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Abstract This study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding impacts, causes and management of black triangles (BT) among participants from different educational backgrounds including dental students, dentists and laypeople. This descriptive cross-sectional observational research included 435 participants who comprised 4 groups: pre-clinical (3rd year) dental students, clinical (4th and 5th year) dental students, dentists, and laypeople. A constructed self-reported questionnaire was utilized to assess participants’ demographic data and their knowledge of the impacts, causes and management of BT. The VAS scale was used to assess participants’ ratings for the impacts of BT on esthetics, with 0 meaning no impact and 10 meaning very severe negative impacts. The most reported treatments for BT were “cannot be treated” 99.3% and “non-surgical periodontal treatment” 67.1%. Meanwhile, the least reported was “modify the porcelain” 41.8%. The most reported cause of BT was “periodontal disease” 85.1%. However, the least reported were “parafunction” and “deep implants” 33.1% each. Dental professionals had better knowledge of the causes (t = 8.189, P

Introduction: The pandemic of COVID-19 caused a great challenge to clinical pharmacy programs. Global and local restrictions imposed by prevention and disease control bodies have made clinical training programs hard to implement on campus and/or in hospitals Aims & Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a distance-assembled clinical training program for pharmacy students in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out from July to September 2020 at the College of Pharmacy, University of Petra, Amman-Jordan Material & Method: A Cross-sectional study survey that surveyed pharmacy students during the summer course quasi-experimental design using a post-test-only approach. Only pharmacy students during the summer of 2020 were enrolled in this study. Final year, 4th and 5th year.21 fourth and fifth pharmacy students completed the study. Students from other years were excluded. Specific patient data collection sheets were distributed to pharmacy students enrolled in an integrated pharmacy course in the summer semester from July to September 2020. After data collection, students were asked to develop a detailed pharmaceutical care plan. All sheets and care plans were collected from students, and a course evaluation questionnaire was utilized to measure the outcome of this distance learning approach. This approach focused on vital elements of therapeutic supervision involving appropriate drug indication, drug efficiency, drug safety, and inpatient compliance. The main variables tested in this study were students’ demographics, including gender and year. The second questionnaire consisted of student’s valuation of the clinical pharmacy supervisor. The third (questionnaire consisted of student's evaluation of the collection sheets and care plans for their patients Results: The results from the post-training questionnaire showed that the majority of students reported an apparent improvement in knowledge and clinical skills. Qualitative responses by participating students showed positive responses associated with this distance learning approach, suggesting the possible benefit of such approach on long-term clinical pharmacy education. Conclusion: A successful outline of a distanced organized clinical training for pharmacy students has been established during COVID19. Both the patients and the students assigned to them benefited from this clinical pharmacy educational experience.

Introduction There is little published information on type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children in Yemen. We aimed to identify the clinical characteristics, biomarkers and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis of T1D among children and adolescents in a diabetes centre in Sana’a, Yemen.Methods A total of 485 children and adolescents aged ≤18 years diagnosed with T1D during the period 2010–2020 were included in the study. The variables investigated were demographic and clinical characteristics, biomarkers, subtypes of T1D, and the risk factors for severe DKA at diagnosis.Results At diagnosis, children aged

Abstract Purpose To investigate the effect of different occlusal reduction design on stress distribution and fracture resistance of different endocrown systems. Material and methods Sixty-four maxillary human premolars with endodontic treatment, prepared for endocrowns were divided into 2 groups (n = 32) according to the occlusal design: Butt joint preparation (B group) and Anatomical preparation (A group). Each group were subdivided into four groups according to ceramic systems: IPS E max CAD (EM group), monolithic zirconia (ZR group), Nacera Hyprid (NH group) and PEKKTON (PE group). After manufacturing of endocrowns and adhesive bonding the specimens were thermomechanically loaded and subsequently they were tested in a universal testing machine for evaluating the fracture resistance. The specimens failure mode was qualitatively assessed. The stress distribution in each group was assessed using three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA). 1-way ANOVA and the Post Hoc Tukey HSD test were used to evaluate the data (a = .05). Results The fracture resistance values between the groups showed statistically significant variations. The B PE and A PE groups had a higher ratio of fracture resistance values. Regarding failure mode, ceramic endocrowns recorded mainly irreparable failures. FEA showed that anatomical occlusal preparation have reduced the stress concentration under all endocrown systems. Conclusion Endocrowns could be used to restore endodontically treated maxillary premolars. PEKKTON endocrowns with anatomical preparations revealed most appropriate restoration. The tested new endocrown systems enhanced the biomechanical performance of the tooth. Clinical significance The innovative endocrown systems (PEKK, Nacera Hyprid) can be seen as a promising choice for restoration of severely-destructed endodontic treated premolars, with less stress transmit to the residual tooth structure. Although the traditional endocrown technology might increase the longevity of tooth bonding, it shouldn’t be used for clenching cases since the risk of failure is too great overall.

This study utilizes satellite-based rainfall CHIRPS to evaluate GCMs-CMIP6 models over Sudan from 1985 to 2014. Overall, the GCMs of BCC-CSM2-MR, CAMS-CSM1-0, CESM2, ECEarth3-Veg, GFDL-ESM4, MIROC-ES2L, and NorESM2-MM are well reproduced in the unimodal pattern of June to September (JJAS), and hence employed to calculate Multi-Model Ensemble (MME). Then, we examine the capability of the GCMs and MME in replicating the precipitation patterns on annual and seasonal scales over Sudan using numerous ranking metrics, including Pearson Correlation Coefficient (CC), Standard Deviation (SD), Taylor Skill Score (TSS), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), absolute bias (BIAS), and, normalized mean root square error (RMSD). The results show that the MME has the lowest bias and slightly overestimates rainfall over most parts of our study domain, whilst, others (ACCESS-CM2, BCC-CSM2-MR, CAMS-CSM1-0, CESM2, CNRM-CM6-1, CNRM-CM6-1-HR, CNRM-ESM2-1, FGOALS-f3-L, FGOALS-g3) consistently overestimate rainfall in referring to CHIRPS data, respectively, but FIO-ESM-2-0 underestimates bias value. Moreover, MIROC-ES2L and NorESM2-MM demonstrate better performance than the other models. Finally, we employed a bias correction (BC) technique, namely Delta BC, to adjust the GCMs model products through the annual and monsoon seasons. The applied bias correction technique revealed remarkable improvement in the GCMs against the observations, with an improvement of 0 - 18% over the original. However, MME and MIROC-ES2L show better performance after correction than other models.

Abstract Background Research is essential for advancing medical knowledge and improving patient care. However, research capacity and output are low in low- and middle-income countries due to various challenges, including a lack of research training among medical students. Integrating research training into undergraduate medical curricula can help address this issue. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2022 and March 2023 among 462 undergraduate medical students at Tanta University, Egypt to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and perceived barriers toward conducting research. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS. Results Nearly half (49.8%) of the students had an acceptable level of knowledge about research concepts while over two-thirds (66.2%) had a positive attitude. The most common barriers were lack of funding, time, and training in research methods. Previous research training was reported by 66.7% of students, but less than half had participated in or presented research. Students in the competency-based program had significantly higher knowledge and more positive attitudes than those in the mainstream program. Knowledge level was positively correlated with attitude. Conclusion While attitudes were generally positive, improvements are needed in research training and opportunities among undergraduate medical students at Tanta University to help address low research capacity challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Integration of formal research training into the curriculum may help increase knowledge and participation in research.

Abstract Purpose To assess and compare the impact of various computers aided design/manufacturing (CAD/CAM) materials on internal and marginal discrepancies, fracture resistance and failure probability of Endocrown restorations with 3D Finite Element analysis. Material and methods Forty devitalized human maxillary first molars were collected. After endodontic treatment, they classified into 4 groups (n = 10) based on the materials used for endocrown fabrication. Group V (Vita-Enamic), Group N (Nacera Hybrid), Group T (Translucent Prettau Zirconia) and Group P (Pekkton ivory). All samples were exposed to artificial aging method simulating one year of clinical service. Silicone replica technique and stereomicroscope (25X) utilized to evaluate the marginal and internal gaps of endocrowns at different areas. Fracture resistance test used for cemented specimens followed by qualitative investigation utilizing Stereomicroscopy. Four models representing four endocrown systems used for restoration of severely-damaged endodontically treated upper first molar were generated for finite element analysis (FEA). Axially and centrally static occlusal compressive load was applied. Modified Von Mises and maximum principal stress values on the remaining tooth structure, cement lines and restorative materials were assessed independently. Resulted data were statistically analyzed at P-value ≤ 0.05. Results In the current study, the highest mean values of internal and marginal discrepancies (μm) among studied groups were reported for Zirconia group (100.300 and 102.650) respectively, while the lowest mean value of internal discrepancy (μm) was observed for Nacera group (69.275) and the lowest mean value of marginal discrepancy (μm) was observed for PEKK group (78.4750). Regarding internal discrepancy, Vita-Enamic and PEKK groups did not exhibit any statistically significant differences (P = 0.293), however zirconia and the other tested groups exhibited statistically significant differences in the mean values of the marginal gap region (p 0.05).On the other hand, PEKK group showed the highest mean value of fracture resistance (1845.20 N) and the lowest value was observed for Vita-Enamic group (946.50 N). Regarding to stress distributions through 3D FEA, and according to modified von Mises (mvM) analysis, the greatest possible stress values were noticed in PEKK model in relation to tooth structure, cement line, and flowable composite as the following: (93.1, 64.5, 58.4 MPa) respectively, while Zirconia revealed lower maximum stress values (11.4, 13.6, 11.6 MPa) respectively. Conclusions Statistically excellent marginal and internal fit was observed for PEKK in relation to other used endocrown materials. Also, PEKK material explained fracture resistance comparable to zirconia value while the lowest value was detected for Vita Enamic material.

Achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets hinges on identifying and engaging individuals with HIV in care, requiring 90% of those infected to be diagnosed, initiated on ART, and achieving viral suppression. Despite this imperative, HIV testing services as well as research in Ghana often overlook the unique experiences of transgender women in urban slums, impacting their engagement with care. Using the gender affirmative model lens, this study reports the HIV testing experiences of trans women in Ghanaian slums, highlighting how the healthcare environment, counseling, and healthcare provider attitudes shape these experiences. The study used a qualitative descriptive interview design with 20 trans women aged 18 to 31 from urban slums in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo, with results presented in categories and subcategories. Two main categories emerged from our data analysis: 1) Positive Experiences with HIV Testing, and 2) Negative Experiences with HIV Testing. Positive experiences with HIV testing among trans women in Ghanaian slums included a welcoming environment at healthcare facilities, supportive counseling, and relatability with HIV-positive nurses. Negative experiences were characterized by fear and anxiety during testing, often intensified by healthcare worker attitudes, including unwelcoming behaviors and judgmental body language, especially in facilities that are not key population friendly. These categories provided a framework for understanding the varied experiences of trans women in Ghanaian slums regarding HIV testing. The study highlights the urgent need for Ghanaian slum healthcare facilities to address discrimination against trans women by creating inclusive, supportive environments. It stresses the importance of using a gender-affirmative approach to improve HIV testing and health outcomes for trans women. Policymakers and healthcare providers must focus on training, inclusive care, and cultural competence to reduce health disparities for this population.

The Internet-of-Things (IoT)-based healthcare systems are comprised of a large number of networked medical devices, wearables, and sensors that collect and transmit data to improve patient care. However, the enormous number of networked devices renders these systems vulnerable to assaults. To address these challenges, researchers advocated reducing execution time, leveraging cryptographic protocols to improve security and avoid assaults, and utilizing energy-efficient algorithms to minimize energy consumption during computation. Nonetheless, these systems still struggle with long execution times, assaults, excessive energy usage, and inadequate security. We present a novel whale-based attribute encryption scheme (WbAES) that empowers the transmitter and receiver to encrypt and decrypt data using asymmetric master key encryption. The proposed WbAES employs attribute-based encryption (ABE) using whale optimization algorithm behaviour, which transforms plain data to ciphertexts and adjusts the whale fitness to generate a suitable master public and secret key, ensuring security against unauthorized access and manipulation. The proposed WbAES is evaluated using patient health record (PHR) datasets collected by IoT-based sensors, and various attack scenarios are established using Python libraries to validate the suggested framework. The simulation outcomes of the proposed system are compared to cutting-edge security algorithms and achieved finest performance in terms of reduced 11 s of execution time for 20 sensors, 0.121 mJ of energy consumption, 850 Kbps of throughput, 99.85 % of accuracy, and 0.19 ms of computational cost.

Cloud computing is a potential platform transforming the health sector by allowing clinicians to monitor patients in real-time using sensor technologies. However, the users tend to transmit sensitive and classified medical data back and forth to cloud service providers for centralized processing and storage. This presents opportunities for hackers to steal data, intercept data in transit, and deprive patients and healthcare providers of private information. Consequently, Security and privacy are the primary concerns that must be addressed for the healthcare organization to trust and adopt the cloud computing platform. We present data sanitization and restoration processes to generate the keys from the acquired data and develop a multi-objective function for the hiding ratio, degree of modification, and information preservation ratio. We then employed the Bee-Foraging Learning-based Particle Swarm Optimization (BFL-PSO) algorithm to acquire the optimal key while transferring healthcare data into the cloud to ensure high Security. The experiment is carried out on the UHDDS dataset. The performance is assessed in terms of Security, delay time, encryption time, error rate, and convergence speed, with the results contrasted to state-of-the-art works. The performance study demonstrates that the suggested algorithm has higher Security than cutting-edge security algorithms.

Abstract Background Sepsis reaction is a response to an infection composed of genetic elements. This research aims to better understand how sepsis affects the molecular pathways in whole blood samples. Methods Whole blood samples from healthy controls (n = 18), sepsis nonsurvivors (n = 9), and sepsis survivors (n = 26) were retrieved from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) collection of the national center for biotechnology information (NCBI) (accession number GSE54514). The NCBI's GEO2R program was used to determine differential expression, and the ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) software was utilized to do a pathway analysis. Results In sepsis patients, 2672 genes were substantially differently expressed (p value 0.05). One thousand three hundred four genes were overexpressed, and one thousand three hundred sixty-eight were under-expressed. The inhibition of ARE-mediated mRNA degradation pathway and the Pl3K/AKT signaling spliceosomal cycle were the most significant canonical pathways identified by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). The IPA upstream analysis predicted the ESR1, SIRT1, and PTPRR proteins, and the drugs filgrastim and fluticasone were top transcriptional regulators. Conclusions The inhibition of ARE-mediated mRNA degradation pathway and the Pl3K/AKT signaling spliceosomal cycle were highlighted as essential pathways of inflammation by IPA, indicating widespread cancer owing to sepsis. Our data imply that sepsis considerably influences gene pathways in whole blood samples, pointing to possible targets for sepsis treatment.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) most commonly complicate liver cirrhosis and it may coexist with malignant portal vein invasion (PVI) that minimizes its possible treatment opportunities and negatively affects its prognosis. However, liver cirrhosis may also be associated with non-tumoral portal vein thrombosis (PVT) particularly in decompensated cirrhosis. Thus, discrimination between tumoral and non-tumoral PVT most preferably by non-invasive imaging techniques is mandatory before treatment decision. Based on the concept of changing tissue elasticity according to tissue pathological changes, Shear wave elastography (SWE) could quantitatively assess tissue stiffness in malignant PVI. We aimed in this work to evaluate the performance of SWE as a novel fast non-invasive diagnostic modality for malignant PVI in cirrhotic patients with HCC. Results Seventy-eight HCC patients with PVT included in this prospective cross-sectional study, tumoral and non-tumoral PVT were differentiated using triphasic CT and/or dynamic MRI, then SWE was blindly and independently done for all included patients. non-tumoral PVT was present in 21.8% of our HCC patients mostly in decompensated cirrhosis. All of our evaluated predictor factors were evaluated by univariate logistic regression analysis to identify the significant factors in prediction of malignant PVI (SWE, AFP, HCC size, HCC multi-focality, and PVD). By using the multivariate logistic regression we identified that the most independent significant factors were SWE and PVD (sig.: 0.012 and 0.045 respectively). SWE was evaluated versus the criteria of PVT and we found that malignant PVI has significant higher SWE values than benign non-tumoral PVT (sig: 0.012). Two cutoff values were calculated for SWE using ROC curve; the 1st cutoff point was selected to rule in malignant PVI for values ≥ 13 kps, while the 2nd cutoff point was selected to rule out malignant PVI for values ≤ 9 kps with a significant discriminatory performance (AUC: 0.984; sig: 0.000). Conclusions SWE could be used as a novel fast and non-invasive indicator of malignant portal vein invasion in cirrhotic patients with HCC especially for values ≥ 13 kps and particularly if coexists with larger values of PVD and AFP.

Abstract Background A safe and effective vaccine is the ultimate key to mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine acceptance is influenced by various factors, including perceptions about the vaccine’s safety and side effects. The side effects vary depending on the type of the vaccine, but they are mainly mild, local, temporary, and self-limiting. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out at Tanta University Hospitals, including 1246 healthcare workers who received either the first or the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, selected via a systematic random sampling technique using a self-administered structured validated questionnaire for data collection from November 2021 to January 2022. Qualitative data were presented as frequencies and percentages and analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results The prevalence of one or more side effects was 91.3%. Among participants, about two-thirds believed in vaccine safety and its necessity (65.4% and 63.6%, respectively). Significantly more participants (46.9%) were concerned about AstraZeneca thrombotic complications than other vaccine types. The top five side effects reported by participants were injection site pain (64.8%), sense of fatigue (57.1%), headache (49.9%), muscle pain (48.7%), and fever (46.5). Most of the side effects were significantly higher among participants vaccinated with AstraZeneca. Side effects impacted work capacity of 23.4%, which was significantly higher among participants who received AstraZeneca (33.6%). Conclusion Participants had a good level of belief in vaccination safety and necessity. Healthcare workers who got the AstraZeneca vaccination reported more adverse effects than other vaccines. Injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pains, and fever were the most frequently reported side effects. More research on vaccination safety is needed to understand the long-term adverse effects of vaccinations better, improve the public trust, and accelerate vaccine adoption.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical clinical event characterized by a reduction in the excretory function of the kidneys. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), N-acetylmethionine (NAM) and N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) are antioxidants with scanty known genetic mechanisms. We aimed to assess both kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and growth-arrested DNA damage-inducible gene-153 (GADD-153) genes expression in paracetamol (PA) induced AKI. Also, to recognize whether NAC, NAM and/or NAG have roles in altering the expression of these genes for ameliorating the AKI induced by PA.

IntroductionIn this study, we aimed at exploring the morphologic and quantitative abnormalities in the peripheral blood counts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.MethodsA cohort of 131 COVID-19 patients was recruited at University Hospital Sharjah (UHS), UAE. Their peripheral blood smears were examined for morphological evaluation. Also, their clinical laboratory investigations and radiological findings were retrieved from the medical records. Our cohort consisted of 63 males and 68 females with an age of 63.6 ± 18.6 years.ResultsThe presence of atypical lymphocytes was observed in around 80% of the recruited COVID-19 patients. Further, monocytes with toxic cytoplasmic vacuoles were identified in 55% of the cases. Neutrophil-associated changes, including pseudo-Pelger-Huët, bands, and long nuclear endoplasm, were reported in around 25–35% of the patients. RBCs associated changes such as microcytic and hypochromic RBCs, as well as targetoid, dacrocytes, ovalocytes, echinocytes/burr cells, and schistocytes, were described. According to disease severity, RBCs chromicity was found to be significantly different between stable and critical patients. COVID-19 patients with CO-RADS 5 showed a similar change in RBCs as well as a decrease in the neutrophils with hypogranular cytoplasm.ConclusionPeripheral blood smear assessment in COVID-19 patients could provide information about the disease state and pulmonary involvement.

Abstract Background Despite the great advancement in therapeutic modalities for esophageal varices, early variceal rebleeding still occurs at high rates leading to an exaggeration of the morbidity and mortality for cirrhotic patients, so meticulous follow-up with optimum prediction and proper preventive measures for early variceal rebleeding are mandatory for increasing survival of those patients. In this respect, we evaluated the clinical, laboratory, abdominal ultrasound, and endoscopic criteria of variceal cirrhotic patients as possible risk predictors of early variceal rebleeding after endoscopic control of first variceal bleeding. All included patients were followed up blindly for 12 weeks after endoscopic control of bleeding for ascertainment of first variceal rebleeding. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, abdominal ultrasound, and upper gastrointestinal endoscopic criteria were evaluated for all patients at first admission. Results By univariate regression analysis, the statistically significant predictors for early variceal rebleeding were serum albumin, serum bilirubin, prothrombin concentration, Child-Pugh score, platelet count, spleen diameter, ascites, portal vein diameter and velocity, variceal size, variceal location, and red color sign. By using multivariate regression analysis, the most independent significant predictors were Child-Pugh score (sig: 0.001 and OR: 1.661), platelets count (sig: 0.000 and OR: 0.956), portal vein velocity (sig: 0.000 and OR: 0.664), variceal grading (sig: 0.000 and OR: 3.964), and variceal red color sign (sig: 0.000 and OR: 4.964). We used the multivariate regression coefficients for the significant predictors to build up early variceal rebleeding risk (EVRR) score with a significant discriminatory performance (AUC: 0.965 and sig: 0.000). Conclusion Child-Pugh score, platelet count, portal vein velocity, variceal grading, and variceal red color sign are independent risk predictors for early variceal rebleeding after successful control of first variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients. Our proposed EVRR score could be helpful for the prediction of early variceal rebleeding in cirrhotic patients after endoscopic control of acute variceal bleeding; however, it should be externally validated in large prospective studies.

Abstract Background Hepatic encephalopathy exacerbates the morbidity, delays hospital discharge, and increases the rate of readmissions of cirrhotic patients, particularly those are admitted by acute variceal bleeding. We evaluated the performance of albumin-bilirubin score in prediction of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding, in comparison to Child-Pugh and MELD scores. This prospective cohort study was conducted on 250 cirrhotic patients who were consecutively presented by acute variceal bleeding in the period from January to December 2020 at Tanta university emergency hospital. Albumin-bilirubin, Child-Pugh, and MELD scores were measured at admission, and then all patients were followed up for 4 weeks after endoscopic bleeding control for possible occurrence of hepatic encephalopathy Results Albumin-bilirubin, Child-Pugh, and MELD scores had significant performances in prediction of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding; in this regard, albumin-bilirubin score had the highest accuracy (AUC 0.858, CI 0.802-0.914, sig 0.000) followed by Child-Pugh score (AUC 0.654, CI 0.574–0.735, sig 0.001) and then MELD score (AUC 0.602, CI 0.519–0.686, sig 0.031). The cumulative incidence of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients with albumin-bilirubin grade 3 was found to be significantly more than that present in albumin-bilirubin grade 2; most of these hepatic encephalopathy cases occurred in the first 2 weeks of follow-up period. Conclusions Albumin-bilirubin score has a significant performance in risk prediction of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding better than Child-Pugh and MELD scores. Albumin-bilirubin grades could be used as a risk stratifying tool to triage cirrhotic patients who will benefit from early discharge after bleeding control and those patients who will benefit from prophylactic measures for hepatic encephalopathy.

Lung cancer is a high-risk disease that causes mortality worldwide; nevertheless, lung nodules are the main manifestation that can help to diagnose lung cancer at an early stage, lowering the workload of radiologists and boosting the rate of diagnosis. Artificial intelligence-based neural networks are promising technologies for automatically detecting lung nodules employing patient monitoring data acquired from sensor technology through an Internet-of-Things (IoT)-based patient monitoring system. However, the standard neural networks rely on manually acquired features, which reduces the effectiveness of detection. In this paper, we provide a novel IoT-enabled healthcare monitoring platform and an improved grey-wolf optimization (IGWO)-based deep convulution neural network (DCNN) model for lung cancer detection. The Tasmanian Devil Optimization (TDO) algorithm is utilized to select the most pertinent features for diagnosing lung nodules, and the convergence rate of the standard grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is modified, resulting in an improved GWO algorithm. Consequently, an IGWO-based DCNN is trained on the optimal features obtained from the IoT platform, and the findings are saved in the cloud for the doctor’s judgment. The model is built on an Android platform with DCNN-enabled Python libraries, and the findings are evaluated against cutting-edge lung cancer detection models.

Abstract Background Aortic valve assessment by 2D transthoracic echocardiography is a relatively complex task owing to the unique anatomical features of the left ventricular outflow tract and its dynamic nature. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of 3D transthoracic echocardiography [3D TTE] in assessing the aortic valve in children. Results The first group included 11 males and six females, with a mean age of 5.76 ± 6.39 years. All of these patients had aortic valve disease with a bicuspid variant. The second group included seven males and seven females, with a mean age of 4.4 ± 4.05 years. All of these patients had normal aortic valve morphology and had another congenital cardiac anomaly. The aortic valve annulus was assessed using the three modalities; 2D, 3D echocardiography in the vertical and horizontal diameters, and angiography. The aortic valve area was measured by 2D and 3D echocardiography using multiplane reformatted mode. The results of the analysis were then compared. They revealed that 3D echocardiographic measurement of the aortic annulus (horizontal diameter) correlated better with angiography than 2D and 3D (vertical diameter) echocardiographic measurements. There was a significant difference between the aortic valve area measured by 2D echocardiography and that measured by 3D echocardiography among the two groups, 2D echocardiography seems to underestimate the true aortic valve area. Conclusion The study concluded that 3D TTE with multiplane reformatted mode allows a more accurate assessment of the aortic valve when compared to 2D echocardiography and this correlates better with the angiographic findings.

This study deals with the efforts of the contemporary women in interpreting the Holy Quran, with the aim of revealing the historical phases of the science of Quran exegesis, showing the efforts of women in each of these phases, identifying the figures of contemporary women who have had an effort in interpreting the Quran. The study adopted the inductive method to extrapolate the books of translations and identify the women who had an effort in interpretation, the historical method by tracing the movement of interpretation over the ages and indicating the role of women in it, and the descriptive method in the Scientific Division of research, including the meaning of interpretation and the efforts of women in the interpretation of the Holy Quran, introducing the women interpreters of the Qur'an in the present era, and the most prominent features of the women's approach to interpretation Insights into the Light of the Quran as a model. Several results have been reached. First, the contribution of women alongside men in the interpretation of the Quran has emerged since the first Islamic century. The most prominent feature of the present century is the notable contribution of women in this science in synthesis and classification, whether at the level of interpreting the Quran as a whole, at the level of interpreting some of its chapters, or at the level of the thematic interpretation.

This study examines the effect of communication strategy instruction on Jordanian EFL students’ oral performance and strategy use. Following a thorough content analysis of units 10- 13 of the prescribed Action Pack textbook, the instructional material was designed and implemented over a duration of eight weeks. A three-task oral pre-/ post-test, a communication strategies-based observation checklist, and a 10-item scoring rubric were used to collect data from a purposeful sample of 24 sixth-grade students. The (predominantly interactional) communication strategies of approximation, circumlocution, repetition, appeal for help, self- repair, appeal for confirmation, appeal for clarification, and guessing were targeted. The data analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, suggests that the utilization of communication strategies in language instruction both improves oral performance and increases strategy use.

Study DesignProspective case-controlled study.PurposeThis study aimed to assess genetic influence in Saudi Arabian children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).Overview of LiteratureThe genetic locus linked to chromosome 19p for idiopathic scoliosis has been described. A pilot study conducted at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar showed that three microsatellite markers (D19S216, D19S894, and DS1034) of chromosome 19p13.3 were significant in Saudi Arabian females compared with healthy subjects.MethodsA total of 100 unrelated Saudi Arabian girls treated for AIS, their parents, healthy siblings, and healthy subjects were recruited for genetic analysis of markers on chromosome 19p13.3. After informed consent was obtained from their parents, blood samples were collected and parametric and nonparametric linkage analyses were performed using GENEHUNTER ver. 2.1. Multipoint linkage analysis was used to specify an autosomal dominant trait with a gene frequency of 0.01 and an estimated penetrance of 80% at the genotypic and allelic levels.ResultsFive hundred blood samples were collected and analyzed for microsatellite markers (D19S216, D19S894, and DS1034) of chromosome 19p13.3. Comparison among patients, family members, and healthy subjects revealed no significant association between markers and scoliosis at the genotypic level: D19S216 (p=0.21), D19S894 (p=0.37), and DS1034 (p=0.25). However, at the allelic level, a statistically significant association was observed for marker DS1034 (p=0.008), and marker D19S216 showed significance between fathers and patients (p

Microvascular complications of pediatric-onset type 1 diabetes are common in low-income countries. In this study, we aimed at reviewing microvascular outcomes in 6 cases with type 1 diabetes over 14 to 31 years of follow-up. Severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and/or diabetic macular edema (maculopathy) (DME) and overt diabetic nephropathy (macroalbuminuria) were seen among 4 of 6 patients, whereas severe diabetic peripheral neuropathy with Charcot neuroarthropathy was seen in 1 patient only, who had the longest duration of follow-up. The weighted mean (SD) (95% confidence interval) hemoglobin A 1c was 8.9 (1.6) (8.4-9.4)% [74 (17) (68-80) mmol/mol] for PDR/DME and 8.6 (1.7) (8.0-9.0)% [71 (19) (65-77) mmol/mol] for macroalbuminuria. Thyroid autoimmunity was positive in 3 patients with overt hypothyroidism in 2 of them. Worse microvascular outcomes among these cases might be attributed to poor glycemic control, lack of knowledge, and limited financial resources.

This study explores the effect of the medium of assessment on the achievement of 26 Arab expatriate children's in mathematics, science, and social studies. The subjects, students at both mainstream schools and an Arab school in the United States of America, have received instruction in both English and their native Arabic for three years. After the treatment, English-English, Arabic-English, English-Arabic, and Arabic-Arabic elicit-response combinations were examined. The findings revealed statistically significant differences in the students' scores in mathematics, science, and social studies due to the method of assessment. The Arabic-Arabic method was found to yield superior scores to its English-Arabic, Arabic-English, and English-English counterparts, respectively. Introduction Despite its fuzzy logic, the use of the target language as the sole medium of instruction in the foreign/second language classroom remained essentially unchallenged even though it is believed to have resulted more from political than any specific methodological considerations , Auerbach, 1993; Phillipson, 1992; Swain &Lapkin, 2005, . Thus, even though little research has been reported on the advantages, or lack thereof, of the sole use of the target language , henceforth, second Language: L2, in the foreign/second language , henceforth, Second/ Foreign Language: S/FL, classroom, sporadic references are made about the benefits of not using the native language/First language , L1, in S/FL instruction , cf., for example, Cook, 1991; Ellis, 1988; Chambers. 1991; Marsh, Hau, and Kong, 2009, . Ellis , 1984:131, and, for example, states that it is imperative that classroom management and organization be carried out in L2 on the grounds that L1 will otherwise "deprive the learners of valuable input in the L2". However, a considerable body of research , cf., for example, Atkinson, 1987; Bolitho, 1983; Deller &RinVol.ucri, 2002; Stevick, 1990, acknowledges the potential advantages of Ll use, without actually providing any hard evidence for these claims, may lend further credence to the assumption that the matter is more ideological than pedagogical. Besides, proponents of Ll use have limited its benefits to low level learners whose more proficient counterparts feel constrained by such use , Auerbach, 1993:23, . A plethora of research , cf., for example, Atkinson, 1987; 1993:2; Auerbach, 1993, strongly denies the existence of any "solid theoretical evidence to support any case for a methodology inVol.ving 100% TL [L2]". On the contrary, Atkinson , 1987:42, , for example, claims that the frowned-upon translation techniques "form a part of the preferred learning strategies of most learners". Along the same lines, Auerbach , 1993:20, claims that current theories of Second Language Acquisition suggest that L1 use "reduces anxiety and enhances the affective environment for learning, takes into account socio-cultural factors, facilitates incorporation of learners' life experiences and allows for learner-centered

Improvement of cognitive impairments represents a high medical need in the development of new antipsychotics. Aberrant EEG gamma oscillations and reductions in the P1/N1 complex peak amplitude of the auditory evoked potential (AEP) are neurophysiological biomarkers for schizophrenia that indicate disruption in sensory information processing. Inhibition of phosphodiesterase (i.e. PDE10A) and activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR2) signaling are believed to provide antipsychotic efficacy in schizophrenia, but it is unclear whether this occurs with cognition-enhancing potential. The present study used the auditory paired click paradigm in passive awake Sprague Dawley rats to 1) model disruption of AEP waveforms and oscillations as observed in schizophrenia by peripheral administration of amphetamine and the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist phencyclidine (PCP); 2) confirm the potential of the antipsychotics risperidone and olanzapine to attenuate these disruptions; 3) evaluate the potential of mGluR2 agonist LY404039 and PDE10 inhibitor PQ-10 to improve AEP deficits in both the amphetamine and PCP models. PCP and amphetamine disrupted auditory information processing to the first click, associated with suppression of the P1/N1 complex peak amplitude, and increased cortical gamma oscillations. Risperidone and olanzapine normalized PCP and amphetamine-induced abnormalities in AEP waveforms and aberrant gamma/alpha oscillations, respectively. LY404039 increased P1/N1 complex peak amplitudes and potently attenuated the disruptive effects of both PCP and amphetamine on AEPs amplitudes and oscillations. However, PQ-10 failed to show such effect in either models. These outcomes indicate that modulation of the mGluR2 results in effective restoration of abnormalities in AEP components in two widely used animal models of psychosis, whereas PDE10A inhibition does not.

Objective: To know the prevalence of tobacco associated changes among male population of Aljouf province of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This study included 536 male subjects with positive history of tobacco habits. All the participants were asked to fill a questionnaire regarding the habit details and were examined clinically for the oral changes. Results: Majority of the subjects used tobacco in smoked form (69.0%). Out of the 536 patients with tobacco smoking and chewing habits 72% showed changes in oral mucosa. Smokers melanosis (43.28%) was the most commonly observed oral change followed by leukoedema (27.05%) and smoker’s palate (22.76%). Leukoplakia (3.17%) was the most commonly seen premalignant lesion. Conclusion: The study confirms the fact that use of tobacco can be positively correlated to the occurrence of various benign, premalignant and malignant oral changes. This study aids in creating awareness among the public regarding the deleterious effects of tobacco and may motivate them for cessation of tobacco use.

G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists are known to induce both cellular adaptations resulting in tolerance to therapeutic effects and withdrawal symptoms upon treatment discontinuation. Glutamate neurotransmission is an integral part of sleep-wake mechanisms, which processes have translational relevance for central activity and target engagement. Here, we investigated the efficacy and tolerance potential of the metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/3) agonist LY354740 versus mGluR2 positive allosteric modulator (PAM) JNJ-42153605 on sleep-wake organisation in rats. In vitro, the selectivity and potency of JNJ-42153605 were characterized. In vivo, effects on sleep measures were investigated in rats after once daily oral repeated treatment for 7 days, withdrawal and consecutive re-administration of LY354740 (1-10 mg/kg) and JNJ-42153605 (3-30 mg/kg). JNJ-42153605 showed high affinity, potency and selectivity at mGluR2. Binding site analyses and knowledge-based docking confirmed the specificity of JNJ-42153605 at the mGluR2 allosteric binding site. Acute LY354740 and JNJ-42153605 dose-dependently decreased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep time and prolonged its onset latency. Sub chronic effects of LY354740 on REM sleep measures disappeared from day 3 onwards, whereas those of JNJ-42153605 were maintained after repeated exposure. LY354740 attenuated REM sleep homeostatic recovery, while this was preserved after JNJ-42153605 administration. JNJ-42153605 enhanced sleep continuity and efficiency, suggesting its potential as an add-on medication for impaired sleep quality during early stages of treatment. Abrupt cessation of JNJ-42153605 did not induce withdrawal phenomena and sleep disturbances, while the initial drug effect was fully reinstated after re-administration. Collectively, long-term treatment with JNJ-42153605 did not induce tolerance phenomena to its primary functional effects on sleep measures, nor adverse effects at withdrawal, while it promoted homeostatic recovery sleep. From the translational perspective, the present rodent findings suggest that mGluR2 positive allosteric modulation has therapeutic potential based on its superior long term efficacy over agonists in psychiatric disorders, particularly of those commonly occurring with REM sleep overdrive.

Abstract Background Previous investigations indicate that methotrexate, an old anticancer drug, could be used at low doses to treat malaria. A phase I evaluation was conducted to assess the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of this drug in healthy adult male Kenyan volunteers. Methods Twenty five healthy adult volunteers were recruited and admitted to receive a 5 mg dose of methotrexate/day/5 days. Pharmacokinetics blood sampling was carried out at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 hours following each dose. Nausea, vomiting, oral ulcers and other adverse events were solicited during follow up of 42 days. Results The mean age of participants was 23.9 ± 3.3 years. Adherence to protocol was 100%. No grade 3 solicited adverse events were observed. However, one case of transiently elevated liver enzymes, and one serious adverse event (not related to the product) were reported. The maximum concentration (Cmax) was 160-200 nM and after 6 hours, the effective concentration (Ceff) was Conclusion Low-dose methotraxate had an acceptable safety profile. However, methotrexate blood levels did not reach the desirable Ceff of 250-400-nM required to clear malaria infection in vivo. Further dose finding and safety studies are necessary to confirm suitability of this drug as an anti-malarial agent.

Abstract Background The early decades of the 21st century are considered to be the era of human resources for health (HRH). The World Health Report (WHR) 2006 launched the Health Workforce Decade (2006–2015), with high priority given for countries to develop effective workforce policies and strategies. In many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), particularly those classified as Low and Low-Middle Income Countries (LMICs), the limited knowledge about the nature, scope, composition and needs of HRH is hindering health sector reform. This highlights an urgent need to understand the current reality of HRH in several EMR countries. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) lay out the facts on what we know about the HRH for EMR countries; (2) generate and interpret evidence on the relationship between HRH and health status indicators for LMICs and middle and high income countries (MHICs) in the context of EMR; (3) identify and analyze the information gaps (i.e. what we do not know) and (4) provide forward thinking by identifying priorities for research and policy. Methods The variables used in the analysis were: nurse and physician density, gross national income, poverty, female literacy, health expenditure, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Life Expectancy (LE). Univariate (charts), bivariate (Pearson correlation) and multivariate analysis (linear regression) was conducted using SPSS 14.0, besides a synthesis of HRH literature. Results Results demonstrate the significant disparities in physician and nurse densities within the EMR, particularly between LMICs and MHICs. Besides this, significant differences exist in health status indicators within the EMR. Results of the Pearson correlation revealed that physician and nurse density, as well as female literacy in EMR countries were significantly correlated with lower mortality rates and higher life expectancy. Results of the regression analysis for both LMICs and MHICs reveal that physician density is significantly associated with all health indicators for both income groups. Nurse density was found to be significantly associated with lower MMR for the two income groups. Female literacy is notably related to lower IMR and U5MR for both income groups; and only with MMR and LE in LMICs. Health expenditure is significantly associated with lower IMR and U5MR only for LMICs. Based on results, gap analysis and the literature synthesis, information gaps and priorities were identified. Conclusion The implication of the results discussed in this paper will help EMR countries, particularly LMICs, determine priorities to improve health outcomes and achieve health-related Millenium Development Goals.

Rural households remained the access-marginalized demographic in Africa despite massive land rushes by both domestic and foreign enterprises. As a result, investment decisions made by agricultural households are affected. To resolve this issue, a study that examines how exposure to large-scale land acquisition (LSLA) impacts people's agricultural investment decisions is required. Using data from 664 households selected using a multistage sampling technique, we examined the nexus between LSLA under local and foreign organizations and short-term investment (STI) and long-term investments (LTI) in land-improving measures. The results revealed that although LSLA under domestic and foreign entities tends to have a negative and statistically significant impact on the probability of LTI, it has a positive and significant impact on the probability of doing so for STI. The results also showed a simultaneity between LSLA and farm investment. Thus, giving farmers legal ownership safeguards them as they undertake LTI. To encourage household investment and reduce further exposure to LSLA, improvements in legal land ownership can be made., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Phytoremediation is a new technology for cleaning contaminated soil with crude oil. Oil pollution is a serious problem worldwide; the aim of this study was to use the plant for Phytoremediation. Leguminous plant Acacia seiberiana Tausch was tested for it is efficiency to remediate soil polluted with 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2% (w/w) crude oil and it is the ability to enhance the activity of soil microorganisms. Plant parameters, degradation percentage, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon and bacterial count were measured. Results showed that the concentration of the crude oil did not affect plant growth indicating the significant success of the Phytoremediation process. Shoot length and shoot and root weights have not been negatively affected by oil, compared to the control plant, up to a concentration of 1.5% for up to six months. Crude oil degradation percentages were found to be in the range of 49-79%. The highest degradation percentage was recorded for the soil collected from underneath A. sieberiana Tausch seedlings (79%). A total of 81 different hydrocarbons were detected in soil samples at zero time and most of them were found to be of long (≥30 carbon atoms) and moderate (10-29 C) hydrocarbon chains. Fraction analyses were conducted in plant A. sieberiana Tausch seedlings at intervals of 60, 120 and 180 days of incubation, six different hydrocarbons were detected. The most abundant hydrocarbon detected were Heneicosane (21 C), Tetracosane (24 C) and Octacosane (28 C). The viable microorganism's count in oil-contaminated soil at any of the concentrations tested was significantly ( P  ≤ 0.01) higher than that in oil-free soil at any sampling interval. High efficiency of biodegradation was achieved using A. seiberiana Tausch indicating the unique mechanism of this plant in remediating contaminated soil with crude oil.

We sequenced a portion of the E1 envelope protein gene of two of four CHIKV RT-PCR-positive samples from the first cluster of chikungunya patients during the 2020 Chad outbreak. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the viruses belonged to the East/Central/South/African genotype but lacked the E1 A226V and K211E mutations associated with viral adaptability and transmission, suggesting an autochthonous transmission. These sequences are a useful basis for tracking viral evolution in subsequent outbreaks in Chad., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Visceral artery pseudoaneurysms (VAPAs) are uncommon in clinical practice but may have serious clinical outcomes up to death. Endovascular management is a safe effective alternative option to traditional surgical procedures. This study assesses the outcome of different embolic materials and techniques used in the endovascular management of VAPAs., Materials and Methods: This is a two-center retrospective analysis of endovascular embolisation of 46 VAPAs, with a mean pseudoaneurysm size of 13 ± 11.35 mm, that were urgently managed between July 2018 and March 2020. Patients' presentations were GIT hemorrhage, intrabdominal hemorrhage, hematuria, and abdominal pain in 34.78%, 30.43%, 23.91%, and 10.87% respectively. Management using coils only was done in 28/46 patients (60.87%), NBCA glue only in 16/46 patients (34.78%), combined coils and NBCA glue in 1/46 patient (2.17%), and Amplatzer plugs only in 1 patient (2.17%). The management techniques were sac packing in 9/46 patients (19.57%), inflow occlusion in 28/46 patients (60.87%) and trapping in 9/46 patients (19.57%). All patients were followed-up for 1 year after the procedure., Results: The overall clinical success and periprocedural complication rates were 93.48%, and 15.22% respectively, and 30-day mortality was zero. Clinical success was 92.86% in the coil subgroup (n = 28), and 93.75% in the NBCA glue subgroup (n = 16). The technical success rate was 100%. Effectiveness of the procedures during the follow-up was 97.83%. Target lesion re-intervention rate was 2.17%., Conclusion: Transarterial embolisation can provide high technical and clinical success rates with low periprocedural complication and re-intervention rates, as well as satisfactory procedure effectiveness in the management of VAPAs., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is one of most therapeutic challenging lesions for orthopedic surgeons specially in large-sized lesions and lesions, which are very close to important neurovascular structures. In the present study, we express our experience in the treatment of aneurysmal bone cyst by radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFTA)., Methods: In the last two years, we have treated 20 cases (12 males & 8 females) presented with painful aneurysmal bone cysts in different anatomical locations, the age mean (±SD) is 18.95 ± 8.02 years and median is 17.5 years, the mean size of the lesions (±SD) is: 32.25 ± 7.15 mm & the median (range) is 33.5 mm (18.0-43.0) mm. The treatment was done by (RFTA) only in 11 cases and by (RFTA) with cementation in the other 9 cases, then the patients underwent close clinical follow-up for clinical symptoms by using visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score & radiological follow-up for one month, six months & one year after the procedure., Results: Close follow-up for the patients proved that (RFTA) is a clinically successful &curative treatment as there was significant reduction in the mean (±SD) of the (VAS) pain score in all treated cases from 8.40 ± 1.23 before the intervention to 0.20 ± 0.41 at the end of follow-up period. No recorded post-procedural complications or recurrence during or at the end of the follow-up period., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To investigate the role of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in the evaluation of anterior segment anatomy in cases of congenital and developmental cataract., Setting: Alexandria Main University Hospital, Ophthalmology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt., Methods: In this cross-sectional nonrandomized unmasked study, ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) was used to evaluate the anterior segment anatomy of 32 eyes of 21 children with congenital and developmental cataract. The parents were questioned for details of the children's history. An initial office examination was done to detect visual function, pupil color, lens morphology, corneal clarity, and presence of gross anterior segment anomaly. If the fundus was visible, it was examined in cooperative children after mydriasis. Under general anesthesia, each child was examined by UBM., Results: The parameters detected by UBM included anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, zonular fiber length, ciliary process length, anterior chamber angle, and lens morphology. A-scan biometry was also performed to detect anterior chamber biometric characteristics., Conclusion: Ultrasound biomicroscopy is a valuable tool for evaluating childhood cataracts and associated ocular anomalies as well as anterior segment biometric characteristics.

Background: Despite the effectiveness of intravenous calcitriol in suppressing parathyroid hormone secretion in patients with uremic hyperparathyroidism, 50% of the patients remain refractory to this treatment. There are conflicting reports regarding the factors that can predict the response to treatment. Technetium-99m-MIBI scintigraphy was found to be correlated with functional activity of the parathyroid gland., Methods: We, retrospectively, evaluated 16 chronic hemodialysis patients, who were maintained on i.v. calcitriol for 36 months or longer, and who had MIBI scan either at the start of, or within the first 6 months of starting calcitriol. Nine patients had a positive uptake (+ve group), and 7 patients had a negative uptake (-ve group). All patients had an elevated iPTH (iPTH > 300 pg/ml) at the start of treatment., Results: The percentage reduction of iPTH in the (-ve) and the (+ve) groups was 65% versus 45% at 12 months, and 65% versus 10% at 36 months respectively. In long-term follow-up of 36 months, all the patients in the (-ve) group responded to calcitriol; while 8 of the 9 patients (89%) in the (+ve) group didn't respond. The difference in response between the 2 groups was statistically significant (p<0.001)., Conclusion: We conclude that MIBI scan is a reliable technique in predicting the response to treatment with i.v. calcitriol in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

The effects of d,1-alpha-methyltyrosine (alphaMT), haloperidol, phenoxybenazmine, propranolol, methysergide and cyproheptadine on the anorexigenic activities of DITA and d-amphetamine were studied in male mice. The pretreatment of mice with methysergide (10 mg/kg, s.c.), cyproheptadine (5 mg/kg, i.p.), phenoxybenzamine (10 mg/kg, i.p.), and propranolol (5 mg/kg, i.p.) failed to alter the anorexigenic effect of DITA and d-amphetamine. On the other hand, alphaMT (32 mg/kg, i.p.) and haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly antagonized the anorexigenic effect of DITA and d-amphetamine. Our data indicate that the anorexigenic activities of DITA and d-amphetamine are mediated mainly through the dopaminergic system.

The effect of DL-alpha methyltyrosine (alpha-MT), 6-hydroxydopa (6-OH DOPA), haloperidol, phenoxybenzamine and propranolol on the stimulant activity of the anorexigenic agents (3',4'-dichloro-2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl-thio)-acetophenone HBr) (DITA) and d-amphetamine was studied in male mice. The pretreatment of mice with alpha-MT, (32, 64 mg/kg i.p.), significantly reduced the increase in motor activity induced by DITA or d-amphetamine. On the other hand, pretreatment of mice with 6-OH DOPA, (100, 150 mg/kg, i.v.), did not significantly after the stimulant effect of either DITA or d-amphetamine. In the case of haloperidol, it significantly reduced the increase of motor activity induced by DITA or d-amphetamine; propranolol and phenoxybenzamine were ineffective. Our results support the hypothesis that the stimulant effect of DITA and d-amphetamine depends mainly on the integrity of the central dopaminergic rather than the noradrenergic system.

A number of N,N'-dialkylarylamidines were synthesized and evaluated for antidepressant activity. Several of these compounds were synthesized from the corresponding nitriles by a new method. Slight structural modification in the series caused a marked change in biological activity and led to compounds as active as imipramine. The arylacetamidine, N,N'-dimethyl-2-naphthaleneethanimidamide hydrochloride (33) (napactadine) was selected for clinical study. Forty-eight additional analogues of 33, including a number of N-alkylamidines, were prepared.

3,5-Dimethylbenzo[1,2-c:5,4-c']dipyrazoles, optionally substituted in the 1-, 7-, and 8-positions, were synthesized from resorcinols. These compounds display affinity for adenosine A1 (rat brain) and A2 (human platelet) receptors. In addition, these compounds reverse contractions of guinea pig tracheal cylindrical segments induced by potassium chloride, histamine, acetylcholine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine, as well as reverse bronchospasm induced by aerosolized histamine in the conscious guinea pig.