Self-reported use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) products in topical treatment of diabetic foot disorders by diabetic patients in Jeddah, Western Saudi Arabia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is little published on current Saudi diabetic patients' practices when they are exposed to foot disorders such as open wound, ulcer, and skin cracks. These factors are usually influenced by local culture and communities beliefs. The aim of the current study was to identify the pattern of patients' use of CAM products in dealing with diabetic foot disorders topically in a group of diabetic patients.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>A Cross-sectional descriptive study of a representative cohort of diabetic patients living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was designed. A pre-designed questionnaire to identify local diabetics' practices in dealing topically with foot disorders including open wound, chronic ulcer, and skin cracks was designed. Questionnaire was administered by a group of trained nutrition female students to diabetics face to face living in their neighborhood. A total of 1634 Saudi diabetics were interviewed. Foot disorders occurred in approximately two thirds of the respondents 1006 (61.6%). Out of the 1006 patients who had foot disorders, 653 reported trying some sort of treatment as 307 patients (47.1%) used conventional topical medical treatment alone, 142 (21.7%) used CAM products alone, and 204 (31.2%) used both treatments. The most commonly used CAM product by the patients was Honey (56.6%) followed by Commiphora Molmol (Myrrh) in (37.4%) and Nigellia Sativa (Black seed) in (35.1%). The least to be used was Lawsonia inermis (Henna) in (12.1%). Ten common natural preparations used topically to treat diabetic foot disorders were also identified.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The use of CAM products in topical treatment of diabetic foot disorders is fairly common among Saudi diabetic patients. Honey headed the list as a solo topical preparation or in combination with other herbs namely black seeds and myrrh. The efficacy of the most common products needs further research.</p

ROR1 Is Expressed in Human Breast Cancer and Associated with Enhanced Tumor-Cell Growth

Receptor-tyrosine-kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) is expressed during embryogenesis and by certain leukemias, but not by normal adult tissues. Here we show that the neoplastic cells of many human breast cancers express the ROR1 protein and high-level expression of ROR1 in breast adenocarcinoma was associated with aggressive disease. Silencing expression of ROR1 in human breast cancer cell lines found to express this protein impaired their growth in vitro and also in immune-deficient mice. We found that ROR1 could interact with casein kinase 1 epsilon (CK1ε) to activate phosphoinositide 3-kinase-mediated AKT phosphorylation and cAMP-response-element-binding protein (CREB), which was associated with enhanced tumor-cell growth. Wnt5a, a ligand of ROR1, could induce ROR1-dependent signaling and enhance cell growth. This study demonstrates that ROR1 is expressed in human breast cancers and has biological and clinical significance, indicating that it may be a potential target for breast cancer therapy

Comparison of glucosamine sulfate and a polyherbal supplement for the relief of osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN25438351]

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The efficacy and safety of a dietary supplement derived from South American botanicals was compared to glucosamine sulfate in osteoarthritis subjects in a Mumbai-based multi-center, randomized, double-blind study.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects (n = 95) were screened and randomized to receive glucosamine sulfate (n = 47, 1500 mg/day) or reparagen (n = 48, 1800 mg/day), a polyherbal consisting of 300 mg of vincaria (<it>Uncaria guianensis</it>) and 1500 mg of RNI 249 (<it>Lepidium meyenii</it>) administered orally, twice daily. Primary efficacy variable was response rate based on a 20% improvement in WOMAC pain scores. Additional outcomes were WOMAC scores for pain, stiffness and function, visual analog score (VAS) for pain, with assessments at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. Tolerability, investigator and subject global assessments and rescue medication consumption (paracetamol) were measured together with safety assessments including vital signs and laboratory based assays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Subject randomization was effective: age, gender and disease status distribution was similar in both groups. The response rates (20% reduction in WOMAC pain) were substantial for both glucosamine (89%) and reparagen (94%) and supported by investigator and subject assessments. Using related criteria response rates to reparagen were favorable when compared to glucosamine. Compared to baseline both treatments showed significant benefits in WOMAC and VAS outcomes within one week (P < 0.05), with a similar, progressive improvement over the course of the 8 week treatment protocol (45–62% reduction in WOMAC or VAS scores). Tolerability was excellent, no serious adverse events were noted and safety parameters were unchanged. Rescue medication use was significantly lower in the reparagen group (p < 0.01) at each assessment period. Serum IGF-1 levels were unaltered by treatments.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both reparagen and glucosamine sulfate produced substantial improvements in pain, stiffness and function in subjects with osteoarthritis. Response rates were high and the safety profile was excellent, with significantly less rescue medication use with reparagen. Reparagen represents a new natural productive alternative in the management of joint health.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN25438351.</p

Beyond equilibrium climate sensitivity

ISSN:1752-0908ISSN:1752-089

Suppression in Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC.

The production of the ψ(2S) charmonium state was measured with ALICE in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV, in the dimuon decay channel. A significant signal was observed for the first time at LHC energies down to zero transverse momentum, at forward rapidity (2.5<y<4). The measurement of the ratio of the inclusive production cross sections of the ψ(2S) and J/ψ resonances is reported as a function of the centrality of the collisions and of transverse momentum, in the region p_{T}<12  GeV/c. The results are compared with the corresponding measurements in pp collisions, by forming the double ratio [σ^{ψ(2S)}/σ^{J/ψ}]_{Pb-Pb}/[σ^{ψ(2S)}/σ^{J/ψ}]_{pp}. It is found that in Pb-Pb collisions the ψ(2S) is suppressed by a factor of ∼2 with respect to the J/ψ. The ψ(2S) nuclear modification factor R_{AA} was also obtained as a function of both centrality and p_{T}. The results show that the ψ(2S) resonance yield is strongly suppressed in Pb-Pb collisions, by a factor of up to ∼3 with respect to pp. Comparisons of cross section ratios with previous Super Proton Synchrotron findings by the NA50 experiment and of R_{AA} with higher-p_{T} results at LHC energy are also reported. These results and the corresponding comparisons with calculations of transport and statistical models address questions on the presence and properties of charmonium states in the quark-gluon plasma formed in nuclear collisions at the LHC

Bibliometrics in operations research and management science: a university analysis

© 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. Many universities around the World have made important contributions in the field of operations research and management science. This article presents the most productive and influential universities between 1991 and 2015. For doing so, we use the Web of Science database in order to search for the information which is usually regarded as the most relevant for scientific research. The results show the country of origin of the leading universities being mainly from North America and Asia and especially from USA and China. The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) of France is the most productive university while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of USA is the most influential one. The temporal evolution shows that USA is trailing its dominancy while China progressing quickly. The evaluation also reveals that Asian universities outperform North American universities during the last 5 years

Twenty-Five Years of Group Decision and Negotiation: A Bibliometric Overview

© 2018, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature. Twenty-five years ago, in 1992, a journal named Group Decision and Negotiation was established in association with the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences with the vision of promoting theoretical and empirical research, real-world applications and case studies on group decision and negotiation processes. To celebrate its 25 years of continuous and outstanding contributions, this study aims to develop a bibliometric analysis of the publications of the journal between 1992 and 2016. The Web of Science Core Collection database is used to identify the leading trends of the journal in terms of impacts, topics, authors, universities and countries. Moreover, it utilizes the visualization of similarities viewer software to analyze the bibliographic couplings, co-citations, citations, co-authorships and co-occurrences of keywords

Research in Production and Operations Management: A University-Based Bibliometric Analysis

© 2018, Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management. Universities across the world are contributing greatly to production and operations management (POM) research and playing significant roles in social and economic development. This article analyzes the performance of universities in POM research and development between 1990 and 2014. The Web of Science core collection database is used to collect all the necessary data. The results show a wide diversity among the countries of origin of the top universities, with some of them being in Asia, Europe, and North America. These results are quite different from many other management areas where English-speaking countries, especially the USA, tend to be dominant. Hong Kong Polytechnic University is the most productive university, while Michigan State University is the most influential one. Time-based evolution reveals that the USA previously had a more dominant position, while now there is more distribution of top universities around the world. The analysis of selected journals indicates that many journals tend to be more influenced by their respective countries of origin. However, other journals show a more general profile by publishing papers from most of the countries around the world