Herein, highly fluorescent sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (N, S-CDs) had been employed as a fluorescent probe to analyze Cu in drinking water. The biogenic creatinine is known to form a stable complex with Cu; hence, it was rationally selected as a bioinspired nitrogen substrate for the first time to enhance N, S-CDs selectivity towards Cu. Moreover, the literature was surveyed to guide the selection of sulfur and carbon sources to optimize N, S-CDs quantum yield (QY), so thiourea and disodium edetate are co-carbonized with biogenic creatinine at 270°C for 40 min and characterized using different techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study evaluated the ability of diaphragmatic excursion (DE), measured 2 h after extubation, to predict the need for resumption of ventilatory support within 48 h in surgical critically ill patients.
Methods: This prospective observational study included adult surgical critically ill patients intubated for > 24 h and extubated after a successful spontaneous breathing trial. Sonographic measurement of the DE was performed 2 h after extubation.
Microb Cell Fact
January 2025
Background: The healthcare sector faces a growing threat from the rise of highly resistant microorganisms, particularly Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR P. aeruginosa). Facing the challenge of antibiotic resistance, nanoparticles have surfaced as promising substitutes for antimicrobial therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The burr-hole technique is a minimally invasive transcranial approach designed to minimize the surgical incision size and reduce disruption to brain tissue. We aimed to share our experience with the burr-hole technique for removing brain lesions and to evaluate its effectiveness in treating appropriately sized intra-axial brain lesions.
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed the clinical features, radiological characteristics, surgical techniques, and outcomes of patients who underwent burr-hole surgery for intra-axial brain lesions between January 2019 and December 2023.
Background: College students during the young adult years are at elevated risk for the development of anxiety and depressive difficulties. Moreover, a preliminary body of evidence suggests that, for those who reside in Middle Eastern contexts, despite an established need, sociocultural impediments prevent active psychological help-seeking. Internet-delivered, self-directed mental health programs may hold significant promise to alleviate these difficulties in contexts where individuals would otherwise not enlist the support of a mental health practitioner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by various clinical presentations and manifestations that include biopsychosocial impediments. This study has three interrelated goals relevant to biopsychosocial functioning: (i) compare reasoning ability, neuropsychological functioning, affective range, and quality of life (QoL) between people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and healthy controls; (ii) explore gender differences in reasoning ability and neuropsychological functioning, affective symptoms, and QoL among PwMS; and (iii) examine the relationship between QoL and cognitive performance in PwMS, focusing on those with inadequate vs. adequate QoL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aims to repurpose sericin in combating non-small lung cancer cells (A549 and H460) by combining it with dactolisib or vitamin D to reduce the dose of dactolisib and boost the anticancer effectiveness of dactolisib and vitamin D. Therefore, the binding affinities of individual and combined drugs were examined using in silico and protein-protein interaction studies, targeting NF-κB, Cyclin D1, p-AKT, and VEGF1 proteins. The findings manifested remarkable affinities for combinatorial drugs compared to individual compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ghosting refers to the sudden cessation of communication in interpersonal relationships. Ghosting has gained attention as a phenomenon commonly encountered in the context of digital communication. Earlier studies on ghosting mostly focused on Western societies while, in Arab societies, research into this practice has yet to be initiated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHikikomori, a form of severe social withdrawal has been found to be associated with behavioral addictions such as gaming addiction and problematic social media use (PSMU). Since literature related to hikikomori is lacking in the Middle East, this study aimed to determine whether there are significant differences in hikikomori-like traits between two different types of social media users and gamers and investigate loneliness as a potential mediator between hikikomori and the two types of problematic behaviors. A cross-sectional, correlational design was employed, collecting a final sample of 220 participants residing in Middle Eastern countries using a mixture of convenience and snowball sampling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChitin is a major component of various wastes such as crustacean shells, filamentous fungi, and insects. Recently, food-safe biological and chemical processes converting chitin to glucosamine have been developed. Here, we studied microalgae that can uptake glucosamine as vital carbon and nitrogen sources for valuable alternative protein biomass.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Psychiatry
October 2024
Background: Preoperative anxiety is commonly found in patients who are waiting for surgery and can lead to negative surgical outcomes. Understanding the sources of surgical anxiety allows healthcare providers to identify at-risk patients and implement psychosocial interventions such as counseling, relaxation techniques, and cognitive‒behavioral therapy to minimize anxiety. Few comprehensive psychiatric measures are available to assess preoperative anxiety in Arabic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPazopanib, an inhibitor of the VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase, has demonstrated significant antitumor effects in lung cancer. However, its application as a standard treatment for this type of cancer is limited by its drug resistance and toxicity. Metformin has the potential to combat lung cancer by modifying the tumor's immune microenvironment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOvarian cancer is the second most common and lethal gynecologic malignancy. Among natural product-based therapy, the honeybee products, particularly propolis, serve a valuable source contributing directly to human nutrition and health.In the present study, we determined the chemical composition of different types of propolis originating from Egypt, Germany and France using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Clinical data demonstrate that metformin exhibits antiproliferative, proapoptotic and antimetastatic actions. Here, correlative molecular studies were undertaken to determine the roles of transmembrane tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand death receptors (DRs) and CD133, a glycoprotein biomarker of breast cancer (BC) stem cells, in the advantageous action of metformin on pathological and clinical outcomes in BC patients on neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Methods: We randomly assigned 70 nondiabetic BC patients in a 1:1 ratio to either neoadjuvant AC-T chemotherapy (4 cycles of adriamycin 60 mg/m and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m, followed by 12 cycles of weekly paclitaxel 80 mg/m) or AC-T with adjunct metformin (850 mg twice/day).
Objective: We assessed the direct and indirect relationships between sleep quality, mental health, and physical activity with quality of life (QOL) in college and university students.
Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 3,380 college students (60% females; age = 22.7 ± 5.
Previous studies showed that preeclampsia (PE) amplifies cardiovascular dysfunction induced by endotoxemia in adult male, but not female, offspring. Here, we asked if such aggravated endotoxic insult could be nullified by modulators of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). PE was induced by gestational administration of N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester(L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBurn wounds are a complicated process with ongoing psychological and physical issues for the affected individuals. Wound healing consists of multifactorial molecular mechanisms and interactions involving; inflammation, proliferation, angiogenesis, and matrix remodeling. Amlodipine (ADB), widely used in cardiovascular disorders, demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in some non-cardiovascular studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the established role of peripheral adenosine receptors in sepsis-induced organ dysfunction, little or no data is available on the interaction of central adenosine receptors with sepsis. The current study tested the hypothesis that central adenosine A3 receptors (A3ARs) modulate the cardiovascular aberrations and neuroinflammation triggered by sepsis and their counteraction by the cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway. Sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in rats pre-instrumented with femoral and intracisternal (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein, we synthesized biogenic carbon dots (CDs) with blue-shifted maximum excitation (λ/λ of 320/404 nm) from largely wasted tangerine seeds for the first time via a one-step hydrothermal method. The biogenic CDs exhibit a maximum excitation wavelength that overlaps with the absorption spectrum of ketorolac tromethamine (KETO) at 320 nm. The developed CDs serve as a turn-off fluorescent probe via an inner filter effect (IFE) quenching mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In the context of persistent wars and conflicts worldwide, the impact of acute, excessive and constant exposure to media coverage of such events on mental health outcomes becomes a serious problem for public health, and requires therefore urgent investigation to inform an effective prevention and management response. The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that war-related media exposure is directly and indirectly associated with insomnia through depression and perceived stress among adults from the general population of different Arab countries.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried-out two weeks after the beginning of Israel-Gaza war on the 7th of October 2023.
In recent decades, the development of new drugs has become increasingly expensive and inefficient, and the molecular mechanisms of most pharmaceuticals remain poorly understood. In response, computational systems and network medicine tools have emerged to identify potential drug repurposing candidates. However, these tools often require complex installation and lack intuitive visual network mining capabilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdministration of high doses of acetaminophen (APAP) results in liver injury. Oxidative stress and iron overload play roles in the pathogenesis of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. The present study assessed the potential hepatoprotective effects of phytic acid (PA), a natural antioxidant and iron chelator, on APAP-induced hepatotoxicity and the possible underlying mechanism through its effects on gene expression, iron homeostasis, oxidative stress, and -1 expression levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In bypass surgery for moyamoya disease (MMD), the superficial temporal artery's (STA) pressure needs to surpass that of the cortical M4 recipient of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), boosting cerebral blood flow into the MCA and enhancing cerebral circulation. This study investigates the STA-MCA arterial pressure parameters and gradients during bypass surgery, aiming to deepen our understanding of hemodynamic shifts pre- and post-operation.
Methods: DSA imaging data were prospectively collected from patients diagnosed with bilateral MMD who underwent STA-MCA bypass surgery between 2022 and 2023 and stratified according to the Suzuki stage.