Permeability partitioning through the brittle-to-ductile transition and its implications for supercritical geothermal reservoirs.

Geothermal projects utilizing supercritical water (≥400 °C) could boost power output tenfold compared to conventional plants. However, these reservoirs commonly occur in crustal areas where rocks are semi-ductile or ductile, impeding large-scale fractures and cracking, and where hydraulic properties are largely unknown. Here, we explore the complex permeability of rocks under supercritical conditions using mechanical data from a gas-based triaxial apparatus, high-resolution synchrotron post-mortem 3D imagery, and finite element modeling.

Assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of frontline physicians in Egyptian university hospitals regarding pharyngitis and acute rheumatic fever: a cross-sectional study that calls for action.

Background: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain major public health issues. Although the primary and secondary prevention of RHD through appropriate management of bacterial pharyngitis and ARF are well-described in the literature, few studies address the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of developing countries. We aimed to evaluate the KAP of the frontline physicians in Egyptian university hospitals regarding pharyngitis and ARF.

Key Principles Underlying a Research-Practice Alignment in a Federally Qualified Health Center.

Context: Minoritized populations such as racial and ethnic minorities and individuals of less privileged socioeconomic status experience a disproportionate burden of poor hypertension (HTN) control in the United States. Multilevel systems interventions have been shown to improve patient-level outcomes in minoritized populations; however, there remains a large translational gap in implementing these approaches into federally qualified health centers (FQHC), which serve those at highest risk of HTN-related morbidity and mortality. The paucity of purposeful collaborations between academic researchers and practice staff throughout the research process remains a significant roadblock to the timely translation of evidence to practice.

Assessing continuum plasticity postulates with grain stress and local strain measurements in triaxially compressed sand.

Critical state and continuum plasticity theories have been used in research and engineering practice in soil and rock mechanics for decades. These theories rely on postulated relationships between material stresses and strains. Some classical postulates include coaxiality between stress and strain rates, stress-dilatancy relationships, and kinematic assumptions in shear bands.

Screening for Zika virus in US armed services blood program donors: An opportunity to compare emerging infectious disease risk between the general US population and military donors.

Background: The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) collects blood from volunteer DoD donors in U.

Robot-assisted thoracic surgery for stages IIB-IVA non-small cell lung cancer: retrospective study of feasibility and outcome.

Robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) for higher stages non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains controversial. This study reports the feasibility of RATS in patients with stages IIB-IVA NSCLC. A single-institute, retrospective study was conducted with patients undergoing RATS for stages IIB-IVA NSCLC, from January 2015 until January 2020.

Combined tumor necrosis factor-α (-308 G/A) and tumor necrosis factor-β (+ 252 A/G) nucleotide polymorphisms and chronicity in Egyptian children with immune thrombocytopenia.

Background: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a common autoimmune disorder. Secretion of TNF-α, TNF-β and IFN-γ plays a major role in the pathogenesis of ITP.

Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to detect TNF-α (-308 G/A) and TNF-β (+ 252 A/G) gene polymorphism in a cohort of Egyptian children with chronic ITP (cITP) to clarify their possible association with progression to chronic disease.

Impact of protein supply on the productive performance of growing lambs drinking natural saline water and fed low-quality forage under semi-arid conditions.

Consuming saline water causes animals salinity stress, which leads to many adapting metabolic changes that could negatively affect its performance and the quality of the derived products. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of increasing diet protein level on the productive performance of growing lambs drinking natural saline water in Egyptian semi-arid region. Twenty-four growing Barki lambs (4-5 months old) with an initial body weight of 20.

HP-TACO: A high-pressure triaxial compression apparatus for in situ x-ray measurements in geomaterials.

Triaxial compression experiments are commonly used to characterize the elastic and inelastic behavior of geomaterials. In situ measurements of grain kinematics, particle breakage, stresses, and other microscopic phenomena have seldom been made during such experiments, particularly at high pressures relevant to many geologic and man-made processes, limiting our fundamental understanding. To address this issue, we developed a new triaxial compression device called HP-TACO (High-Pressure TriAxial COmpression Apparatus).

Robotic Mitral Valve Surgery.

Growing interest in minimalizing surgical trauma during heart procedures stimulated the development of robotic mitral valve surgery in the late 1990s. Initially, the new technology was slowly adopted in clinical practice. However, following encouraging results by teams that adopted robotic heart surgery early on, a growing interest in implementation of robotic mitral valve surgery has emerged.

Partial Gastric Resection for Symptomatic Anemia following Diagnosis of Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) of the Skin with Gastric Metastasis.

Unlabelled: Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a rare dermatologic malignancy with significant morbidity and mortality associated with metastatic disease. In this case, we discuss and extremely rare presentation of MCC with metastasis to the stomach in a patient that presented with profound anemia. Unfortunately, mortality following diagnosis of MCC with gastric metastasis approaches 67% at 4 months based on available published reports.

The impact of MCP1-2518A/G and CCR2-V64I genetic polymorphisms in Egyptian sickle cell disease patients.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited genetic disorders of hemoglobin that causes multisystem morbidity. The pathophysiology of SCD is complex and includes HbS polymerization/sickling, hemolysis, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. Chemokines are proteins playing an important role in the inflammation process and could be involved the context of pro-inflammatory SCD.

Vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D receptor FokI polymorphism as risk factors for COVID-19.

Background: Given the sparse data on vitamin D status in pediatric COVID-19, we investigated whether vitamin D deficiency could be a risk factor for susceptibility to COVID-19 in Egyptian children and adolescents. We also investigated whether vitamin D receptor (VDR) FokI polymorphism could be a genetic marker for COVID-19 susceptibility.

Methods: One hundred and eighty patients diagnosed to have COVID-19 and 200 matched control children and adolescents were recruited.

A rare presentation of an ACTH-producing high-grade large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with Cushing's syndrome.

High-grade neuroendocrine tumors (HGNET) are rare neoplasms composed of neural and hormonal with only around 42 cases reported in the last 20 years1. Herein, we describe a rare case of pancreatic HGNET, large cell type, associated with a Cushing's syndrome presentation.

Cytokine profile in Egyptian children and adolescents with COVID-19 pneumonia: A multicenter study.

Background: To date, the cytokine profile in children and adolescent with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not been reported.

Objectives: We investigated serum levels of a panel of key cytokines in children and adolescent with COVID-19 pneumonia with a primary focus on "cytokine storm" cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and two chemokines interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and IL-8. We also studied whether these cytokines could be potential markers for illness severity in COVID-19 pneumonia.

Quality assessment of robot assisted thoracic surgical resection of non-small cell lung cancer: nodal upstaging and mediastinal recurrence.

Background: Robot assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) is the minimally invasive surgical technique of choice for treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), at the Isala Hospital. The aim of this study is to compare clinical and pathological staging results and mediastinal recurrence after RATS for anatomical resections of lung cancer as surrogate markers for quality of mediastinal lymph node dissection (MLND).

Methods: This single institute retrospective study was conducted in patients who underwent RATS for NSCLC.

Gamma-Delta T-Cell Lymphoma Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant for Primary Myelofibrosis.

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a disease that affects the bone marrow. It presents with cytopenias, hepatospleomegaly accompanied with extramedullary hematopoiesis, and often with constitutional symptoms. Cytotoxic gamma-delta T-cells are considered a distinct hepatosplenic lymohoma.

A Telemedicine Approach to Covid-19 Assessment and Triage.

Covid-19 is a new highly contagious RNA viral disease that has caused a global pandemic. Human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through oral and nasal droplets and possibly through the airborne route. The disease may be asymptomatic or the course may be mild with upper respiratory symptoms, moderate with non-life-threatening pneumonia, or severe with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Tranexamic Acid Use in a Patient with a Life-threatening Bleed Exacerbated by Coagulopathy Due to an Aortic Aneurysm with an Endoleak: A Case Report.

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an anti-fibrinolytic agent that inhibits plasminogen activation by binding to its lysine receptor sites and preventing its conversion to plasmin. It stabilizes clots to reduce bleeding and has been used in the setting of trauma, heavy menstrual bleeding, and hematologic malignancies. To our knowledge, there is no mention in the literature of medical management with TXA to treat a life-threatening hemorrhage in the setting of non-operative, endoleakage-induced, chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

The usefulness of preoperative exercise therapy in patients scheduled for lung cancer surgery; a survey among Dutch pulmonologists and cardiothoracic surgeons.

Background: Preoperative exercise training (PET) studies show promising results in various patient populations. However, the lack of standardised programmes and uniformity in practice guidelines are barriers for implementation. Aim of this study was to assess the current opinions of pulmonologists and cardiothoracic surgeons on the clinical applicability of PET in patients scheduled for lung cancer surgery.

Association of Dental Caries, Retained Roots, and Missing Teeth with Physical Status, Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in Women of the Reproductive Age.

Objectives: To investigate in women of reproductive age a possible association between particular dental diseases-dental caries, retained roots, and missing teeth-with some systemic conditions-physical status score- ASA (American Society for Anesthesiologists), diabetes mellitus, and hypertension.

Methods: Dental and medical history were retrieved from the electronic files of dental patients. Statistical analysis was performed using cross tabulation with the Chi-square test to explore the significance of an association between variables pertaining to dental diseases and the investigated systemic conditions.