Thyroid cancer risk factors and Pakistani University students' awareness towards its preventive practice.

OBJECTIVES: Thyroid Cancer is one of the rarest cancers but its prevalence has been increasing worldwide for the last couple of decades. METHODS: The data collection tool was designed to assess knowledge, awareness, perception, and attitude towards preventive practices of thyroid cancer in Pakistani university students. The data were collected over a duration of six months and a total number of 3722 students participated. RESULTS: The knowledge of risk factors of thyroid cancer was an important parameter of this study. The students who knew all the early signs of thyroid cancer were 28.7%. In this study, the independent variables such as age, gender, demographic location, and financial status were found to be highly significant with knowledge, attitude towards warning signs of cancer, and the perception of students about developing thyroid cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The participants were found to have poor knowledge about early signs of thyroid cancer. The study participants perception, behavior, and attitude towards preventive practices of thyroid cancer were found inadequate and appropriate measures on a National level should be taken to enhance the knowledge about preventive practices of thyroid cancer. Increasing knowledge and awareness shall help decrease the overall morbidity and mortality linked with thyroid carcinomas and thyroid diseases.

Post-Myocardial Infarction T-tubules Form Enlarged Branched Structures With Dysregulation of Junctophilin-2 and Bridging Integrator 1 (BIN-1).

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is a common secondary complication following a myocardial infarction (MI), characterized by impaired cardiac contraction and t-tubule (t-t) loss. However, post-MI nano-scale morphological changes to the remaining t-ts are poorly understood. METHOD AND RESULTS: We utilized a porcine model of MI, using a nonlethal microembolization method to generate controlled microinfarcts. Using serial block face scanning electron microscopy, we report that post-MI, after mild left-ventricular dysfunction has developed, t-ts are not only lost in the peri-infarct region, but also the remnant t-ts form enlarged, highly branched disordered structures, containing a dense intricate inner membrane. Biochemical and proteomics analyses showed that the calcium release channel, ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2), abundance is unchanged, but junctophilin-2 (JP2), important for maintaining t-t trajectory, is depressed (-0.5×) in keeping with the t-ts being disorganized. However, immunolabeling shows that populations of RyR2 and JP2 remain associated with the remodeled t-ts. The bridging integrator 1 protein (BIN-1), a regulator of tubulogensis, is upregulated (+5.4×), consistent with an overdeveloped internal membrane system, a feature not present in control t-ts. Importantly, we have determined that t-ts, in the remote region, are narrowed and also contain dense membrane folds (BIN-1 is up-regulated +3.4×), whereas the t-ts have a radial organization comparable to control JP2 is upregulated +1.7×. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals previously unidentified remodeling of the t-t nano-architecture in the post-MI heart that extends to the remote region. Our findings highlight that targeting JP2 may be beneficial for preserving the orientation of the t-ts, attenuating the development of hypocontractility post-MI.

Targeting caveolin-3 for the treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Diabetes is a global health problem with more than 550 million people predicted to be diabetic by 2030. A major complication of diabetes is cardiovascular disease, which accounts for over two-thirds of mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients. This increased risk has led to the definition of a diabetic cardiomyopathy phenotype characterised by early left ventricular dysfunction with normal ejection fraction. Here we review the aetiology of diabetic cardiomyopathy and explore the involvement of the protein caveolin-3 (Cav3). Cav3 forms part of a complex mechanism regulating insulin signalling and glucose uptake, processes that are impaired in diabetes. Further, Cav3 is key for stabilisation and trafficking of cardiac ion channels to the plasma membrane and so contributes to the cardiac action potential shape and duration. In addition, Cav3 has direct and indirect interactions with proteins involved in excitation-contraction coupling and so has the potential to influence cardiac contractility. Significantly, both impaired contractility and rhythm disturbances are hallmarks of diabetic cardiomyopathy. We review here how changes to Cav3 expression levels and altered relationships with interacting partners may be contributory factors to several of the pathological features identified in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Finally, the review concludes by considering ways in which levels of Cav3 may be manipulated in order to develop novel therapeutic approaches for treating diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Overview of serotonin syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Serotonin syndrome (SS) is a rare and potentially life-threatening toxic state caused by an adverse drug reaction that leads to excessive central and peripheral serotonergic activity. This excessive serotonin hyperstimulation may be secondary to 1 standard therapeutic dose of a single agent, inadvertent interactions between various drugs, intentionally or unintentionally excessive use of particular drugs, deliberate self-harm, or recreational use of certain drugs. This review article serves as an overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, management, and prevention of SS. METHODS: The authors conducted a MEDLINE search for the period covering 1955 to 2011. RESULTS: SS commonly occurs after the use of serotonergic agents alone or in combination with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. SS classically consists of a triad of signs and symptoms broadly characterized as alteration of mental status, abnormalities of neuromuscular tone, and autonomic hyperactivity. However, all 3 triads of SS may not occur simultaneously. Clinical manifestations are diverse and nonspecific, which may lead to misdiagnosis. SS can range in severity from mild to life-threatening. Most cases of SS are mild and resolve with prompt recognition and supportive care. Management of SS involves withdrawal of the offending agent(s), aggressive supportive care to treat hyperthermia and autonomic dysfunction, and occasionally the administration of serotonin antagonists--cyproheptadine or chlorpromazine. Patients with moderate and severe cases of SS require inpatient hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatrists, clinicians, and general practitioners must develop increased awareness of SS due to the current increase in the use of serotonergic agents in clinical practice. As SS is a manifestation of adverse pharmacology, it is not considered an idiosyncratic drug reaction, making it predictable and highly preventable. Most cases of SS are mild and easily managed. With prompt recognition and supportive care, more severe cases of SS have a favorable prognosis.

Diazepam use during pregnancy: a review of the literature.

Antianxiety medications such as benzodiazepines (BZDs) are frequently and appropriately used to ameliorate the anxiety symptoms of depression, dysthymic disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, eating disorder, and many personality disorders. Pregnancy may be accompanied by anxiety necessitating therapeutic intervention by anxiolytic drugs like BZD. Keeping in view the potential risks of teratogenicity and direct neonatal toxicity, BZDs with established safety records should be used, while avoiding exposure in the first trimester, especially with multidrug regimens, and prescribing the lowest dose for the shortest duration. This literature review highlights information from various sources regarding safety data of exposure of pregnant and lactating mothers to long-acting BZDs, especially diazepam.

Osteoporosis: a review.

Osteoporosis, a systemic progressive disease, is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in aging postmenopausal women. It is an important public health problem because of its significant complications, namely fractures of the proximal femur (hip), vertebrae (spine), distal forearm, proximal humerus, pelvis, and other skeletal sites. Compared with other osteoporotic fractures, hip fractures incur the greatest morbidity and direct medical costs for health services. There are now a variety of treatments available for the management of osteoporosis. Inhibitors of bone resorption, including calcium, vitamin Ds, bisphosphonates, calcitonins and gonadal steroids prevent bone loss or reduce fractures. Prevention of osteoporosis with identification of risk factors, careful examination and a few simple diagnostic tests during teen and early adult years is superior to treatment of older individuals. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of osteoporosis.