Does L-carnitine improve endothelial function in hemodialysis patients?

Background: Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in hemodialysis patients. These patients are also very prone to Lcarnitine deficiency due to kidney disease. In this clinical trial, we investigated the effect of oral L-carnitine on endothelial function of these patients. Materials ans Methods: We studied 31 adult chronic hemodialysis patients in our center and divided them into two groups. The first group (n = 20) received 1500 mg/dialysis interval (every other day) oral L-carnitine. The control group (n = 11) received placebo for one month. Ultrasonographic measurements of flow mediated dilation and carotid intima-media thickness were performed before and after one month of L-carnitine and placebo therapy. Results: This study showed that after one month of Lcarnitine or placebo therapy there was no significant improvement in flow mediated dilation (p = 0.80 and p = 0.59, respectively) or decrease in carotid intima-media thickness (p = 0.12 and p = 0.50, respectively). Conclusions: Our study revealed that one month of oral L-carnitine therapy did not improve endothelial function in hemodialysis patients. Long-term studies with large sample size using intravenous form and higher doses of the drug are required to clarify the questionable role of L-carnitine in hemodialysis patients

Cardiac complications in inherited mitochondrial diseases

Maternally mitochondrial dysfunction includes a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders which leads to the impairment of the final common pathway of energy metabolism. Coronary heart disease and coronary venous disease are two important clinical manifestations of mitochondrial dysfunction due to abnormality in the setting of underlying pathways. Mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to cardiomyopathy, which is involved in the onset of acute cardiac and pulmonary failure. Mitochondrial diseases present other cardiac manifestations such as left ventricular noncompaction and cardiac conduction disease. Different clinical findings from mitochondrial dysfunction originate from different mtDNA mutations, and this variety of clinical symptoms poses a diagnostic challenge for cardiologists. Heart transplantation may be a good treatment, but it is not always possible, and other complications of the disease, such as mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like syndrome, should be considered. To diagnose and treat most mitochondrial disorders, careful cardiac, neurological, and molecular studies are needed. In this study, we looked at molecular genetics of MIDs and cardiac manifestations in patients with mitochondrial dysfunction. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Islamic civilization: its significance in al-Faruqi’s Islamization of Knowledge

This paper discusses the significance attempt of al-Faruqi in making Islamic civilization a mandatory course in his Islamization of Knowledge project. In any attempt of Islamization of Knowledge, the students of Islamization should be comprehensively mastered Islamic Civilization. Al-Faruqi systematically developed four required components in civilizational study that were critical for Islamization project, i.e., to give the Muslim student knowledge of the first principles of Islam as essence of Islamic civilization in the first year; the historical achievements of Islamic civilization in the second year; how Islamic civilization compares and contrasts with other civilizations in essence and manifestation, in the third year, and; how Islamic civilization is the only viable option in dealing with the fundamental problems of Muslims and non-Muslims in the contemporary world, in the fourth year. The significance ideal projected by this comprehensive stages as characterized by al-Faruqi were crucial for student to understand the secular worldview that bring the collapse of civilization in the past and not to repeat this catastrophic consequence in contemporary civilization of the Ummah

Noninvasive Detection, Tracking, and Characterization of Aerogel Implants Using Diagnostic Ultrasound

Medical implants are routinely tracked and monitored using different techniques, such as MRI, X‐ray, and ultrasound. Due to the need for ionizing radiation, the two former methods pose a significant risk to tissue. Ultrasound imaging, however, is non‐invasive and presents no known risk to human tissue. Aerogels are an emerging material with great potential in biomedical implants. While qualitative observation of ultrasound images by experts can already provide a lot of infor-mation about the implants and the surrounding structures, this paper describes the development and study of two simple B‐Mode image analysis techniques based on attenuation measurements and echogenicity comparisons, which can further enhance the study of the biological tissues and implants, especially of different types of biocompatible aerogels. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

The Beneficial Effects of Citrus Peel Waste and Its Extract on Fish Performance and Health Status: A Review

Food production and processing in developing countries produce a huge amount of fruit waste by-products, which is costly and pose detrimental effects on the environment. Proteins, lipids, starch, micronutrients, bioactive compounds and dietary fibres are found in many of these fruit wastes. Among fruit wastes, citrus fruits play an important role in generating a wide range of health benefits. Citrus L. of the Rutaceae family are common fruits cultivated and consumed globally both as fresh fruits and as a juice. Citrus peel wastes (CPW) are considered the main by-products, with an average of 60% of processed fruits; hence, CPW have a promising role in the food production industry. CPW contain high concentrations of polyphenol and essential oils, which have nutritional importance and pharmaceutical usage. There is a concern on the increasing prevalence and incidence of different fish infections and a growing interest in shifting from synthetic to natural antimicrobial agents, leading to the use of citrus peel wastes for identification of novel compounds for use as fish feed additives. Although the antimicrobial properties of EOs have been reviewed extensively, the antimicrobial properties of citrus peels oil have not been extensively discussed. In fish farming, feeding strategies that employ phytochemicals as modulators of immunological and physiological responses such as growth, antioxidant activity and gene expression have received attention. In the past years, several studies have reported positive results of using citrus peel extracts as a nutritional additive in aquafeeds. Recently, these dietary functional feed additives have been evaluated and reported to increase disease resistance and improve fish growth, animal welfare and feed utilization. This review elucidates the global production, bioactive compounds, natural sources, chemical structures, physical properties, practical applications of citrus peel wastes and extracts as a desirable and sustainable route in fish nutrition