ABSTRACT Background. Hydrocephalus is a prevalent condition in children, affecting both developed and developing countries. Neurosurgical interventions such as ventriculoperitoneal shunts are common, but are associated with a high risk of complications, including infections, which can lead to additional issues and costs. This study aims to review the incidence of infection in pediatric patients before and after ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement, in order to address this issue. Methods. A standard process of analyzing scientific questions using the Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcome (PICO) method was used to develop a protocol for searching research articles in online databases such as PubMed, Cochrane, POPLINE, and Sciencedirect. The articles selected for inclusion in this study met the following criteria: 1) described interventional ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement in pediatrics, 2) focused on cases of ventriculoperitoneal shunt complications with a focus on infection, 3) were published within the last 10 years, and 4) were published in English-language journals with peer review standards. Results. Sixteen articles were identified for review. Seven of these articles mentioned surgical or mechanical interventions as a means of preventing infections, while six articles discussed medical treatment for infection prevention. Three articles described the microorganisms found in cerebrospinal fluid. Conclusion. Future studies should focus on the issues related to ventriculoperitoneal shunt complications and interventions related to immunological, neuroendocrine, and biophysical factors to prevent infections, as well as surgical management and medication administration. Keywords: infection, pediatrics, ventriculoperitoneal, shunt, cerebrospinal fluid

Laser cladding is considered as a strategic technique , since it can yield a surface layers that compared to other hard facing techniques, have superior properties in terms, of pureness , homogeneity , hardness, bonding and microstructure .

A clad layer of bronze (6:6:3) formed on Zl-105 Aluminum alloy surface using a high power CO2 CW laser . Effects of laser scanning rates on the quality of the produced clad layer studied . The microstructure of clad layer examined using optical and scanning electron microscope. The produced phases and chemical composition of clad layer analyzed using XRD and EDS. Microhadness profile indicated a significant improvement in the hardness of the bronze coating on Zl-105 Al

The battle against COVID-19 does not always end when recovery is declared. Many individuals confirmed recovered from COVID-19 continue to experience a variety of symptoms. The aim of this study was to shed more light on COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 symptoms in Libya. Two hundred and twenty Libyan individuals (58% female; 42% male), who recovered from COVID‐19, were asked to answer a questionnaire that was performed to inquire about the presence of COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 symptoms. Additionally, comorbidities and demographic data were included. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (20%), diabetes (16%), and lung disease (08%). The main COVID-19 symptoms were headache (56%), anosmia and ageusia (52%), Arthralgia (48%), cough (46%) and fever (41%). While the post-COVID-19 symptoms were fatigue (64%), sleep disorders (52%), insomnia, anxiety, depression (42%), and anosmia and ageusia (32%). Persistent COVID and its related long-term complications may continue to affect patients and their families.

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Using macroinvertebrate-based biotic indices and diversity indices to assess water quality: A case study on the Karasu Stream (Kastamonu, Türkiye)

İbrahim Küçükbasmacı, Abdulhamed M Omar Etriieki

Biomonitoring is an approach that uses indicators or sentinel species to assess the health or pollution of an environment, combining diversity based on specific taxonomic groups with the taxa’s indicator of pollution into a single index or score. Benthic macroinvertebrates are among the most preferred and valuable indicators of the biotic index. Our study aims to evaluate water quality and ecological status using biotic and diversity indices based on benthic macroinvertebrates. The macroinvertebrate samples used in this study were collected seasonally from 16 stations determined in Karasu Stream. These samples consist of 14747 specimens belonging to 9 orders and 40 families of Insecta, Malacostraca, Hirudinea and Oligochaeta. In addition, some physicochemical parameters were measured at the stations. The data obtained were analyzed using the Turkey-Biological Monitoring Working Group (TR-BMWP), Average Score per Taxon (ASPT), Family Biotic Index (FBI), Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) taxon richness index, and Shannon-Wiener (SWDI), Simpson (SDI) and Hill’s diversity indices. Our results showed that the last six stations of Karasu Stream were under pressure due to various anthropogenic effects. According to biotic indexes, the ecological quality status of the water in the stations was determined to be High or Good in the first ten stations and Average, Poor, or Bad in the last six stations. The results of our study showed that TR-BMWP, FBI, and EPT indices are more reliable in determining water quality than the ASPT index and reflect the environmental situation better. Since the TR-BMWP index is adapted to macroinvertebrate taxa distributed in Türkiye, it can be used as a suitable tool for evaluating other rivers’ water quality in Türkiye.

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Using macroinvertebrate‐based biotic indices and diversity indices to assess water quality: A case study on the Karasu Stream (Kastamonu, Türkiye)

Abdulhamed M Omar Etriieki, İbrahim Küçükbasmacı

Ecohydrology, e2627, 2024

Biomonitoring is an approach that uses indicators or sentinel species to assess the health or pollution of an environment, combining diversity based on specific taxonomic groups with the taxa's indicator of pollution into a single index or score. Benthic macroinvertebrates are among the most preferred and valuable indicators of the biotic index. Our study aims to evaluate water quality and ecological status using biotic and diversity indices based on benthic macroinvertebrates. The macroinvertebrate samples used in this study were collected seasonally from 16 stations determined in Karasu Stream. These samples consist of 14,747 specimens belonging to 9 orders and 40 families of Insecta, Malacostraca, Hirudinea and Oligochaeta. In addition, some physicochemical parameters were measured at the stations. The data obtained were analysed using the Turkey‐Biological Monitoring Working Group (TR‐BMWP), Average Score per Taxon (ASPT), Family Biotic Index (FBI), Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) taxon richness index, and Shannon–Wiener, Simpson and Hill's diversity indices. Our results showed that the last six stations of Karasu Stream were under pressure due to various anthropogenic effects. According to biotic indexes, the ecological quality status of the water in the stations was determined to be high or good in the first 10 stations and average, poor or bad in the last 6 stations. The results of our study showed that TR‐BMWP, FBI and EPT indices are more reliable in determining water quality than the ASPT index and reflect the environmental situation better. Since the TR‐BMWP index is adapted to macroinvertebrate taxa distributed in Türkiye, it can be used as a suitable tool for evaluating other rivers' water quality in Türkiye.