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Background Age- and gender-based differences in diabetes demographic characteristics have been studied in many types of research. These differences extend further to diabetes-related comorbidities. Dyslipidemia is a common complication associated with diabetes and causes a substantial increase in cardiovascular morbidity. The study aims to compare the pattern of dyslipidemia between males and females among different age categories in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methodology A retrospective database study was conducted at Faiha Specialized Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolism Center (FDEMC), Basrah, Southern Iraq. We included adult patients with newly diagnosed and drug naïve T2DM between January 2018 and October 2022. Patients' data in the form of body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), random blood glucose (RBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were used for comparisons. Results Below the age of 35, males exhibited significantly higher levels of HbA1c, FBG, and TG compared to females, along with a significantly lower level of HDL-C. However, there were no significant differences in BMI, RBG, TC, and LDL-C. Between the ages of 35 and 44, females in this study demonstrated significantly higher BMI and HDL-C levels, while males exhibited higher levels of HbA1c, FBG, RBG, and TG. However, there were no significant differences observed in TC and LDL-C levels. Similar results were found among the age group 45 to 55, with the only exception being FBG, which became nonsignificant. In patients between 55 and 64 years old, BMI, HDL-C, and TC were significantly higher in females ( P  < 0.05). In patients aged above 65 years, BMI and HDL-C remained significantly higher in females, while RBG was significantly higher in males. No significant differences were observed among other parameters (HbA1c, TG, TC, and LDL-C). Conclusions In patients aged 54 years and younger, males were significantly more likely to have severe hyperglycemia, higher TG, and lower HDL-C compared to females at the time of T2DM diagnosis. In older patients, this pattern is lost, with only a significantly lower HDL-C observed., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Alidrisi et al.)

Objective: To determine the degree of acute skin damage and the time required for the recovery of facial skin barrier function after the skin was treated with micro-needles and nanochips of various tip lengths., Methods: For this split face comparative study, a total of 16 subjects were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups. In the first group, one of the facial side of each subject was treated with 0.25-mm long nanotips for a total of 6 times while the other facial side was treated with 0.25-mm traditional micro-needles with a straight blade for a total of 6 times. In the second group, one of the facial side was treated with 0.5-mm nanotips for a total of 6 times while the other facial side was treated with 0.5-mm traditional micro-needles with a straight blade for a total of 6 times. Evaluations for trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration and erythema were carried out at baseline, 0, 4, 8, 24, 48 and 72 hours after the treatment., Results: There was no significant difference in TEWL, skin hydration and erythema between the two facial sides of the subjects in the Group one who were treated with 0.25 mm nanochips and traditional micro-needles. However, in the subjects of the Group two, the mean TEWL of the facial side treated with 0.5 mm nanochips was relatively lower than that of the 0.5 mm traditional micro-needles treated facial side at 0, 4, 8 and 24 hours after the treatment. Mean erythema of the facial side treated with 0.5-mm nanochips micro-needles was also relatively lower than that of the 0.5-mm traditional micro-needles treated facial side at 8 hours after the treatment. Rapid recovery of skin barrier function was observed within 4-8 hours after treatment with various lengths of nanochips while it took at least 48-72 hours for recovery of skin barrier function after treatment with various lengths of traditional micro-needles as measured by TEWL., Conclusion: The skin disruption caused by nanotips treatment recovers quicker than the traditional microneedle treatment at equal lengths.

Keloids are benign tumors that originate from scar tissues, but they usually overgrow beyond the original wounds. In a three-month single-center clinical trial, 69 patients were randomly divided into three groups. Patients in group 1 were treated with intralesional injection of diprospan (2 mg betamethasone disodium phosphate and 5 mg betamethasone dipropionate in 1 ml) with one-month intervals for three months. Patients in groups 2 and 3 were injected with a combination of 0.5 ml 5-fluorouracil (5-FU; 25 mg/ml) and diprospan as above for three months also. Prior to each injection, the keloids of patients in group 3 were additionally irradiated by a 1,064-nm neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser with a single pulse at an energy density of 90-100 J/cm 2 and a pulse width of 12 msec. Clinical responses were evaluated by patient self-assessment and overall assessment by an observer according to the clinical signs of erythema, pruritus and pliability. A total of sixty-two patients completed the tests of the present study. At 2 and 3 months, the patients in all treatment groups showed an acceptable improvement in nearly all measurements. At the end of the study, the erythema and toughness score was significantly reduced and itch reduction was significantly greater in the diprospan + 5-FU + Nd:YAG group when compared to those in the other groups (P<0.05 for all indexes). The acceptable responses (good to excellent improvements) reported by blinded observers were as follows: 12% in the diprospan group, 48% in the diprospan + 5-FU group and 69% in the diprospan + 5-FU + Nd:YAG group. All of the results indicated that the combination of diprospan + 5-FU + Nd:YAG was the most efficacious therapy for keloid scars.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of conditioned medium of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC-CM) on efficacy and side effects after fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing (FxCR) when treating subjects with facial atrophic acne scars or with skin rejuvenation needs., Materials and Methods: Twenty-two subjects were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups. Nine subjects were included in skin rejuvenation group and thirteen subjects were included in acne scar group, and all subjects underwent three sessions of FxCR. ADSC-CM was applied on FxCR site of one randomly selected face side. Evaluations were done at baseline, 1 week after first treatment, and 1 month after each treatment. The outcome assessments included subjective satisfaction scale; blinded clinical assessment; and the biophysical parameters of roughness, elasticity, skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and the erythema and melanin index. Biopsies taken from one subject in skin rejuvenation group were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's Trichrome, and Gomori's aldehyde fuchsin staining., Results: ADSC-CM combined with FxCR increased subject satisfaction, elasticity, skin hydration, and skin elasticity and decreased TEWL, roughness, and the melanin index in both acne scars and skin rejuvenation groups. Histologic analysis showed that ADSC-CM increased dermal collagen density, elastin density, and arranged them in order., Conclusion: ADSC-CM with FxCR is a good combination therapy for treating atrophic acne scars and skin rejuvenation., Trial Registration: JSPH2012-082 - Registered 14 Feb 2012.

In the title compound, C16H18N2O2S, the morpholine ring adopts a chair conformation. The thio-phene ring makes a dihedral angle of 63.54 (14)° with the mean plane of the four C atoms [maximum deviation = 0.010 (3) Å] of the morpholine ring. The benzamide ring is disordered, with four C atoms occupying two sets of sites, with a refined occupancy ratio of 0.502 (4):0.498 (4). These two rings are inclined to one another by 85.2 (4)° and to the thio-phene ring by 72.7 (3) and 13.0 (3)° for the major and minor components, respectively. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked via N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along [001].

The groundwater quality on the banks of Uyyakondan channel of Cauvery at Tiruchirappalli was studied. Two groundwater samples were taken near the bank of the channel on both sides and the other two samples were taken nearly 0.5 km away from the channel at ten stations. The study was carried out every year over a period of 3 years from December 2001-December 2003. The samples were subjected to physico-chemical analysis. The results showed that most of the physico-chemical parameters were in higher concentrations at most of the groundwater stations.

A study was carried out in Pettavaithalai area to evaluate the current status of physico-chemical contaminants and their sources in groundwater. Groundwater samples collected from pettavaithalai area in 15 different stations were analyzed every alternative months over a period of two years from August 2000 to June 2002. A sugar mill is situated at the heart of the study area. Three profiles (profile A, B and C) were selected based on the direction in which the sugar mill effluent flows. In each profile five samples were collected from five different station at a regular distance of about 1 Km. The physico-chemical parameters such as pH, EC TDS, TH, NO3, SO4, PO4, Na, K, Ca, Mg, DO, BOD and COD have been analyzed. The results showed that among the three profiles, many of the estimated physico-chemical parameters of profile C were very high when compared to profile B and A which indicates the poor quality of the groundwater around this area.

This study presents technique and initial experience of retrograde deployment of the Amplatzer muscular ventricular septal defect occluder (AmVSDo) for closure of muscular ventricular septal defects (VSDs). The conventional technique for closing muscular VSDs involves the creation of an arteriovenous guidewire circuit and use of a transvenous approach for device deployment. Seven patients aged 2.2-15 years underwent transcatheter closure of a muscular VSD using the retrograde approach without making the arteriovenous wire circuit. Mean fluoroscopy and procedural times were compared to those previously reported in publications describing the use of the antegrade approach. Unpaired Student's t-test was used to compare the two parameters in two groups. Our technique was successful in all patients reported. The mean fluoroscopy time in the retrograde versus the antegrade group was 33.8 +/- 20.9 and 41.9 +/- 6.2 minutes, respectively (not significant), and the mean procedural time in the two groups was 91.1 +/- 22.1 and 114 +/- 33.9 minutes respectively (p = 0.025). No complications were noted. We suggest that some muscular VSDs can be safely closed retrogradely without the use of an arteriovenous loop, thus reducing the radiation exposure and also the cost of the procedure. Further studies are needed to confirm this initial experience.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation is one of the rarest congenital anomalies of cardiovascular system. We present a case of 30-year-old female with a large pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) arising from the right lower pulmonary artery and draining to the left atrium. She underwent successful embolization using three detachable Cook coils.

To evaluate the quality of drinking water in and around Tiruchirappalli City, twenty spots were identified within a radius of about 20 km. In all places ground water is used for drinking and domestic purposes. Nearly twenty physicochemical parameters were studied and the results have been presented. All the water bodies are found to contain high level of inorganic salts and total hardness with high electrical conductance. Since they are unsuitable for drinking purposes, method to improve the water quality has been suggested.