Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background and Objectives: A cesarean scar defect (CSD), also referred to as a niche or isthmocele, is often detected incidentally during transvaginal sonography (TVS) and is typically asymptomatic. However, the exact prevalence of symptomatic niches remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of cesarean scar niches and identify potential risk factors in a prospectively gathered cohort of Egyptian women. Materials and Methods: The primary endpoint was to determine the incidence of isthmoceles after six months following a cesarean section (CS) and to investigate any associated symptoms and risk factors. The study included 420 women, divided into three groups: Group A included 140 women who had undergone their first CS, Group B included 140 women with a history of two CSs, and Group C consisted of 140 women with more than two prior CSs. Results: Niches were identified in 23.8% of the participants via TVS. The highest incidence was observed in women with more than two previous CSs (31.2%, 39/125), followed by those with two prior CSs (24.4%, 30/123), and the lowest was among women with one previous CS (16.3%, 22/135). Of the 91 women diagnosed with a CS niche, only 23 (25.27%) reported symptoms—most commonly postmenstrual spotting (7.7%) and dyspareunia (8.8%). Conclusions: The findings indicate that multiple cesarean deliveries, the uterine positioning (as assessed via TVS), a postpartum fever, breastfeeding, low post-cesarean platelet counts, and maternal anemia are contributing factors to the development of cesarean scar niches.

Background Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) are widespread, treatable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) of global significance, affecting millions annually. Left untreated, they pose significant risks, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, and complications during pregnancy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends annual chlamydial screening for sexually active women to address these risks. Responding to this global challenge, the World Health Organization (WHO) has formulated a global health sector strategy on sexually transmitted infections, outlining priority actions to strengthen STI responses in countries. However, STI epidemiological studies encounter challenges in developing nations like Egypt due to socio-cultural factors, poverty, and limited diagnostic facilities. In Egypt, STI diagnosis primarily relies on clinical presentations, lacking structured screening programs for CT and NG. This study’s main objective is to estimate the prevalence of Chlamydial and gonorrheal infections, advocating for supportive STI strategies in Egypt. Additionally, the study aims to provide a foundation for national prevalence estimates of CT and NG infections. Methods A cross-sectional study encompassed five antenatal clinics in different regions of Egypt. A total of 1040 pregnant women attending these clinics were consecutively sampled. Data collection involved structured questionnaires, and urine samples were subjected to the GeneXpert CT/NG qualitative real-time PCR test. Results The prevalence of CT infections was 0.29% (95% CI, 0.10–0.86%), with no detected NG infections. The three CT-positive cases were distributed across different recruitment centers, with no statistically significant differences observed between infected and non-infected participants. Notably, 40.3% of recruited women reported gynecological symptoms, primarily discharge. Additionally, 9.6% had undergone previous testing for sexually transmitted infections, with 8.2% receiving positive results. Conclusions This study provides valuable data on the prevalence of CT and NG infections among pregnant women attending ANC clinics in Egypt. The findings underscore the importance of ongoing surveillance, routine screening, and targeted interventions to ensure the reproductive health and well-being of pregnant women and their infants. Further research is warranted to explore the broader implications of STIs in different populations and to inform evidence-based guidelines for screening and management in diverse settings. Trial registration : IRB no.: 17,400,017; WHO ERC Protocol Id. A66005.

Toxoplasma gondii infection remains a significant global health concern, promoting the urgent need for effective therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) and curcumin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (Cur-CSNPs) against the chronic Toxoplasma gondii (ME49 strain) in an experimental mouse model. This achieved by investigating their ability to reduce parasitic load, oxidative stress, histopathological lesion, and to enhance the host immune response. Sixty female BALB/c mice were divided into five groups: infected untreated group, Spiramycin®-treated group, CSNPs-treated group, Cur-CSNPs-treated group, and negative control group. The Cur-CSNPs-treated group exhibited the lowest brain cyst counts, along with significant reductions in cyst size. Hematological indices revealed no significant reduction in total white blood cell (WBC) counts or in the percentage of neutrophils, monocytes, and eosinophils in both the CSNPs and Cur-CSNPs treated groups, compared to the infected untreated group and Spiramycin-treated group. However, both nanoparticle-treated groups exhibited a significant decrease in the percentage of lymphocytes compared to the infected untreated group. Significant differences in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were observed, with the Cur-CSNPs treated group displaying values comparable to the negative control. Histopathological examination revealed substantial improvements in the brain, liver, and spleen tissues of Cur-CSNPs-treated animals, characterized by preserved tissue architecture and reduced inflammatory lesions. Immunohistochemical analysis further revealed reduced expression of IL-6 and TNF-α, indicating a mitigated inflammatory response. These findings highlight the promising therapeutic role of Cur-CSNPs in controlling chronic T. gondii infection and suggest their potential as a novel strategy for developing effective antiparasitic treatments.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the neurorehabilitation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thirty-four AD patients were randomly assigned to three groups: anodal, cathodal, and sham tDCS. Stimulation was applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 25 min at 2 mA, daily for 10 days. Each patient was submitted to the following psychometric assessments: mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and Wechsler adult intelligence scale-third edition at base line, at the end of the 10th sessions and then at 1 and 2 months after the end of the sessions. Motor cortical excitability and the P300 event-related potential were assessed at baseline and after the last tDCS session. Significant treatment group × time interactions were observed for the MMSE and performance IQ of the WAIS. Post hoc comparisons showed that both anodal and cathodal tDCS (ctDCS) improved MMSE in contrast to sham tDCS. Whereas, this was only true for ctDCS in the performance IQ. Remarkably, tDCS also reduced the P300 latency, but had no effect on motor cortex excitability. Our findings reveal that repeated sessions of tDCS could not only improve cognitive function but also reduce the P300 latency, which is known to be pathologically increased in AD.

An emergent solution to overcome the limitations of traditional multi-hop routing in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is to use mobile collectors (MCs) for data gathering, thereby reducing energy consumed in internode communications. Most of the existing data collection approaches emphasize data gathering or network lifetime extension, without taking into account sensor node area coverage or how to handle sensor node failures through node mobility. It is desirable to utilize node mobility as a key functionality for WSN coverage optimization. We propose a robust coverage-aware multiple path-planning algorithm (CAMP) for WSN data gathering using MCs. CAMP works in tandem with any coverage hole-repair algorithm to heal coverage holes created by dying nodes, if any, and can plan efficient paths for MCs. CAMP initially selects polling points using Particle Swarm Optimization, and then divides the area into radial sections based on the number of available MCs. The size of subsection is adjusted to balance the estimated trip times within an acceptable margin and each MC traverses its assigned section following the shortest path determined by Ant Colony Optimization. Performance is analyzed in terms of coverage, energy consumption, data delivery delay, and network lifetime. Results reveal that CAMP provides above 90% coverage of nodes. Moreover, it is robust to failures and covers over 70% of the area even when more than half of the nodes fail. CAMP also saves a considerable amount of nodes’ communication energy, and the network lifetime is increased by 2.5 times when compared to a similar state-of-the-art algorithm.

ABSTRACT Camel meat and edible offal are regarded as exotic meats around the world. However, such meat kinds are regarded as emerging meat sources rich in animal-derived protein in particular countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Camel meat and offal supplies humans with part of their needs from essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Toxic metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) are of no-known physiological importance. The objectives of the present study were to quantitatively estimate the residual levels of Pb, Cd, As, and Hg in camel meat and edible offal including round, liver, kidney, and tongue in samples collected from Zagazig slaughterhouse, Egypt and Al-Ahsa slaughterhouse, Saudi Arabia. Dietary intakes and potential health risks associated with the consumption of camel meat and edible offal among Saudi and Egyptian populations were additionally calculated in a comparative way. The obtained results indicated that edible offal including liver, kidney and tongue had higher levels of the tested metals compared with the muscle. Samples collected from Egypt had significantly (p< 0.05) higher metal residues than that collected from Saudi Arabia. Cadmium content exceeded the established maximum permissible limits (MPL) in 65%, 20%, and 70% of liver, kidney, and tongue samples collected from Egypt, while only 35%, and 20% of the Saudi liver and kidney samples exceeded MPL. Arsenic residue levels exceeded MPL in 50%, 50%, and 25% of the Egyptian liver, kidney, and tongue samples. None of the examined samples exceeded MPL for Pb, and Hg. Calculation of the hazard ratio (HR), and hazard index (HI) for Egyptian and Saudi adults and children indicated that HI was higher than one for Egyptian children consuming liver, kidney, and tongues of the camel. Therefore, it is highly recommended to reduce the daily consumption of such offal samples, particularly among children in Egypt.

Fascioliasis, a significant global zoonotic disease caused by trematode parasites of the genus , affects various livestock species. This study aimed to identify demographic, epidemiological, clinical manifestations, pathological, and genetic characteristics in New Valley, Egypt's human, and cattle populations. This study is made of two parts, the first part is a cohort study of 1000 cattle slaughtered at three abattoirs in El Kharja, El Dakhilah, and El Farafra from February 2023 to January 2024. A retrospective analysis of patients visiting El Kharja hospital with clinical symptoms and confirmed with coprological and radiological examinations. The study revealed a high prevalence in cattle (23%) and humans (3.6%). Enrolled human fascioliasis was diagnosed in 58.3% and 41.7% by coprological and radiological analysis, respectively. A 66.7% of enrolled cases were females, with a median age range of 37 ± 13 years old. Treatment outcomes demonstrated a response of 25%, 50%, and 25% to single, two, and three doses of the treatment, respectively. In cattle, infection rate was 20.0% in females compared to 24.9% in males with low prevalence in animals <1 year (12.7%) and high in animals >3 years (30.4%). Autumn had the highest prevalence (28.7%), whereas summer had the lowest prevalence (18.0%). A significant difference in the prevalence of fasciolasis was observed between human and animals. Morphological and histopathological analysis elucidated acute and chronic manifestations of hepatic fascioliasis with ectopic migration to cattle lung tissue. Genetic characterization of ectopic worm confirmed infection, with genetic similarity to human isolates from Iran. The study highlights the importance of one health approach in understanding and managing fascioliasis.

Data collection is an important task in many mobile wireless sensor network (MWSN) applications. The energy of sensor nodes around the sink depletes rapidly due to transmitting large amounts of data from neighboring nodes. This problem can be mitigated through the use of intelligent mobile vehicles to collect the data. While traditional data collection methods focus on maximizing data acquisition or reducing network energy consumption, they do not take into account the actual sensor nodes’ coverage of the region of interest (ROI). To the best of our knowledge, most research on data collection focuses on path planning for the mobile collector in a static environment. During the lifetime of the network, coverage holes may appear due to node energy depletion. We propose a coverage aware topology adaptive path planning algorithm (CAPP) for path planning for WSNs where all sensor nodes are coverage aware and respond by moving to better locations to improve coverage of the network and compensate for the failed nodes. First, the path planning algorithm determines the number of Stop Points (SPs) where it will stop to gather data. Then, Particle Swarm Optimization is used to find the best location for these SPs. Finally, the shortest path through these SPs is determined by Ant Colony Optimization. Through extensive simulation, we show that CAPP performs efficiently in data collection while also allowing the nodes to move for coverage hole repair. The result shows improvement in area coverage and reduced delay in data collection, with no increase in energy consumption.

The red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is the primary insect pest causing damage to date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in production areas. In the pursuit of safe control methods, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the entomopathogenic fungi Trichoderma virens and Metarhizium anisopliae against red palm weevil larvae and adults under laboratory conditions, as well as their impact on palm recovery in field conditions. The results indicated that 7. virens achieved the highest mortality rates in both larvae and adults. Both fungi also compromise the weevil's defense mechanisms by altering its chemical composition, including total lipid, protein, and carbohydrate levels, in addition to the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Additionally, 7. virens demonstrated superior palm recovery compared to M. anisopliae and untreated control trees in the field, facilitating the recovery of approximately 70% of the treated palm trees under experimental conditions. These findings suggest T. virens as a promising biocontrol agent for managing red palm weevil infestations and enhancing palm health.

The red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is the primary insect pest causing damage to date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in production areas. In the pursuit of safe control methods, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the entomopathogenic fungi Trichoderma virens and Metarhizium anisopliae against red palm weevil larvae and adults under laboratory conditions, as well as their impact on palm recovery in field conditions. The results indicated that T. virens achieved the highest mortality rates in both larvae and adults. Both fungi also compromise the weevil's defense mechanisms by altering its chemical composition, including total lipid, protein, and carbohydrate levels, in addition to the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Additionally, T. virens demonstrated superior palm recovery compared to M. anisopliae and untreated control trees in the field, facilitating the recovery of approximately 70% of the treated palm trees under experimental conditions. These findings suggest T. virens as a promising biocontrol agent for managing red palm weevil infestations and enhancing palm health.