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Fish is an excellent source of protein and other essential minerals and vitamins; nevertheless, several food-borne disease outbreaks have been linked to the consumption of different types of fish. Therefore, we aimed to overcome these health threats by evaluating gamma radiation as a good fish preservation method. The aerobic plate count (APC), identification of most common pathogenic bacteria, organoleptic properties, proximate composition, and other chemical evaluations were detected in both untreated and gamma-treated fish. The overall grades of organoleptic evaluations ranged from good to very good. Fortunately, the overall chemical analysis of all examined fish samples was accepted. For the untreated fish samples, the APC was within and above the permissible limit (5 × 107 CFU/g). Pathogenic bacteria were detected with a high prevalence rate, especially S. aureus, which was found in high percentages among examined untreated fish samples. Regarding the treated fish samples, APC and pathogenic bacterial counts were reduced in a dose-dependent manner, and the irradiation at dose 5 KGy resulted in complete eradication of the aerobic plate count (not detectable) with a mean reduction percentage equal to 100%. However, gamma irradiation has no significant effect on proximate composition; particularly, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids were not significantly affected by low and medium doses of radiation. Therefore, gamma irradiation is a highly effective fish preservation method without any effect on fish quality. Additionally, gamma irradiation as a cold process is an attractive technology for solving the problem arising from fish-borne pathogens, and it has been purposed in this study as a cheap and safe method for reducing microbial contamination of fish.

During the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic there were several barriers to treatment access and medication adherence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. There is no information regarding the RA patient health status in Egypt during the COVID-19. Thus,the aim of this work was to study the impact of the pandemic on RA patients through a patient-reported questionnaire and to determine the influence of gender, geographic regions. This multi-centre study initiated by the Egyptian College of Rheumatology (ECR) was conducted on 1037 RA patients attending rheumatology clinics from 10 governorates. The questionnaire provided covered socio-demographic data, health/disease status, information/knowledge about COVID-19 and medical/family history of the infection. Patients mean age was 44.2 ± 12.3 years;855 females and 182 males; 539(52%) from rural and 497(48%) from urban areas. 41.8% reported a striking difficulty to obtain hydroxychloroquine during the pandemic. The majority (70%) considered maintaining a regular visit to the rheumatologist in addition to remote contact mainly by phone (44.4%) or via WhatsApp (33.1%), in particular among male and urban patients. Urban patients were more likely to be infected by COVID-19 (12.9% vs 6.2%; p < 0.0001) than rural. Northern cities had more patients with suspected COVID-19 (13.9% vs 6.1%; p < 0.0001); was significantly associated with more disease flares (30.8% vs 5.8%) with subsequent change in the RA treatment (20.9% vs 6.4%; p < 0.0001). Patients with RA faced remarkable difficulty to obtain their medications with subsequent change in their disease status. The challenges of the pandemic have hastened changes in the way we deliver health care.

In this manuscript, we study heat generation effects on Magnetohydrodynamic mixed convection in hybrid nanofluid (Tio2-Cu/Water) in a wavy porous cavity with a lid-driven using Local Thermal Non-Equilibrium (LTNE) condition. The impacts of the inclined magnetic field, internal heat generation, and the volume of the solid fraction on the flow and heat structures are investigated. The dominant equations and the conditions of the boundaries are converted for dimensionless equations. This equation is solved numerically using the SIMPLER algorithm based on the finite volume method. The results are represented graphically by streamlines, isotherms, iso-concentrations, local Nusselt numbers, local Sherwood numbers, and average Nusselt numbers. The results showed that the isothermal wavy walls and the internal heat source had an essential effect on the fluid flow and heat transfer. Furthermore, the position of the heat source and large values of the heat generation parameter enhanced the rate of heat transfer and decreased the local Nusselt and Sherwood numbers. On the other hand, the rise of the Hartmann number restricted nanofluid transport. Moreover, the presence of a porous medium reduced the nanofluid velocity while enhancing the heat transport in the cavity.

The aim of this work is to trace how rheumatologists all over Egypt are approaching the COVID-19 pandemic and what changes it has brought about in the patients’ care with special attention to its effect on vulnerable rheumatic disease (RD) patients. This survey further aims to help inform the rheumatology community about the changes in practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey included 26 questions distributed to University staff members across Egypt members of the Egyptian College of Rheumatology (ECR). It takes 5–10 min to fill out. The practice setting of participating rheumatologists included University Teaching Hospitals that are the main rheumatology and clinical immunology service providers for adults and children RD patients. There was an overall agreement across the country in the responses to the survey that took a median time of 7 min to fill in. Potential changes in rheumatology outpatient practice by staff members evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the university rheumatology staff members has prescribed chloroquine or HCQ to prevent or treat COVID-19 in a non-hospitalized patient who was not previously on it. Twenty-three recommended decrease/avoid NSAIDs if the RD patient had confirmed COVID-19 or symptoms. There is an agreement to the key emerging frontline role of rheumatologists in treating COVID-19. During the pandemic, RD cases requiring admission were dealt with by several modified strategies. The overall agreement among the different university rheumatology departments during such critical situation has provoked the ECR to consider providing provisional guidelines for dealing with RD patients during this global catastrophe.

Efficient heat transfer in inclined enclosures is critical for applications in thermal management, energy storage, and electronic cooling, yet the combined effects of micropolar nanofluids, porous media, and electromagnetic forces remain underexplored. This study investigates conjugate convective heat transfer in a porous inclined cavity filled with micropolar nanofluid under a tilted Lorentz force, where local thermal non-equilibrium is assumed between fluid and solid phases. The governing nonlinear equations are solved using the finite difference method (FDM), with adiabatic vertical walls and thermally conductive horizontal walls. To reduce computational cost, an artificial neural network (ANN) is trained on FDM-generated data to predict local Nusselt numbers. The results show that increasing the thickness of the solid wall from 0.05 to 0.3 reduces the maximum temperature by up to 84.28%, indicating improved thermal insulation characteristics. Additionally, higher solid volume fractions (up to 0.2) and stronger micropolar effects (vortex viscosity ratio up to 2.0) increase thermal resistance, resulting in a reduction in heat transfer of approximately 20%. Furthermore, enhancing the porosity of the medium from 0.1 to 0.9 leads to a 76.67% improvement in convective flow. This work advances the state of the art by coupling micropolar nanofluid dynamics, porous media, and tilted magnetic fields in inclined enclosures—an area not previously addressed with such detail. The integration of ANN with physics-based modeling offers a novel, high-fidelity, and computationally efficient framework for the optimization of complex thermal systems.

Background In recent efforts to address the critical need for clean and portable water, we have focused on innovative methods to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. To this aim, the N-Glycyl-L-leucine ( Gly-Leu) peptide ligand was complexed with different transition metal ions [Cu(II), Ni(II), and Cd(II)] as new peptide metalloantibiotics. The compounds were characterized and examined using various analytical methods, including elemental analysis (CHN), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), assessments of magnetic properties, molar conductivity, 1 HNMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and mass spectroscopy. The ligand acted as a di-anionic molecule using the carboxylate and the deprotonated amide nitrogen atom. The coordination sites were completed with carbonyl oxygen atoms and a water molecule. The complexes showed polymeric structures using bridging carboxylate groups. Results The antibacterial properties of the synthesized metal chelate were evaluated using disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods on bacterial organisms identified from water samples taken from the Nile River. At a 1 mg/mL dose, the Cu(II)-chelate showed the biggest inhibitory zone of 27 mm against Klebsiella pneumonia, with a MIC value of 62.5 μg/mL, greater than that of the common gentamicin medication. Molecular docking investigations supported these findings, showing that Cu(II)-chelate had the lowest binding energy of − 6.16 kcal/mol, indicating significant, beneficial interactions with the amino acids in the active region of bacterial proteins. Furthermore, the Cu(II) complex and the COVID-19 main protease showed encouraging results in the docking analysis, indicating that the complex may have antiviral properties and be able to inhibit viral propagation successfully. The metal chelates demonstrated noteworthy antioxidant activity, especially against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH radicals). The IC 50 values of the antioxidant assay for Ni(II) and Cu(II) chelates were extremely similar to ascorbic acid, a common antioxidant. Their notable antioxidant capacity was demonstrated by the IC 50 values of (14.4, 15.5, and 18 µg/mL) for ascorbic acid, Ni(II), and Cu(II) chelates, respectively. Conclusions Our study successfully demonstrated the potential of a new Gly-Leu peptide ligand complexed with transition metal ions, particularly Cu(II), in eliminating pathogenic microorganisms from water. Cu(II)-chelate exhibited superior antibacterial properties, as confirmed by both experimental and molecular docking results. The chelates also displayed noteworthy antioxidant capacity, comparable to that of ascorbic acid. Additionally, the Cu(II)-chelate demonstrated promising antiviral potential, theoretically interacting effectively with the COVID-19 main protease, which suggests its ability to inhibit viral replication. These results underscore the potential of Cu(II)-chelate as a multi-functional compound with applications in water purification and therapeutic fields.

Background and Aim: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the lower extremities is common in Covid-19 patients. Interleukin (IL)-6 and P-selectin were found to be elevated in Covid-19 patients. The current study aimed to evaluate P-selectin and IL6 in Covid-19 patients with DVT and to explore its relation to clinical and laboratory parameters in those patients. Patients and methods: The present retrospective study included 150 hospitalized COVID-19 patients diagnosed on the basis of a positive result of reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. Laboratory assessments were included for IL-6 and P selectin assessments via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The primary outcome of the present study was the development of DVT detected by Doppler ultrasound (DU) evaluation of the lower extremities during the admission. Results: The present study included 150 hospitalized Covid-19 patients. DVT was developed in 59 patients (39.3%). DVP patients had significantly higher levels of P selectin [76.0 (63.0-87.0) versus 63.0 (54.3-75.0), p < 0.001] and IL-6 [37.0 (27.0-49.0) versus 18.5 (13.5-31.5), p < 0.001]. ROC curve analysis revealed good performance of P selectin [AUC (95% CI): 0.72 (0.64-0.81)] and IL-6 [AUC (95% CI): 0.79 (0.71-0.86)] in identification of DVT. Logistic regression analysis identified the presence of severe disease [OR (95% CI): 9.016 (3.61-22.49), p < 0.001], elevated P selectin [OR (95% CI): 1.032 (1.005-1.059), p = 0.018] and elevated IL-6 [OR (95% CI): 1.062 (1.033-1.091), p < 0.001] as significant predictors of DVT development in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: The present study identified a probable role of elevated P-selectin and IL-6 levels in the DVT development in hospitalized Covid-19 patients. Keywords: Covid-19, deep venous thrombosis, interleukin 6

We conducted the present prospective study to assess the level of microRNA (miRNA) 146a in patients with ischemic stroke and its correlation with patients' characteristics. We conducted an observational study that included adult patients (≥18 years old) who presented within 24 hrs after the onset of the symptoms of acute ischemic stroke. In addition, age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were included as control group. The primary outcome in the present study was the difference in miRNA 146a expression between patients with ischemic stroke and control group participants. The expression of miRNA 146a was measured using quantitative real-time PCR. Quantitative real-time PCR amplification and analysis were performed using Rotor-Gene Q thermal cycler. The present study included 44 patients with ischemic stroke and 22 matched controls. Regarding the primary outcome of the present study, the median expression of miRNA 146a in patients with ischemic stroke was -1.98 fold (IQR -27.1-3.9) compared to 1.75 fold (IQR -2.25-5.27) in control group ( <0.001). However, the subgroup analysis showed that the expression of miRNA 146a was significantly downregulated in comatosed patients only ( <0.001). The expression of miRNA 146a correlated negatively with Glasgow Coma Scale score in comatose patients ( =-0.352, =0.022). In conclusion, the expression of miRNA 146a is significantly downregulated in ischemic stroke patients. Further studies are needed to assess its diagnostic utility and therapeutic potentials.

The link between immune system and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) pathogenesis attracted attention to demonstrate the role of immune cells and their secreted cytokines in T2DM development and its subsequent foot complications. To investigate the relation between T Natural killer cell (TNK) %, Interleukin 4 (IL4) and Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and diabetic foot infection (DFI) development in patients with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). Ninety patients with diabetes were included in this work, divided as T2DM group (n=30), DFU group (n=30), and DFI group (n=30). TNK% was detected using flow cytometry. Serum IL4 and IFN-γ were measured by ELISA. Diabetes biochemical parameters were also analyzed. Significant decrease was detected in TNK% and IFN-γ in DFI group compared to other 2 groups ( <0.001). Significant decrease was detected in serum levels of IL4 in DFI group compared to T2DM group ( =0.006). IFN-γ/IL4 was significantly decreased in DFI compared to DFU group ( =0.020). There was a significant correlation of TNK% with both IL4 and IFN-γ (r=0.385, <0.001; r=0.534, <0.001, respectively). Significant negative correlation of TNK% with HbA1c and LDL was revealed (r=-0.631, <0.001; and r=-0.261, =0.013, respectively), while a positive correlation was seen with HDL (r=0.287, =0.006). A significant negative correlation of IL4 with HbA1c  was found (r=-0.514, <0.001;. As for IFN-γ, a significant negative correlation with HbA1c and LDL was detected (r=-0.369, < 0.001; r=-0.229, =0.030). TNK % and IFN-γ level showed negative correlations with disease duration/year (r=-0.546, < 0.001; r=-0.338, =0.001,respectively). Decline in TNK frequency has essential role in T2DM pathogenesis and subsequent foot complications. Downregulation of TNK% and IFN-γ level have potential roles in predicting infection of diabetic ulcer and are correlated with disease duration.

Rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated protein (anti-CCP) have been used to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their association with RA disease phenotypes, individually and in combination, is not well studied. The aim of the study was to compare patients' and disease characteristics, activity and severity in double seronegative (DNRA), single seropositive RF, single seropositive anti-CCP and double seropositive (DPRA) patients. Adults subjects with RA from Egyptian College of Rheumatology (ECR) database who had RF and anti-CCP results available were included. Demographic, clinical features, disease activity score 28 (DAS28), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and laboratory data were collected and compared among different RA groups. 5268 RA patients with mean age of 44.9±11.6 years, and 4477 (85%) were females. 2900 (55%) had DPRA, 892 (16.9%) had single positive RF, 597 (11.3%) had single positive anti-CCP while 879 (16.7%) had DNRA. Patients with DPRA had significantly high percentage of metabolic syndrome (19.3%, < 0.001), and functional impairment using HAQ ( = 0.01). Older age (RRR [relative risk ratio]: 1.03, 95%CI: 1.0, 1.0, = 0.029), greater DAS28 (RRR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.2, 1.9, < 0.001), higher steroid use (RRR: 2.4, 95%CI: 1.36, 4.25, = 0.002) were at higher risk of DPRA while longer disease duration (RRR: 1.08, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.16, = 0.017) and fibromyalgia syndrome (RRR: 2.54, 95%CI: 1.10, 5.88, = 0.028) were associated with higher odds of single positive RF status. Dual antibody-positive status has higher disease activity and severity, and higher chance of development of metabolic syndrome; highlighting the implicated role of inflammation, atherogenesis and cardiovascular disease risk in RA.