BACKGROUND Hypercholesterolaemia (HC) is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease and is also known to be a risk factor for erectile dysfunction (ED). ED caused by HC is thought to be related to HC-induced oxidative stress damage in the vascular endothelium and erectile tissue. KH-204 is an herbal formula with a strong antioxidant effect. We evaluated the effects of KH-204 on erectile fun...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by dysbiosis. The bidirectional effects between intestinal microbiota (IM) and bile acids (BA) suggest that dysbiosis may be accompanied by an altered bile acid (BA) homeostasis, which in turn can contribute to the metabolic dysregulation seen in NAFLD. This study sought to examine BA homeostasis in patients with NAFLD...

Context. Observations of the different isomers molecules in interstellar medium (ISM) have revealed that both low- and high-energy can be present space despite low temperature conditions. It has been shown presence these may due to tunneling effects. Aims. We carried out a theoretical study cis–trans isomerization reactions two astrophysically relevant acids, formic acid (HCOOH) thioformic (HC(...

INTRODUCTION Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation, vascular injury and excessive fibrosis. CD163 is a scavenger receptor which affects inflammatory response and may contribute to connective tissue remodelling. It has recently been demonstrated that CD163 can bind and neutralize the TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), a multifunctional c...

PURPOSE To evaluate the influence of pachymetry, age, and intraocular pressure in normal patients and to provide normative values for all dynamic corneal response parameters (DCRs) provided by dynamic Scheimpflug analysis. METHODS Seven hundred five healthy patients were included in this multicenter retrospective study. The biomechanical response data were analyzed to obtain normative values ...

Given increasing efforts to use resting-state fMRI (rfMRI) as a biomarker of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) we here explored the reproducibility of longitudinal rfMRI over three months in patients with clinically and radiologically stable MS. To pursue this aim, two approaches were applied in nine rfMRI networks: First, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 3,1) was assess...

BACKGROUND To ascertain equity in financing for essential medicines and health supplies (EMHS) in Uganda, this paper explores the relationships among government funding allocations for EMHS, patient load, and medicines availability across facilities at different levels of care. METHODS We collected data on EMHS allocations and availability of selected vital medicines from 43 purposively sampl...