HIF-1α gene/protein and oxidative stress in patients with colorectal cancer: A pilot study

Background: Several risk factors such as may enhance the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). These include hypoxia and oxidative stress. We investigated serum pro-oxidant antioxidant balance (PAB) and HIF-1α Gene/protein levels in CRC patients over 3 months. Method: Fifty newly diagnosed cases of CRC and 50 healthy individuals were recruited. Tumor sections and marginal healthy tissue, for use as control tissue, were obtained on the day of surgery and HIF-1α mRNA gene expression was determined using Real-Time PCR. Blood from each patient was collected to measure serum PAB using a colorimetric assay, and serum HIF-1α protein concentrations were measured using ELISA method in the patient group before, 24 h after surgery, at the time of discharge, one month, and three months after surgery. The control group samples were obtained on the day of a routine check-up. Results: The expression of the HIF-1α gene in the tumor tissue was 7.31 times greater than in healthy tissue margins (p 0.05). Conclusion: HIF-1α gene expression was significantly higher in tumor tissue than normal marginal tissue and serum HIF-1α protein and PAB levels in patients with CRC were higher preoperatively than the control subjects, and decreased over the 3 months of follow-up. © 202

Material point method: Overview and challenges ahead

The paper gives an overview of Material Point Method and shows its evolution over the last 25 years. The Material Point Method developments followed a logical order. The article aims at identifying this order and show not only the current state of the art, but explain the drivers behind the developments and identify what is currently still missing. The paper explores modern implementations of both explicit and implicit Material Point Method. It concentrates mainly on uses of the method in engineering, but also gives a short overview of Material Point Method application in computer graphics and animation. Furthermore, the article gives overview of errors in the material point method algorithms, as well as identify gaps in knowledge, filling which would hopefully lead to a much more efficient and accurate Material Point Method. The paper also briefly discusses algorithms related to contact and boundaries, coupling the Material Point Method with other numerical methods and modeling of fractures. It also gives an overview of modeling of multi-phase continua with Material Point Method. The paper closes with numerical examples, aiming at showing the capabilities of Material Point Method in advanced simulations. Those include landslide modeling, multiphysics simulation of shaped charge explosion and simulations of granular material flow out of a silo undergoing changes from continuous to discontinuous and back to continuous behavior. The paper uniquely illustrates many of the developments not only with figures but also with videos, giving the whole extend of simulation instead of just a timestamped image

Hepatoprotective Activity of Methanolic Extract of Bauhinia purpurea Leaves against Paracetamol-Induced Hepatic Damage in Rats

In an attempt to further establish the pharmacological properties of Bauhinia purpurea (Fabaceae), hepatoprotective potential of methanol extract of B. purpurea leaves (MEBP) was investigated using the paracetamol- (PCM-) induced liver toxicity in rats. Five groups of rats (n=6) were used and administered orally once daily with 10% DMSO (negative control), 200 mg/kg silymarin (positive control), or MEBP (50, 250, and 500 mg/kg) for 7 days, followed by the hepatotoxicity induction using paracetamol (PCM). The blood samples and livers were collected and subjected to biochemical and microscopical analysis. The extract was also subjected to antioxidant study using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay with the total phenolic content (TPC) also determined. From the histological observation, lymphocyte infiltration and marked necrosis were observed in PCM-treated groups (negative control), whereas maintenance of the normal hepatic structural was observed in group pretreated with silymarin and MEBP. Hepatotoxic rats pretreated with silymarin or MEBP exhibited significant decrease (P<0.05) in ALT and AST enzyme level. Moreover, the extract also exhibited antioxidant activity and contained high TPC. In conclusion, MEBP exerts potential hepatoprotective activity that could be partly attributed to its antioxidant activity and high phenolic content and thus warrants further investigation