A Complicated Triad of Diabetic Ketoacidosis, Hypertriglyceridemia, and Acute Pancreatitis in a Patient With Alcohol Abuse and Undiagnosed Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hypertriglyceridemia, and acute pancreatitis are a rare and potentially fatal triad. This article presents a fatal case of acute pancreatitis, DKA, and hypertriglyceridemia in a patient with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus struggling with alcoholism. The patient was unresponsive to standard pancreatitis and DKA treatment protocol and progressed to develop multi-organ failure.

When do science recommendations stop being effective? The case of the sprawl of diesel electricity generators in Beirut.

Lebanon, plagued by political and economic crises, experienced a government collapse in early 2020, leading to an electrical nationwide blackout by 2023. Diesel generators were used to compensate for the absence of power production from the national provider, Electricité du Liban (EDL). To investigate the effect of the crisis on the levels of 16 EPA particle bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAHs), an annual comparative analysis of three locations within Beirut started in 2022 and ended in 2023.

Prevalence of Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease, Access to Dental Services and Perception of Oral Health in Adolescents and Adults from a Rural Community in Angola.

Purpose: To investigate the epidemiological profile of dental caries and periodontal disease, access to dental services, and perception of oral health in adolescents and adults from a rural community in Angola.

Materials And Methods: This is an observational, analytical and cross-sectional study, performed with 575 individuals aged between 12 and 40 years. The prevalence of caries and periodontal disease was assessed using the DMFT index and the Community Periodontal Index.

Radiotracer Innovations in Breast Cancer Imaging: A Review of Recent Progress.

This review focuses on the pivotal role of radiotracers in breast cancer imaging, emphasizing their importance in accurate detection, staging, and treatment monitoring. Radiotracers, labeled with radioactive isotopes, are integral to various nuclear imaging techniques, including positron emission tomography (PET) and positron emission mammography (PEM). The most widely used radiotracer in breast cancer imaging is F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG), which highlights areas of increased glucose metabolism, a hallmark of many cancer cells.

Enhancement of Benzene Emissions in Special Combinations of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Liquid Mixtures.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are battery-powered devices introduced to the market as safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes. Upon heating the electronic liquid (e-liquid), aerosols are released, including several toxicants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Benzene has been given great attention as a major component of the VOCs group as it increases cancer risk upon inhalation.

Aromatic Hydrocarbon Receptor Repressor (AHRR) is a biomarker of ambient air pollution exposure and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).

Two hundred and twenty subjects were recruited while undergoing cardiac catheterization. AHRR cg05575921 methylation was shown to be significantly decreased in ever smokers compared to never smokers (Mean± SD = 64.2 ± 17.

Influence of nicotine form and nicotine flux on puffing behavior and mouth-level exposure to nicotine from electronic nicotine delivery systems.

Background: Nicotine form (freebase/protonated) and nicotine flux (rate at which nicotine is emitted) are two factors that can affect the dose of nicotine inhaled by individuals using electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) because they can influence puffing behavior. The nicotine dose for each puff also is directly proportional to nicotine flux (i.e.

Effects of Aftermarket Electronic Cigarette Pods on Device Power Output and Nicotine, Carbonyl, and ROS Emissions.

Aftermarket pods designed to operate with prevalent electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products such as JUUL are marketed as low-cost alternatives that allow the use of banned flavored liquids. Subtle differences in the design or construction of aftermarket pods may intrinsically modify the performance of the ENDS device and the resulting nicotine and toxicant emissions relative to the original equipment manufacturer's product. In this study, we examined the electrical output of a JUUL battery and the aerosol emissions when four different brands of aftermarket pods filled with an analytical-grade mixture of propylene glycol, glycerol, and nicotine were attached to it and puffed by machine.

Comparing emergency department visits 10-year apart at a tertiary care center in Lebanon.

Presentations to the emergency department (ED) are growing worldwide. With the increasing risk factors of non-communicable disease (NCD) and communicable diseases (CD) in low- and middle-income countries, it is crucial to understand how ED presentations are changing with time to meet patients' needs and allocate acute care resources. The aim of this study is to compare the changes in patient and diseases characteristics over 2 time periods 10 year apart at the largest tertiary care center in Lebanon.

A Quick Method for the Determination of the Fraction of Freebase Nicotine in Electronic Cigarettes.

Recently, many electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) manufacturers have begun offering e-liquids, known as "nicotine salts". These salts that have started gaining big popularity among users can be formed by adding weak acid to e-liquid mixtures consisting of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), flavors, and nicotine. The latter can exist in two forms: monoprotonated (mp) and freebase (fb) based on the pH of the matrix.

Comparison of design characteristics and toxicant emissions from Vuse Solo and Alto electronic nicotine delivery systems.

Introduction: Vuse Solo is the first electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration for marketing in the USA. Salient features of the Vuse Solo product such as nicotine form, draw resistance, power regulation and electrical characteristics have not been reported previously, and few studies have examined the nicotine and other toxicant emissions of this product. We investigated the design characteristics and toxicant emissions of the Solo as well as Alto, another Vuse product with a greater market share than Solo.

Purkinje cell dopaminergic inputs to astrocytes regulate cerebellar-dependent behavior.

Dopamine has a significant role in motor and cognitive function. The dopaminergic pathways originating from the midbrain have received the most attention; however, the relevance of the cerebellar dopaminergic system is largely undiscovered. Here, we show that the major cerebellar astrocyte type Bergmann glial cells express D1 receptors.

Effects of Desert Dust and Sandstorms on Human Health: A Scoping Review.

Desert dust and sandstorms are recurring environmental phenomena that are reported to produce serious health risks worldwide. This scoping review was conducted to identify the most likely health effects of desert dust and sandstorms and the methods used to characterize desert dust exposure from the existing epidemiological literature. We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus to identify studies that reported the effects of desert dust and sandstorms on human health.

Impact of smoking intensity and device cleaning on IQOS emissions: comparison with an array of cigarettes.

Significance: IQOS is a heated tobacco product that has been widely advertised by Philip Morris International (PMI) as a reduced-exposure product compared with cigarettes. Reduced exposure results from reduced emission of toxicants which could be influenced by product constituents and user behaviour. This study aims to assess the influence of user behaviour, including device cleaning and puffing parameters, on toxicant emissions from IQOS.

Lessons learned from the discovery and development of the sesquiterpene lactones in cancer therapy and prevention.

Introduction: Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) are one of the most diverse bioactive secondary metabolites found in plants and exhibit a broad range of therapeutic properties . SLs have been showing promising potential in cancer clinical trials, and the molecular mechanisms underlying their anticancer potential are being uncovered. Recent evidence also points to a potential utility of SLs in cancer prevention.

Did JUUL alter the content of menthol pods in response to US FDA flavour enforcement policy?

Background: The JUUL electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) remains popular in the USA and has a big prevalence among youth. In response to the popularity of JUUL and similar devices among youth, the US Food and Drug Administration issued in February 2020 an enforcement policy to remove all flavoured cartridge/pod-based e-cigarettes from the market except for tobacco and menthol. Subsequent studies showed that some users of the now-removed flavoured JUUL pods (especially cool mint) switched to menthol-flavoured JUUL pods with similar satisfaction.

Assessing toxicant emissions from e-liquids with DIY additives used in response to a potential flavour ban in e-cigarettes.

Significance: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) aerosolise liquids that contain nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol and appealing flavours. In the USA, regulations have limited the availability of flavoured e-cigarettes in pod-based systems, and further tightening is expected. In response, some e-cigarette users may attempt to make their e-liquids (do-it-yourself, DIY).

Sickness absenteeism of Primary Health Care professionals before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: to identify the frequency of occurrence of sickness absenteeism, according to the profile of Primary Health Care (PHC) professionals, and verify if there was an impact of the pandemic on absence duration and reason.

Methods: a cross-sectional study, from January/2019 to December/2020, with PHC professionals from a municipality in northeastern São Paulo. Descriptive statistics were performed, with frequency calculation.

A Survey on the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Lebanese Physicians Regarding Air Pollution.

Introduction: Air pollution imposes a significant burden on public health. It is emerging as a modifiable risk factor for cancer, diabetes, and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Lebanese physicians regarding air pollution.