The purpose of this paper is to explore how gender diverse leadership and governance of health sy... more The purpose of this paper is to explore how gender diverse leadership and governance of health systems may contribute to the Health for Peace Agenda. Despite recent momentum, the evidence base to support, implement and evaluate ‘Health for Peace’ programmes remains limited and policy-makers in conflict settings do not consider peace when developing and implementing interventions and health policies. Through this analysis, we found that gender diverse leadership in health systems during active conflict offers greater prospects for sustainable peace and more equitable social economic recovery in the post-conflict period. Therefore, focusing on gender diversity of leadership and governance in health systems strengthening offers a novel way of linking peace and health, particularly in active conflict settings. While components of health systems are beginning to incorporate a gender lens, there remains significant room for improvement particularly in complex and protracted conflicts. Two...
Additional file 2: Appendix 2. List of categories, themes, codes, as well as the number of studie... more Additional file 2: Appendix 2. List of categories, themes, codes, as well as the number of studies that included each code based on thematic analysis of studies included in the scoping review.
and on behalf of R4HC-MENA In an ecology of war, as experienced in the Middle East and North Afri... more and on behalf of R4HC-MENA In an ecology of war, as experienced in the Middle East and North Africa region, health research faces several interrelated challenges: de-prioritization, paucity in the generation of reliable data, and its securitization. This directly contributes to local knowledge subjugation and research waste as local narratives are disqualified in favor of institutionalized and privileged global unitary knowledge. Huge efforts that require political will and commitment, coupled with multidisciplinary approaches and sustainable collaborations between researchers and humanitarian workers at the local, regional and global levels, are indispensable to give more space for the abandoned local knowledge in order to have contextualized and more impactful interventions where more lives are saved.
Background: Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women ... more Background: Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women in the the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Conflict and political instability in the region may affect medical research output, including that on breast cancer. This scoping review aims to systematically identify and map breast cancer publications across different stages of the cancer care pathway and across conflict-affected countries within the MENA region. The findings of this work will highlight the impact of conflict on cancer research that could be mitigated with the proper contextualised capacity strengthening intervention. Methods: We followed the PRISMA-Scr methodology. We searched for peer-reviewed publications on topics related to breast cancer in 11 databases: Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, PROQUEST, CINAHL, Global Index Medicus, Arab World Searches Complete, Popline, Scopus and Google Scholar using both controlled vocabulary and keywords. Publication abstracts and full-text versions were screened for duplicates and included in our study based on pre-specified eligibility criteria: focused on breast cancer, related to the specific country of analysis and human or health system studies. We used a structured data extraction form to extract information related to the article, its methodology and the cancer care pathway being studied. Results: A total of 19,215 citations were retrieved from our search. After removing duplicates, a total of 8,622 articles remained. Title and abstract screening retained 1,613 articles. Publications with first author affiliations to Turkey were consistently the highest across all categories of the cancer care pathway. Trends show an increase in articles from Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine after 2015. Early exploratory and epidemiological studies represented the majority of breast cancer research, followed by policy and implementation research and lastly experimental research. Most research conducted followed an observational study design. Important gaps were identified in the research output related to advanced breast cancer and palliative care (Libya, Syria and Yemen), mental health (Libya), and knowledge and education of breast cancer (Libya and Syria). Conclusion: This scoping review has identified key areas in breast cancer research that lack significant research activity in conflict MENA settings. These areas, including but are not limited to palliative care, mental health, and education, can be prioritised and developed through regional collaboration and contextualised capacity strengthening initiatives.
Background It is estimated that over 40 percent of the half a million humanitarian workers who pr... more Background It is estimated that over 40 percent of the half a million humanitarian workers who provide frontline care during emergencies, wars and disasters, are women. Women are at the forefront of improving health for conflict-affected populations through service delivery, education and capacity strengthening, advocacy and research. Women are also disproportionately affected by conflict and humanitarian emergencies. The growing evidence base demonstrating excess female morbidity and mortality reflects the necessity of evaluating the role of women in leadership driving health research, policy and programmatic interventions in conflict-related humanitarian contexts. Despite global commitments to improving gender equality, the issue of women leaders in conflict and humanitarian health has been given little or no attention.Methods A desk-based literature review of academic and grey sources was conducted followed by thematic analysis.Results There is very limited evidence on women lead...
Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global phenomenon; however, its link to wa... more Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global phenomenon; however, its link to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) remains underexplored, particularly in health care facilities where humanitarian crises prevail. Objective This study aimed to identify AMR bacteria in samples collected from WASH services in 2 hospitals in Gaza and to investigate the presence of AMR genes. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study to detect and identify antimicrobial resistance bacteria was conducted. Random samples from water, wastewater, soap, and surface swabs (n=345) were collected from Al-Shifa and European Gaza hospitals and screened for the presence of Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcusaureus. Antimicrobial susceptibility, extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production, carbapenem resistance, and AMR genes were investigated. Results High levels of bacterial contamination were detected in water and surface swab samples with an overall perc...
The essential oils of unripe and ripe berries have been obtained by hydrodistillation and identif... more The essential oils of unripe and ripe berries have been obtained by hydrodistillation and identified u sing GC/MS revealing significant difference in compositions be tween the two essential oils. Thirty two compounds (86%) and thirty compounds (86.81%) have been identified in t he unripe and ripe barriers essential oils respecti vely. While trans-nerolidol (23.76%), (Z,E)-farnesol (22.2%), a nd α-pinene (21.8%) have been the major compounds of the unripe berries’ essential oil, α- pinene (44%) has been the major compound of the ripe berries’ essential oil in addition to other compounds like β- myrcene (6.99%), (E,E)-farnesol (4.66%), and β- pinene (4.57 %). The antioxidant activities of the essential oils of gre en and ripe barriers, in addition to that of the po sitive control Butylated hydroxyltoulene (BHT) have been employed using 2, 2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free r adical scavenging method. The results reveal limited antio xidant activities of the two essential oils co...
The essential oils of unripe and ripe berries have be n obtained by hydrodistillation and identif... more The essential oils of unripe and ripe berries have be n obtained by hydrodistillation and identified u sing GC/MS revealing significant difference in compositions be tw en the two essential oils. Thirty two compounds (86%) and thirty compounds (86.81%) have been identified in t he unripe and ripe barriers essential oils respecti v ly. While trans-nerolidol (23.76%), (Z,E)-farnesol (22.2%), a nd α-pinene (21.8%) have been the major compounds of th e unripe berries’ essential oil, αpinene (44%) has been the major compound of the r ipe berries’ essential oil in addition to other compounds like βmyrcene (6.99%), (E,E)-farnesol (4.66%), and βpinene (4.57 %). The antioxidant activities of the essential oils of gre en and ripe barriers, in addition to that of the po sitive control Butylated hydroxyltoulene (BHT) have been employed using 2, 2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free r adical scavenging method. The results reveal limited antio xidant activities of the two essential oils compar...
The total phenolic and flavonoidal content of the ethanolic extract of Micromeria fruticosa was d... more The total phenolic and flavonoidal content of the ethanolic extract of Micromeria fruticosa was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) and aluminum chloride spectrophotometric methods. Quantitative High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used for the identification and quantification of each phenolic compound present in the extract. Chlorgenic acid, Naringenin, quercetin and ellagic acid were found to be the major phenolic compounds of the extract. The antioxidant activity of the extract was tested using the DPPH scavenging assay. The extract has shown a strong scavenging activity with an IC50 = 50 μg/mL compared to the synthetic antioxidant Butylated HydroxyToluene (BHT) (IC50 = 91.40 μg/mL). The antimicrobial activity was carried out using screening test and broth micro dilution method against Staphylococcus aureas (ATCC 6538), Esherichia coli (ATCC 8739) Pseudomonas aureginosa (ATCC 9027 Candida albicans (ATCC 10231) and pathogenic Aspirigillus niger. The extract has...
The present study was designed to define the phenol ic profile, flavonoid profile and the biologi... more The present study was designed to define the phenol ic profile, flavonoid profile and the biological potentials of the ethanol extract of the berries of Juniperus excelsa growing in Lebanon. A total of 11 phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, vanilic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, sinapic acid, ellagic ac id, myrcetin, and hesperitin were identified and quantified in Juniperus excelsa using Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC). The ethanolic extract of the berries of J. excelsa was examined for the antioxidant activity using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. The extract showed a strong scavenging activity with an IC 50 48.90 µg/ml compared to the synthetic antioxidant butylate dhydroxyltoluene (BHT) (IC 50 91.40 µg/ml). This strong antioxidant activity can be attr ibuted to the total phenolic content (17.95mg/g of extract) and the tot al flavonoidal content (3.817mg/g of extract) of the extract that were determined usi ng the Foli...
Background Fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) have a strong need to improve the capaci... more Background Fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) have a strong need to improve the capacity of local health workers to conduct health research in order to improve health policy and health outcomes. Health research capacity building (HRCB) programmes are ideal to equip health workers with the needed skills and knowledge to design and lead health-related research initiatives. The study aimed to review the characteristics of HRCB studies in FCASs in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and to recommend future directions for the field. Methods We conducted a scoping review and searched four databases for peer-reviewed articles that reported an HRCB initiative targeting health workers in a FCAS and published after 2010. Commentaries and editorials, cross-sectional studies, presentations, and interventions that did not have a capacity building component were excluded. Data on bibliographies of the studies and HRCB interventions and their outcomes were extracted. A des...
The total phenolic and flavonoidal composition of the ethanolic extract of salvia libanotica was ... more The total phenolic and flavonoidal composition of the ethanolic extract of salvia libanotica was determined using the (FC) and aluminium chloride spectrophotometric methods. Quantitative HPLC was used for the identification and quantification of each phenolic compound present in the extract. Chlorgenic acid, Naringenin, quercetin and hesperetin were found to be the major phenolic compounds in the extract. The antioxidant activity of the extract was tested using the DPPH scavenging assay. The extract has shown a strong scavenging activity with an IC 50 = 8.73 μg/ml compared to the synthetic antioxidant BHT (IC 50 = 91.40 μg/ml).
In order to mimic nature’s highly energy efficient photosynthesis reaction, this work focuses on ... more In order to mimic nature’s highly energy efficient photosynthesis reaction, this work focuses on photochemical reactions using UV/visible light, metal based recyclable catalysts and metal free catalysts in flow to synthesize organic material that have pharmaceutical and industrial applications. The utilized microfluidic systems have small path lengths (500 μm) resulting in improved illumination. Using chemical actinometry, it was shown that ≈ 98% of the light supplied reached the reaction mixture inside the widely used Mikroglas® Dwell device. [2+2] cycloaddition, used in total synthesis, was tested in flow using a sensitizer under UV. The optimized reaction was quantitative after 2 h vs. 47% after 10 h in literature’s batch system. Metal free ATRP was assessed using the commercial Eosin Y in flow with green LEDs. Only 6 h of irradiation were enough to give narrow dispersed polymers that have wide applications (plastics, latex…). Metal free catalysts are of critical importance as th...
Background Management of cancer in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is accompanied ... more Background Management of cancer in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is accompanied by multiple challenges including heterogeneous access to early detection and treatment options and limited implementation of national cancer control plans. Furthermore, protracted armed conflicts across the region have had dramatic effects, including disruption of healthcare systems and the migration of healthcare professionals. Strengthening capacity for cancer research has been identified as a key intervention to correct data poverty, inform policy, manage limited resources and improve health outcomes. Objective The main objective of this study is to gain insights into the landscape, barriers and enablers of cancer training, research and care in the MENA region. Method We utilised purposive sampling to interview 16 key informants from a diverse academic, medical and research background originating from countries affected by conflicts, such as Lebanon, and from active conflict zones inc...
Background: It is estimated that by 2050, almost 70 percent of the global population will be resi... more Background: It is estimated that by 2050, almost 70 percent of the global population will be residing in urban areas. In recent years, cities have become central in tackling key urban challenges and have demonstrated greater flexibility in policymaking and innovation than national governments. Cities are currently more inclined to learn from each other via networks, partnerships, and pairings to develop solutions to many global challenges including pandemics such as COVID-19. Aim: To explore the role cities and city networks present in supporting urban resilience to pandemics focusing on conflict-affected settings. Methods: A desk-based literature review of academic and grey sources was conducted followed by thematic analysis. Results: Although most COVID-19 response plans have been developed and implemented by governments, the pandemic has revealed the significant potential for city networks in providing platforms for knowledge sharing and coordination of mitigation plans to addres...
The role of eHealth in conflict settings is increasingly important to address geographic, epidemi... more The role of eHealth in conflict settings is increasingly important to address geographic, epidemiologic and clinical disparities. This study categorizes various forms of eHealth usage in conflict and aims to identify gaps in evidence to make recommendations for further research and practice. The analysis was carried out via a narrative hermeneutic review methodology. Articles that fulfilled the following screening criteria were reviewed: (1) describing an eHealth intervention in active conflict or ongoing insurgency, (2) an eHealth intervention targeting a conflict-affected population, (3) an e-learning platform for delivery in conflict settings and (4) non-interventional descriptive reviews relating to eHealth in conflict. Of the 489 papers eligible for screening, 46 merited final inclusion. Conflict settings described include Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Chechnya, Gaza and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thirty-six studies described specific eHealth initia...
The purpose of this paper is to explore how gender diverse leadership and governance of health sy... more The purpose of this paper is to explore how gender diverse leadership and governance of health systems may contribute to the Health for Peace Agenda. Despite recent momentum, the evidence base to support, implement and evaluate ‘Health for Peace’ programmes remains limited and policy-makers in conflict settings do not consider peace when developing and implementing interventions and health policies. Through this analysis, we found that gender diverse leadership in health systems during active conflict offers greater prospects for sustainable peace and more equitable social economic recovery in the post-conflict period. Therefore, focusing on gender diversity of leadership and governance in health systems strengthening offers a novel way of linking peace and health, particularly in active conflict settings. While components of health systems are beginning to incorporate a gender lens, there remains significant room for improvement particularly in complex and protracted conflicts. Two...
Additional file 2: Appendix 2. List of categories, themes, codes, as well as the number of studie... more Additional file 2: Appendix 2. List of categories, themes, codes, as well as the number of studies that included each code based on thematic analysis of studies included in the scoping review.
and on behalf of R4HC-MENA In an ecology of war, as experienced in the Middle East and North Afri... more and on behalf of R4HC-MENA In an ecology of war, as experienced in the Middle East and North Africa region, health research faces several interrelated challenges: de-prioritization, paucity in the generation of reliable data, and its securitization. This directly contributes to local knowledge subjugation and research waste as local narratives are disqualified in favor of institutionalized and privileged global unitary knowledge. Huge efforts that require political will and commitment, coupled with multidisciplinary approaches and sustainable collaborations between researchers and humanitarian workers at the local, regional and global levels, are indispensable to give more space for the abandoned local knowledge in order to have contextualized and more impactful interventions where more lives are saved.
Background: Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women ... more Background: Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women in the the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Conflict and political instability in the region may affect medical research output, including that on breast cancer. This scoping review aims to systematically identify and map breast cancer publications across different stages of the cancer care pathway and across conflict-affected countries within the MENA region. The findings of this work will highlight the impact of conflict on cancer research that could be mitigated with the proper contextualised capacity strengthening intervention. Methods: We followed the PRISMA-Scr methodology. We searched for peer-reviewed publications on topics related to breast cancer in 11 databases: Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, PROQUEST, CINAHL, Global Index Medicus, Arab World Searches Complete, Popline, Scopus and Google Scholar using both controlled vocabulary and keywords. Publication abstracts and full-text versions were screened for duplicates and included in our study based on pre-specified eligibility criteria: focused on breast cancer, related to the specific country of analysis and human or health system studies. We used a structured data extraction form to extract information related to the article, its methodology and the cancer care pathway being studied. Results: A total of 19,215 citations were retrieved from our search. After removing duplicates, a total of 8,622 articles remained. Title and abstract screening retained 1,613 articles. Publications with first author affiliations to Turkey were consistently the highest across all categories of the cancer care pathway. Trends show an increase in articles from Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine after 2015. Early exploratory and epidemiological studies represented the majority of breast cancer research, followed by policy and implementation research and lastly experimental research. Most research conducted followed an observational study design. Important gaps were identified in the research output related to advanced breast cancer and palliative care (Libya, Syria and Yemen), mental health (Libya), and knowledge and education of breast cancer (Libya and Syria). Conclusion: This scoping review has identified key areas in breast cancer research that lack significant research activity in conflict MENA settings. These areas, including but are not limited to palliative care, mental health, and education, can be prioritised and developed through regional collaboration and contextualised capacity strengthening initiatives.
Background It is estimated that over 40 percent of the half a million humanitarian workers who pr... more Background It is estimated that over 40 percent of the half a million humanitarian workers who provide frontline care during emergencies, wars and disasters, are women. Women are at the forefront of improving health for conflict-affected populations through service delivery, education and capacity strengthening, advocacy and research. Women are also disproportionately affected by conflict and humanitarian emergencies. The growing evidence base demonstrating excess female morbidity and mortality reflects the necessity of evaluating the role of women in leadership driving health research, policy and programmatic interventions in conflict-related humanitarian contexts. Despite global commitments to improving gender equality, the issue of women leaders in conflict and humanitarian health has been given little or no attention.Methods A desk-based literature review of academic and grey sources was conducted followed by thematic analysis.Results There is very limited evidence on women lead...
Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global phenomenon; however, its link to wa... more Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global phenomenon; however, its link to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) remains underexplored, particularly in health care facilities where humanitarian crises prevail. Objective This study aimed to identify AMR bacteria in samples collected from WASH services in 2 hospitals in Gaza and to investigate the presence of AMR genes. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study to detect and identify antimicrobial resistance bacteria was conducted. Random samples from water, wastewater, soap, and surface swabs (n=345) were collected from Al-Shifa and European Gaza hospitals and screened for the presence of Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcusaureus. Antimicrobial susceptibility, extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production, carbapenem resistance, and AMR genes were investigated. Results High levels of bacterial contamination were detected in water and surface swab samples with an overall perc...
The essential oils of unripe and ripe berries have been obtained by hydrodistillation and identif... more The essential oils of unripe and ripe berries have been obtained by hydrodistillation and identified u sing GC/MS revealing significant difference in compositions be tween the two essential oils. Thirty two compounds (86%) and thirty compounds (86.81%) have been identified in t he unripe and ripe barriers essential oils respecti vely. While trans-nerolidol (23.76%), (Z,E)-farnesol (22.2%), a nd α-pinene (21.8%) have been the major compounds of the unripe berries’ essential oil, α- pinene (44%) has been the major compound of the ripe berries’ essential oil in addition to other compounds like β- myrcene (6.99%), (E,E)-farnesol (4.66%), and β- pinene (4.57 %). The antioxidant activities of the essential oils of gre en and ripe barriers, in addition to that of the po sitive control Butylated hydroxyltoulene (BHT) have been employed using 2, 2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free r adical scavenging method. The results reveal limited antio xidant activities of the two essential oils co...
The essential oils of unripe and ripe berries have be n obtained by hydrodistillation and identif... more The essential oils of unripe and ripe berries have be n obtained by hydrodistillation and identified u sing GC/MS revealing significant difference in compositions be tw en the two essential oils. Thirty two compounds (86%) and thirty compounds (86.81%) have been identified in t he unripe and ripe barriers essential oils respecti v ly. While trans-nerolidol (23.76%), (Z,E)-farnesol (22.2%), a nd α-pinene (21.8%) have been the major compounds of th e unripe berries’ essential oil, αpinene (44%) has been the major compound of the r ipe berries’ essential oil in addition to other compounds like βmyrcene (6.99%), (E,E)-farnesol (4.66%), and βpinene (4.57 %). The antioxidant activities of the essential oils of gre en and ripe barriers, in addition to that of the po sitive control Butylated hydroxyltoulene (BHT) have been employed using 2, 2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free r adical scavenging method. The results reveal limited antio xidant activities of the two essential oils compar...
The total phenolic and flavonoidal content of the ethanolic extract of Micromeria fruticosa was d... more The total phenolic and flavonoidal content of the ethanolic extract of Micromeria fruticosa was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) and aluminum chloride spectrophotometric methods. Quantitative High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used for the identification and quantification of each phenolic compound present in the extract. Chlorgenic acid, Naringenin, quercetin and ellagic acid were found to be the major phenolic compounds of the extract. The antioxidant activity of the extract was tested using the DPPH scavenging assay. The extract has shown a strong scavenging activity with an IC50 = 50 μg/mL compared to the synthetic antioxidant Butylated HydroxyToluene (BHT) (IC50 = 91.40 μg/mL). The antimicrobial activity was carried out using screening test and broth micro dilution method against Staphylococcus aureas (ATCC 6538), Esherichia coli (ATCC 8739) Pseudomonas aureginosa (ATCC 9027 Candida albicans (ATCC 10231) and pathogenic Aspirigillus niger. The extract has...
The present study was designed to define the phenol ic profile, flavonoid profile and the biologi... more The present study was designed to define the phenol ic profile, flavonoid profile and the biological potentials of the ethanol extract of the berries of Juniperus excelsa growing in Lebanon. A total of 11 phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, vanilic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, sinapic acid, ellagic ac id, myrcetin, and hesperitin were identified and quantified in Juniperus excelsa using Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC). The ethanolic extract of the berries of J. excelsa was examined for the antioxidant activity using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. The extract showed a strong scavenging activity with an IC 50 48.90 µg/ml compared to the synthetic antioxidant butylate dhydroxyltoluene (BHT) (IC 50 91.40 µg/ml). This strong antioxidant activity can be attr ibuted to the total phenolic content (17.95mg/g of extract) and the tot al flavonoidal content (3.817mg/g of extract) of the extract that were determined usi ng the Foli...
Background Fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) have a strong need to improve the capaci... more Background Fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) have a strong need to improve the capacity of local health workers to conduct health research in order to improve health policy and health outcomes. Health research capacity building (HRCB) programmes are ideal to equip health workers with the needed skills and knowledge to design and lead health-related research initiatives. The study aimed to review the characteristics of HRCB studies in FCASs in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and to recommend future directions for the field. Methods We conducted a scoping review and searched four databases for peer-reviewed articles that reported an HRCB initiative targeting health workers in a FCAS and published after 2010. Commentaries and editorials, cross-sectional studies, presentations, and interventions that did not have a capacity building component were excluded. Data on bibliographies of the studies and HRCB interventions and their outcomes were extracted. A des...
The total phenolic and flavonoidal composition of the ethanolic extract of salvia libanotica was ... more The total phenolic and flavonoidal composition of the ethanolic extract of salvia libanotica was determined using the (FC) and aluminium chloride spectrophotometric methods. Quantitative HPLC was used for the identification and quantification of each phenolic compound present in the extract. Chlorgenic acid, Naringenin, quercetin and hesperetin were found to be the major phenolic compounds in the extract. The antioxidant activity of the extract was tested using the DPPH scavenging assay. The extract has shown a strong scavenging activity with an IC 50 = 8.73 μg/ml compared to the synthetic antioxidant BHT (IC 50 = 91.40 μg/ml).
In order to mimic nature’s highly energy efficient photosynthesis reaction, this work focuses on ... more In order to mimic nature’s highly energy efficient photosynthesis reaction, this work focuses on photochemical reactions using UV/visible light, metal based recyclable catalysts and metal free catalysts in flow to synthesize organic material that have pharmaceutical and industrial applications. The utilized microfluidic systems have small path lengths (500 μm) resulting in improved illumination. Using chemical actinometry, it was shown that ≈ 98% of the light supplied reached the reaction mixture inside the widely used Mikroglas® Dwell device. [2+2] cycloaddition, used in total synthesis, was tested in flow using a sensitizer under UV. The optimized reaction was quantitative after 2 h vs. 47% after 10 h in literature’s batch system. Metal free ATRP was assessed using the commercial Eosin Y in flow with green LEDs. Only 6 h of irradiation were enough to give narrow dispersed polymers that have wide applications (plastics, latex…). Metal free catalysts are of critical importance as th...
Background Management of cancer in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is accompanied ... more Background Management of cancer in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is accompanied by multiple challenges including heterogeneous access to early detection and treatment options and limited implementation of national cancer control plans. Furthermore, protracted armed conflicts across the region have had dramatic effects, including disruption of healthcare systems and the migration of healthcare professionals. Strengthening capacity for cancer research has been identified as a key intervention to correct data poverty, inform policy, manage limited resources and improve health outcomes. Objective The main objective of this study is to gain insights into the landscape, barriers and enablers of cancer training, research and care in the MENA region. Method We utilised purposive sampling to interview 16 key informants from a diverse academic, medical and research background originating from countries affected by conflicts, such as Lebanon, and from active conflict zones inc...
Background: It is estimated that by 2050, almost 70 percent of the global population will be resi... more Background: It is estimated that by 2050, almost 70 percent of the global population will be residing in urban areas. In recent years, cities have become central in tackling key urban challenges and have demonstrated greater flexibility in policymaking and innovation than national governments. Cities are currently more inclined to learn from each other via networks, partnerships, and pairings to develop solutions to many global challenges including pandemics such as COVID-19. Aim: To explore the role cities and city networks present in supporting urban resilience to pandemics focusing on conflict-affected settings. Methods: A desk-based literature review of academic and grey sources was conducted followed by thematic analysis. Results: Although most COVID-19 response plans have been developed and implemented by governments, the pandemic has revealed the significant potential for city networks in providing platforms for knowledge sharing and coordination of mitigation plans to addres...
The role of eHealth in conflict settings is increasingly important to address geographic, epidemi... more The role of eHealth in conflict settings is increasingly important to address geographic, epidemiologic and clinical disparities. This study categorizes various forms of eHealth usage in conflict and aims to identify gaps in evidence to make recommendations for further research and practice. The analysis was carried out via a narrative hermeneutic review methodology. Articles that fulfilled the following screening criteria were reviewed: (1) describing an eHealth intervention in active conflict or ongoing insurgency, (2) an eHealth intervention targeting a conflict-affected population, (3) an e-learning platform for delivery in conflict settings and (4) non-interventional descriptive reviews relating to eHealth in conflict. Of the 489 papers eligible for screening, 46 merited final inclusion. Conflict settings described include Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Chechnya, Gaza and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thirty-six studies described specific eHealth initia...
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Papers by Nassim El Achi