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...     

Functional beta-cells derived from umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells for curing rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus

INTRODUCTIONThis study aimed to investigate the therapeutic response to injected human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (UCBMSCs) among albino rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus.METHODSControl group (GI; n = 25) rats were fed with standard rat diet. Rats with STZ-induced diabetes mellitus without (GII; n = 25) and with (GIII; n = 25) differentiated human UCBMSCs implantation were the test groups. Rats were sacrificed in Week 11 following implantation. Liver biopsies were sectioned and stained in order to highlight both the presence and function of impregnated cells in the liver tissue.RESULTSHaematoxylin and eosin-stained sections in GI and GII rats showed normal liver architecture while GIII rats showed presence of cell clusters inside the liver tissue and around the central veins. Cell clusters with blue cytoplasm were present in sections in GIII rats but absent in GI and GII rats, indicating the presence of injected differentiated human UCBMSCs. The anti-human insulin immunostaining of GIII rats showed clusters of cells within the liver parenchyma and around central veins, indicating that these cells were active and secreting insulin.CONCLUSIONUCBMSCs are proficient in differentiating into insulin-producing cells in vivo under specific conditions and, when transplanted into the liver of albino rats with STZ-induced diabetes mellitus, were able to secrete insulin and partially control the status of diabetes mellitus in rats.     

The effects of pummelo juice on pharmacokinetics of sildenafil in healthy adult male Jordanian volunteers

Purpose  

The main purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of pummelo juice on the pharmacokinetics of sildenafil after oral administration.     

Cetirizine dihydrochloride interaction with some diclofenac complexes.

IR, 1H NMR and mass spectrometric studies showed that cetirizine dihydrochloride interacted strongly with diclofenac sodium, even when the latter was metal bound, forming high molecular weight stable adducts. These new formations were unaffected by the possible steric constraints that may exist because of coordination yet did not have the power to break the formed coordinate bonds. The formed ionic bond took place between the carbonyl ion of diclofenac and the positively charged piperazine ring of cetirizine, forming a ternary compound in the case of the divalent metal clusters (Ca{(dic)2.2H2O}, Mg{(dic)2.2H2O}, Zn{(dic)2.2H2O}) and a quaternary one with the trivalent iron cluster (Fe{dic}3.3H2O). IR bands assigned to nuNH, deltaNH and nuC-N were shifted to lower frequency values in the spectra of the complexes; thus showing that coordination took place at the NH of the diphenylamine. TG and elemental analysis confirmed these results.     

Early and long term results of re-operation for coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE--To define the incidence, possible causes, operative procedure, and early and medium term results of patients undergoing reoperation for coronary artery disease. DESIGN--A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing reoperation in one hospital during a 10 year period. SETTING--A regional cardiothoracic centre. PATIENTS--115 patients had reoperation for recurrent angina, 1-17 years (mean (SD) 7.4 (3.9)) after primary revascularisation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--They received 279 grafts (2.4 grafts per patient); 58% of the grafts were anasatomosed to previously grafted vessels. The internal mammary artery was used in 87% of patients who required grafts to the left anterior descending coronary artery. RESULTS--Reoperation accounted for 8.3% of the total number of patients who underwent coronary bypass grafting. Graft failure alone or in combination with other factors was judged to be the cause of recurrence of symptoms in 87%. 42% of patients had two or more coronary risk factors. The early mortality was 5.2% and the actuarial survival at five and 10 years was 90.4% and 88.4% respectively. 85% of the survivors had initial complete relief of angina and 14% had partial improvement. Freedom from recurrent symptoms at five and 10 years was 66.6% and 34.6% respectively. CONCLUSIONS--Vein graft failure either alone or in combination with progression of native coronary disease is the main cause for symptomatic deterioration after bypass grafting. Reoperation can be performed with slightly increased risk and can give good early and medium term results.     

Hormonal Therapy of Acne

Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery -     

Pseudo-angiomatous hyperplasia of mammary stroma: a case with gigantomastia

Pseudo-angiomatous hyperplasia of mammary stroma (PASH) is a histopathological entity which is a microscopic fortuitous finding in mammary biopsies performed for different reasons. It may be symptomatic and appears then as a palpable lump. The term pseudo-angiomatous emphasizes the characteristic aspect of the stroma simulating a vascular tumor. We report a case of PASH in a 71 year-old woman who presented a recurring breast mass with rapid swelling of the mammary gland (70 x 60 x 20 cm) treated by mastectomy. PASH must be distinguished from a well-differentiated angiosarcoma. It is ruled out by immunohistochemistry.     

Interventions to Increase Multivitamin Use Among Women in the Interconception Period: An IMPLICIT Network Study

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Each year, 3% of infants in the Unites States (US) are born with congenital anomalies, including 3000 with neural tube defects. Multivitamins (MVIs) including...