Assessment of the onset of radiation-induced cardiac damage after radiotherapy of breast cancer patients

Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the dose delivered to the heart during radiotherapy of left-sided and right-sided breast cancer (BC) patients, correlate the dose and laterality of radiotherapy to the possible cardiac damage and evaluate whether Left-ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF), Troponin-I (TnI), Creatinine Kinase (CK), Creatine Kinase-MB Relative Index (CK-MBRI) or Lactic Dehydrogenase (LDH) could be used to detect the possible onset of radiotherapy-related cardiotoxicity.Subjects and methods: 80 females were assigned as; 30 left-sided BC patients, 30 right-sided BC patients and 20 healthy females. Patients were treated by radical mastectomy followed by FAC-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy. CT-based 3D-planning was used to generate cardiac dose-volume histograms to assess mean dose received by the heart.Echocardiography was done to all patients before and 1 year after completing radiotherapy. In serum, TnI and CK-MB concentration and CK and LDH activities were determined before and 1 year after radiotherapy.Results: In left-sided patients, mean dose delivered to the heart was significantly higher in left-sided patients with significant association with total radiotherapy dose in left- but not right-sided patients. LVEF before and after radiotherapy were statistically different only in left-sided patients. LVEF one year after radiotherapy dropped 20% or more (△LVEF) in 6 patients, all were left-sided. Using cut-off values 0.08 ng/mL for TnI and 1.4 for CK-MBRI; 11 left-sided patients had abnormal TnI and CK-MBRI vs 5 right-sided patients, the 6 patients identified with △LVEF ≥ 20 were all among them.Conclusion: the mean dose delivered to the heart is significantly higher in left-sided patients, and it was correlated to the total radiotherapy dose. One year after radiotherapy, △LVEF is possibly good marker of cardiotoxicity onset, however, the persistent elevation of both TnI and CK-MBRI could identify both patients with cardiotoxicity and patients that are thought to be in subclinical phase of cardiac damage.Keywords: Breast cancer, Radiation-induced cardiac damage, LVEF, Troponin ICK-MB relative index, LD

Viruses infecting figs in Egypt

Fig production in Egypt is in continuous decline because many diseases, particularly those caused by viruses, are compromising this crop. RT-PCR assays were conducted on 60 fig samples collected from three Egyptian fig-growing provinces (Ismailia, Qena and North Sinai), from the three main fig varieties (cvs. Sultany, Abode and El-Adasy), to investigate the presence of Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 1 (FLMaV-1), Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 2 (FLMaV-2), Fig mild mottle-associated virus (FMMaV) and Fig mosaic virus (FMV). The overall average incidence of infection reached 90%, with a peak of 95% in Ismailia province. All four viruses were detected in tested samples, with infection rates of 68.3% for FLMaV-1, 35% for FLMaV-2, 28.3% for FMMaV and 46.7% for FMV. This is the first report of the presence of these viruses in Egypt and offers a preliminary insight on the unsatisfactory sanitary status of fig in this country

Impact of Nutritional Educational Program on the Nutritional Habits and Status among Older Adults at Qena City, Egypt

Background: The age-related changes of the gastrointestinal tract, availability of the food and the functional ability affect the nutritional intake among elderly people. Most of the diseases originate from malnutrition especially among the vulnerable group as older adults. Therefore, the aim of this study is to improve older adults' nutritional habits. The study followed a quesi experimental research design and was carried out in the Elderly Club at Qena City. Sample; One hundred and six older adults who fulfilled the inclusion criteria participated in this study and assigned randomly into fifty-three intervention group and fifty-three control group. Two tools were used to collect the data; Tool I Structured Interview Form and tool II Mini-Nutritional Assessment Scale. The results of this study revealed that there are no statistically significant differences of frequency of usual food consumed per week between pre-test and Posttest among the intervention or control group (P > 0.05). There are significance differences between pre-test and Posttest of food preparation method and the substances used in cooking among only the intervention group. It was concluded from the current study that the intervention improved the nutritional habits. Based on the study results, it will be useful implement the nutritional educational program at all older organizations which provide services to older adults such as elderly homes, elderly clubs, and hospitals in Egypt

Entropy squeezing for qubit - field system under decoherence effect

We study in detail the dynamics of field entropy squeezing FES) for a qubit - field system whose dynamics is described by the phase-damped model. The results of calculations show that the initial state and decoherence play a crucial role in the evolution of FES. During the temporal evolution of the system under decoherence effect, an interesting monotonic relation between FES, Wehrl entropy (WE)and negativity is observed

Islamic Finance: Debt versus Equity Financing in the Light of Maqasid al-Shari'ah

A hot topic among Islamic economists is the debt versus equity debate. Which of the two are more in line with justice and equality? Which of them is more productive in fulfilling the greater objectives of the Shariah? This paper is divided into sections. After the introduction, it is followed by problem statement as well as objective of the study. After that, section 4 briefs the research questions for answering the analysis in this paper. Section 5 deals with discussion obtained from literature review whichhighlights important issues regarding Maqasid Al-Shari’ah in term of justice and equality vis-àvis the current practice as well as ideal model of Islamic banking and finance. Finally, this paper ends up with conclusion

Integrated Kinetic Fins for Western Facades in Territories with Low Solar Altitudes

Insufficient daylighting can negatively affect working quality and productivity and increase lighting energy consumption in buildings. Particularly, the western orientation has a non-uniform daylighting distribution, especially at the zone next to the window resulting from the unequal radiation distribution of sunlight. Therefore, this study presents an innovative system known as Integrated Kinetic Fins (IKF), which can respond parametrically to the sun’s movement; to enhance the daylighting distribution during the late working hours for the western façades and decrease the high illuminance daylighting spots near the windows. The study optimizes the fin parameters based on a selected territory; then, the fi angles are automatically controlled. The IKF is applicable in regions with clear skies and low solar altitudes. Finally, a comparison between a traditional kinetic system and the IKF is made, and the results are reported. The system shows an enhancement of daylight distribution during these late hours, where the contrast has been improved by 22% and uniformity has been enhanced by 10%, which consequently contributes to reducing potential glare

Effect of New Bio-component of Cytoplasmic Polyhedrosis Virus (Cypovirus1) with Silver Nanoparticles against Four Pests in Stored Food Products

This study was conducted to develop an approach for reducing severe damage to grains caused by various insect pests using the biological control agent Cypovirus1 and silver nanoparticles, both alone and in combination. Four types of beetles that infest stored products, including drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum), saw-toothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis), warehouse beetle (Trogoderma variabile), and Cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculates), were collected from seven different areas in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, specifically Mecca regions. We determined the morphological characteristics of the pests in various grains. Corn borer pupae and larvae of corn plants infected with Cypovirus1 were collected from the stems of live and dead maize plants in fields in Mecca regions to isolate Cypovirus1. Infected samples were examined using triple antibody sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TAS-ELIZA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed virus-containing occlusion bodies inside infected cells of corn borer larvae with irregular shapes and dimensions of 2.2–4.9 µm. The effects of different concentrations of the virus activated by synthetic spherical silver nanoparticles with an average diameter of 36.32 nm on the larva of grain pests taken were evaluated, and all treatments led to an increased mortality percentage after 72 h compared to at 48 h. The treatment mixture consisting of 10/100 viral and 400 µg/kg AgNPs led to the highest average death rates of the four insect larvae at 72 h after treatment. Protein bands that were present in the virus-infected larvae of the four pests were absent from healthy larvae, indicating viral infection

Factors affecting age-appropriate timeliness of vaccination coverage among children in Lebanon [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

Background: The effect of immunization does not only depend on its completeness, but also on its timely administration. Routine childhood vaccinations schedules recommend that children receive the vaccine doses at specific ages. This article attempts to assess timeliness of routine vaccination coverage among a sub-sample of children from a survey conducted in 2016. Methods: This analysis was based on data from a cross-sectional multistage cluster survey conducted between December 2015 and June 2016 among caregivers of children aged 12-59 months in all of Lebanon using a structured survey questionnaire. The analysis used Kaplan–Meier curves and logistic regression to identify the predictors of age-appropriate immunization. Results: Among the 493 randomly selected children, timely administration of the third dose of polio vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine and hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine occurred in about one-quarter of children. About two-thirds of children received the second dose of a measles-containing vaccine (MCV) within the age interval recommended by the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). Several factors including socio-demographic, knowledge, beliefs and practices were found to be associated with age-appropriate vaccination; however, this association differed between the types and doses of vaccine. Important factors associated with timely vaccination included being Lebanese as opposed to Syrian and being born in a hospital for hepatitis B birth dose; believing that vaccination status was up-to-date was related to untimely vaccination. Conclusions: The results suggest that there is reason for concern over the timeliness of vaccination in Lebanon. Special efforts need to be directed towards the inclusion of timeliness of vaccination as another indicator of the performance of the EPI in Lebanon

Nanotube breakthroughs: unveiling the potential of carbon nanotubes as a dual therapeutic arsenal for Alzheimer’s disease and brain tumors

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and brain tumors are debilitating neurological conditions that pose significant challenges in current medical practices. Existing treatment options for AD primarily focus on symptom management, and brain tumors often require aggressive therapeutic approaches. Novel disease-modifying strategies and therapeutic agents are urgently needed to address the underlying causes of AD pathogenesis and improve brain tumor management. In recent years, nanoparticles (NPs) have shown promise as valuable tools in diagnosing and managing various brain disorders, including AD. Among these, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have garnered attention for their unique properties and biomedical potential. Their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) with ease opens up new possibilities for targeted drug delivery and neuroprotection. This literature review aims to explore the versatile nature of CNTs, which can be functionalized with various biomolecules or substances due to their sp2 hybridization. This adaptability enables them to specifically target cells and deliver medications under specific environmental conditions. Moreover, CNTs possess an exceptional capacity to penetrate cell membranes, making them valuable tools in the treatment of AD and brain tumors. By delving into the role of CNTs in biomedicine, this review sheds light on their potential in managing AD, offering a glimpse of hope for effective disease-modifying options. Understanding the mechanisms of CNTs’ action and their capabilities in targeting and delivering medication to affected cells will pave the way for innovative therapeutic strategies that can improve the lives of those afflicted with these devastating neurological conditions. The exploration of CNTs as a dual therapeutic arsenal for both brain tumors and Alzheimer’s disease holds great promise and may usher in a new era of effective treatment strategies for these challenging conditions