A novel study on amyloid β peptide 40, 42 and 40/42 ratio in Saudi autistics

Objectives  

We examined whether plasma concentrations of amyloid beta (Aβ) as protein derivatives play a central role in the etiology of autistic features.     

A systematic approach for the location of hand sanitizer dispensers in hospitals

Compliance with hand hygiene practices is directly affected by the accessibility and availability of cleaning agents. Nevertheless, the decision of where to locate these dispensers is often not explicitly or fully addressed in the literature. In this paper, we study the problem of selecting the locations to install alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers throughout a hospital unit as an indirect approach to maximize compliance with hand hygiene practices. We investigate the relevant criteria in selecting dispenser locations that promote hand hygiene compliance, propose metrics for the evaluation of various location configurations, and formulate a dispenser location optimization model that systematically incorporates such criteria. A complete methodology to collect data and obtain the model parameters is described. We illustrate the proposed approach using data from a general care unit at a collaborating hospital. A cost analysis was performed to study the trade-offs between usability and cost. The proposed methodology can help in evaluating the current location configuration, determining the need for change, and establishing the best possible configuration. It can be adapted to incorporate alternative metrics, tailored to different institutions and updated as needed with new internal policies or safety regulation.     

Improving Asthma Control through Asthma Action Plans: A Quality Improvement Project at a Midwest Community Clinic

This urban community clinic had poor asthma outcomes compared to the state of Minnesota. The standard of care supports an annual Asthma Action Plan (AAP). However, the majority of patients at this clinic had not received one. This quality improvement project aimed to improve asthma control, measured by an asthma control test of at least 20, through AAP implementation supported by all team members. The clinic’s interdisciplinary champion group implemented workflow changes via practice facilitation and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Asthma control rates increased from 23% to 58% in adults and 45% to 63% in children over one year, a statistically significant change.     

Cytotoxic,antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Nerium oleander collected in Morocco

Objective: To investigate the cytotoxic, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ethanolic and aqueous crude extracts of Nerium oleander(N. oleander) leaves. Methods: Cytotoxic activities were evaluated by WST-1 bioassay on two human cancer cell lines, namely human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 and human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. The antioxidant property of N. oleander extracts was assessed by DPPH scavenging and he agar disc diffusion method was used for the determination of an毬-carotene bleaching tests. Ttimicrobial activity against different strains. Results: Using cell viability indices, the WST-1 test revealed that both extracts reduced cell viability in both cell lines. Our results also showed that aqueous extract was more active than ethanolic extract, with IC50 values of(1.67±0.22) μg/mL and(2.36±0.44) μg/mL on MDA-MB-231 cells, and(2.89±0.35) μg/mL and(5.09±0.52) μg/mL on HT29 cells, respectively. The study of the antioxidant activity showed that N. oleander extracts had a considerable scavenging capacity and exerted a significant preventive effect against the oxidation of 毬-carotene by the peroxide radicals. However, the antibacterial test showed that both ethanolic and aqueous extracts of N. oleander had a moderate antibacterial effect limited only to Gram-positive bacteria. Conclusions: Our results shows that N. oleander aqueous and ethanolic extracts have significant cytotoxic activities against tumor cell lines and possesses a strong antioxidant capacity, suggesting the presence of active compounds in N. oleander leaves that could be a potential source of phytochemicals with high medicinal value to be used in cancer treatment and prevention.     

Heat Shock Protein-70 Expression in Vitiligo and its Relation to the Disease Activity

Background:Vitiligo is a progressive depigmenting disorder characterized by the loss of functional melanocytes from the epidermis. The etiopathogenesis of vitiligo is still unclear. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are prime candidates to connect stress to the skin. HSPs were found to be implicated in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and other skin disorders as psoriasis.Results:Our analysis revealed a significantly higher expression of HSP-70 mRNA in lesional skin biopsies from vitiligo patients compared to nonlesional skin biopsies from vitiligo patients (P < 0.001) and compared to skin biopsies from healthy controls (P < 0.001). The level of HSP-70 was not found to be correlated with age, sex, or disease duration. The expression of HSP-70 was correlated with the disease activity and patients with active vitiligo showed higher mean HSP-70 level compared to those with inactive disease.Conclusions:HSP-70 plays a role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo and may enhance the immune response in active disease.     

Unusual persistent primitive trigeminal artery with a superior duplicated basilar system

A 67-year-old patient who presented with a right cerebellar hemorrhage underwent vascular workup for suspicion of underlying vascular anomalies. A diagnostic cerebral angiogram demonstrated a duplicated basilar system fed solely by a persistent primitive trigeminal artery. The findings proved to be incidental and unrelated to the patient’s hemorrhage. These developmental abnormalities are consistent with embryological development.