Effect of Quercetin on Diabetic Rat

Background: Quercetin (QR) is one of the major constituents of the methanolic extract of the leaves of Psidium guajava (Guava leaves). Objectives: The work’s aim is to understand the Quercetin’s mechanism in improving insulin resistance, use the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) to determine the influence of quercetin on glycemic control, Look at how quercetin affects diabetes-related lipid metabolism and lipid profile measures. Analyze the impact of QR on oxidative stress in diabetic rats and contrast its antidiabetic effects whether administered as a nutrient or supplement. Materials and methods: Sixty adult male Wister rats that were matched in age and had starting body weights between 150 and 200 g were used in this study. One normoglycemic control group and 3 diabetic control groups (15 rats per group) were used. The diabetic control rats received the vehicle orally as saline daily, the normoglycemic control group received quercetin orally in a dose of 50 mg/kg per day, and the diabetic rats received quercetin orally in a dose of 100 mg/kg per day. Results: After six weeks of therapy, the rats with diabetes receiving isolated quercetin at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg had reduced blood glucose levels, and their triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol profiles all significantly improved. Also, there was significant decrease homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, serum transaminases, hepatic malondialdehyde, and HMG CoA expression in liver and a substantial rise in levels of insulin, hepatic GSH, and insulin receptor substrate (IRS2) expression & Phosphoinositide 3-kinases in liver as compared to those of control group, but non- significance changes in high-density lipoprotein, AKT expression in liver were observed. Conclusions: Quercetin could be considered as a potential hypoglycmeic medication with possible mechanisms controlling the hyperglycemic state and cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL levels

Leishmania infantum Amastigotes Enhance HIV-1 Production in Cocultures of Human Dendritic Cells and CD4+ T Cells by Inducing Secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a potentially deadly parasitic disease afflicting millions worldwide. Although itself an important infectious illness, VL has also emerged as an opportunistic disease among patients infected with HIV-1. This is partly due to the increasing overlap between urban regions of high HIV-1 transmission and areas where Leishmania is endemic. Furthermore, VL increases the development and clinical progression of AIDS-related diseases. Conversely, HIV-1-infected individuals are at greater risk of developing VL or suffering relapse. Finally, HIV-1 and Leishmania can both productively infect cells of the macrophage-dendritic cell lineage, resulting in a cumulative deficiency of the immune response. We therefore studied the effect of Leishmania infantum on HIV-1 production when dendritic cells (DCs) are cocultured with autologous CD4+ T cells. We show that amastigotes promote virus replication in both DCs and lymphocytes, due to a parasite-mediated production of soluble factors by DCs. Micro-beads array analyses indicate that Leishmania infantum amastigotes infection induces a higher secretion of several cytokines in these cells, and use of specific neutralizing antibodies revealed that the Leishmania-induced increase in HIV-1 replication is due to IL-6 and TNF-α. These findings suggest that Leishmania's presence within DC/T-cell conjugates leads to an enhanced HIV-1 production

Analysis of swallowing after partial frontolateral laryngectomy with epiglottic reconstruction for glottic cancer

The aim of the study was to evaluate swal- lowing using a reproducible objective methodology and to seek preoperative factors that could influence swallowing outcomes in patients operated on for partial laryngectomy. Twenty-four patients who underwent partial frontolateral laryngectomy with epiglottic reconstruction for T1bN0 or T2N0 glottic carcinoma between 2008 and 2012 were retrospectively evaluated. Using fiberoptic endoscopic and videofluoroscopic evaluation, early (15 days postopera- tively) and late (2 months postoperatively) scores were obtained for all patients to quantify their swallowing skills. Eighty-three percent of patients achieved at least partial oral feeding at time of hospital discharge and 87.5 % achieved exclusive oral feeding within 2 months postop- eratively. Early score was good or excellent in 50 %, average in 4.2 % and poor in 41.8 %. Regarding late scores, 63 % were classified as having a good or excellent late score, 7 patients (29 %) were classified as ''middle result'' because their time to recover was longer (i.e. between 1 and 2 months postoperatively), and two patients had a poor late score. Finally, at last follow-up, only one patient was partially fed by gastrostomy (180 days after surgery). T stage (p=0.04) was the only factor influenc- ing early swallowing outcomes and length of hospital stay was longer for poor scores than for good late results (p=0.02). Our findings show good outcomes in terms of postoperative swallowing. Objective assessment of deglu- tition is essential for a better understanding of the mecha- nisms of postoperative swallowing disorders and for patient selection

Therapeutic Implications of the Genetic Landscape of Head and Neck Cancer

Large-scale sequencing studies of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have elucidated the genetic changes that characterize HNSCC. These findings have supported the development of therapeutic strategies that target key components of aberrant signaling pathways and immune dysregulation. Cumulative evidence suggests that these agents in combination with radiotherapy may have synergistic effects. This review highlights the predictive biomarkers that have been identified from HNSCC genomic studies and implications on the development of molecular-targeting agents that may effectively treat patients with HNSCC, especially when used in combination with radiation

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 1420 European patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019

International audienceBackground: The clinical presentation of European patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection is still unknown. Objective: To study the clinical presentation of COVID-19 in Europe. Methods: Patients with positive diagnosis of COVID-19 were recruited from 18 European hospitals. Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained through a standardized questionnaire. Bayesian analysis was used for analysing the relationship between outcomes. Results: A total of 1,420 patients completed the study (962 females, 30.7% of healthcare workers). The mean age of patients was 39.17 ± 12.09 years. The most common symptoms were headache (70.3%), loss of smell (70.2%), nasal obstruction (67.8%), cough (63.2%), asthenia (63.3%), myalgia (62.5%), rhinorrhea (60.1%), gustatory dysfunction (54.2%) and sore throat (52.9%). Fever was reported by 45.4%. The mean duration of COVID-19 symptoms of mild-to-moderate cured patients was 11.5 ± 5.7 days. The prevalence of symptoms significantly varied according to age and sex. Young patients more frequently had ear, nose and throat complaints, whereas elderly individuals often presented fever, fatigue and loss of appetite. Loss of smell, headache, nasal obstruction and fatigue were more prevalent in female patients. The loss of smell was a key symptom of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients and was not associated with nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea. Loss of smell persisted at least 7 days after the disease in 37.5% of cured patients. Conclusion: The clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 substantially varies according to the age and the sex characteristics of patients. Olfactory dysfunction seems to be an important underestimated symptom of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 that needs to be recognized as such by the WHO

Oncologic outcomes, prognostic factor analysis and therapeutic algorithm evaluation of head and neck mucosal melanomas in France

International audienceBackground:Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is aggressive and rare, with a poor prognosis because of its high metastatic potential. The two main subtypes are sinonasal (sinonasal mucosal melanoma [SNMM]) and oral cavity (oral cavity mucosal melanoma [OCMM]). Consensual therapeutic guidelines considering the primary tumour site and tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage are not well established.Material & methods:Patients with HNMM from the prospective national French Rare Head and Neck Cancer Expert Network database between 2000 and 2017 were included. Clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, outcomes and prognostic factors were analysed.Results:In total, 314 patients were included. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 49.4% and 24.7%, respectively, in the surgery group; no long-term survivors were observed when surgery was not feasible. Moreover, even after surgery, a high recurrence rate was reported with a median PFS of 22 months. In multivariate analysis, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stage and tumour site correlated with PFS and OS. Postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) improved the PFS but not OS in patients with small (T3) SNMM and OCMM tumours. Nodal involvement was more frequent in patients with OCMM (p < 10-4), although, as in SNMM, it was not a significant prognostic predictor.Conclusion:Even early HNMM was associated with poor oncologic outcomes due to distant metastases despite surgical resection with clear margins. Lymph node metastases had no impact on the prognosis, suggesting treatment de-escalation in cervical node management. PORT might be useful for local control

Oncologic outcomes, prognostic factor analysis and therapeutic algorithm evaluation of head and neck mucosal melanomas in France

International audienceBackground:Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is aggressive and rare, with a poor prognosis because of its high metastatic potential. The two main subtypes are sinonasal (sinonasal mucosal melanoma [SNMM]) and oral cavity (oral cavity mucosal melanoma [OCMM]). Consensual therapeutic guidelines considering the primary tumour site and tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage are not well established.Material & methods:Patients with HNMM from the prospective national French Rare Head and Neck Cancer Expert Network database between 2000 and 2017 were included. Clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, outcomes and prognostic factors were analysed.Results:In total, 314 patients were included. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 49.4% and 24.7%, respectively, in the surgery group; no long-term survivors were observed when surgery was not feasible. Moreover, even after surgery, a high recurrence rate was reported with a median PFS of 22 months. In multivariate analysis, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stage and tumour site correlated with PFS and OS. Postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) improved the PFS but not OS in patients with small (T3) SNMM and OCMM tumours. Nodal involvement was more frequent in patients with OCMM (p < 10-4), although, as in SNMM, it was not a significant prognostic predictor.Conclusion:Even early HNMM was associated with poor oncologic outcomes due to distant metastases despite surgical resection with clear margins. Lymph node metastases had no impact on the prognosis, suggesting treatment de-escalation in cervical node management. PORT might be useful for local control

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: A French Network of Rare Head and Neck Tumors (REFCOR) prospective study of 292 cases

International audienc