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BACKGROUND: Tarsal tunnel syndrome may occur from different causes, including fibrosis or thickening of osteofibrous structures in the tarsal canal. Surgical treatment mainly involves open decompression and release of the tibial nerve. Recently, minimal-incision decompression has been trending due to more advanced surgical techniques and aiming to provide good patient satisfaction scores. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of minimal incision surgical decompression in patients with Tarsal tunnel syndrome and to explore different factors that affect postoperative pain scores. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients with Tarsal tunnel syndrome indicated for surgery who underwent minimal incision decompression were included in the period between March 2018 till July 2022. The study was revised and approved by the Fayoum University Supreme ethical committee and conducted at the neurosurgery department, Fayoum university Hospital, Egypt. The pain was measured pre- and postoperatively by visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 to 10, where 10 is the maximum perceived pain. Complications were recorded, and correlation analyses were conducted to explore factors affecting postoperative pain. RESULTS: A total of 18 patients were included in this retrospective cohort study. The mean VAS preoperative burning pain in the sole was 8.056 ± 1.023, while the mean postoperative VAS score was 4.11±1.31. We found a statistically significant difference between both the pre-operative and postoperative pain scores P < 0.001. The mean S-LANSS pain score was 18.11±2.45, while the average duration of surgery was 21.78 ±4.91 minutes. Postoperative edema was noted in 33% of participants. Correlation analysis revealed a significant reduction in pain scores in younger patients compared with older patients and that older age is associated with increased postoperative VAS pain scores (r=0.803, p<0.01). Interestingly, we found that postoperative pain score is negatively correlated with the duration of surgery (r= -0.521, p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Minimal incision surgical decompression provides a safe, effective, and reliable option for treating patients with tarsal tunnel syndrome. Patients with younger age and no comorbidities experience better reductions in pain scores. Postoperative edema remains a complication that requires attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to assess the soil organic carbon pool (SOCP) in dry environments to apply appropriate management techniques that address sustainable development. A significant opportunity for sustaining agricultural output and reducing climate change is the storage of soil organic carbon in agricultural soil. The goal of this study was to measure the spatial variability of SOCP content, and determine the effects of soil texture, changes in land use, and land cover on SOCP in surface soil samples. The study additionally investigated the relationships between SOCP and other characteristics, including the normalized vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST), as well as the effects of increasing soil organic carbon on the amount of greenhouse gases. To accomplish this goal, 45 soil surface samples were collected to a depth of 30 cm at the Fayoum depression in Egypt, and analyzed. The soil samples were representative of various soil textures and land uses. The average SOCP concentration in cultivated regions is 32.1 and in bare soils it is 6.5 Mg ha−1, with areas of 157,112.94 and 16,073.27 ha, respectively. According to variances in soil textures, sandy soils have the lowest SOCP (1.8 Mg ha−1) and clay loam soils have the highest concentrations (49 Mg ha−1). Additionally, fruit-growing regions have the greatest SOCP values and may therefore be better suited for carbon sequestration. The overall average SOCP showed 32.12 Mg C ha−1 for cultivated areas. A rise in arable land was accompanied by a 112,870.09 Mg C rise in SOCP. With an increase in soil organic carbon, stored carbon dioxide emissions (greenhouse gases) would be reduced by 414,233.24 Mg CO2. We should consider improving fertilization, irrigation methods, the use of the multiple cropping index, decreasing desertion rates, appropriate crop rotation, and crop variety selection. The research highlights the significance of expanding cultivated areas towards sustainable carbon sequestration and the climate-change-mitigation potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pumpkin seed oil was combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS) to develop novel electrospun nanofibers that can serve as wound scaffolds. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the safety, drug release, and performance of these scaffolds for dermal and oral wound healing. The scaffolds were characterized using a field scanning electron microscope (FSEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A series of tests were conducted, including the degree of swelling and degradation, in vitro drug release, antibacterial activity, and cytotoxicity in human dermal fibroblasts adult (HDFa). Wound healing activity in an excisional dermal and incisional oral wound's rat model was evaluated after 10 days. Antibacterial tests of the Pumpkin loaded CS/PVA nanofibers showed significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli compared to negative controls. In vivo dermal wound healing showed that all treatment groups enhanced wound healing, as demonstrated by the increased wound closure percentages compared to negative control groups on 3, 5, and 10 days. Compared to other treatment groups, pumpkin‐loaded CS/PVA nanofibers significantly enhanced healing on 7 and 10 days, however, healing was delayed afterward. In oral wound healing, the qualitative Hematoxylin and Eosin (H−E) histological examination of the oral wounds treated with pumpkin‐loaded scaffolds showed an enhanced healing rate with healthy architecture compared to the wounds treated with unloaded scaffolds or untreated wounds. These results indicate that Pumpkin loaded nanofibers are promising for both dermal and oral wound healing. They offer a new safe and cheap alternative to the commercial treatments that are used for wound healing. The results also highlight the combination of using natural botanical compounds and emerging nanoscience for biomedical applications, primarily wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion constitutes one of the main environmental and food security threats, derived from the loss of its productive capacity. With the help of remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GIS), and a revised version of the universal soil loss equation (RUSLE), this research has mostly focused on measuring the potential soil erosion hazard and soil water conservation ratio (SWCR) in the El-Minia region of Egypt. Based on the integration of S2A images and the digital elevation model (DEM), geomorphological units of the study area were identified. The RUSLE model includes parameters that allow for mapping soil erosion, such as rain erosivity, soil erodibility, slope length and steepness, soil cover and management, and soil conservation practices. The outcomes revealed that the classes of annual erosion rates of the study area are those of "slight erosion", "low erosion", "moderate erosion" and "moderately high erosion", which represent percentages of 29%, 18%, 33% and 20%, respectively, of the total area. The rate of erosion decreases from east to west. The main erosion factors in the research area are the low vegetation cover and the high slope values. This study highlights the utility of combining the classic RUSLE equation with techniques such as remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) as a basis for assessing current erosion conditions in arid environments and, specifically, for the application of soil management patterns aimed at increasing soil organic matter and any other soil conservation actions. The findings of this study can be used by policymakers to implement soil conservation measures if development projects are to proceed in areas with a high risk of soil erosion. The approach described here is therefore adaptable to similar environments in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most significant challenges that global decision-makers are concerned about is soil contamination. It is also related to food security and soil fertility. The quality of the soil and crops in Egypt are being severely impacted by the increased heavy metal content of the soils in the middle Nile Delta. In Egypt's middle Nile Delta, fifty random soil samples were chosen. Inverse distance weighting (IDW) was used to create the spatial pattern maps for four heavy metals: Cd, Mn, Pb, and Zn. The soil contamination levels in the research area were assessed using principal component analysis (PCA), contamination factors (CF), the geoaccumulation index (I-Geo), and the improved Nemerow pollution index (In). The findings demonstrated that using PCA, the soil heavy metal concentrations were divided into two clusters. Moreover, the majority of the study region (44.47%) was assessed to be heavily to extremely polluted by heavy metals. In conclusion, integrating the contamination indices CF, I-Geo, and In with the GIS technique and multivariate model, analysis establishes a practical and helpful strategy for assessing the hazard of heavy metal contamination. The findings could serve as a basis for decision-makers to create effective heavy metal mitigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For modelling and predicting soil indicators to be fully operational and facilitate decision-making at any spatial level, there is a requirement for precise spatially referenced soil information to be available as input data. This paper focuses on showing the capacity of Sentinal-2A(S2A) multispectral imaging to predict soil properties and provide geostatistical analysis (ordinary kriging) for mapping dry land soil fertility conditions (SOCs). Conditioned Latin hypercube sampling was used to select the representative sampling sites within the study area. To achieve the objectives of this work, 48 surface soil samples were collected from the western part of Matrouh Governorate, Egypt, and pH, soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) levels were analyzed. Multilinear regression (MLR) was used to model the relationship between image reflectance and laboratory analysis (of pH, SOM, N, P, and K in the soil), followed by mapping the predicted outputs using ordinary kriging. Model fitting was achieved by removing variables according to the confidence level (95%).Around 30% of the samples were randomly selected to verify the validity of the results. The randomly selected samples helped express the variety of the soil characteristics from the investigated area. The predicted values of pH, SOM, N, P, and K performed well, with R2 values of 0.6, 0.7, 0.55, 0.6, and 0.92 achieved for pH, SOM, N, P, and K, respectively. The results from the ArcGIS model builder indicated a descending fertility order within the study area of: 70% low fertility, 22% moderate fertility, 3% very low fertility, and 5% reference terms. This work evidence that which can be predicted from S2A images and provides a reference for soil fertility monitoring in drylands. Additionally, this model can be easily applied to environmental conditions similar to those of the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, Food security is considered one of the most issues for humanity due to rapid population growth thus sustainable natural resources assessment is required. Well assessment and management of soil can aid in achieving food security. Agriculture sector in Egypt is facing some obstacles related to sustainability. These include scarce land and water resources, degradation of environment and high rate of population growth. This study focuses on evaluating of agricultural sustainability development in Bahariya oasis, western desert of Egypt. Maps of physiographic and soils were produced using analysis of multispectral Sentinal-2 image with spatial resolution 10 m dropped over digital elevation model (DEM), A shuttle radar topography mission (SRTM) 1-arc-second v.30 DEM. Fifty soil profiles were dug to represent geomorphological units within study area. Soil productivity, environmental security, environmental protection, economic viability, and social acceptability of proposed management options were calculated within the study's landscapes using the Framework for Evaluating Sustainable Land Management (FESLM). The results revealed that the investigated area classified into lands that are marginally below the requirement of sustainability with an area of 534.34 km2 and the rest of study area are not meet sustainability requirements. The sustainability challenges in the investigated area are associated with productivity, economic viability and social acceptability. This research suggests some practices to achieve sustainable development in the study area for instance practicing farmers on modern ways of well management and soil conservation, increase level of health and school care, facilitation of loans for farmers and increasing markets number. outputs from this study can provide decision makers with valuable data that help them to ensure achieving of sustainable management within study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Halayeb area is one of the most important Egyptian places, occupying a portion of the country's southeastern desert zone and serving as a strategic border with Sudan. The major goal of this study is to combine existing data on landforms, soil qualities, and climate data to define agro-ecological zones (AEZ) that are suitable for agricultural development. Thirty-two soil profiles were dug throughout the study region to represent physiographic units, and a digital soil map was generated based on an analysis of the digital elevation model and Landsat 8 satellite data, as well as climatic data from nine sites within the study area. Using the Model Builder in ArcGIS software, AEZ were created based on overlay maps of topography, soil chemical and physical properties, temperature, and precipitation maps. Zone (I) represents highly suitable areas (2.6 percent), zone (II) represents suitable areas (12.4 percent), zone (III) represents moderately suitable areas (26.5 percent), and zone (IV) represents marginally suitable areas (37.3 percent). highly suitable(S1), suitable (S2), and moderately suitable(S3) were the most appropriate classes for all of the crops studied. The findings will aid decision-makers in developing various development plans based on the research area's conditions. The study's methodology and findings can be used to evaluate which land is best suited for agricultural productivity growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An optimal reconstruction of calvarial skull defects is a challenge for neurosurgeons, and the strategy used to achieve the best result remains debatable. Therefore, we conducted this study to compare the esthetic and functional outcome of custom-made three-dimensional (3D) cranioprostheses to handmade bone cement in reconstructing calvarial skull defects. Methods: We included 66 patients above 10 years of age with calvarial skull defects and undergoing reconstruction: 33 were enrolled in the custom-made 3D implants group and 33 in the handmade implants group in the period from August 2017 to December 2020 in the neurosurgery department of Fayoum University Hospital. Results: Complete success of the esthetic end-point was insignificantly higher in the custom-made 3D prostheses group based on the doctor's and patients' assessment (60.6% vs. 42.4%; 33.3% vs. 9.1%, P > 0.05), respectively. Complete success of the functional end-point was significantly higher in the custom-made 3D group compared to the handmade cement bone group according to the doctor's and patients' assessment (60.6% vs. 0%; 21.2% vs. 0%, P < 0.05). There were no late complications noted in the custom-made 3D prosthesis group, whereas 50% of the handmade bone group had late complications (P < 0.05). Full improvement of the symptoms of the "syndrome of trephined" was achieved in the 3D custom-made group compared to the handmade bone cement group (20% vs. 0%). Conclusion: Cranioplasty using three dimensional customs made PEEK prosthesis is a reliable method which saves operative time, lowers cost and provides less complications if compared with other cranioplasty techniques. Custom-made 3D cranioprostheses are better than handmade bone cement in reconstructing calvarial defects in terms of esthetic and functional outcome as well as complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microscopic unilateral approach for bilateral decompression became an alternative surgery for traditional full laminectomy resulting in better outcomes for patients as well as avoiding extensive bony loss. Objective: to evaluate clinical outcomes of unilateral laminectomy approach for bilateral decompression (ULBD) to those of traditional full laminectomies as a treatment of Lumbar Canal Stenosis (LCS). Subjects and methods: Three-hundred LCS patients were included in the study subdivided into two equally groups. Group A patients operated upon with traditional full laminectomies; group B operated upon with unilateral approach for bilateral decompression. Clinical and radiological data were assessed. VAS score and ODI were used to measure patient-reported outcome. Results: Group A and group B (LCS) had a mean age of 46.9±11 and 53.2±6.9 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between groups as regards number of levels of decompression (p-value>0.05). Pre-operative and post-operative clinical assessment for patients were done. Results revealed significant improvement of ODI and VAS for leg pain in both groups where in group I, the mean ODI decreased from 50.1±10.1 to 27.1±6.7, and the mean VAS decreased from 8.1±0.7 to 2.9±1.2. Group B, the mean ODI decreased from 46.7±9.9% to 22.5±11.1%, and the mean VAS decreased from 7.5±1.4 to 2.5±1.2. As for the back pain, VAS score decreased in group A from 5.1±1.4 to 4.7±1.7 and in group B from 4.2±2.1 to 2.8±1.2. Conclusion: Both techniques are effective procedures for LCS treatment, however ULBD had better outcome regarding postoperative back pain but with longer length of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microscopic unilateral approach for bilateral decompression became an alternative surgery for traditional full laminectomy resulting in better outcomes for patients as well as avoiding extensive bony loss. Objective: to evaluate clinical outcomes of unilateral laminectomy approach for bilateral decompression (ULBD) to those of traditional full laminectomies as a treatment of Lumbar Canal Stenosis (LCS). Subjects and methods: Three-hundred LCS patients were included in the study subdivided into two equally groups. Group A patients operated upon with traditional full laminectomies; group B operated upon with unilateral approach for bilateral decompression. Clinical and radiological data were assessed. VAS score and ODI were used to measure patient-reported outcome. Results: Group A and group B (LCS) had a mean age of 46.9±11 and 53.2±6.9 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between groups as regards number of levels of decompression (p-value>0.05). Pre-operative and post-operative clinical assessment for patients were done. Results revealed significant improvement of ODI and VAS for leg pain in both groups where in group I, the mean ODI decreased from 50.1±10.1 to 27.1±6.7, and the mean VAS decreased from 8.1±0.7 to 2.9±1.2. Group B, the mean ODI decreased from 46.7±9.9% to 22.5±11.1%, and the mean VAS decreased from 7.5±1.4 to 2.5±1.2. As for the back pain, VAS score decreased in group A from 5.1±1.4 to 4.7±1.7 and in group B from 4.2±2.1 to 2.8±1.2. Conclusion: Both techniques are effective procedures for LCS treatment, however ULBD had better outcome regarding postoperative back pain but with longer length of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microscopic unilateral approach for bilateral decompression became an alternative surgery for traditional full laminectomy resulting in better outcomes for patients as well as avoiding extensive bony loss. Objective: to evaluate clinical outcomes of unilateral laminectomy approach for bilateral decompression (ULBD) to those of traditional full laminectomies as a treatment of Lumbar Canal Stenosis (LCS). Subjects and methods: Three-hundred LCS patients were included in the study subdivided into two equally groups. Group A patients operated upon with traditional full laminectomies; group B operated upon with unilateral approach for bilateral decompression. Clinical and radiological data were assessed. VAS score and ODI were used to measure patient-reported outcome. Results: Group A and group B (LCS) had a mean age of 46.9±11 and 53.2±6.9 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between groups as regards number of levels of decompression (p-value>0.05). Pre-operative and post-operative clinical assessment for patients were done. Results revealed significant improvement of ODI and VAS for leg pain in both groups where in group I, the mean ODI decreased from 50.1±10.1 to 27.1±6.7, and the mean VAS decreased from 8.1±0.7 to 2.9±1.2. Group B, the mean ODI decreased from 46.7±9.9% to 22.5±11.1%, and the mean VAS decreased from 7.5±1.4 to 2.5±1.2. As for the back pain, VAS score decreased in group A from 5.1±1.4 to 4.7±1.7 and in group B from 4.2±2.1 to 2.8±1.2. Conclusion: Both techniques are effective procedures for LCS treatment, however ULBD had better outcome regarding postoperative back pain but with longer length of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction:  Fetus in fetu (FIF) is an extremely rare condition of abnormal twinning during embryogenesis. Most publications are single case reports. We describe the combined experience of four large tertiary referral centers with FIF which were not previously reported or published, and thereby draw conclusions to establish criteria for the workup, diagnosis, and management including intraoperative risk.Materials and Methods:  A survey was forwarded to a national pediatric surgery group which includes members from all pediatric surgery centers in the country enquiring about unpublished cases of FIF encountered over a 20-year interval. The cohort was analyzed for age of presentation, type of presentation, diagnostic workup, surgical management, and outcome.Results:  From 1998 to 2018, a total of 10 FIF cases were included in the study. Mean age of presentation was 4 months. Computed tomography and ultrasound were the main preoperative diagnostic modality in our cohort. Resection of the mass was curative in nine cases. Two cases in which the FIF was in direct topographic proximity to the biliary tree suffered severe intraoperative or lethal postoperative complications.Conclusion:  Complete excision of FIF is the treatment of choice and generally results in excellent long-term quality of life. Mortality is rare and may be associated with biliary involvement and retroperitoneal right upper quadrant location of the FIF tends to be associated with increased risk in excision, and there is also a possible association with the presence of immature elements in the pathology report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Desflurane and sevoflurane are the most common volatile anesthetics used during laparoscopic and hepatic surgery. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of desflurane and sevoflurane in patients with elevated preoperative liver functions undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: The study was a randomized study and included 162 patients classified randomly into two groups: Desflurane group: The patients received desflurane (end-tidal concentration 4%–6%) as an inhalational agent during the whole procedure. Sevoflurane group: The patients received sevoflurane (end-tidal concentration 2%–4%) as an inhalational agent during the whole procedure. The investigations included serum level of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and total bilirubin. The values were serially collected at the following timepoints; T0:at the preoperative period, T1:directly after surgery, T2:1st postoperative day, T3:2nd postoperative day, T4:3rd postoperative day, T5:5th postoperative day, T6:7th postoperative day, and T7:10th postoperative day. The statistics were described in terms of mean ± standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages. Results: The preoperative liver enzymes and total bilirubin were higher than the normal range in patients of the two groups. Postoperatively, there was a decrease in the AST and ALT with desflurane more than sevoflurane from T1 to T6(P < 0.05). The ALP, GGT, and bilirubin decreased in patients of the two groups, but the comparison was insignificant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The desflurane is a safe inhalational volatile for maintenance of anesthesia in patients with impaired liver function undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It was associated with a decrease in the liver enzymes more than the sevoflurane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is an unfortunate, yet well-recognized complication of skull base fractures, skull base surgeries, and variety of spinal procedures. Continuous lumbar drainage (CLD) of leaking CSF has shown a high success rate with minimal morbidities in handling CSF leak in these patients. Therefore, we conducted this study to illustrate the efficacy of CLD as a prophylactic and therapeutic method for CSF leakage with the assessment of clinical outcome and early postoperative sequel. Materials and Methods: In the period from January to December 2017, patients with traumatic or postoperative CSF leak and those susceptible for postoperative CSF leak as skull base and spinal intradural surgeries at the Neurosurgery Department, Fayoum University, were included in our study. Results: A total of 20 eligible patients were included in the study. All patients showed successful cessation of CSF leakage at different durations of CLD. Fifteen patients showed excellent results; four showed good results; and one showed fair results. Besides a minimal pneumocephalus, headache was the most common presenting complication in our population, which occurred to all patients. Six patients had vomiting beside headache, whereas two patients experienced vomiting and nausea in addition to headache. There were neither mortalities nor life-threatening complications noted; however, a superficial wound infection occurred in a single case. Conclusion: CLD is a simple, safe, and efficient method in the management of CSF leakage at operative sites, CSF rhinorrhea, and CSF otorrhea of various etiologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing soil quality is considered one the most important indicators to ensure planned and sustainable use of agricultural lands according to their potential. The current study was carried out to develop a spatial model for the assessment of soil quality, based on four main quality indices, Fertility Index (FI), Physical Index (PI), Chemical Index (CI), and Geomorphologic Index (GI), as well as the Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing data (RS). In addition to the GI, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) parameter were added to assess soil quality in the study area (western part of Matrouh Governorate, Egypt) as accurately as possible. The study area suffers from a lack of awareness of agriculture practices, and it depends on seasonal rain for cultivation. Thus, it is very important to assess soil quality to deliver valuable data to decision makers and regional governments to find the best ways to improve soil quality and overcome the food security problem. We integrated a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with Sentinel-2 satellite images to extract landform units of the study area. Forty-eight soil profiles were created to represent identified geomorphic units of the investigated area. We used the model builder function and a geostatistical approach based on ordinary kriging interpolation to map the soil quality index of the study area and categorize it into different classes. The soil quality (SQ) of the study area, classified into four classes (i.e., high quality (SQ2), moderate quality (SQ3), low quality (SQ4), and very low quality (SQ5)), occupied 0.90%, 21.87%, 22.22%, and 49.23% of the total study area, respectively. In addition, 5.74% of the study area was classified as uncultivated area as a reference. The developed soil quality model (DSQM) shows substantial agreement (0.67) with the weighted additive model, according to kappa coefficient statics, and significantly correlated with land capability R2 (0.71). Hence, the model provides a full overview of SQ in the study area and can easily be implemented in similar environments to identify soil quality challenges and fight the negative factors that influence SQ, in addition to achieving environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food security has become a global concern for humanity with rapid population growth, requiring a sustainable assessment of natural resources. Soil is one of the most important sources that can help to bridge the food demand gap to achieve food security if well assessed and managed. The aim of this study was to determine the soil quality index (SQI) for El Fayoum depression in the Western Egyptian Desert using spatial modeling for soil physical, chemical, and biological properties based on the MEDALUS methodology. For this purpose, a spatial model was developed to evaluate the soil quality of the El Fayoum depression in the Western Egyptian Desert. The integration between Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and Sentinel-2 satellite image was used to produce landforms and digital soil mapping for the study area. Results showed that the study area located under six classes of soil quality, e.g., very high-quality class represents an area of 387.12 km2 (22.7%), high-quality class occupies 441.72 km2 (25.87%), the moderate-quality class represents 208.57 km2 (12.21%), slightly moderate-quality class represents 231.10 km2 (13.5%), as well as, a low-quality class covering an area of 233 km2 (13.60%), and very low-quality class occupies about 206 km2 (12%). The Agricultural Land Evaluation System for arid and semi-arid regions (ALESarid) was used to estimate land capability. Land capability classes were non-agriculture class (C6), poor (C4), fair (C3), and good (C2) with an area 231.87 km2 (13.50%), 291.94 km2 (17%), 767.39 km2 (44.94%), and 416.07 km2 (24.4%), respectively. Land capability along with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) used for validation of the proposed model of soil quality. The spatially-explicit soil quality index (SQI) shows a strong significant positive correlation with the land capability and a positive correlation with NDVI at R2 0.86 (p < 0.001) and 0.18 (p < 0.05), respectively. In arid regions, the strategy outlined here can easily be re-applied in similar environments, allowing decision-makers and regional governments to use the quantitative results achieved to ensure sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intravenous lidocaine has been shown to be an analgesic and anti-inflammatory medication with modulation of excessive inflammatory response. We investigated the efficacy of intraoperative lidocaine 2% infusion in reducing the postoperative Fentanyl requirements for analgesia in renal transplant recipients. Patients were assigned equally into two groups by computer-generated list compiled before the start of the study. Control group: fentanyl (F) group and study group: lidocaine 2% (L) group. Medication used is either lidocaine in the dose of 2 mg/kg/h and the other syringe contained saline both have been infused by rate of 10 ml/h. Fentanyl induction dose given for the two groups was 1.5 mcg/kg. Both groups have received extra fentanyl according to their intraoperative analgesic requirements, patients in the lidocaine group received the fentanyl induction dose accompanied by lidocaine 2% 1.5 mg/kg as loading dose, followed by maintenance dose of lidocaine 2% infusion 2 mg/kg/h. After transfer to the PACU nursing staff administered fentanyl 0.5 mcg/kg boluses for postoperative pain relief every 10 min up to 2 mcg/kg, the recovery nurse used the pain numerical score to assess pain. The recovery nurse referred the patient to the responsible anesthesiologist covering the recovery unit if he required more than 2 mcg/kg of fentanyl to control postoperative pain. Patient was then transferred to the RTU (renal transplant unit), postoperative pain and fentanyl PCA consumption were followed up during the first 24 h. Results: Our study detected increased fentanyl consumption in the recovery for the fentanyl group more than the lidocaine group. The request of the first dose of analgesic was significantly longer in lidocaine group than in fentanyl group. Conclusion: The usage of intraoperative lidocaine infusion decreased postoperative fentanyl requirements as analgesic in patients undergoing renal transplantation. Trial registration: Registration on ANZCTR number ACTRN12618001335280, REGISTERED 08 August 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Propofol use in MRI procedures is growing worldwide especially for infants and children. Propofol causes unintended deep sedation and respiratory depression. The safety and efficacy of dexmedetomidine–propofol versus ketamine–dexmedetomidine versus dexmedetomidine alone as a based sedation regimen in specific age range of children is the study concern. Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of dexmedetomidine/propofol mixture, dexmedetomidine/ketamine, and dexmedetomidine alone for pediatric MRI sedation. Patients and methods: Ninty infants and children whose body weight is more than 10 kg were enrolled in a double-blind comparative study and assigned into three equal groups for sedation, group (DK) dexmedetomidine/ ketamine, group (DP) dexmedetomidine/propofol, and group (D) dexmedetomididne alone. All patients were given premedication in the form of oral midazolam 0.5 mg/kg 30 min before the procedure. Sedation was according to group: Group (DK) received ketamine 1.5 mg /kg intravenous bolus as a loading dose and maintenance dose done by dexmedetomidine infusion with a concentration of 0.004 mg/ml and infusion rate of 1 μg/kg/h for the first 10 min then reduced infusion dose to be in between 0.6 and 1 μg/kg/h to keep the patient sedated to a Ramsay sedation score more than 4. Group (DP) received propofol 1.5 mg/kg intravenous bolus as a loading dose, then maintenance dose infusion was a mixture of dexmedetomidine with a concentration of 0.004 mg/ml and propofol 4 mg/ml; this combination is compatible (Trissel et al., 2002; Cayo, 2013). This combination will be started by a loading dose of 1 μg/kg/h for the first 10 min then 0.6 to 1 μg/kg/h, sedated with a Ramsay sedation score of more than 4. Group (D) received dexmedetomidine with a dose of 2–3 μg/kg/h as loading for 10 min then 0.6 to 1 μg/kg/h to keep the patient sedated with a Ramsay sedation score of more than 4. Results: There was a significant difference between the DP group induction recovery time, hemodynamics, and Ramsey sedation score up to 5 min after the induction to the other two groups, and there was a significant difference between the DK group to the other two groups concerning emergence phenomena (agitation, altered perception, hallucination) and sedation failure. Conclusion: The combination of dexmedetomidine to propofol with a low dose for sedation during MRI gives better induction + recovery time, improves hemodynamics, and decreases incidence of emergence phenomena and sedation failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]