Case report: Dysphagia aortica.

Dysphagia, characterized by abnormal swallowing, presents as oropharyngeal or esophageal dysphagia. Dysphagia aortica, a rare manifestation, results from external aortic compression, leading to swallowing difficulties. Limited literature exists on this condition. We report a 22-year-old male with a complex surgical history, including aortic repairs, who presented with dysphagia and chest pain. Extensive evaluations ruled out other causes. Imaging revealed esophageal compression by an aortic graft. Endoscopy confirmed extrinsic compression. A barium swallow study was unremarkable. A diagnosis of dysphagia aortica was made, and conservative treatment was initiated. Dysphagia aortica remains a rare but noteworthy cause of dysphagia with this case highlighting the importance of considering vascular compression in patients with previous history of aortic surgery. Increased clinical awareness is essential for timely diagnosis and tailored treatment strategies. Further research is needed to establish guidelines for managing this condition, given its diverse causes.

Red-Emitting Pyrrolyl Squaraine Molecular Rotor Reports Variations of Plasma Membrane and Vesicular Viscosity in Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging.

The viscosity that ensures the controlled diffusion of biomolecules in cells is a crucial biophysical parameter. Consequently, fluorescent probes capable of reporting viscosity variations are valuable tools in bioimaging. In this field, red-shifted probes are essential, as the widely used and gold standard probe remains green-emitting molecular rotors based on BODIPY. Here, we demonstrate that pyrrolyl squaraines, red-emissive fluorophores, exhibit high sensitivity over a wide viscosity range from 30 to 4890 mPa·s. Upon alkylation of the pyrrole moieties, the probes improve their sensitivity to viscosity through an enhanced twisted intramolecular charge transfer phenomenon. We utilized this scaffold to develop a plasma membrane probe, pSQ-PM, that efficiently stains the plasma membrane in a fluorogenic manner. Using fluorescence lifetime imaging, pSQ-PM enabled efficient sensing of viscosity variations in the plasma membrane under various conditions and in different cell lines (HeLa, U2OS, and NIH/3T3). Moreover, upon incubation, pSQ-PM stained the membrane of intracellular vesicles and suggested that the lysosomal membranes displayed enhanced fluidity.

Novel Hydrogels Based on the Nano-Emulsion Formulation Process: Development, Rheological Characterization, and Study as a Drug Delivery System.

In this study, we present a new type of polymer-free hydrogel made only from nonionic surfactants, oil, and water. Such a system is produced by taking advantage of the physicochemical behavior and interactions between nonionic surfactants and oil and water phases, according to a process close to spontaneous emulsification used in the production of nano-emulsions. Contrary to the classical process of emulsion-based gel formulation, we propose a simple one-step approach. Beyond the originality of the concept, these nanoemulgels appear as very promising systems able to encapsulate and deliver various molecules with different solubilities. In the first section, we propose a comprehensive investigation of the gel formation process and its limits through oscillatory rheological characterization, characterization of the sol/gel transitions, and gel strength. The second section is focused on the follow-up of the release of an encapsulated model hydrophilic molecule and on the impact of the rheological gel properties on the release profiles.

The educational value of ward rounds as a learning and teaching opportunity for house officers, medical officers, and registrars in Sudanese hospitals: a multi-center cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Ward rounds are a cornerstone in the educational experience of junior doctors and an essential part of teaching patient care. Here, we aimed to assess the doctors' perception of ward rounds as an educational opportunity and to identify the obstacles faced in conducting a proper ward round in Sudanese hospitals. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted from the 15th to the 30th of January 2022 among house officers, medical officers, and registrars in about 50 teaching and referral hospitals in Sudan. House officers and medical officers were considered the learners, while specialist registrars were considered the teachers. Doctors' perceptions were assessed using an online questionnaire, with a 5-level Likert scale to answer questions. RESULTS: A total of 2,011 doctors participated in this study (882 house officers, 697 medical officers, and 432 registrars). The participants were aged 26.9 ± 3.2 years, and females constituted about 60% of the sample. An average of 3.1 ± 6.8 ward rounds were conducted per week in our hospitals, with 11.1 ± 20.3 h spent on ward rounds per week. Most doctors agreed that ward rounds are suitable for teaching patient management (91.3%) and diagnostic investigations (89.1%). Almost all the doctors agreed that being interested in teaching (95.1%) and communicating appropriately with the patients (94.7%) make a good teacher in ward rounds. Furthermore, nearly all the doctors agreed that being interested in learning (94.3%) and communicating appropriately with the teacher (94.5%) make a good student on ward rounds. About 92.8% of the doctors stated that the quality of ward rounds could be improved. The most frequently reported obstacles faced during ward rounds were the noise (70%) and lack of privacy (77%) in the ward environment. CONCLUSION: Ward rounds have a special value in teaching patient diagnosis and management. Being interested in teaching/learning and having good communication skills were the two major criteria that make a good teacher/learner. Unfortunately, ward rounds are faced with obstacles related to the ward environment. It is mandatory to ensure the quality of both ward rounds' teaching and environment to optimize the educational value and subsequently improve patient care practice.

No-biopsy strategy for coeliac disease is applicable in adult patients: a 'real-world' Scottish experience.

Objective: Emergency interim guidance from the British Society for Gastroenterology (BSG) states that a no-biopsy strategy is possible to diagnose coeliac disease (CD) in adults with elevated transglutaminase IgA antibody (TGA-IgA) levels. We aimed to determine if the suggested TGA-IgA ≥10× ULN is safe and robust in making the diagnosis in adult patients in Scotland. We also aimed to establish if any important co-diagnoses would be missed if no biopsy was performed. Method: All positive coeliac serology results for patients aged >15 years in Scotland in 2016 (Grampian 2019) were accessed. Data were collected on demographics, TGA-IgA titres, D1 sampling, histology and macroscopic findings at upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. Results: 1037/1429 patients with positive serology proceeded to biopsy, of which 796/1037 (76.8%) were diagnosed as CD. A total of 320/322 (99.37%) patients with TGA-IgA ≥10× ULN were diagnosed as CD giving the cut-off a positive predictive value of 99.38%. No significant co-pathology was found at endoscopy in these patients. Conclusion: Our results show that a no-biopsy strategy using a cut-off of TGA-IgA ≥10× ULN is safe to diagnose CD and that no important pathology would be missed. The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition 2020 and BSG COVID-19 interim guidelines are applicable to adult patients in Scotland.

Screening and diagnostic testing protocols for HIV and Syphilis infections in health care setting in Qatar: Evaluation and recommendations.

BACKGROUND: HIV and Syphilis are common STIs, which have become a concern and burden on healthcare systems, as many infections go untreated and lead to potentially serious complications. HIV is usually diagnosed with Western blot, PCR, and p24 antigen testing. Whereas, Syphilis is mainly diagnosed through clinical findings and serologic testing. The Medical Commission Department (MC) under MOPH is responsible for screening all newcomers to Qatar, aiming to keep the country free from serious infectious diseases. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the protocols used in the MC for screening HIV and Syphilis infections. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of samples analyzed by 4th Generation ARCHITECT® HIV Ag/Ab Combo and Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) between January to December 2019. ARCHITECT® HIV Ag/Ab Combo positive samples were confirmed by INNO-LIA™ HIVI/II and RT-PCR. RPR-reactive samples were confirmed by ARCHITECT® Syphilis Treponema pallidium Antibody (Syphilis TPA) assay. RESULTS: For HIV, data were collected from 585,587 individuals, of which 595 (0.1%) were positive by the ARCHITECT® HIV Ag/Ab Combo (Analyzer A). When all initially positive sera were re-tested on newly collected blood samples using different ARCHITECT® HIV Ag/Ab Combo analyzer (analyzer B), 99.8% (594/595) of samples were also positive, suggesting high reproducibility. The positive predictive value (PPV) between ARCHITECT® HIV Ag/Ab Combo and the INNO-LIA™ HIVI/II confirmatory assay was 31.8%. The PPV between ARCHITECT® HIV Ag/Ab Combo and HIV-PCR assay was 26.8%. Retrospective data for Syphilis were collected from a total of 97,298 individuals who visited the MC, of which 198 (0.20%) were initially positive by RPR. The PPV between RPR and Syphilis TPA confirmatory assay was 36.6%. CONCLUSION: Despite the high rate of false positivity using ARCHITECT® HIV Ag/Ab Combo and RPR screening assays, both assays have proven to be highly effective as screening testing methods.

Is YouTube a reliable source of health-related information? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: YouTube is a valuable source of health-related educational material which can have a profound impact on people's behaviors and decisions. However, YouTube contains a wide variety of unverified content that may promote unhealthy behaviors and activities. We aim in this systematic review to provide insight into the published literature concerning the quality of health information and educational videos found on YouTube. METHODS: We searched Google Scholar, Medline (through PubMed), EMBASE, Scopus, Direct Science, Web of Science, and ProQuest databases to find all papers on the analysis of medical and health-related content published in English up to August 2020. Based on eligibility criteria, 202 papers were included in our study. We reviewed every article and extracted relevant data such as the number of videos and assessors, the number and type of quality categories, and the recommendations made by the authors. The extracted data from the papers were aggregated using different methods to compile the results. RESULTS: The total number of videos assessed in the selected articles is 22,300 (median = 94, interquartile range = 50.5-133). The videos were evaluated by one or multiple assessors (median = 2, interquartile range = 1-3). The video quality was assessed by scoring, categorization, or based on creators' bias. Researchers commonly employed scoring systems that are either standardized (e.g., GQS, DISCERN, and JAMA) or based upon the guidelines and recommendations of professional associations. Results from the aggregation of scoring or categorization data indicate that health-related content on YouTube is of average to below-average quality. The compiled results from bias-based classification show that only 32% of the videos appear neutral toward the health content. Furthermore, the majority of the studies confirmed either negative or no correlation between the quality and popularity of the assessed videos. CONCLUSIONS: YouTube is not a reliable source of medical and health-related information. YouTube's popularity-driven metrics such as the number of views and likes should not be considered quality indicators. YouTube should improve its ranking and recommender system to promote higher-quality content. One way is to consider expert reviews of medical and health-related videos and to include their assessment data in the ranking algorithm.

Atorvastatin can delay arterial stiffness progression in hemodialysis patients.

PURPOSE: Arterial stiffness is one of the vascular pathologies in hemodialysis (HD) patients with increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Few approaches have been tested to reduce arterial stiffness in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to assess effects of atorvastatin on arterial stiffness in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: This research is a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial which included 50 patients maintained on regular HD. Patients were allocated to receive 10 mg atorvastatin or placebo for 24 weeks. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) as an index of large artery stiffness and augmentation index (AIx) as an index of wave reflections were assessed at baseline and after 6 months in both groups. RESULTS: In atorvastatin group at study end, there was no significant difference from baseline findings in aortic PWV (7.86 ± 2.5 vs 7.88 ± 2.6 m/sec; p = 0.136), AIx (26.04 ± 8.5 vs 26.0 ± 8.6%; p = 0.714) and central pulse pressure (PP) (p = 1.0). On the other hand, in placebo group after 24 weeks, aortic PWV (7.80 ± 2.16 vs 7.63 ± 2.1 m/sec; p < 0.001), AIx (25.88 ± 9.4 vs 25.04 ± 9.4%; p < 0.001) increased significantly from baseline measurements but central pulse pressure (PP) (p = 0.870) did not. Also, the change (Δ) in aortic PWV and AIx was significantly higher than the change in the atorvastatin group with p value of < 0.001 and < 0.001, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial stiffness parameters remained stable in atorvastatin group but increased significantly in placebo-treated patients suggesting a potential role for atorvastatin to delay arterial stiffness progression in HD patients. Larger randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04472637.

Non-prescription pharmacy syringes sales to people who inject drugs (PWID) in Khartoum, Sudan: policy, practice, and perceptions.

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk of contracting blood-borne infections. Many developed countries started a needle exchange program to provide PWID with sterile syringes. In Sudan, healthcare professionals are exposed to legal liability if they cooperate with people who use drugs; therefore, the accessibility to sterile syringes without prescription depends heavily on pharmacists' knowledge and attitude toward PWID.Objectives: Assessing policy, practice, and perceptions of pharmacists toward selling sterile syringes to PWID in Khartoum, Sudan.Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was given to 157 pharmacists (57 male, 100 female).Results: Out of 157 participating pharmacists, 86.6% reported selling syringes without a medical prescription, 53.5% inquired about the reason for buying syringes, and 87.9% refused to sell the syringes to a PWID. 43.3% of participating pharmacists were uncertain about the presence of law to regulate selling syringes without prescriptions. Although 47.7% of the participants agreed that selling empty syringes without a medical prescription to PWID will reduce harm, 68.5% will not sell them to PWID without a medical prescription even if it is encouraged by law due to their religious or moral beliefs.Conclusion: Pharmacists are the main providers of clean syringes for PWID in Khartoum, Sudan. With the majority of them reporting refusal to provide syringes to PWID, this may put PWID at higher risk of contracting blood-borne infections due syringe sharing. This is a challenge to overcome in planning for effective harm reduction programs in Khartoum.

From Muscles to Wires: Report of Two Cases and Literature Review on COVID-19 Vaccination and Cardiac Conduction Disturbance.

Since the end of 2020, several vaccines have become available as part of the global efforts to contain the adverse health outcomes of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although research has confirmed their safety on large scales, several post-marketing reports have revealed some rare cardiovascular side effects. Towards the end of the first half of 2021, multiple reports indicate possible links between COVID-19 vaccines (both mRNA-based vaccine and vector-based vaccines) and myopericarditis. Nevertheless, cardiac conduction disease in this context has only rarely been reported. In this report, we present two cases of probable vaccination-induced cardiac conduction disturbances along with a thorough literature review. In addition, we discuss probable pathophysiological mechanisms and insights into the suggested areas for future research. To our knowledge, these are the first published cases to result in permanent pacemaker implantation.

Persistent Cortical Blindness Following Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) as a Complication of COVID-19 Pneumonia.

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic emerged in China in December 2019. Since then, there have been growing reports of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases with neurological involvement. We present a case of a 54-year-old woman who presented with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, complicated by a prolonged intensive care stay and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). This resulted in persistent cortical blindness (Anton's syndrome). PRES has only rarely been reported in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection and no patients have developed persistent cortical blindness. We summarise the clinical presentation of the patient and review the current literature.

Epilepsy: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Among Secondary School Teachers in Khartoum State.

INTRODUCTION: Epilepsy is a continuing tendency to have seizures, i.e., a convulsion or any transient abnormal event resulting from paroxysmal cerebral neurons discharge, even if the attacks are separated by long intervals. Eighty-nine percent of the global burden of epilepsy is in developing countries. Knowledge about the disease is the cornerstone for its treatment and prevention. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of secondary school teachers toward epilepsy in Khartoum state, Sudan. METHOD: A 38-item structured close ended questionnaire was self-administered to 317 secondary school teachers in Khartoum state, Sudan. RESULTS: The majority of the teachers knew about the term "epilepsy" (93.6%) and had witnessed an epileptic seizure (83.5%). But their knowledge about the etiology and treatment is generally poor: 48% believe that epileptic patients should not be treated normally in the community; 12.9% would tie and 47.6% would put a spoon in the mouth of the seizing patient. CONCLUSION: There is a relatively low level of knowledge, especially about treatment and whether the disease is curable or not. Also there is misconception about the etiology and treatment by traditional means in spite of the high educational level. There is a high level of negative attitude toward epileptic patients, especially in dealing with them as normal people who can live their lives, get married, and work in areas that suit them. There is a good level of positive practice toward epileptic seizures and their first aid measures, but there is also a high level of negative practice that can harm patients like tying them and putting a spoon in their mouths.

Homo sapiens systemic RNA interference-defective-1 transmembrane family member 1 (SIDT1) protein mediates contact-dependent small RNA transfer and microRNA-21-driven chemoresistance.

Locally initiated RNA interference (RNAi) has the potential for spatial propagation, inducing posttranscriptional gene silencing in distant cells. In Caenorhabditis elegans, systemic RNAi requires a phylogenetically conserved transmembrane channel, SID-1. Here, we show that a human SID-1 orthologue, SIDT1, facilitates rapid, contact-dependent, bidirectional small RNA transfer between human cells, resulting in target-specific non-cell-autonomous RNAi. Intercellular small RNA transfer can be both homotypic and heterotypic. We show SIDT1-mediated intercellular transfer of microRNA-21 to be a driver of resistance to the nucleoside analog gemcitabine in human adenocarcinoma cells. Documentation of a SIDT1-dependent small RNA transfer mechanism and the associated phenotypic effects on chemoresistance in human cancer cells raises the possibility that conserved systemic RNAi pathways contribute to the acquisition of drug resistance. Mediators of non-cell-autonomous RNAi may be tractable targets for novel therapies aimed at improving the efficacy of current cytotoxic agents.