Multiomics dissection of human RAG deficiency reveals distinctive patterns of immune dysregulation but a common inflammatory signature.

Human recombination-activating gene (RAG) deficiency can manifest with distinct clinical and immunological phenotypes. By applying a multiomics approach to a large group of -mutated patients, we aimed at characterizing the immunopathology associated with each phenotype. Although defective T and B cell development is common to all phenotypes, patients with hypomorphic variants can generate T and B cells with signatures of immune dysregulation and produce autoantibodies to a broad range of self-antigens, including type I interferons.

Current and future burden of female breast cancer in the Middle East and North Africa region using estimates from GLOBOCAN 2022.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed female cancer and the most common cause of cancer death in women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In this study, we aimed to describe the current patterns of breast cancer among women in the MENA region and estimate the burden for the year 2050. We used the estimates of the breast cancer incidence and mortality from the GLOBOCAN 2022 database and predicted the burden of breast cancer in 2050 according to different scenarios.

A Rare Case of Adrenal Gland Metastasis from Parotid Adenocarcinoma: Unveiling the Potential Augmented Utility of FAPI PET/CT.

Conventional imaging techniques, while essential, occasionally fall short in identifying elusive metastatic lesions, leading to delayed diagnoses and compromised patient outcomes. Gallium-68 fibroblast activating protein inhibitor (Ga-FAPI) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), leveraging the distinct affinity of fibroblast activation protein for cancer-associated fibroblasts, emerges as a promising solution to bridge this diagnostic gap. Parotid gland adenocarcinoma is a relatively rare malignancy with metastasis typically occurring in regional lymph nodes and distant sites such as the lungs and bones.

What Do Patients Seek Care for at a Health Facility in the Aftermath of an Earthquake? Experiences From an Emergency Medical Team in Türkoğlu, Türkiye 2023.

On February 6, 2023, a strong earthquake (7.8 Richter scale) shook southwestern Türkiye, and also affected areas in northwest Syria, resulting in over 50 000 fatalities and more than 100 000 injured in Türkiye, in addition to the displacement of approximately 3 million people. In response to an international request for assistance from the Turkish government, the United Kingdom (UK) government deployed an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Type 1 to provide outpatient care.

Development of a framework to structure decision-making in environmental and occupational health: A systematic review and Delphi study.

Background: Environmental and occupational health (EOH) assessments increasingly utilize systematic review methods and structured frameworks for evaluating evidence about the human health effects of exposures. However, there is no prevailing approach for how to integrate this evidence into decisions or recommendations. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) evidence-to-decision (EtD) frameworks provide a structure to support standardized and transparent consideration of relevant criteria to inform health decisions.

Cognitive assessment tools for older adults in the Arabic language: a systematic review.

Background: Across the Arab world, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are a growing public health concern with the increase in the proportion of older adults. Yet, our understanding of these conditions remains limited because of a lack of data. Robust assessments of cognitive function are crucial for screening, prevention, and risk factor identification.

Subjective Memory and its Association with Cognitive Performance among Older Adults: Findings from a Cohort Study in Lebanon.

Background: Rapid aging in low‐to‐middle income countries (LMICs) is expected to lead to exponential growth in dementia. As standard cognitive tools can be time‐consuming and cause fatigue for older adults, health professionals in primary care settings can utilize efficient measures to assess their cognitive performance. To date, there are still inconsistencies in the correlation between subjective memory complaints and cognitive impairment.

The impact of music on patient tolerance during office-based laryngeal surgery.

Objective: To investigate the impact of music on patient tolerance during office-based laryngeal surgery (OBLS).

Methods: All patients undergoing OBLS between February 2024 to June 2024 were invited to participate in this study. They were divided into two subgroups, those with music in the background during surgery and those without.

Unusual presentation of necrotising sarcoid granulomatosis in the liver, spleen and bone.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory multisystem disease characterised by non-necrotising granulomas that typically affect the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes, skin, liver, spleen, heart, bones and joints. Although rare, necrotising granulomas can also occur. In this report, we present a case of a healthy woman in her 60s who presented with a 1-year history of fatigue and generalised body aches.

Physician demography in Lebanon 2024: identifying gaps and proposing solutions for sustainable healthcare system.

Background: Lebanon continues to experience dramatic changes in its medical demography following the ongoing economic crisis of 2019, including brain drain of physicians across different specialties. This paper assesses the landscape of physicians in Lebanon in 2024 to highlight gaps and propose solutions.

Methods: A List of registered physicians is obtained from the Lebanese Order of Physicians (LOP) in Beirut and Tripoli.

Maintaining the Cartilage Phenotype of Late-Passage Chondrocytes Using Salidroside, TGF-β, and Sulfated Alginate for Cartilage Tissue Engineering Applications.

The limited self-repair capacity of cartilage due to its avascular and aneural nature leads to minimal regenerative ability. Autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) is a popular treatment for cartilage defects but faces challenges due to chondrocyte dedifferentiation in later passages, which results in undesirable fibroblastic phenotypes. A promising treatment for cartilage injuries and diseases involves tissue engineering using cells (e.

Barriers and Facilitators for the Use of Patient Lifts by Healthcare Workers: A Scoping Review.

(1) Background: Patient lifts are evidence-based engineering controls used in Safe Patient Handling Programs to assist healthcare workers in moving patients. They have been shown to be beneficial for both healthcare workers and patients. However, these devices are not consistently used.

Testing the Isotropic Cauchy Hypothesis.

The isotropic Cauchy distribution is a member of the central α-stable family that plays a role in the set of heavy-tailed distributions similar to that of the Gaussian density among finite second-moment laws. Given a sequence of observations, we are interested in characterizing the performance of Likelihood Ratio Tests, where two hypotheses are plausible for the observed quantities: either isotropic Cauchy or isotropic Gaussian. Under various setups, we show that the probability of error of such detectors is not always exponentially decaying with , with the leading term in the exponent shown to be logarithmic instead, and we determine the constants in that leading term.

Processed and ultra-processed foods are associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in a cross-sectional sample of urban Lebanese adults.

While low dietary quality has been linked to poor mental health, evidence on more direct relations of specific dietary quality indicators, namely degrees of food processing, with mental health disorders remains limited. This study aims to investigate the association between food groups' intakes, defined based on their degree of food processing, with depression and anxiety symptoms in a sample of Lebanese adults. We hypothesized that higher intakes of ultra-processed foods (UPF) will be related to higher risk of depression and anxiety while an opposite association will be observed for unprocessed or minimally processed foods (MPF).

Exploring food safety knowledge and practices in Lebanon.

Background: Lebanon's economic and financial crises have affected the quality-of-life, including food safety and food security.

Aim: To assess food safety knowledge and practices among a sample Lebanese population and the association with the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of participants.

Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data online from 412 Lebanese adults aged ≥ 18 years [mostly female (77.

Receipt of humanitarian cash transfers, household food insecurity and the subjective wellbeing of Syrian refugee youth in Jordan.

Objective: Humanitarian aid, including food aid, has increasingly shifted towards provision of cash assistance over in-kind benefits. This paper examines whether food security mediates the relationship between receipt of humanitarian cash transfers and subjective wellbeing among Syrian refugee youth in Jordan.

Design: Secondary analysis of the 2020-21 Survey of Young People in Jordan, which is nationally representative of Syrian youth aged 16-30.

Predictors of prolonged hospital length of stay and mortality in adult patients with diabetic ketoacidosis in Lebanon: a monocentric retrospective study.

Objectives: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an acute complication in patients who suffer from diabetes mellitus that could progress to fatal outcomes if not identified and treated promptly. DKA poses a substantial impact on healthcare systems. In this study, we aim to identify the predictors of prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS) and mortality in patients admitted with DKA.

Syphilis infection prevalence in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can be prevented and effectively treated; yet it continues to be a cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is a limited understanding of the epidemiology of syphilis in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Methods: A systematic review conducted up to April 30, 2024 assessed the prevalence of syphilis and followed PRISMA guidelines, without language and date restrictions.

Predictors of sepsis in trauma patients: a National Trauma Data Bank analysis.

Background: Trauma remains a global health issue being one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Sepsis and infections are common complications contributing to mortality, emphasizing the need to understand factors leading to such complications following trauma.

Aim: This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with post-trauma sepsis using data from the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB).

Review of the environmental and health risks of hydraulic fracturing fluids.

The composition of hydraulic fracturing (HF) fluid poses risks to human health and the environment by impacting drinking water sources. Fracturing fluid recovery rate is highly variable, and the fact that a high percentage of the injected HF fluid is not produced back to the surface in some areas raises questions about its fate and possible migration into aquifers. In this paper, the composition of the HF fluid and related toxicity are described, along with insights about the environmental impact linked with HF fluid, synthesized spill data, main factors affecting the flow-back ratio, and induced seismicity related to HF activities.

Healthcare professionals face ethical challenges in managing care for neurodevelopmental disorders: a qualitative study in Lebanon.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the ethical challenges faced by healthcare professionals (HCPs) in managing children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in Lebanon. The primary research question addressed how HCPs navigate ethical dilemmas related to patient autonomy, surrogate decision-making and communication in the context of severe cognitive impairments.

Design: Qualitative, cross-sectional study using semi-structured interviews.

Sexual function in pregnancy and postpartum: breaking the silence.

Background: Sexual function during pregnancy and the postpartum period is a complex component of maternal and couple health, and it's deeply influenced by an intricate interplay of physiological, psychological, childbirth, and relational factors.

Aim: This review seeks to explore the nuanced dynamics of sexual function during pregnancy and the postpartum period, shedding light on both the challenges and opportunities for enhancing maternal and couple sexual well-being.

Methods: Drawing on a combination of existing scientific literature and extensive clinical experience, this expert opinion delves into the physiological transformations, psychological adjustments, and shifts in relational dynamics that accompany pregnancy and postpartum.

Global, regional, and national burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risks: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.

Background: The global burden of metabolic diseases is increasing, but estimates of their impact on primary liver cancer are uncertain. We aimed to assess the global burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risk factors, including high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, between 1990 and 2021.

Methods: The total number and age-standardized rates of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from primary liver cancer attributable to each metabolic risk factor were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.