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Abstract One of the aims of population genetics is to identify genetic differences/similarities among individuals of multiple ancestries. Many approaches including principal component analysis, clustering, and maximum likelihood techniques can be used to assign individuals to a given ancestry based on their genetic makeup. Although there are several tools that implement such algorithms, there is a lack of interactive visual platforms to run a variety of algorithms in one place. Therefore, we developed PopMLvis, a platform that offers an interactive environment to visualize genetic similarity data using several algorithms, and generate figures that can be easily integrated into scientific articles.

Virtual reality is highly recommended for stroke rehabilitation as it was found to aid in recovery and can motivate users. While there are various virtual reality rehabilitation studies, the impact of virtual environments on rehabilitation has been less studied. This study investigates the added value of an enriched virtual environment on motivation and engagement in stroke rehabilitation. We conducted a validity study on healthy participants (N=25) in two environments: enriched virtual reality and non-enriched virtual reality. Our hypotheses are: 1) An enriched virtual environment with multisensory feedback, gamification, and adaptive function adds value to user motivation and engagement by increasing interest/enjoyment, perceived choice, value/usefulness, and relatedness of the application. 2) Motivated and engaged users spend more time or score more points in the application. The key findings of this study are that intrinsic motivation is higher in the enriched virtual environment (EVE) compared to the non-enriched virtual environment (NEVE). There are significant differences in motivation between these two environments. Furthermore, results show that more participants are engaged in the enriched virtual environment, spending more time, and scoring higher (Spearman’s $\rho =0.809$ ).

Abstract Background Aging has been reported as a major risk factor for severe symptoms and higher mortality rates in COVID-19 patients. Molecular hallmarks such as epigenetic alterations and telomere attenuation reflect the biological process of aging. Epigenetic clocks have been shown to be valuable tools for measuring biological age in various tissues and samples. As such, these epigenetic clocks can determine accelerated biological aging and time-to-mortality across various tissues. Previous reports have shown accelerated biological aging and telomere attrition acceleration following SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the effect of accelerated epigenetic aging on outcome (death/recovery) in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has not been well investigated. Results In this study, we measured DNA methylation age and telomere attrition in 87 severe COVID-19 cases with ARDS under mechanical ventilation. Furthermore, we compared dynamic changes in epigenetic aging across multiple time points until recovery or death. Epigenetic age was measured using the Horvath, Hannum, DNAm skin and blood, GrimAge, and PhenoAge clocks, whereas telomere length was calculated using the surrogate marker DNAmTL. Our analysis revealed significant accelerated epigenetic aging but no telomere attrition acceleration in severe COVID-19 cases. In addition, we observed epigenetic age deceleration at inclusion versus end of follow-up in recovered but not in deceased COVID-19 cases using certain clocks. When comparing dynamic changes in epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), we detected higher EAA using both the Horvath and PhenoAge clocks in deceased versus recovered patients. The DNAmTL measurements revealed telomere attrition acceleration in deceased COVID-19 patients between inclusion and end of follow-up and a significant change in dynamic telomere attrition acceleration when comparing patients who recovered versus those who died. Conclusions EAA and telomere attrition acceleration were associated with treatment outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with ARDS. A better understanding of the long-term effects of EAA in COVID-19 patients and how they might contribute to long COVID symptoms in recovered individuals is urgently needed.

The human ribosomal DNA (rDNA) copy number (CN) has been challenging to analyse, and its sequence has been excluded from reference genomes due to its highly repetitive nature. The 45S rDNA locus encodes essential components of the cell, nevertheless rDNA displays high inter-individual CN variation that could influence human health and disease. CN alterations in rDNA have been hypothesized as a possible factor in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and were shown to be altered in Schizophrenia patients. We tested whether whole-genome bisulphite sequencing can be used to simultaneously quantify rDNA CN and measure DNA methylation at the 45S rDNA locus. Using this approach, we observed high inter-individual variation in rDNA CN, and limited intra-individual copy differences in several post-mortem tissues. Furthermore, we did not observe any significant alterations in rDNA CN or DNA methylation in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) brains in 16 ASD vs 11 control samples. Similarly, no difference was detected when comparing neurons form 28 Schizophrenia (Scz) patients vs 25 controls or oligodendrocytes from 22 Scz samples vs 20 controls. However, our analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between CN and DNA methylation at the 45S rDNA locus in multiple tissues. This was observed in brain and confirmed in small intestine, adipose tissue, and gastric tissue. This should shed light on a possible dosage compensation mechanism that silences additional rDNA copies to ensure homoeostatic regulation of ribosome biogenesis.

Culture-independent molecular study presented the first exploring and evaluation of prokaryotic communities in two desert brines; the athalassohaline Lake “Aghormy”, Siwa Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt, and the thalassohaline saltern “Sebeaka Sabkha”, Bardawil Lagoon, north coast of the Sinai. 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding generated a total of 488,828 reads from both sites, grouped into 17,741 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). 3030 OTUs were shared in both sites, while 2255 and 9426 OTUs were unique to Aghormy Lake and Sebeaka Sabkha, respectively. Both sites showed an abundance of Bacteroidetes, particularly the genera Salisaeta and Salinibacter in Aghormy and Sebeaka Sabkha, respectively. Aghormy brine was characterized by phylotypes belonging to Deinococcus-Thermus, Spirochaetes, Rhodovibrio, Piscirickettsiaceae and GMD14H09 (Deltaproteobacteria). While phylotypes assigned to AT12OctB3 (Bacteroidetes), Rhodobacteriaceae, Ectothiorhodospiraceae, and Xanthomonadaceae formed Sebeaka Sabkha bacterial community. A Cyanobacteria-like phylotype was assigned to genus Dactylococcopsis in both brines. The archaeal family, Halobacteriaceae, represented 4.8% of Sebeaka brine reads. Although some of the recorded phylotypes in both brines belonged to the same phyla, they differed in lower taxonomic ranks, implicating distant brine environments' impact on shaping halophilic communities. The metabolic prediction analyses showed a dominance of TCA cycle, branched amino acid biosynthesis and heme biosynthesis, common metabolic features for salt tolerance.

BackgroundThis study aims to assess the electrocardiographic interpretation abilities of resident doctors at internal medicine and emergency medicine departments in eight Arabic countries.MethodsAn online cross-sectional study was conducted between October 7, 2022 and October 21, 2022 in eight Arabic countries. The questionnaire consisted of two main sections: the first section included sociodemographic information, while the second section contained 12 clinical case questions of the most severe cardiac abnormalities with their electrocardiography (ECG) recordings.ResultsOut of 2,509 responses, 630 were eligible for the data analysis. More than half of the participants were males (52.4%). Internal medicine residents were (n = 530, 84.1%), whereas emergency medicine residents were (n = 100, 15.9%). Almost participants were in their first or second years of residency (79.8%). Only 36.2% of the inquired resident doctors had attended an ECG course. Most participants, 85.6%, recognized the ECG wave order correctly, and 50.5% of the participants scored above 7.5/10 on the ECG interpretation scale. The proportions of participants who were properly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, third-degree heart block, and atrial tachycardia were 71.1, 76.7, and 56.6%, respectively. No statistically significant difference was defined between the internal and emergency medicine residents regarding their knowledge of ECG interpretation (p value = 0.42). However, there was a significant correlation between ECG interpretation and medical residency year (p value

Due to Malaysia's population growth, solid waste production has grown, with each individual producing 1.17 kg of rubbish daily and Malaysia producing an estimated 39,000 tons of garbage daily. The trash produced by households, industry, and trade increases in volume and becomes a key problem if not properly managed. Municipalities or governments must spend more on waste management if it is inefficient need. Nowadays, individuals rely more on their phones for daily chores. A strategy of using mobile apps known as e-Waze is proposed to support the existing waste management system. e-Waze’s primary goal is to enable the public to direct lodging complaints with local authorities regarding waste complaints. To propose a new strategy for enhancing the waste management system to the public, it is necessary to investigate the public's acceptance of the proposed strategy. Therefore, a set of questionnaires has been prepared and delivered to Malaysian via WhatsApp to obtain their opinion on the solid waste management system and their willingness to report improper waste management through the online system. The questionnaire was designed structured style, with both closed and open-ended questions. This survey was conducted using a convenient sampling approach from February 25 until March 19, 2022. As a result, 100 respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their residential area's cleanliness. The respondents reported odours, rats, insects, and rubbish scattered around certain areas. In addition, 277 respondents agreed to use online platforms such as the e-Waze apps to report their waste complaints. Overall, using online technologies such as the e-Waze apps has the potential to be adopted by the public in facilitating the community to sustain the environment effectively.

Background: The mainstay for management of stage I seminoma is high inguinal orchiectomy with post-orchiectomy therapeutic options including active surveillance, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Objectives: To analyze different post-orchiectomy treatment modalities outcomes of stage I seminoma patients presented to NCI, Cairo University in the period from 2005-2019. Patients and methods: A retrospective review of all patients' records with clinical stage I seminoma who presented to our institute in the period from 2005-2019 was done. Adjuvant treatment details were extracted and we compared overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) for different modalities and changes in patterns of care over this period. Results: Thirty five patients were identified with thirty three patients eligible for analysis. Median age was 35 years (range, 19-52). Fourteen patients were kept under active surveillance, eleven patients received adjuvant carboplatin and eight patients received adjuvant radiation to para-aortic chain. Five-year OS was 100% for all patients regardless post-operative approach. Five-year DFS was 100% for patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy versus 93% for patients who were kept under active surveillance (p=0.03). Conclusion: Clinical stage I seminoma is a favorable disease entity with favorable disease related outcomes regardless post-operative approach. Active surveillance is reasonable and safe given equal survival to active treatment.

Purpose: In the context of the food industry, this research investigates the impact of green supply chain management (GSCM) on environmental health. This helps the practitioners and policy makers in mitigation of the supply chain (SC) risks and enhance the environmental health level. Design/methodology/approach: The study's model was structured using GSC risk factors of green purchasing, environmental cooperation, reverse logistics, eco design, internal environmental management, and investment recovery. A questionnaire-based survey was used to examine the proposed model; 102 data from the senior managers of food firms in Lebanon were collected. Using SPSS and AMOS statistical software, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and multiple regressions have been applied. Findings: The outcome of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that four of six GSC risk factors were significantly related to environmental health. The study findings can be applied to the external level through many green practices in cooperation with suppliers and customers like the collaboration with them on environmentally friendly design, purchasing, production, packaging and using less energy. This can increase the level of environmental health by decreasing the impact of SCM risks. Regarding the internal level, many procedures and decisions may lead to an environmentally friendly ambience in the firms like the commitment of GSCM practices from the management and the implementation of internal eco-performance evaluation system. This may enhance the environmental health provisions by setting up an action plan to mitigate the GSC risk and address the sustainable health objectives. Originality: The paper's distinctiveness comes from the fact that it fills a gap in the literature regarding the few numbers of studies that treat the green supply chain management GSCM as mitigation solution for the risks of SCM. In addition, there were no studies explain the relationship between GSCM and environmental health; this will be the first time the assess the impacts of GSCM practices on environmental health in the food industry.

Summary: Germline genetic variants modulate human immune response. We present analytical pipelines for assessing the contribution of hosts’ genetic background to the immune landscape of solid tumors using harmonized data from more than 9,000 patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). These include protocols for heritability, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), colocalization, and rare variant analyses. These workflows are developed around the structure of TCGA but can be adapted to explore other repositories or in the context of cancer immunotherapy.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sayaman et al. (2021). : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

Designing successful biomonitoring and bioassessment programs are an important basis for the rehabilitation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. Developed countries have great progress in this regard, meanwhile, developing countries still have much to do to improve the ecological status of their aquatic systems. Many shortages and deficits are common in the developing countries, among them is the development of comprehensive and coherent bioassessment program. Researchers in many developing countries, as in Egypt, apply biotic indices primarily established in the developed countries, sometimes they develop their own ones, but to date, they are still unable to make a noticeable progress in their water quality. This review aims to evaluate biomonitoring and bioassessment attempts and reappraising the application of both national and foreign developed biotic indices. Their deficits and shortages are clarified and discussed with some recommendations.

Abstract Background Vocal cords signify an imperative lane for air flow in and out of the respiratory tract along with a phonetic role. So, the aim of this work is to assess the impact of habitual versus occasional utilization of inhalation therapy of patients with bronchial asthma on their vocal cords regarding visual endoscopic pathological changes in addition to phonetic dysfunction. This study was conducted on 112 diagnosed bronchial asthma patients (66 male and 46 females). They were classified into the following: group A (habitual user), 65 patients with severe persistent asthma with regular frequent intake of inhalation therapy, and group B (occasional user), 47 patients with intermittent asthma with alternating intake of inhalation therapy. They were submitted to clinical, vocal assessment plus laryngoscopic examination. Results The habitual users group demonstrated that laryngeal edema and hyperemia attained the higher percentage in the adult than children age group (60%, 40–67.3%, 50%) respectively together after 6 and 9 months of study followed by laryngeal nodules (5.4%, 0–9%, 10%). Occasional users presented the same findings comparable to the habitual group (27%, 10–32.4%, 20%). Cord paresis, cord dysfunction, and fungal plaques were in the second frequencies in both age groups with the same percentage (3.6%) at the end of the study; however, in occasional users, fungal plaques illustrated low percentage (2.7%, 5.4–0, 10%, respectively). Conclusion Inhalation therapy as a form of asthma medication correlated with major counter effects on vocal cords with well-recorded laryngeal hyperemia, edema, and vocal nodules in addition to fungal plaques moreover phonetic dysfunction.

PURPOSECancer is a leading cause of increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. This work aims to study the Arab world males' cancers (AMCs) and the similarities and disparities with the world males' cancers (WMCs) from different burden points of view.MATERIALS AND METHODSA descriptive review of the 2020 Global Cancer Observatory revealed AMCs compared with the 2020 WMCs and the 2018 AMCs. Data on the top 27 AMCs were compared among the region's countries and the world groups.RESULTSIn 2020, a total estimate of 217,203 new AMCs, 2.2% of WMCs, with an average age-standardized rate of 133.5/100,000 population, compared with 222/100,000 population of WMCs, was observed. Death estimates were 148,395, 2.7% of WMCs, with an average age-standardized rate of 95/100,000 population, compared with 120.8/100,000 population of WMCs. The five-year prevalence was observed in 442,014, 1.8% of WMCs. The average AMC mortality to incidence ratio (MIR) was 0.68, compared with 0.55 in WMCs and 0.54 in Arab females. Lung cancer was the top in incidence and mortality, whereas penile cancer was the lowest. The range of MIRs among the 27 cancer types was 0.19-0.96.CONCLUSIONThe descriptive review of the 2020 males' cancers in the Arab world revealed a relatively high MIR, compared with males' cancers worldwide and the females' cancers in the Arab world. This requires further evaluation to discern the underlying causes and address them systematically. More cancer control actions are warranted.

Aim/purpose – Though psychological capital has become a hot topic in the recent years, scholars have given little attention to its antecedents. This study used the job characteristics model (Hackman & Oldham, 1975) as a framework to examine the relationship between the five job characteristics and the four components of psychological capital. Moreover, task performance is examined as an outcome of psychological capital.

Specular highlights detection and removal in images is a fundamental yet non-trivial problem of interest. Most modern techniques proposed are inadequate at dealing with real-world images taken under uncontrolled conditions with the presence of complex textures, multiple objects, and bright colours, resulting in reduced accuracy and false positives. To detect specular pixels in a wide variety of real-world images independent of the number, colour, or type of illuminating source, we propose an efficient Specular Segmentation (SpecSeg) network based on the U-net architecture that is expeditious to train on nominal-sized datasets. The proposed network can detect pixels strongly affected by specular highlights with a high degree of precision, as shown by comparison with the state-of-the-art methods. The technique proposed is trained on publicly available datasets and tested using a large selection of real-world images with highly encouraging results.