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Severe scarring caused by acne is associated with environmental effects as well as substantial physical and psychological distress, particularly in adolescents. This study aims to evaluate distribution of acne scars in Taif city as an environmental reflection of high altitude as well as its treatment with laser. Patients with moderate to severe acne scars (139 patients) were treated with FCO2 or Erbium: YttriumAluminum-Garnet (Er:YAG) laser resurfacing over 4 to 8 week. The therapeutic response was assessed two months after the last laser session using a quartile grading scale by a dermatologist. The response to treatment was labelled in grading improvement scale as 'excellent' if there was a >75% improvement in scar appearance and skin texture, while 51-75% was labeled as very good improvement, while a 2550% response labelled as good and 25% improvement was labelled as 'fair'. The patients' overall skin improvement and any adverse effects were noted. The patient's age category between 12 to 29 years old represented the higher acne scars percentage (37.3%), few of them were male (15.5%). Other patients (143, 74.1%) had Fitzpatrick classification of skin type 2 and 3. An excellent response was observed in 36.3% of patients, while 21.8% and 22.8% demonstrated very good and good responses, respectively. Ice pick and superficial boxcar scars responded best, while rolling scars responded least to fractional laser or Erbium treatment. Another interesting finding in this study that male patients had more serious grade of acne scars than female patients, with significant statistical correlation of (p<0.005). The most commonly reported adverse effects were transient crusting that lasted for an average of 2-7 days, while two patients developed post-inflammatory pigmentation lasting for more than 7 days. It was concluded that, fractional laser is effective in treating acne scars, especially ice pick and superficial boxcar scars, with minimal adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colocasia esculenta (Taro) is an edible tuberous plant; however, corms are its most worldwide consumed part while the corm powder is widely used in food industries. In this work, a sulphated polysaccharide extract of C. esculenta corm (SCE) was prepared and its cancer chemopreventive properties were explored. The amending of carcinogen metabolism and radical scavenging affinity revealed that SCE is a strong tumor anti-initiation agent via suppressing cytochrome P450--1A and enhancing glutathione and the carcinogen detoxification enzyme; glutathione S-transferase. SCE exhibited a strong scavenging affinity towards critical radicals (hydroxyl and peroxyl). It induced lymphocyte growth and modulated the macrophage functions into an anti-inflammatory profile, via elevating macrophage proliferation and its binding affinity of fluorescein isothiocyanate-lipopolysaccharide (FITC-LPS) and inhibiting nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-α generation. Furthermore, SCE showed a potent cytotoxicity against human breast MCF-7 carcinoma cells (IC50 27.73 µg/mL), whereas SCE treatment inhibited the activity of histone deacetylase (HDAC IC50 37.70 µg/mL) and disturbed the pattern of cell cycle phases. An arrest in both S- and G2/M-phases was linked with shifted cell populations towards late apoptosis and necrosis, as detected by flow cytometry. SCE is a promising cancer chemopreventive agent to be used in healthy food industries and for the high breast cancer-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the role of chest computed tomography (CT) imaging in patient management during COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire including 39 multiple-choice questions was distributed to radiologists and radiographic technologists through social media in Saudi Arabia during 13-23 May 2020, after obtaining the ethical approval. Results: The results from 33 hospitals in Saudi Arabia showed that the role of CT's in managing COVID-19 patients was limited to only around 9% of 3049 patients who underwent chest CT. In addition, the CT technologists were exposed to infection with coronavirus in 6 (18%) radiology departments, whereas in the other 27 departments, the CT technologists were not exposed to the infection with the virus. Conclusions: Despite their high sensitivity, CT scans have played a limited role in the management of COVID-19 and may not be a practical approach to perform routine screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shortage of oxygen is a common condition for residents of high-altitude (HA) areas. In mammals, hemoglobin (Hb) has four derivatives: oxyhemoglobin (Hb-O 2 ), carboxyhemoglobin (Hb-CO), sulfhemoglobin (Hb-S), and methemoglobin (Met-Hb). In HA areas, aberrant physiological performance of blood hemoglobin is well-established., Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the influence of 30 days of HA residence on rabbits' total Hb, Hb derivatives, Hb autooxidation rate, and antioxidant enzymes in comparison to low-altitude control rabbits. Further, the study aimed to investigate the effect of antioxidant-rich Angelica archangelica and/or Ginkgo biloba extracts on the same parameters in HA-resident rabbits., Methods: Rabbits subjected to 30 days of HA residence were compared to low-altitude control rabbits. HA-residence rabbits were then orally administered 0.11 g/kg b.wt. of Angelica archangelica and/or Ginkgo biloba extract for 14 days. Hb derivatives and Hb autooxidation rate were measured spectrophotometrically. Antioxidant enzymes were estimated using specialized kits., Results: Compared to low-altitude rabbits, 30-day HA-residence rabbits showed a noticeable increase (p<0.05) in Hb-O2 and Hb-CO concentration. In addition, Met-Hb concentration, autooxidation rate of Hb molecules, and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) exhibited a remarkable increase in HA-residence rabbits (p<0.01), reflective of rapid ROS generation. In HA-residence rabbits, both individual and combined treatment with antioxidant-rich extracts for 14 days resulted in recovery to near-normal functional levels of Hb-O2 and Met-Hb, Hb autooxidation rate, and activities of SOD and GPx, while only combined treatment led to Hb-O 2 recovery., Conclusion: The findings suggest that functional Hb levels may be recovered by oral administration of A. archangelica, G. biloba, or combined treatments. In conclusion, oxidative stress due to living in HA areas may be avoided by supplementation with natural antioxidants., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)