\u27Al-Mouled\u27 as a Cultural Greenway: A new developing tool in the Egyptian context

Egypt’s heritage is of worldwide interest and importance due to its continuity over a period of more than five thousand years. It encompasses various aspects of human civilization and represents a cultural as well as a natural heritage of national and international value. This wealth of archaeological sites, architecture, arts and folklore reflects the many stages of Egypt’s rich past, giving it the rich diversity that we see now. But, unfortunately, this context is deteriorating due to massive development trends, unplanned urban expansion, unclear planning strategies, lack of awareness of importance of landscape planning in conserving this context on both academic and practical levels and finally because it is being dealt with as isolated attributes, thus neglecting its spatial distribution, resulting in an absence of character and identity of place. Although the Egyptian government, represented by the Egyptian General Organization for Physical Planning and the United Nations Development Programme, is taking positive action in preparing new master plans for cities, these master plans are, unfortunately, falling under the same rules, thereby ignoring the natural and cultural contexts between one city and another, and with limited financial resources available for implementing the plans

Effect of different polishing techniques on surface roughness and bacterial adhesion of three glass ionomer-based restorative materials : in vitro study

Although many reports concluded that polishing of glass ionomers is crucial for smoother surface and limiting the adhesion of cariogenic bacteria, there is no specific surface treatment protocol recommended. A novel material in the same category was released recently claimed to have surface smoothness comparable to resin composite and bacterial adhesion less than other types of glass ionomers. In this study, different polishing systems were tested with three glass ionomers one of them is the novel material to find the most appropriate polishing protocol. Objectives: To evaluate and compare the surface roughness and bacterial adhesion to resin modified glass ionomer, bioactive ionic resin and conventional glass ionomer restorative materials after different polishing protocols in vitro. The materials tested includes resin modified glass ionomer, bioactive ionic resin, and conventional glass ionomer. The polishing protocols were divided into four groups: group 1 = (Mylar matrix strips, Control), group 2 = (one-step, PoGo), group 3 = (two-step, Prisma Gloss) and group 4 = (three-step, Sof-Lex). From each material, eleven cylindrical specimens were prepared for each group according to the manufacturers? instructions. The surface roughness for all specimens was measured using atomic force microscope in tapping mode. the same specimens were subjected to bacterial adhesion testing after being coated with artificial saliva. Data were analyzed with two-way analysis of variance followed by Post hoc multiple comparisons. The highest Ra and S. mutans adhesion values were recorded for all materials in two-step group. The lowest Ra and S. mutans adhesion values were seen in one-step and three step groups. One-step polishing system was more effective and may be preferable for polishing of the three studied glass ionomer-based materials compared to two-step and three-step systems

In vitro marginal and internal adaptation of four different base materials used to elevate proximal dentin gingival margins

There is still debate about the most appropriate restorative material category to relocate the proximal deep cervical margins, thus, this study aimed to compare the marginal and internal adaptation of four base materials used for deep margin elevation, a

Gut and genital tract microbiomes: Dysbiosis and link to gynecological disorders

Every year, millions of women are affected by genital tract disorders, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), endometrial cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and uterine fibroids (UFs). These disorders pose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems and have serious implications for health and fertility outcomes. This review explores the relationships between gut, vaginal, and uterine dysbiosis and the pathogenesis of various diseases of the female genital tract. In recent years, reproductive health clinicians and scientists have focused on the microbiome to investigate its role in the pathogenesis and prevention of such diseases. Recent studies of the gut, vaginal, and uterine microbiomes have identified patterns in bacterial composition and changes across individuals’ lives associated with specific healthy and diseased states, particularly regarding the effects of the estrogen–gut microbiome axis on estrogen-driven disorders (such as endometrial cancer, endometriosis, and UFs) and disorders associated with estrogen deficiency (such as PCOS). Furthermore, this review discusses the contribution of vitamin D deficiency to gut dysbiosis and altered estrogen metabolism as well as how these changes play key roles in the pathogenesis of UFs. More research on the microbiome influences on reproductive health and fertility is vital

Knee Enthesitis and Synovitis on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Psoriasis without Arthritic Symptoms

Objective. This case-control study was designed to evaluate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of knee joints in patients with psoriasis without clinical peripheral or axial joint involvement, and to correlate MRI findings with disease and demographic variables. \ud \ud \ud Methods. In total 48 patients with psoriasis and no clinical evidence of synovitis or enthesitis in any peripheral or axial joints were enrolled. A random sample of 20 healthy subjects without knee or other joint complaints and matched for age and sex served as controls. All patients and controls underwent enhanced MRI studies of both knee joints, and MRI findings were compared. \ud \ud \ud Results. Among 48 patients (96 knees), a total of 90 entheseal lesions were detected, with no enthesitis in 2 cases (6.3%). Signs of continuing inflammation bilaterally were frequently found: soft tissue edema (STE; n = 52), bone marrow edema (BME; n = 20), perientheseal BME (n = 3), cartilaginous erosions (n = 42), and bone erosions (n = 27). In controls, 2 (10%) subjects had BME and another 5 (25%) showed cartilaginous erosions. None showed evidence of enthesitis. Significant correlations were observed between the number of entheseal lesions of both knees vs STE (present vs absent; r = 0.314, p = 0.030) and STE (number of lesions; r = 0.351, p = 0.014). Enthesitis (unilateral vs bilateral) was significantly and positively correlated with STE (r = 0.304, p = 0.036), cartilaginous erosions (r = 0.304, p = 0.036), and villous projections (r = 0.347, p = 0.016). \ud \ud \ud Conclusion. Subclinical synovitis and enthesitis are frequently found in the knee joint of patients with psoriasis. These may be an early sign of psoriatic arthritis\u

High Proportion of Inflammatory Breast Cancer in the Population-Based Cancer Registry of Gharbiah, Egypt

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72192/1/j.1524-4741.2009.00755.x.pd

Detection of mammaglobin mRNA in peripheral blood is associated with high grade breast cancer: Interim results of a prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We sought to examine the detection rate of cancer cells in peripheral blood (PBL) and in bone marrow (BM) using an established 7-gene marker panel and evaluated whether there were any definable associations of any individual gene with traditional predictors of prognosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients with T1-T3 primary breast cancer were enrolled into a prospective, multi-institutional cohort study. In this interim analysis 215 PBL and 177 BM samples were analyzed by multimarker, real-time RT-PCR analysis designed to detect circulating and disseminated breast cancer cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At a threshold of three standard deviations from the mean expression level of normal controls, 63% (136/215) of PBL and 11% (19/177) of BM samples were positive for at least one cancer-associated marker. Marker positivity in PBL demonstrated a statistically significant association with grade II-III (vs. grade I; p = 0.0083). Overexpression of the mammaglobin (<it>mam</it>) gene alone had a statistically significant association with high tumor grade (p = 0.0315), and showed a trend towards ER-negative tumors and a high risk category. There was no association between marker positivity in PBL and the pathologic (H&E) and/or molecular (RT-PCR) status of the axillary lymph nodes (ALN).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study suggests that molecular detection of circulating cancer cells in PBL detected by RT-PCR is associated with high tumor grade and specifically that overexpression of the <it>mam </it>gene in PBL may be a poor prognostic indicator. There was no statistically significant association between overexpression of cancer-associated genes in PBL and ALN status, supporting the concept of two potentially separate metastatic pathways.</p

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely