Aqueous Extract of Flueggea leucopyrus Increases Urine Output in Rats

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Flueggea leucopyrus Wild aqueous extract (FLAE) on the urinary output of rats.Method: Three different doses of FLAE (500, 1000 and 1500 mgkg-1), furosemide (13 mg kg-1 as diuretic reference) and distilled water (as control) were orally administered to healthy adult hydrated rats. Cumulative urine output was monitored hourly over 6 h. Selected urinary parameters were determined for 1500 mg kg-1 dose, furosemide, and water-treated groups to investigate the possible mode of action. Using these data, standard urine indices were calculated. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in terms of creatinine clearance, overt toxicity, renal toxicity, liver toxicity, as well as phytochemical screening were also determined.Results: The highest dose (1500 mgkg-1) significantly increased urine output (control vs. treated: 0.74 ± 0.07 vs. 1.38 ± 0.09 mL/100 g) (p < 0.05) r2 = 0.925). The effect of FLAE was dose-dependent. Increase in urine output was observed from the 1st hour, peaked at 2nd hour and lasted till the 6th hour. Furthermore, 1500 mgkg-1 dose of FLAE caused a significant (p < 0.05) increase in urinary K+ level, aldosterone secretion index, thiazide secretion index and GFR at 24 h. However, significant decrease in urinary Na+ level (control vs. treated: 7915.2 ± 423.1 vs. 6611.2 ± 181.3 ppm) was noted with the highest dose (p < 0.05). Serum alanine transaminase (ALT), serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and urea levels were not altered significantly (p > 0.05). However, serum creatinine level was elevated significantly (p < 0.05). Phytochemical screening showed that FLAE contains primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary alkaloids/amine oxides, triterpenoids, unsaturated sterols, leucoanthocyanins, tannins of pyrogallol type and cyanogenic glycoside.Conclusion: The results show that FLAE exhibits moderate oral aquaretic activity.Keywords: Flueggea leucopyrus, Diuretic, Aquaretic, Urine output, Toxicity, Phytochemica

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in dromedary camels in Nigeria, 2015

Evidence of current and past Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in dromedary camels slaughtered at an abattoir in Kano, Nigeria in January 2015, was sought by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and serology. MERS-CoV RNA was detected in 14 (11%) of 132 nasal swabs and antibody in 126 (96%) of 131 serum samples. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that the viruses in Nigeria are genetically distinct from those reported in the Arabian peninsula.published_or_final_versio

Can we move forward to Digital Healthcare in Sri Lanka? Developing an Electronic record keeping system to a local Paediatric clinic

Background: Paediatric multi-disciplinary team (MDT) clinic at Colombo-south teaching hospital is designed for patient-centered management of paediatric neurological disorders. This clinic lacks an electronic database management system (E-DBMS). Open source technology through Google and AppSheet® provides tools to create E-DBMS.Objectives: To design a user-friendly, secured electronic DBMS for record keeping, audit, data analysis and research purposes.Methods: New google account was created for the MDT clinic. Google spreadsheets® were used to design the data tables and linked to AppSheet® software to generate graphical user interface of the mobile app of the database. Appearance and features of the App were designed through options provided by the AppSheet® without writing codes using computer language. Once the app is ready, email address and password are shared among the authorized team members and mobile app was installed into their phones.Results: This app enabled the team members to add, edit and view data of MDT patients. Telephone calls could be taken and patients’ locations could be accessed through the app.Since database is accessible through phones, patients’ past records could be reviewed and new records can be entered while conducting the clinic. Success of the therapies given to patients can be quantified by motor skills score and AIMS centile analysis. These spreadsheets could be linked to SPSS software to analyze data for research purposes. Even though this provides adequate confidentiality and security to data, all the authorized team members who share the app have an unrestricted access to add, edit or remove data.Conclusion: Electronic DBMS could be designed practically via AppSheet®, which is an effective tool to maintain and to retrieve patients’ record sand for research purposes

Unmasking a potential crisis: an exploration of gaming addiction and depression in adolescents and young adults through a cross-sectional survey

Introduction: Gaming disorder is defined as a pattern of gaming behaviour characterised by impaired control over gaming, prioritisation of gaming over other activities to the point where gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and persistence or escalation of gaming despite negative consequences. Given the increasing global interest in videogames, particularly among adolescents and young adults, this study investigated the prevalence of gaming disorder and its associated factors among Sri Lankan adolescents and young adults, with a focus on factors associated with gaming addiction. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 401 Sri Lankan adolescents and young adults who played video games, through an anonymous online survey using snowball sampling. The survey comprised four sections: demographic data, influencing factors for game playing, the seven-item Game Addiction Scale and a validated depression scale (nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire). SPSS IBM (version 27) was used for data analysis, which includes means, standard deviations, frequencies, percentages, Pearson’s correlation and chi-square tests. Results: A total of 401 gamers participated, comprising adolescents (10-18 years; 9.5%) and young adults (19-35 years; 90.5%). The majority were non-gaming addicts (71.57%), and among the gaming addicts, 8.48% were classified as monothetic gaming addicts, while 19.5% were classified polythetic gaming addicts. Slightly more males were game addicts (52.63%) than females. There was a low positive correlation between videogame addiction and depression (r=0.321). More than half of the sample believed that visual triggers (58.6%) and frequent reward systems (56.1%) influenced their gameplay. There was a significant association (p <0.05) between gaming addiction and the three observed characteristics: visual triggers, audio triggers, and frequent rewards. Conclusions: Just under one-tenth of the study population sampled was classified as having a gaming addiction, with males having a slightly higher prevalence than females. The positive correlation between gaming disorder and depression suggests a consequential and potentially life-threatening outcome, wherein depression emerges as a serious consequence of addiction to gaming. When the structural characteristics of videogames, such as auditory, visual and frequent reward systems were considered, game addicts were more influenced by them

The Singapore Asymptomatic Narrow Angles Laser Iridotomy Study (ANA-LIS): 5 year results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE: To examine the efficacy of laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) in subjects diagnosed as primary angle closure suspects (PACS) DESIGN: Prospective, randomized controlled trial PARTICIPANTS: This multi-center, randomized controlled trial (NCT00347178, Clinical trials.gov) enrolled 480 subjects over the age of 50 years from glaucoma clinics in Singapore with bilateral asymptomatic PACS (defined as having ≥2 quadrants of appositional angle closure on gonioscopy). METHODS: Each subject underwent prophylactic LPI in one randomly selected eye, while the fellow eye served as control. Subjects were followed up yearly for 5 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was development of primary angle closure (PAC, defined as presence of peripheral anterior synechiae, and/or intraocular pressure>21 mmHg or acute angle closure [AAC]) or PACG over 5 years. RESULTS: Of the 480 randomized subjects, the majority were Chinese (92.7%) and female (75.8%) with mean age of 62.8±6.9 years. LPI-treated eyes reached endpoint less frequently after five years (24, 5.0%, incidence rate [IR]=11.65 per 1000 eye-years) compared to control eyes (45, 9.4%, IR=21.84 per 1000 eye-years, p=0.001). The adjusted hazards ratio (HR) for progression to PAC was 0.55 (95%CI: 0.37-0.83, p=0.004) in LPI-treated eyes compared to control eyes. Older subjects (per year, HR=1.06, 95%CI: 1.03-1.10, p<0.001) and eyes with higher baseline IOP (per mm Hg, HR=1.35, 95%CI: 1.22-1.50, p<0.0001) were more likely to reach an endpoint. The number needed to treat in order to prevent an endpoint was 22 (95%CI: 12.8-57.5). CONCLUSIONS: In subjects with bilateral asymptomatic PACS, eyes that underwent prophylactic LPI had significantly fewer endpoints compared to control eyes over 5 years. However, the overall incidence of PAC or PACG was low

Population Structure and Phylogeography in Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus), a Mass-Aggregating Marine Fish

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Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) Guideline for Pharmacogenetics-Guided Warfarin Dosing: 2017 Update

This document is an update to the 2011 Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guideline for CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotypes and warfarin dosing. Evidence from the published literature is presented for CYP2C9, VKORC1, CYP4F2, and rs12777823 genotype-guided warfarin dosing to achieve a target international normalized ratio of 2-3 when clinical genotype results are available. In addition, this updated guideline incorporates recommendations for adult and pediatric patients that are specific to continental ancestry

Multidisciplinary Ophthalmic Imaging Automated Analysis of Angle Closure From Anterior Chamber Angle Images

PURPOSE. To evaluate a novel software capable of automatically grading angle closure on EyeCam angle images in comparison with manual grading of images, with gonioscopy as the reference standard. METHODS. In this hospital-based, prospective study, subjects underwent gonioscopy by a single observer, and EyeCam imaging by a different operator. The anterior chamber angle in a quadrant was classified as closed if the posterior trabecular meshwork could not be seen. An eye was classified as having angle closure if there were two or more quadrants of closure. Automated grading of the angle images was performed using customized software. Agreement between the methods was ascertained by j statistic and comparison of area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC). RESULTS. One hundred forty subjects (140 eyes) were included, most of whom were Chinese (102/140, 72.9%) and women (72/140, 51.5%). Angle closure was detected in 61 eyes (43.6%) with gonioscopy in comparison with 59 eyes (42.1%, P ¼ 0.73) using manual grading, and 67 eyes (47.9%, P ¼ 0. CONCLUSIONS. Customized software for automated grading of EyeCam angle images was found to have good agreement with gonioscopy. Human observation of the EyeCam images may still be needed to avoid gross misclassification, especially in eyes with extensive angle closure

Protein-coding and non-coding gene expression analysis in differentiating human keratinocytes using a three-dimensional epidermal equivalent

The epidermal compartment is complex and organized into several strata composed of keratinocytes (KCs), including basal, spinous, granular, and corniWed layers. The continuous process of self-renewal and barrier formation is dependent on a homeostatic balance achieved amongst KCs involving proliferation, diVerentiation, and cell death. To determine genes responsible for initiating and maintaining a corniWed epidermis, organotypic cultures comprised entirely of stratiWed KCs creating epidermal equivalents (EE) were raised from a submerged state to an air/liquid (A/L) interface. Compared to the array proWle of submerged cultures containing KCs predominantly in a proliferative (relatively undiVerentiated) state, EEs raised to an A/L interface displayed a remarkably consistent and distinct proWle of mRNAs. Cultures lifted to an A/L interface triggered the induction of gene groups that regulate proliferation, diVerentiation, and cell death. Next, diVerentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding (lncRNA) RNAs were identiWed in EEs. Several diVerentially expressed miRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR and Northern blots. miRNAs 203, 205 and Let-7b were up-regulated at early time points (6, 18 and 24 h) but downregulated by 120 h. To study the lncRNA regulation in EEs, we proWled lncRNA expression by microarray and validated the results by qRT-PCR. Although the diVerential expression of several lncRNAs is suggestive of a role in epidermal diVerentiation, their biological functions remain to be elucidated. The current studies lay the foundation for relevant model systems to address such fundamentally important biological aspects of epidermal structure and function in normal and diseased human skin

Study protocol: can a school gardening intervention improve children's diets?

BACKGROUND: The current academic literature suggests there is a potential for using gardening as a tool to improve children's fruit and vegetable intake. This study is two parallel randomised controlled trials (RCT) devised to evaluate the school gardening programme of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening, to determine if it has an effect on children's fruit and vegetable intake. METHOD/DESIGN: Trial One will consist of 26 schools; these schools will be randomised into two groups, one to receive the intensive intervention as "Partner Schools" and the other to receive the less intensive intervention as "Associate Schools". Trial Two will consist of 32 schools; these schools will be randomised into either the less intensive intervention "Associate Schools" or a comparison group with delayed intervention. Baseline data collection will be collected using a 24-hour food diary (CADET) to collect data on dietary intake and a questionnaire exploring children's knowledge and attitudes towards fruit and vegetables. A process measures questionnaire will be used to assess each school's gardening activities. DISCUSSION: The results from these trials will provide information on the impact of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening on children's fruit and vegetable intake. The evaluation will provide valuable information for designing future research in primary school children's diets and school based interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN11396528