Background and purpose:The expression and function of P2X7 receptors in osteoclasts is well established, but less is known about their role in osteoblast-like cells. A study in P2X7 receptor knockout mice suggested the involvement of these receptors in bone formation. We have investigated the expression and pharmacology of several P2X receptors in two human osteosarcoma cell lines to see if they could be involved in bone turnover in man. Experimental approach: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to study P2X2, P2X4 and P2X7 receptor expression at mRNA and protein levels, respectively, in human osteoblast-like cells. P2X7 receptor pharmacology was studied by measuring pore formation in the presence of different agonists and antagonists using the YO-PRO 1 uptake method. Key results: P2X4 and P2X7 receptor mRNA and protein were found to be expressed by these cell lines. No evidence was found for P2X4/P2X7 receptor heteropolymerization. 2′-3′-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl)adenosine 5′-triphosphate (DBzATP) was equipotent to ATP and the antagonists used were either ineffective or weakly blocked pore formation. Conclusions and implications:This study demonstrates that P2X4 and P2X7 receptors are expressed by human osteoblast-like cells. The affinities of the different agonists suggest that the P2X7 receptor is mainly responsible for pore formation although P2X4 receptors may also be involved. The low affinity of DBzATP and the weak action of the antagonists support the previously described atypical pharmacology of the P2X7 receptor in osteoblasts. Targeting the P2X7 receptor in osteoblasts could represent a promising new treatment for bone diseases such as osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

This study offers promising entities for antileishmanial activity.

The aim of this study is to explore the efficacy and safety of metformin in weight loss in Bahraini population. This study was a cross-sectional survey of 100 Bahraini patients aged 20 or more randomly selected. Using a self-administered questionnaire, volunteers answered questions regarding purposes, doses, side effects and sources of information of metformin and its impact on weight. Results have shown that 44 % of the participants have experienced weight loss after starting metformin. Weight loss reported was 1-5 kilograms by 45.4%and up to 10 Kg by 32 % of participants. Moreover, 23% of the patients have not experienced any adverse effects after starting metformin while some patients had abdominal pain (31 %) or loss of appetite (29 %).The findings of this study prove that metformin is an effective drug for weight loss. The results may have been influenced by other factors such as specific diet and physical exercises .In regard to safety, metformin was found to have a good safety profile as the side effects reported were mild to moderate and tended to subside after a period of use.

BackgroundTobacco prevention research traditionally focuses upon cigarette smoking, but there is also a need to implement and evaluate the usefulness of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) interventions since it is considered less harmful than cigarettes. This study aimed to assess the impact of an educational intervention on WTS knowledge of health professional students in three academic health institutions in Bahrain.MethodsA quasi-experimental design was used to include medical students from the Arabian Gulf University, medical and nursing students from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain and nursing students from the University of Bahrain. Two hundred fifty students participated in the three phases of the study during October 2015–June 2016 from an original sample of 335. The participants answered knowledge questions on WTS before and after an intervention, which included a lecture by an expert and a video on the awareness about the health hazards of WTS.ResultsThe mean age of starting cigarette and WTS was 16.8 ± 2.8 and 17.5 ± 1.7 years, respectively. The prevalence of ever smoking any type of tobacco among students was 22.4% (medical 25.8% and nursing 37.5%) and that of WTS, 17.7% (medical 20.0%, nursing 13.6%). The prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 9.6% among medical and nursing students combined with 10.3 and 8.5% for medical and nursing students, respectively. WTS was prevalent at a proportion of 6.8% among medical and nursing students combined with 6.5% in medical and 14.8% in nursing students. The university curriculum as the main source of knowledge on WTS increased from 14.2 to 33.3% after the intervention (p < 0.005). Knowledge about the hazards of WTS increased in 16 of the 20 statements. The difference in overall knowledge score was significant (p < 0.05) for nursing (77. 5 ± 1.5 vs 85.8 ± 2.2) compared to medical students (85.3 ± 1.0 vs 87.3 ± 0.9) after the intervention.ConclusionsOur educational intervention with health professional students improved their knowledge about the health effects of WTS. Medical and nursing institutions may consider using various methods such as informative videos and expert lectures to include in their teaching curricula as part of WTS prevention strategies.