The relationship between dyslipidemia and lupus nephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus patients attending a Saudi Rheumatic Center, Tabuk

Background: There is an increasing awareness of the role of dyslipidemia in lupus nephritis patients, no researchers have studied dyslipidemia in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Tabuk. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between dyslipidemia and lupus nephritis in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional comparative longitudinal hospital-based study was conducted at a rheumatic clinic in the North West Armed Force Hospital (NWAFH) during the period April 2014–June 2015. Seventy-three patients diagnosed with SLE were invited to participate in the study. All participants were required to sign a written informed consent, following which they were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Data collected include demographic data, clinical characteristics, fasting lipid profile, renal function tests, urine analysis, antinuclear antibody, anti-double-stranded antibodies, complement levels, serum albumin, anticardiolipin, ant bodies, and antiphospholipid antibodies. Lupus nephritis was ascertained by renal biopsy. The research was approved by the ethical committees of both the University of Tabuk and the NWAFH and data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: Out of 73 patients with SLE, 86.3% were females with a mean age of  34 ± 6.4 years. Lupus nephritis was evident in 26% of the patients, proteinuria in 44.1%, high total cholesterol in 17.8%, high low-density lipoprotein in 15.1%, high triglycerides in 27.3%, and low high-density lipoproteins in 52.1%. Patients with lupus nephritis had high total cholesterol, high LDL, high TG, and low HDL than those without lupus nephritis P-value < 0.05. Conclusion: Dyslipidemia was more common among patients with SLE nephritis, and an aggressive treatment is recommended to reduce this serious complication. The relatively small size of the study group and the fact that the study was conducted at a single tertiary center are the limitations of this study. Keywords: dyslipidemia, lupus nephritis, Saudi Arabi

Biosocial predictors and blood pressure goal attainment among postmenopausal women with hypertension

ObjectivesIn postmenopausal states, women may not maintain blood pressure (BP) in the same way as men, even though most women follow their treatment plans and prescriptions more consistently than men. Biological and lifestyle factors influence the progression of hypertension in postmenopausal women (PMW). This study aimed to determine biosocial predictors associated with achieving the target BP in PMW with hypertension.MethodsA prospective observational study was conducted in the General Medicine Department at Karuna Medical College Hospital, Kerala, India. The definition of BP goal attainment was established based on the guidelines outlined by the VIII Joint National Committee 2014 (JNC VIII). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyse biosocial predictors, such as educational status, employment status, body mass index (BMI), number of children, age at menarche, age at menopause, and number of co-morbidities, associated with BP goal achievement.ResultsOf the patients, 56.4% achieved their BP goals on monotherapy and 59.7% achieved it on combination therapy. Level of education [odds ratio (OR) = 1.275, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.234–7.172], employment status (OR = 0.853, 95% CI: 0.400–1.819), age at menopause (OR = 1.106, 95% CI: 0.881–1.149), number of children (OR = 1.152, 95% CI: 0.771–1.720), BMI (OR = 0.998, 95% CI: 0.929–1.071), and number of co-morbidities (OR = 0.068, 95% CI: 0.088–1.093) did not show a significant relationship, and age at menarche (OR = 1.577, 95% CI: 1.031–2.412) showed a significant association with BP goal attainment among hypertensive postmenopausal women.ConclusionHalf of the hypertensive postmenopausal women did not achieve their BP goals. Interventions are required to expand screening coverage and, under the direction of medical professionals, there should be plans to improve hypertension control and increase awareness of the condition

NARRATIVE REVIEW ON THE CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY IN ADULTS

Objectives: Obesity causes morbidity and mortality and also impairs the quality of life in humans. Clinical practice guidelines are well established to treat the obese population with or without comorbidities in all the age groups. Obesity in adults is a risk factor for metabolic disorders including Type-2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, etc. Hence, this review has compared the various international clinical practice guidelines for the management of obesity in adults. Methods: Four articles were included in the qualitative synthesis after the systematic review of the literature obtained from PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Sciences. Diagnosis and various interventions including lifestyle, pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery are compared for the management of obesity in adults. Results: The diagnosis is crucial since the criteria to determine overweight/obesity is still under debate due to inconclusive evidence. Various interventions including diet, exercise, behavior, drug therapy, and surgery are being recommended currently for the management of obesity. However, ethnicity and culture play a major role in diagnosis and also interventions. Moreover, personalizing the interventions according to the subject will make sense and offers success in the management of obesity. Conclusion: Diagnosis and the intervention should be subject oriented based on ethnicity, culture and patient characteristics. In this connection, many longitudinal studies warranted to specify the diagnostic and management criteria for adults among the various ethnic populations across the world

Piracetam as a Therapeutic Agent for Doxorubicin-Induced Cognitive Deficits by Enhancing Cholinergic Functions and Reducing Neuronal Inflammation, Apoptosis, and Oxidative Stress in Rats

Cancer chemotherapy is known to cause cognitive defects in patients. Our study investigated the effect of piracetam (PIRA; 200 or 400 mg/kg) against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cognitive deficits in a rat model. The cognitive parameters were analyzed using elevated plus-maze, novel object recognition, and Y-maze tests. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), neuroinflammatory mediators (cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)), apoptotic proteins (B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl2 associated X protein (Bax), cysteine aspartate specific protease-3 (caspase-3)), oxidative parameters (malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH)) were also determined in the brain. PIRA administration offered significant protection against DOX-induced cognitive deficits in all maze tests and restored cholinergic functions via a significant reduction in AChE levels. Additionally, PIRA suppressed DOX-induced neuroinflammatory mediators (COX-2, PGE2, NF-κB, and TNF-α), pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax and caspase-3), and oxidative stress (MDA). Besides, it facilitated antioxidant (CAT and GSH) levels. Hence, our study highlighted that the neuroprotective activity of PIRA against DOX-induced cognitive deficits can be linked to reductions of AChE levels, neuro-inflammatory mediators, pro-apoptotic proteins, and oxidative stress

Assessment of patient medication adherence among the type 2 diabetes mellitus population with peripheral diabetic neuropathy in South India

أهداف البحث: حاولت هذه الدراسة استقصاء العلاقة بين عدم الالتزام بأخذ الدواء واعتلال الأعصاب الطرفي السكري بين مرضى السكري من النوع ٢ بمستشفى خاص في جنوب الهند. طرق البحث: أجريت دراسة مستقبلية خلال الفترة من يناير ٢٠١٥م وحتى ديسمبر ٢٠١٥م. شملت الدراسة ٨٦ مريضا بالسكري من النوع ٢ مع وجود اعتلال الأعصاب الطرفي السكري. تمت متابعة المرضى شهريا، ولمدة ثلاثة أشهر. أخذت عينات الدم لفحص مستوى السكر بالدم عند الصوم، وبعد الأكل بالإضافة إلى قياس مستوى الهيموغلوبين السكري. واستخدمت استبانة مقياس موريسكي لتقييم التزام المرضى لأخذ الدواء، ومقياس إدراك الاهتزاز لفحص درجة اعتلال الأعصاب الطرفي السكري. وجرى تقديم المشورة للمرضى أثناء كل متابعة بشأن مرضهم، والحاجة إلى مراقبة نسبة السكر بالدم، وأهمية الالتزام بأخذ الدواء. النتائج: من بين ١٢٠ مريضا تم فحصهم، شملت هذه الدراسة ٨٦ مريضا. كانت الغالبية (٧٦.٧٪) تعاني من زيادة الوزن، و٥١٪ منهم لديهم داء السكري منذ ١١-١٥ عاما. استخدمت طريقة أنوفا ذات الاتجاه الواحد لمقارنة وضع نسبة السكر في الدم، وفحص اعتلال الأعصاب الطرفي السكري والالتزام بأخذ الدواء في جميع الزيارات الثلاث. لوحظ تحسن كبير في الالتزام بأخذ الدواء والحد من شدة اعتلال الأعصاب الطرفي السكري من الزيارة الأولى للثالثة. الاستنتاجات: تعليم المرضى مهم لتحقيق الالتزام بأخذ الدواء ويمكن أن يُعزز مراقبة نسبة السكرالأمثل بالدم، ويقلل من انتشار اعتلال الأعصاب الطرفي السكري. يلعب ممارسي الرعاية الصحية دورا محوريا في تثقيف مرضى السكري بما يخص الالتزام بأخذ الدواء

ONO‐Pincer‐Type Coumarin‐Based Copper(II) Metalates: Effect on Alzheimer's Disease Pathologies in Caenorhabditis elegans

International audienc

Neuroprotective Effect of Methanolic Ajwa Seed Extract on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Memory Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation: In Vivo, Molecular Docking and Dynamics Studies

Islamic literature has indicated that daily consumption of Ajwa dates heals a variety of chronic diseases and disorders. The current research investigates the neuroprotective effect of methanolic Ajwa seed extract (MASE) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cognitive deficits using multiple approaches. For animal studies, MASE (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) was administrated for thirty consecutive days, and four doses of LPS (250 µg/kg, i.p.) were injected to induce neurotoxicity. Memory functions were evaluated using elevated plus-maze and novel object recognition tests. Acetylcholine (ACh) and neuroinflammatory markers (cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1) were estimated in brain tissues. Studies of molecular docking and dynamics were conducted to provide insight into the molecular-level mechanisms. MASE administration resulted in a significant reversal of LPS-induced memory impairment in both maze models. Both doses of MASE elevated the ACh levels in an LPS-treated rat brain. In addition, the extract lowered COX-2 and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) while increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-β1) in LPS-treated brain tissues. Molecular modeling results revealed that the compound’s ellagic acid, epicatechin, catechin, kaempferol, quercetin, and apigenin have the potential to act as a dual inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and COX-2 and can be responsible for the improvement of both cholinergic and inflammatory conditions, while the cinnamic acid, hesperidin, hesperetin, narengin, and rutin compounds are responsible only for the improvement of cholinergic transmission. The above compounds acted by interacting with the key residues Trp84, Asp72, Gly118, Ser200, Tyr334, and His440, which are responsible for the hydrolysis of ACh in AChE, while the COX-2 is inhibited by interacting with the residues (Val349, Leu352, Tyr355, Tyr385, Ala527, Ser530, and Leu531) of the hydrophobic channel. By promoting cholinergic activity and protecting neuroinflammation in the rat brain, MASE provides neuroprotection against LPS-induced cognitive deficits. Our preliminary findings will help with further drug discovery processes related to neuroinflammation-related neurodegeneration

Association of Demographic Variables with the Awareness of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients (T2DM) among the Northwest Population in Saudi Arabia

The chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes is associated with long-term damage, dysfunction, and failure of different organs. Lack of patient education and knowledge about these complications can worsen the quality of a patient’s life. Hence, more efforts are needed to improve patient’s education especially in rural areas. Aim. Our objective is to explore the association between demographic variables and the knowledge of self-care practices in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods. We used observational cross-sectional descriptive study using a validated self-administered questionnaire in both Arabic and English languages as well. A descriptive correlation design analyzed the questionnaire completed by a convenience sample meeting the inclusion criteria. Results. A total of 100 patients met the inclusion criteria for the analysis out of 3251 patients who completed the questionnaire. The study population has low moderate knowledge in diabetes, moderate knowledge in self-care practices, and good knowledge about complications of nephropathy and cardiovascular disease. No significant association between demographic variables. However, better knowledge observed in male (p=0.028) and self-care practices with female (p=0.020). Further, educational status is significantly influencing the knowledge of diabetic patients. Conclusion. The study emphasizing irrespective of demographic variable and the importance of patient education to achieve well glycemic control

An evaluation of knee osteoarthritis pain in the general community-Asir region, Saudi Arabia.

BackgroundKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common conditions resulting in disability, particularly in the elderly population. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common articular disease and the leading cause of chronic disability in the developed world.ObjectiveThis study was carried out to evaluate knee pain in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. An analytical cross-sectional survey design was adopted in the Asir region from April 2023 to August 2023 to assess the knee pain of the adult population using an anonymous online questionnaire.ResultsOf 1234, 332 were men (26.90) and 902 were women (73.09). WOMAC index score category 55.34% (n = 683) of the subjects had a low risk (score ConclusionKOA is more common in older, obese people who have reached the age of 50 in the Asir region, and it is more prevalent in women. Alarms the need for appropriate awareness programs for better disease prevention and health outcomes for the benefit of the community through general public health programs