Articles

Brf1 (TFIIB-related factor 1) is a transcription factor, which specifically modulates the transcription of RNA polymerase III-dependent genes (RNA Pol III genes), such as tRNAs and 5S rRNA. The products of tRNAs and 5S rRNA transcription will be changed with the alteration of Brf1 expression. Whereas deregulation of Brf1 and RNA Pol III genes are tightly associated with cell proliferation and transformation, and tumorigenesis. In recent years, emerging studies indicate that Brf1 expression is increased in patients with cancers. In this review, we summarize the progress of the abnormal expression of Brf1 in different human cancers to explore an underlying mechanism and its clinical implication, as well as to prompt its application prospect. With the depth of the Brf1 study and the progress of biotechnology, the status of Brf1 expression may be used as a universal indicator of the early detection and prognosis observation of human cancers.

Bronchogenic cysts are rare lesions that form during early embryogenesis and are commonly located in the mediastinum. Retroperitoneally located bronchogenic cysts are an exceptionally rare entity. These are most commonly found incidentally on imaging. We will review the unique imaging and histopathological findings of this entity and discuss why prophylactic surgery is considered the treatment of choice. By reviewing retroperitoneal bronchogenic cysts, we aim to educate clinicians regarding the presentation, investigations, imaging characteristics, and treatment of this exceeding rare entity.

Ethnomedicine, synonymous with traditional medicine, is a crucial healthcare system practiced by various ethnic groups worldwide, especially among those with limited access to modern Western medicine. This study explores the rich bio-cultural diversity of the North Central Western Ghats in Karnataka, India, which harbors diverse ethnomedicinal practices. The region's tropical forests are home to an extensive array of plant species, with over 600 endemic to southern India and 95 exclusively endemic to Karnataka. The research focuses on documenting and analyzing the traditional knowledge of local communities regarding the use of plants for treating various human diseases. However, this task presents significant challenges and requires collaborative efforts from the government, NGOs, and Herbal Drug Companies. Over the last decade, ethnomedicinal studies have seen a rise, but there is still limited understanding of ethnomedicine's role in the traditional healthcare system in India. The forests of North Central Western Ghats, including Agumbe, Arbail Ghat, Chorla Betta, and others, exhibit a combination of deciduous and evergreen vegetation. These forests hold a variety of medicinal plants, adding to the region's bio-cultural richness. Scientific validation of the locally used ethnomedicinal plants further supports the development of herbal drug formulations with the support of the Ministry of Ayush, enabling the conservation and sustainable utilization of threatened and endangered species. The study emphasizes the importance of preserving traditional healers' knowledge and promoting collaboration for the preservation of ethnomedicinal practices in the region.

Background: This retrospective study examines the importance of preoperative cardiology consultations in optimizing patient care and anesthesia surgical perioperative management.Methods: The study includes 7,756 patients from the Department of Anesthesiology at Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital. Out of these, 122 patients were referred to cardiology consultations. Demographics, surgical specialties, reasons for referral, diagnostic tests, and interventions were analyzed.Results: Referred patients (average age 61.45 years) were mainly over 65 years old, with 59.01% being male. Common surgical specialties seeking consultations were abdominal surgery (30.327%), orthopedic surgery (26.230%), and urological surgery (19.672%). Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes were prevalent risk factors. Most patients were classified as ASA II (50%) or ASA III (27.04%), with NYHA I (61.5%) or NYHA II (31.2%) classifications. Referrals were due to ECG abnormalities (41.0%), routine evaluation (19.7%), and history of myocardial infarction or previous coronary angiography (39.3%).Discussion: Preoperative cardiology consultations accounted for 1.57% of all pre-anesthesia clinic patients. They were vital in assessing and managing cardiovascular risks, consistent with previous studies. The impact of these consultations was evident in optimizing patient management through treatment plan adjustments and interventions.Conclusion: Preoperative cardiology consultations play a crucial role in identifying and managing cardiovascular risks, contributing significantly to patient care and improving perioperative management. Further research should evaluate long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness across different patient populations.

During this period of time, mushroom experience changes in functional aspects and consumption areas. Due to its magnificent role in promoting health, it was considered one of the most healthy sources of food. Agaricus spp., Marcrolepoita spp., Auricularia spp, Armillaria spp, Pholoita, Hericium, Grifola spp, Flammulina, and Hypsizygus spp. are some most commonly consumed mushrooms in the world. They provide inexpensive means of nutritious and tasty food worldwide. However, ancient people are also very much aware of their holistic function towards health and that was why they used mushrooms for medicinal purposes in the past onwards. Mushroom plays an important role in the treatment of some lethal diseases like cancer, inflammation, autoimmune disorders, allergy, hypertension, arthritis, hyperglycemia, atherosclerosis, and many more. Meanwhile, researchers still focus on other functions of mushrooms in health science and also explore their anticancerous activity. However, many findings are left to be found in the future. This review paper throws light on the various important mushrooms and their functions related to human health, and also ongoing research towards treating some critical diseases.

In developing countries, malnutrition represents a public health problem, which affects many children under five, during their complementary feeding period. One way to overcome this problem is through the supplementation of complementary flours with locally available food resources, such as Moringa oleifera leaf (MOL). An experimental study was conducted from June through November 2019 in the southern-Benin, with moderately acutely malnourished (MAM) children, using a porridge made of a mixture of corn, malted sorghum, soybean, peanut, milk, and moringa leaf powder. A total of 150 MAM children aged 12-59 months were recruited and divided into two groups, an intervention group (48) and a control group (75). The intervention group received the test food, a porridge made of maize flour supplemented with Moringa oleifera leaf flour (MOL-flour), at least 5 times/week for 6 months. The control group, whose mothers received nutritional education sessions on food diversification as well as the different ways of preparing MOL meals. Sensory evaluation, anthropometric and dietary diversity data were collected. Z-scores Weight/Height, Weight/Age et Height/Age were determined before and right after the intervention. Results showed that 70% of the children and more than 75% of the mothers assessed the porridge as palatable. A significant average weight gain of 1.720 g (p < 0.005) was observed in the intervention group at the end of the experimentation, with a reduction of the prevalence of underweight by 1,33% (p > 0.05), and the number of acute Malnutrition children by 10,42% (p < 0.005).

Aim: To evaluate the serum sodium and potassium levels in the three trimesters of pregnancy in women. Methods: Four groups of healthy women between the ages of 20 and 30 years, volunteered for this study. Group 1: Non-pregnant women (control), Group 2: Pregnant women in their first trimester, Group 3: Pregnant women in their second trimester, Group 4: Pregnant women in their third trimester. Blood samples were collected by standard aseptic method and serum samples were analyzed for serum levels of sodium and potassium by the ion selective electrode method. Results were presented as MEAN ± SEM in tables and figures, p < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: The serum sodium concentrations in mmol/L were 135.3 ± 3.09, 136.3 ± 1.55, 139.0 ± 0.78, 139.8 ± 0.91 for control, first-trimester, second-trimester, and third-trimester subjects respectively. The potassium concentrations in mmol/L were 3.678 ± 0.26, 3.687 ± 0.13,3.820 ± 0.11, 3.767 ± 0.07 for control, first-trimester, second trimester and third-trimester subjects respectively. The Bodyweight values in kg were 72.13 ± 2.11, 74.73 ± 2.05, 75.00 ± 1.72, 81.56 ± 4.24 for control, first-trimest, second-trimester, and third-trimester subjects respectively. Conclusion: Results indicate that the hormones of pregnancy altered the body weight of pregnant women, but did not change the serum sodium and potassium level across the three trimesters of pregnancy in women. This is an indication that the kidneys of healthy pregnant women can handle serum electrolyte load during the period of pregnancy.

Background: Early childhood caries may develop as soon as teeth erupt. Promoting oral health care programs is very important and helps to reduce dental caries in young children. The aim of this study was to assess the infant/child oral health (IOH) related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of parents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 327 parents. Visiting the family medicine center at prince sultan military medical city, Riyadh Saudi Arabia. A 39-item questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics and questions pertaining to KAP regarding OH care will be used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, Student’s t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Scheffe’s test will use for the statistical analysis (p ≤ 0.05). Results: The result showed that the majority of the parents had good knowledge regarding OH, knowledge of cleaning (92.4.%), and knowledge of the amount of sugar (88.1.%). the parent’s age group (30 to 39) years (n =147) reported the highest mean (knowledge, attitudes, and practice) scores among all other age groups with a knowledge mean score of (6.80 ± 1.73), an attitude mean score of (8.86 ± 1.37), and a practice mean score of (5.14 ± 1.86).  Female parents showed significantly higher mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores than male parents. In addition, the middle-income level parents’ group (n = 295) reported higher knowledge mean score compared to the low-income parents’ group (n = 15) with a mean difference of d = 1.15, p = .041.  Conclusion: Parents’ knowledge about maintaining oral and dental health care for infants/children was inadequate. Essentially, medical professionals are the initial ones to interact with expecting and new moms. Therefore, need to raise parents’ awareness about oral and dental health for infants/children, through the development and implementation of long-term education and promotions programs.

A critical component of the radiation regimen for treating cancer patients is the precise dose delivery to the treatment organ while minimizing the dose to the healthy tissue. This study aims to evaluate in-field organ dose and dose distribution outside the target organs to estimate the excess lifetime risk of second cancer. The study was carried out with a male Alderson Rando Phantom. 20 sets of thermoluminescence dosimeters (MTS-100) were used in this study. The in-field organs absorbed dose was measured by inserting TLDs at different geometrical depths of the left lung, right lung, and stomach, and for peripheral organs skin dose TLDs were placed at the surface of the corresponding organs. Target organs were irradiated at 100 cGy and 200 cGy by a 60Co teletherapy unit, and irradiated TLDs were read out by a RE-2000 TLD reader. For precise dose delivery to the cancerous organs by 60Co teletherapy, the depth dose correction factor for lung cancer treatment is 0.8667 ± 0.01, and for the stomach is 0.7856 ± 0.017. In the case of the treatment for the lung and stomach, the closest organs received significant doses compared to the other distant organs. Thus, the risk of second cancer due to the peripheral dose is obtained. The stomach is at the highest risk when the lung is the target and the liver is at the highest risk when the stomach is the targeted organ.

COVID vaccination has been associated with serious disorders including thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and myocarditis. GBS has been reported in adults following COVID-19 infection and rarely following the COVID-19 vaccination. Post COVID vaccination GBS has been associated with prominent and early facial diplegia and quadriplegia. Extension of the COVID vaccination program to the pediatric age group of 5 to 17 years has exposed this population to the adverse effects of the vaccination. Only a few case reports of post-vaccination GBS have been reported in the pediatric age group without any data on the true prevalence. We report a case of a male in his early adolescence with GBS presenting as facial diplegia and rapid quadriplegia following the BECOV2D, (Corbevax) vaccination. Our case is the first case of GBS reported following BECOV2D, (Corbevax) vaccination and highlights the presentation with prominent and early diplegia, which is similar to the presentation in adults.