Developing prevention model of acute lung injury: Validity of lung injury prediction score and risk panel

AbstractBackgroundAcute lung injury (ALI) is an example of a critical care syndrome with few therapeutic modalities once the syndrome is fully established, and little has been done on the prevention of ALI.Aim of the workThe aim of this work was to early identify the onset of acute lung injury (ALI) on admission and to prospectively evaluate the lung injury prediction score (LIPS).Patients and methodsThe study was carried out on 100 patients who aged >18years, patients who had one or more of the acute lung injury (ALI) predisposing conditions on admission or within 6h after were subjected to lung injury prediction score (LIPS).ResultsAcute lung injury developed in 15 patients, 11 patients (73.3%) had LIPS >3, while 4 patients (26.7%) had LIPS ⩽3 and only 4.70% of those who didn’t develop ALI had LIPS >3, with a statistically significant relationship between patients above and below LIPS value of 3 (P=0.000), LIPS cutoff value of ⩾3.5 on admission had a 73% sensitivity and 95% specificity with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.883 (95% CI 0.782 to 0.984). Sepsis and pneumonia were the most frequent risk factors (60%).ConclusionsLung injury predictive score (LIPS) could early predict patients at risk to develop ALI on admission, Hyperbilirubinemia, high blood urea level and abnormal chest X-ray on admission were not included in the original LIPS but had significant association with development of ALI

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Novel Pyrazole, Imidazole and Pyrimidine Derivatives Possessing Imidazo[4,5-b]indol Moiety

In this study, novel pyrazole, imidazole, pyrimidine derivatives bearing imidazo[4,5-b]indol moiety were successfully synthesized and their chemical structures were identified and confirmed by different spectral techniques. All the synthesized compounds were tested against four bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and two fungi (Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans). The obtained results show that the synthesized compounds could find fruitful applications as antibacterial and antifungal agents in pharmaceutical chemistry

Primary versus deferred ureteroscopy for management of calculus anuria in children: Review article

Background: The incidence of urolithiasis in the pediatric population is on the rise. Urolithiasis in the pediatric age group, although occurring less in adults, causes considerable morbidity. The role of ureteroscopy (URS) in the management of calculus anuria could be primary or deferred. The deferred URS after initial ureteral stenting or percutaneous drainage is the standard one. However, the remarkable progress in the manufacturing of ureteroscopes and lithotripters favored the primary URS.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the results of primary versus deferred URS for management of obstructive calculus anuria (OCA) in children in previous literatures.Methods: We have searched literature in the American National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), PubMed, Google scholar, Egyptian bank of knowledge, and science direct.Conclusion: Primary URS is a definitive stone management technique and an appropriate option that can reduce hospital stay, prevent multiple anesthesia, and alleviate the costs in children with OCA when performed by skilled endourologists. However the deferred URS is a favored procedure for management of calculus anuria in pediatric patients compared to primary URS

Ethylene responsive transcription factor ERF109 retards PCD and improves salt tolerance in plant

Semi-quantitative RT-PCR for tobacco VIGS lines of 13 knocked down TFs induced 2 h post oxalic acid treatment (20 mM) as compared to their WT and VIGS line with empty pTRV2 (V2) plants. Amplicon sizes of different genes and primers used are shown in Additional file 5: Table S3. The Nbactin gene was used as the house-keeping control. Gene codes refer to those indicated in Additional file 3: Table S2. (DOCX 684 kb

Effect of aerobic exercise, slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation on cortisol and glucose levels in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Aerobic exercise combined with breathing exercise can be an integral part of diabetes mellitus treatment. This single-center, randomized, parallel-group study investigated the effect of the combination of aerobic exercise with slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation on the glucose and cortisol levels of women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and Methods: Fifty-eight middle-aged women with T2DM (mean age: 45.67 ± 2.92 years) were randomly assigned to either the aerobic training group (AT: n = 29; mean age [46.1 ± 2.7 years]) or the aerobic exercise combined with slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation (AT + DMM: n = 29; mean age [45.24 ± 3.14 years]). Aerobic exercise was performed at 60%-75% of the maximum heart rate. The women in each group were asked to perform the training three times weekly over a 6-week period. The duration of each session was 40 min for the AT group and 60 min for the AT + DMM group. The two groups were asked to perform aerobic exercise at 60%-75% of the maximum heart rate. Their fasting blood glucose (FBG) and serum cortisol levels were measured at the baseline and after the 6 weeks. Results: Compared with the AT group, the group undertaking 6 weeks of aerobic training combined with slow, deep breathing exercises and mindfulness meditation showed significantly lower levels of FBG (p = 0.001) and cortisol levels (p = 0.01) than the AT group. Conclusion: The addition of slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation to aerobic exercise can better control the glucose and cortisol levels of women with T2DM and thereby improve their outcomes and decrease their cardiometabolic risk

Etiology, Pathogenesis, And Management Options Of Infra-Vesical Obstruction Due To Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Urinary Bladder Stone, Or Both: Review Article

Abstract Background: Urinary bladder stones may be a primary stone formed in the urinary bladder or migrating calculus from the upper urinary tract. Bladder stones become more symptomatic when associated with infra-vesical obstruction.The most common cause of infra-vesical obstruction in elderly men is benign prostatic hyperplasia. Benign prostatic hyperplasia can be identified clinically by a complex of symptoms. These symptoms, known as lower urinary tract symptoms, range from incomplete emptying, weak stream, nocturia, and increased urinary frequency, and can potentially progress to urinary urge incontinence and urinary retention. About 35% of elderly men above fifty years will seek medical advice and have medical treatment for infra-vesical obstruction. About 24% of patients with mild to moderate LUTS will undergo surgical management for BPH. The strong association between infra-vesical obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia and urinary bladder stones has led to the dogma that any BPH associated with bladder stones should be managed surgically. This study aims to review the etiology, pathogenesis, and management options of infra-vesical obstruction caused by BPH, urinary bladder stones, or both. We have searched literature in the American National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), PubMed, Google scholar, Egyptian bank of knowledge,and science direct

Effect of aerobic exercise, slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation on cortisol and glucose levels in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Aerobic exercise combined with breathing exercise can be an integral part of diabetes mellitus treatment. This single-center, randomized, parallel-group study investigated the effect of the combination of aerobic exercise with slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation on the glucose and cortisol levels of women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and Methods: Fifty-eight middle-aged women with T2DM (mean age: 45.67 ± 2.92 years) were randomly assigned to either the aerobic training group (AT: n = 29; mean age [46.1 ± 2.7 years]) or the aerobic exercise combined with slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation (AT + DMM: n = 29; mean age [45.24 ± 3.14 years]). Aerobic exercise was performed at 60%–75% of the maximum heart rate. The women in each group were asked to perform the training three times weekly over a 6-week period. The duration of each session was 40 min for the AT group and 60 min for the AT + DMM group. The two groups were asked to perform aerobic exercise at 60%–75% of the maximum heart rate. Their fasting blood glucose (FBG) and serum cortisol levels were measured at the baseline and after the 6 weeks. Results: Compared with the AT group, the group undertaking 6 weeks of aerobic training combined with slow, deep breathing exercises and mindfulness meditation showed significantly lower levels of FBG (p = 0.001) and cortisol levels (p = 0.01) than the AT group. Conclusion: The addition of slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation to aerobic exercise can better control the glucose and cortisol levels of women with T2DM and thereby improve their outcomes and decrease their cardiometabolic risk

Transcriptomic and metabolic responses of Calotropis procera to salt and drought stress

Background: Calotropis procera is a wild plant species in the family Apocynaceae that is able to grow in harsh, arid and heat stressed conditions. Understanding how this highly adapted plant persists in harsh environments should inform future efforts to improve the hardiness of crop and forage plant species. To study the plant response to droμght and osmotic stress, we treated plants with polyethylene glycol and NaCl and carried out transcriptomic and metabolomics measurements across a time-course of five days. Results: We identified a highly dynamic transcriptional response across the time-course including dramatic changes in inositol signaling, stress response genes and cytokinins. The resulting metabolome changes also involved sharp increases of myo-inositol, a key signaling molecule and elevated amino acid metabolites at later times. Conclusions: The data generated here provide a first glimpse at the expressed genome of C. procera, a plant that is exceptionally well adapted to arid environments. We demonstrate, through transcriptome and metabolome analysis that myo-inositol signaling is strongly induced in response to drought and salt stress and that there is elevation of amino acid concentrations after prolonged osmotic stress. This work should lay the foundations of future studies in adaptation to arid environments

Targeting a host-cell entry factor barricades antiviral-resistant HCV variants from on-therapy breakthrough in human-liver mice

Objective: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by targeting viral proteins that play essential roles in the replication process. However, selection of resistance-associated variants (RAVs) during DAA therapy has been a cause of therapeutic failure. In this study, we wished to address whether such RAVs could be controlled by the co-administration of host-targeting entry inhibitors that prevent intrahepatic viral spread. Design: We investigated the effect of adding an entry inhibitor (the anti-scavenger receptor class B type I mAb1671) to a DAA monotherapy (the protease inhibitor ciluprevir) in human-liver mice chronically infected with HCV of genotype 1b. Clinically relevant non-laboratory strains were used to achieve viraemia consisting of a cloud of related viral variants (quasispecies) and the emergence of RAVs was monitored at high resolution using next-generation sequencing. Results: HCV-infected human-liver mice receiving DAA monotherapy rapidly experienced on-therapy viral breakthrough. Deep sequencing of the HCV protease domain confirmed the manifestation of drug-resistant mutants upon viral rebound. In contrast, none of the mice treated with a combination of the DAA and the entry inhibitor experienced on-therapy viral breakthrough, despite detection of RAV emergence in some animals. Conclusions: This study provides preclinical in vivo evidence that addition of an entry inhibitor to an anti-HCV DAA regimen restricts the breakthrough of DAA-resistant viruses. Our approach is an excellent strategy to prevent therapeutic failure caused by on-therapy rebound of DAA-RAVs. Inclusion of an entry inhibitor to the newest DAA combination therapies may further increase response rates, especially in difficult-to-treat patient populations

Development and characterization of a human monoclonal antibody targeting the N-terminal region of hepatitis C virus envelope glycoprotein E1

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting the hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope have been raised mainly against envelope protein 2 (E2), while the antigenic epitopes of envelope protein 1 (E1) are not fully identified. Here we describe the detailed characterization of a human mAb, designated A6, generated from an HCV genotype 1b infected patient. ELISA results showed reactivity of mAb A6 to full-length HCV E1E2 of genotypes 1a, 1b and 2a. Epitope mapping identified a region spanning amino acids 230-239 within the N-terminal region of E1 as critical for binding. Antibody binding to this epitope was not conformation dependent. Neutralization assays showed that mAb A6 lacks neutralizing capacity and does not interfere with the activity of known neutralizing antibodies. In summary, mAb A6 is an important tool to study the structure and function of E1 within the viral envelope, a crucial step in the development of an effective prophylactic HCV vaccine