Breast cancer screening practices during a multifaceted crisis: Data from Lebanon.

Public health efforts towards breast cancer (BC) prevention have been largely absent from healthcare planning in modern-day Lebanon. Mammography screening campaigns have been present since 2002, but their implementation has been inconsistent in terms of pricing, locations, and the centers involved. In 2020, Lebanon was caught in the whirlwind of the Covid pandemic while facing a brewing economic crisis and a direct hit to the capital's center of commerce.

Diagnostic and prognostic potential of left atrial strain in cardiovascular disease: a narrative review.

Left atrial strain (LAS) was recently introduced as a parameter that reflects on left atrial function. Consequently, changes in LAS can inform the development of cardiovascular diseases, hence providing a window for non-invasive and cost-effective testing of these diseases and their complications at early stages of development, potentially offering a segway towards preventive interventions. LAS has yet to be implemented into standard practice.

Unveiling the unseen toll: exploring the impact of the Lebanese economic crisis on the health-seeking behaviors in a sample of patients with diabetes and hypertension.

Background: Against the backdrop of Lebanon's escalating multifaceted crisis which resulted in medication shortages for chronic diseases and unaffordable healthcare services, the current study endeavors to shed light on a critical yet overlooked facet of the Lebanese economic crisis- its profound impact on the health-seeking behaviors of patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study based on an online questionnaire was conducted on 156 adult Lebanese citizens diagnosed medically with either hypertension or diabetes. We gathered sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare-related challenges faced during the economic crisis.

SARS-CoV-2-mediated liver injury: pathophysiology and mechanisms of disease.

Background: SARS-CoV-2-induced severe inflammatory response can be associated with severe medical consequences leading to multi-organ failure, including the liver. The main mechanism behind this assault is the aggressive cytokine storm that induces cytotoxicity in various organs. Of interest, hepatic stellate cells (HSC) respond acutely to liver injury through several molecular mechanisms, hence furthering the perpetuation of the cytokine storm and its resultant tissue damage.

Mechanisms of COVID-19-induced kidney injury and current pharmacotherapies.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a worldwide debilitating health crisis with the entire humanity suffering from the deleterious effects associated with the high infectivity and mortality rates. While significant evidence is currently available online and targets various aspects of the disease, both inflammatory and noninflammatory kidney manifestations secondary to COVID-19 infection are still largely underrepresented. In this review, we summarized current knowledge about COVID-19-related kidney manifestations, their pathologic mechanisms as well as various pharmacotherapies used to treat patients with COVID-19.

From Normal Flora to Brain Abscesses: A Review of .

is a β-hemolytic Gram-positive member of the group (SAG). Despite being a part of the normal microbiota, it is one of the most common pathogens associated with brain and liver abscesses and thoracic empyema, increasing as a result the morbidity and mortality rates in affected patients. Though there are numerous published case reports on infections, it is still understudied compared to other SAG members.

SARS-CoV-2 and ORF3a: Nonsynonymous Mutations, Functional Domains, and Viral Pathogenesis.

The effect of the rapid accumulation of nonsynonymous mutations on the pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is not yet known. The 3a protein is unique to SARS-CoV and is essential for disease pathogenesis. Our study aimed at determining the nonsynonymous mutations in the 3a protein in SARS-CoV-2 and determining and characterizing the protein's structure and spatial orientation in comparison to those of 3a in SARS-CoV.

Genome Mining and Comparative Analysis of Causing Brain Abscess in a Child.

(SI) is associated with prolonged hospitalization and low survival rates. The genetic mechanisms involved in brain abscess development and genome evolution in comparison to other members of the group are understudied. We performed a whole-genome comparative analysis of an SI isolate, LAU_SINT, associated with brain abscess following sinusitis with all SI genomes in addition to and .