Most Viewed Articles

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.

Acha (Fonio) Digitaria sp. is a valuable cereal crop widely cultivated in several African countries. The genetic improvement of Acha through induced mutagenesis has gained attention for enhancing desirable traits. Colchicine, a mitotic inhibitor, is commonly used to induce polyploidy, which can lead to alterations in plant characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the effects of colchicine treatment on germination, plant height, and leaf count of two Acha species. Seeds from two Digitaria species, Digitaria exilis, and Digitaria iburua, were subjected to colchicine treatment using different concentrations (0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20g/dL). The control group was treated with distilled water. Germination rates were assessed by measuring the percentage of seeds that successfully sprouted. Plant height and leaf number were measured at maturity and analyzed using ANOVA on SPSS Version 26. The results indicated that colchicine treatment significantly affected germination, plant height, and leaf number in both Digitaria species. Germination rates varied depending on the concentration, with lower germination observed at higher concentrations (70.70% and 74.3% for 0.20g/dL treatment in both species). In terms of plant height, colchicine-treated Acha plants exhibited significant differences compared to the control group. The majority of treated plants showed increased growth (57.00 cm to 60.70 cm in D. exilis and 114.10 to 122.40 cm in D. iburua) compared to the control. Variability in plant height was observed among the treated plants, suggesting that colchicine-induced polyploidy had varying effects on height across different genotypes. Similarly, the number of leaves was affected by colchicine treatment. Treated plants exhibited an increase in leaf number (56.70 to 60.7 for D exilis and 32.60 to 36.30 for D. iburua), compared to the control group (49.7 and 29.7 respectively). This variability suggests that colchicine-induced polyploidy may have influenced leaf development and growth patterns in Acha. Colchicine treatment had significant effects on germination, plant height, and leaf count in both varieties of Acha. The results suggest that colchicine-induced polyploidy can alter these plant characteristics. These findings provide insights into the potential use of colchicine treatment for inducing desirable traits in Acha through polyploidization, which may have implications for crop improvement and breeding programs. Further research is warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms and assess the impact of these alterations on overall agronomic performance and yield potential.

Cardiac arrhythmias are frequent complications of the consumption of toxic substances, including cannabis, which can be fatal.We report in this case a patient who developed a cardiac arrhythmia-type focal atrial tachycardia a few moments after the consumption of an important dose of cannabis but which reduced spontaneously and without having administered any medication or an external electric shock.All the rest of the etiological assessment of this arrhythmia was negative and the arrhythmia was linked to the consumption of cannabis which is known to cause these complications.

Aim: To evaluate the outcome of Trabeculectomy in advanced glaucoma in a hospital in Rivers State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a non-randomized interventional study in which each patient served as its own control. Patients with advanced glaucoma and demonstrable field defects and Mean defect ≥-12 were included. The intervention employed was Trabeculectomy and IOP and visual acuity pre operative, as well as post op were collected and compared at pre- op, post -op day 1, one week, one month, 6 months. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Thirteen (13) eyes from ten (10) patients with advanced glaucoma were involved in the study. Mean age of study population was 53±19.62 years. Mean of mean defect was -19.05±5.23dB while mean of vertical cup disc ratio (VCDR) was 0.88±0.04. Mean of Pre- op Visual acuity (log MAR) was 0.46 and dropped to 0.72 first day post-op but improved over 6 months to 0.42. The mean of IOP pre-op was 24.15mmHg and dropped to 11.23mmHg (58.24%) over 6 months (p=0.001). Conclusion: Trabeculectomy still remains the gold standard surgical treatment for glaucoma. In our study it resulted in a 58.24% drop in IOP over 6 months with mean visual acuity maintained at pre-op levels after 6 months follow up. It therefore is effective and safe surgical intervention in advanced glaucoma.

Mesoporous graphitic carbon nitrides (mpg-CN) were synthesized by a templating method using Ludox (SiO2) as hard template and guanidine hydrochloride (GndCl) as precursor, and were used as metal-free photocatalysts for microcystin-LR (MC-LR) degradation in aqueous solution. By tuning the mass ratio of SiO2 to GndCl, mpg-CN with varied surface areas and condensation degrees were obtained. Catalytic results showed that sample prepared at mass ratio equals 0.4, i.e., mpg-CN(0.4), exhibits the best activity, with above 98% MC-LR conversion obtained at 120 min. Mechanism studies suggested that the reaction obeys the pseudo first-order equation and the produced superoxide anion radicals (•O2−) is the major reactive intermediates contributing to the reaction. Stability tests showed that no appreciable loss of activity is observed even the catalyst is recycled for five times, indicating that the material is stable in the reaction.

Dyspepsia refers to acute, chronic, or recurrent pain or discomfort centered in the upper abdomen. An international committee of clinical investigators (Rome III Committee) has defined Dyspepsia as Epigastric pain or Burning, early satiety, or postprandial fullness Dyspepsia occurs in 15 % of the Adult population and accounts for 3% of general medical office visits. The descriptive study was carried out in Eastern Afghanistan, Afghan Momand Medical Complex & Research Center, Department of Gastroenterology, during the years 2023-2024. To know the Clinico-Endoscopy of Dyspepsia, for patients who present with investigated Dyspepsia to Gastroenterological OPD & IPD. The study result showed, there were a total of patients 467, and of these patients 230 were Male and 237 were Female. According to the Age, 45 patients were under Age <20, 219 patients were between the ages 21-40 years, 130 patients were between ages 41-60 years and 73 patients were over 60 years of Age. However according to the presentation, 357 patients had Dyspepsia, 59 patients had Dysphagia, 13 patients had Chronic Liver Diseases & Screened for Varices, 3 patients presented after Acid ingestion, 2 patients had Anemia, 11 patients had persistent vomiting and 22 patients had suspected GI-Bleeding. Furthermore in Esophageal findings from a total of 467 patients 34 patients had Esophageal Candidacies, 6 patients had Esophageal Narrowing, 25 patients had Esophageal Growth, 71 patients had Hiatus Hernia, 180 patients had LA Grade A Esophagitis, 21 patients had LA Grade B Esophagitis, 6 patients had LA Grade C Esophagitis, 3 patient had LA Grade D Esophagitis. 16 patients had Lax Lower Esophageal Sphincter, 9 Patients had High-Risk Esophageal Varices, 3 patients had Small Esophageal Varices and 150 patients had Normal Esophagus and in Gastric findings from total all above patients, 4 patients had Antral Gastritis, 50 patients had Corpus Gastritis, 1 patient had Fundal Gastritis, 4 patients had Nodular Gastritis, 199 patients had Pan-Gastritis, 108 patients have Severe Pan Erosive Gastritis, 23 patient had Gastric Erosions, 6 patients had PHG (Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy), 3 Patients had Fundal Varices, 5 patients had Gastric Polyps, 5 patients had Gastric Growth, 2 patients had Pyloric Stenosis, 8 patients stomach not seen due to Esophageal Growth, 67 patients stomach were normal. In the present study there were Duodenal findings from a total of the above patients 48 had Duodenitis, 2 patients had Duodenal Polyps, 2 patients had duodenal ulcers, 1 patient had Duodenopathy, 2 patients had Duodenopathy, 2 patients Duodenum not seen due to Pyloric Stenosis and 413 patients Duodenum were normal. Regarding the habits in our study in which a total of 467 patients were examined 135 of the above patients had snuff habits, 103 patients had smoking habits, 2 patients were Heroin addicts and 227 of the total patients didn’t have any habits (the majority of them were using spicy food, overfeeding, drinking of nonalcoholic beverages, fatty foods, NSAIDs ...) and the higher incidence of Dyspepsia was in Female patients, Also with the age between 21-40 years (43%) patients, Also the higher incidence of Dysphagia 47% were in patients with Age >60 years, the Endoscopy showed that 83% patients had Gastritis also higher incidence regarding the habits 29% had snuff habit and 22% had a smoking habit.

A study was undertaken during August 2017 to evaluate the effect of salinity on chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid and proline contents of hydroponically grown seedlings of Bruguiera gymnorhizza. The primary aim was to observe its tolerance to changing salinity. The selected seedlings were exposed to five different salinity levels (2,5,10,15 and 20psu) for a period of 30 days and observations were done at a regular interval of 7,14,21 and 30 days respectively. The concentrations of chlorophyll exhibited significant positive correlations with salinity (p<0.01). The chlorophyll a:b ratio in the plant varied between 2.39 to 3.71 throughout the period of investigation. The salinity fluctuation did not affect the carotenoid level and proline content in the leaves of the species as evidenced from the insignificant r values. The results show that Bruguiera gymnorhizza of Indian Sundarbans region can tolerate and adapt to high saline condition as witnessed in the central sector of the deltaic complex around the Matla River.

Alginate, a naturally occurring biopolymer extracted from brown algae, presents a promising avenue for developing sustainable and efficient membranes for wastewater treatment. This review comprehensively examines recent advancements in the fabrication, modification, and application of alginate-based membranes for effective water purification. The paper delves into various fabrication techniques, including casting, electrospinning, and 3D printing, which influence the structural and functional properties of the resulting alginate membranes. To enhance performance, strategies such as crosslinking, incorporation of porogens, and surface functionalization are employed. These modifications optimize crucial properties like mechanical strength, porosity, selectivity, and antifouling resistance. Furthermore, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) has emerged as a valuable tool for systematically optimizing fabrication parameters, enabling researchers to identify optimal conditions for achieving desired membrane characteristics. The integration of alginate membranes with biological treatment processes, such as phycoremediation (utilizing microalgae) and mycoremediation (employing fungi), offers a synergistic approach to enhance wastewater treatment efficiency. By immobilizing these microorganisms within the alginate matrix, their bioremediation capabilities are amplified, leading to improved pollutant degradation and nutrient removal. In conclusion, alginate-based membranes demonstrate significant potential as a sustainable and effective technology for wastewater treatment. Continued research and development, focusing on optimizing fabrication processes and exploring innovative integration strategies with biological systems, will further advance the application of alginate membranes in addressing the pressing global challenge of water pollution.

Introduction: The practice of plastic surgery began in the field of reconstructive surgery, in an attempt to recover the functionality of some area of ​​the body or give it a more natural appearance. In this sense, the role of the physical therapist is recommended in various aesthetic surgeries that, through physical therapy resources and techniques, promote tissue healing, reduce the appearance of adhesions, and reduce or eliminate pain, bruises, and edema. Objective: to identify the effects of physical therapy in the postoperative period of plastic surgery. Methodology: This is an integrative literature review, in which there will be a review of articles related to the study of the effects of physical therapy assistance applied to the postoperative period of plastic surgery. Articles related to the proposed theme were included, published between 2011 and 2024, available in full, without language restriction; in addition to theses, dissertations, and monographs. Exclusion criteria were literature review articles, articles or abstracts that had been published in conference proceedings; as well as letters from editors and preprints. Results and discussions: it can show that physiotherapy in the postoperative period of plastic surgery is essential in reducing recovery time, reducing edema, improving the healing process, and preventing the risk of complications in the postoperative period. The main physiotherapeutic resources and techniques were: lymphatic drainage, ultrasound, radiofrequency, laser, and high frequency. Regarding plastic surgeries, the most frequent in the literature were: abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty, rhytidectomy, and liposuction. Final considerations: Dermatofunctional physiotherapy is of paramount importance in the postoperative period of plastic surgery. It is essential in reducing recovery time and reducing the risks arising from surgery.

Time-efficient screening of lower extremity biomechanics to identify potential injurious movement patterns is crucial within athletic medicine settings. When considering biomechanical risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injuries, several screening tests have been used to assess dynamic knee valgus. Current methods involving 3-dimensional motion capture systems are considered gold standard for such assessment; however, these methods are time consuming and require expensive materials. This study investigated the use of 2-dimentional kinematic evaluation during a standardized vertical jump athletic assessment to screen for potential lower extremity risk of injury. 50 collegiate athletes, 25 male and 25 female, from various sports participated in the study. The vertical jump was chosen because it is a common performance evaluation test that is regularly performed several times a year, providing consistent opportunities for screening while not creating additional obligations for the student athletes. Results showed that the 2-dimentional evaluation method had strong correlations (P<0.0001) with the gold standard 3-dimensional evaluation, suggesting that an accelerated 2-dimentional screening process can be used as a first step to screen for potential injurious lower extremity movement patterns.