Hepatoblastomas in Oman : Unveiling success

Objectives: Primary malignant liver tumours account for more than 1% of all paediatric malignancies, with the most common form being hepatoblastomas (HB). Such malignancies among Arab populations have rarely been addressed in the literature. Using data from Oman’s sole national referral centre for childhood solid malignancies, this study aimed to present the nationwide Omani experience with HB over the past 21 years. Methods:This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of all children with HB who were managed in the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman, between January 1991 and April 2012. Clinical, radiological and laboratory characteristics were examined as well as treatments and outcomes. Results: During the study period, 15 patients with HB were treated. Of these, 10 have survived to date. Nine of the survivors were no longer receiving treatment and one patient still had the disease but was in a stable condition. Of the remaining five patients, three did not survive and two were lost to follow-up. The survival rate among patients who completed therapy was 91%. Conclusion: HB has an excellent prognosis in Oman. The main obstacle to improving outcomes among Omani patients is non-compliance with therapy

Molecular Screening of <i>VAX1</i> Gene Polymorphisms Uncovered the Genetic Heterogeneity of Non-Syndromic Orofacial Cleft in Saudi Arabian Patients

Objective: Nonsyndromic orofacial cleft (NSOFC) including cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL±P) and cleft palate (CP) are multifactorial developmental disorders with both genetic and environmental etiological factors. In this study we investigated the association between CL±P and CP, and two polymorphisms previously determined using genome-wide association studies, as well as the association between consanguinity and CL±P and CP. Methods: DNA was extracted from saliva specimens from 171 triads consisting of affected individuals and their parents, as well as 189 control triads (matched for age, gender, and location) that were recruited from 11 referral hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Two polymorphisms, rs4752028 and rs7078160, located in the VAX1 gene were genotyped using real-time polymerase chain reaction. A transmission disequilibrium test was carried out using the Family-Based Association Test and PLINK (genetic tool-set) to measure the parent-of-origin effect. Results: Significant differences were found between affected individuals and the control group. In the case of the rs4752028 risk allele in cleft, the phenotypes were: CL±P (fathers: odds ratio [OR] 2.16 [95% CI 1.38–3.4]; mothers: OR 2.39 [95% CI 1.53–3.71]; and infants: OR 2.77 [95% CI 1.77–4.34]) and CP (fathers: OR 2.24 [95% CI 1.15–4.36] and infants: OR 2.43 [95% CI 1.25–4.7]). For CL±P and the rs7078160 risk allele, the phenotypes were: (fathers: OR 1.7 [95% CI 1.05–2.86]; mothers: OR 2.43 [95% CI 1.49–3.97]; and infants: OR 2.34 [95% CI 1.44–3.81]). In terms of consanguinity, we found significant association between consanguinity and the rs4752028 polymorphism minor allele among CL±P compared with controls (p = 0.001). Conclusion: This is the first study to find a relationship between these two loci on 10q25 (rs4752028 and rs7078160) and NSOFC in a population with high levels of consanguinity

Discovering of a Conceptual Model from a NoSQL Database

International audienceNoSQL systems have proven effective to handle Big Data. Most of these systems are schema-less which means that the database doesn't have a fixed data structure. This property offers an undeniable flexibility allowing the user to add new data without making any changes on the data model. However, the lack of an explicit data model makes it difficult to express queries on the database. Therefore, users (developers and decision-makers) still need the database data model to know how data are stored and related, and then to write their queries. In a previous work, we proposed a process to extract a physical model from a NoSQL database. In this article, we propose to extend this process by leading to the extraction of a conceptual model that provides an element of semantic knowledge close to human understanding. To do this, we use the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) that provides a formal framework for automatic model transformation. From a NoSQL physical model, we propose formal transforma tion rules to generate a conceptual model in the form of a UML class diagram. An experimentation of the extraction process was carried out on a medical application

Graphite/Nanocrystalline Zeolite Platform for Selective Electrochemical Determination of Hepatitis C Inhibitor Ledipasvir

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Automatic Extraction of a Document-oriented NoSQL Schema

ICEIS 2021 will be held in conjunction with ENASE 2021, CLOSER 2021 and SMARTGREENS 2021International audienceThe NoSQL systems make it possible to manage Databases (DB) verifying the 3Vs: Volume, Variety andVelocity. Most of these systems are characterized by the property schemaless which means absence of thedata schema when creating a DB. This property provides undeniable flexibility by allowing the schema toevolve while the DB is in use; however, it is a major obstacle for developers and decision makers. Indeed, theexpression of queries (SQL type) requires precise knowledge of this schema. In this article, we provide aprocess for automatically extracting the schema from a NoSQL document-oriented DB. To do this, we usethe MDA (Model Driven Architecture). From a NoSQL DB, we propose transformation rules to generate theschema. An experiment of the extraction process was carried out on a medical application

Echocardiography in PICU: when the heart sees what is invisible to the eye

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: Echocardiography has become an indispensable bedside diagnostic tool in the realm of pediatric intensive care units (PICU). It has proven to be an influential factor in the formula of clinical decision-making. This study aimed to delineate the impact of echocardiography on the management of critically ill pediatric patients in the PICU at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman. METHOD: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in a five-bed PICU. Patients admitted to the PICU from January of 2011 to December of 2012 were reviewed. Those who have undergone bedside echocardiography during their ICU stay were recruited. Electronic patient record was used as data source. RESULTS: Over a-24-month period, 424 patients were admitted in this PICU. One hundred and one clinically indicated transthoracic echocardiograms were performed. 81.8% of these presented new findings (n = 82) that significantly impacted the clinical decision of patient management, namely, alteration in drug therapy and procedure, whereas no difference in the management was yielded in the remaining 17.8% of the studied cases. CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiography had a significant impact on the management of PICU patients. Such salutary effect was consequently reflected on the outcome. Pediatric intensivists are encouraged to acquire such bedside skill

Cathodic activation of titanium-supported gold nanoparticles: An efficient and stable electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction

As-polished titanium (Ti) substrates decorated with dispersed gold nanoparticles (Au NPs/Ti) of various sizes and densities were prepared here to effectively catalyze hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5 M H2SO4. These materials were synthesized adopting a facile one-step wet chemical method without using reducing agents, stabilizers, or any chemical pre-treatment, where Ti acts as both the reducing agent and support. This was achieved via soaking the Ti substrates for 30 min in a gold precursor bath as a function of temperature (5 -65 degrees C). Morphological characterizations of the synthesized Au NPs/Ti catalysts indicated a size decrease and density increase of loaded Au NPs with the rise of temperature. Cathodic polarization measurements revealed that the catalyst loaded with the highest density of Au NPs exhibited the best HER activity with onset potential (E-HER), exchange current density (j(o)), and Tafel slope (beta(c)) of -44 mV (RHE), 6.0 x 10(-3) mA cm(-2), and 40 mV decade(-1), respectively. This activity has markedly increased upon cathodic activation (cathodic pre-polarization treatment at -2 V (SCE) for 12 h) that yielded a Ti substrate with a porous-like network structure decorated with highly dispersed Au NPs. In addition, a catalytically active TiH2 phase was formed (as evidenced from XRD and XPS) on such a porous substrate. Such cathodically pre-treated catalyst recorded HER electrochemical parameters of -18 mV (RHE), 0.117 mA cm(-2), and 38 mV decade(-1), thus approaching the commercial Pt/C catalyst (E-HER: 0.0 mV, j(o) : 0.78 mA cm(-2), and beta(c): 31 mV dec(-1)). The stability of the best catalyst was assessed employing cyclic polarization and chronoamperometry measurements. It exhibited a good stability with improved activity during stability testing. Copyright (C) 2016, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.As-polished titanium (Ti) substrates decorated with dispersed gold nanoparticles (Au NPs/Ti) of various sizes and densities were prepared here to effectively catalyze hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5&nbsp;M&nbsp;H2SO4. These materials were synthesized adopting a facile one-step wet chemical method without using reducing agents, stabilizers, or any chemical pre-treatment, where Ti acts as both the reducing agent and support. This was achieved&nbsp;via&nbsp;soaking the Ti substrates for 30&nbsp;min in a gold precursor bath as a function of temperature (5&ndash;65&nbsp;&deg;C). Morphological characterizations of the synthesized Au NPs/Ti catalysts indicated a size decrease and density increase of loaded Au NPs with the rise of temperature. Cathodic polarization measurements revealed that the catalyst loaded with the highest density of Au NPs exhibited the best HER activity with onset potential (EHER), exchange current density (jo), and Tafel slope (&beta;c) of &minus;44&nbsp;mV (RHE), 6.0&nbsp;&times;&nbsp;10&minus;3&nbsp;mA&nbsp;cm&minus;2, and 40&nbsp;mV&nbsp;decade&minus;1, respectively. This activity has markedly increased upon cathodic activation (cathodic pre-polarization treatment at &minus;2&nbsp;V (SCE) for 12&nbsp;h) that yielded a Ti substrate with a porous-like network structure decorated with highly dispersed Au NPs. In addition, a catalytically active TiH2phase was formed (as evidenced from XRD and XPS) on such a porous substrate. Such cathodically pre-treated catalyst recorded HER electrochemical parameters of &minus;18&nbsp;mV (RHE), 0.117&nbsp;mA&nbsp;cm&minus;2, and 38&nbsp;mV&nbsp;decade&minus;1, thus approaching the commercial Pt/C catalyst (EHER: 0.0&nbsp;mV,&nbsp;jo: 0.78&nbsp;mA&nbsp;cm&minus;2, and&nbsp;&beta;c: 31&nbsp;mV&nbsp;dec&minus;1). The stability of the best catalyst was assessed employing cyclic polarization and chronoamperometry measurements. It exhibited a good stability with improved activity during stability testing.</p

Structural Stabilities and Elastic Thermodynamic Properties of SrTe Compound and SrTe1−x Ca x Alloy Under High Pressure

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