Transferrin-targeted porous silicon nanoparticles reduce glioblastoma cell migration across tight extracellular space

Mortality of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has not improved over the last two decades despite medical breakthroughs in the treatment of other types of cancers. Nanoparticles hold tremendous promise to overcome the pharmacokinetic challenges and off-target adverse effects. However, an inhibitory effect of nanoparticles by themselves on metastasis has not been explored. In this study, we developed transferrin-conjugated porous silicon nanoparticles (Tf@pSiNP) and studied their effect on inhibiting GBM migration by means of a microfluidic-based migration chip. This platform, designed to mimic the tight extracellular migration tracts in brain parenchyma, allowed high-content time-resolved imaging of cell migration. Tf@pSiNP were colloidally stable, biocompatible, and their uptake into GBM cells was enhanced by receptor-mediated internalisation. The migration of Tf@pSiNP-exposed cells across the confined microchannels was suppressed, but unconfined migration was unaffected. The pSiNP-induced destabilisation of focal adhesions at the leading front may partially explain the migration inhibition. More corroborating evidence suggests that pSiNP uptake reduced the plasticity of GBM cells in reducing cell volume, an effect that proved crucial in facilitating migration across the tight confined tracts. We believe that the inhibitory effect of Tf@pSiNP on cell migration, together with the drug-delivery capability of pSiNP, could potentially offer a disruptive strategy to treat GBM.</p

Evaluation of the Audiological Characteristics of Patients with Otosclerosis Referring to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinics of Babol City, Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Otosclerosis is the most common disorder of the bony labyrinth and stapes only affecting humans. Otosclerosis is considered a major cause of acquired hearing loss. This study aimed to evaluate the audiological characteristics of patients with otosclerosis referring to the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) clinics of Babol city, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all the patients with otosclerosis within the age range of 20-67 years referring to ENT clinics of Babol city in Iran. Demographic characteristics and clinical symptoms, including tinnitus, hearing loss, and hearing at different frequencies, were recorded and evaluated for each patient. FINDINGS: In total, 60 patients with otosclerosis were enrolled in this study, including 17 males and 43 females. Mean age of the participants was 42.78±1.4 years. According to our findings, 54.2% of the studied patients had mixed hearing loss, and 70% had tinnitus. Moreover, the Schwartz sign was observed to be negative in all the patients. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, gender and some audiological characteristics of patients were associated with the risk of otosclerosi

Evaluation of Audiological Characteristics of Patients with Tinnitus ‎Referring to Otolaryngology Clinics of Babol

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Tinnitus is a common symptom associated with hearing loss and its related disorders. Awareness of audiological features is of paramount importance for effective management of tinnitus. This study aimed to evaluate audiological characteristics of tinnitus in patients referring to otolaryngology clinics of Babol, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 patients with tinnitus (47 male, 73 female) with mean age of 47.12±15.285 years referring to otolaryngology clinics of Babol, Iran. Patients were examined via pure tone audiometry at frequency of 250-8000 Hz to determine the location and type of tinnitus. FINDINGS: In this study, 104 patients (88.7%) had hearing loss, 103 patients had tonal tinnitus with dizziness, 17 patients had loud tinnitus with no dizziness, 45 cases (37.5%) had bilateral tinnitus, 75 patients (62.5%) had unilateral tinnitus, and 17 patients had family history of tinnitus. Among female patients, two cases (1.7%) experienced tinnitus during pregnancy, while in four patients (3.3%), it was reported immediately after pregnancy. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss has a higher prevalence among patients with tinnitus

Comparing the latency and amplitude of auditory-evoked brainstem responses in full-term and premature neonates

Background: Auditory-evoked potentials are brain waves produced by presenting acoustic signals to the person. Auditory-evoked brainstem responses (AEBR) are a part of auditory evoked potentials seen in a time range less than 10 ms after the delivery of high intensity stimulation. Considering the effect of maturation on auditory pathways, the purpose of this study was to compare the latency and amplitude of (AEBR) in full-term and premature neonates. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 full-term and 40 premature neonates (1 -28 days). The obtained amplitude and latency of AEBR were studied. The data were analyzed using SPSS software and t- test . Results: While the mean latency of I, III, V waves and inter-wave latency of I-III, I-V, III-V and also amplitude of V waves showed a significant difference in both groups, the comparison of amplitude of waves I in two groups showed no significant difference. Conclusion: According to the availability of a significant difference between the latency and amplitude of auditory brainstem responses in full-term and premature newborns, and due to the delayed maturation of central auditory nervous system, the use of relative normative data for the study of auditory-evoked potentials in premature neonates are suggested