Urethral Extensibility Applied to Urethral Advancement

BACKGROUND: The male urethra in humans has a large capacity to extend under traction. This property is the main principle of the urethral advancement technique. AIM: We aimed to determine the safe limits of urethral mobilization and extensibility for reconstructive surgery of distal to midshaft hypospadias by applying urethral extensibility on the urethral advancement technique. Also, we wanted to evaluate the variable application of the gap-to-urethra (G:U) ratio from a cadaver to a live human body. METHODS: From November 2004 to February 2006, 20 boys aged from 2 to 16 years old underwent repair of midshaft to glanular hypospadias by urethral advancement technique. The ratio of G:U proposed for a safe limit of urethral extensibility (measured from normal, fresh human cadaveric urethras) applied to know if its application can help in decreasing the rate of late complications. The mean follow-up period was 10 months, which ranged from 4 to 16 months. RESULTS: Late complications were as follows: 25% meatal retraction (MR), 15% meatal stenosis (MS), and 5% fistula. Besides, MR and MS late complications associated with urethral mobilization of G:U ratio of less than 73%. CONCLUSION: The more the approximation in the application of the G:U ratio, the less the rate of MS and MR. Besides, urethral mobilization to the base of the penis helps to decrease the frequency of MS and MR. Furthermore, the type of complication, MR or MS, in urethral advancement correlates with the extent of urethral mobilization

Digital Images Assessment of Posterior Capsule Opacification

A digital imaging system has been developed for the objective assessment of severity and morphology of posterior capsule opacification (PCO). The system is based on a Nikon FS-2 photo slit-lamp and a Kodak DCS 100 digital camera system. The slit-lamp was used with conventional (forward) illumination and studies were carried out to determine the best combination of slit-lamp and camera parameters to optimize the images. These were found to be a slit beam width of 3.5mm, slit angle of 45°, film speed (ISO) of 1600 for the camera and 800 for the digital storage unit (DSU), exposure compensation 0, flash intensity 2 and a magnification of 25x. A fixation stimulus was developed since it was shown to decrease the variability of the images and reduce the possibility of unwanted reflexes affecting the area of interest. In all cases a central 3mm x 3mm area of the posterior capsule, centred on the pupil, was analysed. The image processing software used throughout the work was Image Pro+ v4.51 (Media Cybernetics, Silver Spring, MD). For validating the system, subjects who had previously had uncomplicated cataract surgery were recruited from the Nd:YAG capsulotomy clinics of the Royal Eye Unit at Kingston. Intra-observer repeatability was assessed by taking 6 repeat images for each of 10 subjects. The coefficient of variation for total spectral power in the image, a measure of the severity of opacification, was 1.5%. Inter-observer repeatability was tested for 3 observers, an ophthalmologist, an optometrist and a non-clinician, by recording 2 images for each observer for each of 9 subjects. There was a 6 fold increase in the limits of agreement when the non-clinician was involved indicating that suitable training is required to use the system in a repeatable fashion. Severity of opacification was measured by calculating the log of the total spectral power in the Fourier Transform image of the area of interest. Results on 45 eyes correlated well with subjective grading of PCO by an experienced ophthalmologist: Within the 3 morphological groups, fibrotic, mixed and pearl, correlation coefficients of 0.909, 0.864 and 0.713 were found, which were all statistically significant. Morphological classification was carried out by developing a simple expert system. The rules in the knowledge base were derived from known histological features of PCO and clinically observed changes. The weighted kappa score for agreement between the objective classifier and an experienced ophthalmologist was 0.61 indicating a good level of agreement. However 14 out of 45 cases did not exhibit agreement. It may be possible with further work to improve the classification rules to reduce this number. New methods have been presented for objectively measuring the severity and morphologically classifying PCO. The system developed in this work shows distinct potential for use within primary care environments since it uses techniques and instruments whose operation is familiar to all practitioners involved. The validation studies presented here demonstrate variability in the measurements that is largely in agreement with previously published systems

Bayesian, Maximum Parsimony and UPGMA Models for Inferring the Phylogenies of Antelopes Using Mitochondrial Markers

This investigation was aimed to compare the inference of antelope phylogenies resulting from the 16S rRNA, cytochrome-b (cyt-b) and d-loop segments of mitochondrial DNA using three different computational models including Bayesian (BA), maximum parsimony (MP) and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA). The respective nucleotide sequences of three Oryx species (Oryx leucoryx, Oryx dammah and Oryx gazella) and an out-group (Addax nasomaculatus) were aligned and subjected to BA, MP and UPGMA models for comparing the topologies of respective phylogenetic trees. The 16S rRNA region possessed the highest frequency of conserved sequences (97.65%) followed by cyt-b (94.22%) and d-loop (87.29%). There were few transitions (2.35%) and none transversions in 16S rRNA as compared to cyt-b (5.61% transitions and 0.17% transversions) and d-loop (11.57% transitions and 1.14% transversions) while comparing the four taxa. All the three mitochondrial segments clearly differentiated the genus Addax from Oryx using the BA or UPGMA models. The topologies of all the gamma-corrected Bayesian trees were identical irrespective of the marker type. The UPGMA trees resulting from 16S rRNA and d-loop sequences were also identical (Oryx dammah grouped with Oryx leucoryx) to Bayesian trees except that the UPGMA tree based on cyt-b showed a slightly different phylogeny (Oryx dammah grouped with Oryx gazella) with a low bootstrap support. However, the MP model failed to differentiate the genus Addax from Oryx. These findings demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of BA and UPGMA methods for phylogenetic analysis of antelopes using mitochondrial markers

Resveratrol and tumor microenvironment: mechanistic basis and therapeutic targets

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Resveratrol (3,40,5 trihydroxystilbene) is a naturally occurring non-flavonoid polyphenol. It has various pharmacological effects including antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. Many studies have given special attention to different aspects of resveratrol anti-cancer properties and proved its high efficiency in targeting multiple cancer hallmarks. Tumor microenvironment has a critical role in cancer development and progression. Tumor cells coordinate with a cast of normal cells to aid the malignant behavior of cancer. Many cancer supporting players were detected in tumor microenvironment. These players include blood and lymphatic vessels, infiltrating immune cells, stromal fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix. Targeting tumor microenvironment components is a promising strategy in cancer therapy. Resveratrol with its diverse biological activities has the capacity to target tumor microenvironment by manipulating the function of many components surrounding cancer cells. This review summarizes the targets of resveratrol in tumor microenvironment and the mechanisms involved in this targeting. Studies discussed in this review will participate in building a solid ground for researchers to have more insight into the mechanism of action of resveratrol in tumor microenvironment

Material Selection for Competition–A Case Study for Air Coolers

 تعتبر المنافسة من اهم التحديات التي تواجه تسويق المنتجات الصناعية في الوقت الحاضر. في هذا البحث تمت دراسة تأثير عامل اختيار المواد لمنتج صناعي (شباك مبردات الهواء) باعتماد معايير مقاومة التأكل، التوصيل الحراري، مقاومة المواد، الوزن، الشكل، الكلفة واسلوب التصنيع. تم التطبيق على شباك مبردة الهواء بموجب المواصفات الفنية المعتمدة في شركة الهلال واعتمدت الاختبارات ثلاث نماذج من كل من سبيكة الالمنيوم 3003 والحديد المغلون والبولي بروبلين باسماك واوضاع مختلفة. باعتماد المواصفات الهندسية لكل مادة تم حساب ال Merit Index وكذلك تم اجراء اختبارات مقاومة التآكل اضافة الى اعتماد برنامج  ANSYSلحساب معدلات التشوه والاجهادات القصوى لكل عينة. تمت مقارنة النتائج للوصول الى الخيار الانسب من بين الخيارات التي اعتمدت وبينت النتائج ان سبيكة الالمنيوم 3003 هي الاختيار الامثل باعتماد معيارين في حين ان البولي بروبلين كان الخيار الانسب بمقارنة ثلاث معايير، اما الحديد المغلون فكان افضل الخيارات في معيار واحد فقط، المعايير الاخرى كانت متماثلة في اختيار المادة البديلة المعتمدة في تصنيع شباك مبردة الهواء.Competition is one of the most important challenges that is facing the marketing of industrial products in today's markets. In this research study of the impact of material selection factor for air coolers of different materials is applied. Investigation on the air cooler windows which are part of the body of air coolers is conducted. Corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity, strength of material, weight, shape, cost and manufacturing process are the factors that are applied and calculated on three types of materials Aluminum, Galvanized steel and polypropylene. The physical properties of the three mentioned materials are used to calculate Merit Index .The corrosion average, according to Tafel Method depending the corrosion current and adopting contactors for the anodic and cathodic metals behaviors is performed. ANSYS is adopted using the three samples for the selected materials Aluminum, Galvanized steel and polypropylene to measure maximum stress and deflection are measured. Accordingly, the results are compared to choose the best alternative. It is observed that the polypropylene is the best choice depending three factors while the aluminum material is better depending two factors and the galvanized steel is regarded as the best in only one factor, the rest factors are identical when choosing  an alternative material for manufacturing the air cooler windows

Effect of humic acids and the amount of mineral fertilizer on some characteristics of saline soil, growth and yield of broccoli plant under salt stress conditions

Saabunud / Received 09.04.2022 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 19.06.2022 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 19.06.2022 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author: Duraid K. A. Al-Taey ; [email protected] (A pots experiment was undertaken to determine the combined effect of humic acids and mineral fertilizer on some characteristics of saline soil, growth, and yield components of broccoli. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor consists of two levels of humic acids, namely without humic acid (H0 = 0.00 g L–1 ) and humic acid application (H1 = 0.35 g L–1 ), while the second factor included nine fertilizer (92 kg N ha –1 , 200 kg P2O5 ha–1 , 150 kg K2O ha–1 ) application rates that were (100, 100, 100%), (120, 120, 120%), (120, 120, 100%), (80, 120, 120%), (100, 100, 120%), (80.100, 100%), (120, 80, 80%), (100, 80, 80%), (80, 80, 80%) which added as a percentage of original fertilizer recommendation taking the symbols of R1 to R9 respectively. The treatment R1 was designated as a control treatment. The results indicated that humic acid application (H1) and increasing the amount of applied mineral fertilizer (R2) reduced the hydraulic conductivity of the soil for different soil depths. Humic acid addition (H1) increased concentrations of calcium and magnesium while reducing sodium concentration compared to control (H0). Contrary to humic acid, increasing the supplied mineral fertilizer led to a reduction in concentrations of calcium and magnesium while increasing sodium concentration in the soil. The sodium adsorption in soil particles in the ground was decreased due to humic acid application while improving the mineral fertilizer. Humic acid (H1) combined with increasing the amount of chemical fertilizer (R2) gave the desirable results in decreasing the sulphate, chloride and bicarbonate in the soil profile. The addition of humic acid (H1) and increasing mineral fertilizer application (R2) led to a significant increase in plant height, leaf area and head weight of broccoli per plant. Similarly, the interaction between humic acids and chemical fertilizers (H1R2) led to a significant increase in plant height, leaf area and head weight of broccoli per plant

The impact of board diversity on financial reporting quality in the GCC listed firms: the role of family and royal directors

The present study examines the impact of board diversity on financial reporting quality with special consideration of the extent to which family and royal directors influence financial reporting quality (FRQ). The study utilises a sample of 181 listed GCC firms over the period from 2010 to 2016. Board personal attributes, including board expertise, age, gender, and nationality are investigated along with some other board issues such as; board size, meetings, and independence. Panel data analysis with fixed and random effect models are conducted to estimate the results. The results reveal that companies with large board size and greater age have less FRQ. Further, the results report that institutional founders, higher board independence, and expertise associate with greater levels of FRQ. The results also find that board meetings and family founders negatively influence FRQ. However, female directors, foreign directors, and royal board members setting in the board did not contribute to the levels of FRQ in the sampled companies. Finally, the results indicate that companies with a CEO royal member have higher levels of FRQ however, companies with chair board royals have less levels of FRQ. This research has valuable implications for investors, board of directors, analysts, academicians, and policymakers

Treatment of CandidaalbicansBiofilms – Associated with Dry Socket orDenture Stomatitis by PropolisPaste

Degradation of oral health is often assumed to progress with aging. However, significantly higher total counts and greater varieties of Candida species can be detected in wearers of removable dentures compared with nondenture wearers.Poorly fitting or unhygienic dentures leads to the presence of yeast like fungi (Candidaalbicans ) attached to it, and cause inflammation. Although candidiasis is highly resistant to antifungal agents, systemic drugs usage are necessary. But the systemic use of these drugs can cause side effects like liver toxicity, drug interactions etc.Usingpropolseasantifungal by localapplication, found that it suppresses the Candida associated dry socket and denture stomatitis. The Propolispast was used in the following manner. It was applied to the fitting surface of denture, twice a day for 2 weeks. The Propolisputty was putted in dry socket after complete removal of inflammatory tissuesfrom it.The results showed pain, redness area and inflammation related stomatitis were disappear gradually after 48 hours until 2 weeks that the denture stomatitis is healing by using a Propolispast.Propolisputty treat the fungal inflammation of dry socket that gradual decreases of the pain and inflammation.After the treatment, all patientswith denture stomatitis were subjected to examination of the palatal mucosa and socket and quantitative culture of Candida from the palatal mucosa and denture fitting surface and diagnosed by three method :Germ tube.GramStain.andChromAgar medi

NOVEL STUDY FOR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF AL-AHDAB CRUDE OIL

Thisn research included determination of chemical composition of al-ahdaab crude oil (kute- Iraq) using liquid – solid chromatography. The current researched included to separation the component of crude oil by column chromatography was packing with alumina (AL2O3) as a stationary–phases and several solvent as a mobile phase. . The results of crude oil fractionations were 17.01% Asphaltene, 82.99% Maltene, which separated to (Paraffinic) (saturated) 44.11%, Aromatic 30.11% and Resin 4.20%. Crude oil fractionation were characterized using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance H1NMR and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer FT-IR to determine the chemical composition of each part, which is that represents the first study and a novel results. This study also clarified the paraffinic compounds are represented the main part of materials in crude oil composition