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Journal of Medical Case Reports Apr 2021Sirenomelia, also called mermaid syndrome, is a rare lethal multi-system congenital deformity with an incidence of one in 60,000-70,000 pregnancies. Sirenomelia is...
BACKGROUND
Sirenomelia, also called mermaid syndrome, is a rare lethal multi-system congenital deformity with an incidence of one in 60,000-70,000 pregnancies. Sirenomelia is mainly characterized by the fusion of lower limbs and is widely associated with severe urogenital and gastrointestinal malformations. The presence of a single umbilical artery derived from the vitelline artery is the main anatomical feature distinguishing sirenomelia from caudal regression syndrome. First-trimester diagnosis of this disorder and induced abortion may be the safest medical option. In this report, two cases of sirenomelia that occurred in an white family will be discussed.
CASE PRESENTATION
We report two white cases of sirenomelia occurring in a 31-year-old multigravid pregnant woman. In the first pregnancy (18 weeks of gestation) abortion was performed, but in the third pregnancy (32 weeks) the stillborn baby was delivered by spontaneous vaginal birth. In the second and fourth pregnancies, however, she gave birth to normal babies. Three-dimensional ultrasound imaging showed fusion of the lower limbs. Neither she nor any member of her family had a history of diabetes. In terms of other risk factors, she had no history of exposure to teratogenic agents during her pregnancy. Also, her marriage was non-consanguineous.
CONCLUSION
This report suggests the existence of a genetic background in this mother with a Mendelian inheritance pattern of 50% second-generation incidence in her offspring.
Topics: Abortion, Induced; Adult; Ectromelia; Female; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
PubMed: 33902682
DOI: 10.1186/s13256-021-02699-4 -
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Oct 2018Arbutus unedo L., the strawberry tree (Ericaceae family) is of increasing interest because of its common traditional, industrial, chemical and pharmaceutical uses. The... (Review)
Review
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Arbutus unedo L., the strawberry tree (Ericaceae family) is of increasing interest because of its common traditional, industrial, chemical and pharmaceutical uses. The plant is a typical evergreen plant of the Mediterranean basin, as well as of other regions with hot summers and mild rainy winters. This review covers the studies relevant to Arbutus unedo L. utilization in the current pharmacological therapy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The available information on traditional uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of Arbutus unedo L. was collected from scientific databases through a search using the keywords 'Arbutus unedo L.' and/or 'strawberry tree' in 'Google Scholar', 'Pubmed', 'Sciencedirect', 'SpringerLink', 'Web of Science - Clarivate Analytics' and 'Wiley'. Unpublished Ph.D. and M.Sc. dissertations were also consulted for chemical composition, biological activities and traditional uses of Arbutus unedo L. and for manual search of additional references.
RESULTS
The fruits of the plant have been traditionally used as antiseptics, diuretics and laxatives in folk medicine, while the leaves have been used due to their diuretic, urinary antiseptic, antidiarrheal, astringent, depurative and antihypertensive properties. According to the scientific literature survey, different extracts obtained from Arbutus unedo L. have demonstrated a high pharmacological potential due to their in vitro and preclinical antibiotic, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiaggregant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antioxidant, and spasmolytic properties.
CONCLUSION
This review suggests that A. unedo is a promising source of phytopharmaceutical products. The potential advantages of Arbutus unedo are related with the presence of polyphenolic compounds in its composition. However, further studies are needed to ascertain some profitable effects in humans. The beneficial effects associated with this shrub suggest that Arbutus unedo can be used for the development of new drugs to treat diseases such diabetes, hypertension, among others. Nonetheless, the safety of the Arbutus unedo compounds should also be examined.
Topics: Animals; Ericaceae; Humans; Medicine, Traditional; Phytochemicals; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts
PubMed: 29981432
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.07.004 -
Epilepsy & Behavior : E&B May 2021
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Depression; Epilepsy; Hospitals; Humans
PubMed: 33741239
DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.107914 -
JNMA; Journal of the Nepal Medical... 2018Sirenomelia is primarily a congenital anomaly where a normally paired lower limb is replaced by a single midline limb and is characterized by single umbilical artery....
Sirenomelia is primarily a congenital anomaly where a normally paired lower limb is replaced by a single midline limb and is characterized by single umbilical artery. Such cases though considered rare do occur at our set-up and to make health workers aware regarding the condition, so that they can be managed well when encountered, lays the importance of reporting such case. A referred case of Sirenomelia from Dhading district hospital was presented to Emergency department of Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital on 6th March 2016 of 18 year "Young Primigravida at 34 week and 5 days of gestation in second stage of labor" following ultrasonography diagnosis for better management. After confirming the diagnosis, preterm vaginal delivery was performed with a live baby of 1250 gm consisting of multiple congenital anomalies and poor Apgar score. Such cases do occur at our set-up so that if anomaly scanning is done routinely, they could be picked up early and management becomes easier. Keywords: case report; ectromelia; fused legs and feet; Mermaid syndrome; Sirenomelia.
Topics: Abnormalities, Multiple; Adolescent; Ectromelia; Fatal Outcome; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Oligohydramnios; Pregnancy; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
PubMed: 31065147
DOI: 10.31729/jnma.3884 -
Viruses Dec 2022In west and central Africa, monkeypox occurs mainly in older children, adolescents and young adults. In two large epidemiology studies of monkeypox outbreaks, the... (Review)
Review
In west and central Africa, monkeypox occurs mainly in older children, adolescents and young adults. In two large epidemiology studies of monkeypox outbreaks, the investigators observed a sizable number of coinfections of chickenpox (varicella) and monkeypox. Based on a review of the literature, we propose that chickenpox (human herpesvirus-3 infection) is a risk factor for acquisition of monkeypox infection. Our hypothesis states that the chickenpox skin lesion provides an entry site for the monkeypox virus, which is harbored on a fomite in the environment of the patient. The fact that monkeypox can enter via a scratch or abrasion is a known mechanism of spread for three other poxviruses, including mousepox (ectromelia), orf and molluscum contagiosum. There are many similarities in pathogenesis between certain poxviruses and chickenpox, including a viremia with a cellular stress response leading to high levels of the IL-6 cytokine. One very revealing observation in the two epidemiology studies was that the number of pox as well as the severity of disease in children with chickenpox and monkeypox coinfection was not greater than found in children with monkeypox alone. Based on the above observations, we conclude that, when chickenpox precedes monkeypox, priming of the immune system by the earlier chickenpox infection moderates the severity of the secondary infection with monkeypox. This conclusion also has important public health implications about chickenpox surveillance.
Topics: Adolescent; Young Adult; Humans; Child; Chickenpox; Mpox (monkeypox); Coinfection; Herpesvirus 3, Human; African People
PubMed: 36560805
DOI: 10.3390/v14122800 -
Marine Biotechnology (New York, N.Y.) Jun 2022Many industrially significant compounds have been derived from natural products in the environment. Research efforts so far have contributed to the discovery of... (Review)
Review
Many industrially significant compounds have been derived from natural products in the environment. Research efforts so far have contributed to the discovery of beneficial natural products that have improved the quality of life on Earth. As one of the sources of natural products, marine sponges have been progressively recognised as microbial hotspots with reports of the sponges harbouring diverse microbial assemblages, genetic material, and metabolites with multiple industrial applications. Therefore, this paper aims at reviewing the recent literature (primarily published between 2016 and 2022) on the types and functions of natural products synthesised by sponge-associated microorganisms, thereby helping to bridge the gap between research and industrial applications. The metabolites that have been derived from sponge-associated microorganisms, mostly bacteria, fungi, and algae, have shown application prospects especially in medicine, cosmeceutical, environmental protection, and manufacturing industries. Sponge bacteria-derived natural products with medical properties harboured anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral functions. Efforts in re-identifying the origin of known and future sponge-sourced natural products would further clarify the roles and significance of microbes within marine sponges.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Biological Products; Fungi; Porifera; Quality of Life
PubMed: 35567600
DOI: 10.1007/s10126-022-10130-2 -
Genes Jun 2021Plants naturally produce a terrific diversity of molecules, which we exploit for promoting our overall well-being. Plants are also green factories. Indeed, they may be... (Review)
Review
Plants naturally produce a terrific diversity of molecules, which we exploit for promoting our overall well-being. Plants are also green factories. Indeed, they may be exploited to biosynthesize bioactive molecules, proteins, carbohydrates and biopolymers for sustainable and large-scale production. These molecules are easily converted into commodities such as pharmaceuticals, antioxidants, food, feed and biofuels for multiple industrial processes. Novel plant biotechnological, genetics and metabolic insights ensure and increase the applicability of plant-derived compounds in several industrial sectors. In particular, synergy between disciplines, including apparently distant ones such as plant physiology, pharmacology, 'omics sciences, bioinformatics and nanotechnology paves the path to novel applications of the so-called molecular farming. We present an overview of the novel studies recently published regarding these issues in the hope to have brought out all the interesting aspects of these published studies.
Topics: Biofortification; Biotechnology; Crops, Agricultural; Metabolomics; Phytotherapy; Plants, Medicinal
PubMed: 34207427
DOI: 10.3390/genes12060936 -
Ghana Medical Journal Mar 2021We report a case of spontaneous rare birth deformity. A case of Amelia and Phocomelia in a neonate. Amelia is a rare congenital disorder, even more so, is the combined...
UNLABELLED
We report a case of spontaneous rare birth deformity. A case of Amelia and Phocomelia in a neonate. Amelia is a rare congenital disorder, even more so, is the combined amelia and phocomelia in a neonate. True Phocomelia was defined as the total absence of the intermediate segments of the limb. With the hand or foot (normal, almost normal, or malformed), directly attached to the trunk. The common aetiological association with phocomelia is from the use of thalidomide and genetic inheritance, as an autosomal recessive trait, involving chromosome 8. Isolated amelia is not generally considered to be of genetic origin. We present a neonate delivered by a 28-years multipara in Liberia, in West Africa Sub-Region, with amelia involving the two upper limbs, right lower limb and a Phocomelia involving the left lower limb (absence of tibia and fibula and feet with three toes). Africa is the only continent not included in the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research. It is hoped that case reports of congenital limb deformities from Africa, will contribute to the formation of a database for birth defects shortly.
FUNDING
None declared.
PubMed: 38322389
DOI: 10.4314/gmj.v55i1.11 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023
PubMed: 37409288
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1226864 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2019The study of antigen processing and presentation is critical to our understanding of the mechanisms that govern immune surveillance. A typical requirement of assays...
The study of antigen processing and presentation is critical to our understanding of the mechanisms that govern immune surveillance. A typical requirement of assays designed to examine antigen processing and presentation is the de novo biosynthesis of a model antigen. Historically, Vaccinia virus, a poxvirus closely related to Cowpox virus, has enjoyed widespread use for this purpose. Recombinant poxvirus-based expression has a number of advantages over other systems. Poxviruses accommodate the insertion of large pieces of recombinant DNA into their genome, and recombination and selection are relatively efficient. Poxviruses readily infect a variety of cell types, and they drive rapid and high levels of antigen expression. Additionally, they can be utilized in a variety of assays to study both MHC class I restricted and MHC class II restricted antigen processing and presentation. Ultimately, the numerous advantages of poxvirus recombinants have made the Vaccinia expression system a mainstay in the study of processing and presentation over the past two decades. In an attempt to address one shortcoming of Vaccinia virus while simultaneously retaining the benefits inherent to poxviruses, our laboratory has begun to engineer recombinant Ectromelia viruses. Ectromelia virus, or mousepox, is a natural pathogen of murine cells and performing experiments in the context of a natural host-pathogen relationship may elucidate unknown factors that influence epitope generation and host response. This chapter will describe several recombinant poxvirus system protocols used to study both MHC class I and class II antigen processing and presentation, as well as provide insight and troubleshooting techniques to improve the reproducibility and fidelity of these experiments.
Topics: Animals; Cytokines; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Enzyme-Linked Immunospot Assay; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; Immunoassay; Mice; Peptides; Poxviridae; Poxviridae Infections; Recombination, Genetic; Staining and Labeling; T-Lymphocytes
PubMed: 31147943
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9450-2_16