Publications by authors named "Afifi A"

Background: Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is increasingly used in treating multiple sclerosis (MS) with controversial results of the safety and efficacy of different DMF doses. We aimed to systematically review the literature to examine the safety and efficacy of DMF for MS patients.

Methods: We searched PubMed Medline, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus databases and clinicaltrials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objective: Cyclosporin A (CsA) exhibits a narrow therapeutic index and large inter-individual variation in pharmacokinetics. Two intermittent and 24-h continuous infusions (CI) are both commonly used regimens in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), with no universal consensus. The objective of this study was to assess whether CsA as a 2-h, twice-daily intravenous infusion (2 h/12 h) is non-inferior to 22 h CI every 24 h (22 h-CI/24 h) in terms of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) incidence and adverse events in allogeneic HSCT adult patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Flexible flatfoot deformity is quite common among adolescents. This study aimed to report the preliminary results of calcaneal lengthening osteotomy using a fibular bone graft.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective study included 28 patients (28 feet) with symptomatic flexible flatfoot deformity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the link between eating habits and symptoms of anhedonia (lack of joy) and anxiety among postgraduate students, finding a notable prevalence of these issues.
  • Results indicated that consumption of sugary, fast, and fried foods correlated positively with anxiety and anhedonia, while fruits and vegetables showed a negative association.
  • The research suggests that food choices, particularly healthy diets, could play a significant role in managing anxiety and anhedonia in stressful academic environments, warranting further investigation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the financial viability of migraine surgery for academic healthcare institutions, aiming to show it's profitable and attracts patients.
  • A retrospective review was conducted on patients seeking migraine and bilateral breast reduction surgeries from 2011 to 2020, analyzing various financial metrics and demographics.
  • Results indicate migraine surgery is financially beneficial for hospitals, drawing more out-of-state patients and showing competitive profit margins compared to bilateral breast reduction, suggesting hospitals should consider hiring migraine surgeons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the antimicrobial properties of ethanolic extracts from Ulva sp. and garlic powder against the bacteria Vibrio harveyi, and their effects on white-leg shrimp growth and immune response.
  • The research involved feeding shrimp a diet enriched with varying amounts of these extracts and observing changes in health and performance over 60 days.
  • Results showed that while the extracts improved immune responses and antibacterial activity, they did not significantly impact weight gain or survival rates compared to a control diet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: We aimed to detect subclinical cardiac impairment in children with ulcerative colitis (UC) and test the association between absolute monocytic count (AMC) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) with disease activity.

Methods: A group of children with UC and a comparable group as healthy controls were included. All children underwent history-taking, clinical examination and blood testing for complete blood counts with white blood cell differentials, LMR and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1) Background: Intrinsic defense mechanisms are pivotal host strategies to restrict viruses already at early stages of their infection. Here, we addressed the question of how the autophagy receptor sequestome 1 (/p62, hereafter referred to as p62) interferes with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. (2) Methods: CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, mass spectrometry and the expression of p62 phosphovariants from recombinant HCMVs were used to address the role of p62 during infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most frequently performed bariatric procedure. To study the safety of LSG done with Nissen Fundoplication (NF) in patients affected by obesity and GERD and assess the complication rate. A retrospective cohort study using the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2016 to 2019.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: We aimed to perform a meta-analysis with the intention of evaluating the reliability and test accuracy of the aMAP risk score in the identification of HCC.

Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science databases from inception to September 2023, to identify studies measuring the aMAP score in patients for the purpose of predicting the occurrence or recurrence of HCC. The meta-analysis was performed using the meta package in R version 4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: This study evaluates whether the fracture level alters the outcomes of minimally invasive hybrid stabilization (MIHS) with double-threaded, uncemented polyaxial screws for unstable osteoporotic vertebral fractures.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 73 patients (71.23% females, mean age: 79.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Fixation of displaced radial head fractures using miniplates is technically challenging and has some drawbacks like hardware prominence and limitation of forearm rotation. Fixation by headless compression screws has emerged as a less invasive alternative to miniplates. This study compares the radiological and functional outcomes of both methods of fixation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: There is no consensus about the best fixation method for medial malleolar fractures. This study was conducted to compare the clinical and radiological results of positional (fully threaded) screws and lag (partially threaded) screws when used to fix medial malleolar fractures.

Methods: This prospective, randomized clinical trial included 68 patients with closed isolated medial malleolar fractures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Rotational atherectomy can offer a viable treatment for occlusive peripheral artery disease; maintaining the minimal invasiveness of an endovascular procedure, while allowing for a more complete lesion debridement compared with balloon angioplasty. This case report outlines a complication of guidewire entrapment associated with rotational atherectomy in the superficial femoral artery (SFA).

Methods: A 57-year-old male underwent an atherectomy with Rotorex for left lower limb foot pain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the relationship between COVID-19, hypercoagulability, and socioeconomic factors in the United States, focusing on conditions like pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
  • - An analysis of over 322,000 COVID-19 patients from the National Inpatient Sample database revealed significant correlations between the disease and higher rates of PE (OR 2.04) and DVT (OR 1.44), alongside various socioeconomic factors affecting these conditions.
  • - Key factors increasing PE and DVT risk included Black race, higher income, geographic location, hospital type, insurance status, hypertension, and obesity, while decreased risk was observed in Asian or Pacific Islander patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Wilms tumor (WT) survival rates vary significantly, highlighting the need for research into prognostic factors impacting outcomes for patients diagnosed with the disease.
  • This study analyzed clinicopathological data from the SEERStat Database, involving 2,273 WT patients, using advanced statistical methods to assess survival trends over time.
  • Results showed a high five-year survival rate of 93.6% and identified key factors influencing survival, including age at diagnosis and disease spread, with younger patients exhibiting better outcomes compared to older patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) often require treatment with open lower extremity revascularization (LER). Patients with PAD often have other comorbidities and associated conditions that affect procedural outcomes, including abdominal stomas. The aim of this work is to investigate the impact that stomas may have on postoperative outcomes and complications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Our objective was to identify non-malignant factors that contribute to mortality in children, adolescents and young adults, aiming to improve patient follow-up and reduce mortality rates to achieve better survival outcomes.

Methods: We analyzed 8,239 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2019 in the USA. Using version 8.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Human motion detection technology holds significant potential in medicine, health care, and physical exercise. This study introduces a novel approach to human activity recognition (HAR) using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) designed for individual sensor types to enhance the accuracy and address the challenge of diverse data shapes from accelerometers, gyroscopes, and barometers. Specific CNN models are constructed for each sensor type, enabling them to capture the characteristics of their respective sensors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Parkinsonism is an age-related neurodegenerative illness that affects motor coordination leading to loss of dopaminergic neurons. Many medications are used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease but are only symptomatic and have a limited effect on the progression of this ailment. Therefore, bioactive compounds which derived from plants have been examined for their ability to improve the neuronal damage and cell death happened in parkinsonian patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A comprehensive study of fruits and leaves extracts of var. Swingle and L. family Rutaceae was accomplished to investigate their antiviral activity along with their zinc oxide nanoparticles formulation (ZnONPs) against the avian influenza H5N1 virus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Conventional approaches for enhancing wound healing may not always yield satisfactory results. Instead, we test the effectiveness of a newly developed photodynamic therapy (PDT) that uses methylene blue (MB) loaded with polyethylene glycol (PEG) (MB-PEG) hydrogel to accelerate wound healing process in mice.

Methods: A dorsal skin incision with 6 mm punch which topically subjected to MB-PEG hydrogel and a low-level laser light of red light to assess the regeneration process of wounded skin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF