Kidney protective potential of lactoferrin: pharmacological insights and therapeutic advances

Kidney disease is becoming a global public health issue. Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have serious adverse health outcomes.However, there is no effective therapy to treat these diseases. Lactoferrin (LF), a multi-functional glycoprotein, is protective against various pathophysiological conditions in various disease models. LF shows protective effects against AKI and CKD.LF reduces markers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and kidney fibrosis, and induces autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis in the kidney. Although there are no clinical trials of LF to treat kidney disease, several clinical trials and studies on LF-based drug development are ongoing. In this review, we discussed the possible kidney protective mechanisms of LF, as well as the pharmacological and therapeutic advances. The evidence suggests that LF may become a potent pharmacological agent to treat kidney diseases.

Repositioning Vitamin C as a Promising Option to Alleviate Complications associated with COVID-19 / 감염과화학요법

Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is an essential vitamin with pleiotropic functions, ranging from antioxidant to anti-microbial functions. Evidence suggests that vitamin C acts against inflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy chaos, and immune dysfunction. The ability to activate and enhance the immune system makes this versatile vitamin a prospective therapeutic agent amid the current situation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Being highly effective against the influenza virus, causing the common cold, vitamin C may also function against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and its associated complications. Severe infections need higher doses of the vitamin to compensate for the augmented inflammatory response and metabolic demand that commonly occur during COVID-19. Compelling evidence also suggests that a high dose of vitamin C (1.5 g/kg body weight) in inflammatory conditions can result in effective clinical outcomes and thus can be employed to combat COVID-19. However, further studies are crucial to delineate the mechanism underlying the action of vitamin C against COVID-19. The current review aims to reposition vitamin C as an alternative approach for alleviating COVID-19-associated complications.

Repositioning Vitamin C as a Promising Option to Alleviate Complications associated with COVID-19 / 감염과화학요법

Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is an essential vitamin with pleiotropic functions, ranging from antioxidant to anti-microbial functions. Evidence suggests that vitamin C acts against inflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy chaos, and immune dysfunction. The ability to activate and enhance the immune system makes this versatile vitamin a prospective therapeutic agent amid the current situation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Being highly effective against the influenza virus, causing the common cold, vitamin C may also function against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and its associated complications. Severe infections need higher doses of the vitamin to compensate for the augmented inflammatory response and metabolic demand that commonly occur during COVID-19. Compelling evidence also suggests that a high dose of vitamin C (1.5 g/kg body weight) in inflammatory conditions can result in effective clinical outcomes and thus can be employed to combat COVID-19. However, further studies are crucial to delineate the mechanism underlying the action of vitamin C against COVID-19. The current review aims to reposition vitamin C as an alternative approach for alleviating COVID-19-associated complications.

Fyn Kinase: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common disease with a complex pathophysiology which significantly contributes to the development of chronic kidney disease and end stage kidney failure. Preventing AKI can consequently reduce mortality, morbidity, and healthcare burden. However, there are no effective drugs in use for either prevention or treatment of AKI. Developing therapeutic agents with pleiotropic effects covering multiple pathophysiological pathways are likely to be more effective in attenuating AKI. Fyn, a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, has been acknowledged to integrate multiple injurious stimuli in the kidney. Limited studies have shown increased Fyn transcription level and activation under experimental AKI. Activated Fyn kinase propagates various downstream signaling pathways associated to the progression of AKI, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, as well as autophagy dysfunction. The versatility of Fyn kinase in mediating various pathophysiological pathways suggests that its inhibition can be a potential strategy in attenuating AKI.

Carbon monoxide releasing molecule-2 protects mice against acute kidney injury through inhibition of ER stress

Acute kidney injury (AKI), which is defined as a rapid decline of renal function, becomes common and recently recognized to be closely intertwined with chronic kidney diseases. Current treatment for AKI is largely supportive, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has emerged as a novel mediator of AKI. Since carbon monoxide attenuates ER stress, the objective of the present study aimed to determine the protective effect of carbon monoxide releasing molecule-2 (CORM2) on AKI associated with ER stress. Kidney injury was induced after LPS (15 mg/kg) treatment at 12 to 24 h in C57BL/6J mice. Pretreatment of CORM2 (30 mg/kg) effectively prevented LPS-induced oxidative stress and inflammation during AKI in mice. CORM2 treatment also effectively inhibited LPS-induced ER stress in AKI mice. In order to confirm effect of CO on the pathophysiological role of tubular epithelial cells in AKI, we used mProx24 cells. Pretreatment of CORM2 attenuated LPS-induced ER stress, oxidative stress, and inflammation in mProx24 cells. These data suggest that CO therapy may prevent ER stress-mediated AKI.

Opinion of fresh medical graduates about plastic and reconstructive surgery as their choice of specialty

Objectives: this study was conducted to determine the approach of recent medical graduate towards adopting PRS as their choice of specialty, and to have a direct assessment of their PRS perception

Methodology: after, ethical board approval, and consent, medical graduates of the years 2011 to 2013, from King Saud University and couple of other centers, in Riyadh, KSA, were invited to participate in the survey through questionnaires

Results: a total number of 150 questionnaires were included in the final analyses. More than 95% of respondents were interested in post graduation with mean age of 25.95 years, most of them graduated in 2013. Out of total 150 respondents, 45 [31.46%] were interested in surgical related specialties, fresh medical graduates interested in Plastic and reconstructive surgery constituted 11 [7.33%] of all respondents, 11[100%] of PRS group, related their choice to personal interest, while 9 of them declared some financial incentives. Most of recent graduates perceived PRS as related to cosmetic and burn surgery, while few had understanding about its microvascular and hand surgery techniques

Conclusion: rising popularity of PRS among general population and their awareness regarding cosmetic procedures, has introduced a new trend in career selection for medical graduates. Statistical Analysis was performed through SPSS version 21

Safety of parenteral dexamethasone vs. oral prednisolone in the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris

To observe the safety of parenteral dexamethasone compared with oral prednisolone in the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris. A clinical trial was carried out in the department of Dermatology and Venereology, Bangabandu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Total number of patients was thirty. Among them fifteen patients were treated with injection dexamethasone [group A] and other fifteen were treated with oral prednisolone [group B]. Statistically significant improvement was observed in both groups in all clinical parameters after 6 weeks. But dexamethasone group showed statistically more significant improvement than prednisolone group in all clinical parameters except Nikolsky's sign. Most common adverse effects in both groups were weight gain, increased appetite, puffy face and hyperglycemia. In dexamethasone group other side effect was sleep disturbance. In prednisolone group other side effects were gastritis, sleep disturbance, nausea and vomiting, herpes zoster infection, reactivation of tuberculosis and mood change. Parenteral dexamethasone appears to be safer than oral prednisolone in the management of pemphigus vulgaris with an acceptable efficacy profile