Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
607
result(s) for
"Tawfik, Mohamed"
Sort by:
Nanomedicine and drug delivery to the retina: current status and implications for gene therapy
Blindness affects more than 60 million people worldwide. Retinal disorders, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and glaucoma, are the leading causes of blindness. Finding means to optimize local and sustained delivery of drugs or genes to the eye and retina is one goal to advance the development of new therapeutics. Despite the ease of accessibility of delivering drugs via the ocular surface, the delivery of drugs to the retina is still challenging due to anatomic and physiologic barriers. Designing a suitable delivery platform to overcome these barriers should enhance drug bioavailability and provide a safe, controlled, and sustained release. Current inventions for posterior segment treatments include intravitreal implants and subretinal viral gene delivery that satisfy these criteria. Several other novel drug delivery technologies, including nanoparticles, micelles, dendrimers, microneedles, liposomes, and nanowires, are now being widely studied for posterior segment drug delivery, and extensive research on gene delivery using siRNA, mRNA, or aptamers is also on the rise. This review discusses the current state of retinal drug/gene delivery and highlights future therapeutic opportunities.
Journal Article
A step by step guide for conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis with simulation data
Background
The massive abundance of studies relating to tropical medicine and health has increased strikingly over the last few decades. In the field of tropical medicine and health, a well-conducted systematic review and meta-analysis (SR/MA) is considered a feasible solution for keeping clinicians abreast of current evidence-based medicine. Understanding of SR/MA steps is of paramount importance for its conduction. It is not easy to be done as there are obstacles that could face the researcher. To solve those hindrances, this methodology study aimed to provide a step-by-step approach mainly for beginners and junior researchers, in the field of tropical medicine and other health care fields, on how to properly conduct a SR/MA, in which all the steps here depicts our experience and expertise combined with the already well-known and accepted international guidance.
We suggest that all steps of SR/MA should be done independently by 2–3 reviewers’ discussion, to ensure data quality and accuracy.
Conclusion
SR/MA steps include the development of research question, forming criteria, search strategy, searching databases, protocol registration, title, abstract, full-text screening, manual searching, extracting data, quality assessment, data checking, statistical analysis, double data checking, and manuscript writing.
Journal Article
Reply to letter to the editor: Ultrasonography versus palpation for spinal anesthesia in obese parturients undergoing cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial
Correspondence to Dr Mohamed Mohamed Tawfik, Anesthesia and Surgical Critical Care, Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura 35516, Egypt; m2tawfik@mans.edu.eg We thank Dr Aveline for his interest in our study.1 In the original paper,2 the applications and advantages of neuraxial ultrasonography are described in detail and the previous studies and meta-analyses demonstrating its clinical benefits are clearly mentioned and discussed. References 1 Aveline C. To the Editoreditor regarding ‘Ultrasonography versus palpation for spinal anesthesia in obese parturients undergoing cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial’. Ultrasonography versus palpation for spinal anesthesia in obese parturients undergoing cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial. Does Preprocedural ultrasound increase the first-pass success rate of epidural catheterization before cesarean delivery? A randomized controlled trial.
Journal Article
Cross-dataset late fusion of Camera–LiDAR and radar models for object detection
This paper presents a modular late-fusion framework that integrates Camera, LiDAR, and Radar modalities for object classification in autonomous driving. Rather than relying on complex end-to-end fusion architectures, we train two lightweight yet complementary neural networks independently: a CNN for Camera + LiDAR using KITTI, and a GRU-based radar classifier trained on RadarScenes. A unified 5-class label space is constructed to align the heterogeneous datasets, and we verify its validity through class-distribution analysis. The fusion rule is formally defined using a confidence-weighted decision mechanism. To ensure statistical rigor, we conduct 3-fold cross-validation with three random seeds, reporting mean and standard deviation of mAP and per-class AP. Results show that the Camera + LiDAR model achieves a strong average mAP of 95.34%, while Radar achieves 33.89%, reflecting its robustness but lower granularity. Using the proposed late-fusion rule, performance increases to 94.97% mAP versus KITTI ground truth and 33.74% versus RadarScenes. Cross-validated per-class trends confirm complementary sensing: Camera + LiDAR excels at Cars, Bicycles, and Pedestrians, while Radar contributes stability under adverse conditions. The paper also provides a complexity and latency analysis, discusses dataset limitations, clarifies temporal handling for radar, and includes updated literature up to 2025. Findings show that lightweight late fusion can achieve high reliability while remaining computationally efficient, making it suitable for real-time embedded autonomous driving systems.
Journal Article
Ultrasonography versus palpation for spinal anesthesia in obese parturients undergoing cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial
IntroductionUltrasonography may facilitate neuraxial blocks in obstetrics. This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare preprocedural ultrasonography with landmark palpation for spinal anesthesia in obese parturients undergoing cesarean delivery.Methods280 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II–III parturients with body mass index ≥35 kg/m2, full-term singleton pregnancy, undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia, were randomly assigned to two equal groups (ultrasonography and palpation); preprocedural systematic ultrasound approach and conventional landmark palpation were performed, respectively. Patients and outcome assessors were blinded to the study group. All ultrasound and spinal anesthetic procedures were performed by a single experienced anesthesiologist. The primary outcome was the number of needle passes required to obtain free cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. Secondary outcomes were the number of skin punctures required to obtain free CSF flow, success rate at the first needle pass, success rate at the first skin puncture, duration of the spinal procedure, patient satisfaction and incidence of vascular puncture, paresthesia, failure to obtain CSF flow and failed spinal block.ResultsThere were no significant differences in primary or secondary outcomes between the two groups. The median (IQR) of the number of needle passes required to obtain free CSF flow was 3 (1–7) in ultrasonography group and 3 (1–7) in palpation group; p=0.62.ConclusionsPreprocedural ultrasonography did not decrease the number of needle passes required to obtain free CSF flow or improve other outcomes compared with landmark palpation during spinal anesthesia performed by a single experienced anesthesiologist in obese parturients undergoing cesarean delivery.Trial registration numberNCT03792191; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03792191
Journal Article
Post-COVID-19 Syndrome in Egyptian Healthcare Staff: Highlighting the Carers Sufferings
Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents a devastating crisis continuing for more than a year up till now with new emerging presentations and complications every now and then. Aim: to spot the light on long-term symptoms in healthcare staff who are the first defence line in this pandemic and whose medical and psychological sufferings are underrepresented in studies. Methods: 120 male and female participants working in Ain-Shams University and Ministry of health and population hospitals who had been infected with COVID-19 virus at least 3 months ago were recruited. Presenting symptoms, staging, medications, symptoms 1 month and more than 3 months after infection were recorded. Results: The study participants aged between 23 and 62 years. fever was the most common presentation 57.5% followed by body aches in 44.2% and then anosmia in 41.7% of participants. Cough, dyspnea, fatigue and diarrhea were present in 37.5%, 33.3%, 35% and 19.2% respectively. Facial palsy and transient ischemic attack were presented each in one participant. Five participants experienced myocardial and pulmonary infarctions. Still 26.7% and 33.3% had dyspnea and fatigue after 3 months, 3 participants received antidepressants, 4 had memory problems. Parosmia, hair loss, oral ulcers and syncopal attacks emerged months after recovery. Odds ratio for symptoms after 3 months was 2.4 higher in participants aged ≥ 35 years. Conclusion: COVID-19 infection is unique in presentation and long-term symptoms which needs further large number of studies. Even young people and those with mild disease experience long term problems.
Journal Article
Impact of micro/nano cadmium oxide on shielding properties of cement–ball clay matrix
This study investigates the gamma radiation shielding properties of cement–ball clay matrix composites doped with micro- and nano-sized cadmium oxide (CdO) particles. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was determined using a sodium iodide (NaI) detector and five radioactive point sources with energies ranging from 59.5 to 1408 keV. The LAC values obtained were compared to the XCOM database and found to be in good agreement. The composites' half-value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Z
eff
), equivalent atomic number (Z
eq
), and absorption buildup factor (EABF) were determined. The results showed that the addition of CdO particles improved the radiation-shielding behavior of the composites and increasing the weight fraction of CdO particles increased the shielding effectiveness. The results also illustrated that when nano-sized CdO particles were compared to their micro-sized counterparts, there was a significant enhancement in radiation shielding effectiveness. For instance, a composite material composed of 50% cement, 41.7% ball clay, and 3.8% nano CdO at an energy level of 0.0595 MeV exhibited a remarkable 12.2% increase in attenuation, surpassing the performance of the micro-sized sample with an equivalent concentration. Similarly, another composite consisting of 50% cement, 33.3% ball clay, and 16.7% nano CdO demonstrated a significant 15.4% increase in attenuation at the same energy level, when compared to the micro-sized sample. The study demonstrates the potential of CdO-doped cement–ball clay matrix composites for gamma radiation shielding applications.
Journal Article
Nomad Jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica Venom Induces Apoptotic Cell Death and Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells
Jellyfish venom is a rich source of bioactive proteins and peptides with various biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor effects. However, the anti-proliferative activity of the crude extract of Rhopilema nomadica jellyfish venom has not been examined yet. The present study aimed at the investigation of the in vitro effect of R. nomadica venom on liver cancer cells (HepG2), breast cancer cells (MDA-MB231), human normal fibroblast (HFB4), and human normal lung cells (WI-38) proliferation by using MTT assay. The apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells was investigated using Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining-based flow cytometry analysis, western blot analysis, and DNA fragmentation assays. R. nomadica venom displayed significant dose-dependent cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells after 48 h of treatment with IC50 value of 50 μg/mL and higher toxicity (3:5-fold change) against MDA-MB231, HFB4, and WI-38 cells. R. nomadica venom showed a prominent increase of apoptosis as revealed by cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, upregulation of p53, BAX, and caspase-3 proteins, and the down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and DNA fragmentation. These findings suggest that R. nomadica venom induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first scientific evidence demonstrating the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of R. nomadica jellyfish venom.
Journal Article
Potential Apoptotic Activities of Hylocereus undatus Peel and Pulp Extracts in MCF-7 and Caco-2 Cancer Cell Lines
There is a huge demand for novel anticancer agents with fewer side effects compared to current therapies. Pitaya, or dragon fruit, is a reservoir of potent anticancer compounds. This research aimed to analyze the phytochemical components of Hylocereus undatus pulp and peel extracts using LC-MS and GC-MS, and to investigate the in vitro effects of both extracts against cancer (breast, MCF-7, and colon, Caco-2) and normal (lung; WI-38 and breast; MCF-10A) cell proliferation using the MTT assay. The apoptosis potential of the anticancer effects was also evaluated using flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and Western blot. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the peel extract were significantly higher than those in the pulp extract. Compared to the flavonoid and phenolic acid standards, the LC-MS analysis revealed the presence of nine compounds, which were represented as 84.32 and 5.29 µg/g of the flavonoids and 686.11 and 148.72 µg/g of the phenolic acids in the peel and pulp extracts, respectively. Among the identified compounds, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and rutin were found at the highest concentration in both plant extracts. Both extracts displayed cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and Caco-2 cancer cells after 48 h of treatment at IC50 values ranging from 14 to 53 μg/mL with high selective indices against normal WI-38 and MCF-10A cell lines. The increase in apoptosis was revealed by the overexpression of p53, BAX, and caspase-9 and the downregulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 mRNA and protein expressions. The results indicate that H. undatus extracts can be a plant source for cancer therapy.
Journal Article