Functional and psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic on rheumatic patients’ quality of life in Saudi Arabia

Quality of Life Research - The COVID-19 pandemic might add to the stressors experienced by people living with rheumatic diseases. This study aimed to examine rheumatic patients’ functional...     

Prevention of biochemical changes in gamma-irradiated rats by some metal complexes.

The formation of superoxide partially accounts for the well-known oxygen enhancement of radiation-induced biochemical changes and cell damage. Radioprotective effects of copper (II), manganese (IV) or vanadium (IV) complexes, of superoxide dismutase-mimetic activity, on body weight, survival rate and some biochemical parameters in pre-treated irradiated, untreated irradiated and treated non-irradiated female albino rats have been studied 24 h after whole body gamma-irradiation at a dose level of 6 Gy. Survival time, body weight, red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, percentage of hematocrit (Hct%), reduced glutathione (GSH), serum total protein, albumin, globulin (G), blood urea, creatinine and cholesterol were estimated, as well as the activities of blood superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutamate-oxaloacetic (GOT) and glutamate-pyruvic (GPT) transaminases, and alkaline phosphatase were assessed. A significant decline was shown in body weight, survival rate, the mean values of RBC and WBC counts, Hb and Hct percentages, and GSH concentration, as well as blood SOD activity, in whole body gamma-irradiated rats compared with the control non-irradiated rat group. The mean activity values of alkaline phosphatase, GOT and GPT, as well as the average values of blood urea, creatinine, total cholesterol, total protein and globulin were significantly elevated, while the average values of albumin and the albumin/globulin ratio were decreased in gamma-irradiated rats compared with the corresponding values of the normal control rat group. Pretreatment of rats with either manganese or vanadium complexes resulted in a significant increase in survival rate and body weight over that of the non-treated irradiated rat group. Pretreatment of rats with copper (II), manganese (IV) or vanadium (IV) complexes caused a significant increase in RBC and WBC counts, Hb concentration, HCt (%), GSH content and SOD activity in blood when compared to the irradiated rat group without treatment. The administration of copper (II), manganese (IV) or vanadium (IV) complexes prior to irradiation exposure resulted in a significant decrease in GOT and GPT activities in addition to blood urea, creatinine, cholesterol, globulin and total protein contents, while each complex exhibited a significant increase in plasma alkaline phosphatase, albumin, and the albumin/globulin ratio compared to the untreated irradiated rat group. Administration of vanadium (IV), manganese (IV) or copper (II) complexes in non-irradiated rats caused a significant increase in SOD activity without changing other biochemical parameters compared with the corresponding values of the normal control rat group. We conclude that these metallo-elements, particularly manganese (IV) and vanadium (IV) complexes of 2-methylaminopyridine, have radiation protection and radiation recovery. Furthermore, these metal complexes offer a new approach to overcome the pathological effects of ionizing radiation and suggest their use as a physiological approach to preventing or perhaps predominantly facilitating recovery from radiation injury.     

Benign cementoblastoma. Apropos of a case and review of the literature]

The cementoblastoma is a rare benign tumor of odontogen origin that interests the roots of the teeth especially the lower molars. The evolution is often silent, the radiological exam is not specific, the diagnosis of certainty is histological. The surgical treatment assures the recovery without aftermath. The authors report a case of cementoblastoma at a patient of 37 years for which he has benefited of a resection by vestibular way and debate diagnosis and therapeutic modes of this affection.     

Protective Effects of Antioxidants Against Uraemia-Induced Lipid Peroxidation and Glutathione Depletion in Humans

Abstract: The effects of uraemias and antioxidant therapy for 40 days with vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E on blood and erythrocyte sulfhydryl (glutathione, GSH) content and on erythrocyte glutathione-S transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GSR) and glutathione peroxidase activities were studied in six uraemic patients maintained on haemodialysis. In addition, the effect of antioxidant therapy on erythrocyte lipid peroxidation was determined, and erythrocyte haemoglobin content was measured. Uraemic patients in dialysis exhibited significant decreases in blood and erythrocyte GSH content as well as significant decreases in the activities of GST, GSR and GSH-peroxidase relative to control subjects. Furthermore, the uraemic patients had elevated erythrocyte malondialdehyde levels. Blood and erythrocyte GSH content from uraemic patients was significantly elevated after 20 days of antioxidant treatment and remained elevated thereafter throughout the remaining 20 days of the study (130% and 173%, respectively). Antioxidant therapy also produced significant increases in GSR and GSH-peroxidase activities after 20 days of treatment which remained relatively constant thereafter. No significant change in GST activity was observed. Erythrocyte malondialdehyde levels, as an index of oxidative tissue damage, exhibited a significant decrease (70%) in the patients after 40 days of antioxidant therapy. A gradual increase in erythrocyte haemoglobin content was observed following treatment of the uraemic subjects (45% at day 40). The results suggest that antioxidant therapy may protect against oxidative stress associated with uraemia.     

Retinal arteriovenous communication in retinitis pigmentosa with Refsum's disease-like findings

In this report we describe, herewith, a patient with primary pigmentary dystrophy of the retina (retinitis pigmentosa) associated with unilateral retinal arteriovenous communication and exudative retinal detachment. The patient had complete resolution of the retinal detachment following laser photocoagulation treatment. Such association has not been previously reported.     

New Latex Bead Agglutination Assay for Differential Diagnosis of Cattle Infected with Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Extensive studies have shown that the current assays used to identify cattle infected with Mycobacterium bovis or Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis are not sufficiently sensitive and specific to detect all infected animals, especially animals recently infected with the pathogens. In the present report we show that these limitations might be overcome with a latex bead agglutination assay (LBAA). With the specific immunodominant epitope (ESAT6-p) of M. bovis, we developed an LBAA and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for that purpose and compared them with the “gold standard” culture method and skin test for their efficacy in detecting bovine tuberculosis. When sera from control healthy cows (n = 10), M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-positive cattle (naturally infected, n = 16; experimentally infected, n = 8), and M. bovis-positive cattle (naturally infected, n = 49;experimentally infected, n = 20) were applied to an EIA and an LBAA developed with ESAT6-p, the two tests showed similar sensitivity (97.1% by EIA, 95.7% by LBAA), high specificity (94.2% by EIA, 100% by LBAA), and a positive correlation (kappa value, 0.85; correlation rate, 93.2%; correlation coefficient, 0.64). Receiver operating characteristic analysis of EIA results and comparison with the culture method determined a suitable cutoff value at 0.469, with an area under the curve of 0.991 (95% confidence interval, 0.977 to 1.0). As LBAA didn't show any positive reactions with sera from uninfected control cows or M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-infected cattle, which were confirmed to be free of M. bovis by culture or PCR, LBAA using the ESAT6-p can be a rapid and useful M. bovis diagnostic assay. The data suggest that rapid, sensitive, and specific assays can be developed with peptides containing immunodominant epitopes present in proteins uniquely expressed in M. bovis or M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis for differential diagnosis of cattle infected with M. bovis or M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis.     

Pathology and pathogenesis of bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax

During October and November 2001, public health authorities investigated 11 patients with inhalational anthrax related to a bioterrorism attack in the United States. Formalin-fixed samples from 8 patients were available for pathological and immunohistochemical (IHC) study using monoclonal antibodies against the Bacillus anthracis cell wall and capsule. Prominent serosanguinous pleural effusions and hemorrhagic mediastinitis were found in 5 patients who died. Pulmonary infiltrates seen on chest radiographs corresponded to intraalveolar edema and hyaline membranes. IHC assays demonstrated abundant intra- and extracellular bacilli, bacillary fragments, and granular antigen-staining in mediastinal lymph nodes, surrounding soft tissues, and pleura. IHC staining in lung, liver, spleen, and intestine was present primarily inside blood vessels and sinusoids. Gram's staining of tissues was not consistently positive. In 3 surviving patients, IHC of pleural samples demonstrated abundant granular antigen-staining and rare bacilli while transbronchial biopsies showed granular antigen-staining in interstitial cells. In surviving patients, bacilli were not observed with gram's stains. Pathological and IHC studies of patients who died of bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax confirmed the route of infection. IHC was indispensable for diagnosis of surviving anthrax cases. The presence of B. anthracis antigens in the pleurae could explain the prominent and persistent hemorrhagic pleural effusions.     

Kenny–Caffey syndrome: an Arab variant?

We describe 2 unrelated Bedouin girls who met the criteria for the diagnosis of Kenny-Caffey syndrome. The girls had some unusual features--microcephaly and psychomotor retardation--that distinguish the Kenny-Caffey syndrome profile in Arab children from the classical Kenny-Caffey syndrome phenotype characterized by macrocephaly and normal intelligence. The 2 girls did not harbor the 22q11 microdeletion (the hallmark of the DiGeorge cluster of diseases) that we previously reported in another Bedouin family with the Kenny-Caffey syndrome (Sabry et al. J Med Genet 1998: 35(1): 31-36). This indicates considerable genetic heterogeneity for this syndrome. We also review previously reported 44 Arab/Bedouin patients with the same profile of hypoparathyroidism, short stature, seizures, mental retardation and microcephaly. Our results suggest that these patients represent an Arab variant of Kenny-Caffey syndrome with characteristic microcephaly and psychomotor retardation. We suggest that all patients with Kenny-Caffey syndrome should be investigated for the 22q11 microdeletion. Other possible genetic causes for the Kenny-Caffey syndrome or its Arab variant include chromosome 10p abnormalities.