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BACKGROUND: Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching exercises have been widely advocated for the management of patients with different musculoskeletal conditions. However, its effect on the treatment of temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) in patients with forward head posture (FHP) has not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of PNF stretching exercises on the treatment of TMD in patients with FHP. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial. Twenty-four patients with TMD and FHP aged from 18–40 years were randomly assigned to PNF or control group. The PNF group composed of 12 patients received PNF stretching exercises of masticatory muscles in addition to routine physical therapy treatment (FHP correction exercises and ultrasound for the temporomandibular joint); the control group composed of 12 patients received routine physical therapy treatment only. Interventions were conducted twice a week for six weeks. Craniovertebral angle, pain threshold, pain intensity, temporomandibular joint ROM, and temporomandibular joint function were assessed for all participants before and after the intervention. The outcomes were analyzed using Two-way mixed MANOVA. For further multiple comparisons, post-hoc tests with the Bonferroni correction were performed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between both groups pre-treatment (p > 0.05). Comparison between groups post-treatment revealed statistically significant differences in all outcome measures (p < 0.05) in favor of the PNF group. CONCLUSION: Adding PNF stretching exercises of masticatory muscles to routine physical therapy programs is an effective method for management of TMD in patients with FHP more than routine physical therapy programs alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ujjayi pranayama on non-lethal problems and cardiorespiratory functions in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods. This randomized controlled trial involved a home-based training of ujjayi pranayama for 6 weeks. Forty SLE women were randomly assigned to either the ujjayi-pranayama group (n = 20), who performed 30 min of ujjayi pranayama daily (15 min in the morning and evening), or the waitlist control group (n = 20). Various measures, including State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), cortisol, Stress Vulnerability Scale (SVS), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), pulse rate (Pul-r), respiratory rate (Res-r), systolic blood pressure (SBPr), and diastolic blood pressure (DBPr) were assessed. Results. Significant reductions were observed via paired tests in Pul-r (75.95 ± 3.63 vs 72.95 ± 3.17; p < 0.001), Res-r (16.70 ± 3.62 vs 14.80 ± 2.94; p < 0.001), SBPr (126.60 ± 4.75 vs 121.30 ± 4.30; p < 0.001), DBPr (82.15 ± 3.57 vs 78.05 ± 3.44; p < 0.001), PSQI (7.45 ± 1.27 vs 5.10 ± 1.20; p < 0.001), FSS (4.80 ± 1 vs 3.75 ± 1.11; p < 0.001), BDI -II (13.70 ± 2.77 vs 6.80 ± 1.50; p < 0.001), STAI (66.70 ± 4.72 vs 47.55 ± 6.15; p < 0.001), cortisol (8.51 ± 1.36 vs 6.34 ± 1.36; p < 0.001), and SVS (12.65 ± 1.78 vs 6.45 ± 1.57; p < 0.001) in the ujjayi pranayama group only. Conclusions. Ujjayi pranayama significantly improved non-lethal problems and cardiorespiratory functions in women with lupus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The early recognition of tendon alterations in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients, an awareness of the factors that influence the condition, and active intervention have considerable clinical relevance. The aim of this study was to investigate the musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) features of the Achilles tendon in chronic HD patients and determine the factors associated with tendon abnormalities. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 46 HD patients and 24 sex- and age-matched controls. All participants were evaluated clinically for any signs of Achilles tendon abnormalities. Then, the Achilles tendon was scanned bilaterally using MSUS. Results: Among the 92 Achilles tendons in the HD patients, there was tenderness and swelling of only two (2.2%). Regarding MSUS features, there were statistically significant higher thicknesses in the proximal end (p < 0.001), midpoint (p < 0.001), and distal end (p < 0.001) of the Achilles tendons in the HD patients when compared with the healthy controls. Tendinosis was found in 12 (13%) of the HD patients' Achilles tendons, which was statistically significant in comparison to the healthy controls (p = 0.008). There were statistically significant higher scores of structural abnormalities (p = 0.005), bone erosions (p = 0.017), and calcifications (p = 0.015) in the HD patients when compared to the healthy controls. According to the results of a univariate regression analysis, age and male gender were predictive for US abnormalities in HD patients (p = 0.002 and 0.025, respectively). Conclusions: The Achilles tendon in subjects on chronic HD showed frequent US abnormalities. These abnormalities in HD patients appear to be more related to age and gender and may be asymptomatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings of a study conducted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on migration patterns, social characteristics, and access to health services for people on the move in Mexico. The study focused on three cities and found that people on the move in Mexico City reported more health problems but were less likely to seek care. The study also emphasized the need for cultural competency in healthcare delivery and the importance of adapting services to different mobility patterns and addressing exposure to violence. The article highlights the importance of intersectoral collaboration in designing public health initiatives and promoting overall health in Mexico. [Extracted from the article]

Herein, a series of new isatin derivatives was designed and synthesized (1–9) as broad-spectrum antiviral agents. Consequently, the antiviral activities of the synthesized compounds (1–9) were pursued against three viruses, namely influenza virus (H1N1), herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), and coxsackievirus B3 (COX-B3). In particular, compounds 9, 5, and 4 displayed the highest antiviral activity against H1N1, HSV-1, and COX-B3 with IC50 values of 0.0027, 0.0022, and 0.0092 µM, respectively. Compound 7 was the safest, with a CC50 value of 315,578.68 µM. Moreover, a quantitative PCR (real-time PCR) assay was carried out for the most relevant compounds. The selected compounds exhibited a decrease in viral gene expression. Additionally, the conducted in silico studies emphasized the binding affinities of the synthesized compounds and their reliable pharmacokinetic properties as well. Finally, a structure–antiviral activity relationship study was conducted to anticipate the antiviral activity change upon future structural modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to shed light on a real stability problem within the region of Bcharreh located in North of Lebanon where roads have no protection against landslides. An attempt for landslide assessment that occurred in November 2016 is presented in order to analyse the different factors behind the landslide and find the trigger factor affecting the stability of the slope. The characterization of soil properties along the slope is done based on geotechnical investigation, and data collection. The first part of work consists of site inspection and geotechnical investigation followed by a series of laboratory tests to evaluate the mechanical properties constituting the slope, in addition to collection of topographical and hydrogeological data. The second part presents the numerical analysis where a finite element model simulating the slope conditions is generated using Plaxis 2D in order to reproduce the process of landslides, to assess slope stability and determine the overall factor of safety in both dry and wet conditions. The contribution of each causal factor in prompting soil movement is then demonstrated and explained.

Herein, a series of N'-benzylidene-3,4-dimethoxybenzohydrazide derivatives were designed and synthesised to target the multidrug efflux pump (MATE). The antibacterial activities were screened against S. aureus, Acinetobacter, S. typhi, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa, whereas their antifungal activities were screened against C. albicans. Compounds 4a, 4h, and 4i showed the most promising antibacterial and antifungal activities. Moreover, compounds 4h and 4i being the broader and superior members regarding their anti-microbial effects were selected to be further evaluated via in vivo testing using biochemical analysis and liver/kidney histological examination. Additionally, molecular docking was carried out to attain further deep insights into the synthesised compounds' binding modes. Also, ADMET studies were performed to investigate the physicochemical/pharmacokinetics features and toxicity parameters of the synthesised derivatives. Finally, a structure-antimicrobial activity relationship study was established to facilitate further structural modifications in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current work, some 1,3,4-oxadiazole-naphthalene hybrids were designed and synthesised as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The synthesised compounds were evaluated in vitro for their antiproliferative activity against two human cancer cell lines namely, HepG-2 and MCF-7. Compounds that exhibited promising cytotoxicity (5, 8, 15, 16, 17, and 18) were further evaluated for their VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities. Compound 5 showed good antiproliferative activity against both cell lines and inhibitory effect on VEGFR-2. Besides, it induced apoptosis by 22.86% compared to 0.51% in the control (HepG2) cells. This apoptotic effect was supported by a 5.61-fold increase in the level of caspase-3 compared to the control cells. Moreover, it arrested the HepG2 cell growth mostly at the Pre-G1 phase. Several in silico studies were performed including docking, ADMET, and toxicity studies to predict binding mode against VEGFR-2 and to anticipate pharmacokinetic, drug-likeness, and toxicity of the synthesised compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the use of biodegradable polymers for drug delivery has been ongoing since they were first used as bioresorbable surgical devices in the 1980s. For tissue engineering and drug delivery, biodegradable polymer poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) has shown enormous promise among all biomaterials. PLGA are a family of FDA-approved biodegradable polymers that are physically strong and highly biocompatible and have been extensively studied as delivery vehicles of drugs, proteins, and macromolecules such as DNA and RNA. PLGA has a wide range of erosion times and mechanical properties that can be modified. Many innovative platforms have been widely studied and created for the development of methods for the controlled delivery of PLGA. In this paper, the various manufacturing processes and characteristics that impact their breakdown and drug release are explored in depth. Besides different PLGA-based nanoparticles, preclinical and clinical applications for different diseases and the PLGA platform types and their scale-up issues will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Although core stabilization exercises (CSEs) prove to be effective in patients with various musculoskeletal disorders, their impact in lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to examine the effects of CSEs on lumbar lordotic angle (LLA), pain intensity, and functional disability in patients with LDD. Methods. Overall, 97 adult patients of both genders with LDD were randomly assigned to the study or control group. The study group (n = 48) received CSEs in addition to traditional physical therapy; the control group (n = 49) received only traditional physical therapy, 3 sessions per week for 12 weeks. LLA, pain intensity, and functional disability were determined before and after the treatment program. LLA was measured with the Surgimap Spine software on marked lateral view X-ray films (OmniDiagnost Eleva); pain intensity was evaluated with visual analogue scale (VAS); functional disability was assessed with Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Results. There was no significant pre-treatment difference between the groups in LLA (p = 0.84), VAS (p = 0.49), or ODI (p = 0.12). Significant post-treatment differences were observed in both groups in all variables (p = 0.001). However, there was a significant decrease in the mean post-treatment values of all variables (p = 0.001) in the study group compared with the control group. Conclusions. CSEs could provide an additional effect of improving LLA, pain intensity, and functional abilities in patients with LDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aim: To identify the predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients with coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and acute renal impairment (ARI) or chronic kidney disease (CKD), and to evaluate the performance and inter-reader concordance of chest CT total severity scores (TSSs). Methods: This retrospective single-center study was conducted on symptomatic COVID-19 patients with renal impairment (either acute or chronic) and a serum creatinine of >2 mg/dL at the time of admission. The patients' demographic characteristics, clinical data, and laboratory data were extracted from the clinical computerized medical records. All chest CT images obtained at the time of hospital admission were analyzed. Two radiologists independently assessed the pulmonary abnormalities and scored the severity using CT chest total severity score (TSS). Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with in-hospital mortality. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for the TSS in order to identify the cut-off point that predicts mortality. Bland–Altman plots were used to evaluate agreement between the two radiologists assessing TSS. Results: A total of 100 patients were included, with a mean age of 60 years, 54 were males, 53 had ARI, and 47 had CKD. In terms of in-hospital mortality, 60 patients were classified in the non-survivor group and 40 were classified in the survivor group. The mortality rate was higher for those with ARI compared to those with CKD (p = 0.033). The univariate regression analysis showed an increasing odds of in-hospital mortality associated with higher respiratory rate (OR 1.149, 95% CI 1.057–1.248, p = 0.001), total bilirubin (OR 2.532, 95% CI 1.099–5.836, p = 0.029), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (OR 1.001, 95% CI 1.000–1.003, p = 0.018), CRP (OR 1.010, 95% CI 1.002–1.017, p = 0.012), invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) (OR 7.667, 95% CI 2.118–27.755, p = 0.002), a predominant pattern of pulmonary consolidation (OR 21.714, 95% CI 4.799–98.261, p < 0.001), and high TSS (OR 2.082, 95% CI 1.579–2.745, p < 0.001). The optimum cut-off value of TSS used to predict in-hospital mortality was 8.5 with a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 87.5%. There was excellent interobserver agreement (ICC > 0.9) between the two independent radiologists in their quantitative assessment of pulmonary changes using TSS. Conclusions: In-hospital mortality is high in COVID-19 patients with ARI/CKD, especially for those with ARI. High serum bilirubin, a predominant pattern of pulmonary consolidation, and TSS are the most significant predictors of mortality in these patients. Patients with a higher TSS may require more intensive hospital care. TSS is a reliable and helpful auxiliary tool for risk stratification among COVID-19 patients with ARI/CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Global Cancer Statistics 2021, female breast cancer has exceeded lung cancer as the most frequently diagnosed cancer. As a result of this widespread breast cancer, it is necessary to discover new drug candidates that avoid the side effects of current ones. So, researchers have studied and researched many heterocyclic chemical structures that were found to have strong anti-breast cancer activity. Among these structures are N-heterocycles, benzodiazines, a sequence of bicyclic heterocycles in which benzene rings are fused with 6-membered heterocycles containing two nitrogens. The quinoxaline moiety is a well-known and promising scaffold with previously known anticancer properties. This study covers the published work on anti-breast cancer compounds based on previous reference documents from recent years. It also shows the properties of new compounds with attractive anti-breast cancer properties that could be seen to be safer and free of adverse reactions. The compounds discussed here are attractive and promising scaffolds for treating breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With the evolution of SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic, it was believed to be a direct respiratory virus. But, its deleterious effects were observed on different body systems, including kidneys. Aim of Work: In this review, we tried as much as we can to summarize what has been discussed in the literature about the relation between SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and kidneys since December, 2019. Methods: Each part of the review was assigned to one or two authors to search for relevant articles in three databases (Pubmed, Scopus, and Google scholar) and collected data were summarized and revised by two independent researchers. Conclusion: The complexity of COVID‐19 pandemic and kidney could be attributed to the direct effect of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection on the kidneys, different clinical presentation, difficulties confronting dialysis patients, restrictions of the organ transplant programs, poor outcomes and bad prognosis in patients with known history of kidney diseases who got infected with SARS‐CoV‐2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess whether oxidative and inflammatory mediators in the cord blood of newborns with funisitis and chorioamnionitis can serve as indicators of their inflammatory status, and whether there is a positive association between higher mediator levels and an increased risk of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This study was conducted prospectively in a neonatology department of a university hospital. In total, 52 full-term newborns were evaluated, including 17 funisitis cases, 13 chorioamnionitis cases, and 22 control newborns without funisitis or chorioamnionitis. Cord blood samples were measured for oxidative stress and inflammatory status markers. The oxidative stress markers included the total nitric oxide (NO), total hydroperoxide (TH), biological antioxidant potential (BAP), and TH/BAP ratio, comprising the oxidative stress index (OSI). Inflammatory markers included interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interferon γ (IFNγ), and complement component C5a. TH, OSI, IL-1b, IL-6, and IL-8 concentrations were higher in the funisitis group than in the chorioamnionitis and control groups. C5a was higher in the funisitis and chorioamnionitis groups than in the control group. Among all enrolled newborns, 14 were admitted to the NICU. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that elevated umbilical cord blood levels of OSI and TH were associated with a higher risk of admission to the NICU (OSI: R = 2.3, 95% CI 1.26–4.29, p = 0.007 and TH: R = 1.02, 95%CI = 1.004–1.040, p = 0.015). In conclusion, OSI and TH in cord blood from full-term newborns can provide an index of inflammatory status, and higher levels are associated with the risk of admission to the NICU and, therefore, could serve as an early indicator of inflammatory conditions in newborns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Flat foot changes the posture of the foot and affects dynamic balance. Backward walking is a novelty in rehabilitative clinic; it improves strength and balance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of backward walking training on foot posture and dynamic balance in flat foot subjects. Methods. overall, 44 participants with bilateral mobile flat foot, aged 19-35 years, were randomly assigned to 2 equal groups. Group A received backward walking training 3 times/week for 6 weeks, in addition to traditional physical therapy exercises. Group B received traditional physical therapy exercises only, 3 times/week for 6 weeks. Before and after treatment, foot posture was assessed with the Foot Posture index and balance was evaluated with the HUMAC Balance System through the Limits of Stability test. Results. Statistical analysis revealed a significant reduction in the Foot Posture index and a significant increase of the Limits of Stability in both groups after treatment compared with the pre-treatment status (p < 0.001). Comparison between the groups after treatment showed a significant decrease in the Foot Posture index in group A compared with group B (p < 0.05) and a significant increase in the Limits of Stability in group A compared with group B (p < 0.001). Conclusions. Backward walking training as an addition to physical therapy exercises of flat foot can improve foot posture and enhance balance in comparison with physical therapy exercises alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text summarization (TS) is considered one of the most difficult tasks in natural language processing (NLP). It is one of the most important challenges that stand against the modern computer system's capabilities with all its new improvement. Many papers and research studies address this task in literature but are being carried out in extractive summarization, and few of them are being carried out in abstractive summarization, especially in the Arabic language due to its complexity. In this paper, an abstractive Arabic text summarization system is proposed, based on a sequence-to-sequence model. This model works through two components, encoder and decoder. Our aim is to develop the sequence-to-sequence model using several deep artificial neural networks to investigate which of them achieves the best performance. Different layers of Gated Recurrent Units (GRU), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) have been used to develop the encoder and the decoder. In addition, the global attention mechanism has been used because it provides better results than the local attention mechanism. Furthermore, AraBERT preprocess has been applied in the data preprocessing stage that helps the model to understand the Arabic words and achieves state-of-the-art results. Moreover, a comparison between the skip-gram and the continuous bag of words (CBOW) word2Vec word embedding models has been made. We have built these models using the Keras library and run-on Google Colab Jupiter notebook to run seamlessly. Finally, the proposed system is evaluated through ROUGE-1, ROUGE-2, ROUGE-L, and BLEU evaluation metrics. The experimental results show that three layers of BiLSTM hidden states at the encoder achieve the best performance. In addition, our proposed system outperforms the other latest research studies. Also, the results show that abstractive summarization models that use the skip-gram word2Vec model outperform the models that use the CBOW word2Vec model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Exposure to the sun is the main cause of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) development and also the main source of vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D has anticancer activities; however, its role in BCC is debatable. Objective To measure the level of plasma vitamin D, vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), and vitamin D receptor (VDR) relative expression in BCC patients and healthy controls, in an attempt to evaluate their association with BCC development. Patients and methods Plasma vitamin D and VDBP as well as VDR relative expression levels were measured in 30 BCC patients and 30 healthy controls. VDR relative expression was also measured in nonlesional skin of patients and compared with that of lesional skin. Results Vitamin D, VDBP, and VDR expression levels were statistically significantly lower in BCC patients (16.8±9.65 ng/ml, 275.8±206.7 ng/ml, 0.49±0.35, respectively) than in controls (22.7±11.3 ng/ml, 429.7±248.1 ng/ml, 1.02±0.07, respectively) (P=0.027, 0.12, and 0.001, respectively). In addition, VDR relative expression was statistically significantly lower in BCC tissue than in nonlesional skin of patients (0.644±0.234) (P=0.001). Conclusion Decreased vitamin D, VDBP, and VDR expression levels may be associated with BCC, suggesting a possible role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Correction of vitamin D deficiency via supplementation or topical application of vitamin D analogs may have a role in the prevention or therapy of BCCs that should be evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infectious diseases of bacteria and fungi have become a major risk to public health because of antibiotic and antifungal resistance. However, the availability of effective antibacterial and antifungal agents is becoming increasingly limited with growing resistance to existing drugs. In response to that, novel agents are critically needed to overcome such resistance. A new series of 6‐hydroxyquinolinone 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b bearing different side chains were synthesized and evaluated as antimicrobials against numbers of bacteria and fungi, using inhibition zone technique. As one of these derivatives, compound 3 was identified as a potent antibacterial and antifungal agent against all tested microorganisms with good minimum inhibitory concentration values comparable to reference drugs. Molecular docking studies were performed on antibacterial and antifungal targets; microbial DNA gyrase B of Staphylococcus aureus (PDB ID: 4URO); N‐myristoyltransferase of Candida albicans (PDB ID: 1IYK), respectively, to predict the most probable type of interaction at the active site of the target protein in addition to binding affinities and orientations of docked ligands. Additionally, in silico prediction in terms of detailed physicochemical ADME and toxicity profile relating drug‐likeness as well as medicinal chemistry friendliness was performed to all synthesized compounds. The results indicated that a novel 4,6‐dihydroxyquinolin‐2(1H)‐one (3) is likely to be a newly synthesized drug candidate, indicating low toxicity in addition to good in silico absorption. In order to pave the way for more logical production of such compounds, structure–activity and toxicity relationships are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]