Explore the vast range of titles available.

Precise total electron content (TEC) is required to produce accurate spatial and temporal resolution of global ionosphere maps (GIMs). Receivers and satellite differential code biases (DCBs) are one of the main error sources in estimating precise TEC from Global Positioning System (GPS) data. Recently, researchers have been interested in developing models and algorithms to compute DCBs of receivers and satellites close to those computed from the Ionosphere Associated Analysis Centers (IAACs). Here we introduce a MATLAB code called Multi Station DCB Estimation (MSDCBE) to calculate satellite and receiver DCBs from GPS data. MSDCBE based on a spherical harmonic function and a geometry-free combination of GPS carrier-phase, pseudo-range code observations, and weighted least squares was applied to solve observation equations and to improve estimation of DCB values. There are many factors affecting the estimated values of DCBs. The first one is the observation weighting function which depends on the satellite elevation angle. The second factor is concerned with estimating DCBs using a single GPS station using the Zero Difference DCB Estimation (ZDDCBE) code or using the GPS network used by the MSDCBE code. The third factor is the number of GPS receivers in the network. Results from MSDCBE were evaluated and compared with data from IAACs and other codes like M_DCB and ZDDCBE. The results of weighted (MSDCBE) least squares show an improvement for estimated DCBs, where mean differences from the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) (University of Bern, Switzerland) are less than 0.746 ns. DCBs estimated from the GPS network show better agreement with IAAC than DCBs estimated from precise point positioning (PPP), where the mean differences are less than 0.1477 and 1.1866 ns, respectively. The mean differences of computed DCBs improved by increasing the number of GPS stations in the network.

Owing to their great quantity of hydrolyzable anthocyanins and tannins, the peel and seeds of pomegranate are edible and possess potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics. This work aims to trace the pomegranate seed and peel ethanolic extracts' anticancer activity against liver cancer cell line, namely HepG2 and related histopathological, immunohistochemical, genetic and oxidative stress profile. In vitro study for both seed and peel extract showed the prevalence of phenols, polyphenols and acids, those have anti-proliferative potential against liver cancer cell line (HepG2) with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of seed significantly reduced that of peel. Toxicity of test extracts was concentration dependent and accompanied with cell cycle arrest and cell death at theG0/G1 and S phases but not at the G2/M phase. Cell arrest was supplemented with raised ROS, MDA and decreased SOD, GSH and Catalase. Apoptosis-related genes showed significant up-expression of pro-apoptotic gene ( ), , , and and down expression of anti-apoptotic gene ( ). Also, Casp-3 and P53 proteins were substantially expressed under the effect of test extracts. Histopathological study demonstrated that the untreated cells (control group) were regular cells with nuclear pleomorphism and hyperchromatic nuclei, while seed and peel extracts-treated cells showed necrosis, mixed euchromatin and heterochromatin, intra-nuclear eosinophilic structures, burst cell membranes, and the shrunken apoptotic cells with nuclear membranes and irregular cells. Finally, gene detected by immunohistochemistry was down regulated significantly under the effect of seed extract treatment than in case of cell medication with peel extract.

Background: Clinical, biochemical, histological, and immunological indicators are frequently used to diagnose autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), a chronic inflammatory liver disease affecting children. Wilson disease, which resembles AIH, is mainly evaluated using serum ceruloplasmin and copper levels. However, changes in these biomarkers have also been observed in AIH, raising the question of whether they could be useful for evaluating children with AIH.Purpose: When selecting a treatment plan and estimating the long-term prognosis of patients with AIH, assessing the liver fibrosis stage is crucial. It is also crucial to identify noninvasive indicators of liver fibrosis, for which ceruloplasmin has been suggested as a biomarker in several liver diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential significance of serum ceruloplasmin and copper levels for identifying liver fibrosis in children with AIH.Methods: One hundred children with AIH treated at Menoufia University’s National Liver Institute Pediatric Hepatology, Gastroenterology, and Nutrition Department were enrolled. The duration of the study was 5 years (February 2020 to February 2025). The patients' histopathological, radiographic, laboratory, and clinical data were collected. We used the revised score to diagnose AIH. A Beckman Coulter AU480 chemistry analyzer was used to measure serum copper, while an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure serum ceruloplasmin.Results: Serum ceruloplasmin levels were considerably lower in patients with advanced fibrosis (F3–4) than in those without advanced fibrosis (F0–2) (P<0.001). However, in patients with extensive fibrosis, the serum copper levels were considerably elevated (P<0.001). Compared to serum copper level, which had an area under a curve of 0.939 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.887–0.991; P<0.001) and a cutoff of >24.7 mg/dL (90.8% sensitivity, 66.9% specificity), ceruloplasmin level had an area under a curve of 0.945 (95% CI, 0.889–1.00; P<0.001), suggesting that it could be a useful tool for the detection of advanced liver fibrosis in children.Conclusion: To estimate the long-term prognosis of patients with AIH, it is crucial to assess liver fibrosis stage. It is crucial to identify noninvasive indicators of liver fibrosis, for which ceruloplasmin has been suggested as a biomarker. Therefore, serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels may provide important information for the identification of advanced liver fibrosis in children with AIH.

Background Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is an effective treatment for obesity. However, the incidence and long-term risk of hypoglycemia after surgery in patients without diabetes remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of hypoglycemia following RYGB surgery in patients with obesity and without diabetes. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the TriNetX database. The study population included 15,085 patients with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ) who underwent RYGB surgery and 3,200,074 non-surgical controls, all without a history of diabetes or GLP-1 receptor agonist use. Propensity score matching was performed to balance baseline characteristics. The primary outcome was the incidence of hypoglycemia, defined by ICD-10-CM codes or laboratory values (glucose ≤ 70 mg/dL). Cox regression analysis was employed to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results In the overall study population, the risk of hypoglycemia was significantly higher in the RYGB group (18.70%, n  = 2,810) compared to the control group (3.80%, n  = 120,923; HR 4.3, 95% CI 4.14–4.46, p  < 0.001). After propensity score matching ( n  = 14,916 per group), RYGB patients maintained an elevated risk (18.70%, n  = 2,795) compared to matched controls (5.0%, n  = 749; HR 3.7, 95% CI 3.44–4.05, p  < 0.001). Time-series analysis revealed consistently higher hypoglycemia risk in the RYGB group, with hazard ratios ranging from 5.37 (95% CI 4.09–7.03) at 1 week to 3.75 (95% CI 3.45–4.06) at 10 years post-surgery (all p  < 0.001). Subgroup analysis of RYGB patients who developed hypoglycemia showed a 30-day hospitalization rate of 21.3% and a mortality rate of 0.71%. Conclusion RYGB surgery is associated with a significantly increased risk of hypoglycemia in patients with obesity and without diabetes, both in the short-term and long-term follow-up. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring and managing hypoglycemia in patients undergoing RYGB surgery, even in the absence of preexisting diabetes. Graphical Abstract

Studies have shown an increased incidence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients; we aimed to assess the eligibility of IBS as a risk factor for MS. PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were searched on the 1st of January 2023. Only observational controlled studies were included. Analysis was conducted by RevMan software version 5.4. IBS was associated with an increased incidence of MS (RR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.50 to 2.79, p-value >0.00001). A significant association was seen between IBS, abdominal obesity (RR = 1.28, p-value = 0.0003), and increased waist circumference (MD = 5.01, 95% CI = 1.29 to 8.72, p-value = 0.008). IBS patients didn't have an increased risk of diabetes (RR= 1.29, 95% CI = 0.85 to 1.98, p-value = 0.23), however, they had increased HOMA- IR (MD = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.15 to 0.26, p-value < 0.00001). Analysis of blood pressure revealed an association between systolic not diastolic hypertension and IBS (MD = -0.50, 95% CI = -0.60 to -0.40, p-value >0.00001). Higher levels of LDL cholesterol (MD = 5.98, 95% CI = 0.91 to 11.05, p-value = 0.02), total cholesterol (MD = 12.21, 95% CI = 6.23 to 18.18, p-value >0.0001), and triglyceride (MD = 11.93, 95% CI = 11.55 to 12.31, p-value >0.00001) were detected among IBS patients. IBS patients are at increased risk for MS and its components. Accordingly, patients should be screened for MS, and preventive programs should be implemented.

Several clinical trials have demonstrated the non-inferiority of transcatheter aortic valve replacement compared with surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and low to intermediate surgical risk. However, mid-term results are still contentious. We performed this meta-analysis to compare the safety and efficacy of transcatheter vs. surgical aortic valve replacement in the mid-term in patients with aortic stenosis at low to moderate surgical risk. We searched Embase, PubMed®, and Cochrane databases for randomized clinical trials that compared transcatheter with surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis with a follow-up of at least four years. Outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality and disabling stroke. We included six randomized clinical trials encompassing 6,444 patients with severe aortic stenosis, of whom 3,282 (50.9%) underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement. There was no difference in all-cause mortality (risk ratio [RR] 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.94 - 1.25; P = 0.30) and disabling stroke (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.75 - 1.21; P = 0.67) between groups. In the subgroup analysis, five-year mortality (RR 1.28; 95% CI 1.10 - 1.49) was higher in the transcatheter group. The new pacemaker implantation (RR 2.22; 95% CI 1.42 - 3.45) rate was higher in the transcatheter group. However, the new atrial fibrillation (RR 0.40; 95% CI 0.31 - 0.52) rate was higher in the surgical group. Mid-term mortality and disabling stroke rates in patients with severe aortic stenosis treated with either transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement were similar.

Background: Stroke and subclinical cerebral ischemia remain important neurological complications of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The Sentinel cerebral embolic protection (CEP) device is designed to capture embolic debris during TAVR, but its impact on clinical and imaging outcomes remains incompletely characterized. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing Sentinel CEP versus no protection when TAVR was performed. Outcomes of interest included all stroke, disabling stroke, infarct volume by diffusion-weighted MRI in protected and unprotected areas, all-cause mortality, acute kidney injury, and major vascular complications. Risk ratios (RRs) and median differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models and trial sequential analysis (TSA) assessed evidence robustness. Results: Four RCTs including 10,986 patients were analyzed. Sentinel CEP did not significantly reduce clinical stroke (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.69–1.12) or disabling stroke (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.41–1.14). Pooled DW-MRI data showed a significant reduction in new ischemic lesion volume within Sentinel CEP-protected territories (difference in medians −75.7 mm3; 95% CI −130.4 to −21.0). Subgroup analyses in elderly, female, and high-surgical-risk patients revealed no benefit with Sentinel CEP. Additionally, TSA indicated that current data are underpowered for definitive conclusions. Conclusions: The Sentinel CEP device during TAVR did not significantly reduce clinical stroke but was associated with lower MRI-detected ischemic lesion volumes compared with no protection. Further adequately powered RCTs integrating clinical and imaging endpoints are needed to define its role in neuroprotection during TAVR.

Urban building energy modelling (UBEM) is considered one of the high-performance computational tools that enable analyzing energy use and the corresponding emission of different building sectors at large scales. However, the efficiency of these models relies on their capability to estimate more realistic building performance indicators at different temporal and spatial scales. The uncertainty of modelling occupants’ behaviours (OB) aspects is one of the main reasons for the discrepancy between the UBEM predicted results and the building’s actual performance. As a result, research efforts focused on improving the approaches to model OB at an urban scale considering different diversity factors. On the other hand, the impact of occupants in the current practice is still considered through fixed schedules and behaviours pattern. To bridge the gap between academic efforts and practice, the applicability of OB models to be integrated into the available UBEM tools needs to be analyzed. To this end, this paper aims to investigate the flexibility and extensibility of existing UBEM tools to model OB with different approaches by (1) reviewing UBEM’s current workflow and the main characteristics of its inputs, (2) reviewing the existing OB models and identifying their main characteristics and level of details that can contribute to UBEM accuracy, (3) providing a breakdown of the occupant-related features in the commonly used tools. The results of this investigation are relevant to researchers and tool developers to identify areas for improvements, as well as urban energy modellers to understand the different approaches to model OB in available tools.

Rice straw is considered an agricultural waste harmful to the environment, which is abundant in most parts of the world. From this point, the present study is devoted to preparing new composites of two types of glue based on rice straw as a plentiful, low-cost matrix. Straw glue samples were prepared by mixing 20% wt. of rice straw with 80% wt. of animal glue (RS-An) and polyvinyl acetate (RS-PVA C ) at different thicknesses of 1, 2, and 3 cm. The chemical composition of the prepared samples was identified by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and their morphology was examined using a scanning electron microscope. The mechanical test explored that RS-An and RS-PVA C respectively required a stress of 25.2 and 25.5 MPa before reaching the breaking point. γ-ray shielding performance was analyzed and determined at numerous photon energies from 0.059 to 1.408 MeV emitted from five-point γ-rays sources using NaI (Tl). Linear attenuation coefficient was calculated by obtaining the area under the peak of the energy spectrum observed from Genie 2000 software in the presence and absence of the sample. The experimental results of mass attenuation coefficient were compared with theoretical data of XCOM software with relative deviation ranging from 0.10 to 2.99%. Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation code was also employed to validate the experimental results. The relative deviation of XCOM and Geant4 outcomes was 0.09–1.77%, which indicates a good agreement between them. Other radiation shielding parameters such as half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer, and mean free path were calculated in three ways: experimentally, theoretically from the XCOM database, and by simulation using Geant4 code. Additionally, effective atomic number (Z eff ), effective atomic number (N eff ), equivalent atomic number (Z eq ), and buildup factors were evaluated. It was confirmed that the γ-ray shielding properties were further boosted by mixing rice straw with the animal glue compared to the synthetic one.

This work is an attempt to employ the electric arc furnace (EAF) slag as a by-product material to develop an alternative and environmentally friendly material for gamma-radiation protection applications such as in medical and industrial areas. For this purpose, different concentrations of micro-sized EAF slag (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 500, and 800 phr) were incorporated as fillers in the natural rubber (NR) matrix to produce the shielding composites. In addition, nano-sized EAF slag particles were prepared by using a high-energy ball milling technique to investigate the effect of particle size on the gamma-radiation shielding properties. The synthesized micro and nano EAF/NR composites were tested as protective materials against gamma-radiation by employing NaI(Tl) scintillation detector and standard radioactive point sources ( 152 Eu, 137 Cs, 133 Ba, and 60 Co). Different shielding parameters such as linear and mass attenuation coefficient, half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer, mean free path, effective atomic number (Z eff ), and effective electron density (N eff ) were determined to assess the radiation shielding capability of the EAF/NR composites. Furthermore, equivalent atomic number (Z eq ) and the exposure buildup factor values for photon energy in the range from 0.015 to 15 MeV were also computed by Geometric Progression method. The experimental results of micro EAF/NR composites showed that at 121.78 keV, EAF0 composite (without EAF slag content) had the lowest μ value of 0.1695 cm −1 , while the EAF800 composite (which was loaded with 800 phr of micro EAF slag) had the highest μ value of 0.2939 cm −1 at the same energy, which in turn decreases the HVL from 4.09 to 2.36 cm, respectively. Therefore, increasing the filler weight fractions of EAF slag in the NR matrix, increases the shielding properties of the composites. Moreover, the NR composite reinforced with 800 phr of nano EAF slag has better gamma-radiation shielding efficiency compared to that filled with 800 phr of micro EAF slag. The success of this work was to prepare a flexible, lightweight, low-cost, and lead-free material with better shielding capability.