Surah Al Fatiha Induced Betterment of Menstrual Cycle and Hormonal Levels of PCOS: Evidence from Clinical Trials

Introduction Polycystic ovarian syndrome is an endocrinal disorder comprising multiple signs and symptoms that are associated with hormonal imbalance. The intervention was administered to subjects who were reluctant to go for pharmacological intervention. Methodology The designed study was intended to evaluate the effect of Surah Al Fatiha in combating PCOS pathology. Inclusion of females was from teenage to 45 years of age. Rotterdam criteria were used to diagnose 7 PCOS cases, while 7 healthy controls were recruited from the Mamji Hospital in Karachi's gynecology department. Surah Al Fatiha exposure was given to all the subjects. Exposure commenced on second day of subject’s menstrual cycle (three times daily) till the subsequent menstrual cycle started. Surah Al Fatiha, a pre-recorded version by ‘Qari Mishary Rashid Alafasy’ was used in this study. Biochemical parameters were monitored and evaluated before and after the Surah Al Fatiha therapy. Results revealed significantly decreased levels of hormones in PCOS afflicted females after Surah Al Fatiha exposure. Insulin and TSH were restored to their normal levels while rest of the hormones though decreased but were in normal range prior to the exposure of intervention. Conclusion Surah Al Fatiha exposure induces serenity and reduces stress, thus inducing normalization of TSH, decreased IR and in turn regularizing the menstrual cycle

Genetic reprogramming of cord blood derived endothelial colony forming cells towards human induced pluripotent stem cells using episomal plasmids

Objective: This study aimed to isolate human umbilical cord blood derived endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) followed by their integration free reprogramming towards induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and molecular characterization of both cell types using multicolor flowcytometery and immunofluorescence respectively. Methods: The cord blood was collected from 37-39 weeks of gestational ages after C-section ex-utero from Dow University Hospital. The ECFCs isolated after ficoll based separation of cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMNCs) which on emergence characterized through flow cytometry and reprogrammed towards induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using episomal vectors, the iPSCs were characterized using immunofluorescence. The study was conducted at Stem Cells and Regenerative lab, Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Dow University of health sciences OJHA campus. The study time duration was about one year (October 2017-October 2018), study design was in vitro experimental. The sample size of the study was n=3.   Results: The isolated ECFCs were evaluated using Flowcytometery which showed positive expression for CD31, CD34, CD146 cell surface markers and negative for CD90. The successful reprogramming of ECFCs towards iPSCs was confirmed by immunofluorescence using OCT-4 which is considered to be a master regulator of pluripotency.  Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge this study was the first attempt to integration free reprogramming of cord blood derived endothelial colony forming cells towards induced pluripotent stem using Episomal plasmids. Cells that have been isolated from cord blood and those that have been reprogrammed both have potential therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine. Continuous..

Metformin Treatment in Type 2 Diabetes in Pregnancy: An Active Controlled, Parallel-Group, Randomized, Open Label Study in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Pregnancy

Aims. To assess the effect of metformin and to compare it with insulin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes in pregnancy in terms of perinatal outcome, maternal complications, additional insulin requirement, and treatment acceptability. Methods. In this randomized, open label study, 206 patients with type 2 diabetes in pregnancy who met the eligibility criteria were selected from the antenatal clinics. Insulin was added to metformin treatment when required, to maintain the target glycemic control. The patients were followed up till delivery. Maternal, and perinatal outcomes and pharmacotherapeutic characteristics were recorded on a proforma. Results. Maternal characteristics were comparable in metformin and insulin treated group. 84.9% patients in metformin group required add-on insulin therapy at mean gestational age of 26.58 ± 3.85 weeks. Less maternal weight gain (P24 hours in metformin group (P<0.01). Significant reduction in cost of treatment was found in metformin group. Conclusion. Metformin alone or with add-on insulin is an effective and cheap treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes in pregnancy. This trial is registered with clinical trial registration number: Clinical trials.gov NCT01855763

The role of epigenetic modifiers in the hepatic differentiation of human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells

Human umbilical cord (hUC) derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be progressively differentiated into multiple line- ages including hepatic lineages, and thus provide an excellent in vitro model system for the study of hepatic differentiation. At present, hepatic differentiation protocols are based on the use of soluble chemicals in the culture medium and provide immature hepatic like cells. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi) are two important epigenetic modifiers that regulate stem cell differentiation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of HDACi, valproic acid (VPA) and DNMTi,5-azacytidine (5-aza) along with a hepatic inducer in the hepatic differentiation of hUC-MSCs. hUC-MSCs were characterized via immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. The final concentrations of VPA and 5-aza were optimized via MTT cytotoxicity assay. All treated groups were assessed for the presence of hepatic genes and proteins through qPCR and immunocytochemistry, respectively. The results showed that the pretreatment of epigenetic modifiers not only increased the hepatic genes but also increased the expression of the hepatic proteins. VPA induces hepatic differentiation in hUC-MSCs with significant gene expression of hepatic markers i.e., FOXA2 and CK8. Moreover, VPA pretreatment enhanced the expression of hepatic proteins AFP and TAT. The pretreatment of 5-aza shows significant gene expression of hepatic marker LDL-R. However, 5-aza treatment failed to induce hepatic protein expression. The results of the current study highlighted the effectiveness of epigenetic modifiers in the hepatic differentiation of hUC-MSCs. These differentiated cells can be employed in cell-based therapeutics for hepatic diseases in future