Efficacy of selenium supplementation for mild-to-moderate Graves ophthalmopathy in a selenium-sufficient area (SeGOSS trial): study protocol for a phase III, multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled intervention trial

Background The therapeutic effect of selenium has been demonstrated in mild Graves ophthalmopathy (GO) in a European region where selenium status is suboptimal. However, there is a lack of evidence to support selenium use in selenium-sufficient areas. The aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic effect of selenium in mild-to-moderate GO in selenium-sufficient South Korea. Methods The SeGOSS trial is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label trial in South Korea. Eighty-four patients aged 19years or older with mild-to-moderate GO will be randomized to receive either vitamin B complex alone or vitamin B complex with selenium for 6months with three monthly follow-up visits. The primary outcome is comparison of the improvement in quality of life at 6months from baseline between the control and selenium groups. The secondary outcomes are intergroup differences in changes in quality of life at 3months, clinical activity of GO at 3 and 6months, thyroid autoantibody titers at 3 and 6months, and the response rate at 3 and 6months from baseline. Quality of life will be measured by questionnaire for patients with GO, and the clinical activity of GO will be evaluated by the clinical activity score (CAS). A positive response is defined as either changes in the CAS < 0 or the changes in the GO-QOL score ≥ 6. Discussion The SeGOSS study will evaluate the therapeutic potential of selenium for mild-to-moderate GO in a selenium-sufficient area and provide support in tailoring better treatment for GO.

ACT-PRESTO: Rapid and consistent tissue clearing and labeling method for 3-dimensional (3D) imaging

Understanding the structural organization of organs and organisms at the cellular level is a fundamental challenge in biology. This task has been approached by reconstructing three-dimensional structure from images taken from serially sectioned tissues, which is not only labor-intensive and time-consuming but also error-prone. Recent advances in tissue clearing techniques allow visualization of cellular structures and neural networks inside of unsectioned whole tissues or the entire body. However, currently available protocols require long process times. Here, we present the rapid and highly reproducible ACT-PRESTO (active clarity technique-pressure related efficient and stable transfer of macromolecules into organs) method that clears tissues or the whole body within 1 day while preserving tissue architecture and protein-based signals derived from endogenous fluorescent proteins. Moreover, ACT-PRESTO is compatible with conventional immunolabeling methods and expedites antibody penetration into thick specimens by applying pressure. The speed and consistency of this method will allow high-content mapping and analysis of normal and pathological features in intact organs and bodies.1

Effect of Abdominal Massage before In Vitro Fertilization Injection on Alleviating Pain among Infertile Women

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of abdominal massage on alleviating pain caused by the injection of recombinant gonadotropin for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) among infertile women. METHODS: This study employed a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design. A total sample of 149 infertile women who never experienced in vitro fertilization was recruited at C fertility center. Seventy women were assigned into experimental group and 79 into controls. The experimental group had been informed to do abdominal massage prior to the injection and to record their subjective pain using visual analogue scale. The control group had been informed to record their subjective pain in the same way just after the injection. RESULTS: Compared to the pre-tested pain scores, the pain scores in experimental group were significantly reduced by 0.7 points, whereas the control group increased by 0.9 points (t=-4.55, p=.001). CONCLUSION: This study confirms that the use of abdominal massage prior to the injection is an effective way to alleviate pain on injection site. This massage may be a useful intervention for infertile women about pain alleviation

Circularly Polarized Luminescence Active Supramolecular Nanotubes Based on Pt-II Complexes That Undergo Dynamic Morphological Transformation and Helicity Inversion

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with tunable chirality is currently a challenging issue in the development of supramolecular nanomaterials. We herein report the formation of helical nanoribbons which grow into helical tubes through dynamic helicity inversion. For this, chiral Pt-II complexes of terpyridine derivatives, namely S-trans-1 and R-trans-1, with respective S- and R-alanine subunits and incorporating trans-double bonds in the alkyl chain were prepared. In DMSO/H2O (5 : 1 v/v), S-trans-1 initially forms a fibrous self-assembled product, which then undergoes dynamic transformation into helical tubes (left-handed or M-type) through helical ribbons (right-handed or P-type). Interestingly, both helical supramolecular architectures are capable of emitting CPL signals. The metastable helical ribbons show CPL signals (g(lum)=+/- 4.7x10(-2)) at 570 nm. Meanwhile, the nanotubes, which are the thermodynamic products, show intense CPL signals (g(lum)=+/- 5.6x10(-2)) at 610 nm accompanied by helicity inversion. This study provides an efficient way to develop highly dissymmetric CPL nanomaterials by regulating the morphology of metallosupramolecular architectures

p31(comet) Induces Cellular Senescence through p21 Accumulation and Mad2 Disruption

Functional suppression of spindle checkpoint protein activity results in apoptotic cell death arising from mitotic failure, Including defective spindle formation, chromosome missegregation, and premature mitotic exit. The recently identified p31(comet) protein acts as a spindle checkpoint silencer via communication with the transient Mad2 complex. In the present study, we found that p31(comet) overexpression led to two distinct phenotypic changes, cellular apoptosis and senescence. Because of a paucity of direct molecular link of spindle checkpoint to cellular senescence, however, the present report focuses on the relationship between abnormal spindle checkpoint formation and p31(comet)-induced senescence by using susceptible tumor cell lines. p31(comet)-Induced senescence was accompanied by mitotic catastrophe with massive nuclear and chromosomal abnormalities. The progression of the senescence was completely inhibited by the depletion of p21(Waf1/Clp1) and partly Inhibited by the depletion of the tumor suppressor protein p53. Notably, p21(Waf1/Clp1) depletion caused a dramatic phenotypic conversion of p31(comet)-induced senescence Into cell death through mitotic catastrophe, indicating that p21(Waf1/Clp1) major mediator of p31(comet)-induced cellular senescence. In contrast to wild-type p31(comet), overexpression of a p31 mutant lacking the Mad2 binding region did not cause senescence. Moreover, depletion of Mad2 by small interfering RNA induced senescence. Here, we show that p31(comet) Induces tumor cell senescence by mediating p21(Waf1/Clp1) accumulation and Mad2 disruption and that these effects are dependent on a direct interaction of p31(comet) with Mad2. Our results could be used to control tumor growth. (Mol Cancer Res 2009;7(3):371-82