psi$ photoproduction off the deuteron in UPCs at the center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}=200~\rm GeV$ in d$+$Au collisions. The differential cross section as a function of momentum transfer $-t$ is measured. In addition, data with a neutron tagged in the deuteron-going Zero-Degree Calorimeter is investigated for the first time, which is found to be consistent with the expectation of incoherent diffractive scattering at low momentum transfer. Theoretical predictions based on the Color Glass Condensate saturation model and the gluon shadowing model are compared with the data quantitatively. A better agreement with the saturation model has been observed. With the current measurement, the results are found to be directly sensitive to the gluon density distribution of the deuteron and the deuteron breakup, which provides insights into the nuclear gluonic structure., Comment: Final published version Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 122303

Initiation of colorectal carcinogenesis may be induced by chromosomal instability caused by oxidative stress or indirectly by bacterial infections. Moreover, proliferating tumor cells are characterized by reprogrammed glucose metabolism, which is associated with upregulation of PDK1 and LDHA enzymes. In the present study, some 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene derivatives in addition to Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) supported with a new Schiff base were synthesized for biological evaluation as PDK1 and LDHA inhibitors as well as antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic agents on LoVo and HCT-116 cells of colorectal cancer (CRC). The results showed that compound 1b is the most active as PDK1 and LDHA inhibitor with IC50 values (μg/mL) of 57.10 and 64.10 compared to 25.75 and 15.60, which were produced by the standard inhibitors sodium dichloroacetate and sodium oxamate, respectively. NPs12a,b and compound 1b exhibited the strongest antioxidant properties with IC50 values (μg/mL) of 80.0, 95.0, and 110.0 μg/mL, respectively, compared to 54.0 μg/mL, which was produced by butylated hydroxy toluene. Moreover, NPs12a and carbamate derivative 3b exhibited significant cytotoxic activities with IC50 values (μg/mL) of 57.15 and 81.50 (LoVo cells) and 60.35 and 71.00 (HCT-116 cells). Thus, NPs12a and compound 3b would be considered as promising candidates suitable for further optimization to develop new chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents against these types of CRC cell lines. Besides, molecular docking in the colchicine binding site of the tubulin (TUB) domain revealed a good binding affinity of 3b to the protein; in addition, the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) analyses showed its desirable drug-likeness and oral bioavailability characteristics.

This paper studies the influence of main parameters on the mechanical properties and wear behaviour of functionally graded materials pure Aluminum reinforced by various weight fractions of aluminium oxide (Al2O3). A Functionally graded (FG) pure aluminium/Al2O3 tube was processed by horizontal centrifugal casting method. The hollow tube dimensions are 230 mm outer diameter x 12 mm thickness x 180 mm length. The properties of these FG tubes were compared with unreinforced alloy. Hardness and tensile results in the radial direction showed that the hardness and tensile in accordance with the gradient microstructure was improved from inner zone to outer zone. Wear tests were carried out for different test duration at a constant sliding speed of 8 m/s and loads applied are 14, 24 and 40 N. In all test conditions the wear rate in the outer layer was minimum compared to other layers. In the surface analysis, scanning electron microscope indicated the presence of delamination, wear debris and cracks. FG tubes reinforced by Al2O3 particles have increased mechanical properties and wear resistance compared to its unreinforced alloy (matrix alloy) and is suitable for use in automobile and transport applications.

Background: the role of detection and removal of retroperitoneal lymph nodes in patients with advanced ovarian cancer disease is unclear. Aim of the work: this study was aimed to evaluate the therapeutic role of pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Patients and Methods: this study was designed as a prospective randomized controlled trial. Thirty patients were divided into two equal groups; 15 patients underwent optimum cytoreduction and in the other 15 patient retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy was added. Results: the mean number of nodes removed was 26, and the mean number of positive nodes was 6. There was significant difference between the two groups of the study when considering operation time (Mean 122 min. Vs. 192 min.). Also there is significant difference between the two groups of the study when considering hospital stay in days (Mean 8 days Vs. 13 days). There was significant difference between the two group of the study when considering the blood loos and need for blood transfusion (26% Vs. 80%). There was no significant difference between the two groups of the study when considering recurrence (73.3% Vs. 60%). Conclusion: Our results show improvement towards decrease the recurrence in the lymphadenectomy group but with non-significant results.

Background: Psoriasis is a skin disease that was associated with metabolic and clinical changes whichsuggest that psoriasis is a systemic rather than local disease.Aim: To illustrate whether psoriasis is local or systemic disease through analysis of some biomarkers.Materials and Method: A 256 subjects with psoriasis and 221 sex and age matched controls were includedin the study. Serum total cholesterol [TC], high density lipoprotein [HDL], Malondialdehyde [MDA],triglycerides [TG], and total antioxidant capacity [TCA] were determined using commercial kits.Results: There were no significant differences between psoriasis and control groups in regards to meanage and gender distribution, however, there was a significant difference [p

Background: Premature ovarian failure (POF), often and misleadingly referred to as ‘premature menopause’,is defined as a loss of ovarian activity before the age of 40 years and is characterized by irregular or absentperiods and reduced fertility. Symptoms include those associated with the natural menopause (night sweatsand vaginal dryness), and with the long-term adverse effects of estrogen deficiency (osteoporosis andcardiovascular disease): the latter is believed to explain the shorter life expectancy associated with POF.Aim: To determinethe predictive value of serum osteocalcin(OC), granulin(GRN), cathepsin k (CTK),vitamin D, parathyroid hormones (PTH), calcium and phosphrus as biomarkers for POF.Method: Sixty (60) women with idiopathic POF with thirty (30) women as control groups were included inthe study. Baseline investigation in all subjects included serum Osteocalcin(OC), granulin(GRN), cathepsink (CTK), vitamin D, parathyroid hormones (PTH), calcium and phosphrus levels were estimated using theappropriate assays for each.Results: The mean serum levels of Osteocalcin, Ganulin,Parathyroid hormones,vitamin D and phosphorus,were significantly higher in women with POF,when compared to healthy controls (P=

Background: Hypocalcaemia is a grave complication after thyroid surgery with signs ranging from paresthesia up to laryngospasm. Avoiding this complication is mandatory to avoid lifelong calcium and vitamin D supplements. Aim of the work: to assess the risk of hypocalcaemia after thyroid surgery and the factors contributing to it. Patients and methods: this study was conducted on 50 patients with well differentiated thyroid carcinoma admitted to Sayed Galal hospital and they were divided into 3 groups: A, B and C. Results: Group B patients had transient hypocalcaemia and PTH levels were in normal range, thus suffering from parathyroid dysfunction. Calcium levels returned to normal range after a mean of 15.5 days. Group C patients remained hypocalcemic for over six months and PTH levels were below normal range thus defining absolute hypoparathyroidism. In terms of age, gender, tumor size and stage, group C patients were older, had no female prevalence, had slightly larger tumors and presented at late stages. Preoperative calcium levels were not a risk factor as group C patients had the highest mean of ionized calcium and group B patients had lower mean of total calcium level than those of group C. Conclusion: The most important risk factor for post-thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia is the surgical technique. Meticulous dissection to preserve the blood supply to the parathyroid glands and careful handling of the parathyroid tissue are equally important to preserving the parathyroids themselves. Other risk factors include older age, large tumors and late stages.

The study was undertaken to investigate the effect of WhatsApp on the academic performance of Mass Communication education students. Four research questions were raised to guide the study. The study employed descriptive research design. The population of the study comprised of 275 Mass Communication education students were randomly selected and used as sample for the study. The instrument that was used for the study was a set of structured questionnaires which were validated by the supervisor and one other expert. The results indicated that there is no significant influence of frequency of WhatsApp usage on the academic purposes of this usage, also there is significant influence of the rate of WhatsApp usage on the academic purposes of this usage, and there is significant influence of topics that students communicate through WhatsApp and the academic purposes of this usage and there is no significant influence of patterns of WhatsApp usage on the academic purposes of this usage.

Mistakenly, many people think plan-do-check-act (PDCA) is a continuous improvement cycle, even if they neglect the human part. PDCA does aim to improve the process, but if you have only improved the process without developing and teaching your people, you have put the process at risk of slipping back.

Vibration Analysis should present 50% of any condition monitoring program. This book include a practical guide to vibration analysis to prepare practitioners for levels I II & III to become certified analyst. Numerous examples with photos are included to present how to detect different types of equipment failure: bearing, shafts misalignment, unbalance, rotor problems, electric motors and more using spectrum analysis technique.

Overall equipment efficiency (OEE) is a total productive maintenance (TPM) module; machine capacity is a part of all three terms: availability, performance, and quality. Each term present numerous improvement opportunities.

Canny edge detection algorithm widely used in computer vision applications tends to consume more power when implemented on hardware. The fundamental module in this algorithm is Gaussian and gradient filtering blocks. In-exact computing, an emerging paradigm, aids to reduce the energy consumption in these error-resilient applications. In this paper, we propose a hybrid adder architecture which when implemented in Gaussian and Gradient filter reduces the computational complexity that too without compromising the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). Exhaustive analysis by varying the truncation width of the proposed hybrid adder and synthesis analysis proves that the proposed design achieves better PSNR values than the existing adder architectures. The proposed design is implemented in 180nm CMOS process technology node and results show that die area and power consumed is reduced without a reduction in PSNR values.

Toyota Production System house has standardization work as one of its foundations. Without standardization, all of your nurses, technicians, physicians and administrative staff will perform tasks differently. This makes tracking the source of errors difficult. When leaders perform the traditional gemba walk to observe the situation, there is no benefit from the walk when there is no standard.