Binary metal oxides based on Fe (III) and Ti (IV) as efficient catalysts for total oxidation of volatile organic compound pollutants

Fe (III)-modified Titania and Fe (III)-Ti (IV) binary oxides have received much less attention as possible catalysts compared to their parent single-metal oxides, Fe2O3 and TiO2. This could be due to the difficulty of obtaining pure desired monophases. In addition, the effect of different preparative conditions on the textural properties of sol-gel-prepared Ti-Fe mixed oxides was rarely studied. Furthermore, the effect of the composition on the reducibility and the catalytic activity of these composites was never studied. In the present work, Ti-Fe mixed oxides were prepared using a modified sol-gel method and their textural properties as well as their reducibility and their catalytic activity were investigated and were compared with those of parent single-metal oxides. The use of propylene oxides (PO) as a gelation promoter as well as the presence of hetero-ions was found to play a key role in promoting gel formation at certain concentrations. While in the presence of a single metal, colloidal solutions and very fine precipitates were obtained, gels formed readily from mixed solutions containing 5-15% Fe(III) in the presence of PO, and from solutions containing 40 and 66.7% Fe(III) even in the absence of PO. While Fe (III) concentration as high as 10% was well dispersed in the Titania lattice, which was also associated with enhanced stability of the anatase structure, higher concentrations resulted in the formation of anatase and pserudorutile (Pr) initially, which converted to rutile and pseudobrookite (Pb) upon heating at elevated temperatures. The preparation of a pure Pr phase was possible under the employed preparative conditions starting with a solution containing 40% Fe (III). However, the presence of higher concentrations resulted in the formation of some segregated α- Fe2O3. Xerogel and aerogel mixed oxides possessed significantly higher surface areas than their parent single metal oxides, and the surface area increased as the Fe (III) concentration increased. Furthermore, the mixed oxides showed an enhanced reducibility indicating a more labile lattice oxygen. The mixed oxides possessed significantly improved catalytic activity compared with their single-metal oxide counterparts, especially at lower temperatures. Using 4% air in the reaction mixture resulted in the formation small amounts of benzene besides CO2 as the major product. However, Using 16% air in the reaction mixture, resulted in deep oxidation to CO2 as the only product. Among the tested catalysts, TiFe67 showed the highest catalytic activity making it a promising catalyst for oxidative degradation of volatile organic compounds, VOCs

Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Oman: An analysis of 284 cases

Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver tumour worldwide and is increasing in incidence. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of HCC among Omani patients, along with its major risk factors, outcomes and the role of surveillance. Methods: This retrospective case-series study was conducted between January 2008 and December 2015 at the three main tertiary care hospitals in Oman. All adult Omani patients diagnosed with HCC and visited these hospitals during the study period were included. Relevant data were collected from the patients’ electronic medical records. Results: A total of 284 HCC patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 61.02 ± 11.41 years and 67.6% were male. The majority had liver cirrhosis (79.9%), with the most common aetiologies being chronic hepatitis C (46.5%) and B (43.2%). Only 13.7% of cases were detected by the HCC surveillance programme. Approximately half of the patients (48.5%) had a single liver lesion and 31.9% had a liver tumour of >5 cm in size. Approximately half (49.2%) had alpha-fetoprotein levels of ≥200 ng/mL. The majority (72.5%) were diagnosed using multiphase computed tomography alone. Less than half of the patients (48.9%) were offered one or more HCC treatment modalities. Conclusion: The majority of Omani HCC patients were male and had cirrhosis due to viral hepatitis. In addition, few patients were identified by the national surveillance programme and presented with advanced disease precluding therapeutic or even palliative treatment.Keywords: Hepatocellular Carcinoma; Liver Cirrhosis; Human Viral Hepatitis; Public Health Surveillance; Early Detection of Cancer; Alpha-Fetoprotein; Oman

Child protection services during COVID-19 in Oman, child protection workers views

Introduction: Child Protection Services (CPSs) are dedicated to providing protection and responding to any threats a child could face as children worldwide could be abused. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic affected all aspects of life. Procedures implemented to restrict the spread of the disease (such as reduced access to services, school closure, and social distancing measures) had an impact on child life and maltreatment. Therefore, it is important to know the impact of this pandemic on child abuse and protection. Aim and rationales: This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on CPSs in Oman by studying the change in the number of reported cases of child abuse and the change in the reporting procedure at the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD). In addition, know the impact of the restriction measures on child rights and risk factors of child maltreatment based on CPSs workers’ opinions and experience. To understand the adaptation of the CPSs to the change in work and life environment imposed by COVID-19. Method: A cross-section study was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire, that was distributed to the workers involved in the CPSs at the MOSD in Oman. Data also were collected from the statistical bulletins on the Ministry’s website. Results: COVID-19 pandemic was not found associated with a significant change in the number and type of child abuse cases reported to the MOSD. The reporting procedures also did not change. In addition, the pattern of child abuse types did not change before and during the pandemic, as neglect cases were the most. The participants judged the restriction measures affecting family life through separation, cyber abuse, and reduced educational support. With regard to intervention and follow-up procedures, the main difference was in the communication processes by using online communication methods and reducing the fieldwork for mild cases.Conclusion: CPSs in Oman were not much affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which may reflect the success of this system in dealing with the restriction measures. However, more solutions should be developed to adapt to these circumstances in the future altogether