Impact of L-carnitine supplementation on gastric emptying and bowel function in pediatric ketogenic diet therapy: a clinical trial.

Ketogenic diet (KD) is an excess fat, enough protein, and minimal carbohydrate diet. The high fat content in KD lowers the oesophageal sphincter tone, slows gastric emptying, and decreases intestinal transit time. The primary aim of the current clinical trial was to study the effect of L-carnitine supplementation on gastric emptying in children with drug resistant epilepsy (DRE) on KD.

Destructive effects of UVC radiation on Drosophila melanogaster: Mortality, fertility, mutations, and molecular mechanisms.

The detrimental effects of ultraviolet C (UVC) radiation on living organisms, with a specific focus on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, were examined. This study investigated the impact of heightened UVC radiation exposure on D. melanogaster by assessing mortality and fertility rates, studying phenotypic mutations, and investigating the associated molecular mechanisms.

Melatonin increases AKT and SOD gene and protein expressions in diabetic rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease marked by hyperglycemia due to insulin deficiency or insulin resistance leading to many chronic complications. It is thus important to manage diabetes effectively in order to prevent and or delay these complications. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland and regulates the wake-sleep circadian rhythm.

TRAPPC6B biallelic variants cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with TRAPP II and trafficking disruptions.

Highly conserved transport protein particle (TRAPP) complexes regulate subcellular trafficking pathways. Accurate protein trafficking has been increasingly recognized to be critically important for normal development, particularly in the nervous system. Variants in most TRAPP complex subunits have been found to lead to neurodevelopmental disorders with diverse but overlapping phenotypes.

Humoral and T-cell-mediated immunity to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with liver disease and transplant recipients.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination induces a varied immune response among persons with chronic liver disease (CLD) and solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs). We aimed to evaluate the humoral and T-cell-mediated immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in these groups.

Methods: Blood samples were collected following the completion of a standard SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (2 doses of either BNT162b2 or mRNA-12732), and a subset of patients had a blood sample collected after a single mRNA booster vaccine.

Evaluation of Serum Biomarkers and Electroencephalogram to Determine Survival Outcomes in Pediatric Post-Cardiac-Arrest Patients.

Cardiac arrest causes primary and secondary brain injuries. We evaluated the association between neuron-specific enolase (NSE), serum S-100B (S100B), electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns, and post-cardiac arrest outcomes in pediatric patients. A prospective observational study was conducted in the pediatric intensive care unit and included 41 post-cardiac arrest patients who underwent EEG and serum sampling for NSE and S100B.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl increases HIV replication and chemokine co-receptor expression in vitro.

The US is experiencing a major public health crisis that is fueled by the illicit use of synthetic opioids including fentanyl. While several drugs of abuse can enhance viral replication and/or antagonize immune responses, the impact of specific synthetic opioids on HIV pathogenesis is poorly understood. Thus, we evaluated the effects of fentanyl on HIV replication in vitro.

Viral hepatitis in pregnancy.

Viral hepatitis is caused by a heterogenous group of viral agents representing a wide range of phylogenetic groups. Many viruses can involve the liver and cause liver injury but only a subset are delineated as 'hepatitis viruses' based upon their primary site of replication and tropism for hepatocytes which make up the bulk of the liver cell population. Since their discovery, beginning with the agent that caused serum hepatitis in the 1960s, the alphabetic designations have been utilized.

Modified Atkins diet for drug-resistant epilepsy and the risk of urolithiasis.

Background: Ketogenic diet (KD) is widely used for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). The study was designed to evaluate one of the risk factors for development of renal calculi with KD.

Methods: Twenty patients with DRE on Modified Atkins diet (MAD) were subjected to full history and laboratory investigations, including microscopic urine analysis, urinary calcium after overnight fasting, and calcium/creatinine ratio, as well as pelviabdominal ultrasound.

Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Young Egyptian Soccer Players.

The present study was designed to highlight the physical and psychological health hazards that a young Egyptian soccer team faced during the first COVID-19 wave lockdown. The study included 37 young Egyptian male soccer players. History taking and anthropometric measurements were taken.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl enhances viral replication in vitro.

The US is in the midst of a major drug epidemic fueled in large part by the widespread recreational use of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Persons with opioid use disorder are at significant risk for transmission of injection-associated infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Commonly abused substances may antagonize immune responses and promote viral replication.

Hepatitis E Infection in a Longitudinal Cohort of Hepatitis C Virus and HCV/HIV Coinfected Persons.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is thought to be common in the United States with increased prevalence in those with concomitant hepatitis C virus (HCV) or HCV/HIV coinfection. Little is known regarding true prevalence, incidence, and antibody seroreversion in these populations. We sought to define these rates among HCV and HCV/HIV coinfected persons in the Washington, DC area.

CCR5 receptor antagonism inhibits hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication in vitro.

Background And Aim: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single-strand RNA virus that infects millions of people worldwide. Recent advances in therapy have led to viral cure using two- and three- drug combinations of direct acting inhibitors of viral replication. CCR5 is a chemokine receptor that is expressed on hepatocytes and represents a key co-receptor for HIV.

HBV and HIV/HBV Infected Patients Have Distinct Immune Exhaustion and Apoptotic Serum Biomarker Profiles.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Due to their shared routes of transmission, approximately 10% of HIV-infected patients worldwide are chronically coinfected with HBV. Additionally, liver disease has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in HBV/HIV coinfected patients due to prolonged survival with the success of antiretroviral therapy.

Improvement in Hepatic Fibrosis Biomarkers Associated With Chemokine Receptor Inactivation Through Mutation or Therapeutic Blockade.

Background: The C-C chemokine receptor Type 5 (CCR5) is a key receptor for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry into T-cells and a variant allele, CCR5 delta-32, is associated with decreased viral replication and disease progression. Active HIV-1 replication is highly associated with accelerated rates of hepatic fibrosis. We postulated that CCR5 plays a role in the development of hepatic fibrosis and evaluated the longitudinal effect of natural or drug-induced CCR5 mutation and blockade on biomarkers of liver fibrosis in HIV-1 patients.

Protective role of IL-22 against Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen-induced granuloma in Vitro.

The role of T helper-17 (Th17) lymphocytes in the regulation of Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen (SEA)-induced granuloma is unknown. This study examined the effect of Th17 cytokines (IL-17 and IL-22) on granulocyte recruitment and functions during SEA-induced granuloma formation in vitro in Schistosoma-infected and noninfected individuals. Granulocytes were isolated from 27 Schistosoma-infected patients and 13 controls and were used for granuloma induction using SEA-conjugated polyacrylamide beads in the presence of Th17 cytokines.

Association between IL28B rs12979860 single nucleotide polymorphism and the frequency of colonic Treg in chronically HCV-infected patients.

The IL28B gene is associated with spontaneous or treatment-induced HCV viral clearance. However, the mechanism by which the IL28B single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) affects the extra-hepatic HCV immune responses and its relationship to HCV pathogenesis have not been thoroughly investigated. To examine the mechanism by which IL28B affects HCV clearance.

Extra-hepatic infection of hepatitis C virus in the colon tissue and its relationship with hepatitis C virus pathogenesis.

Extra-hepatic compartments might contribute to hepatitis C virus (HCV) persistence and extra-hepatic manifestations. Therefore, we investigated HCV infection in colonic tissue in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and its relationship with HCV pathogenesis. Colonic biopsies were collected from three groups with CHC infection: treatment naïve (TN; n=12), non-responders (NR; n=10) to anti-HCV therapy (pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin) and sustained virologic response (SVR; n=10) and from a fourth healthy control group (n=10).

Evaluating the Role of Cellular Immune Responses in the Emergence of HCV NS3 Resistance Mutations During Protease Inhibitor Therapy.

The efficacy of protease inhibitor drugs in hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment is limited by the selection and expansion of drug-resistant mutations. HCV replication is error-prone and genetic variability within the dominant epitopes ensures its persistence. The aims of this study are to evaluate the role of cellular immune response in the emergence of HCV protease resistance mutations and its effects on treatment outcome.

HIV-Induced Epigenetic Alterations in Host Cells.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a member of the Retroviridae family, is a positive-sense, enveloped RNA virus. HIV, the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has two major types, HIV-1 and HIV-2 In HIV-infected cells the single stranded viral RNA genome is reverse transcribed and the double-stranded viral DNA integrates into the cellular DNA, forming a provirus. The proviral HIV genome is controlled by the host epigenetic regulatory machinery.

The Beneficial Effect of Cape Gooseberry Juice on Carbon Tetrachloride- Induced Neuronal Damage.

Objective: Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) belongs to the Solanaceae family. Physalis has many medicinal properties however, the beneficial effect of physalis in protecting against neurotoxins has not yet been evaluated.

Compartmentalized accumulation of cAMP near complexes of multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4) and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) contributes to drug-induced diarrhea.

Diarrhea is one of the most common adverse side effects observed in ∼7% of individuals consuming Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs. The mechanism of how these drugs alter fluid secretion in the gut and induce diarrhea is not clearly understood. Several drugs are either substrates or inhibitors of multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4), such as the anti-colon cancer drug irinotecan and an anti-retroviral used to treat HIV infection, 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT).

Association of colonic regulatory T cells with hepatitis C virus pathogenesis and liver pathology.

Background And Aim: Forkhead box protein P3 (FoxP3)(+) regulatory T (Treg ) cells play a fundamental role in maintaining the balance between the tissue-damaging and protective immune response to chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. Herein, we investigated the frequency of Treg cells in the colon and their potential relationship to the various CHC outcomes and hepatic histopathology.

Methods: Colonic biopsies were collected from three groups with CHC: treatment naïve (TN; n = 20), non-responders (NR; n = 20), sustained virologic response (SVR; n = 20), and a fourth healthy control group (n = 10).

Modulation of HCV replication after combination antiretroviral therapy in HCV/HIV co-infected patients.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in patients co-infected with HIV. Co-infection results in increased HCV replication and more rapid rates of liver disease progression. The effect of HIV combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on HCV replication has not been studied in depth.

The protective effect of Physalis peruviana L. against cadmium-induced neurotoxicity in rats.

The present study was carried out to investigate the protective effect of Physalis peruviana L. (family Solanaceae) against cadmium-induced neurotoxicity in rats. Adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups.