Circulating MicroRNA-30a, Beclin1 and Their Association with Different Variables in Females with Metabolically Healthy /Unhealthy Obesity.

Background: Obesity is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular co-morbidities. It is important to determine the factors associated with metabolic derangement in obesity. Autophagy plays a major role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome.

Comparison of the Outcomes of Oral Versus Nasal Endotracheal Intubation in Neonates and Infants Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Objective: The choice of oral or nasal endotracheal intubation in children undergoing cardiac surgery is affected by several factors. This study compared the outcomes of oral versus nasal intubation in neonates and infants who underwent open cardiac surgery.

Design: A randomized, controlled, open-labeled study.

Estimation of Prostate Cancer Cost in Egypt From a Societal Perspective.

Introduction: The main objective of this study was to assess the cost of prostate cancer over a 1-year period from a societal perspective.

Methods: We constructed a cost-of-illness model to assess the cost of different health states of prostate cancer, metastatic or nonmetastatic, among Egyptian men. Population data and clinical parameters were extracted from the published literature.

Fabrication and optimization of itraconazole-loaded zein-based nanoparticles in coated capsules as a promising colon-targeting approach pursuing opportunistic fungal infections.

Itraconazole (ITZ), a broad-spectrum antifungal drug, was formulated into colon-targeting system aiming to treat opportunistic colonic fungal infections that commonly infect chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients due to immunosuppressive therapy. Antisolvent precipitation technique was employed to formulate ITZ-loaded zein nanoparticles (ITZ-ZNPs) using various zein: drug and aqueous:organic phase ratios. Central composite face-centered design (CCFD) was used for statistical analysis and optimization.

Ultrasonographic assessment of muscle layer thickness and its relation to patient outcome in a medical intensive care unit.

Aim: Low skeletal muscle mass in ICU patients is associated with poor clinical outcome. Ultrasonography is a noninvasive method that can measure muscle thickness at the bedside. We aimed at studying the relation of the ultrasonography measured muscle layer thickness (MLT) at time of ICU admission with the patients' outcome namely mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) and ICU length of stay (LOS).

Exploiting itraconazole-loaded nanomixed micelles in coated capsules as efficient colon-targeted delivery system for improved antifungal and potential anticancer efficacy.

Chronic Inflammatory bowel diseases are usually accompanied by opportunistic colonic fungal infections. Itraconazole (ITZ), is a highly lipophilic broad-spectrum antifungal drug that is superiorly effective against several fungal species. Box-Behnken design was adopted to design ITZ-nanomixed micelles (ITZ-NMMs), aiming to enhance ITZ solubility, using various concentrations of Pluronic® L121, Cremophor EL, and with either sodium-deoxycholate or Pluronic F68 through thin film hydration technique.

Dissolution enhancement of olmesartan medoxomil through polymer-based surface solid dispersion and solidified surfactant techniques.

This study aims to formulate Olmesartan medoxomil (OM) into oral fast-dissolving tablets (FDTs) to improve its solubility and bioavailability via two different techniques; The polymer-based surface solid dispersion (SSD) technique and the solidified surfactant (SS) technique. In the first technique, two polymers were used; polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP K90) and Poloxamer 407 (Pluronic®F127), while in the second technique the liquid Tween 80 was solidified by adsorption onto Aeroperl®300. The pre-compression and post-compression parameters of the obtained formulations were assessed.

Mechanical property degradation of X80 pipeline steel due to microbiologically influenced corrosion caused by .

Apart from pinhole leaks, MIC (microbiologically influenced corrosion) can also cause catastrophic failures such as pipe ruptures and support beam collapses due to mechanical property degradation or stress corrosion cracking. In this work, X80 pipeline steel dogbone coupons and square coupons were immersed in 150 ml broths containing , a common corrosive sulfate reducing bacterium (SRB), for up to 14 days. The headspace volumes in the anaerobic bottles were increased from 150 ml to 200 ml and 300 ml to increase MIC severity.

Molecular Design, Spectroscopic, DFT, Pharmacological, and Molecular Docking Studies of Novel Ruthenium(III)-Schiff Base Complex: An Inhibitor of Progression in HepG2 Cells.

A novel ruthenium(III)-pyrimidine Schiff base was synthesized and characterized using different analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Molecular geometries of the ligand and ruthenium complex were investigated using the DFT-B3LYP level of theory. The quantum global reactivity descriptors were also calculated.

Enhancing biodesulfurization by engineering a synthetic dibenzothiophene mineralization pathway.

A synthetic dibenzothiophene (DBT) mineralization pathway has been engineered in recombinant cells of Aramco J strain for its use in biodesulfurization of thiophenic compounds and crude oil. This functional pathway consists of a combination of a recombinant 4S pathway responsible for the conversion of DBT into 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2HBP) and a 2HBP mineralization pathway that is naturally present in the parental Aramco J strain. This novel approach allows overcoming one of the major bottlenecks of the biodesulfurization process, i.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion of titanium by Desulfovibrio vulgaris biofilm under organic carbon starvation.

Desulfovibrio vulgaris biofilm was pre-grown on Ti coupons for 7 d and then the biofilm covered coupons were incubated again with fresh culture media with 10 % (reduced) and 100 % (normal) carbon source levels, respectively. After the pre-growth, sessile D. vulgaris cell count reached 10 cells/cm.

Capturing Genetic Diversity and Selection Signatures of the Endangered Kosovar Balusha Sheep Breed.

There is a growing concern about the loss of animal genetic resources. The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity and potential peculiarity of the endangered Kosovar sheep breed Balusha. For this purpose, a dataset consisting of medium-density SNP chip genotypes (39,879 SNPs) from 45 Balusha sheep was generated and compared with SNP chip genotypes from 29 individuals of a second Kosovar breed, Bardhoka.

Noninvasive Assessment of Endothelial Dysfunction in Egyptian Patients with Lupus Nephritis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem chronic autoimmune disease characterized by tissue inflammation. There is increased cardiovascular mortality in cases with SLE. Endothelial dysfunction is an early stage of atherosclerosis, which can be reversed early.

The effect of ultrasound-guided bilateral thoracic retrolaminar block on analgesia after pediatric open cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled double-blind study.

Background: The thoracic retrolaminar block (TRLB) is a relatively new regional analgesia technique that can be used as an alternative to the thoracic paravertebral block. This study aimed to evaluate the postoperative analgesia effects of ultrasound-guided TRLB in children undergoing open cardiac surgery via median sternotomy incision.

Methods: Sixty-six patients aged 2-8 years were recruited.

Food-grade D-limonene enhanced a green biocide in the mitigation of carbon steel biocorrosion by a mixed-culture biofilm consortium.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), or microbial biocorrosion, is caused directly by microbial metabolic activities/products or induced by microbial biofilm's damage of a protective film that exposes a solid surface to a pre-existing corrosive environment. MIC causes billions of dollars of losses in various industrial processes, especially in oil and gas and water utilities. The mitigation of problematic industrial microbes typically relies on biocides whose discharges can cause environmental problems.

Cholesterol-Based Nanovesicles Enhance the In Vitro Cytotoxicity, Ex Vivo Intestinal Absorption, and In Vivo Bioavailability of Flutamide.

Critical adverse effects and frequent administration, three times per day, limit the use of flutamide (FLT) as a chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of prostate cancer. Therefore, our research aimed to develop new cholesterol-based nanovesicles for delivering FLT to malignant cells in an endeavor to maximize its therapeutic efficacy and minimize undesired adverse effects. Draper-Lin small composite design was used to optimize the critical quality attributes of FLT-loaded niosomes and ensure the desired product quality.

Low-Frequency Sonophoresis as an Active Approach to Potentiate the Transdermal Delivery of Agomelatine-Loaded Novasomes: Design, Optimization, and Pharmacokinetic Profiling in Rabbits.

The first melatonergic antidepressant drug, agomelatine (AGM), is commonly used for controlling major depressive disorders. AGM suffers low (< 5%) oral bioavailability owing to the hepatic metabolism. The current work investigated the potential of low-frequency sonophoresis on enhancing transdermal delivery of AGM-loaded novasomes and, hence, bioavailability of AGM.

Efficacy of glutaraldehyde enhancement by D-limonene in the mitigation of biocorrosion of carbon steel by an oilfield biofilm consortium.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is one of the major corrosion threats in the oil and gas industry. It is caused by environmental biofilms. Glutaraldehyde is a popular green biocide for mitigating biofilms and MIC.

Aggressive corrosion of carbon steel by Desulfovibrio ferrophilus IS5 biofilm was further accelerated by riboflavin.

EET (extracellular electron transfer) is behind MIC (microbiologically influenced corrosion) of carbon steel by SRB (sulfate reducing bacteria). This work evaluated 20 ppm (w/w) riboflavin (an electron mediator) acceleration of C1018 carbon steel MIC by Desulfovibrio ferrophilus IS5 in enriched artificial seawater (EASW) after 7-d incubation in anaerobic vials at 28 °C. Twenty ppm riboflavin did not significantly change cell growth or alter the corrosion product varieties, but it led to 52% increase in weight loss and 105% increase in pit depth, compared to the control without 20 ppm riboflavin.

Role of umbilical cord C-peptide levels in early prediction of hypoglycemia in infants of diabetic mothers.

Background: Until now, diabetes during pregnancy has been associated with a high risk of maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidities and mortalities. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of hypoglycemia in infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs) and to study the relationship between umbilical cord (UC) C peptide levels and the risk of developing hypoglycemia.

Material And Methods: UC blood C-peptide and serial serum blood glucose measurements were done for all included singleton newborns born to diabetic mothers during the study period.

Low-Frequency versus High-Frequency Ultrasound-Mediated Transdermal Delivery of Agomelatine-Loaded Invasomes: Development, Optimization and in-vivo Pharmacokinetic Assessment.

Aim: Agomelatine (AGM) is the first melatonergic antidepressant. It suffers from low oral bioavailability (<5%) due to extensive hepatic metabolism. The current work aimed to develop an alternative AGM-loaded invasomes to enhance transdermal drug bioavailability.

Predicting the risk of portal vein thrombosis in patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

The mechanisms of the hypercoagulable state in cirrhotics with and without hepatocellular carcinoma are incompetently comprehended. Objective: We aimed to explore the plasma Annexin A5/PS + MP ratio in these patients. Higher levels of Annexin A5 and PhosphatidylSerine bearing microparticles have been observed in cases of inflammation and increased coagulation but there are no studies which explore if there is an association between them and PVT in cirrhotics with and without HCC.

STEMI and COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impact on health care worldwide which has led to a reduction in all elective admissions and management of patients through virtual care. The purpose of this study is to assess changes in STEMI volumes, door to reperfusion, and the time from the onset of symptoms until reperfusion therapy, and in-hospital events between the pre-COVID-19 (PC) and after COVID-19 (AC) period. All acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) cases were retrospectively identified from 16 centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 period from January 01 to April 30, 2020.