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Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a spectrum of disease usually producing symptoms of heartburn and acid regurgitation. Its prevalence in general population is about 12–17% worldwide. There are many suggested risk factors for GERD. Aim and Objective: This study was conducted to find out whether smoking, diabetes mellitus (DM), and obesity are risk factors of GERD and to find out the extraesophageal symptoms of GERD. Materials and Methods: This is a case–control study matched for age done in 46 GERD patients who were cases and 92 subjects with dyspepsia who were not having GERD as controls. The statistical analysis was done to find out proportions and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Most of the study subjects were in the age group of 40–49 years. About 59% were males. About 14% were smokers and 25% were diabetics. OR for smoking, DM, and obesity was 3.706, 5.571, and 3.618, respectively. About 28% of the GERD patients had easy tiredness. Conclusion: In this study, smoking and DM were found to be the risk factors of GERD based on OR with 95% CI. The most frequent extraesophageal symptom among GERD patients was found to be tiredness.
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Current treatment of vitiligo is still a great challenge, since most cases of vitiligo have variable re-pigmentation outcomes due to their unpredictable responses to existing therapeutic regimens. There is an urgent need to identify this re-pigmentation process and to develop novel therapies. This review illustrates the most current research and latest understanding of vitiligo skin re-pigmentation and related regulatory mechanisms. Literature was collected from PubMed until January 2020, using the search terms including "vitiligo," "re-pigmentation," "phototherapy," "narrow-band ultraviolet B, " "excimer," "fractional carbon dioxide laser," and "melanocyte stem cells." Literature was mainly derived from English articles. Article type was not limited. Emerging evidence suggests that patients with vitiligo present various re-pigmentation patterns following ultraviolet B phototherapy, which relies on different cell reservoirs from the perilesional margins and/or from uninvolved hair follicles to replenish functional melanocytes that are lost in vitiliginous skin. The following events are likely to be involved in this re-pigmentation process, including: 1) changes in the paracrine secretion and distribution of transforming growth factor-β1 in the bulge area and in the epidermis; 2) the enhanced transfer of dermal pro-melanogenic growth factors to the epidermis; and 3) the induction of a C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL) 12-enriched micro-environment that efficiently recruits CXCR4- or CXCR7-positive melanocytes. Ongoing studies on the cellular and molecular events underlying vitiligo re-pigmentation will help design new therapeutic strategies to improve treatment outcomes.
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Background: The postpartum period is viewed as an opportune period for uptake of contraception. Ghana has an unmet need for family planning of 30%. This study sought to determine the postpartum Implanon/Nexplanon uptake among women at a tertiary hospital.Methods: This was a retrospective study that analysed 391 Implanon/Nexplanon insertions between 2012 and 2015 at the reproductive health and family planning unit at the Korle-Bu teaching hospital.Results: Almost 69% (391/565) of all Implanon/Nexplanon insertions conducted between 2012 and 2015 were conducted in the postpartum period. Out of these postpartum insertions, 2.3% were done in the immediate postpartum period, 27.6% were done during the interval postpartum period and 70.1% were in the delayed postpartum period. Age and implant insertion status (first time ever or continuing) were significant determinants of postpartum Implanon/Nexplanon insertions. Compared to women less than 20 years of age, women in the age group 20-29 and 30-39 were 76% (AOR=0.24, CI=0.62-0.97) and 80% (AOR=0.20, CI=0.05-0.86) respectively less likely to have postpartum Implanon/Nexplanon insertions done. Continuing users of implant insertions were 45% (AOR=0.55, CI=0.37-0.82) less likely to have post-partum Implanon/Nexplanon insertions done compared to first ever users.Conclusions: There is a high uptake of postpartum Implanon/Nexplanon use among patients who receive implant insertions at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. However immediate postpartum Implanon/Nexplanon insertions are low. There is the need to educate women and couples on the benefits of immediate postpartum implant insertion to avoid rapid repeat pregnancies.
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Objective@#This study aimed to determine the energy density and satiety of meals based on the healthy food plate model for Filipino adults.@*Methods@#Thirteen healthy adult volunteers consumed breakfast test meals consisting of 1 cup go food, ½ cup grow food and 1 ½ cups glow food, following the recommended proportions in the plate model. Energy density (kcal/g) of the test meals was calculated. Feelings of hunger and fullness were assessed with 100-mm visual analogue scales (VAS) at pre-prandial (0 minute) and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 240 minutes postprandial. Ghrelin levels at 0, 30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 minutes were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA).@*Results@#The test meals had an average energy density of 0.83 kcal/g. Hunger and fullness scores gradually changed with time but hunger remained significantly lower and fullness significantly higher than the pre-prandial levels at 180 minutes postprandial. Ghrelin declined after intake of the test meals and stayed significantly lower than the pre-prandial level at 240 minutes postprandial (30.21 ± 4.58 pmol/L).@*Conclusion@#Meals following the recommendations in the healthy food plate model for Filipino adults have low energy density and its consumption sustained short-term satiety.
Subject(s)
Ghrelin , HungerABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the energy density and satiety of meals based on the healthy food plate model for Filipino adults.METHODS: Thirteen healthy adult volunteers consumed breakfast test meals consisting of 1 cup go food, ½ cup grow food and 1 ½ cups glow food, following the recommended proportions in the plate model. Energy density (kcal/g) of the test meals was calculated. Feelings of hunger and fullness were assessed with 100-mm visual analogue scales (VAS) at pre-prandial (0 minute) and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 240 minutes postprandial. Ghrelin levels at 0, 30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 minutes were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA).RESULTS: The test meals had an average energy density of 0.83 kcal/g. Hunger and fullness scores gradually changed with time but hunger remained significantly lower and fullness significantly higher than the pre-prandial levels at 180 minutes postprandial. Ghrelin declined after intake of the test meals and stayed significantly lower than the pre-prandial level at 240 minutes postprandial (30.21 ± 4.58 pmol/L).CONCLUSION: Meals following the recommendations in the healthy food plate model for Filipino adults have low energy density and its consumption sustained short-term satiety.
Subject(s)
Humans , Ghrelin , Hunger , Satiety ResponseABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Exchange transfusion as an adjunct to the treatment of severe falciparum malaria has been widely recommended, although there is no well-designed clinical trial to prove its efficacy. The amount of compatible blood required for total exchange is rarely available in areas endemic for malaria and the risks of the procedure including transfusion-related infections are high. METHODS: Partial transfusion with four units of blood was given to a patient with severe falciparum malaria (80% parasitaemia) whose condition deteriorated on conventional treatment with intravenous quinine. RESULTS: This brought about prompt clinical improvement and reduction in parasitaemia. CONCLUSION: Partial transfusion with one or two litres of blood is a promising and viable alternative to total exchange transfusion.