The effectiveness of chemotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is restricted by chemo-resistance and systemic side effects. To improve the efficacy and safety of chemotherapeutics in HCC ...management, scientists have attempted to deliver these drugs to malignant tissues using targeted carriers as nanoparticles (NPs). Among the three types of NPs targeting (active, passive, and stimuli-responsive), active targeting is the most commonly investigated in HCC treatment. Despite the observed promising results so far, clinical research on nanomedicine targeting for HCC treatment still faces many challenges.These include batch-to-batch physicochemical properties' variations, limiting large scale production and insufficient data on human and environmental toxicities. This review summarized the characteristics of different nanocarriers, ligands, targeted receptors on HCC cells and provided recommendations to overcome the challenges, facing this novel line of treatment for HCC.
Carbon disulfide (CS
2
) is one of the sulfur components that are naturally present in petroleum fractions. Its presence causes corrosion issues in the fuel facilities and deactivates the catalysts ...in the petrochemical processes. It is a hazardous component that negatively impacts the environment and public health due to its toxicity. This study used zinc-carbon (ZC) composite as a CS
2
adsorbent from the gasoline fraction model component. The carbon is derived from date stone biomass. The ZC composite was prepared via a homogenous precipitation process by urea hydrolysis. The physicochemical properties of the prepared adsorbent are characterized using different techniques. The results confirm the loading of zinc oxide/hydroxide carbonate and urea-derived species on the carbon surface. The results were compared by the parent samples, raw carbon, and zinc hydroxide prepared by conventional and homogeneous precipitation. The CS
2
adsorption process was performed using a batch system at atmospheric pressure. The effects of adsorbent dosage and adsorption temperatures have been examined. The results indicate that ZC has the highest CS
2
adsorption capacity (124.3 mg.g
−1
at 30 °C) compared to the parent adsorbents and the previously reported data. The kinetics and thermodynamic calculation results indicate the spontaneity and feasibility of the CS
2
adsorption process.
To compare the changes in quality of life in edentulous patients with single implants supporting mandibular overdentures with two different attachment types before implant placement and after 6 and ...24 months.
Eighty edentulous patients were recruited, and all patients completed the validated Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-EDENT-19 questionnaire before implant surgery. A single implant was placed in the midline of the edentulous mandibles. All implants were allowed to heal for 3 months. After the healing period, randomization into one of two groups was accomplished using sealed envelopes: group A (ball attachment) and group B (locator attachment). The same questionnaire was completed 6 and 24 months postplacement. Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples was used to compare the two groups, while Freidman test was used for comparison within each group. Two-sided P values less than .05 were considered statistically significant.
There was an improvement in all domains of the OHIP-EDENT-19 scores at the 6- and 24-month follow-ups for both groups. The social disability domain showed a statistically significant improvement for group A at 6 and 24 months postplacement (P = .004, .005). Within group A, there was a statistically significant improvement within all seven domains (P = .001); while in group B, four domains (functional limitation, physical pain, psychosocial discomfort, and physical disability) and the total score (P = .001) showed a statistically significant improvement.
Both attachments improved the patients' quality of life at 24 months postplacement. The ball attachment demonstrated a significant improvement regarding the social effects of the prostheses.
Rubberized concrete is a form of concrete in which discarded tyre rubber particles are used instead of natural aggregates. This sort of concrete provides an environmental alternative to the millions ...of discarded tires. Many successful achievements were reported by researchers around the world. However, in Egyptian researches using local materials, very rare information can be gathered. The purpose of this study is to evaluate both the mechanical and durability properties of concrete with local rubber aggregates in Egypt. Two concrete groups were studied, each with a different target control strength. Each group had four different mixes, for a total of eight different mixes in which crumb rubber partially replaced fine aggregates by 0%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of volume. The effect of slump, compressive strength, density, water absorption, water sorptivity, rapid chloride penetration, sulphric acid attack, and exposure to elevated temperatures of 300 °C and 600 °C were investigated. The rubberized concrete mixtures had better workability and lower density than the control mixes. Compressive strength was shown to be gradually decreasing. It is possible to identify that rubberized concrete is extremely resistant to aggressive environments based on the results of durability testing.
The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has begun with a wave of misinformation and fear of infection. This may have led people to self-medicate inappropriately. The World Health Organization ...describes self-medication (SM) as utilizing medicines to relieve symptoms or health conditions without consulting a physician. Inappropriate drug use is a burden on both health resources and patient health in the Arab region. This study aimed to detect the prevalence and influencing factors of self-medication among the general Arab population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A multinational cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population of ten Arab countries from early August to late October 2021. Participants aged 18 years or older could join the study via social media platforms. A convenience sampling technique was used. A developed and validated web-based questionnaire was used to collect data on self-medication practice, associated influencing factors, information sources, commonly used medications, and commonly treated conditions. Descriptive, univariate, and multivariate regression analyses were applied using IBM SPSS v 26 and R v 4.0.0 software.
A total of 8163 participants completed the questionnaire, and 518 participants were excluded from the analysis due to inconsistencies in their data. Almost two-thirds (62.7%) of participants reported practicing self-medication during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the country level, Egypt had the highest prevalence of self-medication practice (72.1%), while Palestine had the lowest prevalence (40.4%). The most commonly used drugs were analgesics, antipyretics, and vitamins (86, 65.1, and 57.1%, respectively), while antitussives and antibiotics scored 47.6 and 43.3%, respectively. Experience with similar health conditions (74.6%) and urgency of the problem (47.2%) were the most frequent factors that led to self-medication. Additionally, 38.2% of the self-medicated participants (SMPs) used drugs as prophylaxis against COVID-19. Pharmacist consultation was the most common source of information about self-medication (66.7%). Multivariate analysis showed that predictors of self-medication were older age (p = 0.008), presence of chronic illness (p = 0.015), and having monthly income or medical insurance that does not cover the treatment cost (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively).
Self-medication is considered a common practice across the Arab population. It is necessary to regulate policies and raise awareness among the public about self-medication.
Egypt’s urban communities face many threats, including, pluvial floods, heat waves, and lack of publicly accessible urban green spaces. Nature-based solutions such as constructed wetlands (CWs) ...present a promising solution that could offer a wide range of ecosystem services (ES). However, the adoption of CWs is challenged by the lack of local planning guides and uncertainty about potential benefits. There are various models and tools available for quantifying and valuing ES, however, many of them are either highly complex or require extensive data and expertise. The aim of this paper is to develop a GIS-based multi-criteria decision model to select CW sites based on the supply and demand of ES. The model is to operate on three main stages: (i) demand: based on the need for risk reduction or benefit provisioning, (ii) potential sites (PSs): identify and score suitable sites for establishing a CW, and (iii) supply: define the service benefiting areas (SBA). An experimental approach is used, where the model is tested on New Damietta, an Egyptian Mediterranean city, proving the model is a reliable decision-making tool during preliminary urban planning stages due to its practicality, flexibility, and reasonable data requirements.
Objectives
The aim of this study is to investigate vascular and neurosensory complications in edentulous patients following the installation of mandibular midline single implants in relation to ...lingual canals.
Materials and methods
After performing a cone beam computed tomography scan for the 50 recruited patients, the relationship between the potential implant site and the lingual canals was assessed, and all vascular and neurosensory complications were recorded.
Results
Six patients (12%) reported profuse bleeding during implant placement, and 13 (26%) reported transient neurosensory changes, which were resolved after 3 months. According to the virtual implant planning, 44 patients (88%) would have their implants touching the lingual canals, six of them reported vascular changes (14%), and 12 out of 44 patients reported neurosensory changes (27%). For the six patients who would have their implants not touching the lingual canals, one patient reported transient neurosensory changes.
Conclusions
The mandibular lingual canals are constant anatomic landmarks. Injury to the supra-spinosum lingual canals may occur during midline implant placement, depending on the implant length and the bone height.
Clinical relevance
Despite that injury to the supra-spinosum lingual canals during implant insertion does not result in permanent vascular or neurosensory complications, caution is required to avoid the perforation of the lingual cortices.
Molecular testing plays a pivotal role in monitoring measurable residual disease (MRD) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), aiding in the refinement of risk stratification and treatment guidance. Wilms ...tumor gene 1 (
) is frequently upregulated in pediatric AML and serves as a potential molecular marker for MRD. This study aimed to evaluate
predictive value as an MRD marker and its impact on disease prognosis.
Quantification of
expression levels was analyzed using the standardized European Leukemia Network real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay (qRT-PCR) among a cohort of 146 pediatric AML patients. Post-induction I and intensification I, MRD response by
was assessed. Patients achieving a ≥2 log reduction in
MRD were categorized as good responders, while those failing to reach this threshold were classified as poor responders.
At diagnosis,
overexpression was observed in 112 out of 146 (76.7%) patients. Significantly high levels were found in patients with M4- FAB subtype (p=0.018) and core binding fusion transcript (CBF) (
, p=0.018,
, p=0.016). Following induction treatment, good responders exhibited a reduced risk of relapse (2-year cumulative incidence of relapse CIR 7.9%
33.2%, p=0.008). Conversely, poor responders' post-intensification I showed significantly lower overall survival (OS) (51%
93.2%, p<0.001), event-free survival (EFS) (33.3%
82.6%, p<0.001), and higher CIR (66.6%
10.6%, p<0.001) at 24 months compared to good responders. Even after adjusting for potential confounders, it remained an independent adverse prognostic factor for OS (p=0.04) and EFS (p=0.008). High concordance rates between
-based MRD response and molecular MRD were observed in CBF patients. Furthermore, failure to achieve either a 3-log reduction by RT-PCR or a 2-log reduction by
indicated a high risk of relapse. Combining MFC-based and
-based MRD results among the intermediate-risk group identified patients with unfavorable prognosis (positive predictive value PPV 100%, negative predictive value NPV 85%, and accuracy 87.5%).
MRD response post-intensification I serves as an independent prognostic factor for survival in pediatric AML. Integration of
and MFC-based MRD results enhances the reliability of MRD-based prognostic stratification, particularly in patients lacking specific leukemic markers, thereby influencing treatment strategies.
The security of mobile applications has become a major research field which is associated with a lot of challenges. The high rate of developing mobile applications has resulted in less secure ...applications. This is due to what is called the “rush to release” as defined by Ponemon Institute. Security testing—which is considered one of the main phases of the development life cycle—is either not performed or given minimal time; hence, there is a need for security testing automation. One of the techniques used is Automated Vulnerability Detection. Vulnerability detection is one of the security tests that aims at pinpointing potential security leaks. Fixing those leaks results in protecting smart-phones and tablet mobile device users against attacks. This paper focuses on building a hybrid approach of static and dynamic analysis for detecting the vulnerabilities of Android applications. This approach is capsuled in a usable platform (web application) to make it easy to use for both public users and professional developers. Static analysis, on one hand, performs code analysis. It does not require running the application to detect vulnerabilities. Dynamic analysis, on the other hand, detects the vulnerabilities that are dependent on the run-time behaviour of the application and cannot be detected using static analysis. The model is evaluated against different applications with different security vulnerabilities. Compared with other detection platforms, our model detects information leaks as well as insecure network requests alongside other commonly detected flaws that harm users’ privacy. The code is available through a GitHub repository for public contribution.
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