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This case report presents a novel cause of rigid flatfoot caused by the entrapment of the Flexor Hallucis Longus (FHL) tendon within the subtalar joint. A 19-year-old male with chronic right ankle and foot pain diagnosed with rigid flatfoot deformity. MRI identified the FHL tendon entrapped within the subtalar joint, a condition to our knowledge never previously reported. This report highlights the importance of thorough clinical evaluation and advanced imaging techniques in diagnosing rare causes of rigid flatfoot and suggests that surgical options may still be valid for such rare presentations.

Introduction: Acute accidental poisoning in children remains a significant public health issue and a predictable cause of morbidity around the world. To take preventive measures, it is necessary to identify the pattern of this problem. Objective: To determine the extent and characteristics of paediatric poisoning, an epidemiological investigation specific to each country is required. The goal of our research was to determine the current pattern of acute poisoning in children between (0−5) years old in Jordan. Methods: This retrospective study performs a descriptive analysis of the Jordan University Hospital’s National Poison Information Center (NPIC) database and describes the epidemiology of acute poisoning in children between (0−5) years old during a period of two years (2018–2019). Results: Paediatric poisoning (0−5) years old accounts for approximately 88% of poisoning cases in Jordan between 2018 and 2019.Out of 3531 paediatric poisoning cases, 44.9% of cases were in children between (2−3) years old, 63.4% of subjects were male. 40.9% of calls were from governmental hospitals. Most cases occurred at home (98.7%) and were unintentional (98.6%). Medication poisoning was the commonest among cases (71.0%). Besides, 89.4% were asymptomatic at the time of call, and Central Nervous System (CNS) symptoms being the most common (3.6%) among the symptomatic cases. Conclusions: Most cases of paediatric poisoning handled by the NPIC was due to medications. To prevent or minimize these cases, it is necessary to educate parents and other caregivers about proper medication storage and use, and in case of poisoning, urgent referral to health facilities is required.

Mohammed Mohammed Battah,1,2 Hadzliana Zainal,1 Doa’a Anwar Ibrahim,2 Nur Hafzan Binti Md Hanafiah,1 Syed Azhar Syed Sulaiman,1 Abdulsalam Halboup1,2 1Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia; 2Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, University of Science and Technology, Sana’a, YemenCorrespondence: Mohammed Mohammed Battah, Departments of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, University of Science and Technology, Sana’a, Yemen, Tel +‏ 967777404880, Email mmalbattah@gmail.com Hadzliana Zainal, Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 11800, Malaysia, Email hadz@usm.myBackground: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a prevalent and distressing adverse effect that can negatively affect a patient’s quality of life and treatment adherence.Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the consistency of antiemetic use with standard guidelines and to examine the factors influencing it.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Oncology Center (NOC) of Al-Jomhouri Teaching Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen, from November 2022 to September 2023. Demographic data, chemotherapy and antiemetic regimens, dosages, and patient-related risk factors were collected via direct interviews, medical records, and treatment charts. This study evaluated the consistency of antiemetic practices among non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) patients using the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. The chi-squared test and regression were used to determine the factors associated with guideline consistency.Results: A total of 251 patients with NHL were recruited for the study; 57.4% were male and 60.6% were aged between 18– 49. Most of the patients received moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (81.3%). The overall consistency with the NCCN guidelines was only 23.9%, with antiemetic drug selection and dosage reported inconsistently in 62.9% and 16.7% of patients, respectively. Furthermore, 62.5% of the patients received an under-prescribed antiemetic prophylactic regimen. Treatment duration, number of chemotherapy cycles, emetogenic risk potential, and overall patient risk, as well as age, sex, and marital status, were significantly associated with guideline inconsistency (p < 0.05).Conclusion: This study revealed a notable gap in the consistency of antiemetic prescriptions among patients with NHL. Inappropriate drug selection, dosing, and under-prescription are common problems. Patient regimen risk factors significantly influenced the consistency of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. Personalized approaches are essential to enhance adherence to guidelines and improve antiemetic strategies.Keywords: non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, chemotherapy, nausea, vomiting, antiemetics, Yemen

Despite providing unparalleled connectivity and convenience, the exponential growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem has triggered significant cybersecurity concerns. These concerns stem from various factors, including the heterogeneity of IoT devices, widespread deployment, and inherent computational limitations. Integrating emerging technologies to address these concerns becomes imperative as the dynamic IoT landscape evolves. Machine Learning (ML), a rapidly advancing technology, has shown considerable promise in addressing IoT security issues. It has significantly influenced and advanced research in cyber threat detection. This survey provides a comprehensive overview of current trends, methodologies, and challenges in applying machine learning for cyber threat detection in IoT environments. Specifically, we further perform a comparative analysis of state-of-the-art ML-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) in the landscape of IoT security. In addition, we shed light on the pressing unresolved issues and challenges within this dynamic field. We provide a future vision with Generative AI and large language models to enhance IoT security. The discussions present an in-depth understanding of different cyber threat detection methods, enhancing the knowledge base of researchers and practitioners alike. This paper is a valuable resource for those keen to delve into the evolving world of cyber threat detection leveraging ML and IoT security.

Human coronaviruses are a continuous threat to the human population and have limited antiviral treatments, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic sparked interest in finding new antiviral strategies, such as natural products, to combat emerging coronaviruses. Rapid efforts in the scientific community to identify effective antiviral agents for coronaviruses remain a focus to minimize mortalities and global setbacks. In this study, an essential oil derived from Myrtus communis L. (MEO) is effective against HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 virus infections in comparison to two FDA-approved drugs, Remdesivir and Nirmatrelvir. Gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to identify the chemical composition of MEO. Slight antioxidant activity was observed in MEO, indicating a role in oxidative stress. A dose–response curve measuring the EC50 indicates a high potency against HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 virus infections on Huh7.5 cells with low cytotoxicity using a PrestoBlue cell viability assay. Our findings demonstrate that MEO exhibits potent antiviral activity against HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 on Huh7.5 cells within a low-cytotoxicity range, but not on SARS-CoV-2. Artificial bacterial chromosome plasmids that expressed SARS-CoV-2 used for replicon—to determine viral replication and viral assembly/egress on HEK293T/17 cells—and virus-like particles on Huh7.5-AT cells—to determine viral entry and assembly/egress—showed no antiviral activity with MEO in comparison to Remdesivir. This study reveals the potential effectiveness of MEO as an alternative natural remedy to treat human coronaviruses and a potential antiviral agent for future coronavirus infections.

Abdulsalam M Halboup,1,2 Karem H Alzoubi,3,4 Rana K Abu-Farha,5 Sabariah Noor Harun,2 Ahmed Al-Mohamadi,1 Mohammed M Battah,1,2 Ammar Ali Saleh Jaber,6 Sameer Alkubati,7,8 Fahmi Y Al-Ashwal1,9 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, University of Science and Technology, Sana’a, Yemen; 2Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia; 3Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; 4Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 5Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, 11931, Jordan; 6Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacotherapeutics, Dubai Pharmacy College for Girls, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 7Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hodeidah University, Hodeidah, Yemen; 8Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia; 9Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Al-Ayen University, Thi-Qar, IraqCorrespondence: Abdulsalam M Halboup, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, University of Science and Technology, Sana’a, Yemen, Tel +967774960247, Email a.halboup@ust.edu.yeBackground: The spread of monkeypox (mpox) worldwide poses a severe threat to human life. This virus leads to a disease with symptoms similar to smallpox in humans. To combat this threat, improving public knowledge and perception toward mpox is vital for public health preventive measures.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Yemen from December 2022 to March 2023 to investigate public perception and knowledge of mpox. Individuals were approached through social media platforms using a convenient sampling approach. Linear regression was used to determine the association between participants’ knowledge (dependent variable) and explanatory variables.Results: A total of 853 individuals consented to take part in the study. A significant proportion of respondents had a low knowledge level (N=572, 67.06%). Most participants knew about the nature of the diseases (75%, n=641), transmission mode (78.1%, n=668), hand sanitizer preventive measures, and skin- related symptoms. However, only 20.8% (n= 178) knew that diarrhea is not a symptom, and 25.4% (n= 217) knew antibiotics are unnecessary for mpox management. A proportion of 57.7% (n=492) of the participants feared human mpox, and 47.7% (n= 407) thought it was a conspiracy. Most participants had a good perception of local and international health authorities controlling the disease. Age, education level, having a health-related certificate, and receiving a 2-dose vaccination for COVID-19 had statistically significant associations with mpox knowledge level (P < 0.05). Social media platforms were the most often used information source about mpox (78.3%, n= 668), followed by articles (41.1%, n=351).Conclusion: The study reveals a low public knowledge about mpox in Yemen, emphasizing the need for targeted educational campaigns, especially via social media, to strengthen public health measures and disease control. Addressing Knowledge gaps and correcting misconceptions is crucial for improving preparedness and response to the disease.Keywords: monkeypox virus, public knowledge, public perception, outbreak, Yemen

The preparation of human sperm in an andrology laboratory subjects it to oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species are produced by mitochondria, making it susceptible to oxidative damage; hence, mitochondria-targeted antioxidants like Mitoquinone (MitoQ) might have therapeutic potential for oxidative-damage-associated disorders. The current research aims to establish whether MitoQ has any positive effects during in vitro preparation of fresh human sperm. Viability and motility are evaluated to determine the effective MitoQ concentration and to assess whether MitoQ supplementation is affected by sperm concentration by incubating normospermia semen samples at 37 °C for 2 h and 4 h, respectively. The effect of semen centrifugation following supplementation of 20 × 106 sperm/mL with 200 nM MitoQ is also assessed by measuring viability, motility and sperm DNA fragmentation. The best sperm motility is achieved after 2 h of incubation with 200 nM MitoQ at 37 °C. Sperm concentration of 20 × 106 sperm/mL is the best concentration where 200 nM MitoQ works efficiently. For semen centrifugation at 300× g for 20 min, supplementation with 200 nM MitoQ shows higher sperm motility. The current results demonstrate that MitoQ supplementation during in vitro human semen preparation procedures positively affects fresh sperm motility without affecting viability or increasing DNA fragmentation.

Antibiotic resistance is a major problem and a major global health concern. In total, there are 16 million deaths yearly from infectious diseases, and at least 65% of infectious diseases are caused by microbial communities that proliferate through the formation of biofilms. Antibiotic overuse has resulted in the evolution of multidrug-resistant (MDR) microbial strains. As a result, there is now much more interest in non-antibiotic therapies for bacterial infections. Among these revolutionary, non-traditional medications is quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs). Bacterial cell-to-cell communication is known as quorum sensing (QS), and it is mediated by tiny diffusible signaling molecules known as autoinducers (AIs). QS is dependent on the density of the bacterial population. QS is used by Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria to control a wide range of processes; in both scenarios, QS entails the synthesis, identification, and reaction to signaling chemicals, also known as auto-inducers. Since the usual processes regulated by QS are the expression of virulence factors and the creation of biofilms, QS is being investigated as an alternative solution to antibiotic resistance. Consequently, the use of QS-inhibiting agents, such as QSIs and quorum quenching (QQ) enzymes, to interfere with QS seems like a good strategy to prevent bacterial infections. This review sheds light on QS inhibition strategy and mechanisms and discusses how using this approach can aid in winning the battle against resistant bacteria.

Urinothorax is one of the rare causes of pleural effusion of extra-vascular origin, commonly presents with a transudative pleural effusion due to obstruction, injury or trauma to the genitourinary tract. It is not a common cause which increases the likelihood of underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis. Herein, we are presenting a 65-year-old gentleman who presented with urinary symptoms found to have urinothorax secondary to urinary tract obstruction by benign prostatic hypertrophy. This case was further complicated by urinoma and pyelonephritis. We are reporting this case to highlight the importance of including this entity in the differential diagnosis in patients who have pleural effusion especially if they presented with obstructive urinary symptoms.

Abstract Background and Aims Healthcare workers in particular frequently report Work‐related musculoskeletal diseases (WRMSDs). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and features of WRMSDs in residents from different specialties and trainee nurses from educational hospitals in Damascus, Syria. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was undertaken aiming at the medical residents and the trainee nurses working in the public health sector in 11 hospitals. The sample size was found to be 2016. In this study, a modified version of the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire was employed. Results After the inclusion and exclusion criteria was the number of the participants 1855. In general, musculoskeletal pain was in the past week (69%) and the past 12 months (85%). Musculoskeletal pain in medical care practitioners was found to be linked to higher mean age (p = 0.0053) and body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.0437) in the last year. Females had a higher prevalence of WRMSDs than males (p = 0.0036), and those who were married also had a higher prevalence (p = 0.0218). Working longer hours per week and per month were associated with musculoskeletal pain in the previous 7 days (p = 0.0043 and p = 0.0003, respectively). Conclusion WRMSD prevalence was 85% among our study participants in the previous year. The most common complaint was lower back pain. Aging, female gender, and increasing BMI have been associated with higher reporting of WRMSDs. Our results suggested that doctors were twice as susceptible to developing WRMSDs as nurses. These results highlight the increasing urgency for ergonomics training programs and effective interventions to reduce WRMSDs and enhance working conditions for healthcare professionals in Syria.

Background: Epididymitis is a common cause of scrotal pain in adults, with coliform bacteria being the most common isolated organisms in patients older than 35. Case presentation: A 51-year-old healthy patient presented with scrotal pain and swelling, and was found to have epididymo-orchitis and bacteraemia caused by Haemophilus influenzae, which has not previously been reported as a cause of epididymo-orchitis and bacteraemia in immunocompetent patients. Discussion: Diagnostic studies can help confirm the diagnosis and detect the causative pathogen. In all suspected cases, a urinalysis, urine culture and a urine or urethral swab for nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis should be performed. Colour Doppler ultrasonography often shows an enlarged thickened epididymis with increased Doppler wave pulsation in epididymitis. H. influenzae are pleomorphic gram-negative rods that commonly colonise the human respiratory tract and are associated with a number of clinical conditions. H. influenzae has been reported as a cause of epididymo-orchitis in prepubertal boys, and in few cases were associated with positive blood cultures. In adults, H. influenzae has been isolated before from urine samples or urethral swabs in patients with epididymitis or epididymo-orchitis. Conclusion: This case highlights the possibility of H. influenzae causing epididymo-orchitis and bacteraemia in immunocompetent patients. Healthcare providers should consider H. influenzae in the differential diagnosis of epididymitis and epididymo-orchitis in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients.

Abdulsalam M Halboup,1,2 Karem H Alzoubi,3,4 Rana K Abu-Farha,5 Sabariah Noor Harun,2 Ahmed Al-Mohamadi,1 Mohammed Battah,1,2 Ammar Ali Saleh Jaber,6 Sameer Alkubati,7,8 Fahmi Y Al-Ashwal1,9 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, University of Science and Technology, Sana’a, Yemen; 2Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia; 3Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; 4Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 5Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, 11931, Jordan; 6Department of Clinical Pharmacy& Pharmacotherapeutics, Dubai Pharmacy College for Girls, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 7Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hodeidah University, Hodeidah, Yemen; 8Faculty of Nursing, University of Ha’il, Hail, Saudi Arabia; 9Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Al-Ayen University, Thi-Qar, IraqCorrespondence: Abdulsalam M Halboup, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, University of Science and Technology, Sana’a, Yemen, Tel +967774960247, Email a.halboup@ust.edu.ye

Ranking systems have proven to improve the quality of education and help build the reputation of academic institutions. Each of the current academic ranking systems is based on different methodologies, criteria, and standards of measurement. Academic and employer reputations are subjective indicators of some rankings determined through surveying that is neither transparent nor traceable. The current academic ranking systems fall short of providing transparency and traceability features for both subjective and objective indicators that are used to calculate the ranking. Also, the ranking systems are managed and controlled in a centralized manner by specific entities. This raises concerns about fairness and trust. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based solution to enable transparent, traceable, trusted, and decentralized academic ranking systems. We develop smart contracts to automatically govern entity interactions according to set policies. We leverage decentralized storage, oracles, and threshold encryption to securely fetch, store, and share institutions’ ranking data. We present algorithms along with their implementation and testing details, as well as validate smart contracts. The proposed solution is evaluated in terms of cost, throughput and latency, and security to show its affordability, resiliency against attacks, and superiority. All developed smart contract codes are made publicly available on GitHub.

Nigeria had a confirmed case of COVID-19 on February 28, 2020. On March 17, 2020, the Nigerian Government inaugurated the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to coordinate the country’s multisectoral intergovernmental response. The PTF developed the National COVID-19 Multisectoral Pandemic Response Plan as the blueprint for implementing the response plans. The PTF provided funding, coordination, and governance for the public health response and executed resource mobilization and social welfare support, establishing the framework for containment measures and economic reopening. Despite the challenges of a weak healthcare infrastructure, staff shortages, logistic issues, commodity shortages, currency devaluation, and varying state government cooperation, high-level multisectoral PTF coordination contributed to minimizing the effects of the pandemic through early implementation of mitigation efforts, supported by a strong collaborative partnership with bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector organizations. We describe the lessons learned from the PTF COVID-19 for future multisectoral public health response.

Lymphoma in the gastrointestinal tract most commonly occurs in the stomach, small intestine and around the ileocecal region. Usually gastrointestinal lymphoma occurs secondary to widespread nodal disease and is rarely found to be the primary site. Of the different types of lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma makes up the majority of lymphomas in the gastrointestinal tract. Primary colorectal lymphoma is even less common and accounts for 3% of all gastrointestinal lymphomas and to our knowledge, gastrointestinal lymphoma involving 2 different regions in the GI tract has not been discussed in the literature. Herein, we are presenting a rare case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presenting as a malignant mass in both the duodenum and ascending colon.

There are different sources of cerebral emboli, including cardiac embolism, extracranial arterial embolism, paradoxical embolism, trauma, and iatrogenic embolism. In rare cases, atypical sources should be ruled out. We are reporting a lady who presented with transient ischemic attack and had a fistula between the azygos to the pulmonary vein. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.)

The use of essential oil (EO) in treating infected wounds is still challenging. A lot of effort has been made to make such an application more convenient. Recently, microneedles (MNDs) have been considered as a smart dermal delivery system to overcome the poor absorption and distribution, low bioavailability, and skin penetration of some drugs. The aim of our study is to evaluate the wound healing activity of juniper-EO-loaded MNDs (EO MNDs) against wounds with bacterial and fungal infection. The Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) MNDs were prepared using the gel-filled mold technique and loaded with juniper EO. In vivo models were created and wounds on rats were infected with two clinically isolated bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, Candida albicans was used to mimic fungal infection and juniper EO MNDs were tested. The obtained results showed an improvement in wound healing which started from the third day after application of the juniper EO MNDs, and at the sixth day post-infection, the treated wounds were significantly smaller than untreated wounds. A complete healing was shown by the 12th day after infection. Furthermore, our cytotoxicity results showed a cytotoxic effect of juniper EO MNDs on epithelial cells, which explained the faster wound healing in rats. Our study showed that juniper EO MNDs represent a novel strategy in EO delivery with minimal invasion. Juniper EO MNDs demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against both the bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and against one fungal strain, Candida albicans. Finally, application of juniper EO MNDs exerted promising activity in the treatment and healing of wound infection.

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Abstract Background COVID-19 pandemic is expected to affect the mental health, especially among medical students. Data from the literature in Jordan are scarce, especially during the second wave of the pandemic. We aimed to assess medical students’ level of fear, prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms—represented in psychological distress (PD)—and sleep quality (SQ) amid the current pandemic of COVID-19. A total of 2104 students were included through convenient sampling from the six schools of Medicine in Jordan. Online-based questionnaire using Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) scale, Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S), and Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) was used to collect the data. Chi-square, t-tests, and ANOVA were used to establish the associations. Results 88.4% and 47.4% of the students were found to have PD and poor or just fair sleep quality on SQS, respectively, with PD ranging from mild (18.6%) to severe (42.1%). Calculated FCV-19S score was 14.62 (SD=5.38), indicating high level of fear. Students with excellent SQ had significantly lower rates of depression, anxiety, and PD as compared to those with good, fair, and poor SQ (P < 0.001 for all). Conclusion Jordanian medical students appear to be especially susceptible to COVID-19 pandemic impact on mental health and reported high rates of PD. While rates of COVID-19 fear are still considered high, they are remarkably lower than that reported in early studies. We strongly recommend providing resources and access to professional mental health care to students reporting poor SQ and/or symptoms of anxiety and depression. Limitations Using a cross-sectional design, online-based survey, convenient sampling, and scarcity of local literature are among the inevitable limitations caused by the pandemic that have prevented us from drawing cause-effect associations.

Human coronaviruses are a continuous threat to the human population and have limited antiviral treatments, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic sparked interest in finding new antiviral strategies, such as natural products, to combat emerging coronaviruses. Rapid efforts in the scientific community to identify effective antiviral agents for coronaviruses remain a focus to minimize mortalities and global setbacks. In this study, an essential oil derived from Myrtus communis L. (MEO) is effective against HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 virus infections in comparison to two FDA-approved drugs, Remdesivir and Nirmatrelvir. Gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to identify the chemical composition of MEO. Slight antioxidant activity was observed in MEO, indicating a role in oxidative stress. A dose–response curve measuring the EC50 indicates a high potency against HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 virus infections on Huh7.5 cells with low cytotoxicity using a PrestoBlue cell viability assay. Our findings demonstrate that MEO exhibits potent antiviral activity against HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 on Huh7.5 cells within a low-cytotoxicity range, but not on SARS-CoV-2. Artificial bacterial chromosome plasmids that expressed SARS-CoV-2 used for replicon—to determine viral replication and viral assembly/egress on HEK293T/17 cells—and virus-like particles on Huh7.5-AT cells—to determine viral entry and assembly/egress—showed no antiviral activity with MEO in comparison to Remdesivir. This study reveals the potential effectiveness of MEO as an alternative natural remedy to treat human coronaviruses and a potential antiviral agent for future coronavirus infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: When a couple faces infertility challenges like sperm motility issues, they often visit fertility clinics for assistance. Poor sperm motility can delay fertilization, making natural conception difficult. In an andrology laboratory, embryologists test the semen sample. Before assisted reproduction procedures, embryologists usually perform a group of steps to prepare the semen sample and to isolate the best sperms. These technical steps might harm the sperms, because they become susceptible to something so called; oxidative stress, which occurs when too many harmful molecules called free radicals accumulate in the test tube, leading to cell damage and death. A group of chemicals called antioxidants can neutralize these free radicals. The researchers in this study investigated the therapeutic effects of Mitoquinone, which is a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, on the motility of human sperms exposed to oxidative stress during in vitro procedures. Mitoquinone as an antioxidant might have therapeutic potential for sperms' oxidative-damage-associated disorders. This investigation paves the route for future research to confirm the beneficial role of Mitoquinone supplementation in improving and enhancing sperm quality during in vitro processes in the andrology laboratories. The preparation of human sperm in an andrology laboratory subjects it to oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species are produced by mitochondria, making it susceptible to oxidative damage; hence, mitochondria-targeted antioxidants like Mitoquinone (MitoQ) might have therapeutic potential for oxidative-damage-associated disorders. The current research aims to establish whether MitoQ has any positive effects during in vitro preparation of fresh human sperm. Viability and motility are evaluated to determine the effective MitoQ concentration and to assess whether MitoQ supplementation is affected by sperm concentration by incubating normospermia semen samples at 37 °C for 2 h and 4 h, respectively. The effect of semen centrifugation following supplementation of 20 × 106 sperm/mL with 200 nM MitoQ is also assessed by measuring viability, motility and sperm DNA fragmentation. The best sperm motility is achieved after 2 h of incubation with 200 nM MitoQ at 37 °C. Sperm concentration of 20 × 106 sperm/mL is the best concentration where 200 nM MitoQ works efficiently. For semen centrifugation at 300× g for 20 min, supplementation with 200 nM MitoQ shows higher sperm motility. The current results demonstrate that MitoQ supplementation during in vitro human semen preparation procedures positively affects fresh sperm motility without affecting viability or increasing DNA fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented amount of goods and commodities are shipped and transported globally each day through different modes of transport. Due to its complexity, the maritime industry suffers from a lack of trust and secure ownership evidence, protracted documentation procedures, and excessive data aggregation. These shortcomings are reflected in cargo processing delays and elevated costs in the shipping process. Most of today’s systems and technologies leveraged for managing shipping containers in unimodal and multimodal logistics fall short of providing transparency, traceability, reliability, audit, security, and trust features. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based solution that allows users to trace and track their container shipments in a manner that is decentralized, transparent, auditable, secure, and trustworthy. We employ the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to overcome the limited data storage problem. We develop smart contracts and present algorithms along with their full implementation, testing, and validation details in both unimodal and multimodal logistics. We present security and cost analyses to show that the proposed solution is secure and cost-efficient. Furthermore, we compare our proposed solution with the existing solutions to show its novelty. All developed smart contract codes are made publicly available on GitHub.

The current legacy system used in processing health insurance claims causes a huge amount of financial loss every year due to fraud claims. It is also highly prone to privacy and security threats due to the use of traditional methods. Health insurance claims for prescription drugs are one such claim that is highly prone to being tampered with. Also, there is a lack of linkage in the prescription data between the medical care provider and the pharmacy, which also leads to miscommunication and the use of false prescriptions. In this paper, we propose processing health insurance claims for drug prescriptions using blockchain technology that manages the processing of prescription drugs in a private, secure, trustworthy, and decentralized manner. The proposed system utilizes a private Ethereum blockchain. The system includes two smart contracts: registration and approval smart contracts, which provide traceability and trustworthiness to the system. The system was integrated with off-chain storage (IPFS) and a fronted decentralized applications (DApps), which improves the accessibility of centralized patient information by authorized parties. To maintain the privacy of the data, a gateway is used to filter the data that can be viewed by the participants. We present the system architecture, sequence diagrams, entity-relationship diagram, and algorithms to demonstrate the working principles of the proposed process for processing health insurance claims for prescription drugs using blockchain. The performance of the proposed solution is evaluated by conducting security analysis and comparing it to the existing solutions. Our smart contract code is publicly available on GitHub.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have recently received immense popularity in the digital art industry. An NFT represents ownership of a unique item that is stored on the blockchain and cannot be changed, replaced, and copied. The current NFT ecosystem falls short in trust features and is prone to illegitimate users, threats, and vulnerabilities. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based solution for the NFT ecosystem that incorporates registration of the participating actors, involves a decentralized reputation system, provides incentives to its users through rewards, and penalizes misconduct. Our system design is built to ensure trust and credibility in the NFT ecosystem. The proposed solution leverages blockchain’s intrinsic security features such as transparency, tamper-proof logs, data integrity, accountability, and non-repudiation. We use the decentralized storage of the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to store the NFTs’ metadata, whereas their hash is stored on the chain. We present algorithms along with their implementation, testing, and validation details. We demonstrate how our solution, as well as smart contract code, is secure enough against common security threats and attacks. We make our smart contract code publicly available on the GitHub repository.

Ascending aortic is an uncommon site for arterial thrombosis and ascending aortic thrombosis is a very rare phenomenon with a high fatality rate. Marijuana is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the United States and a few cases have been reported on the association of marijuana with vascular thromboembolism. However, the pathophysiology and exact mechanism are still not well studied. Herein, we present a case of a 44-year-old female with active marijuana use presented with ascending aortic thrombus associated with acute arterial occlusion of the right vertebral artery and bilateral renal artery. The unique part of this case is that the patient did not have the classical risk factors for vascular thromboembolic disease. The only risk factor was marijuana smoking. To our best knowledge, this is one of the unique cases of marijuana-associated with ascending aorta thrombosis.

The demand for high-quality Artificial Intelligence (AI) models is ever-increasing in this digital era. However, most of the existing methods leveraged for managing the ownership, trading, and access of AI models fall short of providing traceability, transparency, audit, security, and trustful features. In this paper, we propose a solution based on blockchain and Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) to manage ownership rights and exchange of AI models in a transparent, traceable, auditable, secure, and trustworthy manner. Smart contracts are employed to enforce ownership, ease of access, and exchange policies for the unique NFT linked to an AI model. We use decentralized storage of the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and proxy re-encryption oracles to securely fetch, store, and share data related to AI models. We present algorithms along with their implementation, testing, and validation details. The proposed solution is evaluated using cost and security analyses to show its affordability and resiliency against security threats and attacks. All smart contract codes are made publicly available on GitHub.

Digital data has enabled organizations to anticipate future threats, opportunities, and trends. However, digital data owners do not know how their data is accessed, shared, and monitized. In this paper, we propose using blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to enable time-bound access and monitization of private data. Our approach allows users to upload encrypted content and mint it into NFTs. Other users can access the NFTs’ content by requesting a purchase or a license. Purchasing content transfers the ownership of the NFTs to the buyer; whereas, licensing them permits accessing the private data for a limited period of time, after which the data gets automatically deleted. Our developed approach uses the decentralized application (DApp), proxy reencryption (PRE), InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), and trusted execution environment (TEE) for managing a fully decentralized and robust system. We implement a proof-of-concept system in an Ethereum-based environment, which is used for testing and vulnerability checks. We present the cost and security analyses and discuss the generalization aspect of the solution. Our smart contracts and testing scripts are publicly available under an open-source license.

Background. The utility of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score in predicting mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been demonstrated before, but serial testing in various settings is required to validate and improve the score. This study examined the utility of the SOFA score in predicting mortality in Jordanian ICU patients and aimed to find a modified score that required fewer laboratory tests. Methods. A prospective observational study was conducted at Jordan University Hospital (JUH). All adult patients admitted to JUH ICUs between June and December 2020 were included in the study. SOFA scores were measured daily during the whole ICU stay. A modified SOFA score (mSOFA) was constructed from the available laboratory, clinical, and demographic data. The performance of the SOFA, mSOFA, qSOFA, and SIRS in predicting ICU mortality was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Results. 194 patients were followed up. SOFA score (mean ± SD) at admission was significantly higher in non-survivors (7.5 ± 3.9) compared to survivors (2.4 ± 2.2) and performed the best in predicting ICU mortality (AUROC = 0.8756, 95% CI: 0.8117–0.9395) compared to qSOFA (AUROC = 0.746, 95% CI: 0.655–0.836) and SIRS (AUROC = 0.533, 95% CI: 0.425–0.641). The constructed mSOFA included points for the hepatic and CNS SOFA scores, in addition to one point each for the presence of chronic kidney disease or the use of breathing support; it performed as well as the SOFA score in this cohort or better than the SOFA score in a subgroup of patients with heart disease. Conclusion. SOFA score was a good predictor of mortality in a Jordanian ICU population and better than qSOFA, while SIRS could not predict mortality. Furthermore, the proposed mSOFA score which employed fewer laboratory tests could be used after validation from larger studies.

PE_PGRS proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) constitute a large family of complex modular proteins whose role is still unclear. Among those, we have previously shown, using the heterologous expression in Mycobacterium smegmatis, that PE_PGRS3 containing a unique arginine-rich C-terminal domain, promotes adhesion to host cells. In this study, we investigate the role of PE_PGRS3 and its C-terminal domain directly in Mtb using functional deletion mutants. The results obtained here show that PE_PGRS3 is localized on the mycobacterial cell wall and its arginine-rich C-terminal region protrudes from the mycobacterial membrane and mediates Mtb entry into epithelial cells. Most importantly, this positively charged helical domain specifically binds phosphorylated phosphatidylinositols and cardiolipin, whereas it is unable to bind other phospholipids. Interestingly, administration of cardiolipin and phosphatidylinositol but no other phospholipids was able to turn-off expression of pe_pgrs3 activated by phosphate starvation conditions. These findings suggest that PE_PGRS3 has the key role to serve as a bridge between mycobacteria and host cells by interacting with specific host phospholipids and extracting them from host cells, for their direct integration or as a source of phosphate, during phases of TB pathogenesis when Mtb is short of phosphate supply.

An emerging multidrug-resistant pathogenic yeast called Candida auris has a high potential to spread quickly among hospitalized patients and immunodeficient patients causing nosocomial outbreaks. It has the potential to cause pandemic outbreaks in about 45 nations with high mortality rates. Additionally, the fungus has become resistant to decontamination techniques and can survive for weeks in a hospital environment. Nanoparticles might be a good substitute to treat illnesses brought on by this newly discovered pathogen. Nanoparticles have become a trend and hot topic in recent years to combat this fatal fungus. This review gives a general insight into the epidemiology of C. auris and infection. It discusses the current conventional therapy and mechanism of resistance development. Furthermore, it focuses on nanoparticles, their different types, and up-to-date trials to evaluate the promising efficacy of nanoparticles with respect to C. auris.

There is a lot of evidence that early developmental therapy achieves impressive therapeutic results for those who require it. Therefore, developmental follow-up, which includes the process of monitoring the child’s development over time, makes it possible to identify possible developmental problems and treat them from a young age. This assumption is true in relation to all children with developmental difficulties but is mainly true in the context of children with a diagnosis of autism. However, despite the abundance of developmental scales for the neurotypical population, there are currently no valid scales for assessing motor function for children with autism. The current article focuses on the presentation of the motor delay, identified according to the literature, in many of the children with autism and requires the provision of professional and compatible treatment for these children. This motor delay and the lack of a motor assessment tool for children with autism raises the need for an adapted motor developmental assessment tool, which will produce measurable results, to enable the monitoring of the aforementioned disability and the receiving of tailored treatment from the physiotherapists who deal with the development of children with autism at an early age. The article reviews common existing assessment tools for use in assessing normal development in children with autism, presents the limitations and the challenges that arise when using these assessment tools with children on the autism spectrum and presents the need for a new developmental assessment tool that will be built and validated specifically for children with autism.