Antidiarrheal and protein conservative activities of Psidium guajava in diarrheal rats / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#Psidium guajava occurs worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas. It has been used to treat inflammation, diabetes, fever, hypertension and ulcers. However, its antidiarrheal and protein conservative activities still need to be investigated.@*METHODS@#Fifty-four male rats were divided into normal and diarrheal rats. The normal rats were divided into 4 groups: control, low-dose P. guajava leaf extract (50 mg/kg), high-dose P. guajava leaf extract (100 mg/kg) and gallic acid. Treatments were administrated orally in 1 mL saline for a 1-month period. The diarrheal rats were divided into 5 groups: desmopressin (0.2 mg/kg) drug, low-dose P. guajava leaf extract (50 mg/kg), high-dose P. guajava leaf extract (100 mg/kg), gallic acid and an untreated control. Doses were given daily for a 1-month period while the untreated control received no treatment.@*RESULTS@#Diarrhea was responsible for an observed decline in kidney weight and serum sodium, potassium and chloride. Further, diarrhea was positively correlated with a significant increase in urine volume, and excretion of electrolytes, serum urea, creatinine and uric acid in the urine. In contrast, there was a proportional increase in the lipid peroxidation value in diarrhea and a significant decline was observed in serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione levels in diarrhea. Also, diarrhea inhibited blood proteins. The oral intake of P. guajava leaf extract by diarrheal rats restored all of these parameters to near normal levels. High-dose P. guajava leaf extract was more effective than the same compound at a low dose.@*CONCLUSION@#P. guajava leaf extract elicited antidiarrheal and protein conservative effects.

Substance use among Lebanese university students: prevalence and associated factors

Scientific research on use and misuse of substances in Lebanon is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the rate of use and abuse of substances among Lebanese youth and identify the determinants and risk factors behind these behaviours. An observational survey was conducted on 1945 university students selected from the different faculties of the Lebanese University and other private universities. A self-administered questionnaire based on ASSIST [Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test] was administered. The prevalence of ever consuming alcohol was 20.9%. Cannabis [12.3%] and tranquilizers [11%] had the highest rates of ever use among the drugs, whereas cocaine [3.3%] and hallucinogens [3.6%] had the lowest rates. Smoking cigarettes and waterpipes, going out at night, peer pressure and having no specific leisure time activity were associated with problematic substance use, while a better relationship with parents, reading and working were inversely associated with use. There is a high prevalence of substance use among university students in Lebanon. Multidisciplinary support for addicted students is needed to meet their diverse needs

Pressure ulcer prevalence among hospitalized children in Jorda

Pressure Ulcers [Pus] remain a significant and complex health problem in health care settings. It is related to human suffering, pain, disfigurement, and financial burden. Only few studies about PUs incidence and prevalence have focused on paediatric patients whereas PUs prevention and management are generally extrapolated from the adult population. Determining PUs prevalence among children in Jordan and exploring the allocation of prevention measures to at risk populations. A point prevalence survey was conducted on 784 inpatient children in university, private and governmental hospitals in Jordan. A modified European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel [EPUAP] PUs prevalence survey form was used. PUs were classified according to the 2009 EPUAP and the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel [NPUAP] grading system. Risk of PUs development was assessed using the 2009 Glamorgan scale for risk assessment in paediatrics. The overall Pus prevalence was 8.2% [n=58] and decreased to 1.8% when Grade Iwas excluded. The sacrum was the most often affected site [75.8%, n=44 of 58].For the various at risk sub groups, paediatric critical care and surgical units showed the highest PUs prevalence of 43.1% and 36.2%, respectively. Of the 400 children evaluated to be at risk of PUs development, only 10% received prevention in terms of equipment and/ or repositioning. The PUs prevalence among children in Jordan is comparable to that reported for other countries utilizing the same methodology. Despite relatively low PUs prevalence, few patients at risk received adequate prevention. Since PUs risk assessment scales are not frequently used in Jordan, there is a need to emphasize knowledge of prevention and interventions as a key to reducing PUs prevalence

Giant pedunculated esophageal liposarcoma associated with Hurthle cell thyroid neoplasia. Case report

Giant pedunculated liposarcoma of the esophagus is considered rare entity. They impose difficulties in its management, especially the surgical approach. We report a case of giant pedunculated liposarcoma of the esophagus in a 62-year-old male who underwent cervical excision of this large tumor, and made a full recovery. Hurthle cell thyroid cancer was found during the work-up, which was managed accordingly

Histologic profiles of reduction mammaplasty specimens among jordanian females

Reduction mammaplasty is a common surgical procedure that yields a variable amount of tissue for pathologic examination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histological diagnoses of the reduction mammaplasty specimens and to determine the incidence of breast lesions in otherwise asymptomatic and healthy Jordanian females. All reduction mammaplasty specimens of 73 patients over a 10-year period [September 1999-September 2009] at Jordan University Hospital were retrospectively examined. The average number of blocks submitted per breast was 4 [range 3-5]. Variables such as age and preoperative mammograms were examined. A total of 143 specimens were evaluated. Normal mammary tissue was present in 36 patients [49%]. The most common benign lesion was fibrocystic disease [21%] Precancerous breast lesions were identified in 7 patients [9.6%]. No case of carcinoma in situ or invasive carcinoma was encountered in our study. Most of the histopathological lesions were found in patients younger than 35 years of age. Preoperative mammograms were done for 26 patients and all were normal. This study demonstrates the importance of systemic analysis of breast reduction specimens to help identify and guide the management of patients with increased risk of breast cancer following reduction mammaplasty. Consequently, thorough sampling and handling of breast reduction specimens should be emphasized

Jordanian parents' needs while their child is hospitalized

To explore the needs of Jordanian parents in relation to their participation in the care during the hospitalization of their child. A descriptive cross-sectional study where a questionnaire was administered to parents of hospitalized child, aged one month to thirteen year olds. Pearson correlation coefficient was performed to examine the relationships of parents' needs and their participation. The superior needs among 192 parents [90%] were that mothers were concerned about trusting in staff, trusting of staff and acquiring information. The high significant correlation [r = 0.80] emphasizes the relationship between parents' participation in the care of their hospitalized child and parents' need especially for support and guidance [P<0.01]. The findings confirmed that parents have a desire to participate in the care of their hospitalized child after fulfillment of their needs, similar to studies in Western and Eastern countries. Jordanian parents had no choice in child care participation; their basic needs were not met such as trust of staff, and support and guidance to parents and other family members

Co-inheritance of sickle cell trait and thalassemia mutations in south central Iran

We aimed to determine the incidence of co-inheritance as well as interaction of sickle cell trait [SCT] and alpha [that]/beta[that] mutations in south and south central of Iran. We employed a PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques to confirm diagnosis of sickle cell trait. All subjects were screened for any alpha/beta-thalassemia mutations using a gappolymerase chain reaction and amplification refractory mutations system. Our results showed combination of sickle cell trait and beta-globin mutation results in a severe clinical course of similar to sickle cell disease, while coinheritance of beta-globin gene defects usually modulates the clinical course. A coexistence of sickle cell trait and beta-globin gene mutation was the frequent genotype in overall samples [57. 5%].Sickle cell trait mainly co-inherits with alpha-globin gene mutation in the south and south central region of Iran. This combination modulates hematological indices and interferes with the SCT diagnosis

Thoracosopic enucleation of esophageal leiomyoma in patients with MEN I syndrome

Minimal invasive thoracic surgery is growing rapidly and may become the standard of care for certain diseases. Its benefits over traditional surgery, including reduced morbidities and hospital stay, have been well established in several reports. We herein report a case of midesophageal leiomyoma in a patient with MEN I syndrome successfully enucleated by thoracoscopy highlighting the technical details of the procedure

Distribution of beta-globin gene mutations in thalassemia minor population of Kerman Province, Iran

Mutations in beta-globin gene may result in beta-thalassemia major, which is one of the most common genetic disorders in Iran and some other countries. Knowing the beta-globin mutation spectrum improves the efficiency of prenatal diagnosis in the affected fetuses [major beta-thalassemia] of heterozygote couples. Couples with high hemoglobin A2 and low mean corpuscular volume were studied as suspicious of beta-thalassemia carriers in Genetic Laboratory of Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman, Iran. We used amplification refractory mutation system, reverse hybridization, and DNA sequencing to determine the spectrum of beta-globin gene mutation in the people who involved with beta-thalassemia minor in this province. Among the 266 subjects, 17 different types of mutation in beta-globin gene were identified. Three of the mutations account for 77.1% of the studied cases. IVSI-5 [G>C] was the most frequent mutation [66.2%] followed by IVSII-I [G>A] [6%] and Fr 8-9 [+G] [4.9%]. The less frequent mutations include: IVSI-6 [T>C], codon 15 [G>A], codon 44 [-C], codon 39 [C>T], codon 8 [-AA], codon30 [G>C], IVSI-110 [G>A], codon 36-37 [-T], 619bp deletion, codon 5 [-CT], IVSI-25bp del, codon 41-42 [-TTCT], IVSI-I [G>A], and beta nt30 [T>A] were accounted for 19.5%. Unknown alleles comprised 3.4% of the mutations. However, the frequencies of different mutations reported here are significantly different from those found in other part of the world and even other Iranian provinces. Reporting a number of these mutations in the neighboring countries such as Pakistan can be explained by gene flow phenomenon

Effects of isotretinoin on bone turnover markers and bone mineral density in women with acne vulgaris and vitamin D deficiency: a preliminary study.

The prolonged use of retinoids is associated with changes in bone turnover markers and toxic skeletal effects. Although the effect of short-term oral isotretinoin therapy on bone loss is not well established, caution is recommended when it is used in patients with metabolic bone disease. We examined prospectively the effect of short-term oral isotretinoin therapy on bone turnover markers and bone mineral density [BMD] in women affected by severe acne and vitamin D deficiency. Serum bone Tartrate-resistant Acid Phosphatase [TRACP], bone specific alkaline phosphatase [Bone ALP], calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone [PTH] and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25[OH]D] were measured in 10 women at baseline, 6 weeks, and end of isotretinoin treatment. BMD was measured in 5 subjects at baseline and end of treatment. Mean serum 25[OH]D at baseline was 16.3 +/- 7.5 nmol/L. Mean TRACP and Bone ALP increased at end of treatment but this was only statistically significant for TRACP [1.18, 1.13, 1.64 U/L; P < 0.001]. Mean calcium decreased slightly at end of treatment but no significant changes occurred in PTH, 25[OH]D and phosphorus. BMD decreased in all studied patients at the femur [range -2.5 to -7.6%], and in all but one patient at the lumbar spine [range +3.2 to -6.8%]. Mean BMD decreased at all measured sites but this was statistically significant only for the femur [-5.3 +/- 1.9%; P=0.002]. Our preliminary study suggests that short-term oral isotretinoin therapy in women with vitamin D deficiency is likely associated with increased bone resorption and decreased BMD. Correction of vitamin D deficiency may be necessary before starting isotretinoin therapy

Fetal echocardiography service in Qatar: establishment, challenges and outcome

A prospective observational study at the newly established Fetal Medicine Unit Hamad Hospital, Qatar, evaluated the impact of the service on the detection rate of critical congenital heart defects, patterns of referral and subsequent yield for structural congenital heart disease in a population with a significant proportion of high risk factors. Of 391 pregnant females examined between January 2003 and December 2004, 58 [14.8 percent] had fetal cardiac abnormalities of which 23 [5.8 percent of total referrals] had major structural malformations of the heart. Cases of fetal congenital heart disease had further evaluation using real time three-dimensional echocardiography [RT3DE] which is new equipment in the paediatric cardiology department. All cases with cardiac defects whether minor or major had follow up fetal echocardiography. Neonatal echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis in all cases with major defects [100 percent specificity]. False positive cases that were found to be normal post natal were 1 percent of the total cases referred [12 percent of cases with congenital malformation]. False negative cases were 1 percent and all had a small ventricular septal defect [VSD] except for one Down's syndrome with a very large VSD. Three patients needed urgent Caesarean section [CS] deliveries, one with complete heart block [HB] and two with supraventricular tachycardia [SVT]. One patient traveled abroad as the fetus had left isomerism and major cardiac defects and complete HB. Fifteen newborns had to receive prostaglandin based on the fetal diagnosis before being seen by paediatric cardiologists. There was no termination of pregnancy due to major cardiac defects even in cases of HLHS. The preliminary results of this clinic are very satisfactory and have affected favorably the outcome of the new-borns with congenital heart defects. It is hoped that the results of this study will encourage more referrals to the FMU

Chronic renal failure in adult Yemeni patients: Risk factors

This research was done to investigate some of the risk factors of chronic renal failure among adult Yemeni patients. A case-control study of two groups, each containing 140 patients, was designed. Cases were the patients with chronic renal failure in the dialysis center of Al-Thawra Modern General Hospital in Sana'a. The controls were selected from other departments: general surgery, orthopedics and gynecology. The groups were matched for age, sex and residence. Risk factors studied included previous renal calculi, urinary tract infections, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prostatic enlargement, malaria, tuberculosis, family history, analgesic abuse and Khat chewing. Mean age of cases was 38.6 +/- 13.9 years and that of the controls was 39.7 +/- 12.6 years. Renal calculi were found to be the most common risk factor for chronic renal failure in Yemen, with odds ratio of 11.23. The second risk factor was hypertension with odds ratio of 8.33. Third was a history of urinary tract infection with odds ratio of 4.04. The family history of hereditary diseases was the fourth risk factor with odds ratio of 3.24, and last was analgesic abuse with odds ratio of 2.05. The other studied factors were found to be of no significance in relation to chronic renal failure. Renal calculi were the leading risk factor for chronic renal failure