5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones as a promising class of heterocycles inducing apoptosis triggered by increased ROS levels and mitochondrial dysfunction in breast and cervical cancer

Oxazolidinones are antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis by binding the 50S ribosomal subunit. Recently, numerous worldwide researches focused on their properties and possible involvement in cancer therapy have been conducted. Here, we evaluated in vitro the antiproliferative activity of some 5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones on MCF-7 and HeLa cells. The tested compounds displayed a wide range of cytotoxicity on these cancer cell lines, measured by MTT assay, exhibiting no cytotoxicity on non-tumorigenic MCF-10A cells. Among the nine tested derivatives, four displayed a good anticancer potential. Remarkably, OI compound showed IC50 values of 17.66 and 31.10 µM for MCF-7 and HeLa cancer cells, respectively. Furthermore, we assessed OI effect on the cell cycle by FACS analysis, highlighting a G1 phase arrest after 72 h, supported by a low expression level of Cyclin D1 protein. Moreover, mitochondrial membrane potential was reduced after OI treatment driven by high levels of ROS. These findings demonstrate that OI treatment can inhibit MCF-7 and HeLa cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by caspase-9 activation and cytochrome c release in the cytosol. Hence, 5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones have a promising anticancer activity, in particular, OI derivative could represent a good candidate for in vivo further studies and potential clinical use

A new tissue acquisition technique in pancreatic cystic neoplasm: endoscopic ultrasound-guided through-the-needle forceps biopsy

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ClearPath: a new method for fast and simple drainage of a perianastomotic abscess

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Endoscopic treatment of an infected retroperitoneal hematoma following endoscopic ultrasound-guided pseudocyst drainage

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Endoscopic ampullectomy: to inject or not to inject? The underwater technique

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Overtube-assisted over-the-wire stent placement to treat a post-surgical duodenal leak

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ClearPath-assisted underwater endoscopic mucosal resection of a laterally spreading tumor of the colon

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Effect of the Degree of Polymerization of Inulin on the Rate of Hydrolysis Using Immobilized Inulinase

U ovom su radu istražene dvije glavne značajke važne za razvoj industrijske proizvodnje fruktoze enzimskom hidrolizom inulina: uporaba imobiliziranog biokatalizatora za hidrolizu sirovog ekstrakta korijena cikorije, te procjena utjecaja stupnja polimerizacije inulina na ukupnu brzinu reakcije. Kao imobilizirani biokatalizator upotrijebljena je inulinaza kovalentno vezana na podlogu Sepabeads®. Aktivnost je katalizatora bila znatno veća na sirovom ekstraktu inulina (realni uzorak) nego na čistom inulinu (sintetska otopina). Eksperimentalno je dokazano da je pri praktičnoj primjeni stvarnog supstrata aktivnost imobiliziranog enzima bila čak 63 % aktivnosti ukupnog slobodnog enzima u homogenoj otopini, što može biti poticaj za industrijsku primjenu ovog imobiliziranog enzima. Stoga je ispitan utjecaj čistog i sirovog supstrata na kinetiku reakcije katalizirane imobiliziranim enzimom, te je utvrđeno da se ovisnost brzine reakcije o koncentraciji supstrata, tj. čistog (velike molekularne mase) i sirovog (male molekularne mase) inulina, može opisati Michaelis-Mentenovom jednadžbom. Zanimljivi su podaci dobiveni usporedbom vrijednosti Km i vmax. Povećanjem stupnja polimerizacije supstrata smanjila se vrijednost vmax, a povećala vrijednost Km. Nakon procjene koeficijenta prijenosa tvari zaključeno je da je uzrok tome različit stupanj polimerizacije inulina, jer je afinitet enzima bio veći prema inulinu manje molekularne mase.The present paper addresses two crucial features in the industrial development of fructose production by enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin: the use of immobilized biocatalyst in the hydrolysis of crude extracts of chicory roots and the evaluation of the effect of degree of polymerization of inulin on the overall reaction rate. The immobilized biocatalyst consisted of inulinase covalently bound to Sepabeads® supports. It was demonstrated that its catalytic activity towards crude inulin extract (real substrate) was much higher than that exhibited towards pure inulin (synthetic solution). Experiments revealed that, in applications of practical interest with real substrate, the activity of immobilized enzyme was as high as 63 % of that of free enzyme in homogeneous solution. This certainly was a driving force to potential industrial application of this immobilized enzyme preparation. Therefore, the effect of pure and crude substrates on the kinetics of the reaction catalysed by the immobilized enzyme was investigated. The kinetic analysis revealed a Michaelis-Menten dependence of the reaction rate on substrate concentration for both pure (high molecular mass) and crude (low molecular mass) inulin. Interesting results were derived from the comparison of Km and vmax values in the two cases. In particular, it was found that increasing degree of polymerization of the substrate caused vmax decrease and Km increase. After evaluation of mass transport effects, this was mainly associated with a different substrate/ enzyme affinity when exploiting inulin characterized by different (low or high) degree of polymerization

COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

COVID-19 is a challenge for education systems around the world. This study aimed to evaluate the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing students, by assessing their emotions, the level of concern in contracting the virus and their perceived stress. We conducted an observational cross-sectional study. A total of 709 nursing students completed an anonymous questionnaire. The levels of anxiety and stress were assessed using the generalized anxiety disorder scale and the COVID-19 student stress questionnaire, respectively. In total, 56.8% of the sample often or always found it difficult to attend distance-learning activities. The main difficulty referred to was connection problems (75.7%). The mean generalized anxiety disorder score was 9.46 (SD = 5.4) and appeared almost homogeneous among students across the three years of study; most of the students showed mild (35%) to moderate (27%) levels of anxiety; 19% had severe anxiety. The overall COVID-19 stressor mean scores were 11.40 (SD = 6.50); the majority of the students (47.1%) showed scores indicative of moderate stress, 25% showed low stress levels, and 28% showed high-stress levels. Improvements and investments are needed to ensure high-quality distance learning, adequate connectivity, technical support for students, as well as strategies to promote mental health