Nicotine, primarily found in tobacco, exerts a profound impact on stem cells, disrupting their proliferation, differentiation, and migration when exposed at high doses or used chronically. Stem cells hold significant promise in the field of regenerative medicine and disease management, making it crucial to understand how nicotine affects their therapeutic potential. In tandem, a growing epidemic of nicotine addiction among adolescents poses a public health threat, as it not only jeopardizes their well-being but also undermines the efficacy of stem cell-based treatments. This paper reviews the effects of nicotine on various types of stem cells and discusses the alarming rise in adolescent nicotine use, emphasizing the importance of addressing this issue to preserve the future of stem cell therapies.
Blastomyces dermatitidis is an endemic mycosis in certain regions of the United States of America and can cause disseminated infection in immunocompetent individuals. We present a case of osseous blastomycosis in a previously healthy 22-year-old male from Missouri, who developed sudden onset right knee pain in June 2019. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) demonstrated an enhancing mass that was concerning for osseous malignancy. Antigen and antibody testing for dimorphic fungi was confounding. He underwent debridement and surgical specimen cultures grew B. dermatitidis. He was treated initially with liposomal amphotericin B and transitioned to oral itraconazole to complete therapy. Blastomycosis of the bone can be mistaken for malignancy and should be included on a differential for these types of cases. Blastomycosis of the bone and joints can be successfully treated with surgical debridement and prolonged antifungal therapy.
Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by progressive cognitive decline, including memory loss, impaired judgment, and changes in behavior. It is the most common cause of dementia and is known to generate pathological changes in the brain, such as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles which contribute to the symptoms. This disease affects over 55 million people worldwide and is known to frequently develop around the age of 65 and older. Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings that include periods of mania involving heightened energy, euphoria, and depressive episodes leading to a loss of interest in many activities. These mood shifts can significantly impact the daily life and functioning of the affected person. There are more than 18 million people in the United States affected by this disease, and it is also known to be associated with the later development of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Lithium has been used as a treatment for bipolar disorder for 60+ years while also being known to show effects decreasing the incidence of neurodegenerative disorders in a variety of patients. Regarding the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, there is no present therapy approved to decrease the rate of development or cure the morbid disease after it has been diagnosed in individuals. Stem cell treatment is currently being studied through animal models to find a way to regenerate the loss of important neurological functions and combat the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Research has shown that lithium induces the proliferation of stem cells, including pluripotential stem cells and is a potent inhibitor of the biochemical process that results in the hyperphosphorlyation of Tau protein that is responsible for neurofibril tangles and neurological dysfunction observed in Alzheimer’s patients.
Background: A serious consequence of respiratory infections with SARS-CoV-2 is Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). The aim of this study was to evaluate some novel biomarkers measured in plasma for their associations with the outcome of this infection as to AKI and mortality. Methods: Four different HNL (Human Neutrophil Lipocalin) assays were constructed using different antibody configurations, reflecting both neutrophil and epithelial cell activities. TK-1 (Thymidine kinase-1) was measured as a sign of cell destruction and proliferation. For comparison the plasma concentrations of NGAL (Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin), the cytokines IL-6, IL-8 and IFN-γ and of cystatin C, and procalcitonin were also measured. One hundred and three patients with severe respiratory failure admitted to the ICU were sampled for blood at admittance and at day three (n=67) after admittance. Results: Sixty-five percent of the patients developed AKI. The performance of the HNL assay 763/8F was most closely associated to outcome as to AKI and mortality with Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristics Curve (AUC) of 0.87 and a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 88% in COVID-19 patients with and without severe AKI (p<0.0001). TK-1 was significantly related to the development of AKI (p=0.01) and the three cytokines were related to mortality (p=0.004-p<0.001). Conclusion: The HNL variant 763/8F and TK-1 are novel biomarkers that might become useful and novel tools in the management of COVID-19 patients, but likely also in other patients affected by AKI.
Reinfection with COVID-19 is of great importance since it can substantially affect the future of disease control and vaccine development. COVID-19 can present with diverse neurological, as well as respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. Here, we present a rare case of COVID-19 reinfection with neurological manifestations. The patient was a healthy 26-year-old male that had experienced first episode of COVID-19 infection with mild respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. In his second episode of infection, he presented to the emergency department with vertigo, vomiting, metamorphopsia, blurred vision, headache, and gate disturbance. Based on the clinical data and imaging studies, the patient was diagnosed with benign cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension. Then, he was treated using intravenous/intramuscular corticosteroids in addition to the supplementary therapies. His symptoms dramatically improved during the next 2 days. No important neurologic or systemic adverse events in response to the treatment were noted. This case reveals that infection with COVID-19, despite positive IgG, does not protect the patient from reinfection. Moreover, COVID-19 reinfection can present with benign cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension, in which case, inflammatory suppression therapy should be considered.
Introduction: SARS COV-2 pandemic has been a nightmare for medical, political and social systems all over the world, right from the point of initial diagnosis, treatment protocols, anticipated vaccine development and prevention strategies.
Background: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the majority of the population at some point in their lifetime. Acne pathogenesis is multifactorial with four primary contributors that play a pivotal role in the formation of acne lesions: inflammation, androgeninduced sebum production, abnormal keratinization, and bacterial colonization. Recent studies have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, anti-diabetic, and anti-lipid properties of certain Polymethoxylated Flavones (PMF) derivatives.
Aim: To test the hypothesis that cooperative interactions between transcription factors Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and Activator Protein-1 (AP1) augment transcriptional activity in exocrine pancreatic cells.
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently causing a global pandemic.The new Coronary Pneumonia originated in Wuhan and has spread rapidly throughout both China and most of the rest of the world (184 countries).The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.In the absence of any pharmaceutical intervention, including prevention, treatment, and the cure, the only strategy against COVID-19 has been to reduce mixing susceptible and infectious people through early ascertainment of cases or to restrict physical contact.Social distancing is a necessary strategy as the best protection against further virus transmission and uncontrolled spread.Many COVID-19 patients develop Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which leads to pulmonary edema and lung failure.Patients may also undergo liver, heart, and kidney failure due to exuberant inflammatory responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection, further resulting in uncontrolled pulmonary inflammation, a likely leading cause of case fatality (Figure 1).The described clinical symptoms are associated with a "cytokine storm" involved in Th17-type exaggerated responses.The detrimental effects of a high-salt diet on human health have received much attention in the past few years.While it has been well established that high dietary salt intake is related to cardiovascular diseases, there is growing evidence that the excess of salt intake also induces IL-17-producing Th-17 cells originating from the gut compartment.It thus contributes to creating a pro-inflammatory microenvironment, predisposing or aggravating potential pulmonary ARDS complications in the increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients.WHO.Since February 21, 2020, when the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in Italy, the National Healthcare Service, which offers universal access to health care, has faced increasing pressure, with more than 90,000 total cases of COVID-19 and more than 20,000 deaths as of April 10, 2020 [14].In the absence of any pharmaceutical intervention, which includes prevention, treatment and cure, the only current strategy against COVID-19 is to reduce mixing of susceptible and infectious people through early ascertainment of cases and reduction of contact through social distancing.The social distancing was critical as it represented the best protection against further virus transmission and uncontrolled spread and it gave results in all affected areas in the world.It is important to recognize, however, that social distancing is not social isolation.For instance, doctors can practice telemedicine when following up with the patients.Regular office clerks, teachers, and students can practice teleworking and work or teach from home.We may also learn important lessons from previous failures in implementing a full national lock down in earlier times in some countries during previous pandemics.Part of the problem lies
Background:The laboratory plays a crucial role in patient care.Laboratory requests and reports forms are used as a communication agent between clinicians and laboratory professionals.Completing laboratory request and report forms reduce errors associated with customers' results that have negative impact on both diagnosis and management of the patients including extra loss of resource and time.
AML with myelodysplasia related changes is an uncommon type of acute myeloid leukemia.It comprises less than 5% of acute leukemias.According to the recent World Health Organization (WHO-2016) classification, AML cases with ≥ 50% or more erythroid cells and ≥ 20% total myeloblasts should be diagnosed as AML with myelodysplasia-related changes.Morphologic cellular features help to establish the diagnosis.We present a rare case of AML with myelodysplasia related changes in a 35-year-old female who presented with low-grade fever, mild epistaxis, and shortness of breath and diffuse sternal tenderness.The peripheral smear showed features of pancytopenia with 6% blasts along with evidence of hemolysis.Bone marrow examination revealed erythroid hyperplasia with 65% erythroblasts and 24% myeloblasts.Flow cytometry was used for the confirmation of the diagnosis.The patient was administered chemotherapy with Azacitidine 75 mg/m 2 /day × 7 days in IV infusion along with 2 units of red cell concentrate prophylactically to prevent anemia.Molecular studies are needed to understand better the pathogenesis of AML with myelodysplasiarelated changes and to develop newer diagnostic and prognostic markers.
A growing body of scientific literature has been showing the importance of measuring the serum levels of 25-OH Vitamin D (considered to be a reliable indicator of the overall Vitamin D status of a patient).Since the development of the first immuno-assays for 25-OH Vitamin D (over four decades ago), significant improvements have been made in the way 25-OH Vitamin D serum levels are measured.These improvements are, however, still lagging when compared to the exponential demand for Vitamin D testing in clinical settings.Indeed, current 25-OH Vitamin D assays are still slow, have low throughput and are still performed by a limited number of clinical laboratories.In this article, we report on a rapid technique to measure serum 25-OH Vitamin D that uses only two reagents and that can be adapted to virtually any automated spectrophotometric chemistry analyzer.The new technique uses polystyrene (latex) nanoparticles that have been sensitized with Vitamin D-specific antibodies.Extensive performance testing of this new 25-OH Vitamin D assay (namely the Diazyme EZ Vitamin D Assay) has been performed on one of the most common clinical chemistry analyzer (the Beckman AU680).Results show that the assay is sensitive, precise, linear, accurate and fast (throughput over 600 tests per hour).The assay has received approval for clinical use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is certified (for accuracy and precision) by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Highlights• Two-reagent nanoparticle-based 25-OH Vitamin D assay for general chemistry.• Assay has been validated for use on virtually all ubiquitous chemistry analyzers.• With a throughout of at least 600 tests/hour, the assay aims at making Vitamin D testing routine and affordable.
Managing laboratory test utilization has been a growing problem for the healthcare industry for a long time.With an ever-increasing number of tests, especially in the area of molecular genetics where per test costs are very high, inappropriate utilization is creating a financial burden on healthcare overall.Several large healthcare institutions have made efforts to solve this problem and have developed their own test utilization management approaches.These include, physician education, providing test pricing information, utilizing reminders in Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) systems and/or setting up committees to authorize the use of expensive or complex tests.While these approaches have achieved some minor success in curbing test overutilization and generating cost savings, a robust automated Clinical Laboratory Decision Support System has still been sorely lacking.We present, here, a newly developed Laboratory Decision System, LDS TM as a potential method to address test utilization management in clinical settings.A study of provider and payer use of LDS TM revealed significant improvements in test ordering and management on both sides: a significant reduction in unnecessary tests from the provider's side and measurable improvement in medical necessity checks from the payer's side.methods for reducing wasteful testing.A study published by the American College of Physicians (ACP), in 2012, stemming the Tide of over treatment in U.S. Healthcare, explains "the impact of unnecessary tests on healthcare cost totals up to $250 billion a year" [4].Timely, relevant and actionable data is needed for doctors to accurately order tests, and for labs and other rendering providers to deliver services efficiently and get paid in a timely manner.Further, the rapid growth in molecular and genetic testing (welcomed new tools for diagnosis and disease management) poses a challenge for both healthcare providers and for commercial payers regarding proper utilization of these specialized tests.Given their relatively high cost, inappropriate use of these tests represents an additional financial burden on an already over-taxed healthcare system [2,4,5].Since laboratory testing provides 70-85% of the objective data upon which physicians base their diagnoses and treatments, laboratory diagnostics has become the single highest-volume medical activity in the U.S., with an estimated 4-5 billion tests performed annually [5].Inappropriate testing consists of both over-and underutilization, which together can dramatically increase healthcare costs.Overutilization refers to tests that are ordered when not clinically indicated, while underutilization refers to tests that are clinically indicated but not ordered.
Objective: Electrogastrography (EGG) is a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of gastric electrical activity.This study used an EGG to analyze the gastric activity in children with Chronic Abdominal Pain (CAP). Methods:We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with CAP who underwent EGG at the first affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University.Multichannel EGG with 8-minutes recordings preprandially and postprandially was done in children with CAP.Computerized spectral analysis methods were used to compute various EGG parameters.Results: Chronic superficial gastritis and Functional Dyspepsia (FD) were very common among 96 patients with CAP.The dominant power and waveform response area of EGG was significantly lower in FD patients and chronic superficial gastritis in both preprandial and postprandial states.DP, WRA and power ratio was obviously higher in patients with superficial gastritis, duodenitis and reflux esophagitis in their postprandial states.Conclusions: Gastric myoelectrical activity abnormalities were observed in CAP patients and different abnormality of EGG parameters was shown in different groups.EGG is an effective, reliable and non-invasive method in the diagnosis of CAP subgroups.
Background: Laboratory requests and laboratory reports are forms used as a communication instrument between physicians and laboratory professionals.These two forms have their own parameters to be a complete form of communication.Aim of the study was to assess the completeness of laboratory request and laboratory report forms in Janmeda Health Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Method: A prospective study was conducted from July 10, 2017, to January 23, 2018, on a total of 5200 laboratory requests and related 5200 laboratory report forms.Data were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: 77.37 % of requests and 87.15% of report formats were fully completed with all patient demography indicator characteristics and a high gap is identified in the completion of physician and laboratory professional indicators. Conclusion:According to this study, most of the information in both lab requests and lab report forms were not completed and this has greater impacts on the TAT of each test.Therefore, to fill this gap all information about the advantage of all parameters in both formats must be clearly explained to all health professionals.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Current treatment only helps symptoms, and there is no effective treatment to delay or reverse PD. Scientists have regarded a number of genetic and environmental factors that may lead to developing PD. Lithium has been used for years in psychiatry as an effective mood stabilizer in manic depressive bipolar disorder (BD). This natural element is the most potent inhibitor of the enzyme glycogen synthetase kinase (GSK3) activity. Because of GSK3’s abundance in the body and over expression leading to PD, lithium has been postulated be used as a treatment for numerous neurodegenerative diseases and conditions where GSK3 is over expressed. Lithium has also been shown to be protective to cells against rotenone-induced PD. In contrast cellular based therapy, specifically the use of induced pluripotential stem cells (iPSCs), also pose a promising therapeutic modality for future use in order to more fully understanding the process of PD development.
Background: Hyperthyroidism is an important metabolic disorder associated with multiple biochemical abnormalities that have direct impact on lipid metabolism.The aim of the current study is to assess lipid profile pattern in patients with hyperthyroidism attending Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. Methods:A case control study conducted during the period of November 2015 to December 2017 among 100 hyperthyroidism patients before treatment and 100 apparently healthy individuals as controls with age between 18-70 years.Sixty eight of the patients were females while thirty two were males.Fasting blood was collected from each individual to determine serum TSH, T3 and T4 with quantitative ELISA assay technique, Product of ACCU BIND Inc., USA.Lipid profile was measured by an enzymatic spectrophotometric method and precipitation enzymatic method for HDL-C.SPSS software package version 20 was used for the analysis of data. Results:The results of the present study showed that the mean values of T3, T4, TG and TG/HDL-C ratio were significantly higher (p<0.05) in patients with hyperthyroidism than the control group while TSH, T4/T3 ratio TC, HDL-C and LDL-C were significantly lower (p<0.05) in patients with hyperthyroidism than the control group.There were significant (p<0.05) and positive correlations between TSH and TC, HDL-C and LDL-C respectively in the patients.There was no significant (p<0.05)correlation between TSH and TG in the patients.There were no significant correlations in the control group of the respective analytes. Conclusion:Our results revealed that hyperthyroidism was associated with decrease total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and slightly increased triglycerides.
Castleman's disease is a very rare lymphoproliferative disorder.There are two Clinical forms: the unicentric, which is usually benign, and the multicentric progressive course.There are three described histological patterns: hyali neovascular of unicentric presentation, of plasma cells of multicentric presentation and the mixed one.The aim of this paper is to present a clinical case of multicentric Castleman's disease of hyaline vascular histology very little described in the literature.The patient started with asthenia, anorexia, profuse nocturnal sweating, weight loss, generalized lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly and respiratory episodes.At physical examination: multiple cervical, axillary and bilateral inguinal adenopathies.The diagnosis was made with the histopathological study of the resected ganglion, the evolution after the treatment has been favorable.Because there are no specific clinical and radiographic features, a high degree of diagnostic suspicion and the experience of the pathologist are required to diagnose this rare disease.
INTRODUCTION: Blood testing remains an essential component of diagnosis for a wide range of disorders or for preventive assessments. Phlebotomists, laboratory infrastructure, storage, collection, and transport are required for current methods of blood collection. Menstrual blood has many of the same characteristics as circulating blood, but has not previously been assessed as a potential diagnostic resource. We investigated whether biomarkers derived from menstrual blood correlated with systemic blood and assessed whether menstrual blood could become a convenient alternative vehicle for diagnostic and health monitoring purposes. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of healthy reproductive-aged women. We chose a panel of 16 common biomarkers and compared them between systemic and menstrual blood. IRB approval was obtained. RESULTS: Overall, the correlation was high, particularly for 13 biomarkers with no statistically significant differences between the mean menstrual and serum values. These include cholesterol (p for differences in means=0.89, R2 for correlation=0.89), cortisol (p=0.490, R2=0.68), creatinine (p=0.32, R2=0.94), hsCRP (p=0.89, R2=0.99), LDL (p=0.21, R2=0.84), LH (p=0.32, R2=0.5), or triglycerides (p=0.45, R2=0.89), HbA1c (p=0.54, R2=0.80), HDL (p=0.33, R2=0.77), Iron (p=0.93, R2=0.34), Total T3 (p=0.12, R2=0.02), Vitamin A (p=0.66, R2=0.97) and Vitamin D (p=0.48, R2=0.20). For one biomarker, FSH (p<0.001, R2=0.97), which was less directly comparable to systemic blood, a linear relationship was recognized suggesting that the correlation could be mathematically derived, and therefore diagnostic utility could remain. CONCLUSION: Based on our results, menstrual blood can reliably estimate levels of several biomarkers and may be a promising option for non-invasive collection of blood for diagnosis and health monitoring.
