IL-8 as a potential in-vitro severity biomarker for dengue disease

@#Dengue is a common infection, caused by dengue virus. There are four different dengue serotypes, with different capacity to cause severe dengue infections. Besides, secondary infections with heterologous serotypes, concurrent infections of multiple dengue serotypes may alter the severity of dengue infection. This study aims to compare the severity of single infection and concurrent infections of different combinations of dengue serotypes in-vitro. Human mast cells (HMC)-1.1 were infected with single and concurrent infections of multiple dengue serotypes. The infected HMC-1.1 supernatant was then added to human umbilical cord vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) and severity of dengue infections was measured by the percentage of transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). Levels of IL- 10, CXCL10 and sTRAIL in HMC-1.1 and IL-8, IL-10 and CXCL10 in HUVEC culture supernatants were measured by the ELISA assays. The result showed that the percentage of TEER values were significantly lower in single infections (p< 0.05), compared to concurrent infections on day 2 and 3, indicating that single infection increase endothelial permeability greater than concurrent infections. IL-8 showed moderate correlation with endothelial permeability (r > 0.4), indicating that IL-8 may be suitable as an in-vitro severity biomarker. In conclusion, this in-vitro model presented few similarities with regards to the conditions in dengue patients, suggesting that it could serve as a severity model to test for severity and levels of severity biomarkers upon different dengue virus infections.

Preoperative Imaging Modalities to Predict the Risk of Regional Nodal Recurrence in Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancers

Introduction Thyroid cancer incidence has increased in the previous 2 decades. Preoperative identification of lymph node metastasis is a suggested risk factor associated with recurrence following thyroidectomy. Objectives We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of preoperative radiologic investigations of nodal status in determining the postoperative risk of regional nodal recurrence in cases of well-differentiated thyroid cancer. Methods This is a case series. We retrospectively reviewed data, including preoperative ultrasonography and/or computed tomography results, on patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer at our hospital between 2006 and 2012. Prognostic factors for predicting recurrence, including age, sex, tumor diameter, and nodal diameter, were evaluated. Results Total thyroidectomy was performed on 24 male and 74 female patients (median age, 43 years). The median follow-up time was 21 months. Sixty-eight patients had papillary thyroid cancer, and 30 had follicular cancer. Nodal recurrence was evident in 30% of patients, and 4% of patients died. Identification of lymph node involvement during preoperative radiologic investigations was strongly prognostic for recurrence: 35.3% of patients with positive preoperative ultrasonography findings and 62.5% of those with positive preoperative computed tomography findings had recurrence (p = 0.01). Conclusions Preoperative identification of lymph node metastasis on radiologic studies was correlated with an increased risk of regional nodal recurrence in well-differentiated thyroid cancer. Computed tomography was superior to ultrasonography in detecting metastatic nodal involvement preoperatively and is therefore recommended for preoperative assessment and postoperative follow-up. .

Partial superficial parotidectomy for pleomorphic adenoma

This study aimed to determine the indications of partial superficial parotidectomy with extracapsular dissection and traditional superficial parotidectomy for the removal of pleomorphic adenoma. Retrospective review study. Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, King Abdulaziz University, KSA. Treatment of 30 patients of pleomorphic adenoma is reviewed. Partial superficial parotidectomy [PSP] and extracapsular dissection [ECD] were performed using nerve monitoring. Most of the tumors were 4-5 cm in diameter and located in the lower half of the gland. Postoperatively, we had 5 facial nerves weakness, which resolved within three months. No tumor recurrence or postoperative depression was observed. Some of the gland function was retained. This alternative approach is safe and can be considered in cases of small tumors of the superficial lobe of the parotid gland.

Effects of oral contraceptives intake on the gingiva

The use of contraceptive medication has been shown to increase gingival inflammatory reacting to local irritants. To determine the effect of oral contraceptive pills and the duration of drug intake on the plaque index, gingival index and probing depth. A total of 30 women of the age group 19-40 years attending a primary health care center in Al-Ramadi city were selected and permitted to start taking contraceptive pills. Three visits were arranged of three months interval between the visits. Plague index, gingival index and probing depth were measured at the three visits. The results revealed a significant difference in the mean plaque index and the mean gingival index among the three visits. Regarding the probing depth, 23.3%of women had pocket depth of 4 and 5 mm and this percentage was the same for the three visits. Results indicate that women taking contraceptive pills had increasing mean of plaque and gingival indices with increasing the duration of drug intake. Probing depth was found the same through the three visits

The effects of short-term, rapid glycemic control on the peroneal nerve function and serum VCAM-1 and AGE in type 2 diabetic patients in Malaysia.

Background : The role of endothelial injury and circulating adhesion molecule in the development and progression of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in the long-term has been established previously. Aims:0 To study the effects of short-term glycemic control using insulin and oral hypoglycemic agent therapy (OHA) on the peroneal nerve function and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) levels in type 2 diabetic patients. Settings and Design : A randomized controlled study involving poorly controlled (HbA1c, 7.5%-11%) type 2 diabetic patients attending the endocrinology outpatient center in a tertiary hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Materials and Methods Twenty-nine patients were randomized to receive insulin (n=15) or OHA (n=14) for 8 weeks. The glycemic variables (HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose [FPG], fructosamine), VCAM-1, serum AGE and the peroneal motor conduction velocity (PMCV) were measured at baseline and at 4-week intervals. Statistical Analysis Used : Paired 't' test or Kruskal Wallis test; and the unpaired 't' test or Mann-Whitney U test were used for within-group and between-group analyses, respectively. Correlation was analyzed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results : Within-group analysis showed significant progressive improvement in HbA1c at weeks 4 and 8 in the insulin group. The PMCV improved significantly in both groups by week 8, and by week 4 (P = 0.01) in the insulin group. PMCV correlated negatively with VCAM-1 (P = 0.031) and AGE (P = 0.009) at week 8. Conclusion : Aggressive glycemic control with insulin improves the peroneal nerve function within 4 weeks. Improvement in the serum VCAM-1 and AGE levels correlated significantly with improvement in peroneal nerve conduction velocity only in the insulin group.

Compound heterozygosity for Hb S and Hb S-Oman: Case report

The haematological and clinical findings of a three year old Omani girl, phenotypically compound heterozygote for Hb S and Hb S Oman, are presented, further substantiated by family studies. The necessity of reviewing cases with sickle cell haemoglobin in Oman is stressed

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modeling investigation of some new benzimidazole analogs as antiviral agents

A set of heterocyclic benzimidazole derivatives bearing 1,3,5-triazine group with different substituents at C-2 and C-5 of the benzimidazole ring have been synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral activities against HSV-1. The structures of these compounds have been established by analytical data, IR spectra, [1]H NMR, and mass spectra. Compounds 8a and 8b proved to be the most active antiherpetic agents in this study, at EC[50]% concentrations of 2.9, 3.4 mg/ml, respectively. Computational evaluation of the quantum chemical descriptors such as hydrophobicity [log P], HOMO and LUMO, and the gap energy, were calculated and correlated with the antiviral activity. The tested compounds showed proper degree of hydrophobicity [<0.5 - >5]. The HOMO-LUMO gap energy values of the tested compounds are comparable with the observed values for the antiviral drug, Acyclovir

Effects of Vitamin E on food intake and body weight in rats exposed to restraint stress

Many investigators have shown that stress suppresses food intake and reduces body weight in rats. The effect of vitamin E on body weight and food intake in rats exposed to stress were studied. Male Sprague Dawley rats [n = 80] were fed with either normal chow, vitamin E deficient diet or vitamin E with or without oral supplementation of either tocopherol, tocotrienol or Tocomin at 60mg/kg body weight. The rats were treated with these different diet regimes for 28 days prior to exposure to stress. Repetitive stress was applied, whereby the rats were restrained 2 hours daily for 4 consecutive days. The body weight and food intake was measured, weekly and after exposure to stress. The findings showed that vitamin E deficiency induced by feeding rats with vitamin E deficient diet for 28 days resulted in significantly lower body weight and food intake compared to the control animals given [normal chow]. Supplementation with vitamin E in different forms, tocopherol, tocotrienol or Tocomin to the deficient diet was unable to increase the body weight or food intake, where both parameters were comparable with rats fed with deficient diet alone. It is possible that the dose of the vitamin E given was inadequate to maintain the food consumption and prevent the drop in body weight. Exposure to stress caused a further reduction in both the food intake and body weight in all groups and this suggests that the normal level of vitamin E in normal chow nor the supplementation with tocopherol and tocotrienol at the dose 60mg/kg was able to protect against changes in the body weight and food intake due to stress. We therefore conclude that vitamin E deficiency and stress can reduce food intake and cause a reduction in body weight. Stress can worsen the status of the two parameters and in vitamin E supplementation at 60 mg/kg body weight is not sufficient to prevent the changes in the body weight or food intake due to vitamin E deficiency or stress

Zinc therapy for the diagnosis and treatment of acrodermatitis enteropathica.

The therapeutic effect of orally administered zinc sulphate was evaluated in 16 patients with acrodermatitis enteropathica [AE]. Zinc serum levels in these patients and apparently healthy close relatives to patients [the control group] were estimated by atomic absorption spectrophotometric technique. The present study was found a low zinc serum levels in all patients with AE compared to the control group [p<0.001]. Oral zinc sulphate therapy resulted in rapid and complete clinical response. The study concluded that zinc therapy could be used as a diagnostic test as the basic treatment of AE