... the Conditions, Aspirations and Activism of Arab Youth. Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs. American ... the Conditions, Aspirations and Activism of Arab Youth. Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs. American ... the Conditions, Aspirations and Activism of Arab Youth. Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs. American ...
Tópico(s): Adolescent and Pediatric Healthcare
2015 - Elsevier BV | Journal of Adolescent Health
... Khouri ** Rami G. Khouri is director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at ...
Tópico(s): Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
2009 - Oxford University Press | Refugee Survey Quarterly
Noor S. Shah, Javed Ali Khan, Murtaza Sayed, Jibran Iqbal, Zia Ul Haq Khan, Nawshad Muhammad, Kyriaki Polychronopoulou, Sajjad Hussain, Muhammad Imran, Behzad Murtaza, Muhammad Usman, Issam Ismail, Asma Shafique, Fares M. Howari, Yousef Nazzal,
Ciprofloxacin (CIP), an important class of antibiotics is greatly used and discharged into aquatic environment which causes severe environmental issues. In this study, nano-scaled, stable, and highly reactive zerovalent copper (Cu°) was synthesized for the treatment of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in aqueous solution. The Cu° is an important material due to its high reduction potential and thus significantly degrade emerging organic pollutants. Besides, the Cu° synthesized in this study showed good surface ...
Tópico(s): Nanomaterials for catalytic reactions
2020 - Elsevier BV | Journal of Water Process Engineering
Baher Farhat, Helga Alaeddine,
... as a regional example and Zaha Hadid's Issam Fares Institute as a local example. These facts support ...
Tópico(s): Innovation Policy and R&D
2023 - Egypts Presidential Specialized Council for Education and Scientific Research | MSA Engineering Journal
Tópico(s): Dental Education, Practice, Research
2021 - | Dental News
Sawsan Abdulrahim, Dalia Mikdashi, Zeinab Cherri,
... study was supported by a grant from the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at ...
Tópico(s): International Human Rights and Reproductive Law
2017 - Elsevier BV | The Lancet
Mohammed Saleh Ali Almahfali, Mark LeVine, Abdulghani Muthanna,
... the outstanding efforts of the experts at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) ...
Tópico(s): Human Rights and Development
2023 - Routledge | The International Journal of Human Rights
... of Land in the Making of Livable City”, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs. Available ...
Tópico(s): Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
2023 - Taylor & Francis | Middle East Critique
... Kulesi (2004-2007) ve Zaha Hadid tarafondan tasarlanan Issam Fares Enstitüsü’nü ele almaktadır. Method olarak seçilen 3 ...
Tópico(s): Architecture and Cultural Influences
2021 - European Journal of Science and Technology | European Journal of Science and Technology
Alexandre Malek, Johny Fares, Issam Raad, Charles Ericsson,
Pasteurella multocida is frequently associated with soft tissue infections related to animal bites or scratches. These infections are usually mild but can lead to serious complications especially in high-risk patients. We present a chronic Pasteurella. multocida vertebral osteomyelitis with extensive spondylodiscitis, myositis and epidural abscess in a patient with diabetes and liver cirrhosis. Pasteurella multocida should be suspected in bone and soft tissue infections even if the site of infection ...
Tópico(s): Bartonella species infections research
2019 - Elsevier BV | IDCases
Rita Wilson Dib, Melissa Khalil, J. Fares, Ray Hachem, Ying Jiang, Dima Dandachi, Anne‐Marie Chaftari, Issam Raad,
Background Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is commonly associated with haematologic malignancies but also occurs with solid tumours. Aim To compare the diagnostic approaches and therapeutic outcomes for IPA between patients with haematologic malignancies and solid cancers. Methods A retrospective study was conducted evaluating consecutive cases of proven and probable IPA from 2004 to 2016. Patients >18 years of age with an underlying solid tumour, haematologic malignancy, or haematopoietic ...
Tópico(s): Infectious Diseases and Mycology
2019 - Elsevier BV | Journal of Hospital Infection
Johny Fares, Melissa Khalil, Anne‐Marie Chaftari, Ray Hachem, Ying Jiang, Hagop M. Kantarjian, Issam Raad,
Gram-negative organisms have become a major etiology of bloodstream infections. We evaluated the effect of central venous catheter management on cancer patients with gram-negative bloodstream infections.We retrospectively identified patients older than 14 years with central venous catheters who were diagnosed with gram-negative bloodstream infections to determine the effect of catheter management on outcome. Patients were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 included patients with central line-associated ...
Tópico(s): Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
2019 - Oxford University Press | Open Forum Infectious Diseases
Issam Griche, Mohamed Rezki, Kamel Saoudi, Ghania Boudechiche, Fares Zitouni,
This paper presents a new of economic and environmental study of a hybrid system (wind turbine and diesel generator) in Algerian desert regions using HOMER software. The principal interests of the hybrid system are clean production at the place of consumption, the combined use of resources, energy storage, and supply security. Using an experimental device outfitted with Homer software, models were developed and successfully compared to reality. The obtained results confirm that the proposed system ...
Tópico(s): Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure
2023 - Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research | Engineering Technology & Applied Science Research
Hesham Awadh, Anne‐Marie Chaftari, Melissa Khalil, Johny Fares, Ying Jiang, Rita Deeba, Shahnoor Ali, Ray Hachem, Issam Raad,
Abstract Objective Enterococcus species are the third most common organisms causing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). The management of enterococcal CLABSI, including the need for and timing of catheter removal, is not well defined. We therefore conducted this study to determine the optimal management of enterococcal CLABSI in cancer patients. Methods We reviewed data for 542 patients diagnosed with Enterococcus bacteremia between September 2011 to December 2018. After excluding ...
Tópico(s): Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
2021 - BioMed Central | BMC Infectious Diseases
Jibran Iqbal, Noor S. Shah, Murtaza Sayed, Muhammad Imran, Nawshad Muhammad, Fares M. Howari, Sara A. Alkhoori, Javed Ali Khan, Zia Ul Haq Khan, Amit Bhatnagar, Kyriaki Polychronopoulou, Issam Ismail, Mohammad Abu Haija,
In this study, activated carbon (AC) and nano-zerovalent copper (nZVCu) functionalized hydroxyapatite (HA) and alginate beads were synthesized and used for the removal of As3+ from aqueous solution. The characterization by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, BET surface area analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier transform ...
Tópico(s): Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
2019 - Elsevier BV | Journal of Cleaner Production
Alexandre Malek, Melissa Khalil, Ray Hachem, Anne Marie Chaftari, Johny Fares, Ying Jiang, Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis, Frank V. Fossella, Patrick Chaftari, Victor E. Mulanovich, George M. Viola, Issam Raad,
Checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment. However, immune-related adverse events and the risk of infections are not well studied. To assess the infectious risk of CPIs, we evaluated the incidence of infections in lung cancer patients treated with CPIs plus conventional chemotherapy (CC) vs CC alone.We performed a retrospective comparative study of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received CPIs combined with CC and those treated with CC alone ...
Tópico(s): Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations
2020 - Oxford University Press | Clinical Infectious Diseases
Fares Darawshy, Yosef Kalish, Issam Hendi, Ayman Abu Rmelieh, Tawfik Khoury,
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a rare disease in patients with hemophilia A. We report a case of 22-year-old male with severe hemophilia A who presented to the emergency room with 5-day history of right arm pain that was attributed initially to bleeding event. In the absence of external signs of bleeding or hematoma and normal hemoglobin level, we suspected an underlying DVT. Doppler ultrasonography of the right upper limb revealed thrombosis of the subclavian vein and this was confirmed by CT venography. ...
Tópico(s): Hemophilia Treatment and Research
2017 - Hindawi Publishing Corporation | Case Reports in Hematology
Issam Griche, Sabir Messalti, Kamel Saoudi, Mohamed Yaakoub Touafek, Fares Zitouni,
This paper proposes a new controller for stability and voltage improvement of power networks equipped by wind turbine which optimize the dynamical response of power systems performances (voltage and transient stability) after fault. The proposed control algorithm based on new Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) controller to enhance the mechanical power of the synchronous machine into power system. The efficiency of developed control strategy has been tested using IEEE 9 Bus. Simulation ...
Tópico(s): Power System Optimization and Stability
2021 - International Information and Engineering Association | Mathematical Modelling and Engineering Problems
Alexis Tabah, Niccolò Buetti, Quentin Staiquly, Stéphane Ruckly, Murat Akova, Abdullah Tarık Aslan, Marc Léone, Andrew Conway Morris, Matteo Bassetti, Kostoula Arvaniti, Jeffrey Lipman, Ricard Ferrer, Haibo Qiu, José Artur Paiva, Pedro Póvoa, Liesbet De Bus, Jan J. De Waele, Farid Zand, Mohan Gurjar, Adel Alsisi, Khalid Abidi, Hendrik Bracht, Yoshiro Hayashi, Kyeongman Jeon, Muhammed Elhadi, François Barbier, Jean‐François Timsit, Alexis Tabah, Hamish Pollock, Ben Margetts, Meredith Young, Neeraj Bhadange, Steven Tyler, Anne Ledtischke, Mackenzie Finnis, Anne Ledtischke, Mackenzie Finnis, Jyotsna Dwivedi, Manoj Saxena, Vishwanath Biradar, Natalie Soar, Vineet Sarode, David Brewster, Adrian Regli, Elizabeth Weeda, Samiul Parvez Ahmed, Cheryl Fourie, Kevin B. Laupland, Mahesh Ramanan, James Walsham, Jason Meyer, Edward Litton, Anna Maria Palermo, Timothy A. Yap, Ege Eroglu, Antony Attokaran, C’havala Jaramillo, Khalid Mahmood Khan Nafees, Nurhikmahtul Aqilah Haji Abd Rashid, Haji Adi Muhamad Ibnu Walid, Tomas Mon, P. Dhakshina Moorthi, Shah Sudhirchandra, Dhadappa Damodar Sridharan, Haibo Qiu, Jianfeng Xie, Lu Wei-Hua, Zhen Wang, Chuanyun Qian, Jili Luo, Xiaomei Chen, Hao Wang, Peng Zhao, Juan Zhao, Wusi Qiu, Mingmin Chen, Lei Xu, Chengfen Yin, Ruilan Wang, Jinfeng Wang, Yongjie Yin, Min Zhang, Jilu Ye, Chungfang Hu, Suming Zhou, Min Huang, Jing Yan, Yan Wang, Bingyu Qin, Ling Ye, Xie Weifeng, Li Peije, Nan Geng, Yoshiro Hayashi, Toshiyuki Karumai, Masaki Yamasaki, Satoru Hashimoto, Koji Hosokawa, Junichiro Makino, Takeo Matsuyoshi, Akira Kuriyama, Hidenobu Shigemitsu, Yuka Mishima, Michio Nagashima, Hideki Yoshida, Shigeki Fujitani, Koichiro Omori, Hiroshi Rinka, Hiroki Saito, Kaori Atobe, Hideaki Kato, Shunsuke Takaki, Mohd Shahnaz Hasan, Muhamad Fadhil Hadi Jamaluddin, Lee See Pheng, Sheshendrasurian Visvalingam, Mun Thing Liew, Siong Ling Danny Wong, Kean Khang Fong, Hamizah Bt Abdul Rahman, Zuraini Md Noor, Lee Kok Tong, Abd. Hamid Azman, Mohd Zulfakar Mazlan, Saedah Ali, Kyeongman Jeon, Sang‐Min Lee, Sunghoon Park, Seung Yong Park, Sung Yoon Lim, Qing Yuan Goh, Shin Yi Ng, Sui An Lie, Andrea Lay‐Hoon Kwa, Ken Junyang Goh, Andrew Li, Caroline Yu Ming Ong, Jia Yan Lim, Jessica Lishan Quah, Kangqi Ng, Louis Xiang Long Ng, Yu‐Chang Yeh, Nai‐Kuan Chou, Cong-Tat Cia, Ting-Yu Hu, Li‐Kuo Kuo, Shih-Chi Ku, Phunsup Wongsurakiat, Yutthana Apichatbutr, Supattra Chiewroongroj, Rashid Nadeem, Ashraf El Houfi, Adel Alsisi, Amr Elhadidy, Mina Barsoum, Nermin Osman, Tarek M. Mostafa, Mohamed Elbahnasawy, Ahmed Yousuf Saber, Amer Aldhalia, Omar Elmandouh, Ahmed ElSayed, Merihan A. Elbadawy, Ahmed K. Awad, Hanan M. Hemead, Farid Zand, Maryam Ouhadian, Seyed Hamid Borsi, Zahra Mehraban, Davood Kashipazha, Fatemeh Ahmadi, Mohsen Savaie, Farhad Soltani, Mahboobeh Rashidi, Reza Baghbanian, Fatemeh Javaherforoosh, Fereshteh Talebpour Amiri, Arash Kiani, Mohammad Amin Zargar, Ata Mahmoodpoor, Fatemeh Aalinezhad, Gholamreza Dabiri, Golnar Sabetian, Hakimeh Sarshad, Mansoor Masjedi, Ramin Tajvidi, Seyed Mohammad Nasiraldin Tabatabaei, Abdullah Khudhur Ahmed, Pierre Singer, Ilya Kagan, Merav Rigler, Daniel Belman, Phillip D. Levin, Belal Harara, Adei Diab, Fayez Abilama, Rebecca Ibrahim, Aya Fares, Ahmad Buimsaedah, Marwa Gamra, Ahmed Aqeelah, Almajdoub Mohammed AliAli, Ahmed Gaber Sadik Homaidan, Bushray Almiqlash, Hala Bilkhayr, Ahmad Bouhuwaish, Ahmed Sa Taher, Eman Abdulwahed, Fathi A. Abousnina, Aisha Khaled Hdada, Rania Jobran, Hayat Ben Hasan, Rabab Shaban Ben Hasan, Issam Serghini, Rachid Seddiki, Brahim Boukatta, Nabil Kanjaa, Doumiri Mouhssine, Maazouzi Ahmed Wajdi, Tarek Dendane, Amine Ali Zeggwagh, Brahim Housni, Oujidi Younes, Abdelhamid Hachimi, Alexander Ghannam, Z. Belkhadir, Sarah Amro, Mustafa Abu Jayyab, Ali Ait Hssain, Abdurahaman Elbuzidi, Edin Karic, Marcus D. Lancé, Nissar Shaikh, Hend Sallam, Omar Elrabi, Ghaleb A. Almekhlafi, Maher Awad, Ahmed Aljabbary, Mohammad Karam Chaaban, Natalia Abu-Sayf, Mohammad Al-Jadaan, Lubna Bakr, Mounir Bouaziz, Olfa Turki, Walid Sellami, Pablo Vega Centeno, Lic Natalia Morvillo, José Oscar Acevedo, Patricia Mabel Lopez, Rubén Fernández, Matías Segura, Dra Marta Aparicio, Microbiologa Irene Alonzo, Yanina Nuccetelli, Pablo Montefiore, Luis Felipe Reyes, Luis Felipe Reyes, Silvio A. Ñamendys‐Silva, Juan P. Romero-González, Mariana Hermosillo, Roberto Alejandro Castillo, Jesús Nicolás Pantoja Leal, Candy Garcia Aguilar, Mara Ocotlan Gonzalez Herrera, Missael Vladimir Espinoza Villafuerte, Manuel Lomeli-Teran, Jose G. Dominguez-Cherit, Adrian Davalos-Alvarez, Silvio A. Ñamendys‐Silva, Luis Alejandro Sánchez‐Hurtado, Brigitte Tejeda-Huezo, Orlando Rubén Pérez‐Nieto, Ernesto Deloya Tomas, Liesbet De Bus, Jan J. De Waele, Isabelle Hollevoet, Wouter Denys, Marc Bourgeois, Sofie F. M. Vanderhaeghen, Jean-Baptiste Mesland, Pierre Henin, Lionel Haentjens, Patrick Biston, Cindérella Noel, Nathalie Layos, Benoît Misset, Nicolas De Schryver, Nicolas Serck, Xavier Wittebole, Elisabeth De Waele, Godelive Opdenacker, Peđja Kovačević, Biljana Zlojutro, Aida Custovic, Ina Filipović-Grčić, Radovan Radonić,
In the critically ill, hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (HA-BSI) are associated with significant mortality. Granular data are required for optimizing management, and developing guidelines and clinical trials. We carried out a prospective international cohort study of adult patients (≥ 18 years of age) with HA-BSI treated in intensive care units (ICUs) between June 2019 and February 2021. 2600 patients from 333 ICUs in 52 countries were included. 78% HA-BSI were ICU-acquired. Median Sequential ...
Springer Science+Business Media
Issam Mohammad Ali Shakir, Nagham Shakir. Turkie, Hussein Fares Abd‐Alrazack,
An attempt was made to explain how the Atomic force Microscopy (AFM) being a very effective good guide of studying and comparison topography and morphography of any kind of surfaces that might be obtained during various steps in precipitation reaction methodology. Concentration was made on using a novel method for determining Mefemanic acid, Indomethacin and Ibuprofen drugs by reaction with different precipitating agents (8-HQ, S2O82−, PTA, K3[Fe(CN)6], K2CrO4, and SNP). No previous study what so ...
Tópico(s): thermodynamics and calorimetric analyses
2020 - American Institute of Physics | AIP conference proceedings
V.S. Devahdhanush, Yuchuan Lei, Zhenqian Chen, Issam Mudawar,
... Overall, micro-channel heat sinks are shown to fare much better than macro-channels in terms of ...
Tópico(s): Heat Transfer Mechanisms
2021 - Elsevier BV | International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
Julie Ayton, Natalia Krasnikova, Issam Malki,
... a contemporaneous, rather than lagged relationship doesn't fare well with established CSP theories. Overall, our original ...
Tópico(s): Auditing, Earnings Management, Governance
2022 - Elsevier BV | International Review of Financial Analysis
Johny Fares, Melissa Khalil, Anne-Marie Hajjar Chaftari, Ying Jiang, Ray Hachem, Issam Raad,
Abstract Background Over the last 2 decades, Gram-negative organisms have been on the rise as an etiology of bloodstream infections (BSI) in cancer patients. Management of the central venous catheter (CVC) in the setting of Gram-negative BSI remains challenging. The aim of our study was to evaluate cancer patients with different types of Gram-negative BSI, in the presence of an indwelling CVC, and assess the impact of line management on the outcome of the BSI. Methods We identified all the patients ...
Tópico(s): Venous Thromboembolism Diagnosis and Management
2019 - Oxford University Press | Open Forum Infectious Diseases
Dilawer Chofan Charo, Fares Medhat Mohammad, Mahmoud Issam Ghmera, Batoul Aksam Saker, Ayman Ali Ghosnah,
Abstract Introduction Colon volvulus is the twisting of a segment of colon on its mesenteric axis, which can lead to the obstruction of the lumen and the blood supply. Colon volvulus is common in “volvulus belt” countries and can involve the sigmoid (60–70%) and cecum (25–40%). Case presentation We report a case of a 47-year-old male, Alawites, who presented with bowel obstruction and dilated abdomen without any specific abdominal pain. Abdominal laparotomy showed both sigmoid and cecum volvulus with ...
Tópico(s): Gastrointestinal disorders and treatments
2024 - BioMed Central | Journal of Medical Case Reports
Caroline C.C. Hulsker, Issam el Mansori, Marta Fiocco, József Zsíros, Marc H. W. A. Wijnen, Leendert H. J. Looijenga, Annelies M. C. Mavinkurve‐Groothuis, Alida F. W. van der Steeg,
... with a mediastinal GCT pose a subpopulation which fares worse than GCTs in other locations or age ...
Tópico(s): Teratomas and Epidermoid Cysts
2021 - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute | Cancers
Mabel Aoun, Rabab Khalil, Walid Mahfoud, Haytham Fatfat, Line Bou Khalil, Rashad Alameddine, Nabil Afiouni, Issam Ibrahim, Mohamad Hassan, Haytham Zarzour, Ali Jebai, Nina Mourad Khalil, Luay Tawil, Zeina Mechref, Zuhair El Imad, Fadia Chamma, Ayman F. Khalil, Sandy Zeidan, Balsam El Ghoul, Georges Dahdah, Sarah Mouawad, Hiba Azar, Kamal Abou Chahine, Siba Kallab, Bashir Moawad, Ahmad Fawaz, Joseph Homsi, Carmen Tabaja, Maya Delbani, Rami Kallab, Hassan Hoballah, Wahib Haykal, Najat Fares, Walid Rahal, Wael Mroueh, Mohammed Youssef, Jamale Rizkallah, Ziad Sebaaly, Antoine Dfouni, Norma Ghosn, Nagi Nawfal, Walid Abou Jaoude, Nadine Bassil, T Maroun, Nabil Bassil, Chadia Beaini, Boutros Haddad, Elie Moubarak, Houssam Rabah, Amer Attieh, Serge Finianos, Dania Chelala,
Abstract Background Hemodialysis patients with COVID-19 have been reported to be at higher risk for death than the general population. Several prognostic factors have been identified in the studies from Asian, European or American countries. This is the first national Lebanese study assessing the factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 mortality in hemodialysis patients. Methods This is an observational study that included all chronic hemodialysis patients in Lebanon who were tested positive for SARS- ...
Tópico(s): Pancreatitis Pathology and Treatment
2021 - BioMed Central | BMC Nephrology
Asad K. Ghalib, Issam Malki, Katsushi S. Imai,
... scores. Findings reveal that although borrowers seem to fare better than non-borrowers across around 70 percent ...
Tópico(s): Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement Analysis
2012 - RELX Group (Netherlands) | SSRN Electronic Journal
Souha Fares, Nour‐Mounira Z. Bakkar, Ramzi S. Alami, Issam Lakkis, Kamal F. Badr,
Introduction Alterations in linear and non-linear parameters of beat-to-beat blood pressure variability (BPV) have been shown to predict disease prognosis and distinguish between risk categories in various pathological conditions, independently of average blood pressure levels. Obesity places subjects at elevated risk of vascular diseases, including hypertension, resulting in serious cardiac, respiratory and cerebral events. However, little is known about the status of vascular dynamics in obese ...
Tópico(s): Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
2021 - BMJ | BMJ Open
Hesham Awadh, Melissa Khalil, Anne‐Marie Chaftari, Johny Fares, Ying Jiang, Rita Deeba, Shahnoor Ali, Ray Hachem, Issam Raad,
Abstract Background There has been a rise in Enterococcus species Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) ranking as the third overall causative organism according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report issued in 2014. Central Venous Catheter (CVC) management including the need and timing of CVC removal is not well defined for enterococcus bacteremia (EB) in the 2009 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) management guidelines given the paucity of studies ...
Tópico(s): Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
2019 - Oxford University Press | Open Forum Infectious Diseases
Rita Wilson Dib, Melissa Khalil, Johny Fares, Dima Dandachi, Ray Hachem, Ying Jiang, Anne-Marie Hajjar Chaftari, Issam Raad,
Abstract Background Over the years, the profile of patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) has extended beyond the commonly associated population with hematologic malignancy (HM) and is now comprising patients with solid tumors and patients with lung diseases. We therefore aimed to compare the clinical characteristics, diagnostic approach and therapeutic outcome of IPA in cancer patients with hematologic malignancies vs. solid tumor (ST). Methods We conducted a retrospective study evaluating ...
Tópico(s): Fungal Infections and Studies
2019 - Oxford University Press | Open Forum Infectious Diseases