A comparative study to evaluate the effect of double dartos flaps in primary hypospadias repair: no fistula anymore

Purpose  

The aim of this study was to compare the complication rates of the single flap and double flaps versus flapless procedure in the tubularized incised plate urethroplasty.     

Antioxidant enzyme levels in cases with gastrointesinal cancer

The aim is to evaluate the antioxidant enzyme levels in tumoral tissues and accompanying normal tissues in gastrointestinal cancer; and compare the colorectal cancer (CRC) with gastric cancer (GC).MethodAntioxidant enzymes including glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glucose 6 phosphate dehyrogenase (G6PD) which are important for anti-oxidant functions were evaluated in fresh tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues obtained from a total of 58 patients.ResultsAll the enzyme levels were higher in tumoral tissues compared to normal tissue from non-cancerous disease. There was not a significant difference for enzyme levels between CRC and GC groups except GPx. GPx activity tended to be higher in cases without serosal involvement (SI), and this activity was higher in cases without lymph node (LN) involvement in normal tissue (p = 0.012). MDA activity was higher in cases without serosal involvement compared to with SI groups in tumor tissue (p = 0.050). G6PD activity in normal tissue was higher in cases with serosal involvement and LN involvement (p = 0.064, 0.046, respectively). GR activity was higher in signet ring cell cancer (SRC) than adeno cancer. In GC, G6PD activity in tumor was tended to be higher in undifferentiated cancer (p = 0.071).ConclusionThe antioxidant enzymes activities such as GPX, SOD, G6PD, MDA and GR were found to be related with malignant phenotype in gastrointestinal cancers. We need further studies to understand the biologic and clinical importance of these enzymes in GI cancers.     

Perturbation of phospholipid and triacylglycerol fatty acid positional location in the heart of rats depleted of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturates

Rats depleted of long-chain polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids (n-3–D) display several features of the metabolic syndrome, including obesity, liver steatosis, insulin resistance, hypertension, and cardiac hypertrophy. In this study, the heart phospholipid (PL) and triacylglycerol (TG) fatty acid content and pattern were compared between female control rats (C) and n-3–D rats. The sole n-3 fatty acids found in n-3–D rats, C22:5(n-3) and C22:6(n-3), were 10 to 20 times lower than in C. The total fatty acid content of PL was lower in n-3–D rats than C. No ectopic TG accumulation was found in n-3–D rats. In both PL and TG, the C16:0/C16:1(n-7) and C18:0/C18:1(n-9) ratios suggested increased Δ9-desaturase activity in n-3–D rats. The PL C18:2(n-6)/C20:4(n-6) and C20:4(n-6)/C22:4(n-6) ratios were also lower in n-3–D rats than C. Prior intravenous injection of a medium-chain TG:fish oil emulsion to n-3–D rats 60 to 120 minutes before killing augmented the PL content in C22:5(n-3) and C22:6(n-3), minimized the age-related decrease in the PL C18:1(n-9) relative content, and increased the TG C22:4(n-6) content. The alteration of cardiac function in n-3–D rats and its improvement after injection of medium-chain TG:fish oil emulsion coincides with parallel changes in heart lipid fatty acid content and pattern.     

The effect of font size and type on reading performance with Arabic words in normally sighted and simulated cataract subjects

Background: Previous investigations have shown that reading is the most common functional problem reported by patients at a low vision practice. While there have been studies investigating effect of fonts in normal and low vision patients in English, no study has been carried out in Arabic. Additionally, there has been no investigation into the use of optimum print sizes or fonts that should be used in Arabic books and leaflets for low vision patients. Methods: Arabic sentences were read by 100 normally sighted volunteers with and without simulated cataract. Subjects read two font types (Times New Roman and Courier) in three different sizes (N8, N10 and N12). The subjects were asked to read the sentences aloud. The reading speed was calculated as number of words read divided by the time taken, while reading rate was calculated as the number of words read correctly divided by the time taken. Results: There was an improvement in reading performance of normally sighted and simulated visually impaired subjects when the print size increased. There was no significant difference in reading performance between the two types of font used at small print size, however the reading rate improved as print size increased with Times New Roman. Conclusion: The results suggest that the use of N12 print in Times New Roman enhanced reading performance in normally sighted and simulated cataract subjects.     

Short- and long-term effect of simvastatin therapy on the heterogeneity of cardiac repolarization in diabetic patients

The interlead variability of QT interval in the 12-lead electrocardiogram, QT dispersion (QTd), has been shown to reflect dispersion of ventricular refractoriness and may provide a measure of arrhythmogenic potential in diabetic patients. QTd and heart rate corrected QTd (QTcd) were also proposed to be accurate predictors of cardiac death in patients with diabetes. In recent years, experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates that statins exert antiarrhythmic properties. Therefore, in the present study, we have examined whether simvastatin treatment has any effect on the QTd and QTcd in patients with diabetes mellitus. Sixty type 2 diabetic patients without known coronary artery disease and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol >100mg/dl and 30 age and sex-matched non-diabetic controls were included in a prospective study. Out of 60 diabetic patients, 30 were treated with simvastatin 40 mg/day for 1 year and the remaining 30 subjects were served as diabetic controls. No lipid lowering therapy was administered to the diabetic and the non-diabetic controls. QTd and QTcd of treated diabetics and the non-diabetic controls were measured at baseline, 6, 12 weeks and at 1 year. QTd and QTcd of the diabetic controls were obtained at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. Both QTd and QTcd were significantly greater in patients with the diabetes than in the non-diabetic controls at baseline (52+/-13 ms vs. 41+/-12 ms, p<0.001 and 62+/-17 ms vs. 42+/-11 ms, p<0.001, respectively). Simvastatin therapy significantly decreased both QTd and QTcd at the end of first year compared to baseline (51+/-15 ms vs. 33+/-11 ms, p<0.001 and 60+/-18 ms vs. 38+/-12 ms, p<0.001, respectively). No significant change were found in QTd and QTcd in the non-diabetic (p=0.29 and p=0.87 by ANOVA, respectively) and in the diabetic controls (p=0.72 and p=0.57, by ANOVA, respectively). This study suggests for the first time that simvastatin treatment in diabetic patients with hyperlipidemia is associated with an improvement in the heterogeneity of cardiac repolarization. This may be one of the mechanisms for the reduction in clinical events reported in the survival studies with statins. Further prospective randomized studies are warranted to confirm our findings.     

Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of 1-[(sub)]-6-fluoro-3-[(sub)]-1, 3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl-7-piperazino-1, 4-dihydro-4-quinolinone derivatives

A series of 1-[(sub)]-6-fluoro-3- [(sub)]-1, 3, 4-oxadiazol-2-yl-7-piperazino-1, 4-dihydro 4-quinolinones were synthesized by the reaction between ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin with an appropriate acid hydrazide in phosphorous oxychloride. All newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against human lung tumor cell lines (A 549). Fluoroquinolone with oxadiazole (Q ₂ ) 1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-3- [5-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]-7-piperazino-1, 4-dihydro-4-quinolinone was found to be the most active compound in vitro with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 9.0 μg/mL.     

Lead concentrations in maternal and cord blood in women users of surma eye cosmetics

A prospective study was undertaken to analyse the lead concentrations in maternal and cord blood of 71 pregnant Arab women at term who used eye cosmetics, particularly "surma". A total of 64 mothers (90%) used eye cosmetics throughout pregnancy, and, of these, 45% used surma. The lead content of the cosmetics available in the market was found to vary between zero and 88%. The mean lead concentrations in all blood samples were higher than the accepted natural levels of 0.001 mumol/l, but lower than the subtoxic level of 1.9 mumol/l. The mean lead concentration of all samples was lower than the subtoxic level of 1.9 mumol/l but higher than that quoted in the literature and suggested to be a natural level (0.001 mumol/l). This indicates that other lead pollutants may be involved. Lead concentrations in maternal and cord blood correlated well, but did not show any significant difference between surma and non-surma users. None of the newborns showed apparent congenital anomalies and their birthweights were comparable to average Saudi birthweights.     

Isolation of dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi from surface sediments of the Shatt Al-Arab River and its creeks at Basrah, Iraq

Summary. Twenty-five sediment samples were taken from randomly selected sites in the Shatt Al-Arab River and its creeks and analysed for dermatophytes and related keratinophilic fungi. The results revealed that out of 25 samples only 13 (52%) yielded dermatophytes and related keratinophilic fungi. A total of nine species in four genera were isolated. The most frequent genera isolated in this study were Chrysosporium and its teleomorph Aphanoascus . The species most frequently found were Aphanoascus julvescens, A. durus, Chrysosporium crassitunicatum, Chr. keratinophilum and Chr. tropicum (each n =3). Microsporum was represented by two species, namely M. fulvum and M. gypseum. Trichophyton was represented by one species, T. verrucosum . The occurrence of these fungi illustrates that sediments may act as a reservoir for potentially pathogenic fungi for human and animals.
Zusammenfassung. Fünfundzwanzig Sedimentproben wurden von zufällig ausgewählten Orten im Shatt Al-Arab-Fluß und seinen Neben-flüssen gewonnen und auf Dermatophyten und sonstige keratinophile Pilze untersucht. Es stellte sich heraus, daβ von 25 Proben nur 13 (52%) keratinophile Pilze enthielten. Insgesamt wurden neun Arten aus vier Gattungen isoliert. Die in dieser Studie am häufigsten isolierte Gattung war Chrysosporium und sein Teleomorph Aphanoascus . Die am häufigsten isolierten Arten waren Aphanoascus fulvescens, A. durus, Chrysosporium crassitunicatum, Chr. keratinophilum und Chr. tropicum. Microsporum war durch zwei Isolate repräsentiert, nämlich M. fulvum und M. gypseum. Trichophyton war nur durch die Art T. verrucosum vertreten. Flußsedimente können also als mögliches Reservoir für potentielle mensch- und tierpathogene Pilze angesehen werden.