• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.363-365
• /
• 2015

Background: Kidney cancer is the third most frequent urologic cancer in Lebanon after prostate and bladder cancer, accounting for 1.5% of all diagnosed cancers. In this paper, we report the histologic characteristics and distribution of kidney cancer, never described in Lebanon or the Middle East. Materials and Methods: Pathology results of operated kidney cancer were collected during a two year period (2010-2011) from two different Lebanese hospitals (Hotel-Dieu de France University Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital). A total of 124 reports were reviewed and analyzed according to WHO classification of 2009. Results: The 124 patients diagnosed with kidney cancer had a median age of 62.4 [18-86], 75% being men and 25% women. Some 71 % of the lesions were renal cell carcinoma (RCC), 25.8% had a urothelial histology, 1.6% were lymphomas and 1.6% were metastases to the kidney. Patients having RCC had a median age of 60.3 [18-85], 77.3% were men and 22.7% women. Of the RCCs, 59.1% were clear cell carcinoma, 22.7% papillary, 11.4% chromophobic, 3.4% rom the collecting ducts of Bellini and 3.4% were not otherwise classified. Conclusions: Histological distribution of Lebanese kidney cancer seems unusual when compared to the literature. The percentage of urothelial renal pelvis tumors is strikingly high. Moreover, clear cell carcinoma accounts for only 59.1% of RCCS in contrast to the 75% described elsewhere, while papillary carcinoma represents more than 22.7% compared to 10%.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.7
• /
• pp.3173-3177
• /
• 2016

Background: The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in Lebanon provides cancer drugs free of charge for uninsured patients who account for more than half the total case-load. Other categories of cancer care are subsidized under more stringent eligibility criteria. MOPH's large database offers an excellent opportunity to analyze the cost of cancer treatment in Lebanon. Materials and Methods: Using utilization and spending data accumulated at MOPH during 2008-2013, the cost to the public budget of cancer drugs was assessed per case and per drug type. Results: The average annual cost of cancer drugs was 6,475$ per patient. Total cancer drug costs were highest for breast cancer, followed by chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which together represented 74% of total MOPH cancer drug expenditure. The annual average cancer drug cost per case was highest for CML ($31,037), followed by NHL ($11,566). Trastuzumab represented 26% and Imatinib 15% of total MOPH cancer drug expenditure over six years. Conclusions: Sustained increase in cancer drug cost threatens the sustainability of MOPH coverage, so crucial for socially vulnerable citizens. To enhance the bargaining position with pharmaceutical firms for drug cost containment in a small market like Lebanon, drug price comparisons with neighboring countries which have already obtained lower prices may succeed in lowering drug costs.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.43 no.6
• /
• pp.388-394
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of oral lesions in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients in a descriptive cross-sectional study, and to establish their presence according to levels of CD4+ cells (including the CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio). Materials and Methods: A total of 75 patients infected with HIV were included. Oral lesions were observed and classified using World Health Organization classification guidelines. Potential correlations between the presence and severity of oral lesions and CD4+ cells, including the CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio, were studied. Results: The most frequent oral lesion detected was oral pseudomembranous candidiasis (80.0%), followed by periodontal disease (40.0%), herpetic lesions (16.0%), hairy leukoplakia (16.0%), gingivitis (20.0%), oral ulceration (12.0%), Kaposi's sarcoma (8.0%), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (4.0%). The CD4+ count was <$200cells/mm^3$ in 45 cases (60.0%), between $200-500cells/mm^3$ in 18 cases (24.0%), and >$500cells/mm^3$ in 12 cases (16.0%). The mean CD4+ count was $182.18cells/mm^3$. The mean ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells was 0.26. All patients showed at least one oral manifestation. Conclusion: There was no correlation between the CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio and the presence of oral lesions. The severity of the lesions was more pronounced when the CD4+ cell count was less than $200cells/mm^3$.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.460-472
• /
• 2017

The design of harbours, as with any other system design, must be an optimization process. In this study, a global examination of the different constraints in coastal engineering was performed and an optimization problem was defined. The problem has multiple objectives, and the criteria to be minimized are the structure cost and wave height disturbance inside a harbour. As concluded in this survey, the constraints are predefined parameters, mandatory constraints or optional constraints. All of these constraints are categorized into four categories: environmental, fluid mechanical, structural and manoeuvring.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.71-79
• /
• 1999

We consider multi-step quasi-Newton methods for unconstrained optimization. These methods were introduced by Ford and Moghrabi [1, 2], who showed how interpolating curves could be used to derive a generalization of the Secant Equation (the relation normally employed in the construction of quasi-Newton methods). One of the most successful of these multi-step methods makes use of the current approximation to the Hessian to determine the parameterization of the interpolating curve in the variable-space and, hence, the generalized updating formula. In this paper, we investigate new parameterization techniques to the approximate Hessian, in an attempt to determine a better Hessian approximation at each iteration and, thus, improve the numerical performance of such algorithms.

• ETRI Journal
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.774-783
• /
• 2010

Many chaos-based encryption methods have been presented and discussed in the last two decades, but very few of them are suitable to secure transmission on noisy channels or respect the standard of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This paper tackles the problem and presents a novel chaos-based cryptosystem for secure transmitted images. The proposed cryptosystem overcomes the drawbacks of existing chaotic algorithms such as the Socek, Xiang, Yang, and Wong methods. It takes advantage of the increasingly complex behavior of perturbed chaotic signals. The perturbing orbit technique improves the dynamic statistical properties of generated chaotic sequences, permits the proposed algorithm reaching higher performance, and avoids the problem of error propagation. Finally, many standard tools, such as NIST tests, are used to quantify the security level of the proposed cryptosystem, and experimental results prove that the suggested cryptosystem has a high security level, lower correlation coefficients, and improved entropy.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.211-223
• /
• 2010

Accurate sensing of mechanical strains in civil structures is critical for optimizing structure reliability and lifetime. For instance, combined with intelligent control systems, electromechanical sensor output feedback has the potential to be employed for nondestructive damage evaluation. Application of Ionic Polymer Transducers (IPTs) represents a relatively new sensing approach with more than an order of magnitude higher sensitivity than traditional piezoelectric sensors. The primary reason this sensor has not been widely used to date is an inadequate understanding of the physics responsible for IPT sensing. This paper presents models and experiments defending the hypothesis of a streaming potential sensing mechanism.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.107-144
• /
• 2023

In competitive political contexts, sustaining power is the ultimate goal for political parties. Nominating celebrity politicians can be a double-edged sword for parent brands in attracting votes and influencing voting intention. This study contributes to the moderating role of brand affinity towards celebrity politicians. It considers celebrities' cognitive perceived benefits and voting intention relationship in a multiparty parliamentarian election. A cross-sectional survey with a stratified proportional random sampling technique in fifteen Lebanese districts ensured a representative sample. One thousand two hundred sixty-nine responses were found eligible for analysis. Findings indicate that brand affinity positively moderates the negative relationship between perceived benefits and voting intention. This study offers a new understanding of celebrity politicians' implementation strategy and campaign management and considers the contribution of the affective intelligence theory. It provides implications, limitations, and promising directions for future research on celebrity politicians.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.1219-1225
• /
• 2014

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant polyphenol molecule from green tea and is known to exhibit antioxidative as well as tumor suppressing activity. In order to examine EGCG tumor invasion and suppressing activity against adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), two HTLV-1 positive leukemia cells (HuT-102 and C91-PL) were treated with non-cytotoxic concentrations of EGCG for 2 and 4 days. Proliferation was significantly inhibited by 100 ${\mu}M$ at 4 days, with low cell lysis or cytotoxicity. HTLV-1 oncoprotein (Tax) expression in HuT-102 and C91-PL cells was inhibited by 25 ${\mu}M$ and 125 ${\mu}M$ respectively. The same concentrations of EGCG inhibited NF-kB nuclearization and stimulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression in both cell lines. These results indicate that EGCG can inhibit proliferation and reduce the invasive potential of HTLV-1-positive leukemia cells. It apparently exerted its effects by suppressing Tax expression, manifested by inhibiting the activation of NF-kB pathway and induction of MMP-9 transcription in HTLV-1 positive cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.215-217
• /
• 2016

Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most frequent form of leukemia in Europe and North America, and it mainly affects older individuals. Many approaches are implemented in the management of CLL from a watch and wait (W&W) strategy to chemotherapeutic regimens. We here reviewed our clinical practice for the relevance of the W&W strategy in Lebanese CLL patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 95 patients with CLL diagnosed in four institutions in Lebanon, between 1992 and 2013, were selected and their files were reviewed. Characteristics of these patients were noted including age, sex, RAI and Binet scores, CBC values, presence of hepatomegaly or splenomegaly, performance of bone marrow biopsy or peripheral blood flux cytometry for diagnosis, adoption of W&W strategy, different chemotherapeutic regimens and the indications for treatment. Results: Some 38 patients (40%) diagnosed with CLL were women and 57 (60%) were men with a mean age of 65.1 years [36-89]. Of the total, 50.5%, 17.2%, 14%, 7.5% and 10.8% had an RAI score at diagnosis of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively, while 65.6%, 17.2% and 17.2% had Binet scores of I, II and III. The mean lymphocyte count at diagnosis was $39885/mm^3$ [1596-290000], the mean hemoglobin level was 12.7 g/dl [6.2-17] and the mean platelet count was $191255/mm^3$ [14000-458000]. While 26.3% of patients with CLL had splenomegaly, only 7.4% had hepatomegaly. Some 33.7% had undergone a bone marrow biopsy, 66.3% flow cytometry of circulating blood and 5.3% a lymph node biopsy. Overall, the W&W was adopted in 62.4% (58) of patients with a mean duration of 37.7 months [3-216]. The W&W was used in 82.6%, 73.3%, 46.2%, 14.3% and 0% of patients having RAI scores of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively, and, it was used in 80%, 46.7% and 6.25% with Binet scores of I, II and III. The most frequent indication for treatment was anemia and thrombocytopenia, accounting for 32.7% of cases. The most frequently used chemotherapeutical regimens were chlorambucil until the end of the last century and flufarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab during the last decade. Conclusions: This retrospective review of CLL clinical practice showed an important implementation of the W&W strategy with a long duration, especially in early stage cases with low RAI or Binet scores.