Syrian youths seek  to develop and enhance their presence in different domains most notable of which are creativity and invention..

University students’ inventive projects are of great importance to show how students manage to benefit from their academic and theoretical study to prepare their own projects.

 Muhammad Araj, who is a student at the Mechatronic Department  at Tishreen University in Lattakia,  won the first place of the  scientific and technical development and invention category  at the national level within the  2020 JCI Ten  Outstanding Young Persons ( TOYP) competition.

The event was  organized by the  Junior  Chamber  International ( JCI)  in Lattakia for the year 2020 . Each year, the JCI honors ten outstanding  young people under the age of 40, through innovative actions, extraordinary achievements and dedication to serving others. Honorees create sustainable impact in their communities.

The outbreak of the novel Coronavirus has sparked a health crisis that in turn has unleashed an unprecedented deployment resources. The scientific and technology communities have put their full weight behind finding solutions that help mitigate the impact of the pandemic…

Engineer Ali al-Bakir, owner of a startup “ AVXW Make-Future” electronic prosthetics company at IT and communication incubator of the Syrian Computer Society ( SCS) in Lattakia province has invented a portable respirator to help support the health sector’s efforts for confronting the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“In recent weeks, numerous resource and knowledge –sharing initiatives have come to the fore. The sudden emergence and rapid spread of a novel Coronavirus offers insights into how innovation and technology have equipped us better in handling public health emergencies and containing the spread of diseases” Eng. al-Bakir said in a statement to the Syriatimes e-newspaper.

He underlined that the invention came about, due to the current circumstances, with the aim of meeting the needs of the efforts to confront the Coronavirus and support the health sector, particularly since the sanctions imposed on Syria have hindered the procurement of medical equipment.

Just as they proved themselves to be  the masters and protectors of the land during nine years of war against the enemies of humanity,  the Syrians are now proving in the scientific field that they are able to protect their country and their people against any threat , despite the coercive and unjust measures imposed by the West on their country, invent the best  solutions to the most critical issues ,with local capabilities and well qualified national cadres.

In this context , a research team under the supervision of Professor Carlo Y. Makdisie, made up of a number of students and engineers at Tishreen University, was able to manufacture and develop three different and multi-use thermometers that help in fighting coronavirus and detecting patients.

To learn more about this invention, Professor Makdisie told the Syria Times e-newspaper : "Out of our commitment to contribute to fighting   Corona epidemic that is sweeping the world, including our country and the neighboring countries,  we have established a research team of Syrian youth and students, who have manufactured and developed three different  multi-use thermometers:

- The human body programmable contact temperature meter.

- Adjustable critical temperature alarm.

- The human body programmable and non- contact temperature meter.

The prototype of the devices was manufactured and packaged in a "Plexi frame".

An overreaction of the body's immune system

By Alison George

Diseases such as covid-19 and influenza can be fatal due to an overreaction of the body’s immune system called a cytokine storm.

Cytokines are small proteins released by many different cells in the body, including those of the immune system where they coordinate the body’s response against infection and trigger inflammation. The name ‘cytokine’ is derived from the Greek words for cell (cyto) and movement (kinos).

Sometimes the body’s response to infection can go into overdrive. For example, when SARS -CoV-2 – the virus behind the covid-19 pandemic – enters the lungs, it triggers an immune response, attracting immune cells to the region to attack the virus, resulting in localised inflammation. But in some patients, excessive or uncontrolled levels of cytokines are released which then activate more immune cells, resulting in hyperinflammation. This can seriously harm or even kill the patient.