Probing the Increased Virulence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 B.1.617 (Indian Variant) From Predicted Spike Protein Structure.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to an outbreak of a pandemic worldwide. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2, which plays a key role in the receptor recognition and cell membrane fusion process, is composed of two subunits, S1 and S2. The S1 subunit contains a receptor-binding domain that recognizes and binds to the host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), while the S2 subunit mediates viral cell membrane fusion with the cell membrane and subsequent entry into cells.

Effect of Leishmaniasis on the Performance of Elementary School Students: A Case Study among Syrian Refugees in Some Bekaa (Lebanon) Area Schools.

Since the Syrian conflict started, Lebanon became a common destination receiving a huge number of Syrian refugees that are living in camps spread all over the country, with the largest concentration in the Bekaa Valley. Generous steps are being taken to increase the access to formal education, such as offering free public education and opening second shifts in the public schools in the afternoon. Yet barriers, such as child labor and health-related factors like the spreading of some communicable diseases, like , are keeping children out of classroom.

Current State of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinical Trials.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disorder with a very large global burden for which more therapeutic management regimens are required.

Objectives: In this study, the authors explore HCM-related clinical trials, determine the shortcomings leading to the lack of development of new HCM therapies, and attempt to shed light on potential areas for improvement.

Methods: In January 2019, the authors completed a search on ClinicalTrials.

Probing the Colorectal Cancer Incidence in Lebanon: an 11-Year Epidemiological Study.

Background And Objectives: Lebanon has witnessed an increase in the rates of several cancer sub-types over the past couple of years. The aim of our study is to investigate the incidence rates of colorectal cancer over 11 years in Lebanon and compare them with other countries.

Materials And Methods: Data was collected from the National Cancer Registry (NCR) of Lebanon from the years of 2005 till 2015 inclusive.

Breast Cancer Epidemiology among Lebanese Women: An 11-Year Analysis.

: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide. Lebanon is a developing country in the Middle East with a prominent breast cancer incidence. The aim of our study was to explore the incidence rates of breast cancer in Lebanon from 2005 to 2015, and compare them to the rates of other countries.

Epidemiological Study of Lung Cancer Incidence in Lebanon.

: Lung cancer (LC) is the most common cancer in the world. Developing countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including Lebanon, have witnessed a great increase in the incidence rates of this disease. The aim of our study is to investigate the incidence rates of lung cancer in Lebanon from 2005 to 2015 and to compare these rates to other countries from the MENA region and other regions of the world.

Conformation and stability properties of B17: II. Analytical investigations using differential scanning calorimetry.

Thermal and stability properties of B17, the 17% N-terminal domain of apo B, were carried out using differential scanning calorimetry spectroscopy, where the thermal characteristics of the polypeptide were studied and analyzed. The heat capacity data of B17 showed that the protein undergoes two transitions between 50 and 90 °C, with T m's at 65.9 and 74.

Conformation and stability properties of B17: I. Analytical investigations using circular dichroism.

Structural characterization of B17, the 17% N-terminal domain of apo B, was carried out using circular dichroic (CD) spectroscopy, where secondary and tertiary structures were studied as a function of temperature and pH. Mild acidic conditions that correlate with histidine protonation invoked a change in the α-helix and random coil contents of the protein, with no apparent change in the β-sheet structural content. Specific changes in the structure of the protein that occur in response to temperature were also investigated to understand the stability and conformational changes of B17.

The N-terminal domain of apolipoprotein B-100: structural characterization by homology modeling.

Background: Apolipoprotein B-100 (apo B-100) stands as one of the largest proteins in humans. Its large size of 4536 amino acids hampers the production of X-ray diffraction quality crystals and hinders in-solution NMR analysis, and thus necessitates a domain-based approach for the structural characterization of the multi-domain full-length apo B.

Results: The structure of apo B-17 (the N-terminal 17% of apolipoprotein B-100) was predicted by homology modeling based on the structure of the N-terminal domain of lipovitellin (LV), a protein that shares not only sequence similarity with B17, but also a functional aspect of lipid binding and transport.