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Background Femicide is a fundamental human rights violation that compromises one’s life, liberty, and personal safety and impedes social and economic advancement. In recent years, Egypt has witnessed an alarming rise in the number of femicide cases. Unfortunately, there is limited data about the magnitude of this problem or factors contributing to the surge in femicide incidents. Consequently, this review aims to discuss the phenomenon of femicide in Egypt, provide an analysis of its causes, and propose possible solutions. Main body Gender disparity, cultural and social norms, impunity, poverty, poor educational level, and insufficient aid services could be contributing factors to femicide in Egypt. Conclusion Identifying the potential causes of femicide in Egypt is essential to prevent and reduce its incidence. So, comprehensive studies to understand the true scope of the problem and to monitor femicide trends in Egyptian society are highly recommended. Policymakers in Egypt should take actual steps to develop an effective action plan to combat femicide.

BackgroundIn clinical practice, differentiation between various superficial soft tissue masses is a significant challenge, as both benign and malignant neoplasms can present similarly. Accurate identification is crucial for effective treatment planning. Ultrasound and Doppler ultrasound can evaluate these masses broadly based on size and blood flow, With many limitations. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers superior soft tissue characterization and can reveal key features to differentiate between lesion types. Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) is increasingly utilized to differentiate these masses, as malignant tumors typically show more restricted diffusion due to higher cellularity, making quantitative ADC values essential for precise diagnosis.ResultsOur study involved 63 patients (32 males, 50.8% and 31 females, 49.2%) aged 1–72 years, with a mean age of 37.03 ± 15.95 years, presenting with superficial lesions. Biopsy results revealed that 76.2% of lesions were benign and 23.8% malignant. Approximately 57% of lesions had well-defined borders, while 26.9% were ill-defined. Restricted diffusion was observed in 59% of cases, with all malignant cases showing restricted diffusion compared to 45.8% of benign cases (p = 0.001). The mean ADC value was significantly higher in benign cases (1.22 ± 0.680) versus malignant cases (0.732 ± 0.194) (p = 0.001).ConclusionsOur research shows that apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) have a great deal of potential for precisely distinguishing between benign and malignant soft tissue masses. Healthcare practitioners can greatly improve patient outcomes and diagnostic accuracy by implementing these parameters into clinical practice. Additionally, standardizing the use of DWI and ADC results by revising clinical guidelines.

Background and objectives Cyber violence against women and girls is an emerging worldwide problem with a grave impact on individuals and societies. This study aimed to assess the problem of cyber violence against women among the Egyptian population. Methods A convenience sampling method was used to recruit a total of 356 females. A self-completion questionnaire was distributed through one of the social media applications. Results About 41.6% of the participants experienced cyber violence during the last year, and 45.3% of them reported multiple times of exposure. Social media was the most common way of exposure, and the offenders were unknown for 92.6% of the victims. The most commonly reported forms included 41.2% receiving images or symbols with sexual content, 26.4% receiving insulting e-mails or messages, 25.7% receiving offensive or humiliating posts or comments, 21.6% receiving indecent or violent images that demean women, and 20.3% receiving infected files through e-mails. The majority of the victims (76.9%) experienced psychological effects in the form of anger, worry, and fear; 13.6 % social effects; 4.1% exposed to physical harm; and 2.0% reported financial losses. Blocking the offender was the most common victims’ response. Conclusion Females in the Egyptian population are highly exposed to cyber violence, so implementation of anti-cyber violence program is essential to counteract this phenomenon.

Background The healthcare and criminal justice sectors could benefit significantly from establishing national deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and dental registries. The viability of these registries would depend on the public's awareness and willingness to provide their profiles. This study assessed public knowledge and perceptions regarding the importance of national forensic DNA and dental databases in Egypt. A cross-sectional study was conducted on forensic dental and DNA databases in Egypt from October 2023 to April 2024. A structured online questionnaire was used to gather data on participants' sociodemographic characteristics, awareness of the national DNA and forensic dental databases, and willingness to support a national database. A convenience sampling technique was utilized, with a Google Form created and the questionnaire shared on social media platforms in Egypt. Results The survey involved 582 participants, aged between 18 and 76 years; approximately two-thirds (67.4%) were female, and the majority (90.4%) held a university education. Nearly two-thirds of the participants (64.4%) were aware of national DNA databases, which store and compare DNA profiles. However, most participants (91.8%) were unfamiliar with Egypt's forensic DNA database. Additionally, 89.8% agreed that Egypt should have a national DNA database, and 70.5% expressed willingness to submit their genetic profiles. Most participants (82.5%) were unsure or unaware of national dental databases; however, they acknowledged their storage and comparison functions. The study revealed significant relationships between knowledge scores and sociodemographic characteristics, with females being more knowledgeable about dental databases and those working in the health sector more acquainted with dental and DNA databases than individuals in other fields. Conclusions Participants exhibited a positive attitude but only moderate awareness of Egypt's national DNA database and limited knowledge about dental databases. Despite concerns about privacy and data misuse, most people acknowledged the potential benefits of using these services. The findings suggest that sociodemographic factors, especially gender and field of work, impact knowledge of these databases. More initiatives are needed to raise public awareness about forensic DNA and dentistry through health promotion and education programs.

Background Violence against women is a worldwide problem that affects different social and economic classes, and this violence has almost increased with pandemics as the COVID-19 pandemic. The present survey aimed to assess the prevalence of violence against women in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the relationship between sociodemographic factors and violence exposure. A total of 509 women were recruited using a self-completion e-form questionnaire. Results The prevalence of violence experienced by women was (43.8%); the most common type was the emotional representing (96.0%) of exposed women, while sexual violence was the least common (13.5%). Violence exposure was affected significantly by residence governorates, husbands’ working status, reduced husbands’ working hours, and history of violence exposure. Conclusions Violence against women in Egypt was increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which raises the need for a strong and urgent anti-violence program to control this problem.

Background Estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is a critical issue in forensic science. Various approaches have been used to determine the PMI including physical, biochemical and entomological methods. Most of these methods have practical limitations or provide insufficient results in certain conditions. Postmortem degradation of RNA may be a useful tool for PMI estimation if there is a correlation between the quantity of residual RNA and the elapsed time. This study aimed to evaluate the use of GAPDH mRNA quantity in the brain as a possible indicator for PMI in different environmental conditions. Methods Seventy-eight adult female albino rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Rats were divided into five groups, the control group and 4 studied groups left after sacrificing in different conditions (ambient air at 30 °C and at 6 °C, buried in sand and submerged under water). Brain samples were obtained at different intervals (0, 24, 48 and 96 h postmortem). The mRNA of GAPDH gene of rats’ brain was quantitatively detected by qRT-PCR. Results The decrease of GAPDH mRNA levels with increasing PMI were observed in all study groups. There were significant negative correlations between brain GAPDH mRNA and Time intervals in rats left in air at 30 °C, buried in sand and recovered from the water. Conclusion GAPDH mRNA in rat’s brain could be a useful marker for PMI estimation in several environmental conditions.

Background and objectives Post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation is an important topic in forensic sciences. Several methods have been used to determine the PMI, but most of these provide inaccurate results under certain conditions. The degradation of RNA after death has been reported to be a useful tool for PMI estimation. This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of skin and heart GAPDH mRNA levels for determining the PMI under different environmental conditions. Methods Seventy-eight adult female albino rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Then, rats divided into the control group and four experimental groups left under different conditions (in ambient air at 30 °C and at 6 °C, buried in sand and submerged under water at an air temperature of 30 °C). The skin and heart samples were obtained at different time points (0, 24, 48, and 96 h post-mortem), and the GAPDH mRNA level in each sample was detected by qRT-PCR. Results The GAPDH mRNA levels decreased with increasing PMI in all study groups. There were significant negative correlations between the heart GAPDH mRNA level and the time interval in all studied groups, while the skin GAPDH mRNA level only showed negative correlations under certain conditions. Conclusion The GAPDH mRNA level in rat heart and skin could be a useful marker for PMI estimation under various environmental conditions.

Background and objectives Sex determination of an individual based on biological fluid evidence is a critical issue in forensic science. RNA has proved valuable in the identification of body fluids and the estimation of stain age. However, it still could not provide sufficient information about their donor. This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of the long non-coding XIST and RPS4Y1 markers in the identification of sex from different body fluids. Methods Saliva, semen, and peripheral and menstrual blood samples were obtained from apparently healthy volunteers. The expression of XIST and RPS4Y1 was assessed in these samples using real-time RT-PCR. Results XIST was detected in female saliva and peripheral and menstrual blood, while RPS4Y1 was detected in male blood and semen. Conclusion XIST and RPS4Y1 could be sex differentiation biomarkers in various body fluids.

Background The sphenoid sinus exhibits significant anatomical variation with age, sex, and population affinity, which introduces it as a potential candidate for forensic identification in the absence of traditional skeletal markers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the linear measurements of the sphenoid sinus using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in an Egyptian population to determine its suitability as an indicator for age and sex estimation. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on CBCT scans of 290 Egyptian individuals (145 males and 145 females), aged 18 years and above. Sphenoid sinus dimensions, including anteroposterior, inferior-superior, and latero-lateral diameters, were measured using RadiANT software in standardized CBCT planes. Moreover, descriptive statistics were calculated, and measurements were compared between sexes and analyzed across the predefined age groups. Correlations with age were also assessed utilizing Spearman’s rank correlation. Age prediction models were developed using multiple linear regression, and sex classification was performed using logistic regression. Results Males exhibited greater mean values for the inferior–superior and latero–lateral diameters (25.84 ± 3.76 mm and 37.43 ± 6.37 mm, respectively), whereas females showed a slightly longer anteroposterior distance (31.09 ± 5.44 mm). Significant sex-related differences were observed in all sphenoid sinus measurements across most age groups. The measured dimensions correlated significantly with age in the entire sample, as well as when examined separately by sex ( p  < 0.001). However, predictive modeling revealed limited discriminatory performance. Logistic regression for sex prediction yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.62, indicating moderate classification ability. Similarly, the age prediction model explained 32% of the variance in age (R² = 0.32) and had a root mean squared error of 11.62 years, reflecting relatively low predictive accuracy. Conclusions The sphenoid sinus demonstrates measurable sexual dimorphism and age-related variation. However, its predictive performance for sex classification and age estimation is modest, indicating that sphenoid sinus measurements are not sufficiently reliable as standalone forensic indicators. Nevertheless, they may provide supplementary value in the biological profiling of Egyptians when used in combination with other forensic markers.

This review paper highlights bio-carriers’ vital role in Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBRs), which provide the required surfaces for biofilm formation that are super important for improving MBBR performance. Traditional bio-carrier types have several weaknesses concerning the surface area, structural complexity, nature of the used materials, and overall efficiency in the MBBRs. So, this review investigates the potential of employing 3D-printing technology in the design of bio-carriers to mitigate these challenges, enabling the fabrication of intricate geometries that are unachievable using conventional manufacturing methods. This review revealed that 3D printing allows for complete control over geometries, shapes, and materials, so bio-carriers can be designed and fabricated with proper porosity and surface texture, which increases biofilm growth and enhances mass transfer and flow dynamics in MBBRs. This research dives into challenges that come up during the 3D-printed biocarrier fabrication on a larger scale. Although 3D printing is preferable for its complex design options, producing large amounts of biocarriers can become time-consuming. To tackle this scalability issue, emerging strategies such as high-speed printing techniques and post-processing optimizations were investigated in order to enhance feasibility and improve effectiveness and adoption of 3D-printed biocarriers in wastewater treatment.