Abstract Background: Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) remain one of the leading causes of morbidity and Published: June 15, 2026 hospitalization among preschool children worldwide. particularly in low- and middle- income countries. Vitamin D plays a crucial immunomodulatory role in respiratory health by enhancing innate immunity and maintaining epithelial barrier integrity. However, vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among children, including those living in sun- rich regions such as Libya. Objectives: This study aimed to assess serum vitamin D levels among preschool children admitted with ARTIs at Gharyan Central Teaching Hospital and to evaluate the association between vitamin D status, disease severity, and recurrence. Methods: A cross-sectional observation study was conducted among 100 preschool children aged 1-6 years admitted with clinically diagnosed ARTIs between January and December 2025. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 79 eligible participants were included in the final analysis. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were measured and categorized according to Endocrine Society guidelines. Associations between vitamin D levels, ARTIs severity, and recurrence were analysed using chi-square tests and logistic regression models. Results: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were highly prevalent, affecting 87.3% of the studied children. Although lower vitamin D levels were more frequently observed among children with moderate and severe ARTIs, the association with disease severity was not statistically significant (p=0.115). In contrast, a significant association was identified between low vitamin D levels and recurrent ARTIs (p=0.019). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among preschool children hospitalized with ARTIs and is significantly associated with recurrent infections. Improving vitamin D status may contribute to reducing the recurrence of ARTIs in this population.

This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory and lethal effects of root extracts of the Wild Rue plant (Peganum harmala L.) against the pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani under laboratory conditions. Two types of extracts (aqueous and alcoholic) were used at concentrations of (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). The results indicated that the effectiveness increased proportionally with the concentration. The inhibition rate of the aqueous extract reached 64.8% at a concentration of 20%, while the alcoholic extract was significantly superior, reaching 84% at the same concentration. Statistical analysis confirmed highly significant differences between concentrations (P < 0.001) as determined by one-way ANOVA, while two-way ANOVA showed extract type, concentration, and their interaction were significant factors, explaining approximately 85% of the total variance. The study concluded that the alcoholic extract is more effective than the aqueous one in inhibiting R. solani, making it a promising option for fungal control as a safe alternative to chemical pesticides.

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide contagious disease of humans and other warm-blooded animals, including birds. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite responsible for Toxoplasmosis disease, which is clinically manifested chiefly in pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. Clinical complications include abortion and stillbirths, encephalitis, pneumonia, brain and eye damage, and neonatal mortality. The genus Toxoplasma was first proposed in 1908 by Nicolle and Manceaux following the identification of asexual stages of similar parasites in the tissues of birds and mammals, and merozoites in the blood of North African rodents, Ctenodactylus gundi. At about the same time, Splendore independently described Toxoplasma in laboratory rabbits in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Darling probably found it in man in Panama in the same year. Although several species were named, during the 1930s, it was shown that these were identical to the type species T. gondii. During the 1960, scientists provided evidence for the coccidian nature of the parasite. Then, between 1960 and 1970, the heterogeneous life cycle was elucidated by the discovery of sexual stages in the small intestine of cats, which followed the induction of infection in intermediate hosts by inoculation with cat feces. This review seeks to study the parasite and its responsibility to cause disease, condition prevalence, clinical manifestations accompanied by infection, and treatment protocols.

The present research examines the effect of nuclear energy consumption, financial globalization, nuclear energy technology research and development (R&D) budget on the environmental quality in the context of France. The load capacity factor (LCF) is employed as a novel proxy for environmental sustainability, explaining how human actions affect environmental sustainability and how nature compensates human induced damage. Using the novel approach of Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag, the findings of this study show that: (i) the load capacity curve (LCC) hypothesis is valid (ii) Nuclear energy consumption and nuclear energy technology R&D promote the environmental quality by increasing LCF. (iii) The financial globalization (overall, de jure, and de facto) has a positive influence on LCF, suggesting the positive role of financial globalization in boosting environmental sustainability in France. This study presents vital policy implications that can assist policymakers in France in achieving their environmental sustainability objectives.