Study of toxic metal pollution in autistic patients in Thi-Qar Governorate

Background. Autism-spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of chronic neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, as well as rigid thinking and behavior. Aim of this study. This study aimed to examine the potential impact of trace metals, specifically copper, iron, and zinc, in the development of autism spectrum disease. Materials and method. A total of 100 blood samples were collected from patients diagnosed with autism, while an additional 100 samples were taken from healthy individuals serving as a control group. The individuals separated into three distinct groups: Group A (control) consisted of one hundred healthy participants aged 3-14 years. Group B consisted of one hundred patients diagnosed with autism, ranging in age from 3 to 14 years old. Results. The findings demonstrated a substantial elevation in the levels of lead (Pb), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr) in all groups of patients as compared to the control group. Conclusion. Study the relationship between trace elements and autism. It was observed that the concentration of lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) was significantly higher in women who did not consume folic acid compared to those who did. On the other hand, the level of nickel (Ni) was significantly lower in women who did not consume folic acid compared to those who did

Post COVID-19 Guillain-Barre syndrome presents as sensory dominant neuropathy with reversible conduction failure

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has several clinical variants. The sensory presentations of GBS are atypical but well-recognized. We report a patient who presented with predominantly sensory symptoms associated with reversible conduction failure (RCF). RCF is a well-defined neurophysiological abnormality noted mainly in axonal GBS and may be misinterpreted as evidence of demyelination. A 25-year-old woman presented 2 weeks after a coronavirus 2019 infection with acute sensory symptoms, distal allodynia, mild weakness, and mild hyporeflexia in her upper limbs. A nerve conduction study (NCS) showed delayed motor distal latencies, and lumbar puncture confirmed cytoalbuminologic dissociation. After excluding other etiologies, she was diagnosed with GBS, treated with an IV immunoglobulin course, and showed remarkable recovery. Results of a repeat NCS were consistent with RCF and confirmed the presence of axonal GBS. Increased awareness of sensory GBS and RCF is expected to improve the diagnosis and management of atypical GBS presentations. </p

Exploring the Use of Herbal Treatments During Pregnancy Among Saudi Women: An application of the knowledge-attitude-practice model

Objectives: Herbal treatments are commonly used by Saudi women during pregnancy. However, the inappropriate use of some herbs can have side-effects for both the mother and the fetus. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of their use during pregnancy is crucial. This study aimed to explore the use of herbal treatments by Saudi women during pregnancy using the knowledge-attitude-practice model. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2019 and April 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a convenience sample using an online Arabic-language questionnaire. Saudi women aged between 18–58 years who were pregnant or had been pregnant and were living in the Riyadh were included. Results: A total of 400 individuals participated in this study. All participants lacked knowledge about the side-effects of herbal treatment but 63% knew about unsafe herbs in general. Most participants (66%) had a neutral attitude towards herbal treatments. Almost half of the participants (48%) did not use herbs during pregnancy and a similar number (47%) sometimes used herbal treatments during pregnancy. There was a significant positive correlation between attitude and practice and a negative correlation between knowledge and attitude as well as between knowledge and practice (P &lt;0.0001 each). Conclusion: While the participants’ knowledge were generally poor, their attitudes and practices regarding the use of herbal treatments during pregnancy were good. It is recommended that more efforts be made by healthcare providers to target attitudes towards herbal treatments by providing accurate knowledge and reinforcing healthy practices among Saudi women. Keywords: Herbal Medicine; Pregnancy; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Saudi Arabia

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmic Outpatient Care in a Tertiary Care Center in Riyadh

In this paper, we measured the impact of a full COVID-19 lockdown on ophthalmic patients after a period of lockdown in Saudi Arabia, from March to September 2020. A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out on 180 patients who had their appointments delayed or canceled due to the lockdown. Data was collected from electronic medical records and patients via voice calls using a validated questionnaire that were analyzed using a multivariable binary regression analysis. The results show no statistically significant mean difference in visual acuity when comparing pre- and post-lockdown measurements. The median number of appointment cancellations/delays per patient was two, and the estimated delay for the first canceled appointments was equal to 178.8 days. Of the cohort studied, 15.4% of patients faced delays in necessary surgical and therapeutic interventions; 22.1% of patients sought eye care at other institutions due to the delay, and 15% of those were seen by doctors unspecialized in ophthalmology. The odds of dissatisfaction with care were higher in patients who experienced cancellations in a surgical procedure and patients who experienced difficulty in obtaining medications. In conclusion, the pandemic hampered ophthalmic patients&rsquo; access to medications. Subjective visual outcomes of patients were also negatively affected; however, the change in objective visual parameters was not statistically significant

Graphene-based H-shaped biosensor with high sensitivity and optimization using ML-based algorithm

In this paper, a biosensing absorber based on phase transition material is presented. Different phases of the Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) substrate have been studied for the suggested absorber with controllable characteristics. The structure has been examined to determine the infrared absorption characteristics. The detection of varying volumes of hemoglobin and urine biomolecules is studied. The graphene-GST material is utilized for spectrum tuning. The tuning for two distinct phases of GST material, amorphous GST and crystalline GST is examined. The results for aGST and cGST are reported in the form of absorption. Different amounts of hemoglobin and urine biomolecules are used to tune these two GST stages. Based on the wavelength shifts at these various concentrations, the sensitivity is computed. The highest achievable sensitivity for hemoglobin and urine biomolecules is 1500 nm/RIU and 1667 nm/RIU. The developed model is observed for various geometrical parameters and incidence angles, from which it is determined that the suggested structure is insensitive to wide angles between 0° and 60°. For urine biomolecules, the aGST design is more sensitive than the cGST design, but similar results are achieved for hemoglobin biomolecules. Experiments are conducted with Machine Learning-based regression models to minimize the simulation time and resource requirements of biosensor design. The findings of the trials indicate that a regression model can accurately estimate the absorption values for intermediate wavelengths with an R2 score of 0.9999

Design of a Highly Sensitive Detector Using a Ternary Photonic Crystal (PC) Based on Titanium Nitride Sandwiched between Si and SiO2 for the Creatinine Concentration Detection in the Blood Serum

It is very important to design a rapid and sensitive device for the creatinine concentration detection due to it being one of the most considerable benchmarks for efficient kidney working. Here, a novel biophotonic sensor using one-dimensional ternary PC based on Si/TiN/SiO2 layers is proposed for the creatinine concentration detection in a blood serum sample. A central cavity layer is inserted between two equal periodic numbers. The blood sample can be infiltrated in the cavity layer with various creatinine concentrations. Based on the technique of transfer matrix, the transmittance spectra properties are investigated. The influences of variation of the incidence angle for both TE and TM polarizations and the cavity layer thickness are carefully investigated to attain the best sensitivity of the biophotonic detector. A high sensitivity of 938.02 nm/RIU is realized for the suggested detector, which is comparable to most recent works published in this area. Moreover, the proposed sensor has an inexpensive cost, real-time detection, and simple structure, which is helpful to the industrial design using low-cost product nanofabrication techniques. Based on above-mentioned outcomes, our biosensor candidate is a suitable and effective device for the detection of creatinine concentration, and it can use for any biological sample