Acute toxicity is a critical medical emergency that needs urgent and effective treatment. Debates about the effectiveness of activated charcoal have been raised last years, and toxicologists have started searching for alternative adsorbents. This experimental study assesses the efficacy of agar as an adsorbent to drugs with enterohepatic reabsorption, like valproic acid, in comparison with activated charcoal. Method: Randomized controlled trial was designed using thirty-two non-pregnant female adult albino rats, which were divided into four groups at random. Groups I, II, III, and IV represented the negative control, positive control, overdose, and treated groups, respectively. Group III received valproic acid (200mg/kg) only, while group IV was subdivided into three groups that received the same dose of valproic plus activated charcoal (1g/kg), agar (1 g/kg), and both activated charcoal and agar in groups IVa, IVb, and IVc, respectively. Results: The mean serum valproic acid levels in the treated groups (IVa, IVb, and IVc) were statistically significantly decreased in comparison with the overdose group. In comparing the three treated groups, group (IVb) showed the least mean of valproic acid, but the difference with group (IVa) was statistically insignificant. Liver enzymes were lower in groups treated with agar only or agar and activated charcoal than in the group treated with activated charcoal only. Conclusions: Agar reduces the serum level of valproic acid, which may be due to its possible adsorptive effect and interference with enterohepatic circulation. Further studies are needed on a broad spectrum of drugs whether they have enterohepatic circulation or not.

Background

Few data about women's sexuality practices post-acute COVID-19 syndrome are available. Many women who have had the disease experience sexual dysfunction; hence, the adverse effect of COVID-19 on sexual function has generated interest. We aimed to clarify the impact of COVID-19 on female sexual function 6 months after the illness and possible risk factors and to evaluate the relationship between psychiatric problems and female sexual dysfunction 6 months after COVID-19. Sixty-two patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional study and assigned according to female sexual function index scores to two groups: those with and without sexual dysfunction. For all participants, we documented socioeconomic status, sexual history, symptoms of COVID-19, vaccination data, and Symptom Checklist 90.

Results

Sexual dysfunction was 58% of all participants after 6 months COVID-19. Sexual frequency and sexual problems except pain were decreased in both groups with more affection in sexual dysfunction women. Sexually dysfunctional women were more likely to obtain oxygen therapy during COVID-19, received AstraZeneca, had post-vaccination myalgia and headache, and recurring COVID-19 after vaccination. No significant SCL-90 subscale differences. Sexual dysfunction was associated with renal illness, fatigue, COVID-19-related oxygen therapy, post-vaccination myalgia, and headache.

Conclusions

After 6 months COVID-19, there was a decline in the frequency of sexual intercourse and scores on all FST subscales in both groups except pain, with more affection in sexual dysfunction women. No statistical difference in psychiatric problems between both groups. Sexual dysfunction was associated with renal illness, COVID-19-related oxygen therapy and fatigue, post-COVID-19-vaccination myalgia, and headache.

Abstract

Cytokines play a major role in the pathogenesis and progression of psoriasis. Interleukin (IL)-30 is a multifunctional cytokine. It binds to glycoprotein 130 (GP130) and inhibits the GP130 signaling pathways of psoriasis associated cytokines such as IL-6, IL-11, and IL-27. The study intended to assess associations of IL-30 and GP130 with the risk of psoriasis and Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. Therefore, we measured the serum levels of IL-30 and GP130 in psoriasis patients and in a control group. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used to measure IL-30 and GP130 levels in the serum of 43 patients and 43 normal controls. Statistical analysis of IL-30 and GP130 serum levels among patients and control groups and their correlation with PASI scores were performed. IL-30 serum levels showed a significant increase in patients with psoriasis compared with controls (p<0.001) and a positive correlation with PASI scores. While serum levels of GP130 were not different in psoriatic patients and in the control group. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that IL-30 had diagnostic ability for prediction of psoriasis in comparison to controls, at cut of point of >14.34 showed a sensitivity of 97.7%, 100% specificity. In conclusion, IL-30 was elevated in psoriasis patients than controls, therefore, it can be considered a sensitive biomarker for diagnosis of psoriasis.

Keywords: Psoriasis, IL30, GP130