Stem cell-based therapies for heart failure management: a narrative review of current evidence and future perspectives

Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent and debilitating global cardiovascular condition affecting around 64 million individuals, placing significant strain on healthcare systems and diminishing patients' quality of life. The escalating prevalence of HF underscores the urgent need for innovative therapeutic approaches that target the root causes and aim to restore normal cardiac function. Stem cell-based therapies have emerged as promising candidates, representing a fundamental departure from conventional treatments focused primarily on symptom management. This review explores the evolving landscape of stem cell-based therapies for HF management. It delves into the mechanisms of action, clinical evidence from both positive and negative outcomes, ethical considerations, and regulatory challenges. Key findings include the potential for improved cardiac function, enhanced quality of life, and long-term benefits associated with stem cell therapies. However, adverse events and patient vulnerabilities necessitate stringent safety assessments. Future directions in stem cell-based HF therapies include enhancing efficacy and safety through optimized stem cell types, delivery techniques, dosing strategies, and long-term safety assessments. Personalized medicine, combining therapies, addressing ethical and regulatory challenges, and expanding access while reducing costs are crucial aspects of the evolving landscape.

Sleep patterns and quality among Nigerian medical students: A cross-sectional study

Adequate sleep is crucial for individuals' well-being and cognitive functioning. However, medical students face unique challenges that disrupt their sleep patterns, such as a rigorous curriculum, long study hours, and high-stress levels. Understanding the sleep patterns and quality among medical students in Nigeria is important to develop targeted interventions and support their overall well-being. This study involved 802 medical students from 3 medical schools in Southwest Nigeria. Participants completed an online questionnaire that collected data on their demographic characteristics, sleep patterns and self-reported sleep quality. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data and identify patterns and associations. Most participants were female (56.9%), with the highest representation from the UNILORIN (65.5%). The average reported sleep duration was 5.74 hours per night, indicating insufficient sleep. Irregular bedtimes and wake-up times were commonly reported. A significant proportion of students consumed coffee late at night (27.1%) and used medication to induce sleep (24.3%). Sleep patterns and behaviors, such as snoring (36.1%) and nocturnal eating (57.6%), were reported. Overall, participants reported satisfactory (28.3%) or poor (29.7%) sleep quality. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between sleep patterns, sleep quality, academic performance, and other sleep-related factors. The study identified insufficient sleep duration, irregular bedtimes, late-night coffee consumption, and poor sleep quality. These findings emphasize the need for interventions and strategies to promote healthy sleep habits among medical students, which can positively impact their overall health and academic performance.

Adult onset otitis media with effusion in Lagos

BACKGROUND/AIM

The documented reports on adult onset OME is scanty world wide, this study was prompted by the increasing trend of OME in our adult patients with the aim of determining the prevalence, predisposing factors and treatment outcome of the disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A prospective study was carried out over a two year period at the Otolaryngology Clinic of Lagos University Teaching Hospital Lagos Nigeria, on 195 patients referred to the clinic with provisional diagnosis of OME. The patients had clinical evaluation, pure tone audiometry, tympanometry while a few had fibre optic nasopharyngoscopy and biopsy done.

RESULTS

A hospital based prevalence of 2.6% was recorded in the Otolaryngology clinic during the study period, with infective and allergic sinusitis as the major predisposing factors to OME in adult patients. Majority 58 (92.06%) patients were treated conservatively and recurrence was seen in 8 (12.7%) of the patients without any untoward effects. OME, though recognised as a childhood disease may be as prevalent in adult as in childhood but with less complication.

CONCLUSION

OME as a single clinical feature or in association with allergy or sinusitis is most unlikely to habour NPC therefore nasopharyngoscopy and biopsy are likely to give a low yield of positive biopsy in isolated OME in adult and the cost implication of this must be borne in mind.