Strengthening of Concrete Beams in Shear

Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to predict the behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened in shear with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). To verify and measure the accuracy of the FEM model, the FEA results were compared with both pervious experimental and theoretical results. Two beams were studied simulating the Horsetail Creek Bridge in Oregon, USA. The first one is a control beam with no strengthening fiber. The second one is wrapped with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates to reinforce the beam in shear. Results were represented by load-strain curves for concrete, steel and fiber. In addition, the load deflection curves and crack patterns developed in the beams were presented. The results showed that FE modeling was accurate in simulating the tested beams. It was also clear that using FRP in strengthening reinforced concrete beams is an effective method in improving shear behavior of the beams

HEMA: A Proposed Robot for Improving Healthcare Access in Underserved Communities

Abstract- Healthcare access is a major challenge in underserved communities, where people often face barriers such as distance, cost, and lack of transportation. HEMA (Horus Expert Medical Assistant Robot) is a new technology with the potential to revolutionize healthcare access in underserved communities by providing basic healthcare services on-site. HEMA is a mobile, affordable, and easy-to-use robot that can collect patient data, diagnose common diseases, and provide basic treatment.HEMA can address the challenges of healthcare access in underserved communities in a number of ways. First, HEMA can provide healthcare services to people who live in remote areas and who may not have access to a traditional healthcare facility. Second, HEMA can provide affordable healthcare services to people who may not be able to afford to pay for healthcare out-of-pocket or who may not have health insurance. Third, HEMA can provide healthcare services to people who may have difficulty traveling to a traditional healthcare facility due to a disability or lack of transportation.HEMA has the potential to make a significant impact on the future of healthcare delivery in underserved communities. By providing basic healthcare services on-site, HEMA can help to improve access to care, reduce disparities in health outcomes, and improve the overall health and well-being of people in underserved communitie

HEMA: A Proposed Robot for Improving Healthcare Access in Underserved Communities

Abstract- Healthcare access is a major challenge in underserved communities, where people often face barriers such as distance, cost, and lack of transportation. HEMA (Horus Expert Medical Assistant Robot) is a new technology with the potential to revolutionize healthcare access in underserved communities by providing basic healthcare services on-site. HEMA is a mobile, affordable, and easy-to-use robot that can collect patient data, diagnose common diseases, and provide basic treatment.HEMA can address the challenges of healthcare access in underserved communities in a number of ways. First, HEMA can provide healthcare services to people who live in remote areas and who may not have access to a traditional healthcare facility. Second, HEMA can provide affordable healthcare services to people who may not be able to afford to pay for healthcare out-of-pocket or who may not have health insurance. Third, HEMA can provide healthcare services to people who may have difficulty traveling to a traditional healthcare facility due to a disability or lack of transportation.HEMA has the potential to make a significant impact on the future of healthcare delivery in underserved communities. By providing basic healthcare services on-site, HEMA can help to improve access to care, reduce disparities in health outcomes, and improve the overall health and well-being of people in underserved communitie

Strengthening of Concrete Beams Using FRP Composites

Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to predict the behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). To verify and measure the accuracy of the FEM model, the current model results were compared with both experimental and theoretical available results. Four beams were studied simulating the Horsetail Creek Bridge, Oregon, USA. The first one is a control beam with no strengthening fiber.The second beam is strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) oriented along the length of the beam to reinforce the flexure behavior. The third beam is wrapped with glass fiber reinforced polymer(GFRP) laminates representing the shear beam. The fourth one is strengthened with CFRP and GFRP laminates representing the flexure-shear beam.The load-strain for concrete, steel and fiber as well were represented and compared. In addition, the load deflection curves and crack patterns were developed and represented. The results showed that the modeling process was accurate in simulating the tested beams. It was also clear that using FRP in strengthening reinforced concrete beams is an effective method in improving both shear and flexural behavior of the beams

A Clinical Score to Predict Acute Renal Failure after Cardiac Surgery in Egypt

Background: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery is a serious complication. AKI could occur in 30% of patients, and 1-5% develop severe kidney injury. The present study aimed to evaluate the use of the Cleveland Clinic Score (CCS) to identify patients at higher risk of AKI after cardiac surgery. Methods: This study included 100 patients, 83 were males, and the mean age was 52.47±11.3 years. All patients had elective operations; 30% had isolated valve surgery, 64% had isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and 6% had combined CABG and valve operation. Results: Creatinine serum level ranged between 0.5-2 mg/dL with a mean of 0.98±0.32 mg/dL. Seventy-four patients had good renal function postoperatively, and their CCS was 1.45±0.36, while 26 patients had renal impairment, and their CCS was 12.5±0.44 (P= 0.001). Patients who had AKI were older (62.87±8.7 vs. 49.9±13.9; P<0.001) and had higher preoperative creatinine (1.1±0.32 vs. 0.94±0.31; P= 0.03). AKI was more common in diabetics (23 (88.5%) vs. 28 (37.85, P<0.001) and patients with COPD (6 (23.1%) vs. 3 (4.1%); P= 0.004). CCS score was significantly higher among the different degrees of severity of AKI. Conclusion: Cleveland Clinic Score could be good for predicting acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery

Right mini-thoracotomy versus median sternotomy for mitral valve replacement

Background: The advantages of minimally invasive mitral valve surgery over the conventional approach is still debated. This study aimed to evaluate early outcomes after mitral valve replacement (MVR) using the right mini-thoracotomy (RMT) versus median sternotomy (MS). Methods: We prospectively included 60 patients who had MVR from May 2015 to June 2017. We classified patients into two groups; Group A (n= 30) had RMT, and Group B (n= 30) had MS. Postoperative pain score, wound satisfaction, and clinical and echocardiographic outcomes were compared between both groups. Results: The mean age was 39.90 ± 12.34 years in Group A and 45.75 ± 13.10 years in Group B (p= 0.08). Preoperative and echocardiographic data showed no statistical significance difference between the groups. Group A had longer aortic cross-clamp (118.85 ± 40.56 vs. 70.75 ± 24.81 minutes, p<0.001) and cardiopulmonary bypass times (186.70 ± 67.44 vs. 104.65 ± 42.60 minutes, p<0.001).  Group B had more blood loss (565 ± 344.3 vs. 241.5 ±89.16 ml/24 hours, p<0.001). The median pain score was 1 (range: 1- 3) in Group A and 4 (2- 8) in Group B (p<0.001), and the median wound satisfaction was 1.5 (1- 4) in Group A and 4 (1- 7) in Group B (p<0.001).  Wound infection occurred in 1 (3.3%) patient in Group A and 6 (20%) patients in Group B (p=0.04). Conclusion: Mitral valve replacement through the right mini-thoracotomy could be a safe alternative to median sternotomy. The right mini-thoracotomy was associated with longer operative times but better pain and wound satisfaction scores and lower wound infection

Polyhydroxyalkanoates Biopolymer Production by Moderately Halophilic Paracoccus onubensis Strain E3: Extraction, Characterization and Synergistic Activity with Sorafenib Drug against Hepatocellular Carcinoma through Molecular Docking Approach

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable, low-cost, and ecofriendly polymers produced by various bacteria in the environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of moderately halophilic Paracoccus onubensis strain E3 as a promising PHA-producing bacteria isolated from a hypersaline environment in Egypt. The optimum conditions for PHAs production were explored and the recorded maximum yield of PHAs was 54.77 mg/ l after 72 h of incubation at 37 o C, pH 7, and 4 % NaCl (w/v), using constant carbon and nitrogen sources. PHAs were extracted and then subjected to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), where the spectrum showed a strong band at 1649.72 cm−1 for the carbon (C=O) stretching of the ester group, which is a common feature in PHAs structures, and Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. The GC-MS identified twelve different biodegradable PHA compounds, including hexadecenoic acid and octadecanoic acid. The molecular docking study displayed high potential of the extracted PHA ingredients as drugs used against liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); with binding affinity ranging between -4.0 to -6.5 kcal/ mol. This is in addition to the prediction of a synergistic effect of PHAs ingredients and sorafenib drug against HCC, showing a promising binding affinity ranging from 20.2 to 23.2 kcal/ mol. Our findings indicate that Paracoccus onubensis strain E3 is a promising candidate for producing PHAs, which could be used as a drug delivery system for HCC treatment with sorafenib drug

Phylogeny and functional diversity of halophilic microbial communities from a thalasso environment

The El-Rawda solar saltern, located in North Sinai, Egypt, is formed through the process of water evaporation from the Bradawil lagoon. This evaporation leads to the precipitation of gypsum, halite minerals, and salt flats, which subsequently cover the southern and eastern areas of the lagoon. This study employed the shotgun metagenomic approach, the illumine platform, and bioinformatic tools to investigate the taxonomic composition and functional diversity of halophilic microbial communities in solar saltern. The metagenomic reads obtained from the brine sample exhibited a greater count compared to those from the sediment sample. Notably, the brine sample was primarily characterized by an abundance of archaea, while the sediment sample displayed a dominant abundance of bacteria. Both samples exhibited a relatively low abundance of eukaryotes, while viruses were only found in the brine sample. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of functional pathways showed many important processes related to central metabolism and protein processing in brine and sediment samples. In brief, this research makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of very halophilic ecosystems in Egypt, providing insights into their microbial biodiversity and functional processes

Pigment epithelium-derived factor inhibits retinal microvascular dysfunction induced by 12/15-lipoxygenase-derived eicosanoids

We recently demonstrated that 12/15-lipoxygenase (LOX) derived metabolites, hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), contribute to diabetic retinopathy (DR) via NADPH oxidase (NOX) and disruption of the balance in retinal levels of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF). Here, we test whether PEDF ameliorates retinal vascular injury induced by HETEs and the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, we pursue the causal relationship between LOX–NOX system and regulation of PEDF expression during DR. For these purposes, we used an experimental eye model in which normal mice were injected intravitreally with 12-HETE with/without PEDF. Thereafter, fluorescein angiography (FA) was used to evaluate the vascular leakage, followed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess the presence of angiogenesis. FA and OCT reported an increased vascular leakage and pre-retinal neovascularization, respectively, in response to 12-HETE that were not observed in the PEDF-treated group. Moreover, PEDF significantly attenuated the increased levels of vascular cell and intercellular adhesion molecules, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1, elicited by 12-HETE injection. Accordingly, the direct relationship between HETEs and PEDF has been explored through in-vitro studies using Müller cells (rMCs) and human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs). The results showed that 12- and 15-HETEs triggered the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6, as well as activation of NFκB in rMCs and significantly increased permeability and reduced zonula occludens protein-1 (ZO-1) immunoreactivity in HRECs. All these effects were prevented in PEDF-treated cells. Furthermore, interest in PEDF regulation during DR has been expanded to include NOX system. Retinal PEDF was significantly restored in diabetic mice treated with NOX inhibitor, apocynin, or lacking NOX2 up to 80% of the control level. Collectively, our findings suggest that interfering with LOX–NOX signaling opens up a new direction for treating DR by restoring endogenous PEDF that carries out multilevel vascular protective functions.National Eye Institute 5R01EY023315-02, Qatar National Research Fund NPRP 4-1046-3-284, and Vision Discovery Institute (MA), Mr. and Mrs. Richards travel award (ASI)

A lipidomic screen of hyperglycemia-treated HRECs links 12/15-Lipoxygenase to microvascular dysfunction during diabetic retinopathy via NADPH oxidase

Retinal hyperpermeability and subsequent macular edema is a cardinal feature of early diabetic retinopathy (DR). Here, we investigated the role of bioactive lipid metabolites, in particular 12/15-lipoxygenase (LOX)-derived metabolites, in this process. LC/MS lipidomic screen of human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) demonstrated that 15-HETE was the only significantly increased metabolite (2.4 ± 0.4-fold, P = 0.0004) by high glucose (30 mM) treatment. In the presence of arachidonic acid, additional eicosanoids generated by 12/15-LOX, including 12- and 11-HETEs, were significantly increased. Fluorescein angiography and retinal albumin leakage showed a significant decrease in retinal hyperpermeability in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice lacking 12/15-LOX compared with diabetic WT mice. Our previous studies demonstrated the potential role of NADPH oxidase in mediating the permeability effect of 12- and 15-HETEs, therefore we tested the impact of intraocular injection of 12-HETE in mice lacking the catalytic subunit of NADPH oxidase (NOX2). The permeability effect of 12-HETE was significantly reduced in NOX2−/− mice compared with the WT mice. In vitro experiments also showed that 15-HETE induced HREC migration and tube formation in a NOX-dependent manner. Taken together our data suggest that 12/15-LOX is implicated in DR via a NOX-dependent mechanism.National Institutes of Health Grant 5R01EY023315 and National Priorities Research Program Grant 4-1046-3-284 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). This study was also supported in part by the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health Grant S10RR027926