Changes of blood cholinesterase activities among pesticides-exposed agricultural workers in Iraq: A meta-analysis.

Numerous studies in Iraq have attempted to determine blood cholinesterase (ChE) activities with varying results in agricultural workers and veterinarians exposed to pesticides. This meta-analysis answers the specific inquiry of whether or not blood ChE activities decrease in agricultural workers exposed previously to pesticides. The meta-analysis included 14 records of blood ChE activities extracted from 12 studies after employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA).

Analysis of four long non-coding RNAs for hepatocellular carcinoma screening and prognosis by the aid of machine learning techniques.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a significant health burden in Egypt, largely attributable to the endemic prevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses. Early identification of HCC remains a challenge due to the lack of widespread screening among at-risk populations. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of machine learning in predicting HCC by analyzing the combined expression of lncRNAs and conventional laboratory biomarkers.

Exploration of electronic and vibrational properties of sulfanilic acid through periodic and non-periodic DFT calculations.

Context: The electronic, discrete water solvation, and vibrational properties of zwitterionic sulfanilic acid were thoroughly investigated using periodic and non-periodic DFT approaches. The periodic-DFT results, obtained by employing the PBE-TS functional (Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional with the Tkatchenko and Scheffler (TS) dispersion correction) were first presented in order to analyze the band structures of the studied crystal. An attentive reading of the predicted band structures has shown three lowest gap energies calculated at 4.

Antidotal Effects of the Antihistamine Diphenhydramine Against Cholinesterase Inhibitor Poisoning: A Meta-Analysis of Median Lethal Doses in Experimental Animals.

The H-antihistamine diphenhydramine antagonizes cholinesterase inhibitor poisoning in various animal species. One aspect of acute antidotal actions of diphenhydramine is increasing the median lethal doses (LD50) of toxicants. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the antidotal action of diphenhydramine against short-term toxicity (LD50) of cholinesterase inhibitors in experimental animals.

Management of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis in conflict-affected areas: The case of Iraq.

Since December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) has encouraged National Tuberculosis Programs to deprioritize the use of injectable-containing regimens and roll-out all-oral bedaquiline-containing regimens for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) treatment. Consequently, Iraq gradually replaced the injectable-containing regimen with an all-oral regimen, including bedaquiline. To assess treatment enrolment and outcomes of both regimens during a transitioning phase in Iraq, where health system services are recovering from decades of war, we conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study using routinely collected programmatic data for patients enrolled between 2019-2021.

Association of Reduced Maternal Plasma Cholinesterase Activity With Preeclampsia: A Meta-Analysis.

Blood butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity has been found to decrease during pregnancy and reportedly decrease even more in preeclampsia (PE). The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to answer a specific question of whether BChE activity (in the plasma, serum, or whole blood) is reduced in pregnant women suffering from PE compared to those with normal pregnancy. The meta-analysis included 15 studies with 20 records of BChE activity in 608 women compared to 569 healthy pregnant (control) ones.

Artificial Intelligence Role in Subclassifying Cytology of Thyroid Follicular Neoplasm.

Objective: Fine needle aspiration cytology has higher sensitivity and predictive value for diagnosis of thyroid nodules than any other single diagnostic methods.  In the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid, the category IV, encompasses both adenoma and carcinoma, but it is not possible to differentiate both lesions in the cytology practice and can be only differentiated after resection. In this work, we aim at exploring the ability of a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to sub-classifying cytological images of Bethesda category IV diagnosis into follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma.

Deep learning for Arabic healthcare: MedicalBot.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare services, particularly remote and automated healthcare consultations, have gained increased attention. Medical bots, which provide medical advice and support, are becoming increasingly popular. They offer numerous benefits, including 24/7 access to medical counseling, reduced appointment wait times by providing quick answers to common questions or concerns, and cost savings associated with fewer visits or tests required for diagnosis and treatment plans.

A meta-analysis of normal human blood cholinesterase activities determined by a modified electrometric method.

Measurements of blood cholinesterase (ChE) activities, including those of erythrocytes (EChE), plasma or serum (PChE), and whole blood (WBChE), are used to assess exposure to ChE-inhibiting pesticides. The purpose of this review was to report normal reference ChE activities in the blood of healthy adult humans, as determined by a modified electrometric method. We performed a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.

First meta-analysis study of cholinesterase inhibition in experimental animals by organophosphate or carbamate insecticides under the influence of diphenhydramine.

Background And Aim: Diphenhydramine is an H1-antihistamine that counteracts the toxic effects of organophosphate and carbamate insecticides that inhibit cholinesterase (ChE) activity. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of diphenhydramine on ChE inhibition induced by these insecticides in the plasma, erythrocytes, or whole brain of experimental animals.

Materials And Methods: A data search was performed on erythrocyte, plasma, and brain ChE inhibition caused by organophosphate and carbamate insecticides in experimental animals (mice, rats, and chicks) treated with the antihistamine diphenhydramine in accordance with preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis, which was done by the two-group random-effects model meta-analysis.

Generalisability of fetal ultrasound deep learning models to low-resource imaging settings in five African countries.

Most artificial intelligence (AI) research and innovations have concentrated in high-income countries, where imaging data, IT infrastructures and clinical expertise are plentiful. However, slower progress has been made in limited-resource environments where medical imaging is needed. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of perinatal mortality is very high due to limited access to antenatal screening.

Deep Learning Models for Coronary Atherosclerosis Detection in Coronary CT Angiography.

Background: Patients with atherosclerosis have a rather high risk of showing complications, if not diagnosed quickly and efficiently.

Objective: Objective: In this paper we aim to test and compare different pre-trained deep learning models, to find the best model for atherosclerosis detection in coronary CT angiography.

Methods: We experimented with different pre-trained deep learning models and fine-tuned each model to achieve the best classification accuracy.

Monitoring Porcelain Insulator Condition Based on Leakage Current Characteristics.

Insulator monitoring using leakage current characteristics is essential for predicting an insulator's health. To evaluate the risk of flashover on the porcelain insulator using leakage current, experimental investigation of leakage current indices was carried out. In the first stage of the experiment, the effect of contamination, insoluble deposit density, wetting rate, and uneven distribution pollution were determined on the porcelain insulator under test.

Comparative study between intersphinecteric ligation of perianal fistula versus conventional fistulotomy with or without seton in the treatment of perianal fistula: A prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background: Fistula-in-ano is one of the most common benign anal conditions in daily surgical practice.The goals in the treatment of an anal fistula are to eradicate sepsis and to eliminate the primary fistula opening, any associated tracts, and any secondary openings without a change in continence. Conventional fistulotomy (lay open of the fistula tract) is a commonly used procedure and is still relied on by the majority of surgeons as the gold standard for the treatment of perianal fistula.

A snapshot of Plasmodium falciparum malaria drug resistance markers in Sudan: a pilot study.

Objectives: Malaria infection is still known to be a worldwide public health problem, especially in tropical and sub-tropical African countries like Sudan. A pilot study conducted to describe the trend of P. falciparum drug resistance markers in 2017-2018 in comparison to CQ and AS/SP eras in Sudan.

Carmi Syndrome in a Neonate: An Exacting Surgical Challenge.

Carmi syndrome is characterized by the concomitant presence of pyloric atresia and epidermolysis bullosa. Pyloric atresia routinely presents with symptoms of gastrointestinal obstruction, which include vomiting and feeding intolerance. On the other hand, epidermolysis bullosa presents with blistering skin lesions upon the slightest trauma.

Wilkie's Syndrome as a Rare Cause of Duodenal Obstruction: Perspicacity Is in the Radiological Details.

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome, or Wilkie's syndrome, is an unexpected cause of upper gastrointestinal tract obstruction. The exact incidence of the condition remains unknown, and limited case reports are present in the literature. The obstruction results in the compression of the third part of the duodenum between the superior mesenteric artery and aorta.

Echocardiographic assessment of aortic pulse wave velocity as a diagnostic and prognostic parameter for left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Background: Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a standard measurement of aortic stiffness. It has been suggested that increased arterial stiffness promotes left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). We designed this study to evaluate role of aortic PWV as a new diagnostic parameter for LVDD by correlation with echocardiographic LVDD indices and to evaluate its prognostic value in patients with LVDD by correlation with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP).

An enhanced deep learning approach for brain cancer MRI images classification using residual networks.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. Out of all types of cancer, brain cancer has the lowest survival rate. Brain tumors can have different types depending on their shape, texture, and location.

Data on learners emotional states, mental responses and fuzzy learning flows during interaction with learning environment.

The emotional state of the learner is an important factor that must be taken into consideration during evaluating learning process and managing learning flows in computer based learning environments. This factor has a significant impact on the process of interaction between the learner and the learning environment. Enriching this type of interaction make the learning flow more dynamic based on emotional and mental responses of the learners.

Benchmark for Algorithms Segmenting the Left Atrium From 3D CT and MRI Datasets.

Knowledge of left atrial (LA) anatomy is important for atrial fibrillation ablation guidance, fibrosis quantification and biophysical modelling. Segmentation of the LA from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) images is a complex problem. This manuscript presents a benchmark to evaluate algorithms that address LA segmentation.

Development of intestinal organoids as tissue surrogates: cell composition and the epigenetic control of differentiation.

Intestinal organoids are multicellular crypt-like structures that can be derived from adult intestinal stem cells (ISCs), embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs). Here we show that intestinal organoids generated from mouse ESCs were enriched in ISCs and early progenitors. Treatment of these organoids with a γ-secretase inhibitor increased Math1 and decreased Hes1 expression, indicating Notch signaling regulates ISC differentiation in these organoids.

Exploring electrolyte organization in supercapacitor electrodes with solid-state NMR.

Supercapacitors are electrochemical energy-storage devices that exploit the electrostatic interaction between high-surface-area nanoporous electrodes and electrolyte ions. Insight into the molecular mechanisms at work inside supercapacitor carbon electrodes is obtained with (13)C and (11)B ex situ magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR). In activated carbons soaked with an electrolyte solution, two distinct adsorption sites are detected by NMR, both undergoing chemical exchange with the free electrolyte molecules.

Endocardial border detection in cardiac magnetic resonance images using level set method.

Segmentation of the left ventricle in MRI images is a task with important diagnostic power. Currently, the evaluation of cardiac function involves the global measurement of volumes and ejection fraction. This evaluation requires the segmentation of the left ventricle contour.