ORCID Profile
0000-0002-0164-8525
Current Organisation
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-02-2021
DOI: 10.1111/BDI.13047
Abstract: Lithium is especially taken as a maintenance medication for Bipolar Disorder. In women with bipolar disorder, lithium is often effective during postpartum period, but breast‐feeding for medicated mothers is controversial because of harmful effects for her child. At present, the biological mechanisms of lithium are not well‐understood, affecting its usage and overall health implications. We developed a rat lithium and breast‐feeding model at human therapeutic levels to study the effects of lithium exposure through breast‐milk on pups’ thyroid function. Novel laser analytical spectroscopy, along with traditional blood and immunohistochemical tests, were applied to further investigate the mechanisms behind the thyroid dysfunction. Maternal iodine supplementation was evaluated as a therapeutic method to address the pups’ thyroid dysfunction. Pups exposed to lithium via breastmilk, even with the dam on a sub‐therapeutic level, experienced weight gain, reduced blood thyroxine (T 4 ), and elevated blood urea nitrogen, indicating effects on thyroid and kidney function. We show that lithium inhibited iodine uptake by thyroid follicles, initiating a mechanism that reduced iodination of tyrosine, thyroglobulin cleavage, and thyroid hormone production. Importantly, infant thyroid function can be significantly improved by administering supplementary iodine to the medicated dam's diet during breast‐feeding. These results elucidate the mechanisms of lithium in thyroid function, provide valuable information on use postpartum, and suggest a clinically applicable remedy to side‐effects. The results are particularly important for patients (and their infants) who respond well to lithium and need, or choose, to breast‐feed.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.TALANTA.2018.07.032
Abstract: The mechanism of coffee eliciting erosion on teeth is unclear as few studies have investigated the direct effect of coffee on enamel and dentin structures. The present study identified how coffee, the most popular beverage worldwide, induces staining and erosion on teeth. We show the grade of erosion of molars and incisors in Sprague Dawley rats from two different age groups, young (four weeks) and old (six months). We quantified the concentration of metals contained in coffee by mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). To determine elemental content in enamel (i.e. superficial) and dentin (i.e. substructure), we used Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, respectively. For LIBS, a significant decrease of Ca, P, and Na was observed in the young coffee group relative to age-matched controls, whereas a significant increase in Mn, Fe, and K was observed. In the old coffee group, a significant increase of Mg, Fe, and K was observed along with a decrease of Mg, Ca, P, Na, Sr and Zn. For XRF, a significant decrease of the Ca/P ratio in the coffee group was observed. Spectroscopy results were correlated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histological analysis. The SEM analysis showed pores and open spaces between young and old coffee groups, respectively. Thinning of enamel layers, loss of continuity in the enamel-dentin-junction, and wide spaces in dentin tubules with coffee use was found histologically. Coffee induces decalcification of teeth that corresponds to erosion, exposing the dentin structure by reducing enamel. Coffee immersion demonstrated an intrinsic staining in dentin by metal deposition.
Publisher: The Optical Society
Date: 27-08-2018
DOI: 10.1364/BOE.9.004459
Publisher: SPIE-Intl Soc Optical Eng
Date: 23-01-2020
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C8NR00189H
Abstract: Herein, we reveal that the cytotoxicity mechanism of graphene oxide is the synergy between membrane and oxidative stress towards biofilm forming bacteria.
Location: United States of America
No related grants have been discovered for Rafay Ahmed.