SULFASALAZINE ATTENUATES ULCERATIVE COLITIS IN RATS VIA DOWNREGULATION OF MIRNA-31, METALLOPROTEINASE-3 AND HIGH MOBILITY GROUP BOX1

Objective: This study targets the inhibition of inflammatory mediators and the enhancement of gastrointestinal mucosa healing in ulcerative colitis in rats through sulfasalazine. Methods: Twenty four female albino rats were divided into 3 groups: normal control, colitis group (rats received 5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in their drinking water for 7 d), sulfasalazine group (500 mg/kg/day was administrated orally one week ahead of DSS and parallel with its administration). The impact of sulfasalazine on intestinal inflammation was investigated via estimation of some inflammatory mediators, namely; serum Leucine rich α 2 Glycoprotein (LRG) as well as colon cAMP, Myloperoxidase (MPO) and TNF-α using ELISA technique as well as gene expression of Trefoil Factor 3 (TFF3), High mobility group box1 (HMGB1), Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3) and miRNA-31 levels using RT-PCR. Results: Sulfasalazine substantially decreases the release of LRG, MPO and TNF-α and the expression of HMGB1, NF-κB, MMP3, TFF3 and miRNA31 at p≤ 0.05 compared to colitis group in vivo. Moreover, Sulfasalazine significantly increases the colonic cAMP at p≤ 0.05 in groups of rats treated with DSS. Conclusion: Sulfasalazine has a protective effect on inflammatory bowel disease causing mucosal healing within the gastrointestinal tract. Additional studies are warranted to explore the molecular mechanism of sulfasalazine in ulcerative colitis and its clinical application

Antitumor and structure antioxidant activity relationship of Colchicine on Ehrlich ascites Carcinoma (EAC) in Female Mice

Colchicine has been reported to play important roles in hepatoprotection, anti-inflammation in vitro anti cancer activity. The present study was initiated to evaluate antioxidant and anti-cancer effects of colchicine (10µg/mice, i.p.) in mice after subcutaneous implantation of ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) for 21 days. On the 22th day, the mice were sacrificed for the estimation of tumor growth, and biochemical parameters (glucose, insulin, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lipid peroxides (TBARS), protein thiols (Pr-SHs), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), HDL-C, LDL-C, 17β-estradiol and progesterone). The results of this study showed that administration of colchicine and 5-Flourouracil individually for 21 days to the carcinoma induced mice demonstrated a significant (P<0.01) decrease in tumor weight and a significant (P<0.01) improvement in biochemical parameters and life span  compared to the EAC control mice. In addition, the results clearly suggest that colchicine induced antioxidant activity on experimental EAC control mice

Quality of Life: The Concept and Interventions

Quality of life is one of the positive psychology concepts that gained popularity and acceptance in the second half of the twentieth century. Quality of life is a multifaceted concept that refers to the overall general happiness due to his subjective and objective evaluation of all aspects of his life. The quality of an individual’s life has multiple determinants, including values, goals, culture, and environment, in which the individual lives, desires, needs, and others. And the multiplicity of definitions of quality of life in the light of the theoretical approaches to its study led to the lack of agreement on a single definition of the concept of quality of life. An increasing number of studies have clarified the benefits of counseling interventions to improve the quality of life of members of society in all its groups, as well as the effectiveness of quality-of-life interventions in developing the positive traits of an individual’s personality. There is still an urgent need to study the impact of intervention strategies to improve the quality of life, especially for people with chronic diseases

Storage stability of spray dried Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae family) instant beverage powder: effect of carrier agents on the physicochemical, phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties

The study assessed the effect of carrier agents maltodextrin and gum Arabic on the storage stability of spray dried Nigella sativa powder packed in low-density polyethylene bags and stored at maximum 4°C for up to 12 months. At 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months intervals the samples were assessed for changes in caffeine content, moisture content, water activity, colour, solubility capacity, bulk density, and antioxidants activity as total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). After 12 months storage, a 61-68% loss in TPC and TFC was observed and anti-oxidant activity had reduced by 70%-72%. Overall, water activity and moisture content increased with a decrease in total antioxidant activity, accompanied by a significant decrease in caffeine content. No significant changes were observed in solubility capacity and bulk density of N. sativa powder.This research was made possible due to the financial support the authors received in the form of fellowships from fellowship Scheme of the Institute of Postgraduate Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia and TWAS-USM postgraduate fellowship.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quand les patients enseignent l’empathie aux étudiants : une revue systématique des interventions visant à promouvoir l’empathie chez les étudiants en médecine

Background: Despite growing emphasis on empathic care, numerous studies demonstrate diminishing empathy in medical students. Involving patient educators in medical curricula may be a solution. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate patient-involved interventions that promote empathy among medical students.  Method: A literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases was performed using the keywords “empathy,” “medical student,” and their synonyms. Results were independently screened in duplicate. Conflicts were resolved by group consensus. All English studies describing interventions that promote empathy in medical students engaging patient educators were included. Relevant data was extracted and summarized. Results: 1467 studies were screened. 14 studies were included, of which 10 were pilot studies. Studies included patient involved interventions such as storytelling (5/14), shadowing patients (3/14), recorded videos (3/14), or combinations of methods (3/14). Qualitative measurements of empathy included written feedback and group discussions. Quantitative measurements included validated scales measuring empathy. All studies demonstrated increase in empathy among medical students. Participants reported satisfaction with training and patients reported being proud of giving back by training future physicians. Conclusion: Interventions engaging patient educators were shown to have a positive impact on medical student empathy. Furthermore, patient-led education was shown to increase medical student understanding of subject and knowledge retention while empowering patients. Further implementation of patient-involved education is an important step forward in patient-partnered care and may identify additional advantages of patient engagement in medical education.Contexte : Malgré l’importance grandissante accordée à l’empathie dans les soins de santé, de nombreuses études démontrent une diminution de l’empathie chez les étudiants en médecine. La participation de patients éducateurs dans les programmes d’études médicales pourrait être une solution. Nous avons donc réalisé une revue systématique pour évaluer les interventions qui visent à promouvoir l’empathie chez les étudiants et qui font participer des patients. Méthode : Nous avons effectué une recherche dans les bases de données MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO et ERIC en utilisant les mots-clés « empathie », « étudiant en médecine » et leurs synonymes. Les résultats ont été examinés de manière indépendante et en double. Les conflits ont été résolus par consensus de groupe. Toutes les études en anglais décrivant des interventions visant à promouvoir l’empathie chez les étudiants en médecine avec la participation de patients éducateurs ont été incluses. Les données pertinentes ont été extraites et résumées. Résultats : Des 1467 études examinées, 14 ont été incluses, dont 10 études pilotes. Les interventions avec des patients mentionnées dans les études comprenaient des récits (5/14), l’observation des patients (3/14), des vidéos enregistrées (3/14) ou des combinaisons de méthodes (3/14). Les mesures qualitatives de l’empathie comprenaient des commentaires écrits et des discussions de groupe. Les mesures quantitatives étaient des échelles validées mesurant l’empathie. Toutes les études indiquent une augmentation de l’empathie chez les étudiants en médecine. Les participants se disent satisfaits de la formation et les patients déclarent être fiers de redonner aux soignants en contribuant à former les futurs médecins. Conclusion : Les interventions faisant appel à des patients éducateurs ont eu un effet positif sur le développement de l’empathie des étudiants en médecine. En outre, il a été démontré que la participation de patients dans la formation augmentait la compréhension du sujet et la rétention des connaissances par les étudiants en médecine tout en responsabilisant les patients. La généralisation de l’intervention des patients dans l’éducation constitue une avancée importante dans les soins en partenariat avec le patient et pourrait révéler d’autres avantages de la participation des patients dans l’éducation médicale

Normal Brain Response to Propofol in Advance of Recovery from Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome

Up to 40% of individuals with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) actually might be conscious. Recent attempts to detect covert consciousness in behaviorally unresponsive patients via neurophysiological patterns are limited by the need to compare data from brain-injured patients to healthy controls. In this report, we pilot an alternative within-subject approach by using propofol to perturb the brain state of a patient diagnosed with UWS. An auditory stimulation series was presented to the patient before, during, and after exposure to propofol while high-density EEG was recorded. Baseline analysis revealed residual markers in the continuous EEG and event-related potentials (ERPs) that have been associated with conscious processing. However, these markers were significantly distorted by the patient’s pathology, challenging the interpretation of their functional significance. Upon exposure to propofol, changes in EEG characteristics were similar to what is seen in healthy individuals and ERPs associated with conscious processing disappeared. At the one-month follow up, the patient had regained consciousness. We offer three alternative explanations for these results: 1) the patient was covertly consciousness, and was anesthetized by propofol administration; 2) the patient was unconscious, and the observed EEG changes were a propofol-specific phenomenon; 3) the patient was unconscious, but his brain networks responded normally in a way that heralded the possibility of recovery. These alternatives will be tested in a larger study, and raise the intriguing possibility of using a general anesthetic as a probe of brain states in behaviorally unresponsive patients

A one-pot Synthesis of Some New Heterocyclic Compounds Derived from Chalcones and Study of their Antitumor and Antimicrobial Activities

The aim of the present work is to efficiently synthesize promising novel antitumor and antimicrobial active heterocyclic compounds from chalcones 1a and 1b as a precursor which contain naphthalene moiety and indole or piperonal moiety, respectively, using conventional, ultrasonic and microwave irradiation techniques. The best yields and purity were afforded with the microwave irradiation technique. Reaction of 1a and 1b with the appropriate reagent gave the corresponding pyrazolines 2a, 2b, pyrimidine-2-thioneses 3a, 3b, oxazepines 4a, 4b, diazepines 5a, 5b, triazolo-pyrimidines 6a, 6b, and pyrimidine-2-thiols 7a, 7b derivatives. Compounds 7a, 7b were used to produce 8a, 8b. Moreover, pyrimidine-2-thione 3a was used to synthesize pyrimidin-2-ylthioacetic acid 9a, and 2-hydrazinylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative 10a which has been used as a functionalizing agent to produce compounds 11a-14a. The structural formulas of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by their spectral data; FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS. Compounds 3a, 5a, 7a, 13a showed a very high activity as antitumor, whereas compounds 4a, 6a, and 13a showed high activity as antibacterial and antifungal agents

Self-medication practice among undergraduate medical students of a Saudi tertiary institution

Purpose: To assess the knowledge, attitude and magnitude of self-medication among medical students of Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire-based study was conducted among undergraduate medical students of Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia. A total of 300 students were selected by random sampling.Results: Self-medication practice was highly prevalent among the medical students, with 87 % reporting that they indulge in it. Self-medication was more prevalent among female students than male. Sedatives were the most common drugs used by students for self-medication (58 %). The most common reason adduced for self-medication practice was their belief that they have sufficient information, previous experience, and the experience of others, such as family members and colleagues, with regard to the drugs. A huge proportion (84.5 %) of the respondents agreed that selfmedication could be harmful and is associated with adverse effects, while 52.6 % stated that they would not advise other persons to indulge in self-medication.Conclusion: Self-medication is prevalent among third-year medical students of Jazan University in Saudi Arabia. Although the students exhibited sufficient awareness of self-medication, the findings highlight the need for intervention programmes regarding the practice of self-medication.Keywords: Self-medication, Prevalence, Awareness, Sedatives, Medical student

Meta-Analysis Design and Results in Real Life: Problem Solvers or Detour to Maze. A Critical Review of Meta-Analysis of DAPT Randomized Controlled Trials.

Therapeutic strategies - such as duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after coronary artery stenting - usually generate a large quantity of meta-analyses. The meta-analyses that include the same randomized clinical trials should produce similar results. Our aim in the study is to analyze the quality and to compare the results of meta-analyses focused on a controversial topic such as dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention. We searched all published meta-analyses published up to November 2015 (near DAPT trial publication) selecting those that included the same randomized clinical trials comparing patterns of briefer versus longer-term double antiplatelet therapy. Seventeen meta-analyses achieved our selection criteria. Of the seventeen analyzed, we identified seven (41.1%) based on the same ten randomized clinical trials (RCTs), yet their results varied widely. Many of the meta-analyses differed in only some minor aspect of the design (i.e. eligible studies, length of comparators and statistical methods used). Some authors differed in the number of patients participating in RCTs and even, despite reviewing the same underlying trials, only 2 of the 7 meta-analyses included the same number of patients. Meta-analyses around cardiovascular, all-cause or non-cardiovascular death differ frequently. In the DAPT duration setting, several meta-analyses have been recently published based on the same data, presenting several issues making it difficult to determine clear recommendations on certain points.IN receives research funding from Astrazeneca; has received minor consulting fees from Boston, Medtronic, Astrazeneca; and speaking fees or support for attending scientificmeetings fromBoehringer, Daiichi-Sankyo, Lilly, AstraZeneca and Pfizer. AE is Astrazeneca employee. HB receives research funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PIE16/00021), AstraZeneca, BMS, Janssen and Novartis; has received consulting fees from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS-Pfizer, Novartis; and speaking fees or support for attending scientificmeetings from AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS-Pfizer, Ferrer, Novartis, Servier and MEDSCAPE-the heart.og. The other authors pose no relevant disclosures regarding this manuscript.S