Cervical ripening by using extra-amniotic dexamethasone infusion versus extra-amniotic saline infusion

Background: Induction of labour is a commonly practiced obstetric intervention designed to artificially initiate the process of cervical effacement to achieve vaginal delivery. Objective: examine the hypothesis that corticosteroids, when administered extra-amniotically, can enhance labor process and reduce the induction--delivery interval in comparison with folly's and extra-amniotic saline infusion. Patients and methods: This, randomized case- control study was conducted on99 women, who were referred to the AL-Batool teaching Hospital in Diyala, Iraq, for induction of labor with a Bishop score of less than or equal to 5 from January 2014-March 2016, and divided into 2 groups, 1st group consist of 58 pregnant, a 26F catheter & and 20 mg of dexamethasone mixed with 20 ml of sterile saline solution infused extraamniotically. 2nd group consist of 41 pregnant, with the same size catheter attached to 500 ml of saline solution infused into the extra-amniotic space. Results: Administration of dexamethasone extraamnioticlly improve the Bishop score, reduce the time needed for expulsion of the catheter, shortening of 1st&2nd stage of labour without increasing the caesarean section rate. Conclusion: Extraamniotic administration of dexamethasone is effective & safe method for induction of labour. خلفية الموضوع:إن تحفيز الولادة من الممارسات الشائعة في مجال التوليد التي تستخدم لنضج عنق الرحم وإحداث الولادة اصطناعيا.لغرض تجنب الولادة بواسطة العملية الجراحية(القيصرية  ) الهدف: لبيان مدى صحة النظرية التي تنص على إن استخدام مادة الكورتزون المحقونة خارج السائل الامينوسي تستطيع تحفيز عملية الولادة وتقلل المدة بين التحفيز و حصول الولادة بالمقارنة مع استخدام مادة المحلول الملحي النظامي المحقون بنفس الطريقة. طريقة الدراسة:دراسة تداخليه مقارنة  سريريه أجريت على 99 امرأة حامل (حمل منفرد)وكانت مدة الحمل ما بين 37-42 أسبوع  أحيلت إلى مستشفى البتول التعليمي –ديالى –العراق.لغرض تحفيز الولادة وكان مقياس بيشوب اقل من 5.وقد أجريت الدراسة للفترة من كانون الثاني 2014-آذار 2016.وقد تم تقسيم النساء الحوامل إلى مجموعتين: الأولى:تتكون من 58 امرأة حامل تم إدخال قسطرة فولي عن طريق عنق الرحم وتم حقن 20 ملغ من مادة الدكساميثازون مخلوطة مع 20 مل من المحلول الملحي النظامي. الثانية:تتكون من41 امرأة حامل تم إدخال قسطرة فولي بنفس الطريقة للمجموعة الأولى مع استبدال مادة الدكساميثازون ب 500 مل محلول ملحي نظامي بمعدل 5 قطرات بالدقيقة وفي كلتا المجموعتين ننتظر خروج الفولي من عنق الرحم تلقائيا وإذا لم يتم ذلك تلقائيا يتم استخراجه من عنق الرحم .وبعد ذلك يتم إعطاء المادة المحفزة للولادة(هرمون الولادة)لحين الحصول على ثلاث تقلصات  خلال عشر دقائق. وبعد ساعتين يتم إجراء الفحص الداخلي للمريضة لغرض معرفة مدى تقدم مقياس بيشوب. وفي حال دخول المريضة إلى طور الولادة الفعال يتم استكمال خطة الدراسة.أما في حالة عدم حصول أي تقدم أو حصول تقدم بطئ يتم إيقاف المادة المحفزة للولادة  وبذلك يكون تحفيز الولادة قد فشل. النتائج:حقن مادة الدكساميثازون خارج السائل الامينوسي عن طريق قسطرة فولي يحسن مقياس بيشوب ويقلل الفترة بين تحفيز الولادة وحصول الولادة مع تقليل مدة كل من المرحلة الأولى والثانية للولادة بدون أي زيادة في نسبة الولادة بواسطة العملية القيصرية. الاستنتاج:حقن مادة الدكساميثازون خارج السائل الامينوسي طريقة فعالة وآمنة ورخيصة يمكن استخدامها لتحفيز الولادة

Laser Processing For Nanoscale Size Quantum Wires of AlGaAs/GaAs

In this work we investigate and calculate theoretically the variation in a number of optoelectronic properties of AlGaAs/GaAs quantum wire laser, with emphasis on the effect of wire radius on the confinement factor, density of states and gain factor have been calculated. It is found that there exist a critical wire radius (rc) under which the confinement of carriers are very weak. Whereas, above rc the confinement factor and hence the gain increase with increasing the wire radius

Inhibitors of Mammalian Aquaporin Water Channels

Aquaporins (AQPs) are water channel proteins that are essential to life, being expressed in all kingdoms. In humans, there are 13 AQPs, at least one of which is found in every organ system. The structural biology of the AQP family is well-established and many functions for AQPs have been reported in health and disease. AQP expression is linked to numerous pathologies including tumor metastasis, fluid dysregulation, and traumatic injury. The targeted modulation of AQPs therefore presents an opportunity to develop novel treatments for diverse conditions. Various techniques such as video microscopy, light scattering and fluorescence quenching have been used to test putative AQP inhibitors in both AQP-expressing mammalian cells and heterologous expression systems. The inherent variability within these methods has caused discrepancy and many molecules that are inhibitory in one experimental system (such as tetraethylammonium, acetazolamide, and anti-epileptic drugs) have no activity in others. Some heavy metal ions (that would not be suitable for therapeutic use) and the compound, TGN-020, have been shown to inhibit some AQPs. Clinical trials for neuromyelitis optica treatments using anti-AQP4 IgG are in progress. However, these antibodies have no effect on water transport. More research to standardize high-throughput assays is required to identify AQP modulators for which there is an urgent and unmet clinical need

The Pathogenesis and Long-Term Consequences of COVID-19 Cardiac Injury.

The mechanisms of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-related myocardial injury comprise both direct viral invasion and indirect (hypercoagulability and immune-mediated) cellular injuries. Some patients with COVID-19 cardiac involvement have poor clinical outcomes, with preliminary data suggesting long-term structural and functional changes. These include persistent myocardial fibrosis, edema, and intraventricular thrombi with embolic events, while functionally, the left ventricle is enlarged, with a reduced ejection fraction and new-onset arrhythmias reported in a number of patients. Myocarditis post-COVID-19 vaccination is rare but more common among young male patients. Larger studies, including prospective data from biobanks, will be useful in expanding these early findings and determining their validity

The Pathogenesis and Long-Term Consequences of COVID-19 Cardiac Injury.

The mechanisms of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-related myocardial injury comprise both direct viral invasion and indirect (hypercoagulability and immune-mediated) cellular injuries. Some patients with COVID-19 cardiac involvement have poor clinical outcomes, with preliminary data suggesting long-term structural and functional changes. These include persistent myocardial fibrosis, edema, and intraventricular thrombi with embolic events, while functionally, the left ventricle is enlarged, with a reduced ejection fraction and new-onset arrhythmias reported in a number of patients. Myocarditis post-COVID-19 vaccination is rare but more common among young male patients. Larger studies, including prospective data from biobanks, will be useful in expanding these early findings and determining their validity

Genomic instability in human cancer: molecular insights and opportunities for therapeutic attack and prevention through diet and nutrition

Genomic instability can initiate cancer, augment progression, and influence the overall prognosis of the affected patient. Genomic instability arises from many different pathways, such as telomere damage, centrosome amplification, epigenetic modifications, and DNA damage from endogenous and exogenous sources, and can be perpetuating, or limiting, through the induction of mutations or aneuploidy, both enabling and catastrophic. Many cancer treatments induce DNA damage to impair cell division on a global scale but it is accepted that personalized treatments, those that are tailored to the particular patient and type of cancer, must also be developed. In this review, we detail the mechanisms from which genomic instability arises and can lead to cancer, as well as treatments and measures that prevent genomic instability or take advantage of the cellular defects caused by genomic instability. In particular, we identify and discuss five priority targets against genomic instability: (1) prevention of DNA damage; (2) enhancement of DNA repair; (3) targeting deficient DNA repair; (4) impairing centrosome clustering; and, (5) inhibition of telomerase activity. Moreover, we highlight vitamin D and B, selenium, carotenoids, PARP inhibitors, resveratrol, and isothiocyanates as priority approaches against genomic instability. The prioritized target sites and approaches were cross validated to identify potential synergistic effects on a number of important areas of cancer biology

Validation of Half-Reaction Volumes of the Promega PowerPlex® Forensic Amplification Kits (PowerPlex® 18D Systems, PowerPlex ® 21System, PowerPlex® Fusion System and PowerPlex® Y23 System) in STR Analysis

DNA amplification is known to be the most expensive step during forensic DNA analysis. This study evaluated the half-reaction amplification protocol (12.5 µL PCR product) using DNA amplification kits from Promega PowerPlex® (PowerPlex® 18D System, PowerPlex ®21System, PowerPlex® Fusion System and PowerPlex® Y23 System), which might aid in reducing sample analysis cost by half and allow the analysis of more samples. A sensitivity study (15 samples) along with testing of various blood stain samples (n=100) that were submitted to the Medico-Legal Directorate laboratory for DNA testing was accomplished to compare the DNA profiles resulting from half-reaction volume procedure to those with full-reaction volume procedure, using three differed methods along with standard protocol to evaluate the effect of half reaction volume with some variables. Results demonstrated the use of half-reaction amplification protocol preceded by washing step for all aforementioned DNA amplification kits gave a robust and reliable amplification result that aid to increase the number of samples analyzed and decreased the test cost for each kit without compromising the quality of 3DNA profiles obtained

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI