Introduction: according to the global report on drug use, the prevalence of people who use drugs (PWUD) and hence require treatment are estimated to be more than a quarter of a billion worldwide. Malnutrition is highly prevalent among PWUD and hyperphagia is also present in the early phases of treatment. Objective: this study aimed to assess the association between weight gain amongst PWUD currently undergoing treatment for recovery whether in the rehabilitation centers or the opioid substitution therapy (OST) program centers in Lebanon. Methods: this was a cross-sectional study, where demographics ...

Background: Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. The prevalence of smoking and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing globally and in Lebanon. The objectives of this study are to assess the prevalence of tobacco use (waterpipe, cigarette, cigar, pipe, smokeless tobacco products) and to examine the independent associations between tobacco and MetS/ MetS components (low high-density lipoprotein, elevated triglyceride, hypertension, impaired fasting glucose and abdominal obesity) among a sample of Lebanese adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried ...

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a beverage that is highly consumed by certain communities in Lebanon. Several studies have shown the benefits of yerba mate consumption on one's health. Also, Lebanese add to their hot drink some medicinal plants that have been acquired by the society from the Arabian folk medicine. Many studies have been conducted, yet little is known about its effect on the Lebanese health, as they have been consuming it for almost 100 years. Therefore, this study was done to assess the use of yerba mate and medicinal plants. A questionnaire was distributed among 200 local ...

The current coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) affected 218 territories around the world, infected more than 60 million people, and killed more than one million. It is expected that the number of cases will continue to increase unless a vaccine becomes available to all countries. However, the coronavirus outbreak is much more than a health crisis. This pandemic poses numerous challenges on different sectors and exacerbates existing inequalities. COVID-19 exposed major problems with our cities and highlighted their limited resilience. In an ever-more interconnected world (social, environmental, ...

School psychology appears to add credibility to the schooling and learning process of children. The profession of school psychology is relatively lesser known and appreciated. School psychologists’ main concern is the psychological, emotional, and social well-being of the students. The role of the school psychologists is very important, although very little research has been done on the perceptions, experiences, and challenges that school psychologists undergo in their profession in Lebanon. A phenomenological qualitative research is used in this study. The study is based on a set of interviews ...

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding rates in Lebanon during the first six months of life remain suboptimal. With more women in the workforce and inadequate paid maternity leave, families in Lebanon increasingly rely on child care in nurseries or daycare centers. Internationally, the extent to which daycare centers support and promote breastfeeding is one influencer of maternal decisions to (dis)continue breastfeeding. In Lebanon, little is known about which breastfeeding-related policies, if any, are implemented in daycare centers, as well as the caregivers’ level of knowledge and attitudes ...

Candida albicans, is usually a harmless fungus in healthy individuals, but life-threatening when found in large quantities or in inappropriate parts of the body. It developed resistance against the antifungal drugs fluconazole and amphotericin B, used in an abusive way, by adopting different mechanisms. Medicinal plants, which offer a wide variety of secondary metabolites, especially saponins, have been reported for their large biological activities. These phytochemicals are composed of a hydrophobic part (aglycone) and a hydrophilic one (glycone), which, based on their aglycone part, are ...

With the increase in the urban world population, the need for sustainable cities has become crucial, and comfortable and livable open spaces are an important aspect for this purpose. However, since open spaces are affected by the urban design of an area, their quality depends on the priorities of the stakeholders and decision makers, and thus might be compromised to the advantage of other needs, such as prioritizing profit over the public good. The thesis addresses comfort in open spaces, specifically within waterfront developments because many growing cities are coastal and thus, have witnessed ...

For the past 30 years, Lebanon has been struggling with housing. Specifically, Beirut’s housing sector faces social, economic, and environmental challenges with the unavailability of adequate housing, unaffordability of prices and lack of energy security. Being one of the oldest in Lebanon, Beirut’s residential stock requires maintenance at the envelope level to bring it up to current energy standards. This thesis focuses on the roofs of the existing stock as they are vulnerable fifth facades, subjected to a Mediterranean climate with 300 sunny days per year, precipitation, and hot and humid ...

In this study, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized in water and characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Zeta potential analysis. AuNPs were coated with thiol functionalized polyethylene glycol (PEG-SH) and scFvD2B (antibody fragment of D2B mAb) well known to recognize the extracellular epitope of the human prostate specific membrane antigen (hPSMA). In fact, scFvD2B binds PSMA and induces its endocytosis, thereby marking PSMA as a docking site for the delivery of therapeutic agents. AuNPs successful coating was confirmed by DLS ...