Punica granatum (Pomegranate) juice provides an HIV-1 entry inhibitor and candidate topical microbicide

BACKGROUND: For ≈ 24 years the AIDS pandemic has claimed ≈ 30 million lives, causing ≈ 14,000 new HIV-1 infections daily worldwide in 2003. About 80% of infections occur by heterosexual transmission. In the absence of vaccines, topical microbicides, expected to block virus transmission, offer hope for controlling the pandemic. Antiretroviral chemotherapeutics have decreased AIDS mortality in industrialized countries, but only minimally in developing countries. To prevent an analogous dichotomy, microbicides should be: acceptable; accessible; affordable; and accelerative in transition from development to marketing. Already marketed pharmaceutical excipients or foods, with established safety records and adequate anti-HIV-1 activity, may provide this option. METHODS: Fruit juices were screened for inhibitory activity against HIV-1 IIIB using CD4 and CXCR4 as cell receptors. The best juice was tested for inhibition of: (1) infection by HIV-1 BaL, utilizing CCR5 as the cellular coreceptor; and (2) binding of gp120 IIIB and gp120 BaL, respectively, to CXCR4 and CCR5. To remove most colored juice components, the adsorption of the effective ingredient(s) to dispersible excipients and other foods was investigated. A selected complex was assayed for inhibition of infection by primary HIV-1 isolates. RESULTS: HIV-1 entry inhibitors from pomegranate juice adsorb onto corn starch. The resulting complex blocks virus binding to CD4 and CXCR4/CCR5 and inhibits infection by primary virus clades A to G and group O. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the possibility of producing an anti-HIV-1 microbicide from inexpensive, widely available sources, whose safety has been established throughout centuries, provided that its quality is adequately standardized and monitored

Predictors of surgical complications in boys with hypospadias: data from an international registry

Background: Complications are frequently reported after hypospadias repair and there is a need to understand the factors that influence their occurrence. Methods: Data from boys with hypospadias born between 2000 and 2020 were obtained from the International Disorders of Sex Development (I-DSD) Registry. Logistic regressions, fisher’s exact tests and spearman’s correlation tests were performed on the data to assess associations between clinical factors and complication rates. Results: Of the 551 eligible boys, data were available on 160 (29%). Within the cohort, the median (range) External Masculinization Score (EMS) was 6 (2, 9). All presented with one or more additional genital malformation and 61 (38%) presented with additional extragenital malformations. Disorders of androgen action, androgen synthesis and gonadal development were diagnosed in 28 (18%), 22 (14%) and 9 (6%) boys, respectively. The remaining 101 (62%) patients were diagnosed as having non-specific 46,XY Disorders of Sex Development. Eighty (50%) boys had evidence of abnormal biochemistry, and gene variants were identified in 42 (26%). Median age at first hypospadias surgery was 2 years (0, 9), and median length of follow-up was 5 years (0, 17). Postsurgical complications were noted in 102 (64%) boys. There were no significant associations with postsurgical complications. Conclusions: Boys with proximal hypospadias in the I-DSD Registry have high rates of additional comorbidities and a high risk of postoperative complications. No clinical factors were significantly associated with complication rates. High complication rates with no observable cause suggest the involvement of other factors which need investigation

Proceedings of the 24th Paediatric Rheumatology European Society Congress: Part three

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications Router.Publication status: PublishedHistory: collection 2017-09, epub 2017-09-0

A unusual case of right lung and right atrio-inferiocaval injury caused by stabbing

PubMedID: 19670127Penetrating thoracic injuries can damage more than one intrathoracic structure and frequently require urgent surgical intervention due to life-threatening consequences. These injuries demand extreme awareness and emergency measures. This paper reports on an unusual case with right lung and right atrio-inferiocaval junction injury caused by a knife penetrating through the right paravertebral region of the thorax. The patient was treated by immediate surgical repair under partial cardiopulmonary bypass and discharged successfully. This case emphasizes the fact that right chest paravertebral penetrating injuries may require cardiopulmonary bypass, although this zone has less risk for cardiac injury. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart - New York

Aorto-cutaneous fistula: Complication of coronary artery bypass graft operation [3]

PubMedID: 16424851[No abstract available

Aorto-cutaneous fistula: complication of coronary artery bypass graft operation

WOS: 000235733800013PubMed ID: 16424851

Surgical treatment of congenital coronary artery-pulmonary artery fistula: A case report

Congenital coronary artery fistula is a rare congenital heart disease. A 65-year-old female case was admitted to our outpatient clinic with the complaints of back and chest pain lasting for one year and increasing with exercise. A fistula originating from the left anterior descending coronary artery and drained into the main pulmonary artery was detected. The fistula was ligated using off-pump cardiopulmonary bypass

Early results of peripheral arterial performed using shelhigh no-react treated internal mammary arteries

In 30 cases at our clinic, bovine internal mammary arterial grafts, were used for femoro-popliteal arterial bypass on patients to be re-operated due to obstruction. All patients had previously gone through coronary bypass in the period 2009-2011, and subsequently had no saphenous veins or whose saphenous vein quality and diameter was inadequate where a Dacron® synthetic graft, autologous saphenous vein or PTFE were used. Alongside of the peripheral arterial bypass, aortabifemoral bypass with a Dacron® graft was performed on six patients. After the operation, all patients were monitored at week 1, week 4 and week 8 by arterial colored Doppler ultrasoundography, and MR angiography was performed at week 12 and MR angiography was performed at year 1. Early period check-ups (postoperative, week 12) and medium term follow-ups (postoperative year 1), no obstruction was detected except in 4 patient. The No-React® treated Shelhigh internal mammary artery graft may be an alternative to saphenous vein and inorganic tubular grafts for femoro-popliteal arterial bypass operations in cases where autologous veins are not available. As evidenced by the patient cohort and early period results, this alternative may be particularly useful for patients which 1) are to be reoperated due to obstruction; 2) who had gone through coronary bypass and have no saphenous veins; or 3) whose saphenous vein quality and/or diameter are inadequate where Dacron® saphenous vein or PTFE were used