Flawless polyaniline coating for preservation and corrosion protection of ancient steel spearheads: an archaeological study from military museum, Al-Qala, Egypt.

The purpose of this research was to examine the viability of applying a flawless polyaniline coating on steel spearheads to preserve them and protect them from corrosion. The spearpoints, thought to be archaeologically significant, were acquired from the Military Museum in Al-Qala, Egypt. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to characterize the spearheads chemical composition and microstructure (EDX). The spearheads were determined to be constructed of steel and to have a coating of ferric oxide and other corrosion products on their exteriors. After that, a flawless polyaniline coating was electrochemically deposited onto the spearpoints in a way that was both quick and cheap. Many types of corrosion tests, such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) readings, were used to determine the coating's effectiveness. The steel spearheads' findings revealed a significant improvement in their resistance to corrosion after being coated with flawless polyaniline. The coating served as a barrier, blocking out water and other corrosive substances and slowing the buildup of corrosion byproducts on the spearpoints. In conclusion, our research shows that a flawless polyaniline coating may be an effective anti-corrosion treatment for ancient steel artifacts. The approach is straightforward, cheap, and readily scalable for massive conservation efforts.

Characteristics of Electronic Health Services in Saudi Arabia During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Saudi Arabia's experience using digital technology during the COVID-19 pandemic helped the country in tackling the pandemic. We aim to explore a bundle of consumer-directed electronic health services released by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Saudi Arabia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We reviewed all electronic health services that have been released in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by the MOH in Saudi Arabia. A list of the services has been prepared and each service has been explored in detail. The service terms and procedures have also been reviewed for pertinent information. RESULTS: There were 13 services noted in total. Services were devoted to the general public and healthcare practitioners. Services ranged from simple appointment booking for the COVID-19 vaccine to interactive maps of all available healthcare centers and electronic prescriptions of medications. In addition, 10 applications were published for use on smartphones. CONCLUSION: The digitalization of healthcare services in Saudi Arabia has eased communication between the public and healthcare professionals. Furthermore, electronic health services served as an effective tool against the spread of COVID-19 infection during the pandemic.

Urine Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin a Possible Diagnostic Marker for Egyptian Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Most effective method for reducing mortality from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is early diagnosis. Despite its lack of adequate sensitivity, ultrasound is considered fundamental for HCC screening. AIM: to evaluate urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as non-invasive marker for HCC diagnosis in Egyptian patients. METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients were divided into three groups (40 patients each): patients with chronic viral hepatitis (HCV or HBV), cirrhotic patients and HCC patients and 40 healthy age and gender matched subjects were enrolled as control group. After clinical assessments, urinary NGAL was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Our results revealed that median level of urinary NGAL was 290, 834, 1090 and 1925 pg/ml in control, chronic hepatitis, cirrhotic and HCC groups respectively among studied groups (p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis showed that urinary NGAL cutoff value of 1255 ng/ml could discriminate between HCC and cirrhosis. The area under curve (AUC) was 0.95 with 90% sensitivity, 87.5% specificity (p-value <0.001). In HCC group, urine NGAL level didn`t show significant correlation with Child Pugh score, MELD score or Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage. CONCLUSION: Urinary NGAL could be a simple, non-invasive test for diagnosis of HCC in chronic liver disease patients.
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Diagnostic Accuracy of Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) in Diagnosis of Liver Fibrosis among Egyptian Patients with Chronic HCV Infection.

BACKGROUND: Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) evaluates liver stiffness non-invasively and was invented recently. This technique can easily and accurately assess the degree of liver fibrosis in clinical practice. AIM: The aim of this study was to detect the diagnostic performance of ARFI elastography in the staging of fibrosis in some Egyptian patients with chronic HCV infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred ninety patients with chronic HCV infection; 142 men and 48 women were enrolled in the study. They underwent liver biopsy examination for liver fibrosis detection. All demographic; clinical and biochemical data were recoded. ARFI examination was done for all subjects to detect liver stiffness measurement in relation to liver fibrosis detected by pathological examination of liver biopsies. RESULTS: Medians of liver stiffness measurement by shear wave velocity showed a significant increase as a grade of liver fibrosis increases (p ≤ 0.0001, highly significant). Liver stiffness was directly correlated to age, AST; ALT; INR and liver steatosis (p values were: 0.009; 0.0001; 0.013; 0.006 and 0.04 respectively, significant). On the other hand, liver stiffness was inversely correlated to albumin; prothrombin concentration and platelets (p values were: 0.0001; 0.001, and 0.0001, respectively, significant). We found that shear wave velocity can predict F1; F2; F3 and F4 at cut-off values: 1.22; 1.32; 1.44 and 1.8 respectively. CONCLUSION: ARFI is a diagnostic noninvasive promising technique for liver fibrosis diagnosis among Egyptian patients with chronic HCV infection.

Evidence of Rift Valley fever seroprevalence in the Sahrawi semi-nomadic pastoralist system, Western Sahara.

BACKGROUND: The increasing global importance of Rift Valley fever (RVF) is clearly demonstrated by its geographical expansion. The presence of a wide range of host and vector species, and the epidemiological characteristics of RVF, have led to concerns that epidemics will continue to occur in previously unaffected regions of Africa. The proximity of the Sahrawi territories of Western Sahara to endemic countries, such as Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali with periodic isolation of virus and serological evidence of RVF, and the intensive livestock trade in the region results in a serious risk of RVF spread in the Sahrawi territories, and potentially from there to the Maghreb and beyond. A sero-epidemiological survey was conducted in the Saharawi territories between March and April 2008 to investigate the possible presence of the RVF virus (RVFV) and associated risk factors. A two-stage cluster sampling design was used, incorporating 23 sampling sites. RESULTS: A total of 982 serum samples was collected from 461 sheep, 463 goats and 58 camels. Eleven samples (0.97%) tested positive for IgG against the RVFV. There were clusters of high seroprevalence located mostly in the Tifariti (7.69%) and Mehaires (7.14%) regions, with the Tifariti event having been found in one single flock (4/26 positive animals). Goats and older animals were at a significantly increased risk being seropositive (p = 0.007 and p = 0.007, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results suggest potential RVF activity in the study area, where intense livestock movement and trade with neighbouring countries might be considered as a primary determinant in the spread of the disease. The importance of a continuous field investigation is reinforced, in light of the risk of RVF expansion to historically unaffected regions of Africa.

'Everybody knows', but the rest of the world: the case of a caterpillar-borne reproductive loss syndrome in dromedary camels observed by Sahrawi pastoralists of Western Sahara.

BACKGROUND: The traditional knowledge of local communities throughout the world is a valuable source of novel ideas and information to science. In this study, the ethnoveterinary knowledge of Sahrawi pastoralists of Western Sahara has been used in order to put forward a scientific hypothesis regarding the competitive interactions between camels and caterpillars in the Sahara ecosystem. METHODS: Between 2005 and 2009, 44 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Sahrawi pastoralists in the territories administered by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Western Sahara, using a snow-ball sampling design. RESULTS: Sahrawi pastoralists reported the existence of a caterpillar-borne reproductive loss syndrome, known locally as duda, affecting their camels. On the basis of Sahrawi knowledge about duda and of a thorough literature review, we built the hypothesis that: 1) caterpillars of the family Lasiocampidae (genera Lasiocampa, Psilogaster, or Streblote) have sudden and rare outbreaks on Acacia treetops in the Western Sahara ecosystem after heavy rainfall; 2) during these outbreaks, camels ingest the caterpillars while browsing; 3) as a consequence of this ingestion, pregnant camels have sudden abortions or give birth to weaklings. This hypothesis was supported by inductive reasoning built on circumstantiated evidence and analogical reasoning with similar syndromes reported in mares in the United States and Australia. CONCLUSIONS: The possible existence of a caterpillar-borne reproductive loss syndrome among camels has been reported for the first time, suggesting that such syndromes might be more widespread than what is currently known. Further research is warranted to validate the reported hypothesis. Finally, the importance of studying folk livestock diseases is reinforced in light of its usefulness in revealing as yet unknown biological phenomena that would deserve further investigation.

Correlation between serum electrolytes and fasting glucose and Hb1Ac in Saudi diabetic patients.

In subjects with impaired insulin action, alterations of the serum sodium and potassium concentrations have been reported. The resulting cationic imbalance, along with the osmotic effect of the elevated sugar levels, could influence the course of diabetes mellitus management. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels with those of the serum electrolytes. Blood samples were collected for assessment of HbA1c, fasting blood glucose (FBS), and electrolytes using different automated methods. A significant association between the serum sodium and FBS levels among types 1 and 2 insulin-treated patients, and type 2 oral agent patients was observed. A total of 138 diabetic subjects were randomly selected from any gender aged between 25 and 65 years at the University Diabetes Center, King Saud University, Riyadh KSA. The subjects were classified into types 1 or 2 DM using ADA criteria. Blood samples were collected for assessment of HbA1c, FBS, and electrolytes using different automated methods. It showed a significant association between serum sodium, FBS among type 1, type 2 insulin treated, and type 2 oral agent groups. However, the association of sodium and HbA1c was insignificant when analyzed individually. A statistically significant association (P < 0.001) was observed between the levels of serum sodium and the fasting blood glucose levels. This study demonstrated significant reduction in serum sodium level among types 1 or 2 diabetic patients especially among insulin-treated patients. No significant association was demonstrated by serum potassium with FBS and degree of diabetes control.

Serum islet cell autoantibodies during interferon alpha treatment in patients with HCV-genotype 4 chronic hepatitis.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of end-stage liver disease worldwide and HCV genotype 4 (HCV4) is predominant in African and Middle Eastern countries. It is well established that interferon-a (IFNa) treatment for HCV may trigger serum autoantibodies against pancreatic islet cells (ICA) in a subgroup of patients. Available data on the incidence of ICA during IFNa therapy for chronic HCV4 infection are not conclusive. We investigated the appearance of ICA in 40 naïve Egyptian patients (38 males, 32 +/- 6 years) with histologically defined chronic HCV4 infection undergoing IFNa treatment at a dose of 9-million U/week for 24 weeks. Serum samples were collected at baseline and following IFNa therapy and ICA were detected using indirect immunofluorescence. Baseline evaluation indicated that 2/40 (5%) patients had detectable serum ICA. After the completion of the treatment scheme, 12/38 (32%) previously ICA negative patients became ICA positive; however, no patient developed impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or diabetes during follow-up. In conclusion, we submit that IFNa treatment for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) may induce serum ICA in one-third of Egyptian patients with HCV4. These autoantibodies, however, do not lead to alterations in glucose metabolism.

Evolution of living donor liver transplantation in Egypt.

OBJECTIVE: To date, cadaveric organ donation is illegal in Egypt. Therefore, Egypt recently introduced living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), aiming to save those who are suffering from end stage liver disease. Herein, we study the evolution of LDLT in Egypt. METHODS: In Egypt, between August 2001 and February 2004, we approached all centers performing LDLT through personal communication and sent a questionnaire to each center asking for limited information regarding their LDLT experience. RESULTS: We identified and approached 7 LDLT centers, which collectively performed a total of 130 LDLT procedures, however, 3 major centers performed most of the cases (91%). Overseas surgical teams, mainly from Japan, France, Korea, and Germany, either performed or supervised almost all procedures. Out of those 7 LDLT centers, 5 centers agreed to provide complete data on their patients including a total of 73 LDLT procedures. Out of those 73 recipients, 50 (68.5%) survived after a median follow-up period of 305 days (range 15-826 days). They reported single donor mortality. Hepatitis C virus cirrhosis, whether alone or mixed with schistosomiasis, was the main indication for LDLT. CONCLUSION: Egypt recently introduced LDLT with reasonable outcomes; yet, it carries considerable risks to healthy donors, it lacks cadaveric back up, and is not feasible for all patients. We hope that the initial success in LDLT will not deter the efforts to legalize cadaveric organ donation in Egypt.