Engineering properties of porous concrete made of sustainable aggregate

The effect of using different types of aggregate on engineering properties of previous concrete is experimentally evaluated in this study. For this purpose, a total of four concrete mixes are cast and tested. The main parameters studied in this study are the aggregate type (natural and recycled) and aggregate size. The recycled aggregate was provided from damaged pavement roads at Amarah city. The flexural and compressive strength, infiltration, and permeability of pervious concrete are recorded throughout the study. The results of study revealed that the mechanical and physical properties of previous concrete made of recycled aggregate confirms with the international specifications. Furthermore, the conclusions appear the ability of using recycled aggregate from damaged road pavements as aggregate for producing the pervious concrete have an acceptable engineering properties. The utilizing of recycled aggregate contributes to reduce the pollution and represent as a kind of sustainability of this type of concrete materials

Investigation of Noise Pollution of Electrical Diesel Generators in Duhok City/ Kurdistan of Iraq

The City of Duhok, Kurdistan region of Iraq, whilst has been subjected to persistent fast development and urbanization and expansion of economy, travel and tourism, it is still suffering from the shortage of public electricity supply since 1990. This leads to widely depending on diesel electricity generators. This study investigates diesel generators noise pollution in Duhok city. An empirical correlation formula was deduced for the mean noise level of 30 diesel generator sites as a function of distance for the 50 meters range, and then this correlation is extrapolated up to 80 m from the sites. The results showed that the measured mean noise level at 50 m from the generator sites was 74.86 dB(A) which is higher than the permissible noise level for residential and commercial areas that are 55 dB(A) and 65 dB(A) respectively, while it is near the industrial areas which equals 75 dB(A). On making the extrapolation to the empirical formula to compare distance up to 80 m from the sites, the extrapolated mean noise level reduced to 71.1 dB(A) which is still beyond the permissible noise level for residential and commercial areas

A comparative study between coblation and bipolar electrocautery tonsillectomy in children

Background and objective: Tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy is an operation done frequently in all otolaryngology departments all over the world. Many new surgical techniques found over the last few decades to decrease the morbidity of this surgery. This study aimed to compare intraoperative efficiency and postoperative recovery between coblation and bipolar electrocautery tonsillectomy. Methods: This prospective study was carried out on 60 patients that underwent tonsillectomy over six months from 1(st) August 2014 to 31(st) January 2015 in Rizgary Teaching Hospital, Erbil city. They patients equally divided into two groups; coblation tonsillectomy (30 patients) and bipolar electrocautery tonsillectomy (30 patients). Their age ranged between 2.5-12 years. The operative time and intraoperative blood loss were recorded for each patient and compared. The parents were given a pain diary to record the level of pain each morning for ten days. Also, they were asked to report any complication like bleeding. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the mean operation time between the coblation group and bipolar electrocautery group (6.89 min vs. 7.83 min, P = 0.11). The mean intraoperative blood loss was statistically lower for the bipolar electrocautery group versus the coblation group (1.43 ml vs. 15.37 ml, P <0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in the daily pain scores between the two groups in which the coblation group was associated with lower mean pain score. No episodes of primary or secondary hemorrhage were recorded. Conclusion: Bipolar electrocautery tonsillectomy offers the same operative speed, less intraoperative blood loss, more postoperative pain scores when compared with coblation tonsillectomy

Study on Dissolution test and the correlation factors that lead to different Bioavailability of Drugs

The aim of this work is to study the physical and chemical characteristics solubility testing by using three types of drugs which are: (Clopidegrol tablet, Simvastatin tablet, Chlorpromazine tablet). From different sources (France, Jordan, India, Germany, Creek, Syria and Lebanon) according to American standard (U.S.P30) to obtain the results to the primary solubility testing data the result of the significant level comparison to analysis the variation for the test of equal means of the data of solubility as following: 1 - The solubility of the French drug is the heights with significant level differences at: A - With a highly significant level (P < 0.01) Compared with the Indian product. B - With a non significant level at ( P > 0.05) Compared with Jordan product. C - A highly significant level at (P < 0.01) according to the solubility of Jordan product by using Simvastatin. 2 - The results of significant difference is based on the highest solubility by using Clopidegrol drug at (P < 0.01) compared with the Jordan and with significant level (P < 0.05) compared with Indian drug . 3 - Also the result of significant level comparison given high significant level (P 0.05) compared with Indian product . 4 - Show that their exist a significant difference (P < 0.05) with the highly solubility for the Lebanon product compared with Syrian product by also using chlorpromazine in similarly test for average reading of solubility by using t-test

Treatment of chronic or relapsing COVID-19 in immunodeficiency

BACKGROUND: Patients with some types of immunodeficiency can suffer chronic or relapsing infection with SARS-CoV-2. This leads to morbidity and mortality, infection control challenges and the risk of evolution of novel viral variants. Optimal treatment for chronic COVID-19 is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To characterise a cohort of patients with chronic or relapsing COVID-19 disease and to record treatment response. METHODS: We conducted a UK physician survey to collect data on underlying diagnosis and demographics, clinical features and treatment response of immune deficient patients with chronic (at least 21 days) or relapsing (at least two episodes) of COVID-19. RESULTS: We identified 31 cases with a median age of 49 years. Underlying immune deficiency was characterised by antibody deficiency with absent or profoundly reduced peripheral B cells; prior anti-CD20 therapy and X-linked agammaglobulinemia were most common. Clinical features of COVID-19 were similar to the general population, but the median duration of symptomatic disease was 64 days (maximum 300 days) and individual patients experienced up to five episodes of illness. Remdesivir monotherapy (including when given for prolonged courses up to 20 days) was associated with sustained viral clearance in 7/23 (30.4%) clinical episodes whereas the combination of remdesivir with convalescent plasma or anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies resulted in viral clearance in 13/14 (92.8%) episodes. Patients receiving no therapy did not clear SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 can present as a chronic or relapsing disease in patients with antibody deficiency. Remdesivir monotherapy is frequently associated with treatment failure, but the combination of remdesivir with antibody-based therapeutics holds promise

The Impact of Psychosocial Factors of Physical Health Outcomes: A Review of the Biopsychosocial Model in Family Medicine

Discontent with the biological model of illness—which is still the predominant healthcare model—led to the development of the biopsychosocial model, which was described in Engel's seminal Science paper forty years ago. It is the foundation of the International Classification of Functioning (WHO ICF) developed by the World Health Organization Clinical outcomes for functional disorders and chronic diseases treated in family medicine may be improved by the biopsychosocial approach. Since clinical performance metrics and standards are biomedically focused, family medicine doctors have no financial incentive to implement the biopsychosocial paradigm in their practices. Implementing the biopsychosocial approach in family medicine may be hampered by workload and incompetence

Promises and challenges of adoptive T-cell therapies for solid tumours.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and, despite new targeted therapies and immunotherapies, many patients with advanced-stage- or high-risk cancers still die, owing to metastatic disease. Adoptive T-cell therapy, involving the autologous or allogeneic transplant of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes or genetically modified T cells expressing novel T-cell receptors or chimeric antigen receptors, has shown promise in the treatment of cancer patients, leading to durable responses and, in some cases, cure. Technological advances in genomics, computational biology, immunology and cell manufacturing have brought the aspiration of individualised therapies for cancer patients closer to reality. This new era of cell-based individualised therapeutics challenges the traditional standards of therapeutic interventions and provides opportunities for a paradigm shift in our approach to cancer therapy. Invited speakers at a 2020 symposium discussed three areas-cancer genomics, cancer immunology and cell-therapy manufacturing-that are essential to the effective translation of T-cell therapies in the treatment of solid malignancies. Key advances have been made in understanding genetic intratumour heterogeneity, and strategies to accurately identify neoantigens, overcome T-cell exhaustion and circumvent tumour immunosuppression after cell-therapy infusion are being developed. Advances are being made in cell-manufacturing approaches that have the potential to establish cell-therapies as credible therapeutic options. T-cell therapies face many challenges but hold great promise for improving clinical outcomes for patients with solid tumours

Promises and challenges of adoptive T-cell therapies for solid tumours

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-11-09, rev-recd 2021-02-22, accepted 2021-03-04, registration 2021-03-04, pub-electronic 2021-03-29, online 2021-03-29, pub-print 2021-05-25Publication status: PublishedFunder: DH | National Institute for Health Research (NIHR); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000272; Grant(s): RCF18/046Funder: Ovarian Cancer Action; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000299; Grant(s): HER000762Abstract: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and, despite new targeted therapies and immunotherapies, many patients with advanced-stage- or high-risk cancers still die, owing to metastatic disease. Adoptive T-cell therapy, involving the autologous or allogeneic transplant of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes or genetically modified T cells expressing novel T-cell receptors or chimeric antigen receptors, has shown promise in the treatment of cancer patients, leading to durable responses and, in some cases, cure. Technological advances in genomics, computational biology, immunology and cell manufacturing have brought the aspiration of individualised therapies for cancer patients closer to reality. This new era of cell-based individualised therapeutics challenges the traditional standards of therapeutic interventions and provides opportunities for a paradigm shift in our approach to cancer therapy. Invited speakers at a 2020 symposium discussed three areas—cancer genomics, cancer immunology and cell-therapy manufacturing—that are essential to the effective translation of T-cell therapies in the treatment of solid malignancies. Key advances have been made in understanding genetic intratumour heterogeneity, and strategies to accurately identify neoantigens, overcome T-cell exhaustion and circumvent tumour immunosuppression after cell-therapy infusion are being developed. Advances are being made in cell-manufacturing approaches that have the potential to establish cell-therapies as credible therapeutic options. T-cell therapies face many challenges but hold great promise for improving clinical outcomes for patients with solid tumours

Tuning microtubule dynamics to enhance cancer therapy by modulating FER-mediated CRMP2 phosphorylation

Though used widely in cancer therapy, paclitaxel only elicits a response in a fraction of patients. A strong determinant of paclitaxel tumor response is the state of microtubule dynamic instability. However, whether the manipulation of this physiological process can be controlled to enhance paclitaxel response has not been tested. Here, we show a previously unrecognized role of the microtubule-associated protein CRMP2 in inducing microtubule bundling through its carboxy terminus. This activity is significantly decreased when the FER tyrosine kinase phosphorylates CRMP2 at Y479 and Y499. The crystal structures of wild-type CRMP2 and CRMP2-Y479E reveal how mimicking phosphorylation prevents tetramerization of CRMP2. Depletion of FER or reducing its catalytic activity using sub-therapeutic doses of inhibitors increases paclitaxel-induced microtubule stability and cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells and in vivo. This work provides a rationale for inhibiting FER-mediated CRMP2 phosphorylation to enhance paclitaxel on-target activity for cancer therapy

Shear Behavior of Strengthened Ferrocement RC Beams by Steel Wire Mesh

This paper investigates the possibility of strengthening a ferrocement RC beam with steel wire mesh under static loading. This experimental study included testing ten normal and high-strength concrete specimens made with ferrocement. The main parameters were the steel wire mesh layers 4, 8, and 10 in addition to the compressive strength and shear to span to depth ratio of 1.8 and 2.5. The cracking load, ultimate load, deflections, initial stiffness, energy absorption, diagonal and compressive strains, and crack pattern and failure modes of such beams were discussed. The outcomes exhibited that the beams behave linearly until they reach about 21.5% of the ultimate strength for the normal concrete beam and 23.2% for the high-strength concrete beam. The steel wire mesh presence affected the ultimate strength of the concrete beam, which increased the cracking load by an average of 15.5% for the high-strength RC beam and by 24.2% for normal-strength RC ones. The ultimate load was increased by an average of 40% for the high-strength strengthened beams and with less percentage for the normal ones, which was 31%. The  ratio affected the ultimate load-carrying capacity and maximum displacement directly, which increase  led to a decrease in the ultimate load-carrying capacity. The strengthening by steel wire mesh enhanced the initial stiffness, ductility, and energy absorption. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-05-04 Full Text: PD