Vitamin D deficiency in Kazakhstan: Cross-Sectional study

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is one of the serious and highly debatable public health problems affecting at least one billion of world population. This study objected to evaluate Vitamin D status in adult population of both sexes residing in different geographical areas of Kazakhstan and to elucidate the possible contributing factors related to VDD. This cross-sectional study covered 6 regions of Kazakhstan and applied the systematic random sampling to recruit 1347 healthy adults (of whom 819 were females) with mean age 44 ± 14 years. The concentration of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) was measured from May 2018 to August 2018 with Architect 25OH Vitamin D assay (Abbott Ireland Diagnostics Division Lisnamuck, Longford Co. Longford Ireland). Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25-OHD values not exceeding 20 ng/mL as a reference threshold in healthy population. The median serum 25(OH)D concentrations in all studied regions of Kazakhstan were below the reference threshold (20 ng/mL). The lowest range of vitamin D (<10 ng/mL) was observed more commonly in females (34.6 % - 283) as compared to males (16.7 % - 88) and was significantly higher in Asians (33.2 % - 352) in contrast with Caucasians (6.7 % - 19) (χ2 = 177,939; D.f. = 3; p-value=<0,001). The proportion of severe VDD was higher in individuals with low body mass index (31.1 % - 188) vs. individuals with high body mass index (18.7 % - 50). In this study individuals aged 60 years and older had the most favorable situation with 25-OHD concentrations since these were normal in 14.4 % of observations (χ2 = 26,589; D.f. = 6; p-value=<0001). Studying the prevalence of VDD is an important public health task. Further research is needed to understand the epidemiology of VDD in more details to tailor intervention programs.

Icariin attenuates isoproterenol-induced cardiac toxicity in Wistar rats via modulating cGMP level and NF-κB signaling cascade

Icariin, a major component of Epimedium species, was evaluated using isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiotoxicity in Wistar rats. Rats were treated with icariin at the doses of 1, 5, and 10 mg kg^-1 orally for 15 days. Afterward, rats were administered with ISO (85 mg kg^-1, subcutaneous) on 14th and 15th day to produce cardiac injury. Sildenafil (0.7 mg kg^-1, intraperitoneal) was used as a positive reference to compare the effects of icariin. ISO-treated rats showed significant changes in hemodynamic parameters. Elevated levels of cardiac troponin T, nitric oxide, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in serum, positive expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and inducible nitric oxide synthase in cardiac tissue, and a decrease in serum level of interleukin-10, manifested inflammation and associated cardiac injury. However, pretreatment with icariin and sildenafil significantly prevented the hemodynamic fall and showed improved contractile and lusitropic states. Furthermore, pretreatment groups also showed a reversal of other toxicity markers to normal. Additionally, pretreatment with icariin and sildenafil significantly increased the myocardial cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels. Our results thus indicated the potential role of icariin in the restoration of the ISO-induced cardiac toxicity and restored membrane integrity through modulation of cGMP and NF-κB signaling.

Entomological indicators during transmission season of dengue in Silvassa (India)

The entomological surveillance was conducted in urban, semi-urban/slum, industrial and residential areas during main transmission period from June to November 2012. In residential sites house index was 41.7-35.0, breteau index 71.7-136.7 and container index 11.6-20.2. During transmission period all the values ware much higher than the threshold level. The causes of high values of entomological indicator appeared to be rapid industrialization, unawareness of the conditions or factors that can exacerbate mosquito breeding, water storage habits in community and un-implementation of health related legislation.

Occurrence of Hyalomma, (Acari: Ixodidae) Koch, 1844 on domestic animal in the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Indian

In response to recent outbreak of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Gujarat (India). This investigation was carried out in order to determine the risk of CCHF. The prevalence and abundance of Hyalomma (Acari: Ixodidae) were recorded on the domestic animals in the Union territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli during the period of January to December 2012. Overall, 71 larva and 148 adults belonging to three species of Hyalomma viz., Hyal. anatolicum anatolicum, Hyal. detritum, and Hyal. marginatum isaaci were collected from 33 infested domestic mammals (Goats, Cows, Buffalos, Dogs and Cats). The infestation of Hyal. a. anatolicum and Hyal. m. isaaci (incriminated as the vector of CCHF virus) on cattles in these area may serious implication for human health, considering the fact that these ticks serve as vectors of CCHF. To minimize these dangers, strategic surveillance and control methods could be useful in the control of ticks recorded during the survey.

[Apoptosis and differentiation in presumptive neural retina and presumptive retinal pigmented epithelium during early eye development in toad, Bufo raddei Strauch]

Apoptosis and differentiation in presumptive neural retina (PNR) and presumptive retinal pigmented epithelium (PRPE) wert investigated during early retina development of toad, Bufo raddei Strauch. TUNEL staining was used to evaluate apoptotic cells and the immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expression levels ofglial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), RT97 and tyrosinase (Tyr) during early eye development respectively. The density of apoptotic cells and protein expression were quantitated with Image-Pro Plus 6.0. Apoptosis was found in both PNR and PRPE and the density of apoptotic profiles in PRPE was higher than that in PNR (most P<0.01) at the same stage during early eye development. The expression levels of GFAP and RT97 changed from low to high in PNR, but from high to low in PRPE, whereas the expression level of Tyr, was contrary to those of GFAP and RT97 in both PNR and PRPE. The point of intersection of these, increase and decrease respectively was found at 5-6 h after formation of optic vesicle (FOV). PRPE becomes thinner than PNR, one of the reasons might be due to higher density of apoptosis in PRPE than that in PNR during early eye development. Molecular differentiation, however, occurred after the contact of the optic vesicle outer wall with the overlying ectoderm which promotes the expression of specific molecules and inhibits the expression of non-specific molecules in PNR and PRPE respectively.

Percutaneous interventions below the knee in patients with critical limb ischemia using drug eluting stents

AIM

Midterm technical and clinical evaluation of stent angioplasty with drug-eluting stents in infrapopliteal lesions in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI).

METHODS

Percutaneous stent angioplasty was performed in 128 limbs in 114 patients presenting with 320 vascular lesions. Lesions with up to 6 cm in length and at least one patent vessel below the obstruction were treated; 341 drug-eluting Cypher(R) stents (diameter of 2.5-3.5 mm; length of 18-33 mm) were implanted. Follow-up examinations were performed up to 18 months postinterventionally using clinical examination, ankle-brachial index (ABI) calculation, and color coded Duplex sonography. Patency rates were calculated on the basis of the Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis.

RESULTS

Technical success was achieved in 99.06%. Minor complications (hematoma, distal emboli, and vessel dissection) were documented in 8.77% of the patients. The 6, 12, and 18 months primary patency rate as controlled by Duplex sonography was 89.8, 84.2 and 83.3%, respectively; 77.6% of the lesions healed postinterventionally. The cumulative limb salvage rate was 95.6%.

CONCLUSION

Drug-eluting stent (DES) angioplasty in infrapopliteal arteries is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of patients with CLI. The use of a DES results in favorable technical and clinical outcome in the midterm follow-up.

Targeting of specific domains of diphtheria toxin by site-directed antibodies

Antibodies highly selective for two functionally distinct regions of diphtheria toxin (DTx) were prepared using synthetic peptide conjugates as immunogens. Three peptides were selected for synthesis: sequence DTx141-157 on fragment A, which contains the putative protein elongation factor (EF-2) ADP-ribosyltransferase site; DTx224-237 on fragment B, selected on the basis of forming a predicted surface loop; and DTx513-526 on fragment B, forming a part of the region containing the putative receptor binding domain. All of the anti-peptide antibodies recognized the corresponding peptide, and also reacted with the toxin, specifically with the fragment containing the sequence against which they were raised, confirming the utility of this approach in generating fragment-specific antibodies. The anti-peptide antibody with the highest binding titre both to the peptide and to the native toxin was the one prepared against the sequence with the highest surface and loop likelihood indices of the three peptides selected. The similarity of the reactivity profiles with peptide and native and denatured toxin is consistent with the prediction that the region selected occurs in a surface loop and that the structure of the peptide is similar to the conformation of this region in the native protein. The epitopes for two of the anti-peptide antibodies were mapped. The results indicated that even though the antisera were raised to peptides containing 14 amino acids (aa) they were directed predominantly against a narrow region within the peptide, consisting of only 5-6 aa residues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)