Category: Nevin Manimala

Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2023 Jan 18;28(1):18. doi: 10.31083/j.fbl2801018.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: L-carnosine has been found to have multimodal activity.

AIM: The aim of this review was to find out the efficacy of L-carnosine in patients with age-related diseases.

METHODS: Clinical studies evaluated the effect of L-carnosine on cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders were searched in electronic bibliographic databases. The protocol has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022314033). The revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials was used to assess all of the reports for risk of bias. RevMan 5.4 was used to conduct the meta-analysis.

RESULTS: Following the screening process, 14 papers were selected for systematic review, with 9 of them being qualified for meta-analysis. Many of the included studies showed that L-carnosine has potential therapeutic activity in age related diseases. Results from the meta-analysis showed that in diabetes mellitus, HbA1c [mean difference (MD) 95% CI = -1.25 (-2.49, -0.022); p = 0.05; p = 0.001; I2 = 85%] and fasting blood sugar (FBS) [MD 95% CI = -12.44 (-22.44, -2.44); p = 0.01; p = 0.40; I2 = 0%] and in neurodegenerative disorder, Wechsler Memory Scale Logical Memory 2 (WMS-LM2) [MD 95% CI = 1.34 (0.83, 1.85); p < 0.00001; p = 0.43; I2 = 0%], showed statistically significant difference, favoring the L-carnosine group over the control group. While in neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer ‘s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) [MD 95% CI = 0.98 (-1.55, -0.42); p = 0.0007; p = 0.86; I2 = 0%] and Back Depression Inventory (BDI) [MD 95% CI = -1.12 (-1.87, -0.37); p = 0.003; p = 0.73; I2 = 0%] showed statistically significant difference, favoring the control group over L-carnosine group.

CONCLUSIONS: Clinical studies were conducted to manage chemotherapy induced toxicities and there are no clinical studies available for its anti-cancer use, and the current evidence does not support its use in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

PMID:36722274 | DOI:10.31083/j.fbl2801018

Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2023 Jan 10;28(1):7. doi: 10.31083/j.fbl2801007.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Circulating levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP) are elevated during cardiac stress and this could be a factor in cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. Herein, we studied the effects of AVP on interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production and the role(s) of β-arrestin2-dependent signaling in murine heart.

METHODS: The levels of IL-1β mRNA and protein in adult rat cardiofibroblasts (ARCFs) was measured using quantitative PCR and ELISA, respectively. The activity of β-arrestin2 was manipulated using either pharmacologic inhibitors or through recombinant β-arrestin2 over-expression. These experiments were conducted to determine the roles of β-arrestin2 in the regulation of AVP-induced IL-1β and NLRP3 inflammasome production. The phosphorylation and activation of NF-κB induced by AVP was measured by immunoblotting. β-arrestin2 knockout (KO) mice were used to investigate whether β-arrestin2 mediated the AVP-induced production of IL-1β and NLRP3, as well as the phosphorylation of the NF-κB p65 subunitin mouse myocardium. Prism GraphPad software(version 8.0), was used for all statistical analyses.

RESULTS: AVP induced the expression of IL-1β in a time-dependent manner in ARCFs but not in cultured adult rat cardiomyocytes (ARCMs). The inhibition of NF-κB with pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic acid (PDTC) prevented the AVP-induced phosphorylation of NF-κB and production of IL-1β and NLRP3 in ARCFs. The deletion of β-arrestin2 blocked the phosphorylation of p65 and the expression of NLRP3 and IL-1β induced by AVP in both mouse hearts and in ARCFs.

CONCLUSIONS: AVP promotes IL-1β expression through β-arrestin2-mediated NF-κB signaling in murine heart.

PMID:36722263 | DOI:10.31083/j.fbl2801007

Glob Health Action. 2023 Dec 31;16(1):2147294. doi: 10.1080/16549716.2022.2147294.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Social-emotional ability is important for overall health and wellbeing in early childhood. Recognizing preschool children in need of extra support, especially those living in unfavourable conditions, can have immediate positive effects on their health and benefit their wellbeing in the long-term.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate whether there are social inequalities in preschool children’s social-emotional problems, and whether inequalities differ between boys and girls.

METHOD: This study utilized repeated measures from cross-sectional population-based surveys of three-year old children (2014-2018). The final study population comprised of 9,099 children which was 61% of all the eligible children in Västerbotten County during the study period. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE) 36-month interval was used to measure children’s social-emotional ability. Social inequalities were studied with respect to parents’ income, education, and place of birth, for which data was obtained from Statistics Sweden. Multiple logistic and ordered regressions were used.

RESULTS: Among 3-year-olds, social-emotional problems were more common in the most vulnerable social groups, i.e. parents in the lowest income quintile (OR: 1.45, p < 0.001), parents with education not more than high school (OR: 1.51, p < 0.001), and both parents born outside Sweden (OR: 2.54, p < 0.001). Notably, there was a larger difference in social-emotional problems between the lowest and highest social categories for girls compared to boys. Higher odds of social-emotional problems were associated with boys not living with both parents and girls living in the areas of Skellefteå and Umeå, i.e. more populated geographical areas.

CONCLUSION: Already at 3-years of age social-emotional problems were more common in children with parents in the most vulnerable social groups. This does not fulfil the ambition of an equitable start in life for every child and might contribute to reproduction of social inequalities across generations.

PMID:36722260 | DOI:10.1080/16549716.2022.2147294

J Integr Neurosci. 2023 Jan 5;22(1):11. doi: 10.31083/j.jin2201011.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Camptocormia is one of the most common postural disorders of Parkinson’s disease (PD) which has limited treatment options. In this review, we summarize the efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for camptocormia in PD.

METHODS: The PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and EMBASE databases (https://www.embase.com/) were searched for the terms “Parkinson Disease” and “camptocormia” in combination with “deep brain stimulation”. We then explored the efficacy of DBS for camptocormia by statistical analysis of the bending angle, the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS-III) and L-dopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD), and by evaluating the prognosis after DBS.

RESULTS: Twenty articles that reported results for 152 patients were included in this review. These comprised 136 patients from 16 studies who underwent subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS), and 13 patients from 3 studies who underwent globus pallidus internus deep brain stimulation (GPi-DBS). One study used both STN-DBS (2 patients) and GPi-DBS (one patient). After 3-21 months of follow-up, the mean bending angle during the Off-period was significantly reduced compared to pre-DBS (31.5 ± 21.4 vs. 53.6 ± 22.7, respectively; p < 0.0001). For the STN-DBS trials, the mean post-operative bending angles during both Off- and On-periods were significantly reduced compared to pre-operative (32.1 ± 22.7 vs. 55.4 ± 24.1, p = 0.0003; and 33.1 ± 21.5 vs. 43.7 ± 20.6, p = 0.0003, respectively). For GPi-DBS, the mean bending angle post-DBS during the Off-period was considerably lower than pre-DBS (28.5 ± 10.7 vs. 42.9 ± 9.9, p < 0.001). The decrease in bending angle after DBS was negatively correlated with the duration of camptocormia (R = – 0.433, p = 0.013), whereas positively associated with the pre-bending angle (R = 0.352, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS: DBS is an effective treatment for camptocormia in PD. Patients in the early stage of camptocormia with more significant bending angle may benefit more from DBS.

PMID:36722246 | DOI:10.31083/j.jin2201011

J Integr Neurosci. 2023 Jan 16;22(1):18. doi: 10.31083/j.jin2201018.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with characteristic clinical subtypes and prognosis. In addition, nigrostriatal pathway, the most vulnerable anatomical area in PD, formed neuronal network interplaying with cortical and subcortical structures, and which may cause PD clinical phenotype. We evaluated the regional selectivity of presynaptic striatal dopaminergic denervation associated with RBD in PD.

METHODS: We compared two groups (n = 16) of PD patients with and without RBD in terms of specific binding ratios (SBR) in subregions of the striatum, which were measured using positron emission tomography with 18F-FP-CIT. SBRs of the anterior and posterior caudate, ventral striatum, and posterior and ventral putamen regions were measured in more or less affected side, and right or left side, or bilateral sum of the striatum.

RESULTS: Age, disease duration, and severity of parkinsonism were not significantly different between groups. Although group differences in all areas were not significant with multiple comparison corrections, SBR of the ventral striatum and anterior caudate in sum of both sides was significantly less in the RBD than in the non-RBD group without correction (p < 0.05). In the right anterior caudate and left ventral striatum, SBR was also lower in the RBD than in the non-RBD group without correction (p < 0.05). Attention function was impaired in the RBD group compared with the non-RBD group (p < 0.05). However, these statistical significances were not definite after correction of multiple comparisons (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: There is a possibility that RBD in early PD may be associated with presynaptic dopaminergic denervation in the ventral striatum and anterior caudate, which may explain decreased attention in our RBD group. RBD in PD may imply a distinct pathological progression. However, further study using large numbers of participants or longitudinal observation is necessary for the statistical conclusion because of small sample size.

PMID:36722243 | DOI:10.31083/j.jin2201018

J Integr Neurosci. 2023 Jan 17;22(1):24. doi: 10.31083/j.jin2201024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The left primary motor area (M1) stimulation has recently been revealed to promote post-stroke aphasia (PSA) recovery, of which a plausible mechanism might be the semantic and/or the mirror neuron system reorganization, but the direct evidence is still scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the functional connectivity (FC) alterations induced by the left M1 intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a new transcranial magnetic stimulation paradigm, in the semantic and mirror neuron systems of PSA patients.

METHODS: Sixteen PSA patients accepted the left M1 iTBS and underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) scanning before and immediately after the first session of iTBS, of which six underwent another fMRI scanning after twenty sessions of iTBS. Three brain networks covering the semantic and the mirror neuron systems were constructed using the fMRI data, and the FC alterations following one-session iTBS were investigated in the networks. Additional seed-based FC analyses were conducted to explore the longitudinal FC patterns changes during the course of multi-session iTBS. The Aphasia quotient of the Chinese version of the western aphasia battery (WAB-AQ) was used to assess the severity of the language impairments of the participants. The relationship between the longitudinal WAB-AQ and network FC changes was analyzed by Spearman’s correlation coefficients in the multi-session iTBS sub-group.

RESULTS: Decreased FCs were noted in the bilateral semantic rather than in the mirror neuron networks following one-session of iTBS (p < 0.05, network based statistical corrected). Longitudinal seed-based FC analyses revealed changing FC ranges along the multi-session iTBS course, extending beyond the semantic networks. No significant relationship was found between the longitudinal WAB-AQ and network FC changes in the multi-session iTBS sub-group.

CONCLUSIONS: The left M1 iTBS might induce FC changes in the semantic system of PSA patients.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This research was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry website (http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx), and the registration number is ChiCTR2100041936.

PMID:36722227 | DOI:10.31083/j.jin2201024

J Genet. 2023;102:3.

ABSTRACT

Milkfish (Chanos chanos) belongs to the family Chanidae and it is a potential candidate species for aquaculture with the best biological characteristics. This study investigates the genetic diversity and population structure of C. chanos along the Indian coast using cytochrome b (cyt b) sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). A total of 90 samples collected from five different locations across the Indian coast were sequenced for analysis using cyt b. The sequencing of a 1100-bp cyt b mtDNA fragment revealed the presence of 38 haplotypes with a haplotype diversity value of 0.835 and a nucleotide diversity value of 0.00400. The variation within and among populations accounted for about 97.33% and 2.67%, respectively. The fixation index analysis indicated that there is no significant genetic divergence among the populations from different geographical areas. Neighbour-joining tree analysis of the haplotype data showed no distinct patterns of phylogeographic structure. Results from this study indicated that there is a lack of genetic divergence between the populations of C. chanos along the Indian coast. The haplotype network showed star-like geneology which indicated the demographic expansion of the C. chanos population in these locations. The recent demographic expansion of the C. chanos population was also supported by the results of Tajima’s D statistics. Results from this study can be used for planning effective strategies for the conservation and management of the C. chanos population in the wild.

PMID:36722222

Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2023 Mar 1;40(3):179-189. doi: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000001793. Epub 2023 Jan 11.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: About 300 million surgeries are performed worldwide annually and this figure is increasing constantly. Peri-operative myocardial injury (PMI), detected by cardiac troponin (cTn) elevation, is a common cardiac complication of noncardiac surgery, strongly associated with short- and long-term mortality. Without systematic peri-operative cTn screening, most cases of PMI may go undetected. However, little is known about cost effectiveness of a systematic PMI screening strategy with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) after noncardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To assess, in patients with high cardiovascular risk, the cost-effectiveness of a systematic screening strategy using a hs-cTnT assay, to identify patients with PMI after major noncardiac surgery, compared with usual care.

DESIGN: Cost-effectiveness analysis; single centre prospective cohort study.

SETTING: Spanish University Hospital.

PATIENTS: From July 2016 to March 2019, we included 1477 consecutive surgical patients aged ≥65 or if <65, with documented history of cardiovascular disease or impaired renal function, who underwent major noncardiac surgery and required at least an overnight hospital stay. We excluded patients aged <65 years without cardiovascular disease, undergoing minor surgery, or with an expected <24 h hospital stays.

INTERVENTIONS: We conducted a decision-tree analysis, comparing a systematic screening strategy measuring hs-cTnT before surgery, and at the 2nd and 3rd days after surgery vs. a usual care strategy. We considered a third-party payer perspective and the outcomes of both strategies in the short-term (30 days follow-up). Information about costs was expressed in Euros-2021. We calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the systematic hs-cTnT strategy, defined as the expected cost per any additional PMI detected, and explored the robustness of the model using deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ICER of the systematic hs-cTnT screening strategy.

RESULTS: The ICER was €425 per any additionally detected PMI. The deterministic sensitivity analysis showed that a 15% variation in costs, and a 1% variation in the predictive values, had a minor impact over the ICER, except in case of the negative predictive value of the systematic hs-cTnT screening strategy. Monte Carlo simulations (probabilistic sensitivity analysis) showed that systematic hs-cTnT screening would be cost-effective in 100% of cases with a ‘willingness to pay’ of €780.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that systematic peri-operative PMI screening with hs-cTnT may be cost-effective in the short-term in patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery. Economic evaluations, with a long-term horizon, are still needed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03438448.

PMID:36722187 | DOI:10.1097/EJA.0000000000001793

Mult Scler. 2023 Feb 1:13524585221150881. doi: 10.1177/13524585221150881. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Data are sparse regarding the safety of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

OBJECTIVE: To estimate (1) the pooled proportion of MS patients experiencing relapse among vaccine recipients; (2) the rate of transient neurological worsening, adverse events, and serious adverse events; (3) the previous outcomes of interest for different SARS-CoV-2 vaccine types.

METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of pharmacovigilance registries and observational studies.

RESULTS: Nineteen observational studies comprising 14,755 MS patients who received 23,088 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were included. Mean age was 43.3 years (95% confidence interval (CI): 40-46.6); relapsing-remitting, secondary-progressive, primary-progressive MS and clinically isolated syndrome were diagnosed in 82.6% (95% CI: 73.9-89.8), 12.6% (95% CI: 6.3-20.8), 6.7% (95% CI: 4.2-9.9), and 2.9% (95% CI: 1-5.9) of cases, respectively. The pooled proportion of MS patients experiencing relapse at a mean time interval of 20 days (95% CI: 12-28.2) from vaccination was 1.9% (95% CI: 1.3%-2.6%; I² = 78%), with the relapse risk being independent of the type of administered SARS-CoV-2-vaccine (p for subgroup differences = 0.7 for messenger RNA (mRNA), inactivated virus, and adenovector-based vaccines). After vaccination, transient neurological worsening was observed in 4.8% (95% CI: 2.3%-8.1%) of patients. Adverse events and serious adverse events were reported in 52.8% (95% CI: 46.7%-58.8%) and 0.1% (95% CI: 0%-0.2%) of vaccinations, respectively.

CONCLUSION: COVID-19 vaccination does not appear to increase the risk of relapse and serious adverse events in MS. Weighted against the risks of SARS-CoV-2-related complications and MS exacerbations, these safety data provide compelling pro-vaccination arguments for MS patients.

PMID:36722184 | DOI:10.1177/13524585221150881

Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 31;13(1):1806. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29009-w.

ABSTRACT

Human activities, including urbanization, industrialization, agricultural pollution, and land use, have contributed to the increased fragmentation of natural habitats and decreased biodiversity in Zhejiang Province as a result of socioeconomic development. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the protection of ecologically significant species can play a crucial role in restoring biodiversity. Emeia pseudosauteri is regarded as an excellent environmental indicator, umbrella and flagship species because of its unique ecological attributes and strong public appeal. Assessing and predicting the potential suitable distribution area of this species in Zhejiang Province can help in the widespread conservation of biodiversity. We used the MaxEnt ecological niche model to evaluate the habitat suitability of E. pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province to understand the potential distribution pattern and environmental characteristics of suitable habitats for this species, and used the AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) and TSS (true skill statistics) to evaluate the model performance. The results showed that the mean AUC value was 0.985, the standard deviation was 0.011, the TSS average value was 0.81, and the model prediction results were excellent. Among the 11 environmental variables used for modeling, temperature seasonality (Bio_4), altitude (Alt) and distance to rivers (Riv_dis) were the key variables affecting the distribution area of E. pseudosauteri, with contributions of 33.5%, 30% and 15.9%, respectively. Its main suitable distribution area is in southern Zhejiang Province and near rivers, at an altitude of 50-300 m, with a seasonal variation in temperature of 7.7-8 °C. Examples include the Ou River, Nanxi River, Wuxi River, and their tributary watersheds. This study can provide a theoretical basis for determining the scope of E. pseudosauteri habitat protection, population restoration, resource management and industrial development in local areas.

PMID:36721021 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-29009-w