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Background: Camel milk has emerged as a potential complementary therapy for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Aim: This study aimed to gather evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of camel milk consumption in improving symptoms and associated measures in children with ASD. Methods: Comprehensive searches of multiple databases were conducted up to March 14, 2024, for RCTs that had evaluated whether camel milk consumption by children with ASD was more beneficial than the consumption of a control substance. Quality and bias analyses and meta-anlaysis data were synthesized and analyzed. Results: Of 136 records identified, 5 RCTs (n = 299 children) were selected. The mean difference in scores on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) for the group given camel milk and the control groups was a mean deviation (MD) ‒0.75, 95% CI ‒1.97 to 0.47, p = .23. The mean difference in CARS scores in the subgroup analyses for raw camel milk was MD ‒0.95, 95% CI ‒2.33 to 0.44, p = .18 and boiled camel milk MD ‒0.50, 95% CI ‒1.93 to 0.93, p = .49. A qualitative synthesis found that raw camel milk intake led to improvements in various social behaviors in children with ASD. Camel milk consumption resulted in increased levels of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory biomarkers, with some differences observed between patients given raw camel milk and boiled camel milk. Conclusion: Camel milk shows promise in improving social behaviors and certain biochemical markers in children with ASD, although the current meta-analysis did not document a significant statistical difference in CARS scores for the children studied. Future studies should focus on rigorous RCTs and larger sample sizes to substantiate these preliminary findings. [Open Vet J 2024; 14(9.000): 2441-2452]

Background: Headaches, a widespread neuromuscular ailment, pose a significant burden on individuals and society, necessitating both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Dry needling (DN) has surfaced as a notable non-pharmacological alternative for addressing headaches. We aim to compare DN intervention with the control group in the management of different types of headaches. Methods: A comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted, encompassing a systematic exploration of five electronic databases up to May 2023, with studies assessed for validity using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Eligible studies included those with a control group, which could consist of sham interventions, physiotherapy, or pharmacological treatments. Outcomes related to disability, headache intensity, and frequency were extracted and analyzed. Results: Out of 4304 studies screened, 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this systematic review, of them 10 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. A significant decline in the disability score and headache intensity was evident in the DN group compared to the control group, one and three-month follow-ups. Specifically, substantial reductions in headache frequency were prominent after one and three months post-intervention. Conclusion: Dry needling manifests as a potent intervention, diminishing headache intensity and frequency, albeit with lower impact on disability scores. The observed benefits were especially pronounced after one and three months, though the heterogeneous nature of some data analyses mandates further detailed studies to gain a clearer understanding of DN's efficacy on the assessed outcomes.

Publications concerning the protective effect of pectin against lead induced toxicity in rats are not available. In order to study such effect, 40 male rats were divided into 3 groups. The first group was contained 10 rats that kept as control group. The second group was contained 10 rats that received pectin at dose of 100 mg/kg BW during experimental period (8 weeks). The third group was contained 20 rats that received 400mg/kg BW of lead acetate daily for 4 weeks then divided into two subgroups (3A and 3B). Subgroup 3A contained 10 rats that still receive lead acetate in the same dosage whereas, subgroup B co-treated with lead acetate and pectin daily for another 4 weeks. Blood samples were collected after 2, 4 and 8 weeks from the start of the experiment. Liver, kidney and bone marrows were collected only at the end of the experiment. Lead acetate induced anemia only after 4 weeks of administration as reflected on decreased values of Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH and MCHC. These indices remained at lower levels in lead acetate treated groups until the end of the experiment. Concentrations of serum ferritin, iron, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and the expression of hepatic hepcidin gene were decreased significantly in lead acetate intoxicated rats compared to control. Activities of ALT and AST and concentrations of urea, creatinine, Nitric oxide (NO), TNF-α, IL-6, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and lead were increased significantly in lead acetate intoxicated group compared to control. Hepatic degeneration and hemorrhage, renal lytic necrosis and apoptosis of myeloid cells were most prominent changes in lead intoxicated rats. Lead acetated related changes were improved by co-treatment with pectin however; normal control val- ues have not been achieved. Conclusively, pectin is recommended to protect against lead acetate toxicity in rats. PEKTIN VPLIVA NA IZBOLJŠANJE HEMATOLOŠKIH IN BIOKEMIJSKIH PARAMETROV, HISTOPATOLOGIJE, BIOLOŠKIH OZNAČEVALCEV OKSIDATIVNEGA STRESA, CITOKINOV TER IZRAŽANJE GENA ZA HEPCIDIN PRI S SVINCEM POVZROČENI TOKSIČNOSTI PRI PODGANAH Izvleček: Objav o zaščitnem učinku pektina pred toksičnostjo svinca pri podganah ni na voljo. Da bi proučili ta učinek, smo 40 samcev podgan razdelili v 3 skupine. V prvi, kontrolni skupini je bilo 10 podgan. V drugi skupini je bilo 10 podgan, ki so v poskus- nem obdobju (8 tednov) prejemale pektin v odmerku 100 mg/kg telesne teže. V tretji skupini je bilo 20 podgan, ki so 4 tedne dnev- no prejemale svinčev acetat v odmerku 400 mg/kg telesne teže. Tretja skupina je bila nato razdeljena v dve podskupini (3A in 3B). V podskupini 3A je bilo 10 podgan, ki so še naprej 4 tedne prejemale svinčev acetat v enakem odmerku, v podskupini 3B pa je 10 podgan prejemalo svinčev acetat in pektin. Vzorci krvi so bili odvzeti po 2, 4 in 8 tednih od začetka poskusa. Ob koncu poskusa so bili odvzeti še jetra, ledvice in kostni mozeg. Svinčev acetat je povzročil anemijo šele po štirih tednih, kar se je kazalo v zmanj- šanih vrednostih Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH in MCHC. V skupini podgan, ki so prejemale svinčev acetat, so te vrednosti do konca po- skusa ostale nizke. Koncentracije serumskega feritina, železa, skupne antioksidativne kapacitete (TAC), reduciranega glutationa (GSH) in izražanje jetrnega gena za hepcidin so se pri podganah, ki so prejemale svinčev acetat, znatno zmanjšale v primerjavi s kontrolo. Aktivnosti ALT in AST ter koncentracije sečnine, kreatinina, dušikovega oksida (NO), TNF-α, IL-6, skupne kapacitete vezave železa (TIBC) in svinca so se v skupini, ki je prejemala svinčev acetat, znatno povečale v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino. Najvidnejše spremembe pri podganah, ki so prejemale svinec, so bile jetrna degeneracija in krvavitve, ledvična nekroza in apop- toza mieloidnih celic. Spremembe, povezane s svinčevim acetatom, so se izboljšale s sočasnim zdravljenjem s pektinom, vendar normalne kontrolne vrednosti niso bile dosežene. Zaključili smo, da je pektin priporočljiv za zaščito pred toksičnostjo svinčevega acetata pri podganah. Ključne besede: svinčev acetat, toksičnost, pektin, hepcidin, biološki označevalci oksidativnega stresa, histopatologija

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of versatile adult stem cells present in various organs. These cells give rise to extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing a diverse array of biologically active elements, making them a promising approach for therapeutics and diagnostics. This article examines the potential therapeutic applications of MSC-derived EVs in addressing neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington’s disease (HD). Furthermore, the present state-of-the-art for MSC-EV-based therapy in AD, HD, PD, ALS, and MS is discussed. Significant progress has been made in understanding the etiology and potential treatments for a range of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) over the last few decades. The contents of EVs are carried across cells for intercellular contact, which often results in the control of the recipient cell’s homeostasis. Since EVs represent the therapeutically beneficial cargo of parent cells and are devoid of many ethical problems connected with cell-based treatments, they offer a viable cell-free therapy alternative for tissue regeneration and repair. Developing innovative EV-dependent medicines has proven difficult due to the lack of standardized procedures in EV extraction processes as well as their pharmacological characteristics and mechanisms of action. However, recent biotechnology and engineering research has greatly enhanced the content and applicability of MSC-EVs.