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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association with the oral microbial community derangement and dental disorders during pregnant. Materials and Methods : A total of 60 pregnant women were selected, of the 60 women, 30 pregnant women had dental disorders, and the remaining 30 did not have dental disorders (control group). The oral swab samples were collected from the women during a routine clinic visit. Samples were transported to INES Ruhengeri Clinical Microbiology Laboratory for microbial identification analysis. Chi-square test (x2) was used to test association with oral microbial community imbalance and dental disorders. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22. Results Yeast was the most isolated microorganism among both groups of women and stood at 100% and 80%, respectively. The oral microbial community derangement was statistically significant (x2 =52.93, P < 0.00001) to contribute to dental disorders among pregnant women. For single microorganism derangement, Staphylococcus aureus (x2 = 5, P = 0.025347), Enterobacter spp. (x2 =7.4, P = 0.006522), and Staphylococcus spp. (x2 = 30, P < 0.00001) were statistically significant to contribute to dental disorders. Conclusions: Pregnancy leads to oral microbiota dysbiosis which is a risk factor for dental disorders among pregnant women. Women should seek dental consultation during pregnancy for early detection and management of dental disorders.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Cardiac involvement in SLE can often go undetected. Three-dimensional (3D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a noninvasive imaging technique that can assess the function of the heart's ventricles in an accurate and reproducible way. This makes it an attractive option for detecting early signs of heart disease in SLE patients. By identifying these subclinical cardiac abnormalities, 3D-STE may help reduce the negative impact of cardiovascular diseases in SLE population. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the left ventricular (LV) function between patients with SLE compared to age- and gender-matched controls using two-dimensional (2D) and 3D-STE., Results: The current study found no significant differences in left ventricle ejection fraction, left ventricle end-diastolic volume, left ventricle end-systolic volume, left ventricle end-diastolic mass, and left ventricle end-systolic mass between the two groups. However, the SLE group exhibited a significantly lower LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) compared to the control group according to all types of echocardiographic assessments, including 3D and 2D long-axis strain, apical 2-chamber, and apical 4-chamber assessments (all P values < 0.05). Furthermore, a good inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability were observed regarding the LVGLS measurement with 3D-STE. Additionally, the study identified a significant correlation between LVGLS and SLE duration (r (50) = 0.46, P < 0.001). The use of prednisolone and nephrology disorders was also found to impact LVGLS measurements., Conclusions: Despite a normal LVEF in patients with SLE, LVGLS measurements indicated that LV systolic dysfunction was observed more frequently in SLE patients compared to their healthy counterparts. Therefore, advanced 3D-STE techniques may be useful in identifying subtle abnormalities in LV function in SLE patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a frequent complication of contrast exposure. A recent study suggested that Na/K citrate might have a preventive role. We investigated the efficacy of Na/K citrate to prevent CIN in patients with renal dysfunction undergoing coronary intervention., Methods: The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 201 patients with estimated creatinine clearance < 90 mL/ min, randomized to receive oral Na/K citrate plus saline infusion (treatment group, 104 patients) or oral water plus saline infusion (placebo group, 97 patients). CIN was defined as an absolute increase of serum creatinine ≥ 0.5 mg/dL or a relative increase ≥ 25% or a relative decrease of estimated GFR ≥ 25% within 5 days., Results: CIN occurred in 22 patients (12.29%); 10 (11%) in treatment group and 12 (13.6%) in placebo group (P > .05). Post-exposure Cr values were not significantly different between the two groups (1.18 ± 0.28 mg/dL in the placebo vs. 1.15 ± 0.29 mg/dL in the treatment group, P > .05). CIN-negative patients in the treatment group showed a significantly higher increase in urine pH than that of CIN-positive patients (1.642 ± 0.577 vs. 1.20 ± 0.422, P < .05)., Conclusion: Na/K citrate solution is not effective for prophylaxis of CIN in patients with renal dysfunction. However, a probable preventive effect might exist in a subgroup of patients with at least 1.6 units increase in urine pH values following Na/K citrate administration.