Hypospadias is a common congenital anomaly that affects the male genitalia. This research paper aims to investigate the incidence of hypospadias in Libya by analyzing existing literature, statistical data, and medical records.

 The study will explore the prevalence of hypospadias among newborn boys in various regions of Libya, as well as the factors that may contribute to the development of this condition.

 Additionally, the paper will discuss the current treatment options available for hypospadias patients in Libya and the challenges faced by healthcare providers in managing this condition. By providing a comprehensive overview of hypospadias incidence in Libya, this research paper will contribute to the understanding and improvement of care for individuals with this congenital anomaly.

Background

Safe anaesthesia and surgery are a public health imperative. There are few data describing outcomes for children undergoing anesthesia and surgery in Africa. We aimed to get robust epidemiological data to describe patient care and outcomes for children undergoing anesthesia and surgery in hospitals in Africa.

Methods

This study was a 14-day, international, prospective, observational cohort study of children (aged <18 years) undergoing surgery in Africa. We recruited as many hospitals as possible across all levels of care (first, second, and third) providing surgical treatment. Each hospital recruited all eligible children for a 14-day period commencing on the date chosen by each participating hospital within the study recruitment period from Jan 15 to Dec 23, 2022. Data were collected prospectively for consecutive patients on paper case record forms. The primary outcome was in-hospital postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery and the secondary outcome was in-hospital mortality within 30 days after surgery. We also collected hospital-level data describing equipment, facilities, and protocols available. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05061407.

Findings

We recruited 8625 children from 249 hospitals in 31 African countries. The mean age was 6·1 (SD 4·9) years, with 5675 (66·0%) of 8600 children being male. Most children (6110 [71·2%] of 8579 patients) were from category 1 of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status score undergoing elective surgery (5325 [61·9%] of 8604 patients). Postoperative complications occurred in 1532 (18·0%) of 8515 children, predominated by infections (971 [11·4%] of 8538 children). Deaths occurred in 199 (2·3%) of 8596 patients, 169 (84·9%) of 199 patients following emergency surgeries. Deaths following postoperative complications occurred in 166 (10·8%) of 1530 complications. Operating rooms were reported as safe for anaesthesia and surgery for neonates (121 [54·3%] of 223 hospitals), infants (147 [65·9%] of 223 hospitals), and children younger than 6 years (188 [84·3%] of 223 hospitals).

Environmental factors are known to influence carcinogenesis. Procarcinogens, such as heterocyclic amines (HAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are examples of these environmental factors. Procarcinogens are chemically inert and require bioactivation, via enzymes such as Cytochrome P450 (CYP). CYP1A1 isoform, regulated by Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), plays a significant role in the bioactivation of PAHs and HAs. AhR has multiple co-activators and co-repressors, of which SMRT (silencing mediator for retinoid and thyroid hormone receptors) has been identified as a major co-repressor for AhR. In the present study we examined the effect of SMRT over expression on the Cyp1a1 mRNA levels in murine hepatoma Hepa 1c1c7 cell line. Hepa 1c1c7 cells were maintained in Dulbecco&#39;s modified Eagle&#39;s medium (DMEM), and competent cells were successfully produced using calcium chloride method. Cells were transformed using plasmid DNA and Lipofectamine. TCDD was employed as an inducing agent for CYP1A1. Total cellular RNA was isolated and real-time PCR of Cyp1a1 was conducted. Statistical analysis was conducted using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Student–Newman–Keul’s test. Our results showed that, cells transfected with the co-repressor SMRT has lower TCDD-mediated induction of Cyp1a1 mRNA without affecting constitutive Cyp1a1 mRNA levels, i.e., SMRT was able to significantly decrease inducible Cyp1a1 mRNA levels in Hepa 1c1c7 cells. Moreover, our work demonstrated that calcium chloride is a convenient method for routine transformation. Our work will open new avenues for treatment of carcinogenesis involving CYP1A1 inducing carcinogens.

Background and aims. Open reading frames (ORFs) are sections of a reading frame that do not include any stop codons. A reading frame is a sequence of nucleotide triplets read as codons indicating amino acids; a single strand of DNA has three potential reading frames. Long ORFs in a DNA sequence may represent possible protein-coding areas. In addition to extended ORFs, which assist in gene locus prediction, there is yet another type of ORFS known as small open reading frames (smORFs), which have 100 codons or fewer. Methods. We develop an offline, cross-platform, and dependable detection tool for regular ORFs and smORFs prevalent in biomedical studies. Results. In this work, the most ORFs were found in the Bos taurus (Cattle) Insulin gene, which had 17 consecutive ORFs, while the fewest ORFs were reported in the Cani's lupus (Dog) Insulin gene, which had only 4 ORFs. Conclusion. The software meets the expected demarcation restrictions. We strongly advise more research into the detection of nested ORFs.

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus with hyperglycaemia is a major risk factor for malignant cardiac dysrhythmias. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, especially during the embryonic developmental phase of the heart. This study investigated the effect of hyperglycaemia on the pulsatile activity of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) were differentiated into cardiac-like cells through embryoid body (EB) formation, in either baseline glucose or high glucose conditions. Action potentials (APs) were recorded using a voltage-sensitive fluorescent dye and gap junction activity was evaluated using scrape-loading lucifer yellow dye transfer assay. Molecular components were detected using immunocytochemistry and immunoblot analyses. High glucose decreased the spontaneous beating rate of EBs and shortened the duration of onset of quinidine-induced asystole. Furthermore, it altered AP amplitude, but not AP duration, and had no impact on neither the expression of the hyperpolarisation-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated isoform 4 (HCN4) channel nor on the EB beating rate response to ivabradine nor isoprenaline. High glucose also decreased both the intercellular spread of lucifer yellow within an EB and the expression of the cardiac gap junction protein connexin 43 as well as upregulated the expression of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) and phosphorylated Smad3. High glucose suppressed the autorhythmicity and gap junction conduction of mESC-derived cardiomyocytes, via mechanisms probably involving TGF-β1/ Smad3 signalling. The results allude to glucotoxicity related proarrhythmic effects, with potential clinical implications in foetal diabetic cardiac disease.

Background: Medical students have been shown through multiple studies to be more susceptible to stress and depression than the rest of the population. Libyan students specifically have to undergo the challenges of becoming a doctor while living in the terrifying and stressful outcomes of the Libyan civil war. And the spread of COVID-19 has added to these stressors.

Objective: This study aimed to determine prevalence of depression and anxiety among Libyan medical students and analyze the causing factors.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted using an online survey. The survey used the K-10 Kessler psychological distress scale which is a self administered questionnaire used to measure the level of distress. 

Results: A total of 1348 students from 16 Libyan medical schools across the 5 years of study completed the survey. 992 (73.6%) were female students and 356 (26.4%) were male. The mean age (SD) was 22.09 (2.56).

Out of the 1348 participants, 638 (47.3%) scored for severe mental disorder. 213 (15.8%) scored for moderate mental disorder and 200 (14.8%) presented with mild mental disorder. 297 (22%) of the students are likely to be well according to the K-10 psychological distress scale. Out of the students who have had their houses displaced due to the war, 66.3% have presented with moderate to severe mental disorder.

 235 students (17.4%) have reported having suicidal thoughts throughout their time in medical school.

Conclusion: In comparison to similar studies done in other countries, Libyan students scored a higher prevalence of depression. The stress of the current political state of the country and the COVID-19 pandemic were shown to be contributing factors.

Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) are one of the utmost mutable provinces in the human genome. They comprise tandem repeating DNA sequences ranging in length from two to six base pairs. Owing to their significant mutation rate, they exhibit considerable variation in pattern among populations and the capacity to be passed on from generation to generation. These loci are broadly employed in medicine, biology, and criminal investigation. They are pivotal in the genesis of a variety of genetic illnesses and have been intensively investigated in forensics, population genetics, and genetic genealogy. Although many implementations that manage STR loci are offered, the overwhelming majority of them rely primarily on the Command-Line Interface (CLI) inputs, which frequently necessitate the implementation of tools carried out in various scripting languages. Installing and launching programs through the Command Line (CL) is timeconsuming and/or unprofitable for many students and scholars. The fundamental intention of this project is to develop a cross-platform Graphical User Interface (GUI) package directed to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) STR analysis. Zenobia is a Java-based application considered as a step in consistently making CL-only programs available to more apprentices and researchers. In general, Zenobia's application outcomes satisfy the evaluation metrics for efficiency and time consumption. However, more genetic markers should be introduced to increase productivity of the application.

Background:Coffee and Tea are very popular beverages in Libyan society. They contain many bioactive substances such as polyphenols and catchiness that could have some effects for instance; antioxidant activity. The way of preparation of tea and coffee drinks are different among society. For example, in Libya tea drink is prepared by boiling the crude of fresh tea for 10 min. Therefore, the method of extraction could influence the type and quality of extracted substances. Aims: The goal of the current study was to examine the neuroprotective properties of coffee and tea beverages made by using traditional Libyan techniqueson Parkinson's disease like symptoms induced by haloperidol.Methods: Different tea and coffee beverages (treatment) were prepared and given to rats in a concentration 10%w/v for 3 consecutive weeks.Tea and coffee beverages were made as Libyans do. At day 21, rats were injected IP with 1mg/kg of haloperidol, afterward, the behavioral and motor parameters for Parkinson’s disease were tested.Results:Coffee and Tea treated groups showed significant improvement (p > 0.05)inthe behavioral activity, and in muscle coordination. Also there was a decrease in oxidation markers as treatment resulted in an elevation of glutathione reductase and decreasing in Malondialdehyde levels. In addition, the histopathological investigation showed a reduction in haloperidol induced damage in substantia nigra.Conclusion:The results showeda possible neuroprotective effect of Coffee and Tea against PD.The mechanism of protection might be due to an antioxidant activity.

Exact string-matching algorithms have become very supreme in many bioinformatics tools. Despite the abundance and diversity of such algorithms, exposing them to real-time experimental analysis has been critical. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of ten exact-string matching algorithms on large-scale genomic sequences from a runtime perspective. To define the most efficient algorithms are qualified to handle the short alphabet used for nucleic acid coding. The methodology promoted for this study was the factorial experiment with Randomized Complete Block Design (FRCBD). Under influence of four independent parameters, four levels of pattern lengths, four levels of pattern indices, two levels of programming languages, and ten levels of algorithmic architecture. The yield of the tested algorithms was calculated in nanoseconds. One-way ANOVA and Two-way ANOVA tests with post-hoc Games-Howell test were used separately for statistical analysis. In this study two widely accepted programming languages, C# and JAVA were used to speculate the possible effect of programing language on algorithm performance.

One of the unique combinations in the mammalian genome, that revolutionized concepts in the fields of genetics and molecular

pathology is what is termed the CpG islands. However, the accurate and rapid determination of CpG islands for DNA sequences remains

experimentally and computationally challenging. The main goal of this project is to design an offline, cross-platform CpG islands detection

tool. The Algorithm implemented in this study was the traditional sliding window algorithm by using the C++ programming language.

Three datasets were used for evaluating the performance of the application. The ANK1 gene, SPTB gene, and RET gene sequence files

were obtained from NCBI. In this study, the highest CGIs were reported in ANK1 (ankyrin 1) Gene which scored 13 successive islands

whereas the lowest score was reported in RET (ret proto-oncogene) Gene which shows only 6 islands. Generally, the program fulfills the

boundary limits as expected. We strongly recommend for further work, the implementation of other algorithms in addition to the sliding

window algorithm such as the Hidden Markov Model (HMM).