5\u27-nucleotidase, oxidative stress and antioxidant status in alcohol consumers and cirrhotic patients

Uvod: Cilj istraživanja bio je izmjeriti aktivnost enzima 5\u27-nukleotidaza kod bolesnika s cirozom jetre i osoba koje uzimaju alkohol. U istraživanju se ispitivao i oksidacijski stres, antioksidansi te njihova povezanost s 5\u27-nukleotidazom. Materijali i metode: Istraživanje je provedeno u tri skupine po 25 ispitanika jednake dobi i spola: I. skupina (kontrolni ispitanici), II. skupina (osobe koje uzimaju alkohol, tj. konzumenti alkohola) i III. skupina (bolesnici s cirozom jetre). Uzorci krvi prikupljeni od ispitanika centrifugirani su kako bi se odvojila plazma za analizu 5\u27-nukleotidaze. Odvojene stanice su tri puta isprane 0,9-postotnom hladnom fiziološkom otopinom i upotrebljene za analizu glutationa, malondialdehida i superoksid-dismutaze. Rezultati: Aktivnost 5\u27-nukleotidaze u serumu bila je statistički značajno povišena kod skupine bolesnika s cirozom i skupine konzumenata alkohola. Koncentracije malondialdehida bile su također statistički značajno povišene kod bolesnika s cirozom jetre i konzumenata alkohola. Koncentracije glutationa i superoksid-dismutaze bile su statistički značajno snižene u obje skupine. Zaključak: Iz ovih rezultata može se zaključiti da je aktivnost 5\u27-nukleotidaze u serumu dosljedno viša kod bolesnika s cirozom jetre i osoba koje uzimaju alkohol. Zapažena razlika mogla bi ukazivati na opseg oštećenja jetre, oštećenja hepatobilijarnog sustava i opstrukcije jetre.Background: The present study was undertaken to determine the 5\u27-nucleotidase enzyme activity in liver cirrhotic patients and alcohol consumers. Oxidative stress, antioxidants and their association with 5\u27-nucleotidase were also investigated. Methods: The study included three groups of 25 age and sex matched subjects: group I (control), group II (alcohol consumers) and group III (cirrhotic patients). Blood samples were collected and centrifuged for separation of plasma for analysis of 5\u27-nucleotidase. Separated cells were washed thrice with 0.9% w/v cold normal saline and used for the analysis of glutathione, malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase. Results: The activity of serum 5\u27-nucleotidase was significantly increased in both cirrhotic patients and alcohol consumers. The levels of malondialdehyde were also significantly increased in both cirrhotic patients and alcohol consumers. The levels of glutathione and superoxide dismutase were significantly decreased in both cirrhotic patients and alcohol consumers. Conclusions: Study results indicated the activity of serum 5\u27-nucleotidase to be consistently higher in cirrhotic patients and alcohol consumers. The difference recorded might be pointing to the extent of liver damage, hepatobiliary damage, and biliary stasis

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

hypercholesterolemic patients

Abstract: This study was an attempt to establish the extent of increased oxidative stress in hypercholesterolemic patients and to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin on the oxidative stress and antioxidant status. Blood samples of 15 subjects (age and sex matched) from three groups: group I (healthy subjects), group II (hypercholesterolemic patients with atorvastatin treatment) and group III (hypercholesterolemic patients without any hypolipidemic drug) were taken and centrifuged to separate the plasma, which was used for the determination of vitamin E. The separated cells were washed thrice with 0.90 % w/v cold normal saline and used for the assay of the percentage hemolysis of the RBCs, and the determination of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and hemoglobin. The levels of oxidative stress were higher in the hypercholesterolemic in comparison to the control and atorvastatin group. The levels of antioxidants were higher in the atorvastatin group than in the hypercholesterolemic one but were lower than the controls. From these findings, it was concluded that there is an increase in oxidative stress in hypercholesterolemia but it decreased significantly after 2 months of atorvastatin therapy and antioxidant status also improves in patients taking atorvastatin

Drug Delivery Challenges and Current Progress in Nanocarrier-Based Ocular Therapeutic System

Drug instillation via a topical route is preferred since it is desirable and convenient due to the noninvasive and easy drug access to different segments of the eye for the treatment of ocular ailments. The low dose, rapid onset of action, low or no toxicity to the local tissues, and constrained systemic outreach are more prevalent in this route. The majority of ophthalmic preparations in the market are available as conventional eye drops, which rendered <5% of a drug instilled in the eye. The poor drug availability in ocular tissue may be attributed to the physiological barriers associated with the cornea, conjunctiva, lachrymal drainage, tear turnover, blood–retinal barrier, enzymatic drug degradation, and reflex action, thus impeding deeper drug penetration in the ocular cavity, including the posterior segment. The static barriers in the eye are composed of the sclera, cornea, retina, and blood–retinal barrier, whereas the dynamic barriers, referred to as the conjunctival and choroidal blood flow, tear dilution, and lymphatic clearance, critically impact the bioavailability of drugs. To circumvent such barriers, the rational design of the ocular therapeutic system indeed required enriching the drug holding time and the deeper permeation of the drug, which overall improve the bioavailability of the drug in the ocular tissue. This review provides a brief insight into the structural components of the eye as well as the therapeutic challenges and current developments in the arena of the ocular therapeutic system, based on novel drug delivery systems such as nanomicelles, nanoparticles (NPs), nanosuspensions, liposomes, in situ gel, dendrimers, contact lenses, implants, and microneedles. These nanotechnology platforms generously evolved to overwhelm the troubles associated with the physiological barriers in the ocular route. The controlled-drug-formulation-based strategic approach has considerable potential to enrich drug concentration in a specific area of the eye

Synthesis and Characterization of Manganese-Modified Black TiO2 Nanoparticles and Their Performance Evaluation for the Photodegradation of Phenolic Compounds from Wastewater

The release of phenolic-contaminated treated palm oil mill effluent (TPOME) poses a severe threat to human and environmental health. In this work, manganese-modified black TiO2 (Mn-B-TiO2) was produced for the photodegradation of high concentrations of total phenolic compounds from TPOME. A modified glycerol-assisted technique was used to synthesize visible-light-sensitive black TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), which were then calcined at 300 °C for 60 min for conversion to anatase crystalline phase. The black TiO2 was further modified with manganese by utilizing a wet impregnation technique. Visible light absorption, charge carrier separation, and electron–hole pair recombination suppression were all improved when the band structure of TiO2 was tuned by producing Ti3+ defect states. As a result of the enhanced optical and electrical characteristics of black TiO2 NPs, phenolic compounds were removed from TPOME at a rate of 48.17%, which is 2.6 times higher than P25 (18%). When Mn was added to black TiO2 NPs, the Ti ion in the TiO2 lattice was replaced by Mn, causing a large redshift of the optical absorption edges and enhanced photodegradation of phenolic compounds from TPOME. The photodegradation efficiency of phenolic compounds by Mn-B-TiO2 improved to 60.12% from 48.17% at 0.3 wt% Mn doping concentration. The removal efficiency of phenolic compounds from TPOME diminished when Mn doping exceeded the optimum threshold (0.3 wt%). According to the findings, Mn-modified black TiO2 NPs are the most effective, as they combine the advantages of both black TiO2 and Mn doping

COVID-19 morbidity in Afghanistan: a nationwide, population-based seroepidemiological study

Objective The primary objectives were to determine the magnitude of COVID-19 infections in the general population and age-specific cumulative incidence, as determined by seropositivity and clinical symptoms of COVID-19, and to determine the magnitude of asymptomatic or subclinical infections.Design, setting and participants We describe a population-based, cross-sectional, age-stratified seroepidemiological study conducted throughout Afghanistan during June/July 2020. Participants were interviewed to complete a questionnaire, and rapid diagnostic tests were used to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This national study was conducted in eight regions of Afghanistan plus Kabul province, considered a separate region. The total sample size was 9514, and the number of participants required in each region was estimated proportionally to the population size of each region. For each region, 31–44 enumeration areas (EAs) were randomly selected, and a total of 360 clusters and 16 households per EA were selected using random sampling. To adjust the seroprevalence for test sensitivity and specificity, and seroreversion, Bernoulli’s model methodology was used to infer the population exposure in Afghanistan.Outcome measures The main outcome was to determine the prevalence of current or past COVID-19 infection.Results The survey revealed that, to July 2020, around 10 million people in Afghanistan (31.5% of the population) had either current or previous COVID-19 infection. By age group, COVID-19 seroprevalence was reported to be 35.1% and 25.3% among participants aged ≥18 and 5–17 years, respectively. This implies that most of the population remained at risk of infection. However, a large proportion of the population had been infected in some localities, for example, Kabul province, where more than half of the population had been infected with COVID-19.Conclusion As most of the population remained at risk of infection at the time of the study, any lifting of public health and social measures needed to be considered gradually

Transforming gendered lives and livelihoods in post-disaster settings in the Bangladesh Sundarbans forest

This chapter surveys literature on gendered livelihoods, disasters and community resilience, and contributes to the application of intersectionality in research on the post-cyclone influences of Cyclone Aila on gendered livelihoods in the Sundarbans forest communities of south-west Bangladesh and Aila’s intersectional impacts on the forest communities’ resilience. Overall, the literature has established Aila’s severe impacts on the gendered livelihood-seeking behaviours of the forest-dependents in the Sundarbans. This review chapter examines the resilience-building of the rural poor communities of the Sundarbans forest areas, and patterns of livelihood support services given to the Aila survivors by the four national NGOs (Shushilan, BRAC, SAMS and LEADRS). Thereafter, the paper investigates the intersectional dimensions of gender, religion and marital status influencing the gendered relations of the Aila survivors. Finally, the study demonstrates the utility of intersectionality as a theoretical tool for delving into livelihood transformation and gendered relations of two contrasting Sundarbans forest communities