Serum Zinc Level and Efficacy of Zinc Therapy in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic skin disease prevalent in many parts of the world. Zinc has been investigated for its potential role in the immune response against Leishmania parasites. This study aimed to systematically review the literature and conduct meta-analyses to evaluate the serum zinc level and efficacy of zinc therapy in cutaneous leishmaniasis. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was performed to find studies reporting serum zinc levels and the efficacy of zinc therapy in cutaneous leishmaniasis. Meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan software (version 5.4), calculating the mean difference for serum zinc levels and risk ratio for the efficacy of zinc therapy. A total of 11 studies with 1009 participants were evaluated. Five of these studies, comprising 637 participants, examined serum zinc levels; the remaining six, involving 372 individuals, examined the effectiveness of zinc therapy in treating cutaneous leishmaniasis. The results showed that the serum zinc level was significantly lower in cutaneous leishmaniasis patients compared to controls (MD: - 26.65; 95% CI: [- 42.74, - 10.57]; p = 0.001). However, zinc therapy did not demonstrate a significant clinical improvement compared to standard treatment (RR: 0.96; 95% CI: [0.74, 1.23], p = 0.73).

Prevalence of self-medication practices among pregnant women in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Self-medication practice among pregnant women is a global concern. However, its understanding in the Indian context is limited due to a lack of comprehensive studies.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence of self-medication, the medications used for self-medication, diseases/conditions associated with self-medication, and the reasons for self-medication among Indian pregnant women.

METHODS

This study was carried out following the guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A thorough search was done in PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar to find articles that were published up until May 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised observational studies reporting self-medication prevalence among pregnant women in India. Data were extracted using a standardized sheet, and a random-effects model was applied to determine the overall prevalence of self-medication using R software. The I2 statistic was employed to assess the heterogeneity among the studies.

RESULTS

This study analyzed eight studies with a collective sample size of 2208 pregnant women. The pooled prevalence of self-medication among pregnant Indian women was 19.3% (95% CI: 7.5%-41.3%; I2 = 99%; p < 0.01). Common self-treated conditions were cold, cough, fever, headache, and stomach disorders. Antipyretics, analgesics, antihistamines, and antacids were frequently used for self-medication. The perception of mild ailment, immediate alleviation, convenience, time savings, and advice from family, friends, or the media were all reasons for self-medication. Local pharmacies were the most usual source for obtaining drugs, and pharmacists, family, friends, and past prescriptions were common sources of medicine information.

CONCLUSIONS

A low yet substantial number of pregnant women in India are engaged in self-medication practices. Appropriate strategies need to be planned to reduce self-medication practices to attain sustainable developmental goals for maternal health in India.

Self-Reporting Theranostic: Nano Tool for Arterial Thrombosis

Arterial thrombosis (AT) originates through platelet-mediated thrombus formation in the blood vessel and can lead to heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular diseases. Restricting the thrombus growth and its simultaneous monitoring by visualisation is an unmet clinical need for a better AT prognosis. As a proof-of-concept, we have engineered a nanoparticle-based theranostic (combined therapy and monitoring) platform that has the potential to monitor and restrain the growth of a thrombus concurrently. The theranostic nanotool is fabricated using biocompatible super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) as a core module tethered with the anti-platelet agent Abciximab (ReoPro) on its surface. Our in vitro feasibility results indicate that ReoPro-conjugated SPIONS (Tx@ReoPro) can effectively prevent thrombus growth by inhibiting fibrinogen receptors (GPIIbIIIa) on the platelet surface, and simultaneously, it can also be visible through non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for potential reporting of the real-time thrombus status.

Feasibility of Coacervate-Like Nanostructure for Instant Drug Nanoformulation

Despite the enormous advancements in nanomedicine research, a limited number of nanoformulations are available on the market, and few have been translated to clinics. An easily scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective manufacturing strategy and long-term stability for storage are crucial for successful translation. Here, we report a system and method to instantly formulate NF achieved with a nanoscale polyelectrolyte coacervate-like system, consisting of anionic pseudopeptide poly(l-lysine isophthalamide) derivatives, polyethylenimine, and doxorubicin (Dox) via simple "mix-and-go" addition of precursor solutions in seconds. The coacervate-like nanosystem shows enhanced intracellular delivery of Dox to patient-derived multidrug-resistant (MDR) cells in 3D tumor spheroids. The results demonstrate the feasibility of an instant drug formulation using a coacervate-like nanosystem. We envisage that this technique can be widely utilized in the nanomedicine field to bypass the special requirement of large-scale production and elongated shelf life of nanomaterials.

Nano toolbox in immune modulation and nanovaccines

Despite the great success of vaccines over two centuries, the conventional strategy is based on attenuated/altered microorganisms. However, this is not effective for all microbes and often fails to elicit a protective immune response, and sometimes poses unexpected safety risks. The expanding nano toolbox may overcome some of the roadblocks in vaccine development given the plethora of unique nanoparticle (NP)-based platforms that can successfully induce specific immune responses leading to exciting and novel solutions. Nanovaccines necessitate a thorough understanding of the immunostimulatory effect of these nanotools. We present a comprehensive description of strategies in which nanotools have been used to elicit an immune response and provide a perspective on how nanotechnology can lead to future personalized nanovaccines.

SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Isotypes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients Prior to Vaccination: Associations With Disease Activity, Antinuclear Antibodies, and Immunomodulatory Drugs During the First Year of the Pandemic

Objectives

Impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic on individuals with arthritis has been highlighted whereas data on other rheumatic diseases, e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), are scarce. Similarly to SLE, severe SARS-CoV-2 infection includes risks for thromboembolism, an unbalanced type I interferon response, and complement activation. Herein, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in longitudinal samples collected prior to vaccination were analyzed and compared with SLE progression and antinuclear antibody (ANA) levels.

Methods

One hundred patients (83 women) with established SLE and a regular visit to the rheumatologist (March 2020 to January 2021) were included. All subjects donated blood and had done likewise prior to the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 antibody isotypes (IgG, IgA, IgM) to the cell receptor-binding S1-spike outer envelope protein were detected by ELISA, and their neutralizing capacity was investigated. IgG-ANA were measured by multiplex technology.

Results

During the pandemic, 4% had PCR-confirmed infection but 36% showed SARS-CoV-2 antibodies of ≥1 isotype; IgA was the most common (30%), followed by IgM (9%) and IgG (8%). The antibodies had low neutralizing capacity and were detected also in prepandemic samples. Plasma albumin (p = 0.04) and anti-dsDNA (p = 0.003) levels were lower in patients with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Blood group, BMI, smoking habits, complement proteins, daily glucocorticoid dose, use of hydroxychloroquine, or self-reported coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms (except fever, >38.5°C) did not associate with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Conclusion

Our data from early 2021 indicate that a large proportion of Swedish SLE patients had serological signs of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 but apparently with a minor impact on the SLE course. Use of steroids and hydroxychloroquine showed no distinct effects, and self-reported COVID-19-related symptoms correlated poorly with all antibody isotypes.

Innate Immune Invisible Ultrasmall Gold Nanoparticles-Framework for Synthesis and Evaluation

Nanomedicine is seen as a potential central player in the delivery of personalized medicine. Biocompatibility issues of nanoparticles have largely been resolved over the past decade. Despite their tremendous progress, less than 1% of applied nanosystems can hit their intended target location, such as a solid tumor, and this remains an obstacle to their full ability and potential with a high translational value. Therefore, achieving immune-tolerable, blood-compatible, and biofriendly nanoparticles remains an unmet need. The translational success of nanoformulations from bench to bedside involves a thorough assessment of their design, compatibility beyond cytotoxicity such as immune toxicity, blood compatibility, and immune-mediated destruction/rejection/clearance profile. Here, we report a one-pot process-engineered synthesis of ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (uGNPs) suitable for better body and renal clearance delivery of their payloads. We have obtained uGNP sizes of as low as 3 nm and have engineered the synthesis to allow them to be accurately sized (almost nanometer by nanometer). The synthesized uGNPs are biocompatible and can easily be functionalized to carry drugs, peptides, antibodies, and other therapeutic molecules. We have performed in vitro cell viability assays, immunotoxicity assays, inflammatory cytokine analysis, a complement activation study, and blood coagulation studies with the uGNPs to confirm their safety. These can help to set up a long-term safety-benefit framework of experimentation to reveal whether any designed nanoparticles are immune-tolerable and can be used as payload carriers for next-generation vaccines, chemotherapeutic drugs, and theranostic agents with better body clearance ability and deep tissue penetration.

Dissecting multi drug resistance in head and neck cancer cells using multicellular tumor spheroids

One of the hallmarks of cancers is their ability to develop resistance against therapeutic agents. Therefore, developing effective in vitro strategies to identify drug resistance remains of paramount importance for successful treatment. One of the ways cancer cells achieve drug resistance is through the expression of efflux pumps that actively pump drugs out of the cells. To date, several studies have investigated the potential of using 3-dimensional (3D) multicellular tumor spheroids (MCSs) to assess drug resistance; however, a unified system that uses MCSs to differentiate between multi drug resistance (MDR) and non-MDR cells does not yet exist. In the present report we describe MCSs obtained from post-diagnosed, pre-treated patient-derived (PTPD) cell lines from head and neck squamous cancer cells (HNSCC) that often develop resistance to therapy. We employed an integrated approach combining response to clinical drugs and screening cytotoxicity, monitoring real-time drug uptake, and assessing transporter activity using flow cytometry in the presence and absence of their respective specific inhibitors. The report shows a comparative response to MDR, drug efflux capability and reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity to assess the resistance profile of PTPD MCSs and two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures of the same set of cell lines. We show that MCSs provide a robust and reliable in vitro model to evaluate clinical relevance. Our proposed strategy can also be clinically applicable for profiling drug resistance in cancers with unknown resistance profiles, which consequently can indicate benefit from downstream therapy.

Probing ADP Induced Aggregation Kinetics During Platelet-Nanoparticle Interactions: Functional Dynamics Analysis to Rationalize Safety and Benefits

Platelets, one of the most sensitive blood cells, can be activated by a range of external and internal stimuli including physical, chemical, physiological, and/or non-physiological agents. Platelets need to respond promptly during injury to maintain blood hemostasis. The time profile of platelet aggregation is very complex, especially in the presence of the agonist adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), and it is difficult to probe such complexity using traditional linear dose response models. In the present study, we explored functional analysis techniques to characterize the pattern of platelet aggregation over time in response to nanoparticle induced perturbations. This has obviated the need to represent the pattern of aggregation by a single summary measure and allowed us to treat the entire aggregation profile over time, as the response. The modeling was performed in a flexible manner, without any imposition of shape restrictions on the curve, allowing smooth platelet aggregation over time. The use of a probabilistic framework not only allowed statistical prediction and inference of the aggregation signatures, but also provided a novel method for the estimation of higher order derivatives of the curve, thereby allowing plausible estimation of the extent and rate of platelet aggregation kinetics over time. In the present study, we focused on the estimated first derivative of the curve, obtained from the platelet optical aggregometric profile over time and used it to discern the underlying kinetics as well as to study the effects of ADP dosage and perturbation with gold nanoparticles. In addition, our method allowed the quantification of the extent of inter-individual signature variations. Our findings indicated several hidden features and showed a mixture of zero and first order kinetics interrupted by a metastable zero order ADP dose dependent process. In addition, we showed that the two first order kinetic constants were ADP dependent. However, we were able to perturb the overall kinetic pattern using gold nanoparticles, which resulted in autocatalytic aggregation with a higher aggregate mass and which facilitated the aggregation rate.

A repertoire of biomedical applications of noble metal nanoparticles

The emerging properties of noble metal nanoparticles are attracting huge interest from the translational scientific community. In this feature article, we highlight recent advances in the adaptation of noble metal nanomaterials and their biomedical applications in therapeutics, diagnostics and sensing.

Evaluation of low-dose dexmedetomidine and neostigmine with bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia in orthopedic surgeries: A prospective randomized double-blind study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Neuraxial adjuants to local anesthetics is an effective technique of improving the quality and duration of postoperative analgesia. The safety and efficacy of drugs like dexmedetomidine and neostigmine as epidural medications have been sparsely investigated.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia was performed in 60 American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II patients who required lower limb surgeries of ≤3 h duration. The epidural drug was administered at the end of surgery with patients randomized into three groups. Group I, II and III received 6 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine alone, with 1 ug/kg of neostigmine and with 0.5 ug/kg of dexmedetomidine + 1 ug/kg of neostigmine, respectively. The patients were prescribed 50 mg tramadol intravenous as rescue analgesic. Patients were assessed for hemodynamic parameters, pain scores, duration of analgesia, rescue analgesic requirements and the incidence of side-effects over the next 10 h. Data was analyzed using SPSS(®) version 17.0 (Chicago, IL, USA). P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS

Patients in Group III had significantly longer mean duration of analgesia (273.5 min) compared to Group II (176.25 min) and Group I (144 min). There was increased requirement of fluids to maintain blood pressures in Group III. Neostigmine did not cause significant incidence of gastrointestinal side effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Epidurally administered dexmedetomidine and neostigmine exhibit synergism in analgesic action. The incidence of drug-related side-effects was low in our study.

Using complex networks towards information retrieval and diagnostics in multidimensional imaging

We present a fresh and broad yet simple approach towards information retrieval in general and diagnostics in particular by applying the theory of complex networks on multidimensional, dynamic images. We demonstrate a successful use of our method with the time series generated from high content thermal imaging videos of patients suffering from the aqueous deficient dry eye (ADDE) disease. Remarkably, network analyses of thermal imaging time series of contact lens users and patients upon whom Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis (Lasik) surgery has been conducted, exhibit pronounced similarity with results obtained from ADDE patients. We also propose a general framework for the transformation of multidimensional images to networks for futuristic biometry. Our approach is general and scalable to other fluctuation-based devices where network parameters derived from fluctuations, act as effective discriminators and diagnostic markers.

Corneal penetration of gold nanoparticles--therapeutic implications

Gold nanoparticles can show anti-glycation activity thereby preventing the aggregation of proteins. As glycation is one of the leading causes of cataract formation, the finding is important in therapeutic management of ocular pathology that follows cataract formation (e.g., cortical changes often resulting in nuclear sclerosis). In the present study, we have successfully conducted in vivo experiments using guinea pig models. While the anti-glycation property of GNPs is known in vitro, the present work for the first time shows corneal penetration of GNPs. The therapeutic promise of using GNP as an anti-cataract agent thus seems imminent. GNPs traverse and get deposited into different layers of the cornea as examined by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).

An adjustment in NiTi closed coil spring for an extended range of activation

The Nickel Titanium (NiTi) closed coil springs serve as an efficient force delivery system in orthodontic space closure mechanics. The closed coil springs with the eyelets come in various lengths to broaden its force characteristics for an expedient space closure. However, at a certain point of time of progressive space closure, the coil spring can be expanded no further for an adequate force delivery. In such situations, the clinician prefers to replace the existing spring with another short length spring. The present article describes a simple conservative technique for progressively re-activating the same NiTi closed coil spring for complete space closure.

Mushroom composite button for orthodontic use

Composite buttons are a valuable adjunct in orthodontic treatment mechanics and provide an esthetic alternative to metal buttons. In particular, their use warrants application in lingual orthodontic therapy or in any minor tooth movement situations. This paper describes the step by step technique for the fabrication of a mushroom shaped composite button for clinical use.

Sequential activation of caspase-1 and caspase-3-like proteases during apoptosis in myelodysplastic syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of hematopoietic disorders characterized by the concomitant presence of peripheral cytopenias and normocellular to hypercellular BM. This paradox has been proposed to be due to the presence of excessive proliferation matched by excessive intramedullary apoptosis of hematopoietic cells. When cultured in vitro MDS BM mononuclear cells (BMMC) undergo apoptosis within 4 h. We measured caspase-1-like and caspase-3-like activity in 22 MDS and 4 normal BM immediately following cell separation or after 4 h culture. When cultured in vitro, MDS BMMC demonstrated an increased apoptotic index within 4 h as measured by in situ end-labeling of fragmented DNA that was matched by a concurrent increase in caspase-3-like specific activity, and the two were significantly correlated. During the 4 h culture, a sequential activation of caspase-1-like and caspase-3-like activities was detected. Caspase-1-like specific activity was detected early and transiently at approximately 15 min, followed by a gradual increase in caspase-3-like-specific activity peaking at 2 h. When the broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD.FMK, was included in the MDS BM aspirate 4 h culture, apoptosis was attenuated. We conclude that sequential activation of caspase-1-like and caspase-3-like activities may form the central biochemical pathway of apoptosis in BMMC from some MDS patients, and prevention of this process by caspase inhibitors may be of significant therapeutic value for these patients, in whom supportive care continues to be the mainstay of therapy.