scholarly journals Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis: The Potential Role of Romosozumab

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (02) ◽  
pp. 71-79
Author(s):  
Jacqueline So ◽  
Chi Chiu Mok
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Early Recognition ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Estimation Formula ◽  
Fracture Risk Assessment Tool ◽  
Current Therapies ◽  
Current Assessment ◽  
Dose Dependent

Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is a major problem in patients with rheumatic diseases. The deleterious effect of GC on bone turnover is rapid and dose-dependent, with a predilection on the trabecular bone, resulting in vertebral fractures. Early recognition and prompt treatment of GIOP helps prevent bone loss and reduce fractures. There are pitfalls in current assessment tools for GIOP by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) estimation formula. In this review, we evaluate different assessment methods for GIOP and summarize current therapies of GIOP, including the antiresorptive and anabolic agents. The potential role of newer anti-osteoporosis agent romosozumab, an anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody, is also discussed.

scholarly journals Adapting the role of handheld echocardiography during the COVID-19 pandemic: A practical guide

Perfusion ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 026765912098653
Author(s):  
Hafiz Naderi ◽  
Shaun Robinson ◽  
Martin J Swaans ◽  
Nina Bual ◽  
Wing-See Cheung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
First Line ◽  
Scanning Time ◽  
Contagious Disease ◽  
Core Dataset ◽  
Clinical Questions

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our approach to inpatient echocardiography delivery. There is now a greater focus to address key clinical questions likely to make an immediate impact in management, particularly during the period of widespread infection. Handheld echocardiography (HHE) can be used as a first-line assessment tool, limiting scanning time and exposure to high viral load. This article describes a potential role for HHE during a pandemic. We propose a protocol with a reporting template for a focused core dataset necessary in delivering an acute echocardiography service in the setting of a highly contagious disease, minimising risk to the operator. We cover the scenarios typically encountered in the acute cardiology setting and how an expert trained echocardiography team can identify such pathologies using a limited imaging format and include cardiac presentations encountered in those patients acutely unwell with COVID-19.

The Role of Teaching Materials in Cognitive Development Focusing on the “Emergence of Symbolic Functioning” and Behaviour Issues

2021 ◽  
pp. 73-97
Author(s):  
Eiko Tatematsu
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Cognitive Profiles ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Teaching Device ◽  
Symbolic Functioning

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the role of teaching materials focusing on the “Emergence of Symbolic Functioning” and latent behaviour issues. First, a literature review is performed on the behaviour issues associated with intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Three kinds of assessment tools used in this study are described with underlying developmental meanings. Especially, one of those tools, a teaching device named “Tamahimo” is introduced as a practical assessment tool to visualize participants' cognitive conditions. Three cases, two adolescents and one young adult with ID, are discussed, with their autism-like behaviours and characteristic cognitive profiles evaluated using the assessment tools. All cognitive development is judged as corresponding to the “Emergence of Symbolic Functioning,” that is, the qualitative transition phase from non-symbolic to the explicit existence of a symbolic functioning stage. Factors preventing social adaptation are discussed as they relate to unstable cognitive conditions.

scholarly journals Differential effect of culture epimastigotes and blood-form Trypamastigotes on normal mouse splenocyte responsiveness to mitogens

1986 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. E. Serrano ◽  
J. A. O'Daly
Keyword(s):  
Normal Mouse ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Parasite Growth ◽  
Active Living ◽  
Strong Inhibition ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Blastogenic Response ◽  
Dose Dependent ◽  
Mouse Lymphocytes

Blood form trypomastigotes of the Y strain of T. cruzi, produced a strong inhibition of the blastogenic response to T and B cell mitogens, of the C3H/He, C57BLand BALB/cJ strains of mice, while culture epimastigotes of the Y strain kept in a medium that allows parasite growth at 26°. 30° and 37°C produced a strong stimulatory effect that was even higher than the effect of the mitogens alone. Both the inhibitory or the stimulatory effects were dose-dependent. The stimulatory effect of epimastigotes was also temperature-dependent producing increasedstimulation indexes as the temperature of parasite cultures was raised. Metabolically active,living parasites seemed to be necessary for an improved lymphocyte stimulation suggesting a potential role of secreted metabolites as polyclonal activators of mouse lymphocytes.

K+ATP-channel activation causes marked vasodilation in the hypertensive neonatal pig lung

1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (5) ◽  
pp. H1532-H1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Pinheiro ◽  
A. B. Malik
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Channel Blocker ◽  
Ringer Solution ◽  
Vasomotor Tone ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Pulmonary Vasodilation ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Neonatal Pig ◽  
Dose Dependent

We studied the potential role of ATP-sensitive potassium (K+ATP) channel activation in mediating pulmonary vasodilation in newborn piglets. Piglet lungs (n = 14, ages 1-4 days) were artificially perfused with recirculating Ringer solution containing bovine serum albumin and statistically inflated using 95% O2-5% CO2. We measured pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa) and distribution of pulmonary vascular resistance (using double-occlusion method). Under resting conditions (Ppa 13.7 +/- 1.6 cmH2O, mean +/- SE), the K+ATP channel agonist BRL 38227 (lemakalim, 10(-7) and 10(-6) M) caused small dose-dependent pulmonary vasodilation. This response was diminished by the K+ATP-channel blocker glibenclamide (10(-5) M). Pretreatment of lungs with indomethacin (10(-5) M) and N omega-nitro-L-arginine (10(-5) M) to inhibit cyclooxygenase- and nitric oxide (NO)-related vasodilation, respectively, resulted in a marked increase in the baseline Ppa to 85.6 +/- 11.2 cmH2O. Injection of BRL 38227 (10(-7) M and 10(-6) M) in these lungs decreased Ppa to 72.5 +/- 8.5 (P < 0.01) and 19.3 +/- 0.9 cmH2O (P < 0.01), respectively; the corresponding times for half-recovery of Ppa (t1/2R) were 5.7 +/- 4.3 and > 20 min. Glibenclamide (10(-5) M) abolished the response to 10(-7) M BRL 38227 and significantly diminished (P < 0.05) the decreases in Ppa and t1/2R in response to 10(-6) M BRL 38227 but not to acetylcholine (10(-10) M). We conclude that activation of K+ATP channels has a minimal role in maintaining basal pulmonary vasomotor tone but is able to induce marked vasodilation when NO and cyclooxygenase-dependent vasodilatory mechanisms are inhibited.

scholarly journals Self Assessment Tools (SAT) as One of the Basic Tools for Performance Management: A Critique

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Thomas Alama Etalong
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
State Government ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Permanent Staff

The alignment of employees to the organizational goal, vision and mission is very imperative and cannot be emphasize enough. As such, there is need for organizations to deliberately bring their workforce on board to achieve this set goals or targets. It is also important for employees to assess themselves from time to time to ascertain that they are up-to- date with the vision, goal and mission of the organization, this literally translate into self-assessment- a process of keeping self in proper check to ascertain correctness and alignment with organizational objective. The central theme of this article is to examine the role of Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) in performance management, the article also examine the shortfall of this tool developed by Bureau for Public Service Reform (BPSR). The method adopted for this study is survey method using questionnaires, one hundred questionnaires were administered among forty (40) junior, thirty (30) senior staff in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Enugu State, twenty (20) contract staff and ten (10) permanent staff of First Bank Plc, presidential road, Enugu. The results from the analysis shows that, the results from Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) are not made public and it gives preferences to government agencies at the detriment of private sector. The paper further X-ray the importance of performance management, ranging from reduced costs in the organization, aligns the organization directly between its employees and the strategic goals and stop project overruns. The paper concludes by noting that the result of the assessment may be made public, to guide policy making process and finally, the private sector should also be incorporated into the tool.

scholarly journals Simple Self-Assessment Tool to Predict Osteoporosis in Taiwanese Men

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dung-Huan Liu ◽  
Chung-Yuan Hsu ◽  
Pei-Ching Wu ◽  
Ying-Chou Chen ◽  
You-Yin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Risk Index ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Fracture Risk Assessment Tool ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Taiwanese Men ◽  
Country Specific

Background: Although the self-assessment tools for predicting osteoporosis are convenient for clinicians, they are not commonly used among men. We developed the Male Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Taiwan (MOSTAi) to identify the patients at risk of osteoporosis.Methods: All the participants completed a questionnaire on the clinical risk factors for the fracture risk assessment tool. The risk index was calculated by the multivariate regression model through the item reduction method. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze its sensitivity and specificity, and MOSTAi was developed and validated.Results: A total of 2,290 men participated in the bone mineral density (BMD) survey. We chose a model that considered two variables (age and weight). The area under the curve (AUC) of the model was 0.700. The formula for the MOSTAi index is as follows: 0.3 × (weight in kilograms) – 0.1 × (years). We chose 11 as the appropriate cut-off value for the MOSTAi index to identify the subjects at the risk of osteoporosis.Conclusions: The MOSTAi is a simple, intuitive, and country-specific tool that can predict the risk of osteoporosis in Taiwanese men. Due to different demographic characteristics, each region of the world can develop its own model to identify patients with osteoporosis more effectively.

scholarly journals Glutamine metabolism modulates azole susceptibility in Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C Dumoulin ◽  
Joshua Vollrath ◽  
Sheena Shah Tomko ◽  
Jennifer X Wang ◽  
Barbara Burleigh
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Glutamine Metabolism ◽  
Sterol Synthesis ◽  
Ergosterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Metabolic Intermediates ◽  
Ergosterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors ◽  
Current Therapies ◽  
Metabolic Heterogeneity

The mechanisms underlying resistance of the Chagas disease parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, to current therapies are not well understood, including the role of metabolic heterogeneity. We found that limiting exogenous glutamine protects actively dividing amastigotes from ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors (azoles), independent of parasite growth rate. The antiparasitic properties of azoles are derived from inhibition of lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) in the endogenous sterol synthesis pathway. We find that carbons from 13C-glutamine feed into amastigote sterols and into metabolic intermediates that accumulate upon CYP51 inhibition. Incorporation of 13C-glutamine into endogenously synthesized sterols is increased with BPTES treatment, an inhibitor of host glutamine metabolism that sensitizes amastigotes to azoles. Similarly, amastigotes are re-sensitized to azoles following addition of metabolites upstream of CYP51, raising the possibility that flux through the sterol synthesis pathway is a determinant of sensitivity to azoles and highlighting the potential role for metabolic heterogeneity in recalcitrant T. cruzi infection.

Treatment with 5-HT potentiates development of pulmonary hypertension in chronically hypoxic rats

1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (3) ◽  
pp. H1173-H1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eddahibi ◽  
B. Raffestin ◽  
I. Pham ◽  
J. M. Launay ◽  
P. Aegerter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Hypertension ◽  
Ventricular Hypertrophy ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Acute Hypoxia ◽  
Synthesis Inhibitor ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Isolated Lungs ◽  
Dose Dependent

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on development of pulmonary hypertension during chronic exposure to mild (15% O2) and severe (10% O2) hypoxia. In isolated lungs from normoxic rats preconstricted with U-46619, 5-HT (10(-12)-10(-8) M) induced dose-dependent vasodilation (n = 6), which was suppressed by the NO synthesis inhibitor nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10(-4) M, n = 5) and reduced by the 5-HT3-receptor antagonist MDL-7222 (10(-5) M, n = 6). The vasoconstriction that was observed with higher concentrations of 5-HT (10(-7)-10(-4) M) was inhibited by ketanserin (10(-5) M) and methiothepin (10(-5) M, n = 6 each). The vasodilator response to 5-HT was suppressed in lungs from rats exposed to 10% O2 but not 15% O2 (n = 6 each). In conscious rats, intravenous administration of 5-HT potentiated the pulmonary pressor response to acute hypoxia (10% O2, n = 5), an effect that remained unchanged after pretreatment with a 5-HT1 and a 5-HT2 antagonist (n = 4) but was attenuated after treatment with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor meclofenamate (n = 4). Treatment with 5-HT (5 nmol/h i.v. by osmotic pumps) for 2 wk in rats simultaneously exposed to 10% O2 increased pulmonary arterial pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, and muscularization of pulmonary vessels in comparison with their hypoxic controls (n = 12 each). No changes occurred in 15% O2 hypoxic rats (n = 12 each). The present findings show that 5-HT potentiates development of pulmonary hypertension in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia.

scholarly journals Potential role of hypothalamic microRNAs in regulation of FOS and FTO expression in response to hypoglycemia

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 981-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashair M. Mussa ◽  
Jalal Taneera ◽  
Abdul Khader Mohammed ◽  
Ankita Srivastava ◽  
Debasmita Mukhopadhyay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Autonomic Failure ◽  
Regulatory Proteins ◽  
Molecular Signature ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Dose Dependent Fashion ◽  
Sympathetic Nervous ◽  
Dose Dependent

AbstractHypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF) is a serious complication of diabetes which is associated with the absence of physiological homeostatic counter-regulatory mechanisms that are controlled by the hypothalamus and sympathetic nervous system. Identification of biomarkers for early detection of HAAF requires an advanced understanding of molecular signature of hypoglycemia which is yet to be identified. The outcomes of the present study have shown that the viability and the apoptotic rate of the hypothalamic neurons (mHypoE-N39) were decreased significantly due to hypoglycemia in a dose-dependent fashion (p < 0.05). Although there are more than 1000 miRNAs differentially expressed in hypothalamus, only twelve miRNAs (miR-7a, miR-7b, miR-9, miR-29b, miR-29c, miR-30a, miR-30b, miR-30c, miR-101b-3p, miR-181a-5p, miR-378-3p and miR-873-5p) were correlated to two main hypothalamic regulatory proteins, FOS and FTO. Expression of these proteins was very sensitive to hypoglycemia. We demonstrated that hypoglycemia modulates the expression of hypothalamic miRNAs that are related to FOS and FTO.

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