Russellcase7107
Identifying factors predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes involving systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a research priority. The aims of this study were to investigate (a) the maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnant lupus patients and the factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, and (b) the effect of pregnancy on lupus disease activity of these patients.
This was an ambi-directional study collecting information from five multi-specialist referral centres across the state of Karnataka, India over 5 years (2013-2018). Clinical details of pregnancies and outcomes that were temporally associated with lupus disease were recorded using a structured pro forma. The Safety of Estrogen in SLE National Assessment-SLE Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI) was used to assess lupus activity during the 6 months prior to pregnancy and the intra- and post-partum periods. Modifications suggested in the SLE Pregnancy Disease Activity Index were considered while scoring.
A total of 121 pregnancies in 80 SLE pception.
The risk of major flare during pregnancy is low when conception happens during stable disease. HCQ use was associated with reduced risk of flare in patients in remission at the time of conception. HDP was strongly associated with stillbirth and prematurity and are independent of active lupus in our cohort.
The risk of major flare during pregnancy is low when conception happens during stable disease. HCQ use was associated with reduced risk of flare in patients in remission at the time of conception. HDP was strongly associated with stillbirth and prematurity and are independent of active lupus in our cohort.Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is a representative component of astragaloside saponins in dried roots of Astragali Radix. Astragaloside possesses a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including antibacterial, anti-fibrosis, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. However, the role of AS-IV in antiaging remains unclear. In this article, we studied the function of AS-IV in antiaging by using the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model. We showed that AS-IV can prolong the lifespan of C. elegans in a natural aging model, a paraquat injury model, and a heat stress model and improve the movement capacity of nematodes. 1H-NMR data indicate an improvement of glutamate content and a decrease in glucose in the AS-IV treatment group compared with the control. Further investigation revealed that AS-IV can induce the mRNA expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) genes and increase the activities of SOD and CAT in the nematode. Interestingly, AS-IV could not extend the lifespan of sod-1, sod-2, sod-3, sod-4, sod-5, ctl-1, ctl-2, ctl-3, and daf-16 mutants. These data indicate that AS-IV prevents aging via mainly improving age-related functional declines, the antioxidant capacity of nematodes and partially modulating the insulin/insulin growth factor 1 signaling pathway activity. Our results provide new insights into how AS-IV prevents and treats aging.In attribute conditioning (AC), neutral stimuli (CSs) acquire specific attributes through mere pairings with other stimuli possessing that attribute (USs). For example, if a neutral person "Neal" is paired with athletic "Wade," participants judge Neal as more athletic compared with when Wade would be unathletic. Building on Evaluative Conditioning research, we introduced relational qualifiers between CS and US to probe the contribution of propositional processes to the AC effect. Concretely, CSs either liked or disliked USs. Four experiments (total n = 1,002) showed that these relations moderate AC effects for athleticism ("athletic" vs. "unathletic"; Experiments 1-3) and relationship status ("single" vs. "in a relationship"; Experiment 4); for example, when Neal disliked athletic Wade, he was judged as unathletic. We discuss how these findings constrain process theories of AC.The motion capture and force plates data are essential inputs for musculoskeletal multibody dynamics models to predict in vivo tibiotalar contact forces. However, it could be almost impossible to obtain valid force plates data in old patients undergoing total ankle arthroplasty under some circumstances, such as smaller gait strides and inconsistent walking speeds during gait analysis. To remove the dependence of force plates, this study has established a patient-specific musculoskeletal multibody dynamics model with total ankle arthroplasty by combining a foot-ground contact model based on elastic contact elements. And the established model could predict ground reaction forces, ground reaction moments and tibiotalar contact forces simultaneously. Three patients' motion capture and force plates data during their normal walking were used to establish the patient-specific musculoskeletal models and evaluate the predicted ground reaction forces and ground reaction moments. Reasonable accuracies were achieved for the predicted and measured ground reaction forces and ground reaction moments. The predicted tibiotalar contact forces for all patients using the foot-ground contact model had good consistency with those using force plates data. These findings suggested that the foot-ground contact model could take the place of the force plates data for predicting the tibiotalar contact forces in other total ankle arthroplasty patients, thus providing a simplified and valid platform for further study of the patient-specific prosthetic designs and clinical problems of total ankle arthroplasty in the absence of force plates data.Metformin, the first-line drug to treat type 2 diabetes, inhibits mitochondrial glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase in the liver to suppress gluconeogenesis. The major adverse effects caused by metformin were lactic acidosis and gastrointestinal discomfort. Therefore, there is need to develop a strategy with excellent permeability and appropriate retention effects.In this study, we synthesized a simple and biocompatible PolyMetformin (denoted as PolyMet) through conjugation of PEI1.8K with dicyandiamide, and then formed PolyMet-hyaluronic acid (HA) nanocomplexs by electrostatic self-assembly of the polycationic PolyMet and polyanionic hyaluronic acid (HA). Similar to metformin, the PolyMet-HA nanocomplexs could reduce the catalytic activity of the recombinant SHIP2 phosphatase domain in vitro. In SHIP2-overexpressing myotubes, PolyMet-HA nanocomplexes ameliorated glucose uptake by downregulating glucose transporter 4 endocytosis. PolyMet-HA nanocomplexes also could restore Akt signaling and protect the podocyte from apoptosis induced by SHIP2 overexpression. In essence, the PolyMet-HA nanocomplexes act similarly to metformin and increase glucose uptake, and maybe have a potential role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.The aim of this study was to examine the acute effect of aerobic exercise when performed in the morning and evening on obesity-related hormones of asprosin, spexin, lipocalin-2, and insulin in normal weight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW/OO) adults. A total of 20 adult male individuals (10 NW and 10 OW/OO) volunteered their participation. Both groups were subjected to an aerobic exercise protocol in moderate intensity (heart rate reserve of 55-59%) for 30 min at two different time periods of the day (morning 0800-1000 h, evening 20.00-22.00 h) at least 3 d apart. BeBis analysis revealed the OW/OO group consumed significantly less energy (1781.59 ± 410.71 kcal) as compared with NW group (2380.28 ± 445.50 kcal) before the evening exercise (about 3 d) (p less then .05). As compared with the NW group, basal serum asprosin, insulin, and lipocalin-2 hormone levels were higher in the OW/OO group, and serum spexin level was lower in OW/OO group (p less then .05). Body temperature significantly increased after morning and evening aerobic exercise in both groups. The increase in body temperature was significantly higher after the evening exercise in the OW/OO group compared to the NW group (p less then .05). MGCD0103 concentration Significant decrease in serum asprosin lipocalin-2, and insulin levels was observed in both groups after exercise (p less then .05). Evening aerobic exercise more greatly decreased serum asprosin, lipocalin-2, and insulin level in the OW/OO group as compared with the NW group (p less then .05). In conclusion, it is thought that negative energy balance caused by psychological energy restriction and evening aerobic exercise, which leads to a further increase in body temperature, triggers greater decrease of orexigenic signals (suppression of appetite), and is more effective in the development of adipose tissue inflammation and insulin sensitivity, especially in OW/OO group.Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen often associated with biofilm infections. This study evaluated the capacity for biofilm destruction of a novel combination of cationic polymer micelles formed from poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA-PCL-PDMAEMA) triblock copolymer either alone, or loaded with silver nanoparticles (M_AgNPs). Pre-formed P. aeruginosa biofilms were incubated with either blank micelles, AgNO3, or M_AgNPs. Biofilm biomass (crystal violet assay), metabolic activity (Alamar blue reduction), structure (SEM) and viability (CLSM after Live/Dead staining, or plating for CFU) were checked. The results showed that the micelles alone loosened the biofilm matrix, and caused some alterations in the bacterial surface. AgNO3 killed the bacteria in situ leaving dead biofilm bacteria on the surface. M_AgNPs combined the two types of activities causing significant biofilm reduction, and alteration and death of biofilm bacteria. Therefore, the applied PDMAEMA-based micelles appear to be a successful candidate for the treatment of P. aeruginosa biofilm infections.Exposure to environmental pollutants may produce impairment of male reproductive health. The epidemiological literature evaluating potential consequences of human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has grown in recent years with concerns for both pre- and postnatal influences. The aim of this systematic review was to assess available evidence on associations between PFAS exposures in different stages of life and semen quality, reproductive hormones, cryptorchidism, hypospadias, and testicular cancer. A systematic search of literature published prior to March 9th, 2020, was performed in the databases PubMed and Embase®. Predefined criteria for eligibility were applied by two authors screening study records independently. Among the 242 study records retrieved in the literature search, 26 studies were eligible for qualitative assessment. While several investigations suggested weak associations for single compounds and specific outcomes, a lack of consistency across studies limited conclusions of overall evidence. The current gap in knowledge is particularly obvious regarding exposures prior to adulthood, exposure to combinations of both PFAS and other types of environmental chemicals, and outcomes such as cryptorchidism, hypospadias, and testicular cancer. Continued efforts to clarify associations between PFAS exposure and male reproductive health through high-quality epidemiological studies are needed.