STUDY OF A NEW PASSIVE SOLAR DESALINATION DESIGN WITH A HEAT RECYCLING SYSTEM

تقدم هذه الدراسة مقترحاً جديداً ومبتكراً لتصميم نظام تحلية المياه بالطاقة الشمسية بالطريقة المباشرة غير النشطة بهدف رفع الإنتاجية عن طريق إعادة تدوير الطاقة المفقودة أثناء عملية التحلية ورفع كفاءة التكثيف. في هذه الدراسة تم تقييم التصميم المبتكر لإثبات قدرته على رفع إنتاجية التحلية الشمسية المباشرة غير النشطة مع الحفاظ على بساطة التركيب وسهولة التشغيل. تم بناء نموذج من التصميم لعمل دراسة تفصيلية حول كفاءة التصميم وقدرته على رفع الإنتاجية عند  ظروف تشغيلية ومناخية مختلفة في مدينة عدن-اليمن، حيث تم عمل تجارب عديدة لتحلية مياه البحر مأخوذة من سواحل المدينة ومياه الآبار شبه المالحة في مدينة عدن لعمل مقارنة بين القراءات المختلفة. اثبتت النتائج قدرة التصميم المبتكر على رفع الإنتاجية إلى 80% أعلى من المعتاد. دُرس تأثير عمق الماء في الحوض وملوحته على الإنتاجية. تبين من النتائج أنه كلما زاد عمق الماء في حوض التبخير ارتفعت القدرة الإنتاجية، وكلما ارتفعت درجة ملوحة الماء انخفضت القدرة الإنتاجية لأنظمة التحلية الشمسية المباشرة غير النشطة.تقدم هذه الدراسة أيضا تقييماً لجودة الماء المنتج من التصميم المبتكر وذلك عبر تنفيذ عدة فحوصات كيميائية وعمل مقارنة مع جودة الماء قبل التحلية للتأكد من أن التصميم قادر على تحلية مياه البحر أو مياه الآبار شبه المالحة لإنتاج مياه صالحة للشرب. وكانت النتائج مؤكدة لجودة الماء المنتج مما يثبت قدرة التصميم على إنتاج مياه صالحة للشرب وفقاً للمعايير المحلية والدولية، حيث أن مقدار الأملاح الذائبة الكلية في مياه البحر قبل التحلية كانت 41340 مليجرام/لتر وفي مياه الابار 1300 مليجرام/لتر، أما بعد التحلية بواسطة التصميم فقد كانت الأملاح الذائبة الكلية في مياه البحر المعالجة 210 مليجرام/لتر وفي مياه الآبار المعالجة 34 مليجرام/لتر.This study presents a new and innovative suggestion to design a solar water desalination system by the direct passive method, with the aim of raising productivity by recycling the energy lost during the desalination process and raising the efficiency of condensation. In this study, the innovative design was evaluated to demonstrate its ability to increase the productivity of direct passive solar desalination while maintaining simplicity of installation and ease of operation.  A prototype of the design was built to make a detailed study on the efficiency of the design and its ability to raise productivity under several different operational and climatic conditions in the city of Aden - Yemen, where several experiments were made to desalinate seawater taken from the city's coasts and the water of semi-salty wells in the city of Aden to compare the readings different. The results prove that the innovative design can raise productivity up to 80% higher than normal. The effect of pond water depth and salinity on productivity was studied. The results show that the higher the water depth in the evaporation basin, the higher the production capacity, and the higher the water salinity, the lower the production capacity of inactive direct solar desalination systems. This study also provides an assessment of the quality of the water produced by the innovative design by carrying out several chemical tests and making a comparison with the water quality before desalination to ensure that the design is capable of desalinating seawater or semi-salty well water to produce potable water. The results were confirmed for the quality of the produced water, which confirms the ability of the design to produce potable water in accordance with local and international standards, as the amount of total dissolved salts in sea water before desalination was 41340 mg/L and in well water 1300 mg/L, while after desalination by innovative design The total dissolved salts in treated sea water was 210 mg/L and in treated well water was 34 mg/L

Chronic Health Crises and Emergency Medicine in War-torn Yemen, Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Much of Yemen’s infrastructure and healthcare system has been destroyed by the ongoing civil war that began in late 2014. This has created a dire situation that has led to food insecurity, water shortages, uncontrolled outbreaks of infectious disease and further failings within the healthcare system. This has greatly impacted the practice of emergency medicine (EM), and is now compounded by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the current state of emergency and disaster medicine in Yemen, followed by unstructured qualitative interviews with EM workers, performed by either direct discussion or via phone calls, to capture their lived experience, observations on and perceptions of the challenges facing EM in Yemen. We summarize and present our findings in this paper. Results: Emergency medical services (EMS) in Yemen are severely depleted. Across the country as a whole, there are only 10 healthcare workers for every 10,000 people – less than half of the WHO benchmark for basic health coverage – and only five physicians, less than one third the world average; 18% of the country’s 333 districts have no qualified physicians at all. Ambulances and basic medical equipment are in short supply. As a result of the ongoing war, only 50% of the 5056 pre-war hospitals and health facilities are functional. In June 2020, Yemen recorded a 27% mortality rate of Yemenis who were confirmed to have COVID-19, more than five times the global average and among the highest in the world at that time. Conclusion: In recent years, serious efforts to develop an advanced EM presence in Yemen and cultivate improvements in EMS have been stymied or have failed outright due to the ongoing challenges. Yemen’s chronically under-resourced healthcare sector is ill-equipped to deal with the additional strain of COVID-19

Growth, chemical, and biochemical composition of Conocarpus erectus L. in response to NPK fertilizers and extracts of active dry yeast, seaweeds, and green tea

Conocarpus erectus L. is one of the ornamental shrubs or trees that are utilized in different aspects in landscape (gardens, cities, roads, etc.). Fertilization program is an essential factor affecting the aesthetic characters of this plant species. Pots experiment was conducted in a randomized completed split plot design with the aim to study the effects of NPK fertilizers at the levels of 100%, 75%, and 50% of the suggested doses of 18, 12, and 6 g/plant from ammonium sulfate, calcium superphosphate, and potassium sulfate, respectively, as well as natural extracts as active dry yeast (ADY) at 1 or 3 g L-1, green tea (GT) at 0.2 or 0.5 g L-1, and seaweeds (SW) at 1 or 1.5 mL L-1, and their interaction on the growth and attributes of C. erectus in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The results indicated that 100% NPK dose produced the highest significant values of plant height, number of branches, primary stem diameter, area/leaf, chlorophyll index, shoots and root fresh and dry weight, percentage of relative water content (in the second season), N, P, K, and total carbohydrates in comparison with 75% and 50% NPK doses in the both seasons. Moreover, 100% NPK increased the activity of peroxidase enzyme, phenol compounds, and antioxidant activity over the 75% and 50% NPK doses. Conversely, 75% NPK recorded a high relative water content (in the first season) and activity of catalase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes over the 100% and 50% NPK doses. All treatments of natural extracts had positive impacts on the studied parameters previously mentioned when compared to untreated control. Among the natural extracts used, 3 g L-1 ADY was the best application to increase the studied traits, except for leaf area and P%, whose higher significant values resulted from treatments with application of SW extract at 1.5 mL L-1 and 1 g L-1 ADY + 0.2 g L-1 GT + 1 mL L-1 SW, respectively. Moreover, the 100% NPK dose combined with 3 gL-1 ADY was the best combination to execute the highest values of the aforementioned traits studied, except the primary stem diameter, P%, and PPO activity, whereas the highest values resulted from treatments with 100% NPK dose + 1.5 mL L-1 SW, 1 g L-1 ADY + 0.2 g L-1 GT + 1 mL L-1 SW, and 75% NPK dose + 3 g L-1 ADY, respectively. Therefore, 100% NPK treatment combined with 3 g L-1ADY is recommended to fertilize C. erectus plants in order to reduce the overuse of chemical fertilizers and to minimize habitat contamination for the maintenance of the whole environment

Abstracts from the 5th International Conference for Healthcare and Medical Students (ICHAMS)

O1: Assessing the protective effect of dexrazoxane against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in HL-1 cardiomyocytes Yvonne Sweeney, Hugh O’Neill, Garry Duffy O2: Role of KCNQ1 in epithelial barrier repair Daniel Creegan, Viviana Bustos, Brian J. Harvey O3: The suitability of non-small cell lung cancer cytology preparations for the analysis of anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangements Alexander Dalphy, Anthony O’Grady, Elaine Kay O4: Penetrating keratoplasty and descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty may lead to deterioration in glaucoma management Katarzyna Samelska, Justyna Izdebska, Anna Kurowska O5: The effect of Resolvin D1 on normal and cystic fibrosis human bronchial epithelium Rena Al-Zubaidy, Magdalena Mroz, Brian Harvey O6: Validity of clinical assessment compared with plantar fascia thickness on ultrasound for plantar fasciitis: a cross-sectional study Ryan Fagan, Helen French, Vanessa Cuddy, Jennifer Ashton, Michelle Clarke P1: Undergraduate medical research in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: A descriptive study of students’ views Zaid Sayedalamin, Mukhtiar Baig, Osama Almutairi, Hassan Allam, Taher F. Halawa, Hazem M. Atta P2: Positive fluid balance as a prognostic factor in children with sepsis during first 3 hours of resuscitation in intensive care unit Linda Sirone, Renars Erts, Jana Pavare P3: Patients on aspirin: Too little or too much? Louis Richter, Joseph Morris, Irene Oglesby, Eimear Dunne, Dermot Kenny P4: Beta catenin/TCF4 activation reduces KCNQ1 current in colonic monolayers Ibrahim Mohammed Mahdi Khayyat, Viviana Bustos Salgado, Brian J. Harvey P5: Size Matters. Abdominal aortic aneurysm: adherence to surveillance imaging guidelines Jonavan Tan, Daragh Moneley, Austin Leahy, Patricia Fitzgerald P6: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the west of Ireland: Procedural outcomes and peri-procedural complications Evelyn Fennelly, Grace Harkin, John Lee P7: The effect of the extracellular redox environment on polyamine-platelet interactions Erica O’Sullivan, Brian Kirby, Sarah O’Neill P8: Functionalized gold nanoparticles: preliminary data on in vitro toxicity and comparative photothermal effect Diana Gonciar, Teodora Mocan, Cristian Matea, Lucian Mocan, Cornel Iancu P9: Imaging proteasomal inhibition after seizures in the brain: A study into cellular activity in the hippocampus of epileptic transgenic mice Chloe Doran, Sarah Hoolahan, Tobias Engel P10: Investigating the ability of the Olfactory epithelial stem cells to differentiate into glial cells by assessing cell morphology and marker expression Maha Alkhattab, Tijna Alekseeva, William Lackington, Fergal O’Brien P11: Beaumont Hospital cystic fibrosis service audit and annual report Nabeehah Moollan, Chloe Doran, Noel Gerry McElvaney, Cedric Gunaratnam P12: Quick cognitive screening: the 6-item cognitive impairment test and the temporal orientation score Lorraine Scanlon, Noeleen Brady, Suzanne Timmons P13: Granular analysis of causes of peritoneal dialysis technique failure in the first six months of therapy Richard Bresler, Zita Abreu, Stefan Trohonel, Joanne Bargman P14: Job satisfaction of surgeons working in hajj pilgrimage: a multicenter study Ahmad A. Mirza, Ahmed Badrek-Amoudi, Rakan H. Aun, Hussam A. Senan, Abdulrahim A. Mirza, Mohammed S. Binsaad, Mian U. Farooq P15: Investigation of the role of Bok using wild-type, bax-, bok-, and bax/bok-double-deficient mice Saheli Nandi, Beatrice D’Orsi, Jochen Prehn P16: Is it possible to predict resistance of an organism to stress based on the level of corticosterone? Mariia Zharova, Pavel Umrukhin P17: Investigating the strength model of self-regulation (ego depletion) and medical decision making and error in medical students Wendy Evans-Uhegbu, Frank Doyle, Hope Kudryashova, Derek Dorris, Anthony Cummins P18: Does bladder drainage with intermittent catheterisation preserve kidney function in boys with posterior urethral valves? Jemma Doheny-Shanley, Mark Woodward, Wesley Hayes P19: Investigating the role of Stonin 2, a Clathrin Mediated Endocytosis adaptor protein, in altered hippocampal synaptic transmission characterized in schizophrenia Marina Yostos, David Cotter, Melanie Focking P20: Predicting complications after colon resection Samantha Stancu, Florin Iordache, Bogdan A. Popescu P21: Knowledge, attitude and practice of the methods of primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer among NYSC members in Lagos state, Nigeria Muhammad-Mujtaba A. Akanmu, Alero A. Robert, Ezekiel O. Oridota P22: Incidental glucose and lipid metabolisms disorders among office workers: a cross sectional study Ahmad A. Mirza, Ali K. Alzahrani, Omar Alfarhan, Essam Nour Eldin P23: Differentiating clinically significant spinal injuries; a review of emergency department presentations Bronagh MacManus, Owen Keane, Patrick Hillery, James Lee, Hugh O’Reilly, Niamh Collins P24: Pattern of renal colic occurrence due to urinary stones during Ramadan and other months of the year at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, KSA Ibrahim Abu saq, Abdullah Al Mufarrih, Muath Jaafari, Abdullah Al Mahayni, Amen Bawazir, Sultan Alkhateeb P25: Proteomic analysis reveals novel AIB1 co-factors that may contribute to acquired endocrine resistance in breast cancer Amenah Dhannoon, Damir Vareslija, Arnold Hill, Leonie Young P26: Improving sedation practice in general ICU in Beaumont Hospital Declan Donoghue, Criona Walsh, Aileen McCabe, John Pope, Saturnino Pasco, Caroline Fallon, Don Solanki, Fiona Kiernan, Sinead Galvin, Jquan Mucvimicc, Johanna Mulvihill P27: Diagnosis and control of hypertension as indicators of the level of awareness among relatives of medical students Ahmad A. Mirza, Soha A. Elmosry P28: Evaluation of the antitumor potential from extracts of endemic plants of Brazilian caatinga against melanoma and hepatocarcinoma Lorenza Andres Ameida De Souza, Yuri de Oliveira, Diego Menezes, Alene Vanessa Santos P29: The role of Chromogranin A as a biomarker in drug resistant neuroblastoma Ahmad Zaki Asraf, Raymond Stallings, Olga Piskareva, Ross Conlon P30: Membrane sweep at term gestation in CUMH; a case-control study Siún Sweeney-Landers, Cathy Burke P31: Study of the variability of glucose levels in patients with diabetes undergoing continuous glucose monitoring Paraic Behan, Seamus Sreenan P32: Inflammatory cytokine response to decreased plasma alpha-1 antitrypsin levels in individuals with the MZ genotype Ahmed Organjee, Tatsiana Crosbie-Staunton, Emer Reeves, Noel McElvaney P33: Analysing the role of SRC-1 in breast cancer stem cell formation and activity Crystal Mieres, Leonie Young, Sara Charmsaz P34: Screening Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates for virulence genes Aya Al-Jalamdeh, Mary Corcoran, Martha McElligott, Niall Stevens, Hilary Humphreys P35: Assessment of the relevance of admission clerking criteria taught to medical students at King Abdulaziz University to real hospital practice Rashid Barnawi, Abdulaziz Ghurab, Sultan Alfaer, Hassan Balubaid, Kamal Hanbazazah, Mohammed Bukhari P36: Pattern of emergency department visits during Hajj period Mohammed Alsakkaf, Ahmad Mirza, Amrallah Mohammed P37: Anti-Dengue activity of Aspergillus terreus (sulochrin); An in vitro study Anastasia Pratanata, Maria Nathania, Tsabita Annisa, Beti Dewi P38: The comorbidome in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency Kuok Zhen Lee, Tomas P. Carroll, Laura Fee, Noel G. McElvaney P39: MLO-Y4 cells behave more like osteocytes in response to mechanical stimulation when cultured in 3D Rachel C. White, Robert T Brady, Fergal O’Brie

Conflict and COVID-19 in Yemen: beyond the humanitarian crisis

Abstract Background Yemen has been left in shambles and almost destroyed by its devastating civil war, and is now having to deal with the spread of coronavirus. The Yemeni people have been left to fend for themselves and faced many problems such as hunger, the ongoing war, infections, diseases and lack of equipment even before the COVID-19 pandemic. All together it is a humanitarian crisis. Only around 50% of the hospitals and healthcare facilities are in full working condition, and even those that are functioning are operating at nowhere near full potential. Healthcare staff and facilities lack necessary essential equipment and money. Conclusion As, sadly, is common in conflict-affected regions, the violence has brought with it a secondary disaster of infectious disease outbreaks. Yemen is not only battling COVID-19 amid a catastrophic war, but also has to deal with other diseases such as cholera, diphtheria and measles. A number of key measures are needed to support the current efforts against this deadly epidemic and its potential subsequent waves as well as to prevent further epidemics in Yemen. </jats:sec

Corrosion of porous Mg and Fe scaffolds: a review of mechanical and biocompatibility responses

Absorbable metals have been proposed as potential materials for hard tissue scaffolding to offer both high mechanical support and bioabsorbability. Over the past 5 years, many works sought evidence of the interesting mechanical property which mimics to that of human bone with tailored corrosion behaviour. The emerging additive manufacturing (AM) technology helps to optimise the design and production of topological porous absorbable metals suited for bone scaffolds. Since the studies on the porous absorbable metals are on the rise, we provide a current state-of-the-art of corrosion performances for porous Mg-based and Fe-based scaffolds including recent developments and the remaining challenges. A detailed discussion on the impacts of advanced AM and recently developed dynamic-flow corrosion on their in vitro corrosion, mechanical strengths and biocompatibility are also provided. This review also analyses the suitability of both metals to be used for bone substitute materials

Renal Trauma Diagnosis, Complications and Treatment in Aden

Introduction: The kidney is the third most common injured solid organ in blunt abdominal trauma and the second most frequent in penetrating trauma. Significant complications and mortality can occur if not diagnosed and treated early. The purpose of the study is to determine the cause of injury, the frequency, complications, and death outcome in blunt and penetrating renal trauma in three hospitals in Aden Governorate. Methods: Retrospective study was carried out for 90 on adult patients with renal trauma during the period March 2010 to December 2019 in three Hospitals in Aden Governorate (Al Gamhoreah General Teaching Hospital, Saber and Al Naquib Private Hospitals). Demographic data included age, sex, mode of injury, and type of trauma, detailed history and careful physical examinations, hemodynamic stability evaluation and laboratory tests. Radiological investigation included fast ultrasound, computerized tomography and emergency intravenous urography in isolated renal trauma. Post-operative follow-up was done to detect complications and death outcome. Results: Ninety adult patients with blunt and penetrating renal trauma were included with 75 (83.3%) males and 15 women (16.7%). The most frequent age group was 21-30 years (52.2%). Motor vehicle accidents were the most common mode of injury in blunt trauma (66.7%) and gunshots in penetrating renal trauma (91.7%). Conservative treatment was done for 64.4% whereas 35.6% subjected to surgical intervention. Urologic complications involved 12.2 % and 5.5% died. Conclusions: Associated organ injuries are the frequent injuries in blunt renal trauma. Complications and death outcome are most common in penetrating renal trauma with associated injuries owing to severity of injury.</jats:p

Chronic Health Crises and Emergency Medicine in War-torn Yemen, Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Much of Yemen’s infrastructure and healthcare system has been destroyed by the ongoing civil war that began in late 2014. This has created a dire situation that has led to food insecurity, water shortages, uncontrolled outbreaks of infectious disease and further failings within the healthcare system. This has greatly impacted the practice of emergency medicine (EM), and is now compounded by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the current state of emergency and disaster medicine in Yemen, followed by unstructured qualitative interviews with EM workers, performed by either direct discussion or via phone calls, to capture their lived experience, observations on and perceptions of the challenges facing EM in Yemen. We summarize and present our findings in this paper. Results: Emergency medical services (EMS) in Yemen are severely depleted. Across the country as a whole, there are only 10 healthcare workers for every 10,000 people – less than half of the WHO benchmark for basic health coverage – and only five physicians, less than one third the world average; 18% of the country’s 333 districts have no qualified physicians at all. Ambulances and basic medical equipment are in short supply. As a result of the ongoing war, only 50% of the 5056 pre-war hospitals and health facilities are functional. In June 2020, Yemen recorded a 27% mortality rate of Yemenis who were confirmed to have COVID-19, more than five times the global average and among the highest in the world at that time. Conclusion: In recent years, serious efforts to develop an advanced EM presence in Yemen and cultivate improvements in EMS have been stymied or have failed outright due to the ongoing challenges. Yemen’s chronically under-resourced healthcare sector is ill-equipped to deal with the additional strain of COVID-19