Carneypruitt7941

Given the high mortality, early diagnosis and appropriate therapy can provide patients with a favorable prognosis.BACKGROUND sRAGE (soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products) is identified as playing a protective role in chronic inflammatory diseases, and it has been found to be related to arterial stiffness in hypertensive or diabetic patients. This cross-sectional study was designed to study the potential association of sRAGE with arterial stiffness in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) patients. METHODS Ninety-four female SLE patients were enrolled. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured by an automatic pulse wave analyzer. Those patients were divided into two groups according to baPWV values, those with values greater than 1400cm/s being defined as the high arterial stiffness group. Biochemical parameters were compared between the two groups. Linear and logistic regression analysis was used to observe the association between sRAGE and arterial stiffness in those patients. RESULTS Thirty-five patients were defined as being in the high arterial stiffness group in which sRAGE levels were lower (P less then 0.05). sRAGE levels were significantly related to baPWV(standardized β=1.18, P less then 0.01) by linear regression analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sRAGE, SLE duration, systolic blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were independent predictors of arterial stiffness in those patients. CONCLUSION Our results revealed that sRAGE was negatively associated with arterial stiffness in Chinese female SLE patients. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.BACKGROUND Hypoxia (deprived oxygen in tissues) may induce molecular and genetic changes in cancer cells. Y-27632 OBJECTIVE Investigating the genetic changes of glucose metabolism in breast cancer cell line (MCF7) after exposure to continuous hypoxia (10 and 20 cycles exposure of 72 hours continuously on a weekly basis). METHOD Gene expression of MCF7 cells was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction- array method. Furthermore, cell migration and wound healing assays were also applied. RESULTS It was found that 10 episodes of continuous hypoxia activated Warburg effect in MCF7 cells via the significant up-regulation of genes involved in glycolysis (ANOVA, p value less then 0.05). The molecular changes were associated with the ability of MCF7 cells to divide and migrate. Interestingly, after 20 episodes of continuous hypoxia, the expression glycolysis mediated genes has dropped significantly (from 30 to 9 folds). This could be attributed to the adaptive ability of cancer cells. CONCLUSION It is concluded that 10 hypoxic episodes increased the survival rate and the aggressiveness of MCF7 cells and induced Warburg effect by up-regulation of the glycolysis mediating genes expression. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.BACKGROUND Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) was tried in treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) using different routes, doses and treatment durations. The aim of this work is to assess the efficacy of oral 600mg ALA twice daily over 6 months in treatment of patients with DPN. METHODS This is a prospective, single-center, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study conducted at the outpatient clinics of Mansoura Specialized Hospital, Mansoura University. A total of 200 patients with DPN were randomly assigned to add on treatment with either oral 600mg twice daily ALA (n=100) or placebo (n=100) for 6 months. Treatment outcome was assessed using vibration perception threshold (VPT), neurological symptom score (NSS), neurological disability score (NDS), and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain at baseline and at each visit (1, 3 and 6 months) after the start of treatment. RESULTS Comparison between the study groups regarding the baseline data revealed no statistically significant differences. In respect to the outcome parameters, no significant differences were found between the studied groups at baseline. However, in subsequent visits, ALA treated patients had significantly better resultsregarding almost all the outcome parameters (NSS, NDS, VAS, VPT). Mild nausea was reported in 6 patients. None of the studied patients discontinued treatment. CONCLUSIONS Oral 600mg ALA twice daily treatment for DPN over 6 months is effective, safe and tolerable. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal symptoms are often the first symptoms of hypopituitarism. However, pseudo-intestinal obstruction is not a common manifestation of hypopituitarism. Some patients presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms as their chief complaint were admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology and were accurately diagnosed with hypopituitarism at the Department of Endocrinology. CASE SUMMARY This case pertains to a 57-year-old man with poor appetite, fatigue, weakness, and recent onset recurring abdominal pain. An erect, abdominal X-ray indicated flatulence and gas-fluid levels in the midsection of the abdomen, and pseudo-intestinal obstruction was diagnosed. Subsequently, the patient was referred to the Department of Gastroenterology to identify the cause of the pseudo-intestinal obstruction. An examination of the digestive system did not reveal any abnormalities, but the patient developed hyponatremia and exhibited drowsiness. The patient was transferred to the Department of Endocrinology for further treatment. The patient was eventually diagnosed with hypopituitarism, caused by empty sella syndrome. The patient received prednisone and euthyrox replacement therapy, and pseudo-intestinal obstruction did not occur again. CONCLUSION In general, endocrine diseases, including hypopituitarism, hypothyroidism, and hyponatremia, should be considered for patients with pseudo-intestinal obstruction combined with hyponatremia and drowsiness, especially if the symptoms of the digestive system are not complicated and the drowsiness is obvious. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.