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Abstract Povidone-iodine is identified as one of the widely applicable antiseptic reagents for treatment of skin infection and wound healing. Controllable releasing of povidone-iodine is extensively required for healing of chronic wounds. The release of povidone-iodine was systematically studied from the composites based on carboxymethyl starch (CMS). Currently, different ratios from copper precursor and L-aspartic acid (L-AA) were interacted with CMS to obtain Cu-L-AA@CMS composites. Increment the percentage of L-AA was reflected in clustering of dense masses from the desirable composite with highly crystalline/stable structural network. Regardless to pH conditions, Cu-L-AA(30%)@CMS composite showed the highest efficiency for controllable release of povidone-iodine, whereas, the release percentages were estimated to be 58%, 32% and 18% at pH 5, 7 and 9, respectively. The kinetic results revealed the impossibility of povidone-iodine releasing via diffusion/erosion for further support of the hypothesis of releasing via swelling process. Moreover, the release of povidone-iodine using column technique showed that the lowest release was estimated at using high rate of 6 mL/min. Besides the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the prepared Cu-L-AA@CMS composites, it showed the superiority for controllable release of povidone-iodine antiseptic reagent to regulate its beneficial effect in curing of the skin.

Abstract Background Endoscopic ear surgery has numerous benefits, such as the capacity to obtain high-resolution pictures and visualize normally inaccessible locations such as the retrotympanum, sinus tympani, and facial recess. These areas are generally difficult to access with traditional microscopic techniques. Endoscopic ear surgery reduces operating time when performed by skilled surgeons, without the need for a postauricular incision wound. An essential aspect to consider when evaluating the effects of any procedure on individual satisfaction is the assessment of health-associated quality of life. It is a tool used for subjective assessment, which is regarded as a reliable measure of the satisfaction perceived—whether physically or mentally—resulting from a certain procedure. The goal of this study was to identify the benefits of middle ear surgery when done endoscopically compared to postauricular microscopic techniques in middle ear surgery. This was achieved by evaluating and comparing the level of satisfaction among patients who underwent either microscopic or endoscopic ear surgery. Methods The Chronic Ear Surgery Survey (CESS), a 13-point Likert scale survey designed specifically for assessing outcomes of surgery for chronic middle ear disease, was implemented to measure patient satisfaction. The survey comprises three subscales. We performed a retrospective study at the Otorhinolaryngology Department, Cairo University, Egypt. The study encompassed individuals who underwent surgery on the middle ear between March 2018 and September 2021. The patients were scheduled into two categories according to the technique of surgery (whether endoscopic or microscopic) in order to assess postoperative satisfaction using the Chronic Ear Surgery Survey (CESS). Results Our research findings demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the two categories in terms of the overall scores and all subscale scores of the Chronic Ear Surgery Survey (CESS), with patients who had middle ear surgery endoscopically (EES) showing better outcomes. Conclusions Identifying the elements that are strongly associated with subjective outcomes can assist surgeons in identifying patients who are more likely to have poorer satisfaction. This knowledge can be valuable in preoperative counseling. Endoscopic ear surgery (EES) seems to have a higher level of cosmetic acceptability, especially in terms of enhancing the socially related aspects of a patient's pleasure. This work thus supports the ongoing integration of endoscope utilization in otological surgical procedures.

Abstract Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) is a vector of many serious human diseases, and its control by the heavy use of chemical insecticides has led to the evolution of insecticide resistance and high environmental risks. Many safe alternatives, such as ozone gas (O3) and silica nanoparticles (silica NPs) can reduce these risks. Therefore, O3 and silica NPs were applied to 3rd larval instars of Cx. pipiens at different concentrations (100, 200, and 400 ppm) for different exposure times (1, 2, 3, and 5 min for O3 and 24, 48, and 72 h for silica NPs). The activity of some vital antioxidant enzymes as well as scanning electron microscopy of the body surface were also investigated. A positive correlation was observed between larval mortality % and the tested concentrations of O3 and silica NPs. O3 was more effective than silica NPs, it resulted in 92% mortality at 400 ppm for a short exposure time (5 min). O3-exposed larvae exhibited a significant increase in glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and catalase activities as well as the total antioxidant capacity. Scanning electron microscopy showing disruptive effects on the body surface morphology of ozone and silica NPs treated larvae. These results provide evidence that O3 and silica NPs have the potential for use as alternative vector control tools against Cx. pipiens.

Background: Augmented reality (AR) is receiving increasing interest as a tool to create an interactive and motivating learning environment. Yet, it is unclear how instructional support affects performance in AR. Objectives: This study sought to explore how varying the instructional support in AR can affect performance-related behaviours of students with low cognitive abilities during assembly work. Methods: A total of 90 Belgian secondary school students repeatedly executed four different realistic assembly tasks. Three levels of instructional support (low, medium, and high) in AR as well as a control condition with paper instructions with a high level of detail were systematically varied across tasks and participants. Results and Conclusions: Multilevel regression analyses showed that AR instructions yielded lower assembly times and a lower perceived physical effort than paper instructions. Additionally, participants perceived tasks as less complex when given AR instructions with a high or a medium level of detail than when given a low level of detail. No effects of instructional support were established for other performance-related behaviours, namely necessary assistance, error-making, cognitive load, competence frustration, and stress. Effect sizes were small, at least among the instructional support conditions studied, yielding a limited base for adaptivity. Presumably, tailoring the instructional support in AR is only beneficial for highly complex tasks. The results might be useful for the design and implementation of AR in educational settings.

The primary objective of this pilot study was to identify which aspects of in-office rhinologic procedures (IORPs) warrant further attention and investigation in the future. The secondary objectives were to survey which IORPs are most common and to identify needs for education and training. A cross-sectional study was carried out following the Consensus-Based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS). The survey collected demographic, organizational, quality, and safety aspects of IORPs and was electronically distributed to YO-IFOS members across five continents. A total of 194 surgeons completed the survey, and 172 respondents (88%) performed IORPs. Ninety-nine responders (51.5%) worked in an academic setting. Common procedures included powered polypectomy (48, 28.4%) and turbinate reduction (93, 54.1%). The main concerns were about patients’ tolerance (116, 76.3%) and about the safety of the procedure (102, 67.1%). The most important barriers to the diffusion of IORPs are concerns about the tolerance and safety of these procedures. It would be convenient to establish protocols for this type of procedure to ensure the greatest patient comfort based on evidence.

Abstract Background The Berlin definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) includes only clinical characteristics. Understanding unique patient pathobiology may allow personalized treatment. We aimed to define and describe ARDS phenotypes/endotypes combining clinical and pathophysiologic parameters from a Canadian ARDS cohort. Methods A cohort of adult ARDS patients from multiple sites in Calgary, Canada, had plasma cytokine levels and clinical parameters measured in the first 24 h of ICU admission. We used a latent class model (LCM) to group the patients into several ARDS subgroups and identified the features differentiating those subgroups. We then discuss the subgroup effect on 30 day mortality. Results The LCM suggested three subgroups (n 1 = 64, n 2 = 86, and n 3 = 30), and 23 out of 69 features made these subgroups distinct. The top five discriminating features were IL-8, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-a, and serum lactate. Mortality distinctively varied between subgroups. Individual clinical characteristics within the subgroup associated with mortality included mean PaO2/FiO2 ratio, pneumonia, platelet count, and bicarbonate negatively associated with mortality, while lactate, creatinine, shock, chronic kidney disease, vasopressor/ionotropic use, low GCS at admission, and sepsis were positively associated. IL-8 and Apache II were individual markers strongly associated with mortality (Area Under the Curve = 0.84). Perspective ARDS subgrouping using biomarkers and clinical characteristics is useful for categorizing a heterogeneous condition into several homogenous patient groups. This study found three ARDS subgroups using LCM; each subgroup has a different level of mortality. This model may also apply to developing further trial design, prognostication, and treatment selection.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the first cause of cancer in Egypt. Recently, HCC developed post direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) differ in some characteristics from those developed without DAAs exposure regarding the biological features and behavior of HCC. We aimed to assess the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings besides the biological behavior of HCC patients post DAAs in comparison to HCC not exposed to DAAs. An analytic cross-sectional research was performed at the National Liver Institute which is a tertiary multidisciplinary HCC center. Subjects included hepatitis C virus patients and were allocated into two groups: group I included 2036 HCC cases post-DAA treatment and group II included 6338 HCC cases who did not receive DAAs. Subjects were examined to evaluate clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings. Tumor staging was done using the BCLC staging system. Results Group II showed a more advanced Child–Pugh score, FIB-4 index, and MELD score than Group I (P = 0.001). The multiplicity of hepatic focal lesions was elevated in group I than in group II (P = 0.033). AFP level was significantly elevated in group I than in group II (p = 0.012). Portal vein invasion was significantly elevated in group I than in group II patients (P = 0.001). Extrahepatic spread of HCC was significantly elevated in group I than in group II (P = 0.001). Infiltrative lesions were significantly elevated in group I than in group II (P = 0.002). Conclusion Our study detected that the behavior in HCC post DAAs treatment is more aggressive in respect of the number of lesions, PV invasion; local and distant metastasis, and serum AFP level than in patients unexposed to DAAs. Strict surveillance in cirrhotic patients treated with DAA should be followed according to the international guidelines for early diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Reading is a fundamental skill to acquire during children's school career. The present meta-analysis examined research on the effectiveness of digital technologies to foster early reading skills during Tier-1 interventions (ie, high-quality core reading instruction which is intended to promote learning for all children). Unlike previous meta-analyses, this meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness in a broad way, taking into account cognitive versus non-cognitive learning outcomes, near versus far transfer outcomes and immediate versus delayed outcomes. Furthermore, different study characteristics were taken into account including participant characteristics, the targeted reading subskills, duration of intervention, type of technology and the level of integration. A total of 568 effect sizes from 72 studies encompassing 60,890 participants were analysed using a meta-analytic three-level model. A Hedges' g effect size of 0.37 was obtained, suggesting that using digital technologies generally have a positive, albeit small, effect compared to traditional teaching methods. Moderator analyses indicated that this effect was robust to cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, near and far transfer outcomes, and immediate and delayed outcomes, but differed by participants' age and study quality. Recommendations are formulated to push forward research on how digital interventions can be effectively implemented in the classroom.

Salinization of water and soil presents a substantial abiotic challenge, hindering plant growth and development, causing physiological imbalances, and threatening global food security. This study aimed to investigate the effects of salinity stress at two levels (1000 and 1500 mg/L) and the potential enhancement of salinity tolerance in peas (cv. Master B) through foliar application of manganese (10 mg/L) and arginine (300 mg/L), both individually and in combination, over two consecutive seasons. Under salinity stress, various growth and yield traits of pea plants, including plant height, leaf area, plant dry weight, number of pods per plant, weight of green pods per plant, and seed dry weight, were significantly reduced compared to unstressed plants in both seasons. Physiological parameters such as chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activity, membrane stability, leaf CO2 and H2O2 content, stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis, and transpiration rate were notably impacted. Biochemical seed analysis revealed significant alterations in total carbohydrate, crude protein, vitamin C, and NPK content under salinity stress. The application of manganese and arginine, either separately or in combination, alleviated the adverse effects of salinity on various parameters across different seasons. The simultaneous application was the most effective, mitigating salinity stress and resulting in improvements in total chlorophyll content (by 41.24%), proline content (17.48%), catalase activity (16.98%), peroxidase activity (22.84%), and fruit number per plant (52.14%) under the highest salinity level (1500 mg/L). Further research, including field trials and molecular studies, is recommended to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of the combined application.

AbstractUsing diluted seawater for irrigation presents a potential solution to tackle water scarcity and optimize water usage in regions where there is a shortage of freshwater resources. Therefore, the objective of current study was to assess the efficacy of proline and zinc nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), either alone or in combination, in alleviating adverse impacts of diluted seawater irrigation [2.5% (EC, 1.6) and 5% (EC, 2,3)] on the growth and productivity of pea plants (cv. Master B) during the winter seasons of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024. The results indicated that irrigation with diluted seawater had negative effects on several growth parameters of peas, including plant height, leaf area, plant dry weight, chlorophyll pigment (Ch a, Ch b, and total Ch) content, and seed chemical composition. In contrast, foliar application of ZnO-NPs, proline, or their combination improved plant growth, productivity, oxidative enzyme activities, net photosynthesis, and phenolic compound content under salinity stress. Furthermore, these treatments positively influenced the content of essential nutrients (NPK), vitamin C, carbohydrate percentage, and crude protein in pea seeds. The combination of ZnO-NPs and proline yielded the highest values for most parameters during the experimental seasons. Overall, the interaction between ZnO-NPs and proline showed promise in enhancing pea plant growth and productivity, especially in environments characterized by salt stress.

Solar energy (SE) is vital for renewable energy generation, but its natural fluctuations present difficulties in maintaining grid stability and planning. Accurate forecasting of solar irradiance (SI) is essential to address these challenges. The current research presents an innovative forecasting approach named as Transformer-Infused Recurrent Neural Network (TIR) model. This model integrates a Bi-Directional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) network for encoding and a Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) network for decoding, incorporating attention mechanisms and positional encoding. This model is proposed to enhance SI forecasting accuracy by effectively utilizing meteorological weather data, handling overfitting, and managing data outliers and data complexity. To evaluate the model’s performance, a comprehensive comparative analysis is conducted, involving five algorithms: Artificial Neural Network (ANN), BiLSTM, GRU, hybrid BiLSTM-GRU, and Transformer models. The findings indicate that employing the TIR model leads to superior accuracy in the analyzed area, achieving R2 value of 0.9983, RMSE of 0.0140, and MAE of 0.0092. This performance surpasses those of the alternative models studied. The integration of BiLSTM and GRU algorithms with the attention mechanism and positional encoding has been optimized to enhance the forecasting of SI. This approach mitigates computational dependencies and minimizes the error terms within the model.

A series of benzothiazolopyrimidine-thiazole conjugates 7, 8, and 9 were produced through the reactions of 8-acetylbenzothiazolopyrimidine-thiosemicarbazone compound 6 with chloroacetone, (un)substituted phenacyl chlorides, and ethyl chloroacetate, respectively. Based on DFT study, the synthesized conjugates had a twisted shape, except for the parent benzothiazolopyrimidine 5 and its thiosemicarbazone compound 6, which were flat. The study of FMO's also showed that the substituted thiazole derivatives 7 and 8a-c have equivalent configurations of HOMO and LUMO, as well as exhibiting the least FMO's gap (ΔEH-L). The antimicrobic activeness of the constructed derivatives has been assessed against the two Gram's types of bacteria and fungi using the broth microdilution method. The benzothiazolopyrimidine-thiazole conjugate 8c exhibited the strongest inhibition towards Gram-negative E. coli (MIC

Diethyl 2-(((4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl)oxy)methylene)malonate (2) was synthesized from coumarin 1 and diethyl ethoxymethylene malonate in ethanol, followed by cyclization in diphenyl ether to give chromene-9-carboxylate (3). Sugar hydrazones 5a-c were formed by reacting hydrazide 4 with D-galactose, D-mannose, and D-xylose, then acetylated to per-O-acetyl derivatives 6a-c. Heating 5a-c with acetic anhydride at 100 °C gave oxadiazolines 7a-c. Compound 8, obtained by refluxing 4 with carbon disulfide, was alkylated to 9 or reacted to give 10. Further reactions yielded acetoxy derivative 13 and hydroxy derivative 14. Compounds 17a-e and 18a-e were synthesized using thiomorpholinophenyl ureido/thioureido-s-triazine. These compounds were characterized and evaluated for antibacterial activity against Gram (+ve) bacteria (B. subtilis, S. aureus) and Gram (-ve) bacteria (E. coli, P. aeruginosa) in addition to yeast-like fungi (C. albicans). Compounds 11, 13, 15, 16, 17c-e, and 18a-e showed the highest antibacterial activity. Molecular docking was performed to study their binding with transpeptidases.

New pyrimidine linked thiophene conjugates 5a-d and thiadiazole conjugates 7a-d through a carboxamide bridge were synthesized and characterized by the spectral data (IR, NMR and mass). Exploration of the isolated conjugates’ characteristics using DFT methodology revealed that they had angular configurations with distinctive outline of the FMO’s belonging to the thienyl- and thiadiazolyl-pyrimidine classes. In accordance, the FMO’s energy values of these analogues disclosed reduced energy gap (ΔEH-L=3.66–3.86 eV) than the parent 4 (4.49 eV) and may be arranged as: 7c

The pervasive presence of mercury in water and cosmetics poses significant health risks, necessitating the development of a method for the in-situ monitoring and extraction of mercury ions. This study introduces a novel approach utilizing Mesoporous Silica Nanotubes (MSNTs) with a unique worm-like structure, providing an expansive surface area ideal for the adsorption of a Hg2+ ion chromophore, N,N,N,N′-Tetramethyl-4,4′-diaminobenzophenone. This configuration enables rapid and visible detection of toxic mercury, with a color transition from yellow to green that is easily discernible by the naked eye. The sensitivity of the Mercury nano-sensor (MNS) is remarkably high, with a detection limit of 1.9 × 10-8 M as determined by digital image analysis, and 4.9 × 10-8 M via spectrophotometric methods—both well below the WHO guidelines for drinking water. The MNS’s low detection threshold, coupled with its reusability after simple regeneration, positions it as an effective tool for preliminary water testing. The findings suggest that the MNS, requiring only 10 mg for measurements, offers a promising solution for the real-time visualization of mercury ions, enhancing safety measures in water and cosmetic products.

The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between personality and peer-rated team role behavior on the one hand and team role behavior and verbal behavior on the other hand. To achieve this, different data types were collected in fifteen professional teams of four members (N = 60) from various private and public organizations in Flanders, Belgium. Participants’ personalities were assessed using a workplace-contextualized personality questionnaire based on the Big Five, including domains and facets. Typical team role behavior was assessed by the team members using the Team Role Experience and Orientation peer rating system. Verbal interactions of nine of the teams (n = 36) were recorded in an educational lab setting, where participants performed several collaborative problem-solving tasks as part of a training. To process these audio data, a coding scheme for collaborative problem solving and linguistic inquiry and word count were used. We identified robust links and logical correlation patterns between personality traits and typical team role behaviors, complementing prior research that only focused on self-reported team behavior. For instance, a relatively strong correlation was found between Altruism and the Team builder role. Next, the study reveals that role taking within teams is associated with specific verbal interaction patterns. For example, members identified as Organizers were more engaged in responding to others’ ideas and monitoring execution.

The research work explored the influence of iron doping on the optical behavior, structural characteristics, and radiation shielding capabilities of soda lime borophosphate glass system of composition xFe2O3-(42.5-x)B2O3-26CaO-28.7Na2O-2.8P2O5 (x up to 8 mol%). The glass samples doped with varying iron concentrations were synthesized via the conventional melt-quenching method. A comprehensive characterization approach was employed, integrating X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to probe the structural aspects, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to examine the molecular vibrations and bonding, and UV–visible spectroscopic techniques to investigate the optical properties. Furthermore, the study evaluated the potential of these iron-doped glasses as effective radiation shielding materials by assessing their attenuation performance against various radiation types. The influence of iron oxide (Fe2O3) addition on the borophosphate network, coordination environment, and optical absorption was examined. The radiation shielding characteristics, such as mass attenuation coefficient, half-value layer, mean free path, and other parameters, were assessed using Phy-x freeware program calculations. The results revealed the formation of an amorphous glass structure and the incorporation of iron ions into the borophosphate network. The addition of Fe2O3 influenced the borate superstructural units, the conversion of BO3 to BO4 units, and the optical absorption bands. The glasses exhibited promising radiation shielding properties combined with increasing Fe2O3 content.

Abstract Transition from traditional high-fiber to Western diets in urbanizing communities of Sub-Saharan Africa is associated with increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCD), exemplified by colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. To investigate how urbanization gives rise to microbial patterns that may be amenable by dietary intervention, we analyzed diet intake, fecal 16 S bacteriome, virome, and metabolome in a cross-sectional study in healthy rural and urban Xhosa people (South Africa). Urban Xhosa individuals had higher intakes of energy (urban: 3,578 ± 455; rural: 2,185 ± 179 kcal/d), fat and animal protein. This was associated with lower fecal bacteriome diversity and a shift from genera favoring degradation of complex carbohydrates (e.g., Prevotella) to taxa previously shown to be associated with bile acid metabolism and CRC. Urban Xhosa individuals had higher fecal levels of deoxycholic acid, shown to be associated with higher CRC risk, but similar short-chain fatty acid concentrations compared with rural individuals. Fecal virome composition was associated with distinct gut bacterial communities across urbanization, characterized by different dominant host bacteria (urban: Bacteriodota; rural: unassigned taxa) and variable correlation with fecal metabolites and dietary nutrients. Food and skin microbiota samples showed compositional differences along the urbanization gradient. Rural-urban dietary transition in South Africa is linked to major changes in the gut microbiome and metabolome. Further studies are needed to prove cause and identify whether restoration of specific components of the traditional diet will arrest the accelerating rise in NCDs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the evolving field of solar energy, precise forecasting of Solar Irradiance (SI) stands as a pivotal challenge for the optimization of photovoltaic (PV) systems. Addressing the inadequacies in current forecasting techniques, we introduced advanced machine learning models, namely the Rectified Linear Unit Activation with Adaptive Moment Estimation Neural Network (RELAD-ANN) and the Linear Support Vector Machine with Individual Parameter Features (LSIPF). These models broke new ground by striking an unprecedented balance between computational efficiency and predictive accuracy, specifically engineered to overcome common pitfalls such as overfitting and data inconsistency. The RELAD-ANN model, with its multi-layer architecture, sets a new standard in detecting the nuanced dynamics between SI and meteorological variables. By integrating sophisticated regression methods like Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Lightweight Gradient Boosting Machines (Light GBM), our results illuminated the intricate relationship between SI and its influencing factors, marking a novel contribution to the domain of solar energy forecasting. With an R2 of 0.935, MAE of 8.20, and MAPE of 3.48%, the model outshone other models, signifying its potential for accurate and reliable SI forecasting, when compared with existing models like Multi-Layer Perceptron, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Multilayer-LSTM, Gated Recurrent Unit, and 1-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network, while the LSIPF model showed limitations in its predictive ability. Light GBM emerged as a robust approach in evaluating environmental influences on SI, outperforming the SVR model. Our findings contributed significantly to the optimization of solar energy systems and could be applied globally, offering a promising direction for renewable energy management and real-time forecasting.

Abstract Background Positive thinking is a mental attitude that focuses on positive thoughts and beliefs in order to improve one’s outlook on life and is linked to a variety of positive psychological and health consequences, as well as decreased anxiety and depression. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an intervention program on positive thinking, resourcefulness skills, and future anxiety among caregivers of children with intellectual disability. A quasi-experimental design was used on 70 caregivers whose children were attending the intellectual education school in Zagazig City. Data were collected through an interview questionnaire sheet composed of sociodemographic datasheet and child characteristics, the Positive Thinking Skills Scale (PTSS), the Resourcefulness Skills Scale (RSS), and the Future Anxiety Scale. Results The mean score of future anxiety was lower at the post-intervention phase compared to pre-intervention among the participants’ caregivers. Otherwise, the mean scores of positive thinking, social resourcefulness, personal resourcefulness, and total resourcefulness were higher at the post-intervention phase compared to pre-intervention among the participants’ caregivers. Positive thinking improved among 60.76%, resourcefulness skills among 19.49%, and future anxiety decreased among 21.30% of the caregivers after the intervention. Conclusion The intervention program was efficient in improving the caregivers’ positive thinking and resourcefulness skills and decreasing their future anxiety. Recommendations A continuous psychosocial training program is recommended to enhance the caregivers’ positive thinking and improve other aspects of psychological adjustment.

Background/Aims: Portal hypertension complicating liver cirrhosis is associated with vascular resistance, possibly due to overexpression of humoral vasoconstrictors, including endothelin. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of serum endothelin-1 levels as a noninvasive predictor of early esophageal rebleeding (within 5 days) following endoscopic treatment. Materials and Methods: Of the patients presented to the endoscopy unit at Mansoura University Hospital, 50 patients were chosen for this study on the basis of endoscopically proven acute esophageal variceal bleeding consequent to hepatitis C viral infection complicated by liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Routine laboratory parameters and serum endothelin-1 levels were assessed prior to endoscopic treatment. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the development of early postendoscopic rebleeding. Group A consisted of 16 patients who developed rebleeding, while group B included 34 patients who did not. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the predictors of rebleeding. Results: Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that endothelin-1 level (P < .001) and serum albumin level (P = .04) were independent risk factors for early rebleeding. The most efficient cutoff value for endothelin-1 levels in predicting variceal rebleeding within the 5 days after endoscopic intervention was 65.29, which had an 88.2% specificity, 87.5% sensitivity, 88% accuracy, and area under the curve value of 0.89. In addition, hemoglobin, albumin, and creatinine levels were significantly different between bleeding and nonrebleeding groups (P = .03, P = .014, and P

This work aims to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of some new quinoline derivatives linked to pyrazole derivatives. The target compounds pyrazolylvinylquinoline 11a-g and 12a-g were achieved by the reaction of 2-chloro-6-nitro-3-quinolinecarboxaldehyde (4) with bromotriphenylphosphonylmethylpyrazole derivatives 9a,b to give the new quinoline derivatives 10a,b which in turn reacted with different aryl amines to afford 11a-g and 12a-g. Pyrazole derivatives 9a,b were obtained by the reaction of hydroxymethylpyrazole derivatives 8a,b with triphenylphosphine hydrobromide. Antimicrobial evaluation of the newly synthesized compounds showed that most of the new compounds appeared active toward Gram-positive bacteria more than Gram-negative bacteria. The biological evaluation of compounds 12d-g displayed the highest antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganism strains. Additionally, compounds 12d and 12f showed excellent activity against P. aeruginosa (MIC50 0.019 mg/mL), while compounds 11d, 11f, 12e, and 12g displayed good activity against the same microorganism (MIC50 0.07 mg/mL). On the other hand, most of the new compounds have moderate activity against E. coli. Compounds 12d and 12f showed excellent activity versus C. albicans in vitro antifungal activity (MIC50 0.15 mg/mL) comparing to or slightly lower than that of Fluconazole. Using molecular docking simulations, we evaluated the binding affinities and interactions of four chosen derivatives 12d-g with a target PDB code 3WT0 protein.

This study focuses on the efforts and projects to create and sustain the digital transformation of the museum collection in the Grand Egyptian Museum project. GEM is considered one of the cultural enlightenment projects where Egyptian heritage truly meets the latest technological innovations. GEM's one-of-a-kind and valuable collection will be displayed under overwhelming themes and narratives that will depict the ancient Egyptians' life, customs, death, and rebirth beliefs, which they performed and lived for almost 5,000 years. Egyptian cultural materials are spread across all of Egypt and managed by hundreds of museums; the task of digitization is a common challenge for all these museums. The study relied mainly on the quantitative method. The literature review and systematic observation were examined to study the trend toward the sustainability of GEM museum collections. Digital sustainability and digitization in Egyptian museums are constrained by limited knowledge capacity, fundraising resources, and ICT infrastructure. Faced with these constraints, the Grand Egyptian Museum has addressed these challenges with an interdisciplinary approach through collaborative planning, management, digitization, and digital presentation of its collections.