Study of lipid profile and parieto-temporal lipid peroxidation in AlCl3 mediated neurotoxicity. modulatory effect of fenugreek seeds

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Peroxidation of lipid (LPO) membrane and cholesterol metabolism have been involved in the physiopathology of many diseases of aging brain. Therefore, this prospective animal study was carried firstly to find out the correlation between LPO in posterior brain and plasmatic cholesterol along with lipoprotein levels after chronic intoxication by aluminium chloride (AlCl₃). Chronic aluminum-induced neurotoxicity has been in fact related to enhanced brain lipid peroxidation together with hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, despite its controversial etiological role in neurodegenerative diseases. Secondly an evaluation of the effectiveness of fenugreek seeds in alleviating the engendered toxicity through these biochemical parameters was made.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Oral administration of AlCl₃to rats during 5 months (500 mg/kg bw i.g for one month then 1600 ppm via the drinking water) enhanced the levels of LPO in posterior brain, liver and plasma together with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and LDL-C (Low Density Lipoproteins) levels. All these parameters were decreased following fenugreek seeds supplementation either as fenugreek seed powder (FSP) or fenugreek seed extract (FSE). A notable significant correlation was observed between LPO_brainand LDL-C on one hand and LDH_liveron the other hand. This latter was found to correlate positively with TC, TG and LDL-C. Furthermore, high significant correlations were observed between LDH_brainand TC, TG, LDL-C, LPO_brainas well as LDH_liver.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Aluminium-induced LPO in brain could arise from alteration of lipid metabolism particularly altered lipoprotein metabolism rather than a direct effect of cholesterol oxidation. Fenugreek seeds could play an anti-peroxidative role in brain which may be attributed in part to its modulatory effect on plasmatic lipid metabolism.</p

Prosthetic Management of Tooth Malposition

Tooth malposition can negatively affect the appearance of a person’s smile. In these cases, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive clinical and radiological examination to determine the type and extent of the tooth malposition before selecting the appropriate treatment option. Orthodontic treatment is generally used to correct mild to severe malocclusions. In cases where the tooth malposition is associated with other dental issues such as tooth discoloration, ceramic restorations may be a suitable alternative

Gingival Harmony in Anterior Aesthetic Restorations

This article describes a case of gingival asymmetry with compromising aesthetics. A 25-year-old dental student presented to the department of prosthetic dentistry. She was concerned about the greyish transparency of the crown metal margin through the marginal gingiva. The crown was placed to restore her lateral incisor. A comprehensive examination revealed that this unaesthetic aspect was caused by a non-harmonious gingival architecture in the lateral incisor marked by an unaesthetic gingival Zenith. The treatment plan included a surgical crown lengthening followed by prosthetic therapy consisting in a Zirconia based crown replacing the old prosthesis. Thanks to a well-planned multi-disciplinary approach, the result was esthetically acceptable and the patient was satisfied

Evaluation de l’intérêt des technologies de l’information et de la communication éducatives dans l’apprentissage par les étudiants en Médecine Dentaire

Résumé Objectif- Evaluer l’intérêt de l’utilisation des technologies de l’information et de la communication éducatives dans la formation des étudiants à la Faculté de Médecine Dentaire de Monastir. Matériels et méthodes- Il s’agissait d’une étude descriptive menée auprès des appre­nants en sixième année. Les données ont été collectées par un questionnaire, composé de quatre parties et mis en ligne en 2022 sur les pages Facebook de la promotion. Résultats-Sur les 253 apprenants, 208 ont répondu parmi lesquels 31 questionnaires ont été exclus. Cent soixante dix-sept réponses ont été retenues. Les participants étaient tout le temps ou presque connectés sur internet, mais 26,1% passaient moins de 30 minutes par jour dans le cadre de leurs études. Les principaux moteurs de recherche étaient Google (93,8%) et Wikipédia (48%) ; Facebook était le principal réseau social (91%) utilisé lors de l’apprentissage. La moitié des apprenants connaissaient les plate­formes e-learning bien que 72% d’entre eux n’aient pas eu d’expériences antérieures. Ils préféraient les cours en lignes aux cours magistraux (68,4%). 90% des apprenants mécon­naissaient les MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). Conclusion-Cette étude a permis de démontrer l’intérêt des technologies de l’informa­tion et de la communication dans le cursus universitaire.   Abstract Objective- Evaluate the interest of the use of Information and Educational Technologies in the initial training of dental medicine students at the faculty of dental medicine of Monastir. Methods- This was a descriptive study conducted at the FDMM in 2022. Data was collected through a questionnaire. It was composed of four parts and posted beteween May 1st and June 30th, 2022. Results- Of the 253 interns, 208 responded and 177 responsers were retained. The survey participants were connected to the internet almost all the time but 26.1% spent less than 30 minutes a day on their studies, mainly to access online courses or conduct literature research. The principle search engine were Google (93.8%) and Wikipedia (48%); Facebook was the principal social media (91%) used during learning. Almost half of the internal trainees were familiar with e-learning platforms although 72% of them had no previous experience. They preferred online courses to lectures (68.4 %) in order to consult the course at any time. More than 90% of respondents were unaware of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). Conclusion- This study demonstrated the importance of the introduction of the Information and Educational Technologies in the university curriculum

Value of inferior vena cava collapsibility index as marker of heart failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation

Abstract Introduction Inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter variability with respiration measured by ultrasound was found to be useful for the diagnosis of heart failure (HF) in ED patients with acute dyspnea. Its value in identifying HF in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation (AECOPD) was not specifically demonstrated. Objective To determine the value of ΔIVC in the diagnosis of HF patients with AECOPD. Methods This is a prospective study conducted in the ED of three Tunisian university hospitals including patients with AECOPD. During this period, 401 patients met the inclusion criteria. The final diagnosis of HF is based on the opinion of two emergency experts after consulting the data from clinical examination, cardiac echocardiography, and BNP level. The ΔIVC was calculated by two experienced emergency physicians who were blinded from the patient’s clinical and laboratory data. A cut off of 15% was used to define the presence (< 15%) or absence of HF (≥ 15%). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was also measured. The area under the ROC curve, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated to determine the diagnostic and predictive accuracy of the ΔIVC in predicting HF. Results The study population included 401 patients with AECOPD, mean age 67.2 years with male (68.9%) predominance. HF was diagnosed in 165 (41.1%) patients (HF group) and in 236 patients (58.9%) HF was excluded (non HF group). The assessment of the performance of the ΔIVC in the diagnosis of HF showed a sensitivity of 37.4% and a specificity of 89.7% using the threshold of 15%. The positive predictive value was 70.9% and the negative predictive value was 66.7%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.71(95%, CI 0.65–0.76). ΔIVC values were not different between HF patients with reduced LVEF and those with preserved LVEF. Conclusion Our results showed that ΔIVC has a good value for ruling out HF in ED patients consulting for AECOPD

Effects of Ramadan fasting on aspirin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients

<div><p>Aims</p><p>Ramadan fasting (RF) may affect aspirin resistance. We conducted this study in patients with cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors to assess the effect of RF on aspirin resistance and explore whether type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) would influence this effect.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A total of 177 stable patients with ≥2 CVR factors were recruited. All patients observed RF and were taking aspirin. Physical exam and standard biological tests including glycaemia and serum lipids data were performed before Ramadan (Pre-R), at the last week of Ramadan (R) and four weeks after the end of Ramadan (Post-R). In the same visits caloric intake was calculated and platelet reactivity to aspirin was assessed using Verify Now point-of-care assay.</p><p>Results</p><p>In the overall population, there was no significant change in absolute aspirin reaction unit (ARU) values and in metabolic parameters. In DM patients (n = 127), ARU change from Pre-R values was+19.7 (p = 0.01) and +14.4 (p = 0.02) respectively at R and Post-R. During Ramadan, glycaemia, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels increased significantly and returned to Pre-R values thereafter. These changes were not observed in non-DM patients.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>During RF aspirin resistance increased only in DM patients. This effect persisted one month after Ramadan. Simultaneous alteration of glycemic control and increase of serum lipids levels could potentially be a favorable factor.</p><p>Study registration</p><p>The protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov under: <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02720133" target="_blank">NCT02720133</a>.</p></div