The Importance of Preventive Medicine in Family Practice: A Review of Current Guidelines and Recommendations

Prevention is seen as a critical topic in family practice. Primordial prevention, primary prevention, secondary prevention, tertiary prevention, and quaternary prevention are all part of this strategy to disease prevention. To avoid the formation and development of risk factors, primary prevention focuses on addressing the fundamental causes and social determinants of disease. Primary prevention is the practice of preventing illnesses before they arise via the use of treatments such as immunizations and health education. Secondary prevention focuses on illness identification and intervention as early as possible to avoid disease development. Tertiary prevention addresses illness outcomes by restoring health and offering rehabilitation. Finally, quaternary prevention seeks to safeguard patients against needless medical treatments and the harm caused by over-medicating. Risks frequently rise in tandem with frailty and comorbidities. In contrast, advantages frequently drop as life expectancy increases. Preventive management strategies should consider the patient's viewpoint and be mutually agreed upon. Healthcare providers must prioritize the deployment of preventive care services, even when clinical treatments are required, in order to overcome preventive care hurdles. Healthcare practitioners may play a critical role in illness prevention and contribute to family well-being by investing in preventive care and executing these measures

Comprehensive Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Distinct Gene Expression Patterns of Tumor Microenvironment in HPV-Associated and HPV-Non Associated Tonsillar Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are a common type of cancer, ranking as the sixth most prevalent cancer worldwide and having a high morbidity and mortality rate. Among oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) cancers, tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most prevalent and has a particularly aggressive clinical course with poor disease outcomes. The tumor microenvironment (TME) of HNSCC is complex and heterogeneous, playing a crucial role in effective cancer therapy. Understanding the interaction between cancer inflammation, immunity, oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes is essential for developing effective cancer treatments. This study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the transcriptomes of the TME in TSCC, both associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) and not associated with HPV. The gene expression profiles of 168 genes linked to various cellular mediators and factors involved in inflammation, immunity crosstalk, transcription, signal transduction, oncogenesis, tumor suppression, angiogenesis, and apoptosis were analyzed. We identified 40 differentially expressed genes related to the communication between tumor cells and the cellular mediators of inflammation and immunity crosstalk. In HPV-positive TSCC patients, 33 genes were over-expressed with a fold change greater than 1.5, and 26 of these genes were unique to this group. In contrast, HPV-negative TSCC patients had 11 up-regulated genes. The results further showed that 48 gene transcripts related to oncogenesis, tumor suppression, angiogenesis, and apoptosis were up-regulated in both HPV-positive and HPV-negative TSCC patients. Among the HPV-positive TSCC patients, 37 genes were over-expressed, while the HPV-negative TSCC patients had 11 up-regulated genes. The tumor microenvironment (TME) of HPV-associated and HPV-non-associated TSCC exhibited distinct characteristics, including the dysregulation of various genes involved in cellular mediators, inflammation, immunity crosstalk, transcription factors, immune signaling pathways, signal transduction, oncogenesis, tumor suppression, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Additionally, we detected six Hr-HPV genotypes in 81% of the TSCC patients, with HPV-16 and HPV-35 being the most common types, followed by HPV-45 and HPV-18. HPV-39 and 31 were also identified. The presence of Hr-HPV genotypes in TSCC patients varied from single to multiple infections. In conclusion, we observed distinct heterogeneity in the transcriptome of the microenvironment in HPV-associated and non-associated TSCC. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to investigate the functional implications of the identified over-expressed genes. Also, deeper molecular pathways and immunological studies on the TME are required to determine the potential of targeting genes for cancer therapy

Optimization of MHD Flow of Radiative Micropolar Nanofluid in a Channel by RSM: Sensitivity Analysis

These days, heat transfer plays a significant role in the fields of engineering and energy, particularly in the biological sciences. Ordinary fluid is inadequate to transfer heat in an efficient manner, therefore, several models were considered for the betterment of heat transfer. One of the most prominent models is a single-phase nanofluid model. The present study is devoted to solving the problem of micropolar fluid with a single-phase model in a channel numerically. The governing partial differential equations (PDEs) are converted into nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by introducing similarity transformation and then solved numerically by the finite difference method. Response surface methodology (RSM) together with sensitivity analysis are implemented for the optimization analysis. The study reveals that sensitivity of the skin friction coefficient (Cfx) to the Reynolds number (R) and magnetic parameter (M) is positive (directly proportional) and negative (inversely proportional) for the micropolar parameter

Surf Redfish-Based ZnO-NPs and Their Biological Activity with Reference to Their Non-Target Toxicity

The marine environment is a rich source of bioactive compounds. Therefore, the sea cucumber was isolated from the Red Sea at the Al-Ain Al-Sokhna coast and it was identified as surf redfish (Actinopyga mauritiana). The aqueous extract of the surf redfish was utilized as an ecofriendly, novel and sustainable approach to fabricate zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). The biosynthesized ZnO-NPs were physico-chemically characterized and evaluated for their possible antibacterial and insecticidal activities. Additionally, their safety in the non-target organism model (Nile tilapia fish) was also investigated. ZnO-NPs were spherical with an average size of 24.69 ± 11.61 nm and had a peak at 350 nm as shown by TEM and UV-Vis, respectively. XRD analysis indicated a crystalline phase of ZnO-NPs with an average size of 21.7 nm. The FTIR pattern showed biological residues from the surf redfish extract, highlighting their potential role in the biosynthesis process. DLS indicated a negative zeta potential (−19.2 mV) of the ZnO-NPs which is a good preliminary indicator for their stability. ZnO-NPs showed larvicidal activity against mosquito Culex pipiens (LC50 = 15.412 ppm and LC90 = 52.745 ppm) and a potent adulticidal effect to the housefly Musca domestica (LD50 = 21.132 ppm and LD90 = 84.930 ppm). Tested concentrations of ZnO-NPs showed strong activity against the 3rd larval instar. Topical assays revealed dose-dependent adulticidal activity against M. domestica after 24 h of treatment with ZnO-NPs. ZnO-NPs presented a wide antibacterial activity against two fish-pathogen bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aeromonas hydrophila. Histopathological and hematological investigations of the non-target organism, Nile tilapia fish exposed to 75–600 ppm ZnO-NPs provide dose-dependent impacts. Overall, data highlighted the potential applications of surf redfish-mediated ZnO-NPs as an effective and safe way to control mosquitoes, houseflies and fish pathogenic bacteria

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population