Adverse effects of environmentally relevant concentration of microplastics on gill epithelium permeability in the euryhaline Mediterranean killifish Aphanius fasciatus.

Estuaries and lagoons are characterized by fluctuating salinity and significant amounts of microplastics (MPs) and are increasingly subjected to various anthropogenic pressures. We investigated whether the accumulation of MPs in the gills of fish inhabiting these fragile ecosystems alters osmoregulation and, consequently, their ability to tolerate fluctuating salinity. The effects of a 15-day exposure to an environmentally relevant concentration (20 μg/L) of spherical polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) with a diameter of 5 μm were assessed in the Mediterranean killifish Aphanius fasciatus, focusing on tissue and gene expression changes related to factors of paracellular and transcellular permeability of the gill epithelium during the transition from seawater to freshwater.

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Introduction: In their practice, pharmacists are confronted with situations that may pose ethical problems. They must make decisions based on scientific knowledge as well as the principles of bioethics.

Aim: To evaluate pharmacists' attitudes towards specific ethical dilemmas.

Cinnamaldehyde potentiates cytotoxic and apoptogenic effects of doxorubicin in prostate cancer cell line.

Background And Purpose: Nowadays, herbal medicine has been utilized to treat various diseases such as cancer, which showed successful therapeutic efficacy in previous studies. This study for the first time evaluated the cytotoxic potential of cinnamaldehyde (CIN) alone and in combination with doxorubicin (DOX), a well-known potent anti-tumor agent, on the proliferation of prostatic cancer cell line (PC3).

Experimental Approach: The cytotoxicity and apoptotic activities of CIN and DOX, either separately or together, were determined on PC3 cells by the MTT test and Annexin V/PI assay, respectively.

Risk analysis applied to the process of managing medical single use devices in a hospital pharmacy department.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, single use medical devices' supply (SUMD) was marked by repetitive and unforeseen interruptions. The present study aimed to determine the risks related to the processes of management of medical devices in our CHU according to a method of failure mode, effect and criticality analysis (FMECA).

Methods: Qualified healthcare professionals were recruited to form a multidisciplinary consensus committee.

Four-Year Follow-Up of a Case of Yellow Nail Syndrome With IgM Deficiency.

Yellow nail syndrome is a rare condition occurring sporadically, with an extremely low prevalence rate. This syndrome classically presents with a triad of lower extremity edema, yellow nails, and mucosal issues such as pleural effusion and/or chronic sinusitis. Two out of the three features are deemed sufficient to diagnose a person with yellow nail syndrome.

Investigating the Wound-Healing Potential of a Nanoemulsion-Gel Formulation of Essential Oil.

This study explores a nanoemulsion (NE)-based gel incorporating Tunisian essential oil, with a focus on its wound-healing potential. The essential oil, extracted via hydrodistillation, underwent GC-MS analysis for compositional verification. The physicochemical characterization included dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta potential measurement, pH, and viscosity.

Correlating the Effect of Composition and Textural Properties on Bioactivity for Pristine and Copper-Doped Binary Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles.

Multifunctional substitutes for bone tissue engineering have gained significant interest in recent years in the aim to address the clinical challenge of treating large bone defects resulting from surgical procedures. Sol-gel mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) have emerged as a promising solution due to their high reactivity and versatility. The effect of calcium content on MBGNs textural properties is well known.

Comparison of Pilot-Scale Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) and Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis (LPRO) for PV-Powered Brackish Water Desalination in Morocco for Irrigation of Argan Trees.

The use of saline water resources in agriculture is becoming a common practice in semi-arid and arid regions such as the Mediterranean. In the SmaCuMed project, the desalination of brackish groundwater (TDS = 2.8 g/L) for the irrigation of Argan trees in Essaouira, Morocco, to 2 g/L and 1 g/L (33% and 66% salt removal, respectively) using low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) ( < 6 bar) and membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) was tested at pilot scale.

Combined toxic effects of cadmium and environmental microplastics in Aphanius fasciatus (Pisces, Cyprinodontidae).

Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in diameter, have received extensive attention as new environmental pollutants with still unexplored potential ecological risks. The main objective of the present study is to see if the concomitant exposure to MPs and Cd is more toxic than that to MPs or Cd separately in Aphanius fasciatus. Immature female were exposed to Cd and/or MPs for 21 days, and the subsequent effects were monitored by a combination of biochemical, histological and molecular toxicity markers.

A Rare Case of Incidentally Diagnosed Pulmonary Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumour with Dramatic Response to Crizotinib in a Postpartum Woman.

Introduction: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours are rare neoplasms which most commonly affect children and young adults. With an intermediate malignant potential, they are typically detected in the abdomen, lung, mediastinum, head and neck, gastrointestinal tract, and genitourinary tract.

Case Description: We describe the case of a 33-year-old postpartum woman incidentally diagnosed with a pulmonary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour following complaints of poorly controlled hypertension a week after caesarean section.

Schwannoma of the radial nerve: a case report.

Schwannomas are the most common benign tumors of the peripheral nerves, but represents only 5%-8% of all soft tissue tumors. Their diagnosis is usually delayed due to their slow growth and the nervous adaptation to their increased volume. Ultrasound sonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images usually ease the diagnosis.

Synthesis of Biocompatible Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPION) under Different Microfluidic Regimes.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) have a great potential in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications as they provide contrast in magnetic resonance imaging techniques and allow magnetic hyperthermia and drug delivery. Though various types of SPION are commercially available, efforts to improve the quality of SPION are highly in demand. Here, we describe a strategy for optimization of SPION synthesis under microfluidics using the coprecipitation approach.

Studies of the Structure and Optical Properties of BaSrMgWO Thin Films Deposited by a Spin-Coating Method.

Highly transparent thin films with the chemical formula BaSrMgWO were deposited by spin coating using a solution of nitrates of Ba, Sr, and Mg and ammonium paratungstate in dimethylformamide with a Ba:Sr:Mg:W ratio = 1:1:1:1. XRD, SEM, EDX, and XPS investigations evidenced that annealing at 800 °C for 1 h results in an amorphous structure having a precipitate on its surface, and that supplementary annealing at 850 °C for 45 min forms a nanocrystalline structure and dissolves a portion of the precipitates. A textured double perovskite cubic structure (61.

Performance evaluation of spatial fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm on GPU for image segmentation.

Image processing by segmentation technique is an important phase in medical imaging such as MRI. Its objective is to analyze the different tissues in human body. In research area, Fuzzy set is one of the most successful techniques that guarantees a robust classification.

Safety, recommended dose, efficacy and immune correlates for nintedanib in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced cancers.

Background: We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of nintedanib, an oral anti-angiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in combination with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD1 immunotherapy, in patients with advanced solid tumors (PEMBIB trial; NCT02856425).

Methods: In this monocentric phase Ib dose escalation cohort, we evaluated escalating doses of nintedanib (Dose level 1 (DL1) = 150 mg bid [bis in die, as twice a day]; DL2 = 200 mg bid, oral delivery) in combination with pembrolizumab (200 mg Q3W, IV). Patients received a 1-week lead-in dose of nintedanib monotherapy prior starting pembrolizumab.

The effects of foot orthosis and low-dye tape on lower limb joint angles and moments during running in individuals with pes planus.

Background: Pes Planus or Flat feet is one of the most common lower limb abnormalities. When runners with this abnormality participate in recreational running, interventional therapies could help in pain alleviation and enhance performance. To determine the most effective treatment, however, a biomechanical examination of the effects of each treatment modality is required.

Impact of computerized physician order entry system on parenteral nutrition medication errors in a teaching neonatal intensive care unit.

Objectives: Parenteral nutrition (PN) offers a quality therapeutic option when enteral feeding is non-tolerated or impossible. However, it can be associated with an increased risk of medical errors, especially in sensitive populations such as newborns. This study aimed at determining the impact of the implementation of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system on PN medication errors in the neonatology department in the largest teaching hospital in Tunisia.

Craniocerebral Gunshot Injuries in Chad: A Study of 44 Cases.

Background: Firearm head injuries cause great public health concern because of their severity. They are life-threatening due to intracranial lesions and sepsis risks. This prospective study evaluates the management of craniocerebral wounds in Chad.

Environmental surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2 in professional football clubs.

: We assessed SARS-CoV-2 contamination of random surfaces in football training facilities in an environment with a high prevalence of infections.: In six clubs of the Qatar Stars League, surfaces of random locations (high-touch areas, ventilation systems, toilets, cleaning tools, freezers, pantries) in routinely cleaned training facilities, locker rooms, medical and administrative areas were swabbed for SARS-CoV-2. The swabs were screened for the presence of viral RNA using a SARS-CoV-2 qPCR Probe Assay.

Failure mode and effect analysis applied to improve the medication management process in a pharmacy of a teaching hospital and a proposal for a simplified rating system.

Background: Healthcare is not as safe as it should be and medication error remains a significant source of preventable morbidity and mortality among patients.

Objectives: To present a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) of the medication management process in the pharmacy of the largest teaching hospital in Tunisia. Secondly, to examine the validity of a proposed simplified risk rating method by comparing the degree of concordance with the FMEA rating system in classifying failure modes related to the studied process.

Organising football matches with spectators during the COVID-19 pandemic: What can we learn from the Amir Cup Football Final of Qatar 2020? A call for action.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a potential threat to professional sporting events when they eventually return to their usual calendar with spectators' capacity of football stadiums usually exceeding 40,000 seats for important events. Hence, a strategy for safe return to sporting events is needed in the COVID-19 pandemic to pave the way towards a new normalcy. We reviewed the guidelines and policies implemented in organising the Amir Cup Football Final of Qatar, which hosted about 20,000 fans.

A two-stage robust optimization approach for the master surgical schedule problem under uncertainty considering downstream resources.

This paper addresses a planning decision for operating rooms (ORs) that aim at supporting hospital management. Focusing on elective patients, we determined the master surgical schedule (MSS) on a one-week time horizon. We assigned the specialties to available sessions and allocated surgeries to them while taking into consideration the priorities of the outpatients in the ambulatory surgical discipline.

Evaluation of anticoagulant therapy management in a teaching hospital in Tunisia: information and education for vitamin k antagonist newly treated patients need to be improved.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the level of Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy knowledge among VKA newly treated patients.

Methods: Questionnaire-based interviews were administered in a university hospital to VKA newly treated patients covering both cognitive (i.e.

[Arteria lusoria causing dyspnea: about a case].

Arteria lusoria or retroesophageal right subclavian artery is the most common aortic arch malformation, accounting for 0.5-2.5% of cases.