Vascular Pathogenesis in Acute and Long COVID: Current Insights and Therapeutic Outlook.

Long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-a postacute consequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection-manifests with a broad spectrum of relapsing and remitting or persistent symptoms as well as varied levels of organ damage, which may be asymptomatic or present as acute events such as heart attacks or strokes and recurrent infections, hinting at complex underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Central to these symptoms is vascular dysfunction rooted in thrombotic endothelialitis. We review the scientific evidence that widespread endothelial dysfunction (ED) leads to chronic symptomatology.

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) based genetic diversity profiling of chilli germplasm for fruit pungency and phytochemical contents.

Chilli peppers are widely consumed for their pungency, as used in flavoring the food and has many pharmaceutical and medicinal properties. Based on these properties an experiment was held using 83 varieties of chilli (Hot pepper and sweet pepper) were grown in suitable environment using Augment Block design and evaluated for fruit pungency and phytochemical contents using high proficiency liquid chromatography. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of traits showed highly significant for all traits except for fruit length and capsaicin contents.

Possible Role of Fibrinaloid Microclots in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): Focus on Long COVID.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a common accompaniment of a variety of chronic, inflammatory diseases, including long COVID, as are small, insoluble, 'fibrinaloid' microclots. We here develop the argument, with accompanying evidence, that fibrinaloid microclots, through their ability to block the flow of blood through microcapillaries and thus cause tissue hypoxia, are not simply correlated with but in fact, by preceding it, may be a chief intermediary cause of POTS, in which tachycardia is simply the body's exaggerated 'physiological' response to hypoxia. Similar reasoning accounts for the symptoms bundled under the term 'fatigue'.

Partial body fat percentage as a predictor of fragility fractures in a large cohort: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: BMI is a component of fracture risk calculators; however, it may be too simplistic to predict fracture risk. There is emerging evidence for the role that fat plays as a predictor of fracture. Partial body fat percentage (PBF%) may be a novel way to predict both hip and non-hip fractures.

Potential use of saline resources for biofuel production using halophytes and marine algae: prospects and pitfalls.

There exists a global challenge of feeding the growing human population of the world and supplying its energy needs without exhausting global resources. This challenge includes the competition for biomass between food and fuel production. The aim of this paper is to review to what extent the biomass of plants growing under hostile conditions and on marginal lands could ease that competition.

Fabrication, characterization, and potential applications of re-assembled casein micelles.

Re-assembled casein micelles (CMs), were formulated in the 1970s as a model system to understand native casein micelles (CMs) in milk. These early works allowed an understanding of the critical factors involved in the formation of CMs, such as minerals (citrate, phosphate, and calcium), casein type (α-, β-, and κ-casein) and the extent of their phosphorylation. CMs were also used to understand the effect of treatments such as ethanol, high hydrostatic pressure and heating on the stability and integrity of the micelles.

Outcomes of high‑dose methotrexate for CNS prophylaxis in diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma with an intermediate or high CNS‑International Prognostic Index: A single‑center retrospective cohort study.

Central nervous system (CNS) relapse in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is rare (2-5% of cases), but is a devastating complication with a poor survival rate. The administration of high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) for CNS prophylaxis in patients with DLBCL is controversial and variable in the literature. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of HDMTX CNS prophylaxis in patients with intermediate and high CNS-International Prognostic Index (IPI) DLBCL using real-world data.

The Influence of Solvent, Host, and Phenological Stage on the Yield, Chemical Composition, and Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Properties of (Sprengel) S. Balle.

was reported to possess many biological properties making it a good candidate for the formulation of a phytomedicine with multiple effects. In this work, we studied some factors likely to modify these therapeutic properties with the aim to contribute to its standardization as an improved traditional medicine. parasitizing and were harvested at three phenological stages (vegetative, flowering, and fruiting stages).

Impact of early weaning on small intestine, metabolic, immune and endocrine system development, growth and body composition in artificially reared lambs.

AbstractThis study evaluated the effect of early weaning (EW) of artificially reared lambs using a restricted milk replacer (MR) feeding and step-down weaning system on the short- and long-term effects on growth, feed intake, selected blood metabolites and hormones, body composition, and small intestine development. Mixed-sex twin-born 2 to 5 d old lambs were randomly allocated to individual pens and fed MR at 20% of initial individual BW in week 1 and 15% in week 2 followed by weaning off MR by the end of week 4 (EW; n = 16) or week 6 (Control; Ctrl, n = 16) using a step-down procedure. Concentrate starter and fiber diets were offered ad libitum to week 9, then gradually removed over a 10-d period.

The impact of outpatient clinical teaching on students' academic performance in obstetrics and gynecology.

Introduction: Clinical teaching at outpatient settings is an essential part of undergraduate medical students' training. The increasing number of students in many medical schools and short hospital stays makes inpatient teaching alone insufficient to provide students with the required clinical skills. To make up this shortfall, outpatient clinical teaching has been implemented by our Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Khalid University, KSA, throughout the academic year 2015-2016.

Does endoscopic sphincterotomy reduce the risk of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis after biliary stenting? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aim: Endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy (ES) is often carried out prior to placement of a biliary stent apparently to reduce the risk of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP). However, the protective effect of ES prior to biliary stenting is controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis is to compare the risk of PEP and other complications after the placement of biliary stent with or without ES in patients with biliary obstruction and bile leak.

Laparoscopic-assisted endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography post bariatric surgery: how to overcome the technical challenges.

The prevalence of bariatric surgery is increasing worldwide and as a direct consequence, there shall be an increasing number of patients presenting with the complications of bariatric surgery, often to non-specialist units. The authors report a case of a 42-year-old Caucasian female who had previous laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, open cholecystectomy and abdominoplasty presenting with right upper quadrant pain in keeping with retained common bile duct stones. After the failure of conservative management, a laparoscopic-assisted transgastric endoscopic retrograde changiopancreatography and sphincterotomy was performed.

Improvement of visual acuity in diabetic and nondiabetic patients after Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy.

Purpose: The aim of the study reported here was to compare the improvement of visual acuity (VA) of diabetic and nondiabetic patients after neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser capsulotomy.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 50 age- and sex-matched patients, comprising 25 nondiabetics and 25 diabetics (referred to as Group A and B, respectively), with posterior chamber poly(methyl methacrylate) non-foldable intraocular lens implants attending our clinic at Karachi for capsulotomy had pre- and postoperative measures of VA, posterior pole visibility, and grading of posterior capsular opacity as seen on slit-lamp examination. VA was recorded before and after performing standard capsulotomy.

A comparison of the diagnostic yield of rigid and semirigid thoracoscopes.

Medical thoracoscopy has an important place in the diagnosis and management of pleural disease. However, the application of this procedure is limited in the United Kingdom. This may be partly because respiratory physicians remain unfamiliar with standard rigid thoracoscopy instruments.

Carotid artery dissection causing hypoglossal nerve palsy.

A 45-year-old man was admitted with a 4 day history of right facial pain and on examination, there was atrophy of the right side of the tongue. Magnetic resonance angiography demonstrated carotid artery dissection and aspirin was commenced.

Concepts and epidemiology of spondyloarthritis.

The term 'spondyloarthritides' (SpA) comprises ankylosing spondylitis (AS), reactive arthritis, arthritis/spondylitis with inflammatory bowel disease, and arthritis/spondylitis with psoriasis. The main links between these diseases are an association with HLA-B27 and a similar clinical picture. Patients normally present with chronic low back pain or asymmetrical arthritis, predominantly of the lower limbs, and an overlap of these symptoms often occurs.