Combining mammaglobin and carcinoembryonic mRNA markers for early detection of micrometastases from breast cancers - a molecular study of 59 patients

Introduction: As many as 30% of node-negative breast cancer patients relapse within five years, suggesting that current histological detection methods are inadequate for identifying metastatic disease. Detecting small number of cancer cells in the breast tissue or lymph node by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays using a combination of tissue and cancer specific markers might be very useful in the early detection or monitoring of the treatment. Mammaglobin is a member of the uteroglobin gene family and appears to be expressed only in breast tissue. Carcinoembryonic antigen has been the preferred molecular marker for detection of micro metastases in lymph nodes in almost all carcinomas. Materials and Methods: Samples were collected from randomly chosen breast cancer patients undergoing modified mastectomy or breast conserving surgery between September 2003 and July 2004. RT-PCR was applied to study the expression of MMG and CEA markers. Breast cancer micrometastases in axillary lymph nodes were also assessed. Results: The MMG marker was positive in 9/10 normal breast tissues, 3/ 3 breast fibroadenomas and 37/39 of breast carcinoma tissues, giving an overall sensitivity of 94%. The sensitivity was 80% for metastatic lymph node samples. On the other hand CEA showed 95% sensitivity for malignant breast tumors and 100% sensitivity for metastatic lymph nodes. Conclusions: RT-PCR using a combination of MMG and CEA markers is a powerful tool to complement current routine histopathology techniques for detection of breast cancer metastasis in axillary nodes

Prevalence of human papillomavirus genotypes in women with normal and abnormal cervical cytology in Iran

Introduction: HPV infection has a prime etiologic role in development and progression of cervical cancer, one of the most frequent forms of cancer among women in developing countries. This study was designed to determine the most prevalent HPV genotypes in women with normal and abnormal cervical cytology in Iran. Materials and Methods: Samples from134 patients, including 127 who attended gynecology clinics and 7 with solid cervical tumors were used. All 127 patients underwent routine Pap tests for cytological evaluation and at the same visit a sample of cervical epithelial cells was obtained by scraping the cervix osteum. In each case HPV infection was primarily evaluated by PCR using GP 5/6 primers and then subtyping was performed in proved infected samples with specific primers for HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 11 and 6. After cytological evaluation, 50 patients with abnormal Pap tests were categorized as the abnormal group and the remaining 77 patients as the normal group. Results: In the normal group, HPV infection was established in 10 cases (13% infection rate), while 30 HPV positive cases were discovered in the abnormal group (60% infected). The most prevalent genotypes among the infected samples were HPV 16 (76%), HPV18 (12.7%) and HPV11/6 (8.5%). Moreover, all 7 tumor samples were positive for HPV general primers of which, 5 samples were infected with HPV 16, two were co-infected with HPV16,18 and HPV16,31 genotypes and one was infected with HPV 18. Conclusions: Infection with HPV 16 was found to be significantly higher in abnormal group in comparison with normal group (42% vs. 11.6%, P value <0.005), likewise HPV18 genotypes were proved to be more prevalent in abnormal group (8% vs. 0%, P value <0.05). No significant relation between other HPV genotypes and pathologic cervical changes was obtained. According to our study high rates of infection with HPV genotypes in sexually active Iranian women makes molecular investigation for HPV16 and 18 very essential in clinical approaches to patients with proven dysplasia in their screening tests and also for those patients with borderline (i.e. ASCUS) or incongruous pathology reports. Larger studies are required to determine the most appropriate vaccine with highest protection in Iranian women

Evaluating the Effects of Umifenovir Compared to Lopinavir/Ritonavir in the Management of Patients with COVID-19: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background. Due to the lack of specific safe medications for the treatment of COVID-19, medications used for other similar conditions are being tested to alleviate the condition of COVID-19 patients, resulting in acceptable outcomes in some cases. Umifenovir (Arbidol®) is used to treat influenza viruses by inhibiting the fusion of the virus with the host cell. According to previous findings, umifenovir may inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection by interfering with the release of SARS-CoV-2 from inside the cell. This study aimed to determine the effects of umifenovir, a fusion inhibitor, versus lopinavir/ritonavir in treating patients with COVID-19. Methods. This study was a randomized controlled trial consisting of 90 confirmed COVID-19 patients divided into the lopinavir/ritonavir group and the umifenovir group. The lopinavir/ritonavir group received 100/25 mg twice, while the umifenovir group was given 200 mg thrice a day, in both groups, for seven days. Outcomes included mortality rate and the need for mechanical ventilation or intensive care unit admission. Length of stay in the hospital and ICU and the lab tests trend were also assessed. Results. The mortality rate and the need for admission to the ICU were significantly lower in the umifenovir group (8% vs. 27.5%; P-value = 0.02). Moreover, The levels of white blood cells were also lower in the umifenovir group than in the control group by day 10 (6.2 (5.3-7.4) vs. 10.8 (9.9-13); P-value &lt;0.001). Conclusions. Umifenovir may reduce the need for admission to the ICU and mortality rate in patients with COVID-19 compared with lopinavir/ritonavir. The lab test trends were also in favor of umifenovir use.

Self-assembly of twisted, multi-sheet aggregates

Hierarchical self-assembly underpins much of the diversity of form and function seen in soft systems, yet the pathways by which they achieve their final form are not always straightforward – intermediate steps, kinetic effects and finite sizes of aggregates all influence the self-assembly pathways of these systems. In this paper, we use molecular dynamics simulations of binary mixtures of spheres and ellipsoidal discs to investigate the self-assembly of anisotropic aggregates with internal structures. Through this, the full aggregation pathways of spontaneously chiral, multi-bilayer and multi-layer assemblies have been tracked and characterised via a semi-qualitative analysis. This includes the unambiguous identification of first-, second- and third-generation hierarchical assemblies within a single simulation. Given the significant challenge of tracking full aggregation pathways in experimental systems, our findings strongly support the notion that molecular simulation has much to contribute to improving our understanding of hierarchical self-assembling systems

The correlation between biofilm formation capability and antibiotic resistance pattern in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa are life-threatening, due to high intrinsic antimicrobial resistance of this microorganism. The integrons and biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa have a significant role in antibiotic resistance. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate antibiotic resistance pattern in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates with biofilm formation ability. This cross-sectional study from January 2017 to December 2017 was conducted on 78 isolates (58 clinical and 20 environmental) of P. aeruginosa recovered from the 547 samples (439 of clinical and 108 of environmental samples). The isolates were identified by phenotypic and genotypic tests. Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used for susceptibility testing. The prevalence of class 1, 2 and 3 Integrons, rhlA, and lasB genes were determined using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Biofilm formation was determined using the microtiter plate method. Data analyzed using Stata 14 software and Chi-Square test. The most prevalent resistance was observed against Ticarcillin/Clavulanic Acid (55). Generally, 56.4 of isolates were producers of strong biofilm in both environmental and clinical isolates. The prevalence of strong biofilm producers in clinical isolates was more than environmental. A significant correlation was observed between Int1, Int2, and rhlA genes with biofilm formation capability (P = 0.02). Regarding >50 of both environmental and clinical isolates were producers of strong biofilm and because the source of clinical isolates may be from the environment, the necessary hygiene measurements should be taken. No significant correlation was observed between lasB gene with biofilm formation capability. © 2019 Elsevier Inc

Are lead-free relaxor ferroelectric materials the most promising candidates for energy storage capacitors?

Dielectric capacitors offer high-power density and ultrafast discharging times as compared to electrochemical capacitors and batteries, making them potential candidates for pulsed power technologies (PPT). However, low energy density in different dielectric materials such as linear dielectrics (LDs), ferroelectrics (FEs), and anti-ferroelectric (AFEs) owing to their low polarization, large hysteresis loss and low breakdown strength, respectively, limits their real time applications. Thus, achieving a material with high dielectric constant, large dielectric breakdown strength and slim hysteresis is imperative to obtain superior energy performance. In this context, relaxor ferroelectrics (RFEs) emerged as the most promising solution for energy storage capacitors. This review starts with a brief introduction of different energy storage devices and current advances of dielectric capacitors in PPT. The latest developments on lead-free RFEs including bismuth alkali titanate based, barium titanate based, alkaline niobite based perovskites both in ceramics and thin films are comprehensively discussed. Further, we highlight the different strategies used to enhance their energy storage performance to meet the requirements of the energy storage world. We also provide future guidelines in this field and therefore, this article opens a window for the current advancement in the energy storage properties of RFEs in a systematic way.This study has been partially supported by (i) DST-SERB, Govt. of India through Grant ECR/2017/000068 (KCS), (ii) UGC through grant nos. F.4-5(59-FRP)/ 2014(BSR) and (iii) Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UIDB/FIS/04650/2020 (JPBS). The author A. R. Jayakrishnan acknowledges the Central University of Tamil Nadu, India for his Ph. D fellowship. The authors acknowledge the CERIC-ERIC Consortium for access to experimental facilities and financial support under proposal 20192055

Continues renal replacement therapy (CRRT) with disposable hemoperfusion cartridge: A promising option for severe COVID-19

Cytokine release syndrome is prevalent in severe cases of COVID-19. In this syndrome, an uncontrolled response of immune system occurs. Extracorporeal blood purification has been proven to effectively remove the released inflammatory cytokines. Here, we reported a successful case to represent our experience of extracorporeal blood purification in a patient with severe COVID-19. © 2020 The Author

Lasia spinosa Chemical Composition and Therapeutic Potential: A Literature-Based Review

Lasia spinosa (L.) is used ethnobotanically for the treatment of various diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the lungs, bleeding cough, hemorrhoids, intestinal diseases, stomach pain, and uterine cancer. This review is aimed at summarizing phytochemistry and pharmacological data with their molecular mechanisms of action. A search was performed in databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar using the keywords: "Lasia spinosa,"then combined with "ethnopharmacological use,""phytochemistry,"and "pharmacological activity."This updated review included studies with in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments with compounds of known concentration and highlighted pharmacological mechanisms. The research results showed that L. spinosa contains many important nutritional and phytochemical components such as alkanes, aldehydes, alkaloids, carotenoids, flavonoids, fatty acids, ketones, lignans, phenolics, terpenoids, steroids, and volatile oil with excellent bioactivity. The importance of this review lies in the fact that scientific pharmacological evidence supports the fact that the plant has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antidiarrheal, antihelminthic, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and antinociceptive effects, while protecting the gastrointestinal system and reproductive. Regarding future toxicological and safety data, more research is needed, including studies on human subjects. In light of these data, L. spinosa can be considered a medicinal plant with effective bioactives for the adjuvant treatment of various diseases in humans.This work was supported by Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (CONICYT) PIA/APOYO CCTE AFB170007. N.C.-M. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the Horizon 2020 Program (PTDC/PSI-GER/28076/2017)

The effects of thymoquinone on pancreatic cancer: Evidence from preclinical studies

Thymoquinone (TQ) is a secondary metabolite found in abundance in very few plant species including Nigella sativa L., Monarda fistulosa L., Thymus vulgaris L. and Satureja montana L. Preclinical pharmacological studies have shown that TQ has many biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments have shown that TQ acts as an antitumor agent by altering cell cycle progression, inhibiting cell proliferation, stimulating apoptosis, inhibiting angiogenesis, reducing metastasis and affecting autophagy. In this comprehensive study, the evidence on the pharmacological potential of TQ on pancreatic cancer is reviewed. The positive results of preclinical studies support the view that TQ can be considered as an additional therapeutic agent against pancreatic cancer. The possibilities of success for this compound in human medicine should be further explored through clinical trials. © 2022 The Author

Assessing the performance of analytical methods for propolis – A collaborative trial by the international honey commission

Propolis is a resinous beehive product with extraordinary bioactivity and chemical richness, linked with the botanical sources of the resin. The potential of this product keeps captivating the scientific community, conducting to continuous and growing research on plant sources, composition, or applications in agriculture, cosmetics, pharmacy, odontology, etc. In all cases, the quality assessment is a requirement and relies on methods to extract the bioactive substances from the raw propolis and quantify different components. Unfortunately, besides the absence of international quality requirements, there is also a lack of standardized analytical procedures, despite the presence of several methodologies with unknown reliability, often not comparable. To overcome the current status, the International Honey Commission established an inter-laboratory study, with propolis samples from around the globe, to harmonize analytical methods and evaluate their accuracy. A common set of protocols was matched between twelve laboratories from nine countries, for quantification of ash, wax, and balsamic content in raw propolis, and spectrophotometric evaluation of total phenolics, flavone/flavonol, and flavanone/ dihydroflavonol in the extract. A total of 3428 results (97% valid data), were used to assess the methods’ accuracy following ISO-5725 guidelines. The within-laboratory precision, revealed good agreement levels for the majority of the methods, with relative variance below 5%. As expected, the between-laboratory variance increased, but, with exception of the flavanone method that revealed a clear lack of consistency, all the others maintained acceptable variability levels, below 30%. Because the performance of ultrasounds procedures was low, they cannot be recommended until further improvements are made.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020). Thanks to the Programa Apíıcola Nacional 2020-2022 (National Beekeeping Program) for funding the project "Standardization of production procedures and quality parameters of bee products" and to Project PDR2020-1.0.1- FEADER-031734: “DivInA-Diversification and Innovation on Beekeeping Production”. National funding by FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, through the institutional scientific employment program-contract with Soraia I. Falcão. A special thanks is given to Hartmut Scheiter and Allwex Food Trading GmbH, Bremen, Germany, for providing, handling and delivering the propolis blind samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio