Rajesh Varma
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Profiling ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in sinonasal mucosa
No full textRhinologists may be one of the highest-risk subspecialties in otolaryngology for exposure to SARS-CoV-2 as the sinonasal passage seems to be a reservoir for the virus. Previous data indicate nasal epithelial cells express the primary receptor for SARS-CoV-2, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2). However, no data exist profiling the regional expression of ACE2 or the expression of transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), an additional protease necessary for SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, within the sinonasal cavity. We sought to assess for anatomic expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 throughout the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. We hypothesize that ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are expressed throughout the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. To test this hypothesis, we sampled various regions of the sinonasal cavity from patients undergoing rhinology procedures and used immunohistochemical staining to profile ACE2, compare ACE2 expression between regions, and compare ACE2 expression between patients and patient characteristics.We found ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are present throughout the sinonasal cavity without a regional pattern among anatomic regions in our patients. We found no statistically significant correlation in ACE2 expression with patient characteristics such as age, sex, or BMI. We also did not find a statistically significant correlation between ACE2 and TMPRSS2 quantitative expression. ACE2 expression trended higher in males compared to females for six out of seven regions excluding the nasal floor. In conclusion, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are expressed ubiquitously throughout the sinonasal cavity. ACE2 expression may be higher in the sinonasal cavity in males compared to females. These data implicate that SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to discriminate between anatomic regions as a point of entry and that anatomic regions likely are similar in viral load. Thus, all rhinology and skull base surgeries, independent of encounter of the anatomic region in the sinonasal cavity, predicate screening for SARS-CoV-2, and necessary personal protective equipment. </p
Recent studies on Polyphenols: Extraction technologies and prospects
No full textPolyphenols constitute a group of the most important bioactive compounds widely represented naturally in many plant species. Fresh plant tissues, plant residues, and agro-wastes contain consequent amounts of polyphenolic compounds. In recent years, there is a developing interest in utilizing these bioactive compounds for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications due to their beneficial effects on human health and their potential in improving the quality of food. However, their effectiveness is depending on many factors such as the extraction technique, the plant tissue, and species origin, environmental factors, the solvent used for the extraction, etc. The purpose of this critical review is to address and give an insight into the latest review and research articles regarding extraction methods and highlights the prospects of bioactive compounds found in several plant tissues. </p
Anesthetic Management of Critical COVID-19 Infection: A Narrative Review of Concepts and Evidence-Based Clinical Practices
No full textAnesthesiologists are on the frontline in the war against the global COVID-19 pandemic, providing airway, ventilatory, and hemodynamic support to acute patients suffering from severe and critical COVID-19 infection.</p
Eye safety awareness and visual impairment prevention for computer users
No full textThe paper presents an etiologic approach to visual and ocular alterations caused by intensive computer usage, with the aim of carrying out the risk factors and presenting the preventive measures that are to be applied. The prevalence of computer-induced eye problems is constantly growing and will remain so as long as humanity is dependent on most activities on electronic devices. The eye care burden is exclusively in charge of the user and the multitude of intrinsic, environmental, professional, and ergonomic factors with specific preventive measures are quite difficult to manage. In more developed communities there is an emphasis on eye health education, periodic ophthalmological examinations, and ergonomic organization of the computer workspace, but an important subjective risk factor remains nevertheless uncontrolled: the proximity to the screen during work. For this matter, it is presented one solution for visual impairment prevention among computer users, consisting of a simple automated system (OptoGuard) for warning persons when working too close to the screen, exceeding the eye safety proximity interval (which is measured through the webcam). The preliminary results, obtained for the Euclidean distance measurement, as the webcam currently allows, had an average error of 4%, the warning message appearing on the screen every time the user’s proximity fell below 38 cm. Further developments aim at expanding the visual area monitoring to asses several levels of the other factors that lead to computer-related health problems: posture, angle of viewing, and brightness of the screen. </p
Peritoneal hydatidosis: An exceptional case report
No full textHydatidosis is a cosmopolitan parasitic disease that presents a real public health problem, especially in endemic countries of which Morocco is part. The objective of the present work is to analyze the clinical, paraclinical, therapeutic, evolutionary, and prognostic aspects of disseminated peritoneal hydatidosis with multiple localization.Peritoneal hydatidosis represents the whole of the phenomena due to the seeding, essentially secondary, of the peritoneal serosa by Echinococcus Granulosus larvae. Peritoneal hydatidosis is characterized by its polymorphic symptomatology, and the diagnosis is based on a combination of epidemiological, clinical, biological, and imaging findings.We report a case of a particular form of peritoneal hydatidosis in the department of visceral surgery I of the ibn rochd hospital in Casablanca.Our patient was admitted for management of disseminated peritoneal hydatidosis. The clinical examination, apart from an epigastric crust, was unremarkable. The biological work-up showed a slightly disturbed liver balance and the hydatid serology was strongly positive. The preoperative diagnosis of HP was established by CT scan showing a supra- and sub-mesocolic peritoneal hydatidosis with a multi-cystic spleen and a liver with a type V segment V hydatid cyst measuring 4 cm by 6 cm.The treatment consisted of a total cystectomy of the hydatid cysts, almost 100 cysts with multiple peritoneal and parietal locations, one of which was fistulized in the skin, associated with a total splenectomy, retrograde appendectomy, and a disconnection of the cholecysto-duodenal fistula with duodenal closure and a retrograde cholecystectomy associated with a choledecotomy with the extraction of 3 stones at the level of the choledochus and drainage of the VBP by Kehr drain. The postoperative course was simple and the patient was discharged on the sixth day with adjuvant treatment with albendazole for three months.Through this observation and in the light of the data in the literature, we were able to insist in our present work on the diagnostic difficulties generated by this unusual location of the hydatid cyst as well as the considerable contribution of imaging (CT++) allowing both a positive and very precise topographic diagnosis. We were also able to focus on surgical treatment as an indispensable pillar of the management of this disease as well as the increasingly fundamental role of medical treatment, particularly in the prevention of recurrences.</p
<i>In Silico</i> modeling of immune-cardiovascular-endocrine interactions
No full textThe immune system provides an intricate, balanced response to combat the effects of inflammatory stimuli. It incorporates both positive and negative feedback from multiple physiological systems such as the cardiovascular and endocrine systems including mechanisms functioning on a variety of time scales. They have been studied individually via scientific experiments and using mathematical modeling. However, more analysis is needed to study the interactions between these three systems during an inflammatory event. We present the first dynamical systems model studying immune, cardiovascular and endocrine responses to a 2 ng/kg bolus dose of endotoxin. The model is calibrated to experimental data from two endotoxin challenge studies and we use this model to investigate the effects of endotoxin dosage, administration timing and administration method. Our model shows that most repercussions of endotoxin administration clear the system within 24 hours, but effects can linger for up to 72 hours.</p
Heart Failure (HF): Recent innovations in clinical therapy and critical profiles of acute and chronic forms
No full textBackground and objectives: Heart failure is a pathological condition characterized by the inability of the heart to pump (cardiac output) an adequate amount of blood to meet the metabolic needs of the body or, at any rate, to be able to do so only at the expense of increased filling pressures in one or more cardiac chambers and the upstream venous circulation. The research group states here the primary objective of expanding the indications contained in the ESC 2021 with the results of the last year on the subject of treatment profiles, to facilitate a better understanding of the overall clinical picture and contribute to the next edition of the guidelines.Materials and methods: Systematic literature review in the English language from January 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, on PubMed/MedLine, Web on Science, and Cochrane archive. Our search strategy retrieved 8,317 articles. We excluded books and papers, meta-analyses, reviews, and systematic reviews and selected only 46 studies most significant about the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial.Results: The recent ESC 2021 guidelines are accurate and timely, and have confirmed their usefulness from a functional perspective, including concerning certain aspects that were represented as a “grey area”. Early risk prediction plays a key role in the subsequent management of patients, and to optimize risk prediction and intensity of management, one should take into account that: a) biomarkers have improved the understanding of the pathophysiology of heart failure and may therefore help to adjust the intensity of management in AHF; b) among the wide variety of biomarkers currently available, NT-proBNP and cTn seem the most promising in this indication; c) among the risk scores described, those combining demographic and clinical parameters with biomarkers in a model with routinely available rapid variables seem the most promising tools; d) in addition to biomarkers, age, systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, creatinine, electrolytes, and blood urea nitrogen are the most commonly used predictor variables in the risk scores described; e) among the models selected, the MEESSI-AHF risk score appears to be currently the most promising tool for predicting the risk of AHF; f) during the management of decompensated patients (and in later stages), the psychological aspect is completely ignored, thus promoting the worsening of psychological symptoms (the need is as evident during the acute episode as it is in the daily management of chronic heart failure). Conclusions: The scientific literature search enriched the structure of ESC 2021, suggesting its implementation, with other findings related to new drug therapies such as Sotagliflozin, Hydrochlorothiazide Apabetalone, Alprostadil, Empagliflozin, Sacubitril/Valsartan, Dapagliflozin, Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors, and biomarkers such as Urinary sodium (UNa+), IL-6 levels and rh-brain natriuretic peptide (rhBNP), as well as the use of mindful breathing session, osteopathic manipulative treatment, electrical muscle stimulation, low-level tragus stimulation, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, oral nutritional supplements, and the correlative hypothesis between heart failure and intestinal dysbiosis, also concerning the psychological profile. However, these clinical studies suffer from some limitations that will necessarily have to be taken into account, such as the limited size of the population sample selected or the conflict of interest determined by the fact that some research is funded by the same pharmaceutical company producing the drug used that do not necessarily represent a negative limitation on the results obtained from studies.</p
Kundudo feral horse: Trends, status and threats and implication for conservation
No full textKundudo feral horses are the only feral horse in Ethiopia and are located Kundudo Mountain in the eastern part of Ethiopia. The purpose of this short communication report was to compile data from different sources including secondary data, reports from the woreda focal office, and interviews with woreda experts and guards directly working on Kundudo feral horses. Data such as trends, status, and threats to Kundudo feral Horses were compiled from mentioned sources. Currently, the Kundudo feral horses were conserved in situ at the top of Kundudo Mountain. currently, in 2021 and 2022 there are a total of 30 feral horses on the top of the mountain protected by guards and the number of this horse breed will be expected to rise if protected well. The main threat Kundudo feral horses face is a logistic problem, inbreeding, low conservation activities, and animal encroachment for feeding. The major activities performed for better conservation of Kundudo feral horses are awareness-raising campaigns, Kundudo Mountain was recognized as an in-situ site by the community, and the horses moved to their original place on the mountain, personnel was hired and a management plan was developed for stakeholders. Furthermore, having many negotiations among stakeholders, prominent stakeholders have reached a consensus and signed MoU on further engagement and tried to develop a new way of communication and management arrangement. Generally, the conservation of biological diversity is important particularly the conservation of threatened animal genetic resources like the unique horse species of Kundudo Mountain because there is no duplicate copy of species that has been conserved.</p
Dental pathologies in the nigerian local pigs (Sus scrofa)
No full textBackground: Dental pathologies are noticeable alterations or deviations from normal dental architecture and can be influenced by genetic or environmental factors. This present study aimed to identify and report the dental pathologies in the Nigerian local pig. Materials and methods: The cleaned skulls of 47 local pigs, aged between 3-51 months were assessed for observable dental abnormalities such as missing teeth, fractured teeth, persistent deciduous teeth, dental caries, dental calculus, and tooth rotation. Results: The study revealed that 98% of the skulls had dental attrition while 96% had stained teeth. About 66% had a least a missing tooth while 78% of adult skulls had at least one persistent deciduous tooth. Fractured tooth, dental calculus, dental caries, and tooth rotation were observed in 46.8%, 74.4%, 34% and 21.3%, respectively. The most common persistent deciduous tooth was the second maxillary incisor, whereas the most commonly missed tooth was the first mandibular premolar, which was bilateral in 75% of affected skulls. Dental calculus was not observed on skulls below 6 months, while the incisor tooth was the most affected tooth by dental attrition. Conclusions: The Nigerian local pig, like other breeds, is susceptible to and has dental pathologies. The data obtained from this study will be beneficial to farmers, as early detection of dental abnormalities will promote productivity and reduces economic losses in pig husbandry. It will also be useful to researchers, especially those using pigs in Nigeria as a model for translation research and comparative dental studies.</p
Histological characterization of sexual reproduction in the coral Pocillopora damicornis (Coelenterata: Scleractinia) from the Red Sea
No full textThe scleractinian coral is common along the Red Sea coast, and its reproductive mode and period of reproduction were assessed using histological preparations. the sexuality, and reproductive mod timing of reproductive of pocillopora damicornis from adjacent to the fringing reefs of the Ubhur Creek in the Red Sea, were assessed using a serial histological section. Sexual reproduction in pocillopora damicornis a shallow water hermatypic coral was studied from December 2011 to November 2012. pocillopora damicornis is a simultaneous hermaphrodite with ovary and testis in the project into the body cavity on the same mesentery. Sperm and eggs were usually released simultaneously from the same polyp. The onset of the reproductive period of pocillopora damicornis was found to be limited (April to May). In the number of eggs and testes observed in this period, the gonads were found in the polyps. The pocillopora damicornis egg size ranged from 49.80 µm (in March) to 125.0 µm (in May). Four stages were chosen, to reflect very immature ovaries, the early stages of oocyte development, ova near maturity, and mature ova, and also four distinct stages of sperm development were identified. The state of gonads development (eg. testis and eggs) was measured by a calibrated eyepiece micrometer of a compound light microscope. Zooxanthellae were presented in the mature oocytes in pocillopora damicornis. This study aimed to examine the reproduction mode and timing of pocillopora damicornis.</p