Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Its Effect on Red Blood Cell Indices.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) constitutes a set of heterogeneous symptoms affecting millions of people worldwide. The associated comorbidities developing in COPD involve dysregulation in physiological pathways resulting from systemic inflammation in respiratory airways. In addition to mentioning the pathophysiology, stages, and consequences of COPD, this paper also defines red blood cell (RBC) indices such as hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, red blood cell distribution width, and RBC count.

Cardiovascular Benefit of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) Inhibitors in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide yet, despite advances in treatment, CVD remains an underestimated and undermanaged condition, with an even greater risk in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors (SGLT-2i) are a promising novel drug class reported to improve Cardiovascular (CV) and renal outcomes in T2DM. Recent large-scale trials have assessed their CV safety with unexpected findings of multiple systemic benefits that could potentially reverse CVD.

The Effect of Statin Therapy on Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Systematic Review.

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors are commonly used drugs in the management of elevated lipid levels and cardiovascular disease. In cardiovascular diseases, among other common chronic conditions, inflammatory biomarkers are used to monitor disease progression and the risk of recurrent adverse events. We explored whether or not there was a positive effect on these biomarkers using HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

Correlation of Coronary Artery Disease and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy.

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and it is defined as an imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand. Coronary artery disease (CAD) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are two common causes of IHD that independently result in myocardial ischemia. CAD decreases myocardial blood and oxygen supply whereas LVH increases myocardial oxygen demand.

Understanding the Genetic and Molecular Basis of Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and the Current Trends in Gene Therapy for Its Management.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetically acquired disease of cardiac myocytes. Studies show that 70% of this disease is a result of different mutations in various sarcomere genes. This review aims to discuss several genetic mutations, epigenetic factors, and signal transduction pathways leading to the development of HCM.

Diagnostic Pitfalls of Digital Microscopy Versus Light Microscopy in Gastrointestinal Pathology: A Systematic Review.

Digital microscopy (DM) is one of the cutting-edge advances in pathology, which entails improved efficiency, diagnostic advantages, and potential application in virtual diagnosis, particularly in the current era of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the diagnostic challenges are the remaining concerns for its wider adoption by pathologists, and these concerns should be addressed in a specific subspecialty. We aim to identify the common diagnostic pitfalls of whole slide imaging (WSI), one modality of DM, in gastrointestinal (GI) pathology.

Deliberate Self-poisoning due to Plant Toxins: Verdant Footprints of the Past into the Present.

Background: Plant poisoning is one of the common methods of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP). Exposure to plants and its consequence account for a considerable number of deaths in rural India.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted in the emergency department of a large tertiary care hospital in South India over a period of 2 years and recruited patients who presented with DSP from plant poisoning.

The Worldwide Graphene Flake Production.

There are hundreds of companies worldwide claiming to produce "graphene," showing a large variation in its properties. A systematic and reliable protocol is developed to test graphene quality using electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy, which is used to study graphene from 60 producers. The statistical nature of the liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite is established.