Publications by authors named "Sharif N"

Background: Despite the increased interest from researchers in Postpartum depression (PPD) globally, related studies are limited in Palestine and do not provide a comprehensive understanding of PPD.

Objective: We examined the factors that determine post-partum depression among Palestinian mothers in Hebron governorate.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 122 governmental primary healthcare clinics in Hebron Governorate.

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Introduction: During times of conflict, healthcare personnel face a heightened vulnerability to experiencing psychological problems such as burnout. The impact of conflict or wars on mental health professionals in Palestine and their strategies for managing these problems are currently not recognized. This study sought to assess the prevalence of burnout symptoms and coping strategies among healthcare workers in Palestine, in the context of the ongoing conflict and political violence.

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Intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation is the primary risk factor and currently the main treatable factor for progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. In addition to direct clinical and living animal in vivo studies, ex vivo perfusion of anterior segments and whole eyes is a key technique for studying conventional outflow function as it is responsible for IOP regulation. We present well-tested experimental details, protocols, considerations, advantages, and limitations of several ex vivo model systems for studying IOP regulation.

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Purpose: In Palestine, few studies investigated the prevalence of allergies and the factors associated with their occurrence. An online survey was conducted on health complex University students in Jerusalem to determine the prevalence of allergy rhinitis (AR) and its relationship with indoor environmental exposures.

Methods: This study employed a modified online Google form of the Global Asthma Network's Adult Questionnaire.

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Bradykinin is an endogenously produced nonapeptide with many physiological and pathological functions that are mediated by two pharmacologically defined receptor subtypes, B1- and B2-receptors. Current studies sought to characterize the functional bradykinin (BK) receptors present in freshly isolated bovine ciliary muscle (BCM) using an organ-bath tissue contraction system. Cumulative longitudinal isometric tension responses of BCM strips (4-5 mm) were recorded before and after the addition of test compounds to BCM strips hooked up to an isometric strain gauge transducer system.

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Context: Concerns about adverse reactions and the development of antibiotic resistance have prompted an alternative treatment strategy that utilizes traditional medicinal herbs.

Aim: This randomized control trial assessed the antimicrobial efficacy of 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) gel, Triphala, and as intracanal medicaments against .

Materials And Methods: Forty patients with nonvital teeth and single root canals were selected ( = 10).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on establishing a non-linear growth curve for Nili-Ravi buffalo calves by analyzing monthly weight data from 6,644 calves collected over a decade in Punjab.
  • Using various non-linear models, the researchers determined that the Brody model provided the best fit, optimizing key statistical values for growth curve parameters.
  • The genetic analysis revealed low heritability for growth traits but significant genetic correlations, indicating that factors like asymmetric weight and birth weight were positively correlated, while maturity rate showed a negative correlation with body weights.
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Background: The 2023 dengue outbreak has proven that dengue is not only an endemic disease but also an emerging health threat in Bangladesh. Integrated studies on the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, seasonality, and genotype of dengue are limited. This study was conducted to determine recent trends in the molecular epidemiology, clinical features, and seasonality of dengue outbreaks.

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: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women in Palestine, where the need for supportive care frequently goes unmet. Therefore, this study aims to assess the supportive care services provided at the governmental hospitals in the southern area of the West Bank and to determine the factors associated with the unmet needs of these services. : A cross-sectional study was conducted on 362 women with BC.

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Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a sight-threatening inherited retinal disorder (IRD) caused by numerous genetic mutations. Multi-characteristic opsin (MCO)-based optogenetic therapy allows the recruitment of residual cells of the retina in LCA for alternative vision transduction while being mutation-agnostic. Using mice, we investigated the efficacy of an adeno-associated virus2 (AAV2)-transduced ambient light-activatable MCO (MCO-010) containing a metabotropic glutamate receptor-6 bipolar cell-specific promoter/enhancer.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the impact of a viral vector-delivered multi-characteristic opsin (MCO-010) on vision in two mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa (rp1 and rp10), focusing on both structural and functional outcomes.
  • MCO-010 was injected into the eyes of the mice, resulting in successful transduction of about 80% of bipolar cells without affecting retinal thickness, while control mice showed thinning.
  • The treatment improved behavior and visual response in the mice without causing toxicity under challenging conditions, suggesting it could help slow retinal degeneration.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Common local effects included pain, swelling, and redness at the injection site, while systemic effects like fever and headache were prevalent within 48 hours post-vaccination; Oxford-AstraZeneca was linked to higher rates of thrombosis.
  • * Females and older adults with preexisting conditions faced greater risks of severe and long-term effects, with Pfizer-BioNTech showing the highest odds of adverse outcomes among the vaccines studied.
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We examined the feasibility, acceptability, and potential mental health impact of a digital peer support intervention involving videoconferencing and text-based support for parents of school-aged children living with T1D and analyzed posts exchanged by parents on a texting platform. Eighteen parents were recruited for Huddle4Parents, a 4-month digital intervention that involved four synchronous group-based Zoom sessions coupled with an asynchronous 24/7 peer support texting room. Primary outcomes were feasibility (i.

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Article Synopsis
  • The American Thoracic Society has guidelines for maintaining sterility when testing bronchodilator responsiveness, but it is unclear how many practicing allergists follow these guidelines.
  • A survey conducted in 2015 received responses from 496 allergists, revealing that while many consider their bronchodilator techniques sterile, a significant percentage do not or are unsure.
  • The findings suggest a need for increased awareness and updated guidelines to improve adherence to sterility measures among allergists in North America.
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The formation, stabilization, and elimination of synapses are tightly regulated during neural development and into adulthood. Pumilio RNA-binding proteins regulate the translation and localization of many synaptic mRNAs and are developmentally downregulated in the brain. We found that simultaneous downregulation of Pumilio 1 and 2 increases both excitatory and inhibitory synapse density in primary hippocampal neurons and promotes synapse maturation.

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Background: There are numerous wars and ongoing political violence in Palestine and little is known about how they have affected Palestinian undergraduate students' mental health and coping strategies. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression, and anxiety symptoms and coping mechanisms among Palestinian university students during the times of current political violence in Palestine after October 7, 2023.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was utilized for a sample of students from 3 universities in Palestine (Al Quds University, Hebron University, and An-Najah University) and 1815 participants responded.

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Refugees arriving to the U.S. experience a high burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, marked by cognitive impairment. Currently, the available treatment provides only symptomatic relief and there is a great need to design and formulate new drugs to stabilize AD. In the search for a new anti-Alzheimer's drug, 3,5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,3,5-thiadiazinane-2-thione (THTT), a tetrahydro-2H-1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thione derivative, was investigated against a scopolamine-induced Alzheimer's model.

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Background: A novel adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2)-carried multi-characteristic opsin (MCO) (MCO-010) is undergoing several clinical trials as a novel therapeutic modality for the treatment of degenerative retinal diseases including retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease. The present study aimed to determine the ocular and systemic safety of MCO-010 and the AAV2 vehicle in adult Beagle dogs following intravitreal (IVT) injection.

Methods: The current safety/toxicology studies spanning 13 weeks described here utilized well-documented techniques to assess the effects of IVT injection of MCO-010 up to 2.

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The effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and visual function were assessed in rat and mouse models of optic nerve (ON) crush. ONs were crushed on Day 1, followed by intravitreal injections of a vehicle or BDNF on Days 1 and 8. The spatial frequency threshold was measured using optokinetic tracking on Days 7 and 14.

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By measuring the molecular diffusion of water molecules in brain tissue, diffusion MRI (dMRI) provides unique insight into the microstructure and structural connections of the brain in living subjects. Since its inception, the application of dMRI in clinical research has expanded our understanding of the possible biological bases of psychiatric disorders and successful responses to different therapeutic interventions. Here, we review the past decade of diffusion imaging-based investigations with a specific focus on studies examining the mechanisms and predictors of therapeutic response in people with mood disorders.

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Introduction: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with dysfunctional reward processing, which involves functional circuitry of the habenula (Hb) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Since ketamine elicits rapid antidepressant and antianhedonic effects in MDD, this study sought to investigate how serial ketamine infusion (SKI) treatment modulates static and dynamic functional connectivity (FC) in Hb and NAc functional networks.

Methods: MDD participants (n = 58, mean age = 40.

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This study explored the active food packaging application of phycocyanin- and Spirulina extract-loaded gliadin electrospun fibers (GPhy and GSPE). SEM findings confirmed that the morphology of fibers was tubular, showing the GPhy and GSPE as the optimum fibers. The loading efficiencies of GPhy and GSPE were also around 90%, which proved the well-incorporated compounds within the fibers.

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Introduction Enhanced models for assessing cognitive function in the neonatal period are imperative in higher animals. Postnatal motor deficits, characteristic of cerebral palsy, emerge in newborn kits within our prenatal-rabbit model of hypoxia-ischemia (HI). In humans, prenatal HI leads to intellectual disability and cerebral palsy.

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