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Introduction: Acute Respiratory Infections, (ARI), and diarrhea represent major leading cause to under five morbidity and mortality all over the world. Majority of these cases occur in the poorest communities. This study aimed to assess different home management practices of pneumonia and diarrhea in Sana’a. Methods: This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study with direct interview of Mothers recruited from major hospitals in Sana’a between January and May 2020. Results Two hundred and six mothers were enrolled in this study. Hundred and sixty-six (80.6%) of mothers in this study used over-the-counter anti-cough preparations. The study reported 58.7% of mothers did not give their children Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), during diarrhea. We found 45.1% and 35% gave antibiotics without prescription during ARI and acute diarrhea respectively. Majority of mothers continued breastfeeding. No association was detected between practices and demographic features or educational level of mothers. Conclusion: Inappropriate self-medication practices regarding the management of acute diarrhea and ARI and under use of ORS for acute diarrhea were common home practices. There is a great need to increase awareness of mothers about home management through health education programs.

COVID-19 is an emerging viral infection of zoonotic origin that is closely related to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that caused an outbreak in 2003. Therefore, scientists named the new virus SARS-CoV-2. On March 11, 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized COVID-19 as a global pandemic. At present, three vaccines have been approved or are being considered for approval by national regulatory agencies to immunize against COVID- 19. However, the vaccines do not remain widely available, and no specific treatment against the virus is available. The pathogenesis and proliferation pathways of SARS-CoV-2 are still not well known. Thus, in this article, the saponin glycyrrhizin is discussed as a new potential therapeutic agent of natural origin (licorice root, Glycyrrhiza glabra) for the potential treatment of COVID-19 infections.

The present meta-analysis sought to investigate the potential association between zinc levels and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). A comprehensive search of online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)) was conducted to identify all English and Chinese studies published up to August 2020. All case-control studies that assessed plasma/serum zinc levels were eligible for inclusion. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software version 2.2.046 (Biostat, Englewood, NJ, USA). Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted with the trial sequential analysis program. Nineteen case-control studies, involving 1079 RAS cases and 965 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results of 19 studies showed that zinc level was significantly lower in RAS patients than in healthy controls (weighted difference in means = − 21.092, 95% CI − 26.695 to − 15.490, I2 = 95.375%, P < 0.001). Upon subgroup analysis by geographic distribution of the sample (Chinese vs. others), the association remained significant in each individual subgroup, although the association was more pronounced among Chinese populations. TSA indicated that the current studies surpassed the required information size, confirming that the differences were reliable. The results suggest a significant association between low serum zinc levels and the occurrence of RAS. Although TSA confirmed a solid conclusion, conducting large-scale studies with the highest standards of quality is encouraged. Determining zinc levels should be considered in diagnosis, management, and prevention of RAS.

With the progress of social technology and the economy and the development of globalization, supply chain management has become the most important means to help enterprises obtain competitive advantages. This paper takes the impact of supply chain integration on enterprise competitive advantage as the research object. Therefore, the author combs the research literature of supply chain integration and enterprise competitive advantage and refers to other scholars’ composition mechanisms of enterprise competitive advantage. At the same time, the author conducted research on the service industry and constructs the supply chain integration enterprise competitive advantage model, based on the literature review and interview analysis results. The author puts forward a series of research hypotheses to test the correlation between the variables in the competitive advantage model. According to the research hypothesis and the characteristics of the service industry, the paper designs a questionnaire and carries on the research, uses statistical software to analyze the data of 133 valid samples, and verifies the feasibility of applying the model to the establishment of the service industry. The test results show that the competitive advantage model is valid for service industry. This study verifies the feasibility of applying the enterprise competitive advantage model to the service industry, which has certain reference value for enhancing the competitive advantage of the service industry.

Length‐weight relationship was estimated for three fish species, including: Lethrinus microdon (Valenciennes, 1,830), Sphyraena jello (Cuvier, 1829) and Euthynnus affinis (Cantor, 1849). Specimens were sampled between May 2014 and June 2015 from the fish caught by the local artisanal fishery and landed in main fishing landing site of Mocka city. Values of b for fish ranged from 2.644 for S. jello to 2.706 for E. affinis and 3.187 for L. microdon. The determination coefficient (r²) between total length and total body weight ranged from .952 in E. affinis to 0.957 in S. jello and 0.960 in L. microdon.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is not only a threat to physical health but is also having severe impacts on mental health. Although increases in stress-related symptomatology and other adverse psycho-social outcomes, as well as their most important risk factors have been described, hardly anything is known about potential protective factors. Resilience refers to the maintenance of mental health despite adversity. To gain mechanistic insights about the relationship between described psycho-social resilience factors and resilience specifically in the current crisis, we assessed resilience factors, exposure to Corona crisis-specific and general stressors, as well as internalizing symptoms in a cross-sectional online survey conducted in 24 languages during the most intense phase of the lockdown in Europe (22 March to 19 April) in a convenience sample of N = 15,970 adults. Resilience, as an outcome, was conceptualized as good mental health despite stressor exposure and measured as the inverse residual between actual and predicted symptom total score. Preregistered hypotheses (osf.io/r6btn) were tested with multiple regression models and mediation analyses. Results confirmed our primary hypothesis that positive appraisal style (PAS) is positively associated with resilience (p < 0.0001). The resilience factor PAS also partly mediated the positive association between perceived social support and resilience, and its association with resilience was in turn partly mediated by the ability to easily recover from stress (both p < 0.0001). In comparison with other resilience factors, good stress response recovery and positive appraisal specifically of the consequences of the Corona crisis were the strongest factors. Preregistered exploratory subgroup analyses (osf.io/thka9) showed that all tested resilience factors generalize across major socio-demographic categories. This research identifies modifiable protective factors that can be targeted by public mental health efforts in this and in future pandemics. © 2021, The Author(s).

The present meta-analysis sought to investigate the potential association between zinc levels and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS).A comprehensive search of online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)) was conducted to identify all English and Chinese studies published up to August 2020. All case-control studies that assessed plasma/serum zinc levels were eligible for inclusion. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software version 2.2.046 (Biostat, Englewood, NJ, USA). Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted with the trial sequential analysis program.Nineteen case-control studies, involving 1079 RAS cases and 965 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results of 19 studies showed that zinc level was significantly lower in RAS patients than in healthy controls (weighted difference in means = - 21.092, 95% CI - 26.695 to - 15.490, IThe results suggest a significant association between low serum zinc levels and the occurrence of RAS. Although TSA confirmed a solid conclusion, conducting large-scale studies with the highest standards of quality is encouraged.Determining zinc levels should be considered in diagnosis, management, and prevention of RAS.

Objectives This cross-sectional comparative study investigated the effects of qat chewing habit on the radiographic bone density (RBD) and trabecular microstructure of temporomandibular joint condyles using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Study Design In total, 85 systemically healthy Yemeni males were included and divided into qat chewers (QCs; n = 41); and non-qat chewers (NQCs; n = 44). The participants responded to a structured questionnaire and underwent standardized clinical examination and CBCT scanning of the temporomandibular joint. Measurements of RBD and trabecular microstructure (trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, bone volume fraction, and fractal dimension) were performed. Statistical significance was established at P ≤ .05. Results No statistically significant differences were found between QCs and NQCs in RBD or trabecular microstructure. The mean standard deviations and maximum values of trabecular separation on the nonchewing side for QCs were significantly lower compared to the corresponding values for NQCs (0.60 and 2.68 for QCs vs 0.72 and 3.05 for NQCs; P = .025 and .05, respectively). A comparison between chewing and nonchewing sides in QCs revealed no significant differences. Conclusions Qat chewing habit induces insignificant changes in condylar RBD and trabecular microstructure as detected by CBCT. Further studies using advanced radiographic techniques are warranted.

The social habit of chewing qat (also known as khat) is widely practised in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It has been linked with various oro-facial conditions, including temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD). This cross-sectional, comparative study sought to investigate the effects of qat chewing on temporomandibular joint (TMJ), using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). A total of 85 Yemeni males were included. The participants were divided into two groups: Qat chewers (QC; n = 41) and non-qat chewers (NQC; n = 44). Relevant data were obtained using a structured questionnaire and standardised clinical examination. Additionally, CBCT images of the TMJs were obtained, and then, osteoarthritic changes and TMJ dimensions were analysed. SPSS 21 was used for statistical analyses, with a significant level was set at 0.05. Compared to NQC, a significantly higher proportion of QC presented with clinical signs of TMDs. The qualitative CBCT findings revealed significantly higher osteoarthritic changes in QC than in NQC: osteophyte (51.2% vs 22.7%; P = .008), subcortical sclerosis (48.8% vs 27.3%; P = .047), articular surface flattening (46.3% vs 6.8%; P = .009) and subcortical cysts (43.9% vs 4.5%; P < .001). However, CBCT quantitative findings (condylar dimensions) did not show significant differences between the two groups. The chewing side of the QC group showed slightly more changes compared to the non-chewing side. The results demonstrate that qat chewing has detrimental effects on TMJ manifested mainly as osteoarthritic changes. Further large-scale studies are recommended.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is not only a threat to physical health but is also having severe impacts on mental health. While increases in stress-related symptomatology and other adverse psycho-social outcomes as well as their most important risk factors have been described, hardly anything is known about potential protective factors. Resilience refers to the maintenance of mental health despite adversity. In order to gain mechanistic insights about the relationship between described psycho-social resilience factors and resilience specifically in the current crisis, we assessed resilience factors, exposure to Corona crisis-specific and general stressors, as well as internalizing symptoms in a cross-sectional online survey conducted in 24 languages during the most intense phase of the lockdown in Europe (March 22nd to April 19th) in a convenience sample of N=15,970 adults. Resilience, as an outcome, was conceptualized as good mental health despite stressor exposure and measured as the inverse residual between actual and predicted symptom total score. Preregistered hypotheses (osf.io/r6btn) were tested with multiple regression models and mediation analyses. Results confirmed our primary hypothesis that positive appraisal style (PAS) is positively associated with resilience (p

Additional file 1: Table 1. Excluded studies and reasons for exclusion.

The ability to functionalize multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with organic semiconductors is a promising methodology to promote their use in multiple optoelectronic applications, especially at the visible region of the optical spectra. In this article, we investigate the structural, optical, and electrical properties of chemically synthesized MWCNTs hybridized with zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) molecules. Interestingly, the hybrid ZnPc-MWCNTs optical bandgap shifts towards the visible light at 2.6 eV instead of the near-infrared bandgap of the pristine sample at 1.2 eV. Besides, the ZnPc-MWCNTs hybrid exhibits enhanced p-n heterojunction photodiode characteristics that are significantly improved with temperature increase. Moreover, the I-V curves of the hybrid ZnPc-MWCNTs sample under visible illumination conditions express a current intensity three times higher than the pristine MWCNTs sample. This promotes the use of the ZnPc-MWCNTs hybrid in various optoelectronic applications working in the visible region of optical spectra.

Background Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a very common oral ulcerative disease with no definitive cure. Growing evidence suggests a significant association between zinc deficiency and RAS. Objectives To assess the efficacy of systemic zinc supplementations in the prevention and management of RAS. Methods Five databases were searched for all English and Chinese studies published up to November 2020. All clinical trials that assessed the efficacy of zinc supplementations in the management and/or prevention of RAS were included. Results Seven clinical trials comprising 482 RAS patients (250 in zinc group) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The follow-up period ranged from three months to one year. Five studies showed significantly better efficacy of zinc in reducing the recurrence rates of RAS, whereas two studies did not report any significant differences compared to the controls. Four studies reported on signs/symptoms of RAS, three of which showed superior outcomes in favour of zinc, while one study reported comparable results. Conclusion Zinc supplementation seems to be efficacious in the management and prevention of RAS. However, further clinical trials with standardized methodologies and adequate follow-up periods are required to confirm the efficacy of zinc supplementations.

Leishmaniasis, a widely prevalent disease throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world, is a chronic protozoan infection of humans and mammals that remains grossly underreported and causes significant global morbidity and mortality. Different species of the intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania can cause human leishmaniasis, resulting in various visceral, cutaneous, and mucocutaneous manifestations. The risk of leishmaniasis manifesting as a more severe entity is dependent on the infecting parasites’ immune evasion potential. Some causal associations between leishmaniasis and malignancy have been evidenced in experimental animals and humans. Leishmania spp. infection can play a significant, direct or indirect, role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of some malignant disorders through numerous pathophysiologic cascades. Aging, chronic ultraviolet radiation exposure, and popular treatment abuse (eg, chameleon saliva, cactus recipes, corrosive chemicals, and topical steroids) have been proposed as the principal triggering factors. Malignancy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of leishmaniasis in endemic regions, such as Yemen. Understanding this relationship could enrich the provision of early diagnosis, proper management, and prompt control of cancer.

Leishmaniasis and malignancy are emerging public health threats, manifested by a myriad of clinical presentations, and are responsible of substantial morbidity and mortality. Association of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) is an unusual syndrome that has rarely or even not been reported. Hereby, I report a challenging and an exceedingly rare entity of CTCL superimposed on disseminated CL (DCL) in an immunocompromised woman from Yemen. Hence, many of the questions raised in the context of parasitic carcinogenesis and the supposed potential of Leishmania parasites as oncogenes and/or risk factors for neoplastic development. Understanding this type of relationship between such skin intracellular parasites and carcinogenesis may enrich the provision of prevention, diagnosis and management of these challengeable and very hazardous diseases.

This study aimed to demonstrate subgingival microbial changes associated with development, prevention, and treatment of experimental gingivitis using chlorhexidine (CHX) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) mouthwashes. This randomized clinical trial comprised two parts: a 3-week prevention sub-study in which 30 study subjects were equally assigned to either mouthwash or placebo while developing experimental gingivitis; followed by a 2-week treatment sub-study in which 20 subjects with experimental gingivitis were assigned to either mouthwash. Subgingival samples were collected at the beginning and end of each sub-study for microbial profiling with 16S rRNA gene sequencing. As expected, CHX was effective in both preventing and reversing experimental gingivitis; NAC had a modest effect. Gingivitis was associated with enrichment of TM7 HOT-346/349, Tannerella HOT-286, Cardiobacterium valvarum, Campylobacter gracilis, Porphyromonas catoniae, Leptotrichia HOT-219, and Selenomonas spp. At the phylum/genus level, TM7 showed the strongest association. Gingival health was associated with increased abundance of Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Lautropia mirabilis, Rothia spp., Streptococcus spp., and Kingella oralis. CHX demonstrated largely indiscriminate antimicrobial action, resulting in significant drop in biomass and diversity. Our results substantiate the role of specific oral bacterial species in the development of gingivitis. They also indicate that NAC is not a promising mouthwash at the concentration tested.