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Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of keratoconus among candidates of refractive surgery in Upper Egypt. Setting The study was conducted in Sohag University Hospital and Future Center (a private center) for laser in-situ keratomiluesis and refractive surgery in Sohag Governorate, Egypt. Design This is an observational cross-sectional study. Patients and methods Refractive surgery candidates referred for preoperative evaluation before laser in-situ keratomiluesis, photorefractive keratectomy, and phakic intraocular lens implantation in the period from April 2015 to September 2015 were screened for keratoconus using Sirrus Scheimpflug camera. Results The study included 1202 patients, 623 male and 579 female. Keratoconus was detected in 210 (17.5%) patients. Conclusion Prevalence of keratoconus among refractive surgery candidates in Upper Egypt is relatively high, which may reflect an underlying high prevalence in the general population.

Objective: CYP1B1 is crucial for the metabolism of tobacco-derived procarcinogens to reactive metabolites which is known to play a major role in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of the review was to know whether CYP1B1 gene is associated with OSCC risk. Materials and Methods: The databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched to synthesize evidence on the relationship between CYP1B1 and OSCC. Results: Seven studies investigated CYP1B1 in 450 OSCC patients and 917 controls. Four studies have concluded that CYP1B1 is upregulated in OSCC, while three of the studies reported presence of polymorphism. Upregulation and downregulation of CYP1B1 was reported in three and two studies, respectively, while the remaining two studies reported differential presence of polymorphism. Different samples and methods were used for evaluation. Further, habits information was provided in a few studies. The most common polymorphisms were Arg48Gly, Ala119Ser, Leu432Val, and Ans453Ser. Overall, only four studies suggested CYP1B1 association with OSCC. Conclusions: There is not sufficient evidence to suggest a clear association of CYP1B1 with OSCC. However, considering the clearly defined role of CYP1B1 in metabolizing pro-carcinogens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phase I metabolism, there is need for well-designed cohort study.

We evaluate the partially-averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) methodology of turbulence computations by including non-linear eddy viscosity based closures for both turbulent stresses and thermal flux. We extract the filtered PANS version of the Shih’s quadratic model (originally proposed for the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) paradigm) for arriving at a PANS closure model for the turbulent stress tensor. The unclosed thermal flux process is modeled using the gradient diffusion hypothesis, wherein we sensitize the coefficient of diffusion to the presence of non-linear stresses in the formulation. The resulting methodology is evaluated by simulating flow past a heated square cylinder. Evaluations are performed in terms of both hydrodynamic variables and heat transfer characteristics. We find that the non-linear PANS methodology shows improved results in terms of hydrodynamic quantities (coefficient of drag, pressure, velocity profiles, and high-order statistics). While the predictions of the heat transfer rate on the front face of the cylinder are similar in the linear and the non-linear PANS methodologies, in the wake region and parts of the lateral wall where shear layer detachment takes place, the non-linear PANS methodology shows improved results.

Drug resistant pathogenic microbes have been causing serious health issues resulting in the substantial increase of death rates and morbidity paving the way for nanoparticles to be utilized as antimicrobial agents. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of CuNPs on the growth of drug resistant clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis. Minimum inhibitory concentration of CuNPs against Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis was found to be 1.25. 1.25 and 0.625 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration against the same isolates was found to be 2.5, 2.5 and 5 mg/ml respectively. The ratio of MBC/MIC, referred to as tolerance level, was calculated for all the isolates which signifies the bactericidal or bacteriostatic effect of any antimicrobial agent. For Streptococcus pyogenes and Enterococcus faecium, the tolerance level was 2 while as for Enterococcus faecalis, it was 8. Antibiotic susceptibility results were calculated which showed that the isolates were resistant to Ampicillin (10 µg), Amoxycillin (30 µg) and Aztreonam (30 µg). Susceptibility results were followed by calculating multiple antibiotic resistance indices (MARI). MARI is an important tool which gives an idea about the bacterial resistance in a given population. For all the three isolates, MARI results were equivalent to 1 because of their resistance towards all the three antibiotics used. Antimicrobial activity through well-plate method was carried out and inhibitory effect of CuNPs on biofilm formation was evaluated.

In recent past partially averaged Navier-Stokes equation (PANS) has been proposed as a scale-resolving bridging method for turbulence computations. Despite the geometric simplicity of the involved boundary conditions, the flow past a sphere is ripe with various complex flow phenomena, which make it an excellent test bed to evaluate various computational fluid dynamics modelling methodologies − both in terms of numerical schemes as well as turbulence models. Specifically, in this work we evaluate PANS in conjugation with the standard k-ε model in terms of (i) influence of filter parameters, (ii) sensitivity to free stream viscosity ratio and (iii) choice of numerical schemes at supercritical Reynolds number of 1.14x106. Careful evaluations are made by comparing PANS results against available experimental data as well available detached eddy simulation (DES) and large eddy simulation (LES) results. Our study finds that indeed − as purported by the PANS theory − a reduction in the value of the first filter parameter (fk) successfully captures the complex vortical structures that exist past a sphere, shows far superior performance than unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations and somewhat improved performance even over some of the LES studies reported in literature. Our study shows that in terms of most of the quantities of interest, PANS performance is almost at par with that of DES.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) antigens in glioblastoma (GBM) present opportunities for personalised immunotherapy. However, their presence in GBM tissue is still under debate, and evidence of their impact on functional immune responses and prognosis is sparse. Here, we investigated the presence of pp65 (UL83) and immediate early 1 (IE-1) HCMV antigens in a cohort of Norwegian GBM patients (n = 177), using qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and serology. HCMV status was then used to investigate whether viral antigens influenced immune cell phenotype, infiltration, activation and patient survival. Pp65 and IE-1 were detected by qPCR in 23% and 43% of GBM patients, respectively. Furthermore, there was increased seropositivity in GBM patients relative to donors (79% vs. 48%, respectively; Logistic regression, OR = 4.05, 95%CI [1.807-9.114], P = 0.001, also when adjusted for age (OR = 2.84, 95%CI [1.110-7.275], P = 0.029). Tissue IE-1-positivity correlated with increased CD3+CD8+ T-cell infiltration (P < 0.0001), where CD8+ effector memory T (TEM) cells accounted for the majority of CD8+T cells compared with peripheral blood of HCMV+ patients (P < 0.0001), and HCMV+ (P < 0.001) and HCMV− (P < 0.001) donors. HLA-A2/B8-restricted HCMV-specific CD8+ T cells were more frequent in blood and tumor of HCMV+ GBM patients compared with seronegative patients, and donors irrespective of their serostatus. In biopsies, the HCMV-specific CD8+ TEM cells highly expressed CTLA-4 and PD-1 immune checkpoint protein markers compared with populations in peripheral blood (P < 0.001 and P < 0.0001), which expressed 3-fold greater levels of CD28 (P < 0.001 and P < 0.0001). These peripheral blood T cells correspondingly secreted higher levels of IFNγ in response to pp65 and IE-1 peptide stimulation (P < 0.001). Thus, despite apparent increased immunogenicity of HCMV compared with tumor antigens, the T cells were tolerised, and HCMV status did not impact patient survival (Log Rank3.53 HR = 0.85 95%CI [0.564-1.290], P = 0.45). Enhancing immune functionality in the tumor microenvironment thus may improve patient outcome.

Inconel 600, a Ni-based alloy was considered as a possible replacement for austenitic stainless steels for service at high temperatures in nitrogen containing atmosphere of the neutron detector. To obtain a fundamental understanding of the differences in the diffusivity of nitrogen in pure Fe and Ni lattices, molecular dynamics simulations were carried out. Based on the simulation of nitrogen trajectories in the temperature range of 1200–1400 K, pre-exponential factor, activation energy and jumping frequency were calculated and compared for fcc Ni and Fe. MD simulations confirmed that rate of diffusion of nitrogen is lower in Ni when compared to Fe, suggesting the replacement of austenitic steel with Inconel 600 for better performance of the detectors.

Fly ash is an amorphous ferroalumino silicate, an important solid waste around thermal power plants. It creates problems leading to environmental degradation due to improper utilization or disposal. However, fly ash is a useful ameliorant that may improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils and is a source of readily available plant macro and micronutrients when it is used with biosolids. Supply of nutrients from fly ash with biosolids may enhance their agricultural use. The growth and reproduction of Eisenia fetida was studied during vermicomposting of fly ash with cowdung and pressmud in four different proportions (T1,T2,T3 & T4) and one control i.e., cow dung and pressmud alone. The growth, cocoon and hatchlings production were observed at the interval of 15 days over a period of 60 days. The maximum worm growth and reproduction was observed in bedding material alone. Next to that the T1 was observed as the best mixture for vermiculture.

In our research project under cultivation we examined 4 cultivars ('Soroksári 40', 'Lutea , 'Goral', 'Bona') and 28 wild populations of chamomile assuring all of them the same environmental conditions. Plant height, flower-diameter, essential-oil content, and the main terpenoid and flavonoid composition were analysed. The aim of our study was to establish the genetic background of breeding a new cultivar as well as encircle those natural habitats that give chamomile drug with the best quality. In the case of plant height populations from the Great Hungarian Plain were lower than plants from Transdanubia and the control cultivars. Between the wild and the standard individuals we found significant differences with relevance to the flower-diameter. With regard to the essential oil content the populations were very heterogeneous even those, which came from the same habitat. Populations form Transdanubia and Nagyiván reached the essential oil level of the cultivars (0.721-0.931 gi100g), and 75% of the examined plants exceeded the minimum requirement of the PhHg VIII. According to the essential oil composition our previous statement was confirmed that in the populations of Transdanubia and Northern part of Danube—Tisza Mid Region the main component is bisabolol-oxide A (30-41.2%), while plants native to the territory cast of the river Tisza are mainly characterised by a-bisabolol (32.3-48.4). In some samples the ratio of bisabolol-oxide B was more than 10%. The chamazulene content was higher in the cultivars selected to this component (above 20%), than in the wild populations (varied between 1.22 and 17.2%). Populations originated from the central part of Hortobágy region had extremely high apigenin content (10-13 mg/g), but in the case of chlorogenic acid, hyperoside and quercitrin we did not find any differences affected by the origin.

Background: The abortion act in Thailand is approximately 60 years old. However, because of increasing problems due to unsafe abortions, the act was recently amended to accord a legal status for abortions. In the southernmost provinces of Thailand, most people follow the Islamic faith, according to which induced abortion is a sin for both the providers and the pregnant women. This may affect the attitude of the medical staff, such as registered nurses, who play an important role in abortion services. Our study aims to evaluate the knowledge of the amended abortion act, attitude toward abortions and the intentions behind them, and willingness to perform abortions among registered nurses., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2022 to February 2022 wherein a self-administrated questionnaire was electronically distributed to 450 registered nurses practicing at a tertiary hospital in the southernmost province of Thailand. Linear regression analysis and Fisher's exact test were conducted to evaluate the association between basic characteristics, knowledge scores, and attitudes toward induced abortion., Results: A total of 375 nurses (83.3%) completed the survey. Most participants were Muslim (58.9%), and 18.7% of them correctly answered > 80% of the knowledge questions. Among all the participants, 41.4% had a favorable attitude toward induced abortion, of which 21.3% were willing to provide safe abortion services. Knowledge scores were independently associated with practicing in obstetrics-gynecology departments and a lower age. Participants practicing Buddhism and having good knowledge scores tended to have favorable attitudes toward abortion., Conclusions: Nurses in the southernmost province of Thailand lack knowledge regarding the amended abortion act and do not have a favorable moral attitude toward abortion. Favorable attitudes toward abortions, support toward intentions behind abortions, and a willingness to provide abortion services were all lesser among the Muslim participants than among the Buddhist participants. Compared with participants who scored lower, those with higher knowledge scores had a better moral attitude toward abortion and, in turn, demonstrated a greater intention to provide abortion services. Encouraging nurses to gain better knowledge may improve their attitude toward abortion, which may positively influence future medical practices., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Comprehending the decomposition process is crucial for our understanding of the mechanisms of carbon (C) sequestration in soils. The decomposition of plant biomass has been extensively studied. It revealed that extrinsic biomass properties that restrict its access to decomposers influence decomposition more than intrinsic ones that are only related to its chemical structure. Fungal biomass has been much less investigated, even though it contributes to a large extent to soil organic matter, and is characterized by specific biochemical properties. In this study, we investigated the extent to which decomposition of heathland fungal biomass was affected by its hydrophobicity (extrinsic property) and melanin content (intrinsic property). We hypothesized that, as for plant biomass, hydrophobicity would have a greater impact on decomposition than melanin content. Mineralization was determined as the mineralization of soil organic carbon (SOC) into CO 2 by headspace GC/MS after inoculation by a heathland soil microbial community. Results show that decomposition was not affected by hydrophobicity, but was negatively correlated with melanin content. We argue that it may indicate that either melanin content is both an intrinsic and extrinsic property, or that some soil decomposers evolved the ability to use surfactants to access to hydrophobic biomass. In the latter case, biomass hydrophobicity should not be considered as a crucial extrinsic factor. We also explored the ecology of decomposition, melanin content, and hydrophobicity, among heathland soil fungal guilds. Ascomycete black yeasts had the highest melanin content, and hyaline Basidiomycete yeasts the lowest. Hydrophobicity was an all-or-nothing trait, with most isolates being hydrophobic.

Understanding the fundamental excitations of many-fermion systems is of significant current interest. In atomic nuclei with even numbers of neutrons and protons, the low-lying excitation spectrum is generally formed by nucleon pair breaking and nuclear vibrations or rotations. However, for certain numbers of protons and neutrons, a subtle rearrangement of only a few nucleons among the orbitals at the Fermi surface can result in a different elementary mode: a macroscopic shape change. The first experimental evidence for this phenomenon came from the observation of shape coexistence in 16O (ref. 4). Other unexpected examples came with the discovery of fission isomers and super-deformed nuclei. Here we find experimentally that the lowest three states in the energy spectrum of the neutron deficient nucleus 186Pb are spherical, oblate and prolate. The states are populated by the alpha-decay of a parent nucleus; to identify them, we combine knowledge of the particular features of this decay with sensitive measurement techniques (a highly efficient velocity filters with strong background reduction, and an extremely selective recoil-alpha-electron coincidence tagging methods). The existence of this apparently unique shape triplet is permitted only by the specific conditions that are met around this particular nucleus.