Characterization of net-zero pozzolanic potential of thermally-derived metakaolin samples for sustainable carbon neutrality construction.

Metakaolin (MK) is one of the most sustainable cementitious construction materials, which is derived through a direct heating procedure known as calcination. Calcination process takes place substantially lower temperatures than that required for Portland cement, making it a more environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional cement. This procedure causes the removal of hydroxyl water from the naturally occurring kaolin clay (Al2Si2O5(OH)4 with MK (Al2O3·2SiO2) as its product. Kaolin naturally exists in large amount within 5°29'N-5°35'N and 7°21'E-7°3'E geographical coordinates surrounding Umuoke, Obowo, Nigeria. Alumina and silica are the predominant compounds in MK, which provide it with the pozzolanic ability, known as the 3-chemical pozzolanic potential (3CPP), with high potential as a cementitious material in concrete production and soil stabilization. Over the years, researchers have suggested the best temperature at which MK is derived to have the highest pozzolanic ability. Prominent among these temperature suggestions were 800 °C (3CPP of 94.45%) and 750 °C (3CPP of 94.76%) for 2 h and 5 h' calcination periods, respectively. In this research paper, 11 different specimens of Kaolin clay obtained from Umuoke, Nigeria, were subjected to a calcination process at oven temperatures from 350 to 850 °C in an increment of 50 °C for 1 h each to derive 11 samples of MK. The MK samples and Kaolin were further subjected to X-ray fluorescence), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) tests to determine the microstructural behaviour and the pozzolanic properties via the 3CPP as to exploit the best MK with the highest cementing potential as a construction material. The results show that the MK heated at 550 °C and 800 °C produced the highest pozzolanic potentials of 96.26% and 96.28%, respectively. The enhancement in pozzolanic potential at optimum calcination temperature is attributed to an increase in the specific surface area upon calcination of kaolinite confirmed by BET results. The SEM and XRD results further supported the above result with the strengthened crystal structure of the MK at these preferred temperatures. Generally, 550 °C is more preferred due to the less heat energy needed for its formulation during 1 h of calcination, which outperforms the previous results, that suggested 750 °C and 800 °C in addition to longer hours of heat exposure.

Prevalence of urinary incontinence among women in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Urinary incontinence is defined as involuntary loss of urine, a common health condition that is more frequent in women. It disturbs the affected individuals and interferes with their daily activities. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of urinary incontinence among Saudi women in the western area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for this study. A survey was administered to Saudi women in the western area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranging in age from 18 to 70 years. The data were collected using the Arabic version of the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis. Descriptive statistics were generated by calculating numbers and percentages of information on the prevalence of incontinence in women. p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of urinary incontinence was 44.2%, with the urge type being the most reported. Stress urinary incontinence was reported by 155 women (15.4%), urgency urinary incontinence by 257 women (25.6%), and mixed urinary incontinence by 102 women (10.15%). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary incontinence is prevalent in women in Western Saudi Arabia. Age, multiparty obesity, and vaginal surgery are significant risk factors influencing its occurrence.

Artificial Intelligence machine learning and conventional physical therapy for upper limb outcome in patients with stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to compare the effect of different artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning and conventional therapy (CT) on upper limb impairments in patients with stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Research Gate, and Wiley Online Library were searched. Descriptive statistics about variables were reported to calculate standardized mean differences in outcomes of motor control (the primary outcome), functional independence, upper extremity performance, and muscle tone. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale was used to assess qualitative papers. The primary outcomes of AI and CT have been included in the meta-analyses. RESULTS: Ten papers with a total of 481 stroke patients were included and upper limb rehabilitation, upper limb functioning, and basic manual dexterity were examined. The heterogeneity test of the whole included measures (I2=45%) was medium. There were significant differences between the included measures (p-value=0.03) with a total SMD of 0.10 [0.01, 0.19]. According to the test for subgroup difference, it was found that there was a highly significant difference between the subgroups of the included measures (p-value=0.01) and the heterogeneity test (I2=59.8%). CONCLUSIONS: AI is a feasible and safe method in post-stroke rehabilitation and improves upper-extremity function compared to CT. Significant AI post-treatment effects on upper-limb impairments have been observed. The findings showed that higher-quality evidence was detected in six assessment scales. However, a lower quality of evidence was detected in other scales. This indicated large or very large and consistent estimates of the treatment effects, and researchers were confident about the results. Therefore, the included observational studies are likely to provide an overestimate of the true effect.

Pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in oncology egyptian paediatrics: a dosage adjustment trial.

The purpose of this study is to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters of vancomycin in Egyptian paediatric oncology patients and to evaluate the factors that influence the variability of the pharmacokinetic parameters in this population. Vancomycin serum concentration at steady state was determined in 51 paediatric cancer patients who were treated with vancomycin multiple intravenous infusions. Also individual vancomycin pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated assuming one compartment model. The mean vancomycin total body clearance and mean vancomycin volume of distribution were significantly higher among the age range of 2 to <12 years as compared with older age. Obese patients showed significant lower values of peak and trough vancomycin concentrations than those of normal and underweight patients. A significant correlation was found between the estimated creatinine clearance (Schwartz formula) and vancomycin total body clearance in the studied patients. Also, a significant direct correlation between vancomycin volume of distribution and ratio between blood urea nitrogen (mg/dl)/weight (kg) was found. As a conclusion, age and obesity were identified as the most important factors influencing vancomycin total body clearance, volume of distribution and serum concentrations in the studied patients.

Pharmacokinetics of phenobarbital during certain enhanced elimination modalities to evaluate their clinical efficacy in management of drug overdose.

This work was performed to study the pharmacokinetics of phenobarbital during renal clearance enhancement, intestinal clearance enhancement, and a combination of both to determine which method is clinically more effective in the management of drug poisoning. Thirty young patients with phenobarbital overdose were enrolled in the study. They were classified according to the method of treatment to enhance the elimination of phenobarbital into three equal groups: those treated with multiple-dose activated charcoal (MDAC) alone; those treated with urinary alkalinization alone; and those treated with a combination of the two methods. All patients received the required supportive care at the same time as the elimination procedures. Plasma phenobarbital levels were determined on admission and at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, and 48 hours after admission by the enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique. The results showed that the decrease in plasma phenobarbital levels with MDAC was significantly greater than with either urinary alkalinization or the combined use of both. The results also revealed statistically significant greater total body clearance for phenobarbital and consequently a shorter half-life with MDAC treatment versus either urinary alkalinization alone or the combined use of both. Thus, the authors conclude that the management of drug overdose in the case of weak acidic drugs that have small volumes of distribution should include the sole use of MDAC and supportive care, without urinary alkalinization.