Factors associated with phosphate homeostasis in children with beta-thalassemia major: An analytical cross sectional study from Pakistan.

Introduction: Children with beta-thalassemia major (β-TM) commonly experience metabolic bone diseases. Understanding fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) levels in these children can shed light on phosphate dysregulation. This study aimed to assess changes in phosphate homeostasis and associated factors, including FGF-23 and explore relationships between iron overload, FGF23 levels, and phosphorus regulation for clinical management of phosphate disorders, in children with β-TM.

Human amniotic epithelial cells (HAECS); a potential cell type for the hepatic disorders.

Objective: To isolate a homogenous population of human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) from the amniotic membrane of the human placenta and differentiate them into hepatic-like cells with the help of small molecules.

Methods: hAECs were isolated by using the enzymatic digestion method and characterized for the presence of specific stem cell markers. In-vitro, hepatic differentiation of hAECs was carried out by using a combination of small molecules.

PTPN3 in cancer: unveiling its immune-mediated impact on prognosis and dysregulated signaling pathways.

Objectives: Oncogenic processes in cancer are frequently marked by the dysregulation of critical genes, and PTPN3 (Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 3) has emerged as a gene of interest due to its potential involvement in various cellular processes. This study delves into the diagnostic and prognostic implications of PTPN3 in a pan-cancer context.

Methods: Leveraging comprehensive genomic datasets and experimental validation, we aimed to shed light on the role of PTPN3 in cancer.

Clinical Outcomes of Ustekinumab in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in stools, weight loss, and fatigue. It presents in patients with varying severity from mild to severe depending on the inflammation. Detailed analysis and guidelines are required for the safe usage of biological therapies in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases as surgery is reserved for more complex cases.

Validation of the Short Version of the 10/66 Dementia Diagnosis in Urdu in Karachi, Pakistan.

The standard 10/66 battery has been translated and validated in Pakistan; however, it takes long to administer it with specialized training for the staff. This study was performed to validate a shorter version of the 10/66. The data for validation of the short version was extracted from the full version study.

Association of Pulmonary Hypertension With End-Stage Renal Disease Among the Obese Population.

Introduction Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a known complication that occurs in patients of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that have an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis (HD). It is defined as pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) of greater than 30 mmHg on echocardiography. The presence of PH in ESRD is an independent risk factor and decreases the survival likelihood among HD patients.

Echocardiographic Changes in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis.

Introduction Chronic kidney disease (CKD) carries a significant association with cardiac diseases, which suggests a minor reduction in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can act as an independent risk factor for causing cardiovascular abnormalities. Patients of CKD having cardiovascular disease (CVD) had three to thirty times higher risk of mortality as compared to the general population. In addition, mortality among cardiovascular patients has been found to be twofold higher in CKD stage 2 patients and three-fold higher in patients with stage 3 CKD, when collated to patients with normal renal function.

Serious Inadequacies in High Alert Medication-Related Knowledge Among Pakistani Nurses: Findings of a Large, Multicenter, Cross-sectional Survey.

Introduction: Deaths-related to medications errors are common in Pakistan but these are not accurately reported. Recently, the death of a 9 months old baby due to abrupt administration of 15% potassium chloride injection sparked the issue of high alert medications (HAMs) related errors in the country. Since drug administration is the prime responsibility of the nurses, it is pivotal that they possess good knowledge of HAMs.

Translation and Validation of 10/66 Dementia Diagnostic Battery in Urdu in Karachi, Pakistan.

Purpose: The 10/66 dementia research group (DRG) diagnostic tool was devised to diagnose dementia in people with low education in low and middle-income countries. This study aimed to validate the 10/66 DRG tool in Urdu in Pakistan.

Methodology: People older than or equal to 60 years were included: (1) With normal cognition: no/low education, high education, and depression; (2) People with mild and moderate dementia.

Redesigning care for older people to preserve physical and mental capacity: WHO guidelines on community-level interventions in integrated care.

Islene Araujo de Carvalho and coauthors discuss the WHO guidelines on integrated care for older people.

Genetic risk factors for the posterior cortical atrophy variant of Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: The genetics underlying posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), typically a rare variant of Alzheimer's disease (AD), remain uncertain.

Methods: We genotyped 302 PCA patients from 11 centers, calculated risk at 24 loci for AD/DLB and performed an exploratory genome-wide association study.

Results: We confirm that variation in/near APOE/TOMM40 (P = 6 × 10(-14)) alters PCA risk, but with smaller effect than for typical AD (PCA: odds ratio [OR] = 2.

Evaluating pathogenic dementia variants in posterior cortical atrophy.

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is an understudied visual impairment syndrome most often due to "posterior Alzheimer's disease (AD)" pathology. Case studies detected mutations in PSEN1, PSEN2, GRN, MAPT, and PRNP in subjects with clinical PCA. To detect the frequency and spectrum of mutations in known dementia genes in PCA, we screened 124 European-American subjects with clinical PCA (n = 67) or posterior AD neuropathology (n = 57) for variants in genes implicated in AD, frontotemporal dementia, and prion disease using NeuroX, a customized exome array.

Late-onset Alzheimer disease genetic variants in posterior cortical atrophy and posterior AD.

Objective: To investigate association of genetic risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) with risk of posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), a syndrome of visual impairment with predominant Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology in posterior cortical regions, and with risk of "posterior AD" neuropathology.

Methods: We assessed 81 participants with PCA diagnosed clinically and 54 with neuropathologic diagnosis of posterior AD vs 2,523 controls for association with 11 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from published LOAD risk genome-wide association studies.

Results: There was highly significant association with APOE ε4 and increased risk of PCA (p = 0.

Overdrainage shunt complications in idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus and lumbar puncture opening pressure.

Object: Management of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is hard because the diagnosis is difficult and shunt surgery has high complication rates. An important complication is overdrainage, which often can be treated with adjustable-shunt valve manipulations but also may result in the need for subdural hematoma evacuation. The authors evaluated shunt surgery overdrainage complications in iNPH and their relationship to lumbar puncture opening pressure (LPOP).