Molecular Characterization of Alkaline Phosphatase and PLAP in the Germinal Epithelium of Pb and Se+Zn Treated Adult Sprague Dawley Rats

Aim: The role of alkaline phosphatase in cell metabolism and regulation is essential and cuts across cell proliferation, division, cell death, membrane transport and DNA cleavage. This study addresses the role and importance of alkaline phosphates (ALP) and Placenta Alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) in the cells of germinal epithelium of male Rat testes following induced lead (Pb) toxicity and rejuvenation by Selenium (Se) and Zinc (Zn) treatment. Method:Adult Sprague-Dawley Rats (males) were divided into 4 groups of 15 animals each and were treated as thus; Group 1: Normal saline and serves as the control, Group 2: 100 mg/Kg BW of Pb only, Group 3: 100 mg/Kg BW of Pb and 2.25 mg/Kg each of Se and Zn and group 4 received 2.25 mg.Kg each of Se and Zn only. The duration of treatment was 56 days following which the animals were sacrificed by the 57 th day and testes fixed in Bouin’s fluid. Result: Pb induced toxicity could be apoptotic involving ROS activation of NO-dependent apoptotic pathway or necrotic involving a wide range damage by ROS induced lipid peroxidation. Selenium and zinc treatment ameliorated the damage induced by lead toxicity in the germinal epithelium. Conclusion: ALPis involved in intrinsic regulation of DNA cleavage in apoptosis by functioning similar to endonucleases and also regulates membrane transport in perioxidated biomembranes. PLAPexpression is minimal as tumorgenesis was not recorded, although Pb treatment showed signs of epithelium of endothelial cancer signalling, which was ameliorated by Se+Zn treatment

Molecular Characterization of Alkaline Phosphatase and PLAP in the Germinal Epithelium of Pb and Se+Zn Treated Adult Sprague Dawley Rats

Aim: The role of alkaline phosphatase in cell metabolism and regulation is essential and cuts across cell proliferation, division, cell death, membrane transport and DNA cleavage. This study addresses the role and importance of alkaline phosphates (ALP) and Placenta Alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) in the cells of germinal epithelium of male Rat testes following induced lead (Pb) toxicity and rejuvenation by Selenium (Se) and Zinc (Zn) treatment. Method: Adult Sprague-Dawley Rats (males) were divided into 4 groups of 15 animals each and were treated as thus; Group 1: Normal saline and serves as the control, Group 2: 100 mg/Kg BW of Pb only, Group 3: 100 mg/Kg BW of Pb and 2.25 mg/Kg each of Se and Zn and group 4 received 2.25 mg.Kg each of Se and Zn only. The duration of treatment was 56 days following which the animals were sacrificed by the 57 th day and testes fixed in Bouin’s fluid. Result : Pb induced toxicity could be apoptotic involving ROS activation of NO-dependent apoptotic pathway or necrotic involving a wide range damage by ROS induced lipid peroxidation. Selenium and zinc treatment ameliorated the damage induced by lead toxicity in the germinal epithelium. Conclusion : ALP is involved in intrinsic regulation of DNA cleavage in apoptosis by functioning similar to endonucleases and also regulates membrane transport in perioxidated biomembranes. PLAP expression is minimal as tumorgenesis was not recorded, although Pb treatment showed signs of epithelium of endothelial cancer signalling, which was ameliorated by Se+Zn treatmen

A collaboratively derived international research agenda on legislative science advice

© 2019, The Author(s). The quantity and complexity of scientific and technological information provided to policymakers have been on the rise for decades. Yet little is known about how to provide science advice to legislatures, even though scientific information is widely acknowledged as valuable for decision-making in many policy domains. We asked academics, science advisers, and policymakers from both developed and developing nations to identify, review and refine, and then rank the most pressing research questions on legislative science advice (LSA). Experts generally agree that the state of evidence is poor, especially regarding developing and lower-middle income countries. Many fundamental questions about science advice processes remain unanswered and are of great interest: whether legislative use of scientific evidence improves the implementation and outcome of social programs and policies; under what conditions legislators and staff seek out scientific information or use what is presented to them; and how different communication channels affect informational trust and use. Environment and health are the highest priority policy domains for the field. The context-specific nature of many of the submitted questions—whether to policy issues, institutions, or locations—suggests one of the significant challenges is aggregating generalizable evidence on LSA practices. Understanding these research needs represents a first step in advancing a global agenda for LSA research

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children <18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p<0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p<0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p<0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer