Purpose To explore the views of the physical therapy service leaders in Saudi Arabia regarding the integration of physical therapy service in primary health care settings. Subjects and Methods A ...self-administered questionnaire consisting of both open and closed ended questions was distributed during May–July 2013 via email to physical therapy leaders representing different regions and health care providers in Saudi Arabia. Results Twenty-six participants answered the questionnaire. Eighty five percent of the sample had ≥ 10 years of experience with 57.6% of them holding a post-graduate degree. Participants were from different health care providers and represented different geographical regions of Saudi Arabia. Eighty one percent of the sample reported that the adoption of physical therapy services in primary health care would be advantageous, as it would offer earlier access to health care and would be more cost-effective. The respondents also stated that such a service would contribute towards the prevention of common non-communicable health diseases. Conclusion The results of this survey provide generally positive recommendations for the provision of physical therapy service in Saudi Arabia primary health care centers. However, challenges and barriers identified by this study require consideration during the development of the service.
Transection of dorsal columns of the spinal cord in adult monkeys results in large-scale expansion of the face inputs into the deafferented hand region in the primary somatosensory cortex (area 3b) ...and the ventroposterior nucleus of thalamus. Here, we determined whether the upstream cortical areas, secondary somatosensory (S2) and parietal ventral (PV) areas, also undergo reorganization after lesions of the dorsal columns. Areas S2, PV, and 3b were mapped after long-term unilateral lesions of the dorsal columns at cervical levels in adult macaque monkeys. In areas S2 and PV, we found neurons responding to touch on the face in regions in which responses to touch on the hand and other body parts are normally seen. In the reorganized parts of S2 and PV, inputs from the chin as well as other parts of the face were observed, whereas in area 3b only the chin inputs expand into the deafferented regions. The results show that deafferentations lead to a more widespread brain reorganization than previously known. The data also show that reorganization in areas S2 and PV shares a common substrate with area 3b, but there are specific features that emerge in S2 and PV.
Background
This review aims to compare the effectiveness of en masse and two-step retraction methods during orthodontic space closure regarding anchorage preservation and anterior segment retraction ...and to assess their effect on the duration of treatment and root resorption.
Methods
An electronic search for potentially eligible randomized controlled trials and prospective controlled trials was performed in five electronic databases up to July 2017. The process of study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment was performed by two reviewers independently. A narrative review is presented in addition to a quantitative synthesis of the pooled results where possible. The Cochrane risk of bias tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used for the methodological quality assessment of the included studies.
Results
Eight studies were included in the qualitative synthesis in this review. Four studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. En masse/miniscrew combination showed a statistically significant standard mean difference regarding anchorage preservation − 2.55 mm (95% CI − 2.99 to − 2.11) and the amount of upper incisor retraction − 0.38 mm (95% CI − 0.70 to − 0.06) when compared to a two-step/conventional anchorage combination. Qualitative synthesis suggested that en masse retraction requires less time than two-step retraction with no difference in the amount of root resorption.
Conclusions
Both en masse and two-step retraction methods are effective during the space closure phase. The en masse/miniscrew combination is superior to the two-step/conventional anchorage combination with regard to anchorage preservation and amount of retraction. Limited evidence suggests that anchorage reinforcement with a headgear produces similar results with both retraction methods. Limited evidence also suggests that en masse retraction may require less time and that no significant differences exist in the amount of root resorption between the two methods.
Prostate cancer patients undergoing androgen deprivation therapy almost invariably develop castration-resistant prostate cancer. Resistance can occur when mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) ...render anti-androgen drugs ineffective or through the expression of constitutively active splice variants lacking the androgen binding domain entirely (e.g., ARV7). In this study, we are reporting the discovery of a novel AR-NTD covalent inhibitor 1-chloro-3-(5-((2S)-3-chloro-2-hydroxypropylamino)naphthalen-1-yl)aminopropan-2-ol (VPC-220010) targeting the AR-N-terminal Domain (AR-NTD). VPC-220010 inhibits AR-mediated transcription of full length and truncated variant ARV7, downregulates AR response genes, and selectively reduces the growth of both full-length AR- and truncated AR-dependent prostate cancer cell lines. We show that VPC-220010 disrupts interactions between AR and known coactivators and coregulatory proteins, such as CHD4, FOXA1, ZMIZ1, and several SWI/SNF complex proteins. Taken together, our data suggest that VPC-220010 is a promising small molecule that can be further optimized into effective AR-NTD inhibitor for the treatment of CRPC.
Background
Rheumatic diseases are the diseases of the connective tissue and medical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, with pain and/or stiffness as main manifestations, and which may or may ...not be accompanied by other organ system involvement. Public and patient’s awareness is needed as the number of patients of various forms of arthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases is constantly on rise.
Objective
The aim of our multicenter study is to evaluate awareness, knowledge, and attitude of general populations regarding common rheumatic diseases in Egypt.
Subjects and methods
This was a multicenter study included 3000 subjects from 4 Egyptian governorates (750 subjects from each): Lower Egypt: Dakahlia and Damietta and Upper Egypt: Sohag and Qena. Entire cases completed the Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitude of Egyptian people towards four of the common rheumatic diseases (Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Crystal-induced arthritis, and Osteoarthritis): AKARSCO questionnaire that included basic information, general knowledge, and attitude about rheumatic diseases.
Results
The knowledge and awareness of rheumatic diseases are significantly higher among females. Regarding education level, there is a steady increase in the awareness with the rise of education level, with a highly significant correlation. Non-working and married participants had significantly higher knowledge compared to working and non-married ones. The attitude towards rheumatic diseases is significantly satisfactory among females. Regarding education level, there is a steady increase in the attitude with the rise of education level, with a highly significant correlation. Non-working and married participants had significant satisfactory attitude compared to working and non-married ones. The main sources of information about rheumatic diseases are media and Internet.
Conclusion
The overall awareness, knowledge, and attitude of population towards rheumatic diseases are limited in Egypt. The participants’ total score regarding the general knowledge level of rheumatic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, gout, and osteoarthritis is bad. The participants’ overall level regarding the attitude towards rheumatic diseases is unsatisfactory. The level of knowledge and attitude is affected by many factors like sex, work, education, residence, marital status, and family history of rheumatic diseases. The main sources of information about rheumatic diseases are media and Internet.
Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is a poorly characterised, heterogeneous disease. Patients are diagnosed with aggressive, high-grade tumours and often relapse with chemotherapy resistance. Detailed ...understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this disease is essential to the development of personalised therapeutic strategies. Inhibitor of differentiation 4 (ID4) is a helix-loop-helix transcriptional regulator required for mammary gland development. ID4 is overexpressed in a subset of BLBC patients, associating with a stem-like poor prognosis phenotype, and is necessary for the growth of cell line models of BLBC through unknown mechanisms.
Here, we have defined unique molecular insights into the function of ID4 in BLBC and the related disease high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), by combining RIME proteomic analysis, ChIP-seq mapping of genomic binding sites and RNA-seq.
These studies reveal novel interactions with DNA damage response proteins, in particular, mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1). Through MDC1, ID4 interacts with other DNA repair proteins (γH2AX and BRCA1) at fragile chromatin sites. ID4 does not affect transcription at these sites, instead binding to chromatin following DNA damage. Analysis of clinical samples demonstrates that ID4 is amplified and overexpressed at a higher frequency in BRCA1-mutant BLBC compared with sporadic BLBC, providing genetic evidence for an interaction between ID4 and DNA damage repair deficiency.
These data link the interactions of ID4 with MDC1 to DNA damage repair in the aetiology of BLBC and HGSOC.
The present research aimed to assess the accuracy and precision of the TheraMon
microsensor embedded in different thicknesses of Hawley retainers (HR) for comparison with vacuum formed retainers ...(VFR).
Thirty microsensors contained within different thicknesses and composition of retainers were divided into three equal groups: Group A thick coverage HR (3 mm), Group B thin coverage HR (1 mm), and Group C VFR (1 mm). The microsensors were immersed in thermostatic water at a controlled temperature of 35°C, which corresponds to the average intra-oral temperature. After 1 week, data were gathered using the TheraMon
client software and analysed using ANOVA and Turkey’s HSD tests.
All TheraMon® microsensors were functional and produced uninterrupted recordings during the 1-week test period. Thermal detection differed between the three removable retainer groups. A near accurate thermostatic water detection was noticed with the thin HR with a mean temperature of 34.81 ± 0.04°C, followed by VFR 34.77 ± 0.09°C, and finally the thick HR 34.73 ± 0.05°C (ANOVA
-value = 0.025). A between-group comparison showed a significant mean difference (MD) between the thin and thick HR groups (MD: 0.08,
-value = 0.01). However, there were no significant differences between VFR and neither the thick Hawley (MD: 0.04,
-value = 0.27) nor the thin Hawley group (MD: -0.03,
-value = 0.39).
A removable retainer’s variation in material thickness and composition could induce small but detectable changes in the precision of thermal detection by TheraMon
microsensors.
Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) is often overexpressed in human cancers and strongly associated with therapy resistance and less good patient survival. The chemotherapy options for patients with the ...most aggressive types of solid cancers remain very limited because of the acquired drug resistance, making the therapy less effective. NPM1 mutation through the inactivation of FOXM1 via FOXM1 relocalization to the cytoplasm confers more favorable treatment outcomes for AML patients, confirming FOXM1 as a crucial target to overcome drug resistance. Pharmacological inhibition of FOXM1 could be a promising approach to sensitize therapy-resistant cancers. Here, we explore a novel FOXM1 inhibitor STL001, a first-generation modification drug of our previously reported FOXM1 inhibitor STL427944. STL001 preserves the mode of action of the STL427944; however, STL001 is up to 50 times more efficient in reducing FOXM1 activity in a variety of solid cancers. The most conventional cancer therapies studied here induce FOXM1 overexpression in solid cancers. The therapy-induced FOXM1 overexpression may explain the failure or reduced efficacy of these drugs in cancer patients. Interestingly, STL001 increased the sensitivity of cancer cells to conventional cancer therapies by suppressing both the high-endogenous and drug-induced FOXM1. Notably, STL001 does not provide further sensitization to FOXM1-KD cancer cells, suggesting that the sensitization effect is conveyed specifically through FOXM1 suppression. RNA-seq and gene set enrichment studies revealed prominent suppression of FOXM1-dependent pathways and gene ontologies. Also, gene regulation by STL001 showed extensive overlap with FOXM1-KD, suggesting a high selectivity of STL001 toward the FOXM1 regulatory network. A completely new activity of FOXM1, mediated through steroid/cholesterol biosynthetic process and protein secretion in cancer cells was also detected. Collectively, STL001 offers intriguing translational opportunities as combination therapies targeting FOXM1 activity in a variety of human cancers driven by FOXM1.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of donor-to-recipient gender match in the setting of living donor liver transplant as a potential predictor of graft and recipient survivals.
In this ...retrospective, single-center study, the data of 342 adult primary liver transplants were analyzed. The donor and recipient's characters, intraoperative data, and postoperative outcomes were recorded.
The donor-recipient gender matched patients had significantly better graft survival outcomes than the gender mismatched ones. The 2-year graft survival probability was 95.7% in the matched group compared to 89.1% in the mismatched one (p = 0.026). A female donor-male recipient combination (87.3%) showed worse 2-years graft survival than a male-to-male transplant (94.8%), while it gave better graft survival than male to female (61.3%). The estimated relative risk of graft rejection was 5.91 times significantly higher in a male-female combination than in a male-to-male one (Hazard ratio = 5.91, 95% CI = 1.34-26.11).
This study suggests that donor-recipient gender mismatch is associated with poor liver graft survival outcomes, with higher risk of graft rejection in male-female transplants than in male-to-male ones. Though, further larger studies including multiple datasets are needed, with adjustments for various graft, donor, and recipient factors to reach solid evidence.
Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has evolved into a widely accepted therapeutic option. Many different risk factors may affect early mortality after LDLT.
Analyze risk factors that can ...affect early (<6 months) mortality of patients after LDLT in a single center.
Retrospective chart review of patients who underwent LDLT.
University hospital.
Adult cirrhotic patients who underwent LDLT were classified by early (first 6 months) or late mortality. A full pre, intra- and post-operative evaluation had been done on all patients including a full history, examination and investigations to identify risk factors that might affect mortality post-LDLT.
Determination of pre-, intra- or postoperative factors that might affect recipient mortality post-LDLT.
123.
Pre-operative factors that increased early mortality in a univariate analysis were higher model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores, lower graft-recipient weigh ratio (GRWR), older donor age, and recurrent spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Intraoperative factors included more transfusion units of blood, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate, a longer time for cold and warm ischemia, and a longer anhepatic phase among others. Postoperative factors included a longer ICU or hospital stay and abnormal postoperative laboratory data. In the final logistic regression model, the most significant factors were pre-operative GRWR, length of hospital stay, units of intraoperative blood transfusion, postoperative alanine aminotransferase, postoperative total leukocyte count, and MELD score.
LDLT outcomes might be improved by attempting to resolve clinical factors that have been identified as contributors to early post-LDLT mortality.
More risk factors, such as those relevant to patient portal vein hemodynamics, should be included in an analysis of predictors of early mortality.
None.
PDF
