Indoor Formaldehyde Concentration, Personal Formaldehyde Exposure and Clinical Symptoms during Anatomy Dissection Sessions, University of Medicine 1, Yangon.

The formaldehyde (FA) embalming method, the world's most common protocol for the fixation of cadavers, has been consistently used in medical universities in Myanmar. This study was designed to examine the indoor FA concentrations in anatomy dissection rooms, an exposed site, and lecture theater, an unexposed control site, and to access personal exposure levels of FA and clinical symptoms of medical students and instructors. In total, 208 second year medical students (1/2019 batch) and 18 instructors from Department of Anatomy, University of Medicine 1, participated.

Awareness and Perceptions on Health Warning Labels on Cigarette Packs among Smokers: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Backgrounds: Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of premature deaths. Tobacco control remains a top priority, and health warning labels (HWLs) are one of the recommended methods. This study is aimed at examining the awareness and perceptions of HWLs on cigarette packs among smokers.

Use of Multiphase CT Protocols in 18 Countries: Appropriateness and Radiation Doses.

Purpose: To assess the frequency, appropriateness, and radiation doses associated with multiphase computed tomography (CT) protocols for routine chest and abdomen-pelvis examinations in 18 countries.

Materials And Methods: In collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, multi-institutional data on clinical indications, number of scan phases, scan parameters, and radiation dose descriptors (CT dose-index volume; dose-length product [DLP]) were collected for routine chest (n = 1706 patients) and abdomen-pelvis (n = 426 patients) CT from 18 institutions in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Two radiologists scored the need for each phase based on clinical indications (1 = not indicated, 2 = probably indicated, 3 = indicated).

Levels and trends of smokeless tobacco use among youth in countries of the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region.

Background: At least two rounds of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) have been completed in most of the countries in the World Health Organization South-East Asia region. Comparing findings from these two rounds provides trend data on smokeless tobacco (SLT) use for the first time.

Methods: This study uses GYTS data from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste during 2006-2013.

Smokeless tobacco use in Myanmar.

Smokeless tobacco (SLT) use in various forms is highly prevalent in Myanmar. The aim of this paper is to study the socio-cultural background of SLT use and products of SLT in Myanmar and the prevalence of SLT based on surveys and from other published data bases. Information was obtained from the literature review and through search on PubMed and Google.

Heat acclimation provides sustained improvement in functional recovery and attenuates apoptosis after traumatic brain injury.

Heat acclimation (HA) offers functional neuroprotection in mice after traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study further characterizes endogenous neuroprotection acquired by HA (34+/-1 degrees C, 30 d) after TBI. We establish here the ability of HA to induce sustained functional benefits and to reduce activation of apoptotic pathways.

Microglial involvement in neuroprotection following experimental traumatic brain injury in heat-acclimated mice.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) conveys neuroprotection in various settings of experimental central nervous system injury. Using a model of endogenous neuroprotection, induced in mice by chronic exposure to moderate ambient heat (heat acclimation, HA), we have previously shown that neuroprotection following traumatic brain injury involves reduced post-injury tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) expression. As glial cells play a pivotal role in post-injury inflammation on one hand, and are also capable of inducing neuroprotection by harboring trophic factors and BDNF in particular, the effects of injury and HA on overall BDNF content at the trauma area, gliosis and glial BDNF expression were investigated.

Incensole acetate: a novel neuroprotective agent isolated from Boswellia carterii.

Boswellia resin has been used as a major anti-inflammatory agent and for the healing of wounds for centuries. Incensole acetate (IA), isolated from this resin, was shown to inhibit the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB, a key transcription factor in the inflammatory response. We now show that IA inhibits the production of inflammatory mediators in an in vitro model system of C6 glioma and human peripheral monocytes.

Differential neuroprotective properties of endogenous and exogenous erythropoietin in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury.

Both heat acclimation (HA) and post-injury treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (Epo, rhEpo, exogenous Epo) are neuroprotective against traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our previous data demonstrated that HA-induced neuroprotection includes improved functional recovery and reduced cerebral edema formation. Additionally, in earlier Western-blot analyses, we found that HA mice display increased expression of the specific erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) and of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha), the inducible subunit of the transcription factor, which regulates Epo gene expression, but not of Epo itself.

Altered cytokine expression and sustained hypothermia following traumatic brain injury in heat acclimated mice.

Long-term exposure to moderate ambient heat (heat acclimation, HA, 30 days at 34+/-1 degrees C) provides protection toward a variety of stressors including traumatic brain injury. As previous studies suggested an anti-inflammatory effect of HA and given the ability of augmented pre-injury anti-inflammatory cytokine expression to harbor neuroprotection and to attenuate early post-injury expression of pro-inflammatory mediators, we hypothesized that HA-induced neuroprotection may involve enhanced pre-injury expression of anti-inflammatory mediators or a reduction in post-injury TNF alpha (TNFalpha) expression. Since the attenuation of inflammatory-associated entities has also been linked to mild hypothermia, an established neuroprotective paradigm, the effect of HA on post-injury body temperature was also studied.

Akt phosphorylation is required for heat acclimation-induced neuroprotection.

Long-term heat exposure, known as heat acclimation (HA; 30 days at 34 +/- 1 degrees C) is neuroprotective against traumatic brain injury. Acclimated mice were previously found to display improved functional recovery as well as an increase in the levels of the specific erythropoietin receptor. As the activation of this receptor is known to facilitate functional recovery on one hand and the phosphorylation and activation of Akt, an intracellular kinase which regulates anti-apoptotic pathways on the other, in this study we investigated whether HA affects Akt phosphorylation prior to and following injury and whether this step is required for development of HA-induced neuroprotection.

Heat acclimation: a unique model of physiologically mediated global preconditioning against traumatic brain injury.

Sub-lethal exposure to practically any harmful stimulus has been shown to induce consequent protection against more severe stress. This preconditioning (PC) effect may be achieved by exposure to different stressors, indicating that the induction of tolerance involves activation of common protective pathways. Chronic exposure to moderate heat (heat acclimation, HA) is a unique PC model, since this global physiological adaptation, as opposed to discrete organ PC, has been shown to induce cross-tolerance against other stressors, including closed head injury (CHI).

The endocannabinoid 2-AG protects the blood-brain barrier after closed head injury and inhibits mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines.

Endocannabinoids are involved in neuroprotection through numerous biochemical pathways. We have shown that the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) is released in mouse brain after closed head injury (CHI), and treatment with exogenous 2-AG exerts neuroprotection via the central cannabinoid receptor CB1. This process involves inhibition of inflammatory signals that are mediated by activation of the transcription factor NF-kB.

Heat acclimation increases hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha and erythropoietin receptor expression: implication for neuroprotection after closed head injury in mice.

Experimental evidence indicates that long-term exposure to moderately high ambient temperature (heat acclimation, HA) mediates cross-tolerance to various types of subsequently applied stress. The transcriptional activator hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) has been implicated in playing a critical role in HA. It also regulates the expression of Erythropoietin (Epo), whose neuroprotective effects have been shown in a variety of brain injuries.

Peripheral WBC count and serum prolactin level in various seizure types and nonepileptic events.

Purpose: To analyze effects of different types of seizures and nonepileptic events as well as effects of seizure duration and lapse between the time of seizure and blood collection on serum prolactin level and peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count.

Methods: We prospectively collected blood samples from all patients admitted to our Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at baseline and after an event. Blood samples were analyzed, and serum prolactin level and WBC count were determined.