Heterogeneity in amount of growth factors secreted by platelets in platelet-rich plasma samples from alopecia patients

Platelet α-granules release growth factors (GFs) that promote healing and tissue regeneration. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is shown to be beneficial in treating alopecia, and however, clinical response can be inconsistent. Due to several fold enrichment of platelets secreting large quantities of GFs following PRP injections, heterogeneity in amounts of GFs secreted by platelets may contribute to inconsistent clinical responses. Herein, we evaluated factors that could potentially contribute to heterogeneous secretion of GFs by platelets. We measured platelet secretion of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFβ1), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB), epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) in aliquots of de-identified PRP samples from female patients undergoing therapy in the hair disease clinic. Although secretion of GFs by platelets was comparable in PRP samples of patients with non-cicatricial and cicatricial alopecia, a Shapiro-Wilk test for normal distribution indicated significant variability across all patient samples. The amount of GF secreted by platelets was comparable when PRP prepared from two FDA-cleared devices with distinct techniques were compared. We provide evidence of platelets secreting heterogeneous amounts of GFs within each sample as high and low secretion of random factors could be simultaneously detected. These results suggest inherent heterogeneity in secretion of GFs by platelets in patient samples that are not influenced by the device used to prepare PRP. Since some GFs could have antagonistic effects on hair growth, a balance between amounts of growth promoting and inhibiting factors may be crucial in determining clinical response to PRP therapy.     

Evaluation of keratoplasty in cases of post-inflammatory corneal opacity with vascularization

Penetrating keratoplasty was performed in 106 cases of post-inflammatory corneal opacity with vascularization. Donor material obtained post mortem was preserved in a moist chamber, MK-medium at 4 degrees C or in culture medium at room temperature. 55.7% of patients gained a useful vision after keratoplasty. The post-operative spherical error of refraction was found to be -1.4 +/- 3.6 D and the astigmatic error of refraction -3.3 +/- 2.0 D. The post-operative visual acuity was found to be 0.2 +/- 0.2. The ocular pathology associated with keratoplasty is discussed.     

Genetic variation in serotonin transporter alters resting brain function in healthy individuals.

BACKGROUND: Perfusion functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate the effect of genetic variation of the human serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene (5-HTTLPR, SLC6A4) on resting brain function of healthy individuals. METHODS: Twenty-six healthy subjects, half homozygous for the 5-HTTLPR short allele (s/s group) and half homozygous for the long allele (l/l group), underwent perfusion functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging during a resting state. The two genotype groups had no psychiatric illness and were similar in age, gender, and personality scores. RESULTS: Compared with the l/l group, the s/s group showed significantly increased resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the amygdala and decreased CBF in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The effect of functional modulation in these regions by 5-HTTLPR genotype cannot be accounted for by variations in brain anatomy, personality, or self-reported mood. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-HTTLPR genotype alters resting brain function in emotion-related regions in healthy individuals, including the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Such alterations suggest a broad role of the 5-HTT gene in brain function that may be associated with the genetic susceptibility for mood disorders such as depression.     

Intradiscal Thermal Annuloplasty for Discogenic Pain: An Outcome Study

Objectives: Published studies of intradiscal thermal annuloplasty (IDTA) have shown at most 50% pain relief as an improved outcome with little focus on functional improvement in the treatment of discogenic pain. Previous studies have used a number of criteria for patient selection including low back pain unresponsive to conservative care, no compressive radiculopathy, positive provocative discography and absence of previous surgery at the same symptomatic level. The purpose of present study is to examine the hypothesis that additional inclusion criteria for patient selection such as disc height, absence of degenerative disc disease (DDD) in untreated discs, absence of herniated nucleus pulposus or lumbar canal stenosis may improve the outcome of treatment. Methods: In this prospective case‐series study additional criteria of patient selection were introduced, namely disc height of at least 50%, no lumbar canal stenosis, one or two levels of DDD, no evidence of nucleus pulposus herniation on magnetic resonance image. Thirty‐four patients were enrolled in the study and 32 of them were followed over a period of 12 months. The visual analog scale (VAS) pain score and seven activities of daily living (ADLs) were followed and reported on a scale from 0 to 10. Results: Sustained decrease of the VAS pain scores was observed from 3 to 12 months following IDTA. ADLs improved in all patients between 3 and 12 months post‐treatment. Patients in the Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) group had a higher VAS score but showed the same level of improvement in ADLs as compared to commercial insurance or self‐pay patients. In the non‐BWC patient group an average VAS pain score decrease of more than 6 points on a 10‐point scale was reported at 6 to 12 months following IDTA. Conclusions: We found dramatic improvement of pain scores and ADLs following IDTA when strict patient selection was applied. We believe that IDTA is an effective, minimally invasive treatment for discogenic pain in properly selected patients.     

Inventory of plants used in traditional medicine in Somalia. III. Plants of the families Lauraceae-Papilionaceae.

Thirty-five plants are listed, which are used by traditional healers in the central and southern parts of Somalia. For each species are listed: the botanical name with synonyms, collection number, vernacular name, medicinal use, preparation of remedy and dosage. Results of a literature survey are also reported including medicinal use, substances isolated and pharmacological effects.     

Propofol versus traditional sedative agents for gastrointestinal endoscopy: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Even though propofol has better recovery profile than traditional agents, its use is limited because of the perception of increased complication rates. Because an adequately powered trial comparing risk of propofol with traditional agents is lacking, we performed a meta-analysis of the current literature. METHODS: We searched Medline (1966-October 2004), EMBASE (1980-October 2004), and Cochrane controlled trials registry. The following 4 cardiopulmonary complications were assessed: hypoxia, hypotension, arrhythmias, and apnea. Procedures were divided into 3 groups: esophagogastroduodenoscopy group, colonoscopy group, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography/endoscopic ultrasonography group. Pooled odds ratios for complications were calculated for all the procedures combined and then separately for the 3 groups. Random effects models were used for 2-proportion comparisons. RESULTS: Of the 90 citations identified, 12 original studies qualified for this meta-analysis and included 1161 patients. Of these, 634 received propofol, and 527 received midazolam, meperidine, and/or fentanyl. Most of the included studies were randomized trials of moderate quality and nonsignificant heterogeneity (Cochran Q = 4.81, P = .90). Compared with traditional sedative agents, the pooled odds ratio with the use of propofol for developing hypoxia or hypotension for all the procedures combined was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-1.24); for EGD, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.33-2.17); for colonoscopy, 0.4 (95% CI, 0.2-0.79); and for ERCP/EUS, 1.07 (95% CI, 0.38-3.01). CONCLUSIONS: Propofol sedation during colonoscopy appears to have lower odds of cardiopulmonary complications compared with traditional agents, but for other procedures, the risk of complications is similar.     

Dry adsorbed emulsions: an oral sustained drug delivery system

The oral sustained drug delivery system "dry adsorbed emulsion" was defined as an organized dispersion of hydrophilic and hydrophobic particles whose structure was initiated by the structure of a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. Sodium salicylate was dissolved in the aqueous phase of the primary W/O emulsion as an active drug. The aqueous phase of the W/O emulsion was adsorbed by a hydrophilic silica and then a hydrophobic silica was added to the preparation to obtain a stable and solid pulverulent form. The physicochemical structure of a "dry adsorbed emulsion" was described and observed by electron microscopy. The effect of different oils, castor oil and a silicone oil, on the sustained drug release was studied at two different pH values, 1.2 and 7.4, to simulate the gastric and intestinal medium, respectively. The properties of these forms were retained for more than one year at room temperature storage.