Cervical Cancer Awareness and Attitude Towards Cervical Cancer Screening and Human Papillomavirus Vaccines Among Urban Women of Karachi, Pakistan.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women under 50 years of age in Pakistan. The current study was designed to assess the level of awareness through educational outreach presentations about cervical cancer, Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test, and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Karachi, Pakistan. Women from different urban hospitals were enrolled. Participants participated in a 45-minute presentation on cervical cancer awareness led by student pharmacists from Nazeer Hussain University, Karachi. A pre-and post-test was administered to assess the impact of the intervention. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings, and a t-test was used for matched comparison, and a p-value <0.05 for statistical significance. A total of 150 women participated in the study. The study found that Pakistani women living in urban settings were less knowledgeable about the causes of cervical cancer and prevention. After the presentation, we observed a 45% increase in knowledge, and 31% of participants said they would obtain a Pap smear test in the next six months. Supervised pharmacy student-led presentations on cervical cancer educational awareness that significantly impacted women participants. Pharmacists can play a key role in reducing cervical cancer deaths through increased awareness, education, prevention, and immunization.

Assessing the impact of a health education outreach project on cervical cancer awareness among Vietnamese-American women in San Diego.

The objective of this study was to assess the rate of effectiveness of cervical cancer awareness outreach among Vietnamese women in San Diego, USA. In collaboration with different community partners, educational seminars were hosted by student pharmacists in the Vietnamese community. We hypothesized that the seminars would increase cervical cancer awareness and encourage a positive outlook on obtaining annual Pap smears and HPV vaccines. The study design included pre- and post-intervention assessment surveys in either Vietnamese or English language. The surveys were administered to Vietnamese women who participated in the seminars. Eight seminars were hosted at local health fairs in San Diego. A total of 120 Vietnamese women participated in the seminars. Our study showed that educational seminars significantly improved the knowledge about cervical cancer, Pap smears and HPV vaccines. By comparing the pre- and post-intervention surveys, we observed an improvement in knowledge about cervical cancer (61% vs 93%, p < 0.001) and a positive change in the attitude towards obtaining a Pap smear within a year following the educational intervention (57% vs. 78%, p < 0.002). Therefore, we concluded that the educational health outreach seminars presented by student pharmacists are an effective educational model to help improve knowledge about cervical cancer and prevention among Vietnamese women.

Role for high-glucose-induced protein O-GlcNAcylation in stimulating cardiac fibroblast collagen synthesis.

Excess enzyme-mediated protein O-GlcNAcylation is known to occur with diabetes mellitus. A characteristic of diabetic cardiomyopathy is the development of myocardial fibrosis. The role that enhanced protein O-GlcNAcylation plays in modulating the phenotype of cardiac fibroblasts (CF) is unknown. To address this issue, rat CF were cultured in normal glucose (NG; 5 mM glucose) or high-glucose (HG; 25 mM) media for 48 h. Results demonstrate that CF cultured in HG have higher levels (~50%) of overall protein O-GlcNAcylation vs. NG cells. Key regulators of collagen synthesis such as transforming-growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), SMADs 2/3, and SMAD 7 protein levels, including those of arginase I and II, were altered, leading to increases in collagen levels. The nuclear transcription factor Sp1 and arginase II evidence excess O-GlcNAcylation in HG cells. Expression in CF of an adenovirus coding for the enzyme N-acetylglucosaminidase, which removes O-GlcNAc moieties from proteins, decreased Sp1 and arginase II O-GlcNAcylation and restored HG-induced perturbations in CF back to NG levels. These findings may have important pathophysiological implications for the development of diabetes-induced cardiac fibrosis.

Tetracyclines: a pleitropic family of compounds with promising therapeutic properties. Review of the literature.

There must be something unique about a class of drugs (discovered and developed in the mid-1940s) where there are more than 130 ongoing clinical trials currently listed. Tetracyclines were developed as a result of the screening of soil samples for antibiotic organisms. The first of these compounds chlortetracycline was introduced in 1948. Soon after their development tetracyclines were found to be highly effective against various pathogens including rickettsiae, Gram-positive, and Gram-negative bacteria, thus, becoming a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The mechanism of action of tetracyclines is thought to be related to the inhibition of protein synthesis by binding to the 30S bacterial ribosome. Tetracyclines are also an effective anti-malarial drug. Over time, many other "protective" actions have been described for tetracyclines. Minocycline, which can readily cross cell membranes, is known to be a potent anti-apoptotic agent. Its mechanism of action appears to relate to specific effects exerted on apoptosis signaling pathways. Another tetracycline, doxycycline is known to exert antiprotease activities. Doxycycline can inhibit matrix metalloproteinases, which contribute to tissue destruction activities in diseases such as gingivitis. A large body of literature has provided additional evidence for the "beneficial" actions of tetracyclines, including their ability to act as oxygen radical scavengers and anti-inflammatory agents. This increasing volume of published work and ongoing clinical trials supports the notion that a more systematic examination of their possible therapeutic uses is warranted. This review provides a summary of tetracycline's multiple mechanisms of action and while using the effects on the heart as an example, this review also notes their potential to benefit patients suffering from various pathologies such as cancer, Rosacea, and Parkinson's disease.