The effect of aluminium nanocoating and water pH value on the wettability behavior of an aluminium surface

Experimental investigation was performed to highlight the influence of ionic bounding and surface roughness effects on the surface wettability. Nanocoating technique via e-beam physical vapor deposition process was used to fabricate aluminium (Al) film of 50, 100, and 150 nm on the surface of an Al substrate. Microstructures of the samples before and after deposition were observed using an atomic force microscopy. A goniometer device was later on used to examine the influence of surface topography on deionised water of pH 4, 7 and 9 droplets at a temperature ranging from 10 °C to 60 °C through their contact angles with the substrate surface, for both coated and uncoated samples. It was found that, although the coated layer has reduced the mean surface roughness of the sample from 10.7 nm to 4.23 nm, by filling part of the microstructure gaps with Al nanoparticles, the wettability is believed to be effected by the ionic bounds between the surface and the free anions in the fluid. As the deionised water of pH 4, and 9 gave an increase in the average contact angles with the increase of the coated layer thickness. On the other hand, the deionised water of pH 7 has showed a negative relation with the film thickness, where the contact angle reduced as the thickness of the coated layer was increased. The results from the aforementioned approach had showed that nanocoating can endorse the hydrophobicity (unwitting) nature of the surface when associated with free ions hosted by the liquid

Gender Differences in Ghrelin Association with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Arab Population

Ghrelin is a stomach produced hormone that has been shown to have protective role against development of CVD which is a leading cause of death in the Arab world. The objective of this study is to examine the gender difference in association between traditional CVD risk factors and plasma ghrelin among Arabs. 359 Arab residents in Kuwait participated in a cross-sectional survey (≥20 years old): 191 were females and 168 were males. Plasma level of ghrelin was assessed using Luminex-based assay. Ghrelin levels were significantly higher in females (935 ± 78 pg/mL) than males (763 ± 65 pg/mL) (P=0.0007). Females showed inverse association with WC (r=-0.23, P=0.001) and HbA1C (r=-0.19, P=0.0102) as well as SBP (r=-0.15, P=0.0383) and DBP (r=-0.16, P=0.0230), respectively. Higher levels of ghrelin were shown to associate with increased insulin resistance, as measured by HOMAIR, in male Arab subjects (P-trend = 0.0202) but not in females. In this study we show that higher ghrelin level was negatively associated with measures of obesity, HbA1C, and blood pressure in females and positively associated with increased insulin resistance in Arab males

Higher plasma betatrophin/ANGPTL8 level in Type 2 Diabetes subjects does not correlate with blood glucose or insulin resistance

Betatrophin/ANGPTL8 is a newly identified hormone produced in liver and adipose tissue that has been shown to be induced as a result of insulin resistance and regulates lipid metabolism. Little is known about betatrophin level in humans and its association with T2D and metabolic risk factors. Plasma level of betatrophin was measured by ELISA in 1603 subjects: 1047 non-diabetic and 556 T2D subjects and its associations with metabolic risk factors in both non-diabetic and T2D were also studied. Our data show a significant difference in betatrophin levels between non-diabetic (731.3 (59.5–10625.0) pg/ml) and T2D (1710.5 (197.4–12361.1) p < 0.001. Betatrophin was positively correlated with age, BMI, waist/hip ratio, FBG, HbA1C, HOMA-IR and TG in the non-diabetic subjects. However, no association was observed with BMI, FBG, HbA1C or HOMA-IR in T2D subjects. TC and LDL showed negative association with betatrophin in T2D subjects. Multivariate analysis showed that subjects in the highest tertile of betatrophin had higher odds of having T2D (odd ratio [OR] = 6.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = (3.15 – 12.01). Our data show strong positive associations between betatrophin and FBG and insulin resistance in non-diabetic subjects. However, correlations with FBG and insulin resistance were diminished in T2D subjects

Fatal and near-fatal thunderstorm asthma epidemic in a desert country

BACKGROUND: Reports of thunderstorm asthma in the Middle East are few. This study is the first to report on cases of near-fatal and fatal thunderstorm asthma in Kuwait on December 1, 2016. METHODS: We conducted a chart review and interview with adult patients admitted to Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital with near-fatal asthma, defined as an exacerbation requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation or hypercapnia with a PaCO2≥6 kPa. Information, including patient age, gender, occupation, asthma history, medication usage, and clinical outcome, was collected. For fatal asthma cases, patients' data were collected from the Forensic Department at the Kuwait Ministry of Interior. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients were admitted with near-fatal asthma. Fifteen patients (93.8%) had a prior history of asthma, with an average duration of 9 years. Five patients (33.3%) reported receiving a corticosteroid inhaler from their physician. Fifteen patients (93.8%) reported relying on a short-acting β2-agonist alone to manage their asthma. Eleven patients (68.8%) reported being outdoors during the storm. Eleven patients were diagnosed with fatal asthma. CONCLUSION: The study is the first to report on a thunderstorm-associated asthma epidemic in Kuwait and emphasizes the potential dangers associated with this entity

Gender-Specific Association of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Arab Population

Background. The impact of gender difference on the association between metabolic stress and cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unclear. We have investigated, for the first time, the gender effect on the oxidative and inflammatory stress responses and assessed their correlation with classical cardiometabolites in Arab population. Methods. A total of 378 adult Arab participants (193 females) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Plasma levels of CRP, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, ROS, TBARs, and PON1 were measured and correlated with anthropometric and cardiometabolite parameters of the study population. Results. Compared to females, males had significantly higher FBG, HbA1c, TG, and blood pressure but lower BMI, TC, and HDL (P < 0.05). After adjustment for BMI and WC, females had higher levels of ROS, TBARS, and CRP (P < 0.001) whereas males had increased levels of IL-8, IL-6, and TNF-α (P < 0.05). Moreover, after adjustment for age, BMI, and gender, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and ROS were associated with central obesity but not general obesity. Conclusion. Inflammation and oxidative stress contribution to CVD risk in Arab population linked to gender and this risk is better reflected by central obesity. Arab females might be at risk of CVD complications due to increased oxidative stress

Macrolides for better resolution of community-acquired pneumonia: A global meta-analysis of clinical outcomes with focus on microbial etiology

Objectives: This meta-analysis examined the impact of macrolides on resolution of CAP and interpretation of clinical benefit according to microbiology; emphasis is given to data under-reported countries (URCs).Methods: This meta-analysis included 63 publications published between 1994 and 2022. Publications were analyzed for resolution of CAP (6,465 patients) and 30-day mortality (58,759 patients). A separate meta-analysis was done for the prevalence of respiratory pathogens in URCs.Results: Mortality after 30 days was reduced by the addition of macrolides (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51-0.82). The odds ratio (OR) of CAP resolution when macrolides were added to the treatment regimen was 1.23 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.52). The most prevalent pathogen was Streptococcus pneumoniae (12.68%; 95% CI 9.36-16.95%). Analysis of the epidemiology from the URCs included 12 publications. The most prevalent pathogens were S. pneumoniae (24.91%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (12.90%).Conclusions: The addition of macrolides to the treatment regimen led to relative 35% decrease of 30-day mortality and to 23% relative increase resolution of CAP.Registration: PROSPERO; number CRD42022325280