Quercetin and raloxifene effect on breast cancer cell viability, migration, nitric oxide secretion and apoptotic genes expression

Objective: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies among females all over the world.The use of natural and complementary compounds is a new option in chemotherapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the synergic effect of Quercetin (QUR) and Raloxifene (RAL) on BC cell lines in vitro. Materials and Methods: The cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) were treated with QUR (0, 25 50, 100, 150, 200 µM), and RAL (1 µM) alone, and in combination. Cell viability was evaluated using the MTT assay. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Griess method were used to measure total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and NO level of biological samples respectively. Changes in the expression of apoptotic-related genes were detected using real-time PCR. Results: QUR (100, 150 and 200 µM) decreased cell viability significantly in MDA231 and MCF7 cells (p<0.01). Furthermore, Ral (1 µM) showed a significant decrease in both cell types (p<0.01). The synergistic effect of QUR (150) and RAL was also greater in MDA231 cells. NO levels in QUR, Ral, and synergic groups increased significantly in both cell lines (p<0.001). In treated groups, QUR and RAL significantly decreased cell migration, MMP2 and MMP9 expression, and increased apoptotic genes expression significantly (p<0.001). QUR increased TAC in both BC cell lines (p<0.00) while it was decreased by RAL. Synergic groups increased TAC in BC cells significantly (p<0.001). Conclusions: QUR and RAL show synergistic anti-cancer effects on cell viability, NO production, cell migration, and apoptotic genes. QUR as a supplement can potentiate the anti-cancer effects of RAL in BC

In vitro survey on the synergistic effect of Cichorium intybus L. and doxorubicin on apoptotic induction in myeloid (NALM-6) and lymphoid (KG-1) cell lines

Objective: Acute leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Due to chemotherapy drug side effects, the use ofnatural compounds is essential. The Cichorium intybus L. is a natural compound that shows antitumor and antioxidant effects in various cancerous cell lines. However, its impact on leukemic cells is ambiguous. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the Cichorium extract, alone and in combination with Doxorubicin (DOX), on apoptosis induction in myeloid (NALM-6) and lymphoid (KG-1) cell lines. Materials and Methods: Hydroalcoholic extract of Cichorium intybus L (C. intybus ) was prepared. Results: Our results displayed that C. intybus could induce cytotoxic effects in KG-1, Nalm-6 cell with IC50 values of 400 ±1.7 and 275 ±5.6 µg/ml CIE has a significant apoptotic impact on Nalm-6 and KG-1 cell lines of ALL and AML in a dose and time-dependent manner (p<0.05). Real-time PCR results indicated a notable increase in BAX, CASPAS 3, 9 gene expression, and decreased BCL2 gene expression (p <0.05). Conclusions: C. intybus, Dox, and their combination exerted a more potent apoptotic effect on the Nalm-6 cell line than the KG-1 cell line. Cichorium upgraded the cytotoxic effect of DOX on Nalm-6 and KG-1 cell lines and could be suggested as a chemotherapy supplement in acute leukemia

Do Open Access Dental Articles Enjoy Higher Altmetric Attention Scores, Twitter, Facebook, News, Wikipedia, Blog mentions, Mendeley Readers and Citations?

In order to access articles published in conventional (non-open access) journals, scientists must utilize tools such as subscriptions, site licenses or pay-per-view charges. In contrast, open access articles can be accessed without financial, legal or technical barriers. A large-scale study estimated that at least 28% of the academic literature is open access (19 million in total) and that this percentage is growing.[1] A recent survey showed an open access rate in field of dentistry at 45.8%.[2] It has been demonstrated that open access articles had 8% to 40% higher citations compared to non-open access articles; this has been termed, “open access citation advantage”.[3],[4],[5

RNA markers enable phenotypic test of antibiotic susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae after 10 minutes of ciprofloxacin exposure

Antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an urgent public-health threat, with continued worldwide incidents of infection and rising resistance to antimicrobials. Traditional culture-based methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing are unacceptably slow (1–2 days), resulting in the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and the further development and spread of resistance. Critically needed is a rapid antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) that can guide treatment at the point-of-care. Rapid phenotypic approaches using quantification of DNA have been demonstrated for fast-growing organisms (e.g. E. coli) but are challenging for slower-growing pathogens such as N. gonorrhoeae. Here, we investigate the potential of RNA signatures to provide phenotypic responses to antibiotics in N. gonorrhoeae that are faster and greater in magnitude compared with DNA. Using RNA sequencing, we identified antibiotic-responsive transcripts. Significant shifts (>4-fold change) in transcript levels occurred within 5 min of antibiotic exposure. We designed assays for responsive transcripts with the highest abundances and fold changes, and validated gene expression using digital PCR. Using the top two markers (porB and rpmB) we correctly determined the antibiotic susceptibility and resistance of 49 clinical isolates after 10 min exposure to ciprofloxacin. RNA signatures are therefore promising as an approach on which to build rapid AST devices for N. gonorrhoeae at the point-of-care, which is critical for disease management, surveillance, and antibiotic stewardship efforts

Enhancing nonclassical bosonic correlations in a quantum walk network through experimental control of disorder

The presence of disorder and inhomogeneities in quantum networks has often been unexpectedly beneficial for both quantum and classical resources. Here we experimentally realize a controllable inhomogenous quantum walk (QW) dynamics, which can be exploited to investigate the effect of coherent disorder on the quantum correlations between two indistinguishable photons. Through the imposition of suitable disorder configurations, we observe two-photon states that exhibit an enhancement in the quantum correlations between two selected modes of the network, compared to the case of an ordered QW. Different configurations of disorder can steer the system toward different realizations of such an enhancement, thus allowing spatial and temporal manipulation of quantum correlations between remote modes of QW networks

Evaluation of haptoglobin phenotypes in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and their association with some risk factors

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most common cardiovascular complications with a complex pathogenesis where inflammatory markers are involved in disease etiology. The aim of this study was to investigate haptoglobin phenotypes and their association with some risk factors in patients with a history of AMI. 120 patients who were referred to the emergency department of Amir Al Momenin hospital of Zahedan city, Zahedan-Iran were recruited in a cross-sectional case control study. 120 normal individuals were also chosen as controls for this study. Serum was isolated from routine bloods taken for diagnostic tests and used to determine haptoglobin phenotype distribution by electrophoresis. Phenotype differences as percent of phenotype frequency in patient and control groups were analysed using the χ2 test and SPSS software. A high frequency of serum Hp2-2 haptoglobin phenotype in patients and healthy control were found (62.5% and 58.3% respectively). A meaningful statistical correlation between high frequency of Hp2-2 haptoglobin phenotype and AMI was not found (p value = 0.484). Whereas high frequency of Hp1-1 and HP2-2 phenotypes was associated with hyperlipidemia and hypertension respectively (p value = 0.01 and 0.04). Our results showed that there was a high frequency of Hp2-2 haptoglobin phenotype in patients as well as healthy controls in the population studies. High frequencies of Hp1-1and Hp2-2 phenotypes were associated with AMI in patients with hyperlipidemia and hypertension respectively. Thus these phenotypes in AMI patients may modulate the inflammatory response in combination with hyperlipidemia and hypertension

Metabolic multi-stability and hysteresis in a model aerobe-anaerobe microbiome community

Changes in the composition of the human microbiome are associated with health and disease. Some microbiome states persist in seemingly unfavorable conditions, e.g., the proliferation of aerobe-anaerobe communities in oxygen-exposed environments in wounds or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. However, it remains unclear how different stable microbiome states can exist under the same conditions, or why some states persist under seemingly unfavorable conditions. Here, using two microbes relevant to the human microbiome, we combine genome-scale mathematical modeling, bioreactor experiments, transcriptomics, and dynamical systems theory, to show that multi-stability and hysteresis (MSH) is a mechanism that can describe the shift from an aerobe-dominated state to a resilient, paradoxically persistent aerobe-anaerobe state. We examine the impact of changing oxygen and nutrient regimes and identify factors, including changes in metabolism and gene expression, that lead to MSH. When analyzing the transitions between the two states in this system, the familiar conceptual connection between causation and correlation is broken and MSH must be used to interpret the dynamics. Using MSH to analyze microbiome dynamics will improve our conceptual understanding of the stability of microbiome states and the transitions among microbiome states

ILB 938, a valuable faba bean (Vicia faba L) accession

Here we review the potential of ILB 938 (IG 12132- doi: 10.18730/60FD2), a unique faba bean accession originating from the Andean region of Colombia and Ecuador, maintained at ICARDA - International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, with resistance to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses and carrying some useful morphological markers. It has been used as a donor of leaf-related drought adaptation traits and chocolate spot (Bohytis fabae) resistance genes in faba bean breeding programmes worldwide. From generated populations of recombinant inbred lines, quantitative traits loci associated with these useful traits have been mapped. Other markers, such as a lack of stipule-spot pigmentation and clinging pod wall, show the presence of unusual changes in biochemical pathways that may have economic value in the future.Peer reviewe