Internal Security Forces Research Articles

NGO Support for International Security Force Vetting and Screening

Abstract Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) document violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL) for the purpose of contributing to criminal accountability processes. This requires NGOs to meet criminal procedural standards, often dedicating extensive resources to a form of accountability that is difficult to secure. Given these challenges, this article explores an alternative end-use for NGO documentation of violations: the security force vetting carried out by multilateral organizations and donor governments as part of an international exchange of resources or personnel. In particular, we examine the United Nations system for screening peacekeepers, and national and international systems for vetting foreign recipients of security force assistance. We review the processes and rationale for these international vetting and screening systems, identifying both opportunities and challenges for NGO engagement. We conclude that NGOs seeking to restrict the power and capacity of an abusive security force may find it worthwhile to engage with these systems, which would benefit from the contribution of high-quality NGO documentation.

Echocardiographic Predictive Factors of Worsening Outcome in Type 1 Cardiorenal Syndrome.

Type 1 cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) is defined as acute decompensated heart failure (AHF) leading to secondary acute kidney injury. Few studies have evaluated the reliability of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in assessing outcomes in patients with type 1 CRS. We sought to identify echocardiographic predictors of outcomes (death and rehospitalization) in patients with type 1 CRS. This was a prospective longitudinal monocentric study, conducted from December 2020 to December 2022 in the cardiology department of the Internal Security Forces Hospital in Marsa, Tunisia. 68 patients with type 1 CRS were included prospectively. Physical, biological, and echocardiographic data were collected during the index hospitalization and at 3 and 6 months of follow-up. The mean age was 69 ± 10.1 years with a male predominance (72.0%). The mortality rate during initial hospitalization for AHF was 11.7%. The all-cause mortality rate at six months was 22.0%. The rehospitalization rate was 38.0%. Severe tricuspid regurgitation (p = 0.031), the subaortic velocity time integral (LVOT-VTI) with a cut-off value of 16, a sensitivity (Se) of 65%, and a specificity (Sp) of 85% (Area under the curve (AUC) = 0.818, p < 0.001), the right ventricular fractional area change (RV-FAC) with a cut-off value of 16, a Se of 60% and a Sp of 81% (AUC = 0.775, p < 0.001) were independent predictors of the cumulative rates of rehospitalization and mortality at six months. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 35% (HR = 0.828, 95% CI: 0.689-0.995, p = 0.044) and the RV-FAC (HR = 0.564, 95% CI: 0.361-0.881, p = 0.012) were independent predictors of all-cause mortality. LVOT-VTI (AUC = 0.766, p < 0.001) was a significantly independent predictor of rehospitalization. This study confirmed that type 1 CRS is associated with a poor prognosis. LVEF, LVOT-VTI, and RV-FAC are simple, reproducible, and sensitive ultrasound parameters for predicting outcomes in patients with type 1 CRS.

RECURRENT EXPENDITURE ON INTERNAL SECURITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

It is the responsibility of the government to ensure the internal safety of those living in the country. This is because it (the government) has the resources needed to deploy and ensure that the country is safe. To achieve internal safety, the federal government of Nigeria has continued to increase expenditure on internal security with a view of securing all those living in the country for investment and innovation. Thus, this paper investigated the relationship between government recurrent expenditure on internal security and economic growth in Nigeria from 1980 to 2022. The data for the study were sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletin. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model was employed as the main analytical tool. The results of the analyses revealed the presence of a long-run association among the variables. The results also showed that in the long run, government recurrent expenditure on internal security has a positive and insignificant relationship with economic growth in Nigeria. At the same time, exchange rate has a positive and significant relationship with economic growth in Nigeria. Also, interest rate has a negative and significant relationship with economic growth in Nigeria. In the short run, government recurrent expenditure on internal security has a negative and significant relationship with economic growth in Nigeria. The exchange rate and interest rate have a positive and significant relationship with economic growth in Nigeria. The study concluded that the relationship between government recurrent expenditure on internal security and economic growth in Nigeria varies, as it could be positive (in the long run) or negative (in the short run). Therefore, the study recommended that recurrent expenditure on internal security which includes pay to officers, salaries to specialists within internal security forces or connected to internal security organizations, pensions of internal security personnel; and social services for personnel and their families; maintenance and operations; internal security research and development, medical services, etc. should be increased because in the long run it will provide a spin-off effect on the national economy and increase economic growth.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/soc/0014/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Barriers and opportunities regarding community-based forest management in Afghanistan: considerations for fragile states

SummaryThe Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA), in power during 2002–2021, initiated the process of instituting community-based forest governance and building local capacity for natural resource management. These efforts coincided with the presence of international security forces and the mobilization of civil society organizations, and they were in response to community aspirations to protect and restore often degraded local forests. Legislation was passed to enable forest protection and management, including a provision to encourage participatory management by local community user groups organized as Forest Management Associations (FMAs). By the end of the GIRoA era, c. 20 registered FMAs were operating with c. 400 others in various stages of development across Afghanistan. Our analysis of relevant policy documents revealed that the policy framework developed during the GIRoA era scores favourably on the ideal criteria for community-based resource management. Despite the change in political administration with the inception of the current Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regime, the influence of the GIRoA era serves as a starting point and may have enduring influences on rural communities in Afghanistan and the natural resources that support them. Anecdotal evidence suggests that community-based forest management may persist under the current national leadership despite international isolation and funding constraints. The model developed in Afghanistan may be relevant to other fragile states, especially in contexts where rural forest-dependent communities have strong local institutions, such as shuras, and where forests are not prone to heavy extraction pressure.

Explaining Types of Military Defections during Major Anti-authoritarian Protests

Abstract Military defections during major anti-authoritarian protests have received significant attention. Yet instances of military disloyalty, commonly termed defections, often actually involve different parts of the military organization. Middle- and high-ranking officers may unite to defect, or they may fragment, with some defecting and others remaining loyal. In this article, I draw on the existing scholarship’s insights to argue that a dictator that uses control of internal security forces marginalizes all officers and increases the likelihood of united defections, whereas a dictator that uses military politicization marginalizes only some officers and increases the likelihood of fragmented defections. I assess and find support for these relationships statistically, using data on types of defections across a large N sample of all major anti-authoritarian protests from 1960 to 2011. I also illustrate the relationships using two brief comparative cases, Chile (1988) and El Salvador (1979).

“Стратегия выхода”: генезис концепции сквозь трансформацию мирового порядка

The transformation of the world order affects the stability of the international security system and forces nation states to intensify their efforts to develop mechanisms for preventing challenges and threats both during the transformation itself and after its completion. At the same time, political-military conflicts remain an integral element of any world order. And, paradoxically, they are the main threat to the world order. The article endeavors to analyze the features of the system of strategic planning and management of military operations under the administrations of R. Reagan and G. Bush. The choice of the period is due to, among other things, a significant similarity between the main challenges and threats relevant to the U.S. – USSR relations in that time and the U.S. – Russia relations today, which makes it possible to apply the comparative historical method of research. The purpose of the study is to identify, within the selected period, such systemic characteristics and factors, the use of which would be possible in modeling modern political and military conflicts, and would also contribute to the resolution of some of them. The particular attention is paid to the doctrine of C. Weinberger, the U. S. Secretary of Defense. The analysis of use of the American armed forces in 1981–1992 confirms the effectiveness of the Weinberger Doctrine. Moreover, with the assistance of C. Powell, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Weinberger Doctrine became the basis of a conceptual approach to politicalmilitary conflicts as an “exit strategy”. Today, in the context of the immutable nature of a political-military conflict, the Weinberger Doctrine and “exit strategy” deserve special attention of the scientific community and can become a solid foundation for forecasting, planning and mechanisms for resolving modern crisis situations, armed conflicts and wars.

Echocardiographic assessment of epicardial adipose tissue: A marker of coronary artery disease

Recent studies have shown that epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) can be used as a cardiovascular risk evaluation tool. Coronary artery disease (CAD) assessment still to be a challenge with non-invasive explorations. Thus, we searched for a correlation between EAT and coronary artery disease. This is a prospective descriptive study that included 100 consecutive patients admitted to the cardiology department of the hospital of the internal security forces of Marsa and having consulted between November 2020 and April 2021 for symptoms that required coronary angiography. The mean age was 58 ± 12 years, with a masculine predominance (sex ratio = 6.14). Dyslipidemia and hypertension were the most common cardiovascular risk factors (86% and 57%, respectively). The median Gensini score was 8.5 [1–37] while the mean values of mean end-diastolic EAT (MEDE) and mean end-systolic EAT (MESE) were 3.3 ± 8 mm and 5.1 ± 1.3 mm, respectively. Thirty patients had a normal angiogram (Gensini score = 0, 30%), 29 patients had mild CAD (Gensini score = 1–19, 29%), and 41 patients had obstructive/severe CAD (Gensini score > 19, 41%). In univariate analysis, MEDE and MESE were significatively different between the tertiles of Gensini score (combined P < 0.001 for both). In bivariate analysis, there was a positive and moderate to strong significant correlation between EAT and Gensini score (MEDE: P < 0.001; r = 0.590, MESE: P < 0.001; r = 0.557). The analysis of receiver operating characteristic curve showed that a MEDE > 3.4 (sensibility = 80%, specificity = 72%) and a MESE > 5 (sensibility = 78%, specificity = 73%) can predict high Gensini score (OR = 11; 95% CI: 4.23–29; P < 0.001 and OR = 8; 95% CI: 3.21–20.4; P < 0.001, respectively). Echocardiographic measurement of the EAT is a useful non-invasive tool that can be used to predict obstructive CAD.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol target achievement: How about low-income countries

Dylipidemias are a major cardiovascular risk factor especially for the LDLc. The control of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) level is one of the major targets in patients admitted for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). It is in this sense that the latest European recommendations of 2019 about dyslipidemias fall into line. The objective of our work was to study the lipid profile after ACS and to assess the degree of applicability of the European recommendation in Tunisia. This was a prospective, multicentric, non-randomized study involving consecutive patients hospitalized for ACS in the cardiology departments of Abdrerrahman Mami Hospital, Mohamed Taher Maamouri Hospital and Internal Security Forces hospital in Tunisia between 26/10/2019 and 07/03/2020 and not on lipid lowering treatment; for whom a lipid assessment was carried out on admission and checked after four to six weeks of the ACS under high dose of statin. One hundred patients were included. The average age of our population was 58.7 ± 11.6 years and the sex ratio was 5.6. Obesity was prevalent in 15%, Diabetes in 35%, hypertension in 34% and smoking in 61% of cases. Our patients presented with an ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in 51% of cases. Initially, the mean total plasma cholesterol level was 1.72 ± 0.33 g/L; the mean plasma trigliceride level was 1.61 ± 1.1 g/L; for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) it was 0.38 ± 0.09 g/L and for LDLc it was 1.04 ± 0.26 g/L. All patients have received high doses of statins: 76% received 80 mg of atorvastatin, 15% received 40 mg of atorvastatin, 9% received 20 mg rosuvastatin. They all were blood tested four to six months later. The results showed a decrease of the cholesterol level by 27.5%, the triglyceride level by 20.6% and the LDLc level by 38.2% and an increase of HDLc level by 6.5%. A level of LDLc ≤ 0.55 g/L was achieved in 46% and a decrease by 50% or more was observed in 33%. The therapeutic target was reached in only 30% of cases. The only therapeutic alternative was the diet and lifestyle changes due to the unavailability of molecules recommended by the European society of cardiology in Tunisia. Our results demonstrate the difficulty of reaching the therapeutic target of LDLc after an ACS in Tunisia. Several factors can be identified, essentially the absence of medical products recommended in the second and third line by the ESC in Tunisia.

The impact of security force assistance in Niger: meddling with borders

Abstract How does Security Force Assistance (SFA) impact Niger's security sector and beyond? I draw on extensive fieldwork in Niger and identify and analyse two developments taking place in Niger's security sector: the development of an expanded Special Forces Command and the elaboration of multiple mobile hybrid units. I build upon, and contribute to, existing studies related to the politicization and securitization of borders in the Sahel and research discussing the blurring of borders between internal and external security forces. The aim is twofold: first, to unpack SFA efforts and effects through a focus on both geopolitical borders in Niger, and borders between and within corps and units in the security sector; and second, to contextualize and compare the developments in Niger's security sector with broader, global security trends. I find that both of the SFA projects constitute and feed into institutional games and inter-agency rivalry regarding task division, equipment and training. The overuse of the newly created Special Forces Command mirrors global trends of the latter as an ‘easy button to push’, while the multiplication of hybrid units to secure geopolitical borders reinforces the status and power of intermediary agencies that are at the interface between internal and external security forces. On an overarching level, the two trends of meddling with borders are found to be co-constituted by external and local actors who decide which developments that should be considered threats and how they should be addressed, questions that are deeply intertwined with power and control.

Legal Aspects Related to the Termination of the Kumanovo Agreement (1999) and Possibilities for Serbian Armed Forces to return to Kosovo in Case of Termination of that Agreemen

This article examines the Kumanovo Agreement as an obstacle to possible Serbian military intervention in Kosovo and Metohija (hereinafter shortly: Kosovo) in case of uncontrolled Albanian invasion against the Serb population in Kosovo. The Military Technical Agreement between the International Security Force (“KFOR”) and the Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia, known as the Kumanovo Agreement, represents a legal limitation to any involvement of the Serbian military force(s). With respect to the Kumanovo Agreement the consent element required for such peacekeeping agreements appears to be missing. The absence of consent element of the agreement undermines the legal basis and thus the legal validity of the Kumanovo treaty reached under apparent coercion in 1999. It appears that Kumanovo Agreement in the absence of proper consent requirement may be interpreted as a dubious act under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (hereinafter VCLT), particularly Article 52 (related to the Coercion of a State by the threat or use of force). Therefore, the Kumanovo Agreement, as an Annex to the Security resolution 1244 (1999), can be considered as an invalid act according to the VLCT. As a consequence of its invalidity, the Serbian government in warlike situations, in case of massive human rights violations by Kosovo authorities against Serbian population, may resort to termination of the Kumanovo Agreement (under Article 52 and even under Article 53 (jus cogens) of the VLCT) for aim to protect the Serbian population against ethnic cleansing, oppression and other human rights violations of International (humanitarian) public Law.

Measuring psychological resilience in Internal Security Forces officers

This research aimed to the following objectives: Measuring the level of psychological resilience in internal security forces in Sulemani province. And Identifying the statistical differences between the levels of psychological resilience in internal security forces in Sulemani province according to some variables such as: sex (male, female), To achieve the objectives of the research, the researcher depended on an Arabic scale developed by Alwan and Talaa (2014), which is consisted of (30) items covering (3) sub-scales as following: psychological re-equilibrium, effective adjustment with stressors that face the person, taking responsibility and facing problems. The items were self-report with five point Likert scale (always, mostly, sometimes, rarely, never) as alternatives for answering. The researcher also conducted the necessary measures to ensure the overall psychometric properties of the scale such as face validity, half-split reliability which was (0.91) and it is considered to be acceptable properties for measuring the variable which is supposed to be measured. When the scale were ready to be applied in their final form, they were applied on a sample of (565) officers in Sulemani province security offices and departments related to ministry of interior. After investigation, it appeared that only (458) questionnaires which were completely answered. Then these answers were checked and total sum was extracted to be processed in statistical analysis to produce research results. Many statistical tools were used, such as: Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman –Brown formula, one-sample and paired samples t-test, percentage, and mode probability formula by utilizing the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). The results according to the objectives were as following: There is psychological resilience in internal security forces of Kurdistan Region-Iraq. The mean score of affective control of the sample was (109.26) which is bigger than the hypothesized mean (90) and the difference between the two means was statistically significant, since the calculated t score was (33.93) which is bigger than the table t (1.96) at (457) degree of freedom and p-value (0.05). And There is statistically significant difference in psychological resilience in officers according to sex variable (male, female), which the average score of males was (92.06) with standard deviation reached (11.38). Meanwhile, the average score of the females was (83.93) with (15.98) standers deviation. The calculated t score was (3.32) which is bigger than the table t (1.98) at (457) degree of freedom and p-value (0.05). Based on the results, some recommendations and suggestion are proposed to the parties related to this research.

Prognostic value of ambulatory blood pressure measurement in treated hypertensive patients

Cardiovascular risk is directly correlated to the circadian blood pressure profile. The aim of this work was to evaluate the ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) parameters that can predict the occurrence of cardiovascular events over medium term. We conducted a prospective descriptive study of 240 hypertensive patients who were treated and who had had ABPM during their follow-up at the cardiology department of the hospital of the internal security forces of Marsa, with consultations between 2015 and 2016. The mean age of our population was 57.4 ± 9.54 years, with a sex ratio of 1.33. Diabetes was the most common risk factor associated with hypertension (42.1%), followed by obesity (39.2%). This is a high cardiovascular risk population with 61% of patients with 3 or more risk factors and 56.9% with high and very high-risk according to the SCORE score. The MAPA analysis showed that the mean 24-hour SSP was 129.5 ± 14 mmHg and the mean 24-hour MAP was 74.7 ± 9.8 mmHg. Electrical HVG was found in 7.2% of patients. Microalbuminuria was documented in 31.5% of patients and proteinuria in 6.8% of patients. Forty-three cardiovascular events were identified during the 4-year follow-up of our patients with a mean time to onset of 14.5 ± 9 months. In univariate analysis, there was a significant difference between patients with and without a cardiovascular event in terms of age ( P = 0.026), mean SBP both overall ( P = 0.011), diurnal ( P = 0.042) and nocturnal ( P = 0.005), maximum DBP ( P = 0.035) and PP ( P = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, the independent factors associated with cardiovascular events were mean nocturnal SBP (OR = 1.04; CI = 1.01–1.07; P = 0.001) and maximum DBP (OR = 0.96; CI = 0.92–0.99; P = 0.02). ABPM is an interesting prognostic tool in hypertensive patients, allowing the prediction of long-term cardiovascular events.

Reopening the Upper Airspace over Kosovo for Civil Air Traffic: The Road Thereto

Over twenty years have passed since the insurrection in Kosovo which ended with the introduction of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in June 1999. The establishment of the State of Kosovo has raised multiple questions and challenged public international law doctrines in different ways. The validity of unilateral State succession in the post-colonial era, the international legal personality of international intergovernmental organizations, and the exercise of sovereign rights by other entities than States are among the questions that the international community has had to contend with. The present essay elaborates the aviation law-related aspects of these challenges, more precisely the reopening of the upper airspace of Kosovo, with a special focus on the legal solutions of the Implementing Agreement Between Hungary and the International Security Force in Kosovo (KFOR) (Implementing Agreement Between the Government of Hungary and International Security Force in Kosovo (KFOR) for the Provision of Air Navigation Services (ANS) and Other Relevant Activities in the Designated Airspace over Kosovo as promulgated by Act No. CCXLVIII of 2013 on Promulgation of the Implementing Agreement Between the Government of Hungary and International Security Force in Kosovo (KFOR) for the Provision of ANS and Other Relevant Activities in the Designated Airspace over Kosovo.). airspace, sovereignty, NATO, Kosovo, Hungary

The Legal Regulation of the Internal Security Forces in Iraqi Constitution and Laws

The Legal Regulation of the Internal Security Forces in Iraqi Constitution and Laws

A closer look at patterns and characteristics of suicide in Lebanon: A first nationwide report of cases from 2008 to 2018.

Suicide is a leading preventable cause of mortality worldwide. Suicide rates in Lebanon are unknown, as reported numbers are extrapolated and modeled over neighboring countries with poor quality of vital registration data. Numbers of death by suicide were obtained from the Internal Security Forces records from January 2008 through December 2018. Records from 2011 through 2018 specified the gender of the individual, the means of the suicide, the date and place of suicide. As of March 2014, nationality of the individual was recorded. The total recorded number of completed suicides over 11 years is 1366 with an annual rate ranging between 1.87 and 2.4 per 100,000 capita. The male to female ratio was 2:1. Death by firearms (41.4 %) was the most common means used, followed by hanging (26.5 %), jumping from a height (13.6 %), and poisoning (13.5 %). Males were more likely to use firearms while females were more likely to use hanging or jumping from a height (p < 0.001), the latter being a common finding in non-Lebanese nationals (Ethiopian). Suicides were most common in Mount Lebanon and least common in Nabatieh governates, while their distribution across seasons was similar. In Lebanon, like most of the Middle Eastern countries, suicide is a social and religious taboo. Our study shows a sizable prevalence of suicide rates, particularly after national efforts to improve awareness and reporting. Suicide means and vulnerable populations should be at the heart of targeted prevention strategies.

Military cooperation between the United States of America and the Republic of Vietnam (1969-1973)

President M. Richard Nixon took office in the context that the United States was being crisis and deeply divided by the Vietnam war. Ending the war became the new administration's top priority. The top priority of the new government was to get the American out of the war. But if the American got out of the war and the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) fell, the honor and and prestige of the U.S will be effected. Nixon government wanted to conclude American involvement honorably. It means that the U.S forces could be returned to the U.S, but still maintaining the RVN government in South Vietnam. To accomplish this goal, Nixon government implemented linkage diplomacy, negotiated with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in Paris and implemented "Vietnamization" strategy. The aim of the Vietnamization was to train and provide equipments for the RVN's military forces that gradually replace the U.S. troops, take responsibility in self-guarantee for their own security. By analyzing the military cooperation between the United States and the RVN in the implementation of "Vietnamization", the paper aims to clarify the nature of the "allied relationship" between the U.S and the RVN. It also proves that the goal of Nixon's Vietnamization was not to help the RVN "reach to a strong government with a wealthy economy, a powerful internal security and military forces", served the policy of withdrawing American troops from the war that the U.S could not win militarily, solving internal problems but still preserving the honor of the United States.

Atrial fibrillation in the elderly: Therapy and prognosis characteristics

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in the elderly. Rate management and prevention of thromboembolic accidents are the main goal but it was challenging due to age-related physiological changes and comorbidities. This was a retrospective study, including 51 patients hospitalised for AF at the cardiology department of the Internal Security Forces Hospital–La Marsa between 2010 and 2018. The mean age of our patients was 72.4 ± 6.97 years [64–92] with a clear female predominance. High blood pressure was the most common cardiovascular risk factor (68.5%). Dyspnea was the main symptom leading patients to consult (43.1%). Mean P-wave dispersion on electrocardiogram was 49.03 ± 24.13 ms. The cardiac echography performed showed a left atrial enlargement: mean volume was 50.26 ± 18.86 mL/m2 [22,53–103] and left ventricular ejection fraction was < 50% in 19% of cases. Paroxysmal AF was predominant (60.8%). The most common etiology was arterial hypertension (39.2%). Mean score of CHA2DS2-VASc was 2.92 ± 1.41 and HASBLED was 1.76 ± 0.99. A rhythm control strategy was adopted in most of cases (70.6%). Amiodarone was more frequently administrated (63.9%) than electrical shock (22.2%). Anticoagulation therapy involved vitamin K antagonists (66.82%) and aspirin (30.61%). Among the patients, 13.7% have already had an ischemic stroke before AF diagnostic, but only 3.9% had thromboembolic event after treatment. Bradycardia and atrioventricular block were the main side effects related to anti-arrhythmic drugs (19.6%). Hyperthyroidism caused by amiodarone was observed in 14.8% of patients. Mortality rate was 27.47% and cardiac pathologies were the cause of 28.6% of death cases. AF in the elderly is a major health problem. The morbi-mortality is not only resulting from thromboembolic events, but also the use of pharmacological therapy for either rate, rhythm control or anticoagulation which lead to high risk of side effects and drug toxicities.

Diagnostic characteristics of acute myocarditis

Acute myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle. Its unpredictable evolution justifies the importance of its early recognition. The clinical polymorphism associated with the lack of sensitivity of conventional diagnostic means make diagnosis a challenge for the clinician. Determine the clinical profile of acute myocarditis and the contribution of multimodal imaging in its diagnosis This was a descriptive, retrospective study, including 31 patients hospitalized for acute myocarditis at the cardiology department of the Internal Security Forces Hospital-La Marsa between 2011 and 2017. The mean age of our patients was 36.5 ± 13.3 years [17–63] with a clear male predominance (sex ratio = 6.75). Smoking was the most common cardiovascular risk factor (60%). Fifty percent of the population had only two cardiovascular risk factors. The most common clinical picture was acute chest pain (84%) preceded by influenza-like illness (53%). The electrocardiogram was pathological in 97% of cases. Hyperleukocytosis was objectified in 33% of cases. Elevation of C-reactive protein was present in 80% of cases. As for troponins, they were high in 94% of cases. Overall myocardial contractility was conserved in 84% of cases with segmental kinetic disorders in 45%. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed pericardial effusion (10%), spontaneous myocardial hypersignal in triple-reversal-T2 recovery (42%) and which corresponded to the zones of late enhancement. Late contrast enhancement was predominant at the lateral wall (39%), with epicardial involvement occurring in 100% of cases.28 patients had a favorable outcome after a follow-up of 24 months. However, there was only one case of death at 3 months and two cases that progressed to dilated cardiomyopathy. Acute myocarditis is mainly a disease of the young male subject. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is of crucial interest for positive diagnosis.

Disaster Confrontation Mechanisms within Local Efforts at the Governorate Level

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى تسليط الضوء على أهمية إعداد خطط مجابهة الكوارث بأنواعها الطبيعية وغير الطبيعية لتفادي تفاقم ازمة حدوث الكارثة، واعتماد الإمكانيات المحلية المتاحة في إعداد هذه الخطط بما ينسجم وتحقيق أدنى ما يمكن من الخسائر في الأفراد وممتلكاتهم الخاصة والعامة. استندت الدراسة على تحديد الملامح الخاطئة لإدارة الكوارث لغرض تلافيها عند إعداد خطط ناجحة وفاعلة خلال تنفيذها، وتحديد المعطيات المحلية التي تبنى على أساسها خطة إدارة الكارثة، واقتراح نموذج خطة إدارة شاملة يمكن تحويرها بحسب نوع الكارثة المطلوب مجابهتها. كما تناولت الدراسة سبل إعداد خطة مواجهة أي كارثة وفق المعطيات المحلية على مستوى محافظة. واقتراح هيكلية ارتباط الجهات المنفذة وخاصة تشكيلات الجيش وقوى الأمن الداخلي مع الاستعانة بالقدرات والخبرات والإمكانيات الموجودة ضمن المديريات العاملة في المحافظة لإجراء أفضل انسيابية بتنفيذ الأوامر وتفادي وقوع خسائر غير متوقعة من جهة وتحقيق أهداف الخطة بشكل متكامل جهة أخرى. وتم التطرق إلى آلية وأسس وأهداف خطط إدارة الكوارث والأزمات التي يجب توفرها في إعداد اية خطة لغرض ضمان نجاحها وتحقيق مردود إيجابي إما بمنع حدوث الكارثة أو التخفيف قدر المستطاع من أثارها السلبية على الإنسان سواء المباشرة أو غير المباشرة من خلال التأثير على ممتلكاته الخاصة والعامة. وجعل برنامج إدارة الكوارث كأحد المهام الاستراتيجية للحكومات ضمن خطط التنمية المستدامة من خلال تظافر المؤسسات المحلية على تنمية قدراتها لتنفيذ برامج مجابهة الكوارث. كما تعمل الحكومة على استحداث هيئات فرعية في مؤسساتها لتشخيص المخاطر وتهيئة كوادر فنية ومتخصصة منفذة وساندة بحسب نوع تلك المخاطر ضمن دائرة عملها، فضلا عن تنمية ثقافة حس الوقاية من الكوارث لدى المجتمع بشكل عام وابراز دور المواطن في تفعيل عملية المواجهة. وتوصي الدراسة بجعل برنامج إدارة الكوارث كأحد المهام والبرامج الأساسية في استراتيجية وخطط التنمية المستدامة مع تظافر مؤسسات الدولة ضمن المحافظة على تعزيز قدراتها لمواجهة الكوارث من خلال استحداث هيئات أو مؤسسات فرعية لتشخيص ومراقبة المخاطر وتدريب كوادرها فنيا، مع الأخذ بالاعتبار ضرورة تنمية ثقافة حس الوقاية من الكوارث بين المواطنين.

Security forces and the end of empire in the Trucial States, 1960–1971

One of the notable characteristics of Britain’s imperial role in the Trucial States (United Arab Emirates from 1971) was the establishment of armed forces and security services. The Trucial Oman Scouts (TOS) were the most important proto army in the sheikhdoms. During the last decade of the pax Britannica in the Trucial States competing units were also established in the region. The Foreign Office also sought to counter the potential threat of opposition groups inspired by several models of Arab nationalism by developing the internal security forces of the sheikhdoms. The establishment of these military organisations was attractive because they were much cheaper than deploying British forces. In January 1968 the Labour government decided to withdraw from East of Suez. The armies of the Trucial States formed the basis of the UAE armed forces, and British played a central role in creating the security state in the Emirates.