PCG Group Research Articles

Cognitive impairment after ICU: Comparative study of severe post‐COVID19 patients with other causes of ICU admission

AbstractBackgroundIt has been reported that some post‐COVID patients develop cognitive impairment once they overcome the acute condition.MethodSevere post‐COVID 19 patients admitted to hospitalization for rehabilitation between October 2020 and July 2021 were included, and the performance of a control group that had no history of COVID 19 was compared. Patients with central neurological history, disorders of consciousness, or psychiatric history were excluded. An abbreviated cognitive assessment was performed. The T test was used for continuous variables with normal distribution, and the Mann Whitney test otherwise. For dichotomous variables, the Chi test was used. Significant: p<0.05.ResultA total of 196 severe post‐COVID 19 (SCA) patients were included, 41 did not present exclusion criteria and were able to carry out the complete evaluation. The control group (C) was made up of 25 patients with similar characteristics. The median age of the PCG group was 60 years (IQ 47‐69), 56.10% male. Group C had a median age of 63 (IQ 56‐69), 80% male. The mean years of schooling was 13 years for both groups. Cognitive performance: 63.4% of the patients in the PCG group and 56% in the C group failed the initial screening test (OR 1.36; 95% CI 0.5‐3.7; p ns); 51% of the PCG group and 52% of the C group had alterations in at least 2 executive function tests (OR 0.96; 95% CI 0.35‐2.62; p ns); 46.34% of the PCG group and 56% of the C group in at least 2 memory tests (OR 0.68 CI; 95% 0.25‐1.84; p ns); 34.14% of the PCG group and 40% of the C group failed in more than one domain (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.28‐2.17; p ns); 26.8% of the PCG group and 16% of the C group obtained results within normal limits (OR 1.92; 95% CI 0.5‐6.8; p ns). 7% of the PCG group had symptoms consistent with depression.ConclusionIn the groups of patients evaluated, a history of severe COVID 19 was not associated with an increase in cognitive impairment compared to the control group with other reasons for ICU admission.

Traditional Chinese medicine Pingchan granule for motor symptoms and functions in Parkinson's disease: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

BackgroundPingchan granule (PCG) is a traditional Chinese medicine for Parkinson's disease (PD). Hypothesis/PurposeThis was the first study aiming to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PCG for motor symptoms, gait impairments and quality of life in PD. Study Design and MethodsIn this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 292 participants were included and followed for 9 months, randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive PCG or placebo. The primary outcome was the severity of motor symptoms assessed by Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Rating Scale III (MDS-UPDRS-III) motor score. Secondary outcomes included timed up and go test (TUG), functional gait assessment (FGA), freezing of gait (FOG), and quality of life assessed by Parkinson's disease questionnaire (PDQ-39). Assessments were done at baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2) and 9 months (T3). Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Register, ChiCTR-INR-1,701,194. ResultsGeneralized estimating equation analyses revealed that PCG group had significantly better improvement in MDS-UPDRS-III motor score than placebo group, as well as its domain scores of axial symptoms, bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor. Improvements of TUG time, FGA, FOG questionnaire (FOGQ), and PDQ39 scores were also observed. ConclusionPCG had a long-lasting efficacy for motor symptoms and function in PD with good tolerance, supporting that PCG might be a viable alternative in the management of PD.

The Wheel-Shaped Composite Cartilage Graft for Type 1 Tympanoplasty: Comparison with Palisade and Island Cartilage Graft.

This study aims to compare the graft success and hearing results of the palisade and island cartilage graft, with wheel-shaped composite cartilage graft (WsCCG) for type 1 tympanoplasty. The study was designed retrospectively. Only patients with conductive hearing loss and simple pars tensa perforation of the tympanic membrane were included in the study. Pure tone average (PTA), air-bone gap gain (ABG), word recognition score (WRS), ABG closure and grafts success were compared between the graft groups. Records of 111 patients were analyzed. The graft success rate was 89.7% for palisade cartilage graft (PCG, n = 39), 86.1% for island cartilage graft (ICG, n = 36), and 97.2% for wheel-shaped composite cartilage graft (WsCCG, n = 36) (p = 0.244). Average postoperative PTA and ABG values were significantly affected by the cartilage graft type, but WRS was not affected. (p = 0.005, 0.019, 0.306, respectively, One Way-Anova test). Post-Hoc LSD test showed a statistically significant decrease in PTA and ABG averages for WsCCG group compared to the ICG group (p = 0.004; CI%95 = 15.1-2.2 dB and p = 0.023; CI%95 = 8.2-0.4 dB, respectively). Postoperative PTA and ABG averages for WsCCG and PCG groups were similar (p = 0.069 and p = 0.053, respectively). In addition, while there were 2 (5.1%) retractions in the PCG group and 1 (2.7%)in the ICG group, there was no retraction in the WsCCG group. The WsCCG provided comparable results with classical reliable graft techniques (PCG and ICG) and may recommend as a more suitable graft due to hearing results and resistance against retraction.

Dietary supplementation with multi-strain formula of probiotics modulates inflammatory and immunological markers in apical periodontitis.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate whether probiotics multi-strain formula affects the development of apical periodontitis (AP) induced in rats.Methodology16 Wistar rats were divided in two groups (n=8): rats with AP fed with regular diet (Control-C (CG)); rats with AP, fed with regular diet and supplemented with multi-strain formula (one billion colony-forming units (CFU)): GNC Probiotic Complex (PCG) ( Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus salivaris, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium animalis subs. lactis and Streptococcus thermofilus ). AP was induced in the upper and lower first molars by dental pulp exposure to the oral environment. PCG was administered orally through gavage for 30 days during the AP development. After this period the animals were euthanized and the mandibles were removed and processed for histologic analysis, and immunochemical assays for interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-1β, RANKL, OPG, and TRAP. The Mann–Whitney U test and Student’s t test were performed (P<.05).ResultsThe CG showed more intense inflammatory infiltrate than the PCG group (P<.05). IL-1β, IL 6 and RANKL decreased in the PCG group compared with CG (P<.05). The IL-10 level increased in the PCG group (P<.05). The OPG level was similar in both groups (P>.05). The number of mature osteoclasts (TRAP-positive multinucleated cells) was lower in PCG group when compared to the CG (P<.05).ConclusionProbiotic Complex modulates inflammation and bone resorption in apical periodontitis.

Structural assembly of Polycomb group protein and Insight of EZH2 in cancer progression: A review.

Polycomb group proteins (PcG) are multi-subunit structure, consisting of polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1), PRC2/3, and pleiohomeotic repressive complex. PRC1 is made up of PHC, BMI-1, CBX, and Ring 1A/B. PRC2 protein complex included embryonic ectoderm development, PCL, SUZ12, SET domain, enhancer of zeste homolog-2 protein (EZH2), and Nurf55. The third subunit PhoRC consists of Pho and DSFMBT subunits. One of the important subunits of PcG group of protein is EZH2 (a histone methyltransferase), which catalyzes tri-methylation of histone H3 at Lys 27 (H3K27me3) to regulate gene expression through epigenetic machinery and induces silencing of specific gene transcription. In case of breast cancer and prostate cancer, EZH2 is very well studied. Evidence shows that EZH2 is overexpressed and mutated in a variety of human cancers, rendering EZH2 an attractive target for the design of new chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer. EZH2 also functions both as a transcriptional suppressor and a transcriptional co-activator, depending on H3K27me3 or its absence. In this review, we summarized various studies reported till date, elucidating the structure of PRC2 complex, various mechanisms involved with this, and highlighting the role of EZH2 in breast cancer and prostate cancer progression. An increased understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of wide spectrum of cancers is therefore needed to develop novel therapeutic approaches for this disease and to improve the quality of life in patients.

Can pycnogenol prevent cisplatin-induced damage in uterus and ovaries?

IntroductionCisplatin is an antineoplastic agent, which is thought to act on tissues with increased levels of reactive oxygen species and decreased levels of antioxidants. Pycnogenol is a potent antioxidant that is used in medical conditions caused by oxidative stress. The aim of our study is to demonstrate the effects of pycnogenol on cisplatin-induced uterine and ovarian damage in rats.Material and methodsWistar albino female rats were randomly divided into 3 groups before the experiment as follows: a 2.5 mg/kg cisplatin group (CG; n = 10), a 40 mg/kg pycnogenol + 2.5 mg/kg cisplatin group (PCG; n = 10), and a healthy control group (HG; n = 10). Then, the ovaries and uteri of the rats were examined to determine malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (tGSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) biochemical levels and the histopathological findings.ResultsOur study demonstrated that, in uterine and ovarian tissues of rats administered with cisplatin, there was a decrease in the levels of tGSH and SOD, while MDA was increased; however, it was observed that these ratios were reversed in the PCG group (p < 0.05). The number of follicles in the ovarian tissues was examined in all 3 groups. When the CG group was compared with the other two groups, the number of primordial, developing and atretic follicles was low, but there was no difference in the corpus luteum count.ConclusionsPycnogenol pretreatment alleviates cisplatin-induced uterine and ovarian injury in rats because of its antioxidative effect.

Investigating the Attitude of PCG University Students Towards their Parents and Towards Marriage

The aim of this study is to investigate students in classes 1-2-3-4, studying Pyschological Guidance and Counselling (PGC) at a university in T.R.N.C. (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) in their relationships with their parents and their attitudes towards marriage. The study includes 325 students and was conducted during the spring of 2015-2016. ‘Personal information forms’, ‘İnönü Marriage Attitudes Scale, ‘Attitudes towards Parents Scale I and II’ have been used in order to collect research data. The viewpoints of the student PCG group, who work with child and family, have been particularly focused in connection to all of these. The findings revealed that female students’ attitudes towards their mothers are better compared to that of male students. However, in terms of gender, no connection was found between attitude towards their father and their attitude towards marriage. As female PCG students’ attitude towards their mother increases, so too has their attitude towards their father and their attitudes towards marriage. For the men whose parents are still together (not separated), there is no link between their strong attiudes towards their parents and their attitude towards marriage. It has come to light that female students, whose parents are separated, have a stronger attitude towards their mother and father. No connection was found between the students’ parents being married or having separate living arrangements and the students’ gender. Male students with parents who live separately have a stronger approach towards their their mother and father.

Evaluation of the Sealing Ability of Three Obturation Techniques Using a Glucose Leakage Test.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sealing ability of three different canal filling techniques. Sixty-four roots of extracted human maxillary anterior teeth were prepared using ProTaper® rotary instruments. The specimens were then randomly divided into 3 experimental groups (n = 16) and 2 control groups (n = 8). The root canals were filled using cold lateral compaction (CLC group), continuous wave condensation technique using the Elements Obturation Unit® (EOU group), and ProTaper obturators (PT group). For the negative control group, 8 roots were filled using lateral compaction as in the CLC group, and the teeth were covered twice with a layer of nail varnish (NCG group). Another 8 roots were filled using lateral compaction, but without sealer, and these were used as the positive control (PCG group). A glucose leakage model was used for quantitative evaluation of microleakage for 24 hours and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 weeks. No significant difference in the cumulative amount of leakage was found between the three experimental groups at all observation times. The lateral condensation of cold gutta-percha can guarantee a similar seal of canal fillings as can be achieved by using thermal methods, in the round canals.

A dose-sensitive modifier of the of Drosophila melanogaster ectopic eye

AbstractEctopic eyes induced in a wing serve as a system for studying developmental plasticity in Drosophila. We used a set of chromosome deficiencies covering the second chromosome to ask whether there are dose-sensitive modifiers of the process. We identified three overlapping deletions showing the enlargement of ectopic eyes. The study of the genes localized in the region of interest suggests that the mutation in the sxc (super sex combs) gene (PcG group) is responsible for the observed phenotype.

MLL/SET1 Complex: From Yeast to Human

Copyright: © 2012 Cao F. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The past decade witnessed the significant advancement of our knowledge in chromatin biology. Histone post-translational modifications are linked to different biological pathways. Among various histone modifications, H3 K4 methylation has been proposed as a critical component in regulating gene expression, epigenetic states and cellular identities. It antagonizes the functions of another histone methylation mark H3 K27 methylation by PcG group proteins, to set the chromatin activation state by the developmentally regulated genes. The founding member of the H3 K4 methyltransferase is MLL1 (Mixed Lineage Leukemia protein), which is essential for embryonic development and hematopoiesis. Relatively, its mis-regulation is associated with a variety of diseases including leukemia, multiple myeloma and brain tumors. In the past ten years, there has been an exponential increase in our knowledge regarding the MLL family of H3 K4 methyltransferase, and the biological role of this histone modification from yeast to humans.

Polycomb Group Protein BMI1 In Leukemia Development and Progression:Blocking the Cell Differentiation

AbstractAbstract 2150BMI1 is the most frequently altered PcG group protein observed in cancer and is useful in predicting prognosis as a biomarker in some malignant blood diseases including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). However, the role and effect of BMI1 in these diseases is not clear. We have found that BMI1 expression in MDS CD34+ cells (n=13) was correlated with IPSS (R2=0.514,P=0.013). The MDS patient with overexpressed BMI1 shortly after diagnosis displayed a disease progression: one case of MDS-RA progressed to MDS-RAEB and two cases of MDS-RAEB transformed to AML, in company with more serious cytopenia in one or more lineages of bone marrow cells.A similar situation was found in CML. As the CML-CP patients (n=181) accelerated to CML-BP (n=27),the hemoglobin level as well as WBC and Plt counts markedly decreased (p<0.05), whereas the BMI1 transcriptional level in CML-BP (n=12) was much higher than that in CML-CP (n=26) detected by qRT-PCR (p<0.05). To further explore the role of BMI1 in malignant myeloid transformation, we cloned BMI1 cDNA ORF and transfected it into K562 by MSCV retroviral vector. The BMI1 protein expression in transfectant subclones was about three-folds of the untransfected control. NBT assay demonstrated that the differentiation induced by 20nm/L TPA for 72 hours in transfected cell were less than that in control cells. The percentage of NBT positive cells in K562, K562-MSCV, K562- BMI1SC1 and K562-BMI1SC2 were 51±7%, 60±8%, 27±6%, 33±7% (n=3), respectively. In addition, the immunophenotype of CD11b, CD13, CD15, CD33, CD34, CD64 and HLA-DR in TPA-treated cells detected by FCM found that only the mean fluorescence intensity of CD15 in transfected cells was obviously lower than that in control. The mean value of CD15 in K562, K562-MSCV, K562-BMI1SC1, K562-BMI1SC2 were 3.38, 3.25, 2.42, 2.54, respectively. The benzidine staining showed BMI1 transfected K562 treated by 40mm/L sodium butyrate for 72 hours had slower erythroid differentiation compared to that in control cells. The benzidine positive cell in K562, K562-MSCV, K562-BMI1SC1, K562-BMI1SC2 were 28±4%, 31±5%, 10±4%, 9±5% (n=3), respectively. We also found that the mean fluorescence intensity of GPA and CD71 were lower in BMI1 transfected cell compared to control after sodium butyrate treatment. The mean value of GPA in K562, K562-MSCV, K562-BMI1SC1, K562-BMI1SC2 were 36.4, 32.1, 20.6, 16.2 and the mean of CD71 were 3.07, 3.13, 2.8, 1.32, respectively. These in vitro results suggested that overexpression of BMI1 can inhibit cell myelomonocytoid and erythroid differentiation. In summary, we conclude that polycomb group BMI1 may contribute to clonal myeloid transformation by blocking multiple lineage differentiation and potentiating the stemness of the leukemia-initiating cells via possible epigenetic mechanisms. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Efecto de la implantación de una vía clínica de cirugía protésica de rodilla en el tiempo de ingreso

Purpose To analyze the efficacy of implementing clinical pathways for knee prosthetic surgery as a tool to reduce length of hospitalization. Materials and methods A retrospective study was carried out of 464 patients subjected to total knee replacement. Four patient groups were established. An active group (AG), where patients were operated used the clinical pathways, and 3 control groups: one made up of patients operated by the same surgeon as the AG before he started using the pathways (PCG) and two groups of patients operated by other surgeons that did not use the clinical pathways before or during its introduction (PNCG and NCG, respectively). The following factors were analyzed in each group: demographic data, Charlston's comorbidity index, preoperative, post-operative and total length of stay, number of blood bags transfused, destination upon discharge, readmission within 30 days and complications. Results No differences were observed in terms of demographic data, comorbidity, blood transfusion requirements or destination upon discharge between the 4 groups. The AG group had a shorter total and postoperative length of stay than the other groups; these lengths of stay were also shorter in PNCG than in the PCG group. These differences were statistically significant. No differences were found between groups PNCG and NCG. There was a higher rate of complications in groups PNCG and NCG. Conclusion Implementation of clinical pathways for prosthetic knee surgery is an useful tool to reduce mean length of hospital stay without increasing complications.

Effect of the implementation of clinical guidelines for knee replacement surgery on hospitalization time

Purpose To analyze the efficacy of implementing clinical guidelines for knee prosthetic surgery as a tool to reduce length of hospitalization. Materials and methods A retrospective study was carried out of 464 patients subjected to total knee replacement. Four patient groups were established. An active group (AG), where patients were operated used the clinical guidelines, and 3 control groups: one made up of patients operated by the same surgeon as the AG before he started using the guidelines (PCG) and two groups of patients operated by other surgeons that did not use the clinical guidelines before or after its introduction (PNCG and NCG, respectively). The following factors were analyzed in each group: demographic data, Charlston's comorbidity index, preoperative, post-operative and total length of stay, number of blood bags transfused, destination upon discharge, readmission within 30 days and complications. Results No differences were observed in terms of demographic data, comorbidity, blood transfusion requirements or destination upon discharge between the 4 groups. The AG group had a shorter total and postoperative length of stay than the other groups; these lengths of stay were also shorter in PNCG than in the PCG group. These differences were statistically significant. No differences were found between groups PNCG and NCG. There was a higher rate of complications in groups PNCG and NCG. Conclusion Implementation of clinical guidelines for prosthetic knee surgery is na useful tool to reduce mean length of hospital stay without increasing complications.

RNA interference against mixed lineage leukemia 5 resulted in cell cycle arrest

Mixed lineage leukemia 5 (MLL5) encodes a mammalian trithorax group (TrxG) protein located within chromosome band 7q22, which is a frequently deleted region found in acute myeloid malignancies. Trithorax and polycomb (PcG) group proteins are evolutionarily conserved transcriptional regulators that maintain the expression of Homeobox ( HOX) genes at the epigenetic level during development. Recently, the emerging roles of TrxG and PcG group proteins in cell cycle regulation have begun to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that the mammalian trxG protein MLL5 is involved in multiple cell cycle regulation. Knockdown of MLL5 by small interfering RNA resulted in the retarded cell growth and attenuated intake of BrdU in multiple tumor and normal diploid cells. The cell cycle arrest induced by knockdown of MLL5 took place at both the G1 and G2/M phases. This growth-inhibitory effect and dual-phase arrest were also found in p53-knockout cell lines, suggesting that the transactivation activity of p53 was dispensable for the MLL5-knockdown-mediated cell cycle arrest. In addition, up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 and de-phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein were observed in all cell lines tested regardless of their p53 status. Taken together, our data suggest that silencing of MLL5 leads to up-regulation of p21 and dephosphorylation of pRb, which at least partially contributes to the G1 phase and G2/M phase arrest. These findings provide evidence that MLL5 might be an important cell cycle regulator, participating in cell cycle regulatory network machinery at multiple cell cycle stages.

The effect of piracetam in preventing combined cisplatin and gentamicin-induced ototoxicity in a guinea pig model

Aim. To investigate the protective effect of piracetam in preventing combined cisplatin and gentamicin-induced ototoxicity in a guinea pig model. Methods. Thirty-two male albino adult guinea pigs were used in this study. The animals were separated into three groups: Group I (control group; n = 10) received saline, Group II (CG group; n = 12) received combined cisplatin (3.5 mg/kg = 3.5 ml/kg) and gentamicin (100 mg/kg = 2.5 ml/kg), and Group III (PCG group; n = 10) received piracetam (350 mg/kg = 1.75 ml/kg) plus the combined cisplatin (3.5 mg/kg = 3.5 ml/kg) and gentamicin (100 mg/kg = 2.5 ml/kg) as a single dose/day for 5 consecutive days, intraperitoneally. Auditory brainstem response (ABR), wave absolute latencies (ALs) and interpeak latencies (IPLs) for each ear (n = 64) of all animals (n = 32) were monitored. Results. Significant differences were found between CG and PCG groups in terms of ABR wave II AL (p < 0.01), III AL (p < 0.001), IV AL (p < 0.001), I-III IPL (p < 0.001), III-IV IPL (p < 0.01) and I-IV IPL values (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found in I AL value (p > 0.05). Conclusion. These data show that piracetam has a protective effect against the ototoxicity produced by administration of combined cisplatin and gentamicin.

Primary Care Groups and geriatric medicine

EditorialIt was Benjamin Franklin who wrote that the only two things that one can be certain of in life are death and taxes. Those of us working in the health service in the United Kingdom would probably want to add change as the third certainty. No one was surprised, therefore, when New Labour, in their first White Paper on health, introduced us to a vocabulary of reforms with their now widely-used initials and acronym. These included HIPs (health improvement programmes), NSFs (national service frameworks), NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence), CHI (Commission for Health Improvement) and, to replace fund-holding, a new organization for general practice, the PCG or Primary Care Group.