Preclinical Study of Genuine Essiac Formula: A Cancer Treatment Eightherbs’ Tea Minimizes DNA Insult of X-rays

Context: Essiac tea is been used widely in the homeopathy market for cancer treatment. Aims: We hypothesized its use for DNA-damaged mitigation under very low ionizing radiation (IR) on BALB/c mice (10–40 mSv). Settings and Design: The radioprotection of Essiac tea formulae was evidenced by comet assay (CA) and micronucleus (MN) acridine orange staining. We also reported complete blood count, animal weight, and fasting glucose levels to control for tea toxicity. Materials and Methods: Fifty BALB/c male mice of 6-7 week old and pathogen free mice were randomly divided in to control group, control irradiated mice, irradiated and tea or ascorbic acid treated mice, tea treated mice and ascorbic acid treated mice. Genuine Essiac tea treatment was given ad libitum for 7 weeks and ascorbic for no >13 days. The animals were exposed to three different X-ray doses (10 mSv, 20 mSv, and 40 mSv). Statistical Analysis Used: An independent one-tailed t-test or Dunnett's test was used to compare animal weight, fasting glucose levels, white blood count, comet percentage, and MN percentage, between doses, treatment, and controls, after a Welch's ANOVA and Mann–Whitney U-test using Excel worksheets from Biostathandbook.com website. Results: The tea formula resulted in a significant reduction of DNA damaged evidenced by CA (P < 0.01 for dose 3–40 mSv). By MN staining, the peak of significant induction of MNs was by the lower doses, D1 and D2, with a P value = 0.001 and P value = 0.014, respectively; however those irradiated animals when were treated with tea showed reduction of MNs and no significant difference from controls. Conclusions: Using an optimized murine model, we demonstrated that Genuine Essiac tea is not toxic and that it acts as a radioprotector against very low doses of IR.Fil: Martinez Marignac, Veronica Lucrecia. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Mondragon, Leonel F.. Universidad Adventista del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Oertlin, Gloria Susana. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Cervantes, Lucia. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Cantero, Maria Fernanda. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Favant, Jose Luis. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentin

Preclinical Study of Genuine Essiac Formula: A Cancer Treatment Eightherbs’ Tea Minimizes DNA Insult of X-rays

Context: Essiac tea is been used widely in the homeopathy market for cancer treatment. Aims: We hypothesized its use for DNA-damaged mitigation under very low ionizing radiation (IR) on BALB/c mice (10–40 mSv). Settings and Design: The radioprotection of Essiac tea formulae was evidenced by comet assay (CA) and micronucleus (MN) acridine orange staining. We also reported complete blood count, animal weight, and fasting glucose levels to control for tea toxicity. Materials and Methods: Fifty BALB/c male mice of 6-7 week old and pathogen free mice were randomly divided in to control group, control irradiated mice, irradiated and tea or ascorbic acid treated mice, tea treated mice and ascorbic acid treated mice. Genuine Essiac tea treatment was given ad libitum for 7 weeks and ascorbic for no >13 days. The animals were exposed to three different X-ray doses (10 mSv, 20 mSv, and 40 mSv). Statistical Analysis Used: An independent one-tailed t-test or Dunnett's test was used to compare animal weight, fasting glucose levels, white blood count, comet percentage, and MN percentage, between doses, treatment, and controls, after a Welch's ANOVA and Mann–Whitney U-test using Excel worksheets from Biostathandbook.com website. Results: The tea formula resulted in a significant reduction of DNA damaged evidenced by CA (P < 0.01 for dose 3–40 mSv). By MN staining, the peak of significant induction of MNs was by the lower doses, D1 and D2, with a P value = 0.001 and P value = 0.014, respectively; however those irradiated animals when were treated with tea showed reduction of MNs and no significant difference from controls. Conclusions: Using an optimized murine model, we demonstrated that Genuine Essiac tea is not toxic and that it acts as a radioprotector against very low doses of IR.Fil: Martinez Marignac, Veronica Lucrecia. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Mondragon, Leonel F.. Universidad Adventista del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Oertlin, Gloria Susana. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Cervantes, Lucia. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Cantero, Maria Fernanda. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Favant, Jose Luis. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentin

Fault tree in chemical process analysis

The aim of this work was the application of process simulation for fault tree development in chemical process analysis. A fault tree, where the top event was process failure, was constructed for an alkylation plant by systematically assessing the effects of individual unit failure on the plant’s operability. The results obtained suggest that equipment where chemical reaction takes place and equipment connected in recycle loops must be considered individually, and that system decomposition tools must be used. Where internal loops without chemical reaction were present in the system, a 'failure mode and effect analysis' was carried out and the results used as an approximation in the construction of the fault tree.Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department o

Sources of ionizing radiation (IR) and their biological effects. An interdisciplinary view, from the physics to cell and molecular biology

Exposure to the IR is common to certain people like professionals handling radioactive materials or to the patients undergoing radio-diagnostics and radiotherapy or as millions of people who travel by air are exposed by X-rays scanning every day. Though it is indirect cause, IR may trigger mutation in healthy cells which further induces molecular alterations. It's known that ionizing radiation generates free radicals from cytoplasmic water and ultimately induces biomolecules lesions such as DNA damage. These damages may lead to neoplasm in normal and healthy cells however IR is not by itself a recognized and indisputable carcinogen present in the environment. In order to develop some type of cancer, they have to interact within the organisms and cells with other multiple factors of high complexity from physiological to environmental components (genetics of the living being, cellular microenvironment, epigenetic factors, environmental conditions, and others, perhaps still unknown). Here we discuss and present IR effect on living cells, ways of damage determination and compounds reported as radioprotectors.Fil: Martinez Marignac, Veronica Lucrecia. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Mondragon, Leonel. Universidad Adventista del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Favant, Jose Luis. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentin

Acute viral myocarditis due to Influenza H3N2 infection resembling an acute coronary syndrome: A case report

A 16-year-old man with history of two weeks-flu like symptoms with intermittent fever. He came to the emergency department with 2 hours-chest pain that radiates to the back and upper extremities. At the admission he was hemodynamically stable with normal blood pressure The ECG showed sinus rhythm and ST segment elevation of 0.5 mV in all leads (Figure 1A). The cardiac enzymes were elevated (Troponin 12.19 ng/mLland creatine kinase-MB fraction 63.25 U/L). He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and later transferred to our medical unit to continue with study protocol. The transthoracic echocardiogram (Figure 1B) reported normal left ventricular systolic function with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 68%, global longitudinal strain -18%, TAPSE 30 mm, and normal systolic pulmonary artery pressure (30 mmHg)