BD Group Research Articles

EFFICACY EVALUATION OF BD ORAL SPRAY ON THE SYMPTOMS AND COURSE OF COVID-19 PATIENTS IN THE CLINICAL HOSPITAL

A prospective randomized, open-label, single-blinded clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of BD on the symptoms and course of the disease in patients with moderate and severe Covid-19 in the field hospital. 200 hospitalized patients with Covid-19 diagnosis were enrolled. The patients were randomized into 100 patients in the interventional group (BD group) and 100 in the control group. The BD group patients were treated with BD oral spray in conjunction with standard Covid-19 treatment protocol. The control group patients were treated with standard of care without BD. Patients of the BD group demonstrated a significantly faster improvement in all Covid-19 related symptoms, resulting in a shorter time for complete recovery than the control group. More remarkably, patients in the BD group showed a shorter time for complete viral clearance. The addition of BD to the standard of care protocol also resulted in significant improvement in the restoration of taste and smell and reduction of lung infiltration. The patients in the BD group also exhibited fewer adverse events related to treatment. BD is a simple-to-use, safe, and effective adjunctive treatment for moderate and severe Covid-19 cases. BD might be effective for Covid-19 symptoms.

A randomised, prospective, double blind study of intraperitoneal instillation of 0.25% bupivacaine with clonidine versus 0.25% bupivacaine with dexmedetomidine for post-operative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard and most accepted technique for Cholecystectomies due to lesser postop pain and short recovery time.The origin of abdominal and shoulder pain after laparoscopic procedures has led to the use of intra peritoneal instillation of local anaesthetic agent to reduce postoperative pain. To assess the efficacy and quality of postoperative analgesia between the study groups using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score at various time intervals along with side effects if any.: 60 patients belonging to ASA 1 and 11 categories posted for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy were given General Anaesthesia. After completion of surgery, before removing the trocar, anaesthetic study solution was sprayed on the surface of liver, gall bladder bed, right sub-diaphragmatic space, and port sites in Trendelenburg position. Volume and dilution of two drugs were same in both groups. Bupivacaine (0.25%) 50 mL; Dexmedetomidine (1 µg/kg) (BD) or Clonidine (1 µg/kg) (BC) was used. VAS score, Heart rate and BP measured at various time intervals and the time of first rescue analgesia noted.: VAS of BD group was 5.27 ± 0.64 to 3.70 ± 0.837 from 1 hour to 6 hour post extubation, when compared to BC group of 6.03 ± 0.669 in 1 hour reduced to 4.17 ± 0.699 at 6 hour post extubation. Dexmedetomidine combination significantly reduced the total dose of rescue analgesic required in 24 hours as compared to Clonidine combination.

Efficacy and safety of latanoprost/timolol fixed combination dosed twice daily compared to once daily in patients with primary open angle glaucoma.

To evaluate whether latanoprost/timolol fixed combination (LTFC) dosed twice daily may provide further intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction and evaluate the safety profile at this dose. This is an open-labeled, randomized, prospective crossover study on fourty primary open angle glaucoma patients. Two weeks of washout period were followed by randomization to either once daily (OD, group A) or twice daily dosing (BD, group B) of LTFC for 4wk. After another 2-week washout period, the patients' treatment dose was crossed-over for another 4wk. IOP reduction alongside ocular and systemic side effects were evaluated. Mean baseline IOP was 18.57±2.93 and 17.8±3.01 mm Hg before OD and BD dose respectively, (P=0.27). Mean IOP after BD dose was statistically lower (12.49±1.59 mm Hg) compared to OD (13.48±1.81 mm Hg, P=0.017). Although IOP reduction after BD dose was more (5.32±3.24 mm Hg, 29.89%) than after OD dosing (5.04 mm Hg, 27.14%), it did not reach statistical significance (P=0.68). Patients switched from OD to BD (group A) showed mean IOP reduction by 0.69 mm Hg [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.09 to 1.48 mm Hg, P=0.078]; but patients switched from BD to OD (group B) had significantly higher mean IOP by 1.25 mm Hg (95%CI: -2.04 to -0.46 mm Hg, P=0.006). BD dose had more ocular side effects albeit mild. Mean IOP after LTFC dosed twice daily is statistically lower, with additional mild side effects.

Effects of Different Carbon Sources on Growth and Some Innate Immune Responses of Russian Sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) in Biofloc Systems

The Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) species is in high demand owing to its valuable caviar. Therefore, it is in danger of extinction. Since the Russian sturgeon reaches sexual maturity late in its life cycle, this species has a high economic cost for farmers. However, this high cost can be reduced with an environmentally friendly system called biofloc technology. This study compared the growth performance and health indicators of biofloc groups using different carbon sources such as starch (BS), molasses (BM) and dextrose (BD). In the 60-day study, fish with an average initial weight of 106.44±5.79 g were stocked in tanks at a density of 21 fish/tank (0.4 m3/tank). The water temperature was set at 19 ℃ degrees throughout the study. On the 30th and 60th days of the experiment, fish were weighted to measure the growth parameters and sampled for immune indices. No mortality was observed in any group throughout the study. A between group comparison of weight gain revealed that BS and BM (105.51±2.26; 100.50±2.18) performed better than the control (BC, without external carbon sources) and BD groups (95.90±2.09; 87.36±2.18) (P<0.05). Furthermore, FCR and SGR were calculated from the data obtained at the end of the experiment, and the data shows that the BS and BM groups were statistically more effective than the other groups. Moreover, a comparison of NBT, lysozyme and myeloperoxidase enzyme activities indicated that all BFT groups had a stronger immune system than the control group (P<0.05). According to the results, the immune-enhancing effect of BFT for sturgeon was determined, and it was reported that BS and BM are more suitable for use in this species in terms of FCR and SGR, as they result an economic and environmentally friendly production.

Deficits in sustained attention in adolescents with bipolar disorder during their first manic episode

ObjectivesEvaluate differences in sustained attention (SAT) and associated neurofunctional profiles between bipolar disorder type I (BD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and healthy comparison (HC) youth. MethodsAdolescent participants, aged 12–17 years, with BD (n = 30) and ADHD (n = 28) and HC adolescents (n = 26) underwent structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while completing a modified Continuous Performance Task-Identical Pairs task. Attentional load was modifying in this task using three levels of image distortion (0 %, 25 % and 50 % image distortion). Task related fMRI activation and performance measures: perceptual sensitivity index (PSI); response bias (RB) and response time (RT); were calculated and compared between groups. ResultsBD participants displayed lower perceptual sensitivity index (0 % p = 0.012; 25 % p = 0.015; 50 % p = 0.036) and higher values of response bias across levels of distortion (0 % p = 0.002, 25 % p = 0.001, and 50 % p = 0.008) as compared to HC. No statistically significant differences were observed for PSI and RB between BD and ADHD groups. No difference in RT were detected. Between-group and within-group differences in task related fMRI measures were detected in several clusters. In a region of interest (ROI) analysis of these clusters comparing BD and ADHD confirmed differences between these two groups. ConclusionsCompared with HC, BD participants displayed SAT deficits. Increased attentional load revealed that BD participants had lower activation in brain regions associated with performance and integration of neural processes in SAT. ROI analysis between BD and ADHD participants shows that the differences were likely not attributable to ADHD comorbidity, suggesting SAT deficits were distinct to the BD group.

Do preoperative endoscopic interventions predict symptom recurrence or reintervention after peroral endoscopic myotomy?

Studies assessing outcomes of patients undergoing peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) after botulinum injection or dilation have had various results with respect to failure, although this has not been differentiated between lack of clinical response and recurrence. We hypothesize that patients with previous endoscopic intervention(s) are more likely to recur than treatment-naïve patients. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients that underwent POEM for achalasia at a single tertiary care center between 2011 and 2022. Patients were excluded if they had previous myotomy (POEM or Heller). The remaining patients were stratified into treatment-naïve patients (TN), those with previous botulinum injection (BTX), those with previous dilatation (BD), and those with both previous endoscopic interventions (BOTH). Primary outcome was recurrence indicated by clinical symptoms or need for repeat endoscopic intervention or surgery after originally having clinical resolution (Eckardt ≤ 3). Multivariate logistic regression using preoperative and intraoperative factors was completed to assess odds of recurrence. A total of 164 patients were included in the analysis, 90 TN, 34 BD, 28 BTX, and 12 BOTH. There were no other significant differences in demographics or in preoperative Eckardt score (p = 0.53). There was no difference in the proportion of patients that had postoperative manometry (p = 0.74), symptom recurrence (p = 0.59), surgical intervention (p = 0.16). BTX (14.3%) and BOTH (16.7%) patients had a higher rate of repeat endoscopic intervention than BD and TN patients (5.9% and 1.1%). In the logistic regression analysis, there was no association among the BTX, BD, or BOTH groups compared to the TN group. No odds ratios achieved statistical significance. There were no increased likelihood of recurrence with botulinum injection or dilatation prior to POEM, implying that they are similarly good candidates compared to treatment-naïve patients.

COMPARISON OF BUPIVACAINE-DEXMEDETOMIDINE VS BUPIVACAINE-FENTANYL VS BUPIVACAINE -SALINE FOR UNILATERAL SPINAL ANAESTHESIA IN LOWER LIMB SURGERY

Introduction: Addition of adjuvants like Dexmedetomidine and Fentanyl to hyperbaric Bupivacaine has been proposed to improve the quality of spinal anaesthesia. Aims and Objectives: The aim of current study was to compare the effects of adding Dexmedetomidine, Fentanyl and saline to low dose hyperbaric Bupivacaine (1 ml, 0.5%) on the properties of unilateral spinal anaesthesia. Methods and Materials: 120 patients divided into three groups. The spinal anaesthetic agent in each of the three groups was 1 mL bupivacaine 0.5% (5 mg). In groups BD, BF and BS, 5mcg of Dexmedetomidine, 25mg of Fentanyl and 0.5 mL saline were added, respectively. The duration of the motor and sensory blocks in both limbs and the assessment of pain during 24 h after surgery were noted. Results: Duration of motor and sensory block were significantly longer in the BF and BD groups than the BS group. Mean total number of rescue analgesic required were less in group BD and BF compared to group BS. Conclusions: Addition of Dexmedetomidine and Fentanyl to low dose Bupivacaine in unilateral spinal anaesthesia increase the duration of the motor, sensory block and post op analgesia.

Differences in social perception in people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

People with schizophrenia have difficulties recognizing other people's expressions, emotional states, and intentions; however, much less is known about their ability to perceive and understand social interactions. We used scenes depicting social situations to compare responses from 90 volunteers (healthy controls [HC], schizophrenia [SZ], and bipolar disorder [BD] outpatients from the Hospital del Salvador in Valparaíso, Chile) to the question: “What do you think is happening in the scene?” Independent blind raters assigned a score of 0 (absent), 1 (partial), or 2 (present) for each item based on whether the description identifies a) the context, b) the people, and c) the interaction depicted in the scenes. Regarding the context of the scenes, the SZ and BD groups scored significantly lower than the HC group, with no significant difference between the SZ and BD groups. Regarding the identification of the people and the interactions, the SZ group scored lower than the HC and BD groups, with no significant difference between the HC and BD groups. An ANCOVA was used to examine the relationship between diagnosis, cognitive performance, and the results of the social perception test. The diagnosis had an effect on context (p = .001) and people (p = .0001) but not on interactions (p = .08). Cognitive performance had a significant effect on interactions (p = .008) but not on context (p = .88) or people (p = .62). Our main result is that people with schizophrenia may have significant difficulties perceiving and understanding social encounters between other people.

Heart Rate Change as a Potential Digital Biomarker of Brain Death in Critically Ill Children With Acute Catastrophic Brain Injury.

To determine whether HRC, calculated using numeric HR measurements sampled every 5 seconds, can identify patients with BD among patients with catastrophic brain injury (CBI). Single-center, retrospective study (2008-2020) of critically ill children with acute CBI. Patients with CBI had a neurocritical care consultation, were admitted to an ICU, had acute neurologic injury on presentation or during hospitalization based on clinical and/or imaging findings, and died or survived with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) less than 13 at hospital discharge. Patients meeting BD criteria (BD group) were compared with those with cardiopulmonary death (CD group) or those who survived to discharge. HRC was calculated as the interquartile range of HR divided by median HR using 5-minute windows with 50% overlap for up to 5 days before death or end of recording. HRC was compared among the BD, CD, and survivor groups. Of 96 patients with CBI (69% male, median age 4 years), 28 died (8 BD, 20 CD) and 20 survived (median GCS 9 at discharge). Within 24 hours before death, HRC was lower in BD compared with CD patients or survivors (0.01 vs 0.03 vs 0.04, p = 0.001). In BD patients, HRC decreased at least 1 day before death. HRC discriminated BD from CD patients and survivors with 90% sensitivity, 70% specificity, 44% positive predictive value, 96% negative predictive value (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.88, 95% CI, 0.80-0.93). HRC is a novel digital biomarker that, with further validation, may be useful as a classifier for BD in the overall course of patients with CBI.

Blunted neural reward response to alcohol and greater alcohol motivation in binge drinkers in a randomized clinical experiment.

Alcohol stimulates cerebral blood flow (CBF) in brain reward regions. However, neural processes that support sustained alcohol motivation after the first drink are not well understood. Using a novel placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover experiment, 27 individuals who binge drink (BD; 15 M, 12 F) and 25 social drinkers (SD; 15 M, 10 F) underwent a behavioral test of self-motivated alcohol consumption using an Alcohol Taste Test (ATT) involving alcoholic and nonalcoholic beer on separate days. The test was followed immediately by perfusion functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). On both days, participants then engaged in a post-scan ATT with placebo beer to assess sustained alcohol self-motivation without active alcohol effects. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of drinking group on the placebo-controlled effect of initial alcohol motivation on brain perfusion (whole brain corrected p < 0.001, cluster corrected p < 0.025) and on the relationship between placebo-controlled brain perfusion and sustained alcohol motivation. Initial alcohol self-motivation in the alcohol relative to placebo session led to markedly decreased activation in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the ventral striatum in BD relative to SD, indicative of neural reward tolerance. The BD group also showed an enhanced neural response in behavioral intention regions of the supplementary motor area (SMA) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) regions. Moreover, there was greater sustained alcohol motivation in BD than SD in the post-scan ATT in the alcohol relative to placebo session. Correspondingly, only in BD and only in the alcohol session, lower alcohol-induced OFC response correlated with concurrent sensitized SMA response, and each predicted the subsequent sustained higher alcohol motivation in the post-scan ATT. Alcohol-related OFC tolerance may play an important role in sustained alcohol motivation. Furthermore, both specific alcohol-related neural reward tolerance and premotor sensitization responses may contribute to escalating alcohol motivation to drive excessive alcohol intake, even in individuals without alcohol use disorder.

LDL and Fasting Blood Sugar Can Be Normalized by Doing Exercise and Consumption of Fruits or Herbs

The effect physical activity has on blood glucose will vary depending on how long someone is active and many other factors. Physical activity can lower blood glucose up to 24 hours or more after workout by making body more sensitive to insulin. Become familiar with how blood glucose responds to exercise. Checking blood glucose level more often before and after exercise can help someone see the benefits of activity. Someone also can use the results of blood glucose checks to see how the body reacts to different activities. Understanding these patterns can help prevent blood glucose from going too high or too low. Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia are main risk factors for coronary artery disease like syndrome leading to morbidity, and mortality. This syndrome may be prevented by allopathic as well as herbal medicines like Nigella sativa and fibrates. Conventional allopathy related drugs have unwanted effects. Herbal therapy for hyperlipidemia well as diabetes mellitus type-2 [DMT2] is getting attention due to their less frequent side effects. In this study we have compared hypolipidemic effects of Fenofibrate 40 mg with Nigella sativa. Sample Size and Study Area: Seventy-five hyperlipidemic and DM type-2 patients from National Hospital Lahore were enrolled for study. Consent, Grouping in Sample Size and Advise to Patients: After getting consent all patients were divided in three groups comprising 25 patients in each group. Group 1 was on Nigella sativa, group 2 was on Gemfibrozil 600 mg BD plus Glibenclamide 5 mg BD and third group was on placebo therapy. They were advised to take drugs for two months. Results: After completion of study pretreatment and post treatment values of LDL cholesterol were analyzed statistically. In Nigella sativa group LDL cholesterol decreased from 191.14±3.45 to 159.40±2.98 mg/dl, means 31.7 mg/dl LDL reduction was observed when compared with placebo group. Fasting Blood Sugar [FBS] in this group decreased from 210 mg/dl to 180 mg/dl in two months which is significant change in this parameter. In Fenofibrate group of patient’s LDL cholesterol decreased from 197.77±3.91 mg/dl to 159.62±2.20 mg/dl, means LDL reduction in mean values was 38.2 mg/dl, when compared with placebo group. These changes are highly significant with p-values of &lt;0.001. FBS in this group decreased from 219.65±1.10 to 171.76±2.04 mg/dl which is highly significant change in the parameter. Conclusion: We concluded from this study that herbal medicine Nigella sativa is as effective hypoglycemic/hypolipidemic agent as traditionally used hypolipidemic drug Fenofibrate, and hypoglycemic drug Glibenclamide.

Comparative evaluation of bupivacaine with magnesium sulphate and dexamethasone as adjuvants in ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block for open unilateral inguinal hernia surgeries: A randomised controlled trial.

Inguinal hernia repair is associated with moderate to severe pain that is most extreme in the first 24 hours. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of dexamethasone versus magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) with bupivacaine in ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block for patients undergoing unilateral inguinal hernioplasty. Eighty patients were randomly allocated to two groups to receive ultrasound-guided TAP block postoperatively with either 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine with 8 mg of dexamethasone (Group BD) or 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine with 250 mg of MgSO4 (Group BM). Patients were assessed for the first 24 hours after surgery for pain at rest and movement using a numerical rating scale (NRS). Two mg/kg of tramadol was administered as rescue analgesia. The time to first demand tramadol, total consumption of tramadol, patient satisfaction score and side effects were evaluated. The time to the first dose of rescue analgesia was significantly longer in BD group (596.13 ± 57.93 min) than in the BM group (422.50 ± 51.95 min). The NRS scores in the BD group were significantly lower compared to the BM group both at rest and on movement. The total requirement of tramadol was significantly less in the BD group (154.55 ± 59.11 mg) compared to the BM group (270.25 ± 105.72 mg). The incidence of side effects was lower and patient satisfaction was higher in BD group compared to BM group. Bupivacaine with dexamethasone in TAP block after unilateral open inguinal hernioplasty provides increased duration of analgesia and decreased requirement for rescue analgesics compared to magnesium sulphate, with lesser side effects and better patient satisfaction.

Dietary taurine supplementation counteracts deoxynivalenol-induced liver injury via alleviating oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and inflammation in piglets

Deoxynivalenol (DON), as a widespread Fusarium mycotoxin in cereals, food products, and animal feed, is detrimental to both human and animal health. The liver is not only the primary organ responsible for DON metabolism but also the principal organ affected by DON toxicity. Taurine is well known to display various physiological and pharmacological functions due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the information regarding taurine supplementation counteracting DON-induced liver injury in piglets is still unclear. In our work, twenty-four weaned piglets were subjected to four groups for a 24-day period, including the BD group (a basal diet), the DON group (3 mg/kg DON-contaminated diet), the DON+LT group (3 mg/kg DON-contaminated diet + 0.3% taurine), and the DON+HT group (3 mg/kg DON-contaminated diet + 0.6% taurine). Our findings indicated that taurine supplementation improved growth performance and alleviated DON-induced liver injury, as evidenced by the reduced pathological and serum biochemical changes (ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH), especially in the group with the 0.3% taurine. Taurine could counteract hepatic oxidative stress in piglets exposed to DON, as it reduced ROS, 8-OHdG, and MDA concentrations and improved the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Concurrently, taurine was observed to upregulate the expression of key factors involved in mitochondrial function and the Nrf2 signaling pathway. Furthermore, taurine treatment effectively attenuated DON-induced hepatocyte apoptosis, as verified through the decreased proportion of TUNEL-positive cells and regulation of the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway. Finally, the administration of taurine was able to reduce liver inflammation due to DON, by inactivating the NF-κB signaling pathway and declining the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In summary, our results implied that taurine effectively improved DON-induced liver injury. The underlying mechanism should be that taurine restored mitochondrial normal function and antagonized oxidative stress, thereby reducing apoptosis and inflammatory responses in the liver of weaned piglets.

Dexmedetomidine versus fentanyl effect as adjuvants to bupivacaine on post spinal urinary retention in knee joint arthroscopic surgeries

ABSTRACT Background Ambulatory knee surgeries are increasing in frequency, however post spinal urinary retention can represent a hazardous post-operative issue to patients. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of intrathecally injected 5 µg dexmedetomidine, or 25 µg fentanyl as adjuvants to bupivacaine in low dose spinal anesthesia for unilateral arthroscopic knee surgeries, on the incidence of post-operative urinary retention (POUR), the duration of sensory and motor blocks, time to micturition, and the number of patients who needed an indwelling (Foley’s) catheter. Methods Seventy patients, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II, from 21 to 50 years old, were randomly divided into two equal groups: the Bupivacaine-Dexmedetomidine group (BD) patients and the Bupivacaine-Fentanyl group (BF) patients. Results The incidence of POUR was statistically non-significant less in the BD group patients, than in the BF group patients. The duration of sensory and motor blocks, as well as the time to micturition, was comparable between patients in the two groups. No patient in either group required insertion of an indwelling urinary catheter at the sixth post-operative hour. Conclusion In unilateral arthroscopic knee surgeries, the addition of dexmedetomidine to low-dose spinal anesthesia decreased the clinical incidence of POUR compared to the addition of fentanyl.

Effectiveness of various cacao pod husk extraction byproducts in promoting growth and immunocompetence in Litopenaeus vannamei

Extracts from plant products can promote growth, can act as immunostimulants, and have antibacterial and antiparasitic properties. These extracts can be used as alternatives to the chemical treatments commonly used to prevent and control disease in aquatic species. Research on the subject has focused on identifying invasive plants or agricultural waste products that can be used as immunostimulants. The present study further identified an optimal means of extracting pectin from cacao pod husks to promote growth performance and immunocompetence in Litopenaeus vannamei that would both reduce production costs and enable waste recycling. The byproducts of pectin extraction from cacao pod husks, that is, dried cacao pod husk powder (DCP), steamed DCP (sDCP), hot water–treated cacao pod husk powder (HCP), hot water–treated cacao pod husk supernatant (HCS), and cacao pod husk pectin (CPH pectin), were used to create five experimental diets, which were administered to five groups. The control group was fed a basal diet. The growth and immunocompetence of the shrimp were determined after 30, 60, 90 and 120 days of feeding. To identify the most cost-effective means of obtaining dried cacao pod husks, this study firstly determined the costs and effectiveness of the sun-drying, dehumidification, and heated-wind drying techniques. According to the results of growth performance, the CPH pectin group had higher survival but lower weight gain than the DCP, sDCP, HCP, and HCS groups did. At 30, 60, and 90 days, the clearance efficiency of the experimental groups was higher than that of the control group. At 60 days, the experimental groups had significantly higher phagocytic activity than the control group did. However, at 30 and 90 days the HCP, HCS and CPH pectin group had higher phagocytic activity. The total hemocyte count, differential hemocyte count, phenoloxidase activity, and respiratory bursts of the CPH pectin group were higher at 30 days but the same as those of the control group at 60 and 90 days. After 120 days of feeding trial, the resistance of L. vannamei fed with diets containing byproducts of pectin extraction from cacao pod husks significantly enhanced compared to that in BD group when they were infected with Vibrio aliginolyticus for 168 h, and the related higher survival rate can be observed in HCP, HCS and CPH pectin groups. The study findings suggest that diet-administered HCP and HCS have long-term immunostimulant potential and that CPH pectin has potential in the early stages of feeding. In addition, when heated air drying was employed, a moisture level of below 10% was obtained within 12 h. The results of this study indicate that adding HCP obtained from heated air–dried cacao pod husks to the feed of L. vannamei is the most cost-effective and sustainable means of promoting long-term growth performance and immunocompetence in the species.

A randomized trial of once daily versus twice daily dosing of oral iron in CKD

We investigated the effect of two dosing regimens of oral iron on iron status and hematological parameters in patients with CKD. In this single center, open label, randomized, active controlled clinical trial, stable adult patients with CKD stage G3–4 with percentage transferrin saturation (%TSAT) ≤ 30% and serum ferritin ≤ 500 ng/ml were eligible. Participants were randomized to receive either 100 mg of ferrous ascorbate once daily (OD group) or 100 mg of ferrous ascorbate twice daily (BD group, total daily dose 200 mg). The primary outcome was change in %TSAT between groups over 12 weeks. The secondary outcomes were changes in other iron status and hematological parameters, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and hepcidin. 80 participants were enrolled out of which 76 completed the study. Change in %TSAT was not significantly different between groups (β = − 1.43, 95% CI − 3.99 to 1.12, BD group as reference). The rise in serum ferritin was less in the OD group as compared to BD group (β = − 0.36, 95% CI − 0.61 to − 0.10) whereas MCHC increased in the OD group as compared to decrease in the BD group (β = 0.37, 95% CI 0.067–0.67). These observations need exploration to ascertain the impact of different oral iron dosing strategies in CKD.

Global and local cortical folding alterations are associated with neurodevelopmental subtype in bipolar disorders: a sulcal pits analysis

BackgroundAnalyzing cortical folding may provide insight into the biological underpinnings of neurodevelopmental diseases. A neurodevelopmental subtype of bipolar disorders (BD-ND) has been characterized by the combination of early age of onset and psychotic features. We investigate potential cortical morphology differences associated with this subtype. We analyze, for the first time in bipolar disorders, the sulcal pits, the deepest points in each fold of the cerebral cortex. MethodsWe extracted the sulcal pits from anatomical MRI among 512 participants gathered from 7 scanning sites. We compared the number of sulcal pits in each hemisphere as well as their regional occurrence and depth between the BD-ND subgroup (N = 184), a subgroup without neurodevelopmental features (BD, N = 77) and a group of healthy controls (HC, N = 251). ResultsIn whole brain analysis, BD-ND group have a higher number of sulcal pits in comparison to the BD group. The local analysis revealed, after correction for multiple testing, a higher occurrence of sulcal pits in the left premotor cortex among the BD-ND subgroup compared to the BD and the HC groups. ConclusionOur findings confirm that BD-ND is associated with a specific brain morphology revealed by the analysis of sulcal pits. These markers may help to better understand neurodevelopment in mood disorder and stratify patients according to a pathophysiological hypothesis.

Risk factors of cardiovascular involvement in patients with Behcet's disease

ObjectivesBehcet's disease (BD) is a multi-systemic inflammatory vasculitis which may be life-threatening if combined with cardiovascular problems. The aim of the study was to identify potential risk factors associated with cardiovascular involvement in BD. MethodsWe reviewed the medical databases of a single center. All BD patients identified as fulfilling the 1990 International Study Group criteria or the International Criteria for Behcet's Disease criteria. Cardiovascular involvement, clinical manifestations, laboratory features, and treatments were recorded. The relationship between parameters and cardiovascular involvement was analyzed. Results111 BD patients were included: 21 (18.9%) had documented cardiovascular involvement (CV BD group) and 99 (81.1%) had no cardiovascular involvement (non-CV BD group). Compared with non-CV BD, the proportion of males and smokers were significantly increased in CV BD (p = 0.024 and p < 0.001, respectively). Levels of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), cardiac troponin I and C-reactive protein were significantly higher (p = 0.001, p = 0.031, and p = 0.034, respectively) in the CV BD group. Cardiovascular involvement was associated with smoking state, the presence of papulopustular lesions, and higher APTT in multivariate analyzed (p = 0.029, p = 0.021, and p = 0.006, respectively). The ROC curve showed that APTT predicts the risk of cardiovascular involvement (p < 0.01) at a cut-off value of 33.15 s with a sensitivity of 57.1% and specificity of 82.2%. ConclusionCardiovascular involvement in BD patients was associated with gender, smoking state, the presence of papulopustular lesions, and higher APTT. All patients newly diagnosed with BD should be systematically screened for cardiovascular involvement.

Alterations of theta power and synchrony during encoding in young adult binge drinkers: Subsequent memory effects associated with retrieval after 48 h and 6 months.

Young emerging adults commonly engage in binge drinking which is associated with a range of neurocognitive deficits, including memory impairments. However, evidence on neural oscillations mediating episodic memory in this population is lacking. To address this gap, we recorded theta oscillatory activity in young binge (BDs) and light drinkers (LDs) during memory encoding and analyzed it prospectively as a function of subsequent retrieval. Theta underlies successful encoding of novel items in memory through corticolimbic integration. Subsequent memory effects (SMEs) are reflected in stronger theta activity during encoding of the items that are later remembered compared to those that are later forgotten. In the present study, 23 BDs (age: 23.3 ± 3.3) and 24 LDs (age: 23.4 ± 3.3) rated emotionally evocative images with negative, positive, and neutral themes during implicit encoding. They performed a recognition memory task on two follow-up occasions after a short (48 h), and long retention delay (6 months). Electroencephalography (EEG) signal was recorded during the encoding session and analyzed in time-frequency domain with Morlet wavelets in theta band (4-7 Hz). To evaluate SMEs, the event-related theta oscillations acquired during encoding were analyzed based on recognition outcomes after the two retention intervals. The BD and LD groups did not differ on recognition memory. However, BDs showed attenuated event-related theta power during encoding of images that were successfully retained after 6 months compared to LDs. In addition, theta synchronous activity between frontal and left posterior regions during encoding successfully predicted recognition of the images after both retention delays in LDs but not in BDs. These SMEs on theta power and synchrony correlated negatively with high-intensity drinking in the previous 6 months. No differences between men and women were observed for any analysis. It has been well established that long-range neural synchrony between cortical and limbic nodes underlies successful memory encoding and retention which, in turn, depends on neural excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance. Given that binge drinking is associated with E/I dysregulation, the observed SME deficiencies are consistent with other evidence of neural hyperexcitability in BDs, and may be indicative of increased risk of developing alcohol use disorders.

Utility of portable functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in patients with bipolar and unipolar disorders: A comparison with healthy controls

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate portable functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device as an adjunct diagnostic tool for bipolar and unipolar disorders while performing cognitive tasks. Methods150 participants were divided into three groups including bipolar, unipolar disorder, and healthy controls (50:50:50), matched by age, gender, and family history of mood disorder. Hemodynamics in the frontal cortex were monitored by fNIRS during the Stroop Color-Word Test and Verbal Fluency Test. The GLM compared the differences in oxy-hemoglobin levels between the two groups. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) graph was generated for each neuroanatomical area. ResultsFor people with BD group, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the left orbitofrontal cortex was maximal during the VFT [AUC = 0.727, 95%CI = 0.617–0.824]. The Youden's index reached a peak (0.40) at the optimal cut-point value (HbO2 cutoff <0.180 μmol/ml for BD) in which the sensitivity was 82 %; specificity was 58 %; PPV was 0.66; NPV was 0.76 and correct classification rate was 70 %. Regarding the UD group, during VFT, the highest value AUC [AUC = 0.822, 95%CI = 0.740–0.903] was recorded in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with the optimal cut-off value (HbO2cutoff ≥0.163 μmol/ml for healthy controls; <0.163 for unipolar disorder), the sensitivity was 72 %; specificity was 82 %; PPV was 0.80; NPV was 0.75, correct classification rate was 77 %, and the Youden's index was 0.54. ConclusionAssessing hemodynamics during VFT using portable fNIRS offers the potential as an adjunct diagnostic tool for mood disorders in low-resource environments.