Impact of smartphone addiction on health status, mental well-being, and sleep quality among medical students in Sudan.

Background: Smartphone use has rapidly increased worldwide. It was estimated that worldwide use of smartphones surpassed 4.3 billion in 2023, which means 54% of the world's population now uses smartphones.

Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of cochlear and vestibular nerve calibre: a case-control study in Ménière's disease and endolymphatic hydrops.

Purpose: To compare the calibre of the cochlear (CN), superior vestibular (SVN) and inferior vestibular (IVN) nerves on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), both between Ménière's Disease (MD) ears and clinical controls, and between inner ears with and without endolymphatic hydrops (EH) on MRI.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study evaluated patients undergoing MRI for suspected hydropic ear disease from 9/2017 to 8/2022. The CN, SVN, IVN and facial nerve (FN) diameters and cross-sectional areas (CSA) were measured on T2-weighted sequences whilst EH was evaluated on delayed post-gadolinium MRI.

Unraveling the multiple chronic conditions patterns among people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia: A machine learning approach to incorporate synergistic interactions.

Introduction: Most people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) also suffer from two or more chronic conditions, known as multiple chronic conditions (MCC). While many studies have investigated the MCC patterns, few studies have considered the synergistic interactions with other factors (called the syndemic factors) specifically for people with ADRD.

Methods: We included 40,290 visits and identified 18 MCC from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center.

Detecting Multimorbidity Patterns with Association Rule Mining in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

Researchers estimate the number of dementia patients to triple by 2050. Dementia seldom occurs in isolation; it's frequently accompanied by other health conditions. The coexistence of conditions further complicates the management of dementia.

The Impact of Nutritional Condition and Compression Treatment on Venous Ulcer Recovery: A Systematic Review.

Venous ulcers are open wounds commonly associated with chronic venous insufficiency. Each patient's healing process is unique, and factors like nutrition and compression therapy can affect it. Compression therapy and optimal nutritional status can assist in improving venous blood circulation, decreasing swelling, and promoting wound healing.

Synthesis and characterization of an innovative sodium alginate/polyvinyl alcohol bioartificial hydrogel for forward-osmosis desalination.

Recently, hydrogels have been widely applied as draw agents in forward osmosis (FO) desalination. This work aims to synthesize bioartificial hydrogel from a blend of sodium alginate (SA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using epichlorohydrin (ECH) as a crosslinker. Then this prepared hydrogel was applied as a draw agent with cellulose triacetate membrane in a batch (FO) cell.

Studying the correlation of inflammatory cytokines to COVID-19 disease.

Extreme response of the immune system develops cytokine storm which might be crucial in the pathology of COVID-19. The research aims to evaluate the serum level of IL-6, TNF-α, and IP-10 in severe, mild, and pre-vaccinated one-dose COVID-19 patients and investigate their clinical value and effect in the disease development among different groups of patients. A total of 72 samples were collected 18 as healthy control and 54 from confirmed COVID-19 patients including 18 mild, 18 severe, and 18 pre-vaccinated (one dose).

Role of and and their genetic susceptibility to COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2, which initiated the worldwide COVID-19 epidemic in 2019, has rapidly emerged and spread, resulting in significant public health challenges worldwide. The COVID-19 severity signs and their association with specific genes have been investigated to better comprehend this phenomenon. In this study, several genes were investigated to see whether they correspond with COVID-19 sickness severity.

Enamel renal syndrome: A case report with calcifications in pulp, gingivae, dental follicle and kidneys.

Background: Enamel renal syndrome is a rare genetic disorder transmitted through an autosomal recessive mode. It is featured by a hypoplastic amelogenesis imperfecta, delayed tooth eruption, gingival fibromatosis, and nephrocalcinosis. The aim of this study was to describe clinically, radiologically, and histologically the main features of enamel renal syndrome and to point out the role of dentists in early diagnosing this genetic disease.

A 3-min weighted vests re-warmups induce sprint performance enhancements at the start of the second half of a soccer match-play.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of re-warm-up (RWUP) activities consisting of three sets of 15-m sprints with weighted vests on 20-m sprint performance after the break. Using a randomized, and counterbalanced cross-over design, twenty U15 elite soccer players performed four RWUP trials which consisted of 15-min of passive rest (control: CONT), 3 × 15-m sprint (RW0%), sprinting with a vest-loaded at 5% of body-mass (BM) (RW5%), sprinting with a 10% BM vest (RW10%). The 3-min RWUP protocols started 10-min after the commencement of the 15-min between-halves break and concluded 2-min before its end.

Chicken Astro virus (CAstV): Isolation and characterization of new strains in broiler flocks with poor performance.

Chicken astroviruses (CAstV) were associated with retarded growth, enteritis, kidney diseases, and white chick syndrome. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of CAstV infection on growth, performance, and gross and histopathological picture of commercial chicken flocks suffering increased culling rate and decreased performance. Samples were collected for virus isolation, identification, and sequencing on day one, 15 days, and 30 days of age.

T Cells Immunophenotyping and CD38 Overexpression as Hallmarks of the Severity of COVID-19 and Predictors of Patients' Outcomes.

Background: By the end of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic spread all around the world with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations ranging from mild to moderate to severe or critical cases. T cell subtype dysregulation is mostly involved in the immunopathogenic mechanism. The present study aimed to highlight the role of monitoring T cell subtypes and their activation (expression of CD38) in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy subjects and their role in predicting severity and patients' outcomes.

Publication Trends of Residents Accepted for Shoulder and Elbow Fellowships.

This study aims to evaluate the research productivity trends in orthopaedic residents who were selected for shoulder and elbow fellowships from 2010 to 2019. We hypothesize that residents matching into orthopaedic shoulder and elbow fellowships are increasing both their publication number and publication quality from 2010 to 2019. Fellows of orthopaedic shoulder and elbow programs from 2010 to 2019 were identified through publicly accessible information on fellowship programs.

Thymoquinone Effect on Monocyte-Derived Macrophages, Cell-Surface Molecule Expression, and Phagocytosis.

Macrophages are one of the most important cells in the immune system. They act as links between innate and adaptive immunities. In this study, the aim was to examine thymoquinone effects on the immunological properties of different macrophages.

Cardiac iron overload detection using longitudinal strain in asymptomatic children with beta thalassemia major.

Cardiomyopathy mediated by iron disposition in cardiomyocytes is a dreadful cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with beta thalassemia major (BTM). Conventional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) parameters are preserved at late stages of cardiomyopathy induced by iron overload. Therefore, cardiac imaging modalities based on myocardial deformation such as strain imaging are used for early detection of cardiac iron overload.

Changes in physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic among Saudi Arabians: Results from a cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant change in sedentary behaviors have had immense health, economic, and social implications globally. As governments worldwide imposed lockdowns and curfews, the amount of time spent indoors greatly increased. This lead to a dramatic change in physical activity (PA) levels and profound consequences on daily routines.

Occult HCV infection in liver transplanted patients: frequency and consequences.

Aim Of The Study: Occult hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (OCI) is a potential source of relapse after liver transplantation with subsequent graft damage. The aim of the study was to detect OCI in patients with living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) after sofosbuvir-based antiviral treatment, and to detect risk factors associated with the development of OCI as well as to determine the effect of direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy after liver transplantation.

Material And Methods: 41 patients with living donor liver transplantation who did not receive DAAs before with recurrent HCV infection who achieved a SVR with sofosbuvir-based therapy for 12-24 weeks were recruited.

Design and Rationale of the National Observational Multicentric Tunisian Registry of Hypertension: Protocol for Evaluating Hypertensive Patient Care in Clinical Practice.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the care of hypertensive patients in daily clinical practice in public and private centers in all Tunisian regions.

Objective: This study will provide us an overview of hypertension (HTN) management in Tunisia and the degree of adherence of practitioners to international recommendations.

Methods: This is a national observational cross-sectional multicenter study that will include patients older than 18 years with HTN for a duration of 4 weeks, managed in the public sector from primary and secondary care centers as well as patients managed in the private sector.

Effect of Co-infection of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza H9N2 Virus and Avian Pathogenic on H9N2-Vaccinated Commercial Broiler Chickens.

In the last 40 years, low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) subtype H9N2 has been endemic in most Middle Eastern countries and of course Egypt which is one of the biggest poultry producers in the middle east region. The major losses with the H9N2 virus infections come from complicated infections in commercial broiler chickens, especially infection. In this work, 2,36,345 Arbor acres broiler chickens from the same breeder flock were placed equally in four pens, where two pens were vaccinated against LPAIV of subtype H9N2 virus, and the other two pens served as non-vaccinated controls.

Effect of High-Volume Training on Psychological State and Performance in Competitive Swimmers.

This study aimed to examine the effect of four weeks of aquatic high-volume training (HVT) on the psychological state (somatic, cognitive anxiety, and self-confidence) and sprint swimming performance (50 m front crawl) compared to the standard training program (moderate volume training) in competitive swimmers. Twenty-eight male competitive swimmers participated in this study and were randomly allocated into two groups: HVT group (n = 14; age = 16.4 ± 0.

Sulfonated graphene oxide impregnated cellulose acetate floated beads for adsorption of methylene blue dye: optimization using response surface methodology.

New multi-featured adsorbent beads were fabricated through impregnation of sulfonated graphene (SGO) oxide into cellulose acetate (CA) beads for fast adsorption of cationic methylene blue (MB) dye. The formulated SGO@CA composite beads were thoroughly characterized by several tools including FTIR, TGA, SEM, XRD, XPS and zeta potential. The optimal levels of the most significant identified variables affecting the adsorption process were sequential determined by the response surface methodology (RSM) using Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken designs.

Floatable cellulose acetate beads embedded with flower-like zwitterionic binary MOF/PDA for efficient removal of tetracycline.

Removal of pharmaceutical wastes, especially antibiotics from aquatic systems is an imperative issue from both human-health and ecological perspectives. Herein, zwitterionic UiO-66/ZIF-8 binary MOF/polydopamine@cellulose acetate composite (UiO-66/ZIF-8/PDA@CA) were fabricated in the form of floated beads for the adsorptive removal of tetracycline (TC). The formulated composite beads were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, BET, Zeta potential and XPS analysis tools.

Epidemiologic features and management of hypertension in Tunisia, the results from the Hypertension National Registry (NaTuRe HTN).

Background: Hypertension is the leading cause of morbi-mortality in our country. Thus, we conducted this national survey on hypertension to analyze the profile of the Tunisian hypertensive patient and to assess the level of blood pressure control.

Methods: Nature HTN is an observational multicentric survey, including hypertensive individuals and consulting their doctors during the period of the study.

Short-term in-season ballistic training improves power, muscle volume and throwing velocity in junior handball players. A randomized control trial.

This study investigated the effects of a ballistic training programme using an arm/shoulder specific strength device (ASSSD) on the upper body peak power (PP), muscle volume (MV) of the dominant arm and throwing velocity in junior handball players. Twenty-six players were randomly assigned to an experimental (EG = 15, age 17.6 ± 0.