Nocturnal serum melatonin levels in sulfur mustard exposed patients with sleep disorders

Sleep quality in men with androgenetic alopecia

PURPOSE

Sleep disturbances affect human health and contribute to several comorbidities. In men, androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common, non-scarring form of hair loss that affects a patient's self-esteem. There are limited data regarding the association between poor sleep quality and male AGA. We aimed to compare the prevalence of sleep abnormalities between male patients with AGA and controls to identify an association between the two conditions.

METHODS

A case-control study on patients with AGA and age-matched controls was conducted. Participants completed a standardized questionnaire that contained self-evaluated sleep measures, including Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and STOP-BANG questionnaire. Patients with AGA were classified into mild, moderate, and severe subgroups according to the Hamilton-Norwood classification for stratified analyses. Data between groups and among subgroups were compared.

RESULTS

Of 446 male participants, 223 (50%) were in the AGA group, and the remainder (50%) were in the control group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16-3.11, p = 0.011) and STOP-BANG score ≥ 5 (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.15-3.66, p = 0.015) were associated with AGA. For subgroup analyses, ordinal logistic regression model showed a significant association between severe AGA and three sleep profiles, namely total sleep time ≤ 6 h (OR = 2.16, 95%CI = 1.02-4.57, p = 0.044), PSQI > 5 (OR = 3.72, 95%CI = 1.42-9.72, p = 0.008), and STOP-BANG score ≥ 5 (OR = 3.01, 95%CI = 1.11-8.13, p = 0.030).

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed an association between sleep disturbances and AGA, which may help guide appropriate management in these patients.

The impact of sulfur mustard on quality of life and mental health in Kurdish survivors in Sweden, thirty years after exposure

BACKGROUND

The Iraqi state used chemical warfare agents (CWAs) like sulfur mustard (SM) in al-Anfal genocide in the present-day Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In addition to somatic injuries, exposure to CWAs causes biopsychosocial complications. We investigated the long-term impact of SM exposure on quality of life (QoL) and depression severity in Kurdish survivors resettled in Sweden.

METHODS

This is a case-control study, where subjects exposed to SM (n = 18, mean age 51.3 years, 50% women) and sex- and age-matched nonexposed subjects (n = 30, mean age 48.7 years, 47% women) of Kurdish residents in Sweden. Data were collected through in-person interviews based on the RAND 36-item Short Form Health Survey to assess QoL and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-self assessment (MADRS-S) to investigate the presence and the gravity of depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

The SM-exposed group had a significantly lower QoL than the nonexposed group (p < 0.001). Also, the overall mean MADRS-S scores among the SM-exposed group, corresponding to moderate depression, were higher than the scores of the nonexposed (22 points (p) vs. 9 p, p < .001). Overall, the participants within the exposed group reported worse mental than physical well-being 36p and 32p, respectively. Within the SM-exposed group, there was no gendered-related difference neither in terms of depression severity nor for QoL, but the groups were small.

CONCLUSION

Individuals exposed to SM had worse QoL and a higher level of depressive severity compared with nonexposed individuals three decades after exposure, indicating the importance of increased clinician knowledge, guidelines, and an approach to assess and respond to the exposed groups' biopsychosocial needs. These findings indicate that those exposed to SM might need early identification of mental illnesses and more support to promote QoL.

New uses of Melatonin as a Drug, a Review

Melatonin is a simple compound with a proper chemical name N-acetyl-5-methoxy tryptamine and known as a hormone controlling circadian rhythm. Humans produce melatonin at night which is the reason for sleeping in the night and awakening over the day. Melatonin interacts with melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2 but it was also revealed that melatonin is a strong antioxidant and it also has a role in regulation of cell cycle. Currently, melatonin is used as a drug for some types of sleep disorder but the recent research points to the fact that melatonin can also serve for the other purposes including prophylaxis or therapy of lifestyle diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and exposure to chemicals. This review summarizes basic facts and direction of the current research on melatonin. The actual literature was scrutinized for the purpose of this review.

Synthetic high-density lipoprotein nanoparticles: Good things in small packages

Medicine has been a great beneficiary of the nanotechnology revolution. Nanotechnology involves the synthesis of functional materials with at least one size dimension between 1 and 100 nm. Advances in the field have enabled the synthesis of bio-nanoparticles that can interface with physiological systems to modulate fundamental cellular processes. One example of a diverse acting nanoparticle-based therapeutic is synthetic high-density lipoprotein (HDL) nanoparticles (NP), which have great potential for treating diseases of the ocular surface. Our group has developed a spherical HDL NP using a gold nanoparticle core. HDL NPs: (i) closely mimic the physical and chemical features of natural HDLs; (ii) contain apoA-I; (iii) bind with high-affinity to SR-B1, which is the major receptor through which HDL modulates cell cholesterol metabolism and controls the selective uptake of HDL cargo into cells; (iv) are non-toxic to cells and tissues; and (v) can be chemically engineered to display nearly any surface or core composition desired. With respect to the ocular surface, topical application of HDL NPs accelerates re-epithelization of the cornea following wounding, attenuates inflammation resulting from chemical burns and/or other stresses, and effectively delivers microRNAs with biological activity to corneal cells and tissues. HDL NPs will be the foundation of a new class of topical eye drops with great translational potential and exemplify the impact that nanoparticles can have in medicine.

Toxicology of Blister Agents: Is Melatonin a Potential Therapeutic Option?

Blister or vesicant chemical warfare agents (CWAs) have been widely used in different military conflicts, including World War I and the Iran-Iraq War. However, their mechanism of action is not fully understood. Sulfur and nitrogen mustard exert toxic effects not only through the alkylation of thiol-bearing macromolecules, such as DNA and proteins, but also produce free radicals that can develop direct toxic effects in target organs such as the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. The lack of effective treatments against vesicant CWAs-induced injury makes us consider, in this complex scenario, the use and development of melatonin-based therapeutic strategies. This multifunctional indoleamine could facilitate neutralization of the oxidative stress, modulate the inflammatory response, and prevent the DNA damage, as well as the long-term health consequences mediated by vesicant CWAs-induced epigenetic mechanisms. In this context, it would be essential to develop new galenic formulations for the use of orally and/or topically applied melatonin for the prophylaxis against vesicant CWAs, as well as the development of post-exposure treatments in the near future.