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In this study, the efficacy of strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams in shear by utilizing high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (HPFRC) was explored. The shear strengthening was achieved by epoxy bonding of prefabricated HPFRC strips or plates onto the beams. The beams were strengthened utilizing two different strengthening schemes: (i) plates side strengthening (ii) vertical strips applied at shear critical sections. The behavior of the two configurations was compared to the behavior of non-shear reinforced and shear-reinforced RC beams. The high-performance concrete (HPC) utilized contains 1.5% of steel fibers per volume of HPC mortar and is known as HPFRC. Parameters determined were the flexural strength and compressive strength of HPFRC mortar. The obtained results revealed that HPFRC realized a 28-day flexural strength of 20 MPa and a compressive strength of 108 MPa. Moreover, HPFRC strengthened RC beams experienced an increased in strength capacity of about 50% for plates and 36% for vertical strips compared to the RC beams with no stirrups. The results for HPFRC strengthened beams with plates were superior compared to those of the stirrup-reinforced beams, whereas the results of HPFRC strips strengthened beams were almost identical to the stirrup-reinforced beams. Also observed, was an improvement in the ductility of the beams with the best results achieved when employing HPFRC plates and strips.HighlightsShear Strengthening of RC beams by HPFRC plates utilizing two methods.Precast HPFRC plates bonded by epoxy adhesive and anchored.Continuous shear strengthening resulted in high-capacity enhancement and ductility.

This paper presents the outcomes of a comprehensive experimental investigation aimed at characterizing the in-plane shear strength of Unreinforced Masonry (URM) wallettes subjected to diagonal compression. The study focuses on the strengthening of these wallettes using precast Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) diagonal strips, externally bonded onto the wall substrates through high-strength epoxy mortar. Twenty-three wallettes, each measuring 1000 mm × 1000 mm × 70 mm, were meticulously constructed and subjected to in-plane diagonal compression. Among these, eighteen wallettes underwent strengthening utilizing various configurations of UHPC, with a key emphasis on variables such as UHPC strip width and thickness, substrate nature, and corner confinement with enlarged UHPC rectangular plates. Findings from the experimental program highlighted the significant influence of UHPC retrofit parameters on the wallettes performance. Notably, corner confinement emerged as an effective strategy against premature toe crushing failure, enhancing the wallettes ability to withstand higher in-plane compressive loads. While UHPC strip width exhibited moderate impact, UHPC strip thickness emerged as a dominant factor. Increasing strip width from 100 to 250 mm yielded an approximate 8% shear strength improvement, whereas doubling strip thickness from 10 to 20 mm led to a substantial 27% enhancement. Notably, enhanced strip width demonstrated pronounced benefits in terms of ductility and energy dissipation capacity. Excessive UHPC retrofit thickness induced brittle failure despite escalating shear strength. Conversely, thinner UHPC retrofits achieved a favorable balance between strength, ductility, and energy dissipation. Wallettes retrofitted with 5 mm UHPC exhibited an impressive 2.36-fold shear strength increase compared to reference walls, while those with 10 mm and 20 mm UHPC retrofits experienced 2.14 and 2.78-fold improvements, respectively. Furthermore, the manner of UHPC application significantly influenced the strengthening system's behaviour. For identical strengthening layouts, the direct bonding of UHPC onto masonry substrates resulted in a 25% increase in shear strength compared to UHPC bonding onto plaster overlays.

Concrete, the most consumed man-made material worldwide, has shaped the environment and the modern world. Even though concrete is a major contributor to the carbon footprint, it is indispensable for building the sustainable world of tomorrow. Researchers have been exploring ways to reduce the carbon footprint and to implement strategical waste management plans in which wastes are repurposed. Pollution has been a challenge for almost all countries, especially with the increase in the release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the emissions resulting from wastes in unmanaged landfills. Additionally, the areas available for landfills have become scarce. Daily all around the world, generated are wastes such as wood ash, waste glass, used tires, construction debris, and demolition wastes. These wastes usually accumulate in landfills for years, as they are mostly nondecomposable. This research explores a solution to this twofold problem in which concrete components are replaced by wastes and by-products, which in return reduces the need for raw materials that have a significant carbon footprint and repurposes wastes as part of a circular economy. In this research, wood ash is used as a partial replacement of cement and sand, fine crushed glass and crumb rubber as partial replacements of sand, and crushed glass and recycled concrete aggregates as partial replacements of gravel. The optimum eco-friendly structural concrete mix was determined to be the combined mix consisting of 5% wood ash as a partial replacement of cement; 20% wood ash, 20% fine crushed glass, and 2% crumb rubber as partial replacements of sand; and 5% crushed glass and 50% recycled concrete aggregates as partial replacements of coarse aggregates. By mass, the recycled waste materials constituted 32% of the mix, translating into 34% of its volume. Additionally, identified were mixes that may be used for structural applications.

Hereditary cystatin C amyloid angiopathy is a dominantly inherited disease caused by a leucine to glutamine variant of human cystatin C (hCC). L68Q-hCC forms amyloid deposits in brain arteries associated with micro-infarcts, leading ultimately to paralysis, dementia and death in young adults. To evaluate the ability of molecules to interfere with aggregation of hCC while informing about cellular toxicity, we generated cells that produce and secrete WT and L68Q-hCC and have detected high-molecular weight complexes formed from the mutant protein. Incubations of either lysate or supernatant containing L68Q-hCC with reducing agents glutathione or N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) breaks oligomers into monomers. Six L68Q-hCC carriers taking NAC had skin biopsies obtained to determine if hCC deposits were reduced following NAC treatment. Remarkably, ~50–90% reduction of L68Q-hCC staining was observed in five of the treated carriers suggesting that L68Q-hCC is a clinical target for reducing agents. HCCAA is a dominantly inherited disease which causes brain hemorrhages as a result of mutant cystatin C aggregation in carriers. Here, the authors show that n- acetyl cysteine can prevent aggregation of mutant protein in a cell model system and reverse protein deposition in the skin of mutation-carrying subjects.

The aim of this study is to optimize Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication by increasing the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) dose and reducing the treatment duration of antibiotics without compromising the treatment's safety and efficacy. This pilot randomized controlled trial included 120 patients from Notre Dame des Secours University Hospital in Byblos, Lebanon, between February 2023 and December 2023. Participants were Lebanese adults with H. pylori infection confirmed by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy or nursing, malignancy or gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, allergy or contraindications to study drugs, active upper gastrointestinal bleeding, prior gastric surgeries, recent use of PPIs or antibiotics, celiac disease, previous H. pylori treatment, or refusal to consent. Eligible patients (n = 113) were randomly assigned into three groups: Group A (n = 38) received a standard-dose of rabeprazole 20 mg twice daily for 14 days with concomitant therapy, Group B (n = 37) received a double-dose of rabeprazole (20 mg twice per day) for 10 days with concomitant therapy, and Group C (n = 38) received a high-dose of rabeprazole (20 mg three times per day) for 10 days with concomitant therapy. Eradication was assessed by urea breath test six weeks after treatment completion. Out of 120 participants, 101 patients were considered for analysis, while 19 patients were excluded (15.8%). Of these exclusions, 7 patients were excluded before randomization due to drug allergy and opted for alternative treatment (5.8%), while 12 were excluded after randomization due to loss to follow-up (12%). The results indicated that the high-dose PPI group C had the highest percentage of negative breath tests (100%), followed by the standard treatment group A with 94.7%, and then group B with 83.3%. However, given the pilot nature and sample size of this study, these results, particularly the 100% rate in Group C, should be interpreted as preliminary and require confirmation in a larger trial. The use of high-dose PPI with 10 days of concomitant therapy (Group C) demonstrated the highest eradication rate among the study groups. This promising finding suggests a potential benefit of the high-dose PPI regimen with 10-day concomitant therapy but must be interpreted with caution; it warrants further investigation in a larger and adequately powered randomized controlled trial to confirm its efficacy and generalizability, given the pilot nature of this study. Lebanon clinical trial registry; TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER: LBCTR2025075755; DATE OF REGISTRATION IN PRIMARY REGISTRY: 14/08/2025.

RAPN can be carried out via a transperitoneal or retroperitoneal approach. The choice between the two approaches is open to debate and usually based on surgeon preference. The perioperative outcomes of transperitoneal robot-assisted partial nephrectomy versus retroperitoneal robot-assisted partial nephrectomy were compared. A systematic review of the literature was performed up to May 2020, using PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus and Ovid databases. Articles were selected according to a search strategy based on PRISMA criteria. Only studies comparing TRAPN with RRAPN were eligible for inclusion. Eleven studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. Baseline demographics (age, BMI, ASA, tumour size, and RENAL nephrometry score), intraoperative data (operative time, estimated blood loss, and warm ischaemia time) and postoperative outcomes (major complications according to Clavien–Dindo, length of hospital stay (LOS) and positive surgical margin rate) were recorded. A total of 3139 patients were included (2052 TRAPN vs. 1087 RRAPN). There was no significant difference in demographic variables (age, BMI), tumour size ( p  = 0.06) nor the nephrometry score ( p  = 0.20) between the two groups. Operative time ( p  = 0.02), estimated blood loss ( p  < 0.00001) and LOS ( p  < 0.00001) were significantly lower in the RRAPN group. No differences were found in major postoperative complications (Clavien–Dindo > 3; p  = 0.37), warm ischaemia time ( p  = 0.37) or positive surgical margins ( p  = 0.13). Future researchers must attempt to achieve adequately powered, expertise based, multi-surgeon and multi-centric studies comparing TRAPN and RRAPN. RRAPN gives similar outcomes to TRAPN. RRAPN is associated with reduced operative time and LOS. Ideally, surgeons should be familiar and competent in both RAPN approaches and adopt a risk-stratified and patient-centred individualised approach, dependent on the tumour and patient characteristics. RAPN is feasible via two approaches. The retroperitoneal approach seems to be associated with a shorter operation time and hospital stay.

This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the Lebanese population regarding thermal burns to inform targeted interventions. Using a cross‐sectional design, data was collected from 1090 participants though a structured questionnaire. Key findings revealed a mean knowledge score of 14.89/20, indicating moderate understanding, with gaps in identifying third‐degree burns and optimal cooling durations. Attitudes scores averaged 36.97/50, reflecting a strong support for burn prevention but low confidence in first aid. Practices scored 12.37/20, with many participants adhering to safety measures but relying on unverified remedies and lacking emergency preparedness. Significant correlations were found between the three domains, particularly between knowledge and practices (r = 0.328, p < 0.001), emphasising the role of education and attitudes in shaping behaviours. Multivariate analysis identified formal first aid training, education, and urban residency as strong predictors across all three domains, while older age negatively influenced knowledge. These results underscore the need for culturally tailored education and enhanced training to address gaps in burn prevention and management among the Lebanese population.