First Report of ' Phytoplasma asteris' (16SrI-B subgroup) associated with stunting and little leaves of guar ( L.) in the world.

Guar or cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) is a leguminous crop well-suited for cultivation in arid and semi-arid regions. India accounts for 90% of world's guar production.

12-month outcomes of ziv-aflibercept for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in eyes previously treated with aflibercept.

Purpose: To investigate the 12-month outcomes of ziv-aflibercept for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in eyes previously treated with aflibercept.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients with nAMD previously treated with aflibercept for at least 12 months and subsequently transitioned to ziv-aflibercept between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2022, for a period of at least 12 months. Participants were identified, and their clinical and imaging information was extracted from our electronic health records system.

Survey of Geriatric Competencies and Curricular Models in Entry-Level DPT Programs in the United States.

Background And Purpose: Nearly 2 decades have elapsed since the last national survey examining entry-level PT geriatric content. Furthermore, no survey has been completed investigating the extent to which the "Essential Competencies in the Care of Older Adults at the Completion of Entry-level Physical Therapist Professional Program of Study" were incorporated into DPT programs. The purpose of this study is to identify the extent to which DPT programs include geriatric topics and the Essential Competencies within curricula and determine geriatric content requiring proficiency for entry-level practice.

Development of the Revised Entry-Level Essential Competencies in the Care of Older Adults: Linking Domains of Competence, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education Standards, and the Geriatric 5Ms.

Purpose: Geriatric physical therapy (PT) has evolved since 2011, when the Essential Competencies (ECs) in the Care of Older Adults at the Completion of the Entry-level Physical Therapy Professional Program of Study were published. The purpose of the ECs was to ensure that all entry-level physical therapists were prepared to meet the unique needs of the growing older adult population. Changes in population demographics, medical and research advances, coupled with advancements in the profession of PT, necessitate a revision of the ECs.

Chitosan-Camphor Beads as a Novel Starting Biomaterial: Insights Into Methodological Approaches for Preparation.

Biomaterials with antimicrobial and muco-adhesive properties represent an efficient system for different applications. In this paper, a new biomaterial based on chitosan-camphor beads and their crosslinked form with glutaraldehyde was optimized. Low and high molecular weight chitosan were considered.

Public awareness, knowledge, and attitude toward epilepsy in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Epilepsy, a prevalent chronic neurological disorder, is associated with misconceptions, negative attitudes, and stigma because of poor public knowledge and awareness. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to assess the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward epilepsy and its associated factors among the Lebanese general population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on Lebanese adults between October 2021 and June 2022 using an electronic structured self-administered questionnaire that was circulated online using the different social media platforms.

Position statement of the World Endoscopy Organization: Role of endoscopy in screening, diagnosis, and treatment of esophageal superficial squamous neoplasia.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a significant global health challenge, being the sixth leading cause of cancer mortality with pronounced geographic variability. The incidence rates range from 125 per 100,000 in northern China to 1-1.5 per 100,000 in the United States, driven by environmental and lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, dietary habits, and pollution.

"We use it a lot for everything": Antibioticalization and everyday life in a refugee camp in Lebanon.

Increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance has accelerated global efforts to reduce antibiotic use. While antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat, especially in low-income settings, there is a scarcity of research on how people in such environments, including refugee camps, access and use antibiotics. This article explores factors that contribute to the shaping of antibiotic use in Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon.

Impact on clinical guideline adherence of Orient-COVID, a clinical decision support system based on dynamic decision trees for COVID19 management: A randomized simulation trial with medical trainees.

Background: The adherence of clinicians to clinical practice guidelines is known to be low, including for the management of COVID-19, due to their difficult use at the point of care and their complexity. Clinical decision support systems have been proposed to implement guidelines and improve adherence. One approach is to permit the navigation inside the recommendations, presented as a decision tree, but the size of the tree often limits this approach and may cause erroneous navigation, especially when it does not fit in a single screen.

Germline pathogenic variants among high hereditary risk patients with breast and ovarian cancer and unaffected subjects in Lebanese Arab women.

Background: The prevalence of germline pathogenic variants in high hereditary risk breast and/or ovarian cancer patients and unaffected subjects referred for testing is an unmet need in low and middle-income countries.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of germline pathogenic variants in high hereditary risk patients with breast and/or ovarian cancer and unaffected individuals.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records of patients and unaffected subjects referred for germline pathogenic variant testing due to high hereditary risk between 2010-2020.

Elevated frequency and severity of asthma in patients with hiatal hernia: A retrospective study.

Hiatal Hernia (HH) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been found to be associated with respiratory conditions, such as pulmonary fibrosis. However, their association with asthma remains ambiguous. Thus, the present cross-sectional, retrospective, monocentric study aimed to investigate the prevalence of asthma among patients with HH, evaluate its severity in these patients, and screen for associated respiratory symptoms.

Trends and Outcomes of Laparoscopic Surgery in Low-Resource Settings: Lessons From Two African Healthcare Systems-A Narrative Review.

Introduction: Laparoscopic surgery (LS) has been a promising development in surgical practice globally ever since its introduction. LS has exhibited many an advantage, including bettering patient outcomes, lowering the risk of postoperative infection, and displaying economical affluence. However, its implementation in the African continent still faces various challenges.

Global Health and Peace: The Elusive Path with a Focus on Palestine, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

The interrelationality of health and peace is complex, multifactorial, and imbued with political and economic challenges. Peace and health outcomes reflect shared fundamental values related to the achievement of a balanced holistic condition on the individual and collective level. This causal relationship between social inequity and health requires special attention be paid to the impact of political instability and structural violence on undermining health systems in conflict zones.

A comprehensive review of thermoelectric cooling technologies for enhanced thermal management in lithium-ion battery systems.

With the rising demand of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), the necessity for efficient thermal management of Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIB) becomes more crucial. Over the past few years, thermoelectric coolers (TEC) have been increasingly used to cool LIBs effectively. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of thermoelectric technologies for improving the thermal management in LIB Systems.

Analysis of the thermal distribution of a porous radial fin influenced by an inclined magnetic field with neural computing.

Fins and radial fins are versatile engineering components that significantly enhance heat transfer and thermal management in diverse applications, hence improving efficiency and performance across several sectors. This study examines the temperature distribution in a radial porous fin under steady-state conditions, evaluating the impact of several significant parameters by utilizing a novel methodology. We specifically introduce an inclined magnetic field and examine the effects of convection and internal heat generation on the thermal behavior of the fin.

Compliance to international guidelines and rational use of antibiotics in urinary tract infections in a country without national guidance: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections, and appropriate antimicrobial therapy with agents that minimise resistance is crucial. Despite international concern, adherence to guidelines is still suboptimal. This study aims to determine the effect of the absence of national guidelines and the rate of conformity to international guidelines among physicians in antibiotic (ATB) prescriptions for the treatment of UTIs in adults and detect the factors that are associated with a higher rate of non-compliance.

National Poison Data System Annual Report: under the hood.

Introduction: The 41st National Poison Data System Annual Report from America's Poison Centers is published in this issue of This Commentary focuses on comparing the different poisoning-related surveillance systems in the United States while highlighting some of the strengths and weaknesses of the National Poison Data System. It also reviews the process underlying the fatality review section of the Annual Report.

Comparison Of Poisoning Surveillance Systems: In order to place the data reported by the National Poison Data System in context, the National Poison Data System was compared to other available poisoning surveillance systems in the United States: the American College of Medical Toxicology's Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) Registry, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Prevention and Control Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) which partners with the Consumer Products Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System - All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database.

Defensive tactics: lessons from Drosophila.

Parasitoid wasps exert strong selective pressure on their hosts, driving the evolution of diverse defense strategies. Drosophila, a widely studied model organism, hosts a wide range of parasites, including parasitoid wasps, and has evolved immune and behavioral mechanisms to mitigate the risk of parasitization. These defenses range from avoidance and evasion to post-infection immune responses, such as melanotic encapsulation.

Machine Learning Enabled Prediction of Biologically Relevant Gene Expression Using CT-Based Radiomic Features in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a global health challenge, driving morbidity and mortality. The emerging field of radiogenomics utilizes statistical methods to correlate radiographic tumor features with genomic characteristics from biopsy samples. Radiomic techniques automate the precise extraction of imaging features from tumor regions in radiographic scans, which are subjected to machine learning (ML) to predict genomic attributes.

A Comprehensive Review Highlighting the Prospects of Phytonutrient Berberine as an Anticancer Agent.

Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid derived from various medicinal plants, emerges as a potential therapeutic agent against diverse human diseases. It has particularly shown notable anticancer efficacy against breast, colorectal, lung, prostate, and liver cancer. Berberine results in inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and suppressing angiogenesis, positioning it as a versatile, multitargeted therapeutic tool against cancer.

A Review of Anemia Prevalence, and Prevention and Control Strategies, in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region.

Anemia is a global public health and nutrition problem. However, data on its prevalence and potential causal factors in the 22 countries of the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia region are not systematically collected, analyzed, and reported, leading to challenges in formulating appropriate preventative strategies. We examined available anemia prevalence data among different population groups through reviewing survey reports from 2010 to 2022; conducted a literature review to explore underlying determinants of anemia including iron deficiency; and collated and reviewed program and policy documentation across the region.

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis: a literature review and case study.

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare but treatable inherited neurometabolic disorder that can lead to severe sequelae if left untreated. Chenodeoxycholic acid is a safe and effective treatment for CTX. Early diagnosis is essential to improve patient outcomes.

Suboptimal Attainment of Global Goals of Human Rights, Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals in Gaza During 2023-2024.

The Israel military occupation, ongoing for over 75 years, has profoundly impacted the health and well-being of Palestinians. Despite longstanding calls for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and sustainable development, the response of global health systems and organizations to crises such as the recent large-scale military assault on Gaza in October 2023 has been inadequate. There is a critical need to examine why these global health approaches have failed and how they can be restructured to address the unique challenges in Gaza effectively.