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Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Capecitabine is a key chemotherapy drug for colorectal cancer (CRC). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a role in the pathogenic pathways associated with colorectal cancer. This investigation compared the expression patterns of CASC18, CASC19, and CASC20 in CRC patients before and after chemotherapy, as well as in healthy individuals. The effects of capecitabine on cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle, and the expressions of CASC18, CASC19, and CASC20 were examined using HCT-116 cells. Methods: CASC18, CASC19, and CASC20 expressions were assessed using qRT-PCR on patients’ and healthy tissues. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic and diagnostic value of CASC18, CASC19, and CASC20 in CRC. The MTT test was used to assess capecitabine’s cytotoxicity on the HCT-116 CRC cell line. Annexin-V/PI staining was used to examine apoptosis and cell cycle progression by flow cytometry. Gene expression differences between before and after capecitabine treatments were examined by qRT-PCR. Results: Results showed that patients with colorectal cancer had lower levels of CASC18 but higher levels of CASC19 and CASC20 expression than the healthy group. Moreover, patients treated with capecitabine showed an increased CASC18 expression, while non-significant changes were observed in the expression of CASC19 and CASC20. The clinical factors were not associated with the expression of lncRNAs CASC18, CASC19, and CASC20. Furthermore, results indicated that CASC18, CASC19, and CASC20 are poor biomarkers for diagnosis of CRC. MTT analysis revealed a dose- and time-dependent cytotoxic effect for capecitabine on the HCT-116 cells. Capecitabine treatment led to the accumulation of the HCT-116 cells in the Sub-G1 phase, suggesting an apoptotic solid impact on the cells. Moreover, HCT-116 cells were arrested in the G2/M phases by capecitabine. Capecitabine also upregulated CASC18 expression in the HCT-116 cell line. Conclusion: These results support the anticancer and cytotoxic effects of capecitabine and highlight its ability to increase CASC18 expression. Additionally, the findings indicate that CASC18, CASC19, and CASC20 are poor biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis.

The utilization of Al2O3 nanopowder to reinforce AA5754 aluminum alloy through blind holes employing the friction stir processing (FSP) technique to produce an aluminum matrix nanocomposite is explored in this paper. Motivated by the necessity to enhance the strength and ductility of welded joints, the impacts of varying the tool rotational speed (rpm) and blind hole diameter on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints are investigated. Experimental characterization techniques including SEM, optical microscopy, microhardness, and tensile tests were employed to analyze the welded joints produced under different processing parameters (tool rotational speeds of 910, 1280, and 1700 rpm, and blind hole diameters of 0, 1, 1.5, and 2 mm). Comparative analyses were conducted against base metal properties and joints without reinforcement powder. It was found that the addition of nanopowder resulted in a decrease in the maximum generated heat during FSP, while also reducing the stir zone size compared to samples without nanopowder. Moreover, enhancements in both the strength and ductility of the joints were observed with the incorporation of Al2O3 nanoparticles. The optimal combination of welding conditions, observed at 1280 rpm rotational speed and 1.5 mm hole diameter, yielded a remarkable ultimate tensile strength of 567 MPa, accompanied by a hardness of 45 HV. These results underscore the potential of nano-Al2O3 reinforcement in significantly improving the mechanical properties of the produced nanocomposite, with implications for advancing the performance of welded structures in various engineering applications.

This study investigates the tribological properties of an AA 5754 aluminum alloy composite reinforced with the nanopowder of Al2O3, fabricated using the friction stir processing (FSP) technique with blind holes. The aim is to analyze the effects of varying the tool rotational speed (rpm) and blind hole diameter on the wear and friction behavior of the produced composite. A pin-on disk test is conducted under dry conditions and room temperature to assess the tribological properties against steel. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) is employed to examine the worn and wear surfaces of the produced composites post test. The results indicate that increasing the applied load results in a decrease in the coefficient of friction (COF), with values ranging from 0.775 to 0.852 for 10 N and 0.607 to 0.652 for 20 N. Moreover, the wear rate diminishes with higher Al2O3 content and optimal FSP tool rotation (1280 rpm). Hardness analysis reveals variations between 33–42 HV and 35–39 HV, influenced by nanoparticle distribution. The composite demonstrates superior wear resistance compared to raw AA5754 aluminum due to its reinforced nature. However, high FSP tool rotation rates lead to abrasive wear and surface cracks. These findings offer insights into optimizing FSP parameters to enhance the tribological performance of nano-reinforced aluminum alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of Al2O3 nanopowder to reinforce AA5754 aluminum alloy through blind holes employing the friction stir processing (FSP) technique to produce an aluminum matrix nanocomposite is explored in this paper. Motivated by the necessity to enhance the strength and ductility of welded joints, the impacts of varying the tool rotational speed (rpm) and blind hole diameter on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints are investigated. Experimental characterization techniques including SEM, optical microscopy, microhardness, and tensile tests were employed to analyze the welded joints produced under different processing parameters (tool rotational speeds of 910, 1280, and 1700 rpm, and blind hole diameters of 0, 1, 1.5, and 2 mm). Comparative analyses were conducted against base metal properties and joints without reinforcement powder. It was found that the addition of nanopowder resulted in a decrease in the maximum generated heat during FSP, while also reducing the stir zone size compared to samples without nanopowder. Moreover, enhancements in both the strength and ductility of the joints were observed with the incorporation of Al2O3 nanoparticles. The optimal combination of welding conditions, observed at 1280 rpm rotational speed and 1.5 mm hole diameter, yielded a remarkable ultimate tensile strength of 567 MPa, accompanied by a hardness of 45 HV. These results underscore the potential of nano-Al2O3 reinforcement in significantly improving the mechanical properties of the produced nanocomposite, with implications for advancing the performance of welded structures in various engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to optimize the rice productivity and quality, various aspects of production chains should be considered in an integrated way, including crucial steps to improve and conserve the rice grains. The lack of sufficient quantity of quality rice grains was husking methods, clearances between cylinder, and two rice cultivars is a major bottleneck to improve rice productivity and quality in Factory. This study is aimed to identify the effect of thresher machines on rice cultivars based on some technical indicators. Two types of rice husking machines (S-KB40 and YST50) were tested at three clearances of 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm and 0.9 mm, for two rice cultivars of JA and M-33. The experiments were conducted in a factorial experiment under complete randomized design with three replications. The clearance 0.9 mm was significantly superior to the other two levels of 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm in all studied parameters. For S-KB40 the machine productivity, power required, husking efficiency, broken rice ratio, head rice ratio, were 1.768 t hr-1, 14.432 kW, 77.151%, 6.816% and 59.724% respectively under the same operating conditions for Y-ST50. The results showed that the JA cultivar was significantly better than the M-33 in all studied conditions. The interaction among SKB40 husking machine, JA cultivar and the clearance between cylinder 0.9 mm gave the best results in all studied parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although bariatric surgeries have been linked to improved mental health, yet, some individuals develop depression., Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the levels of depression and examine factors linked to depression among individuals with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in Saudi Arabia., Methods: A cross-sectional design using a digital online survey was used to collect data. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire among individuals with LSG., Results: A total of 344 eligible participants were included in the study. A significant percentage of the participants, almost one-third, were suffering from depression 27% ( n  = 94). Moderate to severe depression levels among participants were significantly associated with postoperative complications [odds ratio, OR: 2.92 (95% CI: 1.42-6.01, p  = .003)] and having preoperative psychological disorders before LSG [OR: 3.68 (95% CI: 1.88-7.26, p  < .001)]. In contrast, lower levels of depression were significantly associated with believing LSG has achieved its goals [OR: 0.46 (95% CI: 0.22-0.97, p  = .014)] and recommending LSG to family or friends [OR: 0.15 (95% CI: 0.05-0.44, p  = .001)]., Conclusion: There is an evident link between depression and experiencing postoperative complications and suffering from psychological disorders before LSG. The findings of the current study would pave the road for the development of psychological strategies designed to break the cyclic pattern of occurrence of depression as well as optimize the success and maintenance of this treatment modality and support recovery for individuals undergoing LSG., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and is associated with disrupted cognition and behavior. Neuroinflammatory pathogenesis is the main component that contributes to AD initiation and progression through microglial activation and neuronal damage. Thus, targeting inflammatory pathways may help manage AD. In this study, for the first time, the potential prophylactic and therapeutic effects of leflunomide were investigated either alone or in combination with rivastigmine in aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 )-induced AD-like rats using behavioral, biochemical, and histological approaches. Thirty-six adult male albino rats were divided into two protocols: the treatment protocol, subdivided into five groups (n = 6)-(1) control group, (2) AlCl 3 (50, 70, 100 mg/kg/I.P) group, (3) reference group (rivastigmine 2 mg/kg/P.O.), (4) experimental group (leflunomide 10 mg/kg/P.O.), and (5) combination group (rivastigmine + leflunomide); and the prophylactic protocol (leflunomide 10 mg/kg/P.O.), which started 2 weeks before AlCl 3 induction. The results showed that AlCl 3 disrupted learning and memory parameters in rats and increased amyloid-β plaque deposition and neurofibrillary tangle aggregation. Moreover, AlCl 3 administration markedly elevated acetylcholinesterase activity, nuclear factor-kappa β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1 beta, and marked degenerative changes in the pyramidal neurons. However, administration of leflunomide alone or with rivastigmine in AlCl 3 -induced AD rats restored most of the behavioral, biochemical, and histological parameters triggered by AlCl 3 in rats. Our findings suggest that leflunomide can potentially restore most of the neuronal damage in the hippocampal tissues of AlCl 3 -induced AD rats. However, these preclinical findings still need to be confirmed in clinical trials., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 disease globally, countries around the world are facing shortages of resources (i.e. testing kits, medicine). A quick diagnosis of COVID-19 and isolating patients are crucial in curbing the pandemic, especially in rural areas. This is because the disease is highly contagious and can spread easily. To assist doctors, several studies have proposed an initial detection of COVID-19 cases using radiological images. In this paper, we propose an alternative method for analyzing chest X-ray images to provide an efficient and accurate diagnosis of COVID-19 which can run on edge devices. The approach acts as an enabler for the deep learning model to be deployed in practical application. Here, the convolutional neural network models which are fine-tuned to predict COVID-19 and pneumonia infection from chest X-ray images are developed by adopting transfer learning techniques. The developed model yielded an accuracy of 98.13%, sensitivity of 97.7%, and specificity of 99.1%. To highlight the important regions in the X-ray images which directs the model to its decision/prediction, we adopted the Gradient Class Activation Map (Grad-CAM). The generated heat maps from the Grad-CAM were then compared with the annotated X-ray images by board-certified radiologists. Results showed that the findings strongly correlate with clinical evidence. For practical deployment, we implemented the trained model in edge devices (NCS2) and this has achieved an improvement of 90% in inference speed compared to CPU. This shows that the developed model has the potential to be implemented on the edge, for example in primary care clinics and rural areas which are not well-equipped or do not have access to stable internet connections., Competing Interests: Competing interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding agency had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results”., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Objective: To define the role of tadalafil in improving outcomes of redo urethroplasty for pelvic fracture urethral injury (PFUI). PFUI is common in developing countries, invariably as a result of road traffic trauma. Repair is complex, and redo cases are even more challenging., Material and Methods: This was a longitudinal prospective nonrandomized study between 2017 and 2019. Men undergoing redo-urethroplasty were nonrandomized into two groups. Group 1 received tadalafil 5 mg the next day after surgery and continued for 3 months, and group 2 did not receive tadalafil. Inclusion criteria were patients undergoing redo-urethroplasty willing to trial low-dose tadalafil post-operatively. Exclusion criteria were <18 years, females, primary cases, and complex cases such as recto-urethral fistula. Average follow-up was 19.5 months., Results: Sixty patients were enrolled (29 in group 1 and 31 in group 2). Mean age was 31 years. These patients had 1-3 prior failed urethroplasties. Most required step 3 anastomotic urethroplasty (68.3%). Success was defined as absence of symptoms and no need for surgical intervention. Failure was defined as redo urethroplasty or >1 endoscopic intervention. Primary success was 83.3%. Success with tadalafil was 96.6%, compared to 71.0% in the non-Tadalafil group (P ¼ .0008). Only one patient on tadalafil failed, compared with nine in the non-tadalafil group. Secondary success rate was defined as the need for a single subsequent endoscopic intervention and was 93.3%., Conclusion: In our series, there was improved outcome with using tadalafil in patients having redo urethroplasty for PFUI. Further trials should be done to evaluate the use in all PFUI cases.

Background: There are no approved treatments for vaso-occlusive crises in sickle cell disease. Sevuparin is a novel non-anticoagulant low molecular weight heparinoid, with anti-adhesive properties. In this study, we tested whether sevuparin could shorten vaso-occlusive crisis duration in hospitalised patients with sickle cell disease., Methods: We did a multicentre, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study in 16 public access clinical hospitals in the Netherlands, Lebanon, Turkey, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Jamaica. Patients aged 12-50 years with a diagnosis of sickle cell disease (types HbSS, HbSC, HbSβ 0 -thalassaemia, or HbSβ + -thalassaemia) on a stable dose of hydroxyurea, hospitalised with vaso-occlusive crisis for parenteral opioid analgesia with a projected stay of more than 48 h were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) using a computer-generated randomisation scheme to receive sevuparin (18 mg/kg per day) or placebo (NaCl, 0·9% solution) intravenously for 2-7 days until vaso-occlusive crisis resolution. All individuals involved in the trial were masked to treatment allocation. The analysis was done in the intention-to-treat population. The primary endpoint was time to vaso-occlusive crisis resolution defined as freedom from parenteral opioid use (in preceding 6-10 h); and readiness for discharge as judged by the patient or physician. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02515838., Findings: Between Oct 7, 2015, and Feb 10, 2019, 144 patients were randomly assigned and administered sevuparin (n=69) or placebo (n=75). The median age was 22·2 years (range 12·2-33·6), 104 (72%) 144 were adults (18 years or older), and 90 (63%) were male and 54 (37%) were female. The intention-to-treat analysis for the primary endpoint showed no significant difference in median time to vaso-occlusive crisis resolution between the sevuparin and placebo groups (100·4 h [95% CI 85·5-116·8]) vs 86·4 h [70·6-95·1]; hazard ratio 0·89 [0·6-1·3]; p=0·55). Serious adverse events occurred in 16 (22%) of 68 patients in the sevuparin group and in 21 (22%) of patients in the placebo group. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events were pyrexia (17 [25%] in the sevuparin group vs 17 [22%] in the placebo group), constipation (12 [18%] vs 17 [22%]), and decreased haemoglobin (18 [26%] vs 9 [12%]). There were no deaths in the sevuparin group and there was one (1%) death in the placebo group after a hyper-haemolytic episode due to alloimmunisation., Interpretation: This result, as well as the results seen in other clinical studies of inhibitors of adhesion in sickle cell disease, suggest that selectin-mediated adhesion might be important in the initiation, but not maintenance of vaso-occlusion, indicating that strategies to treat vaso-occlusive crises differ from strategies to prevent this complication., Funding: Modus Therapeutics., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests BJB received research support of Sanquin, Global Blood Therapeutics, and Novartis; speaker honoraria from Global Blood Therapeutics and Novartis; and participated in advisory boards of Novartis, Celgene, and Global Blood Therapeutics. MA-K received speaker honoraria and participated in advisory boards of Novartis, Amgen, AbbVie, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, Takeda, and Novo Nordisk. MA received research support from Novartis, AstraZeneca, and Global Blood Therapeutics; honoraria from Novartis and Novo Nordisk; and travel support from Novo Nordisk and Roche. AI received research support from AstraZeneca, Global Blood Therapeutics, and Cyclerion; received honoraria from Pfizer, Roche, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi; travel support from Novartis; is member of a steering committee of Novartis; and is an advisory board member for Novartis and Cyclerion. YW received research support and travel support from Novartis, Pfizer, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, Novo Nordisk, and Modus; and participated in advisory boards for Novartis, Pfizer, and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum. JKr is a consultant to Modus Therapeutics. ED and JO were full-time employees of Modus at the time of study conduct. The rest of the authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Self care of diabetes is essential for control of disease and improvement of quality of patients' life. The aim of this study was to assess factors influencing self-care practice of patients in urban area of Urmia, Northwest of Iran., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 diabetic patients were randomly selected from eight healthcare centers in Urmia City in 2010. Data collection tools was a questionnaire included data on demographic characteristics, diabetes statues, and self-care practice. Patients' self-care practice was classified to good, moderate, and poor levels. ANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to exam the association between self-care practice and clinical and behavioral factors. Spearman's rho correlation was used to examine the relation between self-care practice and control of glycemia., Results: The patients' self-care practice was good in 15.1%, moderate in 58.7%, and poor in 26.2%. There was a significant association between education (P=0.030), duration of disease (P=0.04), and treatment intensity (P=0.001) and self-care practice of patients., Conclusion: Despite the important role of self-care practice in management of diabetes and preventing its serious complications, most patients who have medical record in health care centers had inappropriate self-care practice especially in SMBG, which has critical role in controlling diabetes.

Water-related hazards, such as drought, floods, erosion, and various kinds of pollution, should be factored into any integrated approach to water-resource management. This research attempt has been made to assess the process of water pollution in the Dareh Morad Beik (DMB) River, whose length is about 18 km and whose average flow rate is 250 L/s. The quality of river water, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate, fecal coliform, and total coliform, were all measured and evaluated at three different sampling stations within different months of the year. The information was gathered by conducting experiments and through field visits, as well as by library study. The results of this research showed that, from a microbiological point of view, the water of the DMB was polluted during the year. Based on the results obtained it was determined that the amount of COD and BOD at station 1 was negligible. Also the influx of qantas waters from Hamadan City into the DMB has caused dilution of COD, BOD, and nitrate of that river at station 3.