Mcculloughmcdaniel9488

Ethnobotanical knowledge on four herbaceous species,

(Sw.) Cass.,

L.,

Schumach. & Thonn., and

L., in Benin was investigated.

Herbal medicine traders in six different markets were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The linear regression test was performed to check for the influence of respondent's age on ethnobotanical uses they hold. Relative frequency citation, fidelity level, use value, and Rahman similarity index were calculated to assess the diversity of medico-magic knowledge. The Informant Consensus Factor is not applicable in this study since we are dealing neither with the diversity of medicinal plants used by a community of people nor with a great number of plant species used for medicinal purposes, nor the diversity of plant species used in the treatment of a specific or group of ailments.

The respondent's age did not influence the ethnobotanical uses they hold on the species. All thirty-six informants surveyed traded

Schumach. & Thonn.,

L., and

L.,o treat measles and chicken pox.

(Sw.) Cass. and

L. were mostly used for their spiritual use for luck, predominantly by chewing fresh leaves or flowers, and by bathing with the ground plant mixed with soap, respectively. Overall,

L. had the greatest use value followed by

Schumach. & Thonn. The majority of traders do not plant the species.

The harvesting and trade of the species threaten their natural populations and urgent tools, including

and

conservation, are needed to ensure their long-term sustainable exploitation.

The harvesting and trade of the species threaten their natural populations and urgent tools, including in situ and ex situ conservation, are needed to ensure their long-term sustainable exploitation.

Standard neuroimaging protocols for brain tumors have well-known limitations. The clinical use of additional modalities including amino acid PET (aaPET) and advanced MRI (aMRI) techniques (including DWI, PWI, and MRS) is emerging in response to the need for more accurate detection of brain tumors. In this systematic review of the past 2 years of the literature, we discuss the most recent studies that directly compare or combine aaPET and aMRI for brain tumor imaging.

A PubMed search was conducted for human studies incorporating both aaPET and aMRI and published between July 2018 and August 2020.

A total of 22 studies were found in the study period. Recent studies of aaPET with DWI showed a superiority of MET, FET, FDOPA, and AMT PET for detecting tumor, predicting recurrence, diagnosing progression, and predicting survival. Combining modalities further improved performance. Comparisons of aaPET with PWI showed mixed results about spatial correlation. However, both modalities were able to detect high-graf aaPET with aMRI yielded the best results in most studies.

Human papillomavirus- (HPV-) associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) are clinically and pathologically distinct from HPV-negative tumors. Here, we explore whether HPV affects functional biomarkers, including

H2AX, RAD51, and PARP1. Moreover, the role of [

F]PARPi as a broadly applicable imaging tool for head and neck carcinomas is investigated.

HPV-positive and HPV-negative cell lines were used to evaluate the

H2AX, RAD51, and PARP1 expression with immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Effects of external beam ionizing radiation were investigated

, and survival was investigated via colony-formation assay. [

F]PARPi uptake experiments were performed on HPV-negative and HPV-positive cell lines to quantify PARP1 expression. PARP1 IHC and

H2AX foci were quantified using patient-derived oropharyngeal tumor specimens.

Differences in DNA repair were detected, showing higher RAD51 and

H2AX expression in HPV-positive cell lines. Clonogenic assays confirm HPV-positive cell lines to be significantly more radiosensitive. PARP1 expression levels were similar, irrespective of HPV status. Consequently, [

F]PARPi uptake assays demonstrated that this tracer is internalized in cell lines independently from their HPV status.

The HPV status, often used clinically to stratify patients, did not affect PARP1 levels, suggesting that PARP imaging can be performed in both HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients. This study confirms that the PET imaging agent [

F]PARPi could serve as a general clinical tool for oropharyngeal cancer patients.

The HPV status, often used clinically to stratify patients, did not affect PARP1 levels, suggesting that PARP imaging can be performed in both HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients. This study confirms that the PET imaging agent [18F]PARPi could serve as a general clinical tool for oropharyngeal cancer patients.

Although therapeutic advances have led to enhanced survival in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, detection of residual disease remains challenging. Here, we examine two approved anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), trastuzumab and pertuzumab, as potential candidates for the development of immunoconjugates for fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS).

mAbs were conjugated to the near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) dye, IRDye800, and for quantitative

assessment, to the radiometal chelator, desferrioxamine, to enable dual labeling with

Zr.

binding was evaluated in HER2-overexpressing (BT474, SKBR3) and HER2-negative (MCF7) cell lines. BT474 and MCF7 xenografts were used for

and

fluorescence imaging.

findings demonstrated HER2-mediated binding for both fluorescent immunoconjugates and were in agreement with radioligand assays using dual-labeled immunoconjugates.

and

studies showed preferential accumulation of the fluorescently-labeled mAbs in tumors and similar tumor-to-background ratios.

HER2 specificity was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining of resected tumors and normal tissues.

We showed for the first time that fluorescent trastuzumab and pertuzumab immunoconjugates have similar NIRF imaging performance and demonstrated the possibility of performing HER2-targeted FGS with agents that possess distinct epitope specificity.

We showed for the first time that fluorescent trastuzumab and pertuzumab immunoconjugates have similar NIRF imaging performance and demonstrated the possibility of performing HER2-targeted FGS with agents that possess distinct epitope specificity.

Suppressor of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) is a key biomarker in inflammation and cardiovascular diseases, but limited data is available on its role in allergic rhinitis (AR).

The aim of this study is to explore the role of serum soluble ST2 (sST2) in evaluating disease severity and predicting the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in house dust mite- (HDM-) induced AR patients.

Eighty healthy controls (HC group) and 160 HDM-induced AR patients, including 40 mild patients (MAR group) and 120 moderate-severe patients (MSAR group), were recruited in this study. Serum was collected from all participants and levels of sST2 were determined by ELISA and the relationship between sST2 levels and disease severity was assessed. In the MSAR group, 109 patients received 3 years of SLIT, and the relationship between serum levels of sST2 and efficacy of SLIT was exampled.

Serum sST2 levels were increased in HDM-induced AR patients compared to the HC group (

< 0.001), and the concentrations were higher in thDM-induced AR patients.

Serum sST2 is a potential biomarker for assessing disease severity and may serve as a sensitive biomarker for predicting the therapeutic response of SLIT in HDM-induced AR patients.Gender dysphoria is defined as a multisystemic medical condition where a person has marked discordance between their biological sex and the gender they identify with. Here we report a case of 44-year-old male who presented to the family medicine clinic as a known case of gender dysphoria. Patient was severely distressed about his life and was actively seeking a solution to his problem. The patient requested that the treating physician addresses him as a female and uses feminine proverbs while speaking with him. On examination of genitalia, testicles were smaller than normal for his age and sex. Several abnormalities were found including low levels of testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone, and elevated prolactin levels. Abdominal and pelvic ultrasound showed that the internal organs were all normal size and consistency. No uterus, ovaries or rudimentary female reproductive organs were found. Testicular ultrasound revealed atrophy of both testicles and weak peripheral testicular vascularity were noted. CT scan with contrast revealed severe hepatic steatosis as well as bilateral gynecomastia. Primary care physicians need to be aware of gender-related disorders as well as the importance of early recognition of these emerging disorders. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to manage these disorders.Kartagener's syndrome (KS), characterized by a triad of bronchiectasis, chronic sinusitis, and situs inversus, is a subset of an autosomal recessive hereditary disorder of primary ciliary dyskinesia. We report the case of a 35-year-old male who presented with a history of intermittent episodes of productive cough, breathlessness, and cold since childhood. High resolution computed tomography of chest revealed bronchiectatic changes, dextrocardia, and right-sided aortic arch. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen revealed situs inversus. CT of the paranasal sinuses revealed combined aplasia of bilateral frontal and sphenoid sinus with sinusitis. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of KS was made. There was no complaint of infertility, which usually accompanies KS, even though an analysis of his seminal fluid revealed reduced count and reduced motility of sperms. The uniqueness of our case is that our patient was a male aged 35 years; besides, the third decade is an unusual age for presentation of combined aplasia/agenesis of bilateral frontal and sphenoid sinuses with hypoplasia of maxillary and ethmoid sinuses. Even though these findings have been reported in children and young adults, there are very few case reports of such a presentation in adults in literature.

The efficacy of corticosteroid use in patients with acute respiratory illness due to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is unclear. In this study, we describe the clinical course of COVID-19 patients who received early course of corticosteroid treatment in patients with severe respiratory distress secondary to COVID-19.

The clinical course of 30 COVID-19 patients admitted to King Fahad Military Medical Complex in Dhahran from the period of late March 2020 till June 2020 was assessed and described. All the 30 patients received steroids. DNA Damage chemical Data on demographics, medical history, laboratory findings, chest radiology, medication use, and clinical outcomes were extracted from patients' records. Data was entered and analyzed with SPSS software.

A total of 30 patients admitted with COVID-19 were included. The mean age 52.53 years (SD=16.31) with a range from 22-98 years; 73.3% were males. About two-thirds of the patients at least had comorbidities; most common were diabetes (46.7%) and hypertension (46.7%), and chronic heart disease (16.