Tag: pubmed

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

West Afr J Med. 2021 Feb;38(2):152-157.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is a lifesaving procedure with varying indications. Neonates, especially the extremely preterm are among the most frequent recipients of blood products. The indications could be from anaemia of prematurity or pathological causes such as haemolysis from ABO or rhesus incompatibility, neonatal sepsis and acute haemorrhage, among others.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate, indications and outcome of blood transfusion in neonates at Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY: The study was retrospective and included 96 neonates who received blood transfusion at the SCBU of Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe from January, 2015 to December, 2019. Data was extracted from patients’ medical records and analysed using IBM SPSS statistics version 24.

RESULTS: The prevalence of blood transfusion was 3.5% with top up blood transfusion being the most frequent, 63 (65.6%), form. Half of the patients, 48(50%), received fresh whole blood while 45 (46.9%) received packed red cells, other types of blood products accounted for 3.1%. The most common indication for exchange blood transfusion was severe hyperbilirubinaemia followed by severe anaemia. Similarly, severe anaemia and acute haemorrhage were the main indications for top-up transfusion. Seventy-four (77.1%) patients who received transfusion were discharged while 22 (22.9%) died. Blood transfusion was significantly related to the place of delivery and admitting unit.

CONCLUSION: The rate of blood transfusion was low, severe hyperbilirubinaemia and severe anaemia were the main indications for blood transfusion in this study. Mortality among transfused neonates was high.

PMID:33641150

J Periodontal Res. 2021 Feb 28. doi: 10.1111/jre.12860. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Different evidence has shown that Galectins have a key role as modulators of cell surface functions and signaling in a wide range of inflammatory diseases during their preclinical stages. The aim of this study was to analyze the association and impact of periodontitis and coronary heart disease (CHD) on salivary and serum Galectin-3 in patients with periodontitis and CHD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the present study, healthy controls (n = 38), periodontitis (n = 40), CHD (n = 39), and a combination of periodontitis +CHD (n = 38) patients were enrolled and analyzed. In each patient, demographic characteristics and a full-mouth clinical periodontal examination were achieved. Moreover, serum and salivary samples were collected to assess Galectin-3 and Endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels. The Jonckheere-Terpstra p-trend and Spearman’s correlation tests as well as uni- and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the study data.

RESULTS: Patients with periodontitis (serum, p = .003; saliva, p < .001) and periodontitis + CHD groups (serum p = .004; saliva, p < .001) had higher median serum and salivary concentrations of Galectin-3 in comparison with CHD and healthy controls. Serum (p = .006) and salivary (p = .009) Galectin-3 levels were significantly correlated with serum ET-1. The multivariate regression analysis highlighted that periodontitis (p = .047) was the significant predictor of serum Galectin-3 levels while ET-1 (p = .028) was the significant predictor of salivary Galectin-3 levels.

CONCLUSION: The results showed that patients with periodontitis and periodontitis + CHD presented significant higher serum and salivary Galectin-3 levels in comparison with CHD patients and healthy subjects. Periodontitis and ET-1 were the significant predictors of serum and salivary Galectin-3 levels, respectively.

PMID:33641161 | DOI:10.1111/jre.12860

J Periodontal Res. 2021 Feb 28. doi: 10.1111/jre.12859. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine differences in GCF and serum levels of fractalkine/CX3CL1 and its receptor/ CX3CR1 between the patients with stage III/grade B periodontitis and periodontally healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND: Fractalkine (CX3CL1), the only member of CX3C chemokine family, is involved in the pathogenesis of several systemic inflammatory diseases’ disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, tonsillitis, and diabetes mellitus. It has critical functions in inflammatory cell migration, adhesion, and proliferation.

METHODS: 20 stage III/grade B periodontitis (P) and 20 healthy individuals (control; C) were included in this clinical study (all never smokers and systemically healthy). Clinical periodontal parameters were measured. Serum and GCF levels of CX3CL1, CX3CR1, and IL-1β were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reported as total amounts and concentration.

RESULTS: The GCF concentrations and also total amount of CX3CL1, CX3CR1, and IL-1β were statistically significantly higher in the patients with periodontitis compared with control group (P < 0.05). CX3CL1, CX3CR1, and IL-1β levels in the GCF were significantly and positively correlated with all the clinical periodontal parameters (PI, PPD, BOP, and CAL; P < 0.01, P < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between IL-1β, CX3CL1, and CX3CR1 concentrations in the GCF (respectively; r = 0.838 and r = 0.874, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Fractalkine and its receptor may play role in mechanisms through the regulation of inflammation or on the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.

PMID:33641164 | DOI:10.1111/jre.12859