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Journal of Smooth Muscle Research =... 2024Functional bowel disorders (FBD) have a major potential to degrade the standards of public life. Juniperus oxycedrus L. (J. oxycedrus) (Cupressaceae) has been described...
Functional bowel disorders (FBD) have a major potential to degrade the standards of public life. Juniperus oxycedrus L. (J. oxycedrus) (Cupressaceae) has been described as a plant used in traditional medicine as an antidiarrheal medication. The present study is the first to obtain information on the antispasmodic and antidiarrheic effects of J. oxycedrus aqueous extract through in vitro and in vivo studies. An aqueous extract of J. oxycedrus (AEJO) was extracted by decoctioning air-dried aerial sections of the plant. Antispasmodic activity was tested in an isolated jejunum segment of rats exposed to cumulative doses of drogue extract. The antidiarrheic activity was tested using diarrhea caused by castor oil, a transit study of the small intestine, and castor oil-induced enteropooling assays in mice. In the jejunum of rats, the AEJO (0.1, 0.3 and 1 mg/ml) diminished the maximum tone induced by low K (25 mM), while it exhibited a weak inhibitory effect on high K (75 mM) with an IC=0.49 ± 0.01 mg/ml and IC=2.65 ± 0.16 mg/ml, respectively. In the contractions induced by CCh (10 M), AEJO diminished the maximum tone, similar to that induced by low K (25 mM). with an IC=0.45 ± 0.02 mg/ml. The inhibitory effect of AEJO on low K induced contractions was significantly diminished in the presence of glibenclamide (GB) (0.3 µM) and 4-aminopyrimidine (4-AP) (100 µM), with IC values of 1.84 ± 0.09 mg/ml. and 1.63 ± 0.16 mg/ml, respectively). The demonstrated inhibitory effect was similar to that produced by a non-competitive antagonist acting on cholinergic receptors and calcium channels. In castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice, AEJO (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) caused an extension of the latency time, a reduced defecation frequency, and a decrease in the amount of wet feces compared to the untreated group (distilled water). Moreover, it showed a significant anti-motility effect and reduced the amount of fluid accumulated in the intestinal lumen at all tested doses. These findings support the conventional use of Juniperus oxycedrus L. as a remedy for gastrointestinal diseases.
Topics: Animals; Jejunum; Antidiarrheals; Parasympatholytics; Plant Extracts; Juniperus; Mice; Rats; Diarrhea; Male; Castor Oil; Gastrointestinal Transit; Rats, Wistar; Gastrointestinal Motility; Muscle, Smooth; Muscle Contraction
PubMed: 38777767
DOI: 10.1540/jsmr.60.10 -
PloS One 2024Shorter and longer sleep durations are associated with adverse health consequences. However, available evidence on the association of sleep duration with constipation is...
AIMS
Shorter and longer sleep durations are associated with adverse health consequences. However, available evidence on the association of sleep duration with constipation is limited, especially in patients with diabetes, who are at a high risk of both conditions. This study aimed to examine the association between sleep duration and constipation in patients with type 2 diabetes.
METHODS
A total of 4,826 patients with type 2 diabetes were classified into six groups according to sleep duration: <4.5, 4.5-5.4, 5.5-6.4, 6.5-7.4, 7.5-8.4, and ≥8.5 hours/day. The odds ratios for the presence of constipation, defined as a defecation frequency <3 times/week and/or laxative use, were calculated using a logistic regression model.
RESULTS
Shorter and longer sleep durations were associated with a higher likelihood of constipation than an intermediate duration (6.5-7.4 hours/day). This U-shaped association persisted after adjusting for confounding factors, including lifestyle behavior, measures of obesity and glycemic control, and comorbidities. Broadly identical findings were observed when decreased defecation frequency and laxative use were individually assessed.
CONCLUSIONS
This study shows a U-shaped association between sleep duration and constipation in patients with type 2 diabetes, and highlights the importance of assessing sleep duration in daily clinical practice.
Topics: Humans; Constipation; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Aged; Sleep; Registries; Japan; Time Factors; Risk Factors; Sleep Duration
PubMed: 38776319
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302430 -
BMC Public Health May 2024Oxidative stress is closely related to gut health. Exposures to oxidative stress in one's diet and lifestyle can be evaluated by the oxidative balance score (OBS)....
BACKGROUND
Oxidative stress is closely related to gut health. Exposures to oxidative stress in one's diet and lifestyle can be evaluated by the oxidative balance score (OBS). However, the relationship between OBS and intestinal habits is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between OBS and intestinal habits (chronic diarrhea and chronic constipation) and the underlying mechanisms involved.
METHODS
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from 2005 to 2010, we included a total of 8065 participants. Twenty dietary and lifestyle factors were selected for the OBS calculates. Chronic constipation and chronic diarrhea were defined using the Bristol stool form scale (BSFS) types 1 and 2 and the BSFS 6 and 7, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression, subgroup analysis, and restricted cubic splines (RCS) analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between OBS and defecation habits. Finally, we used mediation analysis to explore the indirect effects of oxidative stress and inflammatory markers on these associations.
RESULTS
After adjusting for all the covariates, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that OBS was negatively correlated with diarrhea (OR = 0.57; 95%CI = 0.39-0.83; P = 0.008)and positively correlated with constipation (OR = 1.75; 95%CI = 1.19-2.25; P = 0.008). The RCS showed a nonlinear relationship between OBS and diarrhea (P for nonlinearity = 0.02) and a linear relationship between OBS and constipation (P for nonlinearity = 0.19). Mediation analysis showed that the C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration and white blood cell (WBC) count mediated the correlation between OBS and diarrhea by 6.28% and 6.53%, respectively (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
OBS is closely related to changes in patients' defecation habits. Oxidative stress and inflammation may play a role in the relationship between the two. This result emphasizes the importance of the public adjusting their lifestyle and dietary habits according to their own situation. However, further prospective studies are needed to analyze the relationship between oxidative stress and changes in defecation habits.
Topics: Humans; Constipation; Oxidative Stress; Female; Diarrhea; Male; Middle Aged; Adult; Chronic Disease; Nutrition Surveys; Life Style; Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies
PubMed: 38773415
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18683-8 -
International Journal of Surgery Case... Jun 2024Bone hydatidosis is a rare parasitic infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus, with a frequency of 1-2 %, it has a high morbidity and mortality rate due to its long...
INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE
Bone hydatidosis is a rare parasitic infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus, with a frequency of 1-2 %, it has a high morbidity and mortality rate due to its long clinical latency and lack of symptomatic specificity. This often leads to delayed diagnosis and discovery, usually at the stage of complications.
CASE PRESENTATION
We present a case of sacral hydatidosis in a 71-year-old patient with no prior medical history. The symptomatology was a pelvic pain that had been ongoing for 5 months with constipation and difficulty with defecation. The clinical and radiological findings initially suggested a primary or metastatic malignant tumour. The biopsy revealed a multivesicular cystic lesion, indicating a hydatid cyst of the sacrum, confirmed later by anatomopathological examination. The lesion was almost completely removed, drainage was performed and the patient was put on anti-parasitic treatment.
CLINICAL DISCUSSION
The clinical presentation of bone hydatidosis is poor and its course is insidious, which often leads to a delay in diagnosis. Medical imaging can provide a precise assessment of the lesion, allowing for extensive surgical resection to be planned. However, therapeutic methods and health education in endemic countries are still the best measures for limiting the considerable damage caused by this parasite.
CONCLUSION
Hydatid osteopathy is a slow and progressive disease that can be difficult to diagnose early, which can compromise the quality of treatment. Therefore, it is important to focus on preventive measures to eradicate this parasitic infection.
PubMed: 38772245
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2024.109772 -
Yersinia pestis can infect the Pawlowsky glands of human body lice and be transmitted by louse bite.PLoS Biology May 2024Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is a highly lethal vector-borne pathogen responsible for killing large portions of Europe's population during the Black...
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is a highly lethal vector-borne pathogen responsible for killing large portions of Europe's population during the Black Death of the Middle Ages. In the wild, Y. pestis cycles between fleas and rodents; occasionally spilling over into humans bitten by infectious fleas. For this reason, fleas and the rats harboring them have been considered the main epidemiological drivers of previous plague pandemics. Human ectoparasites, such as the body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus), have largely been discounted due to their reputation as inefficient vectors of plague bacilli. Using a membrane-feeder adapted strain of body lice, we show that the digestive tract of some body lice become chronically infected with Y. pestis at bacteremia as low as 1 × 105 CFU/ml, and these lice routinely defecate Y. pestis. At higher bacteremia (≥1 × 107 CFU/ml), a subset of the lice develop an infection within the Pawlowsky glands (PGs), a pair of putative accessory salivary glands in the louse head. Lice that developed PG infection transmitted Y. pestis more consistently than those with bacteria only in the digestive tract. These glands are thought to secrete lubricant onto the mouthparts, and we hypothesize that when infected, their secretions contaminate the mouthparts prior to feeding, resulting in bite-based transmission of Y. pestis. The body louse's high level of susceptibility to infection by gram-negative bacteria and their potential to transmit plague bacilli by multiple mechanisms supports the hypothesis that they may have played a role in previous human plague pandemics and local outbreaks.
Topics: Animals; Yersinia pestis; Pediculus; Humans; Plague; Insect Vectors; Insect Bites and Stings; Female; Male
PubMed: 38771885
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002625 -
Revista Espanola de Enfermedades... May 2024Haemorrhoidal disease and anal fissure are the two most frequent entities within benign anal pathology, both of which have a negative impact on patients' quality of...
Haemorrhoidal disease and anal fissure are the two most frequent entities within benign anal pathology, both of which have a negative impact on patients' quality of life. To date, there is no specific questionnaire in Spanish to assess the impact on quality of life in patients suffering from these conditions. The aim of our study is to validate in Spanish a questionnaire for this purpose, adapting it to our daily clinical practice. The HEMO-FISS-CdV is the Spanish version of the original HEMO-FISS-QoL by Abramowitz. The questionnaire consists of 23 items organised in 4 dimensions (physical, psychological, defecation and sexuality). The reliability of the new tool was assessed by determining internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha and Guttman's coefficient. It was also correlated with the quality of life questionnaire SF12 version 2. The Cronbach's alpha obtained for our questionnaire (HEMO-FISS-CdV) was 0.951 (ICC 95% +-0.016), with a range between 0.935 and 0.967. The Guttman two-half coefficient had a value of 0.910. Patients with internal haemorrhoids, anal fissure or both had higher values on the HEMO-FISS-CdV questionnaire than patients without internal haemorrhoids and these differences were significant (p<0.05). Both diseases have a negative impact on patients' quality of life. The HEMO-FISS-CdV questionnaire provides a tool in Spanish that easily and specifically assesses the impact of haemorrhoidal disease and anal fissure on quality of life.
PubMed: 38767040
DOI: 10.17235/reed.2024.10308/2024 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... May 2024Ion channels are necessary for proper water and nutrient absorption in the intestine, which supports cellular metabolism and organismal growth. While a role for Na...
Ion channels are necessary for proper water and nutrient absorption in the intestine, which supports cellular metabolism and organismal growth. While a role for Na co-transporters and pumps in intestinal nutrient absorption is well defined, how individual K uniporters function to maintain ion homeostasis is poorly understood. Using , we show that a gain-of-function mutation in , which encodes a two-pore domain K ion channel orthologous to human KCNK3, facilitates nutrient absorption and suppresses the metabolic and developmental defects displayed by impaired intestinal MAP Kinase (MAPK) signaling. Mutations in and which encode two components of this MAPK pathway, cause severe growth defects, reduced lipid storage, and a dramatic increase in autophagic lysosomes, which mirror dietary restriction phenotypes. Additionally, these MAPK mutants display structural defects of the intestine and an impaired defecation motor program. We find that activation of TWK-26 reverses the dietary restriction-like state of the MAPK mutants by restoring intestinal nutrient absorption without correcting the intestinal bloating or defecation defects. This study provides unique insight into the mechanisms by which intestinal K ion channels support intestinal metabolic homeostasis.
PubMed: 38766028
DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.06.592787 -
Environmental Health Insights 2024Open defecation is a significant global challenge, impacting public health, environmental sanitation, and social well-being, especially in low- and middle-income...
BACKGROUND
Open defecation is a significant global challenge, impacting public health, environmental sanitation, and social well-being, especially in low- and middle-income countries like Ethiopia. It is the second-largest cause of disease burden worldwide by facilitating the spread of germs that cause diarrhea diseases. Studies examining open defecation practices are insufficient, especially in areas implementing Ethiopia's Geshiyaro project. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the status of open defecation practice and associated factors in the study area.
METHOD
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2023. The total number of households included in this study was 7995. A structured questionnaire and observational checklist were used to collect data. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using STATA version 16.
RESULTS
The study found that 16.5% of households practiced open defecation. The following factors were significantly associated with the occurrence of open defecation: residence (AOR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.26-1.92), education (AOR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.49-0.72), age (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.41-0.69), knowledge on diarrhea prevention (AOR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.17-1.50), marital status (AOR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.32-1.97), and awareness creation about WASH services (AOR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.71-2.25). On the other hand, no significant association was observed between the occurrence of open defecation and the household's income (AOR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.93-1.23) or the head of household sex (AOR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.78-1.12).
CONCLUSION
Open defecation remains a critical public health concern in Ethiopia's Geshiyaro project sites. Various factors influencing this practice have been identified. Targeted interventions are needed to enhance access to safe sanitation facilities and promote awareness of WASH services, aligning with SDG 3 target 3, and SDG 6 target 2.
PubMed: 38756543
DOI: 10.1177/11786302241252732 -
Cureus Apr 2024There are a few existing gaps and paucity of literature from Southeast Asia on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among migrant construction workers. The...
There are a few existing gaps and paucity of literature from Southeast Asia on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among migrant construction workers. The present cross-sectional study was conducted to address this gap among migrant construction workers and their households in Bhopal. The study design included an interview questionnaire survey prior to the enrollment of participants and stool sample collection. The stool samples were processed according to the study protocol of macroscopy, occult blood testing, microscopy techniques combined with modified acid-fast, and sedimentation techniques. Participants were deemed positive if they exhibited microscopic findings in one out of three stool samples per recruit. We recommended clinical consultation for these cases and provided a report. Direct therapeutic intervention was not part of the study. The total recruits were 361. The predominant age group was young, i.e., aged 21 to 30 years (122/361, 33.8%), with the majority of females (55.2%). Most workers were occupied with work of digging soil (47.4%). The majority of participants (93.1%) practiced open field defecation (OFD). The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among migrant workers and households was 36.9% (133/361). Monoinfection was 88.7%, with 41% from .Monoinfection with (10.2%)was a predominant helminth. The most common coinfection observed was of with (26.7%). Hand washing was the only independent predictor with an odds ratio of 3.6. Migrant behavior of the construction workers and their households was the major reason for not reaching the benefits of deworming schemes for children and vulnerability to intestinal parasitic infections.
PubMed: 38756280
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.58413 -
BMC Veterinary Research May 2024Gray horses are predisposed to equine malignant melanoma (EMM) with advancing age. Depending on the tumor's location and size, they can cause severe problems (e.g.,... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Potent drug delivery enhancement of betulinic acid and NVX-207 into equine skin in vitro - a comparison between a novel oxygen flow-assisted transdermal application device and microemulsion gels.
BACKGROUND
Gray horses are predisposed to equine malignant melanoma (EMM) with advancing age. Depending on the tumor's location and size, they can cause severe problems (e.g., defaecation, urination, feeding). A feasible therapy for EMM has not yet been established and surgical excision can be difficult depending on the location of the melanoma. Thus, an effective and safe therapy is needed. Naturally occurring betulinic acid (BA), a pentacyclic triterpene and its synthetic derivate, NVX-207 (3-acetyl-betulinic acid-2-amino-3-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-propanoate) are known for their cytotoxic properties against melanomas and other tumors and have already shown good safety and tolerability in vivo. In this study, BA and NVX-207 were tested for their permeation potential into equine skin in vitro in Franz-type diffusion cell (FDC) experiments after incubation of 5 min, 30 min and 24 h, aiming to use these formulations for prospective in vivo studies as a treatment for early melanoma stages. Potent permeation was defined as reaching or exceeding the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC) of BA or NVX-207 for equine melanoma cells in equine skin samples. The active ingredients were either dissolved in a microemulsion (ME) or in a microemulsion gel (MEG). All of the formulations were transdermally applied but the oil-in-water microemulsion was administered with a novel oxygen flow-assisted (OFA) applicator (DERMADROP TDA).
RESULTS
All tested formulations exceeded the IC values for equine melanoma cells for BA and NVX-207 in equine skin samples, independently of the incubation time NVX-207 applied with the OFA applicator showed a significant time-dependent accumulation and depot-effect in the skin after 30 min and 24 h (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
All tested substances showed promising results. Additionally, OFA administration showed a significant accumulation of NVX-207 after 30 min and 24 h of incubation. Further in vivo trials with OFA application are recommended.
Topics: Animals; Horses; Betulinic Acid; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Triterpenes; Administration, Cutaneous; Emulsions; Skin; Drug Delivery Systems; Gels; Melanoma; Oxygen; Skin Absorption; Horse Diseases; Propanolamines
PubMed: 38755639
DOI: 10.1186/s12917-024-04064-1