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There is evidence of the role of vitamin D deficiency in cognitive decline. However, the results of studies regarding the relationship between the reduction of vitamin D concentrations and cognitive impairment are heterogeneous.

Over the past 3 decades numerous studies have reported an association between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and thyroid cancers. However, there has been no scientometric analysis in this area of research. To perform a comprehensive scientometric analysis of the global literature published on the association between SLE and thyroid cancers. The data on publications within thyroid cancers in SLE patients were retrieved from the Scopus database using a defined search strategy from its first publication in 1964 to 2023. To conduct a collaboration mapping analysis among keywords, authors, journals, and territories, VOSviewer was utilized. Our final research resulted in 246 scientific publications with 8072 citations, which were published in 198 journals affiliated to 48 countries. A global upward trend has been observed in the last 20 years, with the highest number of publications in the year 2022 (n = 28; 11.4%). The United States led the global productivity ranking with 74 publications (30.1%), followed by China with 25 publications (10.2%). The most popular journals in this field were “Arthritis Research and Therapy” and “Frontiers in Endocrinology,” while the most co-cited journal was “Autoimmunity Reviews.” The top 3 most prolific authors were Bernatsky, S., Clarke, A.E., and Ramsey-Goldman, R with 9 publications each. This first scientometric study comprehensively offered an overview of the status of thyroid cancers in SLE patients, assessing scholarly productivity in this domain over a period of 50 years.

Blood hemostasis in exercise/training is discussed in this review article. Comprehensive studies on influence of exercise training on blood hemostasis are few. More study is needed to find out whether favorable effects on blood coagulation, fibrinolysis and platelet functions come from exercise training.

In the current study, response surface method (RSM) was applied to correlate stereolithography (SLA) process parameters such as layer thickness, hatch overcure, and part orientation to SLA part characteristics such as density, surface finish and ultimate tensile strength (UTS). The results showed that density was directly proportional to the hatch overcure but inversely affecting the layer thickness. Besides, the hatch overcure was shown to have a positive effect on the UTS, while the layer thickness was found to influence the UTS adversely. Furthermore, the relationship between the layer thickness and surface roughness was suggested to be directly proportional. The optimised values of process parameters indicated by the response surface model were 90°, 0.12 mm and 0.1 µm for the part orientation, hatch overcure and layer thickness, respectively. The corresponding predicted density, UTS and surface roughness of an SLA part were 1,098 kg/m3, 42.8 MPa and 5.31 µm, respectively.

Earlier studies demonstrated the detrimental effect of entrained bifilm defects on aluminum cast alloys’ tensile and fatigue properties. It was suggested that hydrogen has a contributing role as it diffuses into the bifilms and swells them out to form hydrogen porosity. In this study, the effect of the runner height and hydrogen content on the properties of A356 alloy castings was investigated using a two-level full factorial design of experiments. Four responses, the Weibull modulus and position parameter of both the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and % elongation, were assessed. The results suggested that decreasing the runner height and adopting procedures intended to decrease the hydrogen content of the casting caused a considerable enhancement of the Weibull moduli and position parameters of the UTS and % elongation. This was reasoned to the more quiescent practice during mold filling, eliminating the possibility of bifilm formation as well as the decreased hydrogen level that eliminated the amount of hydrogen diffused into the bifilms and accordingly decreased the size of the entrained defects. This, in turn, would allow the production of A356 cast alloys with better and more reproducible properties.

Developing highly efficient photocatalysts with low production costs is critical to practical applications. Single-atom photocatalysts (SAPs), in which isolated atoms are anchored on the semiconductor supports, have attracted considerable attention owing to their preeminent catalytic activity, superior selectivity, impressive stability, and maximum atom utilization efficiency. Moreover, they offer a great opportunity to explore photocatalysis on the atomic level. Single atoms stand out from bulk, nanoparticle, and nanocluster counterparts. Herein, we summarize their recent progress, mainly focusing on their properties, geometric structures, synthetic strategies, characterization techniques, and photocatalytic applications. Also, the functions of isolated metal atoms in photocatalytic reactions are discussed. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of designing and fabricating highly active SAPs are presented.

A stability-indicating validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography method was performed for the determination of mometasone furoate (MM) and salicylic acid (SLY), simultaneously within the concentration range of 0.1–1.6 μg/band for MM and 0.4–5 μg/band for SLY. This method was developed to assay the investigated drugs in the presence of their degradation products by alkaline, acidic, neutral, photolytic, and oxidative degradation. Separation was achieved using dual wavelength system, 250 nm for MM and 300 nm for SLY, with mobile phase composed of chloroform–ethanol (9:1, %v/v) and stationary phase of aluminum plates pre-coated with silica gel 60 F245. The proposed method is well used for the assay and separation of MM and SLY in pure form and Elicasal®ointment. The developed method has many advantages such as being rapid, selective and inexpensive. Such advantages promote the suggested method for the high throughput assay of MM and SLY mixture, in pure form and topical preparation. The developed method was validated according to the International Council for Harmonisation guidelines, in terms of linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, accuracy, robustness, and specificity. Assessment of greenness has been performed depending on analytical eco-scale approach.

Objectives: Gliobalstoma is the most common primary brain tumor in adults with an extensive genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity, still identification of the role of DNA methylation, as one of epigenetic alterations, is emerged. Authors aimed to study the clinical role of N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) –based methylation among GBM patients versus benign neurological diseases (BND), investigate its prognostic role and its relation with survival outcomes. Methods: A total of 78 FFPE specimens were recruited as follows: GBM (n= 58) and BND (n= 20) then analyzed for NDRG2 methylation using Methyl II quantitative PCR system. The sensitivity and specificity of methylation was detected using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the relation with clinicopathological criteria for GBM and response to treatment were studied. Survival patterns; progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analyses. Results: Mean methylation NDRG2 level was significantly increased in GBM patients as compared to BND and its sensitivity and specificity were 96.55% and 95%, respectively with area under curve (AUC) equals 0.973. Among the clinical characteristic factors, mean methylation level reported significant difference with ECOG and tumor site. Survival out comes revealed that NDRG2 methylation increased with worse PFS and OS at significant level (long rank test X2= 13.3, p< .0001; and X2= 7.1, p= .008, respectively). Conclusion: Current findings highlight the importance of studying DNA methylation of NDRG2 as a key factor to understand the role of epigenetic alterations in GBM.

In recent years, photocatalytic technology, driven by solar energy, has been extensively investigated to ease energy crisis and environmental pollution. Nevertheless, efficiency and stability of photocatalysts are still unsatisfactory. To address these issues, design of advanced photocatalysts is important. Cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanomaterials are one of the promising photocatalysts. Among them, hollow-structured CdS, featured with enhanced light absorption ability, large surface area, abundant active sites for redox reactions, and reduced diffusion distance of photogenerated carriers, reveals a broad application prospect. Herein, main synthetic strategies and formation mechanism of hollow CdS photocatalysts are summarized. Besides, we comprehensively discuss the current development of hollow-structured CdS nanomaterials in photocatalytic applications, including H2production, CO2reduction and pollutant degradation. Finally, brief conclusions and perspectives on the challenges and future directions for hollow CdS photocatalysts are proposed.

Environmental pollution is a major problem in all countries around the world. Internal combustion engine (ICE) is considered one of the main sources of emissions, thus most countries are interested in using biodiesel as alternative fuel. Scientists, researchers, and manufacturers are facing the challenge of reducing fuel burning emissions and at the same time achieving the main technological requirements such as increasing vehicle performance, decreasing fuel consumption, etc. Some of recent studies indicate that many vehicles and movable equipments accepted to use of biodiesel blends (Bb). Mainly, the new engines can be operated with Bb of 20%, 30% and B100 (Pure Biodiesel). Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) represents one of the exhaust gases that have a great impact on environmental conditions. This work presents an analytical study of NOxemissions summarising the practical solutions to reduce NOxemitted from diesel engine burning Biodiesel blends (Bb).

Hetrometal oxides of (1−x)Al2O3/xPbO2(NPs) nanoparticles with different PbO2content (x=0, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7) have been prepared by irradiation method. The NPs powder has been checked by X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD measurements affirmed the presence of both pure NPs and nanocomposites of (1−x)Al2O3/xPbO2NPs with different PbO2contents. The calculated structural parameters which using the experimental result of XRD charts to give a complete image of these measurements. Moreover, the results using FLUKA code showed that the values attenuation coefficient (μm), high effective atomic number (Zeff) and neutron shielding parameters increase as the lead dioxide increase in the Al2O3/PbO2samples. While the values of half-value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) decrease with increasing PbO2content. The investigated shielding features of the chosen Al2O3/PbO2would be advantageous for exposure control.

Background: Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a promising noninvasive physiotherapeutic approach that has been demonstrated to improve cardiac performance. This study aimed to assess the impact of low-level laser therapy on cardiac functions and clinical status in patients with chronic left ventricular systolic heart failure who were not candidates for cardiac revascularization or resynchronization. A case series of 27 patients received a course of low-level laser physiotherapy, the clinical outcomes, echocardiographic parameters, and serum nitric oxide levels were evaluated before and after LLLT. Results: Of the total patients enrolled in the study, 21 (or 77.8%) were male, with a mean age of 57.7 ± 6.89 years. NYHA classification significantly improved after low-level laser therapy, 15 patients were in class III,12 were in class IV, and no one was in class II before laser therapy while after laser therapy; 25 patients shifted to class II, two patients were in class III with P&lt; 0.001, Six-minute walk distance test was performed, and the results showed that the mean of 6MWT was less than 200 m (148.556 ± 39.092) before the study but increased to more than 300 after laser therapy (385.074 ± 61.740), left ventricular ejection fraction before laser therapy was 26 ± 7.5 while after laser therapy it became 30 ± 8.6 but diastolic function did not change after low-level laser therapy, the mean peak TR pressure was 40.0 ± 9.0 mmHg and 33.0 ± 7.0 before and after laser therapy respectively P&lt; 0.001. A significant change was observed in NO level from 4.1 ± 1.4 IU/ml before laser therapy to 5.2 ± 1.7 IU/ml after laser therapy P&lt; 0.001. Conclusions: Low-level laser therapy may add benefits to improve symptoms, clinical condition, and quality of life in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, further studies are necessary to evaluate the changes in cardiac functions at a longer follow-up duration.

Results demonstrate that resistance exercise enhances platelet count , plateletcrit, and mean plaelet volume in parallel with an activation of platelet and increases in platelet agregation and beta-thromboglobulin. Data indicate that the increases are statistically significant.

Tribological behaviors of monolithic A356 aluminum alloy castings and A356−CNT nanocomposite castings, fabricated by fully liquid and semisolid routes were examined. Samples were prepared by melt agitation, rheocasting, stir casting, and compocasting techniques. Effects of addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), casting process and the applied load on wear properties and mechanisms were investigated. It was found that wear loss, wear rate and friction coefficient of nanocomposite samples remarkably declined by the addition of CNTs. Moreover, changing the casting process from fully liquid to semisolid routes, plus increasing fractions of the primary phase were the two factors that improved the wear properties of the investigated samples, especially nanocomposite ones. In addition, it was revealed that adhesion and delamination were the dominant wear mechanism of the monolithic samples produced by fully liquid and semisolid routes, respectively. However, regardless of fabrication techniques, the abrasion was the main wear mechanism of nanocomposite samples.

This paper presents a new symmetrical single-phase nine-level dc–ac converter for the applications of distributed generation systems. The proposed multilevel inverter (MLI) utilizes four independent dc sources to generate the nine output voltage levels considering a reduced number of switching devices. The proposed inverter consists of main and auxiliary circuits. The main circuit is a single H-bridge circuit, which is responsible for output voltage polarity. The auxiliary circuit consists of a special combination of switching devices, which are used to synthesize the multilevel output voltage. The merits of the proposed MLI are: increased output voltage levels at reduced number of switching devices, low switching loss, low total harmonic distortion, low dv/dt stress on the switches, and hence, low ratings of the switching devices, and low cost. The effectiveness of the proposed MLI and its pulsewidth modulation switching pattern has been verified experimentally by using a laboratory prototype controlled by DSPACE-1103.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an aggressive type of thyroid cancer with a high mortality rate. Cytotoxic drugs are among the treatment modalities usually used for ATC treatment. However, systemic chemotherapies for ATC have not been shown to have remarkable efficacy. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters have been suggested as a possible mechanism in ATC resistance to chemotherapy. This systematic review was aimed to define the possible roles of ABC transporters in ATC resistance to chemotherapy. Numerous databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Ovid, ProQuest, and EBSCO, were searched for papers published since 1990, with predefined keywords. The literature searches were updated twice, in 2015 and 2017. All identified articles were reviewed, and 14 papers that met the inclusion criteria were selected. In the eligible studies, the roles of 10 out of 49 ABC transporters were evaluated; among them, three pumps (ABCB1, ABCC1, and ABCG2) were the most studied transporters in ATC samples. ABCC1 and ABCG2 had the highest expression rates in ATC, and ABCB1 ranked second among the inspected transporters. In conclusion, ABC transporters are the major determinants of ATC resistance to chemotherapy. By identifying these transporters, we can tailor the best treatment approach for patients with ATC. Additional studies are needed to define the exact role of each ABC transporter and other mechanisms in ATC drug resistance.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a product of catalytic dehydration of C6 sugars, is a versatile and key renewable platform chemical. The possibility to use a high substrate concentration with high yield in a single-solvent system is one of the solutions to reduce solvent usage, energy consumption, reaction volume, and operating cost. A heterogeneous catalyst and single-solvent system were employed to develop a facile and green process for the production of HMF from fructose at high concentration under moderate conditions in batch and continuous flow modes. In the batch process, with 0.1 and 0.2 w/w ion exchange resin DR-2030 as the catalyst, 98.8% fructose conversion with 82.2% HMF yield and 99.7% fructose conversion with 85% HMF yield, respectively, were obtained from 300 g/L (30% w/w) fructose in DMSO at 110 °C. The catalyst could be reused for at least five consecutive batches. Continuous dehydration of 300 g/L fructose was carried out at 110 °C in a simple flow reactor packed with the ion exchange resin. Fructose conversion of 98% and HMF yield of 82% were obtained. HMF was purified by liquid–liquid extraction, concentration, and silica chromatography.

Sound speed is an effective parameter in designing an optimal beamformer. In conventional ultrasound imaging systems, the beamformer is designed assuming a fixed value of speed, whereas the speed in a tissue is not known precisely and also may fluctuate by a great value. The errors in estimating sound speed may lead to a severe degradation in the reconstructed image, as mainlobe width and sidelobe level of the beampattern are sensitive to the speed variations. In this paper, we consider the design of a transmit beamformer, which is robust to the speed variations. The problem is formulated as a convex optimization problem versus the covariance matrix of the excitation waveforms to obtain a beampattern with predefined mainlobe width and a minimum sidelobe level for all possible variations of speed. Then, by eigen-analysis of the obtained covariance matrix, a set of nonidentical single-carrier short-pulses for the excitation waveforms were designed. Various simulations indicate that the proposed method can yield a robust beampattern whose mainlobe width and sidelobe level almost remain constant by 10% speed variations. In contrast, the beampatterns obtained by nonrobust methods suffer extensive changes.

Predictive control (PC) theory has been successfully used in numerous industrial applications. In this paper, controlling the torque of a squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG) based on maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in a grid-connected wind turbine is presented. Improving the quality of the wind energy conversion system by reducing torque ripples in the SCIG is verified. A decoupled and rapid tracking performance of the reactive power injected to the grid is observed. Online optimisation and the included system nonlinearities and restrictions of the proposed algorithm lead to high degree of reliability using only one PI controller. The proposed technique leads to high robustness of the system against the nature of the wind energy fluctuations. DC link voltage was kept constant during the dynamics of the systems. The overall simulation models have been implemented using MATLAB/SIMULINK software.

Background: Tigecycline (TIG), an antimicrobial agent indicated for complex bacterial infections, is now approved by FDA as an orphan chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia due to its inhibitory effects on pathways of activating, signaling and abnormal mitochondrial function in cancer cells. TIG is mainly administered as intravenous infusion through centralized unit of oncology centers. This necessitates the continuous analytical quality control of the prepared solution in order to identify and quantify TIG for safe intravenous administration to patients. Moreover, the clinical staff exposure risk to toxic drugs during daily handling must be considered. Such concerns require a fast, cost-effective and green analytical procedure for sensitive determination of TIG directly in infusion bags. In this work, we propose a simple, rapid and green capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) method for the sensitive assay of TIG directly in infusion bags, in addition to three simple and green spectrophotometric methods. Results: TIG solutions corresponding to clinical ranges were detected in 5%glucose. Validation of all the proposed methods was according to ICH guidelines. Greenness assessment was performed depending on Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI) and the Eco-scale approach which showed that the proposed methods are better eco-friendly methods than reported ones. It also revealed the superiority of our proposed methods in terms of simplicity and sensitivity for TIG determination in infusion bags. Quantification limits obtained were significantly lower than the administered range of TIG in infusion bags and lower than its maximum serum concentration (Cmax). This promotes the application of the proposed methods for the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability studies of TIG in various biological fluids. Conclusions: This work reports, for the first time, CZE method for the direct and rapid determination of TIG and its separation from other components in intravenous infusion solution. The developed CZE method has several advantages over current chromatographic methods such as higher efficiency of separation within short analysis time, consumption of fewer quantities of chemicals and offering better resolution than HPLC. Moreover, three green spectrophotometric methods are also proposed for TIG determination that offer many advantages such as accuracy, precision, simplicity, specificity and facility of quantification and separation of the selected drug in infusion bags and pharmaceutical preparations without any techniques for extraction.

The n-3 fatty acids are unanimously considered as high nutritional value molecules, especially Long-Chains PUFA from marine origin. However, most of the products available in the market contain LC-PUFA esterified on the glycerol under the common form of triacylglycerols. Another interesting way can be to esterify the PUFA on polar lipids and especially on Phospholipids. An original patented enzymatic process carried out under mild conditions (low temperature, no use of organic solvent) is presented to produce at industrial scale a Phospho-Lipo-Peptidic Complex, that is particularly rich in DHA esterified on the sn-2 position on PL.

In this paper, we propose a new coarray processing technique for nested electromagnetic vector-sensor (EMVS) arrays. Vector-sensors by providing multi-component measurements of the incident waves offer additional information over the common single-output scalar sensors. The current paper takes the advantage of the multi-component measurements of vector-sensors combined with the elegant nested array strategy to design a new coarray processing technique. In this way, we utilize the auto/cross-correlation matrices of the underlying subarrays of the nested EMVS array to serve as snapshots in the coarray domain. Then, we apply two levels of spatial and temporal smoothing procedure to recover the rank of the model and also improve the covariance matrix estimation in the difference coarray domain. The proposed method can provide O (N 2) degrees of freedom (DOFs) with only N physical EMVSs. The effectiveness of the proposed coarray processing technique is demonstrated through several simulation examples. Simulation results show that the proposed technique provides superior resolution capabilities and more accurate DOA estimates in the asymptotic region compared to the other counterparts. Moreover, the proposed method requires relatively less computational efforts among the other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-equal channel lateral extrusion (NECLE) is a new process that can be used to attain higher grain refinement in comparison with equal channel lateral extrusion (ECLE). The die design for this process was numerically and experimentally studied. After finding a good correlation between the numerical and experimental results, more comprehensive FE analyses were carried out. Different die geometrical parameters were considered and their effects on the induced plastic strain, stress distribution, velocity field and forming load of the process were investigated. It was found that by this process with a suitable set of die geometrical parameters, higher induced effective strain and more homogeneous strain distribution could be achieved in comparison with ECLE operation.

A highly validated and selective high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the determination of cetirizine dihydrochloride (CET) with pseudoephedrine (PSE) and/or phenylpropanolamine (PPA) and paracetamol (PAR) in their pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method was based on HPTLC separation of the drugs followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 257 nm. Separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F254using methanol-distilled water (9.95:0.05, v/v) as mobile phase. The linear regression analysis data were used for the regression line in the range of 1–4, 3–10, 4–8, and 5–100 µg band−1for CET, PSE, PPA, and PAR, respectively. The proposed method was validated and successfully applied for the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations and laboratory-prepared mixtures containing the two multicomponent combinations. The method is validated and showed good performances in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy, and stability.

The mechanical properties of Al castings are reduced by inclusions, particularly double oxide films, or bifilms, which are formed due to surface turbulence of the liquid metal during handling and/or pouring. These defects have been reported not only to decrease the tensile and fatigue properties of Al alloy castings, but also to increase their scatter. Recent research has suggested that the nature of oxide film defects may change with time, as the air inside the bifilm would react with the surrounding melt leading to its consumption, which may enhance the mechanical properties of Al alloy castings. In order to follow changes in the composition of the internal atmosphere of a double oxide film defect within an Al melt, a series of analogue experiments were carried out to determine the changes in gas composition of an air bubble trapped in a melt of commercial purity Al, subjected to stirring. The bubble contents were analysed using a mass spectrometer to determine their change in composition with time. Also, the solid species inside the bubbles solidified in the melt were analysed. The results suggested that first oxygen and then nitrogen inside the bubble were consumed, with consumption rates of 2.5x10-6 and 1.3x10-6 mol m-2s-1, respectively. Also, hydrogen diffused into the bubble from the melt at an average rate of 3.4x10-7 mol m-2s-1, although the rate of H diffusion increased significantly after the consumption of most of the oxygen inside the bubble. Based upon these reaction rates the time required for a typical alumina bifilm to lose all its oxygen and nitrogen was determined to be just under 10 minutes.

OBJECTIVE: To compare between selected post-operatives physical therapy modalities after transverse carpal ligament release. DESIGN: Double blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Health insurance hospital outpatient clinic in Cairo, Egypt. SUBJECTS: Forty-five female patients aged 25–45 years, following transverse carpal ligament release of the dominant hand, referred to the physical therapy outpatient clinic of a health insurance hospital, Egypt. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly allocated to three equal groups of 15: Ultrasonic group received continuous ultrasound with nerve and tendon gliding exercises, Laser group received laser therapy and the same exercises, Exercise group received the same exercises only. Treatment duration was six weeks, three times per week. MAIN MEASURE: Visual analogue scale for pain intensity, pinch dynamometer for muscle strength, motor and sensory distal latencies for median nerve. RESULTS: There was significant improvement after treatment in all groups, with no significant difference between the Ultrasonic group and the Laser group; there was a highly significant difference between the Ultrasonic group and the Exercise group, and a significant difference between the Laser group and the Exercise group. CONCLUSION: Continuous ultrasound accompanied with nerve and tendon gliding exercises is considered more effective in the post-operative treatment of transverse carpal ligament release, giving best results and percentage of improvements when compared either to Laser therapy with nerve and tendon gliding exercises or nerve and tendon gliding exercises only.

A highly validated and selective high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the determination of loratadine (LOR) and desloratadine (DES) in their pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method was based on HPTLC separation of the two drugs followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 254 nm. The separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F254using methanol-ammonia (10:0.3, v/v) as mobile phase. The linear regression analysis data were used for the regression line in the range of 0.25–0.85 and 0.10–1.00 µg band−1for LOR and DES, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of the two drugs in their commercial tablets, capsules, and syrups, and the results were in good agreement with those obtained with the comparison method. The proposed method is specific for the simultaneous determination of loratadine and desloratadine in the presence of other co-formulated drugs, such as pseudoephedrine. The method is validated and showed good performances in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy, and stability.

The authors present a study for the first time, an alternative coating route based on an autocatalytic process on metal alloy, to induce Ca–P layer in a way similar to the process of natural bone formation. Ti6Al4V (High-grade titanium aluminium vanadium alloy) substrates were subjected to several pretreatment steps, such as alkali and heat treatments. Afterwards, they were immersed in autocatalytic baths under certain conditions to form Ca–P layers. To check their biochemical stability, the treated substrates were immersed in SBF (simulated body fluid) for 4 days. The biolayers were investigated by FESEM-EDS (field emission scanning electron microscope—energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy) and FT-IR (Fourier trasform infra-red spectroscopy), before and after immersion in SBF. Biochemical analyses were also performed to evaluate the calcium and phosphorous content in SBF. In autocatalytic baths, Ca–P precipitates on the pretreated substrates after only 2 h. Moreover, after being immersed for 4 days in SBF, the phosphates begin to dissolve and to be replaced by carbonates.

The present study aims to examine the mode of formation and sedimentary association of the reefal sediments, Ras Abu el-Darag, northern Gulf of Suez. Samples were collected from different zones along a traverse section perpendicular to the coastline. Geochemical, mineralogical and petrographical studies were performed. In addition the chemistry, mineralogy, oxygen and carbon isotope analyses were been done on separate ooids from selected samples. Ras Abu el-Darag sediments consist mainly of nonskeletal components mixed with skeletal components. Low diversity of skeletal components was observed. Aragonite is the major carbonate mineral, followed by calcite (4–8 mol% MgCO3) then Mg-calcite (> 8 mol% MgCO3) and dolomite. Dolomite, found in Ras Abu el-Darag sediments, seems to be partially syngenetic in origin due to microbial activity and partially allochthonous derived from adjacent coastal areas. Ooids are the major sedimentary constituents. These ooids are polymineralic and consist of three minerals, aragonite which comprises about 73.3% followed by calcite and Mg-calcite. Data of δO18and δC13on some selected ooids fall within the field of shallow marine carbonates. δO18ranges from 2.834%. to 3.635%.. On the other hand δC13is ranging between −0.014%. and 0.695%.. On the basis of the size of nucleus, the thickness of laminae, the type of the nucleus, as well as the situation in Ras Abu el-Darag sediments where those ooids were not associated with mud, the ooids found in Ras Abu el-Darag sediments are considered to be autochthonous ooids having intrabasinal origin.

This study examined the effect of prolonged submaximal exercise followed by a self-paced maximal performance test on cholesterol (T-Chol), triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC). Nine trained male athletes cycled at 70% of maximal oxygen consumption for 60 min, followed by a selfpaced maximal ride for 10 min. Venous blood samples were obtained at rest, at 30 and 60 min during submaximal exercise, and immediately after the performance test. Lactic acid, haematocrit (Hct), haemoglobin (Hb), T-Chol and TG were measured in the blood, while plasma was assayed for HDL-C. Plasma volume changes in response to exercise were calculated from Hct and Hb values and all lipid measurements were corrected accordingly. In order to ascertain the repeatability of lipid responses to exercise, all subjects were re-tested under identical testing conditions and experimental protocols. When data obtained during the two exercise trials were analysed by two-way ANOVA no significant differences (P > 0.05) between tests were observed. Consequently the data obtained during the two testing trials were pooled and analysed by one-way ANOVA. Blood lactic acid increased non-significantly (P > 0.05) during the prolonged submaximal test, but rose markedly (P < 0.05) following the performance ride. Lipid variables ascertained at rest were within the normal range for healthy subjects. ANOVA showed that blood T-Chol and TG were unchanged (P > 0.05), whereas HDL-C rose significantly (P < 0.05) in response to exercise. Post hoc analyses indicated that the latter change was due to a significant rise in HDL-C after the performance ride. It is concluded that apparent favourable changes in lipid profile variables occur in response to prolonged submaximal exercise followed by maximal effort, and these changes showed a good level of agreement over the two testing occasions.

EL-SAYED, M. S. and B. DAVIES. A physical conditioning program does not alter fibrinogen concentration in young healthy subjects. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 485–489, 1995. Twenty five subjects were divided into experimental (N= 13, 7 male and 6 female, age 32.1 ± 6.4 yr) and control groups (N= 12, 6 male and 6 female, age 33.4 ± 5.4 yr) in order to examine the effect of a conditioning program on fibrinogen concentration. Before and after conditioning, O2maxwas determined in all subjects. The experimental group (E) exercised for 30 min, 3 d·wk-1for 12 wk at 70 (initial 6 wk) and 80 (latter 6 wk) of maximum heart rate. The control group (C) maintained normal activity pattern. After conditioning, subjects in E, but not in C, increased (P> 0.001) their O2max. Resting fibrinogen concentrations (RFC) before conditioning were similar between the two groups, and demonstrated no change in the C group (242.9 ± 40.3 mg·dl-1vs 247.4 ± 38.7 mg·dl-1, P> 0.05) after conditioning. Although RFC showed a 6 decrease in the E group post conditioning (249.1 ± 21.5 mg·dl-1vs 236.4 ± 34.6 mg·dl-1), this decrease was not significant (P> 0.05). A significant increase (P< 0.05) in fibrinogen concentrations were observed after maximal exercise in both groups pre and post conditioning; however, this increase disappeared (P> 0.05) when data were corrected for hemoconcentration. These results suggest that after conditioning the 6 decrease in RFC was not statistically significant, but the possibility of Type II error is high.

Oxygen consumption, respiratory evaporative water loss, respiratory rate and gas tensions in the clavicular and abdominal air sacs and in arterial blood were monitored after occluding either the cranial thoracic air sac only (CRT group) or the cranial and caudal thoracic air sacs together (CRT-CT group). Respiratory water loss was used to estimate minute ventilation. Both experimental groups were able to maintain control levels of ventilation at rest and during treadmill exercise at approximately three times the resting metabolic rate. The CRT group regulated blood and intrapulmonary and normally, but there was a slight hypoxaemia/hypercapnaemia in the CRT-CT group, apparently as a result of parabronchial hypoventilation. The differential distribution of gas tensions between the cranial and caudal groups of air sacs was the same in control and experimental birds, suggesting that a normal intrapulmonary airflow pattern was preserved in the absence of the thoracic air sacs. The findings are discussed in the light of current models of the control of intrapulmonary airflow in birds.

EL-SAYED, M. S. Extrinsic plasminogen activator response to exercise after a single dose of propranolol. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 327–332, 1992. The level of plasminogen activators was measured in 12 volunteers at rest and after maximum exercise. Two formulations of a beta-blocker “propranolol,” or placebo, were given (oral dose, 10 mg) 2 h before exercise commenced. At weekly intervals over 21 d, randomized double-blind, cross-over trials were conducted. Two hours after drug/placebo administration, subjects exercised to maximal capacity using an incremental exercise protocol on a bicycle ergometer. Before and 2 h after drug/placebo administration and immediately after maximum exercise, heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen consumption were measured, venous blood was removed, and plasma separated for the measurement of plasminogen activators using the fibrin plate method. Duplicate portions of plasma were taken: portion 1 for determination of total plasminogen activators activity, by the addition of dextran sulphate and flufenamic acid; portion 2 to assay extrinsic plasminogen activator, intrinsic plasminogen activator being blocked by the addition of C1-inactivator. Resting and postmaximum exercise heart rates showed significant decreases (P< 0.05), with a nonsignificant difference in the resting level of extrinsic and intrinsic activators when the subjects were premedicated with either of the two formulations. Total and extrinsic activities, but not intrinsic activity, were significantly increased (P< 0.05) to maximum exercise when subjects were given placebo. However, premedication with the drug formulations 1 and 2 significantly decreased (P< 0.05) the normal total and extrinsic activities response to maximum exercise, with no effect on the intrinsic activity. It is suggested that the resting level of activators activity may not be affected by premedication with propranolol. After maximum exercise without medication (placebo), there was an increase in total plasminogen activator mainly due to an increase in extrinsic plasminogen activator, but with medication only extrinsic plasminogen activator response was decreased, and therefore this response may be beta-adrenergically mediated.

EL-SAYED, M. S. Fibrinolytic and hemostatic parameter response after resistance exercise. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 25, No. 5, pp. 597–602, 1993. These experiments were designed to study the effect of resistance exercise on parameters pertinent to the hemostatic and fibrinolytic systems. Seven normal healthy subjects (6 male, 1 female, 25 ± 3 yr X SD) were studied under three conditions: control (C) [no exercise], high volume resistance exercise (HVRE), and low volume resistance exercise (LVRE), which were randomized for each subject, with 7 d separating tests. Both HVRE and LVRE trials encompassed the performance of five sets of nine exercises. After establishing one repetition maximum (1RM), the HVRE involved the performance of moderate resistance, higher repetition, and shorter resting periods, whereas LVRE involved the use of high resistance, lower repetition, and longer resting intervals. Heart rate (HR) was monitored at rest and continuously during trials and venous blood was removed with minimum stasis, before and immediately after HVRE, LVRE, and before and after 38 min of supine rest (C). The blood was enzymatically analyzed for lactic acid (LA) and assayed using chromogenic substrates for the determination of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), and Factor VIII (FVIII) activities. Global fibrinolysis (GF) was also screened in the fibrin plate and hematocrit ratios were employed to calculate percent plasma volume changes. Values were corrected for changes in plasma volume then data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. There were no significant (P> 0.05) changes in the parameters measured in the resting condition over the three testing occasions and no significant differences (P> 0.05) were observed during the control experiment. Compared with C, HVRE and LVRE induced a significant (P< 0.05) increase in HR, LA, t-PA, FVIII, and GF, with a response related to exercise volume. PAI activity decreased significantly (P< 0.05) in response to HVRE and LVRE and was significantly (P< 0.05) lower in HVRE than LVRE. It is concluded that resistance exercise induces similar alterations in the hemostatic and fibrinolytic systems to those reported with endurance exercise.

It has been reported that catecholamine release is associated with stressful events and that adrenaline administration induces hyperfibrinolysis. To examine the possible involvement of the adrenoreceptor mechanism in the regulation of fibrinolytic activity at rest and to maximum exercise, 12 healthy volunteers (six males and six females, age range 19–21 yr) were orally medicated with two formulations of a beta blocker. The drug treatments consisted of 1) a single dose of OM756 alpha 10 mg propranolol “Inderal” tablet, 2) a single dose of a generic 10 mg propranolol tablet, and 3) a single dose of generic placebo. The drug administrations were assigned to the subjects using a complete Latin square design and double-blind procedure and were separated by 7 d. Two hours after the administration of the respective drug treatment, subjects exercised to maximal capacity using a graded exercise protocol on a bicycle ergometer. Prior to and 2 h after the drug administration and immediately after maximum exercise, heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen consumption were measured and venous blood was removed and analyzed for fibrinolytic activity using a standard fibrin plate method. ANOVA showed that the resting and maximum heart rates were significantly reduced (P< 0.05) following oral premedication with either of the two formulations of beta blocker, while blood pressure and oxygen consumption were unaffected. ANOVA also showed no difference in the resting fibrinolytic activity 2 h post-administration of the drug treatments but a significant decrease (P< 0.05) in the normal fibrinolytic response to maximum exercise. It was concluded, therefore, that the resting level of fibrinolytic activity is not mediated via an adrenergic pathway but that the enhanced fibrinolytic activity to maximum exercise is partially regulated via an adrenoreceptor mechanism.

The physiological mechanism of exercise-induced hyperfibrinolysis is not fully understood. It has been reported that exercise increases plasma arginine vasopressin (PAVP) and that PAVP infusion enhances blood fibrinolytic activity (FA). To characterize the fibrinolytic role of PAVP during exercise, PAVP and FA were examined before and after submaximal and maximal exercise in 16 normal, healthy volunteers. After completion of a 100 o2maxexercise test on a bicycle ergometer, which elicited exhaustion in 14.3 ± 1.4 min (MSD), subjects were randomly assigned to exercise trials at 40 and 70 o2 maxfor 15 min, each of the three tests being separated by 7 d. Prior to and immediately after the completion of the respective exercise treatment, heart rate, o2uptake, and respiratory quotient were measured and venous blood was removed and analyzed for PAVP using radioimmunoassay. The fibrin plate method (FP) and euglobulin lysis time (ELT) technique were employed to assess FA. The intrinsic and extrinsic plasminogen activators' response to all exercise treatments was also examined in pooled plasma prepared from the same subjects. Differentiation between the intrinsic and extrinsic activators' activity was ascertained in the FP by blocking the former with the addition of C1-inactivator. Lactic acid was measured using a standard spectrophotometric method. Compared to rest, FA was significantly increased (P< 0.05) in all exercise tests when assessed using ELT, with a response related to exercise intensity. However, the 40 o2 maxexercise trial caused a nonsignificant increase (P> 0.05) in FA using the FP method, with a significant increase (P< 0.05) being observed in 70 and 100 o2 maxexercise tests. Results obtained from pooled plasma indicated that this enhanced fibrinolytic activity was mainly due to an increase in the level of extrinsic plasminogen activator. PAVP rose significantly in all exercise trials, with a response related to exercise intensity. No direct relationships (P> 0.05) were found between FA and PAVP responses in the submaximal and maximal exercise tests. The present findings suggest that the level of FA and PAVP is increased during exercise with intensity-related response and that the stimuli generated directly or indirectly during exercise may be one of the many factors causing an increase in FA.

Haemostatic disturbances associated with elevated plasma fibrinogen levels have been implicated in coronary heart disease. Changes involving plasma fibrinogen levels have been reported after acute exercise. However, the results reported have sometimes been controversial, due to differences in the populations studied, exercise protocols and testing procedures, and the analytical methods employed for the assessment of plasma fibrinogen levels. The influence of physical training on plasma fibrinogen levels is more controversial and less well known. Cross-sectional studies suggest that regular exercise reduces plasma fibrinogen concentration. However, the influence of training programmes on plasma fibrinogen levels is less well studied and the available data are still poor with conflicting results being reported. This lack of evidence warrants further investigations in order to clarify the exact effects of acute exercise and physical training on plasma fibrinogen levels in normal healthy individuals and patients.

Disturbances of the haemostatic balance may result in thrombosis or bleeding tendency. There have been abundant reports on the effects of exercise on blood haemostasis, but the results reported have been conflicting and difficult to interpret. This review outlines and critically evaluates the relevant literature on the effects of short term exercise and physical training on the 3 systems of blood haemostasis i.e. blood coagulation, fibrinolysis and platelet aggregation. Short term exercise is usually associated with a significant shortening of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and a marked increase in factor VIII (FVIII). The rise in FVIII is directly related to exercise intensity and the individuals’ training status. Exercise also induces a significant increase in blood fibrinolysis which is dependent on exercise intensity, duration and training condition. The rise in blood fibrinolysis is mainly due to an increase in tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and a decrease in its main inhibitor plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) which are released from the endothelial cells of the vessel wall. Platelet count increases in exercise and this is probably due to a fresh release of platelets from the spleen, bone marrow and lungs. Studies on the effects of exercise on platelet aggregation and markers of platelet activation have produced conflicting results, and the exact effects of exercise remain as yet undetermined. It is suggested that short term exercise activates blood coagulation and enhances blood fibrinolysis and the delicate balance between clot formation and clot dissolution is maintained in normal populations. No valid conclusion could be reached regarding the actual effects of physical training on blood coagulation, fibrinolysis and platelet aggregation. This is undoubtedly due to variations in training programmes employed, populations studied, and the analytical methods used.

Chronic neck pain (CNP) is a major concern for pain therapists. Many drugs including antidepressants such as amitriptyline have been used in the management of CNP. This study compared the efficacy and safety of 2 different doses of amitriptyline (5 mg and 10 mg at bedtime) in patients with CNP. A total of 80 patients of both sexes with idiopathic CNP, ranging in age from 18 to 75 years, were divided into 2 groups that received 5 or 10 mg oral amitriptyline at bedtime for 120 days. The primary outcome measure was neck pain disability index (NPDI). Neck pain intensity, Athens Insomnia Scale score, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), side effects of the drug, and patient satisfaction were secondary outcome measures. NPDI decreased by 71.9% ± 13.4% in the 10 mg group compared to 47.3% ± 17.3% in the 5 mg group, representing a statistically significant difference (95% confidence interval: 27.3–12.6). Additionally, the 10 mg group showed greater mean reductions in pain score and HADS scores (both the anxiety and depression subscales), as well as improvement in sleep disturbance compared to the 5 mg group. A higher dose (10 mg) of amitriptyline at bedtime significantly reduced neck pain intensity, sleep disturbance, and anxiety and depression compared to a lower dose (5 mg) in patients with idiopathic and nontraumatic CNP after 120 days of treatment, with no significant difference between groups in the rate of side effects.

One of the essential challenges in brain–computer interface is to classify motor imagery (MI) signals. In this paper, an ensemble SVM-based voting system is proposed. In each line of this system, the EEG signal is transformed into different representations based on discrete cosine transform, Fourier transform, common spatial pattern, and empirical mode decomposition, and then these representations are combined in a triple-frame matrix. These frames are fed into a pre-trained deep convolutional neural network as a feature extractor. For each line, an SVM is employed to classify the extracted feature vectors. Finally, a decision is made based on voting between these SVMs. Performance of the proposed method is examined on the BCI Competition III dataset Iva to separate right hand and foot movement imagery. The simple proposed method achieves the average accuracy of 96.34% for all of the subjects, and 99.70% for the best situation that is an improvement in MI classification. In addition, it can be seen that right side of the brain is more effective than the other side in EEG-based MI classification.