Effect of opium on glucose metabolism and lipid profiles in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes

Wstęp: To eksperymentalne badanie przeprowadzono w celu określenia wpływu stosowania opium na profil lipidowy i metabolizm glukozy u szczurów z cukrzycą wywołaną podaniem streptozotocyny. Materiał i metody: Aby ocenić wpływ opium, 20 samców podzielono na dwie grupy: kontrolną (n = 10) i otrzymującą opium (n = 10). Po wywołaniu cukrzycy przez 35 dni codziennie mierzono stężenie glukozy we krwi zwierząt. Profil lipidowy i odsetek hemoglobiny A1c (HbA1c) określono na poczatku badania (przed wywołaniem cukrzycy) i w 35. dniu obserwacji. Wyniki: Poziom glikemii u szczurów, którym podawano opium i w grupie kontrolnej był podobny (544,8 ± 62,2 mg/dl v. 524,6 ± 50,0 mg/dl, P = 0,434). Ponadto, nie stwierdzono różnic między grupą leczoną i kontrolną w zakresie wartości HbA1c (6,5 ± 0,5% v. 6,6 ± 0,2%, P = 0,714). Również stężenia cholesterolu całkowitego, cholesterolu frakcji HDL, triglicerydów i lipoproteiny (a) były podobne w obu grupach. Wnioski: Stosowanie opium nie ma istotnego wpływu na metabolizm glukozy i profil lipidowy u szczurów z eksperymentalnie wywołaną cukrzycą.Background: This experimental study was performed to determine the impact of opium use on serum lipid profile and glucose metabolism in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Material and methods: To determine the effect of opium, 20 male rats were divided into control (n = 10) and opium-treated (n = 10) groups. After diabetes induction, the animals were investigated for daily glucose measurements for 35 days. Serum lipid profile and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were assayed at the baseline (before induction of diabetes) and at 35-day follow-up. Results: The glycaemia levels in the rats treated with opium were similar to the levels measured in the control rats (544.8 ± 62.2 mg/dl v. 524.6 ± 50.0 mg/dl, P = 0.434). In addition, there was no difference between the opium-treated rats and control rats in HbA1c (6.5 ± 0.5% v. 6.6 ± 0.2%, P = 0.714). Compared to the control rats, the serum total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride and lipoprotein (a) in the test animals were similar. Conclusion: Opium use has no significant effect on glucose metabolism and serum lipid profile in rats with induced diabetes

Serum Uric Acid Level and Metabolic Syndrome in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: The association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hyperuricemia has been formerly studied mostly in healthy people in western countries. We tried to examine the relationship between hyperuricemia and MetS in an Iranian population undergoing coronary angiography. Materials and Methods: From March 2008 to September 2008, we studied 465 patients (260 men, 55.9%) undergoing elective coronary angiography due to symptoms related to coronary artery disease. The MetS was defined according to the adapted Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III A), and hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid concentrations ≥ 7.0 mg/dl in men and ≥ 6.0 mg/dl in women. For the statistical analysis, the statistical software SPSS version 13.0 and the statistical package SAS version 9.1 were applied Results: The mean age of the study population was 59.66 ± 10.04, ranging from 31 to 85 years. Hyperuricemia was detected in 231 (49.7%) of total population, in 126 (54.5%) of men, and in 105 (45.5%) of women. In the multivariable adjusted model, subjects with MetS and subjects with 5 components of the MetS compared to those without any components of the MetS, had 1.56-fold and 4.19-fold increased odds of hyperuricemia, respectively. Hyperuricemia was significantly associated with elevated BP and low level of HDL-cholesterol but not with other components of MetS. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that hyperuricemia was strongly associated with the prevalence of MetS according to adapted ATP III guidelines in an Iranian sample of patients undergoing coronary angiography

Association between R353Q polymorphism for coagulative factor VII and severity of coronary artery disease in Iranian population

Background: Recent research has supported the central role of coagulative factors in advancing atherosclerosis and causing coronary artery disease (CAD). The present study, for the first time, aimed to clarify the relationship between R353Q polymorphism for factor VII and the occurrence and severity of CAD in a large sample of Iranian population.Methods: Nine hundred and nineteen consecutive patients with suspected CAD, who candidated for coronary angiography in the Tehran Heart Center between January 2006 and March 2007, were examined. The number of diseased coronary vessels was determined, and the severity of CAD was assessed by the Gensini score. Genotyping was done via the PCR-RFLP method.Results: The frequency of Q and R alleles was 74.1% and 25.9% in the patients with CADand 75.2% and 24.8% in those without CAD, with an insignificant difference (p = 0.625). The frequency of Q allele in the patients with single-vessel, two-vessel, and three-vessel diseases was 72.8%, 71.5%, and 76.4%, respectively; the difference was also insignificant (p = 0.379). No relationship was observed between the distribution of the genotypes and the number of the involved coronary vessels. The average of the Gensini score was 43.39 ± 46.18 in the patients with QQ genotype, 38.87 ± 42.89 in those with QR genotype, and 55.61 ± 53.80 in the ones with RR genotype, with the difference not constituting any statistical significance (p = 0.084).Conclusions: The results suggest no association between R353Q polymorphism for factor VII and the presence or progression of CAD in the Iranian population

Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for 29 Cancer Groups From 2010 to 2019: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019) provided systematic estimates of incidence, morbidity, and mortality to inform local and international efforts toward reducing cancer burden. To estimate cancer burden and trends globally for 204 countries and territories and by Sociodemographic Index (SDI) quintiles from 2010 to 2019. The GBD 2019 estimation methods were used to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019 and over the past decade. Estimates are also provided by quintiles of the SDI, a composite measure of educational attainment, income per capita, and total fertility rate for those younger than 25 years. Estimates include 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). In 2019, there were an estimated 23.6 million (95% UI, 22.2-24.9 million) new cancer cases (17.2 million when excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and 10.0 million (95% UI, 9.36-10.6 million) cancer deaths globally, with an estimated 250 million (235-264 million) DALYs due to cancer. Since 2010, these represented a 26.3% (95% UI, 20.3%-32.3%) increase in new cases, a 20.9% (95% UI, 14.2%-27.6%) increase in deaths, and a 16.0% (95% UI, 9.3%-22.8%) increase in DALYs. Among 22 groups of diseases and injuries in the GBD 2019 study, cancer was second only to cardiovascular diseases for the number of deaths, years of life lost, and DALYs globally in 2019. Cancer burden differed across SDI quintiles. The proportion of years lived with disability that contributed to DALYs increased with SDI, ranging from 1.4% (1.1%-1.8%) in the low SDI quintile to 5.7% (4.2%-7.1%) in the high SDI quintile. While the high SDI quintile had the highest number of new cases in 2019, the middle SDI quintile had the highest number of cancer deaths and DALYs. From 2010 to 2019, the largest percentage increase in the numbers of cases and deaths occurred in the low and low-middle SDI quintiles. The results of this systematic analysis suggest that the global burden of cancer is substantial and growing, with burden differing by SDI. These results provide comprehensive and comparable estimates that can potentially inform efforts toward equitable cancer control around the world.Funding/Support: The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities. Dr Aljunid acknowledges the Department of Health Policy and Management of Kuwait University and the International Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. Dr Bhaskar acknowledges institutional support from the NSW Ministry of Health and NSW Health Pathology. Dr Bärnighausen was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through the Alexander von Humboldt Professor award, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Dr Braithwaite acknowledges funding from the National Institutes of Health/ National Cancer Institute. Dr Conde acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council ERC Starting Grant agreement No 848325. Dr Costa acknowledges her grant (SFRH/BHD/110001/2015), received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, IP under the Norma Transitória grant DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006. Dr Ghith acknowledges support from a grant from Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF16OC0021856). Dr Glasbey is supported by a National Institute of Health Research Doctoral Research Fellowship. Dr Vivek Kumar Gupta acknowledges funding support from National Health and Medical Research Council Australia. Dr Haque thanks Jazan University, Saudi Arabia for providing access to the Saudi Digital Library for this research study. Drs Herteliu, Pana, and Ausloos are partially supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNDS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-0084. Dr Hugo received support from the Higher Education Improvement Coordination of the Brazilian Ministry of Education for a sabbatical period at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, between September 2019 and August 2020. Dr Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam acknowledges funding by a National Heart Foundation of Australia Fellowship and National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leadership Fellowship. Dr Jakovljevic acknowledges support through grant OI 175014 of the Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Dr Katikireddi acknowledges funding from a NHS Research Scotland Senior Clinical Fellowship (SCAF/15/02), the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00022/2), and the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU17). Dr Md Nuruzzaman Khan acknowledges the support of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Bangladesh. Dr Yun Jin Kim was supported by the Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUMRF/2020-C6/ITCM/0004). Dr Koulmane Laxminarayana acknowledges institutional support from Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Dr Landires is a member of the Sistema Nacional de Investigación, which is supported by Panama’s Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación. Dr Loureiro was supported by national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the Scientific Employment Stimulus–Institutional Call (CEECINST/00049/2018). Dr Molokhia is supported by the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Center at Guy’s and St Thomas’ National Health Service Foundation Trust and King’s College London. Dr Moosavi appreciates NIGEB's support. Dr Pati acknowledges support from the SIAN Institute, Association for Biodiversity Conservation & Research. Dr Rakovac acknowledges a grant from the government of the Russian Federation in the context of World Health Organization Noncommunicable Diseases Office. Dr Samy was supported by a fellowship from the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. Dr Sheikh acknowledges support from Health Data Research UK. Drs Adithi Shetty and Unnikrishnan acknowledge support given by Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Dr Pavanchand H. Shetty acknowledges Manipal Academy of Higher Education for their research support. Dr Diego Augusto Santos Silva was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil Finance Code 001 and is supported in part by CNPq (302028/2018-8). Dr Zhu acknowledges the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant RP210042

Left Atrial Appendage Thrombosis Simulating Myxoma

A 51-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with palpitation and atypical chest pain. He had a history of percutaneous mitral valve commissurotomy 20 years previously. He did not use any drugs. Physical examination was unremarkable except for a loud S1 on auscultation. The surface electrocardiogram (ECG) showed atrial fibrillation rhythmwith rapid ventricular response and right bundle branch block. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic examinations revealed normal left ventricular size with mild systolic dysfunction, ejection fraction of 45%, and moderate rheumatic mitral stenosis with mild to moderate mitral regurgitation. Also, there was a highly mobile multilobulated mass attached to the anterior wall of the left atrial appendage with a long stalk, simulating myxoma. The patient was referred for emergent surgery, during which the mass was removed. Pathological examination demonstrated organized thrombosis. Recently, Peters and et al.1  described a woman with significant mitral stenosis and a mass in the left atrium attached to the interatrial septum through a stalk; pathological examination showed thrombosis. In another report, a man with moderate mitral stenosis and a left atrial mass attached via a narrow stalk to the interatrial septum was described.2 In cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, thrombus often appears as a hypointense structure after the administration of intravenous gadolinium, whereas atrial myxomas show contrast enhancement. This imaging modality, however, is far from perfect.

Incidentally Detected Tricuspid Papillary Fibroelastoma

A 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography revealed thickening of the anterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve, and transesophageal echocardiography showed oval and irregular-shaped masses, featuring well-demarcated borders and a homogenous texture, attached to the atrial side of the anterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve with a small, tiny, mobile stalk. In the operating room, this mass was resected and gross anatomical examination showed multiple finger-like fronds attached to the stalk. When it was placed in saline, the mass revealed typical "sea anemone", suggestive of papillary fibroelastoma. Although echocardiography had been previously conducted for routine preoperative evaluation, this incidental finding significantly changed the surgical plan

Endovascular Repair of Supra-Celiac and Abdominal Aortic Pseudo Aneurysms Concomitant with a Right Atrial Mass in a Patient with Behçet’s Disease: A Case Report

Behcet’s disease is a rare immune mediated systemic vasculitis which besides it’s more frequent involvement of eyes and skin,   sometimes present with aortic pseudo aneurysm and more rarely cardiac inflammatory masses.A 51-year-old patient with Behçet’s Disease presented with two symptomatic aortic pseudoaneurysms concomitant with a right atrial mass. Computed tomography (CT) revealed one supra-celiac and another infrarenal aortic pseudoaneurysms. Echocardiography showed a large mobile mass in the right atrium. Both pseudoaneurysms were successfully excluded simultaneously via endovascular approach with Zenith stent-grafts, and the atrial mass was surgically removed 10 days later. Post-implant CT showed successful exclusion of both pseudo-aneurysms, patency of all relevant arteries, and patient is now asymptomatic and has returned to normal lifestyle. Multiple pseudoaneurysms concomitant with a right atrial mass can be an initial manifestation of Behçet’s disease. Endovascular repair can be a good treatment option for the pseudoaneurysms

Left-Sided Endocarditis Associated with Multi-Drug Resistance Acinetobacter Lwoffii

Acinetobacter lwoffii, an important nosocomial pathogen, is a gram-negative aerobic bacillus that is a component of the normal flora on the skin, oropharynx, and perineum of about 20-25% of healthy individuals. We herein present a case of a 66-year-old man with combined mitral and aortic valve endocarditis associated with multi-drug resistance acinetobacter lowffii bacteremia

Constrictive Pericarditis and Primary Amenorrhea with Syndactyly in an Iranian Female: Mulibrey Nanism Syndrome

Mulibrey nanism is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome caused by a mutation in the TRIM37 gene with severe growth retardation and multiple organ involvement. Early diagnosis is important because 50% of the patients develop congestive heart failure owing to constrictive pericarditis, and this condition plays a critical role in the final prognosis. A 37-year-old female patient presented with symptoms of dyspnea on exertion and shortness of breath. She had severe growth failure and craniofacial dysmorphic feature. Cardiac evaluation showed constrictive pericarditis, moderate pulmonary hypertension, and mild pericardial effusion. The patient underwent pericardiectomy, but her thick and adhesive pericardium forced the surgeon to do partial pericardiotomy. Our report underlines the importance of attention to probable Mulibrey nanism when confronting patients with primary amenorrhea, growth retardation, and dysmorphic features. Early cardiac examination is of great significance in the course of the disorder, and patients must be pericardiectomized to relieve the symptoms and increase survival

Ultrasonographic Screening of the Carotid Artery in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Background: The incidence of stroke after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is between 0.9% and 6.7%, which significantly increases in-hospital and out-hospital costs. This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of significant carotid stenosis and its risk factors in CABG.Methods: In total, 2044 consecutive patients undergoing elective CABG were investigated through a pre-operative duplex scanning of the carotid arteries. The relation of age, sex, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and coronary disease with carotid stenosis was evaluated.Results: The prevalence of carotid stenosis was 7.6%. The multivariate analysis showed that age over 55 and left main coronary disease were significant independent risk factors for carotid stenosis. Female gender, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes were the risk factors in the univariate logistic regression model.Conclusion: Carotid stenosis is prevalent in CABG candidates. It seems that age ≥55 years and left main coronary disease are the independent risk factors for carotid stenosis in CABG patients