Skin disorders and interstitial lung disease: Part I-Screening, diagnosis, and therapeutic principles.

Numerous inflammatory, neoplastic, and genetic skin disorders are associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD), the fibrosing inflammation of lung parenchyma that has significant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the dermatologist plays a major role in the early detection and appropriate referral of patients at risk for ILD. Part 1 of this 2-part CME outlines the pathophysiology of ILD and focuses on clinical screening and therapeutic principles applicable to dermatological patients who are at risk for ILD. Patients with clinical symptoms of ILD should be screened with pulmonary function tests and high-resolution chest computed tomography. Screening for pulmonary hypertension should be considered in high-risk patients. Early identification and elimination of pulmonary risk factors, including smoking and gastroesophageal reflux disease, are essential in improving respiratory outcomes. First-line treatment interventions for ILD in a dermatological setting include mycophenolate mofetil, but the choice of therapeutic agents depends on the nature of the primary disease, the severity of ILD, and comorbidities and should be the result of a multidisciplinary assessment. Better awareness of ILD among medical dermatologists and close interdisciplinary collaborations are likely to prevent treatment delays improving long-term outcomes.

Survey of End-of-Life Care in Intensive Care Units in Ain Shams University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt.

Studies on end-of-life care reveal different practices regarding withholding and/or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments between countries and regions. Available data about physicians' practices regarding end-of-life care in ICUs in Egypt is scarce. This study aimed to investigate physicians' attitudes toward end-of-life care and the reported practice in adult ICUs in Ain Shams University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt. 100 physicians currently working in several ICU settings in Ain Shams University Hospitals were included. A self-administered questionnaire was used for collection of data. Most of the participants agreed to implementation of "do not resuscitate" (DNR) orders and applying pre-written DNR orders (61% and 65% consecutively), while only 13% almost always/often order DNR for terminally-ill patients. 52% of the participants agreed to usefulness of limiting life-sustaining therapy in some cases, but they expressed fear of legal consequences. 47% found withholding life-sustaining treatment is more ethical than its withdrawal. 16% almost always/often withheld further active treatment but continued current ones while only 6% almost always/often withdrew active therapy for terminally-ill patients. The absence of legislation and guidelines for end-of-life care in ICUs at Ain Shams University Hospitals was the main influential factor for the dissociation between participants' attitudes and their practices. Therefore, development of a consensus for end-of-life care in ICUs in Egypt is mandatory. Also, training of physicians in ICUs on effective communication with patients' families and surrogates is important for planning of limitation of life-sustaining treatments.

VASCilia (Vision Analysis StereoCilia): A Napari Plugin for Deep Learning-Based 3D Analysis of Cochlear Hair Cell Stereocilia Bundles.

Cochlear hair cell stereocilia bundles are key organelles required for normal hearing. Often, deafness mutations cause aberrant stereocilia heights or morphology that are visually apparent but challenging to quantify. Actin-based structures, stereocilia are easily and most often labeled with phalloidin then imaged with 3D confocal microscopy. Unfortunately, phalloidin non-specifically labels all the actin in the tissue and cells and therefore results in a challenging segmentation task wherein the stereocilia phalloidin signal must be separated from the rest of the tissue. This can require many hours of manual human effort for each 3D confocal image stack. Currently, there are no existing software pipelines that provide an end-to-end automated solution for 3D stereocilia bundle instance segmentation. Here we introduce VASCilia, a Napari plugin designed to automatically generate 3D instance segmentation and analysis of 3D confocal images of cochlear hair cell stereocilia bundles stained with phalloidin. This plugin combines user-friendly manual controls with advanced deep learning-based features to streamline analyses. With VASCilia, users can begin their analysis by loading image stacks. The software automatically preprocesses these samples and displays them in Napari. At this stage, users can select their desired range of z-slices, adjust their orientation, and initiate 3D instance segmentation. After segmentation, users can remove any undesired regions and obtain measurements including volume, centroids, and surface area. VASCilia introduces unique features that measures bundle heights, determines their orientation with respect to planar polarity axis, and quantifies the fluorescence intensity within each bundle. The plugin is also equipped with trained deep learning models that differentiate between inner hair cells and outer hair cells and predicts their tonotopic position within the cochlea spiral. Additionally, the plugin includes a training section that allows other laboratories to fine-tune our model with their own data, provides responsive mechanisms for manual corrections through event-handlers that check user actions, and allows users to share their analyses by uploading a pickle file containing all intermediate results. We believe this software will become a valuable resource for the cochlea research community, which has traditionally lacked specialized deep learning-based tools for obtaining high-throughput image quantitation. Furthermore, we plan to release our code along with a manually annotated dataset that includes approximately 55 3D stacks featuring instance segmentation. This dataset comprises a total of 1,870 instances of hair cells, distributed between 410 inner hair cells and 1,460 outer hair cells, all annotated in 3D. As the first open-source dataset of its kind, we aim to establish a foundational resource for constructing a comprehensive atlas of cochlea hair cell images. Together, this open-source tool will greatly accelerate the analysis of stereocilia bundles and demonstrates the power of deep learning-based algorithms for challenging segmentation tasks in biological imaging research. Ultimately, this initiative will support the development of foundational models adaptable to various species, markers, and imaging scales to advance and accelerate research within the cochlea research community.

Integrated 1550 nm photoreceiver with built-in amplification and feedback mechanisms.

Sensitivity, dynamic range and detection efficiency are among the key figures of merit for 1550 nm wavelength detectors that find applications in communications, sensing, and imaging. Some fundamental material and device limits have added tremendous difficulties for a single device to achieve high sensitivity and dynamic range without significant trade-offs. We present a concept that can potentially overcome this performance bottleneck. Preliminary results have shown a sensitivity of 10 photons (six photons from the quantum limit) and a large dynamic range (in the sense that output increases monotonically with input). The concept opens up a new avenue for detecting single photons in non-Geiger-mode with near 100% detection efficiency.

Proportion of Hidden Vertebral Fractures Among Egyptian Males With Fragility Hip Fractures in the Emergency Room of Ain Shams University Hospitals.

Background Fragility fractures are linked to significant costs for society as well as significant pain and suffering, disability, and even death. It is well-recognized that osteoporosis-related fragility fractures raise the risk of subsequent fragility fractures. One of the most frequent osteoporotic fractures brought on by low bone mineral density and other risk factors is vertebral fractures. Considering that most vertebral fractures are asymptomatic and not clinically identified, proactive screening could stop additional impairment. Objective The current study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors of hidden vertebral fractures in Egyptian males who have fragility hip fractures. Patients and methods A cross-sectional case-control study examining the correlation of risk factors between cases (fragility hip fracture and vertebral fractures) and a control group (fragility hip fracture without vertebral fracture) was carried out from September 2020 to September 2021 on patients visiting the orthopedic emergency department of a university hospital in Cairo, Egypt. Males who presented to the emergency room (ER) with fragility hip fractures and were 40 years of age or older met our inclusion criteria. For every patient who presented with a fragility hip fracture, standard lateral and anteroposterior radiographs of the dorso-lumbar spine were taken. Results A total of 43,935 patients visited the orthopedic emergency room (ER) throughout the study period; 13,034 of those patients were men, accounting for 29.7% of all orthopedic ER visits. Our inclusion criteria for fragility hip fractures were met by 132 male participants. The screening lumbosacral plain X-rays identified 27 (20.5%) of the 132 patients as having concomitant vertebral fractures in addition to the fragility hip fractures. Concomitant hidden vertebral fractures among Egyptian males with other fragility fractures, particularly fragility hip fractures, are predicted by the number of co-morbid diseases, hypertension, and continuous use of steroids and anti-epileptics. Conclusion Most fragility fractures are avoidable. Because one fragility fracture increases the likelihood of others, early detection is crucial. To prevent complications and mortality, it is important to identify and manage individuals who have a fragility hip fracture as they frequently have concurrent hidden vertebral fractures. Predictive risk factors for fragility vertebral fractures include hypertension, the number of concomitant illnesses, and chronic drugs (anti-epileptics and steroids).

The effect of sensory stimulation on apnea of prematurity.

Objectives: The study aims to assess the effect of sensory stimulation on apnoea among premature newborns. Methods: Thirty preterm newborns that were diagnosed with apnoea of prematurity, had a gestational age between 32 and 34 weeks, had low birth weight, and were appropriate for gestational age from 1200 to 2000 g were included in this prospective randomized study. Subjects were divided into two equivalent groups: a control group that received the standard care including nasal oxygen (one litre per minute) and caffeine citrate, and a study group that received the same care plus sensory stimulation (tactile, proprioceptive, and kinaesthetic). Participants' heart rate, oxygen saturation, and apnoea frequency were measured by the neonatal intensive care unit team using a pulse-oximeter. The sensory stimulation sessions were 10 min, 3 times per day, totalling 30 min over a 7 day period. Results: There was a significant decrease in heart rate within both groups after receiving treatment from before treatment (p < 0.05), with no significant differences between the two groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in oxygen saturation within the groups after treatment compared with the levels before treatment, with no significant differences between the two groups (p > 0.05). Before treatment, there was a non-significant difference in the apnoea rate between both groups (p = 0.464), whereas there was a significant decrease in the apnoea rate of the study group after treatment compared with the control group (p = 0.031). Conclusion: Sensory stimulation applied with standard respiratory care can decrease the frequency of apnoea of prematurity.

Self-quenching InGaAs/InP single photon avalanche detector utilizing zinc diffusion rings.

InGaAs single photon avalanche detectors have previously been fabricated with a negative-feedback mechanism, which allows for free-running Geiger-mode operation and improves the signal noise. To reduce the dark count and improve the detection efficiency, zinc diffusion is necessary to define the p-i-n junction and separate the high-field region from any mesa surface. Here, we demonstrate the benefits of a simple Zn-diffused geometry, yielding 1550 nm single-photon detection efficiencies of 20% with a dark count rate of 8 kHz at 140 K for a 22 µm diameter device.

Inability of Low Oxygen Tension to Induce Chondrogenesis in Human Infrapatellar Fat Pad Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

OBJECTIVE: Articular cartilage of the knee joint is avascular, exists under a low oxygen tension microenvironment, and does not self-heal when injured. Human infrapatellar fat pad-sourced mesenchymal stem cells (IFP-MSC) are an arthroscopically accessible source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for the repair of articular cartilage defects. Human IFP-MSC exists physiologically under a low oxygen tension (i.e., 1-5%) microenvironment. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) exist physiologically within a similar range of oxygen tension. A low oxygen tension of 2% spontaneously induced chondrogenesis in micromass pellets of human BM-MSC. However, this is yet to be demonstrated in human IFP-MSC or other adipose tissue-sourced MSC. In this study, we explored the potential of low oxygen tension at 2% to drive the in vitro chondrogenesis of IFP-MSC. We hypothesized that 2% O2 will induce stable chondrogenesis in human IFP-MSC without the risk of undergoing endochondral ossification at ectopic sites of implantation. METHODS: Micromass pellets of human IFP-MSC were cultured under 2% O2 or 21% O2 (normal atmosphere O2) in the presence or absence of chondrogenic medium with transforming growth factor-ß3 (TGFß3) for 3 weeks. Following in vitro chondrogenesis, the resulting pellets were implanted in immunodeficient athymic nude mice for 3 weeks. RESULTS: A low oxygen tension of 2% was unable to induce chondrogenesis in human IFP-MSC. In contrast, chondrogenic medium with TGFß3 induced in vitro chondrogenesis. All pellets were devoid of any evidence of undergoing endochondral ossification after subcutaneous implantation in athymic mice.

Executive Function and Physical Function Among Community-Dwelling Egyptian Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: The ongoing scientific debate regarding the association between physical function and cognitive impairment has focused mainly on global cognitive performance rather than specific cognitive functions tests and the importance of recognition of its associations and any factors that could play a role later in the prevention of such decline. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between physical function, using handgrip strength (HGS) and Timed Up-and-Go test (TUGT), and executive function (EF), using Clock Drawing Test (CDT), among community-dwelling Egyptian elderly. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 social clubs in Cairo, Egypt and included a sample of 136 elderly males and females aged≥55 years old. All participants had their physical function assessed using TUGT, and measurement of HGS using a pneumatic hand-held dynamometer. Assessment of EF using CDT was also done. RESULTS: Higher CDT scores were significantly associated with both better HGS, and lower TUGT (OR = 3.77, and 0.65 respectively). This persisted even after adjustment for age and gender (OR = 2.56, and 0.71 respectively) and after further adjustment for weight, systolic blood pressure, education, smoking, hyperlipidemia, hypothyroidism, and physical activity (O.R. = 4.79, and 0.76 respectively). Adjustment for both male and female genders showed an association between physical (HGS and TUGT) and EF was stronger among men. CONCLUSION: A strong association between CDT score and both of HGS and TUGT was found among the studied sample. Higher HGS and lower TUGT was significantly associated with better performance in the CDT. This association is stronger in males than in females for both HGS and TUGT.

The Relation Between Calcaneus Stiffness Index as a Measure of Bone Density and Body Mass Index in an Egyptian Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and osteoporosis are two conditions that are associated with morbidity and mortality; there is contradictory evidence regarding this association. PURPOSE: The aim of the current study was to explore further the association between obesity and calcaneus stiffness index (CSI), as a measure of bone density, in a community-based cross-sectional study in an Egyptian population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among active subjects, aged ≥20 years old, over one year. CSI was measured by Quantitative ultrasound (QUS), in addition; QUS T-score and Z-score of the non-dominant heel scan were recorded. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty participants were recruited; 7 subjects were excluded because of Z score more than -2, mean age was 61 (± 11.9) years, and mean BMI was 29.7 (±5.6). Female participants were 77.7%, with mean of age 60.3 (± 11.6); and age range 20-82 years. Male participants were 22.3%, with mean of age 63.6 (± 12.7); and age range 30-80 years. Older subjects (>55 years) had significantly lower CSI and worse T-score than the younger subjects (P < 0.001 for both). In the younger age group, BMI was not significantly associated with CSI, even after adjustment for gender (P= 0.52). However, in the older age group, BMI was significantly associated with stiffness index (P= 0.049, O.R.= 1.73), even after adjustment for gender (P= 0.041, O.R.= 1.7). CONCLUSION: Compared to young subjects, older subjects (≥55 years) had significantly lower bone strength as measured by CSI, and their BMI was significantly positively associated with bone density. In younger people (<55 years), BMI was not associated with bone strength.

IAGG/IAGG GARN International Survey of End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes.

This article reports the findings of a survey on end-of-life (EOL) care in nursing homes of 18 long-term care experts across 15 countries. The experts were chosen as a convenience-based sample of known experts in each country. The survey was administered in 2016 and included both open-ended responses for defining hospice care, palliative care, and "end of life," and a series of questions related to the following areas-attitudes toward EOL care, current practice and EOL interventions, structure of care, and routine barriers. Overall experts strongly agreed that hospice and palliative care should be available in long-term care facilities and that both are defined by holistic, interdisciplinary approaches using measures of comfort across domains. However, it appears the experts felt that in most countries the reality fell short of what they believed would be ideal care. As a result, experts call for increased training, communication, and access to specialized EOL services within the nursing home.