Hydro-Morphometric analysis of the drainage systems is an efficient tool to manage water resources to protect from flooding or discover suitable locations for hydrological projects. This study aims ...to analyze the morphological and hydrologic processes of the Heshkaro River watershed using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System techniques. The river causes damage to neighborhoods, which are located at the mouth during the rainy season. The ALOS PALSAR digital elevation model (12.5 m resolution) data and ArcGIS 10.8 toolbox were used to delineate the watershed and calculate the morphometric characteristics of the river drainage. The results show that the Heshkaro River basin is a fifth-order basin with 359 tributaries and a total length reached 214.13 km, where there is a strong exponential relationship (R2 =0.97) between the mean length of streams and stream order. In addition, the study area is an elongated shape, depending on the elongation and circularity ratio. Furthermore, the bifurcation ratio, basin relief, and slope degree indicate that the geological structure has little influence on the drainage pattern. The basin has low runoff, low relief, and high infiltration, as well as low exposure to erosion and sediment loading. The results of this study provide the requirement for deep management of the Heshkaro River watershed to secure the environmental sustainability of the basin.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an evolving pandemic that urged the need to investigate various antiviral therapies. This study was conducted to compare efficacy and safety outcomes of ...darunavir-cobicistat versus lopinavir-ritonavir in treating patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.
This retrospective, multicenter, observational study was conducted on adult patients hospitalized in one of the COVID-19 facilities in Qatar. Patients were included if they received darunavir-cobicistat or lopinavir-ritonavir for at least three days as part of their COVID-19 treatments. Data were collected from patients' electronic medical records. The primary outcome was a composite endpoint of time to clinical improvement and/or virological clearance. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used at alpha level of 0.05. A total of 400 patients was analyzed, of whom 100 received darunavir-cobicistat and 300 received lopinavir-ritonavir. Majority of patients were male (92.5%), with a mean (SD) time from symptoms onset to start of therapy of 7.57 days (4.89). Patients received lopinavir-ritonavir had significantly faster time to clinical improvement and/or virological clearance than patients received darunavir-cobicistat (4 days IQR 3-7 vs. 6.5 days IQR 4-12; HR 1.345 95%CI: 1.070-1.691, P = 0.011). Patients received lopinavir-ritonavir had significantly faster time to clinical improvement (5 days IQR 3-8 vs. 8 days IQR 4-13; HR 1.520 (95%CI: 1.2-1.925), P = 0.000), and slower time to virological clearance than darunavir-cobicistat (25 days IQR 15-33 vs. 21 days IQR 12.8-30; HR 0.772 (95%CI: 0.607-0.982), P = 0.035). No significant difference in the incidence or severity of adverse events between groups. The study was limited to its retrospective nature and the possibility of covariates, which was accounted for by multivariate analyses.
In patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, early treatment with lopinavir-ritonavir was associated with faster time to clinical improvement and/or virological clearance than darunavir-cobicistat. Future trials are warranted to confirm these findings.
ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04425382.
Abstract
MAIT cells have been shown to be activated upon several viral infections in a TCR-independent manner by responding to inflammatory cytokines secreted by antigen-presenting cells. Recently, a ...few studies have shown a similar activation of MAIT cells in response to severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In this study, we investigate the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the frequency and phenotype of MAIT cells by flow cytometry, and we test in vitro stimulation conditions on the capacity to enhance or rescue the antiviral function of MAIT cells from patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our study, in agreement with recently published studies, confirmed the decline in MAIT cell frequency of hospitalized donors in comparison to healthy donors. MAIT cells of COVID-19 patients also had lower expression levels of TNF-alpha, perforin and granzyme B upon stimulation with IL-12 + IL-18. 24 h’ incubation with IL-7 successfully restored perforin expression levels in COVID-19 patients. Combined, our findings support the growing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is dysregulating MAIT cells and that IL-7 treatment might improve their function, rendering them more effective in protecting the body against the virus.
Introduction: This study aimed to find the association of serum calcium level with abdominal obesity according to the waist circumference (WC) and the associated factors. Materials and Methods: A ...cross-sectional study was carried out at private health-care center. A total of 291 patients, aged 18 years and above, with type 2 diabetes mellitus who attended the clinic from May 2017 through March 2018 were included. Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data were obtained from the medical records of patients. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS, version 23). Abdominal obesity was defined by WC ≥ 80cm in women and ≥94cm in men. Results: A total number of 291 participants participated in the study. Among these participants, 42.6% (n = 124) were male and 57.4% (n = 167) were female. The average age of respondents was 55.99 ± 9.81 years. Among the male participants, 90 (72.6%) (95% confidence interval CI: 64.6%-80.5%) were abdominally obese as were 154 participants (92.2%) (95% CI: 88.1%-96.3%) among females. Overall, 244 participants (83.8%) (95% CI: 79.6%-88.1%) were abdominally obese. The results of statistical modeling showed that gender, smoking status, physical activity, and serum calcium are strong determinants of abdominal obesity. Conclusion: This study revealed a significant association of abdominal obesity and serum calcium level among patients with diabetes.
Mosul Dam Lake is the main reservoir in Iraq, supporting the water demand of Mosul, Baghdad, and other cities. The aim of this study is to derive simple and accurate algorithms for the retrieval of ...water quality parameters for Mosul Dam Lake from Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 reflectance data. The water quality measurements were performed in situ during March and July 2011. These measurements included temperature, turbidity, Secchi disk, chlorophyll-
a
, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, total inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, total dissolved solids, and pH. In order to properly use the values of reflectance bands, images enhancement techniques have been used. The field measurements were compared with reflectance values of Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 bands using different band combination of empirical algorithms. Generally, the results of analysis showed significant correlation between these models and water quality parameters with
R
2
> 0.7 and
p
< 0.05, and the ETM+ algorithms were more precise,
R
2
> 0.9 and
p
< 0.02. The results of comparison between the predicted water quality parameters and those measured in situ displayed more reliability for the models used,
R
2
> 0.9, and values of the root mean square error ranged from 0.9 to 0.001. ArcGIS 10 was used to simulate the distribution values of water quality parameters calculated from spectral values of TM5 and ETM+ bands. The results of spatial analysis demonstrate that it is possible to use the TM5 and ETM+ images to evaluate the water quality for Mosul Dam Lake.
Spatial distribution of groundwater quality is one of the issues that are urgently requested from both the people and decision-makers, especially during the deficiency of water network supply. This ...work included creating spatial groundwater quality maps on Mosul's left bank. The water quality studied parameters were pH, EC, TDS, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, SO42-, HCO3-, NO3-, Cl- and other chemical water quality parameters as well as heterotrophic bacteria. A statistical investigation has been done to evaluate the relationship between these parameters. An inverse distance weighted interpolation model was used to give these parameters a better geographical distribution pattern. The visual groundwater quality models gave an overview of this water source's environmental reality and possible pollution points. The results of this work could be employed as an effective tool in the field of planning and environmental protection of water resources in Mosul City because there is polluted groundwater on the eastern side of Mosul which is polluted by septic tanks and the sewage system
To determine the overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome using the World Health Organization (WHO); National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) ...guidelines and to study its association with vitamin D and other biochemical parameters in patients with type 2 Diabetes mellitus, as well as to identify the set of biochemical parameters that jointly influence the metabolic syndrome using different diagnostic criteria.
A cross-sectional study was carried out at a private health care center in -a total of 291 diabetic patients. Socio-demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were obtained from the medical records of patients. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 23).
A total number of 291 patients with T2DM were included in this study. The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome among the study subjects was 48.1%, 87.3%, 64.9% using the WHO, IDF, and NCEP-ATPIII criteria, respectively. The highest prevalence was reported following IDF diagnostic criteria. Sex, triglyceride, and fasting blood sugar were associated factors of metabolic syndrome by all the three diagnostic criteria of metabolic syndrome.
The study revealed a high prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome among type 2 diabetic patients, which was highest at 87.3% according to IDF and lowest was observed according to the WHO criteria i.e, 48.1%. A significant variance in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was reported between WHO, IDF, and NCEP criteria.
Hydroxychloroquine (HC) ± azithromycin (AZ) is widely used for Covid-19. The Qatar Prospective RCT of Expediting Coronavirus Tapering (Q-PROTECT) aimed to assess virologic cure rates of HC±AZ in ...cases of low-acuity Covid-19.
Q-PROTECT employed a prospective, placebo-controlled design with blinded randomization to three parallel arms: placebo, oral HC (600 mg daily for one week), or oral HC plus oral AZ (500 mg day one, 250 mg daily on days two through five). At enrollment, non-hospitalized participants had mild or no symptoms and were within a day of Covid-19 positivity by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After six days, intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis of the primary endpoint of virologic cure was assessed using binomial exact 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and χ2 testing. (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04349592, trial status closed to new participants.)
The study enrolled 456 participants (152 in each of three groups: HC+AZ, HC, placebo) between 13 April and 1 August 2020. HC+AZ, HC, and placebo groups had 6 (3·9%), 7 (4·6%), and 9 (5·9%) participants go off study medications before completing the medication course (p = 0·716). Day six PCR results were available for all 152 HC+AZ participants, 149/152 (98·0%) HC participants, and 147/152 (96·7%) placebo participants. Day six ITT analysis found no difference (p = 0·821) in groups’ proportions achieving virologic cure: HC+AZ 16/152 (10·5%), HC 19/149 (12·8%), placebo 18/147 (12·2%). Day 14 assessment also showed no association (p = 0·072) between study group and viral cure: HC+AZ 30/149 (20·1%,), HC 42/146 (28·8%), placebo 45/143 (31·5%). There were no serious adverse events.
HC±AZ does not facilitate virologic cure in patients with mild or asymptomatic Covid-19.
The study was supported by internal institutional funds of the Hamad Medical Corporation (government health service of the State of Qatar).
Contrast agents applicable for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging are rare. The intrascleral aqueous drainage system would be a potential application for a contrast agent, because the aqueous ...veins are of small diameter and located deep inside the highly scattering sclera. We tested lipid emulsions (LEs) as candidate OCT contrast agents in vitro and ex vivo, including milk and the anesthetic substance Propofol.
Commercial OCT and OCT angiography (OCTA) devices were used. Maximum reflectivity and signal transmission of LE were determined in tube phantoms. Absorption spectra and light scattering was analyzed. The anterior chamber of enucleated porcine eyes was perfused with LEs, and OCTA imaging of the LEs drained via the aqueous outflow tract was performed.
All LEs showed a significantly higher reflectivity than water (P < 0.001). Higher milk lipid content was positively correlated with maximum reflectivity and negatively with signal transmission. Propofol exhibited the best overall performance. Due to a high degree of signal fluctuation, OCTA could be applied for detection of LE. Compared with blood, the OCTA signal of Propofol was significantly stronger (P = 0.001). As a proof of concept, time-resolved aqueous angiography of porcine eyes was performed. The three-dimensional (3D) structure and dynamics of the aqueous outflow were significantly different from humans.
LEs induced a strong signal in OCT and OCTA. LE-based OCTA allowed the ability to obtain time-resolved 3D datasets of aqueous outflow. Possible interactions of LE with inner eye's structures need to be further investigated before in vivo application.
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