Turicibacter and Catenibacterium as potential biomarkers in autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social, behavioral, and cognitive impairments. Several comorbidities, including gastrointestinal (GI) dysregulations, are frequently reported in ASD children. Although studies in animals have shown the crucial role of the microbiota in key aspects of neurodevelopment, there is currently no consensus on how the alteration of microbial composition affects the pathogenesis of ASD.

Correlational Insights into Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Lebanon.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a prevalent childhood neurodevelopmental disorder with complex etiology involving genetic and environmental factors, causes impairments across various life domains and substantial social and economic burden. Identifying correlates to prevent its onset and decrease its incidence is crucial. To our knowledge, our study represents the first case-control investigation of Lebanese ADHD patients to explore potential correlations between familial, maternal, and child health variables and ADHD to enhance understanding of its etiology and aid in prevention efforts.

Systems Biology Modeling of Cancer Nonlinear Dynamics.

Not unlike the climate or what holds the galaxies and planetary motions together, cancer biology has an intrinsic nonlinear dynamic. In this overview we will outline how to connect temporal measurements of a nonlinear dynamical and unstable complex system, such as cancer, with well-established engineering methods, old and new, that are applied in linear dynamical systems.This proof-of-concept is therapeutically relevant in the development of new means to treat or control human cancer by either adding an appropriate external "damping" or a "forcing" term, or by a "control" actuator such that its nonlinear dynamic is steered to a spiral stably into zero forever as a sink attractor.

Letter and Category Fluency: Normative Data for Lebanese Older Adults.

Background: Verbal fluency tasks are frequently used for neuropsychological assessment in clinical practice and research. It consists of two tasks namely category and letter fluency tests.

Objective: To determine normative values in category (animals, vegetables, fruits) and letter fluency [Mim () "M", Alif () "A", Baa () "B"] tasks in Arabic language in 60 s.

An adapted Arabic version of the Test of Nine Images for the illiterate Lebanese population: Validation and preliminary normative data.

Objectives: In the absence of a simple validated instrument to screen for cognitive impairment among illiterate Lebanese older adults, the aims of this study were to validate an Arabic version of the Test of Nine Images (A-TNI93) adapted by the Working Group on Dementia at Saint Joseph University: Groupe de Travail sur les Démences de l'Univesité Saint Joseph (GTD-USJ) for illiterate older Lebanese and to establish normative data.

Method: A national population-based sample of 332 community-dwelling illiterate Lebanese aged 55 years and older was administered the A-TNI93 (GTD-USJ) scoring free and overall recall. The sample is part of a larger national sample (1342 participants) used to validate an Arabic version of the Mini-Mental State Examination already reported.

Could the Aid System Be Reinforcing Mental Health Symptoms Among Refugees? Clinicians' Experiences from Lebanon.

Drawing on our clinical experience with Syrian refugees in Lebanon, we reflect on the difficulties encountered to delineate the limits between psychiatric care and social assistance within a dysfunctional humanitarian system. We note that many refugees consider mental health services a gateway to legitimize their vulnerability status to aid agencies. They may therefore resort to changing narratives as an adaptive mechanism facing institutional ambiguity, in the hope of getting financial support or resettlement to a third country.

Vascular and Microvascular Dysfunction Induced by Microgravity and Its Analogs in Humans: Mechanisms and Countermeasures.

Weightlessness and physical inactivity have deleterious cardiovascular effects. The space environment and its ground-based models offer conditions to study the cardiovascular effects of physical inactivity in the absence of other vascular risk factors, particularly at the macro- and microcirculatory levels. However, the mechanisms involved in vascular dysfunction and remodeling are not sufficiently studied in the context of weightlessness and its analogs including models of physical inactivity.

Risk and Protective Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Case Control Study in the Lebanese Population.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are among the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Identification of risk and protective factors are necessary to improve the guidance of prevention and intervention strategies. Our study aims to determine the potential risk and protective factors in ASD in the Lebanese population.

Acute Neonatal Suppurative Parotitis Due to Co-Infection by Non-Typable Beta-Hemolytic Streptococci and Escherichia coli: A Case Report.

Neonatal suppurative parotitis (NSP) is a very rare disease of the salivary glands, usually involving the parotids. It is mostly due to Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infection among patients with predisposing factors, and management mainly relies on hydration and intravenous antibiotics with an excellent prognosis. Herein, we present a case of an 11-day-old female baby who presented with left periauricular edema and tenderness associated with fever that was later diagnosed as NSP due to both non-typable beta-hemolytic streptococci and Escherichia coli.

Perceptions and Health-Seeking Behaviour for Mental Illness Among Syrian Refugees and Lebanese Community Members in Wadi Khaled, North Lebanon: A Qualitative Study.

This is a qualitative exploration of the perceptions of mental health (MH) and their influence on health-seeking behaviour among Syrian refugees and the Lebanese population in Wadi Khaled, a rural area of Lebanon bordering Syria. Eight focus group discussions and eight key informant interviews were conducted with male and female Syrian refugees and Lebanese community members from March to April 2018. MH illness was associated with stigma, shame and fear among both populations.

Aortic Valve Replacement in 8 Adults with Anomalous Aortic Origin of Coronary Artery.

Patients with anomalous origin of a coronary artery during aortic valve replacement (AVR) are at risk of coronary compromise. Large case series are lacking. In this retrospective study, we review our experience with this condition.

An Arabic Version of the Mini-Mental State Examination for the Lebanese Population: Reliability, Validity, and Normative Data.

Background: The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) has not been validated in the Lebanese population and no normative data exist at the national level.

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of an Arabic version of MMSE developed by the "Groupe de Travail sur les Démences de l'Université Saint Joseph" (A-MMSE(GTD-USJ)) and to provide normative data by gender, age, and education in adults over 55.

Methods: Study design: national cross-sectional survey.

Adjusting the neochords height for better leaflets coaptation following mitral valve repair.

Often times, in mitral valve repair techniques, the height of the newly placed Gore-Tex sutures needs correction to achieve better mitral valve leaflet coaptation or to correct systolic anterior motion (SAM). Herein, a less challenging "Hornet" technique to accurately adjust artificial chordal length is described. This technique describes a way to adjust/shorten the Gore-Tex chords, should they need revision.

How to Control Subannular Hemorrhage during Aortic Root Enlarging Procedures.

We describe an effective suture technique to control the persistent subannular bleeding at the aortoventricular curtain in four patients with aortic stenosis and small annulus who underwent aortic root enlargement and patch reconstruction. This technique approximates the left atrial roof to the aortic root without the need for re-replacement of the aortic prosthesis or revision of the patch. Reintervention for aortic root, valve, or the residual aorta was not required.

An Introduction to the Mathematical Modeling in the Study of Cancer Systems Biology.

Background: Frequently occurring in cancer are the aberrant alterations of regulatory onco-metabolites, various oncogenes/epigenetic stochasticity, and suppressor genes, as well as the deficient mismatch repair mechanism, chronic inflammation, or those deviations belonging to the other cancer characteristics. How these aberrations that evolve overtime determine the global phenotype of malignant tumors remains to be completely understood. Dynamic analysis may have potential to reveal the mechanism of carcinogenesis and can offer new therapeutic intervention.

How do cancer cells replenish their fuel supply?

Background: Multiple genetic changes, availability of cellular nutrients and metabolic alterations play a pivotal role in oncogenesis AIMS: We focus on cancer cell's metabolic properties, and we outline the cross talks between cellular oncogenic growth pathways in cancer metabolism. The review also provides a synopsis of the relevant cancer drugs targeting metabolic activities that are at various stages of clinical development.

Methods: We review literature published within the last decade to include select articles that have highlighted energy metabolism crucial to the development of cancer phenotypes.

Preserving a Well-Functioning 33-Year-Old Starr-Edwards Aortic Prosthesis in Repeat Aortic Root Aneurysm Repair.

We report the case of a 61-year-old obese male patient in whom we found a well-functioning 33-year-old Starr-Edwards aortic prosthesis during repeat aortic surgery. Rather than explant the prosthesis, we remodeled the aortic root, almost completely removing the aortic sinuses and leaving only a pillar of aortic tissue around the coronary ostia. The proximal end of a Hemashield tube-graft was then scalloped to accommodate the remaining aortic tissue.

The relaxant effect of the snake venom on vascular contractility.

Molecular richness of snake venoms is an important source of proteins and toxins with potent effects on the cardiovascular system. The alteration of the vascular system in the victim after a venomous snake bite is usually expressed by a significant decrease in blood pressure. Therefore, exploring snake venom to extract and characterize its biomolecules is of considerable medical interest, and formed the basis of this study.

Endovascular Closure of an Aortic Pseudoaneurysm Complicated by Aorto-Pulmonary Fistula.

Aorto-pulmonary fistula (APF) due to an eroding pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta (AOP) is rare and can be life threatening. We report an 83-year-old male with multiple comorbidities who presented with an AOP, which was successfully treated with an endovascular exclusion device. doi: 10.

A Technique for Avoiding Patient-Prosthesis Mismatch in the Small Aortic Root.

In the small aortic root, extremely weakened tissue and extensive calcification predispose toward the implantation of small prostheses, anastomotic bleeding, and paravalvular leaks. We describe a procedure in which a "homemade" composite mechanical prosthesis-conduit is implanted in a supra-annular position in two patients with a small aortic root. This technique facilitates the placement of a larger prosthesis, thus avoiding patient-prosthesis mismatch.

Effect of Chinese herbal medicine on vascular functions during 60-day head-down bed rest.

Purpose: Chinese herbal medicine is a promising countermeasure against cardiovascular dysfunction associated with a sedentary lifestyle. We examined the impact of the Chinese herb, Taikong Yangxin, on the micro- and macrovascular dysfunction associated with a 60-day bed rest.

Methods: Fourteen healthy men were randomly divided into two groups: those given herbal supplement, and the control group; the two groups underwent a 60-day bed rest.

The cardiovascular effects of salidroside in the Goto-Kakizaki diabetic rat model.

Many factors, including hyperglycemia, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and a sedentary lifestyle, contribute to a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease. Specific vascular impairment treatments in the context of diabetes and vascular risk need to be improved. Salidroside is the primary active component of Rhodiola rosea and has documented antioxidative, cardioprotective, and vasculoprotective properties.

Unexpected traumatic rupture of left atrium mimicking aortic rupture.

Left atrial (LA) rupture is rare following blunt chest injury. We describe a case of blunt LA rupture that was treated surgically. This report is intended to alert practitioners for a need of a close multiple disciplinary collaborations among them for optimal management of patients with this type of trauma; because other non-cardiac injuries involving the head, abdomen, or extremities are considered covariates for in-hospital mortality.