The epidemiology of chronic pain in Libya: a cross-sectional telephone survey.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a public health problem although there is a paucity of prevalence data from countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of chronic pain and neuropathic pain in a sample of the general adult population in Libya. METHODS: A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted before the onset of the Libyan Civil War (February 2011) on a sample of self-declared Libyans who had a landline telephone and were at least 18 years of age. Random sampling of household telephone number dialling was undertaken in three major cities and interviews conducted using an Arabic version of the Structured Telephone Interviews Questionnaire on Chronic Pain previously used to collect data in Europe. In addition, an Arabic version of S-LANSS was used. 1212 individuals were interviewed (response rate = 95.1 %, mean age = 37.8 ± 13.9 years, female = 54.6 %). RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic pain ≥ 3 months was 19.6 % (95 % CI 14.6 % to 24.6 %) with a mean ± SD duration of pain of 6 · 5 ± 5 · 7 years and a higher prevalence for women. The prevalence of neuropathic pain in the respondents reporting chronic pain was 19 · 7 % (95 % CI 14 · 6-24 · 7), equivalent to 3 · 9 % (95 % CI 2 · 8 to 5 · 0 %) of the general adult population. Only, 71 (29 · 8 %) of respondents reported that their pain was being adequately controlled. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of chronic pain in the general adult population of Libya was approximately 20 % and comparable with Europe and North America. This suggests that chronic pain is a public health problem in Libya. Risk factors are being a woman, advanced age and unemployment. There is a need for improved health policies in Libya to ensure that patients with chronic pain receive effective management

Fabrication of magnetic and photocatalytic polyamide fabric coated with Fe2O3 particles

Hematite (alpha-Fe₂O₃) particles are prepared and synchronously deposited on the surface of polyamide (PA) fabric using ferric sulfate as the precursor, sodium hydroxide as the precipitant, and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate as the dispersant in a low temperature hydrothermal process. The Fe₂O₃ coated PA fabric is then modified with silane coupling agent Z-6040. The Fe₂O₃ coated PA fabric and remaining particles are systematically characterized by different techniques, such as small-spot micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), diffuse reflectance spectrum (DRS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The properties of tensile, durable washing and photocatalytic activity are investigated. The experimental results show that Fe₂O₃ particles composed of nanoparticles having the average crystallite size of 37.8 nm are grafted onto PA fabric and enhanced by coupling agent via the C-Fe, O-Fe and Si-O-Fe bonds. It is found that, after treatments, the thermal stability of PA fabric hardly changes; the visible light absorption capability and magnetism are gained; and the tensile property decreases slightly. It is also confirmed that the Fe₂O₃ coated PA fabric can withstand the repeated washings up to 20 times and photodegrade the adsorbed methyl orange (MO) exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Therefore, the present method provides a new strategy for the production of durable magnetic fabric

COVAD survey 2 long-term outcomes: unmet need and protocol

Vaccine hesitancy is considered a major barrier to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. While multiple alternative and synergistic approaches including heterologous vaccination, booster doses, and antiviral drugs have been developed, equitable vaccine uptake remains the foremost strategy to manage pandemic. Although none of the currently approved vaccines are live-attenuated, several reports of disease flares, waning protection, and acute-onset syndromes have emerged as short-term adverse events after vaccination. Hence, scientific literature falls short when discussing potential long-term effects in vulnerable cohorts. The COVAD-2 survey follows on from the baseline COVAD-1 survey with the aim to collect patient-reported data on the long-term safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines in immune modulation. The e-survey has been extensively pilot-tested and validated with translations into multiple languages. Anticipated results will help improve vaccination efforts and reduce the imminent risks of COVID-19 infection, especially in understudied vulnerable groups

Impaired health-related quality of life in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a cross-sectional analysis from the COVAD-2 e-survey

Objectives To investigate health-related quality of life in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) compared with those with non-IIM autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs), non-rheumatic autoimmune diseases (nrAIDs) and without autoimmune diseases (controls) using Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instrument data obtained from the second COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune disease (COVAD-2) e-survey database. Methods Demographics, diagnosis, comorbidities, disease activity, treatments and PROMIS instrument data were analysed. Primary outcomes were PROMIS Global Physical Health (GPH) and Global Mental Health (GMH) scores. Factors affecting GPH and GMH scores in IIMs were identified using multivariable regression analysis. Results We analysed responses from 1582 IIM, 4700 non-IIM AIRD and 545 nrAID patients and 3675 controls gathered through 23 May 2022. The median GPH scores were the lowest in IIM and non-IIM AIRD patients {13 [interquartile range (IQR) 10–15] IIMs vs 13 [11–15] non-IIM AIRDs vs 15 [13–17] nrAIDs vs 17 [15–18] controls, P < 0.001}. The median GMH scores in IIM patients were also significantly lower compared with those without autoimmune diseases [13 (IQR 10–15) IIMs vs 15 (13–17) controls, P < 0.001]. Inclusion body myositis, comorbidities, active disease and glucocorticoid use were the determinants of lower GPH scores, whereas overlap myositis, interstitial lung disease, depression, active disease, lower PROMIS Physical Function 10a and higher PROMIS Fatigue 4a scores were associated with lower GMH scores in IIM patients. Conclusion Both physical and mental health are significantly impaired in IIM patients, particularly in those with comorbidities and increased fatigue, emphasizing the importance of patient-reported experiences and optimized multidisciplinary care to enhance well-being in people with IIMs

Optimization of Wool Slenderizing Along with In-situ Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Box–Behnken Design

Following our previous research for simultaneous in-situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles and wool fiber fineness using sulfur-based reducing agents, here we focused on optimization of the process using response surface methodology. A Box–Behnken Design was applied to study the influence of variables including silver nitrate percentage, reducing agent concentration, temperature and time of the procedure, and their appropriate values for the highest fineness, lowest tenacity reduction and lowest color change were obtained. Here we tried to optimize the preparation conditions using a weak reducing agent namely sodium bisulfite to achieve the equivalent fineness modification but with reduced fiber damage