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Controlled-release technology was introduced to offer an incredible guarantee for improving the adequacy of the existing active molecules and solving the related environmental troubles. Our study attempts to utilize the controlled release of alginate niclosamide-l-glutamate formulation to control Schistosoma mansoni intermediate host (Biomphalaria alexandrina snail) and to evaluate the amount of niclosamide released in relation to its attraction and mortality rate. Results: polymeric formulations B3-4b at a concentration of 0.3 ppm niclosamide in combination with 75% l-glutamate caused 100% mortality of B. alexandrina snails 5-day post-exposure. Stable snails mortality rates were obtained post-exposure to polymer B3-4a (R2 = 0.9823). The high potential of the polymeric formulations B3-4a (0.2 ppm niclosamide and 75% l-glutamate) to attract snail toward polymer direction was manifested by 80%, 14%, 6% and 0% snail in areas (I), (II), (III) and (IV), respectively 24-hr post-exposure. While, B3-4a showed a high mortality rate of attracted snails resembled by 40% and 100% on the 2nd and 7th days, respectively. The modified structure of polymer-niclosamide-l-glutamate prolonged the validity and efficiency of the niclosamide. Slowly released molluscicide was effective at lower concentrations with increasing concentrations of the applied attractant that could reduce its toxicity to the water ecosystem. Keywords: Biomphalaria alexandrina, Control of schistosomiasis, Controlled release molluscicides, l-glutamate attractant, Niclosamide

Objectives: To assess the performance of microscopic stool examination, which is used widely for the diagnosis and assessment of infection rates of Schistosoma mansoni in Egypt, for the evaluation of chemotherapy efficacy after a decade of regular mass treatment. Methods: A total of 651 individuals from Lower Egypt (55 children and 596 adults) were examined for S. mansoni ova by microscopic stool examination (MSE) alone (n = 166; 111 adults and 55 children), rectal biopsy (RB) alone (n = 32 adults), or both MSE and RB (n = 453 adults). Results: Infection detection rates were significantly lower in the MSE alone group (9%; 15/166) compared to the RB alone group (40.6%; 13/32) and to the RB+MSE group (37.7%; 171/453). Out of all positive cases in the MSE+RB group, only 23/171 patients (13.5%) were positive by stool examination, of whom 21 were also positive by RB, in contrast to 169/171 patients (86.5%) positive by RB in the same group. It was noted that adding MSE to RB did not increase the prevalence compared to RB alone: 37.3% in the MSE+RB group vs. 40.6% in the RB only group. Using the summation of both MSE and RB tests as the gold standard, the sensitivity of MSE was significantly lower than that of RB: 13.5% vs. 98.8%. Conclusions: The implementation of mass treatment programmes has resulted in a new era of light infection, for which conventional parasitological methods for the diagnosis and monitoring of infection can miss many patients.

Nipah virus (NiV) has been an alarming threat to human populations in southern Asia for more than a decade. It is one of the most deadly viruses in the Mononegavirales order. Despite its high mortality rate and virulence, no chemotherapeutic agent or vaccine is publicly available. Hence, this work was conducted to computationally screen marine natural products database for drug-like potential inhibitors for the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). The structural model was subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to obtain the native ensemble of the protein. The CMNPDB dataset of marine natural products was filtered to retain only compounds following Lipinski's five rules. The molecules were energy minimized and docked into different conformers of the RdRp using AutoDock Vina. The best 35 molecules were rescored by GNINA, a deep learning-based docking software. The resulting nine compounds were evaluated for their pharmacokinetic profiles and medicinal chemistry properties. The best five compounds were subjected to MD simulation for 100 ns, followed by binding free energy estimation via Molecular Mechanics/ Generalized Born Surface Area (MM/GBSA) calculations. The results showed remarkable behavior of five hits as inferred by stable binding pose and orientation to block the exit channel of RNA synthesis products in the RdRp cavity. These hits are promising starting materials for in vitro validation and structural modifications to enhance the pharmacokinetic and medicinal chemistry properties for developing antiviral lead compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives/background: The increased complexity of endovascular aortic repair necessitates longer procedural time and higher radiation exposure to the operator, particularly to exposed body parts. The aims were to measure directly exposure to radiation of the bodies and heads of the operating team during endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA), and to identify factors that may increase exposure., Methods: This was a single-centre prospective study. Between October 2013 and July 2014, consecutive elective branched and fenestrated TAAA repairs performed in a hybrid operating room were studied. Electronic dosimeters were used to measure directly radiation exposure to the primary (PO) and assistant (AO) operator in three different areas (under-lead, over-lead, and head). Fluoroscopy and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) acquisition times, C-arm angulation, and PO/AO height were recorded., Results: Seventeen cases were analysed (Crawford II-IV), with a median operating time of 280 minutes (interquartile range 200-330 minutes). Median age was 76 years (range 71-81 years); median body mass index was 28 kg/m(2) (25-32 kg/m(2)). Stent-grafts incorporated branches only, fenestrations only, or a mixture of branches and fenestrations. A total of 21 branches and 38 fenestrations were cannulated and stented. Head dose was significantly higher in the PO compared with the AO (median 54 μSv [range 24-130 μSv] vs. 15 μSv [range 7-43 μSv], respectively; p = .022), as was over-lead body dose (median 80 μSv [range 37-163 μSv] vs. 32 μSv [range 6-48 μSv], respectively; p = .003). Corresponding under-lead doses were similar between operators (median 4 μSv [range 1-17 μSv] vs. 1 μSv [range 1-3 μSv], respectively; p = .222). Primary operator height, DSA acquisition time in left anterior oblique (LAO) position, and degrees of LAO angulation were independent predictors of PO head dose (p < .05)., Conclusions: The head is an unprotected area receiving a significant radiation dose during complex endovascular aortic repair. The deleterious effects of exposure to this area are not fully understood. Vascular interventionalists should be cognisant of head exposure increasing with C-arm angulation, and limit this manoeuvre., (Copyright © 2015 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)