Egyptian sweet marjoram leaves protect against genotoxicity, immunosuppression and other complications induced by cyclophosphamide in albino rats

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is one of the most popular alkylating anticancer drugs that show a high therapeutic index, despite the widespread side effects and toxicity particularly in high-dose regimens and long-term use. Here, we evaluated and compared the efficacy of two different doses (50 and 100?mg/kg body weight, given orally for 30 consecutive days) of Egyptian sweet marjoram leaf powder (MLP) and marjoram leaf aqueous extract (MLE) in alleviating the genotoxicity, immunosuppression and other complications induced by CP in non-tumour-bearing albino rats. The present study showed (probably for the first time) that both MLP and MLE significantly alleviated (P?相似文献   

Lower-limb vascularization in diabetic patients. Assessment by thallium-201 scanning coupled with exercise myocardial scintigraphy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate, by thallium-201 scanning, circulation in the muscles of the lower limb (LL) in diabetic patients without clinical peripheral vascular disease but with a high cardiovascular risk profile. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 80 diabetic patients (76 patients with type 2 diabetes, mean age 57.3 years, duration of diabetes 13.0 +/- 7.5 years) with more than one additional cardiovascular risk factor but no claudication were investigated. After stress testing, 1.5 MBq/kg thallium-201 was administered to perform myocardial single-photon emission computed tomography followed by LL scanning. Muscle blood flow was considered abnormal if the asymmetry in thallium-201 uptake between the two buttocks and/or thighs and/or calves was > 10%. RESULTS: Muscle perfusion defects were found in 42% of the patients, mainly in the calves. These defects correlated with retinopathy (P = 0.042) and the HbA1c level (P = 0.044). In patients with defects in the buttock and/or thigh, the prevalence of nephropathy and retinopathy was higher than in those with isolated defects in the calf (P = 0.032 and 0.023, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that LL scanning coupled with myocardial scintigraphy is a convenient method of investigating peripheral muscle circulation. Proximal perfusion defects in patients without clinical arterial disease are associated with increased prevalence of retinopathy and nephropathy and, therefore, may be due to microvascular disease of LL muscle. Distal defects may indicate silent macrovascular disease of the LL.     

Manual removal versus spontaneous delivery of the placenta at cesarean section in developing countries: a randomized controlled trial and review of literature

Purpose: Cesarean section (CS) rates have increased; this is especially concerning in developing countries. The mode of placental delivery contributes to morbidity associated with CS and determines blood loss during CS. We aimed to compare manual removal versus spontaneous delivery of the placenta at CS.

Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, 574 women admitted for primary or repeat elective CS were randomized into two groups. In group A, the placenta was manually removed, whereas in group B, the placenta was left for spontaneous delivery. Blood loss, operative and postoperative data were recorded.

Results: Blood loss was 875.2?±?524.2?ml in group A versus 731.8?±?426.7?ml in group B (p?=?.001), with a significant drop in postoperative HB (p?=?.015) and HCT (p?=?.031). In group A, odds ratios for blood loss (>1000?ml), HB drop (>?4g/dl), postpartum hemorrhage and blood transfusion were 2.581, 2.850, 2.614 and 1.665, respectively. However, the total operative time (p?=?.326), duration of hospital stay (p?=?.916) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission (p?=?.453) were not statistically different between the two groups.

Conclusions: Manual removal of the placenta at CS is associated with a higher risk of blood loss, postpartum hemorrhage and blood transfusion, with no decrease in operative time.     

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise for Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Physical exercise may be beneficial to breast cancer (BC) survivors. Here, we systematically summarized the effects of aerobic exercise in BC survivors. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of knowledge, Scopus, Cochrane Central, Virtual Health Library and PEDRO databases for relevant RCTs, comparing aerobic exercise with usual care among BC survivors. Data were extracted and evidence was synthesized narratively. Results: Twelve studies were included in this systematic review. Studies reported that aerobic exercise can significantly improve the quality of life in BC survivors. Moreover, aerobic exercise alleviated the symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, current evidence from the included studies showed that there was no significant benefit for aerobic exercise in terms of weight loss. Conclusion: Our study suggests that aerobic exercise is beneficial to BC survivors. Clinical Relevance: Aerobic exercise should be recommended in the therapeutic and rehabilitative regimens of BC survivors.     

Surgical Causes of Failure in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

Objectives: Evaluate causes of surgical failure at time of revision endoscopic sinus surgery. Study Design: Prospective review of 682 cases that had endoscopic sinus surgery performed between 1991 and 1995. Methods: In all cases, variables of age, sex, asthma, allergy, computed tomography stage, associated procedures, complications, and operative findings were collected. Those cases that had a failure after a previous endoscopic sinus procedure and not an intranasal procedure or an external procedure were evaluated. Results: Fifty-two patients (7.6%) were identified. The age range was 24 to 70 years. The most common cause of failure was residual air cells and adhesions in the ethmoid area (30.7%), followed by maxillary sinus ostium stenosis in 27%, frontal sinus ostium stenosis in 25%, and a separate maxillary sinus ostium stenosis in 15% of the cases. Conclusion: Review of surgical causes of failure in endoscopic sinus surgery patients revealed that residual air cells and stenotic maxillary or frontal sinus ostium were the most common causes of failures.     

The clinical and genetic landscape of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies in Egyptian children

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are a heterogeneous group of epilepsies characterized by early-onset, refractory seizures associated with developmental regression or impairment, with a heterogeneous genetic landscape including genes implicated in various pathways and mechanisms. We retrospectively studied the clinical and genetic data of patients with genetic DEE who presented at two tertiary centers in Egypt over a 10-year period. Exome sequencing was used for genetic testing. We report 74 patients from 63 unrelated Egyptian families, with a high rate of consanguinity (58%). The most common seizure type was generalized tonic–clonic (58%) and multiple seizure types were common (55%). The most common epilepsy syndrome was early infantile DEE (50%). All patients showed variable degrees of developmental impairment. Microcephaly, hypotonia, ophthalmological involvement and neuroimaging abnormalities were common. Eighteen novel variants were identified and the phenotypes of five DEE genes were expanded with novel phenotype–genotype associations. Obtaining a genetic diagnosis had implications on epilepsy management in 17 patients with variants in 12 genes. In this study, we expand the phenotype and genotype spectrum of DEE in a large single ethnic cohort of patients. Reaching a genetic diagnosis guided precision management of epilepsy in a significant proportion of patients.     

Validity of the Arabic version of the eating attitude test

Objectives: To assess the validity of the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) in Arabic as a screening instrument in nonclinical populations. Methods: A representative sample of Grade 7–12 female students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was selected randomly but proportional to various social classes. The girls were independently assessed by the EAT-26 and a structured clinical interview. Results: One hundred twenty-nine subjects were included. Twenty-five were identified by EAT-26 as having abnormal eating attitudes. One case was identified as anorexia nervosa by the interview and no cases of bulimia were found. Discussion: EAT-26 was found to be highly sensitive and reasonably specific. Like some other studies in non-Western populations, it yielded a high false positive rate and a low positive predictive value. Because of its low cost and practicality, EAT-26 might be a useful tool in screening large populations for eating disorders. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Bioactive natural products from marine sponges belonging to family Hymedesmiidae

Natural products of marine origin exhibit extensive biological activities, and display a vital role in the exploration of new compounds for drug development. Marine sponges have been reported at the top with respect to the discovery of biologically active metabolites that have potential pharmaceutical applications. The family Hymedesmiidae belonging to the Demospongiae class includes ten accepted genera, of which four genera were explored for their bioactive metabolites, namely Phorbas, Hamigera, Hemimycale, and Kirkpatrickia. Genus Phorbas has received more attention due to the isolation of various classes of compounds with unique structures mainly diterpenes, alkaloids, sesterterpenes, and steroids that exhibited diverse biological activities including: antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory, whereas anticancer compounds predominated. This review focuses on the isolated secondary metabolites from family Hymedesmiidae with their biological potential and covers the literature from 1989 to 2020.

Natural products of marine origin exhibit extensive biological activities, and display a vital role in the exploration of new compounds for drug development.     

Natural coumarins as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents supported by docking analysis

COVID-19 is a global pandemic first identified in China, causing severe acute respiratory syndrome. One of the therapeutic strategies for combating viral infections is the search for viral spike proteins as attachment inhibitors among natural compounds using molecular docking. This review aims at shedding light on the antiviral potential of natural products belonging to the natural-products class of coumarins up to 2020. Moreover, all these compounds were filtered based on ADME analysis to determine their physicochemical properties, and the best 74 compounds were selected. Using virtual-screening methods, the selected compounds were investigated for potential inhibition of viral main protease (Mpro), viral methyltransferase (nsp16/10 complex), viral recognition binding domain (RBD) of S-protein, and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is the human receptor for viral S-protein targets, using molecular-docking studies. Promising potential results against SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and methyltransferase (nsp16) are presented.

Potential of coumarins against Covid-19.