Exercise care when fasting, diabetics urged

PETALING JAVA: Muslims with diabetes and gastritis have been urged to take extra care during the fasting month

Longitudinal Assessment Of Blood Brain Barrier Disruption In Primary Hiv Infection And Effect Of Cart Therapy

Abnormal blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability has been implicated in the neuropathogenesis of chronic HIV infection. As neurocognitive impairment can persist despite effective combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), it is possible that irreversible central nervous system (CNS) processes are initiated in early infection, before cART is typically initiated. We analyzed the natural history of BBB permeability in primary HIV infection (PHI), and the effects of cART initiated during this period. CSF:Serum albumin quotient (QAlb), a marker of BBB permeability, was measured in longitudinal observational studies of PHI. We analyzed trajectories of QAlb pre- and post-cART using mixed-effects models, and associations between QAlb and CSF neurofilament light chain (NFL), N-acetylaspartate:creatinine (NAA:Cr, a magnetic resonance spectroscopy biomarker for neuronal integrity), and neuropsychological testing. Age-adjusted QAlb was elevated in PHI vs. controls at baseline (n=106, median 91 days post infection, dpi; n=64; p=0.02). Before cART, QAlb increased over time in 84 participants with normal baseline QAlb (p=0.006), and decreased in 22 with high baseline QAlb (p=0.011). QAlb correlated at baseline and longitudinally with NFL (r=0.497, p\u3c0.001; r=0.555, p\u3c0.001) and NAA:Cr in parietal grey matter (r=-0.352, p=0.015, r=-0.387, p=0.008), but not neuropsychological performance. QAlb did not change after a median 398 days of cART initiated at 225 dpi (p=0.174). QAlb rises during early HIV, associates with neuronal injury, and does not significantly improve over a year of treatment. HIV BBB-associated neuropathogenesis may be initiated in early infection

Alcohol-dysregulated miR-30a and miR-934 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BackgroundAlcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); however, the molecular mechanisms by which alcohol promotes HNSCC pathogenesis and progression remain poorly understood. Our study sought to identify microRNAs that are dysregulated in alcohol-associated HNSCC and investigate their contribution to the malignant phenotype.MethodUsing RNA-sequencing data from 136 HNSCC patients, we compared the expression levels of 1,046 microRNAs between drinking and non-drinking cohorts. Dysregulated microRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR in normal oral keratinocytes treated with biologically relevant doses of ethanol and acetaldehyde. The most promising microRNA candidates were investigated for their effects on cellular proliferation and invasion, sensitivity to cisplatin, and expression of cancer stem cell genes. Finally, putative target genes were identified and evaluated in vitro to further establish roles for these miRNAs in alcohol-associated HNSCC.ResultsFrom RNA-sequencing analysis we identified 8 miRNAs to be significantly upregulated in alcohol-associated HNSCCs. qRT-PCR experiments determined that among these candidates, miR-30a and miR-934 were the most highly upregulated in vitro by alcohol and acetaldehyde. Overexpression of miR-30a and miR-934 in normal and HNSCC cell lines produced up to a 2-fold increase in cellular proliferation, as well as induction of the anti-apoptotic gene BCL-2. Upon inhibition of these miRNAs, HNSCC cell lines exhibited increased sensitivity to cisplatin and reduced matrigel invasion. miRNA knockdown also indicated direct targeting of several tumor suppressor genes by miR-30a and miR-934.ConclusionsAlcohol induces the dysregulation of miR-30a and miR-934, which may play crucial roles in HNSCC pathogenesis and progression. Future investigation of the alcohol-mediated pathways effecting these transformations will prove valuable for furthering the understanding and treatment of alcohol-associated HNSCC

An investigation of reading comprehension program at a University of Technology

This study aimed to investigate the reading comprehension program at a University of Technology to understand whether the ESP course affects students' reading comprehension ability or not. To gather subjects, an OPT test was administered to 100 students bringing out 60 students in intermediate level of English proficiency. The participants were divided randomly into two groups of control and experimental. Then a pretest on reading comprehension was administered to insure the homogeneity of subjects and record what degree of implicit knowledge of comprehension they had. Next, 2 posttests were filled out by subjects after treatment process in which lasted for five sessions only for experimental group. The gathered data from subjects in both control and experimental groups were analyzed using independent samples t-test and ANCOVAs with the help of SPSS software. The data analysis revealed that the null hypothesis of the study is proved. Results indicated that learners who received reading comprehension strategies progress more in contrast to those who did not receive the strategies in control group. The progress in experimental group was significantly different from the control group

An investigation of reading comprehension program at a University of Technology

This study aimed to investigate the reading comprehension program at a University of Technology to understand whether the ESP course affects students' reading comprehension ability or not. To gather subjects, an OPT test was administered to 100 students bringing out 60 students in intermediate level of English proficiency. The participants were divided randomly into two groups of control and experimental. Then a pretest on reading comprehension was administered to insure the homogeneity of subjects and record what degree of implicit knowledge of comprehension they had. Next, 2 posttests were filled out by subjects after treatment process in which lasted for five sessions only for experimental group. The gathered data from subjects in both control and experimental groups were analyzed using independent samples t-test and ANCOVAs with the help of SPSS software. The data analysis revealed that the null hypothesis of the study is proved. Results indicated that learners who received reading comprehension strategies progress more in contrast to those who did not receive the strategies in control group. The progress in experimental group was significantly different from the control group

Corticosteroid implants for chronic non-infectious uveitis.

BACKGROUND: Uveitis is a term used to describe a heterogeneous group of intraocular inflammatory diseases of the anterior, intermediate, and posterior uveal tract (iris, ciliary body, choroid). Uveitis is the fifth most common cause of vision loss in high-income countries, accounting for 5% to 20% of legal blindness, with the highest incidence of disease in the working-age population.Corticosteroids are the mainstay of acute treatment for all anatomical subtypes of non-infectious uveitis and can be administered orally, topically with drops or ointments, by periocular (around the eye) or intravitreal (inside the eye) injection, or by surgical implantation. OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy and safety of steroid implants in people with chronic non-infectious posterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis, and panuveitis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Trials Register) (Issue 10, 2015), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Daily, Ovid OLDMEDLINE (January 1946 to November 2015), EMBASE (January 1980 to November 2015), PubMed (1948 to November 2015), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature Database (LILACS) (1982 to November 2015), the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) (www.controlled-trials.com) (last searched 15 April 2013), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov), and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (www.who.int/ictrp/search/en). We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic search for studies. We last searched the electronic databases on 6 November 2015.We also searched reference lists of included study reports, citation databases, and abstracts and clinical study presentations from professional meetings. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials comparing either fluocinolone acetonide (FA) or dexamethasone intravitreal implants with standard-of-care therapy with at least six months of follow-up after treatment. We included studies that enrolled participants of all ages who had chronic non-infectious posterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis, or panuveitis with vision that was better than hand-motion. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently reviewed studies for inclusion. Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias for each study. MAIN RESULTS: We included data from two studies (619 eyes of 401 participants) that compared FA implants with standard-of-care therapy. Both studies used similar standard-of-care therapy that included administration of prednisolone and, if needed, immunosuppressive agents. The studies included participants from Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We assessed both studies at high risk of performance and detection bias.Only one study reported our primary outcome, recurrence of uveitis at any point during the study through 24 months. The evidence, judged as moderate-quality, showed that a FA implant probably prevents recurrence of uveitis compared with standard-of-care therapy (risk ratio (RR) 0.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14 to 0.59; 132 eyes). Both studies reported safety outcomes, and moderate-quality evidence showed increased risks of needing cataract surgery (RR 2.98, 95% CI 2.33 to 3.79; 371 eyes) and surgery to lower intraocular pressure (RR 7.48, 95% CI 3.94 to 14.19; 599 eyes) in the implant group compared with standard-of-care therapy through two years of follow-up. No studies compared dexamethasone implants with standard-of-care therapy. AUTHORS\u27 CONCLUSIONS: After considering both benefits and harms reported from two studies in which corticosteroids implants were compared with standard-of-care therapy, we are unable to conclude that the implants are superior to traditional systemic therapy for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis. These studies exhibited heterogeneity in design and outcomes that measured efficacy. Pooled findings regarding safety outcomes suggest increased risks of post-implant surgery for cataract and high intraocular pressure compared with standard-of-care therapy

Optimalna medikamentna terapija u bolesnika s reduciranom sistoličkom funkcijom

This study assessed the optimal medical therapy for HFrEF among patients in the outpatient clinic of University Hospital Centre Zagreb during the last year and compared the results with a study done by the Croatian HF registry in 2011. I measured improvements in the therapy and compared the results with similar studies performed in the UK. Patients attending outpatient clinic on Wednesdays at Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb for the past year were audited. The data collected included clinical features of HF, medications and the doses of medication prescribed which were then compared with the current ESC guidelines. In total, 108 patients were included in the study. Of which, 83 were men (76%) and 25 women (24%). Predominant HF etiology included, dilated cardiomyopathy (49%), ischemic cardiomyopathy (33%) and hypertensive cardiomyopathy (5%). All patients had reduced left ventricular EF and were on HF medication. Ninety-five percent of the patients received beta-blockers (compared with 58% in 2011), 53% were on an ACEI or an ARB (compared with 60% in 2011), 87% received a MRA (compared with 44% in 2011) and 89% were on diuretics (compared with 86% in 2011). Digoxin was given to only 7.5% (compared with 30% in 2011) and ivabradine was used by 3 patients (2.8%). Although this study demonstrated that there is an increase in prescribed doses of HF optimal medication, the mean daily dose of most medical therapy is still significantly below the maximum tolerated evidence-based doses as recommended by the ESC guidelines of 2016.U ovom diplomskom radu ispitao sam učestalost propisivanja optimalne medikamentne terapije u bolesnika s popuštanjem srca s reduciranom istisnom frakcijom (HFrEF, engl. heart failure with reduced ejection fraction) i usporedio dobivene rezultate s izvješćem Hrvatskog registra bolesnika sa zatajivanjem srca iz 2011. godine. Mjerio sam poboljšanja u terapiji i usporedio dobivene rezultate sa sličnim studijama provedenim u Velikoj Britaniji. U ispitivanje su uključeni bolesnici koji su posjetili Ambulantu za zatajivanje srca srijedom u Kliničkom bolničkom centru Zagreb tijekom protekle godine. Prikupljeni podaci uključili su kliničke značajke HFrEF-a, vrste i propisane doze lijekova koji su zatim uspoređeni s važećim smjernicama Europskog kardiološkog društva. Ukupno je uključeno 108 bolesnika, od čega 83 muškarca (76%) i 25 žena (24%). Glavni uzroci HFrEF-a bili su dilatacijska kardiomiopatija (49%), ishemijska kardiomiopatija (33%) i hipertenzivna kardiomiopatija (5%). Svi bolesnici imali su disfunkciju LV s reduciranom EF i liječeni su lijekovima za srčano popuštanje. Devedeset pet posto bolesnika primalo je beta-blokatore (u usporedbi s 58% u 2011.), 53% je uzimalo ACEI ili ARB (u usporedbi s 60% u 2011.), 87% je liječeno MRA (u usporedbi s 44% u 2011.) i 89% je bilo na diureticima (u usporedbi s 86% u 2011). Digoksin je propisan samo u 7,5% (u usporedbi s 30% u 2011.), dok je ivabradin propisan samo u 2,8%. Ovo istraživanje je pokazalo da usprkos porastu učestalosti propisivanja lijekova za optimalno liječenje bolesnika s HFrEF, srednja dnevna doza lijekova u većine bolesnika i dalje je znatno ispod maksimalnih doza kakve su preporučene u posljednjim Smjernicama ESC za liječenje bolesnika sa zatajivanjem srca iz 2016. godine