Search

Abstract Wastewater can be contaminated with all kinds of microorganisms and small organisms, including bacteria, parasites, fungi and viruses. Therefore, it can be said that biological pollution is one of the most dangerous pollutions. These types of pollution can endanger human health and the environment. In this study, industrial wastewater disinfection has been investigated in a laboratory pilot. In this study, ultraviolet waves have been used for wastewater disinfection. In this research, treatment indicators such as wastewater pH, phosphate, nitrate, biological oxygen and chemical oxygen, organic carbon, and wastewater turbidity have been investigated. The results of this research show that if 4.5 g of dry ice is added to the wastewater entering the disinfection unit, the pH of the wastewater will decrease to about 7.9. The results presented from the disinfection unit show that the amount of chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand have decreased by about 35% and 20.3%, respectively. The results of this unit show that the amount of phosphate and nitrate has decreased by 61.3 and 71.9%, respectively. Laboratory results show that the TDS of wastewater has decreased from 600 to 451 mg/l.

Today, the lack of drinking water has caused severe crises in many countries. One of the ways to deal with water shortages is to treat wastewater. Petrochemical industries are among the factories that produce significant wastewater. These industries cause a lot of damage to the ecosystem. The use of nanomaterials can play a significant role in the removal of wastewater pollutants. The use of nano-packing in the filtration structure has not been investigated in previous literature. In this research, a gravity filtration unit was used to treat the outlet wastewater from the Fajr petrochemical desalination unit. This unit is filled with titanium dioxide nano-packings. The results of this research show that the turbidity of the effluent discharged from the gravity filtration bed is reduced by about 39 %. This research shows that nano-packing has a significant effect on reducing total dissolved solids and organic carbon. This study shows that the amount of total dissolved solids and organic carbon in treated wastewater is equal to 1 % and 17.1 %, respectively. This research shows that the use of a gravity filtration unit has a significant role in reducing petrochemical effluent pollutants.

Using transfer-matrix and stationary phase methods, we study the tunneling time (group delay time) in a ferromagnetic monolayer graphene superlattice. The system we peruse consists of a sequence of rectangular barriers and wells, which can be realized by putting a series of electronic gates on the top of ferromagnetic graphene. The magnetization in the two ferromagnetic layers is aligned parallel. We find out that the tunneling time for normal incident is independent of spin state of electron as well as the barrier height and electron Fermi energy while for the oblique incident angles the tunneling time depends on the spin state of electron and has an oscillatory behavior. Also the effect of barrier width on tunneling time is also investigated and shown that, for normal incident, the Hartman effect disappears in a ferromagnetic graphene superlattice but it appears for oblique incident angles when the x component of the electron wave vector in the barrier is imaginary.

Background: Preconception care (PCC) aims to address health risks before conception for better pregnancy outcomes. Effective PCC starts before pregnancy and involves interventions to improve well-being and prevent adverse outcomes. Unintended pregnancies and pre-existing illnesses increase risks. Early provision of care is crucial, as fetal development can be affected early. Improving women's knowledge and access to PCC is essential for optimal maternal and child health in Saudi Arabia., Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding preconception care among women between the ages of 18 and 45 who live in Saudi Arabia, who matched the inclusion criteria. All women working in or studying in the medical field were excluded from the research. Data was collected using Google Forms (Google, Mountain View, CA) via social media apps. Data was cleaned in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA) and analyzed using IBM SPSS, version 29 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY)., Results: Our study assessed awareness about PCC among 788 women. Age distribution revealed 24.9% (n=196) were 30-35 years old and 23.6% (n=186) were 40-45 years. Most were Saudi nationals (86.9%, n=685) and married (94.4%, n=744). University education was reported by 83.0% (n=654). Among notable findings, 79.1% disagreed or were neutral on PCC's necessity, and 78.6% supported free PCC. Barriers included fear of blood draws (68.7%) and negative family reactions (63.8%). Notably, 44.2% (n=348) demonstrated high knowledge and positive attitude towards PCC. Multivariate analysis indicated that marital status was significantly associated with high PCC knowledge (Exp(B)=1.956, p=0.049), while other sociodemographic factors were not associated with PCC knowledge., Conclusion: Our study showed an adequate level of knowledge about PCC among women. However, there is a need for further improvement in PCC awareness among Saudi women. A significant number of women supported free PCC services. Barriers included fear of procedures and family reactions. Marital status was significantly associated with higher PCC knowledge, emphasizing targeted educational interventions., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. National Committee of Bioethics/Umm Al-Qura University IRB issued approval HAPO-02-K-012. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Edris et al.)

Objectives : To study a modification to the conventional retrograde ureteroscopic approach for treating proximal ureteric stones of 1-2 cm; we intentionally push the stone from the proximal ureter into a favourable calyx then the flexible ureteroscope is used to fragment the trapped stone using laser lithotripsy ('boxing in the corner'). Patients and methods : The study was conducted in a randomised prospective manner and included 100 patients who presented with a single proximal ureteric stone of 1-2 cm. We randomised the patients into two equal groups: Group A (50 patients) underwent the conventional retrograde technique (CRT) and Group B (50 patients) underwent the modified retrograde technique (MRT) with the primary intention of relocating the stone into a favourable calyx. Intended relocation of the proximal ureteric stone in the MRT group was achieved in a stepwise manner. All intraoperative parameters and postoperative outcomes were recorded and compared between the two groups. Results : There was no statistical significant difference in terms of the patients' demographics and stone criteria between the two groups. The stone-free rate (SFR) was significantly higher in Group B (92%) compared to Group A (78%) ( P = 0.049). Fluoroscopy time was significantly longer in Group B ( P < 0.001), while operative time, lithotripsy time and hospital stay were comparable. There was no difference between the groups regarding complications. Conclusion : The MRT was found to be safe and more effective than the CRT for treating proximal ureteric stones of 1-2 cm, with a significantly higher SFR. Abbreviations CONSORT: Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials; ESWL: extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy; fURS: flexible ureteroscope; NCCT: non-contrast CT; SFR: stone-free rate; YAG: yttrium-aluminium-garnet., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Objective: To report a successfully managed case of extensive intracranial sinus thrombosis that occurred during an IVF cycle, and to review the literature., Design: Case report and review of literature., Setting: University-affiliated teaching hospital., Patient(s): A 38-year-old nulliparous woman who developed severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome on luteal day (LD) 5 during an IVF cycle. Hemoconcentration was corrected, ascitis drained, and heparin prophylaxis started. On LD7, the patient complained of severe headache and neck pain. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the head showed extensive cortical vein and dural sinus thrombosis, including the superior sagittal sinus and transverse sinuses., Intervention(s): The patient was fully heparinized using low-molecular-weight heparin. On LD15 she was discharged home on warfarin, after confirming a negative pregnancy test. Complete thrombophilia work-up was negative., Main Outcome Measure(s): Clinical outcome., Result(s): Repeat MRI 2 months later revealed patent superior sagittal sinus and transverse sinuses, unremarkable cortical veins, and no evidence of flow obstruction. The patient was asymptomatic, with no neurologic sequelae., Conclusion(s): Extensive intracranial sinus thrombosis in women undergoing IVF may present with minimal symptoms and can occur in the absence of pregnancy and thrombophilia and despite heparin prophylaxis and correction of hemoconcentration. Medical management was successful and left the patient with no neurologic sequelae.

Background: Schizencephaly is a brain anomaly that can be associated with severe neonatal morbidity and mortality. Precise antenatal diagnosis is critical to help families make a decision regarding the continuation of pregnancy. A sequence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) called HASTE (Half-Fourier Acquisition Single-Shot Turbo Spin-Echo) has been used prenatally for this purpose., Case: We used an additional MRI sequence called true-FISP (True Fast Imaging with Steady-State Precession) to diagnose schizencephaly in a 15-year-old primigravid woman. This sequence has not been previously described in prenatal MRI., Conclusion: HASTE sequence provides the grey-white matter differentiation that is necessary to make the diagnosis of grey-matter-lined schizencephaly clefts. True-FISP sequence has potentially higher resolution images because it is not prone to blurring of edges and is less sensitive to flowing fluid movement. Using these two MRI sequences is essential for confirming the diagnosis of schizencephaly and can provide information regarding other commonly associated anatomic anomalies.