Raisins Preserve Thyroid Gland Function and Structure in an Animal Model of Hypercholesterolemia.

Background: Statins are among the first line of pharmacological treatment of lipid disorders and lowering serum cholesterol, but they have many side effects. Aim: The study aim was to evaluate the role of raisins in protecting the thyroid function and structure in a rat model of hypercholesterolemia, through biochemical and histopathological investigation. Materials and Methods: Thirty male rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10 each) of albino rats included the control, high cholesterol diet (HCD)-fed for 13 weeks and HCD plus Raisins were included in this study. Blood levels of glucose, insulin, cholesterol, lipids, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), T3, T4, oxidants/anti-oxidants were assessed. Thyroid gland was processed and examined histopathologically using light and electron microscopy. Results: Feeding HCD resulted in hypercholesterolemia in rats after 13 weeks as evidence by lipid profile. Ingestion of raisins along with HCD resulted in a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in the levels of insulin, blood glucose, thyroxine (T4) and malondialdehyde (MDA), while the levels of TSH, T3 and total anti-oxidant capacity significantly (P < 0.001) elevated. Raisins histologically alleviated the HCD-induced structural changes in the thyroid glands that included degenerated mitochondria and increased lipid droplets in the cytoplasm. Conclusions: Simultaneous administration of raisins along with HCD, administrated for a short time, could modulate the negative effect on thyroid gland structure and function.

Mortality Predictors Among COVID-19 Elderly in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Background: By December 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic had caused more than 266 million cases and 5 million deaths, especially among geriatric patients. Objective: To identify determinants of COVID-19-related death in geriatric patients. Methods: This is a comparative retrospective study involving 145 COVID-19 hospitalized patients who are more than 60 years old, conducted at King Faisal Medical Complex in Taif, Saudi Arabia, from June 2020 to August 2020. The main outcome studied was COVID-19-related death. Results: Out of 145 elderly COVID-19 patients, 11% have died. There was a significant difference between those who died and the surviving group regarding hospital stay duration, with a higher duration median among those who died (22 days vs 12 day respectively, p=0.002). Transfer to ICU, mechanical ventilation, low oxygen saturation, shortness of breath, respiratory support, x-ray trend, and prolonged QT interval showed significant statistical differences between them (p<0.001, <0.001, 0.017, 0.045, <0.001, <0.001, 0.004, respectively). After doing logistic regression of predictors for progression to death, putting patients on oxygen only vs mechanical ventilation was statistically significant, with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 0.038 (p=0.012). Worse x-rays vs constant also were statistically significant and had AOR of 23.459 (p=0.001). There was a significant moderate positive correlation between duration of hospital stay and duration from admission to medication start (SP=0.336 and p<0.001). Conclusion: We recommend accurately monitoring patients using x-rays to determine which patients have worse x-rays. However, the cost-benefit of using radiation must be well assessed and needs further research to determine if its benefit outweighs its risks, especially in high-risk patients. Furthermore, mechanically ventilated patients must be carefully monitored. Finally, the duration of hospital stay was highly correlated with the duration from admission to medication start. Therefore, proper treatment must be started as early as possible.

Nanoparticles of Costus speciosus Ameliorate Diabetes-Induced Structural Changes in Rat Prostate through Mediating the Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines IL 6, IL1ß and TNF-α.

Diabetes mellitus is a common global health problem. Among the complications that are frequently associated with DM are the alternation of sexual function and fertility, especially in young men. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of nanoparticles of Costus speciosus (C. speciosus) in preserving the prostatic structure of diabetic rats and to explore the mechanism behind this effect. A model of DM was induced in male albino rats by a single intraperitoneally injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 60 mg/kg body weight). Five groups (n = 10 each) of rats were included in this study: the control, C. speciosus gold nanoparticles-treated (150 mg/kg body weight through gastric intubation for 30 days), untreated diabetic, metformin-treated diabetic (500 mg/kg/day gastric intubation for 30 days) and the C. speciosus-treated diabetic group. The blood glucose, insulin and testosterone levels as well as oxidants/antioxidants status were assessed in the serum. Gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL1ß and IL-6 were assessed in the prostate homogenate. At the end of the experiment, the rats were sacrificed and the prostate was dissected out and prepared for histopathological and immunohistochemistry study using Ki67 and Bcl-2. C. Speciosus nanoparticles significantly decreased (p = 0.03) the blood glucose level while significantly increasing insulin (p = 0.01) and testosterone (p = 0.04) levels compared to the untreated diabetic rats. Oxidants/antioxidants status was markedly improved after administration of C. speciosus. Prostatic expression of the mRNA of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL1ß and TNF-α was down-regulated in metformin- and C. speciosus-treated rats. The histological structure of the ventral prostate was preserved in metformin- and C. speciosus-treated diabetic rats with a significantly thicker epithelial cell layer and significant increase immunoexpression in Bcl-2 and Ki67. In conclusion, the protective effect induced by C. speciosus nanoparticles on the prostate of diabetic rats might be directly mediated through the down-regulation of inflammatory cytokines and the up-regulation of antioxidant activity and indirectly mediated through the anti-hyperglycemic effect through enhancing insulin secretion.

Successive waves of COVID 19: confinement effects on virus-prevalence with a mathematical model.

BACKGROUND: A pandemic outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID 19) incidence data are largely available online. Until August 17, COVID 19 has hit more than 22 million individuals all over the globe. So, it is urged to get clear information about the prevalence of the virus. Therefore, one can manipulate easily a suitable mathematical model to fit these published data. METHODS: We propose a mathematical model that considers the total population, in 25 countries, either infected by COVID 19 or confined (safe) during the period from November 17, 2019, to August 17, 2020. The model considers the total population as a complex number; the imaginary part is the number of infected individuals and the real part is the number of confined individuals. This classification combined with mathematical treatments leads to a transmission dynamics of the virus to be as wave-like motion. The virus can hit any country either by one wave or by successive waves (up to 11 waves). FINDINGS: We find net discrimination between the 25 countries investigated in this report. The immediate response to the first attack is a substantial parameter to determine whether the epidemic attack will be in one wave or it can be in successive waves. For example, the best case was such as individuals in China hit by one wave while the individuals in the USA were attacked by nine waves; it is the worst case all over the globe. In addition, the model differentiates between the daily reproduction numbers (Rd0) and the median reproduction number (R0). We have found that Rd0 decreases exponentially with time from high values down to zero at the wave maximum point; and R0 varies from a country to another. For example, the virus hit individuals in Germany in R0 = 1.39 (96% CI 1.01-3.87) and in the USA R0 = 3.81 (91% CI 1.71-5.15). We have found that twice the virus has hit both the USA and Iran. The great protestation of black matter lives in the USA and the great assemblage of the new Iranian year, on March 21, 2020, have been the cause of the second epidemic attack in both countries. INTERPRETATION: Our results show that COVID 19 transmission depends on the prompt reaction against the first viral-wave. The reaction depends on both the social behaviour of individuals and on the swift system-decision by the governmental decision-maker(s). The Chinese strictly follow the decision-maker and therefore the virus hit by only one wave; while in the USA, the system-decision was different and the American-responses were different, therefore ten waves followed the first wave.

Placental malperfusion in response to intrauterine inflammation and its connection to fetal sequelae.

Exposure to intrauterine inflammation (IUI) is associated with short- and long-term adverse perinatal outcomes. However, little data exist on utilizing placenta to prognosticate fetal injury in this scenario. Our study aimed to utilize imaging modalities to evaluate mechanisms contributing to placental injury following IUI exposure and correlated it to concomitant fetal brain injury. CD1 pregnant dams underwent laparotomies and received intrauterine injections of either lipopolysaccharide (LPS; a model of IUI) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). In utero ultrasound Doppler velocimetry of uterine and umbilical arteries and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of placental volumes with confirmatory immunohistochemical (vimentin) and histochemistry (fibrin) analyses were performed. ELISA for thrombosis markers, fibrinogen and fibrin was performed to analyze thrombi in placenta. Fetal brain immunohistochemistry was performed to detect microglial activation (ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1, Iba1). On ultrasound, LPS group demonstrated elevated resistance indices, pulsatility indices and a greater occurrence of absent end-diastolic flow in the umbilical and uterine arteries. In the fetus, there was an increased cardiac Tei indices in the LPS group. MRI revealed decreased volume of placenta in the LPS group associated with placental thinning and placental endothelial damage on immunohistochemistry. Decreased fibrinogen content and more thrombi staining in placenta exposed to maternal LPS indicated the hypercoagulability. Furthermore, the expression of Iba1was significantly associated with placental thickness (r = -0.7890, Pearson correlation coefficient). Our data indicate that IUI can trigger events leading to maternal placental malperfusion and fetal vessel resistance, as well as predispose the developing fetus to cardiac dysfunction and brain damage. Furthermore, our data suggest that prenatal ultrasound can be a real-time clinical tool for assessing fetal risk for adverse neurologic outcomes following the potential IUI exposure.

The Role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurological Disorders.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Late-onset AD (LOAD), is the most common form of Alzheimer's disease, representing about >95% of cases and early-onset AD represents <5% of cases. Several risk factors have been discovered that are associated with AD, with advancing age being the most prominent. Other environmental risk factors include diabetes mellitus, level of physical activity, educational status, hypertension and head injury. The most well known genetic risk factor for LOAD is inheritance of the apolipoprotein (apo) E4 allele. Recently, rare variants of TREM2 have been reported as a significant risk factor for LOAD, comparable to inheritance of apoE4. In this review we will focus on the role(s) of TREM2 in AD as well as in other neurodegenerative disorders.

A model of horizontal and vertical integration of teaching on the cadaveric heart.

This work was performed in a trial to organize the learning process by focusing on the integration of medical education particularly between the three main subjects: gross anatomy, histology and pathology. It was a theoretical teaching draft designed to be implemented with second year students of the Medical school of the King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, KSA, in order to overcome disadvantages in traditional teaching. The objectives of this work were to make medical students, at the pre-clinical stage of their medical carrier, alert to diagnosis and handling of clinical problems and to develop their ability to integrate pre-clinical and clinical subjects. Fifty human cadaveric hearts were anatomically and histopathologically examined. This examination revealed six different clinical problems such as pericarditis, myocarditis, cardiac hypertrophy, parasitic infestation, rheumatic heart disease and fatty infiltration. The medical students of the second year will be first introduced to the normal anatomical and histological structure of the heart, then allowed to visualize and examine the specimens of the cadaveric heart both macroscopically and microscopically. They will be introduced to a set of clinical problems through some clinical scenarios and asked to search for the possible etiological factors causing these changes, associated signs and symptoms. Finally they will be asked to present their findings and interpretations. This paper demonstrated a pathway of self-directed learning in an integrated teaching setting in the medical curriculum using available cadaveric material at a preparatory stage before developing the system-based curriculum.