Breast cancer awareness among women in the Syrian Coast: a cross-sectional study.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and represents a leading cause of cancer-related mortalities. Females' awareness toward breast cancer is essential for the early diagnosis and detection especially in low and middle-income countries. This study aims to assess the awareness of breast cancer risk factors among females in the Syrian Coast. Methodology: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among Syrian females during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire used in the study was derived from the Cancer Research UK questionnaire and modified to fit the perspective of the study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The independent samples t-test and the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to determine whether there is statistical evidence or any statistically significant differences between the variables. Results: A total of 1305 females participated in the study. The majority aged between 18 and 25, (28.8%) of the participants obtained their information related to breast cancer from internet, (36.7%) of were smokers and (82.8%) had a family member with breast cancer. These results suggested a significant correlation between smoking, family history of cancer, marital status, and breast cancer awareness. Conclusion: This study showed which factors are significantly related to women's awareness of breast cancer risk factors. These results can contribute in the implementation of awareness programs and campaigns, thus raising the level of awareness among women.

Endobronchial metastasis secondary to occulting renal cell carcinoma: literature review and a rare case report.

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial Metastasis from extrathoracic tumors is a rare neoplasm that accounts for approximately 1.1% of total endobronchial malignancies. The most common primary tumors associated with EBM are from the colorectal, breast, and kidney regions. Although it represents a late manifestation in the context of tumor progression, it can rarely antedate the diagnosis of the primary tumor. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-years-old male was referred from another city hospital to our thoracic surgery department due to a 4-months history of hemoptysis and productive cough. A chest X-ray and computed tomography scan showed a soft-tissue mass within the left main bronchus and atelectasis of the anterior segment of the left upper lobe. Furthermore, a flexible bronchoscopy revealed a hypervascular lesion occluding completely the left upper lobe bronchus. The patient underwent lobectomy and pathological examination suggested endobronchial metastasis from clear cell renal cell carcinoma. A second computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed a well-defined mass arising from the lateral aspect of the right kidney; therefore, the patient underwent right radical nephrectomy three weeks later and pathology confirmed the diagnosis of clear renal cell carcinoma with endobronchial metastasis. CONCLUSION: Despite its rarity, physicians should consider the possibility of endobronchial metastases in the setting of endobronchial lesions. Proper diagnostic approaches should also be considered to rule out the potential of asymptomatic extrathoracic neoplasms. In this manuscript, we aimed to report a rare case -the first from Syria to our knowledge- of an endobronchial metastasis that preceded the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. Importantly, we reviewed the existing literature and discussed the diagnostic and treatment approaches.

Synthesis, characterization of carbon polyurethane powder and its application for separation and spectrophotometric determination of platinum in pharmaceutical and ore samples.

A new chelating sorbent was synthesized by covalently linking carbon nano-fiber with ion exchange polyurethane foam (CNF-PUFIX). CNF-PUFIX was characterized using different tools e.g. elemental analysis, IR spectrum and SEM. The functional groups of PUF have disappeared. The phenolic, carboxylic, quaternary ammonium salt and tertiary amine groups are detected in the CNF-PUFIX. The sorption properties of platinum (IV) onto CNF-PUFIX were investigated, the maximum sorption of platinum ions (~100%) was at the pH ranges 4-5, shaking for 18 min and sample flow rate 1.3 mL min(-1). The experimental data was fitted by kinetic models, the pseudo-second order is predominant (R(2)=0.998), the values of h and k2 are 4.4 mmol g(-1)min(-1) and 0.15 g mmol(-1)min(-1), respectively. The sorption capacity of CNF-PUFIX and the recovery percentage of Pt (IV) were 0.19 mmol g(-1) and 99-103%, respectively (RSD=1.72%, n=5). The CNF-PUFIX could be used many times without decreasing their capacities significantly. The equilibrium process is well described by the Langmuir isotherm model (R(2)=0.857), which is attributed to the homogeneous surface structure of the CNF-PUFIX. The values of ΔG and ΔH were -3.5 and -26.1 kJ mol(-1), respectively, which indicate that the sorption of platinum onto CNF-PUFIX is spontaneous and exothermic. The lower detection limit of platinum using spectrophotometric method is 2.4 µg L(-1) (RSD~3.8%, n=6). The accuracy of the procedure was verified by the analysis of standard reference materials of pharmaceutical and granite samples.