To describe two young Saudi brothers with bilateral progressive retinal arterial aneurysms and a subtotal exudative retinal detachment with Coats-like presentation in the older sibling as the initial ...presentation of Familial Retinal Arterial Macroaneurysms (FRAM).
Two young Saudi brothers with a family history of consanguinity presented with the classic clinical presentation and genetic identification of FRAM. In this report, we describe the presence of prominent peripheral retinal capillary changes mimicking Coats' disease.
FRAM can present similar to bilateral Coats' disease and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of Coats-like retinopathy. The diagnosis of FRAM may have a significant implication because of the associated cardiac abnormality, such as supravalvular pulmonary stenosis, which should be evaluated by echocardiography and managed accordingly.
Acne vulgaris (AV) is the eighth most common disease in the world. This condition can impair the affected patients’ social and psychological functioning and lower their quality of life. In general, ...scar reduction, rather than complete scar removal, is the aim of AV treatment. Dermal abrasion, chemical peeling, laser resurfacing, subcision, punch methods, tissue- improving substances, and dermal fillers are the currently available therapeutic options. In this study, we focused on the rapidly developing field of dermal fillers used alone or in combination with other therapies to reconstruct skin affected by acne scars and to evaluate the improvement of facial appearance after using different types of dermal fillers.
PURPOSETo describe two young Saudi brothers with bilateral progressive retinal arterial aneurysms and a subtotal exudative retinal detachment with Coats-like presentation in the older sibling as the ...initial presentation of Familial Retinal Arterial Macroaneurysms (FRAM). OBSERVATIONSTwo young Saudi brothers with a family history of consanguinity presented with the classic clinical presentation and genetic identification of FRAM. In this report, we describe the presence of prominent peripheral retinal capillary changes mimicking Coats' disease. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCEFRAM can present similar to bilateral Coats' disease and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of Coats-like retinopathy. The diagnosis of FRAM may have a significant implication because of the associated cardiac abnormality, such as supravalvular pulmonary stenosis, which should be evaluated by echocardiography and managed accordingly.
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Silver nanoparticles play a significant role in biomedical sciences due to their unique properties allowing for their use as an effective sensing and remediation platform Herein, the ...green synthesis of silver nanostructures (Ag NSs), prepared via aqueous extract of waste Brassica oleracea leaves in the presence of silver nitrate solution (10-4 M), is reported. The Ag NSs are fully characterized and their efficacy with respect to 4-nitrophenol reduction, glucose sensing, and microbes is determined. Visually, the color of silver nitrate containing solution altered from colorless to yellowish, then reddish grey, confirming the formation of Ag NSs. HRTEM and SEAD studies revealed the Ag NSs to have different morphologies (triangular, rod-shaped, hexagonal, etc., within a size range of 20–40 nm) with face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structure. The Ag NSs possess high efficacy for nitrophenol reduction (<11 min and degradation efficiency of 98.2%), glucose sensing (LOD: 5.83 µM), and antimicrobial activity (E. coli and B. subtilis with clearance zones of 18.3 and 14 mm, respectively). Thus, the current study alludes towards the development of a cost-effective, sustainable, and efficient three-in-one platform for biomedical and environmental applications.
Fucoidans (FUCs) are sulfated polysaccharides that have a wide range of bioactivities. The current study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant potential of FUC against microcystin-LR ...(MC-LR)-induced toxicity. Five mice groups (
n
= 8) were used. Group 1 received saline, Group 2 received oral FUC 100 mg/kg/day for 21 days, Group 3 received i.p. MC-LR 10 μg/kg/day for 14 days, Group 4 received MC-LR plus FUC 50 mg/kg/day, and Group 5 received MC-LR plus FUC 100 mg/kg/day. The present study showed that MC-LR administration was associated with significant increases (
p
< 0.01) in serum concentrations of hepatic (aspartate transferase, alanine transferase, and alkaline phosphatase), renal (urea and creatinine), and cardiac (creatine kinase and CK-MB) injury biomarkers, as well as serum lactate dehydrogenase, cholesterol, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukins-1β and 6, and tumor necrosis factor-α), compared with the control group. Further, MC-LR-intoxicated mice exhibited significantly higher (
p
< 0.01) hepatic, renal, and cardiac tissue levels of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide, as well as lower tissue levels of reduced glutathione and activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase enzymes in comparison with control mice. Treatment by FUC significantly ameliorated all the above-mentioned alterations in a dose-dependent manner with frequent restoration of the normal ranges in the FUC 100 mg/kg/day dose group. Moreover, treatment by FUC alone at 100 mg/kg/day was not associated with significant negative alterations in the assessed biochemical parameters, highlighting its safety at this dose. In conclusion, treatment by FUC significantly ameliorated organ injury, induced by MC-LR in mouse hepatic, renal, and cardiac tissues.
Acne vulgaris (AV) is the eighth most common disease in the world. This condition can impair the affected patients' social and psychological functioning and lower their quality of life. In general, ...scar reduction, rather than complete scar removal, is the aim of AV treatment. Dermal abrasion, chemical peeling, laser resurfacing, subcision, punch methods, tissue-improving substances, and dermal fillers are the currently available therapeutic options. In this study, we focused on the rapidly developing field of dermal fillers used alone or in combination with other therapies to reconstruct skin affected by acne scars and to evaluate the improvement of facial appearance after using different types of dermal fillers.
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Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were synthesized via a green and sustainable approach using the seed extract of Bryonia laciniosa (shivlingi seeds). The prepared AuNPs were characterized ...by UV–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and particle size analysis using DLS. UV–visible and FTIR results elucidated that the prepared Au NPs showed absorption band at 533 nm and signals for biomolecules that were responsible for the stabilization of Au NPs such as phenolic components. The Au NPs were spherical with a diameter of 20–40 nm as revealed by TEM measurements. The synthesized Au NPs demonstrated excellentcatalytic potential by reducing 4-nitropenol within 15 min. Furthermore, Au NPs demonstrated substantial antibacterial potency against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli bacteria, with clearance zones of 5 and 16 mm, respectively.
Ticks are important ectoparasites that transmit various pathogens causing morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. Saudi Arabia faces several challenges that can contribute to the emergence and ...spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) bacteria. These challenges require collaborative efforts to successfully achieve significant control of AMR in the country. The present study aims to isolate bacteria from camels' tick
in Al-Jouf province to identify and determine these isolates' antimicrobial susceptibilities. Forty-nine ticks were collected from dromedary camels and morphologically classified as
. Ticks were then homogenized and plated individually, which resulted in the isolation of 55 bacteria. The results showed that the bacterial isolates belong to 20 different species. About 71% (
= 39) of the total isolates were identified as Gram-positive bacteria comprised of 11 different species, while 29% (
= 16) of the total isolates were Gram-negative bacteria comprised of 9 different species. The most prevalent isolate within the total samples was
(22.45%, 11/49), followed by
(18.37%, 9/49) and
(16.33% 8/49). The antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Gram-positive bacteria showed that 100% (
= 31) were resistant to benzylpenicillin; 90.3% (
= 28) were resistant to oxacillin; 58.1% (
= 18) were resistant to clindamycin; 48.4% (
= 15) were resistant to vancomycin. In addition, 32.3% (
= 10) were resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and rifampicin; 25.8% (
= 8) were resistant to erythromycin; 16.1% (
= 5) were resistant to teicoplanin; 6.5% (
= 2) were resistant to tetracycline. All Gram-positive bacteria were 100% susceptible to linezolid, gentamicin, tobramycin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, tigecycline, and nitrofurantoin. In antimicrobial susceptibility tests for the Gram-negative bacteria, 57.14% (
= 8) of the identified bacteria were resistant to ampicillin, whereas 50% (
= 7) were resistant to cefoxitin and ceftazidime. About 28.57% (
= 4) of the Gram-negative bacteria were resistant to ceftriaxone, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. In addition, 21.43% (
= 3) were resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cephalothin; 14.29% (
= 2) were resistant to cefepime and nitrofurantoin; 7.14% (
= 1) were resistant to piperacillin/tazobactam and tigecycline. However, all Gram-negative bacteria were susceptible to other examined antimicrobials. This is the first study that investigates the role of the hard tick as a potential reservoir for AMR pathogens within our region.
Background: The present study was carried out to test the antioxidant activity of lactoferrin as a dietary supplement to alleviate the effects of oxidative stress induced by mercury toxicity. ...Hematological and biochemical assays were employed to evaluate the ameliorating effects of lactoferrin. Methods: Sixty male Wistar rats were allotted randomly and equally into three groups; animals in Group 1 served as untreated control, animals in Group 2 were administered orally with mercuric chloride (HgCl 2 ) at the dose of 6 mg/kg bw/day, and animals in Group 3 were administered with HgCl 2 at the same dose and orally dosed with lactoferrin (400 mg/kg bw/day). Hematological indices (erythrocytic and total leukocytic counts, hemoglobin concentration%, and packed cell volume, (PCV%), and biochemical parameters (serum and homogenates of liver and kidney tissues) were assessed in all animals. Serum and tissue homogenate levels of total thiols, glutathione (GSH), catalase, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) represented the antioxidant markers. The oxidation markers were represented by H 2 O 2 and malondialdehyde (MDA). Results: Compared to the untreated control group, animals in Group 2 (administered with HgCl 2 ) exhibited significantly increased levels of serum enzymes (alanine transferase (ALT), aspertate transferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase), urea, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, H 2 O 2 , and MDA. These animals showed significantly decreased levels of erythrocytic and total leukocytic counts, hemoglobin concentration, PCV%, total proteins, total thiols, GSH, catalase, and TAC. The hematological and biochemical changes were comparatively reversed toward the control levels in animals of Group 3 (administered with HgCl 2 and orally dosed with lactoferrin). The reversed levels of hematological and biochemical parameters were significantly different compared to Group 2. Conclusions: Based on the encountered amelioration of the assayed hematological and biochemical parameters in animals treated with HgCl 2 and given lactoferrin, it could be concluded that lactoferrin as a dietary supplement might function as an efficient antioxidant to alleviate the oxidative stress induced by mercury toxicity.
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