Evaluation of Propolis Gel in Two Different Polymeric Systems as an Adjunctive Aid to Non-Surgical Therapy in the Management of Stage III Grade B Periodontitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: The goal of this study was to clinically evaluate the effect of propolis gel in different polymeric systems as an adjunct to non-surgical therapy in the management of periodontitis patients. Methods: A total of 30 patients with stage III grade B periodontitis were divided into the following three groups: group I patients, who received propolis in a chitosan polymer gel with non-surgical therapy, group II patients, who received propolis in a polyox polymer gel with non-surgical therapy, and group III patients who served as a control treated with non-surgical therapy only. Clinical parameters were assessed at baseline, one month, and three months. Results: At three months, the mean gingival index (GI) of groups I and II was the same (0.6 ±0.52), and there was no change in the mean GI in group III. There was a reduction in the mean probing depth (PD) in group I (4.80 ±0.63) and group II (4.90 ±0.74) at the end of the study. The greatest percent gain in clinical attachment level (CAL) was noted in group II (17.26 ±6.71) followed by group I (5.93 ±9.87), whereas the least percent decrease was noted in group III (3.67 ±7.77). Conclusion: The adjunctive use of propolis in a polyox polymer with non-surgical therapy demonstrated superior clinical results over the use of propolis in a chitosan polymer in periodontitis patients

Evaluating the Feasibility of Pro-Neurotensin and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 as Possible Indicators for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications

(1) Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome are associated with decreased vitamin D. In contrast, high pro-neurotensin (pro-NT) levels are linked with an increased risk of T2DM and cardiovascular disease. We aimed to determine the validity of pro-NT and 25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 levels as predictors for T2DM complications; (2) Methods: One hundred T2DM, and one hundred healthy volunteers participated in this case-control study. Their Pro-NT and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels were evaluated using the ELISA technique; (3) Results: Pro-NT and 25 (OH) vitamin D3 have significant validity and accuracy in T2DM prediction, 84.5%, and 90.5%, respectively (p = 0.001). At a value of \u3c29.5, 25-Hydroxy vitamin D3 showed 88% sensitivity and 93% specificity in predicting T2DM. At a value of \u3e124 Pmol/L, Pro-NT showed 81% sensitivity and 88% specificity in predicting T2DM. At a value of 16.5, 25-Hydroxy vitamin D3 had 78.4% sensitivity and 68.3% specificity in predicting T2DM complications. At a value of \u3e158 pmol/L, Pro-NT predicted T2DM complications with 67.6% sensitivity and 56.0% specificity; (4) Conclusions: 25 (OH) Vit D3 and Pro-NT could identify T2DM patients and predict T2DM complications. More extensive research is required to adequately validate this novel perspective with a large population study

Paclitaxel and Sorafenib: The Effective Combination of Suppressing the Self-Renewal of Cancer Stem Cells

Combination therapy, which is a treatment modality combining two or more therapeutic agents, is considered a cornerstone of cancer therapy. The combination of anticancer drugs, of which functions are different from the other, enhances the efficiency compared to the monotherapy because it targets cancer cells in a synergistic or an additive manner. In this study, the combination of paclitaxel and sorafenib in low concentration was evaluated to target cancer stem cells, miPS-BT549cmP and miPS-Huh7cmP cells, developed from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells. The synergistic effect of paclitaxel and sorafenib on cancer stem cells was assessed by the inhibition of proliferation, self-renewal, colony formation, and differentiation. While the IC(50)values of paclitaxel and sorafenib were approximately ranging between 250 and 300 nM and between 6.5 and 8 mu M, respectively, IC(50)of paclitaxel reduced to 20 and 25 nM, which was not toxic in a single dose, in the presence of 1 mu M sorafenib, which was not toxic to the cells. Then, the synergistic effect was further assessed for the potential of self-renewal of cancer stem cells by sphere formation ability. As a result, 1 mu M of sorafenib significantly enhanced the effect of paclitaxel to suppress the number of spheres. Simultaneously, paclitaxel ranging in 1 to 4 nM significantly suppressed not only the colony formation but also the tube formation of the cancer stem cells in the presence of 1 mu M sorafenib. These results suggest the combination therapy of paclitaxel and sorafenib in low doses should be an attractive approach to target cancer stem cells with fewer side effects

Discovery of novel natural products as dual MNK/PIM inhibitors for acute myeloid leukemia treatment: Pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics studies

MNK-2 and PIM-2 kinases play an indispensable role in cell proliferation signaling pathways linked to tyrosine kinase inhibitors resistance. In this study, pharmacophore modeling studies have been conducted on the co-crystalized ligands of MNK-2 and PIM-2 enzyme crystal structures to determine the essential features required for the identification of potential dual inhibitors. The obtained pharmacophore features were then screened against a library of 270,540 natural products from the ZINC database. The matched natural molecules were docked into the binding sites of MNK-2 and PIM-2 enzymes. The compounds with high docking scores with the two enzymes were further subjected to MM-GBSA calculations and ADME prediction. This led to the identification of compound 1 (ZINC000085569211), compound 2 (ZINC000085569178), and compound 3 (ZINC000085569190), with better docking scores compared to the reference co-crystallized ligands of MNK-2 and PIM-2. Moreover, compounds 1‒3 displayed better MM-GBSA binding free energies compared to the reference ligands. Finally, molecular dynamics (MD) study was used to assess the interaction stability of the compounds with MNK-2. To this end, compounds 1 and 3 bound strongly to the target during the whole period of MD simulation. The findings of the current study may further help the researchers in the discovery of novel molecules against MNK-2 and PIM-2

Effect of gas-to-liquid biosludge on soil properties and alfalfa yields in an arid soil

Soils in Qatar are relatively poor in fertility. Hence, imported top soils and soil enhancing materials are used to improve agricultural yields. Therefore, this work investigated the potential of using gas-to-liquid (GTL) biosludge as a soil conditioner. It sought to increase crop yields in an arid soil with positive environmental footprint in terms of fertilizer application savings, waste utilization and minimization of landfilling. A fodder crop, alfalfa (Medicago sativa), was grown under semi-controlled pot conditions for 12 months. The plant-growth media involved soil, soil + fertilizer, soil + 3% compost, and soil plus five (0.75–12%) biosludge contents. Pertinent properties of the soils, the resulting leachates, and plant growth parameters were analyzed at set periods. Biosludge content generally increased the total porosity and volumetric abundance of different pore types, which in turn affected plant performance, especially the plant height. Alfalfa yield in terms of plant height, aboveground fresh biomass weight and the number of tillers decreased with increasing biosludge content. Mixtures with 0.75–3% biosludge content showed comparable or better plant yield in contrast to the soil, fertilizer and compost controls. The concentration of chemical species in the leachate and plant biomass of biosludge treatments were either lower or similar to the fertilizer and compost controls. Regression modeling identified leachate phosphorus concentrations, soil iron concentration and clay content as the most influential variables for the aforementioned plant performance parameters. The results suggest that GTL biosludge could potentially enhance arid soil properties and improve alfalfa yields

Dataset on the influence of gas-to-liquid biosludge on arid soil properties and growth performance of alfalfa

The dataset presented here is related to our research article entitled “Effect of gas-to-liquid biosludge on soil properties and alfalfa yields in an arid soil” [1]. It relates to selected performance parameters of alfalfa grown in an arid soil amended with five different (0.75–12%) gas-to-liquid biosludge contents, and selected properties of the soil determined using several material characterization techniques. A detailed description of the raw data relating to figures on alfalfa performance parameters such as fresh biomass weight, plant height, the number of tillers, and biomass elemental content in the companion article is provided alongside additional data on the number of days to flowering. The underlying data for leachate from the soil and underlying spectra and diffractograms for the proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, respectively, shown in the companion article are presented. These show changes in the pore structure characteristics and the mineralogical composition of the soil, soil-fertilizer, soil-biosludge, and soil-compost mixtures tested over time. Additional data showing the effect of the amendments on the bulk and particle densities of the soil is presented. The dataset demonstrates the influence of the industrial biosludge on arid soil properties and alfalfa yields (Kogbara et al., [1])

Recycling industrial biosludge for buffel grass production in Qatar: impact on soil, leachate and plant characteristics

The agricultural industry in Qatar is highly dependent on using soil enhancing materials due to challenging soil and climatic conditions. Hence, this work investigated the potential of industrial biosludge from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of a Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) plant to enhance an arid soil compared to fertilizer and compost. A fodder crop, buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), was grown in semi-controlled pots containing a typical Qatari agricultural soil and admixtures over a 12-month period. The treatments included soil plus five biosludge percentage contents: 0.75, 1.5, 3, 6 and 12%. These were compared with soil only, soil plus 20-20-20 NPK fertilizer and soil plus 3% compost controls. Analyses of soil physical and chemical properties, the resulting leachate, and plant growth characteristics were conducted at set periods. The results indicate that up to 3% biosludge content led to better plant growth compared to the controls, with the optimum at 1.5% biosludge content for all growth characteristics studied. Biosludge addition to soil increased the volume of different pore types, especially micropores, which enhanced water retention and influenced plant growth. Regression modelling identified leachate Si and Fe concentrations, and biomass K content as the most influential variables for fresh biomass weight, plant height and the number of tillers, respectively. Biosludge addition to the soil around the optimum level did not cause detrimental changes to the resulting leachate and plant biomass. The findings of this work could lead to minimization of biosludge landfilling and allow for savings in fertilizers and irrigation water in arid regions

Dataset comparing the growth of fodder crops and soil structure dynamics in an industrial biosludge amended arid soil

The dataset in this work compares the response of two fodder crops, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), to industrial biosludge amendment of an arid soil in the State of Qatar. It also evaluates the response of soil structure parameters in the biosludge-amended soils containing the different fodder crops. The dataset relates to our previously published works detailed subsequently. The underlying data comparing the water storage capacity and pore structure evolution of the planted soils treated with 0.75, 1.5, and 3% biosludge contents, which showed good outcomes in the companion articles, alongside soil only and soil-fertilizer controls, are presented. These are shown in terms of the percentage of irrigation water leached, and variations in the logarithmic mean T2 (i.e., T2LM - a proxy for mean pore size) and cumulative porosity, respectively. Data on plant growth parameters such as the number of days to flowering, plant height, and aboveground fresh biomass weight in individual replicates of the different treatments as a percentage of the soil-fertilizer control are also shown. The dataset shows the different responses of both plants and the planted soils to amendments with industrial biosludge from the wastewater treatment plant of a gas-to-liquid (GTL) plant

Corneal nerve and brain imaging in mild cognitive impairment and dementia

Background: Visual rating of medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) is an accepted structural neuroimaging marker of Alzheimer's disease. Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) is a non-invasive ophthalmic technique that detects neuronal loss in peripheral and central neurodegenerative disorders. Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of CCM for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia compared to medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) rating on MRI. Methods: Subjects aged 60-85 with no cognitive impairment (NCI), MCI, and dementia based on the ICD-10 criteria were recruited. Subjects underwent cognitive screening, CCM, and MTA rating on MRI. Results: 182 subjects with NCI (n = 36), MCI (n = 80), and dementia (n = 66), including AD (n = 19, 28.8%), VaD (n = 13, 19.7%), and mixed AD (n = 34, 51.5%) were studied. CCM showed a progressive reduction in corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD, fibers/mm2) (32.0±7.5 versus 24.5±9.6 and 20.8±9.3, p < 0.0001), branch density (CNBD, branches/mm2) (90.9±46.5 versus 59.3±35.7 and 53.9±38.7, p < 0.0001), and fiber length (CNFL, mm/mm2) (22.9±6.1 versus 17.2±6.5 and 15.8±7.4, p < 0.0001) in subjects with MCI and dementia compared to NCI. The area under the ROC curve (95% CI) for the diagnostic accuracy of CNFD, CNBD, CNFL compared to MTA-right and MTA-left for MCI was 78% (67-90%), 82% (72-92%), 86% (77-95%) versus 53% (36-69%) and 40% (25-55%), respectively, and for dementia it was 85% (76-94%), 84% (75-93%), 85% (76-94%) versus 86% (76-96%) and 82% (72-92%), respectively. Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy of CCM, a non-invasive ophthalmic biomarker of neurodegeneration, was high and comparable with MTA rating for dementia but was superior to MTA rating for MCI

Defining criteria for disease activity states in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis based on the systemic Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score

Objective To develop and validate cutoff values in the systemic Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score 10 (sJADAS10) that distinguish the states of inactive disease (ID), minimal disease activity (MiDA), moderate disease activity (MoDA), and high disease activity (HDA) in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA), based on subjective disease state assessment by the treating pediatric rheumatologist. Methods The cutoffs definition cohort was composed of 400 patients enrolled at 30 pediatric rheumatology centers in 11 countries. Using the subjective physician rating as an external criterion, 6 methods were applied to identify the cutoffs: mapping, calculation of percentiles of cumulative score distribution, Youden index, 90% specificity, maximum agreement, and ROC curve analysis. Sixty percent of the patients were assigned to the definition cohort and 40% to the validation cohort. Cutoff validation was conducted by assessing discriminative ability. Results The sJADAS10 cutoffs that separated ID from MiDA, MiDA from MoDA, and MoDA from HDA were ≤ 2.9, ≤ 10, and > 20.6. The cutoffs discriminated strongly among different levels of pain, between patients with or without morning stiffness, and between patients whose parents judged their disease status as remission or persistent activity/flare or were satisfied or not satisfied with current illness outcome. Conclusion The sJADAS cutoffs revealed good metrologic properties in both definition and validation cohorts, and are therefore suitable for use in clinical trials and routine practice