Salivary cytokines as biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review

The prognosis of patients with oral squamous carcinoma (OSCC) largely depends on the stage at diagnosis, the 5-year survival rate being approximately 30% for advanced tumors. Early diagnosis, including the detection of lesions at risk for malignant transformation, is crucial for limiting the need for extensive surgery and for improving disease-free survival. Saliva has gained popularity as a readily available source of biomarkers (including cytokines) useful for diagnosing specific oral and systemic conditions. Particularly, the close interaction between oral dysplastic/neoplastic cells and saliva makes such fluid an ideal candidate for the development of non-invasive and highly accurate diagnostic tests. The present review has been designed to answer the question: “Is there evidence to support the role of specific salivary cytokines in the diagnosis of OSCC?” We retrieved 27 observational studies satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Among the most frequent cytokines investigated as candidates for OSCC biomarkers, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α are present at higher concentration in the saliva of OSCC patients than in healthy controls and may therefore serve as basis for the development of rapid tests for early diagnosis of oral cancer

Salivary biomarkers for diagnosis of systemic diseases and malignant tumors. A systematic review

Saliva evaluation could be a possible alternative to blood and/or tissue analyses, for researching specific molecules associated to the presence of systemic diseases and malignancies. The present systematic review has been designed in order to answer to the question ?are there significant associations between specific salivary biomarkers and diagnosis of systemic diseases or malignancies??. The Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement was used to guide the review. The combinations of ?saliva? and ?systemic diseases? or ?diagnosis? or ?biomarkers? or ?cancers? or ?carcinoma? or ?tumors?, were used to search Medline, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Endpoint of research has been set at May 2019. Studies were classified into 3 groups according to the type of disease investigated for diagnosis: 1) malignant tumors; 2) neurologic diseases and 3) inflammatory/metabolic/cardiovascular diseases. Assessment of quality has been assigned according to a series of questions proposed by the National Institute of Health. Level of evidence was assessed using the categories proposed in the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based medicine (CEMB) levels for diagnosis (2011). Seventy-nine studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Fifty-one (64%) investigated malignant tumors, 14 (17.5%) neurologic and 14 (18.5%) inflammatory/cardiovascular/metabolic diseases. Among studies investigating malignant tumors, 12 (23.5%) were scored as ?good? and 11 of these reported statistically significant associations between salivary molecules and pathology. Two and 5 studies were found to have a good quality, among those evaluating the association between salivary biomarkers and neurologic and inflammatory/metabolic/cardiovascular diseases, respectively. The present systematic review confirms the existence of some ?good? quality evidence to support the role of peculiar salivary biomarkers for diagnosis of systemic diseases (e.g. lung cancer and EGFR)

In Silico Predicted Antifungal Peptides: In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Candida Activity

It has been previously demonstrated that synthetic antibody-derived peptides could exert a significant activity in vitro, ex vivo, and/or in vivo against microorganisms and viruses, as well as immunomodulatory effects through the activation of immune cells. Based on the sequence of previously described antibody-derived peptides with recognized antifungal activity, an in silico analysis was conducted to identify novel antifungal candidates. The present study analyzed the candidacidal and structural properties of in silico designed peptides (ISDPs) derived by amino acid substitutions of the parent peptide KKVTMTCSAS. ISDPs proved to be more active in vitro than the parent peptide and all proved to be therapeutic in Galleria mellonella candidal infection, without showing toxic effects on mammalian cells. ISDPs were studied by circular dichroism spectroscopy, demonstrating different structural organization. These results allowed to validate a consensus sequence for the parent peptide KKVTMTCSAS that may be useful in the development of novel antimicrobial molecules

In silico predicted antifungal peptides: In vitro and in vivo anti-candida activity

It has been previously demonstrated that synthetic antibody-derived peptides could exert a significant activity in vitro, ex vivo, and/or in vivo against microorganisms and viruses, as well as immunomodulatory effects through the activation of immune cells. Based on the sequence of previously described antibody-derived peptides with recognized antifungal activity, an in silico analysis was conducted to identify novel antifungal candidates. The present study analyzed the candidacidal and structural properties of in silico designed peptides (ISDPs) derived by amino acid substitutions of the parent peptide KKVTMTCSAS. ISDPs proved to be more active in vitro than the parent peptide and all proved to be therapeutic in Galleria mellonella candidal infection, without showing toxic effects on mammalian cells. ISDPs were studied by circular dichroism spectroscopy, demonstrating different structural organization. These results allowed to validate a consensus sequence for the parent peptide KKVTMTCSAS that may be useful in the development of novel antimicrobial molecules

Ocorrência e caracterização de bactérias isoladas de nódulos de amendoinzeiro (Arachis hypogaea L.) em solos paranaenses, Brasil.

RESUMO: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a ocorrência e caracterizar morfofisiologicamente e geneticamente bactérias isoladas de nódulos de amendoinzeiro (Arachis hypogaea L.), em solos paranaenses, Brasil. Em amostras de 36 municípios representativos do estado Paraná foi observada nodulação do amendoim em 84,4%, independente se em áreas cultivadas, ou em florestas. Nos testes de caracterização morfofisiológica de 44 estirpes autenticadas, 75% das estirpes apresentaram taxa de crescimento rápido em meio de cultura com manitol; 25 acidificaram o meio, cinco alcalinizaram e 14 não resultaram em modificação do pH. A capacidade de produzir sideróforos foi observada em 43% das estirpes e 16% foram capazes de solubilizar fosfato de cálcio em meio de cultura. O sequenciamento do gene 16S rRNA mostrou a formação de três principais grupos, correspondentes a três filos: Alfaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria e Firmicutes. O gênero com maior ocorrência foi o Bacillus

First synthesis of a fully active spin-labeled peptide hormone

For the first time in the electron spin resonance (ESR) and peptide synthesis fields, a fully active spin-labeled peptide hormone was reported. the ESR spectra of this alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) analogue (acetyl-Toac(0)-alpha-MSH) where Toac is the paramagnetic amino acid probe 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-4-amino-4-carboxylic acid, suggested a pH-independent conformation and a more restricted movement comparatively to the free Toac, Owing to its equivalent biological potency in a skin pigmentation assay as compared to the native alpha-MSH and its unique characteristic (paramagnetic, naturally fluorescent and fully active), this analogue is of great potential for investigation of relevant physiological roles reported for a-MSH, (C) 1999 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biofis, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Fis, BR-01498 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Fisiol, BR-01498 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biofis, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Salivary microRNA for diagnosis of cancer and systemic diseases: A systematic review

Background: The aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been associated with several diseases, including cancer, inflammatory, and autoimmune conditions. Interest in salivary miRNAs as non-invasive tools for the diagnosis of malignancies and systemic diseases is rapidly increasing. The present systematic review was developed for answering the question: \u201cAre salivary microRNAs reliable biomarkers for diagnosis of cancer and systemic diseases?\u201d Methods: The application of inclusion and exclusion criteria led to the selection of 11 papers. Critical appraisals and quality assessments of the selected studies were performed through the National Institute of Health \u201cStudy Quality Assessment Tool\u201d and the classification of the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. Results: Seven studies reported statistically significant correlations between one or more salivary miRNAs and the investigated disease. The critical analysis allowed us to classify only two studies (18.2%) as having \u201cgood\u201d quality, the rest being scored as \u201cintermediate\u201d (8; 73%) and \u201cpoor\u201d (1; 9%). Evidence exists that salivary miR-940 and miR-3679-5p are reliable markers for pancreatic cancer and that miR140-5p and miR301a are promising molecules for the salivary diagnosis of gastric cancer. Conclusions: Further studies, possibly avoiding the risk of bias highlighted here, are necessary to consolidate these findings and to identify new reliable salivary biomarkers