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Background. The clinical management of sepsis is a highly complicated process. Disruption of the immune system explains in part the major variation in sepsis outcome. IL-8 is a proinflammatory cytokine, genetic polymorphism of this cytokine could explain the outcome of sepsis. The present study was conducted to determine the value of serum IL-8 monitoring and its (-251A/T) genetic polymorphism in critically ill patients. Patients and Methods. 180 critically ill patients were allocated into two groups, 90 septic patients (sepsis group) and 90 nonsepticpatients (SIRS group). Admission serum IL-8 and its (-251A/T) mutant allele were detected. Results. The admission mean value of serum IL-8 was significantly elevated in sepsis group. In both groups, the mean value of serum IL-8 in nonsurvived patients and patients with IL-8 (-251A/T) mutant allele was significantly higher. A positive correlation of survival and IL-8 (-251A/T) mutant allele was detected in both groups. The serum IL-8 distinguished wild from IL-8 (-251A/T) mutant allele at a cut-off value of 600pg/mL. Conclusion. The admission mean value of serum IL-8 was significantly elevated in septic, nonsurvived, and patients with IL-8 (-251A/T) mutant alleles. A positive correlation of survival and IL-8 (-251A/T) mutant allele patients was detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Composite nanofibers consisting of Mn2O3 and TiO2 were prepared by the electrospinning process, and tested as Gram-class-independent antibacterial agent and photocatalyst for organic pollutants degradation. Initially, electrospinning of a sol–gel consisting of titanium isopropoxide, manganese acetate tetrahydrate and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) was used to produce hybrid polymeric nanofibers. Calcination of the obtained nanofibers in air at 650°C led to produce good morphology Mn2O3/TiO2 nanofibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the as-spun nanofibers and the calcined product. X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) analysis was also used to characterize the chemical composition and the crystallographic structure of the sintered nanofibers. The antibacterial activity of Mn2O3/TiO2 nanofibers against Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria was investigated by calculating the minimum inhibitory concentration after treatment with the nanofibers. Investigations revealed that the lowest concentration of Mn2O3/TiO2 nanofibers solution inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29231 and Escherichia coli ATCC 52922 strains is 0.4 and 0.8μg/ml, respectively. Incorporation of Mn2O3 significantly improved the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under the visible light irradiation due to enhancing rutile phase formation in the TiO2 nanofibers matrix. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background. The use of inflammatory markers to follow up critically ill patients is controversial. The short time frame, the need for frequent and serial measurement of biomarkers, the presence of soluble receptor and their relatively high cost are the major drawbacks. Our study's objective is to compare the prognostic values of serum TNF-α and SOFA score monitoring in critically ill patients. Patients and Methods. A total of ninety patients were included in the study. Forty-five patients developed septic complication (sepsis group). Forty-five patients were critically ill without evidence of infectious organism (SIRS group). Patients' data include clinical status, central venous pressure, and laboratory analysis were measured. A serum level of TNF-α and SOFA score were monitored. Results. Monitoring of TNF-α revealed significant elevation of TNF-α at 3rd and 5th days of ICU admission in both groups. Monitoring of SOFA score revealed significant elevation of SOFA scores in both groups throughout their ICU stay, particularly in nonsurvivors. Positive predictive ability of SOFA score was demonstrated in critically ill patients. Conclusion. Transient significant increase in serum levels of TNF-α were detected in septic patients. Persistent elevation of SOFA score was detected in nonsurvivor septic patients. SOFA score is an independent prognostic value in critically ill patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Incorporation of the transition metals nanoparticles can strongly modify the physiochemical characteristics of the metal oxides nanostructures. In the literature, preparing this interesting class of materials was achieved by sophisticated processes. In the present study, Ni(0)-doped TiO2/C nanofibers were successfully prepared by simple, effective, high yield and low cost technique; electrospinning. Calcination of electrospun nanofiber mats composed of titanium isopropoxide, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and nickel acetate tetrahydrate in Ar/H2 atmosphere at 700°C led to produce good morphology Ni(0)-doped TiO2/C nanofibers. The introduced nanofibers revealed distinct performance as a photocatalyst for ammonia-borane hydrolysis due to the synergistic effect of the individual compounds as well as improving the photocatalytic performance of TiO2. Typically, after 30min (at 25°C), the obtained hydrogen equivalent was 2.1 and 1.1 for Ni(0)-doped TiO2/C and TiO2/C nanofibers, respectively. Moreover, the introduced nanofibers behave as an efficient photocatalyst to remove the methylene blue (MB) dye from water. Overall, the present study might open a new avenue to prepare the metal-doped metal oxide nanofibers using simple strategy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The fabrication and characterization of one-dimensional CuO/TiO2 nanofibers with high photocatalytic and antibacterial activities are presented. The CuO/TiO2 nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning of colloid composed of titanium isopropoxide, poly(vinylpyrroliodine) (PVP) and copper nanoparticles and calcination at 700°C in air for 1h. The antibacterial activity was tested using Klebsiella pneumoniae as model organism by calculation of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The obtained CuO/TiO2 nanofibers showed prominent photocatalytic activity under visible light to degrade reactive black5 and reactive orange16 dyes in aqueous solutions and effectively catalyze K. pneumoniae inactivation. The decomposition process of the cell wall and cell membrane was directly observed by TEM analysis after the exposure of the K. pneumoniae to the nanofibers. Interestingly, the introduced photocatalyst can be reused with the same photocatalytic activity. Overall, the combination of CuO and TiO2 can be synergistic and resulted in CuO/TiO2 composite nanofibers having superior photocatalytic and antimicrobial potential to impede K. pneumoniae growth which causes bacterium to die ultimately. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Central nervous system changes, circulatory and electrolyte imbalances are the main complications of endoscopic transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) which is known as transurethral resection (TUR) syndrome, which occurs as result of excessive absorption of irrigating fluid. We compare glycine 1.5% versus glucose 5% and normal saline 0.9% as irrigating solutions during TURP in patients with moderate to severe bladder outlet obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods: Three hundred sixty patients with symptomatic BPH were randomized into a prospective, controlled trial comparing the three irrigation modalities. One-hundred twenty patients used glycine 1.5% solution as irrigating fluid (glycine group), 120 patients used glucose 5% solution (glucose group) and 120 patients used normal saline 0.9% solution (saline group). Patient's demographics, operation time, hospital stay, postoperative amino acid glycine assay, postoperative serum cardiac troponin I and perioperative complications were noted. Results: No difference was found between the groups in the immediate postoperative levels of hemoglobin and hematocrite. A high glycine level was associated with the TUR syndrome. Seventeen patients had TUR syndrome; all were in glycine group and they had the highest postoperative amino acid glycine levels. Slight increase in serum sodium (142.6 ± 12.6 mmol/l) was detected in saline group. Transient Hyperglycemia (170 ± 35.9 mg/dl) and hypokalemia (3.67 ± 0.92 mmol/l) occurred in the immediate postoperative period in the glucose group. Conclusion: Endoscopic TURP performed using either glucose 5% or saline 0.9% irrigating solution during and after surgery is associated with lower incidence of TUR syndrome, lower catheterization period, shorter hospital stay and no cardiac toxicity in comparison with glycine 1.5% solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of inflammatory markers to follow up critically ill patients is controversial. The short time frame, the need for frequent and serial measurement of biomarkers, the presence of soluble receptor and their relatively high cost are the major drawbacks. Our study's objective is to compare the prognostic values of serum TNF-¿ and SOFA score monitoring in critically ill patients.~Background~Background~A total of ninety patients were included in the study. Forty-five patients developed septic complication (sepsis group). Forty-five patients were critically ill without evidence of infectious organism (SIRS group). Patients' data include clinical status, central venous pressure, and laboratory analysis were measured. A serum level of TNF-¿ and SOFA score were monitored.~Patients and Methods~Methods~Monitoring of TNF-¿ revealed significant elevation of TNF-¿ at 3rd and 5th days of ICU admission in both groups. Monitoring of SOFA score revealed significant elevation of SOFA scores in both groups throughout their ICU stay, particularly in nonsurvivors. Positive predictive ability of SOFA score was demonstrated in critically ill patients.~Results~Results~Transient significant increase in serum levels of TNF-¿ were detected in septic patients. Persistent elevation of SOFA score was detected in nonsurvivor septic patients. SOFA score is an independent prognostic value in critically ill patients.~Conclusion~Conclusions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoCr 7 C 3 -like nanorods encapsulated in carbon nanofibers shell [CoCr 7 C 3 -CNFs] were prepared using a simple electrospinning technique. The as-prepared nanocomposite was physically characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM and EDX analysis techniques. The electrocatalytic activity of CoCr 7 C 3 -CNFs was examined for methanol electro-oxidation in alkaline medium using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The fabricated CoCr 7 C 3 -CNFs revealed good electroactivity towards methanol oxidation reaction. The measured low onset potential value [−80 mV (Ag/AgCl)] implied a marked enhancement in the oxidation kinetics at CoCr 7 C 3 -CNFs surface. Chronoamperometry test also displayed an increased steady state oxidation current density value of 18.42 mA cm −2 at 400 mV after 1800 s. This synthesized low cost, highly active and stable nanocomposite could be widely employed as a promising anode material in direct methanol fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO)-incorporated TiO 2 nanofibers was successfully synthesized via a simple and effective technique, electrospinning and applied as a working electrode for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The effects of graphene oxide on the structural and photoelectric conversion performance of the DSSCs were inspected by various analytical techniques. The results suggest that presence of graphene oxide increases the amount of dye absorption which leads to high migration of photoinduced electrons to the conduction band of the collection electrode and inhibition of electron recombination. Furthermore, the presence of graphene oxide improves the electron transport from the films to the fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates. Accordingly, remarkably enhanced power conversion efficiency of 4.52% was observed in case of utilizing 0.5 wt% graphene oxide-incorporated TiO 2 nanofibers as working electrode based DSSC which is higher than that of the conversion efficiency in case of pristine TiO 2 nanofibers (i.e. 1.54%). The high amount of graphene oxide content results in decrease the power conversion efficiency. Therefore, it can be claimed that graphene oxide-incorporated TiO 2 nanofibers as working electrode is a promising candidate for improving the performance of the DSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reducing maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) remain an important public health issue in Egypt. The three delays model distinguished three phases of delay to be associated with maternal mortality: 1) first phase delay is delay in deciding to seek care; 2) second phase delay is delay in reaching health facilities; and 3) third phase delay is delay in receiving care in health facilities. Increased health services' coverage is thought to be associated with a paradigm shift from first and second phase delays to third phase delay as main factor contributing to MMR. This study aims to examine the contribution of the three delays in relation to maternal deaths.Methods: During a 10 year period (2008-2017) 207 maternal deaths were identified in a tertiary hospital in Minia governorate, Egypt. Data were obtained through reviewing medical records and verbal autopsy for each case. Then data analysis was done in the context of the three delays model.Results: From 2008 to 2017 MMR in this hospital was 186/100.000 live births. Most frequent causes of maternal mortality were postpartum hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and sepsis. Third phase delay occurred in 184 deaths (88.9%), second phase delay was observed in 104 deaths (50%), always together with other phases of delay. First phase delay alone was observed in 13 deaths (6.3%) and in 82 deaths (40%) with other phases of delay. One fifth of the women had experienced all three phases of delay together. Major causes of third phase delay were delayed referral from district hospitals, non-availability of skilled staff, lack of blood transfusion facilities and shortage of drugs.Conclusions: There is a paradigm shift from first and second phases of delay to the third phase of delay as a major contributor to maternal mortality. Reduction of maternal mortality can be achieved through improving logistics, infrastructure and health care providers' training.Trial Registration: This study is a retrospective study registered locally and approved by the ethical committee of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Minia University Hospital on 1/4/2016 (Registration number: MUEOB0002). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders have become a significant life-threatening issue due to its increased incidence, morbidity and mortality. Several studies have tried to identify the risk factors for PAS disorders. The ideal management for PAS disorders is a matter of debate. The study objectives were to evaluate the incidence and risk factors of PAS disorders and to compare different management strategies at a tertiary referral hospital, Minia, Egypt.Methods: This prospective study included 102 women diagnosed with PAS disorders admitted to Minia Maternity university hospital, Egypt between January 2017 to August 2018. These cases were categorized into three groups according to the used approach for management: Group (A), (n = 38) underwent cesarean hysterectomy, group (B), (n = 48) underwent cesarean section (CS) with cervical inversion and ligation of both uterine arteries and group (C), (n = 16): the placenta was left in place.Results: The incidence of PAS disorders during the study period was 9 / 1000 maternities (0.91%). The mean age of cases was 32.4 ± 4.2 years, 60% of them had a parity ≥3 and 82% of them had ≥2 previous CSs. Also, 1/3 of them had previous history of placenta previa. Estimated blood loss (EBL) and blood transfusion in group A were significantly higher than other groups. Group (C) had higher mean hospital stay duration. Group A was associated with significantly higher complication rate.Conclusions: The incidence of PAS disorders was 0.91%. Maternal age > 32 years, previous C.S. (≥ 2), multiparity (≥ 3) and previous history of placenta previa were risk factors. The management of PAS disorders should be individualized. Women with PAS disorders who completed their family should be offered cesarean hysterectomy. Using the cervix as a tamponade combined with bilateral uterine artery ligation appears to be a safe alternative to hysterectomy in patients with focal placenta accreta and low parity desiring future fertility. Patients with diffuse placenta accreta keen to preserve the uterus could be offered the option of leaving the placenta aiming at conservative management after proper counseling.Trial Registration: Registered 28th October 2015, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02590484 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Controlling massive haemorrhage from morbidly adherent placenta (MAP) at caesarean section is a major surgical challenge to obstetricians. This study compares different intra-operative interventions to control haemorrhage from morbidly adherent placenta and its impact on maternal morbidity.Methods: Retrospective analysis was done for baseline characteristics, intra-operative and postoperative complications of 125 patients with morbidly adherent placenta who had elective CS at 35-38 weeks gestation in the period from 01/2012 to 01/2017. The included patients were categorized into three groups according to intra-operative interventions they had for controlling bleeding; Group A (n = 42) had only balloon tamponade, Group B (n = 40) had balloon tamponade and bilateral uterine artery ligation, in Group C (n = 43) all cases were managed by bilateral uterine artery ligation and inverting the cervix into the uterine cavity and suturing the anterior and/or the posterior cervical lips into the anterior and/or posterior walls of the lower uterine segment using the cervix as a natural tamponade.Results: There were no differences of baseline characteristics of patients in all groups. Group C had significantly better outcomes as compared with groups A and B; less total blood loss (Group C 2869.5 ml vs Group B 4580 ml, Group A 4812 ml, P <  0.001), less requirement of blood transfusion more than 4 units (Group C 4/43, Group B 10/40,Group A 12/42, P <  0.02), significant reduction in prolonged hospital stay over 10 days (Group C 2/43, Group B 9/40,Group A 14/42, P < 0.001) and lower risk of coagulopathy (Group C 4/43, B 8/40, A 9/42), visceral injuries (Group C 4/43 vs B 8/40, A 10/42,P < 0.01) and need for hysterectomy (Group C 4/43 vs B 11/40, A 13/42,P < 0.001).Conclusion: A combination bilateral uterine artery ligation and using the cervix as a natural tamponade are very effective and simple methods in controlling bleeding resulting from separated placenta accreta.Trial Registration: The findings are part of the research project registered in ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02590484 . Registered 28 October 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work addresses the scarcity of energy resources and environmental issues by concentrating on the synthesis of biodiesel by the transesterification of waste cooking oil with methanol. Marble sludge (MS), a novel heterogeneous catalyst, was used to speed up the rate of reaction. The catalyst's physical and chemical characteristics were thoroughly examined using a variety of methods, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray Fluorescence, SEM, particle size distribution, and BET analysis. Using the MS catalyst, the study investigated the impact of important parameters on the yield of biodiesel from waste cooking oil with the aid of response surface methodology using Design-Expert version 13 software. These parameters included temperature (50-70℃), reaction time (1-4 h), catalyst concentration (1-5 wt%), and methanol-to-oil molar ratio (5-20 mol/mol). Optimization of the parameters was performed for economic targets to lower the production cost of biodiesel. The results showed that a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 20:1, a catalyst of 5 wt%, and a reaction time of 1 h at 57℃ were the ideal parameters for obtaining a biodiesel yield of 93.5%. The resultant biodiesel revealed promising characteristics, such as a flash point of 160℃, a kinematic viscosity of 4 mm 2 /s, and a density of 0.871 g/cm 3 . The study demonstrates the significant consequences and real-world advantages of using rational engineering methods to use MS as a very effective, stable, and easily recoverable catalyst for the long-term, sustainable generation of biodiesel from waste cooking oil., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The catalytic dehydrogenation of NaBH 4 for the generation of H 2 has a lot of potential as a reliable and achievable approach to make H 2 , which could be used as a safe and cost-effective energy source in the near future. This work describes the production of unique trimetallic NiCrPd-decorated carbon nanofiber (NiCrPd-decorated CNF) catalysts using electrospinning. The catalysts demonstrated exceptional catalytic activity in generating H 2 through NaBH 4 dehydrogenation. The catalysts were characterized using SEM, XRD, TEM, and TEM-EDX analyses. NiCrPd-decorated CNF formulations have shown higher catalytic activity in the dehydrogenation of NaBH4 compared with NiCr-decorated CNFs. It is likely that the better catalytic performance is because the three metals in the NiCrPd-decorated CNF structure interact with each other. Furthermore, the NiCrPd-decorated CNFs catalyzed the dehydrogenation of NaBH 4 with an activation energy (E a ) of 26.55 KJ/mol. The kinetics studies showed that the reaction is first-order dependent on the dose of NiCrPd-decorated CNFs and zero-order dependent on the concentration of NaBH 4 .

Background: Bronchial asthma is a persistent inflammatory respiratory condition that restricts the passage of air and causes hyperresponsiveness. Chronic asthma can be classified into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe. Remodeling took place as the extracellular matrix accumulated in the walls of the airways. Inflammation occurs as a result of the damage caused by matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) to basement membrane type IV collagen. The severity of asthma may be associated with miR-196a2. The objective of our study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance of miR-196a2 and MMP-2 serum levels in relation to the severity of asthma., Methods: This study recruited 85 controls and 95 asthmatics classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Expression of miR-196a2 was measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), MMP-2, IL-6, and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in the serum of asthmatics of various grades were compared to a control group. MMP-2's diagnostic and prognostic potential was determined using ROC curve analysis. This study also measured blood Eosinophils and PFTs. We examined MMP-2's connections with IgE, blood Eosinophils, and PFTs., Results: The current investigation found that miR-196a2 expression was significantly higher in the control group than in asthmatic patients as a whole. The study found that severe asthmatics had higher MMP-2, IL-6, and IgE serum levels than healthy controls. We identified the MMP-2 serum concentration cutoff with great sensitivity and specificity. Significant relationships between MMP-2 serum level and miR-196a2 expression in the patient group with severe asthmatics were found. The MMP-2, IL-6, and IgE serum levels were considerably higher in mild, moderate, and severe asthmatics than controls. The miR-196a2 expression and MMP-2 serum concentration correlated positively with IgE and blood eosinophils % and negatively with all lung function tests in the asthmatic patient group.Conclusion: the study revealed that the elevated miR-196a2 expression and serum concentration of MMP-2, IL-6, and IgE associated with elevated blood eosinophils % is associated with pathophysiology and degree of asthma severity. The miR-196a2 expression and MMP-2 serum concentration have a promising diagnostic and prognostic ability in bronchial asthma., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2024 The Authors.)

In recent years, nanomaterials and composites have become increasingly significant as adsorbents in the removal of dyes and phenolic contaminants from wastewater. This study presents the development and application of a keratin-based graphene oxide nanocomposite, distinguished by its enhanced biocompatibility, cost-effectiveness, and strong affinity for organic compounds, making it highly effective in reducing dyes within tannery effluent. The nanocomposite was prepared via solution casting method, with dispersibility, chemical bonding, and morphology analyzed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, and SEM, respectively. Furthermore, investigations of the influence of several factors, such as contact time, pH, and adsorbent dosage on the optimization of the process were conducted. An observation indicated a reduction of approximately 98.8 % in dye content within 20 min, achieved through the use of an adsorbent dosage of 1.5 g/L, with the solution pH maintained at 5. Subsequently, adsorption kinetics and isotherm modelling were analyzed. The results revealed that the adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherm models. Hence, the adsorption could be explained as chemisorption with a multilayer adsorption mechanism. Notably, a substantial reduction in parameters such as Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) was also achieved up to 62 % and 79 %, respectively. Therefore, the developed adsorbent could be suggested as a viable candidate for eliminating dyes from the wastewater, especially from the tannery effluent., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Dr. Md. Elias Uddin reports was provided by Khulna University of Engineering and Technology. Dr. Md. Elias Uddin reports a relationship with Khulna University of Engineering and Technology that includes: employment., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The generation of H 2 via the catalytic hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (SBH) has promise as a practical and secure approach to produce H 2 , a secure and environmentally friendly energy source for the foreseeable future. In this study, distinctive trimetallic NiCoPd nanoparticle-supported carbon nanofibers (NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs) is synthesized via sol-gel and electrospinning approaches. The fabricated trimetallic catalysts show an excellent catalytic performance for the generation of H 2 from the hydrolysis of SBH. Standard physicochemical techniques were used to characterize the as-prepared NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs. The results show that NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs is formed, with an average particle size of about 21 nm. When compared to NiCo bimetallic NP @CNFS, all NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs formulations demonstrated greater catalytic activates for the hydrolysis of SBH. The improved catalytic activity may be due in the majority to the synergistic interaction between the three metals in the trimetallic architecture. Furthermore, the activation energy for the catalytic hydrolysis of SBH by the NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs was determined to be 16.30 kJ mol -1 . The kinetics studies show that the reaction is of a first order with respect to the catalyst loading amount and a half order with respect to the SBH concentration [SBH].

Rapid urbanization has negative effects on ecology, economics, and public health, primarily due to unchecked population growth. Sustainable building materials and methods are needed to mitigate these issues and reduce energy use, waste production, and environmental damage. This study highlights the potential of agricultural waste as a sustainable source of construction materials and provides valuable insights into the performance and benefits of using fired clay bricks made from pomegranate peel waste. In this study, fired clay bricks were produced using pomegranate peel waste as a sustainable building material. To optimize the firing temperature and percentage of pomegranate peel waste, a series of experiments was conducted to determine fundamental properties such as mechanical, physical, and thermal properties. Subsequently, the obtained thermal properties were utilized as input data in Design Builder software version (V.5.0.0.105) to assess the thermal and energy performance of the produced bricks. The results showed that the optimum firing temperature for the bricks was 900 °C with 10% pomegranate peel waste. The fabricated bricks reduced energy consumption by 6.97%, 8.54%, and 13.89% at firing temperatures of 700 °C, 800 °C, and 900 °C, respectively, due to their decreased thermal conductivity. CO 2 emissions also decreased by 4.85%, 6.07%, and 12% at the same firing temperatures. The payback time for the bricks was found to be 0.65 years at a firing temperature of 900 °C. These findings demonstrate the potential of fired clay bricks made from pomegranate peel waste as a promising construction material that limits heat gain, preserves energy, reduces CO 2 emissions, and provides a fast return on investment.

Excessive urban construction is primarily driven by uncontrolled population growth, which has serious consequences for the environment, energy, cost, and human life in general when building materials are massively used. In terms of energy and economic efficiency, buildings that make use of sustainable construction materials and technologies perform better. This is because building in an eco-friendly way results in less waste. Agro-industrial by-products and insulating materials are two examples of sustainable materials that have been put to good use in the climate change mitigation effort and to preserve the environment. Precast components are emphasized as a viable option that is suitable for this purpose and may potentially fulfill the need for housing units. Thus, this study investigated the viability of employing agricultural waste consisting of pomegranate peel waste to produce fired clay bricks. Results demonstrated that the optimum amount of pomegranate peel waste was determined to be 15%, and the optimal firing temperature was determined to be 900 °C. The thermal conductivity of all test samples was lower than that of conventional brick. Furthermore, when compared to conventional wall brick, all the tested samples of manufactured brick reduced energy consumption by 17.55% to 33.13% and carbon dioxide emissions by 7.50% to 24.50%. In addition, the economic feasibility of employing each synthetic sample was evaluated by computing the simple payback time (SPP). It was determined that 1.88-10.74 years were required for the brick samples to provide a return on their initial investment. Due to its ability to decrease heat gain, preserve energy, minimize CO 2 emissions, and shorten the payback time, burned clay bricks manufactured from pomegranate peel waste are regarded as a feasible building material. Hence, manufactured bricks are usually considered an exceptional contribution to environmental sustainability.

Metallic Co NPs@poly(vinylidene fluoride-co- hexafluoropropylene) nanofibers (PVFH NFs) were successfully synthesized with the help of electrospinning and in situ reduction of Co 2+ ions onto the surface of PVFH membrane. Synthesis of PVFH NFs containing 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt% of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate was achieved. Physiochemical techniques were used to confirm the formation of metallic Co@PVFH NFs. High catalytic activity of Co@PVFH NFs in the dehydrogenation sodium borohydride (SBH) was demonstrated. The formulation with 40 wt% Co proved to have the greatest performance in comparison to the others. Using 1 mmol of SBH and 100 mg of Co@PVFH NFs, 110 mL of H 2 was produced in 19 min at a temperature of 25 °C, but only 56, 73, and 89 mL were produced using 10, 20, and 30 wt% Co, respectively. With the rise of catalyst concentration and reaction temperature, the amount of hydrogen generated increased. By raising the temperature from 25 to 55 °C, the activation energy was lowered to be 35.21 kJ mol -1 and the yield of H 2 generation was raised to 100% in only 6 min. The kinetic study demonstrated that the reaction was pseudo-first order in terms of the amount of catalyst utilized and pseudo-zero order in terms of the SBH concentration. In addition, after six cycles of hydrolysis, the catalyst showed outstanding stability. The suggested catalyst has potential applications in H 2 generation through hydrolysis of sodium borohydride due to its high catalytic activity and flexibility of recycling.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the commonest complications following cesarean section (CS) with a reported incidence of 3-20%. SSI causes massive burdens on both the mother and the health care system. Moreover, it is associated with high maternal morbidity and mortality rate of up to 3%. This study aims to determine the incidence, risk factors and management of SSI following CS in a tertiary hospital., Methods: This was an observational case control retrospective study which was conducted at Minia maternity university hospital, Egypt during the period from January 2013 to December 2017 (Five years). A total of 15,502 CSs were performed during the studied period, of these, 828 cases developed SSI following CS (SSI group). The control group included 1500 women underwent cesarean section without developing SSI. The medical records of both groups were reviewed regarding the sociodemographic and the clinical characteristics., Results: The incidence of SSI post-cesarean section was 5.34%. Significant risk factors for SSI were; chorioamnionitis (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 4.51; 95% CI =3.12-6.18), premature rupture of membranes (PROM) (AOR 3.99; 95% CI =3.11-4.74), blood loss of > 1000 ml (AOR 2.21; 95% CI =1.62-3.09), emergency CS (AOR 2.16; 95% CI =1.61-2.51), duration of CS of > 1 h (AOR 2.12; 95% CI =1.67-2.79), no antenatal care (ANC) visits (AOR 2.05; 95% CI =1.66-2.37), duration of labor of ≥24 h (AOR 1.45; 95% CI =1.06-2.01), diabetes mellitus (DM) (AOR 1.37; 95% CI =1.02-2.1 3), obesity (AOR 1.34; 95% CI =0.95-1.84), high parity (AOR 1.27; 95% CI = 1.03-1.88), hypertension (AOR 1.19; 95% CI = 0.92-2.11) and gestational age of < 37 wks (AOR 1.12; 95% CI = 0.94-1.66). The mortality rate due to SSI was 1.33%., Conclusions: The obtained incidence of SSI post CS in our study is relatively lower than other previous studies from developing countries. The development of SSI is associated with many factors rather than one factor. Management of SSI is maninly medical but surgical approach may be needed in some cases., Registration: Local ethical committee (Registration number: MOBGYN0040)., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

In this present work, tungsten carbide (WC) nanoparticles were intercalated between graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) using sonication followed by hydrothermal treatment. Pristine WC, GNFs and a series of WC@GNFs nanomaterials were physically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and water contact angle measurements. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance studies were operated to investigate the electrochemical performance of these nanocomposites as efficient capacitive deionization (CDI) electrodes with improved electrochemical characteristics and specific capacitances in NaCl solution. Among the synthesized nanomaterials, WC@GNFs containing 10% WC displayed appreciable specific capacitance [580.00 F g -1 ], salt removal efficiency [95.50%], electrosorptive capacity [22.155 mg g -1 ] and charge efficiency [0.356] values. Accordingly, the measured results in this study indicate that WC@GNFs nanomaterials are suitable electrodes with an easy preparation route for efficient CDI technology., 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 © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The crystal architecture of TiO 2 was successfully tailored via a low-temperature (≤200 °C) hydrothermal process in the presence of d-mannitol for feasible applications in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and heterogeneous catalysis. In the development of anatase-TiO 2 (A-TiO 2 ), d-mannitol does not merely acts as a complexing agent to manage the zigzag chains of octahedral TiO 6 2- with dominant edge sharing but also performs as a capping agent by influencing the hydrolysis process during nucleation, as confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering studies. After physical measurements, the as-synthesized nanocrystallites (NCs) of A-TiO 2 were used in DSSCs, where a fascinating power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.0% was obtained, which showed excellent performance compared with commercial anatase-TiO 2 (CA-TiO 2 : 5.7%) and rutile-TiO 2 (R-TiO 2 ) obtained without d-mannitol (3.7%). Moreover, a smart approach was developed via the A-TiO 2 catalyst to synthesize pharmaceutically important C-3 alkylated 4-hydroxycoumarins through different activated secondary alcohols under solvent-free, and heat/visible light conditions. In addition, the catalytic activity of the so-produced A-TiO 2 catalyst under solvent-free conditions exhibited remarkable recyclability with up to five consecutive runs with negligible reduction, which is superior to existing reports, and clearly reveals the novelty, and green, sustainable nature of the as-synthesized A-TiO 2 catalyst. A plausible reaction mechanism of both coupling partners was activated through the interaction with the A-TiO 2 catalyst to produce valuable C-3 alkylated 4-hydroxycoumarins with 95% yield and high selectivity., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Aim: Until recently, clinicians caring for patients with psoriasis who were infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) were concerned that treating one condition could exacerbate the other. We evaluated the outcome of treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) on patients with psoriasis having chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection., Patients and Methods: This was an observational prospective cross-sectional study. It included CHC-naive patients with plaque psoriasis. All patients received sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir once daily for 12 weeks for treatment of CHC. Psoriasis area severity index (PASI) scores and the dermatology quality-of-life index were evaluated at the start of treatment with DAAs and then at 12 and 24 weeks after the end of HCV treatment. The primary end point was sustained virological response 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12)., Results: A total of 34 CHC-naive patients were enrolled in this study. Most of them were of male sex (76.5%), and most of them had severe psoriasis, as the mean PASI score was 32. The primary and secondary end points (SVR12 and SVR24) for our patients were 100%. Regarding PASI and dermatology quality-of-life index scores, there was a highly significant difference before start of treatment and after treatment at 12 and 24 weeks. The most common adverse events are fatigue and headache., Conclusion: Sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir is effective in the eradication of HCV and improvement of symptoms in patients with psoriasis having CHC infection. Future large series studies are needed to evaluate this promising effect of DAAs.

Purpose: Breakthrough pain (BTP) is a transient exacerbation of pain occurring in a patient with chronic, persistent pain. The most common type is incident pain that is mostly related to bone metastases. The oral mucosa is an attractive route for drug delivery. Sublingual fentanyl preparations are a very attractive agent in controlling attacks of BTP due to its rapid absorption through the oral mucosa. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) play a key role as a first step in treatment of cancer pain; piroxicam sublingual formulations could be a useful alternative in controlling incident pain. Our study hypothesis is to evaluate the efficacy of sublingual fentanyl versus oral piroxicam fast-dissolving tablets in patients with incident pain and its impact on functional status., Patients and Methods: A cohort of 100 adults of both genders suffering from bone metastases. Patients were assigned to receive either sublingual fentanyl tablet (group 1) or oral piroxicam fast-dissolving tablets (group 2). The pain intensity reduction on a 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS), frequency of BTP attacks, and onset of pain relief. Secondary end points included the functional interference items of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)., Results: There is no significant difference between the two groups regarding the patients' demographics. Significant decline of the VAS in each group in comparison to the pretreatment values (p = 0.001). Non-significant changes of the VAS, duration of pain attacks, and number of rescue doses in comparing both groups were measured. There was significant reduction in group 2 BPI regarding the relation with others, sleep pattern and enjoyment of life parameters at 2 and 4 weeks (p = 0.001)., Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that oral piroxicam fast-dissolving tablet is an analgesic alternative to sublingual fentanyl in patients with bone metastasis to control incidental BTP attacks with more favorable cost-benefit values.

Background: The use of inflammatory markers to follow up critically ill patients is controversial. The short time frame, the need for frequent and serial measurement of biomarkers, the presence of soluble receptor and their relatively high cost are the major drawbacks. Our study's objective is to compare the prognostic values of serum TNF-α and SOFA score monitoring in critically ill patients., Patients and Methods: A total of ninety patients were included in the study. Forty-five patients developed septic complication (sepsis group). Forty-five patients were critically ill without evidence of infectious organism (SIRS group). Patients' data include clinical status, central venous pressure, and laboratory analysis were measured. A serum level of TNF-α and SOFA score were monitored., Results: Monitoring of TNF-α revealed significant elevation of TNF-α at 3rd and 5th days of ICU admission in both groups. Monitoring of SOFA score revealed significant elevation of SOFA scores in both groups throughout their ICU stay, particularly in nonsurvivors. Positive predictive ability of SOFA score was demonstrated in critically ill patients., Conclusion: Transient significant increase in serum levels of TNF-α were detected in septic patients. Persistent elevation of SOFA score was detected in nonsurvivor septic patients. SOFA score is an independent prognostic value in critically ill patients.

Introduction: Severe infection and sepsis are common causes of morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis in critically ill patients is important to reduce these complications. The present study was conducted to determine the role of serum leptin at early diagnosis and differentiation between patients with manifestations of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and those with sepsis in patients suffering from a broad range of diseases in the intensive care unit (ICU) and its correlation with other biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)., Methods: One hundred and six adult ICU patients were observed. CRP, leptin, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were compared among the following groups: sepsis group (n = 40), SIRS group (n = 34) and non-SIRS group (n = 32). Patients were classified into these groups at the time of blood analysis for these biomarkers., Results: Non-significant differences were observed among patients in different groups regarding biomarkers on the day of ICU admission. On the second day of ICU admission, significant elevation of leptin, IL-6 and TNF-alpha occurred in the SIRS and sepsis groups. Delayed elevation of CRP started on the fourth day of ICU admission in patients with sepsis. At the end of the first week, only CRP level was elevated in septic patients., Conclusions: Serum leptin correlates well with serum level of IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Leptin helps to differentiate SIRS from non-SIRS patients. CRP is a classic marker of sepsis but is of late onset.