مجـلـة جـامـعـة السـعيد للعلـوم التطبيقية

Impact of Early Enteral Nutrition on Hospital Length of Stay After Penetrating Bowel Injury: A Retrospective Cohort Study from Taiz, Yemen

Abdulkafi Mohammed Shamsan — 2026-09-03

Background: Penetrating bowel injury (PBI) following armed conflict carries substantial postoperative morbidity in low-resource settings. Early enteral nutrition (EEN) is recommended by international guidelines to attenuate surgical stress and accelerate recovery, yet evidence from conflict-affected populations remains scarce.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of early enteral nutrition on hospital length of stay among patients undergoing surgery for penetrating bowel injury at Al-Safwa Hospital, Taiz, Yemen.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of patients who underwent emergency surgery for penetrating bowel injury between 2017 and 2023. Patients were classified into two groups according to postoperative feeding strategy: early enteral nutrition (EEN), defined as initiation of enteral feeding within 48 hours of surgery, and delayed enteral nutrition (DEN), defined as commencement after 48 hours. The primary outcome was hospital length of stay. Secondary outcomes included time to first bowel movement, postoperative complication rate, surgical site infection, anastomotic leak, and in-hospital mortality. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of prolonged hospital stay.

Results: A total of 109 patients were included; 83.5% sustained gunshot wounds and 51.4% had isolated small bowel injuries. Patients in the EEN group demonstrated significantly shorter hospital length of stay compared with the DEN group. EEN was also associated with earlier return of bowel function, lower overall complication rates, and fewer infectious complications. The overall complication rate was 26.6%, and in-hospital mortality was 2.8%. On multivariate analysis, delayed enteral nutrition and operative duration exceeding three hours were independent predictors of prolonged hospital stays.

Conclusion: Early enteral nutrition was associated with significantly shorter hospital length of stay and improved postoperative outcomes following surgery for penetrating bowel injury in a conflict-affected, resource-limited Yemeni setting. These findings support the integration of structured early feeding protocols into postoperative care pathways for trauma laparotomy in austere environments.

Pattern of Thyroid Diseases Among Patients Undergoing Thyroidectomy: A Retrospective Study

Hamdah Ali Abdullah Ghaleb — 2026-09-03

Background: Thyroid disease is a common indication for surgery, and histopathology remains the definitive method for diagnosis. This study described the pattern of thyroid diseases.

Methods: retrospective descriptive-analytical study was conducted in three main hospitals of Taiz City Al-Dakaf, Al-Gomhouri Teaching and Al-Safwa) covering January 2023 to December 2024. Records of 250 patients who underwent thyroidectomy

Results: Females comprised 92.4% of patients, with a median age of 40 years. Multinodular goiter was the most frequent benign lesion (46.0%) while malignancy was identified in 39 patients (15.6%), papillary-patterned carcinoma accounted for 92.3% of malignant tumors. Hoarseness, weight loss, appetite loss, cervical lymphadenopathy, suspicious ultrasound and FNA findings, higher TI-RADS categories

Conclusion: Approximately one in six thyroidectomy specimens was malignant. Clinical warning symptoms combined with ultrasound findings improved preoperative risk stratification and may support earlier diagnosis and appropriate surgical management in resource-limited settings.

Valorization of Spent Engine Oil as a Sustainable Polyol Substituent in Flexible Polyurethane Foam Synthesis: A Comparative Study of Starch and Natural Zeolite Filler Systems

Esmail Mohammed — 2026-09-03

The accumulation of used engine oil poses severe ecological threats to soil and groundwater systems, particularly in developing industrial regions where proper waste disposal systems are lacking. Simultaneously, the manufacturing of flexible polyurethane foams remains heavily dependent on volatile, petroleum-derived polyols, contributing to a high carbon footprint. This study presents a circular economy approach by chemically converting hazardous used engine oil into a polyhydroxylated organic extender (oil polyol) to partially replace commercial polyether polyols in flexible polyurethane foam formulations. The non-polar hydrocarbon chains of used engine oil were functionalized via an acid-catalyzed hydration reaction, converting thermally cracked alkenes into reactive secondary hydroxyl groups capable of forming urethane linkages. To investigate structural preservation and prevent cellular collapse, two composite foam series were synthesized using a one-shot free-rise foaming method: one containing natural starch as an organic biodegradable filler, and another containing natural zeolite as an inorganic nucleating agent and chemical scavenger. The substitution level of polyhydroxylated oil was varied systematically from . Physical and mechanical characterization showed that the starch-filled foams suffered a severe bulk density drop from and catastrophic mechanical failure at oil substitution due to thermodynamic phase separation and cell wall thinning. Conversely, the natural zeolite-filled foams maintained highly stable bulk densities (ranging between ) across all substitution levels, with compressibility rising to at oil. Optical microscopy confirmed that natural zeolite acts as an exceptional cell stabilizer, facilitating uniform heterogeneous bubble nucleation and adsorbing residual heavy metals and acidic impurities from the waste oil. These results demonstrate that natural zeolite provides a robust physical and chemical framework that permits high-ratio waste-oil valorization without compromising the mechanical performance of flexible polyurethane foams.

Securing and Simulating Nuclear Technology: Secure Web-Based Architecture and Physics- Based Simulation in 'RTG Reality' for Public Science Advocacy

Yousef M. Al-Sabri — 2026-09-03

Many public misconceptions get in the way of implementing peaceful nuclear technologies and efforts to promote space exploration missions. The research team of Al-Saeed University, Taiz, Yemen, designed an interactive Web-based scientific simulation, RTG Reality, that aims to compensate for these cognitive shortcomings by providing the design and mathematics of the simulation along with the security protocols needed for its implementation. Application was awarded the first prize among the Yemeni universities and was acknowledged at the Asian level in the 2026 "Myth Smashers: Nuclear Science App Challenge", organized by the Asian Network for Education in Nuclear Technology (ANENT) and the International Nuclear Science and Technology Academy (INSTA) under the IAEA auspices. The simulation successfully converts complex concepts of thermodynamics, radioisotopic decay and complex safety containment issues of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) into a high fidelity interactive framework. The platform, designed with a secure-by-design cybersecurity approach, utilizes static site generation, an isolation of client-side deterministic state-machines, and strict input validation to provide the integrity of telemetry and prevent compromise of educational infrastructure from cyber threats. RTG Reality provides a proven and safe approach to nuclear education and public engagement through a stringent physics-based telemetry model along with an integration of historical accidents telemetry.

Association between Chewing Qat and Low Birth Weight Fetus among Pregnant Women in Al¬¬-Gomhori General Hospital in Taiz Residence from June to November 2025 Hospital-based Comparative Cross Sectional Study

Abeer Abdul Aziz Al-Shakhsi — 2026-09-03

The results of this study showed that the age between 20-35 years was the most common age for both the qat-chewing and non-qat chewing groups during pregnancy (64%), and most of the participants in both groups (55%) lived in the urban setting with no statistical differences. Women who had completed university education represented the largest percentage in both groups (45%), and most of the women were housewives (76%). The majority of the study group (82%) chewed Qat for 2-4 hours per day, while 16% chewed it for more than 5 hours per. Weekly sessions ranged from 2-4 for 40% of the women, while daily sessions were observed for 52% of the qat-chewing group. There are 28% of both groups smoked shisha, 16% used Mada’a, and only two women smoked cigarettes. Most women in both groups (70%) were multiparas. There were 59% of both groups visited antenatal care clinics. Common comorbidities included diabetes (7%), hypertension (7%), bronchial asthma (3%), and preeclampsia (2%). The most common gestational age at delivery was between 38-40 weeks (77%). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P = 0.31) in relation to preterm births. Vaginal delivery was happened for 62% of the participants in both groups and 38% of births being by cesarean section (P 0.26). The relationship between birth weight and Qat chewing was statistically significant; birth weights were lower in the Qat-chewers group compared to the non-chewers group (P 0.03).

Design of Anti-infective Dental Formulations from Solanum incanum Fruit Extracts: Phytochemical Characterization, Diffusion-Mediated Bactericidal Kinetics and Ethnobotanical Validation

Adeel Adel Abdullah — 2026-09-03

Background:

Dental caries is a global public health concern that afflicts vulnerable populations in rural areas, whose access to conventional dental care is limited by cost and infrastructure.

Objective & Methodology of the study:

This study was established to evaluate the traditional use of Solanum incanum L. (Al-Oursam) fruits by the people in Yemen to treat dental caries and oral pain, a non-traumatic injury related other than deep infection or systemic disease. Aqueous-ethanolic Soxhlet extraction resulting in three batches (E1, E2, and E3). Extracts o Solanum incanum L. were analyzed by LC-MS and the extracts antibacterial activity were evaluated by In vitro radial diffusion assays against some bacterial isolates.

Results:

LC-MS results showed that S. incanum L. Extract E1: 1,2-Propanediol and Butyl phthalate (46.93%) following by 1-Hexen-6-ol (23.71) and 1,2-Propanediol decreased to 17.60% in E2 and Dibutyl phthalate is the highest in E2 (18.55%) and decreased to 12.21 in E3. Moreover the of 2,3-butanediol reached maximum (56.45%) was the highest in E3.

In vitro radial diffusion assays showed significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus mutans. The most potent activity was determined for batch E3, in which the level of 2,3-butanediol reached maximum (56.45%), and this variant also inhibited the development of a gramicidin S-secreting strain at the highest inhibitory concentrations. At a concentration of 7.5 mg/mL, heartwood extract E3 caused wide antimicrobial clearance zones (108 mm against E. coli; 112 mm against S. aureus and 116 mm against S. mutans).

Conclusions:

The results showed that the hydrophilic glycol matrix indeed contributed to this effect, successfully aiding in the diffusion of the active phenolic compounds. In the end, S. incanum fruits offer a safe, inexpensive platform for developing efficacious oral healthcare products like mouthwashes and toothpastes to alleviate the burden of oral diseases in under-resourced parts of the world.

Prevalence of Preterm Birth and Frequency of Risk Factors at Al-Jomhouri Teaching Hospital, Taiz, Yemen, 2023: (A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study)

Asmaa mahyoub mohammed marsh — 2026-09-03

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Preterm Birth (PTB) as “a live birth taking place before the expected 37 weeks of gestation”. Annually, approximately 15 million infants are born prematurely, constituting significantly to infant mortality during the initial four weeks of life, responsible for 40% of deaths among children under the age of five.

Study Objectives

To determine the incidence and risk factors of preterm labor among women attended Al Gomhori Hospital, Taiz. Over a year (From Jan 1st to Dec 31st 2023).

Study design

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Methods and Materials

A questionnaire was developed for this study, including details on maternal age, gestational age, pregnancy complications, and infections. This data was collected and entered into SPSS.

Results

The study included 198 women who experienced preterm birth. The total delivery during the study period was 3600 deliveries making the prevalence of preterm birth as 5.5% in the hospital. The majority of participants were aged 20–29 years (37%), more than half of the participants resided in urban areas (53%), and 47% lived in rural areas, with no significant difference (χ² = 0.727, p = 0.394), and housewives were predominant occupation. The mean gravidity was 3.39 ± 2.64 and the mean parity was 1.97 ± 2.20. A history of previous preterm birth was reported by 34.8% of women (χ² = 18.2, p < 0.001), and recurrent miscarriages by 35.3% (χ² = 17.0, p < 0.001).

There were 25% had hypertension, and very few had diabetes (0.5%) or heart disease (1%) (χ² = 277, p < 0.001). Urinary or genital infections were present in 52% of women (χ² = 0.182, p = 0.670), and anaemia in 53% (χ² = 0.505, p = 0.477). Only 5.1% of women smoked and low family income was reported by 58% of participants (χ² = 4.55, p = 0.033). Vaginal bleeding occurred in 16% (χ² = 90.7, p < 0.001), premature rupture of membranes (PROM) in 33% (χ² = 23.4, p < 0.001). BMI distribution was underweight 36%, normal 19%, overweight 24%, and obese 21% (χ² = 13.7, p = 0.003). The mean gestational age at delivery was 31.77 ± 2.45 weeks.

Conclusion

The prevalence of preterm birth observed in this study is lower than that reported in the global studies. The maternal age shows increasing trend from < 20 year up to 29 years and then declined reached the lowest frequency at age ≥ 40 years. There was a slight increase of women residing in urban setting compared to rural residing women with no significant difference. The majority of women are multiparous, housewives, and had middle socioeconomic status. There was a significant association between previous preterm birth, recurrent miscarriage and occurrence of preterm birth. Chronic illnesses such as hypertension, DM and heart disease were significantly associated with preterm births. Vaginal bleeding, premature rupture of membranes and low family income and low BMI showed significant link with preterm labor.

Multiple Keys Combination Method for Data Hiding Using Least Significant Bits

Abdulmalek Alqobaty — 2026-09-03

In today’s world where the digital exchange of information becomes a vital issue, the need for secure communication has been more critical. Using the Internet as data transmission, web technology, and cloud services ensure the need for data security. This paper proposes a novel technique that uses a combination of multiple cryptographic keys for hiding data in RGB images via Least Significant Bit (LSB) substitution. The method employs four 64-bit keys, generated through a SHA-256 hash of 256 randomly selected bytes from the Most Significant Bits (MSBs) of the cover image. The secret message is divided into 8-bytes (64-bits) blocks. Each of these blocks is encrypted by using XOR operation with the corresponding key. The encrypted blocks of secret message are embedded across two of the RGB channels based on key-derived directions. The proposed technique is implemented and evaluated using PSNR, MSE, SNR, SSIM, and capacity performance metric. Experimental results demonstrate high imperceptibility and robust performance, evaluated using metrics such as PSNR, SSIM, MSE, and embedding capacity.

Antenatal Corticosteroids in Preterm Infants: A Gestational Age-Based Comparison of Respiratory Outcomes

Reem Abdullah Ahmed Hassan — 2026-09-03

Background

Dexamethasone is an antenatal corticosteroid injected into mothers at risk of preterm labor (usually 24–34 weeks) to accelerate fetal lung maturation, significantly reducing risks of neonatal death, respiratory distress syndrome, and intraventricular hemorrhage. It acts by stimulating surfactant production.

Study Objectives

To determine the association between the administration of antenatal corticosteroids and the prevalence of respiratory distress syndrome among preterm neonates delivered at Al Mocha Hospital, Taiz Governorate (From January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025).

Study Design

The research work was designed as a retrospective cohort study.

Subjects and Methods

A questionnaire was constructed for this study, which included information on maternal age, place of residence, gravidity, antenatal care visits, dexamethasone administration rate, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, diagnosis of RDS, and other neonatal complications. This information was recorded and analyzed using SPSS software.

Results

Two groups were studied: a study group (50) pregnant women who received dexamethasone upon hospital admission for preterm labor, and a control group (50) women who did not receive dexamethasone. Their ages were between 20 and 30 years (70% in both groups). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of place of residence or number of births. The number of women who did not seek antenatal care in the control group was twice that of the study group, 80% of the women in both groups experienced spontaneous preterm labor. The study group received four consecutive doses of dexamethasone (88%), two participants received two doses, and four participants received three consecutive doses. There were 86% of the women in both groups gave delivered between one and seven days after receiving the last dose of dexamethasone. Gestational age was between 28 and 32 weeks in 31% of the groups, and between 33 and 36 weeks in 69%, and 93% of the women delivered vaginally. The results of this study show that 32% of the neonates of the study group experienced respiratory distress syndrome compared to 54% of the control group. The statistical difference was significant (P=9.92) and 14% of neonates experienced severe RDS in the study group compared to 28% of the control group. All of these cases were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Early neonatal deaths occurred in one child in the study group and two children in the control group, as 2% and 4% respectively.

Conclusion

The difference in the rate of RDS development between women exposed to steroids and the non-exposed group was statistically significant, and the majority completed their course of steroids. There was a stronger protective effect as when comparing infants of the same gestational age category, dexamethasone exposure reduces the odds of developing RDS by 69%. The severity of RDS among women not exposed to steroid was doubled compared with the exposed group. There was no increase in the rate of cesarean section among women delivered preterm. The Apgar score at 5 min. was better among the exposed group compared to the non-exposed group but did not reach to significant perinatal mortality was 30/1000 birth.

Evaluation of Serial Liver Function Biomarkers during Tuberculosis-Multidrug treatment in Taiz, Yemen

Elham N.A.S. Algabaly — 2026-09-03

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most prevalent communicable infectious diseases worldwide and remains one of the leading causes of death globally. Despite increasing awareness of anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drug-induced hepatotoxicity (DIH) as a major obstacle to successful tuberculosis treatment, few studies in Yemen have assessed the ability of clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters to predict the risk of acute liver failure (ALF) among patients with anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury (DILI). So, the aim of the present study was to characterize biochemical alterations in patients with tuberculosis before and during anti-tuberculosis treatment, to investigate their potential diagnostic and prognostic significance and to monitor treatment-related adverse effects. A total of 25 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis submitted to biochemical analysis (9 males and 16 females, aged ≥18 years). The pre-treatment phase serving as a control group The same group of patients (n = 25) was followed longitudinally throughout the different phases of treatment. The statistical analysis revealed a statistically significant difference (P≤0.05) in liver enzymes (AST, ALT) across the study groups, but no significant difference (P>0.05) in ALP, ALB. Based on control, t- test illustrated that AST and ALT have significant increase in the second month of treatment, The values then decreased, returning to a level statistically non-significant from the control in sixth month. This is indicating an initial treatment impact. Furthermore, the Bias values indicates that multidrug (Four antibiotic types) caused a clinically relevant abnormality in liver function. And these results were compared with results of other authors.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that the anti-tuberculosis treatment impose hazardous on the patients liver leading to hepatotoxicity or drug induced liver injuries, So, necessary the development of anti-TB drugs with improved safety profiles further aims to enhance treatment adherence and reduce DILI incidence, ultimately improving patient.

استخدام التحليل العاملي في استخلاص أهم العوامل المؤثرة على الناتج المحلي الإجمالي في اليمن (2000 – 2020)

فهمي محمد احمد الصلوي — 2026-09-03

تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تطبيق أسلوب التحليل العاملي الاستكشافي (EFA) لاستخلاص أبرز العوامل الكامنة المؤثرة في الناتج المحلي الإجمالي لليمن خلال الفترة 2000–2020 باستخدام بيانات البنك الدولي (WDI). شملت الدراسة عشرين مؤشراً اقتصادياً واجتماعياً ومؤسسياً. أسفر التحليل العاملي بعد تدوير فاريماكس عن استخلاص ثلاثة عوامل رئيسية تفسّر 93.70% من التباين الكلي:

التكامل الاقتصادي الكلي والحوكمة.
الهشاشة المالية والأداء الاقتصادي.
البنية التحتية ورأس المال البشري.

أكدت اختبارات KMO = 0.533 وبارتليت χ²(190) = 1108.04 (p < 0.001) ملاءمةَ البيانات. تُقدّم نتائج الدراسة رؤيةً تحليلية لصانعي السياسات وأساساً منهجياً لبرامج التعافي الاقتصادي.