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A sequence of pneumonia-causing diseases from the Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019. The outbreak of COVID-19 spread quite rapidly. Just as we write this report, almost two and a half million verified cases were reported globally, and almost 180,000 people died.1 Experience from China reveals that COVID-19 outbreaks can be brought under control within 3 months, with highly efficient touch tracking and case isolation.2 Healthcare staff are at the forefront of treatment for COVID-19 cases and have a very large chance of exposure to the infection.3 Cuts in disposable gear and COVID-19 awareness are triggering infections in healthcare workers. 4 As of February 11, 2020, China has contaminated more than 1,700 health-care workers. In Italy, 2026 (9 percent) of the COVID-19 incidents happened in healthcare professionals (as of March 15). 5 But, 31 medical teams containing more than 42,000 nurses and doctors sent by the Hubei from other provinces did not have a reported infection. It indicates that sufficient information about the transmission of disease and the use of protective equipment and procedures to manage infections is necessary to avoid the spread of infection among health care staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-designed Ti3+/In3+ mediated TiO 2 /SWCNTs heterojunction composite for photocatalytic H 2 evolution under visible light has been investigated. The samples, fabricated through one-step sol-gel approach with controlled acidic/basic heat treatment environment, were characterized by XRD, Raman, FE-SEM, TEM, XPS, UV–Vis and PL techniques. The maximum H 2 of 1244 ppm h−1 was evolved over In/SWCNTs/TiO 2 , a 4.69, 1.54 and 1.53 times higher than using TiO 2 , In/TiO 2 and SWCNTs/TiO 2 samples, respectively. This enhancement was due to faster charges separation and higher visible light absorption by synergistic effect of In/SWCNTs. Using catalyst prepared under basic (H 2) treatment, Ti3+ was successfully embedded into In+3@TiO 2 @SWCNTs, exhibited H 2 production of 1446 ppm h−1 which was 12.49% and 15.02% higher compared to catalysts prepared under CO 2 and N 2 atmospheres, respectively. Thus, surface defects like Ti3+ inhibits charges recombination and enables visible light responsive. The quantum yield over Ti3+/In3+ mediated TiO 2 /SWCNTs composite was 0.251%, a 1.13 and 1.2 folds higher compared to CO 2 and N 2 atmospheres, respectively. Besides, excellent stability for H 2 generation was observed in cyclic runs. A possible mechanism is proposed to understand synergistic effects between Ti+3/In+3 in TiO 2 /SWCNTs composite catalyst and has great potential as a green photocatalyst in environmental and energy applications. Image 1 • Ti+3/In+3 mediated TiO 2 /SWCNTs composite constructed under H 2 heat treatment. • H 2 production over In/TiO 2 /SWCNTs composite is 4.65 times higher than pure TiO 2. • Using H 2 atmosphere, 1.16 folds higher photoactivity for H 2 achieved than N 2 environment. • Photoactivity enhanced with Ti+3 doping due to synergistic effect with In+3/SWCNTs/TiO 2. • Stability test revealed prolong life of catalyst in cyclic runs using visible light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: the occurrences of diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy have increased quickly in the past few decades and have become an economic burden to the healthcare system in KSA. Diabetic nephropathy is a major complication of diabetes mellitus and is a primary cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The occurrence of non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD) in diabetic patients has been increasingly recognized in recent years. It is generally believed that it is difficult to reverse diabetic nephropathy, whereas some cases of non-diabetic renal disease are readily treatable and remittable. However, diabetic nephropathy is known to co-exist with non-diabetic renal disease in a poorly defined population of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study estimated the pervasiveness of co-existing diabetic nephropathy and nondiabetic renal disease in Saudi patients. Methods:data were retrospectively analyzed from 122 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had experienced a renal biopsy between February 2014 and June 2017 at King Abdulaziz Hospital, region(s), KSA. Male patients numbered 75 (61.5%) of the study population. The biopsies were performed as urinary abnormalities or renal functions were atypical of a diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy. Biopsy samples were examined using light, immunofluorescence (IF) and electron microscopy (EM). Clinical parameters were recorded for each patient at the time of biopsy. Results: nineteen of 122 diabetic patients (8%) had co-existing diabetic nephropathy and non-diabetic renal disease. These patients showed clinical features and pathologic characteristics of diabetic nephropathy, containing a high prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (88.8%), a long duration of diabetes, increased thickness of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and mesangial expansion. Nonetheless, they similarly presented with clinical findings which were inconsistent with diabetic nephropathy, such as hematuria, rapidly progressive renal failure and marked proteinuria. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy was apparent in 5 out of the 10 patients (50%), tubulointerstitial lesions were found in two patients (20%), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) in two patients (20%) and membranous nephropathy (MN) in one patients (10%). Conclusion: retrospective analysis of biopsy data suggests that approximately 8% of Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus may have co-existing diabetic nephropathy and non-diabetic renal disease. The most common histological diagnosis in our small series was IgA nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]