Chemokine (C-C Motif) Ligand 2 (CCL2) in Sera of Patients with Type 1 Diabetes and Diabetic Complications

Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), commonly known as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases characterized by monocytic infiltration. However, limited data have been reported on MCP-1 in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the findings are inconclusive and inconsistent.In this study, MCP-1 was measured in the sera from 2,472 T1D patients and 2,654 healthy controls using a Luminex assay. The rs1024611 SNP in the promoter region of MCP-1 was genotyped for a subset of subjects (1764 T1D patients and 1323 controls) using the TaqMan-assay.Subject age, sex or genotypes of MCP-1 rs1024611SNP did not have a major impact on serum MCP-1 levels in either healthy controls or patients. While hemoglobin A1c levels did not have a major influence on serum MCP-1 levels, the mean serum MCP-1 levels are significantly higher in patients with multiple complications (mean = 242 ng/ml) compared to patients without any complications (mean = 201 ng/ml) (p = 3.5×10(-6)). Furthermore, mean serum MCP-1 is higher in controls (mean = 261 ng/ml) than T1D patients (mean = 208 ng/ml) (p<10(-23)). More importantly, the frequency of subjects with extremely high levels (>99(th) percentile of patients or 955 ng/ml) of serum MCP-1 is significantly lower in the T1D group compared to the control group (odds ratio = 0.11, p<10(-33)).MCP-1 may have a dual role in T1D and its complications. While very high levels of serum MCP-1 may be protective against the development of T1D, complications are associated with higher serum MCP-1 levels within the T1D group

Evaluating students experiences using a virtual learning environment: satisfaction and preferences

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are web-based software systems that enable students to interact with their teachers and classmates, access learning resources without restriction of time and place, and use cutting-edge Information and Communication Technologies. Nevertheless, VLEs are costly to develop and maintain. Clearly, many features of VLEs may not be as useful to learners as designers and stakeholders might think, resulting in waste of resources. With this possibility in mind, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the features of the VLE employed at Middlesex University. To that end, first, a scale with 11 items and 3 sub-dimensions was developed and tested through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify student perceptions of the (1) benefit, (2) satisfaction, and (3) guidance, aiming at identifying student views on how beneficial the system was, whether they were satisfied with it, and how they perceived the guidance provided through it, respectively. Next, the scale was administered to a sample of 278 students to determine whether the perceptions differed depending on campus location, and grade level. Finally, questions were also asked to pinpoint the features of the VLE that the students found most useful and beneficial. Data were analysed through ANOVA, correlation, and rank analyses. Results show that the students’ perception of the VLE did not significantly differ based on campus location or grade level. Two features of the VLE—lecture capture and key concept videos—were the most beneficial resources for the students, whereas “lecture capture with PowerPoint slides and audio only,” discussion forums, and chat rooms, were not preferred. The students were not much enthusiastic to have access to blogs, audio/video conferencing facilities, wikis, or chat either. © 2019, Association for Educational Communications and Technology

Spinal abnormalities similar to ankylosing spondylitis in a 58-year-old woman with ochronosis

PubMed ID: 7641516Ochronotic arthropathy (spondylosis or peripheral arthropathy) is a late complication of alkaptonuria. There is a tendency for HLA-B27 positive patients with alkaptonuria to develop ochronotic spondylosis. A 58-year-old white woman, presented with ochronotic spondylosis. She was HLA-B27 positive. Her family history was positive for alkaptonuria. Ochronotic patients with HLA-B27 positivity develop spinal changes similar to ankylosing spondilitis (AS). © 1995 Acta Medica Belgica

The effects of medical ozone in rat heart exposed to ischemia-reperfusion injury: Experimental study

Objective: In this study, it was intended to investigate the effects of preconditioning with medical ozone on possible reperfusion injury, in which patients undergoing the operation due to coronary artery disease. Material and Methods: 37 female mature rats were categorized into 4 groups either as sham-control (Group I), ischemia (Group II), ischemic preconditioning by oxygen (Group III) or by medical ozone (Group IV). Through left thoracotomy, rats were subjected to 25 min of ischemia on left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and after that, reperfusion was provided for 75 min. At the end of this period, serum sampling for creatinine-kinase (CK)-MB, Troponin-I, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and tissue sampling for histopathological examinations were performed. The results of pathological examination were divided into 3 groups according to cellular damage. Results: Statistically, there were no significant differences between the groups in case of CK-MB levels and SOD enzymatic activity (p>0.05). Nevertheless, Troponin-I was higher in Group III and MDA was meaningfully lower in Group IV in respect to control group (p=0.005). Moreover, MDA levels were significantly lower in Group IV, when compared to Group III. With these results, no significant differences were detected between ischemia and ozone group. Although it is important to detect lower MDA levels in ozone group when compared to oxygen group, it is hard to talk about protective effects of ozone just depending on this data. In histopathological examination, medical ozone had beneficial effects on cellular protection when compared to ischemic group; but when the groups were examined, no significant differences could be found between oxygen and ozone groups. Conclusion: Although the role of medical ozone on the prevention of reperfusion injury could not be demonstrated clearly, it might have some beneficial effects after biochemical and histopathological evaluation. To be able to show these effects precisely, more studies are needed. Copyright © 2012 by Türkiye Klinikleri

The Role of ischemia modified albumin in acute pulmonary embolism

Background: Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening and a relatively common cardiovascular pathology. Although the pathogenesis of PE is well defined, there is no ideal diagnostic biochemical marker. Previous studies showed an increased ischemia modified albumin (IMA) levels in acute PE; however, the relationship between IMA and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction has not been examined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of IMA and the relationship with RV dysfunction in acute PE. Materials and Methods : A total of 145 patients (70 females) with suspected acute PE was enrolled to the study. Eighty-nine patients were diagnosed with acute PE via computed tomographic pulmonary angiography. Sixty-five patients with similar demographic and clinical characteristics were assigned to the control group. All patients were evaluated for RV dysfunction using transthoracic echocardiography. Results: Serum IMA levels were significantly increased in acute PE compared with control group (0.41 ± 0.06 vs. 0.34 ± 0.11, P = 0.001). There was no relationship between serum IMA levels and RV dysfunction. IMA levels were positively correlated with shock index and heart rate. Receiver operating curve analysis demonstrated that serum IMA levels higher than 0.4 put the diagnosis at sensitivity of 53.85% and at specificity of 85.96%. Conclusions: Although IMA levels are increased in patients with acute PE, it failed to predict RV dysfunction