Comparison of silver nylon wound dressing and silver sulfadiazine in partial burn wound therapy

The study aims to perform a comparative assessment of two types of burn wound treatment. To do the assessment, patients with partial thickness burn wounds with total body surface area <40% were simple randomised to treat with nanocrystalline silver nylon wound dressing or silver sulfadiazine cream. Efficacy of treatment, use of analgesics, number of wound dressing change, wound infection and final hospitalisation cost were evaluated. The study showed silver nylon wound dressing significantly reduced length of hospital stay, analgesic use, wound infection and inflammation compared with silver sulfadiazine.     

Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in pediatric renal transplant recipients

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in the pediatric CKD population. Recognizing that renal transplant recipients have CKD, we assessed the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in pediatric renal transplant recipients, compared to a healthy pediatric population. We prospectively studied 25(OH)D levels in 29 pediatric renal transplant recipients and 45 control patients over one yr. The overall prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency was common in both populations, at 76% (95% CI: 61, 87%) in the pediatric renal transplant recipients and 91% (95% CI: 80, 98%) in the control group. In the paired renal transplant samples, the mean 25(OH)D level was 52.3 ± 17.9 nmol/L in the winter and 65.6 ± 18.8 nmol/L in the summer (95% CI diff.: 3.9, 22.7), in keeping with a significant seasonal difference. The mean dietary intake of vitamin D in the renal transplant recipients, assessed by three‐day dietary record, was 5.7 μg/day, with a vitamin D intake below the EAR in the majority. We did not find an association between vitamin D intake and 25(OH)D levels in this study, likely due to the low dietary intake of vitamin D within the transplant population, identifying a potential area for intervention and improvement.     

Ultrasound-Guided Versus Landmark-Guided Local Corticosteroid Injection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective

To review the literature and assess the comparative effectiveness of ultrasound-guided versus landmark-guided local corticosteroid injections in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Effect of different time periods of vital bleaching on flexural strength of the bovine enamel and dentin complex

AIM: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of 20% carbamide peroxide (CP) on the flexural strength (FS) of bovine enamel and dentin complex. METHODS AND MATERIALS: One hundred sound bovine teeth were selected for use. Blocks (2 x 3 x 8 mm) from the middle portion of the facial surfaces of each crown were sectioned from the teeth. The specimens were randomly divided into five groups (n=20) based on the time period of vital bleaching. Group 1 comprised the control group kept in artificial saliva. The experimental groups subjected to immersion in 20% CP, Opalescence, for four, six and eight weeks, respectively (eight hours daily). Mechanical testing was performed 24 hours after the last treatment using an Instron Universal Testing Machine with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. The results were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test (a=0.05). RESULTS: Mean values for FS were 141.27, 103.06, 120.71, 130.23, and 117.90 (Mpa), respectively. Statistically significant differences in FS were noted among the groups. A statistically significant difference was observed between Group 2 (two week bleach) and the control. CONCLUSION: Application of 20% CP bleach for two weeks provided significant decreases in FS of bovine enamel and dentin complex. Similar decreases were not observed among the other groups.     

Evaluating Possible Mechanisms Linking Obesity to COVID-19: a Narrative Review

Obesity Surgery - Currently, pneumonia caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic. To date, there is no specific antiviral treatment for the disease, and universal access to...     

Islet amyloid deposition limits the viability of human islet grafts but not porcine islet grafts

Islet transplantation is a promising treatment for diabetes but long-term success is limited by progressive graft loss. Aggregates of the beta cell peptide islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) promote beta cell apoptosis and rapid amyloid formation occurs in transplanted islets. Porcine islets are an attractive alternative islet source as they demonstrate long-term graft survival. We compared the capacity of transplanted human and porcine islets to form amyloid as an explanation for differences in graft survival. Human islets were transplanted into streptozotocin-diabetic immune-deficient mice. Amyloid deposition was detectable at 4 weeks posttransplantation and was associated with islet graft failure. More extensive amyloid deposition was observed after 8 weeks. By contrast, no amyloid was detected in transplanted neonatal or adult porcine islets that had maintained normoglycemia for up to 195 days. To determine whether differences in IAPP sequence between humans and pigs could explain differences in amyloid formation and transplant viability, we sequenced porcine IAPP. Porcine IAPP differs from the human sequence at 10 positions and includes substitutions predicted to reduce its amyloidogenicity. Synthetic porcine IAPP was considerably less amyloidogenic than human IAPP as determined by transmission electron microscopy, circular dichroism, and thioflavin T binding. Viability assays indicated that porcine IAPP is significantly less toxic to INS-1 beta cells than human IAPP. Our findings demonstrate that species differences in IAPP sequence can explain the lack of amyloid formation and improved survival of transplanted porcine islets. These data highlight the potential of porcine islet transplantation as a therapeutic approach for human diabetes.     

Telomere length assessment in blood leukocytes of patients with sarcoidosis

Background:Accelerated aging and telomere shortening have been studied in many chronic diseases such as interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Different studies have shown that patients with these diseases have shorter telomere lengths than controls; this can be a marker of the progression and outcome of the disease. So far, a few studies have been evaluated the telomere length in sarcoidosis. In this study we determine the telomere length in patients with sarcoidosis and compare it with control subjects.Objective:Our aim is to compare telomere length in patients with sarcoidosis and normal population. Methods: We select 58 patients with sarcoidosis who were visited in the sarcoidosis clinic of Masih Daneshvari Hospital. 58 sex and age-matched (with±2 years) healthy control subjects were selected. Telomere length was measured by quantitative real time PCR as described by Cawthon on peripheral blood sample. The telomere repeat copy number (T) to single-gene copy number(S) ratio was calculated using the comparative Ct method. Results: The mean and standard deviation of telomere length in the patient and control group was 0.65 ± 0.05 and 0.72 ± 0.07 respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. (P = 0.031). Conclusion: Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that can involve many organs. Like other chronic diseases, aging phenomenon occurs in that; which led to decrease cellular and tissue telomere length. This article demonstrates shorter telomere length in Iranian sarcoidosis patients compared to normal population.