Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
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In 2020, more than 9 million patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD) were reported worldwide, and studies predict that the burden of this disease will grow substantially in industrial countries. In the last decade, there has been a better understanding of this neurodegenerative disorder, clinically characterized by motor disturbances, impaired balance, coordination, memory difficulties, and behavioral changes. Various preclinical investigations and studies on human postmortem brains suggest that local oxidative stress and inflammation promote misfolding and aggregation of alpha-synuclein within Lewy bodies and cause nerve cell damage. ⋯ Their results provide a solid base for clinical trials and further developments. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis, the prospects, and challenges of synolytic therapy, CRISPR, gene editing, and gene- and cell-based therapy. We also throw light on the recent observation that targeted physiotherapy may help improve the gait and other motor impairments.
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Despite improved risk stratification tools and identification of novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis in patients with sepsis, sepsis-related mortality has not significantly improved during the past years. This study investigates the diagnostic and prognostic role of the plasma albumin and cholinesterase (ChE) in patients with sepsis and septic shock. ⋯ The level of ChE was associated with moderate diagnostic and prognostic accuracy in patients with sepsis and septic shock, whereas albumin was not.
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Depression leads to behavioral and systemic changes making individuals more susceptible to inflammatory diseases. This study was conducted to assess the periodontal status of patients with clinically diagnosed mild and moderate depression. ⋯ Patients with moderate depression showed high periodontal destruction and inflammation as compared to those with mild depression. Further, deep pockets were associated with depressive patients. Periodontal care is required in such patients so that the progression of periodontal diseases can be prevented at the earliest.
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The aims of the study were to assess the prevalence of steatopygia on bone scintigraphy of obese patients and to evaluate its effect on the appearance of the lumbar spine, and the added benefit of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and SPECT/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) in overcoming possible artifacts. ⋯ Steatopygia is common on bone scintigraphy of obese patients, higher in females and morbidly obese patients. Obesity-related artifacts in bone scintigraphy, including attenuation effect and edge artifact, are common in this patient group. SPECT or SPECT/CT improves the diagnostic accuracy by overcoming the effects of steatopygia seen on planar images.
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Observational Study
Association of socioeconomic status and oral cancer mortality in Brazil: temporal trends and spatial distribution.
The objective of this observational study was to evaluate the relationship between the oral cancer mortality rate and socioeconomic indicators throughout the Brazilian territory, between 2010 and 2019. ⋯ Despite the higher number of oral cancer deaths in regions with higher social indices, increasing temporal trends are more accentuated in regions with lower socioeconomic levels.