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Abdullahi Ali Moallim Hussein,1 Omar Adam Sheikh,2 Abdiwahab Abdirahman Mukhtar,3 Intisar Ahmed Abdi,4 Nasra Mohamed Ahmed,5 Shukri Said Mohamed,6 Mohamed Ali Kahiye,7 Mohamed Abdikarim Nur,8 Abdullahi Farah Asseyr9 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Welcare Specialty Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 2Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia; 3Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa; 4Department of Anesthesia, Welcare Specialty Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 5Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia; 6Department of Pediatric Surgery, Mogadishu Somali Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 7Department of Pathology, Sahan Pathology Lab, Mogadishu, Somalia; 8Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia; 9Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Welcare Specialty Hospital, Mogadishu, SomaliaCorrespondence: Omar Adam Sheikh, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Somali National University, 21 October Road, Waberi, Mogadishu, Somalia, Tel +252615950095, Email qooje@snu.edu.soIntroduction: Pyogenic granulomas are benign, painless vascular tumors on the skin and mucosal surfaces. They are commonly found in the head and neck region, although their occurrence in the larynx is rare. The term “lobular capillary hemangioma” is now used to describe the histological appearance of these tumors more accurately. Predisposing factors for pyogenic granuloma of the larynx have been linked to prior traumatic injuries, such as intubation, previous surgeries, or laryngopharyngeal reflux.Case Presentation: A 33-year-old male visited our clinic with complaints of progressive dysphonia and choking for two months. The patient did not experience dysphagia or dyspnea. There was no history of previous intubation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or other chronic illnesses. Upon laryngoscopic examination, a polypoid lesion measuring 25× 8 mm was found on the posterior commissure of the right vocal cord. No abnormalities were observed during the ear and nose examinations.Discussion: Pyogenic granuloma, or lobular capillary hemangioma, is a hyperplastic lesion that develops on the skin and mucous membranes. It often occurs in response to trauma or hormonal factors. Histologically, pyogenic granulomas differ from granulation tissues due to their lobular arrangement of capillaries in the deeper portions of the lesion. The term “lobular capillary hemangioma” has been recently introduced to emphasize this phenomenon. Some of the conditions considered in the differential diagnosis include hemangioma, hemangioendothelioma, angiofibroma, angiosarcoma, Kaposi sarcoma, Wegener’s granuloma, Crohn’s disease, granulomatous infections such as tuberculosis and histoplasmosis, traumatic granuloma, carcinosarcoma, as well as verrucous and squamous cell carcinoma.Conclusion: We present a case report of lobular capillary hemangioma of the larynx, including its histopathological diagnosis and management course.Keywords: vocal cord, laryngoscope, hemangioma, bartonella

Omar Adam Sheikh,1 Abdullahi Ali Moallim Hussein,2 Abdiwahab Abdirahman Mukhtar,3 Intisar Ahmed Abdi,4 Nasra Mohamed Ahmed,5 Shukri Said Mohamed6 1Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia; 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Welcare Specialty Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 3Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa; 4Department of Anesthesia, Welcare Specialty Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 5Department Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia; 6Department of Pediatric Surgery, Mogadishu Somali Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, SomaliaCorrespondence: Omar Adam Sheikh, Tel +252615950095, Email qooje@snu.edu.soIntroduction: Nasopalatine duct cyst (NDC) is the most prevalent non-odontogenic cyst emerging from the epithelial remnants in the maxillary incisive canal. A sublabial or transpalatal approach is performed to enucleate NDC completely. More recently, transnasal endoscopic marsupialization has been used gradually.Case Presentation: A 24-year-old male patient with a large nasopalatine duct cyst with a diameter of 51 mm was managed by transnasal endoscopic marsupialization under general anesthesia. The presentation involves painless swelling around the left side of the anterior maxilla and bulging of the hard palate. No postoperative complications were observed after a 3-month follow-up. Transnasal endoscopic marsupialization is a minimally invasive surgery for large NDC.Clinical discussion: Approximately 1% of the population has a nasopalatine duct cyst. Surgical treatment was carried out under general anesthesia; the cyst was dissected and removed using a typically transnasal endoscopic marsupialization technique.Conclusion: The cause of the NDC is unclear. Simple surgical resection and clinical and radiological control are recommended to ensure the case is resolved correctly.Keywords: endoscopic marsupialization, maxilla, nasopalatine duct cyst, non-odontogenic cysts

Mahmoud Ahmed Ali,1 Moustafa Adam El Taieb,1 Eisa Mohamed Hegazy,2 Hassan M Ibrahim,2 Alshimaa Abbas Mohamed,1 Mohamed Amer Ahmed Abdellatif,1 Nour Mohammed Ahmed,3 Ali Mohamed Younis1 1Dermatology, Venereology, and Andrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt; 2Dermatology, Venereology, and Andrology Department, Faculty of Medicine South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 3Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Aswan University, Aswan, EgyptCorrespondence: Mahmoud Ahmed Ali, Dermatology, Venereology, and Andrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Aswan University, Aswan, 81528, Egypt, Tel +201002364902, Email dr.mahmoudali8051@gmail.comBackground: In the entire world, acne vulgaris (AV) is the most prevalent skin condition. Approximately 9.4% of people worldwide have acne vulgaris. This study compared the blood levels of chitinase 3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) in acne vulgaris patients before and after oral isotretinoin therapy.Patients and Methods: The design of the study was cross-sectional case-control. Forty patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris and twenty healthy participants participated in this study. Using the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) score, patients with acne vulgaris were evaluated both before and after concluding their treatment. Using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the serum levels of YKL-40 were measured before and after oral isotretinoin therapy in healthy controls and acne patients.Results: Patients with acne vulgaris had considerably greater serum levels of YKL-40 than healthy control subjects (p 0.001) did. After three months of oral isotretinoin medication, the GAGS score and blood levels of YKL-40 in acne vulgaris patients both significantly decreased.Conclusion: The conclusion of this study was that reducing the blood levels of YKL-40 and the GAGS score in patients with acne vulgaris who took oral isotretinoin for three months was a crucial strategy.Keywords: acne vulgaris, YKL-40, isotretinoin, GAGS

Manal A Almaghrabi, Emad A Albadawi, Mohammad A Dahlan, Hanan R Aljohani, Neveen M Ahmed, Riham A Showlag Pediatric Dental Department, Specialty Dental Center, Ministry of Health, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Manal A Almaghrabi, Pediatric Dental Department, Specialty Dental Center, Ministry of Health, J56+49R, King Fahd Br Rd, An Nuzhah, Jeddah 23532, Saudi Arabia, Tel +699503002376, Fax +966 126205570, Email maalmaghrabi@moh.gov.saPurpose: The Hall technique (HT) is a non-invasive approach to treating carious primary teeth. Its acceptability by parents and effectiveness is not widely known in the Middle East. Therefore, we aimed to conduct this study to explore the effectiveness of preformed metal crowns (PMCs) fitting by HT and to what extent the parent’s satisfaction for their children in Jeddah region.Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in the outpatient pediatric dental clinic at Jeddah Specialty Dental Center, in 2018. The cohort of children was exposed to the HT and was recalled 3 months to two years later to examine present or absence of: crown loss, open margin, signs or symptoms of reversible or irreversible pulpitis, and if the tooth exfoliated naturally. Parents who agreed to undergo the HT for their children completed a 5-point Likert questionnaire after treatment and after three months.Results: A total of 48 children (72 teeth) were initially enrolled, but only 25 children (49 teeth) completed two years of follow-up. At 2 years follow-up, one PMC was lost (2.04%) while no teeth fitted with the HT required any further intervention. Around 96% of parents were satisfied with this procedure and 92% wanted other carious teeth to be treated similarly. All parents were satisfied with this technique because it did not include local anesthesia and no drilling. It was found that parents of girls were satisfied more than parents of boys and on average their satisfaction score at the time of treatment was 3.04 units higher than parents of boys with a significant p-value of 0.02 and 95% CI for the beta coefficient to be 0.46 to 5.62.Conclusion: The HT is effective as a treatment of dental caries and it was generally accepted by parents initially and during their follow-up visits.Keywords: Hall technique, dental caries, parent’s satisfaction, Saudi Arabia

BackgroundMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is emerging as a robust, noninvasive method for detecting and characterizing prostate cancer (PCa), but limitations remain in its ability to distinguish cancerous from non-cancerous tissue. We evaluated the performance of a novel MRI technique, restriction spectrum imaging (RSI-MRI), to quantitatively detect and grade PCa compared with current standard-of-care MRI.MethodsIn a retrospective evaluation of 33 patients with biopsy-proven PCa who underwent RSI-MRI and standard MRI before radical prostatectomy, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed for RSI-MRI and each quantitative MRI term, with area under the ROC curve (AUC) used to compare each term's ability to differentiate between PCa and normal prostate. Spearman rank-order correlations were performed to assess each term's ability to predict PCa grade in the radical prostatectomy specimens.ResultsRSI-MRI demonstrated superior differentiation of PCa from normal tissue, with AUC of 0.94 and 0.85 for RSI-MRI and conventional diffusion MRI, respectively (P=0.04). RSI-MRI also demonstrated superior performance in predicting PCa aggressiveness, with Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients of 0.53 (P=0.002) and -0.42 (P=0.01) for RSI-MRI and conventional diffusion MRI, respectively, with tumor grade.ConclusionsRSI-MRI significantly improves upon current noninvasive PCa imaging and may potentially enhance its diagnosis and characterization.

Over the years, there has been an emphasis not only on the presence of internal control system in the banking sector but also the efficiency of internal control. There is possibility for internal control unit to be present but they are ineffective. This study was carried out to examine internal control system effectiveness and fraud prevention in deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study adopts a descriptive analysis which helps in summarizing the data. Inferential statistics was used such as the multiple regression analysis to explain internal control system effectiveness and fraud prevention. Questionnaires were administered to Nineteen deposit money banks in Nigeria and a total of 40 questions were asked and answered accurately. Cronbach Alpha Coefficient was used to test the reliability of the measurement and as such are reliable because the entire alpha coefficients are greater than 0.6. The findings of the study show that there is a positive and significant relationship between control environment and fraud prevention mechanism The overall result showed that control environment (CE), risk assessment (RA), information and communication (IC) and monitoring (MO) have a positive and significant impact on fraud prevention, whereas control activities have a positive but insignificant effect on fraud prevention. Based on the findings, the study recommends that organizations’ management and those saddled with the responsibility of governance of companies should always be alert to all possible circumstances (business risks) that may threaten the banks’ ability in achieving its set objectives. Management can achieve this through regular assessment of the operating environment of the organization to identify threats arising from competition, legislation, technological changes, etc. The banking sectors should carryout regular reviews of their control system. This can be done at least semi-annually. The management should ensure it receives timely, relevant, and reliable reports for decision-making.

Sustainability report is a report produced by firms which disclose their economic, environmental and social performance. These reports are normally geared toward the attainment of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). Even though compliance is voluntary in Nigeria, its effects on firm’s financial performance are enormous and as a result, it is essential for firm’s prosperity as well as better financial performance. This study examines the effect of sustainability reporting on financial performance of quoted Nigerian oil and gas firms. The population of the study comprises 12 listed oil and gas firms in Nigeria. Census sampling technique was adopted and filter was used. For firm to be selected it must be listed on or before 1st January 2009 and remain listed up to 31st December 2019. The firm must also publish their annual reports for the relevant period of the study. Based on these, five firms that failed to meet the set criteria were filtered out. This study makes use of Return on Asset to measure financial performance. Secondary source was used to collect the relevant data. Data in relation to sustainability reporting were extracted from the firm’s annual reports as well as standalone sustainability reports. However, data in relation financial performance were collected from the firm’s annual reports. Data for this study were analyse using STATA 13 statistical software. The regression result revealed that economic sustainability has a positive insignificant effect on ROA; environmental sustainability has a positive significant effect on ROA while social sustainability has a positive insignificant effect on ROA. Based on the findings, this study therefore, concludes that sustainability reporting has a significant effect on the financial performance of listed oil and gas firms in Nigeria. This study therefore, recommends among others that, listed Nigerian oil and gas firms should emphasize more on reporting their sustainability activities as it is capable of improving their financial performance. The policy makers and standard setting organisations should facilitate the issuance of a sector specific reporting guidelines to facilitate compliance.

Leprosy is a granulomatous disease affecting the skin, mucous membrane, and peripheral nerves. Irisin, a novel protein, has been associated with several inflammatory and metabolic diseases and has been demonstrated in peripheral nerve cells. The objective of this study was to compare the plasma irisin levels of newly diagnosed leprosy patients with those of healthy individuals while also assessing the role of irisin in the pathogenesis of leprosy. This case-control study was conducted between January 2024 and July 2024 and compared 29 newly diagnosed leprosy patients with 29 healthy controls. The participants' demographic information and disease history, such as the duration of the disease and whether any additional family members had leprosy, were documented. The subjects' serum irisin levels were quantified via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum level of irisin was significantly lower in the patient group than in the control group (p value < 0.001). We found lower Irisin levels in leprosy patients than healthy controls, suggesting potential as role as a biomarker for leprosy. Further investigations, involving a large sample sized assessed both during and after therapy, are necessary to clarify the function and predictive significance of irisin in leprosy., Competing Interests: Declarations. Compliance with ethics guidelines: The ethical committees of the Aswan University Faculty of Medicine have granted permission for this investigation (702/12/22). The study was conducted in accordance with the standards of the Declaration of Helsinki, and the Institutional Review Board-Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Aswan University, approved it. This investigation has been registered as a clinical trial under the identification number NCT06416033. Ethics statement: The patient who is the subject of this manuscript provided documented, explicit consent for the publication of the case details. Consent for publication: The participants provided a clear and signed consent for dissemination. Medical writing and editorial assistance: No other writers’ assistance or editorial support was needed. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Disclosures: Ali MA, El Taieb MA, Zaki EN, Ahmed N M, Younes AM and Abdellatif MA have nothing to disclose., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: To lessen the negative effects of the medication, we assessed the neuroprotective impact of amifostine nanoparticles against the neurotoxicity generated by cisplatin., Methods: 60 adult male albino Wistar rats were arranged into six groups. Group 1; received saline intraperitonealy (IP) and served as negative control. Group 2; received IP injection of silica nano-emulsion, Group 3 received cispatin for three consecutive days at the end of the study, Group 4 received amifostine intrapretonealy (IP) before cisplatin injection, Group 5 received silica nano-emulsion alone for one month, group 6 received silica nano-emulsion in combination with cisplatin for three consecutive days at the end of the study. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were estimated by ELISA, butrylcholinesterase (BChE) by spectrophotometric method while caspase-3 as a marker of apoptosis by PCR., Results: The mean levels of brain GFAP, MCP-1, and caspase-3 in the cisplatin group were considerably higher than those in the control group. However, there was a drop in the average level of brain BChE activity. Additionally, the injection of (SiNPs@AMF + cisplatin) increased BChE activities while reducing GFAP, MCP-1, and caspase-3 levels, thereby reversing the negative effects of cisplatin on the brain tissue. On the other hand, the group treated with SiNPs@AMF + cisplatin showed improvement in overall brain structure and minimal pyknotic nuclei and apoptotic neurons were found., Conclusions: These outcomes demonstrated amifostine's ability to lessen the histological changes brought on by cisplatin. To sum up, SiNPs@AMF may be a suitable and secure supplemental treatment agent to lessen cisplatin's toxicity in the brain and enhance the treatment's effects throughout chemotherapy., (© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Background: Difficult laparascopic cholecystectomy has greater risk of biliary, vascular and visceral injuries. A tool to predict the difficulty help to prepare a head and avoid complications., Aim: the aim of this study is validation of preoperative predictor score and a modified intraoperative grading score for difficulty of laparascopic cholecystectomy., Methods: This study was a cross sectional, hospital based study on 200 patients. There are total of 10 scores for preoperative predictor score and 16 scores for the modified intraoperative grading of LC. Structured checklist questionnaire was used., Result: prevalence of difficult LC was 40%. age greater than or equal to 50years, history of admission for acute cholecystitis, BMI > 30, palpable GB, impacted stone on imaging, adhesion burying GB, time to identify cystic artery/duct, bile/stone spillage and type of ligature were statistically significantly factors for difficult laparascopic cholecystectomy., Conclusion: The preoperative scoring is statistically and clinically a good test for predicting the difficult level of laparascopic cholecystectomy (area under ROC = 0.948). The modified intraoperative measure of LC score is a statistically and clinically a good test for classifying the operative outcome of LC (area under ROC = 0.94)., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for the research was obtained from Yekatit 12 Hospital medical college Research and Ethical Review Committee. Informed consent to participate was obtained from each participant. This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki, ensuring all participants provided informed consent and keeping confidentiality. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial number: Not applicable., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Schistosomiasis poses a significant global health threat, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions like Sudan. Although numerous epidemiological studies have examined schistosomiasis in Sudan, the genetic diversity of Schistosoma haematobium populations, specifically through analysis of the mtcox1 gene, remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with urogenital schistosomiasis among school pupils in El-Fasher, Western Sudan, as well as the mtcox1 genetic diversity of human S. haematobium in this region. A cross-sectional study was conducted among school pupils aged 4 to 19 years. In total, 196 urine samples and 196 fecal samples were collected from participants across schools, health centers, and refugee camps in El-Fasher. Samples were examined using simple centrifugation/sedimentation technique and formol-ether concentration method to detect S. haematobium and S. mansoni eggs, respectively. S. haematobium mtcox1 partial gene was amplified and sequenced by the Sanger technique. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was generated by MEGA software, and a haplotype network was constructed using PopART v.1.7 with the median-joining network method. In this study, S. haematobium was detected in 6.1% (12/196) of the participants while no S. mansoni ova were observed in fecal samples. The infection was more common among those who relied on indirect water supply like tankers (6, 50%). No infection was observed among residents of refugee camps. Only eight samples were PCR-positive, which were successfully sequenced, and included in the genetic diversity analysis. A unique haplotype (Hap&#95;1) with no sequence diversity was found among cox1 sequences from El-Fasher strains. Both El-Fasher S. haematobium haplotype (Hap&#95;1) and Gezira haplotype (Hap&#95;31) fall within the mainland Africa group (group 1). In conclusion, this study identified a novel S. haematobium strain and provides insights into the evolutionary history and phylogeography of S. haematobium in Sudan, particularly in the western region. This genetic data could help in the control and monitoring of urogenital schistosomiasis in this region. For the first time, we utilized the DNA mtcox1 barcoding to investigate S. haematobium haplotypes in Western Sudan., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ethics approval: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Schistosomiasis Control Program (NSCP) in Sudan. Additionally, the study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences at Omdurman Islamic University. Informed consent was obtained from the participants and their parents or legal guardians after they were informed about the importance and objectives of the study. All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. Throughout the study, participants were not exposed to any danger., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Flexible, highly conductive, and transparent silver nanowires (AgNWs) have emerged as vital materials for advanced applications in photovoltaics, touch screens, and optoelectronics. However, their practical deployment has been hindered by issues such as poor adhesion to diverse substrates (e.g., glass and plastic) and susceptibility to ambient oxidation. In this study, we present a novel approach to overcome these challenges through the synthesis and performance evaluation of transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) composed of AgNWs with an adhesive SiO 2 protective layer deposited on glass, paper, and plastic substrates. Using a combination of polyol synthesis, RF sputtering, and spray coating techniques, we achieved robust and stable TCEs. The SiO 2 coating not only significantly improved resistance to oxidation but also enhanced adhesion, mechanical stability, and durability. SiO 2 /AgNWs/Glass and SiO 2 /AgNWs/Plastic electrodes demonstrated high transmittance values of 83.36% and 69.67% at 550 nm, along with low sheet resistance of 48.5 Ω sq -1 and 50.2 Ω sq -1 , respectively. This work highlights the ability of the adhesive SiO 2 layer to preserve optical and electrical properties while enhancing the substrate adherence and protection against degradation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Introduction and Importance: Traumatic injuries of the inferior Vena Cava (IVC) are rare among traumatic abdominal injuries. It accounts for fewer than 5 % of penetrating injuries and 0.5 % of blunt trauma injuries. Inferior vena cava injury has high Prehospital (30 % -50 %) and in-hospital (20 % - 66 %) mortality rates. Preoperative diagnosis of IVC injury is extremely difficult. Ligation, primary suture repair (venorrhaphy) and patch cavaplasty are among the management options for Inferior vena cava injury. Inferior vena cava injuries are rare and information is scarce especially in resource limited setups., Case Presentation: A 22 years old female presented with right upper quadrant abdominal stab injury of 30 min duration. She was hypotensive and there was 3 × 2 cm right upper quadrant stab wound with breach of parietal peritoneum. The intraoperative finding was gallbladder perforation .duodenum through-through injury and suprarenal inferior vena cava 3 cm vertical laceration. Cholecystectomy, duodenal repair and direct suture repair (venorrhaphy) of IVC done. Post operatively patient had smooth course and discharged on her 9th pod day., Clinical Discussion: The most frequently injured segment of the IVC is the infra-renal IVC (39 %), then the retro-hepatic IVC (19 %), the supra-renal IVC (18 %), the para-renal IVC (17 %) and the supra-hepatic IVC (7 %). The suprahepatic IVC has the highest mortality rate (100 %), followed by mortality rates of the retro hepatic IVC (78 %), juxtarenal IVC (50 %), suprarenal IVC (33 %), and infrarenal IVC (33 %). Operative management includes ligation, primary suture repair (venorrhaphy) and patch cavaplasty using saphenous vein graft, autogenously peritoneo-fascial (APF) graft, synthetic graft such as Gore-Tex and Dacron., Conclusion: Traumatic injury of the inferior Vena Cava is rare, however the mortality rate is high. Adequate resuscitation and early hemorrhage control (operation) can save the lives of IVC injured patients. We present a case of successful repair of IVC injury by venorrhaphy (suture repair) in a resource limited setup., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Importance: Hydatid disease is caused by larval stages of the cestodes Echinococcus granulosus. The definitive host is dog, sheep is intermediate host and humans are accidental hosts. While liver and lung are commonly affected organs, isolated renal Hydatidosis is very rare. Renal Hydatidosis mostly remain asymptomatic for years or may have nonspecific symptoms like abdominal pain, swelling, malaise or hematuria. Ultrasound or computed tomography are helpful for diagnosis. Surgery is treatment of choice., Case Presentation: 32 years old female presented with left flank pain and swelling. There was 8cmx9cm non tender, smooth surfaced palpable left flank mass extending to the umbilicus. Abdominal CECT showed left upper pole multiloculated renal cyst. Open cystectomy with partial pericystectomy done. Postoperatively patient had smooth recovery course. Discharged with albendazole at three month ultrasound showed no recurrence., Clinical Discussion: Hydatid cyst is found in most pastoral and rangeland areas of the world where animal husbandry is common. It is rare accounting for 2-3 % of hydatid disease. Often asymptomatic and may be found incidentally. Treatment can be medical, cystectomy, pericystectomy, partial or total nephrectomy., Conclusion: Surgical approach is the most effective treatment of choice for cyst removal and cure. A rare disease where high index of suspicion and imaging modalities like ultrasound CECT can help for early diagnosis and do less damaging surgeries like cystectomy and pericystectomy instead of aggressive interventions like partial or total nephrectomy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: While most thyroid nodules are benign, 7-15% are malignant. Patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules (specifically Bethesda IV/Thy3f) often undergo diagnostic hemithyroidectomy to reach a diagnosis on final histology. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of circulating large extracellular vesicles as diagnostic biomarkers in patients presenting with Thy3f thyroid nodules., Methods: This was a two-gate diagnostic accuracy study; patients with Thy3f thyroid nodules were age, sex and body mass index matched to healthy individuals. Final histology confirmed benign and malignant diagnoses. Plasma large extracellular vesicle counts were quantified using flow cytometry. Large extracellular vesicle microRNA and protein profiles were identified using next generation sequencing and mass spectrometry, respectively., Results: A total of 42 patients with Thy3f nodules (22 with cancer, 20 with non-cancer diagnosis) and 16 healthy controls were included. Total large extracellular vesicle concentrations and the concentrations of extracellular vesicles expressing epithelial cell adhesion molecule and the cancer markers atypical chemokine receptor type 7, extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer and syndecan-4 were significantly higher in patients with Thy3f nodules (cancer and non-cancer) compared with healthy individuals. In patients with cancerous versus non-cancer Thy3f nodules, one microRNA was upregulated: mir-195-3p (P < 0.001). Five were downregulated: mir-3176 (P < 0.001), mir-205-5p (P < 0.001), novel-hsa-mir-208-3p (P < 0.001), mir-3529-3p (P = 0.01) and let-7i-3p (P = 0.02). Furthermore, three large extracellular vesicle proteins (kallikrein-related peptidase11 (KLK11) (P = 0.001), alpha-1-acid glycoprotein 2 (A1AG2) (P <0.001) and small integral membrane protein 1 (SMIM1) (P = 0.04)) were significantly upregulated, while 20 large extracellular vesicle proteins were significantly downregulated (most downregulated: chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 7 (CXCL7), tubulin beta chain 1 (TBB1), binding immunoglobulin protein (BIP) and actinin alpha 1 (ACTN1) (P < 0.001)) in cancerous compared with non-cancer Thy3f nodules., Conclusion: Circulating large extracellular vesicle miRNA and protein profiles have a high diagnostic value to discriminate between benign and malignant nodules for patients with Thy3f cytology. Further validation for clinical performance will be needed., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.)

Herein, a novel series of 6-amino-5-cyano-2-thiopyrimidines and condensed pyrimidines analogues were prepared. All the synthesized compounds (1a-c, 2a-c, 3a-c, 4a-r and 5a-c) were evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity by the National Cancer Institute (NCI; MD, USA) against 60 cell lines. Compound 1c showed promising anticancer activity and was selected for the five-dose testing. Results demonstrated that compound 1c possessed broad spectrum anti-cancer activity against the nine cancerous subpanels tested with selectivity ratio ranging from 0.7 to 39 at the GI 50 level with high selectivity towards leukaemia. Mechanistic studies showed that Compound 1c showed comparable activity to Duvelisib against PI3Kδ (IC 50 = 0.0034 and 0.0025 μM, respectively) and arrested cell cycle at the S phase and displayed significant increase in the early and late apoptosis in HL60 and leukaemia SR cells. The necrosis percentage showed a significant increase from 1.13% to 3.41% in compound 1c treated HL60 cells as well as from 1.51% to 4.72% in compound 1c treated leukaemia SR cells. Also, compound 1c triggered apoptosis by activating caspase 3, Bax, P53 and suppressing Bcl 2 . Moreover, 1c revealed a good safety profile against human normal lung fibroblast cell line (WI-38 cells). Molecular analysis of Duvelisib and compound 1c in PI3K was performed. Finally, these results suggest that 2-thiopyrimidine derivative 1c might serve as a model for designing novel anticancer drugs in the future.

Nutritionists found beans still rarely consumed in Western diet, despite its high nutritional value was proven and recommended by authorities. The study aimed to propose a simple and effective way of manufacturing a new common bean-based product targeted to diabetics. The key components, including important protein (common beans) and antidiabetic (white mulberry) sources, were carefully selected due to their proven properties. The formulated product underwent extensive analysis: composition, sensory and structure attributes, antioxidant and anti-enzymatic activity showing its antidiabetic potential. Additionally, the proposed label information was presented. The results demonstrate that the proposed blend of ingredients yields a product of exceptional nutritional value, with significant levels of both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers (36.66-48.49%) and proteins (21.22-18.25%). Furthermore, the product exhibits notable antiradical and anti-enzymatic properties. Through precise control of ingredient proportions, conventional raw materials can be fortified with a diverse array of plant-based sources renowned for their health benefits, while maintaining a palatable taste for consumers. The designed product, a savory snack with added bioactive compounds, represents an interesting option for consumers, holding promise as a potential dietary option with low glycemic index (40) for diabetics (anti-glucosidase activity ranged 66.72-70.66%). This study emphasizes the potential of plant-protein-rich foods in offering health-promoting benefits and further supports the use of common beans and natural antidiabetic agents in developing innovative food products., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The goal of the current study is to improve the characteristics and bioavailability of the drug picoplatin (PPt) by encapsulating it in chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs) which allows for the targeted delivery of cytotoxic cargo to cancerous tissue, reducing toxic side effects and raising the therapeutic index. When picoplatin was delivered into the CS, it was able to produce a complex with CS (PPt@CS NPs) that had an appropriate particle size of 275 ± 10 nm, a reasonably low PDI of 0.15 ± 0.05, and high stability (ζ = -22.1 ± 0.3 mV). Since almost all pharmaceuticals work by binding to specific proteins or DNA, the in vitro binding mechanism and affinity of bovine serum albumin (BSA), low molecular building units of nucleic acids (5-GMP), and Glutathione (GSH) (considering that cisplatin resistance could be due to a reaction between cisplatin and GSH) to PPt and PPt@CS NPs were examined using stopped-flow and other spectroscopic approaches. Through two reversible processes, a rapid second-order binding followed by a slower first-order isomerization reaction, and a static quenching mechanism, PPt and PPt@CS NPs bind to BSA with relative reactivity of around (PPt)/(PPt@CS NPs) = 1/2.5. The 5-GMP interaction studies demonstrated that, in addition to changing the binding mechanism, PPt's encapsulation in CS increases its rate of reaction through coordination affinity. PPt interacted with 5-GMP via two reversible processes, a rapid second-order binding to phosphate followed by a slower first-order migration to the N7 of pyrimidine moiety. PPt@CS NPs showed weaker binding to GSH compared to PPt and hence PPt@CS NPs exhibits a lower resistance factor. It was also found that the in vitro drug release of PPt@CS NPs in PBS at pH 7.4 was steady, releasing 30 % of the PPt in just 5 h. Nonetheless, 75 % of the release in a pH 5.4 solution containing 10 mM GSH-a solution that mimics the tumor microenvironment-shows that the PPt@CS NPs system is sensitive to GSH and specifically targets malignant tissue. The encapsulation of PPt in CS complex maintained its anticancer activity, as shown by an in vitro cell-survival assay on HepG2 cancer cell lines and also cleavage efficiency toward the minor groove of pBR322 DNA via the hydrolytic way. These findings collectively suggested that inclusion PPt in CS would be an effective strategy to formulate a novel picoplatin formulation intended for use as targeted anticancer treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, we re-estimate the astrometric and photometric parameters of the young open star cluster King 18 based on Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3), Two Micron All-sky Survey (2MASS) and VRI CCD observations using the f/4.9 Newtonian focus of 74-inch telescope at Kottamia Astronomical Observatory (KAO) in Egypt. King 18 is a poorly studied open star cluster, for which new results are found in the current study. In order to estimate the membership and determine all the astrophysical parameters of the cluster, we have used data from Gaia DR3 and KAO. The center, cluster radius, radial density distribution, color-magnitude diagrams, distance, age, and reddening of King 18 are calculated. Also, the luminosity and mass functions, the total mass and the relaxation time of the cluster are estimated. The slope value of the mass function ( α ) of King 18 is found to be 2.27± 0.17, which is comparable with Salpeter value. Our estimates for the average cluster age and the relaxation time are 224 ± 6.3 and 28.92 Myrs, respectively. This indicates that King 18 is dynamically stable and a relaxed cluster. The cluster distance modulus from Gaia, 2Mass and VRI observations has been determined to be 12.380 ± 1.320, 12.320 ± 0.107 and 12.280 ± 0.290 mag respectively, which corresponds to distances of 2992.26, 2910.72 and 2857.59 pc, respectively. These results are in good agreement within the error. Moreover the color excesses E(V-I), E(J- K s ) and E( G BP - G RP ) are 0.850 ± 0.087, 0.380 ± 0.091 and 0.980 ± 0.130 respectively. Finally, the proper motions ( μ α cos δ , μ δ ), and parallaxes ( ϖ ) are - 2.603 ± 0.018 , - 2.106 ± 0.013 and 0.324 ± 0.040, respectively., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The climate affects how a city's outdoor spaces are utilized. It is more likely that people will use and appreciate public areas designed for pedestrian use, such as parks, squares, streets, and foot-cycle pathways, when they provide a comfortable and healthy environment. A predicted increase in global temperature has made the climate uncomfortable, especially during the summer when heat stress is strengthened and anticipated. This phenomenon is more severe in urban areas, often affected by the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Since the spatial characteristics of a city influence its climate, urban design can be deployed to mitigate the combined effects of climate change and UHI. This research is conducted to study the UHI effect on thermal comfort in an urban open space in Rome (Italy) and aims at identifying and implementing a methodology that urban designers can follow to reduce the impact of urban heat islands and increase thermal comfort in urban outdoor space. This study is based on an urban design concept adopting the Sustainable Development Goals as guidelines; it investigates how UHI's effect affects the use of public space and examines the influence of urban microclimatic conditions on the thermal perception of users through PET, PMV and PPD values, that were assessed through simulations with ENVI-MET software. The study thus proposes a redesign for the site in Rome, with a masterplan based on sustainable design principles, aimed at improving the microclimatic conditions in the site. The design solution was then validated through ex post simulations., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In this study, biologically synthesized AgNPs were found to be effective against six hospital prevalent bacterial species ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis ). AgNPs were deposited on the fabric and surgical blades using layer-by-layer and electrochemical deposition methods, respectively. The coated objects were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray. Coated fabric samples and blades when tested against six above mentioned bacterial species were found to be effective for all of them. Antibiofilm activity of AgNPs coated blade and fabric was tested against P. aeruginosa and SEM images of post-treated fabrics and blades showed clear bacterial cell distortion and inhibition. Furthermore, washing durability test revealed that AgNPs were strongly attached to the surface of fabric even after 20 cycles of hospital laundering. This unlocks the way to several technologically relevant applications of AgNPs coated surfaces to reduce the risks of nosocomial infections and as a proof of concept; we demonstrated efficient antibacterial properties of AgNPs coated cotton fabric and surgical blades., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Ifrah Tahir, Hussnain A Janjua, Naisr Mahmood Ahmed has patent #Part of this work has been filed for patent applications Govt. of Pakistan Intellectual Property Organization The Patent Office Karachi (2019). Application No: 220/2019 for Antibacterial Nano-Fabric and Application No: 221/2019 for Antibacterial Surgical Blades pending to Patents are under review. If there are other authors, they 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 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Pulmonary injury is one of the key restricting factors for the therapy of malignancies with chemotherapy or following radiotherapy for chest cancers. The lung is a sensitive organ to some severely toxic antitumor drugs, consisting of bleomycin and alkylating agents. Furthermore, treatment with radiotherapy may drive acute and late adverse impacts on the lung. The major consequences of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the lung are pneumonitis and fibrosis. Pneumonitis may arise some months to a few years behind cancer therapy. However, fibrosis is a long-term effect that appears years after chemo/or radiotherapy. Several mechanisms such as oxidative stress and severe immune reactions are implicated in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is offered as a pivotal mechanism for lung fibrosis behind chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It seems that pulmonary fibrosis is the main consequence of EMT after chemo/radiotherapy. Several biological processes, consisting of the liberation of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrosis molecules, oxidative stress, upregulation of nuclear factor of κB and Akt, epigenetic changes, and some others, may participate in EMT and pulmonary fibrosis behind cancer therapy. In this review, we aim to discuss how chemotherapy or radiotherapy may promote EMT and lung fibrosis. Furthermore, we review potential targets and effective agents to suppress EMT and lung fibrosis after cancer therapy., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of silibinin as a therapeutic agent on ligature-induced periodontitis in rats with liver cirrhosis., Materials and Methods: Twenty-five Wistar rats were enrolled in this study. Group A (Control) included eight rats. The other 17 rats received CCl4 to develop cirrhosis, which was confirmed by sacrificing one of the rats and performing a histological examination of its liver tissue. Periodontitis was induced in the remaining 16 rats then they were allocated into ( n = 8) group B-periodontitis with cirrhosis and group C-silibinin-treated group, 5 times/week starting from week 11 till week 14. Animals of the three groups were euthanized, and biochemical analysis comprising of liver functions assessment (serum levels of glutamate-pyruvate transaminase, serum levels of glutamate-oxalate transaminase, TIMP1) and oxidative stress index [MDA, nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT)] and histological examination were conducted by the end of week 14., Results: Group C revealed a more organized orientation of the periodontal ligament (PDL) collagen fibers with a marked regain of the alveolar bone height compared to group B. Biochemical analysis confirmed the potent therapeutic effect of silibinin manifested by a significant improvement in the biochemical parameters: tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, MDA, NO levels, and antioxidant enzymes., Conclusion: Group B was associated with the most unfavorable biochemical findings and the maximum periodontal destruction. Group C demonstrated a positive osteogenic capacity and a noteworthy improvement in biochemical findings, which were comparable to those of group A, which displayed normal and healthy findings., Clinical Significance: The study highlights the potential use of silibinin as a natural remedy with minimal side effects for treating periodontitis in rats with liver cirrhosis. The findings could be translated to human clinical trials, which may lead to new treatment strategies using silibinin as a targeted therapy or as adjunctive therapy to conventional periodontal treatment for patients with liver cirrhosis who are more susceptible to periodontitis. How to cite this article: Shawky HA, Ahmed NM, Essawy MM, et al. Histological and Biochemical Evaluation of Silibinin in Treatment of Periodontitis Induced in Rats with Liver Cirrhosis. J Contemp Dent Pract 2024;25(7):631-638.

Cancer immunotherapy is a promising strategy in cancer management, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This experimental study aimed to evaluate interleukin-10 (IL-10) as a biomarker for monitoring the response of tumor-derived autophagosomes vaccine in inducing antitumor immunity in HCC induced mice. It was conducted on 56 BALB/c mice; divided into 20 normal and 36, cancer induced with human liver cancer cell line (HepG2) cells. The latter group was subdivided into a positive control group (n=6) and a treated group (n=30), that was subdivided into 3 subgroups: (A) treated with dendritic cells (DC) vaccine only, (B) treated with vaccine named Dribbles only, and (C) treated with DC plus Dribbles. Serum IL-10 was assessed after immunotherapy. The mean percentage of tumor volume reduction in mice vaccinated by DC plus Dribbles was significantly superior to DC and Dribbles groups (p= 0.013, and p= 0.043, respectively). There was a statistically significant difference in IL-10 levels between different immunotherapy groups (p= 0.0003). As the mean IL-10 level was 19.50 pg/ml for the positive control group, 13 pg/ml for Dribbles group, 10 pg/ml for DCs group and 3.50 pg/ml for DCs plus Dribbles group. We conclude that DC-Dribbles vaccine has a remarkable efficacy superior to either Dribbles alone or DC alone in the decline of HCC development and survival improvement. IL-10 is a predictive biomarker for response after immunotherapy., (Copyright© by the Egyptian Association of Immunologists.)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a critical global One Health concern, ensuing from unintentional and continuous exposure to antibiotics, as well as challenges in accurate contagion diagnostics. Addressing AMR requires a strategic approach that emphasizes early stage prevention through screening in clinical, environmental, farming, and livestock settings to identify nonvulnerable antimicrobial agents and the associated genes. Conventional AMR diagnostics, like antibiotic susceptibility testing, possess drawbacks, including high costs, time-consuming processes, and significant manpower requirements, underscoring the need for intelligent, prompt, and on-site diagnostic techniques. Nanoenabled artificial intelligence (AI)-supported smart optical biosensors present a potential solution by facilitating rapid point-of-care AMR detection with real-time, sensitive, and portable capabilities. This Review comprehensively explores various types of optical nanobiosensors, such as surface plasmon resonance sensors, whispering-gallery mode sensors, optical coherence tomography, interference reflection imaging sensors, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, microring resonance sensors, and optical tweezer biosensors, for AMR diagnostics. By harnessing the unique advantages of these nanoenabled smart biosensors, a revolutionary paradigm shift in AMR diagnostics can be achieved, characterized by rapid results, high sensitivity, portability, and integration with Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies. Moreover, nanoenabled optical biosensors enable personalized monitoring and on-site detection, significantly reducing turnaround time and eliminating the human resources needed for sample preservation and transportation. Their potential for holistic environmental surveillance further enhances monitoring capabilities in diverse settings, leading to improved modern-age healthcare practices and more effective management of antimicrobial treatments. Embracing these advanced diagnostic tools promises to bolster global healthcare capacity to combat AMR and safeguard One Health.

Background: Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease which has an effect on the joints and skin. Tumor Necrosis Factor-Like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis (TWEAK) is a multi-functional cytokine which regulates the cellular processes and has been related to a variation of conditions., Objectives: To measure the level of serum TWEAK in psoriatic diseased persons and its relationship to the PASI score pre- and post-therapy with narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy (NB-UVB) and methotrexate (MTX)., Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 40 patients and 20 healthy persons as controls. Patient Group was randomly subdivided to two groups. The 1st group consisted of 20 patients who received NB-UVB treatment. The 2nd group included 20 MTX-treated candidates. Blood samples were drawn from patients in order to detect serum TWEAK levels using ELISA. The research was registered on Clinical Trials Registration: RCT approval numbers: NCT0481191., Results: The mean PASI score percent improvement after 12 weeks of treatment was higher in the MTX group (90%) than NB-UVB group (60%). The serum TWEAK level at baseline was 60.47 ± 12.6 pg/mL in NB-UVB group and 54.69 ± 21.7 pg/mL in MTX group which reduced to 24.93 ± 17.6 pg/mL and 32.13 ± 23.6 pg/mL, respectively (p < 0.001), after 12 weeks of treatment. There was a positive correlation between the serum levels of TWEAK and severity of PASI score (r = 0.399, p = 0.014)., Conclusion: TWEAK grades in psoriasis are substantially higher than in controls. TWEAK levels were dramatically reduced during NB-UVB and MTX treatment. TWEAK may have a potential sign for psoriasis diagnosis and prognosis., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background and Purpose: Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are highly virulent species that cause diseases, such as meningoencephalitis and pulmonary infections. The CAP59 gene predominantly determines the virulence of the pathogenic species. This study aimed to examine CAP59 in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic species., Materials and Methods: This study identified Cryptococcus species through extensive literature, retrieved sequences from UniProt, explored protein families utilizing InterPro, motif analysis by MEME, multiple sequence alignment using Clustal Omega, performance of the phylogenetic analysis with MEGA, modeled protein structures with MODELLER, and separately visualized pathogenic and non-pathogenic structures in PyMOL., Results: Motif analysis showed four conserved regions between the pathogenic and non-pathogenic sequences. Moreover, multiple sequence alignment revealed that pathogenic CAP59 gene sequences lacked a significant portion, compared to non-pathogenic ones, with several mutations in the gene sequence of pathogenic species CAP59 at highly conserved regions. The phylogenetic analysis and pairwise distance matrix revealed that Cryptococcus amylolentus is closely related to pathogenic species. Predicted CAP59 protein structures were superimposed to show structural differences between pathogenic and non-pathogenic species., Conclusion: In conclusion, the results suggested that non-pathogenic species may have evolved into pathogenic species since the CAP59 gene sequences of the non-virulent species were longer than those of the virulent species sequences. It implies that the virulent sequences may have lost that region at some point in evolution, which additional research on capsule formation-related genes can further corroborate., Competing Interests: There was no conflict of interest in the present study., (Copyright: © 2021, Published by Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences on behalf of Iranian Society of Medical Mycology and Invasive Fungi Research Center.)

Online case-based learning (CBL) is a method used by King Abdulaziz University to teach medical students in their preclinical years. The use of CBL in basic sciences is important for enabling medical students to correlate basic sciences with future clinical practice. This study implemented online CBL for biochemistry teaching as part of the medical genetic module for 3rd-year preclinical students. Teaching during the study was completely online because of restricted precautions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, except for practical sessions that were held on campus. The case was presented to the students involved in prenatal screening and diagnosis. Students were guided to learn and discuss the biochemical tests used for prenatal screening and diagnosis and their clinical importance. They were divided into two groups: the control group was given an online lecture and the intervention group was given an online CBL session before the lecture. The online lecture was given to both groups simultaneously by the same instructor, and then 10 MCQs tests were distributed to both groups after the lecture, and their test scores were compared. A 10-question survey was administered to the intervention group to assess their perception of the online CBL session after the test. A significant difference was found between the intervention and control groups regarding test scores (p < 0.001), and most students found the online CBL session enjoyable and motivating., (© 2023 The Authors. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.)

Introduction: At the outbreak of infectious diseases, the response of different communities to the disease varies, and children are most affected by the collective anxiety and grief that consequently arises. In this research, the behavior of children and their parents in terms of hygiene and precautions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was investigated., Methodology: The focus of the present research was on sanitation facilities, particularly access to end-use of water for hand washing. The research was conducted in Barika Camp, Kurdistan, Iraq and 311 parents and children were interviewed. A data collection team consisting of two females and one male was responsible for gathering data, primarily from women who served as the main respondents. Questionnaires consisted of three main parts: demography, COVID-19 pandemic effects, and sanitary shelter specifications., Result: The results demonstrated that the behavior of refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the priority of child protection, type of disinfectants, and water consumption has significantly altered. These changes mainly depended on the women's age and education level., Discussion: Overall results showed that in 61.09% of the participants, the number of hand washes and in 58.58%, the washing time increased, leading to water shortage in the refugee camp., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The present study serves experimental and theoretical analyses in developing a hybrid advanced structure as a photolysis, which is based on electrospun Graphene Oxide-titanium dioxide (GO-TiO 2 ) nanofibers as an electron transfer material (ETMs) functionalized for perovskite solar cell (PVSCs) with GO. The prepared ETMs were utilized for the synthesis of mixed-cation (FAPbI3)0.8(MAPbBr3)0.2. The effect of GO on TiO 2 and their chemical structure, electronic and morphological characteristic were investigated and discussed. The elaborated device, namely ITO/Bl-TiO 2 /3 wt% GO-TiO2/(FAPbI3)0.8(MAPbBr3)0.2/spiro-MeTAD/Pt, displayed 20.14% disposition and conversion solar energy with fill factor (FF) of 1.176%, short circuit current density (Jsc) of 20.56 mA/cm 2 and open circuit voltage (VOC) 0.912 V. The obtained efficiency is higher than titanium oxide (18.42%) and other prepared GO-TiO 2 composite nanofibers based ETMs. The developed materials and device would facilitate elaboration of advanced functional materials and devices for energy storage applications., 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.)

Purpose: Graphene-polymer nanocomposites significantly impact dental filler and antibacterial applications. The study aims to overcome some problems dental filers present and improve their properties and antibacterial activity. Synthesis graphene oxide (GO) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were used to reinforce two types of commercial hybrid/nano-dental fillings., Methods: Developed acoustic-solution-sonication-casting methods were applied to fabricate the new graphene-polymer-dental filler nanocomposites. The structure, morphology, rheological and mechanical properties, and antibacterial of the newly fabricated filling-PMMA/ GO nanocomposites were investigated., Results: Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) showed a significant interaction between the filling and the additional materials. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a considerable change in crystalline behavior. Optical microscope (OM) with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) pictures demonstrated a substantial change in the morphology of the samples with a homogeneous and fine dispersion of the nanomaterials in the filler matrix. Multi-frequency ultrasound mechanical properties measured the ultrasonic velocity, absorption coefficient, compressibility, bulk modulus, and other mechanical properties that notably enhanced after GO contributed up to 325% of the ultrasonic absorption coefficient compared with hybrid/nano-fillers. Rheological properties were measured as viscosity, absorption coefficient, and specific viscosity, which significantly improved after adding PMMA and incorporating GO up to 57% of the viscosity, compared with hybrid/nano-fillers. The inhibition zone of moth bacteria, such as Enterococcus faecalis and E. staph bacteria, improved after the contribution of GO nanosheets up to 46%., Conclusion: Nanofillers nanocomposites presented better properties and inhabitances zone diameter of antibacterial., (© 2024. Società Italiana di Ultrasonologia in Medicina e Biologia (SIUMB).)

Objective: The aim is to determine the pattern of initial clinical presentations of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) in patients in a Pakistani lupus cohort., Methods: This is a multi-centric, retrospective, descriptive study that was done through the analysis of electronic records of patients registered with outdoor clinics of the Arthritis Care Foundation (ACF) from November 2021 to March 2023. Follow-up records of all patients diagnosed and labeled as SLE as per ACR/EULAR criteria 2019 were reviewed and only those patients whose initial presentation of SLE was documented at their incident visit (after verifying the signs and symptoms from record of their GP/referring physicians' visits) were included in the study. A total of 388 patients diagnosed with SLE were included in the study. Their data was then entered and analyzed by using SPSS 23. The qualitative data was expressed as percentages and numbers while the quantitative variables were expressed as mean and standard deviation. Data correlation was calculated by Chi-Square test, and a p -value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Of our 388 patients, 360 (92.8%) were females and 28 (7.2%) were males giving a female-to-male ratio of 12:1. The mean age of our patients was 32.8 + 9.8 years. Mucocutaneous manifestations were most commonly reported in our patient group by 336 (86.7%) patients. Musculoskeletal complaints were the next most common presenting feature reported by 246 (61.9%) patients followed by constitutional symptoms in 78 (20.1%) patients, and renal involvement in 42 (10.8%) patients., Conclusion: In our study, a majority of patients presented with mucocutaneous symptoms. It is therefore of paramount importance to suspect autoimmune diseases in patients with these system involvements., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The primary objective of this investigation was to synthesize a novel antibacterial nanocomposite consisting of natural gellan gum (GG) hydrogel, MnFe LDH, GO, and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle, which was developed to adsorb Indigo carmine (IC). The GG hydrogel/MnFe LDH/GO/Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposite was characterized through different analytical, microscopic, and biological methods. The results of adsorption experiments reveal that 0.004 g of the nanocomposite can remove 98.38 % of IC from a solution with an initial concentration of 100 mg/L, within 1 h at room temperature and under acidic pH conditions. Moreover, the nanocomposite material effectively suppressed the in vitro growth of both E. coli and S. aureus strains, with inhibitory rates of 62.33 % and 53.82 %, respectively. The isotherm data obtained in this investigation were fitted by linear and non-linear forms of Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms equations. The results of the adsorption kinetics study indicated that the pseudo-second-order model best described the experimental data. The findings of this study suggest that the synthesized nanocomposites hold great potential as effective adsorbents for removing IC and bacteria from aqueous solutions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are class of porous coordination polymers made up of organic building blocks joined together by covalent bonding through thermodynamic and controlled reversible polymerization reactions. This review discussed versatile applications of COFs for remediation of wastewater containing dyes, emphasizing the advantages of both pristine and modified materials in adsorption, membrane separation, and advanced oxidations processes. The excellent performance of COFs towards adsorption and membrane filtration has been centered to their higher crystallinity and porosity, exhibiting exceptionally high surface area, pore size and pore volumes. Thus, they provide more active sites for trapping the dye molecules. On one hand, the photocatalytic performance of the COFs was attributed to their semiconducting properties, and when coupled with other functional semiconducting materials, they achieve good mechanical and thermal stabilities, positive light response, and narrow band gap, a typical characteristic of excellent photocatalysts. As such, COFs and their composites have demonstrated excellent potentialities for the elimination of the dyes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We compare the hematocrit, hemoglobin, need for transfusion, recurrent phototherapy, serum bilirubin level, and serum ferritin at different time frames for the umbilical cord milking (UCM) and delayed cord clamping (DCC) in both full-term and preterm infants. A comprehensive search through various databases aimed to compare UCM and DCC studies until May 2nd, 2023. Cochrane and NIH tools assessed RCTs and cohorts, respectively. Meta-analysis employed Review Manager 5.4 software, calculating MD and RR with 95% CIs for continuous and dichotomous data. We included 20 studies with a total of 5189 infants. Regarding preterm infants, hematocrit level showed no significant difference between intact Umbilical Cord Milking (iUCM) compared to DCC (MD = -0.24, 95% CI [-1.11, 0.64]). Moreover, Neonatal death incidence was significantly higher with the UCM technique in comparison to DCC (RR = 1.28, 95% CI [1.01 to 1.62]). Regarding term and late preterm infants, Hematocrit level showed no significant difference between the iUCM or cUCM techniques compared to DCC (MD = 0.21, 95% CI [-1.28 to 1.69]), (MD = 0.96, 95% CI [-1.02 to 2.95]), respectively. UCM led to a higher risk of neonatal death in preterm infants compared to DCC. However, the incidence of polycythemia was lower in the UCM group. Additionally, UCM was associated with higher rates of severe IVH events. Based on these findings, DCC may be preferred due to its lower incidence of severe IVH and neonatal death., Competing Interests: The Authors declared no conflict of interest, (African Journal of Reproductive Health © 2023.)

The objective of this study is to enhance the effectiveness of anticorrosive coatings applied to steel pipelines utilized for the transportation of petroleum products. However, these pipelines are susceptible to corrosion, necessitating the implementation of an economically viable protection system. Therefore, this research endeavors to introduce a novel pigment consisting of titanium dioxide/zinc oxide (TiO 2 /ZnO) core-shell structure. The pigment is designed to be incorporated into polymeric coating formulations and subsequently subjected to standard testing methods, including immersion tests, adhesion assessments, and electrochemical measurements. The pigment was synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was hired for observing the resistance and capacitance of the formulated coatings through immersion in corrosive medium (3.5% NaCl). The obtained results conveyed that the prepared core-shell pigment with its unique structure had strongly elevated the resistivity of the formulated coating, which enhanced its role in the protection of the pipeline wall from corrosion., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Women of reproductive age frequently suffer from psychiatric disorders. The risk of developing anxiety, bipolar, and depressive disorders is especially significant during the perinatal period., Objectives: This article aims to identify and discuss the different psychiatric conditions that might affect pregnant women and update the mother's carers about the recent and updated bidirectional relationship between psychiatric disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes, As well as the most updates in diagnostic and management strategies., Methods: A thorough analysis of the literature was conducted using database searches in EMBASE, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed to obtain the objectives and aim of the study., Results: The presence of maternal mental illness during pregnancy has been linked to preterm delivery, newborn hypoglycemia, poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, and disturbed attachment. Placental anomalies, small-for-gestational-age foetuses, foetal discomfort, and stillbirth are among more undesirable perinatal outcomes., Conclusions: Pregnancy-related psychiatric disorders are frequent. The outcomes for pregnant women, infants, and women's health are all improved by proper diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric problems., 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., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most critical cancers; thus, novel therapeutical regimens are of great need. In this study, we investigated the effects of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) derived exosomes on HepG2 cell line, and the underlying mechanism to control HCC proliferation, to identify the potential clinical role of exosomes as a novel molecular therapeutic target. Proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis effects were assessed together with the cell viability evaluation by MTT assay in HepG2 cells at 24/48 h. with or without UC-MSCs-derived exosomes. Gene expressions of TNF-α, caspase-3, VEGF, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), and CX chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR-4) were measured by quantitative real-time PCR technique. Expression of sirtuin-1 (SIRT-1) protein was detected by western blot. Treatment of HepG2 cells with UC-MSCs-derived exosomes for 24 and 48 h. demonstrated a significant reduction of cells survival compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The SIRT-1 protein, and VEGF, SDF-1, CXCR-4 expression levels were significantly lower, TNF-α and caspase-3 expression levels were significantly higher in exosomal-treated HepG2 cells for 24 and 48 h. than those in the control group. Moreover, our findings documented that the anti-proliferative, apoptotic, and anti-angiogenic effects were achieved in a time-dependent manner in which more effects were determined after 48 h supplementation compared to 24 h (p < 0.05). UC-MSCs-derived exosomes exert anticarcinogenic molecular effects on HepG2 cells through the involvement of SIRT-1, SDF-1, and CXCR-4. Hence, exosomes would be a potential novel therapy regimen against HCC. Large-scale studies are recommended to verify this conclusion., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The operation and effectiveness of a solar-powered underground water pumping system are affected by many environmental and technical factors. The impact of these factors must be investigated to be considered when developing these systems and to ensure their dependability. This study evaluated the dependability and performance of photovoltaic water pumping system (PVWPS) under real operating conditions by examining the effects of solar irradiance, panels' temperature, and components' efficiency. From December 2020 to June 2021, experiments were conducted on a 10 hp PVWPS located in Bani Salamah, Al-Qanater-Giza Governorate, Egypt, at latitude 30.3° N, longitude 30.8° E, and 19 m above sea level. The irradiance values reached 755.7, 792.7, and 805.7 W/m 2 at 12:00 p.m. in December, March, and June, respectively. Furthermore, the irradiance has a significant impact on the pump flow rate, as the amount of pumped water during the day reached 129, 164.1, and 181.8 m 3 /day, respectively. The panels' temperatures rose to 35.7 °C, 39.9 °C, and 44 °C, respectively. It was observed that when the temperature rises by 1 degree Celsius, efficiency falls by 0.48%. The average efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels reached its highest value in March (13.8%) and its lowest value in December (13%)., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Introduction: The depth of laser light penetration into tissue is a critical factor in determining the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, the optimal laser light penetration depth necessary for achieving maximum therapeutic outcomes in PDT remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of laser light penetration depth at two specific wavelengths, 532 nm and 660 mm. Methods: Chicken and beef of different thicknesses (1, 3, 5, 10, and 20 mm±0.2 mm) were used as in vitro tissue models. The samples were subjected to irradiation by a low-level laser diode of 532 and 660 nm in continuous mode for 10 minutes. with power densities of 167 and 142 J/cm 2 , respectively. Laser light transmission through the tissue was measured using a power meter. Results: For beef samples, the 660 nm wavelength achieved a maximum transmission intensity of 30.7% at 1 cm thickness, while the 532 nm laser had a transmission intensity of 6.5%. Similarly, in chicken breast samples, the maximum transmission occurred at 1 cm thickness with 68.1% for the 660 nm wavelength and 18.2% for the 532 nm laser. Conclusion: Results consistently demonstrated a significant correlation ( P <0.05) between tissue thickness and laser light penetration. Thicker tissues exhibited faster declines in light transmission intensity compared to thinner tissues within 10 minutes. These findings highlight the importance of further research to enhance light delivery in thicker tissues and improve the efficacy of PDT in various medical conditions., Competing Interests: The authors stress that there is no conflict of interest or other benefit., (Copyright © 2023 J Lasers Med Sci.)