The Blockade Imposed on Qatar from the Perspective of International Treaties and Resulting Responsibilities

 لا شك أن صدور القرار المفاجئ لمجموعة الدول الأربع، السعودية والإمارات والبحرين ومصر، بمقاطعة دولة قطر وفرض نوعٍ من الحصار البري والبحري والجوي والدبلوماسي عليها، أثار قضايا عدّة تتعلّق بالعلاقات الدَّوليَّة وعلاقات الجوار والأعراف والتقاليد، وترتب عليه انتهاك الكثير من حقوق دولة قطر، الاقتصَاديَّة والاِجتمَاعيَّة والأمنية والسياسية وغيرها، أقرتها المواثيق الدولية والإقليمية. أوضحت الدراسة أن حالة دولة قطر تُعد حصارًا وليس مقاطعة طبقًا لدلالات الحصار في اللغة والفقه الدولي، وأن دول الحصار افتقرت إلى المرجعيات الدولية خاصة فيما تضمنه الفصل السابع من ميثاق منظمة الأمم المتحدة الذي أعطى مجلس الأمن وحده دون غيره سلطة إصدار أي قرار من هذا النوع بموجب المادة 41؛ يأمر فيه باتخاذ التدابير المناسبة ضدّ الدولة أو الدول المعتدية أو المهدّدة للسلم والأمن الدوليين، وبـوقف الصلات الاقتصَاديَّة والمواصلات الحديدية والبحرية والجوية والبريدية والبرقية واللاسلكية وغيرها من وسائل المواصلات وقفًا جزئيًّا أو كليًّا، وبقطع العلاقات الدبلوماسية. من ثم فإن حصار الدول الأربع لدولة قطر ينتهك ويخالف تمامًا قواعد القانون الدولي وكافة المواثيق الدولية وخاصة مواثيق الشرعة الدولية لحقوق الإنسان والمواثيق الدولية المعنية بمكافحة الإرهاب، كذلك المواثيق الإقليمية ومنها ميثاقا جامعة الدول العربية ومجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية الذي يضم في عضويته أربع دول خليجية منها ثلاث دول تقوم بالحصار؛ هي السعودية والإمارات والبحرين، والرابعة هي دولة قطر التي يقع عليها الحصار. على هذا الأساس توافرت شروط المسؤولية الدولية تجاه دول الحصار نتيجة ما أحدثه سلوكها غير المشروع من وقوع أضرار كبيرة على دولة قطر، وهو الأمر الذي يجيز للأخيرة تحريك المسؤولية الدولية تجاه دول الحصار، والحصول على التعويض المناسب لما وقع على الدولة ومؤسساتها ومواطنيها والمقيمين عليها من أضرار جسام.No doubt that the surprising and sudden decision taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Egypt to boycott and impose a land, sea, air and diplomatic blockade on Qatar raises many issues relating to international relations, neighborhood relationships, and customs and traditions. The blockade imposed on Qatar resulted in many violations of the country’s economic, social, security and political rights, which are guaranteed by the international and regional treaties. This study demonstrates that the case of Qatar is a real blockade and not a boycott according to the definition of the term “blockade” from the linguistic and international jurisprudence perspectives. It shows that the blockading countries are lacking international references, mainly the Article 7 of the Charter of the United Nations that provides the Security Council solely the authority of taking such a decision according to the Article 41, ordering to take the necessary measures against the aggressing state(s) or those threatening the international peace and security. The Council may order the suspension of economic, rail transportation, maritime, air, postal, communication and telecommunication relations, partially or totally, or the suspension of diplomatic relations with such countries. Therefore, the blockade imposed on Qatar by the four countries is a clear violation of the international law and treaties, especially those relating to human rights and combatting terrorism. It also violates the regional treaties such as the Charter of the League of Arab States and the GCC, which includes three states imposing the blockade, namely KSA, UAE and Bahrain, and the fourth state, Qatar, which is the victim of the blockade. In this regard, the international responsibility of the blockading states is obvious because of the damaging effects of their act on the State of Qatar, which provides Qatar the right to set up a case of international responsibility against these countries and claim compensation due to the huge damage caused by the blockade on its institutions, citizens, and residents

Radial neck fracture in children: anatomic and functional results of Metaizeau technique

Fractures of the radial neck accounts for 1% of all childhood fractures and 5% to 10% of childhood traumatic lesions involving the elbow. Intramedullary percutaneous nail reduction (Metaizeau technique) is considered the most effective surgical technique. The purpose of this study was to identify the main clinical features of radial neck fracture in children and to evaluate the anatomical and functional results of the Metaizeau technique. In this retrospective study, we evaluated 22 patients under the age of 16 who were treated for radial neck fracture at the orthopedic and trauma surgery department of Sahloul University Hospital in Sousse over a period of 16 years from January 2001 to April 2017. Authors used Metaizeau classification. Functional results were evaluated by Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS) and the radiological evaluation was based on standard images with measurement of the residual rocker. The average age was 8.6 years (5-13 years). Seven fracture were grade III injuries and three grade IV. In the immediate postoperative period, radiological measurements showed a residual rocker less than 20° in 86.3% and more than 20° in 13.7% of cases. At an average follow-up of 13 months and a half, the MEPS score was excellent and good for 17 patients. Four types of complications were found: necrosis of the radial head in 1 case, pseudarthrosis in 1 case, periarticular calcification in 2 cases and stiff-ness of the elbow in 3 cases. Despite the small number of patients in our series, we believe that the elastic stable intramedullary pinning according to the Metaizeau technique is the treatment of choice for displaced radial neck fractures in children

Pacifica: Poetry International: Revolutions in Tunisian Poetry

A collection of contemporary poetry from Tunisia, including poems in translation with their French and Arabic original texts

Male Oxidative Stress Infertility (MOSI): Proposed Terminology and Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Idiopathic Male Infertility

Despite advances in the field of male reproductive health, idiopathic male infertility, in which a man has altered semen characteristics without an identifiable cause and there is no female factor infertility, remains a challenging condition to diagnose and manage. Increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress (OS) plays an independent role in the etiology of male infertility, with 30% to 80% of infertile men having elevated seminal reactive oxygen species levels. OS can negatively affect fertility via a number of pathways, including interference with capacitation and possible damage to sperm membrane and DNA, which may impair the sperm’s potential to fertilize an egg and develop into a healthy embryo. Adequate evaluation of male reproductive potential should therefore include an assessment of sperm OS. We propose the term Male Oxidative Stress Infertility, or MOSI, as a novel descriptor for infertile men with abnormal semen characteristics and OS, including many patients who were previously classified as having idiopathic male infertility. Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) can be a useful clinical biomarker for the classification of MOSI, as it takes into account the levels of both oxidants and reductants (antioxidants). Current treatment protocols for OS, including the use of antioxidants, are not evidence-based and have the potential for complications and increased healthcare-related expenditures. Utilizing an easy, reproducible, and cost-effective test to measure ORP may provide a more targeted, reliable approach for administering antioxidant therapy while minimizing the risk of antioxidant overdose. With the increasing awareness and understanding of MOSI as a distinct male infertility diagnosis, future research endeavors can facilitate the development of evidence-based treatments that target its underlying cause

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

Investment in SARS-CoV-2 sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences generated, now exceeding 100,000 genomes, used to track the pandemic on the continent. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries able to sequence domestically, and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround time and more regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and shed light on the distinct dispersal dynamics of Variants of Concern, particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve, while the continent faces many emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

A year of genomic surveillance reveals how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic unfolded in Africa

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Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs

An evaluation of the self-assembly enhancing properties of cell-derived hexameric amyloid-β

A key hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is the extracellular deposition of amyloid plaques composed primarily of the amyloidogenic amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. The Aβ peptide is a product of sequential cleavage of the Amyloid Precursor Protein, the first step of which gives rise to a C-terminal Fragment (C99). Cleavage of C99 by γ-secretase activity releases Aβ of several lengths and the Aβ42 isoform in particular has been identified as being neurotoxic. The misfolding of Aβ leads to subsequent amyloid fibril formation by nucleated polymerisation. This requires an initial and critical nucleus for self-assembly. Here, we identify and characterise the composition and self-assembly properties of cell-derived hexameric Aβ42 and show its assembly enhancing properties which are dependent on the Aβ monomer availability. Identification of nucleating assemblies that contribute to self-assembly in this way may serve as therapeutic targets to prevent the formation of toxic oligomers

Complicated intra-abdominal infections in a worldwide context: an observational prospective study (CIAOW Study)

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