Investigation of the Ameliorating Effect of Copper Albumin Complex on Lysyl oxidase in monosodium iodoacetate -Induced Knee Osteoarthritis in Rats

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common type of joint degeneration which causes progressive damage of the joint structure and has less therapeutic options. It has been found that oral consumption of Copper Albumin Complex as anti-inflammatory drug has a positive effect on the treatment of joint deterioration. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of oral administration of Copper Albumin Complex (cu-albumin complex) on Lysyl oxidase (LOX) which acts as a protective factor in KOA. Fifty adult albino rats were divided into 3 groups: negative control (10 normal rats); positive control (20 rats with KOA which left without induction treatment); and treated group (20 rats with KOA which treated with administration of copper albumin complex). Treated and untreated arthritic groups were subdivided equally into mild and severe groups (10 rats for each) according to the severity of clinical signs. KOA was induced by intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). At the experimental end, the joints were examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically after cervical dislocation of rats. It was observed that the treatment with CU- was effective in reducing disease severity and in improvement of Lysyl oxidase KOA. It was concluded that Copper albumin complex has a positive effect in the improvement of LOX of Knee joint cartilages of rats affected by osteoarthritis (OA)

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Incidence and risk factors of retinopathy in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C virus treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin

SummaryBackgroundData are scarce on ocular complications in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of retinal lesions induced by interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C.MethodsWe prospectively analyzed 84 patients with chronic hepatitis C (total 168 eyes), who underwent combination pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy for 48 weeks. Visual acuity, color vision, and visual field were measured, and a fundus assessment was made at baseline, at 12, 24, and 48 weeks post the commencement of treatment, and at follow-up, 1 month after treatment. Past medical and ocular histories, visual symptoms, and the results of a full ophthalmologic assessment were recorded for each patient.ResultsTwenty-two patients (26%) developed retinopathy. Retinal hemorrhage was observed in eight patients. Four patients complained of visual disturbance. Retinopathy disappeared in 16 patients (73%) despite the continuation of combination therapy. However, retinopathy persisted in six patients with retinal hemorrhage and three of them stopped treatment. A comparison of the clinical backgrounds between the patients with and without retinopathy showed no significant differences with regard to gender, HCV RNA level, white blood cell count, platelet count, hemoglobin level, or fibrosis score. However patients with retinopathy were of older age, had a higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and more often did not respond to therapy. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension and diabetes were factors predicting retinopathy.ConclusionRetinopathy associated with interferon α-2a and ribavirin combination therapy tends to develop in patients of older age with hypertension and diabetes

تأثير منشطات السطوح الكاتيونية والآنيونية على الجهود الكهروكيناتيكية للكاستريت والكوارتز في وجود الكاتيونات عديدة التكافؤ

The effect of different polyvalent electrolytes (FeCl3, AICI3, LaCl3, CeCl3 and TI1CI4) on adsorption of different surfactants (primary amine hydrochloride, sodium oleate, sodium dodecyl sulfate and phenyl disodium orthophosphate) on cassiterite and quartz particles was studied using microelectrophoresis technique. The zeta potentials of the oxides and their isoelectric points were determined as a funtion of pH in presence of constant concentrations of both surfactants and electrolytes. The mechanism of adsorption of surfactants on cassiterite and quartz surfaces modified by salt cations was discussed. In general, the zeta potentials and the isoelectric points (IEPS) of the oxides in presence of the above mentioned salts are considerably changed on addition of different surfactants.تمتّ دراسة تأثير الألكتروليتات عديدة التكافؤ (كلوريدات الحديديك والألومنيوم واللانثانوم والسيريوم والثوريوم ) على إمتزاز منشطات السطوح المختلفة (هيدروكلوريد الأمين الأولى وأوليات الصوديوم ودوديسيل كبريتات الصوديوم وأورثوفوسفاف الفينيل ثنائي الصوديوم ) على الكاستريت والكوارتز باستخدام طريقة الميكروالكتروفوريس . لم وكذلك تمت دراسة العلاقة بين الجهد الكهروكيناتيكي (جهد زيتا) والرقم الهيدروجيني للمحاليل وتم تعيين نقط تلاشي الشحنة للأكاسيد محل الدراسة عند تركيزات ثابته من كل من الألكتروليتات ومنشطات السطوح . ونوقشت ميكانيكية إمتزاز هذه المنشطات على سطح كل من الكاستريت والكوارتز في وجود تركيزات ثابته من الأملاح السابقة . وتبين نتائج هذه الدراسة أن إضافة هذه المنشطات تؤثر على الجهد زيتا وكذلك على نقط تلاشي الشحنة للأكاسيد في وجود هذه الأملاح

Paralemnalia thyrsoides-associated fungi: phylogenetic diversity, cytotoxic potential, metabolomic profiling and docking analysis

Abstract Background Cancer continues to be one of the biggest causes of death that affects human health. Chemical resistance is still a problem in conventional cancer treatments. Fortunately, numerous natural compounds originating from different microbes, including fungi, possess cytotoxic characteristics that are now well known. This study aims to investigate the anticancer prospects of five fungal strains that were cultivated and isolated from the Red Sea soft coral Paralemnalia thyrsoides. The in vitro cytotoxic potential of the ethyl acetate extracts of the different five isolates were evaluated using MTS assay against four cancer cell lines; A549, CT-26, MDA-MB-231, and U87. Metabolomics profiling of the different extracts using LC-HR-ESI-MS, besides molecular docking studies for the dereplicated compounds were performed to unveil the chemical profile and the cytotoxic mechanism of the soft coral associated fungi. Results The five isolated fungal strains were identified as Penicillium griseofulvum (RD1), Cladosporium sphaerospermum (RD2), Cladosporium liminiforme (RD3), Penicillium chrysogenum (RD4), and Epicoccum nigrum (RD5). The in vitro study showed that the ethyl acetate extract of RD4 exhibited the strongest cytotoxic potency against three cancer cell lines A549, CT-26 and MDA-MB-231 with IC50 values of 1.45 ± 8.54, 1.58 ± 6.55 and 1.39 ± 2.0 µg/mL, respectively, also, RD3 revealed selective cytotoxic potency against A549 with IC50 value of 6.99 ± 3.47 µg/mL. Docking study of 32 compounds dereplicated from the metabolomics profiling demonstrated a promising binding conformation with EGFR tyrosine kinase that resembled its co-crystallized ligand albeit with better binding energy score. Conclusion Our results highlight the importance of soft coral-associated fungi as a promising source for anticancer metabolites for future drug discovery

PPAR agonists as effective adjuvants for COVID-19 vaccines, by modifying immunogenetics: a review of literature

Abstract Background Several coronavirus vaccine have been fast-tracked to halt the pandemic, the usage of immune adjuvants that can boost immunological memory has come up to the surface. This is particularly of importance in view of the rates of failure of seroconversion and re-infection after COVID-19 infection, which could make the vaccine role and response debatable. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) have an established immune-modulatory role, but their effects as adjuvants to vaccination have not been explored to date. Main body of the abstract It is increasingly recognized that PPAR agonists can upregulate the levels of anti-apoptotic factors such as MCL-1. Such effect can improve the results of vaccination by enhancing the longevity of long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs). The interaction between PPAR agonists and the immune system does not halt here, as T cell memory is also stimulated through enhanced T regulatory cells, antagonizing PD-L1 and switching the metabolism of T cells to fatty acid oxidation, which has a remarkable effect on the persistence of T memory cells. What is even of a more significant value is the effect of PPAR gamma on ensuring a profound secretion of antibodies upon re-exposure to the offending antigen through upregulating lipoxin B4, therefore potentially assisting the vaccine response and deterring re-infection. Short conclusion In view of the above, we suggest the use of PPAR as adjuvants to vaccines in general especially the emerging COVID-19 vaccine due to their role in enhancing immunologic memory through DNA-dependent mechanisms