Highly Uniform Nanodiamond-Graphene Composites Microspheres for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

To progress the clean hydrogen-gas-based energy economy, there is a demand for cost-effective, highly efficient catalysts to facilitate the hydrogen evolution reaction process (HER). Due to the amazing catalytic capabilities of two-dimensional materials, extensive research has been done on these structures. However, most of the described syntheses take a lot of time, are challenging, and are ineffective. The present work demonstrates the performance of the recently reported nanodiamond/graphene composite microsphere ND-GCSs as a catalyst for HER. These spheres were produced via the microwave-irradiation approach. A modified process was adopted to improve the particle size uniformity and yield. The prepared composite spheres showed very interesting catalytic activity for the HER when assembled on a screen-printed carbon electrode. The prepared ND-GCSs@SPCE showed a significant shift of the onset potential to ca. -450 mV and a small Tafel slope value of ca. 85 mV/decade. The electron transfer was drastically enhanced with a tremendous decrease in charge transfer resistance to ca. 265 Ω. The electrocatalyst showed excellent long-term stability for the HER application. Additionally, this novel composite structure might be beneficial for diverse applications including batteries, supercapacitors, catalyst supports, and more.

The Clinical Advances of Oncolytic Viruses in Cancer Immunotherapy.

A promising future for oncology treatment has been brought about by the emergence of a novel approach utilizing oncolytic viruses in cancer immunotherapy. Oncolytic viruses are viruses that have been exploited genetically to assault malignant cells and activate a robust immune response. Several techniques have been developed to endow viruses with an oncolytic activity through genetic engineering. For instance, redirection capsid modification, stimulation of anti-neoplastic immune response, and genetically arming viruses with cytokines such as IL-12. Oncolytic viral clinical outcomes are sought after, particularly in more advanced cancers. The effectiveness and safety profile of the oncolytic virus in clinical studies with or without the combination of standard treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or primary excision) has been assessed using response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST). This review will comprehensively outline the most recent clinical applications and provide the results from various phases of clinical trials in a variety of cancers in the latest published literature.

Epidemiological Trends and Clinical Characteristics of Childhood Leukemia in Saudi Arabia: A Review.

Leukemia is the most prevalent type of cancer among children in Saudi Arabia. It has variable clinical presentations and accounts for a large scale of mortality and morbidity. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) constituted the majority of pediatric leukemic cases with male gender predisposition. The most common first presentation that patients come with are manifestations of anemia, thrombocytopenia, and fever. Bone pain, fatigue, weight loss, organomegaly, and pale skin are among the commonest manifestations of pediatric leukemia. Childhood ALL and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) clinical manifestations seem to be very similar, even though there're some considerable differences in how common the clinical characteristics are. Chromosomal abnormalities are taken into consideration to determine survival and treatment. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for the childhood leukemia population in Saudi Arabia. Our review article aims at providing comprehensible and updated statistical data on the different types of leukemia and their clinical presentations in Saudi Arabia.

Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis is a rare autosomal recessive condition that is characterized by the formation of excessive calcium phosphate microliths in the alveoli. Most patients are diagnosed in adulthood due to the slow progression of the disease. Children with this disease are asymptomatic, and changes in the lung parenchyma are usually discovered incidentally. The diagnosis is made by the combination of a positive chest imaging and histological examination. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic seropositive symmetrical inflammatory polyarthritis with numerous extra-articular manifestations. It targets the lining of the synovial membranes, frequently affects females more than males, and is treated with the disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). If left untreated, it leads to increased morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic burdens. In this case, we report a 19-year-old young man who presented with clinical and radiographic features of PAM associated with RA.

Spatial association between primary Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection and exposure to dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emerging zoonotic disease. Exposure to dromedary camels (Camelus dromedaries) has been consistently considered the main source of primary human infection. Although Saudi Arabia reports the highest rate of human MERS-CoV infection and has one of the largest populations of dromedary camels worldwide, their spatial association has not yet been investigated. Thus, this study aimed to examine the correlation between the spatial distribution of primary MERS-CoV cases with or without a history of camel exposure reported between 2012 and 2019 and dromedary camels at the provincial level in Saudi Arabia. In most provinces, a high proportion of older men develop infections after exposure to camels. Primary human infections during spring and winter were highest in provinces characterized by seasonal breeding and calving, increased camel mobilization and camel-human interactions. A strong and significant association was found between the total number of dromedary camels and the numbers of primary camel-exposed and non-exposed MERS-CoV cases. Furthermore, spatial correlations between MERS-CoV cases and camel sex, age and dairy status were significant. Via a cluster analysis, we identified Riyadh, Makkah and Eastern provinces as having the most primary MERS-CoV cases and the highest number of camels. Transmission of MERS-CoV from camels to humans occurs in most primary cases, but there is still a high proportion of primary infections with an ambiguous link to camels. The results from this study include significant correlations between primary MERS-CoV cases and camel populations in all provinces, regardless of camel exposure history. This supports the hypothesis of the role of an asymptomatic human carrier or, less likely, an unknown animal host that has direct contact with both infected camels and humans. In this study, we performed a preliminary risk assessment of prioritization measures to control the transmission of infection from camels to humans.

The Safety of the Kahook Dual Blade in the Surgical Treatment of Glaucoma.

Intraocular pressure defects remain a significant problem in the medical field. Several methods have been employed to help reduce the effect of intraocular pressure (IOP), all of which have their merits and demerits. Considered in this paper are surgery and the Kahook Dual Blade (KDB; Kahook, New World Medical, Inc., Rancho Cucamonga, CA) process invented and tested during previous studies to reduce IOP. This study examines both methods; first, in combination with cataract surgery, and then, separately, to assess their effectiveness in reducing IOP. Objective The focus of the research is to establish the effectiveness and safety associated with goniotomy while utilizing the Kahook Dual Blade (KDB) procedure for reducing IOP and bringing down the reliance on hypotensive agents in a variety of glaucoma types, either independently or when combined with phacoemulsification (phaco) within the follow-up duration (four to seven months). Methods and design The setting was the outpatient clinics in Al-Maghrabi Hospital in Medina. It involved the use of a retrospective study for the study design. Fifty eyes from a total of 45 patients were reviewed. There was KDB in 10 eyes while KDB was integrated with the cataract surgical procedure in 40 eyes. The de-identified clinical data have been collected by data collectors, who took into account IOP measurements both postoperatively and preoperatively, types of treatment used, side effects, and whether or not there was additional surgery required during the four to seven months observation period. Results Seventy percent of the cases in this research had primary open-angle glaucoma. Additional diagnoses were close-angle, normal-tension, pseudoexfoliative glaucoma, and pigmentary. There was a decline in the value of the mean baseline IOP from the earlier 20.66 mmHg ± 7.89 (SD) to a staggering 14.66 ± 3.9 mmHg within the postoperative period (four to seven months) for all 50 eyes, and there was a reduction in hypotensive medication use from 1.54 ± 1.26 to 0.22 ± 0.51 (SD) (P<0.05 and P = .005) for all 50 eyes. In the KDB + phaco group, the mean baseline IOP decreased from 20.75 ± 8.1 (SD) to 13.8 ± 3.7 (P < 0.05 and P = .000), respectively, and the medications used decreased from 1.32 ± 1.18 (SD) to 0.22 ± 0.48 (SD), whereas in KDB goniotomy alone, the mean baseline IOP decreased from 20.30 ± 7.3 (SD) to 18.0 ± 3.0 (SD) (P< 0.05 and P = 0.00) and there was a reduction in the amount of medications from 2.4 ± 1.26 (SD) to 0.2 ± 0.63 (P< 0.05 and P = 0.000). Eye irritation occurred the most in the KDB + Phaco group, representing 8%, which is resolved within 24 hours postoperatively. As for the KDB only group, hazy vision occurred the most, representing 22% but subsided between two to five days for all patients. Conclusion Affirming the results of the study, the safety and effectiveness of goniotomy with the KDB procedure is certain towards the reduction of IOP and medication usage, either independently or when combined with phacoemulsification during four to seven months of follow-up.