Traumatic events and PTSD among Palestinian children and adolescents : the effect of demographic and socioeconomic factors

Background: This study investigates the prevalence of traumatic events and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Palestinian children and adolescents in the Gaza Strip. Methods: The sample consists of 1029 school pupils (11-17 years old): 533 (51.8%) were female and 496 (48.2%) were male. War-Traumatic Events Checklist (W-TECh) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Symptoms Scale (PTSDSS) were used. Results: 88.4% (N = 909) experienced personal trauma, 83.7% (N = 861) witnessed trauma to others, and 88.3% (N = 908) observed demolition of property during the war. Compared to girls, boys showed significantly more exposure to all three event types as well as overall traumatic events. Results also demonstrated that the prevalence of DSM-V PTSD diagnosis was 53.5% (N = 549). Further, children who had experienced personal trauma, trauma to others, and the demolition of property were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD compared to those who had not even when adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors

Investigation into Effectiveness of By-pass Cement Dust as Soil Stabilizer in Road Construction

Abstract By-pass cement dust (BPCD) is produced in large amount

Intrathyroidal parathyroid carcinoma: a case report with clinical and histological findings

The chance of an intrathyroidal occurrence of a parathyroid gland is about 1–3%. Among the causes of hyperparathyroidism, parathyroid cases occur in less than 1% of patients. Here we present the case of a 63 year old Saudi female suffering from an intrathryroidal parathyroid carcinoma. The suspicion coming from the clinical investigations that the removed tumor tissue may be a parathyroid carcinoma could be confirmed by histology. Additionally non-radioactive in situ hybridization to localize mRNA transcripts for Cyclin D1 and immunohistochemical localization of Cyclin D1 was performed. Although parathyroid adenoma and carcinoma have disparate natural history, it can be difficult to differentiate between the two entities. Clinical presentation, operative findings may raise suspicion, but may not be conclusive especially if there is no evidence of invasion or metastasis, especially if the gland was intrathyroidal

Significance of ERCC1 & HR in Ovarian Cancer

Background & Objectives : Ovarian carcinoma usually has a relatively poor prognosis. A rational approach to identify patients, who are likely to benefit from therapy, is urgently needed. Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 enzyme (ERCC1) has been proposed as a molecular predictor of clinical resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Steroid hormone receptors are important determinants of prognosis and predictive behavior in tumor tissues of several origins. The present study aimed to investigate the expression profile of ERCC1, ER & AR in patients with Ovarian carcinoma and their association with patient outcome. Methods : This is a prospective study which included 77 patients with ovarian carcinoma who were treated with platinum based chemotherapy at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Egypt during the period 7/2016- 7/2018. We evaluated the expression of ER, AR, and Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 enzyme (ERCC1) by immunohistochemistry. Expression profiles were compared to clinical, histologic and prognostic factors, the clinical outcome and survival. All patients received platinum containing chemotherapy regimen. Result : Of the 77 patients with ovarian cancer, 66.2 % (51/77) were ERCC1-positive, 49.4 % (38/77) were AR positive & 75.3 % (58/77) were ER positive. Platinum resistance was found in eight of the tumors with positive ERCC1 protein expression compared with two among the patients with negative tumor staining for ERCC1 (P = 0.643). There was significant association between ER & AR expression and pathological subtypes (p = 0.004, 0.007) respectively. There were no significant association between ER, AR & ERCC1 expression and PFS (P = 0.447,P = 0.162, P = 0.508 respectively) or OS (P = 0.781, P = 0.569, P = 0.381 respectively). Based on Cox proportional hazards regression analysis ERCC1, ER & AR were not independent factors affecting the prognosis of patients with ovarian carcinoma. Conclusion : These results demonstrate that positive ERCC1 expression is not associated with clinical resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy, ERCC1, AR & ER expression are not independent factors affecting the prognosis of patients with epithelial ovarian tumors and not associated with survival benefits

Theories, Hypothesis and Rules for Morphology Transition Engineering of 1D, 2D and 3D Nanomaterials

Most of the chemical and physical properties of nanomaterials vary remarkably according to their size, shape, and structure. Thus morphology is a crucial parameter that controls the properties and functionality of materials. On the basis of Abdelmohsen et al.’s theories and hypothesis, which are theory for morphology transition engineering (ATMTE), theory for morphology engineering of solid compounds (ATMESC), and hypothesis for engineering of micro- and nanostructures (AHEMNS), novel approach was modified for fabricating one-, two-, and three-dimensional hybrid nanomaterials, such as hybrid ZnO nanosheets (38–150 nm), hybrid ZnO nanorods, hybrid nanocomposites, and hierarchical hybrid Cu2O nanostructures. In addition, by the help of this novel method, the fabrication of metal-oxidene (one/few atoms thick layer of metal oxides) is assumed and hybrid ZnO thin film that is expected to have extraordinary physicochemical properties. A series of selection rules and morphology engineering rules are discussed. Throughout this chapter, we will come across this novel approach as a promising technique for nanofabrication and discuss the suggested mechanisms for the evolution process during fabrication of nanomaterials. By the help of this method, we have fabricated 1D, 2D and 3D nanomaterials that are expected to have potential use for energy, catalysis, biomedical, and other applications

Children’s prolonged exposure to the toxic stress of war trauma in the Middle East

Conflict leads to toxic stress and health problems in childhood and beyond. Long term investment in evidence-informed mitigation strategies is needed to end the devastating cycles of violence.يؤدي الصراع إلى إجهاد سام ومشاكل صحية في مرحلة الطفولة وما بعدها. هناك حاجة إلى استثمار طويل الأجل في استراتيجيات التخفيف المدعومة بالأدلة لإنهاء دورات العنف المدمرة

Workaholism, sleep disorders, and potential e-learning impacts among Menoufia university staff during COVID–19 pandemic

Background: Workaholism is described as a constant, internal drive to work and behavioral addiction to work. Studies have shown the negative associations between workaholism, job performance, and health results as disrupted sleep. The purpose of this research was to compare the prevalence of workaholics among the academic staff of practical and theoretical Faculties in Egyptian universities using the Dutch Workaholism Scale (DUWAS) and to determine associated sleep problems. Also, it studied the added impact of E-learning on the prevalence of workaholism frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 336 participants. Work addiction was assessed using DUWAS (17 items) as well as questionnaires on personal, occupational characteristics, and sleep problems. DUWAS scale was repeated after six months during COVID 19 pandemic to investigate the impact of E-learning on the workaholic behavior of the studied groups. Results: Our study revealed that the prevalence of workaholism was 33 percent. 32.8% and 33.7% were listed for the faculties of Medicine and Arts, respectively. After the COVID-19 pandemic, workaholic frequency was significantly increased to be 46.4%. Adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that workaholism had negatively impacted sleep in terms of difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, and insufficient sleep. Conclusion: The prevalence of workaholism appears to be high among university staff members especially after COVID-19 crisis. Sleep problems were linked to workaholics more than other workers. We recommend encouraging employees to work to their contracted hours, as excess work over extended periods may have adverse effects not only on organizational productivity but also on their health