Chemical properties and protective effect of Rosmarinus officinalis: mitigation of lipid peroxidation and DNA-damage from arsenic exposure

Recent studies have implicated dietary factors in the cause and prevention of important diseases, with strong evidence that plant’s compounds can protect against these diseases. Moreover, food security and environmental contamination are topics in focus at the moment. In this view, contamination by arsenic (As) has received much attention as well as some spices with medicinal properties. Among these plants, the use of Rosmarinus officinalis L. has demonstrated antioxidant properties besides being used for circulatory disorders. Therefore, we measured the mitotic index of Allium cepa L. and characterized the antioxidant effects to determine the capacity of R. officinalis to ameliorate arsenic-induced DNA damage. R. officinalis extract showed no mutagenic effects and exhibited antimutagenic potential, reducing the DNA damage, anaphase-telophase briges and micronuclei chromosome aberrations that result from treatment with the arsenic. Additionally, reduction in arsenic- induced lipid peroxidation was also observed

The Gracilis Myocutaneous Free Flap: A Quantitative Analysis of the Fasciocutaneous Blood Supply and Implications for Autologous Breast Reconstruction

BACKGROUND: Mastectomies are one of the most common surgical procedures in women of the developed world. The gracilis myocutaneous flap is favoured by many reconstructive surgeons due to the donor site profile and speed of dissection. The distal component of the longitudinal skin paddle of the gracilis myocutaneous flap is unreliable. This study quantifies the fasciocutaneous vascular territories of the gracilis flap and offers the potential to reconstruct breasts of all sizes. METHODS: Twenty-seven human cadaver dissections were performed and injected using lead oxide into the gracilis vascular pedicles, followed by radiographic studies to identify the muscular and fasciocutaneous perforator patterns. The vascular territories and choke zones were characterized quantitatively using the 'Lymphatic Vessel Analysis Protocol' (LVAP) plug-in for Image J® software. RESULTS: We found a step-wise decrease in the average vessel density from the upper to middle and lower thirds of both the gracilis muscle and the overlying skin paddle with a significantly higher average vessel density in the skin compared to the muscle. The average vessel width was greater in the muscle. Distal to the main pedicle, there were either one (7/27 cases), two (14/27 cases) or three (6/27 cases) minor pedicles. The gracilis angiosome was T-shaped and the maximum cutaneous vascular territory for the main and first minor pedicle was 35 × 19 cm and 34 × 10 cm, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the concept that small volume breast reconstructions can be performed on suitable patients, based on septocutaneous perforators from the minor pedicle without the need to harvest any muscle, further reducing donor site morbidity. For large reconstructions, if a 'T' or tri-lobed flap with an extended vertical component is needed, it is important to establish if three territories are present. Flap reliability and size may be optimized following computed tomographic angiography and surgical delay

Étude électrochimique des systèmes binaires et ternaire engageant les éléments bismuth, antimoine et tellure

Dans la présente étude, nous nous sommes intéressés à la recherche des meilleures conditions de synthèse du composé Bi$_0,5$Sb$_1,5$Te$_3$, présentant des propriétés thermoélectriques optimales à température ambiante pour un composé de type p. Une étude voltampérométrique a donc été menée pour les binaires engageant ces trois éléments, c’est-à-dire Bi-Te et Sb-Te, ainsi que pour le ternaire Bi-Sb-Te. Les ions Bi$^{III+}$, Sb$^{III+}$ et Te$^{IV+}$ ont été mis en solution dans l’électrolyte acide perchlorique HClO$_4$ 1M – acide tartrique C$_4$H$_6$O$_6$ 0,1M, avec une concentration maximale en tellure de l’ordre de 10$^{-2}$M. Les rapports envisagés entre les ions, choisis en fonction d’études antérieures, sont les suivants : Bi/Te=1 et Sb/Te=1 pour les binaires, et (Bi+Sb)/Te=1 et Sb/Bi=3 pour le ternaire. Des dépôts ont été réalisés à différents potentiels, de manière à identifier les pics obtenus sur les voltampérogrammes. Ces dépôts ont été caractérisés par diffraction des rayons X, et leur stoechiométrie a été obtenue par microsonde de Castaing

A specific, glycomimetic Langerin ligand for human Langerhans cell targeting

Langerhans cells are a subset of dendritic cells residing in the epidermis of the human skin. As such, they are key mediators of immune regulation and have emerged as prime targets for novel transcutaneous cancer vaccines. Importantly, the induction of protective T cell immunity by these vaccines requires the efficient and specific delivery of both tumor-associated antigens and adjuvants. Langerhans cells uniquely express Langerin (CD207), an endocytic C-type lectin receptor. Here, we report the discovery of a specific, glycomimetic Langerin ligand employing a heparin-inspired design strategy that integrated NMR spectroscopy and molecular docking. The conjugation of these glycomimetics to liposomes enabled the specific and efficient targeting of Langerhans cells in the human skin. This delivery platform provides superior versatility and scalability over antibody-based approaches and thus addresses current limitations of dendritic cell-based immunotherapies

Notch-mediated generation of monocyte-derived Langerhans cells: Phenotype and function

Langerhans cells (LCs) in the skin are a first line of defense against pathogens but also play an essential role in skin homeostasis. Their exclusive expression of the C-type lectin receptor Langerin/CD207 makes them prominent candidates for immunotherapy. For vaccine testing, an easily accessible cell platform would be desirable as an alternative to the time-consuming purification of LCs from human skin. Here we present such a model and demonstrate that monocytes in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and the Notch ligand Delta-like 4 (DLL4) differentiate within 3 days into CD1a+Langerin+cells containing Birbeck granules. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) of these monocyte-derived LCs (moLCs) confirmed gene expression of LC-related molecules, pattern recognition receptors and enhanced expression of the antigen-presenting machinery. On protein level, moLCs showed low expression of costimulatory molecules but prominent expression of C-type lectin receptors. MoLCs can be matured, secrete IL-12p70 and TNF-α and stimulate proliferation and cytokine production in allogeneic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. In regard to vaccine testing, a recently characterized glycomimetic Langerin ligand conjugated to liposomes demonstrated specific and fast internalization into moLCs. Hence, these short-term in vitro-generated moLCs represent an interesting tool to screen LC-based vaccines in the future