COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LEVELS OF SELECTIVE OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS (MALONDIALDEHYDE, ZINC, AND ANTIOXIDANT VITAMINS A, E, AND C) IN ISCHEMIC AND NON-ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM TYPE- 2 DIABETES

Objective: The objective of the current study is to compare the levels of oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde (MDA), zinc, and antioxidant Vitamins (A, E, and C) in ischemic heart disease (IHD) and non-IHD patients with diabetes mellitus.Method: This is cross-sectional study group, conducted in the advanced diagnostic center (Khartoum- Sudan) from the period May 2013 to August 2015. Comprised 100 healthy subjects were, control group with mean (fasting blood sugar) 5.61=m mol/L, the age ranged from 22 to 78 years old, the average of the age was 50.1 years. 300 patients (78 IHD and 222 without) as cases groups, the ages ranged from 30 to 80 years. The age average was 51.2 years, all samples were in a state of fasting for 12 h, and the data were collected using a structured questionnaire and direct interview to collect information. Blood specimens were collected from both groups, and plasma levels of MDA, zinc, and antioxidant Vitamins (A, E, and C) were determined.Results: There was a significant difference between the level of serum Vitamin A, E, and MDA in diabetic patients with IHD and those diabetic without IHD (p<0.05). No significant differences in serum Vitamin C level between both groups (p>0.05).Conclusion: Due to the significant differences in serum Vitamin A, E, Zinc, and MDA between diabetics with IHD and diabetics without IHD, these parameters can be used as prognostic markers for prediction of oxidative stress and antioxidant stress of diabetic patients with IHD complications

Role of the domestic dog as a reservoir host of Leishmania donovani in eastern Sudan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The study aims to determine the role of domestic dogs in transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in eastern Sudan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 10 villages along the River Rahad in eastern Sudan to elucidate the role of domestic dogs (<it>Canis familiaris</it>, Linnaeus, 1758) as a reservoir host of <it>Leishmania donovani</it>. In this study, 87 dogs were screened for infection by <it>Leishmania donovani</it>. Blood and lymph node samples were taken from 87 and 33 dogs respectively and subsequently screened by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Direct Agglutination Test (DAT) test. Additional lymph node smears were processed for microscopy and parasite culture. Host preference of the visceral leishmaniasis (VL) vector in the area, <it>Phlebotomus orientalis</it>, and other sandflies for the Nile rat (<it>Arvicanthis niloticus</it>, É. Geoffrey, 1803), the genet (<it>Genetta genetta</it>, Linnaeus, 1758), the mongoose (<it>Herpeistes ichneumon</it>, Linnaeus, 1758), and the domestic dog were determined by counting numbers of sand flies attracted to CDC traps that were baited by these animals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>DAT on blood samples detected anti-<it>Leishmania </it>antibodies in 6 samples (6.9%). Two out of 87 (2.3%) blood samples tested were PCR positive, giving an amplification product of 560 bp. The two positive samples by PCR were also positive by DAT. However, none of the 33 lymph nodes aspirates were <it>Leishmania </it>positive when screened by microscopy, culture and genus-specific PCR. The dog-baited trap significantly attracted the highest number of <it>P. orientalis </it>and sand fly species (P < 0.001). This was followed by the Egyptian mongoose baited trap and less frequently by the genet baited trap.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is concluded that the results obtained from host attraction studies indicate that dog is more attractive for <it>P. orientalis </it>than Egyptian mongoose, common genet and Nile rat.</p

Calculating metalation in cells reveals CobW acquires Co(II) for vitamin B12 biosynthesis while related proteins prefer Zn(II)

Protein metal-occupancy (metalation) in vivo has been elusive. To address this challenge, the available free energies of metals have recently been determined from the responses of metal sensors. Here, we use these free energy values to develop a metalation-calculator which accounts for inter-metal competition and changing metal-availabilities inside cells. We use the calculator to understand the function and mechanism of GTPase CobW, a predicted CoII-chaperone for vitamin B12. Upon binding nucleotide (GTP) and MgII, CobW assembles a high-affinity site that can obtain CoII or ZnII from the intracellular milieu. In idealised cells with sensors at the mid-points of their responses, competition within the cytosol enables CoII to outcompete ZnII for binding CobW. Thus, CoII is the cognate metal. However, after growth in different [CoII], CoII-occupancy ranges from 10 to 97% which matches CobW-dependent B12 synthesis. The calculator also reveals that related GTPases with comparable ZnII affinities to CobW, preferentially acquire ZnII due to their relatively weaker CoII affinities. The calculator is made available here for use with other proteins

Inflammatory pathways in the mechanism of parturition

Increasing evidence suggests that parturition is an inflammatory process. In this brief overview, inflammatory events occurring in association with parturition, and the mechanism by which they may contribute to labour and delivery will be discussed. Mention will be made of how this information may be of use in regulating the timing and the onset of parturition

Assessment of Global Kidney Health Care Status.

Kidney disease is a substantial worldwide clinical and public health problem, but information about available care is limited.To collect information on the current state of readiness, capacity, and competence for the delivery of kidney care across countries and regions of the world.Questionnaire survey administered from May to September 2016 by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) to 130 ISN-affiliated countries with sampling of key stakeholders (national nephrology society leadership, policy makers, and patient organization representatives) identified by the country and regional nephrology leadership through the ISN.Core areas of country capacity and response for kidney care.Responses were received from 125 of 130 countries (96%), including 289 of 337 individuals (85.8%, with a median of 2 respondents [interquartile range, 1-3]), representing an estimated 93% (6.8 billion) of the world's population of 7.3 billion. There was wide variation in country readiness, capacity, and response in terms of service delivery, financing, workforce, information systems, and leadership and governance. Overall, 119 (95%), 95 (76%), and 94 (75%) countries had facilities for hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplantation, respectively. In contrast, 33 (94%), 16 (45%), and 12 (34%) countries in Africa had facilities for hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplantation, respectively. For chronic kidney disease (CKD) monitoring in primary care, serum creatinine with estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria measurements were reported as always available in only 21 (18%) and 9 (8%) countries, respectively. Hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and transplantation services were funded publicly and free at the point of care delivery in 50 (42%), 48 (51%), and 46 (49%) countries, respectively. The number of nephrologists was variable and was low (<10 per million population) in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Oceania and South East Asia (OSEA) regions. Health information system (renal registry) availability was limited, particularly for acute kidney injury (8 countries [7%]) and nondialysis CKD (9 countries [8%]). International acute kidney injury and CKD guidelines were reportedly accessible in 52 (45%) and 62 (52%) countries, respectively. There was relatively low capacity for clinical studies in developing nations.This survey demonstrated significant interregional and intraregional variability in the current capacity for kidney care across the world, including important gaps in services and workforce. Assuming the responses accurately reflect the status of kidney care in the respondent countries, the findings may be useful to inform efforts to improve the quality of kidney care worldwide

The Influence of Oral Multivitamins Supplementation on Selected Oxidative Stress Parameters and Lipid Profiles among Sudanese Patients with Type-2 Diabetes

AIM: The objective of the current study was to assess the influence of oral multivitamins supplementation on some oxidative stress parameters (serum Vitamin A, C, E, Zinc, Malondialdehyde (MDA)) and lipid profile among Sudanese patients with type- 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Three hundred Sudanese patients with T2DM and Hundred healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Blood was collected after overnight fasting for 10-12 hrs. Fasting plasma glucose (FBG), lipid profiles, Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c%), Serum zinc, Malondialdehyde (MDA), Vitamins A, E, and C levels were measured using standardised laboratory techniques. Data was collected with the help of a structured questionnaire and direct interview. RESULTS: Biochemical parameters of the study population were shown a highly significant difference (P value &lt; 0.05), between the means of serum vitamin A, C, E, Zinc, MDA, HbA1c, triglycerides, HDL, FBG, total cholesterol and LDL. Significant differences in serum vitamin A, C, E, Zinc, MDA, triglycerides, HDL and FBG between people with diabetes who used multivitamins and diabetics who did not use it (P-value &lt; 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study observed a significant increase in serum levels of vitamin A, C &amp; E and other biomarkers parameters in patients with T2DM who take oral multivitamins supplements; such improvement may lead to minimising the diabetic complications. Further studies are needed to explore the possible therapeutic role of multivitamins supplements for T2DM patients

Psychological interventions in asthma

Asthma is a multifactorial chronic respiratory disease characterised by recurrent episodes of airway obstruction. The current management of asthma focuses principally on pharmacological treatments, which have a strong evidence base underlying their use. However, in clinical practice, poor symptom control remains a common problem for patients with asthma. Living with asthma has been linked with psychological co-morbidity including anxiety, depression, panic attacks and behavioural factors such as poor adherence and suboptimal self-management. Psychological disorders have a higher-than-expected prevalence in patients with difficult-to-control asthma. As psychological considerations play an important role in the management of people with asthma, it is not surprising that many psychological therapies have been applied in the management of asthma. There are case reports which support their use as an adjunct to pharmacological therapy in selected individuals, and in some clinical trials, benefit is demonstrated, but the evidence is not consistent. When findings are quantitatively synthesised in meta-analyses, no firm conclusions are able to be drawn and no guidelines recommend psychological interventions. These inconsistencies in findings may in part be due to poor study design, the combining of results of studies using different interventions and the diversity of ways patient benefit is assessed. Despite this weak evidence base, the rationale for psychological therapies is plausible, and this therapeutic modality is appealing to both patients and their clinicians as an adjunct to conventional pharmacological treatments. What are urgently required are rigorous evaluations of psychological therapies in asthma, on a par to the quality of pharmaceutical trials. From this evidence base, we can then determine which interventions are beneficial for our patients with asthma management and more specifically which psychological therapy is best suited for each patient

Thermal Properties of Graphene, Carbon Nanotubes and Nanostructured Carbon Materials

Recent years witnessed a rapid growth of interest of scientific and engineering communities to thermal properties of materials. Carbon allotropes and derivatives occupy a unique place in terms of their ability to conduct heat. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of carbon materials span an extraordinary large range - of over five orders of magnitude - from the lowest in amorphous carbons to the highest in graphene and carbon nanotubes. I review thermal and thermoelectric properties of carbon materials focusing on recent results for graphene, carbon nanotubes and nanostructured carbon materials with different degrees of disorder. A special attention is given to the unusual size dependence of heat conduction in two-dimensional crystals and, specifically, in graphene. I also describe prospects of applications of graphene and carbon materials for thermal management of electronics.Comment: Review Paper; 37 manuscript pages; 4 figures and 2 boxe

The Association of Prolactin and CRP Biomarkers with the Severity of COVID-19 in Thumbay Hospital, Ajman, UAE

Background: This study aimed to estimate the levels of CRP and PRL in SARS-CoV2 infection and their association with the severity of COVID-19 among patients in Ajman, UAE. Methods and Results: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Thumpay Hospital from 2020 to 2021. The study included 71 patients (55 males and 16 females) with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results. Nasal swab specimens were collected for the COVID-19 test on the day of admission or after one day of admission. COVID-19 diagnoses and severity levels were determined according to the New Coronavirus Pneumonia Prevention and Control Program (7th edition) published by the National Health Commission of China (2020). Serum samples were collected from the patients upon admission. The PRL level was determined using the immune chemiluminescent method by the DXI 800 Beckman Coulter analyzer. The CRP level was determined using the immunoturbidimetric method by the DXC 700 AU chemistry analyzer. Among 71 COVID-19 patients, the great majority were men 55(77.5%), 38(53.5%) being of Indian nationality. In this study, most participants (50.7%) had no history of chronic illnesses. In terms of COVID-19 severity, 24(33.8%) of patients had mild cases, 27(38.0%) had moderate cases, and 20(28.2%) had severe cases. Twenty (28.2%) patients were transferred to the ICU, and 19(26.8%) were intubated. The patients' average age was 47.58±13.63, CRP level - 74.30±71.46 mg/L, and PRL level - 205.1946±168.52 ng/mL. The mean CRP level was highest in severe cases, compared to mild and moderate cases, with a statistically significant difference between mild and severe groups (P=0.000) and mild and moderate groups (P=0.004). The mean PRL level was highest in severe cases compared to mild and moderate cases; however, the differences between the groups were not significant. CRP and PRL levels were greater in the ICU patients than non-ICU patients, with statistically significant differences only for CRP. We found a moderate positive correlation between CRP level and age (r=0.458, P=0.000); a weak positive correlation between PRL level and age was not statistically significant (r=0.201, P=0.093). A moderate positive correlation between CRP level and PRL level (r=0.461, P=0.03) was statistically significant. Conclusion: The current study implies that serum CRP levels might be an important indication of COVID-19 development and severity. A more extensive study with a larger sample size is needed to validate the significance of PRL in disease severity

CorE from Myxococcus xanthus Is a Copper-Dependent RNA Polymerase Sigma Factor

The dual toxicity/essentiality of copper forces cells to maintain a tightly regulated homeostasis for this metal in all living organisms, from bacteria to humans. Consequently, many genes have previously been reported to participate in copper detoxification in bacteria. Myxococcus xanthus, a prokaryote, encodes many proteins involved in copper homeostasis that are differentially regulated by this metal. A σ factor of the ECF (extracytoplasmic function) family, CorE, has been found to regulate the expression of the multicopper oxidase cuoB, the P1B-type ATPases copA and copB, and a gene encoding a protein with a heavy-metal-associated domain. Characterization of CorE has revealed that it requires copper to bind DNA in vitro. Genes regulated by CorE exhibit a characteristic expression profile, with a peak at 2 h after copper addition. Expression rapidly decreases thereafter to basal levels, although the metal is still present in the medium, indicating that the activity of CorE is modulated by a process of activation and inactivation. The use of monovalent and divalent metals to mimic Cu(I) and Cu(II), respectively, and of additives that favor the formation of the two redox states of this metal, has revealed that CorE is activated by Cu(II) and inactivated by Cu(I). The activation/inactivation properties of CorE reside in a Cys-rich domain located at the C terminus of the protein. Point mutations at these residues have allowed the identification of several Cys involved in the activation and inactivation of CorE. Based on these data, along with comparative genomic studies, a new group of ECF σ factors is proposed, which not only clearly differs mechanistically from the other σ factors so far characterized, but also from other metal regulators