Chemoresistance in human ovarian cancer: the role of apoptotic regulators

Ovarian cancer is among the most lethal of all malignancies in women. While chemotherapy is the preferred treatment modality, chemoresistance severely limits treatment success. Recent evidence suggests that deregulation of key pro- and anti-apoptotic pathways is a key factor in the onset and maintenance of chemoresistance. Furthermore, the discovery of novel interactions between these pathways suggests that chemoresistance may be multi-factorial. Ultimately, the decision of the cancer cell to live or die in response to a chemotherapeutic agent is a consequence of the overall apoptotic capacity of that cell. In this review, we discuss the biochemical pathways believed to promote cell survival and how they modulate chemosensitivity. We then conclude with some new research directions by which the fundamental mechanisms of chemoresistance can be elucidated

Clinical grade human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell banking

In this study, our aim was to produce a generation of GMP-grade adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells for clinical applications. According to our results, we fulfill to establish consistent and also reproducible current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) compliant adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells from five female donors. The isolated cells were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10 fetal bovine serum and characterized by standard methods. Moreover, karyotyping was performed to evaluate chromosomal stability. Mean of donors� age was 47.6 ± 8.29 year, mean of cell viability was 95.6 ± 1.51, and cell count was between 9�106 and 14�106 per microliter with the mean of 12.2�106 ± 2863564.21 per microliter. The main aim of this project was demonstrating the feasibility of cGMP-compliant and clinical grade adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells preparation and banking for clinical cell transplantation trials. © 2015 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Clinical Grade Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Banking

In this study, our aim was to produce a generation of GMP-grade adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells for clinical applications. According to our results, we fulfill to establish consistent and also reproducible current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) compliant adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells from five female donors. The isolated cells were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10 fetal bovine serum and characterized by standard methods. Moreover, karyotyping was performed to evaluate chromosomal stability. Mean of donors' age was 47.6 ± 8.29 year, mean of cell viability was 95.6 ± 1.51, and cell count was between 9�106 and 14�106 per microliter with the mean of 12.2�106 ± 2863564.21 per microliter. The main aim of this project was demonstrating the feasibility of cGMP-compliant and clinical grade adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells preparation and banking for clinical cell transplantation trials

Genetic Variants of Cytochrome b-245, Alpha Polypeptide Gene and Premature Acute Myocardial Infarction Risk in An Iranian Population

Background: Oxidative stress induced by superoxide anion plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD) and hence acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The major source of superoxide production in vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells is the NADPH oxidase complex. An essential component of this complex is p22phox, that is encoded by the cytochrome b-245, alpha polypeptide (CYBA) gene. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of CYBA variants (rs1049255 and rs4673) and premature acute myocardial infarction risk in an Iranian population. Methods: The study population consisted of 158 patients under the age of 50 years, with a diagnosis of premature AMI, and 168 age-matched controls with normal coronary angiograms. Genotyping of the polymorphisms was performed by the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: There was no association between the genotypes and allele frequencies of rs4673 polymorphism and premature acute myocardial infarction (P>0.05). A significant statistical association was observed between the genotypes distribution of rs1049255 polymorphism and AMI risk (P=0.037). Furthermore, the distribution of AA+AG/GG genotypes was found to be statistically significant between the two groups (P=0.011). Conclusions: Our findings indicated that rs1049255 but not rs4673 polymorphism is associated with premature AMI

Flee 3: Flexible agent-based simulation for forced migration

Data availability: Data will be made available on request.Forced migration is a major humanitarian challenge today, with over 100 million people forcibly displaced due to conflicts, violence and other adverse events. The accurate forecasting of migration patterns helps humanitarian organisations to plan an effective humanitarian response in times of crisis, or to estimate the impact of possible conflict and/or intervention scenarios. While existing models are capable of providing such forecasts, they are strongly geared towards forecasting headline arrival numbers and lack the flexibility to explore migration patterns for specific groups, such as children or persons of a specific ethnicity or religion. Within this paper we present Flee 3, an agent-based simulation tool that aims to deliver migration forecasts in a more detailed, flexible and reconfigurable manner. The tool introduces adaptable rules for agent movement and creation, along with a more refined model that flexibly supports factors like food security, ethnicity, religion, gender and/or age. These improvements help broaden the applicability of the code, enabling us to begin building models for internal displacement and non-conflict-driven migration. We validate Flee 3 by applying it to ten historical conflicts in Asia and Africa and comparing our results with UNHCR refugee data. Our validation results show that the code achieves a validation error (averaged relative difference) of less than 0.6 in all cases, i.e. correctly forecasting over 70% of refugee arrivals, which is superior to its predecessor in all but one case. In addition, by exploiting the parallelised simulation code, we are able to simulate migration from a large scale conflict (Ukraine 2022) in less than an hour and with 80% parallel efficiency using 512 cores per run. To showcase the relevance of Flee to practitioners, we present two use cases: one involving an international migration research project and one involving an international NGO. Flee 3 is available at https://github.com/djgroen/flee/releases/tag/v3.1 and documented on https://flee.readthedocs.io.This work is supported by the ITFLOWS, HiDALGO, and STAMINA projects, which have received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreements no 882986, 824115, and 883441. This work has also been supported by the SEAVEA ExCALIBUR project, which has received funding from EPSRC, United Kingdom under grant agreement EP/W007711/1. Simulation runs have been performed using the ARCHER2 Supercomputer, located at EPCC in Edinburgh (project e723)

Directed self-assembly of a helical nanofilament liquid crystal phase for use as structural color reflectors

The fabrication of molecular structures with a desired morphology, e.g., nanotubes, nanoribbons, nanosprings, and sponges, is essential for the advancement of nanotechnology. Unfortunately, realization of this objective is expensive and complicated. Here, we report that irradiating a film comprising azobenzene derivatives with UV light produces oriented arrays of helical nanofilaments via the photoisomerization-induced Weigert effect. As a result, structural colors are observed due to the extrinsic chiral reflection in the visible wavelength range, and the reflected color can be tuned by adjusting the molecular length of the azobenzene derivative. This simple fabrication method can be used for fabricating large, reversible, and patternable color reflectors, providing a new platform for interference-based structural coloration as it exists in nature, such as morpho butterflies, green-winged teal, and various beetles

Prevalence and Correlates of Hepatitis C Infection among Male Injection Drug Users in Detention, Tehran, Iran

For the benefit of planning for the future care and treatment of people infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to help guide prevention and control programs, data are needed on HCV seroprevalence and associated risk factors. We conducted a cross-sectional sero-behavioral survey of injection drug users (IDU) detained for mandatory rehabilitation during a police sweep of Tehran, Iran, in early 2006. During the study period, a consecutive sample comprising 454 of 499 (91.0%) men arrested and determined to be IDU by urine test and physical examination consented to a face-to-face interview and blood collection for HCV antibody testing. Overall, HCV prevalence was 80.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 76.2–83.6). Factors independently associated with HCV infection included history of incarceration (adjusted OR 4.35, 95% CI 1.88–10.08), age of first injection ≤25 years (OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.09–6.82), and history of tattooing (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.05–5.17). HCV prevalence in this population of IDU upon intake to jail was extremely high and possibly approaching saturation. Findings support that incarceration is contributing to the increased spread of HCV infection in Iran and calls for urgent increased availability of HCV treatment, long-term preparation for the care of complications of chronic infection, and rapid scale-up of programs for the primary prevention of parenterally transmitted infections among drug users

Ant stings in military forces on three Persian islands of Abu-Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb

Aims: Ants with the ability of biting and injecting venom to human body are called sting ants. This study was conducted to identify and determine the ant species and the prevalence of ant sting and related epidemiological factors in three Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu-Musa islands, Iran. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed during Jan-July 2010 in Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu-Musa islands on 318 military individuals who were selected by random sampling method. The ant collection was done by active hand-catch method. The ant sting prevalence and related epidemiological factors were determined by questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistical methods including Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test and Spearman and Gamma correlation. Results: Sting ants in these islands were identified as Pachycondyla sennaarensis (Mayr, 1862) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The mean prevalence of ant stings was 70.1%. The seasonal incidence of sting in three islands had the same pattern and was more common in spring and summer. 84.4% of ant stings had occurred in limbs. The main symptoms caused by the ant stings include pain, severe itching and local inflammation and blisters in some cases. Conclusion: Although ant stings in these islands is not much dangerous and does not lead to anaphylactic shock and death, ant stings prevalence is very high and the pain, itching and burning would cause discomfort for soldiers and reduce their efficiency. Therefore, preventive measures and control of these ants should be considered