The historiography of protest in late Mamluk and early Ottoman Egypt and Syria

History in its various forms - chronicles, biographies and biographical dictionaries - was a favourite genre in late medieval Egypt and Syria. One of the salient features of these histories is their breadth of perspective. Matters related to community and urban life including market prices, fires, murders, epidemics, floods and social relations were considered worthy of record. The writers were profoundly interested in the events of their times rather than in classical Islamic history. In the absence of archives, these histories remain our widest windows on medieval Egypt and Syria

Prevalence and Health Adverse Effects of Khat Chewing Among College Students in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia

Khat chewing is a social habit which has stimulatory action due to its cathinone content, but its adverse effects on health are a source of growing concern. The aim of our study is to evaluate the prevalence and health adverse effects of khat chewing among students in Jazan region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The study sample included 195 students from Applied Medical Science College, who were randomly selected and were asked through questionnaire and with a signed consent. About 5 ml of venous blood was collected in plain vacutainer tubes from 38 khat chewers and 20 non khat chewers as normal control. Serum was used to determine alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total and direct bilirubin, total protein, urea, creatinine, uric acid, and albumin. The sample consisted of 134 males and 61 females, with age range 19-27 years, and their mean age was 21.1 year. 40% of students were from urban area, and 81.5% of them from Jazan region. Out of 195 students, only 38 (19.5%) were found to chew khat. Biochemical results revealed highly significant differences among chewers in ALT, ALP, uric acid, and urea (p<0.005) compared to nonchewers group. There is also a significant difference in the total protein level (<0.05), while no significant differences were noticed in other biochemical traits analyzed. We concluded that the prevalence of khat chewing among students is fairly high (19.5 %), and that adverse effects of khat chewing on health are very clear, so all efforts should be contributed to solve this problem by increasing awareness of all members of the society to khat chewing risk

Molecular diagnosis in recessive pediatric neurogenetic disease can help reduce disease recurrence in families.

BackgroundThe causes for thousands of individually rare recessive diseases have been discovered since the adoption of next generation sequencing (NGS). Following the molecular diagnosis in older children in a family, parents could use this information to opt for fetal genotyping in subsequent pregnancies, which could inform decisions about elective termination of pregnancy. The use of NGS diagnostic sequencing in families has not been demonstrated to yield benefit in subsequent pregnancies to reduce recurrence. Here we evaluated whether genetic diagnosis in older children in families supports reduction in recurrence of recessive neurogenetic disease.MethodsRetrospective study involving families with a child with a recessive pediatric brain disease (rPBD) that underwent NGS-based molecular diagnosis. Prenatal molecular testing was offered to couples in which a molecular diagnosis was made, to help couples seeking to prevent recurrence. With this information, families made decisions about elective termination. Pregnancies that were carried to term were assessed for the health of child and mother, and compared with historic recurrence risk of recessive disease.ResultsBetween 2010 and 2016, 1172 families presented with a child a likely rPBD, 526 families received a molecular diagnosis, 91 families returned to the clinic with 101 subsequent pregnancies, and 84 opted for fetal genotyping. Sixty tested negative for recurrence for the biallelic mutation in the fetus, and all, except for one spontaneous abortion, carried to term, and were unaffected at follow-up. Of 24 that genotyped positive for the biallelic mutation, 16 were electively terminated, and 8 were carried to term and showed features of disease similar to that of the older affected sibling(s). Among the 101 pregnancies, disease recurrence in living offspring deviated from the expected 25% to the observed 12% ([95% CI 0·04 to 0·20], p = 0·011).ConclusionsMolecular diagnosis in an older child, coupled with prenatal fetal genotyping in subsequent pregnancies and genetic counselling, allows families to make informed decisions to reduce recessive neurogenetic disease recurrence

Estimating the Risk of Financial Distress Using a Multi-Layered Governance Criterion: Insights from Middle Eastern and North African Banks

open access articleIn this study, we explored the association of bank-level governance and state-level governance with the likelihood of banks’ financial distress in developing economies. Using a panel data sample of 954 bank-year observations of 106 conventional banks across 14 Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries from 2010 to 2018, we found that bank governance arrangements seemed to be negatively attributed to the probability of financial distress. We also found that the relationship of political stability with financial distress prospects is—contrary to our expectation—insignificant, whereas government effectiveness negatively influences the likelihood of financial distress. Our empirical evidence offers practical implications for bank managers, regulators, and credit rating agencies, and suggests several future research avenues that can build on our findings

The effect of political risk and corporate governance on bank stability in the MENA region: Did the Arab Spring uprisings matter?

This study examines the impact of political risk and corporate governance mechanisms (CGM) on bank stability. The research problem was addressed using a sample of 954 bank-year observations from 14 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries during the period 2010–2018 to take into account the effect of the recent uprisings that broke out in the MENA region (i.e., Arab Spring events). This study uses the three-Stage Least-Squares (3SLS) regression method for data analysis. It is found that political stability enhances banks’ financial stability. Regarding the impact of CGM, it is found that board size, board independence, managerial ownership, and audit committee size and meetings significantly and positively affect bank stability. In contrast, board meetings, board gender diversity, CEO duality, and institutional ownership significantly and negatively affect bank financial stability. By dividing the sample into two subsamples (Arab Spring countries and Non-Arab Spring countries), the results revealed that the Arab uprising events significantly affect the relationship between political stability, CGM, and bank stability

One-stage lingual augmented urethroplasty in repair of distal penile hypospadias

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the outcome of augmentation of shallow urethral plate by lingual graft in repair of distal penile hypospadias.Patients and methodsBetween June 2008 and May 2011, the procedure was performed on 23 patients with mean age 2.3 years (range 1–3). All patients had distal penile hypospadias; 11 sub coronal and 12 coronal. The urethral plate was less than 8mm in all patients and 3 of them had history of previous hypospadias surgery. All procedures were carried out under general anesthesia using 4× magnifying loupe. After penile degloving and dorsal incision of the urethral plate, the lingual graft was harvested and sutured to the edges of the incised urethral plate from the hypospadias opening to the tip of the penis. The neourethra was closed and an intervening flap was fixed over the neourethra as a barrier against fistula formation.ResultsSuccess rate was 87% as 20/23 patients were cured without any permanent complication throughout the follow up period. None of patients suffered meatal stenosis or required regular urethral dilatation. Three patients developed urethrocutaneous fistula, of which two closed spontaneously and one required surgical repair 6 months later. Two patients had failed procedures and delayed re-intervention was performed due to complete loss of the graft in one of them and repair disruption following infection in the other. Two patients had post-operative pain in the graft harvesting site which disappeared within days.ConclusionThe one-stage lingual augmented urethral plate urethroplasty offers promising outcomes for repair of distal penile hypospadias with narrow urethral plate

Investigating Bisphenol A Level Estimation and Possible Effects on Fetal Biometry

Background: The estrogenic endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), which is used in plastics and resins, may have an impact on the fetus’s growth and development and can modify postnatal development. This study aims to assess how bisphenol A affects fetal biometry.Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 384 healthy Egyptian women in their third trimester during childbearing (15–44 years). They were selected from the outpatient Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kasr El-Ainy Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Fetal biometry was measured and urine samples were collected to estimate BPA levels. Results: Fetal weight, centile, and corrected bisphenol A levels were significantly higher in the studied age groups (P&lt;0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between BPA level and estimated fetal weight, centile, and age of the mother per year. On the other hand, no significant difference was detected with other fetal measurements in the studied groups (P&gt;0.05).Conclusion: Fetal exposure to BPA is associated with higher estimated fetal weight and centile commonly in the maternal age range 25 to 35 years

The Term <i>Mamlūk</i> and Slave Status during the Mamluk Sultanate

Scholars of the Mamluk Sultanate generally maintain that the status of all the mamlūk was that of an elite, and that the mamlūk were proud of their slave origin even after manumission. It is here argued that these assertions are based on a misconception of the term mamlūk as used in Mamluk sources. The term mamlūk has a double meaning: slave and servant, and it frequently expresses subordination, obedience and servitude. It is never used to express pride in slave status or slave origin. There is no evidence that manumitted mamlūk were proud of their slave status. On the contrary, manumitted slaves with aspirations made great efforts to repress their servile past by claiming an exalted origin or by creating marital ties with established families. Mamlūks were considered property and they lacked a legal identity of their own. They were often manumitted only upon their master’s death. They perceived themselves as slaves for lacking family ties. Only an outstanding few succeeded in completely freeing themselves of their slave status and become members of a ruling elite with family ties. It seems that starting from al-Nāṣir Muḥammad b. Qalāwūn’s third reign the enslavement of Turkish mamlūks who had been sold by their families became more of a formality. On the other hand, non-Turkish mamlūks, who were generally Christian war captives, were subject to discrimination. They were disdained, manumitted at a later age and prevented from establishing marital ties with the Qalawunids and creating their own families at a young age. They were perceived by their contemporaries as being “more slaves” than the Turkish mamlūks.Los estudiosos del sultanato mameluco generalmente sostienen que todos los mamlūk formaban parte de una élite que se sentía orgullosa de su origen esclavo incluso después de ser liberados. En este artículo se argumenta que esas afirmaciones están basadas en una interpretación errónea del término mamlūk según su uso en las fuentes mamelucas. El término mamlūk tiene un doble significado: esclavo y sirviente, y expresa frecuentemente subordinación, obediencia y servidumbre. Nunca se utiliza como expresión de orgullo de la condición de esclavo o de un origen esclavo. No hay evidencias de que los mamlūk liberados se sintieran orgullosos de su anterior condición de esclavos; por el contrario, los esclavos liberados con aspiraciones hicieron grandes esfuerzos para borrar su pasado servil pretendiendo un origen elevado o creando lazos matrimoniales con las familias más tradicionales. Los mamlūk eran considerados como 《propiedades》 y carecían de una identidad legal en sí mismos. Por lo general eran liberados solo tras la muerte de su amo y se veían a sí mismos como esclavos por carecer de lazos familiares con sus amos. Solo unos pocos, excepcionalmente, conseguían una liberación completa de su estatus y conseguían convertirse en miembros de una élite dirigente con lazos familiares. Parece que desde el tercer reinado de al-Nāṣir Muḥammad b. Qalāwūn, la esclavización de los mamlūk turcos que habían sido vendidos por sus familias se convirtió en una formalidad. Por otro lado, los mamlūk que no eran turcos, generalmente cautivos de guerra cristianos, eran discriminados y despreciados; solo se les liberaba cuando eran ancianos y se les impedía establecer lazos matrimoniales con los Qalawuníes así como crear sus propias familias siendo jóvenes. Eran percibidos por sus contemporáneos como 《esclavos》 que los turcos mamlūk