Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Sexual Dysfunction Among Egyptian Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease Patients

J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2021 Dec 24:8919887211063810. doi: 10.1177/08919887211063810. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: One of the non-motor features of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD) is sexual dysfunction (SD) which is under-recognized and, consequently, undertreated. This study aimed to evaluate SD in patients with IPD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 67 IPD patients; 30 healthy subjects with age and gender matching with the patients served as the control group. All participants were subjected to sexual function assessment using the Arabic version of Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), while the severity of IPD was assessed using the modified Hoehn and Yahr scoring scale and MDS-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS).

RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between patients with IPD and the control group regarding MMSE, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or dyslipidemia. However, BDI scores were significantly higher in patients with IPD. The rate of SD among our patients was 64% compared to 30% in the control group. The total score and subscales of ASEX were significantly higher in IPD patients than in controls. SD showed a significant correlation with the severity of the IPD irrespective of other variables, including patient age, sex, disease duration, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, and dose of L-dopa.

CONCLUSION: SD is a commonly underrated feature in patients with IPD; it should be investigated carefully as it is an important non-motor symptom that correlates with disease severity.

PMID:34951322 | DOI:10.1177/08919887211063810

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Clinical comprehensive evaluation of Diemailing~® Kudiezi Injection in treatment of cerebral infarction

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2021 Dec;46(23):6105-6113. doi: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210930.505.

ABSTRACT

Clinical comprehensive evaluation was conducted in "6+1" dimensions(safety, effectiveness, economy, innovation, suitability, accessibility, and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine) to reflect the advantages and characteristics of Diemai-ling~® Kudiezi Injection in the treatment of cerebral infarction. This study adopted a combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods. Based on the methodologies of evidence-based medicine, epidemiology, clinical medicine, evidence-based pharmacy, pharmacoeconomics, mathematical statistics, and health technology assessment(HTA), experts gave weight to the criterion layer and index layer, and multi-criteria decision analysis(MCDA) model and CSC v2.0 were used for calculations to evaluate the clinical value of Diemailing~® Kudiezi Injection. The existing evidence showed that active monitoring and a number of randomized controlled trials(RCTs) have been carried out after the listing of Diemailing~® Kudiezi Injection. Since the total incidence of adverse reactions is 0.099% and the incidence of adverse drug reactions(ADR) is rare, the safety evaluation is grade A. The evidence value of effectiveness demonstrated that Diemailing~® Kudiezi Injection combined with conventional western medicine improves the total effective rate of neurological deficit score and quality of daily life in the acute stage of cerebral infarction, which is superior to that in the conventional western medicine treatment group, and the level of evidence is high. Therefore, its efficacy is assessed as grade A. According to the results of economic research, when Diemailing~® Kudiezi Injection combined with conventional western medicine treatment is compared with conventional western medicine treatment, the Diemailing~® Kudiezi Injection group has a greater incremental effect, but the cost is affordable. Given the overall quality evaluation results of economic report is clear, it is evaluated as grade B. The innovation is grade A. The drug is favorable for clinical operation by medical staff and can be accepted by patients due to easy usage without special technical and management requirements. Since the drug exhibits good suitability for clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, and patients, it is evaluated as grade B. Considering its moderate price among similar drugs and good affordability and availability, it is evaluated as grade B. Diemailing~® Kudiezi Injection can evidently improve the clinical symptoms and neurological deficits of fire toxin syndrome of acute cerebral infarction, and this medicine belongs to ethnic medicine. Large-sample active monitoring research has been conducted with rich experience in human use. Therefore, the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine are evaluated as grade A. The comprehensive clinical evaluation of Diemailing~® Kudiezi Injection is class A. We suggest that it can be directly transformed into relevant policy results of basic clinical medication management by procedure.

PMID:34951238 | DOI:10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210930.505

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Active Remodeling of Chromatin and Implications for In Vivo Folding

J Phys Chem B. 2021 Dec 24. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c08655. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Building on the observation that chromatin compaction can be locally modulated by activity, we propose a model of in vivo chromatin as an active polymer and study its large scale conformations. In particular, we study an active mechanochemical model of chromosomal folding based on the interplay among polymer elasticity, confinement, topological constraints, and fluctuating active stresses arising from the ATP-dependent action of a variety of chromatin-associated protein machines and chromatin-remodeling proteins and their stochastic turnover. We find that activity drives the chromatin to a nonequilibrium steady state; the statistics of conformations in this nonequilibrium steady state are consistent with recent measurements on intrachromosomal contact probabilities and chromosomal compaction. The contact exponents at steady state show a systematic variation with changes in the nature of activity and the rates of turnover. The steady state configuration of the active chromatin in two dimensions resembles a space-filling Peano curve, which might have implications for the optimization of genome information storage.

PMID:34951303 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c08655

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Current situation and problems of national standards for Chinese medicinal materials

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2021 Nov;46(22):6004-6010. doi: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210702.601.

ABSTRACT

To learn the current situation and strengthen the management of national standards for Chinese medicinal materials, we sorted out the relevant national standards. According to incomplete statistics, there are 1 185 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials, including 1 024 kinds of plant medicines, 106 kinds of animal medicines, and 54 kinds of mineral medicines, in addition to ethnic medicinal materials with different functions. The relevant standards include 819 Pharmacopoeia standards, 342 standards issued by the Ministry of Health or National Medicinal Products Administration, 7 standards for new medicinal materials, and 17 standards for imported medicinal materials. In this paper, the sources of standards as well as the distribution of families and genera and the distribution of medicinal parts of medicinal materials are analyzed. The suggestions are as follows:(1)to improve the coordination among different national standards of Chinese medicinal materials;(2)to improve the standardization and controllability of relevant standards;(3)to revise the issued standards for Chinese medicinal materials(including Tibetan, Uygur, and Mongolian medicinal materials).

PMID:34951193 | DOI:10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210702.601

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Clinical comprehensive evaluation of Danhong Injection in treatment of stroke with blood stasis syndrome

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2021 Dec;46(23):6096-6104. doi: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210930.506.

ABSTRACT

This study systematically reviewed the existing research on Danhong Injection in the treatment of stroke with blood stasis syndrome. The methods of evidence-based medicine, epidemiology, clinical medicine, evidence-based pharmacy, drug economics, mathematical statistics, and health technology assessment(HTA) were employed to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the "6+1" dimensions(safety, effectiveness, economy, innovation, suitability, accessibility, and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine) of Danhong Injection through questionnaire survey, public information, real world data, and secondary evaluation of literature. With the weights given by experts, the multi-criteria decision analysis(MCDA) model was employed to measure each dimension and highlight the clinical value of Danhong Injection. Multi-source safety evidence showed that Danhong Injection had been fully monitored and studied. The severity of adverse reactions was mostly moderate or mild, and the prognosis was good. So it was rated as grade A for safety. Compared with Ligustrazine Injection, Fufang Danshen Injection and conventional treatment of western medicine, Danhong Injection had obvious advantages in clinical response rate and NIHSS score improvement in the treatment of stroke with blood stasis syndrome. So it was rated as grade A for effectiveness. Compared with Ligustrazine Injection and Yinxing Damo Injection, Danhong Injection had a cost-effectiveness advantage in the treatment of stroke with blood stasis syndrome, and the economic results were good. According to the existing evidence, the Danhong Injection was rated as grade B for economy. Danhong Injection had won a number of national patents, which was rated as grade A for its good innovation in guaranteeing supply measures, scalability of production capacity, and production process. It had good suitability for clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, and patients using the drug, and met the needs of clinical medication, so it was rated as grade B for suitability. Danhong Injection is rich in medicinal materials, stable in price, and sustainable. However, its availability needed to be further improved due to the limitation of prescription use, so it was rated as grade B for accessibility. Danhong Injection can promote blood circulation, resolve blood stasis, warm vessels, and smooth collaterals. It had accumulated more than 30 000 pieces of empirical evidence for human use in the real world. It had prominent characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine and was rated as grade B. CSC v2.0 was used for calculation, and the clinical value of Danhong Injection was comprehensively evaluated as class A, which could be directly translated into relevant policy results of basic clinical medication management according to the Guidelines for the Management Clinical Comprehensive Evaluation of Drugs(trial version 2021).

PMID:34951237 | DOI:10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210930.506

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Complanatoside A and complanatoside B in rats administered with raw and salt-processed Astragali Complanati Semen: a pharmacokinetics study

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2021 Nov;46(22):5953-5957. doi: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210304.301.

ABSTRACT

An UPLC-MS/MS method was developed to simultaneously determine complanatoside A and complanatoside B in rat plasma with rutin as the internal standard and applied to examine the effect of salt-processing on pharmacokinetics of these two flavonoid glycosides. The pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using DAS 3.2.6 and subjected to independent sample t-test with SPSS 23.0. No significant difference in T_(max) of complanatoside B was observed between the raw and processed groups; however, in the processed group, C_(max) and AUC_(0-12 h) of complanatoside B increased obviously(P<0.05), while MRT_(0-12 h) decreased from(3.34±0.44) h to(1.81±0.36) h(P<0.05). C_(max) [(14.72±11.13) μg·L~(-1)] and MRT_(0-24) [(3.93±0.26) h] of complanatoside A in the raw group were statistically different from those [(35.64±21.99) μg·L~(-1),(1.43±0.24) h] in the processed group(P<0.05). As a result, salt-processing can facilitate the in vivo adsorption and accelerate the excretion of complanatoside A and complanatoside B.

PMID:34951187 | DOI:10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210304.301

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Network Meta-analysis of 14 oral Chinese patent medicines combined with Azithromycin in treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia in children

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2021 Nov;46(22):5958-5976. doi: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210408.501.

ABSTRACT

To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of 14 oral Chinese patent medicines combined with Azithromycin in the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia in children with network Meta-analysis. Computer retrieval was performed for such databases as CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, CBM, PubMed, EMbase and Cochrane Library to screen out randomized controlled trials of oral Chinese patent medicines combined with Azithromycin in the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia in children from the time of database establishment to September 2020. The included studies were evaluated by the Cochrane Risk Assessment tool. Stata 14.0 and Review Manager 5.3 software were used for data statistical analysis. A total of 60 RCTs were included in this study, involving 14 oral Chinese patent medicines. The efficacy ranking based on network Meta-analysis was as follows:(1)in terms of total effective rate, top five Chinese patent medicines in surface under the cumulative ranking curve(SUCRA) were Xiao’er Xiaoji Zhike Oral Liquid, Xiao’er Chiqiao Qingre Granules, Xiao’er Feike Granules, Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid and Lanqin Oral Liquid;(2)in terms of antifebrile time, top five Chinese patent medicines in SUCRA were Huaiqihuang Granules, Xiao’er Magan Granules, Xiao’er Kechuanling Granules/Oral Liquid, Shuanghuang-lian Oral Liquid for children and Xiao’er Xiaoji Zhike Oral Liquid;(3)in terms of cough disappearance time, top five Chinese patent medicines in SUCRA were Xiao’er Magan Granules, Huaiqihuang Granules, Xiao’er Chiqiao Qingre Granules, Xiao’er Feire Kechuan Oral Liquid and Xiao’er Kechuanling Granules/Oral Liquid;(4)in terms of rale disappearance time, top five Chinese patent medicines in SUCRA were Xiao’er Magan Granules, Huaiqihuang Granules, Xiao’er Feire Kechuan Oral Liquid, Shuanghuanglian Oral Liquid for children and Yupingfeng Granules. The results showed that on the basis of the use of Azithromycin, combined administration with oral Chinese patent medicines could improve the overall clinical efficacy in the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia in children. However, due to the large differences in the quality and the number of included studies among various therapeutic measures, the ranking results of SUCRA of Chinese patent medicines need to be verified by high-quality multi-center, large-sample, randomized double-blind trials in the future.

PMID:34951188 | DOI:10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20210408.501

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

“It’s just inappropriate”: Harassment of dental students by patients

J Dent Educ. 2021 Dec 23. doi: 10.1002/jdd.12854. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Harassment is an issue that occurs in all workplaces and institutions. Due to increased exposure to patients, higher rates of harassment are experienced in health care systems. Health care workers need to form a professional relationship with patients to attend to their health care needs; however, harassment by patients can disrupt this relationship and have detrimental physical, mental, and emotional impacts on the health practitioner.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and impact of harassment by patients toward clinical students at a prominent Australasian dental school.

METHODS: A 14-item survey was distributed to clinical students. The survey collected basic demographic information and contained Likert-scale closed questions on harassment prevalence and experience and a free text question asking for details of a significant harassment experience. Descriptive statistics and analysis of free text data were performed.

RESULTS: The response rate was 67%. About 20% of respondents reported experiencing at least one incident of harassment. Verbal harassment was most commonly reported, followed by sexual and racial harassment. All incidences of sexual harassment were reported by female students, while racial harassment was most frequently reported by students of Asian ethnicity. Most students indicated they were unsure of how to respond to harassment by patients.

CONCLUSION: Dental students were exposed to harassment by patients.

IMPLICATIONS: Appropriate policies and education on responding to harassment, alongside support for the same, could help ensure the safety and wellbeing of students.

PMID:34951016 | DOI:10.1002/jdd.12854

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Exposure to armed conflict as a factor associated with very low birthweight: case-control population study

Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2021 Dec 23. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.14082. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Very low birthweight (VLBW) is a multifactorial etiology public health problem that includes poverty and violence aspects. The study aimed to determine the association between armed conflict and VLBW.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Case-control population study matched by year of delivery conducted in Cauca, Colombia, between 2010 and 2016. Cases of VLBW, with weights between 500-1,499 g and controls weighing between 2,500-3,999 g. Cases and controls were identified through the vital statistics registry, and exposure was determined using a multidimensional index designed by the Colombian State. Multiple gestations were excluded. Conditional logistic regression for matched data was used, adjusting for confounding variables.

RESULTS: Overall, 7,068 matched participants (1,767 cases and 5,301 controls) were included. Cases and controls had similar baseline characteristics. Participants were predominantly women in the second and third decades of life, 46% were exposed to armed conflict, and 25% were of African-Colombian or indigenous ethnicity. Maternal exposure to armed conflict significantly increased the odds of VLBW among women with rural birth (aOR 3.86; 95%CI 2.74-5.45) and inadequate prenatal care (aOR 10.38; 95%CI 8.20-13.12).

CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to armed conflict increases the odds of VLBW neonates. This factor needs to be considered in prenatal care.

PMID:34951010 | DOI:10.1002/ijgo.14082

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Formulation and Evaluation of Topical Biodegradable Films Loaded with Levofloxacin Lipid Nanocarriers

AAPS PharmSciTech. 2021 Dec 23;23(1):34. doi: 10.1208/s12249-021-02189-2.

ABSTRACT

Skin ulcers have increased sharply due to rise in the incidence of obesity and diabetes. This study investigated lipid nanocarriers as a strategy to improve the efficacy of levofloxacin (LV) in penetrating skin. Two surfactant types and different lipid mixtures were used in preparation of lipid nanocarriers. Mean particle size, percentage entrapment efficiency (%EE), in vitro release, and antimicrobial activity were examined. The selected formula was incorporated into a chitosan (CS) film that was subjected to physic-chemical characterization and ex vivo permeation study. The selected formula showed particle size, PDI, and ZP: 80.3 nm, -0.21, and -26 mV, respectively, synchronized with 82.12 %EE. In vitro release study showed slow biphasic release of LV from lipid nanocarriers. The antimicrobial effect illustrated statistically significant effect of lipid nanocarriers on decreasing the minimum effective concentration (MIC) of LV, particularly against E. coli. The optimized nanocarriers’ formula loaded into CS film was clear, colorless, translucent, and smooth in texture. Based on the release profiles, it could be speculated that the CS film loaded with LV nanocarriers can maintain the antibacterial activity for 4 consecutive days. Thus, the local delivery of the drug in a sustained release manner could be predicted to enhance the therapeutic effect. Further clinical studies are strongly recommended. Graphical Abstract.

PMID:34950989 | DOI:10.1208/s12249-021-02189-2