Tag: nevin manimala

Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2021 Mar 1;49(2):23-30. doi: 10.15586/aei.v49i2.51. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate whether rapid weight gain in early life was associated with the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis in children.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 190 patients (1-24 months) hospitalized for RSV bronchiolitis. Parameters of bronchiolitis severity were compared between rapid (change in weight z-score from birth >0.67, n = 65) and normal weight gain groups (n = 125). We assessed for correlations between bronchiolitis severity and weight gain. Linear regression was performed to predict for bronchiolitis severity based on weight gain, controlling for covariates. SPSS was used for statistical analyses.

RESULTS: The rapid weight gain group had longer mean durations of tachypnea (2.3±2.0 vs. 1.7±1.8 days, P = 0.027), wheezing (3.2±2.5 vs. 1.6±1.8 days, P < 0.001), and chest retractions (1.5±2.2 vs. 0.6±1.3 days, P = 0.007). Correlations of weight gain with tachypnea (r = 0.146), wheezing (r = 0.279), and chest retractions (r = 0.179) were statistically significant. Weight gain predicted for tachypnea (B = 0.485, P = 0.013) and wheezing (B = 0.846, P = 0.001) durations after adjusting for covariates of severity (age, sex, current weight, RSV type, coinfection, recurrent bronchiolitis, hospital stay, fever, oxygen supplementation, maximal respiratory and heart rates, and laboratory indices).

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest an association between weight gain and severity of RSV bronchiolitis in young children. Weight gain was significantly associated with the durations of tachypnea and wheezing. The trajectory of weight gain in early life may play a significant role in the clinical course of RSV bronchiolitis.

PMID:33641290 | DOI:10.15586/aei.v49i2.51

Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2021 Mar 1;49(2):46-52. doi: 10.15586/aei.v49i2.59. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Atopic individuals are characterized by increased IgE production and Th2 response if exposed to certain antigens. It is known that the mother transfers anti-mite antibodies to the fetus and newborn, IgG thru the placenta, and IgA thru breastfeeding, but it is not clear whether there is a protective mechanism mediated by them concerning the development of future allergies. This study aimed to compare the levels of IgA, IgG, and IgE antibodies specific to Der p 1 and Der p 2 between atopic and healthy individuals.

METHODS: Serum samples of 98 patients and 44 healthy controls were subjected to quantification for specific IgE, IgG, and IgA antibodies against Der p 1 and Der p 2 by ImmunoCap^® and ELISA, and subjected to statistical analysis as indicated.

RESULTS: Atopic patients had higher serum levels of IgE, IgG, and IgA specific to Der p 1 and Der p 2. The correlation was more robust between IgE and IgG antibodies.

CONCLUSIONS: Allergic patients produce higher levels of antibodies against Der p 1 and Der p 2 compared with healthy individuals. The mechanisms involved still require detailed studies.

PMID:33641293 | DOI:10.15586/aei.v49i2.59

Dermatol Ther. 2021 Feb 28:e14920. doi: 10.1111/dth.14920. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Inflammatory rosacea is clinically characterized by persistent erythema and inflammatory lesions. Its severity is generally based on clinical observation that may be cumbersome. The aim of this study was to assess if erythema-directed digital photography (EEDP) and colorimeter (COL) correlate and are concordant with clinical evaluation of erythema degree of rosacea under topical treatment. Thirty naïve patients with mild/moderate inflammatory rosacea were instructed to apply ivermectin cream for 8 weeks. Erythema degree was performed at baseline, and at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks by clinician erythema assessment based on 5-point severity scale (from 0=no erythema to 4=fiery redness), and by instrumental evaluation by EDDP using the same 5-point scale of clinical assessment and by COL using a 5-point scale (from 0=<1 units=no erythema to 4>12 units=fiery redness). Concordance and correlation analysis were performed using Cohen’s Kappa coefficient and Correlation Coefficient test respectively. At baseline a statistically significant concordance/correlation value between EDDP/COL was observed. At 2 weeks, the statistical concordance/correlation value between instrumentals were both increased, along with a slight significant concordance between clinical assessment and erythema-directed digital photography. At 4, 6 and 8 weeks, a statistically significant increase of concordance/correlation value among all the considered parameters from baseline was found. The results of our study showed that at baseline and during the early treatment stage both EDDP and COL were able to appreciate more accurately the erythema grade compared to clinical observation supporting the use of non-invasive techniques for a more objective evaluation of erythema in rosacea. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:33641260 | DOI:10.1111/dth.14920

Pharmacol Res Perspect. 2021 Apr;9(2):e00735. doi: 10.1002/prp2.735.

ABSTRACT

Self-medication can facilitate patients’ access to medicinal products, save time, and reduce financial and health-care service use burden. On the other hand, irresponsible use of self-medications can result in adverse consequences. Self-medication is common among different demographic groups including pregnant women. In general, medicinal products might have harmful effects on mothers and baby. This study aimed to assess self-medication practices among pregnant women in the northern region of Jordan. A cross-sectional study was conducted on pregnant women attending outpatient clinics in the northern region of Jordan. Self-medication practices among the target population were assessed using a survey questionnaire that was administered through interviewer-assisted mode. Data were collected between December 2019 and September 2020, and descriptive statistics and inferential analysis were applied. A total of 1,313 pregnant women were surveyed (response rate = 95.50%). Self-medication and the use of herbal remedies were practiced by 33.10% and 32.14% of the participant, respectively. Headaches and general pains were the most frequently reported conditions treated by self-medication practice with either conventional medicinal products or herbal remedies. The gravidity (≥4) and the gestational stage (≥28 weeks) were the predictors of self-medication practice. This study showed that self-medication was not widely practiced by pregnant women in the northern region of Jordan. Disease simplicity and previous history were the main motives for self-medicating. Efforts should be made by health-care providers to address pregnant women and educate them to increase their awareness about the unsafe use of medicines and the harmful effects on fetus.

PMID:33641261 | DOI:10.1002/prp2.735

Scand J Pain. 2021 Feb 23. doi: 10.1515/sjpain-2020-0108. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Driving is one of the most widespread aspects of daily living to people in the United States and is an active process that requires various cognitive functions, such as attention. Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the more prevalent and costly health conditions in the world, with individuals who report CLBP also reporting significant impairment across different domains of daily life both physically and cognitively. However, despite the prevalence of these two constructs, research detailing the experience of driving in pain remains largely underrepresented. This cross-sectional study sought to characterize the driving experience of people who experience CLBP, focusing on the psychological constructs related to chronic pain like pain catastrophizing, affective responses (irritability, anxiety, fear), and self-reported driving behaviors and outcomes.

METHODS: This study distributed an online questionnaire measuring pain, disability, and other psychological constructs commonly associated with CLBP like pain catastrophizing through M-turk to 307 U.S. participants with recurring CLBP and regular driving activity. Participants also answered questions regarding driving in pain, affective responses to driving in pain (i.e., irritability, anxiety, and fear), driving behaviors and violations, driving avoidance habits as a result of pain, opioid use, using pain medication while driving, and recent vehicle collisions within the past three years. Bivariate correlations were used to compare study variables, and one-way ANOVA’s were used to compare means between participants with and without a collision history within the past three years.

RESULTS: Findings demonstrated significant positive associations not only between the psychological factors commonly associated with chronic pain, such as pain intensity, pain disability, pain catastrophizing, and the cognitive intrusion by pain, but also statistically significant relationships between these measures and pain intensity while driving, affective responses to driving in pain, driving violations, and driving avoidance habits. Additionally, in comparison to participants with no collision history within the past three years, participants who had been driving during a vehicle collision reported greater pain catastrophizing and cognitive intrusion by pain scores.

CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, the current study is the first to characterize driving experience specifically among individuals with CLBP, with attention to the relationship among key sensory, affective, and cognitive psychological metrics as well as self-reported driving history and behavior. The current findings reinforce multiple associations between pain and cognitive-affective variables that have been observed in literature outside the driving context, including pain intensity, anger, inattention, and behavioral disruption. Given that driving is a pervasive, potentially risky behavior that requires some form of cognitive focus and control, the current findings point to a continued need to examine these associations within this specific life context.We believe we have laid a groundwork for research considering the role of psychological pain variables in a driving performance. However, the nature of our analyses prevents any sort of causality from being inferred, and that future experimental research is warranted to better understand and explain these mechanisms underlying driving in pain while accounting for participant bias and subject interpretation.

PMID:33641275 | DOI:10.1515/sjpain-2020-0108

Int Endod J. 2021 Feb 28. doi: 10.1111/iej.13503. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To identify odontogenesis-promoting compounds and examine the molecular mechanism underlying enhanced odontoblast differentiation and tooth formation.

METHODOLOGY: Five different nymphaeols, nymphaeol B (NB), isonymphaeol B (INB), nymphaeol A (NA), 3′-geranyl-naringenin (GN), and nymphaeol C (NC) were isolated from the fruit of Macaranga tanarius. The cytotoxic effect of nymphaeols on human DPSCs was observed using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The effect of nymphaeols on odontoblast differentiation was analyzed with Alizarin Red S staining and odontoblast marker expression was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. The molecular mechanism was investigated with western blot analysis. In order to examine the effect of INB on dentine formation in the developing tooth germ, INB-soaked beads were placed under the tooth bud explants in the collagen gel; thereafter, the tooth bud explant-bead complexes were implanted into the sub-renal capsules for 3 weeks. Tooth root formation was analyzed using micro-computed tomography and histological analysis. Data are presented as mean ± standard error (SEM) values of three independent experiments, and results are compared using a two-tailed Student’s t-test. The data were considered to have statistical significance when the p-value was less than 0.05.

RESULTS: Three of the compounds, NB, INB, and GN, did not exert a cytotoxic effect on human DPSCs. However, INB was most effective in promoting the deposition of calcium minerals in vitro (p<0.001) and induced the expression of odontogenic marker genes (p<0.05). Moreover, this compound strongly induced the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and protein kinase B (AKT) (p<0.05). The inhibition of p38 MAP, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and AKT substantially suppressed the INB-induced odontoblast differentiation (p<0.001). In addition, isonymphaeol B significantly induced the formation of dentine and elongation of the tooth root in vivo (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Prenylflavonoids, including INB, exerted stimulatory effects on odontoblast differentiation and tooth root and dentine formation via the MAP kinase and AKT signaling pathways. These results suggest that nymphaeols could stimulate the repair processes for dentine defects or injuries.

PMID:33641170 | DOI:10.1111/iej.13503

J Anat. 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1111/joa.13420. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Muscle stem cells (MSCs) are a promising tool for cell-based therapy and tissue regeneration in veterinary medicine. Evaluation of MSCs from muscles of different origins improves our understanding of their regenerative potential. The present study compared the stemness, cell proliferation, migration potential, myogenic differentiation (MD), and multipotency of MSCs for four developmentally different muscles of ovine origin. MSCs were isolated from the hind limb (HL), diaphragm (DI), extraocular (EO), and masseter (MS) muscles. Cell proliferation, migration, and stemness were examined using sulforhodamine B, and colony formation assays. Evaluation of multipotency was examined using histological and morphometric analyses, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and the expression of myogenic, adipogenic, and osteogenic markers using RT-qPCR. Data were statistically analysed using analysis of variance. The results revealed that all experimental groups expressed stem cell markers paired box transcription factor Pax7, α7-integrin, CD90, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha. DI and HL muscle cells displayed higher proliferation, migration, and colony formation capacities compared to the EO and MS muscle cells. HL and DI muscle cells showed increased MD, as indicated by myotube formation and relative expression of MyoD at day 7 and Myogenin at day 14. Although MS and EO muscle cells displayed impaired MD, these cells were more prone to adipogenic differentiation, as indicated by Oil Red O staining and upregulated fatty acid-binding protein 4 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma expression. DI muscle cells demonstrated a higher osteogenic differentiation capability, as shown by the upregulation of osteopontin expression and an elevated ALP activity. Our data indicate that ovine HL and DI MSCs have a higher regenerative and multipotent potential than the EO and MS muscle cells. These results could be valuable for regional muscle biopsies and cell-based therapies.

PMID:33641201 | DOI:10.1111/joa.13420

Am J Reprod Immunol. 2021 Feb 28:e13411. doi: 10.1111/aji.13411. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PROBLEM: Injectable hormonal contraceptives (IHC) have been associated with altered mucosal and systemic milieu which might increase HIV risk, but most studies have focused on DMPA and not NET-EN, despite growing popularity and lower HIV risk associated with the latter in observational studies.

METHOD OF STUDY: We used high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-LC-MS/MS) to measure steroid hormones in plasma samples of CAPRISA004 study participants. Concentrations of 48 cytokines were measured in the cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) and plasma, and their expression was compared between participants with detectable NET-EN (n = 201) versus non-detectable IHC (n = 90). Each log10 cytokine concentration was tested as an outcome in linear mixed models, with NET-EN detection as the main explanatory variable. Multivariable models were adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS: In bivariate analysis, detectable NET-EN was associated with reduced cervicovaginal M-CSF (p=0.008), GM-CSF (p=0.025) and G-CSF (p=0.039), and elevated levels MIF (p=0.008), IL-18 (p=0.011), RANTES (p=0.005) and IL-1Rα (p<0.001). Lower G-CSF (p=0.011) and elevated IL-1Rα (p=0.008) remained significant in adjusted models. Multivariable analyses of plasma samples obtained from NET-EN-detectable women showed a significant increase in IP-10 (p=0.026) and reductions in TNF-β (p=0.037), RANTES (p=0.009) and M-CSF (p<0.001). While similar growth factor reduction in CVL was noted for both DMPA and NET-EN, similar trends were not observed for endogenous progesterone.

CONCLUSIONS: Detectable NET-EN was associated with reduced growth factors in the plasma and genital tract; particularly G-CSF and M-CSF. Our results suggest that while NET-EN is not inflammatory, it may have important immunological effects.

PMID:33641222 | DOI:10.1111/aji.13411

Nurs Crit Care. 2021 Feb 28. doi: 10.1111/nicc.12614. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Despite increased attention, acute and persistent post-operative pain are not treated efficiently and interventions against acute pain are therefore of clinical importance and should be welcomed.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of wound infiltration with 0.5% bupivacaine for pain management in the immediate post-operative period in patients that underwent cardiac surgery with sternotomy.

DESIGN: The study was performed employing a single-centre nonrandomized experimental design to evaluate a prospective cohort of patients recruited from June to December of 2017.

METHODS: A single-centre study with a non-randomized experimental design compared the pain perceived by 137 patients undergoing to cardiac surgery within which 68 patients who received infiltration of bupivacaine and 69 patients received infiltration with saline solution. Pain measures were made with the numeric rating scale (NRS) at 2, 12, 24, and 48 hours. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were included too and descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found between the means of the NRS scores in favour of the intervention group. Cohen’s d showed a significant effect size. NRS scores were grouped into NRS ≥4 or NRS <4 and similar results were found. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed the absence of confounding factors that could call results into question.

CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous infiltration of 0.5% bupivacaine in the surgical site of patients who have undergone cardiac surgery showed clinically and statistically significant pain relief compared with patients who received saline infiltration throughout the first 12 hours after surgery. This intervention provides promising preliminary results that, alone or in conjunction with other nursing interventions, could constitute an important therapeutic tool for this area of nursing clinical practice.

PMID:33641253 | DOI:10.1111/nicc.12614

West Afr J Med. 2021 Feb;38(2):125-130.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The effect of hypertension on the vascular system leads to Target Organ Damage (TOD). The cochlea is one of the target organs affected by hypertension, giving rise to Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and pattern of Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL) among hypertensives.

DESIGN: Case-Control Study.

SETTING: Tertiary hospital.

SUBJECTS: Two hundred and twenty six hypertensives, aged 21 to 60 years and a corresponding number of age and sex matched control.

METHODOLOGY: Eligible participants were prospectively evaluated. Their blood pressures were verified, hearing thresholds assessed through Pure Tone Audiometry, Pure Tone Average were calculated and the types and degree of hearing loss were confirmed. Data was analyzed using SPSS 21 and statistical significance was set at p-value 0.05.

RESULTS: Each group had 127 (56.19% ) females and 99 ( 43.81 % ) males. The difference in the mean age between the cases (40.02 ± 0.70years) and the controls (37.42 ± 0.47years) was not statistically significant (p = 0.542).The difference in the mean Pure Tone Average in dBHL between the cases (15.53± 6.95) and the controls (13.98 ± 4.35) was significant (p = 0.005) with a 12.83% prevalence of SNHL among the hypertensives against 1.77% in the controls. Majority (96.6 %) of them demonstrated bilateral, symmetrical, mild SNHL with 51.7% of them being above 50 years. The odds ratio in this study was 8.17 (p = 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a SNHL prevalence of 12.83% with a mild, bilateral, symmetrical pattern among hypertensives; increasing with advanced age and an eight-fold risk of occurrence.

PMID:33641146