Energy, Macronutrients and Micronutrients Intake Among Pregnant Women in Lebanon: Findings from the Updated Lebanese National Food Consumption Survey (LEBANON-FCS).

Background: Pregnancy is a crucial period for maternal and fetal health, and in Lebanon, where cultural and economic factors influence dietary practices, there is an urgent need to evaluate the food consumption patterns and diet quality of pregnant women.

Aim: To evaluate the food consumption patterns, energy intake, as well as macro- and micro-nutrient intake among a nationally representative sample of Lebanese pregnant women aged 18-49 years old.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from March to October 2023, involving 500 pregnant women from all eight Lebanese governorates.

In-stent restenosis.

Endovascular arterial recanalization has become the mainstay therapy for peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Although immediate technical success is achieved in greater than 90% of cases, longer-term results continue to vary based on the clinical presentation, and the treated target lesion. In the current era, sustained patency can be expected following intervention in the carotid, coronary, renal, and iliac arteries.

RAFT solution polymerisation of bio-based γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone monomer in DMSO and Cyrene.

Reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) solution polymerisation of the bio-based lactone monomer γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone (γMeMBL) has been demonstrated in DMSO and Cyrene. RAFT control was evidenced by control over molecular weights, low disperisites, and kinetic evaluation. Purified P(γMeMBL) homopolymers exhibited high glass transition temperatures (206-221 °C) and excellent thermal stabilities.

Delayed abdominal aortic aneurysm sac rupture after open repair.

Open surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is often regarded as a near-permanent operation with little long-term complications. Reported herein is a case of delayed rupture of an enlarging AAA sac after open repair requiring re-exploration in a patient presenting with flank pain and ipsilateral hydronephrosis. The natural history of a large, excluded aneurysm sac after open AAA repair, hypothesized etiology for this rare occurrence, and proposed diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm are described.

PD-L1 Expression in Paired Samples of Rectal Cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors and immune-related biomarkers are increasingly investigated in rectal cancer (RC). We retrospectively analysed PD-L1 expression in diagnostic biopsy and resection samples from RC patients treated at our centre between 2000 and 2020. PD-L1 immunostaining (22C3 clone) was evaluated according to tumour proportion (TPS), immune cell (ICS), and the combined positive score (CPS).

Hepatitis C risk score as a tool to identify individuals with HCV infection: a demonstration and cross-sectional epidemiological study in Egypt.

Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection poses a global health challenge. By the end of 2021, the WHO estimated that less than a quarter of global HCV infections had been diagnosed. There is a need for a public health tool that can facilitate the identification of people with HCV infection and link them to testing and treatment, and that can be customised for each country.

Identifying competencies in advanced healthcare practice: an umbrella review.

The four pillars of advanced healthcare practice (AHCP) are clinical practice, leadership and management, education, and research. It is unclear, however; how competencies of AHCP as defined by individual health professions relate to these pillars. Addressing this knowledge gap will help to facilitate the operationalization of AHCP as a concept and help inform educational curricula.

Formation of left-handed helices by C2'-fluorinated nucleic acids under physiological salt conditions.

Recent findings in cell biology have rekindled interest in Z-DNA, the left-handed helical form of DNA. We report here that two minimally modified nucleosides, 2'F-araC and 2'F-riboG, induce the formation of the Z-form under low ionic strength. We show that oligomers entirely made of these two nucleosides exclusively produce left-handed duplexes that bind to the Zα domain of ADAR1.

The natural history of isolated common femoral endarterectomy for chronic limb-threatening ischemia.

Objective: Occlusive disease of the common femoral artery can generate profound lower extremity ischemia as the normal collateral pathways from the profunda to the superficial femoral artery cannot adequately develop. In patients with lifestyle-limiting claudication, isolated common femoral endarterectomy (CFE) is highly effective. Because CFE does not provide direct, in-line flow to the plantar arch, it has been felt to provide inadequate revascularization to patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI).

Multi-center experience with intravascular lithotripsy for treatment of severe calcification during transcarotid artery revascularization for high-risk patients.

Objective: Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) offers a safe alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA), but severe calcification is currently considered a contraindication in carotid artery stenting. This study aims to describe the safety and effectiveness of TCAR with intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in patients with traditionally prohibitive calcific disease.

Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent TCAR+IVL from 2018-2022 at nine institutions were identified.

In-cell NMR suggests that DNA i-motif levels are strongly depleted in living human cells.

I-Motifs (iM) are non-canonical DNA structures potentially forming in the accessible, single-stranded, cytosine-rich genomic regions with regulatory roles. Chromatin, protein interactions, and intracellular properties seem to govern iM formation at sites with i-motif formation propensity (iMFPS) in human cells, yet their specific contributions remain unclear. Using in-cell NMR with oligonucleotide iMFPS models, we monitor iM-associated structural equilibria in asynchronous and cell cycle-synchronized HeLa cells at 37 °C.

Relevance of BEST-CLI trial endpoints in a tertiary care limb preservation program.

Objective: Major adverse limb event-free survival (MALE-FS) differed significantly by initial revascularization approach in the BEST-CLI randomized trial. The BEST-CLI trial represented a highly selected subgroup of patients seen in clinical practice; thus, we examined the endpoint of MALE-FS in an all-comers tertiary care practice setting.

Methods: This is a single-center retrospective study of consecutive, unique patients who underwent technically successful infrainguinal revascularization for chronic limb-threatening ischemia (2011-2021).

Morbidity and mortality of common femoral endarterectomy.

Objective: Common femoral endarterectomy (CFE) comprises the current standard-of-care for symptomatic common femoral artery occlusive disease. Although it provides effective inflow revascularization via a single incision, it remains an invasive procedure in an often-frail patient population. The purpose of this retrospective clinical study was to assess the morbidity and mortality of CFE in a contemporary cohort.

A comparative study of canine epididymal sperm collection techniques and cryopreservation.

Introduction: An optimized collection method and freezing protocol for preservation of epididymal spermatozoa remains a topic of interest to many scientists. The current study focused on the collection and preservation of canine epididymal spermatozoa. During the process of collection of canine epididymal spermatozoa, blood content can occur, which may affect sperm cryopreservation in a negative way.

Slowly moving the needle away from Fistula First.

Objective: In 2019, the management of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) shifted away from "Fistula First" (FF) to "ESKD Life-Plan: Patient Life-Plan First then Access Needs." Indeed, some patients exhibit such excessive comorbidity that even relatively minor vascular surgery may be complicated. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess complications and mortality (and delineate operative futility) in patients undergoing arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation in the FF era.

Telomeric i-motifs and C-strands inhibit parallel G-quadruplex extension by telomerase.

Telomeric C-rich repeated DNA sequences fold into tetrahelical i-motif structures in vitro at acidic pH. While studies have suggested that i-motifs may form in cells, little is known about their potential role in human telomere biology. In this study, we explore the effect of telomeric C-strands and i-motifs on the ability of human telomerase to extend G-rich substrates.

Conflict of interest and funding in health communication on social media: a systematic review.

Objectives: To synthesise the available evidence on the reporting of conflicts of interest (COI) by individuals posting health messages on social media, and on the reporting of funding sources of studies cited in health messages on social media.

Data Sources: MEDLINE (OVID) (2005-March 2022), Embase (2005-March 2022) and Google Scholar (2005-August 2022), supplemented with a review of reference lists and forward citation tracking.

Design: Reviewers selected eligible studies and abstracted data in duplicate and independently.

Drug-eluting, balloon-expandable, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds reduce neointimal thickness and stenosis in an animal model of percutaneous peripheral intervention.

Objective: Recanalization with balloon angioplasty and/or self-expanding stents (SES) has become the endovascular treatment of choice for symptomatic femoropopliteal occlusive disease. These strategies generate suboptimal clinical results, however, because they fail to expand the artery fully and ineffectively prevent recoil, neointimal hyperplasia, and restenosis. Balloon-expandable stents, given their greater radial force and rigid structure, represent a more effective treatment strategy, but only short lengths can be implanted safely in arteries that deform and bend with skeletal motion.

Diagnosis and Management of Polyorchidism: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Polyorchidism, or supernumerary testis, is a rare congenital abnormality of the genitourinary system. In this paper, we present the case of triorchidism in a seven-year-old asymptomatic child with a suspect left scrotal mass detected on routine physical examination. Imaging studies revealed a third testicle in the left hemiscrotum, with comparable dimensions, signal intensity on MRI, and Doppler flow on ultrasound with the ipsilateral testis.

HPV Vaccination Prevalence among Lebanese Female University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, worldwide. Most often, cervical cancer is caused by a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. A lack of studies concerning HPV knowledge and vaccination among the Lebanese population is noticed.

Mineralocorticoid receptor knockout in Schwann cells alters myelin sheath thickness.

Myelination allows fast and synchronized nerve influxes and is provided by Schwann cells (SCs) in the peripheral nervous system. Glucocorticoid hormones are major regulators of stress, metabolism and immunity affecting all tissues. They act by binding to two receptors, the low-affinity glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the high-affinity mineralocorticoid receptor (MR).