Clinical Significance of Follistatin in Obese and Non-obese Egyptian Polycystic Ovarian Patients

2016-03-20T18-37-12Z
Source: Journal of Molecular Pathophysiology
Mostafa El-Shafey, Maghawry Hegazy, Mohammed El-Zahabi, Mohammed Farahat.
Abstract: Objective: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders in women, characterized by hyperandrogenism, infertility, chronic oligo or an ovulation and obesity. In this present study we investigate the level of follistatin in obese and non-obese women with PCOS and define any correlation between follistatin and hormonal parameters. Methods: The study group included 23 obese and 17 non-obese PCOS patients. The control group included 18 obese and 22 non-obese subjects. Blood samples were obtained from the patients on day 25 of menstrual cycle and were assayed for Leutinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone, follistatin, prolactin, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and fasting insulin using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), fasting glucose was measured spectrophotometry. Hemostasis model assessment - insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), free androgen index (FAI), LH/FSH ratio were calculated. Results: Follistatin concentrations were significantly higher in obese and non-obese PCOS patients (mean ± SE; 1207 ± 37.99 and 1106 ± 30.8 pg /ml respectively) than their respective controls (721.9 ± 23.44and 653.3± 25.88pg./ml, P

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Parasitological evaluation and heavy metal levels of water from boreholes and hand-dug wells in peri-urban centres of Ejisu Juaben Municipality

2016-03-20T17-19-28Z
Source: Journal of Environmental and Occupational Science
Yaw Owusu Afriyie Kusi.
Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the drinking water suitability of hand-dug wells and boreholes through the assessment of parasitic worms and concentrations of iron, manganese, zinc and cadmium in the Ejisu-Juaben municipality of Ashanti Region from 2012-2013. Method: Water samples were collected from three boreholes and three hand-dug wells selected randomly from each community and the water samples analyzed using various standard methods. Results: Two hand-dug wells at Ejisu and Juaben recorded iron (Fe) levels of 0.6810 and 0.3220 mg/l respectively, all boreholes and hand-dug wells had heavy metal (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cd) levels within the WHO guideline values. The mean iron concentration of boreholes and hand-dug wells across the various sampling locations was highly significant (p=0.001). In contrast, mean manganese and iron levels were not significant (p=0.507 and p=0.640 respectively). A total number of nine helminths were found out of the fifteen hand-dug wells. Six out of the nine helminths encountered were Ascaris species (66.7%), two were Hookworm (22.2%) and one was Schistosoma haematobium (11.1%) which were recorded at Ejisu, Juaben, Fumesua and Besease. A brief sanitation survey at each sampling community showed that, most hand-dug wells were sited near pit latrines, refuse dumps, septic tanks, piggeries and in the vicinity of domestic animals with a minimum distance of 5m. The difference between mean distance of boreholes and hand-dug wells to sanitary sites was statistically significant (p=0.039). Conclusion: By comparism, parasitological quality and metal concentrations of water from the selected boreholes were better than some of the selected hand-dug wells and thus must be treated before use.


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Myenteric plexitis is a risk factor for endoscopic and clinical postoperative recurrence after ileocolonic resection in Crohn's disease

As surgical resection is not curative in Crohn's disease, postoperative recurrence remains a crucial issue. The selection of patients, according to available risk factors, remains disappointing in clinical practice highlighting the need for better criteria, such as histologic features.

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Direct U-series analysis of the Lezetxiki humerus reveals a Middle Pleistocene age for human remains in the Basque Country (northern Iberia)

Publication date: April 2016
Source:Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 93
Author(s): Concepción de-la-Rúa, Jesús Altuna, Monserrat Hervella, Leslie Kinsley, Rainer Grün
In 1964, a human humerus was found in a sedimentary deposit in Lezetxiki Cave (Basque Country, northern Iberia). The first studies on the stratigraphy, associated mammal faunal remains and lithic implements placed the deposits containing the humerus into the Riss glacial stage. Direct chronometric evidence has so far been missing, and the previous chronostratigraphic framework and faunal dating gave inconsistent results. Here we report laser ablation U-series analyses on the humerus yielding a minimum age of 164 ± 9 ka, corresponding to MIS 6. This is the only direct dating analysis of the Lezetxiki humerus and confirms a Middle Pleistocene age for this hominin fossil. Morphometric analyses suggest that the Lezetxiki humerus has close affinities to other Middle Pleistocene archaic hominins, such as those from La Sima de los Huesos at Atapuerca. This emphasizes the significance of the Lezetxiki fossil within the populations that predate the Neanderthals in south-western Europe. It is thus an important key fossil for the understanding of human evolution in Europe during the Middle Pleistocene, a time period when a great morphological diversity is observed but whose phylogenetic meaning is not yet fully understood.



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Further delineation of facioaudiosymphalangism syndrome: Description of a family with a novel NOG mutation and without hearing loss

Mutations in the NOG gene give rise to a wide range of clinical phenotypes. Noggin, the protein encoded by this gene is a secreted modulator of multiple pathways involved in both bone and joint development. Proximal symphalangism is commonly observed in patients bearing mutations in this gene, however secondary symptomes are often found including typical facies with hemicylindrical nose with bulbous tip, hyperopia, reduced mobility of multiple joints, hearing loss due to stapes fixation, and recurrent pain from affected joints. With large variation of the phenotype both within and between affected families careful delineation of the genotype–phenotype correlation is needed. In this work we describe a Danish family suffering from SYNS1 due to a novel NOG gene mutation (C230Y). We provide detailed clinical description of the family members presenting rare phenotype of the shoulders shared by affected individuals but no hearing loss, further adding to the phenotypic variability of the syndrome. With these findings we broaden the understanding of NOG-related-symphalangism spectrum disorder. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Myenteric plexitis is a risk factor for endoscopic and clinical postoperative recurrence after ileocolonic resection in Crohn's disease

As surgical resection is not curative in Crohn's disease, postoperative recurrence remains a crucial issue. The selection of patients, according to available risk factors, remains disappointing in clinical practice highlighting the need for better criteria, such as histologic features.

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