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The increased cancer risk associated with hormone therapies has encouraged many women to seek non-hormonal alternatives including botanical supplements such as hops (Humulus lupulus) and licorice (Glycyrrhiza spec.) to manage menopausal symptoms. Previous studies have shown estrogenic properties for hops, likely due to the presence of 8-prenylnarigenin, and chemopreventive effects mainly attributed to xanthohumol. Similarly, a combination of estrogenic and chemopreventive properties has been reported for various Glycyrrhiza species. The major goal of the current study was to evaluate the potential estrogenic effects of three licorice species (Glycyrrhiza glabra, G. uralensis, and G. inflata) in comparison with hops. Extracts of Glycyrrhiza species and spent hops induced estrogen responsive alkaline phosphatase activity in endometrial cancer cells, estrogen responsive element (ERE)-luciferase in MCF-7 cells, and Tff1 mRNA in T47D cells. The estrogenic activity decreased in the order H. lupulus > G. uralensis > G. inflata > G. glabra. Liquiritigenin was found to be the principle phytoestrogen of the licorice extracts; however, it exhibited lower estrogenic effects compared to 8-prenylnaringenin in functional assays. Isoliquiritigenin, the precursor chalcone of liquiritigenin, demonstrated significant estrogenic activities while xanthohumol, a metabolic precursor of 8-prenylnaringenin, was not estrogenic. Liquiritigenin showed ERβ selectivity in competitive binding assay and isoliquiritigenin was equipotent for ER subtypes. The estrogenic activity of isoliquiritigenin could be the result of its cyclization to liquiritigenin under physiological conditions. 8-Prenylnaringenin had nanomolar estrogenic potency without ER selectivity while xanthohumol did not bind ERs. These data demonstrated that Glycyrrhiza species with different contents of liquiritigenin have various levels of estrogenic activities, suggesting the importance of precise labeling of botanical supplements. Although hops shows strong estrogenic properties via ERα, licorice might have different estrogenic activities due to its ERβ selectivity, partial estrogen agonist activity, and non-enzymatic conversion of isoliquiritigenin to liquiritigenin.

It has been estimated that in 2010, over two million patients with end-stage kidney disease may have faced premature death due to a lack of access to affordable renal replacement therapy, mostly dialysis. To address this shortfall in dialytic kidney replacement therapy, we propose a novel, cost-effective, and low-complexity hemodialysis method called allo-hemodialysis (alloHD). With alloHD, instead of conventional hemodialysis, the blood of a patient with kidney failure flows through the dialyzer’s dialysate compartment counter-currently to the blood of a healthy subject (referred to as a “buddy”) flowing through the blood compartment. Along the concentration and hydrostatic pressure gradients, uremic solutes and excess fluid are transferred from the patient to the buddy and subsequently excreted by the healthy kidneys of the buddy. We developed a mathematical model of alloHD to systematically explore dialysis adequacy in terms of weekly standard urea Kt/V. We showed that in the case of an anuric child (20 kg), four 4 h alloHD sessions are sufficient to attain a weekly standard Kt/V of >2.0. In the case of an anuric adult patient (70 kg), six 4 h alloHD sessions are necessary. As a next step, we designed and built an alloHD machine prototype that comprises off-the-shelf components. We then used this prototype to perform ex vivo experiments to investigate the transport of solutes, including urea, creatinine, and protein-bound uremic retention products, and to quantitate the accuracy and precision of the machine’s ultrafiltration control. These experiments showed that alloHD performed as expected, encouraging future in vivo studies in animals with and without kidney failure.

Introduction The aim was to evaluate patients’ perception of function and physical and mental dimensions of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with end-stage knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA) immediately prior to surgery and to identify the factors associated with the outcomes. Material and methods The study included 200 patients with end-stage OA (100 knee OA and 100 hip OA patients). Self-reported physical function was assessed using the Oxford Knee Score or Oxford Hip Score. Physical and mental dimensions of HRQoL were assessed using the physical and mental component summary scores of the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify the sociodemographic, clinical and psychological factors associated with self-reported function and physical and mental dimensions of HRQoL. Results End-stage knee or hip OA patients had poor function and physical dimension of HRQoL, while the mental dimension of HRQoL was not impaired. In knee OA, pain, flexion range of motion (ROM), catastrophizing, and anxiety were significantly associated with self-reported function (explained 56% of the variance), whereas catastrophizing explained 10% of the variance of the physical dimension of HRQoL. In hip OA, flexion ROM, catastrophizing and being employed were significantly associated with self-reported function (explained 44% of the variance), whereas catastrophizing and flexion ROM explained 34% of the variance of the physical dimension of HRQoL. Conclusions Many investigated factors were associated with poor self-reported function and HRQoL in knee and hip OA. However, the most important factors for both knee and hip OA were catastrophizing and flexion ROM.

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the impact of rehabilitation treatment on social functioning in elderly patients after hip fracture during a rehabilitation program. Methods: This study included 203 patients with hip fracture. Four groups were analyzed on rehabilitation: Group 1, at admission, Group 2, at discharge, Group 3, three months after discharge and Group 4, six months after discharge. The analyzed parameters included: musculoskeletal, neurological and cognitive impairments. Impairment severity was graded by cumulative index rating scale for geriatrics (CIRS-G). Evaluation of social functioning was completed by social functioning component (SFC) from quality of life (SF-36) questionnaire. Results: There was a significant improvement in SF-36 SFC values for observed impairments from admission to six months after discharge for each severity degree (p

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate motor functional status measured by motor Functional Independence Measure (mFIM) test in population above 65 years of age after the hip fracture. Material and Methods: We evaluated 203 patients after hip fracture by mFIM test on 3 occasions: at admission (Period-1), at discharge (Period-2) and 3 months after discharge (Period-3); 3 age groups: Group65-74, Group75-84 and Group85-up and 2 groups concerning Severity Index (SI): group 0-1.99 (SI1) and group ≥ 2 (SI2). Results: In same SI group there is significant increase in mFIM values for Period-2 and Period-3 for both genders and in first two age groups, while for those above 85 years of age with higher SI we found non-significant change in mFIM values between discharge and 3 months post discharge period. Discussion: The most significant improvement is obtained for women in first and third age groups and with higher SI. Conclusion: Gender is not significant predictor for motor functional recovery measured by mFIM test in patients with hip fracture, although the admittance mFIM is a good indicator for mFIM capacity recovery in women of certain age groups (first and third age groups).

Background: Angelman syndrome (AS) is a genetic disorder with varying degrees of neurological impairment. It is often associated with ocular involvement. Case Report: We present a child diagnosed with AS who had a deletion on the short arm of chromosome 15. The child seemed to be happy, with developmental delay, speech problem, and altering strabismus. To assess the potential presence and degree of damage in the visual pathway, we recorded monocular flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs). Our results revealed the presence of severe central afferent dysfunction in both optical pathways. Conclusion: VEPs can be used in patients with AS and visual disturbances to assess the integrity of the visual system.