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Abstract Ionized Mg (iMg) may offer a more reliable indicator of Mg status during acute illness than total Mg (tMg) concentrations. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dysmagnesemia and their relationship using iMg and tMg. The clinical and biochemical characteristics as well as health outcomes and their association with iMg and tMg were also assessed. A prospective study including all eligible adult patients (≥18 years) who were hospitalized in the General Internal Medicine unit at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) for 3.5 months in 2023. The iMg and tMg concentrations were collected on all at the admission. In total 500 patients were included (females 49.2%) with a median age of 64.5 years (IQR: 48-77). The prevalence of hypomagnesemia and hypermagnesemia by iMg concentrations was 3.4% and 26.6%, respectively, while by tMg concentrations 13.2% and 11.0%, respectively. The agreement between both measurements was strong (r=0.665, p

Abstract This research explores the advanced application of nano-silica (nS) in concrete, emphasizing its significant role in improving the mechanical strength and longevity of concrete structures. Unlike prior studies on nS in concrete, this work goes beyond evaluating typical performance metrics such as compressive strength, water absorption, air permeability, and drying shrinkage, by also examining the effect on production costs. The study involved detailed experimental procedures, where concrete mixtures were prepared with varying water-to-binder (w/b) ratios of 0.33, 0.45, and 0.55, and nS contents of 0, 1, 3, and 5 percent by binder weight. The results indicate that a 3% nS admixture significantly boosts compressive strength and reduces both water and gas permeability, although it also leads to an increase in drying shrinkage. Furthermore, the cost analysis shows that even a small 1% addition of nS can raise production costs, underscoring the importance of balancing cost-effectiveness with performance improvements when considering nS for concrete applications.

Abstract This work reports the electrochemical fabrication of thin films comprising polyaniline nanofibers (PANI) in conjunction with graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on ITO substrate, along with examining the electrochemical properties, with a focus on the influence of the substrate and electrolyte in the electrodeposition methods. The study explores the electrochemical characteristics of these thin films and establishes a flexible framework for their application in diverse sectors such as sensors, supercapacitors, and electronic devices. It analyzes the impact of the substrate and electrolyte in electrodeposition techniques. The effects were studied using techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The fabrication process of PANI/GO and PANI/rGO thin films involved the integration of rGO within PANI via electropolymerization, conducted under sulfuric acid. GO was synthesized by modifying the well-known Hummers’ method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SEM showed the diameters of the formed PANI were between 40 and 150 nm, which helped to intertwine the rGO nanosheets with PANI nanofibers to form thin films. The electrochemical behavior of the PANI/rGO thin films was examined using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry in different electrolytes, including sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and potassium nitrate (KNO₃). The CV profiles exhibited distinct oxidation and reduction peaks, with variations in the voltammogram morphology attributed to the nature of the electrolyte and the substrate employed during the electrodeposition process. These results highlight the critical role of both the substrate and electrolyte in governing the electrochemical performance of PANI/rGO thin films. The findings from this study demonstrate a versatile approach for the fabrication of PANI/graphene-based thin films with tunable electrochemical properties, and such a strategy has great application to fabricating other thin film composites for supercapacitors or other control source frameworks requiring enhanced charge storage and electrochemical responsiveness.

Abstract Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are anomalies of the cerebral vasculature. Loss of the CCM proteins CCM1/KRIT1, CCM2, or CCM3/PDCD10 trigger a MAPK-Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) signaling cascade, which induces a pathophysiological pattern of gene expression. The downstream target genes that are activated by KLF2 are mostly unknown. Here we show that Chromobox Protein Homolog 7 (CBX7), component of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1, contributes to pathophysiological KLF2 signaling during zebrafish cardiovascular development. CBX7/cbx7a mRNA is strongly upregulated in lesions of CCM patients, and in human, mouse, and zebrafish CCM-deficient endothelial cells. The silencing or pharmacological inhibition of CBX7/Cbx7a suppresses pathological CCM phenotypes in ccm2 zebrafish, CCM2-deficient HUVECs, and in a pre-clinical murine CCM3 disease model. Whole-transcriptome datasets from zebrafish cardiovascular tissues and human endothelial cells reveal a role of CBX7/Cbx7a in the activation of KLF2 target genes including TEK, ANGPT1, WNT9, and endoMT-associated genes. Our findings uncover an intricate interplay in the regulation of Klf2-dependent biomechanical signaling by CBX7 in CCM. This work also provides insights for therapeutic strategies in the pathogenesis of CCM.

Enhancing the clinical trial capabilities within Africa is essential to augment the continent’s pandemic prevention, preparedness and response efforts. Here, we describe the critical challenges of clinical trials in Africa and draw upon the lessons learnt from the Consortium for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials (CONCVACT) experience, such as the importance of regional collaboration, capacity building and establishing standardized protocols.

Abstract Background Refsum disease is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disorder of lipid metabolism that results in the accumulation of phytanic acid. This syndrome is characterized with a range of classic symptoms including ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, amyotrophy, retinopathy, ichthyosis, and hearing loss. Later in life, individuals with Refsum disease may present cardiac manifestations, such as arrhythmias or conduction defects (first-degree atrioventricular block and bundle branch block) and hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy, leading to heart failure and sudden death. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case revealed by cardiac manifestations described in literature. Case presentation: We report the case of 38-year-old white Moroccan male who was admitted in our department for an acute decompensated heart failure episode. Transthoracic echocardiography found a dilated cardiomyopathy with a reduced ejection fraction at 15%. Further evaluation showed different features of Refsum disease. High plasma level of phytanic acid confirmed the diagnosis. Cardiac manifestations are frequent in the late course of the adult Refsum disease and include, cardiomyopathy, electrical abnormalities, and sudden cardiac death. Moreover, arrhythmias remain one of the main causes of death in these patients. Conclusion Refsum’s disease is an autosomal recessive disorder. It presents as retinitis pigmentosa with anosmia, deafness ataxia, and cardiac defects. Current interventions for individuals with Refsum disease consist of dietary phytanic acid restriction and lipid apheresis to control symptoms and enhance quality of life.

This paper compares concentrated and distributed reactive power compensation to improve the power factor at the point of common connection (PCC) of an industrial electrical system (IES) with harmonics. The electrical system under study has a low power factor, voltage variation, and harmonics caused by motors operating at low loads and powered by variable-speed drives. The designed compensation system mitigates harmonics and reduces electrical losses with the shortest payback period. Four solutions were compared, considering concentrated and distributed compensation with capacitor banks and harmonic filters. Although the cost of investment in concentrated compensation is lower than that of distributed compensation, a higher reduction in electrical losses and a lower payback period are obtained with distributed compensation. Although the lowest payback period was obtained with distributed compensation with capacitor banks (0.4 years), it is not recommended in the presence of harmonics because the effects of current harmonics significantly reduce the useful life of these elements. For this reason, distributed compensation with harmonic filters obtained a payback period of 0.6 years, and it was proposed as the best solution. These results should be considered in projects aimed at power factor compensation in IESs with harmonics. The concentrated compensation of the capacitor bank at the PCC is proposed because of the lower investment cost and ease of installation. However, the advantages of distributed compensation with harmonic filters have not been evaluated. An energy efficiency approach is used to analyze the impact of the location methods of the power factor compensation equipment on the electrical losses of the IES.

Healthcare-seeking behavior (HSB) would affect the prevalence of morbidity and mortality. There are various factors that affect one’s HSB. This study aimed to determine if health awareness and lifestyle might relate to HSB.

Abstract Background Holt–Oram syndrome is a rare genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the TBX5 gene, combining skeletal and cardiac malformations. Vital prognosis depends essentially on cardiac involvement, while skeletal malformations determine functional prognosis. Case presentation We describe the case of a young patient aged 49, with no particular history, who presented to the emergency department with de novo congestive heart failure. Clinical examination revealed not only signs of heart failure, but also malformations such as triphalangia of the left thumb, prono-supination defects of both forearms and dorsolumbar scoliosis. The electrocardiogram showed that an atypical atrial flutter and transthoracic echocardiography revealed an atrial septal defect. We also performed a spinal scan to assess the severity of the scoliosis. Genetic studies confirmed a TBX5 gene mutation in the patient, and family screening revealed no similar cases in the family. Management consisted mainly of pharmacological treatment of heart failure, in addition to scoliosis management. Conclusion Holt–Oram syndrome is a rare genetic disorder which should be suspected in the presence of any upper limb anomaly associated with cardiac malformation and confirmed by genetic study. A family investigation is necessary after diagnosis, because of autosomal dominant inheritance.

This study was conducted to investigate one of the most prominent bacteria that causes acne (Cutibacterium acnes), studying the spread of the phenomenon of resistance to the various antibiotics used to treat acne and studying the evolutionary relationship between isolates of Cutibacterium acnes. 125 samples were collected from patients with acne vulgaris cases in Mosul city, from dermatology consultations at Al-Salam Teaching Hospital and Mosul General Hospital, the diagnosis was made for samples through routine examinations (macroscopic and microscopic) and through molecular diagnosis based on universal 16s rRNA gene, the results of the isolation and diagnosis were obtaining seven isolates of Cutibacterium acnes and one isolate of Cutibacterium avidum with (5.6%) and (0.8%) respectively from all samples.Eight antibiotics were chosen to perform the susceptibility tests by disc diffusion assay, the study showed that seven of C. acnes isolates were resistant to fusidic acid and azithromycin with 85.7%, tetracycline with 71.4%, clindamycin, and gentamycin with 57.1% respectively and vancomycin 42.8% the isolates were sensitive 100% to imipenem and levofloxacin. In this study, an evolutionary tree was created depending on the degree of neighbor- joining among these molecularly diagnosed isolates based on the MEGA11 program strains 103, 107, and 111 each showed a genetic similarity with 93%, and their cluster formed a 91% similarity with strain 112, which in turn clustered with 89% with strain 118 and their similarity with strain 117 decreased to 74%. In turn, it clustered with strain 110 at a rate of 99%. C. avidum strain was distant fromC. acnes strain. Naturally, the Staphylococcus aureus strain was at the end of the tree, which was used to create a root for the genetic tree of the strains .

Abstract The yield of pearl millet, a resilient cereal crop crucial for African food security, is severely impacted by the root parasitic weed Striga hermonthica, which requires host-released hormones, called strigolactones (SLs), for seed germination. Herein, we identify four SLs present in the Striga-susceptible line SOSAT-C88-P10 (P10) but absent in the resistant 29Aw (Aw). We generate chromosome-scale genome assemblies, including four gapless chromosomes for each line. The Striga-resistant Aw lacks a 0.7 Mb genome segment containing two putative CARLACTONOIC ACID METHYLTRANSFERASE1 (CLAMT1) genes, which may contribute to SL biosynthesis. Functional assays show that P10CLAMT1b produces the SL-biosynthesis intermediate methyl carlactonoate (MeCLA) and that MeCLA is the precursor of P10-specific SLs. Screening a diverse pearl millet panel confirms the pivotal role of the CLAMT1 section for SL diversity and Striga susceptibility. Our results reveal a reason for Striga susceptibility in pearl millet and pave the way for generating resistant lines through marker-assisted breeding or direct genetic modification.

Acetaminophen overdose treatment in patients admitted to two tertiary centers in Oman, variation and pitfalls [SJEMed 2024; 5(2.000): 134-140]

Background Smartphones have become an important and vital instrument that all medical students utilize, but the usage of such devices has been found to be connected to sleep disturbances. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and the relationship between smartphone addiction and poor sleep quality among medical students.

Abstract Background Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection control remains a priority in endemic regions where local epidemiological data are needed for sustainable control strategies, particularly regarding population knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). Our work assessed KAP toward STH infection and associated factors among residents of Bata district, Equatorial Guinea. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 14 randomly selected communities in the Bata district. Eligible participants were interviewed face-to-face using a standardized questionnaire. Participants aged under 18 years were interviewed in the presence of their parents or legal guardians. For participants aged less than ten, a simplified version of the main questionnaire was developed focusing on children’s practices toward STH and was administered to their parents or legal guardians. Results A total of 399 participants were included in the present analysis. Among them, 58% responded to the main questionnaire. The mean (± SD) age of participants aged 10 and over was 37.5 (± 22.2) years, and 60% of them were females, while the mean (± SD) age of those aged less than ten was 5.0 (± 2.5) years. The respondents’ overall knowledge, attitudes, and practices to STH were rated as bad (33%), very good (77%), and good (55%), respectively. Knowledge was significantly associated with education level (p = 0.04) with the knowledge level lower for participants with no formal education than for those with secondary/university education (β = -0.56, 95% CI: -1.00 – -0.12, p = 0.01); Appropriate attitudes level was significantly associated with occupation (p = 0.02) and education levels (p = 0.049) with the appropriate attitude level lower for students than for farmers/fishers (β = -1.24, 95% CI: -2.17—-0.32, p = 0.01) and for primary-level participants than for those with secondary/university education (β = -0.68, 95% CI: -1.23—-0.13, p = 0.02); while appropriate practice level were significantly associated with age (p = 0.01), occupation (p = 0.01), and education (p = 0.02), with the appropriate practices level increasing with age (β = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.005 – 0.05, p = 0.01) and lower in participants with no formal education than in those with secondary/university education (β = -1.19, -2.05 – -0.32, p = 0.007). Conclusion The present study revealed a lack of knowledge about STH in the study population, particularly regarding disease causes and transmission ways, highlighting the need for the implementation of integrated health education strategies, both at the community and school levels.

Abstract Background and objective Saliva has been proposed as a potential more convenient, cost-effective, and easier sample for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infections, but there is limited knowledge of the impact of saliva volumes and stages of infection on its sensitivity and specificity. Methods In this study, we assessed the performance of SARS-CoV-2 testing in 171 saliva samples from 52 mostly mildly symptomatic patients (aged 18 to 70 years) with a positive reference standard result at screening. The samples were collected at different volumes (50, 100, 300, and 500 µl of saliva) and at different stages of the disease (at enrollment, day 7, 14, and 28 post SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis). Imperfect nasopharyngeal (NP) swab nucleic acid amplification testing was used as a reference. We used a logistic regression with generalized estimating equations to estimate sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV, accounting for the correlation between repeated observations. Results The sensitivity and specificity values were consistent across saliva volumes. The sensitivity of saliva samples ranged from 70.2% (95% CI, 49.3–85.0%) for 100 μl to 81.0% (95% CI, 51.9–94.4%) for 300 μl of saliva collected. The specificity values ranged between 75.8% (95% CI, 55.0–88.9%) for 50 μl and 78.8% (95% CI, 63.2–88.9%) for 100 μl saliva compared to NP swab samples. The overall percentage of positive results in NP swabs and saliva specimens remained comparable throughout the study visits. We observed no significant difference in cycle number values between saliva and NP swab specimens, irrespective of saliva volume tested. Conclusions The saliva collection offers a promising approach for population-based testing.

In recent years, nanobodies have emerged as invaluable tools in various research and therapeutic arenas owing to their compact size, robust stability, and high specificity. Notably, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of angiogenesis, and plays a pivotal role in cancer and other pathological conditions. Consequently, the development of nanobodies targeting VEGF has garnered substantial attention. However, conventional expression methods for nanobodies in Escherichia coli often encounter challenges such as protein misfolding, low yields, and insolubility. In response to these hurdles, small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) fusion technology has emerged as a promising strategy for enhancing the soluble production of nanobodies in E. coli. Here, we report the expression, purification, and characterization of VHH (variable domain of heavy chain antibodies) in an E. coli expression system using a (SUMO) fusion partner. The fusion gene (SUMO-active site TEV-VHH) was cloned into the pET-28(a+) expression vector and transferred into E. coli strain BL21 codon+. VEvhh10 expression was optimized using 0.5 mM isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) for 22 hours at 25°C in Luria Broth (LB). Protein expression was observed in soluble form on 15% SDS-PAGE. The supernatant of SUMO-VEvh10 was collected and purified by Nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) chromatography. The biological activity of VEvhh10 was assessed by examining its binding to VEGF. The successful binding of VEvhh10 to VEGF suggests that this non-fused protein could be utilized in future therapeutic and clinical diagnostic applications.

Abstract Introduction: The lack of specialized professionals potentially contributes to the inability to meet the demand for kidney transplantations. Moreover, there is no universal proposal for the training process of transplantation surgeons. We aimed to explore the characteristics of the training program and professional activities of kidney transplantation teams in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: We invited the surgeons of all 19 active kidney transplantation centers in Minas Gerais to participate in this cross-sectional study. Demographic and professional training data were compared using linear and logistic regression models. Results: The response rate among the centers was high (89%); half of the surgeons answered the survey (39/78). Most of the centers were public teaching institutions, under a production-based payment contract, with a mean of 6 ± 2.4 surgeons/team; 94.2% of the centers had urologists. The surgeons were 95% male (age of 46.3 ± 9.7 years) and 59% were urologists. Most were involved in organ procurement and transplantation; only one surgeon worked exclusively with transplantation. The mean period since training was 13 ± 9.4 years, with a mean of 10 ± 9.7 years as part of the transplantation team. Only 25.6% had specialized or formal training in transplantation, with only one completing a formal medical residency for kidney transplantation. The lack of training programs was the most frequently cited reason. Conclusion: Kidney transplantation surgeons are not exclusive and most have not completed a formal fellowship program in transplantation because they are not available. These data indicate the need to improve training programs and facilitate the formation of new kidney transplantation teams.

Summary: Background: PfSPZ Vaccine, a promising pre-erythrocytic stage malaria vaccine candidate based on whole, radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) sporozoites (SPZ), has proven safe and effective in mediating sterile protection from malaria in malaria-naïve and exposed healthy adults. Vaccine-induced protection presumably depends on cellular responses to early parasite liver stages, but humoral immunity contributes. Methods: On custom-made Pf protein microarrays, we profiled IgG and IgM responses to PfSPZ Vaccine and subsequent homologous controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) in 21 Tanzanian adults with (n = 12) or without (n = 9) HIV infection. Expression of the main identified immunogens in the pre-erythrocytic parasite stage was verified by immunofluorescence detection using freshly purified PfSPZ and an in vitro model of primary human hepatocytes. Findings: Independent of HIV infection status, immunisation induced focused IgG and IgM responses to circumsporozoite surface protein (PfCSP) and merozoite surface protein 5 (PfMSP5). We show that PfMSP5 is detectable on the surface and in the apical complex of PfSPZ. Interpretation: Our data demonstrate that HIV infection does not affect the quantity of the total IgG and IgM antibody responses to PfCSP and PfMSP5 after immunization with PfSPZ Vaccine. PfMSP5 represents a highly immunogenic, so far underexplored, target for vaccine-induced antibodies in malaria pre-exposed volunteers. Funding: This work was supported by the Equatorial Guinea Malaria Vaccine Initiative (EGMVI), the Clinical Trial Platform of the German Center for Infection Research (TTU 03.702), the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists (grant 2016.0056) and the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research doctoral program of the Tübingen University Hospital. The funders had no role in design, analysis, or reporting of this study.

The present study investigated whether trait self-control impacted operators' behavior and associated neural resource strategies during a temporally irregular vigilance task. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) readings of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HbR) from 29 participants were recorded fromthe prefrontal and parietal cortices. Self-control was associated with better perceptual sensitivity (A') in the task with the irregular event schedule. A left-lateralized effect of HbO2 was found for temporal irregularity within the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, in accordance with functional transcranial doppler (fTCD) studies. Self-control increased HbR (decreasing activation) at right superior parietal lobule (rSPL; supporting vigilance utilization) and right inferior parietal lobule (rIPL; supporting resource reallocation). However, only rSPL was associated with the vigilance decrement—where decreases in activation led to better perceptual sensitivity in the temporally irregular task. Additionally, short stress-state measures suggest decreases in task engagement in individuals with higher self-control in the irregular task. The authors suggest a trait-state-brain-behavior relationship for self-control during difficult vigilance tasks. Implications for the study include steps toward rectifying the resource utilization vs. allocation debate in vigilance—as well as validating HbO2 and HbR as effective constructs for predicting operators' mental resources through fNIRS.

Accurate measurement of vital signs are important at skilled nursing facilities (SNF). Recent technological advancements now enable automated vital sign measurements. This overcomes the limitations of traditional manual vital sign measurement, which is time-consuming and error-prone. We present a novel case where continuous vital sign measurement was used to detect meaningful vital sign changes that led to early detection of a COVID-19 outbreak at a SNF. Residents were continuously monitored for changes to baseline respiratory rate and heart rate and with a Probability of Change (POC). Variations in baseline respiratory rate and heart rate occurred in 66% and 42%, respectively, of COVID-19 positive individuals; 83% of participants had statistically significant variations in either vital sign. Clinical investigations are typically triggered by vital signs outside normal ranges. We present a novel methodology to detect subtle vital sign changes that can lead to earlier diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from infections, like COVID-19.

Abstract A pilot implementation of the rapid diagnostic test program was performed to collect evidence of the feasibility, acceptability, and uptake of the COVID-19 AgRDT in Tanzania. We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study in the community to provide quantitative details of the pilot implementation of the antigen rapid diagnostic test (AgRDT) in Tanzania. This study was undertaken between March 2022 and September 2022. The pilot was implemented by distributing and offering test kits to people suspected of having COVID-19 in Dar es Salaam through community health workers. A total of 1039 participants consented to participate in the survey. All the participants reported having heard about the disease. The radio was the main source (93.2%) of information on COVID-19. With regard to prevention measures, approximately 930 (89.5%) of the respondents thought that COVID-19 could be prevented. Approximately 1035 (99.6%) participants reported that they were willing to have a COVID-19 AgRDT test and wait for 20 min for the results. With regard to the participants’ opinions on the AgRDT device, the majority 907 (87.3%) felt comfortable with the test, and 1,029 (99.0%) were very likely to recommend the AgRDT test to their friends. The majority of participants 848 (83.1%) mentioned that they would be willing to pay for the test if it was not available for free. The results suggest overall good acceptance of the COVID-19 AgRDT test. It is evident that the use of trained community healthcare workers allows easy screening of all possible suspects and helps them receive early treatment.

The main goal of this article is to study the existence and uniqueness of periodic solutions for the implicit problem with nonlinear fractional differential equation involving the Caputo tempered fractional derivative. The proofs are based upon the coincidence degree theory of Mawhin. To show the efficiency of the stated result, two illustrative examples will be demonstrated.

In this article, we study the existence of mild solutions of a non-instantaneous integrodi erential equations on unbounded domain via resolvent operators in Banach space. For our proofs, we employ the semigroups theory and Schauder’s fixed point theorem. Moreover, we show that solutions of our problem are attractive. Finally, an example is given to validate the theory part.

Abstract Reports from different parts of the world suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown and social distancing measures have heralded unprecedented mental health challenges among children and adolescents. To date, there is a dearth of studies emerging from the Arabian Gulf, where the majority of its population are children and adolescents. The study aims to examine the prevalence of anxiety-related symptoms and their covariates among children and adolescents in an Arabian Gulf country, Oman. This is a cross-sectional analytic study carried out over two weeks (1st to 15th of August 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic across Oman. Parents were asked to complete the online survey, which consisted of the parent version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) instrument and questions regarding basic socio-demographic information. Logistic regression was used to identify the contributing variables associated with anxiety-related symptoms. A total of 790 valid responses were received. Among the 790 children, 33.3% (n = 263) were diagnosed with anxiety-related symptoms by the SCARED instrument. Logistic regression analysis suggested that anxiety-related symptoms in children and adolescents were significantly associated with three demographic variables. The model shows that children with divorced or separated parents were 1.9 times more likely to have anxiety-related symptoms than children of married couples (OR = 1.93, p = 0.035). Children living in families with an income below USD 1000/month, were 1.8 times more likely to have anxiety-related symptoms than a family with an income of USD 4000/month (OR = 1.833, p = 0.018). Children in grades 3–6 were 1.8 times more likely to have anxiety-related symptoms than those in grades 1–2 (OR = 1.79, p = 0.024). Anxiety-related symptoms are common among Omani children and adolescents. They are more likely to be reported in middle scholastic grade levels and children from families with marital discord and low socioeconomic status. It is not clear whether the presently observed rates of anxiety exceed the prevalence that would have been observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. More studies are therefore warranted using children and adolescents' self-reported scales.

Abstract Background With the spread and rise in the number of infections of COVID-19 globally, patients experienced neurologic manifestations such as headache and dizziness, along with other serious medical conditions such as stroke and seizures. Many reported cases highlighted headache to be one of the most common COVID-19-related neurological symptoms. With the evolution of the pandemic, broad studies are needed to better understand the mechanism of headache with COVID-19. The aim of this study is to recognize the epidemiology, characteristic and progression of headache among patients with COVID-19 in Lebanon. Methods A retrospective cohort study was done to assess 439 patients for headache during the course of COVID-19. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 was used for descriptive analysis. Results A confirmed COVID-19 Infection by PCR test was confirmed among 86% of the participants. Tension-like headache was the most common type of headache experienced by participants during COVID-19. Pain was mainly diffuse (48.7%), and compressing in nature (77.0%). Moreover, about 29% required a physician consultation and 7.7% had emergency visits. Partial relief by analgesics was reported in 54.9%, and mainly by paracetamol (64.6%). Those who reported having a history of primary headache before contracting COVID-19 were 46.7%. Among them, 36.7% patients reported a change in the type of headache and about 49.6% reported increased severity. Conclusion Headache accompanied with COVID-19 is a common symptom during the early stages of illness. COVID-19 related headache was characterized as mainly involving the whole head region, pressuring, and partially relieved by analgesics. Thus, headache should raise early concern for the probability of being infected by COVID-19.

Morphological comparisons and multi locus phylogenetic analyses (base on the combined genes of ITS, LSU, rpb2 and tub) demonstrated that three new saprobic taxa isolated from bamboo belong to Cainiaceae. These taxa comprise a novel genus Paramphibambusa (P. bambusicola sp. nov.) and two new species, Arecophila xishuangbannaensis and A. zhaotongensis. The three new taxa belong to Cainiaceae (Xylariales, Sordariomycetes) a poorly studied family, which now comprises eight genera. Paramphibambusa can be distinguished from other Cainiaceae genera in having ascomata with a neck and ascospores lacking longitudinal striation, germ slits or germ pores. The two new Arecophila species clustered in a clade with Arecophila sp. and A. bambusae. Detailed morphological descriptions, illustrations, and an updated phylogenetic tree are provided for the new taxa.

In the spring of 2022, a field experiment was carried out in two locations: the first was in the village of Al-Thalja, which is located 15 km northwest of the city of Mosul, and the second location was in the village of Al-Shuhada, which is located 30 km west of Mosul. The experiment included two factors, the first two types of nitrogen fertilizer: urea (46%N) and DAP (18%N and 46%P). The second factor included four levels of dividing the two fertilizers: the first level was (half the amount of DAP with planting, the other half after 20 days of planting, and the second was half. The amount of DAP with planting and the other half after 40 days of planting, the third level is half the amount of urea with planting and the other half after 20 days of planting, The fourth level is half the amount of urea with planting and the other half after 40 days of planting). The fertilizer rate used for both types was: 100kg/ha. The experiment was conducted according to a split-plate system with a randomized complete block design (R.C.B.D) with three replications, and the results are summarized as follows: All growth, yield, and qualitative traits of the treatments to which DAP fertilizer was added were superior to those to which urea fertilizer was added in the two study locations. The first fractionation of the DAP fertilizer gave a higher Value for all growth traits, yield, and qualitative traits at the two study locations.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been increasingly employed in the emergency department for patients with a potentially reversible cause of cardiac arrest. We present the case of a young female patient with an in-hospital cardiac arrest who was found to have severe right heart strain on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), suggesting a massive pulmonary embolism. Rapid bedside diagnosis using ultrasound expedited bedside cannulation and initiation of ECMO as a bridge to surgical thrombectomy, and ultimately the patient survived with full neurologic function. With its ready availability and increasing acceptance by consultants, POCUS should be incorporated into cardiac arrest algorithms as the standard of care to rule in thrombotic and obstructive causes of cardiac arrest.

Abstract Background Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of chronic inflammation that is most prevalent in young adults and is characterized by an inflammatory enthesiopathy that gradually develops toward ossification and ankylosis. If inflammation is left unchecked, it can potentially lead to complications such as secondary amyloidosis, also known as AA amyloidosis, involving the deposition of amyloid serum A protein. Our case presents with a thyroid localization of AA amyloidosis which is secondary to this AS. Such a case has been described in only four cases in the literature. Cardiac localization of AA amyloidosis has been exceptionally described in the literature. Case presentation We report the case of a young patient with severe AS complicated by secondary amyloidosis with thyroid, cardiac, and probably renal localization. He was treated with anti-TNF therapy, and his condition improved significantly. Conclusions Our case presents several localizations of AA amyloidosis secondary to this AS. Although cardiac involvement is rare in secondary AA amyloidosis, it should always be screened for, even in a cardiacly asymptomatic patient.

Abstract Background Stent dislodgement is a life-threatening complication that can result in coronary artery embolization, stent thrombosis, acute myocardial infarction, and even death. Severely angulated, heavily calcified, and previously stented coronary arteries are associated risk factors. With the development of different lesion preparation techniques and the drug eluting stent era, the reported incidence of stent dislodgement has decreased to

Abstract Background The objective of this comprehensive pan-cancer study is to evaluate the potential of deep learning (DL) for molecular profiling of multi-omic biomarkers directly from hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained whole slide images. Methods A total of 12,093 DL models predicting 4031 multi-omic biomarkers across 32 cancer types were trained and validated. The study included a broad range of genetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic biomarkers, as well as established prognostic markers, molecular subtypes, and clinical outcomes. Results Here we show that 50% of the models achieve an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.644 or higher. The observed AUC for 25% of the models is at least 0.719 and exceeds 0.834 for the top 5%. Molecular profiling with image-based histomorphological features is generally considered feasible for most of the investigated biomarkers and across different cancer types. The performance appears to be independent of tumor purity, sample size, and class ratio (prevalence), suggesting a degree of inherent predictability in histomorphology. Conclusions The results demonstrate that DL holds promise to predict a wide range of biomarkers across the omics spectrum using only H&E-stained histological slides of solid tumors. This paves the way for accelerating diagnosis and developing more precise treatments for cancer patients.

BackgroundParasitic infectious agents rarely occur in isolation. Epidemiological evidence is mostly lacking, and little is known on how the two common parasites Plasmodium and soil transmitted helminths (STH) interact. There are contradictory findings in different studies. Synergism, antagonism and neutral effect have been documented between Plasmodium and STH. This study investigated the impact of STH on clinical malaria presentation and treatment outcome.MethodsA matched case control study with a semi longitudinal follow up according to World Health Organization (WHO) antimalarial surveillance guideline was done among children aged 2 months to 9 years inclusively living in western rural areas of Bagamoyo, coastal region of Tanzania. Cases were children with uncomplicated and severe malaria enrolled from the health facilities while controls were children with asymptomatic Plasmodium parasitemia enrolled from the same community.ResultsIn simple conditional regression analysis there was a tendency for a protective effect of STH on the development of clinical malaria [OR = 0.6, 95% CI of 0.3-1.3] which was more marked for Enterobius vermicularis species [OR = 0.2, 95% CI of 0.0-0.9]. On the contrary, hookworm species tended to be associated with increased risk of clinical malaria [OR = 3.0, 95% CI of 0.9-9.5]. In multiple conditional regression analysis, the overall protective effect was lower for all helminth infection [OR = 0.8, 95% CI of 0.3-1.9] but remained significantly protective for E. vermicularis species [OR = 0.1, 95% CI of 0.0-1.0] and borderline significant for hookworm species [OR = 3.6, 95% CI of 0.9-14.3]. Using ordinal logistic regression which better reflects the progression of asymptomatic Plasmodium parasitemia to severe malaria, there was a 50% significant protective effect with overall helminths [OR = 0.5, 95% CI of 0.3-0.9]. On the contrary, hookworm species was highly predictive of uncomplicated and severe malaria [OR = 7.8, 95% (CI of 1.8-33.9) and 49.7 (95% CI of 1.9-1298.9) respectively]. Generally, children infected with STH had higher geometric mean time to first clearance of parasitemia.ConclusionThe findings of a protective effect of E. vermicularis and an enhancing effect of hookworms may explain the contradictory results found in the literature about impact of helminths on clinical malaria. More insight should be gained on possible mechanisms for these opposite effects. These results should not deter at this stage deworming programs but rather foster implementation of integrated control program for these two common parasites.

Abstract: The event is one of the important modern communication techniques that has been widely used in the corporate space for the popularization of different phthisic products and service of the company and creates a positive image; enhance the circle of its economic, social and especially cultural activities, as it highlights communication in the popularization of cultural content, The museum view that it is the most effective enterprise in safeguarding cultural heritage since the late twenties, it aimed at attracting the largest number of audience, which has to endure modernization and development of new, permanent, temporal and even ambulatory shows, taking several forms and concepts which aim with all the ways to vulgarize and define it within the audiences. A Keywords: event museum; audience; new show; popularization.

AbstractThis study explores the role of non-oil institutional sectors in the economic growth of the Saudi economy during the years 1970–2020, using vector auto regression, impulse response function, and variance decomposition. The results of study support the impact of the oil and non-oil sectors (private and public) on the economic growth in Saudi Arabia. The results show that the growth of the oil sector is more vulnerable to shocks, negatively reflecting economic growth for long periods. However, growth in the non-oil sector is stable and reduces the negative shocks on economic growth. Both the private and public sectors contribute to economic stability. The study recommends continuing efforts to diversify the economy and enhance the cooperation and mutual linkages among different sectors, especially the public and private sectors, to contribute in the economic growth coherent with Vision 2030.

Purpose - Recent improvements in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with the introduction of targeted agents, have increased the need of accurate data on its epidemiology. This descriptive study was designed to collate comprehensive information on RCC epidemiology from North Africa and the Middle East, which could provide the basis for further research. Methods - A network of reference oncologists in North Africa and the Middle East were invited to share all available national and regional information on RCC epidemiology, captured in a comprehensive questionnaire. No statistical analysis was planned as the intention was to conduct a purely descriptive study. Results - The results reported that the incidence of RCC within the region is in the range of 0.9–2.35/100,000 for men (with Lebanon as an exception at 4.3/100,000 for men) and 0.5– 1.7/100,000 for women, which is considerably lower than in Europe and the USA. No mortality or survival data are available. The age at diagnosis (mean < 60 years) is lower than in Western countries and a high proportion of patients in North Africa and the Middle East (21‒45%) have metastatic disease at diagnosis. Conclusions - The information presented here provides a more complete and current picture of RCC in North Africa and the Middle East; however, there are still gaps in the data. Further research is needed to allow planning of treatment strategies and resource allocation.

Background Task-sharing of spinal anaesthesia care by non-specialist graduate physicians, termed medical officers (MOs), is commonly practised in rural Indian healthcare facilities to mitigate workforce constraints. We sought to assess whether spinal anaesthesia failure rates of MOs were non-inferior to those of consultant anaesthesiologists (CA) following a standardised educational curriculum.Methods We performed a randomised, non-inferiority trial in three rural hospitals in Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, India. Patients aged over 18 years with low perioperative risk (ASA I & II) were randomised to receive MO or CA care. Prior to the trial, MOs underwent task-based anaesthesia training, inclusive of remotely accessed lectures, simulation-based training and directly observed anaesthetic procedures and intraoperative care. The primary outcome measure was spinal anaesthesia failure with a non-inferiority margin of 5%. Secondary outcome measures consisted of incidence of perioperative and postoperative complications.Findings Between 12 July 2019 and 8 June 2020, a total of 422 patients undergoing surgical procedures amenable to spinal anaesthesia care were randomised to receive either MO (231, 54.7%) or CA care (191, 45.2%). Spinal anaesthesia failure rate for MOs (7, 3.0%) was non-inferior to those of CA (5, 2.6%); difference in success rate of 0.4% (95% CI=0.36–0.43%; p=0.80). Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences observed between the two groups for intraoperative or postoperative complications, or patients’ experience of pain during the procedure.Interpretation This study demonstrates that failure rates of spinal anaesthesia care provided by trained MOs are non-inferior to care provided by CAs in low-risk surgical patients. This may support policy measures that use task-sharing as a means of expanding anaesthesia care capacity in rural Indian hospitals.Trial registration number NCT04438811.

Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in various physiological and pathological processes, including tumor growth, where VEGF is considered the most critical factor in this process. Nowadays, the production of single-domain antibodies (VHH) with the ability to inhibit growth factors in cancer tumors is emerging as a novel approach in cancer therapy. In our previous research, it was identified that camelid VHHs generated through phage display against VEGF play a significant role in the inhibition of VEGF. Among these VHHs, the one with the highest affinity for the VEGF receptor was selected from the phage display VHH library. Considering the efficiency of surface expression in E. coli using the ice nucleation protein (INP) anchoring motif, this system was employed for protein expression. Given that only the C-terminal domain of the INP is involved in cell surface attachment, a gene structure of 537 bp starting from the InaK gene was utilized in the design. Surface expression was performed using the pET-21a containing INP and VEvhh10 against VEGF. The results indicated that the INP sequence is a suitable option for surface expression of VEvhh10 in E. coli. After the production of unbound VEvhh10, isolation, and purification by centrifugation and multiple washes were carried out, followed by examination of its binding to VEGF. The successful binding of VEvhh10 to VEGF demonstrates that the resulting non-fused protein could be utilized for future therapeutic and clinical diagnostic applications in patients.

Abstract A field experiment was carried out during the agricultural season 2021-2022 in two locations within the administrative borders of Nineveh Governorate, the first location in the Gleokhan area within the borders of Mosul Center and the second location within the administrative borders of Namrod district, which is 45 km from the center of Mosul district, in order to know the effect of the balanced NPK 20:20:20 compound fertilizer nano the growth and yield of four varieties of bread wheat. The global experiment was carried out, which consisted of two factors, a randomized complete block design, and three replications. The first factor was fertilizer levels with four levels (1, 2, and 3 gm.L-1) added in two phases. The first is in the tillers stage (Z 2-1) and the second stage is at the beginning of the boating stage (Z 4-0) on the Zadoks scale, in addition to the comparison treatment, which was the traditional farmer’s method of fertilization (adding urea and dab fertilizer according to the times and quantities recommended by the Ministry Iraqi Agriculture), the second factor, four varieties of local bread wheat (Bhoth 22, Abu Ghraib, Rashid and Jihan), the following characteristics were studied: plant height, number of tillers, flag leaf area, total chlorophyll content of flag leaf, number of days up to 50% flowering, number of spikes, spike length, number of grains per spike, grain yield, weight of 1000 grains. The most important results of the study were as follows: The comparison treatment (the traditional farmer's method) excelled in the total chlorophyll content of the Gleokhan site and in the number of spikes and weight of 1000 grains in the Namrod site, with values of (28.41 Spad, 267.75 spikes.m-2, and 44.91 g), respectively. The 1 g spray treatment excelled in the characteristics of the number of tillers, number of spikes, length of spike, grain yield, and weight of 1000 grains at the Gleokhan site, and in the two characteristics of leaf area and spike length at the Namrod site, with averages of (178.17 tiller.m-2, 100.08 spikes.m-2, 8.58 cm , 128.83 g.m-2, 35.20 g, 34.46 cm2 and 10.85 cm) in the aforementioned order. The 3 g spray treatment was superior in the characteristics of plant height for both sites, the number of days up to 50% flowering, and grain yield of the Namrod site, with rates of (54.42 cm, 80.77 cm, 135.83 days, and 332.17 g.m-2), respectively. No significant differences were recorded between the levels of fertilizer in terms of flag leaf area and number of days up to 50% flowering for Gleokhan site and number of grains per spike for both sites. The cultivar Bhoth 22 excelled in terms of total chlorophyll content and the weight of 1000 grains at the Gleokhan site, and for the characteristics of the number of tillers, number of days up to 50% flowering, number of spikes, and grain yield of the Namrod site, as averages were recorded (27.29 Spad, 34.23 g, 302.75 tiller.m-2, 134.92 days, 290.17 spike.m-2 and 405.42 g m-2) respectively. The Abu Ghraib cultivar achieved superiority in the number of grains per spike at Al-Namrod site, with an average of (46.43 grains.spike-1). The cultivar Rashid excelled in the characteristics of the number of tillers, number of spikes, and spike length at the Gleokhan site, and for the two characteristics of the flag leaf area and spike length at the Namrod site, where the rates were recorded (169.08 tiller.m-2, 104.58 spike.m-2, 8.56 cm, 34.55 cm2 and 12.98 cm), respectively. The cultivar Jihan achieved superiority in the two characteristics of the number of days up to 50% flowering and grain yield at Gleokhan site, with values of (131 days and 108.08 g.m-2), respectively. No significant differences were recorded between the cultivars included in the study in the characteristics of plant height, flag leaf area, number of grains per spike for Gleokhan site, and for the two characteristics of total chlorophyll content and weight of 1000 grains for Namrod site. The interaction of 1 g spray treatment with Jihan cultivar recorded the highest average grain yield at Gleokhan site, and the 3 g spray treatment with Bhoth 22 cultivar had the highest average grain yield at Namrod site with values of (301 and 487.67 g.m-2), respectively.

Until now many regions around the world are still uncovered by cellular terrestrial mobile system services due to the lack of economic feasibility as well as the difficulty of introducing such services. Conversely, a large geographic region can be covered by using only a single satellite, so it is worthwhile to extend the actual terrestrial services using satellite system. The new hybrid integrated “terrestrial-satellite” cellular system, known under the name of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), will see the light with the support of future 6G technology. It is expected that 6G cellular mobile system will play the role of integrating terrestrial, aerial, maritime, and space communications into a universal network that could support a massive number of terminals with ultra-low latency. For the realization of the NTN system, new technologies should be introduced at the level of terrestrial cellular network, arial network, and satellite network. One of these promising technologies is represented by an efficient multiplexing technique known under the name of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). With this technique, multiple users can be served on a single time-frequency resource block by using the concepts of superposition coding at the transmitter and successive interference cancellation (SIC) at the receiver. Moreover, NOMA has an achievable performance gain in terms of spectral efficiency over the traditional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) technique. Evaluation of a NOMA-based NTN system supported by 6G technologies in terms of system parameters and channel capacity represent the main objective of this paper.

Effective and innovative freshly produced preservation methods are paramount for ensuring safe and sustainable food. Edible coatings for fresh dates can provide an additional protective layer to enhance their shelf life and extend marketability. However, the optimum coating requires a high uniformity of coating layer on the fruit. The ultrasonic coating can achieve a more uniform and consistent coating on the fruit surface. Therefore, this study aimed to design, evaluate, and optimize the process parameters of an innovative ultrasonic coating system (UCS) to enhance the shelf life and quality of fresh date palm fruit utilizing gum Arabic as an edible coating. The response surface methodology (RSM) was conducted using Design-Expert software Version 13. The central composite design was employed to determine the influence of eight independent variables, namely, coating time, air flow rate, liquid height above the ultrasonic transducers, liquid temperature, edible gum Arabic concentration, drying time for coated fruit, drying temperature, and storage temperature on the responses which were fruit shelf life, ripe fruit percentage, color changes, and weight loss. The optimization was conducted to determine the optimal solutions for enhancing fruit shelf life and quality. The optimal optimization outcome with the desirability of 0.90 demonstrated that coating fresh date palm fruits with a gum Arabic concentration of 9.58% at an air flow rate of 1.95 m/s, a height of liquid above the ultrasonic transducer of 0.62 cm, a liquid temperature of 40°C, a drying time of 7.4 min, a drying temperature of 30°C, and a storage temperature of 5°C resulted in extending the shelf life of the stored fruits to 65 days with 3.47 ripening percentage, 7.39 color change, and 4.22% fruit weight loss. The validation experiment conducted at the same independent variable levels indicated that the fruit shelf life extended to 60.2 ± 0.5 days, accompanied by a ripening percentage of 3.4 ± 0.4%, a color change of 10.3 ± 0.9, and a fruit weight loss of 5.4 ± 0.9%. The solutions were validated through rigorous experiments on fresh date palm fruit at the Khalal stage. The findings showed a positive response for fruit shelf life with a slight decrease in the percentage of fruit ripe, color change, and weight loss.

Introduction & Background Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas, leaving both a physical and digital footprint from natural (40%) and human (60%) sources. Its atmospheric concentration has increased from 722 ppb before the industrial age to ~1,922 ppb in recent times. Because of its global warming potential, measuring and monitoring CH4 is crucial to mitigating the impacts of climate change. However, large uncertainties exist in “bottom-up” inventories (a product of activity data based on counts of components, equipment or throughput, and estimates of gas-loss rates per unit of activity for different land uses) reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, making it difficult for policymakers to set emission reduction targets. To address this, we employ causality-constrained machine learning (ML) to combine different gas observations from satellite sensors onboard the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (which measure a digital footprint of human methane-generating behaviour) with outputs from chemical modelling. These are linked with datasets from the national statistics office, meteorology office and a comprehensive survey on quality of life in the emission field, to improve bottom-up estimates of CH4 emissions at the Earth’s surface. Objectives & Approach The research uses mixed methods for collecting and analysing both qualitative and quantitative data for multidisciplinary processing strategies for monitoring CH4 emissions locally and regionally. It also assesses whether additional “digital footprint” variables besides the well-known chemical sources and sinks can be studied to improve our understanding of the CH4 budget. We have conducted an “analytical inversion” of satellite observations of CH4 to obtain emission fluxes. These represent the dependent variable for our ML model, in combination with 22 independent variables (co-occurring trace gases, meteorological fields, land use, land cover, population, livestock, and data from a survey of quality of life from the Gauteng City-Region Observatory, covering a broad range of socio-economic, personal and political issues) with near-real-time Earth observation data, to aid the development of a causality-constrained ML model for the prediction of CH4 fluxes. Relevance to Digital Footprints We make use of not only satellite imagery, but socio-economic, demographic, and environmental data, and repurpose it for environmental sustainability in the context of mitigating climate change. We are creating unique resources in documenting rapid changes in emissions. Conclusions & Implications This research will make important contributions to developing countries with limited resources, enabling them to contribute to the global stocktake towards net-zero by helping policymakers identify geographic regions that are major emitters, enabling them to put measures into place to mitigate emissions.

Meta-heuristic approaches evaluate the optimum size and position of flexible alternative current transmission systems power systems. The seeker optimization algorithm (SOA) technique was used to solve power engineering optimization problems with better performance than traditional approaches. This article shows the application of SOA for optimal setting and allocation of thyristor-controlled series compensators (TCSCs) in a transmission line. TCSC devices are used to improve transmission systems’ capacity and voltage profile by controlling the transmission line reactance. The IEEE 30 bus system, as well as the Iraqi Super Grid 400 kV system, is used as a test system to illustrate the technique used. Results showed that the installation of TCSC unites the aims to reduce the voltage deviation, reduce the losses of active/reactive power, and increase transmission line reserves over thermal limits. TCSC devices are very effective for the better use of existing installations without sacrificing the stability margin. SOA is intended to identify the best location and size of TCSC devices that resolve the technological difficulties of reducing the TCSC devices’ costs.

This paper discusses the global convergence of successive approximations methods for solving integro-differential equation via resolvent operators in Banach spaces. We prove a theorem on the global convergence of successive approximations to the unique solution of the problems. An example is given to show the application of our result.

Abstract Waste-water pollution by radioactive elements such as uranium has emerged as a major issue that might seriously harm human health. Graphene oxide, graphene oxide nanoribbons, and sodium alginate nanocomposite aerogels (GO/GONRs/SA) were combined to create a novel nanocomposite using a modified Hummer's process and freeze-drying as an efficient adsorbent. Batch studies were conducted to determine the adsorption of uranium (VI) by aerogel. Aerogels composed of (GO/GONRs/SA) were used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of U (VI) from aqueous solution. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to describe the structure, morphologies, and characteristics of (GO/GONRs/SA) aerogels. The initial concentration of uranium (VI) and other environmental factors on U (VI) adsorption were investigated, period of contact, pH, and temperature. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model can be employed to characterize the kinetics of U (VI) adsorption onto aerogels. The Langmuir model could be applied to understand the adsorption isotherm, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 929.16 mg/g. The adsorption reaction is endothermic and occurs spontaneously.

Plant breeders have to employ strategies and techniques to produce new improved wheat cultivars to increase productivity to meet the needs of the growing population. Therefore, they have to develop a new cultivar for adaptation to a new environment and new management practices. One of the most important criteria plant breeders should focus on is the exploitation of genotype × environment interaction (GEI). Thus, this study aimed to assess the variability of 24 wheat genotypes growing in different seasons by using the R software “Metan Package”. Moreover, the study estimates the stability parameters and finally highlights the winning genotypes across seasons. Field experiments were conducted across three consecutive seasons specifically 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 and at different locations. The assessment was done on traits such as plant height [cm], flag leaf area [cm2], chlorophyll index [SPAD], spike number [spike/m2], fertility ratio [%], grain number [grain/spike], grain weight [g], and yield [kg/ha]. Results indicated different performances of wheat genotypes in certain environments as well as across the three environments included in this study. Winner genotypes such as G-20, G-10, G-30, G-4, and IRAQ were selected according to their stability and high grain yield potential. It can be concluded that the use of the Multi-Environment Trail Analysis-METAN package is powerful for detecting promising wheat genotypes with high and stable yields across different environments and under various climate change conditions. Furthermore, it can be recommended that wheat performance needs to be assessed across very wide geographical locations.

Abstract Background Progress in malaria control has stalled in recent years and innovative surveillance and response approaches are needed to accelerate malaria control and elimination efforts in endemic areas of Africa. Building on a previous China-UK-Tanzania pilot study on malaria control, this study aimed to assess the impact of the 1,7-malaria Reactive Community-Based Testing and Response (1,7-mRCTR) approach implemented over two years in three districts of Tanzania. Methods The 1,7-mRCTR approach provides community-based malaria testing via rapid diagnostic tests and treatment in villages with the highest burden of malaria incidence based on surveillance data from health facilities. We used a difference-in-differences quasi-experimental design with linear probability models and two waves of cross-sectional household surveys to assess the impact of 1,7-mRCTR on malaria prevalence. We conducted sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of our results, examined how intervention effects varied in subgroups, and explored alternative explanations for the observed results. Results Between October 2019 and September 2021, 244,771 community-based malaria rapid tests were completed in intervention areas, and each intervention village received an average of 3.85 rounds of 1-7mRCTR. Malaria prevalence declined from 27.4% at baseline to 11.7% at endline in the intervention areas and from 26.0% to 16.0% in the control areas. 1,7-mRCTR was associated with a 4.5-percentage-point decrease in malaria prevalence (95% confidence interval: − 0.067, − 0.023), equivalent to a 17% reduction from the baseline. In Rufiji, a district characterized by lower prevalence and where larviciding was additionally provided, 1,7-mRCTR was associated with a 63.9% decline in malaria prevalence. Conclusions The 1,7-mRCTR approach reduced malaria prevalence. Despite implementation interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain challenges, the study provided novel evidence on the effectiveness of community-based reactive approaches in moderate- to high-endemicity areas and demonstrated the potential of South-South cooperation in tackling global health challenges. Graphical Abstract

Nimodipine (NDP) belongs to the class of pharmacological agents known as calcium channel blockers. It is used to treat symptoms resulting from a ruptured blood vessel in the brain (hemorrhage). NDP increases blood flow to injured brain tissues. For its clinical importance, a sensitive, accurate and simple spectrophotometric approach for the evaluation of NDP in bulk, tablet and biological fluids has been developed. The procedure involves the reaction of the reduced NDP with equimolar nitrous acid then followed by coupling with the available γ-resorsolic acid reagent in a basic solution to give a colored azo dye. The resulting azo dye is soluble in water and shows a maximum absorption peak at 436 nm. All the variables which affect the conditions such as the influence of acid, γ-resorsolic acid and alkali concentrations, reaction time and Beer׳s law limits were studied carefully and adjusted. The optimal conditions showed the color of azo-dye was stable for more than 1 h. The method was found linear in the range from 1.0 to 40 µg/mL with a good value of determination coefficient (R2= 0.9988). The molar absorptivity was calculated and set up to be 1.8495x104 L/mol.cm. The detection limits and quantitation limits were also estimated and found to be 0.0059 and 0.0195 µg/mL, correspondingly. The approach was established by estimating NDP in pharmaceutical tablets and biological fluids. The precision (RSD) was calculated to be better than 0.324%, whereas the values of recovery percent and relative errors were in the range of 97.95% to 99.08 % and -3.78% to 2.22%, respectively, without interfering from any common excipients present in the samples. The nature of the yellow dye has been studied between diazotized NDP and γ-resorsolic acid reagent and was equal to 1:1.

Abstract Having powerful antibacterial and antioxidant effects, zinc oxide and manganese oxide nanomaterials are of great interest. Here we have synthesized manganese oxide decorated zinc oxide (MZO) nanocomposites by co-precipitation method, calcined at different temperatures (300–750 °C) and studied various properties. Here the crystalline structure of the nanocomposite and phase change of the manganese oxide are observed with calcination temperature. The average crystalline size increases and the dislocation density and microstrain decrease with the increase in calcined temperature for the same structural features. The formation of composites was confirmed by XRD pattern and SEM images. EDAX spectra proved the high purity of the composites. Here, different biological properties change with the calcination temperature for different shapes, sizes and structures of the nanocomposite. Nanomaterial calcined at 750 °C provides the best anti-microbial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella flexneri (gram-negative), Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium (gram-positive) bacterial strain at 300 µg/mL concentration. The nanomaterial with calcination temperatures of 300 °C and 450 °C provided better antioxidant properties.