Intercellular adhesive molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Purpose: To determine the level of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in vitreous fluid of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and its affecting factors including HbA1c level, duration of diabetes mellitus (DM) and insulin usage. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Central Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia from June 2015 to August 2016. Thirty-three consecutive vitreous samples harvested from PDR patients underwent vitrectomy. The level of vitreous ICAM-1 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Based on the glycemic status, vitreous ICAM-1 level in the uncontrolled glycemic group (21.61 ng/ml) was lower than controlled glycemic group (24.20 ng/ml). Patients with DM for more than 10 years had higher level of vitreous ICAM-1 (26.30 ng/ml). Vitreous ICAM-1 level in DM patients with insulin was higher than those without insulin (27.07 ng/ml vs. 24.17 ng/ml). There was no statistically significant difference between vitreous ICAM-1 levels among all groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The concentration of vitreous ICAM-1 may not be influenced by glucose control and conventional insulin therapy.

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Macular thickness in diabetic retinopathy without clinically significant macular edema

Asian Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.35119/asjoo.v16i2.353 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 64-78

Author(s):

Krishna Rao ◽

Ravi Chandra ◽

Lavanya Rao ◽

Shailaja S ◽

Manali Hazarika

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Macular Edema ◽

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Macular Thickness ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Central Subfield Thickness ◽

Clinically Significant Macular Edema ◽

Clinically Significant

Aim: To measure macular thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in various grades of diabetic retinopathy with no clinically significant macular edema (CSME) and its comparison with non-diabetics. Design: Prospective cross–sectional study. Methods: Macular thickness was measured by OCT in 72 healthy volunteers (107 control eyes), 45 patients with mild and moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) (78 eyes) and 37 patients with severe NPDR and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (66 eyes). Patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) as assessed by stereoscopic evaluation or photographs were excluded. One-way ANOVA test to compare the mean thickness and Tukey's test for multiple comparison between groups were used. Results: Central subfield thickness (CST) was 238.57 ± 25.077 µm, 251.22 ± 24.649 µm, and 270.45 ± 28.956 µm in the three groups respectively. As the severity of retinopathy increased, the macular thickness significantly increased (p = < 0.001) in all the nine zones on OCT. There was a significant increase in CST noted in all the grades of retinopathy when compared with non-diabetics (p = 0.004, p = < 0.0001). No significant difference in macular thickness was noted between genders, irrespective of their groups (p = 0.72), or between the three groups in all the nine zones (p = 0.609). Conclusion: There is a significant increase in CST in all grades of retinopathy, as well as with increasing severity of retinopathy when compared to non-diabetics. This warrants the need to obtain OCT measurements even in patients with moderate NPDR without CSME to rule out subclinical DME.

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Factors affecting academic failure in medical students in Iran

Research and Development in Medical Education ◽

10.34172/rdme.2021.014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 14-14

Author(s):

Zohreh Tajabadi ◽

Matineh Sadat Miri ◽

Soliman Ahmadi ◽

Matineh Pourrahimi ◽

Mojtaba Abdi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Student Satisfaction ◽

Academic Failure ◽

Educational Status ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Academic Probation ◽

Affecting Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significance Level ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Significant Difference

Background: Students are considered part of the capital of each country. Several factors can affect their educational status and, as a result, contribute to their academic failure. The current study seeks to investigate the relationship between students’ academic failure and the affecting factors with the Iranian Educational Ranking of Universities. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The required sample size was calculated using Cochran’s formula. A researcher-made questionnaire with 5 parts was used to collect data. Kruskal Wallis and Spearman’s analysis of variance was used for analysis. The significance level was considered as 0.05. Results: A total of 1215 people participated; 13.7% of students had had an academic failure and 2.0% of them were on academic probation. There was a correlation between university RAD rank and academic failure (r = -0.098 and P = 0.0001) as well as student satisfaction (r = 0.264 – P = 0.0001). There was a significant difference between an academic drop and academic grade in three ranks of university (Pv= 0.0001), and, interestingly, having moved from Rank 1 to 3, having academic grade increases, and having academic failure decreases. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, the higher ranked the college campus is on the RAD scale, the higher the academic failure rate. For annual assessment of universities, it is proposed that assessment of academic failure and grades be used as a benchmark.

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Correlations Between Different Angiogenic and Inflammatory Factors in Vitreous Fluid of Eyes With Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2021.727407 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Guanrong Wu ◽

Baoyi Liu ◽

Qiaowei Wu ◽

Changting Tang ◽

Zijing Du ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Growth Factor ◽

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Fasting Blood Glucose ◽

Intercellular Adhesion Molecule ◽

Inflammatory Factors ◽

Control Group ◽

Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 ◽

Vitreous Fluid ◽

Inflammation Mediators

Purpose: To investigate the expression of various angiogenesis and inflammation mediators in the vitreous fluid of eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).Methods: A total of 38 eyes with PDR and 37 control eyes were included. Vitreous fluid was collected during vitrectomy. Vitreous levels of colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R), syndecan-1, placental growth factor (PIGF), and angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL-4) were measured by multiplex immunoassay. Vitreous levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were measured by cytometric beads array. Levels of these mediators were compared between the PDR and control eyes. Correlations between levels of different mediators and between these mediators and kidney function metrics in the PDR group were also analyzed.Results: Vitreous levels of syndecan-1, PIGF, ANGPTL-4, VEGF, and IL-8 were significantly higher in the PDR group compared to the control group (all p < 0.05). Levels of VEGF were significantly correlated with levels of syndecan-1, PIGF, and ANGPTL-4 (r = 0.370 to 0.497, all p < 0.05). Significant positive correlations were detected between levels of any two of the following mediators including syndecan-1, PIGF, ANGPTL-4, and IL-8 (r = 0.370 to 0.906, all p < 0.05). Apart from VEGF, levels of these mediators were positively correlated with serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (r = 0.328 to 0.638, all p < 0.05), and negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose and estimated glomerular filtration rate (r = −0.325 to −0.603, all p < 0.05).Conclusions: Correlations between different angiogenesis and inflammation mediators were observed in eyes with PDR, suggesting cross-talks of different angiogenesis and inflammation pathways in the pathogenesis of PDR. The levels of angiogenesis and inflammation in PDR are correlated with kidney damage, indicating possible common pathways in diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy.

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Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in sheep flocks in Kaduna State, Northwestern Nigeria

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/004.2021.00034 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shuaibu Gidado Adamu ◽

Junaidu Kabir ◽

Jarlath Udo Umoh ◽

Mashood Abiola Raji

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Coxiella Burnetii ◽

Q Fever ◽

Jugular Vein ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Sectional Study ◽

High Seroprevalence ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of Q fever in sheep in the northern part of Kaduna State, Nigeria. This study aimed to determine Coxiella burnetii infection and its risk factors in sheep in Kaduna State. A total of 400 blood samples consisting of 259 samples from females and 141 from males were aseptically collected from the jugular vein of sheep from flocks in Kaduna State. The sera obtained were screened for Q fever using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). The obtained data were analysed to determine whether there is a relationship between sex, age, and the animals tested. The analysis revealed that 8.0% of the sera was seropositive by iELISA. There was no significant difference in Q fever seropositivity in the study area according to the sex of sheep (P > 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in Q fever seropositivity according to the age of sheep. This study indicated a high seroprevalence of Q fever mainly among female animals and older sheep. Further studies are required to determine the epizootiology of Q fever in the study area more precisely.

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The Role of Ischemia-modified Albumin as a Biomarker in Preeclampsia

Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia / RBGO Gynecology and Obstetrics ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1709662 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (03) ◽

pp. 133-139

Author(s):

Süleyman Serkan Karaşin ◽

Tayfur Çift

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Laboratory Data ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Ischemia Modified Albumin ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Gestational Week ◽

Severity Of The Disease

Abstract Objective Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA)is a modified type of albumin protein that is formed under oxidative stress. This study aims to compare the levels of serum IMA between normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies and to evaluate the relationship between the severity of the disease. Methods A total of 90 pregnant women aged between 18 and 45 years participated in this cross-sectional study. The levels of serum IMA were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 30 preeclamptic pregnant women with the severe signs of the disease, 30 preeclamptic pregnant women, and 30 normotensive pregnant women.. The study was designed as a cross-sectional clinical study. Results When the demographic characteristics were examined, statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of age, gestational week at birth and blood pressure. Age was higher in the preeclampsia with signs of severity group than in the normotensive group (p = 0.033). Pregnancy week was significantly the lowest in the preeclampsia with the severity signs group (p = 0.004). In normotensive patients, IMA levels were lower than in the preeclampsia groups (p < 0.001) but there was no significant difference in terms of severity of disease (p = 0.191). According to laboratory data; only the creatinine level was significantly different between the groups. Conclusion The levels of serum IMA were higher in patients with preeclampsia than in healthy pregnancies. However, there was no significant correlation in terms of preeclampsia severity; more extensive, prospective and long-term studies are needed.

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Salivary Levels of IL-6 and IL-17 Could Be an Indicator of Disease Severity in Patients with Calculus Associated Chronic Periodontitis

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2018/8531961 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Husniah Batool ◽

Ahmed Nadeem ◽

Muhammad Kashif ◽

Faheem Shahzad ◽

Romeeza Tahir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Periodontitis ◽

Alveolar Bone ◽

Gingival Crevicular Fluid ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Crevicular Fluid

Background/Purpose. Chronic periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of gums that causes loss of supporting structures of teeth, that is, gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone. Levels of various cytokines in the serum, gingival tissues, and gingival crevicular fluid in patients with chronic periodontitis have been studied, but limited data are available on the level of cytokines in saliva. Therefore, a study was designed to determine levels of salivary IL-6 and IL-17 in patients with calculus associated chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods. It was a comparative, cross-sectional study that is comprised of 41 healthy controls and 41 calculus associated chronic periodontitis patients (CP patients). According to the degree of attachment loss, CP patients were subcategorized as mild (CAL 1-2 mm), moderate (CAL 3-4 mm), and severe (CAL > 5 mm) forms of periodontitis. Salivary levels of IL-6 and IL-17 were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Results. Between healthy controls and CP patients (moderate and severe disease), a statistically significant difference was observed in the concentrations of IL-6 and IL-17. In CP patients, the highest mean ± SD of salivary IL-6 and IL-17 was observed in severe CP, followed by moderate and mild CP. Regarding level of IL-6, a statistically significant difference was observed between mild and severe disease and between moderate and severe subcategories of CP patients. Similarly, statistically significant difference was observed in the level of IL-17 between mild and moderate, mild and severe disease, and moderate and severe disease. Conclusion. The levels of salivary IL-6 and IL-17 were increased significantly in calculus associated CP patients as compared to healthy controls and these levels increased with the progression of CP. Clinical Significance. Salivary levels of IL-6 and IL-17 may help in the subcategorization of CP.

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Cross-sectional correlates of paraoxonase 1 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in metabolic syndrome patients with and without diabetes

Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1177/2042018818787396 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 303-310

Author(s):

Qutaiba Qusay Al-Heety ◽

Violet Kasabri ◽

Amal Akour ◽

Randa Naffa ◽

Samar Abu Rkhaya

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Adhesion Molecule ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Intercellular Adhesion ◽

Paraoxonase 1 ◽

Intercellular Adhesion Molecule ◽

Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hematological Indices ◽

Soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule

Background: Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1(sICAM-1) are intricately involved in metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) pathophysiology. This study aimed to investigate PON1 and sICAM-1 plasma levels in addition to correlating them with adiposity, atherogenicity and hematological indices in T2DM and MetS. Methods: This cross-sectional study composed of 28 healthy lean subjects (control), 29 normoglycemic MetS subjects and 30 MetS-Pre/T2DM. Results: The sICAM-1 levels (ng/ml) were markedly higher in the pre/diabetic MetS group (828 ± 250.37 versus controls’ 608.62 ± 184; p < 0.05). Conversely, PON1 levels (mlU/ml) were markedly lower in the pre/diabetic MetS group [252,700 (163,950, 362,800) versus controls’ 394,900 (212,550, 469,350); p < 0.05]. sICAM-1 correlated directly with all adiposity indices [conicity index (CI), waist circumference (WC), waist–hip ratio (WHR) waist-to-height (WHtR) ratio, hip circumference (HC) and body adiposity index (BAI)] in addition to the atherogenicity index of plasma (AIP). PON1 correlated negatively and significantly with CI, WC, WHR, WHtR and HC but directly with lymphocyte. Significantly, a reciprocal sICAM-1–PON1 relationship was observed in the total population ( r = −0.262, p = 0.015). Conclusion: Utility of sICAM-1 and PON1 as surrogate prognostic biomarkers and putative therapeutic targets in the management of diabetes and MetS is strongly suggested.

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Ghrelin levels in hypertensive obese and normotensive obese subjects.

The Professional Medical Journal ◽

10.29309/tpmj/2021.28.08.6066 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (08) ◽

pp. 1142-1146

Author(s):

Zehra Niazi ◽

◽

Sundus Tariq ◽

Muhammad Azhar Saeed ◽

Sana Akram ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Ghrelin Level ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Social ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Minimum Age ◽

Obese Subjects

Objective: The purpose was to determine the ghrelin level, its effect and relationship with blood pressure levels in obese subjects. Study Design: Comparative Cross Sectional study. Settings: General OPD of Madinah Teaching Hospital (MTH) and District Head Quarter hospital Faisalabad (DHQ). Period: 2019 to 2020. Material & Methods: Blood samples were collected from hypertensive and compared with the normotensive obese (BMI >30). Ghrelin level was measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was done on Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 20 software. Mean ±SD has been given for quantitative variables. Independent sample t test was used for comparisons. Significance has been chosen as p ≤ 0.05. Results: Total 114 obese patients were selected for this study, of which 57 were hypertensive and 57 were normotensive. Minimum age was 30 years and maximum age was 60 years with mean age 39.35 ± 10.08 years. Mean age of hypertensive obese was 43.42 ± 10.46 years and mean age of normotensive was 35.28 ± 7.87 years. Statistically significant difference of mean fasting ghrelin levels between hypertensive obese and normotensive obese was noted with p value 0.013. Conclusion: Obese persons with elevated circulating concentration of ghrelin may be susceptible to the progression of increasing blood pressure.

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Evaluation of strategic thinking and its affecting factors among managers and personnel in a medical sciences university in Iran

International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare ◽

10.1108/ijhrh-04-2017-0013 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 248-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sedigheh Salavati ◽

Mohammad Amerzadeh ◽

Amjad Mohammadi Bolbanabad ◽

Bakhtiar Piroozi ◽

Shilan Amirihoseini

Keyword(s):

Work Experience ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Strategic Thinking ◽

Affecting Factors ◽

Strategic Decisions ◽

Medical Sciences ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Significant Difference

Purpose Prediction of future changes and making appropriate strategic decisions require strategic thinking in any organization. It helps managers to create new opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to measure strategic thinking and its affecting factors at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Design/methodology/approach This is a descriptive-analytic as well as a cross-sectional study which was conducted in 2016. Its statistical community included 300 managers and personnel of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The sample size was equal to statistical community. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire. Data were then entered into SPSS20 and were analyzed using statistical tests such as Freedman, Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis. Findings Overall, strategic thinking was evaluated “good” and “somewhat good” among managers (5.0±72.28) and personnel (6.0±25.48), respectively. Moreover, among the elements of strategic thinking, conceptual thinking obtained the highest score among both managers (6.0±06.32) and personnel (5.0±53.52), which was evaluated in a “good” level. There was a significant difference between managers’ and personnel’s strategic thinking score (p=0.001). Different education groups of managers and personnel were different in terms of strategic thinking (p<0.05), but strategic thinking score of managers and personnel were not significant based on the work experience and type of employment. Originality/value Although both managers and personnel received a good score in terms of strategic thinking, improving the level of strategic thinking especially for future trends and opportunities can lead to enhanced strategic thinking among managers and personnel of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences.

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Sero-Epidemiological Study of Hepatitis E Virus among Thalassemia as High Risk Patients: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Jahrom, Southern, Iran

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v8n9p245 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 245 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Abdolreza Sotoodeh Jahromi ◽

Abbas Ahmadi-vasmehjani ◽

Hassan Zabetian ◽

Hossein Hakimelahi ◽

Alireza Yusefi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Age Groups ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Ig G

<p>Hepatitis E virus (HEV) could be cause of viral hepatitis in the developing countries and cause severe epidemics. According to other studies, blood transfusion as a probable route of HEV infection has been suggested. An infection with hepatitis agents such as HEV causes active liver failure in multi-transfusion patients in particular thalassemia. The purpose of this study determines the seropositivity of anti-HEV antibodies in thalassemia individuals in Jahrom. In a cross-sectional study, sera from 110 thalassemia were collected between 2013 and 2014. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was performed to detection of anti-HEV antibodies. Individuals’ data were collected such as, demographic and clinical, for statistical analysis. Our results show that 10% and 1.8% of the enrolled patients were HEV Ig-G and Ig-M positive antibodies respectively. In addition, there was statiscally significant difference in age groups for prevalence of anti-HEV Ig-G (P = 0.01). Also the serum levels of liver enzymes such as ALT and AST in the HEV Ig-G and Ig-M positive samples were significantly higher than anti-HEV negative samples. But there were no significant difference between sex and splenectomy with anti-HEV positive samples. The results indicate more study are needed to assess HEV screening of blood products to these patients that those have a probably risk of exposure to HEV especially in higher years old. </p>

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