Search

Reactive oxygen species are a group of cellular molecules that stand as double-edged swords, their good and bad being discriminated by a precise balance. Several metabolic reactions in the biological system generate these molecules that interact with cellular atoms to regulate functions ranging from cell homeostasis to cell death. A prooxidative state of the cell concomitant with decreased clearance of such molecules leads to oxidative stress, which contributes as a prime pathophysiological mechanism in various diseases including renal disorders, such as acute kidney injury. However, targeting the generation of oxidative stress in renal disorders by an antioxidant, resveratrol, is gaining considerable therapeutic importance and is known to improve the condition in preclinical studies. This review aims to discuss molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress in acute kidney injury and its amelioration by resveratrol. The major sources of data were PubMed and Google Scholar, with studies from the last five years primarily included, with significant earlier data also considered. Mitochondrial dysfunction, various enzymatic reactions, and protein misfolding are the major sources of reactive oxygen species in acute kidney injury, and interrupting these loci of generation or intersection with other cellular components by resveratrol can mitigate the severity of the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paracetamol is generally recommended for pain and fever. However, as per experimental and epidemiological data, widespread and irrational or long-term use of paracetamol may be harmful to human endocrine homeostasis, especially during pregnancy. Some researchers suggest that prenatal exposure to paracetamol might alter fetal development and also enhance the risk of reproductive disorders. An imbalance in the levels of these hormones may play a significant role in the emergence of various diseases, including infertility. Therefore, in this study, the interaction mechanism of paracetamol with reproductive hormone receptors was investigated by molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) for assessing paracetamol's potency to disrupt reproductive hormones. The results indicate that paracetamol has the ability to interact with reproductive hormone receptors (estrogen 1XP9; 1QKM with binding energy of −5.61 kcal/mol; −5.77 kcal/mol; androgen 5CJ6 − 5.63 kcal/mol; and progesterone 4OAR -5.60 kcal/mol) by hydrogen bonds as well as hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions to maintain its stability. In addition, the results of the MD simulations and MM-PBSA confirm that paracetamol and reproductive receptor complexes are stable. This research provides a molecular and atomic level understanding of how paracetamols disrupt reproductive hormone synthesis. The root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), Radius of Gyration and hydrogen bonding exhibited that paracetamol mimic at various attribute to bisphenol and native ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies is the property of University of Karachi, Centre of Excellence for Women's Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aliskiren (ALSK), being a direct renin inhibitor, is known for its additional benefit of renoprotection under several pathological conditions. On the other hand, Cisplatin (CP) is one of the most preferred chemotherapeutic agent; however, its clinical utility is limited owing to nephrotoxicity as its primary side effect. This study was aimed to investigate the protective role of ALSK against CP-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of six animals each. They included vehicle treated normal control, CP (7.5 mg/kg), ALSK (25 mg/kg), and ALSK + CP treated groups. ALSK was orally administered for 2 weeks while CP was administered through the i.p. route on the 10th day to the respective groups. Blood and kidney samples were collected for the estimation of renal function, histology, the determination of oxidative stress, and the measurement of pro-inflammatory cytokines and markers of apoptosis. The results demonstrated that CP significantly elevated the levels of serum creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and uric acid (UA) while it suppressed the renal markers of oxidative stress including glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content. In addition, CP up-regulated the markers of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the kidney and induced apoptosis by activating caspase cascade, which was observed as elevated levels of caspase-3 and −9. Two weeks of continuous treatment of ALSK 25 mg/kg significantly decreased the levels of serum Cr, BUN, UA and ameliorated histological damage in CP-treated animals. ALSK increased the antioxidant defense (increased renal GSH, SOD, and CAT levels while MDA content was suppressed) against CP. ALSK also significantly decreased the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α and prevented apoptosis by reversing the increased levels of caspase-3 and −9 by CP. Therefore, it may be concluded that ALSK has a protective role against CP-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a model of the relationship between supervisory reports of subordinate feedback- seeking behavior and subordinate reports of job satisfaction. Specifically, we applied literature on feedback seeking and socialization to demonstrate that this relationship is mediated by role clarity. Further, we found that the relationship between feedback-seeking behavior and role clarity is moderated by social skill, implying that subordinates with greater social skill are better able to perceive, interpret, and apply feedback information to enhance role clarity. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: • To assess the prevalence of migraine in medical students • To find out the common triggering factors for migraine in medical students • To find out the common coping strategies for migraine in medical students. Methodology: This cross sectional study was conducted during academic year 2012. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among 500 medical students of selected medical colleges of Peshawar. Students were selected randomly from each professional year. Response rate was 81% (n=405; 188=male, 217=females). The Questionnaire included demographic data such as age, gender, family history questions on headache based on the international Headache Society. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Frequency and percentages were calculated for various variables. Result: Prevalence of migraine in medical student was 38.3% (41.93% in females and 34.04% males) The most common triggering factors were stress (93.54%), noise (73.54%), change in sleep patterns (62.58%), missed meal (60%%), tiredness (53.54%), physical activity (50.96%), flickering light (48.38%), caffeine (41.29%), cheese (32.90%), smell (32.90%), chocolate (25.16%). About coping strategy we found that 87/155 (56.12%) students were using medicine, 31(20%) going to sleep, 9(5.80%) rest for couple of hours and 8(5.16%) take medicine and go to sleep and other 20 (12.90%) have no copping strategy. Conclusion: The prevalence of migraine in medical students is quite high. Modification of the common triggering factors like stress, noise and change in sleep patterns can help in reducing the frequency and severity of migraine. The majority of the students were taking medicines to cope up with their migraine problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the genotoxic effect of deltamethrin, an x-cyano class of pyrethroid insecticide, into the biomarker fish Channa punctata Bloch in India. The study highlights the genetoxic and oxidative stress-inducing impact of the insecticide in the erhthrocytes of the freshwater biomarker fish species Bloch. It specifically examines the induction of micronucleus, nuclear abnormalities and oxidative stress biomarkers in erythrocytes among these species. Details on the study are posted, enclosing the findings on the activity of antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Further results suggest the contribution of oxidative stress to deltamethrin-induced genotoxic damage to erythrocytes.

In this article, the influence of T-stress on the plastic/damage zone size of a precracked isotropic/composite plate is studied by using various failure criteria under tensile loading conditions. The results of this study indicate that the stress field with T-stress always yields a larger damage zone than the field without T-stress. Using experimental data for a symmetrical, generally orthotropic graphite-epoxy laminate, the damage zone sizes predicted by the average stress criterion and point stress criterion as well as the D-criterion are compared. Experimental measurements of crack-tip damage zone size are used to establish a physical reference point by which all the theories are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dento-alveolar surgical procedures involving third molar teeth are the most common surgical procedure in the field of surgery. The objective of this research was to analyse the impact of surgery on the incidence of alveolar osteitis after surgical removal of mandibular third molar and to compare two different bone cutting methods following impacted mandibular third molar surgery.., Methods: This double blinded randomized clinical trial was executed at the OPD of Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi. The study duration was four months. It was conducted on 60 patients needing unilateral mandibular third molar impaction removal. Patients were randomized to two groups (i.e., physio dispenser group and slow speed handpiece group) before surgery. The surgical procedure was performed under local anaesthesia by using standardized cross infection protocol. The frequency of alveolar osteitis was evaluated on thirdday postoperatively. Alveolar osteitis was diagnosed and confirmed by patient's history and clinical evaluation. Post-operative sequelae were observed and recorded objectively., Results: Out of 60 patients', five patients experienced alveolar osteitis, and the incidence rate was 8.3%. A significant pvalue of 0.000 was calculated using binomial test for comparison of alveolar osteitis among both groups. Inter-examiner reliability was assessed by kappa and good (62%) agreement, which was found among the examiners, who diagnosed alveolar osteitis clinically. Post-operative sequelae were insignificant in slow speed hand piece group., Conclusions: It was observed that alveolar osteitis was reported in physio-dispenser group; similarly, post-operative complications were also more in this group as compared with slow speed-hand piece group. No surgical complications were observed in slow speed-hand piece group suggesting slow speed hand piece mode of osteotomy to be safer for third molar extraction as compared with physio-dispenser.