Evaluation of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Biomarkers in Chronic Cigarette Smokers: A Pilot Study.

Introduction The present study was undertaken to assess the status of oxidative stress in chronic cigarette smokers. Materials and methods Thirty adult male chronic cigarette smokers and an equal number of age and sex-matched normal subjects from the Deoghar district of Jharkhand state, India, were included in the study. The status of lipid peroxidation was determined using malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activities of enzymic antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), were determined using standard protocols. Results Results showed that the serum MDA levels were significantly increased, and the enzymic antioxidants were markedly decreased in chronic cigarette smokers compared to the normal subjects. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that oxidative stress is more pronounced in cigarette smokers compared to non-smokers. The number of cigarettes smoked plays a crucial role in increasing the reactive oxygen species and decreasing the cellular antioxidants.

Neck circumference in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and bootstrapped meta-analysis with GRADE approach.

INTRODUCTION: Our aim was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis for the association of neck circumference (NC) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients as compared to non-PCOS controls. METHODS: Primarily the PubMed/MEDLINE database, and others such as SCOPUS, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, up to November 15, 2023 for observational studies comparing NC in PCOS versus non-PCOS women. The mean and SD values of NC and other covariates in PCOS and control groups were extracted by two independent reviewers, and the quality and risk of bias assessment was done using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale of the studies. The meta-analysis employed combined standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to compare NC between PCOS patients and controls. The heterogeneity and validity were addressed by sub-group, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses. We conducted a Bootstrapped meta-analysis using 1000 and 10000 simulations to test the accuracy of the obtained results. The certainty of evidence was assessed by GRADE approach. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis included 9 observational studies. The PCOS patients showed a significantly higher NC values than the non-PCOS controls (SMD 0.66, 95% CI 0.41-0.91, p<0.0001). In the bootstrap meta-analysis, the accuracy of the observed findings was proved (SMD=0.66, CI=0.42 to 0.91) for the NC outcome. No publication bias was detected in the funnel plot analysis using Begg's and Egger's tests. The 95% prediction interval of 0.036 to 1.28, suggest that the true outcomes of the studies are generally in the same direction as the estimated average outcome. The sensitivity analysis provided the robustness of the outcome, and no single study was overly influential on the pooled estimate. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis provides accurate evidence for significantly higher NC in PCOS as compared to non-PCOS controls. There is no sufficient evidence on the diagnostic accuracy measures for NC in PCOS. Hence, further research on its diagnostic utility in PCOS is needed.

Pharmacological effects of D-Pinitol - A comprehensive review.

In recent years, the application of phytochemicals to prevent or treat diseases has received greater attention. These phytochemicals have little or no toxicity against healthy tissues and are thus considered as ideal compounds. An impressive number of modern drugs are obtained from natural sources based on their traditional value. D-Pinitol is a natural compound that is derived from soy and soy products. It is a potentially active molecule that belongs to the class of inositols. D-pinitol has been pharmacologically evaluated for its potent antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, renoprotective, neuroprotective, immunosuppressive, and anti-osteoporotic efficacies. This review is an attempt to validate the plausible pharmacological effects of D-pinitol using various in vivo and in vitro studies. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The consumption of plant-based products has been significantly increased all over the world. The active phytochemicals that are found in plants are stated to have numerous health promoting functions for the treatment of diabetes, cancer, inflammation, cardiac diseases, liver dysfunction, and many other. D-Pinitol is abundantly present in soybeans that possess notable therapeutic activities. Understanding the effects of D-Pinitol would potentially help in applying this compound in clinical research for the treatment of different disorders.

A Case of Hyperargininaemia Presenting at Unusually Low Age.

Arginase or ARG1 gene deficiency is a Type V Urea Cycle Disorder (UCD) (catalysing the fifth reaction of urea cycle), associated with hyperammonaemia. Here, we discuss a rare case of a 13-month-old female, having Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and failure to thrive, with serial high plasma ammonia, normal plasma lactate with high arginine and glutamine levels on Amino Acid Assay (AAA) which was performed on 1220 Agilent HPLC. She was admitted for about a month and eventually succumbed to her ailment after a month of discharge.

Protective role of ascorbic acid in hemorrhage-induced cardiovascular depression.

Haemorrhagic shock is associated with hyperproduction of free radicals. Hence ascorbic acid (AA), a free radical scavenger, may be of benefit in such cases. We investigated in Wistar rats the role of free radicals in causing cardiovascular depression and the protective role of ascorbic acid, if any, in acute haemorrhage. The rats were catheterized for recording hemodynamic parameters. Acute haemorrhage was induced through phlebotomy followed by resuscitation. The test group received AA for 3 days before inducing haemorrhage and was resuscitated with AA and Ringer's lactate. The controls received only ringer lactate. Malondialdehyde was estimated to assess free-radical production. All rats showed significant fall in cardiovascular parameters with simultaneous increase in MDA level. While all rats showed significant improvement following resuscitation, the recovery was greater in the test group. The MDA levels decreased significantly in the ascorbic acid treated group. Our results demonstrate the involvement of free radicals in hemorrhage-induced cardiovascular depression and the cardio-protective effect of ascorbic acid.