Effect of CdSTe QDs’ Crystal Size on Viability and Cytochrome P450 Activity of CHO-K1 and HEP-G2 Cells

In the last few years, quantum dots (QDs) have attracted research interest in different fields of science and technology. Despite their applications, it is essential to understand how nanomaterials (with different crystal sizes) are metabolized inside organisms. Thus, the focus of this study was on an evaluation of how crystal sizes of CdSTe QDs affect the viability and response of the cytochrome P450 system in CHO-K1 and HEP-G2 cells. CdSTe QDs were synthesized using a microwave-assisted system at different reaction temperatures (60, 120, 150, and 180 °C) to obtain different crystal sizes. The optical and structural characterization confirmed four crystal sizes from 3 to 8 nm. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed that CdSTe QDs are incorporated into both cell lines. Viability studies suggested that CHO-K1 cells are more sensitive than HEP-G2 cells to CdSTe QDs and Cd+2 ions. The responsible mechanisms for the toxicity of QDs and Cd+2 are apoptosis followed by necrosis. The activity of CYP 1A1, 1A2, and 3A4 isoenzymes suggests that the smallest CdSTe crystals are recognized in a manner similar to that of Cd+2. Furthermore, the largest CdSTe crystals can have different metabolic routes than Cd+2.</jats:p

SAT-679 Autoimmune Hypoglycemia: A Treatment Challenge

Abstract Background: Upon evaluation of patients with recurrent hypoglycemia, both exogenous and endogenous causes should be excluded. Among endogenous hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (EHH) pathologies, Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome (IAS), even though extremely rare, must be considered. Most cases of IAS have been reported in the Oriental population, mostly Japanese. No gold standard of care for this condition has been established. Clinical Case: This is the case of an 82 year-old obese female patient with dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis that comes to the Endocrinology clinics for evaluation due to recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia. She refers that for the last three years she had been presenting with multiple episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia, even levels as low as 30 mg/dL, requiring multiple hospitalizations. Consequently, she refers a 15-pound weight gain because of multiple daily snacks. Home medications were simvastatin and diclofenac. She denies using insulin, sulfonylureas, other hypoglycemic agents, alcohol, or illicit substances. Abdominal MRI and PET CT scan were remarkable only for an atrophic pancreas without focal masses. Patient was hospitalized for a supervised 72-hour fast, resulting in severe hypoglycemia within 14 hours with elevated insulin levels at 46.3 uIU/mL (1.7-31.0 uIU/mL), elevated C-peptide levels at 5.79 ng/mL (0.9-4.3 ng/mL) and elevated insulin antibodies 53µU/mL (&amp;lt;5µU/mL). Patient showed sufficient hepatic reserve after glucagon administration as well as intact cortisol and growth hormone axis upon severe hypoglycemia. With these results, a diagnosis of IAS was made; not associated with other autoimmune diseases, or with medications with sulfhydryl groups, such as the cases already reported on literature. This condition represents a therapeutic challenge because there is no gold standard of care. Literature recognizes diverse treatment options that range from diet modification to more aggressive therapies, including plasmapheresis and immunosupressants. Our patient was managed with diet modification including frequent snacks and Diazoxide with the goal of decreasing insulin levels and inducing hyperglycemia. Diazoxide therapy achieved a steady euglycemic state and decreased insulin antibodies. Patient developed intolerable bilateral lower extremity edema and treatment was modified to complex carbohydrates, frequent snacks in the daytime and Diazoxide only at bedtime, which is the longer fasting period. Patient has remained without episodes of hypoglycemia and diabetes has not been diagnosed since starting treatment two years ago. Conclusion: Early recognition of IAS is essential in order to avoid unnecessary studies and procedures which could delay management. Although no gold standard therapy has been identified for this condition, our case report identifies Diazoxide as a compelling medical treatment.</jats:p

Diabetic Myonecrosis: An Atypical Presentation

Diabetic myonecrosis is a frequently unrecognized complication of longstanding and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. The clinical presentation is swelling, pain, and tenderness of the involved muscle, most commonly the thigh muscles. Management consists of conservative measures including analgesia and rest. Short-term prognosis is good, but long-term prognosis is poor with most patients dying within 5 years. Failure to properly identify this condition will expose the patient to aggressive measures that could result in increased morbidity. To our knowledge this is the first case reported in which there was involvement of multiple muscle groups including upper and lower limbs

Drosophila muller f elements maintain a distinct set of genomic properties over 40 million years of evolution.

The Muller F element (4.2 Mb, ~80 protein-coding genes) is an unusual autosome of Drosophila melanogaster; it is mostly heterochromatic with a low recombination rate. To investigate how these properties impact the evolution of repeats and genes, we manually improved the sequence and annotated the genes on the D. erecta, D. mojavensis, and D. grimshawi F elements and euchromatic domains from the Muller D element. We find that F elements have greater transposon density (25-50%) than euchromatic reference regions (3-11%). Among the F elements, D. grimshawi has the lowest transposon density (particularly DINE-1: 2% vs. 11-27%). F element genes have larger coding spans, more coding exons, larger introns, and lower codon bias. Comparison of the Effective Number of Codons with the Codon Adaptation Index shows that, in contrast to the other species, codon bias in D. grimshawi F element genes can be attributed primarily to selection instead of mutational biases, suggesting that density and types of transposons affect the degree of local heterochromatin formation. F element genes have lower estimated DNA melting temperatures than D element genes, potentially facilitating transcription through heterochromatin. Most F element genes (~90%) have remained on that element, but the F element has smaller syntenic blocks than genome averages (3.4-3.6 vs. 8.4-8.8 genes per block), indicating greater rates of inversion despite lower rates of recombination. Overall, the F element has maintained characteristics that are distinct from other autosomes in the Drosophila lineage, illuminating the constraints imposed by a heterochromatic milieu