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Fulltext Current and Emerging Strategies for Prediction and Diagnosis of Prelabour Rupture of the Membranes: A Narrative Review

Ghafoor S

Malays J Med Sci, 2021 Jun;28(3):5-17.
PMID: 34285641 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2021.28.3.2

Prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM) refers to the disruption of foetal membranes before the onset of labour, resulting in the leakage of amniotic fluid. PROM complicates 3% and 8% of preterm and term pregnancies, respectively. Accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for effective management to prevent adverse maternal- and foetal-outcomes. The diagnosis of equivocal PROM cases with traditional methods often becomes challenging in current obstetrics practice; therefore, various novel biochemical markers have emerged as promising diagnostic tools. This narrative review is sought to review the published data to understand the current and emerging trends in diagnostic modalities in term and preterm pregnancies complicated with PROM and the potential role of various markers for predicting preterm PROM (pPROM) and chorioamnionitis in women with pPROM.
Fulltext Salivary and imaging-based biomarkers of radiation therapy-induced xerostomia

Atif S, Wahab NA, Ghafoor S, Saeed MQ, Ahmad A

J Pak Med Assoc, 2021 Mar;71(3):938-942.
PMID: 34057953 DOI: 10.47391/JPMA.1115

Biomarkers are anatomical characteristics or naturally occurring measurable molecules indicating physiological or pathological state of an individual. These biomarkers have the potential to detect or predict diseases at an early stage, which is particularly beneficial in timely management of common complications of radiation therapy done in head and neck cancer treatment regime. Xerostomia is one of the most common oral complaints of radiation therapy. Saliva has an abundance of protein biomarkers; however, those related to post-radiation therapy xerostomia need to be explored further. Textural and imaging-based biomarkers are helpful in predicting xerostomia in such patients. This narrative review provides an account of salivary protein and imaging-based biomarkers of radiation therapy-induced xerostomia in head and neck cancer patients.
Gender differences in the modifiable risk factors associated with the presence of prediabetes: A systematic review

Siddiqui S, Zainal H, Harun SN, Sheikh Ghadzi SM, Ghafoor S

Diabetes Metab Syndr, 2020 07 08;14(5):1243-1252.
PMID: 32688241 DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2020.06.069

BACKGROUND: Prediabetes is a risk state for the future development of type 2 diabetes. Previously, it was evident that the risk factors for diabetes differ by gender. However, conclusive evidence regarding the gender difference in modifiable risk factors associated with the presence of pre-diabetes is still lacking.
AIMS: To systematically identify and summarize the available literature on whether the modifiable risk factors associated with prediabetes displays similar relationship in both the genders.
METHODS: A systematic search was performed on electronic databases i.e. PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Scopus using "sex", "gender", "modifiable risk factors" and "prediabetes" as keywords. Reference list from identified studies was used to augment the search strategy. Methodological quality and results from individual studies were summarized in tables.
RESULTS: Gender differences in the risk factor association were observed among reviewed studies. Overall, reported association between risk factors and prediabetes apparently stronger among men. In particular, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, smoking and alcohol drinking habits were risk factors that showed prominent association among men. Hypertension and poor diet quality may appear to be stronger among women. General obesity showed stringent hold, while physical activity not significantly associated with the risk of prediabetes in both the genders.
CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests the existence of gender differences in risk factors associated with prediabetes, demands future researchers to analyze data separately based on gender. The consideration and the implementation of gender differences in health policies and in diabetes prevention programs may improve the quality of care and reduce number of diabetes prevalence among prediabetic subjects.
Fulltext Salivary aquaporin-3 as a screening biomarker for xerostomia in patients with periodontal disease and the effects of xerostomia on oral health-related quality of life

Atif S, Abdul Wahab N, Ghafoor S, Azlina A, Tauseef A, Rana S, et al.

PLoS One, 2023;18(4):e0283995.
PMID: 37027451 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283995

Xerostomia is a subjective condition of dryness of the oral cavity that may lead to several oral problems deteriorating oral health-related quality of life. This study aimed to (1) determine the prevalence of xerostomia, (2) compare the general health status, unstimulated salivary flow rate, and oral health-related quality of life in xerostomics and non-xerostomics, and (3) investigate the potential of salivary aquaporin-3 (AQP-3) as a screening biomarker for xerostomia in patients with periodontal disease. Demographics and systemic health data were collected from 109 healthy participants, 20 to 55 years old, with Community Periodontal Index (CPI) score ≥ 3. For subjective assessment of xerostomia, Shortened Xerostomia Inventory (SXI) was used. For objective assessment of xerostomia, unstimulated salivary flow rate was measured. Shortened Oral Health Impact Profile (S-OHIP) was utilized for oral health-related quality of life assessment. The collected saliva samples were processed and stored at -80°C. Quantification of salivary AQP-3 protein was done with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Xerostomia was reported in 78% of the subjects based on SXI score. Median concentration of AQP-3 was significantly higher in xerostomics compared to non-xerostomics, p = 0.001. Moreover, oral health-related quality of life was significantly poor in xerostomics compared to non-xerostomics, p = 0.002. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between AQP-3 and SXI (r = 0.21, p = 0.025), AQP-3 and S-OHIP (r = 0.2, p = 0.042), S-OHIP and SXI (r = 0.37, p < 0.001), unstimulated salivary flow rate and random blood glucose level (r = 0.32, p = 0.001), and body mass index and mean arterial pressure (r = 0.44, p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed that body mass index, CPI score 3, and salivary AQP-3 were suitable predictors for presence of xerostomia. AQP-3 could be a potential screening biomarker for xerostomia in patients with periodontal disease for its early identification may help improve oral health-related quality of life of the individuals.