The Relationship between Pinguecula and Diabetes Mellitus: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: To assess the relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and the presence of pinguecula and to identify other risk factors associated with pinguecula in patients attending the eye clinic at two tertiary university hospitals in Jordan. Methods: This was a comparative cross-sectional hospital-based study of 241 consecutive patients (122 patients with DM and 119 patients with no diabetes). All patients underwent complete ophthalmic examination, and data were collected regarding age, sex, occupational activity, presence and grade of pinguecula, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and presence of diabetic retinopathy. Results: The mean (standard deviation, SD) ages of the DM and non-DM groups were 59.5 (10.8) years and 59.0 (11.6) years (p-value = 0.729), respectively. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of pinguecula between the diabetic and nondiabetic groups (66.4% vs. 66.5%, p = 0.998). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that only outdoor occupational activity (OR = 5.16, 95% CI: 1.98-13.44, p = 0.001) was associated with increased prevalence of pinguecula. DM was not significantly associated with pinguecula (OR = 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55-1.67, p = 0.873). Neither age nor sex were significantly associated with pinguecula (p-value = 0.808, p-value = 0.390), respectively. Conclusion: DM was not significantly associated with the development of pinguecula in this Jordanian population. The prevalence of pinguecula was significantly associated with an outdoor occupational activity.

Coping mechanisms used by pharmacists to deal with stress, what is helpful and what is harmful?

Background: Australian pharmacists encountered increased stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has raised questions regarding the effectiveness of the coping mechanisms used to manage this high work-related stress. Identifying useful and harmful coping mechanisms is critical for providing advice regarding addressing pharmacists' future work-related stress. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the impact of pharmacy work on stress experienced by Australian pharmacists and the coping mechanisms used during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also aimed to evaluate the pharmacists' perceptions of the impact of these coping mechanisms on their stress. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Practising pharmacists and interns were recruited to complete an online survey that included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which was used to measure pharmacists' work-related stress, and the Brief-COPE scale, used to assess the coping mechanisms used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The key outcome measure was the PSS score. A multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between coping mechanisms and stress levels in a sample of Australian pharmacists. Results: A total of 173 pharmacists and interns were recruited. The mean PSS was 18.02 (SD = 6.7). Avoidant coping mechanisms such as social withdrawal (ß = 0.31; p = 0.0001) were significantly positively associated with work-related stress. In contrast, exercise was significantly negatively associated with work-related stress (ß = -0.21; p = 0.009). The most frequently reported perceived barrier to seeking help was feeling burnt out and underappreciated. Conclusions: This study highlights the association of coping mechanisms used by pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic with work-related stress. The study results demonstrate the importance of physical activity and spending time with pets in reducing work-related stress levels. Avoiding harmful coping mechanisms such as social withdrawal and drinking alcohol is recommended. This study also highlights the need for interventional studies to reduce work-related stress levels among pharmacists by addressing useful coping mechanisms.

Ultrasonographic assessment of skeletal muscles after experimentally induced neurogenic inflammation (facet injury) in rats.

This study set out to examine ultrasonographic attributes of non-neurosegmentally (pectoral-forelimb) and neurosegmentally linked (hindlimb) myotomes in an experimental model that leads to neurogenic inflammation in segmentally linked myotomes, and to evaluate quantitative correlations among ultrasonographic attributes of the muscles, relative content of various inflammatory mediators, and nociceptive thresholds (hot and mechanical) in rats. Twelve male Wistar Kyoto rats were randomly divided into two equinumerous groups: surgery group, in which the left lumbar (L4-L6) facet joints were compressed for 3 min with modified Kelly forceps under general anesthesia, and sham-operated rats. All ultrasonograms were obtained with the Vevo 2100 Visual Sonic scanner connected to a 24-MHz transducer at four different time points: pre-surgery and 7, 14, and 21 days after surgical procedures. Digital ultrasonographic images of quadriceps femoris, hamstring, and pectoral-brachial muscle groups were analyzed using a polygonal meter region of interest placed on the largest cross-sectional area of the muscles displayed in Image ProPlus® analytical software to compute numerical pixel values and pixel heterogeneity (standard deviation of mean pixel values). On day 21, pain behavior tests (hot plate and von Frey) were performed and then all animals were euthanized. Protein expression of inflammatory mediators in biceps brachii and rectus femoris muscles was measured by Western blot. The most prominent differences in muscle echotextural attributes between the two subsets of rats occurred 14 days post-surgery in pectoral-brachial and quadriceps femoris muscles. The expression of calcitonin-gene-related peptide was directly related to both echotextural variables only in biceps brachii (pixel intensity: r = 0.65, P = 0.02; and heterogeneity: r = 0.66, P = 0.02, respectively). Our findings have revealed the occurrence of echotextural changes in skeletal muscles of rats during myositis; however, the accumulation of inflammatory mediators and the outcomes of sensory tests did not relate to the changes in first-order echotextural characteristics of affected hindlimb muscles.

Influence of Heat Treatment on Muscle Recovery after Skeletal Muscle Injury in Rats: Histological and Immunohistochemical Studies.

Background: Muscle injuries represent a great part of athletic injuries. The repairing of skeletal muscle after injury is highly influenced by its regenerative response that may be affected by thermotherapy. Aim: This research examined the consequence of heat therapy on muscle recovery after skeletal muscle injury in rats. Materials and Methods: Forty-five male adult albino rats were classified into three groups: control, cardiotoxin-injected without heat (nonheating group), and cardiotoxin-injected with heat (heating group). Muscle injury was caused by the injection of cardiotoxin intramuscularly into the tibialis anterior muscles. Heating treatment (40°C for 20 min) was started immediately after the injury. Subsequent observations were performed at day 1, 3, and 7 after injury, including histological imaging and vimentin immunostaining expression. Results: In the heating group, the regenerating myotubes, having two or more central nuclei, first looked at 3 days after muscle injury, while in the nonheating group, the regenerating fibers were first observed at 7 days after muscle injury. Immunohistochemically, the vimentin reactions were absent in control muscle fibers but were identified in regenerating muscle fiber of the heating group earlier than in the nonheating group. Conclusion: Starting of heat treatment immediately after muscle injury promoted the regeneration of muscle fibers.