A study on the academic English language Target needs of the faculty of applied science undergraduates at Al-Aqsa University.

Mengenal pasti keperluan bahasa pelajar adalah langkah awal yang penting dalam usaha membantu mereka menangani masalah bahasa yang dihadapi semasa belajar. Identifying the students’ language needs is an essential first step to help them cope with the language difficulties they face in their academic study

The Future of Software Engineering by 2050

According to the huge criticality of using advanced software systems and the great demands of providing updated and qualified programs, this paper reflects some future perspectives towards the importance of software in managing everything in the world life over the next thirty years. Moreover, the paper presents the challenges which face the recent and the future generations as a result of this huge revolution of technology and automations. In addition to that, the writer would provide some solutions for those obstacles in order to enhance the role of software engineers in 2050. Also the paper reviews the related literature and surveys the point of view of software engineering experts by assigning an online interview with six open ended questions to examine their perspectives towards the future of Internet of things, Artificial intelligence, ubiquitous computing, and system of systems. The majority of ideas reflected the humanity fears of technology and replacing people with robots in the job fields. Furthermore, some experts encouraged the idea of having smart homes, and wearable devices Keywords: advanced Software; system of systems; 3D building printer, internet of things, artificial intelligence, ubiquitous computing, and system of systems. DOI: 10.7176/CEIS/11-2-06 Publication date: April 30th 202

MDCT angiography and transcatheter embolization in management of acute gastrointestinal bleeding

Acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is an important cause of emergency hospital admissions, with its related morbidity and mortality. The availability of endoscopic equipment has had an important effect on the rapid identification and treatment of the bleeding source. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) allows direct demonstration and visualization of the bleeding source and its characterization. The information provided by MDCT angiography before attempts at therapeutic angiographic procedures leads to faster selective catheterization of bleeding vessels. The purpose of this study was to show the role of MDCT and catheter embolization in management of acute GI bleeding.Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study that included 57 patients referred in 4 years with active gastrointestinal bleeding. MDCT was performed in 43 cases, while 14 patients didn’t have CT angiography and proceeded straight to angiography.Results: 37 patients had positive MDCT findings, of which 27 cases had positive bleed on angiography, and 10 did not show active bleeding on angiography. 6 patients had a negative MDCT and did not proceed to angiography. 14 patients did not have aMDCT and proceeded straight to angiography; 6 of them showed active bleeding on angiography.Conclusion: MDCT is an excellent technique before angiography and embolization in cases with acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Transcatheter embolization is an effective tool for control of GI bleed

Ultrafast-track extubation after pediatric cardiac surgery; benefits and safety

Background: Ultrafast-track extubation after cardiac surgery my facilitate rapid recovery. However, the overall risk-benefit is still debatable. The objective of this study was to report the effect of ultrafast-track extubation in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: This is a retrospective study that included 260 patients who had surgery for congenital heart diseases between 2015 and 2019. Patients were divided into two groups. Group A included patients who had ultrafast-track extubation protocol (n = 140), and group B was the conventional anesthesia group (n = 120). Results: The mean age was 3.68 ± 2.1 and 3.8 ± 1.6 years for groups A and B, respectively (p= 0.08). The total operative time was higher in group A (326± 18.15 vs. 274.6±28.1 minutes;  p 0.001), and the degree of pulmonary hypertension were higher in group B (p= 0.02). The rate of ventilator-related complications was higher in group B (P = 0.02). There was a significant reduction in mean length of intensive care unit stay between the ultrafast-track extubation and the conventional groups (65.3 ± 33.7 and 81.6±70.2 hours, respectively; p= 0.001). The total hospital stay was significantly reduced in group A (6.7 ± 2.7 vs. o 7.43±2.65 days for group  A and B, respectively, p= 0.03). Conclusions: The application of ultrafast-track extubation protocol could lead to a reduction in the ventilator-related complications, the length of intensive care unit and hospital stays without increasing postoperative complications

Numerical simulation of transient performance of viscous micropumps

The current trend in today's technology is the miniaturization of the mechanical components to the extent that they are about to compete with the electronics used to control their performance. In the present study, the transient performance of viscous micropumps will be investigated numerically. The viscous micropump operation depends mainly on viscous forces, and can operate in any situation where viscous forces are dominant. It consists of a cylinder placed eccentrically inside a microchannel with its axis perpendicular to the channel axis. When the cylinder rotates, a net force is transferred to the fluid due to the unequal shear stresses on the upper and lower surfaces of the cylinder, thus causing the fluid to displace. The effect of the microchannel height, rotor eccentricity, Reynolds number, and pump load on the transient performance of the viscous micropump has been studied in detail. The rotor eccentricity was determined to be the parameter that affected the transient performance of the micropump the most significantly. Multi rotor configurations were also examined and proved to enhance the micropump performance. The steady state performance was compared with the available experimental data and was found to be in a very good agreement. This work provides a foundation for future research on the subject of fluid phenomena in viscous micropumps

Reprogramming of Basic Cellular Metabolism by Vitamin D in Tumor Cells

Recent years have witnessed a resurgence in tumor metabolism research. Cancer cells are known to exhibit multiple distinct aberrations in energy-utilization that help them sustain rapid growth and proliferation, as well as cope with harsh microenvironment conditions, such as limited nutrient availability and oxygenation. Amplified growth factor and oncogenic signaling have been implicated in the observed metabolic reprogramming in cancers, and thus, drugs that target these signaling aberrations have also been shown to impact metabolism. Furthermore, several drugs have been developed or repurposed to interfere with metabolic processes in transformed cells. In this thesis, the results of my investigations into the ability of 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] (also referred to as calcitriol)—the hormonally active form of vitamin D3—to influence metabolic pathways in different cancer models are presented. Using prostate cancer cell lines with different androgen sensitivities, as well as breast cancer cell lines representing different molecular subtypes, it is shown that 1,25(OH)2D3 is a major regulator of energy-utilization and glucose-sensing networks in these cancer cells. Detailed investigation of cellular metabolism using biosensor technology, GC/MS-based metabolomics, RT-qPCR gene expression analyses, enzymatic activity assays, FACS analyses, and immunoblotting, illustrates that 1,25(OH)2D3 induces global rewiring of glucose-metabolizing pathways, as well as modulates energy-related signaling molecules including AMP-activated protein kinase and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP). My results also show, that in contrast to the long-standing association between TXNIP and calcitriol, the former is not universally regulated by the latter in cancer cell lines of various tissue origins, and that the canonical regulation is subject to glucose-availability. In conclusion, I like to propose that regulation of onco-metabolism is a mechanism through which calcitriol induces its anti-cancer effects, and argue that continued investigations into this theme would elucidate ways to improve the molecule’s therapeutic potential

Postoperative Outcomes after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Elderly Patients

Background: Age is a critical factor influencing the death and morbidities afterward cholecystectomy. It was revealed that laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in the elderly has similar security and effectiveness to those in young people. The gold-standard in the management of cholelithiasis is LC. Objectives: This work was aimed to assess post-operative outcomes of LC between elderly cases and for comparing the post-operative outcome of LC among ages groups >60yrs and <60yrs. Patients and Methods: This prospective study conducted among 68 cases who experienced LC at Damanhur Medical National Institute Hospital. Cases were allocated into 2 groups according to ages: elderly (≥60yrs, n= 38) and young (<60 yrs, n= 35). Results: 68 cases divided into two groups. The mean age is 68.4± 5.7 and 49.1± 10.5 among elderly and younger groups. There is significant difference between groups regarding age and comorbidities. The mean operative time was 62.8± 21.2 and 59.5± 18.7 among elderly and young groups. There is no statistically significant difference between two groups regarding intraoperative data. There is nonsignificant change regarding postoperative outcomes after LC. Conclusion: It could be concluded that laparoscopic cholecystectomy in elderly cases is similar with young cases. Consequently, LC is secure even in the elderly

New Benzoxazole Derivatives as Antiprotozoal Agents: In Silico Studies, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation

Background. Benzoxazole derivatives have different biological activities. In pursuit of designing novel chemical entities with antiprotozoal and antimicrobial activities, benzoxazolyl aniline was utilized as a privileged scaffold of a series of (3-benzoxazole-2-yl) phenylamine derivatives, 3-benzoxazoloyl acetamide, and butyramide derivatives. Methods. These novel analogs were synthesized in straightforward simple chemistry without any quantitative chromatographic separations in reasonable yields. The biological evaluation of all target compounds as potential antimalarial, antileishmanial, antitrypanosomal, and antimicrobial agents was performed by various well-established cell-based methods. Results. Compounds 6d and 5a showed promising biological screening data. The amidation of 3-benzoxazolyl aniline 1 with the chloroacetyl functional group resulted in a good antimalarial activity and showed moderate inhibitory activities against leishmanial and trypanosomal spp. Moreover, chloroacetyl functionalization of benzoxazolyl aniline serves as a good early goal for constructing and synthesizing new antimicrobial and antiprotozoal agents. The molecular docking study rationalizes the relative inhibitory activity of compound 5a as an antimalarial agent with the deregulation of PfPNP activity which has emerged as a major mechanism of these targets

Surgical Management and Outcome of Patients with Thyroid Diseases during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Globally, healthcare authorities have reacted by restricting medical care to emergency cases and postponing elective surgical procedures of all types. Elective surgeries have been almost totally postponed keeping to a minimum the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and to allow a better allocation of resources. Since thyroid surgery usually does not cover immediate surgical interventions, during this pandemic nearly all the patients who require thyroid surgery care are experiencing delays in the operation planning procedure. Objective: The aim of the work was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on thyroid surgery.Subjects and methods: We conducted prospective study from August 2020 to February 2021 among all patients who attended to Damanhur Medical National Institute Hospital. Total sample size was 60 patients and patients with positive COVID-19 were enrolled in group 1 (cases) and those who were negative COVID-19 were enrolled in group 2 (controls). Results: A total of 60 patients were seen during the study period. Males were 35 (58.3%) while females were 25 (41.7%). The mean age 39.5± 9.5 years. There is no statistically significant difference between patients with COVID-19 and patients without COVID-19 regarding developing complications from thyroid surgeries.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has created a complicated set of issues for patients with endocrine-related cancers. Most thyroid cancers are indolent and so postponement of surgery in the era of COVID-19. There is no significant association between COVID-19 and complications of surgery

Short Term Outcome of Plasma Pleurodesis in Post Pulmonary Resections Persistent Air Leak

Background: Air leak is the most common morbidity after pulmonary resection surgery. It may result in prolonged duration with chest tubes with their annoying chest pain, prolonged hospital stay time with increased financial costs, pneumonia, empyema, and patient dissatisfaction. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of plasma pleurodesis for stoppage of air leak after lung resection, in comparison to conservative measures. Methods: This prospective single-blinded randomized study included 60 patients randomly divided into two groups: Group A: included 30 patients who received intrapleural fresh frozen plasma.  One bag of FFP, contains 250 ml of plasma, matched for the ABO group was installed through the apical chest tube into the pleural cavity. Group B: a control group of 30 patients who did not receive any sclerosing agent. They were managed with under-water seal and observation. Results: This study showed that the stoppage of air leak in group A was faster “which stopped in 9-10 days” in comparison to control group B “24-25 days”, (P-value <0.001). There was a significant difference between groups A and B regarding the hospital stay, which was in 9-10 days in group A in comparison to group B “26-28 days (P-value <0.001). Conclusion: Intrapleural fresh frozen plasma appears to be a valuable option to stop persistent air leaks post pulmonary resections. It’s a cheap, available, and safe agent. It reduced hospital stay, costs and morbidities