Physical activity and mental well-being during COVID-19 pandemic

The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in most nations deciding upon self-isolation and social distancing policies for their citizens to control the pandemic and reduce hospital admission. This review aimed at evaluating the effect of physical activity on mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to augmented levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-2 that led to cardiovascular and neurological disorders associated with highly inflammatory effects of viral infection affecting the brain tissues leading to damage of the nervous system and resulting in cognition dysfunction, insulin sensitivity reduction, and behavioral impairments. Anxiety and depression may lead to negative effects on various quality of life domains, such as being physically inactive. Regular physical activities may reduce inflammatory responses, improve ACE-2 responses, and improve mental well-being during self-isolation and social distancing policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further studies should be conducted to assess the different intensities of physical activities on cardiovascular function, and mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Study of the gut Microbiome Profile in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Single Tertiary Hospital Experience

The role of gut microbiome was recently raised in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study was to elucidate changes in gut microbiome in Egyptian autistic children and its possible correlation with the severity of autism and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The gut bacterial microbiome of 41 ASD children, 45 siblings, and 45 healthy controls were analyzed using quantitative SYBR Green real-time PCR technique targeting 16S rRNA of selected bacteria. The gut microbiome of ASD children and their siblings contained a higher relative abundance of Bacteroides as well as Ruminococcus than controls. Prevotella/Bacteroides (P/B) ratio and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) were significantly lower in both ASD cases and their siblings. The only difference between the autistic cases and their siblings was the significantly higher level of Bifidobacterium in siblings, which appears to offer them a protective role. There was no correlation between the altered gut microbiome and the severity of autism or GI symptoms. The current study showed an evidence of changes in the gut microbiome of autistic children compared to the unrelated control. However, the microbiome profile of siblings was more like that of autistic children than that of unrelated controls indicating that gut microbiota is affected by dietary habits, living conditions together with host genetic factors.     

Cardioprotective effect of hemin in isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction: role of ATP-sensitive potassium channel and endothelial nitric oxide synthase

Ischemic heart disease is a common cardiac health problem. Despite the significant advances in prevention and treatment of this disorder, its incidences and complications are very serious. So, the search for more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents with cardioprotective effects is an urgent task. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a heme oxygenase 1 (HO1) inducer, hemin (HEM), on isoprenaline (ISO)-induced myocardial damage. Forty-five Wistar albino rats were used. Animals were treated with HEM (25 mg/kg/day) i.p. for 5 days and injected with ISO (150 mg/kg/day) i.p. on 4th and 5th day of the experiment. Detection of the role of ATP-sensitive potassium channel (K_ATP) was performed by administration of glibenclamide (GP) (5 mg/kg/day) orally 2 h before HEM. Moreover, the role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was detected by coadministration of Nitro- ω-L-arginine (L-NNA) (25 mg/kg/day) for 5 days. The ISO group showed increase in heart weight, cardiac enzymes, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and malondialdehyde (MDA) with decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH), HO1, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). In addition, there were increases in Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) and cleaved caspase-3, but decreases in B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and eNOS. Moreover, the histopathological examination of the ISO group showed degeneration of the cardiac muscle fibers and marked infiltration of the inflammatory cells. The biochemical and histopathological changes induced by ISO were markedly ameliorated in the HEM plus ISO group. This protective effect was diminished with coadministration of GP or L-NNA; thus, K_ATP and eNOS might mediate HEM cardioprotection.     

A comparative study of transcutaneous interferential electrical stimulation and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on children with primary nocturnal enuresis: a randomized clinical trial

International Urology and Nephrology - Nocturnal enuresis is an infrequent uncontrolled voiding during sleep in a child aged 5 years or more without any congenital or acquired disorders of...     

Contributions of human hippocampal subfields to spatial and temporal pattern separation

We sought to explore the roles of the hippocampal subregions and adjacent medial temporal lobe regions in pattern separation and any differential contributions based on sequential or spatial information. Young adults performed an incidental‐encoding task on a sequence of four objects presented on the screen in one of eight locations while we collected high‐resolution functional MRI brain scans. We employed five trials of interest: first presentations, exact repetitions, lures in which the same objects were repeated in different locations (spatial lures), lures in which the same objects were presented in a different sequential order (sequential lures), and lures in which both the spatial location and sequence were changed (both lures). We found no evidence for spatial or sequential specialization in the hippocampal subfields, consistent with the hypothesis that the dentate gyrus acts as a universal pattern separator. Likewise, we did not observe specialization for the perirhinal or parahippocampal cortices for spatial or sequential information, though both regions show evidence for associative processing in this task. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Management of high-energy tibial plateau fractures by Ilizarov external fixator

Background

Despite the evolution of surgical techniques and implants, high energy tibial plateau fractures remain a challenging problem. The goals of treatment are to obtain a well-aligned stable joint with a painless functional range of motion and prevention of posttraumatic arthritis. Indirect reduction techniques and other soft tissue preservation methods safeguard the vascularity and emphasize restoring both joint congruity and the mechanical axis of the limb. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of using Ilizarov external fixator in the treatment of Schatzker type V–VI tibial plateau fracture.

Methods

This study was done during the period 2009–2011 for the treatment of 30 patients with high energy tibial plateau fractures (Schatzker type V in 17 and type VI in 13 patients) by Ilizarov external fixator. The mean age was 36 years .There were 23 males. The right limb was affected in 17 patients. There were 10 open fractures and other associated injuries in 9 patients.

Results

The mean of follow up period was 18 months. All the fractures were united in an average time of 15 weeks. There were pin track infection in 20 patients and other few complications in 8 patients. According to knee society score, there was an excellent result in 16.7 %, good in 60 %, fair in 20 %, and poor in 3.3 %.

Conclusion

Ilizarov external fixation is a safe and effective treatment option for high energy tibial plateau fractures with good functional results.