Prevalence of tobacco smoking among health-care physicians in Bahrain.

BACKGROUND: There is a clear shift in smoking habits among the Middle Eastern population with a recent and alarming increase in the prevalence of waterpipe (shisha) smoking. This phenomenon has not yet been studied sufficiently across the physician population. Therefore, we set out to establish the smoking status of primary healthcare physicians in the kingdom of Bahrain. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 175 out of the total 320 primary care physicians. Descriptive analysis was performed on all data and associations between variables were tested using Fishers Exact t test with statistical significance set as P-value \u3c 0.05. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty two physicians agreed to participate in the study. Sixty seven percent of physicians were females and the mean (SD) age was 45 (10) years. The majority of the physicians were married (93%) and of Bahraini nationality (76%). Ever-smokers were 11% of the population while current smokers corresponded to 8.6%. Waterpipe was the most common method of tobacco smoking followed by cigarettes. Among male physicians, the prevalence of current \u27waterpipe only\u27 smokers was 12%, followed by 4% and 2% corresponding to \u27cigarette only\u27 smokers and both, respectively. There were only three female smokers in the population, two \u27waterpipe only\u27 smokers and one cigar smoker. Of those who smoked waterpipe (n = 9; 6%), 33% smoked daily, 44% smoked weekly and 22% smoked at least once a month. Current smoking status was associated with male gender (P CONCLUSION: Waterpipe smoking rates exceeded cigarette smoking among the population of physicians in Bahrain. Prevalence of smoking remains unacceptably high among male physicians. Assessment of physicians\u27 knowledge of the harmful effects of waterpipe tobacco smoking is warranted to plan future interventions

Water as a "glue" : Elasticity-enhanced wet attachment of biomimetic microcup structures

Octopus, clingfish, and larva use soft cups to attach to surfaces under water. Recently, various bioinspired cups have been engineered. However, the mechanisms of their attachment and detachment remain elusive. Using a novel microcup, fabricated by two-photon lithography, coupled with in situ pressure sensor and observation cameras, we reveal the detailed nature of its attachment/detachment under water. It involves elasticity-enhanced hydrodynamics generating “self-sealing” and high suction at the cup-substrate interface, converting water into “glue.” Detachment is mediated by seal breaking. Three distinct mechanisms of breaking are identified, including elastic buckling of the cup rim. A mathematical model describes the interplay between the attachment/detachment process, geometry, elasto-hydrodynamics, and cup retraction speed. If the speed is too slow, then the octopus cannot attach; if the tide is too gentle for the larva, then water cannot serve as a glue. The concept of “water glue” can innovate underwater transport and manufacturing strategies

Interference With Coagulation Cascade as a Novel Approach to Counteract Cisplatin-Induced Acute Tubular Necrosis; an Experimental Study in Rats

Coagulation system activation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of different diseases. In spite of massive research regarding cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, the role of coagulation cascade in such toxicity is still questionable. Here, we aim to investigate the role of activation of coagulation system in the initiation of cisplatin-induced acute renal tubular necrosis. Moreover, the role of the anticoagulant rivaroxaban against such toxicity was investigated. Briefly, animals were classified into seven groups, eight rats each. Group 1 served as normal control group, groups (2–7) received i.p. single doses of cisplatin (6 mg/kg b.w), groups (6–7) were treated with rivaroxaban (5 and 7 mg/kg b.w, p.o., respectively) 7 days before cisplatin injection and completed for 4 days. Animals in groups (2, 3, and 4) were sacrificed after 1, 2 and 3 days of cisplatin injection, respectively, while groups (1, 5, 6, and 7) were sacrificed after 4 days of cisplatin injection. Serum cystatin-c, urea, creatinine and γ-glutamyl transferase, urinary Lipocaline-2, and KIM-1 protein densities, as well as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were assessed. Immunofluorescence examination of glomeruli fibrin and tissue factor (TF) was also performed coupled with a histopathological study. Cisplatin administration increased expression of fibrin and TF starting 24 h of cisplatin injection even before renal failure markers elevated. Leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and increased prothrombin time were also observed. Cisplatin also induced tubular damage evidenced by increased serum cystatin-c, urea, and creatinine with significant decrease in GFR and Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity. Rivaroxaban significantly decreased elevation of fibrin and TF with significant reduction in serum creatinine, BUN and cystatin-c levels. Rivaroxaban also significantly improved hematological markers and histological features as well. This study showed that activation of coagulation system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of cisplatin-induced acute renal tubular damage. Interference with coagulation cascade may be a promising nephroprotective strategy against chemical nephrotoxicity

Detection of Surface Cracks in Metals using Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Nondestructive Testing Techniques-A Review

Integrity Assessment of Metallic Structures Requires Inspection Tools Capable of Detecting and Evaluating Cracks Reliably. to This End, Many Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation (NDT&E) Methods Have Been Developed and Applied Successfully in the Past. Detection of Fatigue Cracks with Widths Less Than 5 Μ M using Noncontact Microwave-Based Inspection Methods Was Demonstrated in the 1970s. Since their Introduction, These Methods Have Evolved Considerably Toward Enhancing the Detection Sensitivity and Resolution. Undertaking Key Application Challenges Has Attracted Considerable Attention in the Past Three Decades and Led to the Development of the Near-Field Techniques for Crack Detection. to Address a Need that Cannot Be Fulfilled by Other NDT&E Modalities, Innovative Noncontact Microwave and Millimeter-Wave NDT&E Methods Were Devised Recently to Detect Cracks of Arbitrary Orientations under Thick Dielectric Structures. While the Reported Methods Share the Same Underlying Physical Principles, They Vary Considerably in Terms of the Devised Probes/sensors and the Application Procedure. Consequently, their Sensitivity and Resolution as Well as their Limitations Vary. This Article Reviews the Various Crack Detection Methods Developed To-Date and Compares Them in Terms of Common Performance Metrics. This Comprehensive Review is Augmented with Experimental Comparisons and Benchmarking Aimed to Benefit NDT&E Practitioners and Researchers Alike

Semilobar Holoprosencephaly with Neurogenic Hypernatraemia : Two new cases

Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a developmental defect of the embryonic forebrain and midface. It is due to the non-cleavage of the embryonic forebrain into two cerebral hemispheres and the incomplete development of the paramedian structures. The overall prevalence is 1.31 per 10,000 births. The aetiology could be genetic,environmental, or both. HPE is classified into alobar, semilobar, and lobar subtypes based on the degree of separation of the cerebral hemispheres. We report two new cases of semilobar HPE with neurogenic hypernatraemia. Lack of thirst and hypodypsia associated with chronic hypernatraemia in patients with HPE is highly suggestive of neurogenic hypernatraemia. Early identification of neurogenic hypernatraemia is important as it improves with forced fluid therapy and does not require any medication

High-throughput sequencing reveals genetic determinants associated with antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter spp. from farm-to-fork

[EN]Campylobacter species are one of the most common causative agents of gastroenteritis worldwide. Resistance against quinolone and macrolide antimicrobials, the most commonly used therapeutic options, poses a serious risk for campylobacteriosis treatment. Owing to whole genome sequencing advancements for rapid detection of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, phenotypic and genotypic resistance trends along the “farm-to-fork” continuum can be determined. Here, we examined the resistance trends in 111 Campylobacter isolates (90 C. jejuni and 21 C. coli) recovered from clinical samples, commercial broiler carcasses and dairy products in Cairo, Egypt. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 10% of the isolates, mostly from C. coli. The prevalence of MDR was the highest in isolates collected from broiler carcasses (13.3%), followed by clinical isolates (10.5%), and finally isolates from dairy products (4%). The highest proportion of antimicrobial resistance in both species was against quinolones (ciprofloxacin and/or nalidixic acid) (68.4%), followed by tetracycline (51.3%), then erythromycin (12.6%) and aminoglycosides (streptomycin and/or gentamicin) (5.4%). Similar resistance rates were observed for quinolones, tetracycline, and erythromycin among isolates recovered from broiler carcasses and clinical samples highlighting the contribution of food of animal sources to human illness. Significant associations between phenotypic resistance and putative gene mutations was observed, with a high prevalence of the gyrA T86I substitution among quinolone resistant isolates, tet(O), tet (W), and tet(32) among tetracycline resistant isolates, and 23S rRNA A2075G and A2074T mutations among erythromycin resistant isolates. Emergence of resistance was attributed to the dissemination of resistance genes among various lineages, with the dominance of distinctive clones. For example, sub-lineages of CC828 in C. coli and CC21 in C. jejuni and the genetically related clonal complexes ‘CC206 and CC48’ and ‘CC464, CC353, CC354, CC574’, respectively, propagated across different niches sharing semi-homogenous resistance patterns.SIThis work was partially funded by the Zewail City internal research fund (agreement number ZC 004-2019) and joint ASRT-BA research grant (project number 1110) awarded to Dr. Mohamed Elhadidy. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

FGR-Net: interpretable fundus image gradeability classification based on deep reconstruction learning

The performance of diagnostic Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems for retinal diseases depends on the quality of the retinal images being screened. Thus, many studies have been developed to evaluate and assess the quality of such retinal images. However, most of them did not investigate the relationship between the accuracy of the developed models and the quality of the visualization of interpretability methods for distinguishing between gradable and non-gradable retinal images. Consequently, this paper presents a novel framework called ‘‘FGR-Net’’ to automatically assess and interpret underlying fundus image quality by merging an autoencoder network with a classifier network. The FGR-Net model also provides an interpretable quality assessment through visualizations. In particular, FGR-Net uses a deep autoencoder to reconstruct the input image in order to extract the visual characteristics of the input fundus images based on self-supervised learning. The extracted features by the autoencoder are then fed into a deep classifier network to distinguish between gradable and ungradable fundus images. FGR-Net is evaluated with different interpretability methods, which indicates that the autoencoder is a key factor in forcing the classifier to focus on the relevant structures of the fundus images, such as the fovea, optic disk, and prominent blood vessels. Additionally, the interpretability methods can provide visual feedback for ophthalmologists to understand how our model evaluates the quality of fundus images. The experimental results showed the superiority of FGR-Net over the state-of-the-art quality assessment methods, with an accuracy of > 89% and an F1-score of > 87%. The code is publicly available at https://github.com/saifalkh/FGR-Net.Instituto de Investigación en Informátic

Multi National Survey of the Advice Given to Muslim Kidney Graft Recipients by Muslim Nephrologists about Lifestyle and Religious Rituals with Potential Medical Risk

Muslim renal transplant recipients often ask their physicians if performing certain lifestyles or religious obligations may be harmful to their health. Permissibility as advised by an expert Muslim physician is considered as being religiously accepted. A cross-sectional, survey-based study was conducted enquiring what nephrologists would advise their transplant recipients to do, about some lifestyles and religious duties. Fifty-eight nephrologists responded to the survey. Of these, 77% routinely follow-up post-transplant patients; 34% were from Saudi Arabia, 18% from the USA, and 20% from Pakistan. Fifty-four percent of the respondents would let patients with stable graft function fast during Ramadan, while 20% would not recommend fasting at any time following transplantation. This response did not change much if the patient was diabetic although in these patients, not recommending fasting at any time increased to 32%. For kidney donors, fasting would be allowed by 58% of the respondents once the kidney function stabilizes. About 50% would let their patients perform Omrah or obligatory Hajj any time after 12 months following transplantation, and only about 3% would not recommend that at any time after transplantation. For nonobligatory Hajj, 37% and 22%, respectively, would allow. Sixty-one percent would delay the pregnancy in nullipara with stable renal function, and none of the nephrologists would deny the opportunity to pregnancy at any time. In multiparous transplant recipients, the respective frequencies would be 45% and 20%. To our knowledge, this the first study exploring the consensus among Muslim nephrologists regarding the advice they would give on performance of potentially risky lifestyles and religious rituals by Muslim posttransplant patients

Effect of non-identical magnetic fields on thermomagnetic convective flow of a nanoliquid using Buongiorno’s model

Energy transport intensification is a major challenge in various technical applications including heat exchangers, solar collectors, electronics, and others. Simultaneously, the control of energy transport and liquid motion allows one to predict the development of the thermal process. The present work deals with the computational investigation of nanoliquid thermogravitational energy transport in a square region with hot cylinders along walls under non-uniform magnetic influences. Two current-carrying wires as non-identical magnetic sources are set in the centers of two heated half-cylinders mounted on the bottom and left borders, while the upper wall is kept at a constant low temperature. Buongiorno’s model was employed with the impact of Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis. Governing equations considering magnetohydrodynamic and ferrohydrodynamic theories were solved by the finite element technique. The effects of the magnetic sources strengths ratio, Lewis number, Hartmann number, magnetic number, buoyancy ratio, Brownian motion characteristic, and thermophoresis feature on circulation structures and heat transport performance were examined. For growth of magnetism number between 0 and 103 one can find an increment of heat transfer rate for the half-cylinder mounted on the bottom wall and a reduction of heat transfer rate for the half-cylinder mounted on the left wall, while for an increase in magnetism number between 103 and 104, the opposite effects occur. Moreover, a rise in the Lewis number characterizes the energy transport degradation. Additionally, an intensification of energy transport could be achieved by a reduction of the thermophoresis parameter, while the Brownian diffusion factor and buoyancy ratio have a negligible influence on energy transport. Furthermore, the heat transfer rate through the half-cylinder mounted on the bottom wall declines with an increase in the magnetic sources strengths ratio