Decreased expression of heat shock protein HSP90α after exposure to doxorubicin in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231)

Background and purpose: Incidence of breast cancer is increasing day by day. Scientists are interested in the effects of inhibition of breast cancer cell on treatment of this cancer. The aim of this study was to determine IC50 of doxorubicin in 24 hours on cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 and the expression of heat shock protein HSP90α as a factor in the cell before and after 24 hours exposure to doxorubicin in both breast cancer cell lines. Materials and methods: A descriptive interventional study was done in two cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231` after 24 hours exposure to doxorubicin. Sensitivity of cells to doxorubicin was determined using MTT Assay in excel software. HSP90α heat shock protein expression were qualitatively compared in both cell lines before and after exposure to doxorubicin using immunofluorescent techniques (Immunocytochemistry). Results: MTT Assay showed that IC50 value in MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells after 24 hours exposure to doxorubicin (the dose that kills 50% of cells) were 14.521 and 16.3315µM, respectively. Immunocytochemistry revealed that HSP90α protein expression in both cell lines after exposure to doxorubicin decreased compared to the control group. Conclusion: Cell density in cell lines (ER-) MDA-MB-231 and line MCF-7 (ER+) after exposure to doxorubicin and increasing the dose of medication, decreased indicating a dose dependent effect. Also, apoptosis occurred in both cell lines and expression of HSP90α decreased but MDA-MB-231 cells were found to be more sensitive. © 2017, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Antifungal activity in vitro of aqueous and total flavnoids extracts of plant myrtus communis L. against two pathogenically important fungi, Saprolegnia and Fusarrium isolated from rainbow trout eggs

In the present study, the efficiency of the flavonoid and aqueous extracts of M. communis L. tree leaves, a recognized Iranian medicinal plant, were assessed in vitro on the growth of isolated fungi, Saprolegnia and Fusarrium using the agar disc and well diffusion methods in flat-bottom microplates in the presence of various extract concentrations. The isolated fungi were sampled from the fertilized eggs of rainbow trout fish incubation farms. The leaves were collected from the natural habitats of the province of Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtiary in the earlysummer and extrcation took place through maceration methods with water solvent as well as by flavonoid extraction methods with methanol solvent. During the succeeding trials, the antifungal effects of the flavonoid extracts (by the disk diffusion method) and the aqueous extracts (by the well diffusion method) against isolated Saprolegnia were revealed by MFC (Minimum Fatal Concentration) values 50 and 100 mg/ml, respectively. The only effect of the methanolic and aqueous extracts of M. communis leaves revealed the in vitro inhibiting effect on the growth of isolated Fusarium by MIC values 25 and 12.5 mg/ml, in disc diffusion and well diffusion methods, respectively. The antifungal effects obtained by the extracts had more effective aspects on isolated Saprolegnias in comparison to Fusariums. The results of the study indicate that M. communis could be considered as a potential candidate for designing effective antifungal extracts suitable for the treatment of the fish eggs fungal infections

Differential expression of HSP90β in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines after treatment with doxorubicin

Breast cancer is a complex, heterogeneous disease and one of the most common malignancies in women worldwide. The efficacy of chemotherapy as an important breast cancer treatment option has been severely limited because of the inherent or acquired resistance of cancer cells. The molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) upregulated in response to cellular stress is required for functions such as conformational maturation, activation and stability in more than 200 client proteins, mostly of the signaling type. In this study, the expression of HSP90 isoforms including HSP90α and HSP90β in breast cancer cell lines before and after treatment with doxorubicin (DOX) was assessed. Material and Methods: The cell cytotoxicity of DOX in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines was determined using the MTT assay. Immunofluorescence and western blotting techniques were used to determine the expression of HSP90β in the cell lines before and after DOX treatment. Immunofluorescence was also conducted to ascertain the expression of HSP90α. Results: The MTT assay results showed that the MDAMB- 231 cells (IC50=14.521 μM) were more sensitive than the MCF-7 cells (IC50=16.3315 μM) to DOX. The immunofluorescence results indicated that the expression of HSP90α in both cell lines decreased after exposure to DOX. The western blot and immunofluorescence analyses showed that HSP90β expression decreased in the MCF-7 cells but increased in the MDAMB- 231 cells after DOX treatment. Conclusion: The obtained results suggested that HSP90α and HSP90β expression levels were reduced in the MCF-7 cells after exposure to DOX. In the MDA-MB-231 cells, HSP90α expression was reduced while HSP90β was found to be overexpressed following DOX treatment. © 2019 Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute

Acute diverticulitis management: evolving trends among Italian surgeons. A survey of the Italian Society of Colorectal Surgery (SICCR)

Acute diverticulitis (AD) is associated with relevant morbidity/mortality and is increasing worldwide, thus becoming a major issue for national health systems. AD may be challenging, as clinical relevance varies widely, ranging from asymptomatic picture to life-threatening conditions, with continuously evolving diagnostic tools, classifications, and management. A 33-item-questionnaire was administered to residents and surgeons to analyze the actual clinical practice and to verify the real spread of recent recommendations, also by stratifying surgeons by experience. CT-scan remains the mainstay of AD assessment, including cases presenting with recurrent mild episodes or women of child-bearing age. Outpatient management of mild AD is slowly gaining acceptance. A conservative management is preferred in non-severe cases with extradigestive air or small/non-radiologically drainable abscesses. In severe cases, a laparoscopic approach is preferred, with a non-negligible number of surgeons confident in performing emergency complex procedures. Surgeons are seemingly aware of several options during emergency surgery for AD, since the rate of Hartmann procedures does not exceed 50% in most environments and damage control surgery is spreading in life-threatening cases. Quality of life and history of complicated AD are the main indications for delayed colectomy, which is mostly performed avoiding the proximal vessel ligation, mobilizing the splenic flexure and performing a colorectal anastomosis. ICG is spreading to check anastomotic stumps’ vascularization. Differences between the two experience groups were found about the type of investigation to exclude colon cancer (considering the experience only in terms of number of colectomies performed), the size of the peritoneal abscess to be drained, practice of damage control surgery and the attitude towards colovesical fistula

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Determination of optimum timing of fungicides application for the control of barley spot blotch

Background and Objectives Spot blotch (Bipolaris sorokiniana)is one of the most destructive leaf diseases that causes significant damages to barley during epidemic periods. Fungicide application is a rapid control practice for this disease during epidemic periods. Several fungicides have been proposed for controlling of spot blotch, but these fungicides are effective if they reduce the disease pressure on important plant leaves, especially flag leaf. The results of fungicides application at different growth stages of barley are inconsistent, and also there is no comprehensive study on the timing of fungicides application for controlling of this disease in Iran. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine the appropriate timing of fungicides application at four growth stages of barley to decrease the disease pressure on the upper leaves of the plant, the timing of spraying on reduction of disease damage, and to increase yield and economic profit. Materials and Methods A field experiment was conducted in a split plot design with four replications. The main and sub-main factors of the experiment were cultivars (Sahra and Yousef) and the spraying treatments, respectively, and the common fungicides (such as Tilte, Folicur, Falcon, and Rexduo) were sprayed at four timings including, T0 (early stem elongation to node forming 1), T1 (node formation 2-3), T2 (the full flag leaf emergence) and T3 (flowering). The spraying treatments were selected as once, twice, three and four times spraying that were Tr1 (once spraying at early stem elongation to node forming 1), Tr2 (once spraying at node formation 2-3), Tr3 (once spraying at full flag leaf emergence), Tr4 (once spraying at flowering), Tr5 (twice spraying at node formation 2-3 + full flag leaf emergence), Tr6 (twice spraying at full flag leaf emergence+ flowering), Tr7 (twice spraying at early stem elongation to node forming 1+ node formation 2-3), Tr8 (three times spraying at node formation 2-3+ full flag leaf emergence+ flowering), Tr9 (four times spraying at early stem elongation to node forming 1+ node formation 2-3+ full flag leaf emergence+ flowering) and Tr10 (check). The efficiency of spraying treatments was evaluated one week after the last spraying by determining the index of disease (e.g., incidence and severity, area under the disease progress curve, AUDPC) as well as comparing the yield and yield components. Results The results of this study showed that treatments with more than once spraying from the node formation 2-3 to flowering stages (Tr5, Tr6, Tr8 and Tr9 treatments) could decrease the values of AUDPC-I between 76.8-86.1% and 68.3-81.2% in Sahra and Yousef cultivars, respectively. Whereas the values of AUDPC-S decreased between 62-65.7% and 60.1-62.7% in Sahra and Yousef cultivars, respectively. The highest percentage of yield increase was observed in the treatments with more than once spraying from the node formation 2-3 to flowering stages, which was more than 37% (1092.8 to 1284.1 kg/ ha) and 41% (1167.8 to 1290 Kg/ ha) in Sahra and Yousef cultivars, respectively. Discussion In both cultivars, the comparison of economic profit showed that Tr5 treatment (node formation 2-3 to flag leaf emergence stage) not only decreased the disease severity, but also increased the yield. It also reduced costs and had the highest economic profit compared to other spraying treatments (Tr6, Tr8 and Tr9). According to obtained results, the treatment of Tr5 (twice spraying at T1+T2 timing) was the best timing of fungicide application for the reduction of the disease pressure and the increase of yield and economic profit

Morphology and Magneto-Transport in Exfoliated Graphene on Ultrathin Crystalline \u3b2-Si3N4(0001)/Si(111)

This work reports the first experimental study of graphene transferred on \u3b2-Si3N4(0001)/Si(111). A comprehensive quantitative understanding of the physics of ultrathin Si3N4 as a gate dielectric for graphene-based devices is provided. The Si3N4 film is grown on Si(111) under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions and investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Subsequently, a graphene flake is deposited on top of it by a polymer-based transfer technique, and a Hall bar device is fabricated from the graphene flake. STM is employed again to study the graphene flake under UHV conditions after device fabrication and shows that the surface quality is preserved. Electrical transport measurements, carried out at low temperature in magnetic field, reveal back gate modulation of carrier density in the graphene channel and show the occurrence of weak localization. Under these experimental conditions, no leakage current between back gate and graphene channel is detected