Detection of Disease-Specific Volatile Organic Compounds Using Infrared Spectroscopy

Many life-threatening diseases at an early stage remain unrecognized due to a lack of pronounced symptoms. It is also accepted that the early detection of disease is a key ingredient for saving many lives. Unfortunately, in most of the cases, diagnostics implies an invasive sample collection, being problematic at the asymptomatic stage. Infrared spectroscopy of breath offers reliable noninvasive diagnostics at every stage and has already been tested for several diseases. This approach offers not only the detection of specific metabolites, but also the analysis of their imbalance and transportation. In this article, the power of infrared spectroscopy is demonstrated for diabetes, cerebral palsy, acute gastritis caused by bacterial infection, and prostate cancer.

Sheehan’s syndrome with hypothyroidism: a rare case report

Sheehan's syndrome is a form of hypopituitarism caused by pituitary gland necrosis caused by hemorrhagic shock during pregnancy. It's a rare issue with a wide range of symptoms and a long time to diagnose. A 40-year-old female presented with a giddiness which was rotatory type followed by headache, vomiting associated with nausea, decreased appetite for one week. She has experienced excessive vaginal bleeding and secondary amenorrhea exists for 20 years. Patients diagnosed to have acute liver injury, hyponatremia, and acute gastritis. The thyroid profile showed hypothyroidism and the patient started on appropriate medication. Hypopituitarism due to Sheehan's disease was discovered after a thorough clinical examination, endocrine investigations, and a pituitary magnetic resonance scan. Following the start of hormone replacement therapy, she showed significant improvement. The current case demonstrates that undiagnosed Sheehan's syndrome is linked to long-term morbidity, and we want to emphasize the importance of a high index of suspicion for early diagnosis of the syndrome during routine clinical visits to avoid complications that can arise from delayed diagnosis.

Modern approaches to pharmacotherapy of chronic gastritis

The definition of gastritis is based on the histological features of the gastric mucosa. This is not the erythema observed during gastroscopy, and there are no specific clinical manifestations or symptoms that determine it. The modern classification of gastritis is based on time (acute and chronic), histological features, anatomical distribution and the main pathological mechanisms. Acute gastritis will develop into chronic if left untreated. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the most common cause of gastritis worldwide. However, from 60 to 70% H. pylori-negative subjects with functional dyspepsia or non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux were also found to have gastritis. H. pylori-negative gastritis is considered when a person meets all four of these criteria: negative triple staining of biopsies of the gastric mucosa, no history of treatment of H. pylori. In these patients, the cause of gastritis may be associated with tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and / or the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroids. Other causes of gastritis include autoimmune gastritis associated with antibodies of serum anti-parietal and anti-internal factor; organisms other than H. pylori, such as Mycobacterium avium intracellulare, Herpes simplex and Cytomegalovirus; gastritis caused by acid reflux; Rare causes of gastritis include collagen gastritis, sarcoidosis, eosinophilic gastritis and lymphocytic gastritis. The clinical picture, laboratory studies, gastroscopy, as well as histological and microbiological examination of tissue biopsies are important for the diagnosis of gastritis and its causes. Treatment of gastritis caused by H. pylori leads to the rapid disappearance of polymorphic-nuclear infiltration and a decrease in chronic inflammatory infiltrate with gradual normalization of the mucous membrane. Other types of gastritis should be treated based on their etiology.

Anti-Gastritis and Anti-Lung Injury Effects of Pine Tree Ethanol Extract Targeting Both NF-kB and AP-1 Pathways

An ethanol extract (Pd-EE) of Pinus densiflora Siebold and Zucc was derived from the branches of pine trees. According to the Donguibogam, pine resin has the effects of lowering the fever, reducing pain, and killing worms. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether Pd-EE has anti-inflammatory effects. During in vitro trials, NO production, as well as changes in the mRNA levels of inflammation-related genes and the phosphorylation levels of related proteins, were confirmed in RAW264.7 cells activated with lipopolysaccharide depending on the presence or absence of Pd-EE treatment. The activities of transcription factors were checked in HEK293T cells transfected with adapter molecules in the inflammatory pathway. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of Pd-EE was also estimated in vivo with acute gastritis and acute lung injury models. LC-MS analysis was conducted to identify the components of Pd-EE. This extract reduced the production of NO and the mRNA expression levels of iNOS, COX-2, and IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, protein expression levels of p50 and p65 and phosphorylation levels of FRA1 were decreased. In the luciferase assay, the activities of NF-kB and AP-1 were lowered. In acute gastritis and acute lung injury models, Pd-EE suppressed inflammation, resulting in alleviated damage.

Cissus subtetragona Planch. Ameliorates Inflammatory Responses in LPS-induced Macrophages, HCl/EtOH-induced Gastritis, and LPS-induced Lung Injury via Attenuation of Src and TAK1

Several Cissus species have been used and reported to possess medicinal benefits. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Cissus subtetragona have not been described. In this study, we examined the potential anti-inflammatory effects of C. subtetragona ethanol extract (Cs-EE) in vitro and in vivo, and investigated its molecular mechanism as well as its flavonoid content. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells and primary macrophages as well as LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and HCl/EtOH-induced acute gastritis mouse models were utilized. Luciferase assays, immunoblotting analyses, overexpression strategies, and cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) were performed to identify the molecular mechanisms and targets of Cs-EE. Cs-EE concentration-dependently reduced the secretion of NO and PGE2, inhibited the expression of inflammation-related cytokines in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells, and decreased NF-κB- and AP-1-luciferase activity. Subsequently, we determined that Cs-EE decreased the phosphorylation events of NF-κB and AP-1 pathways. Cs-EE treatment also significantly ameliorated the inflammatory symptoms of HCl/EtOH-induced acute gastritis and LPS-induced ALI mouse models. Overexpression of HA-Src and HA-TAK1 along with CETSA experiments validated that inhibited inflammatory responses are the outcome of attenuation of Src and TAK1 activation. Taken together, these findings suggest that Cs-EE could be utilized as an anti-inflammatory remedy especially targeting against gastritis and acute lung injury by attenuating the activities of Src and TAK1.

Knowledge Regarding Gastritis among Late Adolescence in Central Nepal

Gastritis is an inflammation or irritation of the lining of the stomach, can be a brief and sudden illness (acute gastritis), a long-lasting condition (chronic gastritis). Gastritis is the top most common cause of morbidity. This study is designed to find out knowledge regarding gastritis among late adolescence. A descriptive research design was used for the study. A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analysed and the descriptive and inferential test was applied by using SPSS. The study finding revealed eighty percent of the participants knew the definition of gastritis,66% on risk factors, 50% respondents on causes, 23.7% on sign and symptom,56.66% on management and 48.5% respondents on complications, and 66.55% on prevention of gastritis. The level of knowledge is average in causes, signs and symptoms, management and complications. More specifically,68% of respondents had average knowledge on gastritis and 4% had excellent knowledge. The level of knowledge of respondents is statistically significant with sex (p=0.021) and socio-economic status (p=0.008). The finding of the study revealed that knowledge on gastritis is average among the respondents. So the health education is needed for students to increase their knowledge.

Atypical presentation at acute gastritis: significant gastric wall thickening as a presentation of a primary Helicobacter pylori infection in children

Helicobacter pylori infection could cause chronic inflammation in the stomach and induce peptic ulcer disease or even malignant tumour. The initial infection of the organism happens in childhood but most of cases are latent. We had a case of 10-year-old girl who presented with acute epigastric pain and significant thickening of the stomach wall on CT. The finding seemed atypical for acute gastritis so oesophagogastroduodenoscopy and serology examination were added and the primary infection of H. pylori was confirmed with the exclusion of other possible diagnoses like eosinophilic gastritis and IgA vasculitis. Acute gastritis is one of the most common sickness in children, however, it would be worthwhile considering further investigation including H. pylori infection in a case of atypical presentation to prevent negative consequences derived from chronic H. pylori infection.

Determine the Prevalence of cagA and Baba of Helicobacter Pylori Isolated from Gastric Atrophic Patients

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of cagA and babA of helicobacter pylori isolated from gastric atrophic patients. Study Design: Descriptive/Analytical Place and Duration: The study was conducted at Medicine/Gastroenterology department of Khyber Teaching Hospital and Peshawar Institute of Medical Sciences, Peshawar for six months duration from March 2020 to August 2020. Methods: Total one hundred and twenty patients of both genders were presented in this study. Patients were aged between 20-80 years of age. Patients detailed demographics age, sex and body mass index were recorded after taking informed written consent. All patients of gastroduodenal disorders were undergone for isolation of bacteria by using standard techniques. Complete data was analyzed by SPSS 22.0 version. Results: Total 50 (41.7%) patients were males and 70 (58.3%) patients were females. Mean age of the patients were 41.96 ± 16 years with mean BMI 25.24 ± 4.8 kg/m2. Frequency of H pylori was isolated in 30 (25%) patients in which 13 patients had atrophic gastritis, 9 patients had gastric ulcer and 8 patients had acute gastritis. Prevalence of cagA gene was 16 (53.33%) and babA was 10 (33.33%) in H. pylori isolated patients. Significantly difference with p value <0.05 was observed between cagA positive strains and patients of gastric atrophic. The involvement of gastric atrophic patients was not correlated to the babA gene. Conclusion: We concluded in this study that different cagA positive H. pylori can be retrieved from gastric atrophy patients. Keywords: Gastric atrophy, Gastric cancer, cagA, babA, Helicobacter pylori

Monitoring the Reaction of the Body State to Antibiotic Treatment against Helicobacter pylori via Infrared Spectroscopy: A Case Study

The current understanding of deviations of human microbiota caused by antibiotic treatment is poor. In an attempt to improve it, a proof-of-principle spectroscopic study of the breath of one volunteer affected by a course of antibiotics for Helicobacter pylori eradication was performed. Fourier transform spectroscopy enabled searching for the absorption spectral structures sensitive to the treatment in the entire mid-infrared region. Two spectral ranges were found where the corresponding structures strongly correlated with the beginning and end of the treatment. The structures were identified as methyl ester of butyric acid and ethyl ester of pyruvic acid. Both acids generated by bacteria in the gut are involved in fundamental processes of human metabolism. Being confirmed by other studies, measurement of the methyl butyrate deviation could be a promising way for monitoring acute gastritis and anti-Helicobacter pylori antibiotic treatment.

The Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Clinical Uses of Metagentiana Rhodantha (Franch.) T.N.Ho and S.W.Liu, an Ethnomedicine in Southwest China

Background:Metagentiana rhodantha (Franch.) T.N.Ho and S.W.Liu (MR) belongs to Gentianales, and it is often called Hong-hua-long-dan in Chinese. Traditionally, it has been used to cure acute icteric hepatitis, sore throat, dysentery, acute gastritis, carbuncle, and furuncle based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) concepts.Aim of Study: This review manages to provide a critical and comprehensive analysis on the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical uses of MR and to evaluate the therapeutic potential of this plant.Methods: Relevant data mainly literatures on MR were selected from available database. All the papers reviewed provided evidence that the source herbs were reliably identified.Results: The heat-clearing and removing the phlegm, and purging fire and removing toxicity of MR contribute to its dispelling jaundice, and clearing lung heat and cough. The compounds isolated from this plant include iridoids and secoiridoids, phenolic acids, ketones, triterpenoids, flavonoids, benzophenone glycosides, and others. Mangiferin (MAF) is a characteristic substance from this plant. The pharmacological studies show that some extracts and compounds from MR exhibit anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and other effects which are associated with the traditional uses of this plant. The toxicological studies suggest that MAF is less toxic in mice and dogs. Nowadays, Chinese patent drugs such as Feilike Jiaonang and Kangfuling Jiaonang containing MR have been used to cure cough, asthma, chronic bronchitis, dysmenorrhea, and appendagitis.Conclusion: Although the current studies provide related research information of MR, it is still necessary to systemically evaluate the chemistry, pharmacology, toxicity, and safety of the extracts or compounds from this plant before clinical trials in the future. In addition, except for lung infection-related diseases, analgesia, anti-tumor, and hypertriglycemia may be new and prior therapeutic scopes of this ethnomedicine in the future.