Assessment of neuroprotective potential of Tualang honey in alzheimer model of rat

Reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF) due to aging has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Experimentally, a condition of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion due to reduced CBF can be induced by permanent bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries (2-vessel occlusion, 2VO) in rats. Honey is a natural product that has been widely used since long time as a nutrient, for its therapeutic effects in traditional medicine, and recently as an antioxidant. Since oxidative stress leading to neuroinflammation, resulting in neuronal apoptosis and death, is one of the mechanisms which is thought to play a significant role in chronic degenerative neurological disorders, the present study was planned to assess the neuroprotective role of Honey in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced neurodegeneration. After acclimatization, thirty Sprague Dawley rats weighing 200-250 g were equally divided into three groups. Group A – sham control, Group B – 2VO, and Group C – 2VO-H (treated daily with Honey (1.2 g/kg freshly diluted with distilled water, orally by 30 gavage every morning following 2VO). At 10th week, all the rats were euthanized and the hippocampi were isolated. Viable neuronal cell were count in the hippocampal CA-1 region. The results showed damaged, distorted, irregular cells with shrunken cytoplasm and dark pykonotic nuclei in 2VO rats as compared to sham control (p<0.001). Treatment of rats with honey restored the hippocampal cells to their normal structure and revealed the reduced loss of neurons in 2VO+H rats as compared to untreated 2VO rats (p<0.001). This study shows that Malaysian tualang honey might have therapeutic potential for the treatment of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion related neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease

Breast cancer management pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic: outcomes from the UK ‘Alert Level 4’ phase of the B-MaP-C study

Abstract: Background: The B-MaP-C study aimed to determine alterations to breast cancer (BC) management during the peak transmission period of the UK COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of these treatment decisions. Methods: This was a national cohort study of patients with early BC undergoing multidisciplinary team (MDT)-guided treatment recommendations during the pandemic, designated ‘standard’ or ‘COVID-altered’, in the preoperative, operative and post-operative setting. Findings: Of 3776 patients (from 64 UK units) in the study, 2246 (59%) had ‘COVID-altered’ management. ‘Bridging’ endocrine therapy was used (n = 951) where theatre capacity was reduced. There was increasing access to COVID-19 low-risk theatres during the study period (59%). In line with national guidance, immediate breast reconstruction was avoided (n = 299). Where adjuvant chemotherapy was omitted (n = 81), the median benefit was only 3% (IQR 2–9%) using ‘NHS Predict’. There was the rapid adoption of new evidence-based hypofractionated radiotherapy (n = 781, from 46 units). Only 14 patients (1%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their treatment journey. Conclusions: The majority of ‘COVID-altered’ management decisions were largely in line with pre-COVID evidence-based guidelines, implying that breast cancer survival outcomes are unlikely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic. However, in this study, the potential impact of delays to BC presentation or diagnosis remains unknown

Potential protective effect of honey against chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced neurodegeneration in rats

Introduction: To investigate the neuroprotective potential of Malaysian Tualang honey in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion induced by permanent bilateral common carotid arteries ligation (2VO) in rats. Methods: Rats were randomly divided into three groups (n ¼ 10); sham control, honeyuntreated 2VO group “2VO” and honey treated 2VO group “2VO þ H”. At 10th week of 2VO surgery, all the rat were sacrificed, brains were dissected out, the right hemisphere was processed for histological study, neuronal counts were performed on cresyl violetstained sections, the number of viable neurons in CA-1 region of the hippocampus were analysed and counted. Results: There were damaged, distorted, irregular cells with shrunken cytoplasm and dark pykonotic nuclei in “2VO” rats. Treatment of rats with honey restored the hippocampal cells to their normal structure and reduced loss of neurons in “2VO þ H” rats as compared with “2VO” rats. Discussion: This study shows that Malaysian Tualang honey might have therapeutic potential for the treatment of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion related neurodegenerative disorder

Taeniasis among Refugees Living on Thailand–Myanmar Border, 2012

We tested refugee camp residents on the Thailand–Myanmar border for Taenia solium infection. Taeniasis prevalence was consistent with that for other disease-endemic regions, but seropositivity indicating T. solium taeniasis was rare. Seropositivity indicating cysticercosis was 5.5% in humans, and 3.2% in pigs. Corralling pigs and providing latrines may control transmission of these tapeworms within this camp

Traumatic Brain Injury in Myanmar: Preliminary Results and Development of an Adjunct Electronic Medical Record

BACKGROUND: The treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Myanmar is a major health issue. Comprehensive appreciation of the pathology is limited given the lack of granular metadata available. In this proof-of-concept study, we analyzed demographic data on TBI generated from a novel prospective, online database in a low-to-middle income country (LMIC). METHODS: Neurosurgery residents were given an electronic tablet for data entry onto an online database. Metadata-driven data capture was carried prospectively by the trained residents and the information was reviewed weekly by the supervising team in the United States. RESULTS: Complete data was available on 242/253 (96%) patients. Age at admission was 37 years (range 16-85) and length of stay was 3.53 days (1-21). Etiologies included motorcycle accidents, falls, assaults, pedestrian vehicular injuries and industrial accidents. Dispositions were primarily to home (211). Average Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) at admission was 12.97. There was a 68% mortality rate of patients directly admitted to NOGH with GCS75% for patients transferred in from other facilities. Surgery was performed on 30 patients (12.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a lack of formal training in electronic medical records or research, the resident team was able to capture the majority of admissions with granular-level data. This helped shed light on the etiology and severity of TBI in Myanmar. As a result, more effective transport systems and access to trauma care must be achieved. Accessible regional trauma centers with investment in intensive care units, operative care, anesthesia, and imaging resources is necessary

Virulence of brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) populations from South and South East Asia against resistant rice varieties

This study examines the utility of resistant varieties and their associated resistance genes against brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stal), populations from South and South East Asia. A collection of 39 rice accessions that included resistant, tolerant and susceptible varieties and breeding lines were examined for performance against populations of N. lugens from India (4), Bangladesh (1), Myanmar (1), Vietnam (1), Indonesia (1), China (1), Taiwan (1), and the Philippines (2). Planthopper virulence varied between regions; however only 6 varieties were generally less damaged than the susceptible check Taichung Native 1 (TN1) among >= 50% of the test populations. Each of these 6 varieties contained multiple resistance genes. One further variety, also with multiple resistance genes, and a modern cultivar (possibly with the Bph3 gene) were moderately effective against the South Asian populations, whereas a traditional variety with the Bph6 gene was effective against South East Asian populations. Bph1, bph2, bph5, bph7, bph8, Bph9, Bph10 and Bph18 were ineffective against most planthopper populations. Bph20, Bph21, and Bph17 have potential to be used in resistance breeding in both South and South East Asia, whereas BPH25 and BPH26 have potential for use in South Asia. The results indicate that only a few of the currently available resistance genes will be effective in monogenic rice lines; but that pyramiding of two or more genes with strong to weak resistance could improve resistance strength and durability as apparent with the most resistant, traditional varieties. Strategies to avoid planthopper adaptation to resistant rice varieties are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved