Irish journal of medical science
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Immunomodulation by colchicine is a well-established therapy for targeting inflammatory pathways in gout, pericarditis and Behchet's disease. In more recent times, evidence has emerged demonstrating a potential role for colchicine in several cardiac conditions. This article aims to summarise the evidence behind the established guidelines for use of low-dose colchicine in pericarditis and examine the evolving evidence for its use in cardiovascular disease and most recently COVID-19.
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Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. It has been shown that the severity of symptoms depends on the functioning of the host immune system. Although T. gondii infection typically does not lead to severe disease in healthy people and after infection, it induces a stable immunity, but it can contribute to severe and even lethal Toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised individuals (AIDS, bone marrow transplant and neoplasia). ⋯ Various antigens such as SAG, GRA, ROP, ROM, and MAG have been from different strains of T. gondii have been synthesized and their protective effects have been evaluated in animal models in different vaccine platforms including recombinant antigens, nanoparticles, and DNA vaccine. Four bibliographic databases including Science Direct, PubMed Central (PMC), Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for articles published up to 2020. The current review article focuses on recent studies on the use and usefulness of recombinant antigens, nanoparticles, and DNA vaccines.
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Despite high vaccination rates, increasing case numbers continue to be reported with the identification of new variants of concern, and the issue of durability of the vaccine-induced immune response remains hot topic. Real-life data regarding time-dependent immunogenicity of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines are scarce. We aimed to investigate the changes in the antibody at the different times after the second dose of the CoronaVac vaccine. ⋯ While antibody positivity remained above 90% in the 6th month after two doses of inactivated vaccine in HCWs, the median titers of neutralizing antibodies decreased rapidly. The decrease was more rapid and significant in those with no history of prior COVID-19 infection. In this critical phase of the pandemic, where we are facing the dominance of the Omicron variant after Delta, booster doses have become vital.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The therapeutic effect of co-administration of pentoxifylline and zinc in men with idiopathic infertility.
Pentoxifylline is a derivative of methylxanthine that affects sperm motility. Also, zinc is an antioxidant that is involved in the activation of antioxidant enzymes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of co-administration of pentoxifylline, and zinc in men with idiopathic infertility. ⋯ In the pentoxifylline group, sperm DNA fragmentation increased significantly, while in the zinc and zinc + pentoxifylline group, DNA fragmentation reduced significantly. Because of the role of zinc in protecting sperm chromatin, it is recommended that zinc and pentoxifyllinebe prescribed simultaneously. Clinical trial code: NCT05156684.
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Most of the previous studies, investigating determinants of 6-minute walk test (6MWT), were conducted on small sample sizes and/or have not explored different aspects such as freezing of gait, physical activity, gender, dual-task cost, and/or have not been able to explain large portion of variation in 6MWT in people with Parkinson's disease. ⋯ These results showed that gender, age, disease stage, freezing of gait, dual-task cost, and functional balance values are significant contributors to the variance in 6MWT. Therefore, while planning rehabilitation strategies to improve walking capacity, one should focus on these aspects in people with Parkinson's disease.