Plasma Free Fatty Acids and Metabolic Effect in Type 2 Diabetes,an Ancillary Study from a Randomized Clinical Trial

Most nutrition studies looking at the association of food with cardiometabolic markers rely on food frequency questionnaires, which are prone to recall bias. Pentadecanoic acid, heptadecanoic acid and trans-palmitoleic acid are fatty acids that are not synthesized endogenously but are obtained from the diet, particularly dairy, making them reasonable biomarkers of dairy consumption. We investigated the association of dairy fatty acid biomarkers with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a clinical trial, 111 participants with T2D (age 58.5 ± 8.9 years, HbA1c 8.09 ± 0.96%) were randomized into three groups: a control group that maintained baseline dairy intake, a low-fat (LF) group that incorporated ≥3 servings/day of LF dairy and a high-fat (HF) group that incorporated ≥3 servings/day of HF dairy. We compared the fatty acids (FA) composition between the three groups at 24 weeks. Pentadecanoic acid and trans-palmitoleic acid increased in the HF group by 14.1% ± 5.4% and 17.5% ± 5.1%, respectively, but not in the control and LF groups (p = 0.0474 and p = 0.0025 for group-by-time interaction, respectively). Those increases were positively associated with changes in total cholesterol, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol VLDL-C and triglycerides but were not associated with changes in HbA1c from baseline to 24 weeks. These results suggest that the intervention was successful and that participants were likely compliant, which supports the validity of the main trial.     

New approaches for diagnosis of dry eye disease

We reviewed the literature for different diagnostic approaches for dry eye disease (DED) including the most recent advances, contradictions and promising diagnostic tools and technique. We performed a broad literature search for articles discussing different methods for diagnosis of DED including assessment of tear osmolarity, tear film stability, ocular biomarkers and others. Articles indexed in PubMed and google scholar were included. With the growing cosmetic industry, environmental pollution, and booming of digital screens, DED is becoming more prevalent. Its multifactorial etiology renders the diagnosis challenging and invites the emergence of new diagnostic tools and tests. Diagnostic tools can be classified, based on the parameter they measure, into tear film osmolarity, functional visual acuity, tear volume, tear turnover, tear film stability, tear film composition, ocular biomarkers and others. Although numerous methods exist, the most accurate diagnosis can be reached through combining the results of more than one test. Many reported tests have shown potential as diagnostic/screening tools, however, require more research to prove their diagnostic power, alone or in combination. Future research should focus on identifying and measuring parameters that are the most specific to DED diagnosis.     

Erythropoietin neuroprotection with traumatic brain injury

Numerous experimental studies in recent years have suggested that erythropoietin (EPO) is an endogenous mediator of neuroprotection in various central nervous system disorders, including TBI. Many characteristics of EPO neuroprotection that have been defined in TBI experimental models suggest that it is an attractive candidate for a new treatment of TBI. EPO targets multiple mechanisms known to cause secondary injury after TBI, including anti-excitotoxic, antioxidant, anti-edematous, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. EPO crosses the blood–brain barrier. EPO has a known dose response and time window for neuroprotection and neurorestoration that would be practical in the clinical setting. However, EPO also stimulates erythropoiesis, which can result in thromboembolic complications. Derivatives of EPO which do not bind to the classical EPO receptor (carbamylated EPO) or that have such a brief half-life in the circulation that they do not stimulate erythropoiesis (asialo EPO and neuro EPO) have the neuroprotective activities of EPO without these potential thromboembolic adverse effects associated with EPO administration. Likewise, a peptide based on the structure of the Helix B segment of the EPO molecule that does not bind to the EPO receptor (pyroglutamate Helix B surface peptide) has promise as another alternative to EPO that may provide neuroprotection without stimulating erythropoiesis.     

Discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy for a month in a patient with HeartMate III continuous-flow left ventricular assist device without thromboembolic events

The recommended anticoagulation regimen for continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) systems is warfarin and aspirin with a targeted international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0–3.0. Our patient is a 58-year-old male who underwent surgical HeartMate III continuous-flow LVAD implantation 3?months ago outside the country. The patient mistakenly stopped taking warfarin for 1?month prior to presenting to our center for a routine visit. Luckily, the patient was doing very well without any complication despite the fact that his INR was 1.0.     

Diagnosis of the multiple effect of selenium nanoparticles decorated by Asteriscus graveolens components in inhibiting HepG2 cell proliferation

Using plant bio-components for Designing green metal nanoparticles was considered as one of the most important methods in nanomedical application field due to their eco-friendly, cheap source, easily obtainable and having a high detection result. In this report, we fabricated eco-friendly engineering and cost-effective technique for green selenium nanoparticles from 0.01 M H₂SeO₃ solution using Asteriscus graveolens leaves extract as reducing and a capping agent at ambient temperature. Spectral techniques have been used to identify the formatted Selenium nanoparticles such as UV–Vis, pH, XPs, FT-IR, XRD, LDS, Z.P, EDS, TEM and AFM spectroscopy, which showed a size of 20 nm with spherical shape. Herein, the multi-effect of decorated Se-NPs surface have been evaluated, firstly on the hemolysis that showed completely hemocompatibility. Cytotoxicity assay showed that Se-NPs have a high selective effect on the HepG2 apoptosis and which proved by phase-contrast microscopy. Furthermore, the effect of nanoparticles on the action of the mechanism internal revealed that Se-NPs significantly and rapidly increased the level of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, while caused decreased the potential of mitochondrial membrane and glutathione level, which they together responsible on regulating the HepG2 cells fate. Furthermore, Flow cytometry analysis gave high values about S and G2/M phases of cell cycle resulting from Se-NPs effectiveness. In the end, with all the recorded information that has been measured in this study, this report provides a suitable and effective pathway for the green fabrication of Se-NPs decorated by biomolecules having high anticancer inhibited.