COPD and low plasma vitamin D levels: Correlation or causality?
Published on: 27th October, 2018
OCLC Number/Unique Identifier: 7905962979
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death and its prevalence and incidence is also related to smoking behavior [1]. COPD is still a chronic inflammatory and progressive disease caused by multifactorial agents including environmental pollutants [2]. Besides that, it is emerging that endogenous epigenetic factors induced by lifestyle and environment [3] could play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease [4].
In the last years, several authors suggested that low vitamin D levels seem to be related with the increase of COPD manifestations [5]. Moreover, a multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial documented that vitamin D supplementation protects against moderate or severe exacerbation of the disease, but not by upper respiratory infections [6]. However, low levels of vitamin D can be extended to many other diseases, including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, colon rectal cancer, headache or drug use [7-11]. Moreover, it is also important to remember that Vitamin D deficiency is common in high latitude regions, such as northern Europe, New Zealand, northern USA, and Canada where weaker ultraviolet B rays is not able to produce enough vitamin D. Finally, methodological factors (using low sensitivity methods) could contribute to misleading evaluation of circulating vitamin D levels. In any case, here we shall remind that vitamin D has a fundamental role in immunity [12]. In particular, it has been reported that vitamin D is able to shift the pro-inflammatory T-helper cell 1 to anti-inflammatory T-helper cell 2 [13]. Therefore, benefits of vitamin D supplementation in chronic diseases which directly or indirectly affect immune system are obvious. Today, the burden of COPD in never smokers is higher than previously believed. Therefore, more research is needed to unravel the characteristics of non-smokers COPD [1]. Notably, vitamin D levels are reported to be significantly lower in smoker’ssubjects than in non-smokers ones [14]. Therefore, low plasma vitamin D levels in COPD seems to be more a causality than a correlation.
Age Estimation Reports: Where do we stand?
Published on: 25th October, 2019
OCLC Number/Unique Identifier: 8299657336
Age estimations process is not standardized worldwide. However, there is a wide agreement about the most suitable methods currently available. Up until now, the procedure of creating expert reports and to implement quality assurance in age estimation are variable.
Aim: The aim of this paper was to examine expert age estimation reports from around the world and identify the similarities and shortcomings present, which will help in providing recommendations to improve the reporting to reach standardization in expert age estimation reports.
Methods and Material: A questionnaire was developed to explore whether there is a universal consensus in writing age estimation reports. Countries participated in the survey were: Afghanistan, Australia, France, Indonesia, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Areas investigated by the survey included: Information about the individual in question and the entity requesting the assessment, if age interval is given along with if statistics were described in the report, if population reference data are used and reported and finally if the format of the report is standardized within each country.
Results: The results of this survey suggest that there is a high degree of individual variation in age estimation reports, sometimes even within the same country. While the majority of participants report the main findings, some important information is still missing. The statistical information remains extremely varied.
Conclusion: Although a resolution is not obvious, it is hoped that this study will promote further research and discussion on reporting age estimation. International guidelines on quality assurance in age estimation reports are urgently needed. Information to be reported should be specified on an international level and the exact report format to be used could be left to the national societies.
A Perspective on therapeutic potential of weeds
Published on: 18th June, 2020
OCLC Number/Unique Identifier: 8628652609
Nature gives us a diverse plethora of floral wealth. Weeds have been recognized as invasive plant by most of scholars in today’s world with extraordinary travel history. They are considered to be noxious for adjoining plant species and also as economic hazard. Weeds inhabited in almost entire biomes and have capability to survive in harsh conditions of environment thereby become source of inspiration for finding novel phytoconstituents. Weeds play a significant role in absorbing harmful micro pollutants that are affecting ecosystem adversely. There are so many examples like canna lily, bladder wort, coltsfoot, giant buttercup etc. playing crucial part in sustaining environment. Different isolation and characterization approaches like high pressure liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectroscopy etc. have also been fetched for obtaining novel constituents from weeds. The main aim of this review is to analyze the therapeutic potential of weeds established in New Zealand and effort to unfold the wide scope of its applications in biological sciences. Upon exploration of various authorized databases available it has been found that weeds not only are the reservoir of complex phytoconstituents exhibiting diverse array of pharmacological activities but also provide potential role in environment phytoremediation. Phytoconstituents reported in weeds have immense potential as a drug targets for different pathological conditions. This review focuses on the literature of therapeutic potential of weeds established in New Zealand and tried to unveil the hidden side of these unwanted plants called weeds.
Update on the Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and their Products in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Published on: 29th November, 2023
Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) is a major limitation to the success of allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) as Steroid-Refractory (SR) acute GVHD carries poor prognosis due to the absence of an efficacious second-line therapy. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) which have immunosuppressive, immunomodulatory, and regenerative properties may become a highly effective therapeutic modality for SR-GVHD in the near future. MSCs have already been approved to treat childhood SR-GVHD in Japan, and they have been conditionally licensed in New Zealand and Canada. It is expected that MSCs will be approved for the treatment of SR-GVHD in adults in Europe, North America, and other parts of the world within a few years. Utilization of the recently introduced techniques including the use of MSC products such as exosomes and Extracellular Vesicles (ECVs) instead of the parent MSCs, robotic manufacturing technology, and genetic engineering of MSCs will ultimately overcome the remaining obstacles facing the widespread utilization of MSCs and their products as therapeutics not only in HSCT but also in other medical fields. The aim of this review is to provide an update on the remarkable progress achieved in the use of MSCs and their products in the field of HSCT.
Intradermal and Subcutaneous Lignocaine for Arterial Blood Gas Sampling: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Published on: 19th March, 2024
Introduction: The use of local anesthesia (LA) prior to arterial blood gas sampling is recommended but is not widely used. We tested the hypothesis that intradermal administration of local anesthesia would be as effective as subcutaneous administration in reducing pain from arterial blood gas sampling.Aims: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of intradermal and subcutaneous lignocaine on patient-perceived pain during arterial blood gas sampling. The secondary aims were to evaluate if different routes of LA administration had an impact on the difficulty and complications of ABG sampling.Methods: We undertook a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial in New Zealand. We enrolled patients attending a nurse-led outpatient oxygen clinic who were 18 to 90 years of age and who had an oxygen saturation of 93% or less at rest. Patients were randomly assigned to receive intradermal 1% lignocaine, subcutaneous 1% lignocaine, or subcutaneous normal saline. Patients and nurse assessors were blinded to the treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was a patient-assessed pain score using a graphic rating scale (0-10).Results: 135 patients were randomized (54 patients in the intradermal lignocaine group, 54 patients in the subcutaneous lignocaine group, and 27 in the subcutaneous saline group). The mean patient-assessed pain score for the intradermal lignocaine group was 1.8 (+/- 1.1), which was a relative reduction of 47% (95% C.I. 31%-59%, p < 0.0001) from the mean patient-assessed pain score of 3.4 (+/- 1.1) for the subcutaneous saline group. The mean patient-assessed pain score for the subcutaneous lignocaine group was 2.1 (+/- 1.1), which was also a significant relative reduction of 36% (95% C.I. 17%-51%, p = 0.0001) compared to the subcutaneous saline group. Intradermal lignocaine reduced pain more than subcutaneous lignocaine, with a relative pain reduction difference of 20% (95% CI -4%-49%, p = 0.05). Bruising was more frequent in the subcutaneous lignocaine group (9.3%) than in the intradermal (0%) and saline groups (0%). Conclusion: Intradermal lignocaine is at least as effective as subcutaneous lignocaine for reducing patient-perceived pain from arterial blood gas sampling and results in less bruising.
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