Screening of social phobia symptoms in a sample of Egyptian university students

Background: Public speaking is a main requisite for academic achievement amongst university students. Epidemiological data on social phobia among University students in the Arab World are scarce. Objectives: To screen for social phobia symptoms in a representative sample of Egyptian university students, and to highlight some putative risk factors associated with them. Methods: Two thousand nine hundred and nineteen Egyptian university students participated in the study. They were screened for social phobia using Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS). Students total and subdomain scores on the BSPS were correlated with their demographic and scholastic variables. Results: Social phobia symptoms were estimated to be prevalent among (44%) of the study sample. A significant (p < 0.05) negative correlation was found between students’ age and avoidance scores on BSPS and between students’ educational year and their scores on fear, avoidance and physiologic subdomains on the BSPS. Regression analysis pointed out to a number of predictive factors for the higher total BSPS scores such as female gender and being a medical student. Discussion: Our study demonstrated a high rate of social phobia symptoms in university students. It also demonstrated a number of significant predictive factors associated with the domains of social phobia such as gender, BMI, scholastic year and faculty type

BJS commission on surgery and perioperative care post-COVID-19

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 11 March 2020 and global surgical practice was compromised. This Commission aimed to document and reflect on the changes seen in the surgical environment during the pandemic, by reviewing colleagues' experiences and published evidence. Methods: In late 2020, BJS contacted colleagues across the global surgical community and asked them to describe how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had affected their practice. In addition to this, the Commission undertook a literature review on the impact of COVID-19 on surgery and perioperative care. A thematic analysis was performed to identify the issues most frequently encountered by the correspondents, as well as the solutions and ideas suggested to address them. Results: BJS received communications for this Commission from leading clinicians and academics across a variety of surgical specialties in every inhabited continent. The responses from all over the world provided insights into multiple facets of surgical practice from a governmental level to individual clinical practice and training. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered a variety of problems in healthcare systems, including negative impacts on surgical practice. Global surgical multidisciplinary teams are working collaboratively to address research questions about the future of surgery in the post-COVID-19 era. The COVID-19 pandemic is severely damaging surgical training. The establishment of a multidisciplinary ethics committee should be encouraged at all surgical oncology centres. Innovative leadership and collaboration is vital in the post-COVID-19 era

Lithium treatment in cluster headache, review of literature

ABSTRACT -Background: The pain, which is involved in Cluster Headache (CH), is excruciating and is probably one of the most painful conditions known to humans. In the early 70es it was found out that lithium could be used in treating this rare condition. Ekbom produced his first report of using lithium successfully to treat five cases of CH and this was followed later by other studies, which showed the effectiveness of lithium in this condition. Objective: In this article we reviewed the evidence for using lithium in CH. We discuss some issues including the duration, the dosage of lithium required and the short and longterm side effects, which are likely to occur. We also included the mechanism of action of lithium in treating this condition. Methodology: We searched the Medline database from 1950 to date. We included all studies done in English, which were related to the use of lithium in cluster headache. We excluded all studies which were not in English and which included other types of headache. Results and conclusions: We concluded that lithium is effective in both chronic and episodic forms of cluster Headache

Role of potential field derivatives in delineating buried archaeological ruins

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Improving the quality properties of soybean oil by using rice bran oil

Abstract This study aims to study the effect of substituting soybean oil (SO) with rice bran oil (RBO) at different levels (25%, 50%, and 75%) on the physical and chemical properties, fatty acid composition, and oxidative stability of SO, also, study the effect of storing SO, RBO, and their blend oils at ambient temperature for a period of 12 months on the content of free fatty acids (% FFA), peroxide value (PV), and thiobarbituric acid (TBA). RBO demonstrated good quality, as evidenced by its initial low values of % FFA, PV, and TBA. Furthermore, RBO was found to be an excellent source of γ-oryzanol, whereas the other oils lacked this compound. Consequently, increasing the proportion of RBO in SO resulted in the least degradation, while pure SO exhibited the highest degree of degradation. Moreover, the blend oils demonstrated an inhibitory effect against oxidation, allowing for a prolonged storage period without the use of industrial antioxidants. Throughout the entire storage period, the % FFA and PV of all tested blend oil samples remained within the limits recommended for human consumption. TBA exhibited a similar trend to PV. However, an incremental increase in TBA values was observed as the storage period of the oils extended. In SO, TBA levels increased from 0.533 mg malonaldehyde/kg oil at the beginning to 1.446 mg malonaldehyde/kg oil after 12 months of storage. In RBO, TBA levels increased from 0.336 mg malonaldehyde/kg oil at the beginning to 0.882 mg malonaldehyde/kg oil after 12 months of storage

Morphological studies on the seasonal changes in the epididymal duct of the one-humped camel (camelus dromedarius)

The present work was carried out on 20 testes and epididymis of sexually mature camels to elucidate the gross anatomical, morphometerical, light microscopical and scanning electron microscopical features of the epididymis in different seasons. Anatomically, the epididymal duct of a camel consists of three parts head, body and tail. Histomorphologically, the epididymal duct is subdivided into initial, middle and terminal segments, of which the middle segment is further subdivided into proximal, intermediate and distal parts. There is a gradual decrease in the epithelial height of the epididymal duct from the initial to the terminal segments. This mechanically facilities passage of the sperms toward the terminal segment. High epithelium in the initial segment may indicate a more absorptive power of the epithelium in this segment. The seasonal reproductivety of the epididymal duct in the camel expressed by variations in the weight and volume of the epididymis, total diameter of the epididymal duct, epithelial height, length of the stereocilia, thickness of the muscular coat and cellular distributions in different segments. The spring months offer ideal circumstances for maximal reproductive activity in this species. The cellular components of the epididymal duct epithelium of the camel displays important morphological changes from season to another showing signs of increasing activity during spring in comparison to decreasing activity in other seasons. PAS positive granules are demonstrated in different segments of the epididymal duct and intraepithelial glands in different seasons. These granules are relatively more numerous in spring. The lamina propria surrounding the epididymal duct contains a layer of the elastic fibers which is very thick in winter, thick in spring and thin in other seasons. This increase in thickness of the elastic fibers predisposes for the increase in the total diameter of the epididymal duct in spring. It was conclude that the muscular coat of the middle and terminal segments is the thickest in spring that may be helpful for powerful ejaculation

A standardized optical coherence tomography workflow improves procedural efficiency and safety during percutaneous coronary intervention: insights from the LightLab Initiative

Background Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) guided by intravascular imaging improves clinical outcomes and is endorsed by society guidelines. Nonetheless, routine intravascular imaging use remains low, partly because of a perceived lack of efficiency. The LightLab (LL) Program was designed to evaluate the impact of a standardized workflow (LL workflow) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) on PCI procedural efficiency. Methods Detailed PCI procedural data were collected over 2 years from 41 physicians at 16 US centers. OCT-guided PCI procedures incorporating the LL workflow (routine pre- and post-PCI OCT, n = 264) were compared with baseline angiography-guided PCI (n = 428). Propensity score analysis was used to control for differences between the groups, resulting in 207 matched subject pairs. Outcomes included procedure time, radiation exposure, contrast volume, device utilization, and treatment strategy. Results Compared with angiography guidance alone, OCT-guided PCI with the LL workflow increased the median procedural time by 9 minutes but resulted in less radiation exposure and less time spent on vessel preparation (Table 1). In addition, fewer stents and balloons were used with OCT guidance, and there was a reduction in unplanned additional treatment over angiography-guided PCI. Furthermore, fewer angiographic views were required using the OCT-guided LL workflow, resulting in no difference in contrast utilization between groups. Outcomes Median (IQR) or % (n/N)Angiography Guided (n = 207)LL Workflow Guided (n = 207)P Value Procedure duration (minutes) 36 (24-55) 45 (34-64) \u3c0.0001 Contrast volume (cc) 146 (113-187) 150 (120-195) 0.28 Radiation exposure (mGy) 1269 (779-1,930) 1,133 (711-1,743) 0.02 Cineangiography runs (# diagnostic views) 7 (3-9) 6 (3-8) \u3c0.01 Stents (count) 1 (1-2) 1 (1-2) 0.0478 Compliant balloons (count) 1 (1 – 2) 1 (0 – 1) \u3c0.0001 Lesions with unplanned additional treatment 10% (24/231) 4% (10/235) 0.01 Lesions with vessel prep 89% (212/238) 75% (179/239) \u3c0.0001 Lesions with post-dilation 60% (138/231) 96% (218/227) \u3c0.0001 Conclusion The incorporation of a standardized workflow for OCT guidance during PCI improves multiple efficiency and safety metrics at a cost of a modestly longer procedure time. Overall, these data suggest that standardizing intravascular imaging workflow during PCI has the potential to improve PCI outcomes without substantially increasing procedure duration, which may result in greater adoption for routine PCI use

Safety and efficiency of percutaneous coronary intervention using a standardised optical coherence tomography workflow.

BACKGROUND: While intravascular imaging guidance during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves outcomes, routine intravascular imaging usage remains low, in part due to perceived inefficiency and safety concerns. AIMS: The LightLab (LL) Initiative was designed to evaluate whether implementing a standardised optical coherence tomography (OCT) workflow impacts PCI safety metrics and procedural efficiency. METHODS: In this multicentre, prospective, observational study, PCI procedural data were collected over 2 years from 45 physicians at 17 US centres. OCT-guided PCI incorporating the LL workflow (N=264), a structured algorithm using routine pre- and post-PCI OCT imaging, was compared with baseline angiography-only PCI (angio) (N=428). Propensity score analysis identified 207 matched procedures. Outcomes included procedure time, radiation exposure, contrast volume, device utilisation, and treatment strategy. RESULTS: Compared with angiography alone, LL workflow OCT-guided PCI increased the median procedural time by 9 minutes but reduced vessel preparation time (2 min LL workflow vs 3 min angio; p CONCLUSIONS: The incorporation of a standardised pre- and post-PCI OCT imaging workflow improves procedural efficiency and safety metrics, at a cost of a modestly longer procedure time