Characterization of Artificial Magnetic Conductor, Electromagnetic Band Gap and Frequency Selective Surface

This paper investigates the characteristics of Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC), Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) and Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) at 5.8 GHz. Reflection magnitude and phase are characterized both AMC and EBG meanwhile, the band gap is specially characterized by the EBG structure. Besides that, transmission and reflection coefficients are used to characterize the FSS structure. Three different flexible substrates are considered which are Fast Film, Arlon AD350 and Rogers RO3010. Then, angular stability is analyzed for each structure. In order to design AMC, EBG and FSS by using thin substrate, the highest dielectric constant is needed to develop a compact structure with the highest bandwidth. Later, AMC, EBG and FSS structures can be used to improve the radiation pattern apart from enhancing the realized gain of a low profile antenna such as dipole antenna

Camel-related pancreatico-duodenal injuries: A report of three cases and review of literature

Background: Human pancreatico-duodenal injuries caused by camels are extremely rare.Objective: We report three patients who sustained camel-related pancreatico-duodenal injuries and review the literature on this topic.Results: A 32-year camel caregiver was kicked by a camel which then stepped on his abdomen trying to kill him. The patient’s abdomen was soft and lax. CT scan of the abdomen showed free retroperitoneal air. Laparotomy revealed a complete tear of the anterior wall of the second part of duodenum which was primarily repaired. A 40-year camel caregiver was directly kicked into his abdomen by a camel. He developed traumatic pancreatitis which was treated conservatively. A 31-year-old male fell down on his abdomen while riding a camel. Abdominal examination revealed tenderness and guarding. Abdominal CT Scan showed complete transection of the neck of the pancreas which was confirmed by laparotomy. The patient had distal pancreatectomy with preservation of the spleen. All patients were discharged home in good condition.Conclusion: These cases demonstrate the misleading presentation of the camel-realted pancreatico-duodenal injuries and their unique mechanism of injury.Key words: Duodenum, pancreas, pancreatitis, injury, trauma, came

Preparation of Polyfunctionally Substituted Pyridine-2(1H) thione Derivatives as Precursors to Bicycles and Polycycles

Reaction of acetylacetone with 1 mole of dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal (DMFDMA) affords enamine 2a which react with cyanothioacetamide to give pyridinethione 3a. Pyridinethione 3a reacts with methyl iodide, halogenated compounds, aromatic aldehyde and malononitrile / elemental sulfur to yiled compounds 7-10 respectively. Reactions of thioether (7) in ethanolic K2CO3, 1 mole DMFDMA and 4-(dimethylamino) benzaldehyde gave compounds (11, 13, 14) respectively. Enaminone (12) can be prepared by reaction of compound (11) with DMFDMA. Also, compounds (13) and (14) can be obtained by reaction of compounds (3a) and (9a) with 2 mole of DMFDMA and methyl iodide respectively. Reactions of enaminone (9) with hydrazine hydrate and cyanothioacetamide gave compounds (11) and (12) respectively. Malononitrile dimmer when reacted with chalcones (9a), (14) and enaminone (12), (13) gave bipyridyl (15), (16) and (19a,b) respectively. Bipyridyl (15) can be converted to (16) by methylation using methyl iodide. Reactions of thienopyridine (8) with DMFDMA and sodium nitrite in acetic acid gave tricyclic compounds (20) and (21) respectively. Finally, reactions of (21a) with malononitrile / elemental sulfur and DMFDMA gave compounds (22) and (23) respectively

Preparation of Polyfunctionally Substituted Pyridine-2(1H) thione Derivatives as Precursors to Bicycles and Polycycles

Reaction of acetylacetone with 1 mole of dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal (DMFDMA) affords enamine 2a which react with cyanothioacetamide to give pyridinethione 3a. Pyridinethione 3a reacts with methyl iodide, halogenated compounds, aromatic aldehyde and malononitrile / elemental sulfur to yiled compounds 7-10 respectively. Reactions of thioether (7) in ethanolic K2CO3, 1 mole DMFDMA and 4-(dimethylamino) benzaldehyde gave compounds (11, 13, 14) respectively. Enaminone (12) can be prepared by reaction of compound (11) with DMFDMA. Also, compounds (13) and (14) can be obtained by reaction of compounds (3a) and (9a) with 2 mole of DMFDMA and methyl iodide respectively. Reactions of enaminone (9) with hydrazine hydrate and cyanothioacetamide gave compounds (11) and (12) respectively. Malononitrile dimmer when reacted with chalcones (9a), (14) and enaminone (12), (13) gave bipyridyl (15), (16) and (19a,b) respectively. Bipyridyl (15) can be converted to (16) by methylation using methyl iodide. Reactions of thienopyridine (8) with DMFDMA and sodium nitrite in acetic acid gave tricyclic compounds (20) and (21) respectively. Finally, reactions of (21a) with malononitrile / elemental sulfur and DMFDMA gave compounds (22) and (23)respectively.Keywords: Acetyl acetone; DMFDMA; Malononitrile dimmer; Bipyridyl; 5-Acetylpyridinethione

Microbiome engineering to combat antimicrobial resistance and upsurge productivity of food animals: a systematic review

Extensive antimicrobial usage in animal farming plays a prominent role in the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis and is repeatedly highlighted as an area needing development under the ‘One Health’ approach. Alternative therapies such as microbiome products can be used as prophylaxis to help avoid infectious disease. However, a limited number of studies have focused on AMR-targeted microbiome products. We conducted this systematic review by using PRISMA guidelines to screen for literature that have evaluated food animals’ health when administrated with microbiome products targeting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs). We searched and examined studies from SCOPUS, Web of Science, Embase, and Science direct databases for studies published up to November 2021, restricted to the English language. The findings of this review showed that microbiome products have a promising capability to tackle specific AMR/ARGs coupled with animal’s health and productivity improvement. Furthermore, our study showed that probiotics were the most favorable tested microbiome products, with the most targeted resistance being to tetracycline, macrolides, and beta-lactams. While microbiome products are promising alternatives to antibiotic prophylactics, there is a dearth of studies investigating their efficacy in targeting AMR. Thus, it is highly recommended to further investigate, develop, and improve the microbiome, to better understand its utility and circumvent its limitations.The authors thank Barzan holdings for the financial support

Diagnostic accuracy and correlation between Double Inversion Recovery (DIR), FLAIR and T2W imaging sequences with EDSS in detection of lesions at different anatomical regions in MS patients

The aim of our study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of double inversion recovery (DIR) in detection of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions as well as the correlation between the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and lesion load measurement detected by DIR, fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T2 weighted imaging (T2WI) in order to reveal the essential role of DIR sequence in assessing clinical inability as a practicable experiment. A total of 97 patients were assessed on a 3T Siemens Skyra MRI scanner using DIR, FLAIR, and T2W_TSE sequences. EDSS was used to assess the physical disability in patients with MS. The diagnostic accuracy of DIR, FLAIR and T2WI sequences was also determined in different anatomical regions. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed by relative operating characteristics/ receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve at different cut off points. Spearman correlation was applied to identify the significant relationships between the number of lesions displayed by DIR, FLAIR and T2WI at different regions and EDSS score. Our results pointed out the highest sensitivity (92.9%) and specificity (73.5%) for the number of lesions in infratentorial region at the cut-off point of 4.5 and the highest correlation between the number of lesions and EDSS was observed in infratentorial region (r= 0.584, p<0.001) for DIR sequence. According to the findings of ROC analysis, the number of lesions detected by DIR technique in the infratentorial region is the best predictor of EDSS as a gold standard. DIR can be used as a complementary technique comparing to conventional T2 and FLAIR sequences and describe physical and cognitive dysfunction as well. Due to the higher potential of the DIR sequence to reveal a greater number of MS lesions and to overcome the technical defect of conventional MRI sequences in the diagnosis of cortical lesions, it is recommended that DIR sequences be routinely added to MRI imaging protocols for patients with MS

Assessment of Dietary and Lifestyle Responses After COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in Selected Arab Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has been consistently associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and dietary practices. This study aimed to assess the dietary and lifestyle behaviors of adults after COVID-19 vaccine availability and their attitude toward the vaccine in selected Arab countries. A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted between October 2021 and December 2021 using Google Forms (n = 2259). A multi-component questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine, and behavioral, dietary, and lifestyle responses after easing the restriction. Participants were given a score based on the sum of positive dietary and lifestyle changes. The generalized linear models were used to identify the association between positive dietary and lifestyle changes score and sociodemographic characteristics. Weight gain during the pandemic was reported by 39.5% of the participants, 36.1% reported ever getting infected with the COVID-19 virus, and 85% received at least one dose of the vaccine. The key adverse reactions of the COVID-19 vaccine were fatigue, headache, and joint pain, and the main reason for vaccination was protection against infection. Most participants were concerned about the vaccine side effects (45.8%) and inadequate testing (50.7%). After easing of restriction, 54.3% of the participants reduced the frequency of disinfecting objects, and 58.3% joined social events. Most dietary and lifestyle behaviors remained unchanged after vaccine availability but there was an increase in the time spent behind the screen for work (50.1%) and entertainment (42.9%). The results of the multivariate regression analyses revealed that older participants (p = 0.001), those with higher education (p = 0.010), and those working from home (p = 0.040) were more likely to have higher positive dietary and lifestyle changes scores. Although most participants were concerned about vaccine safety, low vaccine hesitancy rates were observed among the study sample. The availability of the COVID-19 vaccines resulted in loosening some of the safety social measures among Arab adults but the negative impact of the pandemic on dietary and lifestyle behaviors remained unaltered

Orthodontic treatment needs in the western region of Saudi Arabia: a research report

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of self perceived and actual need for orthodontic treatment helps in planning orthodontic services and estimating the required resources and man power. In the present study, the perceptive need as evaluated by patients and the actual need to orthodontic treatment, as assessed by orthodontists, were evaluated at two types of dental practices in the city of Jeddah using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). METHODS: A consecutive sample of 743 adults seeking orthodontic treatment at two different types of dental practices in Jeddah; King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Dentistry (KAAU) (Free treatment) and two private dental polyclinics (PDP) (Paid treatment), was examined for orthodontic treatment need using the dental health component (DHC) of the IOTN. The self-perceived need for orthodontic treatment was also determined using the aesthetic component (AC) of the IOTN. The IOTN score and the incidence of each variable were calculated statistically. AC and DHC categories were compared using the Chi-Square and a correlation between them was assessed using Spearman's correlation test. AC and DHC were also compared between the two types of dental practices using the Chi-Square. RESULTS: The results revealed that among the 743 patients studied, 60.6% expressed no or slight need for treatment, 23.3% expressed moderate to borderline need and only16.1% thought they needed orthodontic treatment. Comparing these estimates to professional judgments, only 15.2% conformed to little or no need for treatment, 13.2% were assessed as in borderline need and 71.6% were assessed as in need for treatment (p < 0.001). Spearman's correlation test proved no correlation (r = -.045) between the two components. Comparing the AC and the DHC between the KAAU group and PDP group showed significant differences between the two groups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patient's perception to orthodontic treatment does not always correlate with professional assessment. The IOTN is a valid screening tool that should be used in orthodontic clinics for better services especially, in health centers that provide free treatment

Identification and quantification of phenolic compounds in bambangan (Mangifera pajang Kort.) peels and their free radical scavenging activity.

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of acidified methanolic extract prepared from fully ripe bambangan (Mangifera pajang K.) peel cultivated in Sarawak, Malaysia, were analyzed. The total phenolic content (98.3 mg GAE/g) of bambangan peel powder (BPP) was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. BPP showed a strong potency of antioxidant activity and was consistent with that of BHT and vitamin C as confirmed by the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and FRAP (ferric-reducing antioxidant power) assays. Gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, ellagic acid, protocatechuic acid, and mangiferin were the major compounds among the 16 phenolics that have been identified and quantified in M. pajang peels with 20.9, 12.7, 7.3, 5.4, and 4.8 mg/g BPP, respectively. Peak identities were confirmed by comparing their retention times, UV-vis absorption spectra, and mass spectra with authentic standards. The 16 phenolic compounds identified in M. pajang K. using HPLC-DAD and TSQ-ESI-MS are reported here for the first time