Predictors of Short-Term Outcome of Kasai Portoenterostomy for Biliary Atresia in Infants: a Single-Center Study

Noha Adel Yassin,Gamal El-Tagy,Omar Nagy Abdelhakeem,Noha Asem,Hanaa El-Karaksy 대한소아소화기영양학회 2020 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.23 No.3

Purpose: The outcome predictors of Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) for biliary atresia (BA) are controversial. This study aimed to identify possible short-term outcome predictors of KPE for BA in infants. Methods: This retrospective study included infants with BA who underwent KPE between January 2015 and December 2017 and were followed up for at least 6 months after surgery at the Pediatric Hepatology Unit, Cairo University Pediatric Hospital, Egypt. The short-term outcome was jaundice clearance within 6 months following surgery. All data were compared between the jaundice free group and those with persistent jaundice to identify the predictors of jaundice clearance. Results: The study included 75 infants. The mean age at the time of surgery was 82.43±22.77 days (range, 37–150 days), and 28 (37.3%) infants cleared their jaundice within 6 months postoperative. Age at surgery did not significantly affect the outcome (p=0.518). Infants with persistent jaundice had significantly higher pre-operative levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) than those who were jaundice free (p=0.041). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that preoperative AST ≤180 IU/L was predictive of a successful KPE, with sensitivity 74.5% and specificity 60.7%. Infants with bile plugs in liver biopsy had a 6-fold higher risk of persistent jaundice than those without bile plugs (95% confidence interval: 1.59–20.75, p=0.008). Conclusion: Jaundice clearance after KPE for BA can be predicted using preoperative AST and presence of bile plugs in liver biopsy.

Predictors of Short-Term Outcome of Kasai Portoenterostomy for Biliary Atresia in Infants: a Single-Center Study

Yassin, Noha Adel,El-Tagy, Gamal,Abdelhakeem, Omar Nagy,Asem, Noha,El-Karaksy, Hanaa The Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology 2020 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.23 No.3

Purpose: The outcome predictors of Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) for biliary atresia (BA) are controversial. This study aimed to identify possible short-term outcome predictors of KPE for BA in infants. Methods: This retrospective study included infants with BA who underwent KPE between January 2015 and December 2017 and were followed up for at least 6 months after surgery at the Pediatric Hepatology Unit, Cairo University Pediatric Hospital, Egypt. The short-term outcome was jaundice clearance within 6 months following surgery. All data were compared between the jaundice free group and those with persistent jaundice to identify the predictors of jaundice clearance. Results: The study included 75 infants. The mean age at the time of surgery was 82.43±22.77 days (range, 37-150 days), and 28 (37.3%) infants cleared their jaundice within 6 months postoperative. Age at surgery did not significantly affect the outcome (p=0.518). Infants with persistent jaundice had significantly higher pre-operative levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) than those who were jaundice free (p=0.041). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that preoperative AST ≤180 IU/L was predictive of a successful KPE, with sensitivity 74.5% and specificity 60.7%. Infants with bile plugs in liver biopsy had a 6-fold higher risk of persistent jaundice than those without bile plugs (95% confidence interval: 1.59-20.75, p=0.008). Conclusion: Jaundice clearance after KPE for BA can be predicted using preoperative AST and presence of bile plugs in liver biopsy.

Magnetic resonance angiography in assessment of anomalies of anterior cerebral artery in adults

Noha Abdelfattah Ahmed Madkour 대한해부학회 2023 Anatomy & Cell Biology Vol.56 No.4

Anomalies of anterior cerebral artery (ACA) include aplasia, hypoplasia and variations in number. Magneticresonance angiography (MRA) is a non-invasive diagnostic technique for assessment of anomalies of cerebral arteries. Theaim of the study was to determine the role of MRA in detection of variants of ACA in adults. This study is an observationalretrospective study. This study included forty-nine adult cases (28 males and 21 females), mean age 48±12.9 SD withanomalies of ACA in MRA. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and MRA were done to all patients. Cerebral MRA andmagnetic resonance images were evaluated for frequency and distribution of variants of anterior cerebral arteries, associatedaneurysms and infarctions. Odds ratios (ORs) and relative risk were calculated to determine risk of occurrence of cerebralinfarctions in patients with anomalies of ACA. Hypoplasia of ACA was the commonest anomaly of ACA (51% of cases). Riskof occurrence of cerebral infarctions was higher in cases with azygos variant (OR, 3.3; P=0.35) than in those with hypoplasticACA (OR, 2; P=0.58). MRA was highly reliable in identification of different variants of ACA and concomitant vascularchanges.

Original Article : Effects of elastic band orthosis (aider) on balance and gait in chronic stroke patients

( Noha Daher ),( Seung Jun Lee ),( You Jin Yang ) 물리치료재활과학회 2013 Physical therapy rehabilitation science Vol.2 No.2

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effects of balance training using a newly developed elastic band orthosis (aider) for improvement of mobility and balance in chronic stroke patients. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Ten patients with chronic hemiplegia participated in this study. There were six males and four females; two patients had right hemiplegia and eight had left hemiplegia. This study investigated the effect of the elastic band orthosis on balance and gait ability compared with bare foot condition. Gait parameters were measured using the opto-gait system for analysis of the spatial and temporal parameters of walking in stroke patients. In addition, balance ability in stroke patients was evaluated using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Results: This study investigated the effect of the elastic band orthosis on balance compared with bare foot condition. The TUG and BBS showed significant improvement with use of the elastic band orthosis (p<0.05). Use of the Elastic band orthosis resulted in significantly improved velocity, cadence, less-affected step length, less-affected stride length, and less-affected single limb support in stroke patients (p<0.05). Conclusions: We demonstrated a significant improvement in dynamic balance and gait ability in chronic stroke patients using the elastic band orthosis. This orthosis may aid in prevention of spastic foot drop, leading to improvement of walking ability.

A Proposed Fuzzy Model for Reducing the Risk of Insolvent Loans in the Credit Sector as Applied in Egypt

Noha Ibrahem Hasan,Haitham Elghareeb,Farahat Farag Farahat,Ahmed AboElfotouh 한국지능시스템학회 2021 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL of FUZZY LOGIC and INTELLIGE Vol.21 No.1

Non-financial analysis is one of the varied crucial directive tools of credit study that is used for judging whether the client has a genuine desire to pay the assigned amounts of the loan at its maturity dates. Fuzzy logic can help to solve the problem of dealing with factors of non-financial analysis by converting the linguistic variables to numerical variables to calculate their accuracy. This study proposes a fuzzy model that contains a complete database of non-financial factors used by the decision-maker using a fuzzy logic technique, which helps in building the fuzzy rules with great accuracy and helps in predicting the actual situation of the client. In addition, it provides constant following-up of the uses of the granted loan to guarantee that all terms set by the bank are met so that the bank can avoid future defaulting of the client. The proposed model is applied in the credit department of a private Egyptian bank (QNB), with random samples of previous real clients. Some real standards are set to calculate non-financial factors that are related to the client, management, economic situation, and project activity. The results of the proposed model revealed that the correlation factor is 95.3% between real successful payment clients and successful model clients. To guarantee the accuracy of the knowledge base quality and validation, the knowledge model was presented to the credit manager of the bank under study (expert), who provided a full evaluation of the results of the proposed model compared to the actual situation of clients.

Empagliflozin mitigates type 2 diabetes-associated peripheral neuropathy: a glucose-independent effect through AMPK signaling

Noha F. Abdelkader,Marawan A. Elbaset,Passant E. Moustafa,Sherehan M. Ibrahim 대한약학회 2022 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.45 No.7

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) representsa severe microvascular condition that dramatically affectsdiabetic patients despite adequate glycemic control, resultingin high morbidity. Thus, recently, anti-diabetic drugsthat possess glucose-independent mechanisms attractedattention. This work aims to explore the potentiality of theselective sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, empagliflozin (EMPA), to ameliorate streptozotocin-induced DPNin rats with insight into its precise signaling mechanism. Rats were allocated into four groups, where control animalsreceived vehicle daily for 2 weeks. In the remaining groups,DPN was elicited by single intraperitoneal injections offreshly prepared streptozotocin and nicotinamide (52.5 and50 mg/kg, respectively). Then EMPA (3 mg/kg/p.o.) wasgiven to two groups either alone or accompanied with theAMPK inhibitor dorsomorphin (0.2 mg/kg/i.p.). Despite thenon-significant anti-hyperglycemic effect, EMPA improvedsciatic nerve histopathological alterations, scoring, myelination,nerve fibers’ count, and nerve conduction velocity. Moreover, EMPA alleviated responses to different nociceptivestimuli along with improved motor coordination. EMPAmodulated ATP/AMP ratio, upregulated p-AMPK whilereducing p-p38 MAPK expression, p-ERK1/2 and consequentlyp-NF-κB p65 as well as its downstream mediators (TNF-α and IL-1β), besides enhancing SOD activity andlowering MDA content. Moreover, EMPA downregulatedmTOR and stimulated ULK1 as well as beclin-1. Likewise,EMPA reduced miR-21 that enhanced RECK, reducingMMP-2 and -9 contents. EMPA’s beneficial effects werealmost abolished by dorsomorphin administration. In conclusion,EMPA displayed a protective effect against DPNindependently from its anti-hyperglycemic effect, probablyvia modulating the AMPK pathway to modulate oxidativeand inflammatory burden, extracellular matrix remodeling,and autophagy.

Economic Freedom and Economic Performance: Does Good Governance Matter? The Case of APAC and OECD Countries

Noha Emara,Loreto Reyes Rebolledo 중앙대학교 경제연구소 2021 Journal of Economic Development Vol.46 No.1

Economic freedom is an important determinant of economic growth and income distribution, which are key factors in facilitating economic development. The paper empirically investigates the relationship between economic freedom and economic performance in the APAC and OECD countries. A panel model with fixed effects technique is employed on yearly data for the period 1980-2017, using a number of measures of economic freedom covering the size of government, property rights, monetary policy, access to international trade, and regulation of credit labor, and businesses. The study also investigates the role of governance in affecting the impact of economic freedom on economic performance. The results of the study indicate that economic freedom positively affects economic performance in the selected countries after controlling for country- and time- fixed-effects. Additionally, the study finds that this positive impact is higher for the APAC than for the OECD countries. For APAC countries, a country’s size of government, expansionary monetary policy, and less regulation has a positive and statistically significant impact on its output per worker. Finally, the study finds that governance is a pre-condition for economic freedom, where the impact of economic freedom on economic performance is amplified by about five folds in the presence of better governance including the freedom of a country’s citizens in selecting governments and expressing their political views, political stability, enhanced quality of public services, and control of corruption

Effects of elastic band orthosis (aider) on balance and gait in chronic stroke patients

Daher, Noha,Lee, Seungjun,Yang, You Jin korean Academy of Physical Therapy Rehabilitation 2013 Physical therapy rehabilitation science Vol.2 No.2

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effects of balance training using a newly developed elastic band orthosis (aider) for improvement of mobility and balance in chronic stroke patients. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Ten patients with chronic hemiplegia participated in this study. There were six males and four females; two patients had right hemiplegia and eight had left hemiplegia. This study investigated the effect of the elastic band orthosis on balance and gait ability compared with bare foot condition. Gait parameters were measured using the opto-gait system for analysis of the spatial and temporal parameters of walking in stroke patients. In addition, balance ability in stroke patients was evaluated using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Results: This study investigated the effect of the elastic band orthosis on balance compared with bare foot condition. The TUG and BBS showed significant improvement with use of the elastic band orthosis (p<0.05). Use of the Elastic band orthosis resulted in significantly improved velocity, cadence, less-affected step length, less-affected stride length, and less-affected single limb support in stroke patients (p<0.05). Conclusions: We demonstrated a significant improvement in dynamic balance and gait ability in chronic stroke patients using the elastic band orthosis. This orthosis may aid in prevention of spastic foot drop, leading to improvement of walking ability.

A Lens on Idealism and Pragmatism Philosophies and their Learning Influences in EFL: Synthesis Literature Review

Alharthi, Noha Abdullah International Journal of Computer ScienceNetwork S 2022 International journal of computer science and netw Vol.22 No.8

The current paper discusses the two most widespread and contradictory educational philosophies of classic German Idealism and modern American pragmatism. Their perspectives of what is truth and what is the best way to distinguish the reasoning idealists from the experienced pragmatists. The implementations of Idealism and pragmatism have affected the education process for several ages and reflect various social changes. The role of schools, educators, environment, teachers, and learners are not the same in both philosophies. However, on reviewing the chronological transmission from Plato's Idealism to Dewey's pragmatism, the resemblances and differences are elaborated here with examples. Furthermore, how these philosophies helped founding advocators for perennialism, essentialism, progressivism, and reconstructionism.

Factors Affecting User Adoption of E-Payment Services Available in Mobile Wallets in Saudi Arabia

Alswaigh, Noha Y.,Aloud, Monira E. International Journal of Computer ScienceNetwork S 2021 International journal of computer science and netw Vol.21 No.6

Mobile wallets have been in continuous demand and developed over the past few years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several studies have examined user intentions and perspectives. This study develops a conceptual model combining behavioral factors with the technology acceptance model (TAM). The goal is to identify key factors that influence user's intention to adopt mobile payments. This study uses the TAM and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) models with additional factors. The additional factors are security, trust, facilitating conditions, and lifestyle compatibility. The study analyzes the results of a survey of 394 Saudi citizens conducted via an online survey. The results indicate that user attitudes and intentions are positively influenced by all of the factors. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, lifestyle compatibility, and facilitating conditions are direct predictors of user behavior in accepting mobile wallet payments. This study provides an empirical contribution to the literature on mobile payment acceptance on the effect of perceived usefulness and lifestyle compatibility. The results demonstrate that about 26% of the respondents started using mobile wallet services because of the COVID-19 pandemic.