Evaluation of Hypolipidemic and Hepatoprotective Effects of Linum usitatissimum L. Seeds on Hypercholesterolemic Rats

Background: Hyperlipidaemia is a chronic progressive disease, which encompasses various genetic and acquired conditions resulting in inappropriately elevated lipid levels in humans. Several preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that dietary supplementation with Linum Usitatissimum have beneficial cardiovascular effects like antihypertensive action, antiatherogenic effects, lowering of cholesterol, anti-inflammatory action and inhibition of arrhythmia. There are few studies on hepatoprotective effects of flax seeds in hyperlipidemic animal models. Aim and objectives: Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate the hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effect of Linum seeds. Methods: The study was conducted for the period of two months in Department of Pharmacology KIMS, Bhubaneswar. Total 36 Albino wistar rats were taken and divided into 6 groups containing 6 rats each. Group II was hypercholesterolemic (HC) control, Group III was treatment control and Group IV to VI rats were given different doses of extract. Blood samples were taken at the end of two months. Results: All the values are expressed as Mean±SD (standard deviation). Significant decrease in lipid parameters and liver enzymes is seen at the end of two months in all 3 groups receiving the extract, where the highest dose of extract used, is near to the standard drug. Conclusion: From this study, it can be concluded that the addition of the flaxseeds to the diet may alleviate the rise in circulating cholesterol levels induced by the high cholesterol diet through its content of alfa-linolenic acid (ALA) and lignins. The hepatoprotective role of flaxseed in hypercholesterolaemia has also been demonstrated in this this study.

Obesity and Pancreatic Cancer: Insight into Mechanisms

The prevalence of obesity in adults and children has dramatically increased over the past decades. Obesity has been declared a chronic progressive disease and is a risk factor for a number of metabolic, inflammatory, and neoplastic diseases. There is clear epidemiologic and preclinical evidence that obesity is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Among various potential mechanisms linking obesity with pancreatic cancer, the adipose tissue and obesity-associated adipose tissue inflammation play a central role. The current review discusses selected topics and mechanisms that attracted recent interest and that may underlie the promoting effects of obesity in pancreatic cancer. These topics include the impact of obesity on KRAS activity, the role of visceral adipose tissue, intrapancreatic fat, adipose tissue inflammation, and adipokines on pancreatic cancer development. Current research on lipocalin-2, fibroblast growth factor 21, and Wnt5a is discussed. Furthermore, the significance of obesity-associated insulin resistance with hyperinsulinemia and obesity-induced gut dysbiosis with metabolic endotoxemia is reviewed. Given the central role that is occupied by the adipose tissue in obesity-promoted pancreatic cancer development, preventive and interceptive strategies should be aimed at attenuating obesity-associated adipose tissue inflammation and/or at targeting specific molecules that mechanistically link adipose tissue with pancreatic cancer in obese patients.

Aquatic Physical Therapy in the balance and gait of people with Parkinson’s Disease: a pilot study

Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative, chronic, progressive disease, resulting mainly from the depletion of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. It is characterized by four cardinal signs, namely: bradykinesia, stiffness, tremor, and postural instability, which contribute to body balance and gait functional deficits. Among the possibilities of intervention, the Aquatic Physical Therapy (APT) stands out in the prevention and rehabilitation of motor and functional alterations, using water physical and thermal properties. Objective. To verify the effects of APT on body balance and gait. Method. This pilot study is part of quasi-experimental research involving a group with a clinical diagnosis of PD. They participated in an APT program for 12 weeks, twice a week. They were assessed with the Mini-BESTest for body balance and the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) for gait balance. The statistical analysis was made in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results. A total of 11 people – mean age of 70.73±3.2 years – participated in the study. After the APT program, no difference was verified in the Mini-BESTest (p=0.41) or the DGI (p=0.105). Conclusions. The APT program proposed was unable to present significant improvement regarding the balance and gait in the group of people with PD in question.

Case Report: Rehabilitation After Platelet-Rich Growth Factors’ Intra-Articular Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis: Two Case Reports of a Home-Based Protocol

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic progressive disease that can cause pain, functional impairment, and ultimately disability. A novel and promising therapeutic approach to KOA is the so-called regenerative medicine, a set of procedures designed to harness tissue regenerative capacity and optimize functional recovery. Increasing evidence points out that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) intra-articular injections can decrease pain and improve functional abilities in KOA patients. In the present case reports, we analyze two patients who were treated with PRP injections coupled with a posttreatment home-based rehabilitation program. The two patients were selected to represent two different populations: patient 1 was an 85-year-old with severe impairment of functional abilities, while patient 2 was a younger (59 years old) and more active patient. The protocol consisted in a series of exercise to be performed at home, during the five days following PRP injection for two consecutive weeks (10 days in total). The exercises were designed to reduce the inflammation after the injection, enhance the proprioceptive control of the treated lower limb, and strengthen hip and knee flexors and extensors, mainly by isometric work. Results were evaluated at two time points: before and 2 months after the first PRP injection. The outcomes considered were as follows: visual analog scale for pain, EuroQol 5 dimensions questionnaire, Tegner Activity Scale for functioning, and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). Both patients did not report any side effects from the treatment. Improvement in patient 1 was drastic at the two months follow-up as far as pain and functional abilities are concerned. Patient 2’s improvement was less evident, probably due to the higher starting point in both pain and functionality. Overall, the developed program seemed safe and was tolerated by the patients analyzed in the study, who performed it with good compliance.

The role of imaging in the diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

ABSTRACTIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive disease lacking a definite etiology, characterized by the nonspecific symptoms of dyspnea and dry cough. Due to its poor prognosis, imaging techniques play an essential role in diagnosing and managing IPF. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) has been shown to be the most sensitive modality for the diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. It is the primary imaging modality used for the assessment and follow-up of patients with IPF. Other not commonly used imaging methods are under research, such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography-computed tomography are alternative imaging techniques. This literature review aims to provide a brief overview of the imaging of IPF-related alterations.

Mechanism of Macrophage Action in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic joint disease and the main cause of pain and disability in adults (typical clinical OA characteristics), and women are more predisposed to this disease than men. About 400 million people worldwide and more than 100 million in China suffer from arthritis. OA was named the 11th largest contributor of mortality in the world, with a disability rate of as high as 53%, and is among the three major killers threatening the health of the elderly. Colloquially, OA is called the “number one disabling disease of the 21st century.” It is the main reason for the malfunctioned mobility of the elderly. Generally, women and men start to have OA at 40 and 50, respectively. Incidence rates increased dramatically between the ages of 55 and 60. The prevalence rate among older persons over 70 years of age is almost 80–90%. In addition, the disease is a chronic progressive disease, which can not only lead to the decline of life function and the reduction or even loss of quality of life, but also has an important and huge impact on health care and social costs. This disease may also demand higher economic requirements of the affected families. Until now, since the pain mechanism of the disease is not clear, there are no effective treatment methods, and surgical joint replacement is the only choice to treat the end-stage disease. This paper focuses on the role of macrophages in OA development, with particular attention to the occurrence of pain and possible mediators involved.

Lipedema and lipedematous scalp: An overview

Lipedema is a chronic, progressive disease marked by abnormal fat distribution in the limbs, resulting in disproportionately sized and painful limbs. It primarily affects women and causes significant disability, functional impairment, and psychological distress. Despite its clinical significance in women’s health, lipedema is largely unknown, underdiagnosed, and misdiagnosed with other diseases with similar symptoms including obesity. It is difficult to distinguish between obesity and lipedema since these two conditions often coexist. Since the precise etiology of lipedema is yet to be determined, there is no treatment that targets the underlying cause. The most basic conservative treatment is decongestive physical therapy, which is normally needed life-long. In some cases, surgical procedures such as liposuction and excisional lipectomy are the therapeutic alternatives. Lipedematous scalp is a rare, dermatological condition with no known cause, characterized by increased subcutaneous tissue thickness and a smooth and boggy scalp. When it occurs in conjunction with alopecia, it is known as lipedematous alopecia, often mistaken as androgenetic alopecia. The goals of this article are to explain the etiology, clinical features, and treatment options for lipedema and lipedematous scalp (two relatively less known conditions), as well as to highlight their diagnostic features.

Principles for choosing bariatric interventions (review of literature)

Currently, bariatric (metabolic) surgery is the main effective treatment of obesity and associated pathological conditions. The features of the course of obesity as a chronic progressive disease, heterogeneous etiology, clinical manifestations and a steady increase in number of patients worldwide make the problem of bariatric interventions extremely urgent. The article presents the analysis of modern data concerning the choice of the method of surgical benefits in patients with obesity and their own clinical experience.

A Comprehensive Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Coronary Syndrome

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a chronic progressive disease with social significance, result of obstructive or non- obstructive atherosclerotic plaque accumulation in the epicardial arteries. CAD is one of the leading causes for deterioration in quality of life and cardiovascular mortality. CAD has dynamic character and its major clinical presentations are: acute coronary syndromes / STEMI, NSTEMI, UA/ and chronic coronary syndromes. In this case report we present the treatment algorithm in patient with chronic coronary syndrome: from optimal medical therapy, through objective methods of examination leading to the decision for interventional treatment and the importance of regular follow-up

Transcriptome Analysis of Hypoxic Lymphatic Endothelial Cells Indicates Their Potential to Contribute to Extracellular Matrix Rearrangement

Lymphedema (LE) affects millions of people worldwide. It is a chronic progressive disease with massive development of fibrosclerosis when untreated. There is no pharmacological treatment of lymphedema. The disease is associated with swelling of the interstitium of the affected organ, mostly arm or leg, impressive development of adipose tissue, fibrosis and sclerosis with accumulation of huge amounts of collagen, and Papillomatosis cutis. Malnutrition and reduced oxygenation of the affected tissues is a hallmark of lymphedema. Here, we investigated if the hypoxia of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) might contribute to fibrosis. We applied RNASeq and qPCR to study the concordant changes of the exome of three human foreskin-derived LEC isolates after 4 days of hypoxia (1% O2) vs. normoxia (21% O2). Of the approximately 16,000 genes expressed in LECs, 162 (1%) were up- or down-regulated by hypoxia. Of these, 21 genes have important functions in the production or modification of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In addition to the down-regulation of elastin, we found up-regulation of druggable enzymes and regulators such as the long non-coding RNA H19, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain family member 5 (ITIH5), lysyl-oxidase (LOX), prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha 1 (P4HA1), procollagen-lysine 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 2 (PLOD2), and others that are discussed in the paper. Initial lymphatics do not produce a continuous basement membrane; however, our study shows that hypoxic LECs have an unexpectedly high ability to alter the ECM.