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Lebanon and Bosnia and Herzegovina share many commonalities involving sectarian and inter-ethnic strife, power-sharing agreement and the multitude of former and current paramilitary and revolutionary organizations. In the greater political view, the roles of paramilitary organizations are often controversial and problematic; however, during the times of civil-emergency, they often fill the niche of the missing first-responders. In Lebanon, a fragmented country, mired in an economic turmoil with occasional outbursts of sectarian violence, the emergency response and assistance are severely curtailed, which was evident in the sluggish response to the Beirut Port Explosion. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country mired in the continuous power-struggle among the nationalistic parties, the emergency response is inefficient and fragmented. This paper examines the unique role of former revolutionary organizations in Beirut which have taken the form of de-facto civic organizations and formed the backbone of emergency response, clean-up, and aid distribution. The study outlines several examples where the former revolutionary organizations mobilized and utilized their command authority, hierarchy, and community roles to provide an effective and sustainable emergency response. In Bosnia, the study outlines the cases of community-based organization under the vestiges of the old general communal self-protection. The results indicate that the lessons-learned from the years of civil-strife in Lebanon and vestiges of communal-defence in Bosnia have contributed to the relief distribution, cooperation across the sectarian/ethnic lines and coordination with external NGOs and state actors. Given the magnitude of the recent events (explosions and natural disasters), the role of civic organizations and their strategic approach to emergency response is instrumental to limiting further loss of life and deterioration of the overall security situation.

Western Balkans are entering into the seventh active year of mass-migration crisis with mixed results on the ability to direct, manage, house, register, assist and repatriate certain migrants or groups of migrants. This study collated available information from various process stakeholders and analysed strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) in the approaches to migrant crisis in North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo*, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The main goal of the study was to investigate if the opportunities were seized / missed in improving cooperation, communication, interoperability among the stakeholders to make the flow of migration more humane, manageable, transparent (accountable) and effective in the field. Given security considerations and challenges of the migration flow as well as its subsidiary elements involving human smuggling / human trafficking and movement of problematic personnel, the analysis highlights some of the novel operative and technical solutions that can be fielded to improve identification, registration and additional screening or removal as required. Particularly important elements are the advances in digital data capture, biometrics, correlation, language recognition and information sharing among the varying levels of stakeholders. The analysis also identified significant opportunities in improving communication and data sharing among the principal countries of the migration route (North Macedonia – Serbia – Bosnia and Herzegovina), which could be beneficial in enhancing other security-related issues among the Western Balkan countries. The main challenge encountered is the lack of communications and reporting protocols as well as lack of documentation standards suitable for data entry, storage, indexing and searching. The analysis concludes that implementation of standardized, technical solutions may resolve some of the identified communications, mistrust or data sharing issues described in the SWOT analyses.

Myofibroma (MF) is a benign neoplasm derived from myofibroblasts. While they are infrequent, these tumors are predominantly found in the pediatric group and seldom manifest as intraosseous mandibular tumors. Herein, we present a 9-year-old female with a radiolucent lesion in the left mandible associated with malposed left lower canine and 1st premolar teeth. Clinical examination revealed a slightly tender 5×4 cm firm mass resulting in an expansion of the buccal and lingual aspects of the mandible in the canine and first premolar region. An incisional biopsy revealed a benign tumor consisting of spindle cells organized in fascicles, alongside dispersed thin-walled blood vessels. Tumor cells tested positive for α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and vimentin. Given these findings, a diagnosis of MF was established. To the best of our knowledge, only 45 cases of solitary MF of the mandible have been reported in the pediatric age group in the literature. We describe one additional case and provide a review of the literature., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Lazim et al.)

Background Central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) presents as a locally invasive, intraosseous lesion characterized by the accumulation of multinucleated giant cells amidst a matrix of hemorrhage and reactive fibrous tissue that infiltrates bone trabeculae. This idiopathic non-neoplastic proliferative lesion primarily affects the mandible, typically presenting as either unilocular or multilocular radiolucencies on X-rays. Although trauma or intraosseous hemorrhages are potential triggers, the precise histogenesis and etiology remain unclear. CGCG predominantly occurs in children and young adults, with a slight female predilection. Methods and materials A retrospective analysis of 21 cases of CGCG diagnosed at the Oral Pathology/Pathology department of Temple University Hospital between 2015 and 2022 was conducted. Each case was evaluated based on various parameters, including age, gender, presenting symptoms, radiographic findings, clinical differential diagnosis, and histological confirmation. The primary radiographic technique employed for diagnosis was X-ray imaging of the mandible and maxilla. The histological examination involved cutting paraffin-embedded tissue into 5-micrometer-thick sections, which were then stained using routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. Notably, no specialized histochemical or immunohistochemical stains were utilized in the evaluation process. Results In our study, we reviewed 21 cases; 9 were male, 11 were female, and one had no available gender data. The age range was 15-76 years, with a mean of 50 years. The mandible was the most commonly affected location (17 cases; 81%) while the maxilla was less commonly involved (4 cases; 19%). Many CGCG lesions were asymptomatic (13 cases; 62%); eight cases (38%) were symptomatic, with pain and fullness of the affected dental region being the main manifestations. In a few cases, conditions such as brown tumor (severe hyperparathyroidism) and odontogenic neoplasms, such as ameloblastoma, were suspected clinically and radiographically. The diagnosis of CGCG with associated acute and chronic inflammation was confirmed in all the cases. Histological evaluation of routinely stained slides was the main diagnostic tool utilized. No special stains or molecular studies were required to establish the final diagnosis. Conclusions Our investigation has determined that CGCG exhibits a non-neoplastic nature, displaying a spectrum of behaviors ranging from non-aggressive to aggressive tendencies. While CGCG is predominantly observed in the mandible, rare instances of involvement in the maxilla have also been documented. Importantly, no confirmed association with neoplastic lesions was identified during our analysis. The clinical course of CGCG tends to be indolent, with some cases presenting in association with impacted teeth. It's noteworthy that CGCG can present features mimicking neoplastic conditions, such as ameloblastoma, or localized lesions linked to systemic disorders such as hyperparathyroidism (brown tumor)., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Temple University's Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) issued approval 28418. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Lazim et al.)

The presence of antibiotics in water systems had raised a concern about their potential harm to the aquatic environment and human health as well as the possible development of antibiotic resistance. Herein, this study investigates the power of adsorption using graphene-polypyrrole (GRP-PPY) nanoparticles as a promising approach for the removal of Moxifloxacin HCl (MXF) as a model antibiotic drug. GRP-PPY nanoparticles synthesis was performed with a simple and profitable method, leading to the formation of high surface area particles with excellent adsorption properties. Characterization was assessed with various techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Box-Behnken experimental design was developed to optimize the adsorption process. Critical parameters such as initial antibiotic concentration, nanoparticle concentration, and pH were investigated. The Freundlich isotherm model provided a good fit to the experimental data, indicating multilayer adsorption of MXF onto the GRP-PPY-NP. As a result, a high adsorption capacity of MXF (92%) was obtained in an optimum condition of preparing 30 μg/mL of the drug to be adsorbed by 1 mg/mL of GRP-PPY-NP in pH 9 within 1 h in a room temperature. Moreover, the regeneration and reusability of GRP-PPY-NP were investigated. They could be effectively regenerated for 3 cycles using appropriate desorption agents without significant loss in adsorption capacity. Overall, this study highlights the power of GRP-PPY-NP as a highly efficient adsorbent for the removal of MXF from wastewater as it is the first time to use this NP for a pharmaceutical product which shows the study's novelty, and the findings provide valuable insights into the development of sustainable and effective wastewater treatment technologies for combating antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Google Trends has been extensively used in different sectors from finance to tourism, the economy, fashion, the fun industry, the oil trade, and healthcare. This scoping review aims to summarize the role of Google Trends as a monitoring and a predicting tool in the COVID-19 pandemic. Inclusion criteria for this scoping review were original English-language peer-reviewed research articles on the COVID-19 pandemic conducted in 2020 using Google Trends as a search tool. Articles that were in a language other than English, were only in abstract form, or did not discuss the role of Google Trends during the COVID-19 pandemic were excluded. According to these criteria, a total of 81 studies were included to cover the period of the first year after the emergence of the crisis. Google Trends can potentially help health authorities to plan and control pandemics earlier and to decrease the risk of infection among people., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Postgraduate Medical Journal. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Eco-friendly stannic oxide nanoparticles functionalized with gallic acid (SnO 2 /GA NP) were synthesized and employed as a novel photocatalyst for the degradation of citalopram, a commonly prescribed antidepressant drug. SnO 2 /GA NP were characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements and X-ray diffraction. A validated RP-HPLC assay was developed to monitor citalopram concentration in the presence of its degradation products. Full factorial design (2 4 ) was conducted to investigate the effect of irradiation time, pH, SnO 2 /GA NP loading and initial citalopram concentration on the efficiency of the photodegradation process. Citalopram initial concentration was found to be the most significant parameter followed by irradiation time and pH, respectively. At optimum conditions, 88.43 ± 0.7% degradation of citalopram (25.00 µg/mL) was obtained in 1 h using UV light (1.01 mW/cm 2 ). Citalopram kinetics of degradation followed pseudo-first order rate with K obs and t 0.5 of - 0.037 min -1 and 18.73 min, respectively. The optimized protocol was successfully applied for treatment of water samples collected during different cleaning validation cycles of citalopram production lines. The reusability of SnO 2 /GA NP was studied for 3 cycles without significant loss in activity. This approach would provide a green and economic alternative for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment of organic pollutants., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

This paper presents a novel potentiometric approach for the determination of palonosetron HCl using two sensors; ionophore-free and ionophore-doped ones. The two sensors successfully determined the cited drug in the range of 1 × 10 -5 -1 × 10 -2  M with respective Nernstian slopes of 54.9 ± 0.25 and 59.3 ± 0.16 mV/decade. Incorporating calix[8]arene as an ionophore resulted in a lower detection limit (LOD = 3.1 × 10 -6  M) and enhanced selectivity when compared to the ionophore-free sensor (LOD = 7.9 × 10 -6  M). This modification was also associated with faster response for the ionophore-doped sensor (response time = 20 s) compared to the ionophore-free one (response time = 30 s). The two sensors showed a stable response over a pH range of 3.0-8.0. They successfully determined palonosetron HCl in presence of its oxidative degradation products. They were also used for direct determination of the drug in commercially available parenteral solution without any interference from other dosage forms' additives., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives. Nearly 60 million people suffer from computer vision syndrome (CVS) globally, resulting in reduced work productivity. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CVS, describe the working conditions, visualize ergonomic factors and determine preventive measures application among university staff members. Methods . A cross-sectional study was conducted with university medical staff members using a semi-structured questionnaire that included a validated CVS questionnaire. Results. CVS prevalence was 81.2%. Dryness, headache, feeling that sight is worsening and difficulty in focusing on near vision were the most experienced symptoms. Prevalence of CVS was significantly higher among females (52.3%), those having a higher mean work duration (21.65 ± 7.55 years), those who frequently use a smartphone (84.9%) and those spending most of their screen time during both day and night (87.1%). Visual ergonomics and preventive measures application, such as correct screen level, regular cleaning of the screen, appropriate illumination and use of eye drops, were significantly associated with negative CVS. Conclusions. These results raised attention to the essential need for visual assessment of university staff members for early and proper diagnosis of CVS to minimize its impact on working performance. Accordingly, it is recommended to organize university-based awareness programs regarding CVS for working personnel.