Transient Anions in Radiobiology and Radiotherapy: From Gaseous Biomolecules to Condensed Organic and Biomolecular Solids

This chapter focuses on the fundamental processes that govern interactions of low‐energy (1–30 eV) electrons with biological systems. These interactions have been investigated in the gas phase and within complex arrangements in the condensed phase. They often lead to the formation of transient molecular anions (TMAs), and their decay by autoionization or dissociation accompanied by bond dissociation. The damage caused to biomolecules via TMAs is emphasized in all sections. Such damage, which depends on a large number of factors, including electron energy, molecular environment, and type of biomolecule, and its physical and chemical interactions with radiosensitizing agents are extensively discussed. A majority of recent findings resulting from experimental and theoretical endeavors are presented. They encompass broad research areas to elucidate important roles of TMAs in irradiated biological systems, from the molecular level to nanoscale cellular dimensions. Fundamental aspects of TMA formation are stressed in this chapter, but many practical applications in a variety of radiation‐related fields such as radiobiology and radiotherapy are addressed

Role of circ-FOXO3 and miR-23a in radiosensitivity of breast cancer

Identifying the radiosensitivity of cells before radiotherapy (RT) in breast cancer (BC) patients allows appropriate switching between routinely used treatment regimens and reduces adverse side effects in exposed patients. In this study, blood was collected from 60 women diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) BC and 20 healthy women. To predict cellular radiosensitivity, a standard G2-chromosomal assay was performed. From these 60 samples, 20 BC patients were found to be radiosensitive based on the G2 assay. Therefore, molecular studies were finally performed on two equal groups (20 samples each) of patients with and without cellular radiosensitivity. QPCR was performed to examine the expression levels of circ-FOXO3 and miR-23a in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and RNA sensitivity and specificity were determined by plotting Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify RNA involvement in BC and cellular radiosensitivity (CR) in BC patients. Meanwhile, qPCR was used to compare differential RNA expression in the radiosensitive MCF-7 and radioresistant MDA-MB-231 cell lines. An annexin -V FITC/PI binding assay was used to measure cell apoptosis 24 and 48 h after 2 Gy, 4 Gy, and 8 Gy gamma-irradiation. Results indicated that circ-FOXO3 was downregulated and miR-23a was upregulated in BC patients. RNA expression levels were directly associated with CR. Cell line results showed that circ-FOXO3 overexpression induced apoptosis in the MCF-7 cell line and miR-23a overexpression inhibited apoptosis in the MDA-MB-231 cell line. Evaluation of the ROC curves revealed that both RNAs had acceptable specificity and sensitivity in predicting CR in BC patients. Binary logistic regression showed that both RNAs were also successful in predicting breast cancer. Although only circ-FOXO3 has been shown to predict CR in BC patients, circ-FOXO3 may function as a tumor suppressor and miR-23a may function as oncomiR in BC. Circ-FOXO3 and miR-23a may be promising potential biomarkers for BC prediction. Furthermore, Circ-FOXO3 could be a potential biomarker for predicting CR in BC patients.</p

DNA-Platinum Thin Films for Use in Chemoradiation Therapy Studies

Dry films of platinum chemotherapeutic drugs covalently bound to plasmid DNA (Pt-DNA) represent a useful experimental model to investigate direct effects of radiation on DNA in close proximity to platinum chemotherapeutic agents, a situation of considerable relevance to understand the mechanisms underlying concomitant chemoradiation therapy. In the present paper we determine the optimum conditions for preparation of Pt-DNA films for use in irradiation experiments. Incubation conditions for DNA platination reactions have a substantial effect on the structure of Pt-DNA in the films. The quantity of Pt bound to DNA as a function of incubation time and temperature is measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. Our experiments indicate that chemical instability and damage to DNA in Pt-DNA samples increase when DNA platination occurs at 37°C for 24 hours, the condition which has been extensively used for in vitro studies. Platination of DNA for the formation of Pt-DNA films is optimal at room temperature for reaction times less than 2 hours. By increasing the concentration of Pt compounds relative to DNA and thus accelerating the rate of their mutual binding, it is possible to prepare Pt-DNA samples containing known concentrations of Pt while reducing DNA degradation caused by more lengthy procedures

TFUZZY-OF: a new method for routing protocol for low-power and lossy networks load balancing using multi-criteria decision-making

The internet of things (IoT) based on a network layer perspective includes low-power and lossy networks (LLN) that are limited in terms of power consumption, memory, and energy usage. The routing protocol used in these networks is called routing over low-power and lossy networks (RPL). Therefore, the IoT networks include smart objects that need multiple routing for their interconnections which makes traffic load balancing techniques indispensable to RPL routing protocol. In this paper, we propose a method based on fuzzy logic and the technique for the order of prioritization by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) as a well-known multi-criteria decision-making method to solve the load balancing problem by routing metrics composition. For this purpose, a combination of both link and node routing metrics namely hop count, expected transmission count, and received signal strength indicator is used. The results of simulations show that this method can increase the quality of services in terms of packet delivery ratio and average end-to-end delay

111In-Labeled Glycoprotein Nonmetastatic b (GPNMB) Targeted Gemini Surfactant-Based Nanoparticles against Melanoma: In Vitro Characterization and in Vivo Evaluation in Melanoma Mouse Xenograft Model

L

The impact of modified exercise and relaxation therapy on chronic lower back pain in office workers: a randomized clinical trial

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified package of exercise therapy combined with relaxation on pain intensity, range of motion (ROM), anxiety, and quality of life (QoL) in office workers with chronic lower back pain. In this clinical trial, 72 office workers aged 20 to 50 years with chronic low back pain were randomized to one of four groups including; group 1, exercise therapy; group 2, psychotherapy (relaxation therapy); group 3, modified protocol (exercise therapy followed by relaxation therapy); group 4, control group (no intervention). Participants exercised 3 times weekly for 6 weeks for 40-45 min of exercise/relaxation. Pain intensity, ROM, anxiety, and QoL were evaluated at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks after the end of the intervention. Re-sults showed significant decreases in pain intensity and anxiety in the three experimental groups compared to the control group. The three intervention groups indicated a significant decrease in pain intensity and anxiety after 6 and 12 weeks. ROM significantly improved in the exercise therapy and the modified protocol over time (after 6 and 12 weeks). A significant difference in QoL was found between the groups, with the greatest improvement found in the psychotherapy and modified protocol groups. This therapeutic package (including exercise movements and psychological interventions) was found to have a superior effect on pain intensity, ROM, anxiety, and QoL after 6 and 12 weeks compared to other interventions (only exercise and psychotherapy)

Erratum – Carrier Status for p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His CYP1B1 Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran

This is an Erratum to "Carrier Status for p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His CYP1B1 Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran" [J Ophthalmic Vis Res 2021;16(4):574–581] and does not have an abstract. Please download the PDF or view the article HTML

Carrier Status for p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His CYP1B1 Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran

Purpose: To estimate carrier frequencies of CYP1B1 mutations p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His, respectively, in Talesh and the east of Guilan province in Iran with a maximum error of 2%. Previously, it was shown that these CYP1B1 mutations may be relatively prevalent in these regions. Methods: Population-based screenings were performed. DNA was extracted from saliva samples of 1036 individuals from Talesh and 3029 individuals from the east of Guilan. P.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His screenings were performed, respectively, by RFLP and ARMS-based PCR protocols. For confirmation, the DNA of individuals with mutations was sequenced using the Sanger protocol. Results: Nine individuals from Talesh (0.86%; 95%CI: 0.45–1.64%) carried the p.Gly61Glu mutation, and 73 from the east of Guilan (2.41%; 95%CI: 1.91–3.04%) carried p.Arg368His. There was no significant difference in frequencies between urban and rural regions of the various cities, nor among four cities within the east of Guilan. Conclusion: The frequencies of p.Gly61Glu carriers in Talesh and of p.Arg368His carriers in the east of Guilan were within the 95% confidence interval of a previous study based on screenings of fewer individuals. The reliability of the recent estimates is higher, as the confidence interval for p.Gly61Glu decreased from 6.5% to 1.19% and the interval for p.Arg368His decreased from 4% to 1.13%. Based on the new findings, the maximum expected frequency of p.Gly61Glu carriers in Talesh is 1.64%, and of p.Arg368His carriers in the east of Guilan is 3%. The need for performing premarital screenings in the respective cities can be evaluated

Bond dissociation of the dipeptide dialanine and its derivative alanine anhydride induced by low energy electrons

Dissociative electron attachment to dialanine and alanine anhydride has been studied in the gas phase utilizing a double focusing two sector field mass spectrometer. We show that low-energy electrons (i.e., electrons with kinetic energies from near zero up to 13 eV) attach to these molecules and subsequently dissociate to form a number of anionic fragments. Anion efficiency curves are recorded for the most abundant anions by measuring the ion yield as a function of the incident electron energy. The present experiments show that as for single amino acids (M), e.g., glycine, alanine, valine, and proline, the dehydrogenated closed shell anion (M–H)− is the most dominant reaction product. The interpretation of the experiments is aided by quantum chemical calculations based on density functional theory, by which the electrostatic potential and molecular orbitals are calculated and the initial electron attachment process prior to dissociation is investigate

A study of depression, partnership and sexual satisfaction in patients with post-traumatic olfactory disorders

Post-traumatic olfactory dysfunction (PTOD) is associated with a significant decrease in quality of life. The present study aimed to explore whether PTOD is associated with depression and changes in sexuality. There were two groups in this case-control study. The patient group consisted of patients with PTOD (n = 55), and the control group comprised healthy individuals without the olfactory disorder (n = 115). Olfactory function, depression, partnership, and sexual satisfaction were assessed using the Iranian version of the Sniffin' Sticks test (Ir-SST), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Enrich Couple Scale (ECS) and Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women (SSSW). The BDI scores were higher in the patient group than in the control group (p < 0.001). The SSSW score was lower in the patient group than in controls (p < 0.01), although the ECS score was not significantly different between patients and controls. Also, there was no significant difference in the severity of trauma between marital satisfaction and sexual satisfaction. However, the analysis showed a statistically significant difference in depression scores in connection with the head trauma severity. In the PTOD group, depression was increased and sexual satisfaction declined. Understanding the association of olfactory dysfunction with depression and sexuality allows patients and doctors to deal with less notable consequences of this disorder