253875 research outputs found
Sort by
Comparative study of extrapolative factors linked with oxidative injury and anti-inflammatory status in chronic kidney disease patients experiencing cardiovascular distress
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a group of heterogeneous abnormalities affecting the function and structure of the kidney and mostly further proceeds to cardiovascular damage prior to end stage renal disease (ESRD). The oxidative insult and inflammatory mediators have some undefined role in CKD and cardiovascular complications. It is therefore, aimed at to pin point the predictive factors in the development of cardiovascular disorder in patients with chronic kidney disease.Fifty patients of CKD experiencing cardiovascular distress and twenty normal individuals having same age and sex acted as control during these observations. Blood samples (Each 5 ml) were drawn and subjected to centrifugation for 10–15 minutes to separate the serum at 4000-5000rpm. The levels of MDA, GSH, SOD, CAT, VIT C, VIT E, IL-1, TNF-alpha, nitric oxide (NO) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) were estimated and analyzed.MDA) as1.25±0.07 nmol/ml was observed in CKD patients viz-a-viz relevant control. However, the serum SOD, catalase (CAT) and GSH levels in the same patients registered a significant decline as evident from respective figures 0.07±0.002 μg/dl, 1.22±0.012 μmol/mol, and 3.25±1.05 μg/dl. The control for these was observed as0.99±0.06 μg/dl, 3.19±0.05 μmol/mol, and 8.64±0.03 μg/dL. On the other hand, the IL-1 levels in the CKD patients found quite higher (402.5±18.26 pg/ml). This clearly points to substantial increase in oxidative insult and reduced NO levels leading to the renal and cardiovascular damage.Observations support the fact that the decrease in anti-oxidative capacity accompanied by higher inflammatory mediators in CKD is indicative of oxidative stress, consequently leading to CKD progression, in all probability to cardiovascular insult. The outcome reiterates that strategies be designed afresh to contain CKD progression to cardiovascular complications and ESRD. One way could be to focus on early detection of stress related to the disease. It requires analyzing the factors related to stress, such as the one reported here. Linking these factors with the symptoms could be a crucial step forward. And further, the disease could be monitored in a more disciplined manner
evaluation of modified surface microhardness measurement, focus variation 3D microscopy and contact stylus profilometry to assess enamel surface loss after erosive–abrasive challenges
Meta-analyses of comparative efficacy of antidepressant medications on peripheral BDNF concentration in patients with depression
Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the most important regulatory proteins in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Increasing numbers of studies have reported the relationship between serum/plasma BDNF and antidepressants (ADs). However, the potential effects of several classes of antidepressants on BDNF concentrations are not well known. Hence, our meta-analyses aims to review the effects of differential antidepressant drugs on peripheral BDNF levels in MDD and make some recommendations for future research.Electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and PsycINFO were searched from 1980 to June 2016. The change in BDNF levels were compared between baseline and post-antidepressants treatment by use of the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All statistical tests were two-sided. = 0.009).There is some evidence that treatment of antidepressants appears to be effective in the increase of peripheral BDNF levels. More robust evidence indicates that different types of antidepressants appear to induce differential effects on the BDNF levels. Since sertraline makes a particular effect on BDNF concentration within a short amount of time, there is potential value in exploring its relationship with BDNF and its pharmacological mechanism concerning peripheral blood BDNF. Further confirmatory trials are required for both observations
Function and failure of the fetal membrane: Modelling the mechanics of the chorion and amnion
The efficacy and toxicity profile of metronomic chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer: A meta-analysis
The current meta-analysis aimed to summarize the available evidence for the efficacy and serious adverse events (AEs) associated with use of metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE database, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane database) were systematically searched for articles related to the use of MCT in MBC patients. Eligible studies included clinical trials of MBC patients treated with MCT that presented sufficient data related to tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and grade 3/4 AEs. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model.This meta-analysis consists of 22 clinical trials with 1360 patients. The pooled objective response rate and clinical benefit rate of MCT were 34.1% (95% CI 27.4–41.5) and 55.6% (95% CI 49.2–61.9), respectively. The overall 6-month PFS, 12-month OS, and 24-month OS rates were 56.8% (95% CI 48.3–64.9), 70.3% (95% CI 62.6–76.9), and 40.0% (95% CI 30.6–50.2), respectively. The pooled incidence of grade 3/4 AEs was 29.5% (95% CI 21.1–39.5). There was no statistically significant difference observed in any endpoint between subgroups defined by concomitant anti-cancer therapies or chemotherapy regimens. After excluding one controversial study, we observed a trend showing lower toxicity rates with the use of MCT alone compared to use of MCT with other anti-cancer therapies (P = 0.070).Metronomic chemotherapy may be effective for use in patients with metastatic breast cancer. MCT used alone is possibly equally effective and less toxic than combination therapies. Well-designed RCTs are needed to obtain more evidence