Human adenoviruses have been studied extensively in cell culture and have been a model for studies in molecular, cellular, and medical biology. However, much less is known about adenovirus replication and pathogenesis in vivo in a permissive host because of the lack of an adequate animal model. Presently, the most frequently used permissive immunocompetent animal model for human adenovirus infe...

Seasonal mammals use the photoperiodic variation in the nocturnal production of the pineal hormone melatonin to synchronize their reproductive activity with seasons. In rodents, the (SD) short day profile of melatonin secretion has long been proven to inhibit reproductive activity. Lately, we demonstrated that melatonin regulates the expression of the hypothalamic peptides kisspeptins (Kp) and ...

Background Recent reports have suggested that child marriage among Syrians may be increasing as a result of displacement and conflict. This study sought to gather qualitative data about the factors that promote child marriage practices among Syrian refugees in Al Marj area in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon, where the majority of Syrian refugees have settled in Lebanon. The second aim of this study w...

BACKGROUND The burden of neuropsychiatric disorders in refugees is likely high, but little has been reported on the neuropsychiatric disorders that affect Syrian and Iraqi refugees in a country of first asylum. This analysis aimed to study the cost and burden of neuropsychiatric disorders among refugees from Syria and Iraq requiring exceptional, United Nations-funded care in a country of first ...

BACKGROUND Many surveys have underlined the high levels of distress Syrian refugees have endured since the conflict aroused in their country, yet few have used reliable diagnostic tools for the clinical assessment of resulting mental disorders. The aim of our study is to assess for the onset of new depressive disorders following the Syrian war, and to investigate the correlation of religiosity ...

BACKGROUND Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease mainly affecting particularly Arabs, Non-Ashkenazi Jews, Armenians, and Turks. It is an autoinflammatory periodic disorder characterized by febrile and painful attacks due to inflammation involving the serosal membranes in the abdomen, chest or joints. Over 50 mutations have been identified in the MEFV gene responsi...

Information from toxicological and epidemiological studies of the cancer and noncancer health risks from inhaled diesel engine exhaust (DE) and gasoline engine exhaust (GE) was reviewed. The toxicological database is more extensive for DE than for GE. Animal studies have shown that heavy, chronic exposures to both DE and GE can cause lung pathology and associated physiological effects. Inhaled ...

The metabolism of N-[3,5-3H]nitroso-2,6-dimethylmorpholine (NDMM) was studied in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Syrian golden hamsters, and guinea pigs. NDMM induces tumors in the esophagus in rats, pancreatic cancer in hamsters, and hemangioendothelial tumors of the liver in guinea pigs. An intragastric dose of NDMM (2 mg, 2 muCi/animal) was rapidly distributed throughout the tissues of both the ...

Alveolar macrophages (AM) play a critical role in the removal of inhaled particles or fibers from the lung. Species differences in AM size may affect the number and size range of particles/fibers that can be actually phagocytized and cleared by AM. The purpose of this study was to compare the cell size of rat, hamster, monkey, and human AM by selective flow cytometric analysis of cell volume. R...

The relationships between breadmaking quality, kernel properties (physical and chemical), and dough rheology were investigated using flours from six genotypes of Syrian wheat lines, comprising both commercially grown cultivars and advanced breeding lines. Genotypes were grown in 2008/2009 season in irrigated plots in the Eastern part of Syria. Grain samples were evaluated for vitreousness, test...