Bioconcrete Development Using Calcite -Precipitating Bacteria Isolated From Different Sources in Jordan

Concrete is considered as the most widely used construction material in the world. However, concrete is exposed to cracks due to different factors like overloads, temperature, shrinkage, earthquakes and others. These cracks reduce the strength, the service life of the structure, and increase the permeability of the concrete. Thus, the importance of "self-healing concrete" is highlighted nowadays, with emphasis on a special type of concrete called bioconcrete, which is a concrete that has the ability to self-heal the microcracks that happen due to overloads. This ability comes from the bacteria used in the concrete mix which have special characteristics such as the ability to live in harsh conditions similar to those found in the concrete environment, in addition to their ability to precipitate calcite (calcium carbonate (CaCO3)), the sealing material in the cracks. This study aims to assess the performance of self-healing Bacillus mycoides incorporated into Portland cement mortar. This bacterium has been isolated from the soil of Fava beans in Jordan. Cracking of specimens was induced by load percent concept after 7 days of curing and tests were performed at 21 days of cracking. The testing scheme for the mortar included bacterial sporulation tests inside mortar specimens, acid fizz test and a compression test. Results demonstrated that self-healing bacteria is a promising technique in minimizing cracking. The rate of healing using bacteria was higher than the bacteria-free negative control

Sleeping duration, napping and snoring in association with diabetes control among patients with diabetes in Qatar

Background: Poor glycemic control is associated with chronic life-threatening compli-cations. Several studies have revealed that sleep status is associated with glycemic control. Aim: to examine the association between sleep duration, quality and glycemic control among adults with diabetes. Methods: Data on 2500 participants aged 18-60 years were collected from the Qatar Biobank (QBB). Sleep duration and quality were assessed by a self-completed health and lifestyle questionnaire, and glycemic control was assessed using HbA1c. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between sleep duration, napping, snoring and poor glycemic control. Results: After adjusting for age and gender, sleep duration was not associated with poor glycemic control. Lack of association persisted after controlling for smoking, physical activity, education, BMI, fruit and vegetable intake, insulin and medication use. However, sleeping for long hours at night (?8 h) had a trend in increasing the risk of poor glycemic control (OR = 1.28; 95% CI: 0.94-1.74). Napping was positively associated with poor glycemic control. After adjusting for age and gender, patients who reported "sometimes, frequently, or always" napping had more than 30% increased risk of poor control as compared to patients who reported "never/rarely" napping. Snoring was not associated with poor glycemic control among the study sample when adjusted for age and gender (p = 0.61). Other factors were found to be associated with a better glycemic control such as female, high educational and high physical activity level. Conclusions: our results suggest that napping may be an independent risk factor for a poor glycemic control in diabetes; further investigations are required. 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This research was funded by Qatar University, grant number QUST-1-CHS-2021-6.Scopu

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Clinical Characteristics of Non-Intensive Care Unit COVID-19 Patients in Saudi Arabia: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health concern. It has affected more than 5 million patients worldwide and resulted in an alarming number of deaths globally. While clinical characteristics have been reported elsewhere, data from our region is scarce. We investigated the clinical characteristics of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data of 401 confirmed COVID-19 patients were collected from 22 April 2020 to 21 May 2020 at five tertiary care hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The patients were divided into four groups according to age, Group 1: 0-60 years; and their clinical symptoms were compared. Results: The median (IQR) age in years was 10.5 (1.5-16) in group I, 34 (29-41) in group II, 53 (51-56) in group III, and 66 (61-76) in group IV. Most patients were male (80%, n = 322) and of Arabian or Asian descent. The median length of stay in the hospital was 10 (8-17) days (range 3-42 days). The most common symptoms were cough (53.6%), fever (36.2%), fatigue (26.4%), dyspnea (21.9%), and sore throat (21.9%). Hypertension was the most common underlying comorbidity (14.7%), followed by obesity (11.5%), and diabetes (10%). Hypertensive patients were less likely to present with shortness of breath, cough, sputum, diarrhea, and fever. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the symptoms among different age groups and comorbidities were mostly seen in the older age group. Interestingly, hypertensive patients were found to have milder symptoms and a shorter length of stay. Further larger collaborative national studies are required to effectively understand clinical characteristics in our part of the world to efficiently manage and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2

Clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia: an observational cohort study

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) emerged from China in December 2019 and has presented as a substantial and serious threat to global health. We aimed to describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory findings of patients in Saudi Arabia infected with SARS-CoV-2 to direct us in helping prevent and treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across Saudi Arabia and around the world. Materials and methods Clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, and radiological characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric and adult patients in five hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed in this study. Results 401 patients (mean age 38.16 ± 13.43 years) were identified to be SARS-CoV-2 positive and 80% of cases were male. 160 patients had moderate severity and 241 were mild in severity. The most common signs and symptoms at presentation were cough, fever, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, aspartate aminotransferase, C-reactive protein, and ferritin were higher in the COVID-19 moderate severity patient group. Mild severity patients spent a shorter duration hospitalized and had slightly higher percentages of abnormal CT scans and X-ray imaging. Conclusions This study provides an understanding of the features of non-ICU COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Further national collaborative studies are needed to streamline screening and treatment procedures for COVID-19

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

دراسة التغيرات في ملاءمة قيمة المعلومات المحاسبية بمرور الزمن (دراسة مسحية على الشركات والمصارف المدرجة في سوق دمشق للأوراق المالية)

يقدم هذا البحث دليلاً تجريبياً من الشركات والمصارف المدرجة في سوق دمشق للأوراق المالية على مدى ملاءمة قيمة المعلومات المحاسبية Value Relevance المتمثلة بحصة السهم من الأرباح والقيمة الدفترية والتدفقات النقدية، وذلك من خلال قياس مدى قدرتها على توضيح التغيرات في الأسعار وبالتالي التنبؤ بها خلال الفترة الزمنية 2008-2020. تتمثل منهجية الدراسة في قياس الملاءمة من خلال تقدير نموذج مقطعي Cross Section للمتغيرات في كل سنة من سنوات الدراسة واستخراج المعامل الذي يعبر عن الملاءمة  ومن ثم قياس اتجاه تطور هذه القيمة خلال الفترة المدروسة باستخدام مجموعة من منحنيات الاتجاه. بيّنت نتائج الانحدار المقطعي أنّ أفضل ملاءمة تحققت عام 2019 وبنسبة 92.3% وأقلها عام 2009 بنسبة 1.23%. ومن خلال تقدير مجموعة من المعادلات تمّ التوصل إلى أنّ المعادلة التكعيبية تمثل تطور ملاءمة المتغيرات مع الزمن. حيث تبيّن المعادلة أنّ تطور الملاءمة يمر بمرحلة تطور إيجابي بمقدار 32.248 درجة، ثم يتبعها انخفاض لفترة طويلة بمقدار 6.143 درجة ثم يليها حالة تطور إيجابي بمقدار 0.333 درجة. من الممكن أن يكون للنموذج الذي تمّ التوصل إليه في البحث فائدة تطبيقية للمستثمرين من خلال معرفة متى يمكن الاعتماد على المتغيرات المحاسبية في التنبؤ بتغيرات الأسعار

Recherche d'Information Sociale en Langue Arabe : Cas de Facebook

International audienceThis paper proposes an approach on Facebook Search in Arabic language, which exploits all traces of users (e.g. polarity, share, like, haha) left on Facebook publications to estimate their social importance. Our goal is to show how these signals can play a vital role in improving Arabic Facebook search. First, the identification of the polarities (positive or negative) carried by the textual signals (e.g. comments) and non-textual ones (e.g. the reactions love and sad) for a given Facebook publication. Therefore, the polarity of each comment expressed on a given Facebook post, is estimated on the basis of a neural model of sentiment in Arabic language. Secondly, grouping signals according to their complementarity using selection algorithms. Third, the application of learning to rank algorithms to re-rank Facebook search results based on the selected groups of signals. Finally, experiments are carried out on 13500 Face-book posts, collected from 45 topics in Arabic language. Experiments reveal promising results.Cet article propose une approche de recherche d'information (RI) en langue arabe sur Facebook, qui exploite toutes les traces des utilisateurs (ex. polarité, partage, j'aime, haha) laissées sur des publications Facebook pour estimer leur importance sociale. Notre objectif est de montrer comment ces signaux peuvent jouer un rôle vital dans l'amélioration de la recherche en langue arabe sur Facebook. Premièrement, des polarités (positive ou négative) portée par les signaux textuels (ex. commentaires) et non textuels (ex. les réactions j'adore et triste) ont été identifiées pour chaque publication Facebook. Par conséquent, la polarité de chaque com-mentaire exprimé sur une publication donnée, est estimée sur la base d'un modèle neuronal de sentiment en langue arabe. Deuxièmement, des signaux en fonction de leur complémentarité ont été regroupés en utilisant des algorithmes de sélection. Troisièmement, des algorithmes de learning to rank ont été appliqués pour re-ordonner les résultats de recherche de Facebook en fonction des groupes de signaux sélectionnés. Enfin, des expérimentations sont réalisées sur 13500 publications Facebook, collectées à partir de 45 requêtes en langue arabe. Les expéri-mentations révèlent des résultats prometteurs pour la RI en langue arabe sur Facebook

Recherche d'Information Sociale en Langue Arabe : Cas de Facebook

International audienceThis paper proposes an approach on Facebook Search in Arabic language, which exploits all traces of users (e.g. polarity, share, like, haha) left on Facebook publications to estimate their social importance. Our goal is to show how these signals can play a vital role in improving Arabic Facebook search. First, the identification of the polarities (positive or negative) carried by the textual signals (e.g. comments) and non-textual ones (e.g. the reactions love and sad) for a given Facebook publication. Therefore, the polarity of each comment expressed on a given Facebook post, is estimated on the basis of a neural model of sentiment in Arabic language. Secondly, grouping signals according to their complementarity using selection algorithms. Third, the application of learning to rank algorithms to re-rank Facebook search results based on the selected groups of signals. Finally, experiments are carried out on 13500 Face-book posts, collected from 45 topics in Arabic language. Experiments reveal promising results.Cet article propose une approche de recherche d'information (RI) en langue arabe sur Facebook, qui exploite toutes les traces des utilisateurs (ex. polarité, partage, j'aime, haha) laissées sur des publications Facebook pour estimer leur importance sociale. Notre objectif est de montrer comment ces signaux peuvent jouer un rôle vital dans l'amélioration de la recherche en langue arabe sur Facebook. Premièrement, des polarités (positive ou négative) portée par les signaux textuels (ex. commentaires) et non textuels (ex. les réactions j'adore et triste) ont été identifiées pour chaque publication Facebook. Par conséquent, la polarité de chaque com-mentaire exprimé sur une publication donnée, est estimée sur la base d'un modèle neuronal de sentiment en langue arabe. Deuxièmement, des signaux en fonction de leur complémentarité ont été regroupés en utilisant des algorithmes de sélection. Troisièmement, des algorithmes de learning to rank ont été appliqués pour re-ordonner les résultats de recherche de Facebook en fonction des groupes de signaux sélectionnés. Enfin, des expérimentations sont réalisées sur 13500 publications Facebook, collectées à partir de 45 requêtes en langue arabe. Les expéri-mentations révèlent des résultats prometteurs pour la RI en langue arabe sur Facebook

Bioconcrete Development Using Calcite -Precipitating Bacteria Isolated From Different Sources in Jordan

Concrete is considered as the most widely used construction material in the world. However, concrete is exposed to cracks due to different factors like overloads, temperature, shrinkage, earthquakes and others. These cracks reduce the strength, the service life of the structure, and increase the permeability of the concrete. Thus, the importance of "self-healing concrete" is highlighted nowadays, with emphasis on a special type of concrete called bioconcrete, which is a concrete that has the ability to self-heal the microcracks that happen due to overloads. This ability comes from the bacteria used in the concrete mix which have special characteristics such as the ability to live in harsh conditions similar to those found in the concrete environment, in addition to their ability to precipitate calcite (calcium carbonate (CaCO3)), the sealing material in the cracks. This study aims to assess the performance of self-healing Bacillus mycoides incorporated into Portland cement mortar. This bacterium has been isolated from the soil of Fava beans in Jordan. Cracking of specimens was induced by load percent concept after 7 days of curing and tests were performed at 21 days of cracking. The testing scheme for the mortar included bacterial sporulation tests inside mortar specimens, acid fizz test and a compression test. Results demonstrated that self-healing bacteria is a promising technique in minimizing cracking. The rate of healing using bacteria was higher than the bacteria-free negative control