Journal of Investigative Medicine : the Official Publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a bone marrow malignancy characterized by plasma cell proliferation. It was aimed to investigate pentraxin 3 (PTX3) levels, oxidative/antioxidative status, and their correlation in MM. In the study, four groups were established, including newly diagnosed MM (NDMM), MM in remission (Rem-MM), relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM) patients, and a healthy control group. PTX3 levels were measured using ELISA, and the total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) were assessed with an autoanalyzer...

It has been shown that 25-OH vitamin D not only preserves calcium and bone homeostasis but also has immunomodulatory effects. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between adult patients with recently diagnosed ITP and vitamin D levels. Retrospective technique was employed in this study. The associations between 25(OH)D value and platelet count, as well as the clinical symptoms of ITP upon diagnosis and 25(OH)D value, were our main findings. A total of 60 patients diagnosed and followed up in our clinic were included in the study...

Recent studies have found that gut microbes may affect blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. This study was to investigate the relationship between gut microbes and forkhead box F2 (FOXF2) and the mechanism of troxerutin improving diabetic cognitive function (DCD). Diabetic mice were used in this study for the prophylactic application of troxerutin (60 mg/kg/d) for 8 weeks. The cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) and novel object recognition (NOR) tasks, and the changes of intestinal microbial composition were observed through 16S rRNA gene sequencing...

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) are commonly used for dyslipidemia management to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is an emerging systematic low-grade inflammatory marker associated with atherosclerotic CVD development. Despite racial/ethnic disparities in the use and response of statins and the anti-inflammatory effects of statins, the effectiveness of statins on inflammation and metabolic markers is unknown among Hispanics. We performed a retrospective cohort study using 150 adult patients scheduled for an annual physical exam at a family medicine clinic between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Vascular involvement in Behçet's Disease (BD) occurs in up to 50% of patients. The main mechanism of thrombosis is inflammation. Thus, immunosuppressants (IS) are the mainstay of therapy, and adding anticoagulants (AC) is controversial. In daily practice, we observed that patients who receive AC in combination with IS experience less recurrent thrombosis and decided to retrospectively investigate our Behçet's Disease patients. We hypothesized that adding anticoagulants to immunosuppressive therapy may lower the risk of recurrent thrombosis...

Compliance with guidelines in the empirical treatment for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is very important to increase treatment success and reduce mortality. This study aimed to determine compliance with guidelines recommendations for CAP and define the role of the clinical pharmacist (CP). Patients diagnosed with CAP were evaluated retrospectively between January 2018 and January 2020 and prospectively between February 2020 and February 2021. Compliance with guidelines was evaluated according to the local, national (Turkish Thoracic Society) and international (American Thoracic Society and Infectious Disease Society of America), European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) guidelines...

Chamomile ( Matricaria chamomilla ) is a plant with known antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties. Homeopathic drops containing chamomile extract are often used for ear pain and chronic ear infections. We aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of over-the-counter eardrops containing chamomile against organisms causing bacterial conjunctivitis and otitis externa. Liquid cultures of Streptococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were exposed to increasing concentrations of eardrops containing chamomile extract...

As more states legalize cannabinoid products for recreational use and medicinal purposes, the prevalence of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome has become increasingly common. Yet, it remains unrecognized to many healthcare providers along with the most efficacious treatments. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome most often presents with episodic vomiting secondary to chronic daily cannabis use over several months to years. Patients often complain of nausea and abdominal pain that is improved by taking hot showers or baths...

Morinda officinalis polysaccharide (MOP) is the bioactive ingredient extracted from the root of Morinda officinalis, and Morinda officinalis is applied to treat osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of MOP on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) and the underlying mechanism. HBMSCs were isolated from bone marrow samples of patients with osteoporosis and treated with MOP. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was adopted to quantify the expression of microRNA-210-3p (miR-210-3p) and scavenger receptor class A member 3 (SCARA3) mRNA...

In vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is involved in atherosclerotic pathogenesis. However, the role of TSP-1 in clinical atherosclerosis remains unknown. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between TSP-1 and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and examined whether it interacts with conventional cardiovascular risk factors. A total of 587 participants were enrolled from February 2018 to December 2021. TSP-1 was dichotomized based on median value. Carotid IMT was measured bilaterally in each segment, and the average value was taken as the overall IMT variable...

Septal Myectomy (SM) and Alcohol Septal Ablation (ASA) improve symptoms in patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy with outflow tract obstruction (oHCM). However, outcomes data in this population is predominantly from specialized centers. The National Inpatient Database was queried from 2011- 2019 for relevant ICD-9 and -10 diagnostic and procedural codes. We compared baseline characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of patients with oHCM who underwent SM vs. ASA. A p-value <0.001 was considered statistically significant...

BACKGROUND: In the general population, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is synonymous with vascular disease and associated with increased mortality. Vascular disease is common in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis, but there is limited information on AAA in this population. To address this issue, we queried the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) for risk factors associated with a diagnosis of AAA as well as the impact of AAA on ESRD patient survival. METHODS: Incident dialysis patients from 2005-2014 with AAA and other clinical comorbidities were identified using ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, with follow-up determined as time of death or December 31, 2015...

The study aimed to investigate the predictive value of clinical characteristics, major CTA indexes of carotid AS (carotid lumen stenosis and plaque burden) and inflammatory pericarotid adipose tissue for acute stroke risk in patients with a moderate or higher degree of carotid stenosis. One hundred and nineteen patients with unilateral carotid stenosis who underwent head and neck CT angiography were included and assigned to the stroke group or non-stroke group according to MRI. Pericarotid adipose tissue attenuation value, net enhancement value in the base phase and the enhancement phase, and atherosclerotic features (plaque burden and lumen stenosis) were recorded...

Joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) is a non-inflammatory hereditary disorder of connective tissue with varied clinical presentations, including frequent joint dislocations, hyperextensible skin, easy bruising, and abnormal paper-thin scar formation. Many of these patients have unexplained gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence of JHS in a tertiary gastroenterology motility clinic and the spectrum of functional bowel disorders in JHS patients. In this retrospective case series, we screened the medical records of 277 patients seen over 4 years at an academic GI Motility Center...

Obesity, whose prevalence is increasing globally, is a malnutrition that causes micro/macro nutrient and vitamin deficiencies in adolescents. Vitamin B12 plays a prominent role in the body systems such as remethylation, deoxidation and DNA synthesis. We aimed to examine the relationship between severe obese/obese adolescents and vitamin B12 levels in this study. This study was conducted as a case-control study consisting of 44 obese and 40 healthy control adolescents aged 11-17 year. Obesity was diagnosed using body mass index (BMI) charts defined by World Health Organisation (WHO) according to age and gender...

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Dysmetabolic states, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), characterized by insulin resistance (IR), are associated with fatty liver, increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, and decreased functional exercise capacity (FEC). Rosiglitazone (RO) improves exercise capacity and IR in T2D. However, the effects of RO on FEC and other markers of CVD risk in prediabetes are unknown. We hypothesized that insulin sensitization with RO would improve exercise capacity and markers of CVD risk in participants with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)...

Deep neck space infections (DNSI) are severe infections within the layers of neck fascia which are known to be associated with underlying immunocompromised states. Although uremia associated with kidney disease is known to cause immune system dysfunction, DNSI in patients with kidney disease has been poorly studied. This study investigated the prevalence of DNSI and the associated risk of mortality within the United States end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population, using a retrospective cohort study design and the United States Renal Data System database (USRDS) of patients (ages 18-100) who initiated dialysis therapy between 2005 and 2019...

Telemedicine is seen as a useful tool in reducing gaps in health care but this technology-enabled care can also exacerbate health inequity if not implemented with a focus on inclusivity. Though many studies have reported improvements as well as exacerbation of disparities in access to care in their telehealth programs, there does not exist a common evaluation tool to assess these programs. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on health care workers and protect medically vulnerable children, in March 2020 we expanded our pre-established specialty and subspecialty direct-to-patient pediatric telemedicine program in a high volume urban pediatric health system...