Normative values for hand grip and pinch strength for 6 to 18 year-olds in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Normative values for hand grip and pinch strength among children in Saudi Arabia has not been well established. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to establish normative values for hand grip and pinch strength in children aged 6 to 18 years in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from different 5 regions in Saudi Arabia. Participants between the age of 6 years and 18 years old were recruited through different primary and secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. Data for age, gender, Body Mass Index, and preferred hand were collected. Hand grip strength was measured using digital hand dynamometer and the tip pinch, palmar pinch, and key pinch strength were measured using the hydraulic pinch gauge. RESULTS: A total of 616 participants included in this study (318 boys and 298 girls). Participants were stratified into 5 chronological age groups of 6-7 years, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, 16-17, and 18 years. The results showed an overall trend of increasing hand grip strength and pinch strength with age regardless of hand preference. Boys had significantly higher grip strength than girls in all age groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study established normative values for hand grip and pinch strength in the healthy Saudi pediatric and adolescent population, using boys and girls aged 6 to 18. The outcomes of this study also demonstrated that gender, age, and hand preference can all have an impact on how strong a handgrip develops.

Prevalence of lower back pain and its associations with lifestyle behaviors among college students in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Lower back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder that may affect students' daily lives. Recent psychological research showed a relevant connection between LBP and multidimensional health. However, the association between LBP and lifestyle behavior has not been established, and improving knowledge in this area may help develop preventive strategies and optimize college students' quality of life. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 1420 college students in Saudi Arabia was conducted, and participants who attended Saudi Universities were recruited from May 2021 to November 2021. An established validated online survey assessed LBP, sleep quality, time spent sedentary (sedentary duration), health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, interpersonal relationships, and stress management. Generalized Linear Regression was used to assess the associations between LBP severity and lifestyle behaviors after controlling for covariates. RESULTS: LBP was prevalent among college students from Saudi Arabia. Most of the sample were young (23.81 ± 6.02), and female (83.7%). There were significant differences between students with and without LBP regarding age, BMI, sex, marital status, pain severity, overall lifestyle behavior, health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and global sleep quality. After controlling for age, BMI, sex, and marital status, there were significant associations between pain severity and global sleep quality (ß=0.2, p < .001, CI: 16 to 0.24), and sedentary duration (ß=0.03, p = .01, CI:0.009 to 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: This study helped define the prevalence of LBP in college students in Saudi Arabia and evaluated the association between LBP and lifestyle behaviors. The findings showed that students with higher levels of poor sleep quality or sedentary behavior had higher levels of pain. Promoting sleep quality and reducing sedentary behavior may help establish preventive strategies for LBP in college students.

Utility of Opportunistic Infections, Joints' Involvement and Accuracy of Various Screening Tests to Diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Background and Objectives: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune disease in which the body mistakenly considers some parts of its own system as pathogens and attacks them. Prevalence is approximately 0.75% in India. About 40% of the diseased become work disabled within 5 years from the onset of symptoms. The objective of this paper is to assess the sign/symptoms, joints' involvement, difficulties in daily activities and screening accuracy of serology tests of clinically suspected RA patients. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional cohort study design was conducted on two hundred ninety clinically suspected subjects who were referred by different OPDs of hospitals for screening. The profiles of study subjects were carried through a semi-structured, pre-tested schedule method. About 2 mL of blood samples were collected in a plain vial from each patient and tested for diagnostic tests RF, CRP and AntiCCP by using RF-Latex, CRP Latex and ELISA method, respectively, by the laboratory persons. Results: Joint pain shows to be a leading problem in RA as compared to other signs and symptoms. The majority of the study subjects suffer from knee problems (62%). Approximately equal numbers of RA-positive cases were screened by RF and AntiCCP tests. The CRP test screened about one-third of cases. CRP+ AntiCCP, RF+ AntiCCP and RF + CRP all have good sensitivity, and RF+ AntiCCP + CRP has a very high sensitivity for diagnosing RA. Conclusions: This study found that a substantiation of a major proportion of clinically suspected RA patients were suffering from knee pain. Predication of AntiCCP increased the possibility for the diagnosis of RA. However, RF was also moderately related to the diagnosis of RA, and the combination of both tests was more valuable.

Translation and Validation of the Arabic Version of the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire.

CONTEXT: The international sports community is becoming more proactive in clinical mental health practice and research. An athlete-specific psychological distress screening tool can identify potential mental health illness. DESIGN: The Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ) is a simple screening tool for detecting early signs of athlete-specific strain and related mental health concerns. METHODS: We evaluated the internal consistency and reliability of the translated and culturally adjusted Arabic version of the APSQ (APSQ-Ar) with Arabic-speaking elite athletes. The final translation underwent standard forward and backward translation, an inspection by a team of experts, and then preliminary testing. The APSQ-Ar was cross-culturally validated and then assessed for internal consistency and reliability among (n = 98) Arabic-speaking athletes. RESULTS: There were no problems with the patients' understanding or interpretation of the items on the APSQ-Ar translation. The intraclass correlation value was .93 (95% confidence interval, .89-.95), and the mean difference was 2.4 with a minimal detectable change of 5.12, demonstrating strong test-retest reliability. Moreover, Cronbach alpha showed excellent internal consistency (.76). CONCLUSIONS: The APSQ-Ar was demonstrated to be good, reliable, and internally consistent. With APSQ-Ar, sports medicine professionals in Arabic-speaking countries will be able to identify psychological distress and symptoms in athletes and, as a result, provide them with mental health support.

Evaluation of mutagenesis, necrosis and apoptosis induced by omeprazole in stomach cells of patients with gastritis.

BACKGROUND: Gastritis is a superficial and prevalent inflammatory lesion that is considered a public health concern once can cause gastric ulcers and gastric cancer, especially when associated with Helicobacter pylori infection. Proton pump inhibitors, such as omeprazole, are the most widely used drugs to treat this illness. The aim of the study was evaluate cytogenetic effects of omeprazole in stomach epithelial cells of patients with gastritis in presence and absence of H. pylori, through cytogenetic biomarkers and catalse and superoxide dismutase analysis. METHODS: The study included 152 patients from the Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinic of Hospital Getúlio Vargas, Teresina-Brazil, that reported continuous and prolonged omeprazole use in doses of 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg. The participants were divided into groups: (1) patients without gastritis (n = 32); (2) patients without gastritis but with OME use (n = 24); (3) patients with gastritis (n = 26); (4) patients with gastritis undergoing OME therapy (n = 26); (5) patients with gastritis and H. pylori (n = 22) and (6) patients with gastritis and H. pylori on OME therapy (n = 22). RESULTS: OME induced cytogenetic imbalance in the stomach epithelium through the formation of micronuclei (group 6 > 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; group 5 > 1, 2, 3; group 4 > 1, 2, 3); bridges (groups 4 and 6 > 1, 2, 3, 5 and group 2 > 3, 5); buds (groups 2,4,6 > , 1, 3, 5); binucleated cells (group 6 > 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; group 4 > 1, 2, 3); (groups 2 and 3 > 1); picnoses (group 6 > 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), groups 2 and 5 > 1, 3; group 4 > 1, 2, 3, 5); cariorrexis (groups 6 and 4 > 1, 2, 3, 5; groups 2, 3, 5 > 1) and karyolysis (groups 2, 4, and 6 > 1, 3, 5; groups 3 and 5 > 1). The OME cytogenetic instability was associated with H. pylori infection, indicating clastogenic/aneugenic effects, chromosomes alterations, gene expression changes, cytotoxicity and apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: The cytogenetic changescan be attributed to several mechanisms that are still unclear, including oxidative damage, as observed by increased catalase and superoxide dismutase expresion. Positive correlations between antioxidant enzymes were found with micronuclei formation, and were negative for picnoses. Thus, the continuous and prolonged omeprazole use induces genetic instability, which can be monitored through cytogenetic analyzes, as precursor for gastric cancer.

Investigating the current environmental situation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic: urban vs. rural context.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to a massive global socio-economic tragedy that has impacted the ecosystem. This paper aims to contextualize urban and rural environmental situations during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. RESULTS: An online survey was conducted, 6770 participants were included in the final analysis, and 64% were females. The majority of the participants were urban citizens (74%). Over 50% of the urban residents significantly (p < 0.001) reported a reduction in noise, gathering in tourist areas, and gathering in malls and restaurants. Concerning the pollutants, most urban and rural areas have reported an increase in masks thrown in streets (69.49% vs. 73.22%, resp.; p = 0.003). Plastic bags and hospital waste also increased significantly with the same p-value of < 0.001 in urban areas compared with rural ones. The multifactorial logistic model for urban resident predictors achieved acceptable discrimination (AUROC = 0.633) according to age, crowdedness, noise and few pollutants. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had a beneficial impact on the environment and at the same time, various challenges regarding plastic and medical wastes are rising which requires environmental interventions.

Impact of the loss of smell on the sleep quality and fatigue level in COVID­19 survivors.

PURPOSE: Patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are reported to have symptoms such as shortness of breath, dry cough, headache, fatigue, and diarrhea. Loss of smell is a symptom that some patients have suffered from due to inflammation of olfactory epithelium and neuroinvasion of COVID-19 resulting in damage to the olfactory nerves and olfactory bulb. Losing an important sense such as smell might have unfavorable consequences on the lives of COVID-19 survivors; however, these unfavorable consequences have not been sufficiently investigated. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study, 81 COVID-19 survivors (51.85% male) answered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Fatigue Severity Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire. RESULTS: COVID-19 survivors who lost their smell were more likely to have poor sleep quality, high fatigue severity, and depression symptoms compared to others who did not lose their smell. Most COVID-19 survivors who lost their smell were women and had breathing difficulties. CONCLUSION: Our knowledge of this relationship will assist in establishing more efficient treatment regimens that consider both psychological and physiological factors. Future research is needed to investigate the causality relationship between poor sleep quality, increased fatigue, and depression symptoms in COVID-19 survivors who experienced loss of the sense of smell.

Notch Signaling and MicroRNA: The Dynamic Duo Steering Between Neurogenesis and Glioblastomas.

Notch signaling is an evolutionary conserved pathway that plays a central role in development and differentiation of eukaryotic cells. It has been well documented that Notch signaling is inevitable for neuronal cell growth and homeostasis. It regulates process of differentiation from early embryonic stages to fully developed brain. To achieve this streamlined development of neuronal cells, a number of cellular processes are being orchestrated by the Notch signaling. Abrogated Notch signaling is related to several brain tumors, including glioblastomas. On the other hand, microRNAs are small molecules that play decisive role in mediating and modulating Notch signaling. This review discusses the crucial role of Notch signaling in development of nervous system and how this versatile pathway interplay with microRNAs in glioblastoma. This review sheds light on interplay between abrogated Notch signaling and miRNAs in the regulation of neuronal differentiation with special focus on miRNAs mediated regulation of tumorigenesis in glioblastoma. Furthermore, it discusses different aspects of neurogenesis modulated by the Notch signaling that could be exploited for the identification of new diagnostic tools and therapies for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Prevalence of frailty and associated factors among Saudi community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of frailty has been previously established in different Western countries; however, the prevalence and the burden of in the aging populations of Saudi Arabia has not been examined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of frailty, and associated factors among Saudi older population. METHODS: The study included a total of 486 community-dwelling elderly adults aged 60 years and over living in the Riyadh area. This study took place from August 2019 to June 2020. The prevalence of frailty was determined using the Fried's frailty phenotype. Association between sociodemographic features and clinical factors and frailty was estimated by Odds Ratio and confidence intervals (OR, IC 95%) using a multinomial logistic regression model. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty were 47.3 and 21.4%, respectively. The following factors were associated with being frail: age (OR: 6.92; 95%CI 3.11-15.41); living alone (OR: 2.50; 95%CI: 1.12-5.59); had more chronic conditions (OR: 1.96; 95%CI: 1.16-3.30); and cognitive impairment (OR: 7.07; 95%CI: 3.92-12.74). CONCLUSIONS: The Compared with other populations, the prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia was high. The implications of frailty in this population should be discussed in future study.

Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in People with Type 2 Diabetes, Pilot RCT Part I: Sleep and Concomitant Symptom.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: The primary aim of this study was to examine the effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) on the severity of insomnia in people with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to a health education (HE) control group. The secondary aim was to explore the effect of CBT-I on other sleep outcomes and concomitant symptoms. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-eight participants with T2D were randomly assigned to CBT-I (n = 14) or HE (n = 14). METHODS: Validated assessments were used at baseline and post intervention to assess sleep outcomes and concomitant symptoms. In addition, actigraph and sleep diaries were used to measure sleep parameters. Independent sample t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were utilized to measure between-group differences in the mean change scores. RESULTS: Participants in the CBT-I group showed higher improvements in the following mean change scores compared to the HE group: insomnia symptoms (d = 1.78; p < .001), sleep quality (d = 1.53; p =.001), sleep self-efficacy (d = 1.67; p < .001). Both actigraph and sleep diary showed improvements in sleep latency and sleep efficiency in the CBT-I group as compared to the HE group. In addition, participants in the CBT-I group showed greater improvement in the mean change scores of depression symptoms (d = 1.49; p = .002) and anxiety symptoms (d = 0.88; p = .04) compared to the HE group. CONCLUSION: This study identified a clinically meaningful effect of CBT-I on sleep outcomes and concomitant symptoms in people with T2D and insomnia symptoms. Further work is needed to investigate the long-term effects of CBT-I in people with T2D and insomnia symptoms.

Discovery, Development, and Patent Trends on Molnupiravir: A Prospective Oral Treatment for COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic needs no introduction at present. Only a few treatments are available for this disease, including remdesivir and favipiravir. Accordingly, the pharmaceutical industry is striving to develop new treatments for COVID-19. Molnupiravir, an orally active RdRp inhibitor, is in a phase 3 clinical trial against COVID-19. The objective of this review article is to enlighten the researchers working on COVID-19 about the discovery, recent developments, and patents related to molnupiravir. Molnupiravir was originally developed for the treatment of influenza at Emory University, USA. However, this drug has also demonstrated activity against a variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Now it is being jointly developed by Emory University, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Merck to treat COVID-19. The published clinical data indicate a good safety profile, tolerability, and oral bioavailability of molnupiravir in humans. The patient-compliant oral dosage form of molnupiravir may hit the market in the first or second quarter of 2022. The patent data of molnupiravir revealed its granted compound patent and process-related patent applications. We also anticipate patent filing related to oral dosage forms, inhalers, and a combination of molnupiravir with marketed drugs like remdesivir, favipiravir, and baricitinib. The current pandemic demands a patient compliant, safe, tolerable, and orally effective COVID-19 treatment. The authors believe that molnupiravir meets these requirements and is a breakthrough COVID-19 treatment.

The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, pilot RCT part II: diabetes health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown the negative impact of sleep disturbances, specifically insomnia symptoms, on glucose metabolism for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). People with insomnia symptoms are at risk of poor glycemic control and suboptimal diabetes self-care behavior (DSCB). Investigating the impact of a safe and effective intervention for individuals with T2D and insomnia symptoms on diabetes' health outcomes is needed. Therefore, the aim of this exploratory study is to examine the effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) on glycemic control, DSCB, and fatigue. METHODS: Twenty-eight participants with T2D and insomnia symptoms, after passing an eligibility criteria at a medical research center, were randomly assigned to CBT-I (n = 14) or Health Education (HE; n = 14). The CBT-I and HE groups received 6 weekly one-hour sessions. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) used a non-inferiority framework to test the effectiveness of CBT-I. Validated assessments were administered at baseline and post-intervention to assess glycemic control, DSCB, and fatigue. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was utilized to compare within-group changes from baseline to post-intervention. A Mann-Whitney test was utilized to measure the between-group differences. Linear regression was used to assess the association between the blood glucose level and the number of days in the CBT-I group. RESULTS: The recruitment duration was from October 2018 to May 2019. A total of 13 participants completed the interventions in each group and are included in the final analysis. No adverse events, because of being a part of this RCT, were reported. CBT-I participants showed significantly greater improvement in glycemic control, DSCB, and fatigue. There was a significant association between the number of days in the CBT-I intervention with the blood glucose level before bedtime (B = -0.56, p = .009) and after awakening in the morning (B = -0.57, p = .007). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a clinically meaningful effect of CBT-I on glycemic control in people with T2D and insomnia symptoms. Also, CBT-I positively impacted daytime functioning, including DSCB and fatigue. Future research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of CBT-I on laboratory tests of glycemic control and to understand the underlying mechanisms of any improvements. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials Registry ( NCT03713996 ). Retrospectively registered on 22 October 2018.

Associations between ankle-brachial index, diabetes, and sleep apnea in the Hispanic community health study/study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) database.

BACKGROUND: Sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus (DM) negatively impact cardiovascular health. One important indicator of cardiovascular health is the Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI). Either low ABI or high ABI are signs of peripheral vascular impairment. Impaired vascular health and DM, together, might provoke sleep apnea; however, information regarding these relationships is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between ABI, DM status, and severity of obstructive sleep apnea in people of Hispanic/Latino descent who are diverse in culture, environmental exposures, nativity, socioeconomic status, and disease burden. METHODS: A cross sectional analysis from a multi-center epidemiologic study, Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, was utilized and included 3779 participants (mean age 55.32 ± 7.67, females 57.9%). The sample was divided into 4 groups based on the American Diabetes Association diagnostic guidelines (no DM or DM), and the ABI status (normal and abnormal). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the association of the four groups and other independent variables with severity of sleep apnea measured by apnea-hypopnea index. Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparisons between groups for the apnea-hypopnea index. The significant level was set at 0.01. RESULTS: There were significant differences between groups in the mean of apnea-hypopnea index (P < 0.001; no DM + normal ABI = 5.42 ± 9.66, no DM + abnormal ABI = 7.11 ± 11.63, DM + normal ABI = 10.99 ± 15.16, DM + abnormal ABI = 12.81 ± 17.80). Linear regression showed that DM and abnormal ABI were significantly associated with severe sleep apnea (ß = 3.25, P = 0.001) after controlling for age, sex, BMI, income, education, alcohol use, cigarette use, hypertension or related medication, stroke and statin use. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that people with DM and abnormal ABI were more likely to have high apnea-hypopnea index compared to the other groups. We observed gradual increasing in the severity of sleep apnea from low abnormality groups to high abnormality groups for Hispanic/Latino. Further work should elucidate the association of DM, abnormal ABI and sleep apnea with longer term outcomes, and replicate this work in different populations.

Type 2 Diabetes Affects Joint Pain Severity in People with Localized Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and pain severity in people with localized osteoarthritis (OA) and to explore the association between glycemic control, measured by hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, and pain severity in people with localized OA and T2D. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: A tertiary medical center. SUBJECTS: Data from 819 patients (mean age = 65.08±9.77 years, 54.3% women) were used. METHODS: Patients were grouped to localized OA only (N = 671) and localized OA+T2D (N = 148) based on diagnosis codes. An index date was set as the first diagnosis date of localized OA and linked to pain severity, measured by numeric rating scale from 0 to 10. HbA1c values were obtained for patients with T2D within six months of the index date. Multiple linear regression was used. RESULTS: After controlling for age, gender, body mass index (BMI); diagnoses of depression, hypertension, dyslipidemia; OA locations; and medication list (+/- 90 days of the index date), T2D was significantly associated with increased pain severity (B = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.25 to 1.88, P = 0.014). For patients with T2D and localized OA with available data for HbA1c (N = 87), the results showed that an increased HbA1c value was significantly associated with higher pain severity (B = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.036 to 0.67, P = 0.029) after controlling for age, gender, BMI, medications, and OA locations. CONCLUSION: T2D was associated with higher pain severity in people with localized OA, and poor glycemic control was associated with higher pain severity in people with localized OA+T2D. Clinicians should emphasize that better HbA1c control might help with pain management in people with T2D and OA.

Incidence of stroke among Saudi population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. However, our knowledge of the incidence of stroke for Saudi Arabian population is not known. Thus, we aimed to determine the pooled annual incidence of stroke in Saudi Arabia. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS, without language or publication year limits. Outcomes of interest were stroke incidence rate for both first and recurrent. A total of five studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The pooled annual incidence of stroke in Saudi Arabia was 0.029% (95% CI: 0.015 to 0.047) equivalent of 29 strokes per 100,000 people annually (95% CI: 15 to 47). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that there are 29 stroke cases for every 100,000 people annually for individuals residing Saudi Arabia. Our values were lower than those of other high-income countries. Establishing a nationwide stroke registry is warranted for monitoring and improving healthcare services provided to stroke survivors.

Effects of trunk exercises using virtual reality technology on trunk performance and impairment post stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically explore the effects of trunk exercises using virtual reality technology compared to conventional exercises for trunk impairment in patients with subacute and chronic strokes. METHODS: A comprehensive search of literature published from inception until December 2022 was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). The inclusion criteria encompassed all randomized controlled trials (RCT) published in the English language involving adults who had had strokes and the evaluation of the effectiveness of virtual reality -based trunk exercises in reducing trunk impairment post stroke as measured by the trunk control test (TCT) and/or the trunk impairment scale (TIS) compared to conventional trunk exercises. RESULT: A total of 397 studies were retrieved, and six studies were included in the current analysis. A random-effects meta-analysis of six studies indicated that video games had a very large, significant effect (SMD = 1.11; 95%, P < 0.0001) on the delivery of trunk exercises to reduce trunk impairment post stroke at both the subacute and chronic stages. CONCLUSION: The study findings indicate that trunk exercises using virtual reality have a highly significant effect on reducing trunk impairment in patients with subacute and chronic stroke. Large RCTs are needed to study the effects of virtual reality trunk exercises on the acute, subacute, and chronic stages of stroke.

Repurposing the inhibitors of MMP-9 and SGLT-2 against ubiquitin specific protease 30 in Parkinson's disease: computational modelling studies.

Ubiquitin specific protease 30 (USP30) has been attributed to mitochondrial dysfunction and impediment of mitophagy in Parkinson's disease (PD). This happens once ubiquitin that supposed to bind with deformed mitochondria at the insistence of Parkin, it's been recruited by USP30 via the distal ubiquitin binding domain. This is a challenge when PINK1 and Parkin loss their functions due to mutation. Although, there are reports on USP30s' inhibitors but no study on the repurposing of inhibitors approved against MMP-9 and SGLT-2 as potential inhibitors of USP30 in PD. Thus, the highlight therein, is to repurpose approved inhibitors of MMP-9 and SGLT-2 against USP30 in PD using extensive computational modelling framework. 3D structures of Ligands and USP30 were obtained from PubChem and protein database (PDB) servers respectively, and were subjected to molecular docking, ADMET evaluation, DFT calculation, molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) and free energy calculations. Out of the 18 drugs, 2 drugs showed good binding affinity to the distal ubiquitin binding domain, moderate pharmacokinetic properties and good stability. The findings showed canagliflozin and empagliflozin as potential inhibitors of USP30. Thus, we present these drugs as repurposing candidates for the treatment of PD. However, the findings in this current study needs to be validated experimentally.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Association between back-leg-chest muscle strength and kicking speed in soccer players: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have been performed on soccer kicks and stressed the significance of strength/power and coordination between the agonist and antagonist muscles of the lower limb. Along with accuracy, speed is also an important factor in a successful kick. It is reported that trunk musculature, hip and knee extensors of the non-kicking extremity, and hip adductors of the kicking side have a role in increasing the foot velocity while kicking. Since muscles do not work in isolation while kicking and several muscle groups of the leg and trunk have been reported to have a role in high-speed kicks, therefore measuring the combined strength of the leg, trunk, and arm muscles will be an appropriate method to examine their association with the kicking speed. The aim of this study was to examine the association of the combined strength of the lower extremities, back, chest, and arm muscles with the kicking speed of soccer players. METHODS: Forty male soccer players (mean age 15.7 years) participated in the study. The back-leg-chest (BLC) dynamometer (Baseline, New York, NY, USA) and the mobile camera measured isometric muscle strength and kicking speed, respectively. The BLC dynamometer measured the isometric strength of the knee, hip, back extensors, and arm muscles. The kicking speed was measured by asking participants to kick a football in three directions - right, middle, and left - from 11 meters. RESULTS: Significant (P<0.001) negative correlations of isometric strength of the back, leg, chest, and arm muscles and kicking speeds were found in all three directions. In all three correlations, Pearson's correlation coefficient was -0.989. Simple linear regression results showed that 97.8% (adjusted R2) of the variance observed in kicking speed (KS; RT), KS (MD), and KS (LT), was explained by the movement in BLC muscle strength values. CONCLUSIONS: Kicking speeds in the right, middle, and left directions were negatively associated with the isometric strengths of the back, leg, chest, and arms muscles, measured using the BLC dynamometer, in participating soccer players.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for neurological disability among subacute stroke survivors to improve multiple domains in health-related quality of life: Randomized controlled trial protocol.

OBJECTIVES: The primary goal of the current proposal is to fill the gaps in the literature by studying the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on lifestyle parameters, and physical, behavioral, and cognitive functions among stroke survivors, and understanding the factors that mediate the effects of various domains related to Health-related Quality of life (HRQoL) improvements. METHODS: Anticipated 64 volunteer subacute stroke survivors (>7 days to 3 months post stroke) aged 40-75 years with National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score of >10 and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score between 18 and 23 will be randomly assigned at a ratio of 1:1 to receive either: (1) 20 sessions of anodal tDCS or (2) sham tDCS in addition to conventional rehabilitation. Battery driven tDCS will be applied at 2 mA intensity to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and primary motor cortex for 20 minutes. The primary endpoints of study will be 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) post intervention at 4 weeks. The secondary outcomes will include Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS_QOL), Montreal cognitive assessment (MCA), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), 10 m walk test and Modified Barthel Activities of daily living (ADL) Index. At 0.05 level of significance, data normality, within group and between group actual differences will be analyzed with a moderate scope software. DISCUSSION: Our knowledge of this technique and its use is expanding daily as tDCS motor recovery studies-mostly single-center studies-in either single session or many sessions have been completed and shown positive results. The field is prepared for a multi-center, carefully planned, sham-controlled, double-blinded tDCS study to comprehensively examine its feasibility and effectiveness in enhancing outcomes in stroke population. CONCLUSION: The function of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in aiding stroke recuperation will be ascertained.

Multiple Long-Term Conditions and Disability are Independently Associated with Higher Risk of Fall Among Community Adults: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Previous studies have suggested an association between falls and the presence of Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC) or disabilities. However, there is limited understanding of how these factors independently or collectively contribute to the risk of falls and fear of falling among community-dwelling adults. Objective: This study examined the independent association between MLTC and the presence of disability with the risk of falls among community adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 324 adults (age ≥ 50). Demographic and clinical data included age, sex, body mass index (BMI), MLTC (≥ two chronic diseases) risk of fall (ie, history of fall in the previous 12-months, number of falls, and recurrent falls). The Barthel Index and Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) were used to assess disability and fear of fall, respectively. Results: MLTC (Odds Ratio (OR) 2.50, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.26, 4.95], p=0.009), and disability (OR 1.71, 95% CI [1.04, 2.79], p = 0.034) were independently associated with history of falls. MLTC (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) 2.87, 95% CI [1.93, 4.29], p < 0.001) and disability (IRR 1.86 95% CI [1.46, 2.36], p < 0.001) were independently associated with an increased number of falls. MLTC (OR 4.50, 95% CI [1.78, 11.36], p = 0.001) and disability (OR 2.82, 95% CI [1.58, 5.05], p < 0.001) were independently associated with recurrent falls. MLTC (B = 6.45, p < 0.001) and disability (B = 3.05, p = 0.025) were independently associated with increased fear of falling. Conclusion: This study indicated that both MLTC and disability are independently associated with falls, number of falls and fear of falling in this population.