SAID SHEHATA

Background Mental disorders pose a substantial global burden, particularly among conflict-affected populations. This study aimed to examine gender-stratified, item-level networks of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Palestinian refugees in Egypt following the 2023 war on Gaza. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 558 Palestinian aged > 18 years displaced to Egypt. Anxiety, depression, and PTSD were assessed using Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Impact of Event Scale-6, respectively. Bayesian network analyses were applied to identify central symptoms and the strongest within- and cross-diagnostic associations. Results In the male network, suicidal ideation and loss of energy emerged as the most central symptoms. The strongest cross-diagnostic association was observed between anticipatory fear and depressed mood. Within diagnostic domains, the strongest associations were found between uncontrollable worry and excessive worrying (anxiety), loss of energy and appetite change (depression), and war-related intrusive thoughts and hypervigilance (PTSD). In the female network, psychomotor agitation or retardation and suicidal ideation were the most central symptoms. The strongest cross-diagnostic association was between trouble relaxing and anhedonia. The strongest within-domain associations were observed between feeling anxious and being easily annoyed (anxiety), loss of energy and depressed mood (depression), and war-related intrusive thoughts and reminders of war (PTSD). Conclusions Identifying gender-specific core symptoms and both within- and cross-diagnostic associations in this vulnerable population is crucial to inform targeted interventions and reduce comorbidity.

Urban communities face rising flood risks, highlighting the need to identify the factors that shape mitigation actions across diverse socio-spatial contexts. This study applies a configurational theory to examine how objective and subjective aspects of Flood Risk Perception (FRP) interact to jointly influence mitigation actions. Based on an online survey of 392 respondents in BouSaâda, a semi-arid Algerian city, a theoretical framework was developed and validated using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that objective risk perceptions are the primary drivers of mitigation strategies, whereas subjective perceptions predominantly drive non-structural measures. Complementing these findings, fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) reveals that high mitigation levels in planned areas stem from 11 distinct configurations of objective and subjective conditions, whereas only three sufficient pathways emerge in unplanned areas. Insights from six semi-structured interviews further corroborate and clarify these patterns. The findings inform an actionable framework for optimizing context-specific interventions to strengthen urban flood resilience across diverse settings.

The unique mechanical properties of polymeric and textile fabrics made them demanded in various industrial applications. This is in addition to their economical price and industrial availability. However, their inferior thermal stability and higher flammability hazards due to their organic composition limited their utilization. Therefore, flame retardant fillers have to be incorporated in their composite to improve thermal stability and fire safety properties and in the meanwhile maintain their mechanical properties. Interestingly, halloysite nanotubes as abundant and cost-effective inorganic nanotubes with special structure and lumen cavity are considered as effective flame-retardant materials for polymeric and textile fabrics. Halloysite nanotubes can be used as flame retardant filler to polymeric materials and textile alone, however affording efficient flame retardancy action when used as halloysite nanotube polymer-based composite. Additionally, halloysite nanotube-based polymer provide suppression to emission of toxic gases after combustion of polymeric or textile composite. Therefore, in this chapter halloysite nanotubes structure and characterization methods were studied. Also, their application as flame retardant tool for polymeric and textile fabrics was studied alone or polymer based. Moreover, their flame retardancy action was also studied and their economic feasibility was covered.

Objectives To evaluate the effect of a novel restorative approach using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a cavity pretreatment on the material fracture and retention (primary outcome) of direct composite fillings placed on cervical carious lesions (CCLs). Methods 45 patients presenting CCLs were screened and randomized into two groups containing 37 caries lesions/group: an untreated control (20 patients) and a DMSO-treated (25 patients) group. Following a parallel-study design, two calibrated operators placed 74 (n = 37) composite fillings (Filtek Z350XT, 3 M ESPE) using a 2-step etch-and-rinse adhesive (Single Bond 2, 3 M ESPE). After baseline assessments (7 days), fillings were evaluated at 12-, 24- and 36-month follow-ups according to the FDI criteria (fracture/retention, marginal staining, marginal adaptation, postoperative sensitivity and caries recurrence). For statistical analysis, Chi-Square and Cochran's Q tests were used (α = 0.05) following the Bonferroni correction. Results DMSO had significant effects on the clinical performance of composite fillings placed on CCLs according to the FDI criteria (p < 0.05). Success rates after 36 months of untreated and DMSO-treated cavities were 65 % and 89 %, respectively, with a 70 % lower risk of failure when using DMSO. DMSO significantly reduced post-operative sensitivity and marginal staining and improved retention rates after 36 months (p < 0.05). Conclusions Long-term clinical performance of composite fillings using simplified etch-and-rinse adhesives can be optimized by employing DMSO as a cavity pretreatment. Clinical significance The use of DMSO can be a simple clinical approach to improve post-operative sensitivity of composite fillings, reduce risk of failures and extend service life by producing more stable composite-tooth interfaces.