This is a case–control study of our experience of mid-term follow-up of 40 children who had a transcatheter closure of very large atrial septal defects group (1). All cases had an atrial septal defect device size more than 1.5 times their weight, a ratio considered a contraindication for trans catheter closure (TCC) in some previous reports. The aim of this study is to report the outcomes and mid-term follow-up of transcatheter closure of large atrial septal defects using two-dimensional conventional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging, and four-dimensional speckle tracking imaging, and as such to compare results of same echocardiographic examination of age-matched control group of 40 healthy children group (2). Cardiac MRI was performed on cases group (1) only to detect right ventricle and left ventricle volumes and function and early signs of complications. There was no difference between cases and matched healthy controls in terms of the assessment of left ventricle and right ventricle by two-dimensional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging, and four-dimensional speckle tracking imaging. Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference between four-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac MRI in their respective assessment of both left ventricle and right ventricle volumes and function. We also detected no complications by echo or by cardiac MRI after a median follow-up period of 2 years and recorded a complete remodelling of right ventricle volumes in all children studied. This points to the safety and efficiency of transcatheter closure of large atrial septal defects in children on mid-term follow-up.

The transition of foods during toddlerhood and the suboptimal diets consumed in the Middle East make children susceptible to malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Based on international recommendations, coupled with the merits of clinical studies on the application of young child formula (YCF), a group of fourteen experts from the Middle East reached a consensus on improving the nutritional status of toddlers. The recommendations put forth by the expert panel comprised twelve statements related to the relevance of YCF in young children; the impact of YCF on their nutritional parameters and functional outcomes; characteristics of the currently available YCF and its ideal composition; strategies to supply adequate nutrition in young children and educational needs of parents and healthcare professionals (HCPs). This consensus aims to serve as a guide to HCPs and parents, focusing on improving the nutritional balance in toddlers in the Middle Eastern region. The panellists considere YCF to be one of the potential solutions to improve the nutritional status of young children in the region. Other strategies to improve the nutritional status of young children include fortified cow's milk and cereals, vitamin and mineral supplements, early introduction of meat and fish, and the inclusion of diverse foods in children's diets.

How does exposure to conspiracy theories affects voters’ political attitudes? Using an online experiment among US subjects, we show that exposure to conspiracy theories decreases voters’ trust in the domestic informational environment. Subjects were exposed to conspiracy theories that are entirely unrelated to American domestic politics, which further underscores such narratives’ danger. However, we fail to reject the null hypothesis that voters do not weigh unrelated conspiracies in their evaluation of politicians’ performance and domestic political institutions. Overall, our findings illustrate that an informational environment permeated by conspiracy theories could impede the functioning of democracy by eroding trust in information providers and undermining the credibility of political information.

Epilepsy is a prevalent and chronic neurological disorder marked by recurring, uncontrollable seizures of the brain. Chronic or repeated seizures produce memory problems and induce damage to different brain regions. Histamine has been reported to have neuroprotective effects. Betahistine is a histamine analogue. The current research investigated the effects of convulsions on the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of adult male albino mice and assessed the possible protective effect of betahistine. Four groups of 40 adult male mice were organized: control, betahistine (10 mg/kg/day), pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) (40 mg/kg/ on alternate days), and Betahistine-PTZ group received betahistine 1 h before PTZ. PTZ induced a substantial rise in glutamate level and a considerable decrease in histamine level. Structural changes in the cerebral cortex and cornu ammonis (CA1) of the hippocampus were detected in the pattern of neuron degeneration. Some neurons were shrunken with dark nuclei, and others had faintly stained ones. Focal accumulation of neuroglial cells and ballooned nerve cells of the cerebral cortex were also detected. Cleaved caspase-3, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 showed substantial increases, while synaptophysin expression was significantly reduced. Interestingly, these changes were less prominent in mice pretreated with betahistine. In conclusion, betahistine had shown neuroprotective properties against brain damage induced by convulsions.

The development of an ovarian follicle is a complex process at the cellular and molecular level that is mainly regulated by follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR). To elucidate the contribution of these receptors to ovarian follicle development, it is necessary to determine their expression profiles during this biological process. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between ovarian development pattern and the differential ovarian expression pattern of FSHR and LHR genes as well as proteins at different developmental stages. Ovaries were collected from 30 New Zealand rabbits at day 0 (birth), week 2 (neonate), week 4 (cub), week 16 (maturity), and day 18 pregnancy. Ovarian histology, and gene as well as protein expression were determined using light microscopy, real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. The results showed that the expression levels of FSHR mRNA and protein increased coincidently with age and the growth of ovarian follicles. The levels of LHR mRNA and protein remained low from the day of birth until week 4 and became significantly higher by week 16 coinciding with appearance of growing and antral follicles, which have a defined thecal layer. FSHR gene and protein expression decreased with pregnancy, whereas LHR increased, reaching a peak level during pregnancy. It can be concluded that changes in FSHR and LHR gene and protein expression could be related to the growth and development of follicles, indicating the regulatory role for these receptors in rabbit folliculogenesis.

Dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is adapted to survive the harsh environments. It has some key adaptation peculiarities in various organs. In this study, we aimed to map the distribution pattern of unique regulatory devices along the course of the pulmonary vessels using histological and histochemical analyses. Arteries with variable wall thickness and spirally oriented course were recorded within the adventitia of the main pulmonary artery. Throttle arteries and glomus bolsters were found within the wall of the lobar pulmonary artery. The bronchial artery was located within the wall of all bronchi reaching the subsegmental branches and it had elastic longitudinal muscular intima bolsters. Arteries with double muscular media were demonstrated in the pulmonary pleura. These bolsters are suggested to play a complicated role that allows for hemodynamic, humeral, and thermoregulatory activities. The lumen of some subsegmental pulmonary veins revealed occasional constrictions arising from the corresponding muscular pad-like protrusions of the tunica media. These veins may possess occlusive or constrictive mechanisms and their obstruction induces engorgement of the associated capillary bed in addition to restricting venous outflow. Collectively, these data strongly recommend a crucial role for the special regulatory devices in preserving the camel pulmonary function in the harsh desert environment.

For autocrats ruling over religious populations as in many Muslim majority countries, threats of mass collective action and religious mobilization are risky to ignore, being potentially detrimental to authoritarian survival. Religious seasons, such as Ramadan, could raise the seriousness of such threats. Accordingly, incumbents might adopt expansionary fiscal policies to avoid the escalation of political discontent at these times. Focusing on Egypt's fiscal policy between 2006 and 2019, I find that although the religious season of Ramadan is associated with modest increases in government expenditure and welfare spending, this relationship is dependent on the level of political threats facing the regime. Government spending is higher in Ramadan's season when it is preceded by more episodes of anti-regime collective action. This evidence suggests that the interaction between the religious and political contexts could generate political budget cycles outside electoral seasons.

In this article, a novel double-face logarithmic spiral metamaterial (LSMTM) superstrate-inspired multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) for fully enhanced circularly polarized (CP) antenna system is examined for 5G wireless communications. This novel double-face LSMTM superstrate acts as a planar concave-concave lens. Initially, the antenna is designed with a circular spiral patch to generate CP radiation in the frequency band of interest. Then, at a height of 6.5 mm (0.606 λo) above the MIMO antenna, which has a 0.8 mm (0.075 λo) edge-to-edge separation, the LSMTM superstrate is employed for isolation, gain, and bandwidth improvement. The proposed superstrate enhances the isolation, gain, and bandwidth of the antenna by about 32 dB, 3.47 dB, and 900 MHz, respectively. In contrast to the conventional technique of verifying operation with a simulated surface current distribution, characteristic mode analysis (CMA) is used to provide a better explanation of the proposed antenna's different modes and the creation of circular polarization. Additionally, the CMA supports the development of an effective technique that can predict whether or not the isolation can be further improved. The simulated results align with the measured results and are well adapted for 5G wireless communication devices.

This cross-sectional study was designed to establish diagnostic accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 in Qatar’s primary care population. The data required for the study were anonymously extracted from Qatar’s primary care electronic medical record system. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, negative values and optimal cut-off points were calculated for the tool. A total of 6921 individuals met the study’s inclusion criteria. The diagnostic accuracy of cut-off values was calculated for scores 1–6. Based on the Youden’s index (0.58), a score of 2 was identified as the most optimal cut-off. It offers a sensitivity of 88.73% and specificity of 69.31%. Further studies should aim to confirm the results using alternative study designs and to report them in accordance to population characteristics both in Qatar and internationally.

Trichinosis is a serious zoonotic disease that causes human morbidity and mortality. New effective natural remedies with minimal side effects that are well tolerated are needed to treat both enteral and parenteral trichinosis. This study evaluated the efficacy of selenium (Se), Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) and Egyptian propolis compared with albendazole as antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic agents for treating murine trichinosis. We used parasitological, histopathological and immunohistochemical assays, as well as scanning electron microscopy, to examine adult worms. Overall, 80 Swiss albino male mice were divided into eight groups, with ten mice in each group, as follows: negative control, positive control, albendazole, propolis, Se, combination of propolis and Se, SeNPs and combination of SeNPs and propolis. Mice were slaughtered seven and 35 days after infection to examine the intestinal and muscular phases, respectively. This study demonstrated the efficacy of the combination of SeNPs and propolis. As revealed by electron microscopy, this combination caused damage to the adult worm cuticle. Additionally, compared with albendazole, it resulted in a significant reduction in adult worm and total larval counts; moreover, it caused a decrease in the number of larvae deposited in muscles, with a highly significant decrease in the inflammatory cell infiltrate around the larvae and a considerable decrease in the expression of the angiogenic marker vascular endothelial growth factor in muscles. In conclusion, the combination of SeNPs and propolis had antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects on trichinosis. Consequently, this combination could be used as a natural alternative therapy to albendazole for treating trichinosis.

Durable materials for Nzi traps were tested in three applied settings based on promising formats that were tested first in Canada. Experiments were conducted at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States of America at the site of a major tabanid control programme and at two challenging tropical locations (Sudan and Philippines) where mechanical transmission of trypanosomiasis occurs. At Cape Cod, royal blue–painted plywood Nzi traps caught up to 19 times as many tabanids as greenhead box traps used locally did. Fabric Nzi traps caught up to six times more horseflies, Tabanus spp. (Diptera: Tabanidae), than a box trap did and twice as many horseflies than a popular commercial trap, the Horse Pal® did. A home-dyed phthalogen turquoise cotton trap also performed well. In the Philippines, it caught 2.5 times as many Tabanus as a standard phthalogen blue cotton trap did. Durable phthalogen blue Sunbrella acrylic and Top Notch polyester traps with various types of netting performed well at all locations.

All textile integrated dual-band monopole antenna with an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) is proposed. The proposed design operates at 2.4 and 5.8 GHz for wearable medical applications to monitor the heartbeat. A flexible and low-profile E- shaped CPW dual-band textile antenna is integrated with a 4 × 4 dual-band textile AMC reflector to enhance the gain and specific absorption rate (SAR). The SAR is reduced by nearly 95% at both 1 and 10 g. The design was measured on the body with a 2 mm separation. The simulated and measured results appear in high agreement in the case of with and without AMC array integration. The measurement was performed in the indoor environment and in an anechoic chamber to validate the design based on reflection coefficient and radiation pattern measurements.