On-chip dilution in nanoliter droplets.

Droplet microfluidics is enabling reactions at nano- and picoliter scale, resulting in faster and cheaper biological and chemical analyses. However, varying concentrations of samples on a drop-to-drop basis is still a challenging task in droplet microfluidics, primarily limited due to lack of control over individual droplets. In this paper, we report an on-chip microfluidic droplet dilution strategy using three-valve peristaltic pumps.

Cancer Incidence in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Results of a Seven-Year Cancer Registration in Erbil and Duhok Governorates.

INTRODUCTION: There are limited published data regarding the recent incidence trends of cancer in Iraqi Kurdistan. METHODS: The present study assessed the epidemiological estimates of cancer incidence, as well providing a projection of future cancer trends in the upcoming decade by analysing the population-based cancer registry between 2013 and 2019, in both the Erbil and Duhok governorates. A retrospective analysis was performed on data retrieved from the Medical Statistics Department at the Ministry of Health, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). RESULTS: The total number of female cancer patients was higher in both governorates, and the total incidence of patients with cancer increased by over 2x between 2013 and 2019 in Erbil and Duhok, from 73 to 174 patients/100,000 individuals for women, and 36 to 85 patients/100,000 individuals for men. Analysis indicated that the percentage of patients with cancer is projected to increase by >2x in the current decade, from 3,457 cases to 4,547 and 4,449 cases in the Erbil governorate; and from 1,365 to 2,633 and 2,737 cases in 2028 based on LSTM and bi-LTSM analysis in the Duhok governorate. Lung cancer (LC) and female breast cancer (BC) were the most prominent types of cancers diagnosed since 2013 in both the Erbil and Duhok governorates. CONCLUSION: The striking pattern of trends for both present and future cancer incidence rates require urgent solutions and comprehensive efforts to control risk factors that promote the increasing incidence of cancer in these two KRG governorates.
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The Impact of Comorbidities on the Outcomes of Egyptian COVID-19 Patients: A Follow-Up Study.

Objectives: This study evaluated the clinical manifestation of COVID-19 and adverse outcomes in patients with comorbidities (outcome: death). Methods: A comparative follow-up investigation involving 148 confirmed cases of COVID-19 was performed for a month (between April and May 2020) at Qaha Hospital to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes resulting from comorbidities. Participants were divided into two clusters based on the presence of comorbidities. Group I comprised cases with comorbidities, and Group II included subjects without comorbidity. Survival distributions were outlined for the group with comorbidities after the follow-up period. Results: Fever (74.3%), headache (78.4%), cough (78.4%), sore throat (78.4%), fatigue (78.4%), and shortness of breath (86.5%) were the most prevalent symptoms observed in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities. Such patients also suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome (37.8%) and pneumonia three times more than patients without comorbidities. The survival distributions were statistically significant (chi-square = 26.06, p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Multiple comorbidities in COVID-19 patients are linked to severe clinical symptoms, disease complications, and critical disease progression. The presence of one or more comorbidities worsened the survival rate of patients.

Software-programmable continuous-flow multi-purpose lab-on-a-chip.

Current lab-on-a-chip (LoC) devices are assay-specific and are custom-built for each single experiment. Performing an experiment requires scientists or engineers to go through the time-consuming process of designing, fabricating, and testing a chip before conducting the actual experiment. This prolonged cycle can take months to complete, increasing effort and cost and reducing productivity. Similarly, minor modifications to an assay protocol re-incur the overheads of the design cycle. In this paper, we develop a multi-purpose, software-programmableLab-on-a-Chip (SPLoC), where the user simply writes or downloads a program for each experiment. We describe the components necessary to realize the SPLoC, which include a high-level programming language, an abstract instruction set, a runtime and control system, and a microfluidic device. We describe two key features of our high-level language compiler, and describe a novel variable-volume variable-ratio mixer. Finally, we demonstrate our SPLoC on four diverse, real-world assays.

Effect of iron deficiency anemia and its treatment on cell mediated immunity.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies particularly in the developing countries. While there is evidence of an altered immune profile in iron deficiency, the exact immunoregulatory role of iron is not known. Knowledge particularly in children, who are vulnerable to iron deficiency and infection, is lacking. We aimed to study the effects of IDA and its treatment with oral iron supplementation on cell-mediated immunity. The levels of T-lymphocytes, their CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD1a(+) subsets, transferrin receptor (CD71) and serum ferritin were evaluated in 40 iron-deficient and 40 healthy children. The impact of oral iron supplementation for three months on the same parameters was also noted in children with IDA. The level of mature T-lymphocytes (CD4(+) and CD8(+)) was significantly lower (P<0.001) while that of the immature T-cells (CD1a(+)) was significantly higher (p<0.001) in IDA children compared to the control. The mature T-cell count was significantly improved after iron therapy. In spite of significant reduction in the immature T-cells (CD1a(+)) level after iron supplementation, it was significantly higher than the control. The present study demonstrated that T-lymphocytes maturation was defective in IDA and improved partially after 3 months of iron supplementation. Therefore, longer time of iron therapy may be required to induce complete maturation of T-lymphocytes.