Halla H Elshwekh | ICGEB-Trieste (original) (raw)

Conference Presentations by Halla H Elshwekh

cells, 2024

Our study focused on assessing the effects of three newly identified BRCA1 exon 11 variants (c.10... more Our study focused on assessing the effects of three newly identified BRCA1 exon 11 variants (c.1019T>C, c.2363T>G, and c.3192T>C) on breast cancer susceptibility. Using computational predictions and experimental splicing assays, we evaluated their potential as pathogenic mutations. Our in silico analyses suggested that the c.2363T>G and c.3192T>C variants could impact both splicing and protein function, resulting in the V340A and V788G mutations, respectively. We further examined their splicing effects using minigene assays in MCF7 and SKBR3 breast cancer cell lines. Interestingly, we found that the c.2363T>G variant significantly altered splicing patterns in MCF7 cells but not in SKBR3 cells. This finding suggests a potential influence of cellular context on the variant's effects. While attempts to correlate in silico predictions with RNA binding factors were inconclusive, this observation underscores the complexity of splicing regulation. Splicing is governed by various factors, including cellular contexts and protein interactions, making it challenging to predict outcomes accurately. Further research is needed to fully understand the functional consequences of the c.2363T>G variant in breast cancer pathogenesis. Integrating computational predictions with experimental data will provide valuable insights into the role of alternative splicing regulation in different breast cancer types and stages.

COVID-19 has affected all aspects of human life so far. From the outset of the pandemic, preventi... more COVID-19 has affected all aspects of human life so far. From the outset of the pandemic, preventing the spread of COVID-19 through the observance of health protocols, especially the use of sanitizers and disinfectants was given more attention. Despite the effectiveness of disinfection chemicals in controlling and preventing COVID-19, there are critical concerns about their adverse effects on human health. This study aims to assess the health effects of sanitizers and disinfectants on a global scale. A total of 91056 participants from 154 countries participated in this cross-sectional study through an electronic questionnaire. Results implied that detergents (67%), alcohol-based materials (56%), and chlorinated compounds (32%) were the most commonly used types of sanitizers and disinfectants. Most frequently reported health issues include skin complications 48.8% and respiratory complications 29.8%. The Chi-square test showed a signi cant association between chlorinated compounds with all possible health complications under investigation (p-value < 0.001). Examination of risk factors based on multivariate regression analysis showed that alcohols-based materials were associated with skin complications (OR, 1.98; 95%CI, 1.87-2.09), per-chlorine was associated with eye complications (OR, 1.83; 95%CI, 1.74-1.93), and highly likely with itching and throat irritation (OR, 2.00; 95%CI, 1.90-2.11). Furthermore, formaldehyde was associated with a higher prevalence of neurological complications (OR, 2.17; 95%CI, 1.92-2.44). The ndings of the current study suggest that health authorities need to implement more awareness programs about the side effects of using sanitizers and disinfectants during viral epidemics.

Juniper Online Journal of Public Health, 0

Background: The pre-vaccination survey is considered an important tool for assessing and evaluati... more Background: The pre-vaccination survey is considered an important tool for assessing and evaluating knowledge, attitudes and determine vaccine hesitancy. Throughout many decades the world had faced a challenge in fighting against the endemic, epidemic, and pandemic diseases that have been emerging and re-emerging special those that constitute a great potential risk on humanity's life. Still, after more than one year and half of scientific milestones of COVID-19 pandemic, there are many countries scarifying and struggling to mitigate the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 among their societies. Objectives: Our study was conduct to address, assessing and evaluate COVID-19 vaccine literacy (VL) prior to and during the vaccination campaign in Libya. Material and Methods: The cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted during April 2021 one week prior COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Libya. All relevant data was obtained and collected by online and face-to-face interview. The sampling method with an online Microsoft form questionnaire resulted in collecting only 33 valid questionnaires. Further, the survey carried out also during vaccination campaign however, any participants who had already taken the COVID-19 vaccine were not indorsed in questionnaire survey. Results: A total of 243 participants were involved in this study. The overall response rate (45.6%). This study enrolled (58.8%) and (41.2%) of participants from male and female respectively. Considering the age classes, the results revealed that (35%, 18-30 year), (43.6%, 31-50 year), (18.5%, 51-65 year) and (>65 year, 2.9%). The results revealed that, 29.2% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 25%-33.44%) of the respondents were confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection, while and 70.8% (95% CI: 66.56%-75%) participants were not sure if they had contracted the virus. Regarding the recurrent COVID-19 infection, our questionnaire survey reported that, at least 5.8% (95% CI: 3.60%-7.92%) of the respondents had got infected twice by SRAS-CoV-2. Regarding the currently available COVID-19 vaccines (Sputnik V, AstraZeneca and Sinovac) in the country, the vast majority (43.2%) of the participants, they would like to prefer the Sputnik V, followed by (19.3%) AstraZeneca and (2.5%) Sinovac vaccines, while (35%) of the respondents refused to be vaccinated by three of these vaccines that have been provided by the Libyan healthy authorities under the supervision of NCDC. A proximately 33% (95% CI: 28.56%-37.28%) of the respondents refused to be vaccinated due to mistrust in the vaccine safety. Clearly, the vaccine safety was the main cause for the refuse and delay time of the vaccination from the most of the population. Conclusion: Our study highlights that, the vaccine hesitancy is underestimated issue in Libya, and clearly there is misleading and misinformation about SARS-CoV-2 from unauthorized media sources. According to the metadata analysis of high efficacy, safety and successes of COVID-19 vaccines for mitigate and minimize both the case fatality rate (CFT) and transmission rate across the entire of the global, still there is a controversies around potential safety concerns of the COVID-19 vaccines. Urgently, the Libyan healthy authority needs to enforce the public health education about vaccine safety, and Libyan healthy authorities should be implement an effective vaccination strategies that complement with international standard criteria for the vaccination policy to improve the vaccination efficacy and the vaccine coverage rate. Consequently, The Libya national deployment and vaccination plan for the COVID-19 vaccine should implement National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) in every municipality for collecting and processing information, and producing periodic reports during COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Clinical Research and Reviews ·, 0

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a major acute metabolic complication of type I diabete... more Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a major acute metabolic complication of type I diabetes mellitus but may occur in type II diabetes during severe stressful conditions. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical profile of DKA patients admitted to the National Diabetes and Endocrine Center in Tripoli, Libya, during 2015. Patients and methods: The profiles of 490 patients admitted with DKA were retrospectively studied. All the data was collected from the patient files. Results: Most of the patients (91.6%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. The mean age was 35.9 years. DKA was more common among young males with type I diabetes. The average duration of diabetes disease of the patient when admitted with DKA was 16.8 ± 8.2 years. The frequencies of patients admitted with mild, moderate or severe diabetic ketoacidosis were 49.8%, 32.7% and 17.8%, respectively. The most frequent causes of admission were insulin omission (21.8%), infection (20.2%), and wrong dose (11%). The cause of DKA was not known for 29.8% of the patients. DKA was more common among young males, and the rate increased with longer duration of the condition. Most of the patients (93.1%) were discharged in good health, and mortality was 0.6%. Conclusion: Males and patients with a long duration of diabetes disease are more prone to develop DKA. The common causes of DKA were unknown in our study; however, admission of individuals with less serious illness, insulin omission, and infection may contribute to the development of DKA.

Background: Hyponatremia associated with COVID-19 is considered an independent risk factor for a ... more Background: Hyponatremia associated with COVID-19 is considered an independent risk factor for a prolonged hospital stay, intensive care admission, and death, but its causes and treatment are not yet well known. Many workers attribute hyponatremia associated with COVID-19 to acute kidney injury and nephropathy associated with the disease. Others suggest that it is related to the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, sepsis, or hypothalamicpituitary dysfunction. We report a case of persistent acute hyponatremia in a COVID-19 patient with multifactorial etiology. Case presentation: A managed 77 years with known hypertension, type II DM, ischemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease (stage 3B and on treatment) presented with post-COVID-19 pneumonia, confusion, fever, generalized fatigability, dizziness, and lower limb edema. COVID-19 ad has been diagnosed two weeks earlier with a positive nasopharyngeal swab and was managed with dexamethasone, 10 mg oral for 10 days, azithromycin, 500 mg once orally, and levofl oxacin, 500 mg once orally. At presentation, laboratory investigation showed hyponatremia (127.7 mg/dl). Conclusion: The etiology of hyponatremia associated with COVID-19 is diff erent from that in other cases of hyponatremia and its management should be individualized according to patient history and clinical assessment, and eff ort is needed to determine the exact cause. etiology; sepsis and hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction have also been suggested [6]. We report a case of persistent hyponatremia post-COVID-19 with multifactorial etiology. Case presentation A 77-years-old man presented as a case of post-COVID-19 secondary pneumonia with cough, fever, generalized fatigability, dizziness, and lower limb edema. He had hypertension and has been treated with valsartan and thiazide, as well as type II diabetes mellitus being treated with diamecrone and acarbose tablets. He was also known to have ischemic heart disease post stenting and was on aspirin, atorvastatin, and concor. Moreover, he was receiving feboxstate for gout arthritis, had benign prostatic hypertrophy, osteoarthritis post bilateral total knee replacement, and was being treated for stage 3B chronic kidney disease. His COVID-19 infection was diagnosed by a positive nasopharyngeal swab two weeks before the presentation

Papers by Halla H Elshwekh

Juniper online journal of public health, Jun 25, 2021

medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Oct 13, 2023

doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by pee... more doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.

https://www.hspioa.org/, 2022

Journal of clinical nephrology, May 16, 2022

Research Square (Research Square), Dec 15, 2022

Journal of clinical nephrology, May 16, 2022

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

Hemodialysis patients are at a greater risk of severe disease from COVID-19. Of the 600 maintenan... more Hemodialysis patients are at a greater risk of severe disease from COVID-19. Of the 600 maintenance hemodialysis patients who were regular attendees at the Tripoli Hemodialysis Center in Tripoli, Libya, 12 patients contracted COVID-19 infection. Their ages ranged between 48 and 80 years, 3 of them were females (25%), and 4 (33.3%) had a history of contact with an infected person. The most common symptoms were fever (66.7%), dry cough (66.7%), dyspnea (91.7%) and fatigue (83.3%). Computed tomography of the chest showed radiological features of COVID-19 pneumonia, ground-glass opacities and consolidation in the lungs of all patients. Four of the patients died (33.3%). COVID-19 is a serious comorbidity for maintenance hemodialysis patients and is associated with a high mortality rate. Where no specific guidance for operation exist, guidelines should be developed or existing guidelines such as those of the CDC should be adapted to the local context. Funding: None to declare. Declaration of Interest: None to declare. Ethical Approval: Ethical approval was obtained from Bioethics Committee at Biotechnology Research Center (BEC-BTRC 18-2021).

European Journal of Human Genetics

Sponsorship: Publication of this supplement was sponsored by the European Society of Human Geneti... more Sponsorship: Publication of this supplement was sponsored by the European Society of Human Genetics. All content was reviewed and approved by the ESHG Scientific Programme Committee, which held full responsibility for the abstract selections. Disclosure Information: In order to help readers, form their own judgments of potential bias in published abstracts, authors are asked to declare any competing financial interests. Contributions of up to EUR 10 000.-(Ten thousand Euros, or equivalent value in kind) per year per company are considered "Modest". Contributions above EUR 10 000.-per year are considered "Significant".

Diabetes & metabolic syndrome, 2021

BACKGROUND Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a major acute metabolic complication of type I diabetes... more BACKGROUND Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a major acute metabolic complication of type I diabetes mellitus but may occur in type II diabetes during severe stressful conditions. AIM The aim of this study was to describe the clinical profile of DKA patients admitted to the National Diabetes and Endocrine Center in Tripoli, Libya, during 2015. PATIENTS AND METHODS The profiles of 490 patients admitted with DKA were retrospectively studied. All the data was collected from the patient files. RESULTS Most of the patients (91.6%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. The mean age was 35.9 years. DKA was more common among young males with type I diabetes. The average duration of diabetes disease of the patient when admitted with DKA was 16.8 ± 8.2 years. The frequencies of patients admitted with mild, moderate or severe diabetic ketoacidosis were 49.8%, 32.7% and 17.8%, respectively. The most frequent causes of admission were insulin omission (21.8%), infection (20.2%), and wrong dose (...

cells, 2024

Juniper Online Journal of Public Health, 0

Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Clinical Research and Reviews ·, 0

Juniper online journal of public health, Jun 25, 2021

medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Oct 13, 2023

https://www.hspioa.org/, 2022

Journal of clinical nephrology, May 16, 2022

Research Square (Research Square), Dec 15, 2022

Journal of clinical nephrology, May 16, 2022

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

European Journal of Human Genetics

Diabetes & metabolic syndrome, 2021

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a major acute metabolic complication of type I diabetes mellitus but may... more Diabetic ketoacidosis is a major acute metabolic complication of type I diabetes mellitus but may occur in type II diabetes during severe stressful conditions such as trauma, surgery, or infection. We retrospectively studied the profiles of 490 patients admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis to the National Diabetes Hospital in Tripoli, Libya, during 2015. Most of the patients (91.6%) had been admitted to the intensive care unit. The mean age was 35.9 ± 17.5 years standard deviation. Diabetic ketoacidosis was more common among young males with type I diabetes but it was also observed among persons with type II diabetes. The average duration of diabetes was 16.8 ± 8.2 years. The frequencies of patients admitted with mild, moderate or severe diabetic ketoacidosis were 49.8%, 32.7% and 17.8%, respectively. The most frequent causes of admission were insulin omission (21.8%), infection (20.2%), wrong dose (11%). The cause was not known for 29.8% of the patients. New cases of diabetes repres...

AlQalam Journal of Medical and Applied Sciences (AJMAS), 2022

Background and aims. The burden of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV... more Background and aims. The burden of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is also known as COVID-19 has been increasing worldwide, and causes many disabilities and deaths. Diabetes is a major risk factor contributing to the severity of illness and mortality from COVID-19. This study aimed to describe presenting, risk factors, and the clinical characteristics and outcomes of diabetic patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Methods. A descriptive case series study was conducted in the Tajuora Rapid response team. Data was collected from patients with a history of diabetes, after taking verbal consent during May and June of 2021. A specific questionnaire was used to collect information including demographic data, diabetes status, comorbidities, clinical symptoms, blood tests, radiographical assessments, and outcomes of COVID-19. SPSS 21 package program was used for statistical analysis. Results. A total of 57 patients with confirmed COVID-19 presentations had diabetes. The majority of these patients are female, 31 (54.4%), and had a mean age (SD) of 64(±11.99) years and a mean duration of diabetes of 1(±6.83) year. Most patients in the study had Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), 44 (77.2%), with only 22.8% overall having Type 1 diabetes (n=13). 12.3% of patients displayed evidence of good glycemic control of their diabetes during the 4-12 weeks preceding sickness. 37 patients (64.9%) had other comorbidities including hypertension, ischemic heart disease, dyslipidemia, chronic renal failure, bronchial asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. 41 patients (71.9%) are treated with insulin. During illness, all patients had a positive PCR result. Most patients, 64.6% (n=37), displayed a positive Chest HRCT scan. 38 patients (66.7%) had positive blood test results. 40 patients (70.2% of patients) were presented with more than three symptoms such as flue like symptoms, dyspnea, productive cough, diarrhea, and vomiting. First Laboratory data of the patients after diagnosis: (Mean ± SD) HBA1C 9.78(±9.93) %, white blood cell 9.38±3.72 (103/μL), lymphopenia 14.12(±10.38) %, D-dimer 3.09 (±9.032) μg/ml, Ferritin 580.31 (±815.75) mg/dl, CRP 81.82 (±92.26) mg/L, urea 42.02(±26.15) mg/dl. 71.9% (n=41) of patients received home management, and 34 (59.5%) needed oxygen therapy at home, 16 patients (28.1%) were transferred to the hospital for deterioration in their condition, and 10(17.5%) of them died due to complications of this diseases. The death rates from COVID-19 infection increase significantly with increasing age of diabetic patients, duration of diabetes-and more in the males. Conclusion. Diabetes is considered a comorbidity as diabetic patients that showed more than three COVID-19 symptoms had critical clinical outcomes such as ICU admission and death Cite this article.

International Journal of Medical and Biomedical Studies

Background and objectives: The increasing incidence of COVID-19 continues to cause distress, conc... more Background and objectives: The increasing incidence of COVID-19 continues to cause distress, concern, and anxiety amongst the public, mostly for healthcare workers, as they are the most vulnerable individuals at risk of contracting this new SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. This study measured levels of knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19 among health care workers in Libya. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Libya between April 22 and June 16, 2020 using online pre-validate questionnaire. A total of 272 valid participants from 28.7% nurses, 25.3% physicians, 34.2% pharmacists, and 11.8% other health care workers, were included. Results: The majority of respondents (54.4%) were from the western part of Libya, and most of participants (41.2%) used international health websites as a source of information. Most of the participants (89.3%) perceived that they had adequate knowledge about COVID-19, and (95.6%) of respondents affirmed that COVID-19 can be ...

Background and objectives: Even with the widespread repetition of organizing events and conferenc... more Background and objectives: Even with the widespread repetition of organizing events and conferences by hosting organizations, little is known about the influence of such meeting on attendee’s satisfaction. However, up to our knowledge, there is no exploratory survey measured the satisfaction of conference attendees in Libya. Hence, this study sought to reveal the that impact of the effectiveness of conference messages on the attendee's satisfaction. Methods: A self-report survey designed to assess satisfaction with conference attributes was completed by 78 attendees following their participation in the 3rd Libyan conference on medical and pharmaceutical sciences held in Libya. The questionnaires were circulated through personal contact with respondents at the conference. Results: Based on data analysis, the lowest mean values ranging between “Poor satisfaction” and “fair” (from 2.8 to 3.4) have the attributes: networking, venue of the conference, and the new knowledge. Furthermo...