[The gut microbiota in bipolar disorder].

The gut microbiota is a community of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract of living beings and form bidirectional symbiotic relationships with them. It is known that gut bacteria play an important role in maintaining the functioning of the host organism, and disruption in the normal composition of the gut microbiota can contribute to the development of many diseases. The study of microbiota has been gaining popularity in recent years, and its influence on the course of various pathological conditions is becoming more and more undeniable.

Metformin and progestins in women with atypical hyperplasia or endometrial cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To assess metformin's effectiveness in adding it to progestin-based hormone therapy for treating atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and early endometrial cancer (EEC).

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines (registration number CRD42023399094). We searched databases for studies up to March 2023, including randomized and non-randomized clinical trials in English.

A Multilingual Tool for Standardized Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Assessment and Monitoring.

Control of infectious diseases requires the handling of infectious materials by both clinical and public health laboratories with exposure risks for laboratory personnel and environment. A comprehensive tool for assessing the capacity to manage these risks could enable the development of action plans for mitigation. Under the framework of the Global Health Security Agenda action package for biosafety and biosecurity, the authors developed a tool dedicated to assessing laboratory biosafety and biosecurity.

Effectiveness of inositol, metformin and their combination in women with PCOS undergoing assisted reproduction: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Our study aims to compare the effect of metformin, inositol and their combinations on the efficiency in improving outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies in women with PCOS.

Data Sources: PubMed, The Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, Embase, MEDLINE.

Development and implementation of National External Quality Assurance Programs in a One Health approach: The Armenian experience.

Introduction: Early warning and objective evidence of systematic errors in laboratory diagnosis ensures evidence based corrective and preventive actions that instill patient safety and confidence. External quality assessment contributes significantly to the above as an essential component of laboratory quality assurance. However, implementation of External Quality Assessment in resource-limited settings is challenged by high costs of enrolling in international schemes.

National Biosafety Management System: A Combined Framework Approach Based on 15 Key Elements.

The pervasive nature of infections causing major outbreaks have elevated biosafety and biosecurity as a fundamental component for resilient national laboratory systems. In response to international health security demands, the Global Health Security Agenda emphasizes biosafety as one of the prerequisites to respond effectively to infectious disease threats. However, biosafety management systems (BMS) in low-medium income countries (LMIC) remain weak due to fragmented implementation strategies.

Quality management system implementation in human and animal laboratories.

Background: The ability to rapidly detect emerging and re-emerging threats relies on a strong network of laboratories providing high quality testing services. Improving laboratory quality systems to ensure that these laboratories effectively play their critical role using a tailored stepwise approach can assist them to comply with the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHRs) and the World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) guidelines.

Methods: Fifteen (15) laboratories in Armenia's human and veterinary laboratory networks were enrolled into a quality management system strengthening programme from 2017 to 2020.

Overconsumption of fluids during labour leading to water intoxication and a tonic-clonic seizure in a healthy labourer.

A 33-year-old woman in her first pregnancy with no significant medical history had a tonic-clonic seizure one hour after delivery due to acute hyponatraemia caused by excess intake of fluids. She was admitted to a birthing centre as a low-risk labourer where she spent 19 hours including 4 hours in the second stage of labour. Throughout the labour, she was encouraged to drink as per her own initiative and thirst.

[The effects of taurine on oxidative processes in brain edema].

Aim: To investigate the free radical oxidation of lipids, oxidative modification of protein activity of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase as well as the end product of nitric oxide - nitrite in the brain mitochondrial fraction of animals with experimentally induced cerebral edema and in treatment with taurine.

Material And Methods: Toxic brain edema was induced in rats with intraperitoneal injection of tetra-ethyl lead (10 mg per kg of animal weight). The intensity of peroxidation was evaluated by hydroperoxide and malonic aldehyde contents.

Spontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid Otorrhea from a Persistent Tympanomeningeal Fissure Presenting as Recurrent Serous Otitis Media.

We describe spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorrhea through a patent tympanomeningeal (Hyrtl) fissure presenting as recurrent serous otitis media. The CSF leak was observed when a drain was placed through the tympanic membrane by an otologist. The diagnosis was then confirmed by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and the patient underwent a successful surgical treatment via a retrosigmoid approach.

Relations of Parenting to Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing Distress Moderated by Perception of Neighborhood Danger.

Parental monitoring and warmth have traditionally been studied in the context of White, middle-class families. This article explores optimal levels of these parenting behaviors in preventing adolescent psychopathology in impoverished, urban high-crime areas while accounting for child perceptions of neighborhood danger. In this study, data were collected longitudinally at 2 time points 1 year apart from a sample of 254 African American young adolescents (T1: M age = 12.

Varying levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity in adult murine marrow hematopoietic stem cells are associated with engraftment and cell cycle status.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity is a widely used marker for human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), yet its relevance and role in murine HSCs remain unclear. We found that murine marrow cells with a high level of ALDH activity as measured by Aldefluor staining (ALDH(br) cells) do not contain known HSCs or progenitors. In contrast, highly enriched murine HSCs defined by the CD48(-)EPCR(+) and other phenotypes contain two subpopulations, one that stains dimly with Aldefluor (ALDH(dim)) and one that stains at intermediate levels (ALDH(int)).

Relationship of chronic hepatitis C infection to rates of AIDS-defining illnesses in a Canadian cohort of HIV seropositive individuals receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Background: The influence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on the risk, timing, and type of AIDS-defining illnesses (ADIs) is not well described. To this end, rates of ADIs were evaluated in a Canadian cohort of HIV seropositive individuals receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Methods: ADIs were classified into 6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-defined etiological subgroups: non-Hodgkin lymphoma, viral infection, bacterial infection, HIV-related disease, protozoal infection, and mycotic infection.

Aldehyde dehydrogenases are regulators of hematopoietic stem cell numbers and B-cell development.

High levels of the aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform ALDH1A1 are expressed in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs); however, its importance in these cells remains unclear. Consistent with an earlier report, we find that loss of ALDH1A1 does not affect HSCs. Intriguingly, however, we find that ALDH1A1 deficiency is associated with increased expression of the ALDH3A1 isoform, suggesting its potential to compensate for ALDH1A1.

The success of 6-hour hospital discharge on patients having vaginal repair operations using a new conscious sedation technique.

Anterior and posterior repair are standard surgical techniques for treatment of vaginal prolapse. These procedures are performed traditionally under general anaesthetic or spinal anaesthetic and usually require overnight admission in the hospital. We describe our case series of 40 patients who underwent anterior (18/40), posterior (20/40) or combined repair (2/40) under local anaesthetic and conscious sedation (Remifentanyl).

Preclinical study of the effect of cardiotropic agents on isolated heart.

Direct effects of cardiotropic preparations on the hearts isolated from Wistar rats were examined. Deenergization of cardiomyocytes was modeled under conditions of hypoxic perfusion. Recovery of cardiac function during reperfusion was assessed by changes in the heart rate and contraction amplitude.

Quantitative analysis of phospholipids and gangliosides in bone marrow progenitors of lymphocytes, thymocytes and mature lymphocytes in tumor-bearing animals.

The phospholipid and ganglioside composition in bone marrow progenitors of lymphocytes, thymocytes and mature lymphocytes of intact rats and rats with sarcoma 45 were studied. The lymphocytes and their progenitors were isolated by Ficoll-Paque density centrifugation. The phospholipids and gangliosides were separated by thin-layer chromatography following standard chloroform:methanol extraction from the cells.