United Arab Emirates University

About: United Arab Emirates University is a education organization based out in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Diabetes mellitus. The organization has 6227 authors who have published 14170 publications receiving 321143 citations. The organization is also known as: University of the United Arab Emirates & UAEU.

Saffron: The Golden Spice with Therapeutic Properties on Digestive Diseases.

Abstract: Saffron is a natural compound that has been used for centuries in many parts of the world as a food colorant and additive. It was shown to have the ability to mitigate various disorders through its known anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of saffron in the treatment of various chronic diseases like inflammatory bowel diseases, Alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis as well as common malignancies of the colon, stomach, lung, breast, and skin. Modern day drugs generally have unwanted side effects, which led to the current trend to use naturally occurring products with therapeutic properties. In the present review, the objective is to systematically analyze the wealth of information regarding the potential mechanisms of action and the medical use of saffron, the "golden spice", especially in digestive diseases. We summarized saffron influence on microbiome, molecular pathways, and inflammation in gastric, colon, liver cancers, and associated inflammations.

Serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT6 receptors in the prefrontal cortex of Alzheimer and normal aging patients.

Abstract: It has been hypothesized that alterations of the serotonergic system contribute to neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer disease (AD). Cellular expressions of the two serotonergic receptors 5-HT2A and 5-HT6 have therefore been determined by immunohistochemistry in the prefrontal cortex of patients with AD (n=6) and normal age-matched controls (n = 7). In normal aging patients, 5-HT2A label was mainly observed in large pyramidal cells, but to a lesser extent also in small pyramidal cells and in stellate cells of cortical layers II-VI. In AD, a similar distribution was observed, but density of positive cells was significantly reduced by 33%. In aging control patients, the 5-HT6 receptor was expressed by pyramidal cells and occasional stellate cells, not only of layers II-V, but also of layer I, where a distinct label was observed in neurons and surrounding fibers. 5-HT6 receptor expression in AD patients had the same pattern, but was significantly decreased by 40%. Our results indicate that a decline in neurons expressing 5-HT2A, but also 5-HT6 receptors may play a role in the etiopathology of neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD.

Effect of gum Arabic on oxidative stress and inflammation in adenine–induced chronic renal failure in rats

Abstract: Inflammation and oxidative stress are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease in humans, and in chronic renal failure (CRF) in rats. The aim of this work was to study the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in adenine-induced CRF and the effect thereon of the purported nephroprotective agent gum arabic (GA). Rats were divided into four groups and treated for 4 weeks as follows: control, adenine in feed (0.75%, w/w), GA in drinking water (15%, w/v) and adenine+GA, as before. Urine, blood and kidneys were collected from the rats at the end of the treatment for analysis of conventional renal function tests (plasma creatinine and urea concentration). In addition, the concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and the oxidative stress markers glutathione and superoxide dismutase, renal apoptosis, superoxide formation and DNA double strand break frequency, detected by immunohistochemistry for γ-H2AX, were measured. Adenine significantly increased the concentrations of urea and creatinine in plasma, significantly decreased the creatinine clearance and induced significant increases in the concentration of the measured inflammatory mediators. Further, it caused oxidative stress and DNA damage. Treatment with GA significantly ameliorated these actions. The mechanism of the reported salutary effect of GA in adenine-induced CRF is associated with mitigation of the adenine-induced inflammation and generation of free radicals.

Effectiveness of Valid Mean Substitution in Treating Missing Data in Attitude Assessment

Abstract: This study investigates the use of the valid mean substitution (VMS) procedure in replacing missing data in attitude assessment. Using four scales from an actual field data set, the effectiveness of VMS was compared with the multiple regression replacement procedure. The study was designed such that data were missing completely at random under two research conditions: percentage of missing items in each scale (10, 30 and 50%); percentage of missing values in each item (10, 30 and 50%). The results indicated that both procedures are similarly effective in estimating the means and standard deviations of the scales. However, VMS is superior in estimating parameters.