15 research outputs found
The Prevalence, Management and Impact of Dysmenorrhea on Medical Studentsâ LivesâA Multicenter Study
Introduction: Dysmenorrhea is defined as the presence of painful menstruation, and it
affects daily activities in different ways. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence and
management of dysmenorrhea and to determine the impact of dysmenorrhea on the quality of life
of medical students. Material and methods: The study conducted was prospective, analytical and
observational and was performed between 7 November 2019 and 30 January 2020 in five university
centers from Romania. The data was collected using an original questionnaire regarding menstrual
cycles and dysmenorrhea. The information about relationships with family or friends, couplesâ
relationships and university activity helped to assess the effects of dysmenorrhea on quality of life.
The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The study comprised 1720 students in total. The
prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 78.4%. During their menstrual period, most female students felt
more agitated or nervous (72.7%), more tired (66.9%), as if they had less energy for daily activities
(75.9%) and highly stressed (57.9%), with a normal diet being difficult to achieve (30.0%). University
courses (49.4%), social life (34.5%), couplesâ relationships (29.6%), as well as relationships with family
(21.4%) and friends (15.4%) were also affected, depending on the duration and intensity of the pain.
Conclusion: Dysmenorrhea has a high prevalence among medical students and could affect the
quality of life of students in several ways. During their menstrual period, most female students feel
as if they have less energy for daily activities and exhibit a higher level of stress. The intensity of
the symptoms varies considerably and, with it, the degree of discomfort it creates. Most student
use both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods to reduce pain (75.7%). University
courses, social life, couplesâ relationships, as well as relationships with family and friends are affected,
depending on the duration and intensity of the pain
Antigen-presenting cells transfected with Hsp65 messenger RNA fail to treat experimental tuberculosis
In the last several years, the use of dendritic cells has been studied as a therapeutic strategy against tumors. Dendritic cells can be pulsed with peptides or full-length protein, or they can be transfected with DNA or RNA. However, comparative studies suggest that transfecting dendritic cells with messenger RNA (mRNA) is superior to other antigen-loading techniques in generating immunocompetent dendritic cells. In the present study, we evaluated a new therapeutic strategy to fight tuberculosis using dendritic cells and macrophages transfected with Hsp65 mRNA. First, we demonstrated that antigen-presenting cells transfected with Hsp65 mRNA exhibit a higher level of expression of co-stimulatory molecules, suggesting that Hsp65 mRNA has immunostimulatory properties. We also demonstrated that spleen cells obtained from animals immunized with mock and Hsp65 mRNA-transfected dendritic cells were able to generate a mixed Th1/Th2 response with production not only of IFN-γ but also of IL-5 and IL-10. In contrast, cells recovered from mice immunized with Hsp65 mRNA-transfected macrophages were able to produce only IL-5. When mice were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and treated with antigen-presenting cells transfected with Hsp65 mRNA (therapeutic immunization), we did not detect any decrease in the lung bacterial load or any preservation of the lung parenchyma, indicating the inability of transfected cells to confer curative effects against tuberculosis. In spite of the lack of therapeutic efficacy, this study reports for the first time the use of antigen-presenting cells transfected with mRNA in experimental tuberculosis