Search results for: malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor

Authors: Farah Amalina Mohamed Affandi, Redhwan Ahmad Al-Naggar, Seok Mui Wang, Thanikasalam Kathiresan

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Gestational choriocarcinoma is a condition in which there is an abnormal growth or a tumor inside the women’s uterus after conception. It is a type of gestational trophoblastic disease which is relatively rare and malignant. The current epidemiological data of this disease are inadequate. The purposes of this study are to examine the epidemiology of choriocarcinoma and their risk factors based on all available population-based and hospital-based data of the disease. In this study, we searched The MEDLINE and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases using the keywords ‘choriocarcinoma’, ‘gestational’, ‘gestational choriocarcinoma’ and ‘epidemiology’. We included only human studies published in English between 1995 and 2015 to ensure up to date evidence. Case studies, case reports, animal studies, letters to the editor, news, and review articles were excluded. Retrieved articles were screened in three phases. In the first phase, any articles that did not match the inclusion criteria based solely on titles were excluded. In the second phase, the abstracts of remaining articles were screened thoroughly; any articles that did not meet our inclusion criteria were excluded. In the final phase, full texts of the remaining articles were read and assessed to exclude articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria or any articles that fulfilled the exclusion criteria. Duplicates articles were also removed. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis were excluded. Extracted data were summarized in table and figures descriptively. The reference lists of included studies were thoroughly reviewed in search for other relevant studies. A total of ten studies met all the selection criteria. Nine were retrospective studies and one was cohort study. Total numbers of 4563 cases of choriocarcinoma were reviewed from several countries which are Korea, Japan, South Africa, USA, New Mexico, Finland, Turkey, China, Brazil and The Netherlands. Different studies included different range of age with their mean age of 28.5 to 30.0 years. All studies investigated on the disease’s incidence rate, only two studies examined on the risk factors or associations of the disease. Approximately 20% of the studies showed a reduction in the incidence of choriocarcinoma while the other 80% showed inconsistencies in rate. Associations of age, fertility age, occupations and socio-demographic with the status remains unclear. There is limited information on the epidemiological aspects of gestational choriocarcinoma. The observed results indicated there was a decrease in the incidence rate of gestational choriocarcinoma globally. These could be due to the reduction in the incidence of molar pregnancy and the efficacy of the treatment, mainly by chemotherapy.

Keywords: epidemiology, gestational choriocarcinoma, incidence, prevalence, risk factor

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Authors: Grace C. Kuroki, Yixin Hu, Bailey Surtees, Rebecca Krimins, Nicholas J. Durr, Dara L. Kraitchman

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The purpose of this study was to perform a Phase I veterinary clinical trial with a low-cost, carbon-dioxide-based, passive thaw cryoablation device as proof-of-principle for application in pets and translation to third-world treatment of breast cancer. This study was approved by the institutional animal care and use committee. Client-owned dogs with subcutaneous masses, primarily lipomas or mammary cancers, were recruited for the study. Inclusion was based on clinical history, lesion location, preanesthetic blood work, and fine needle aspirate or biopsy confirmation of mass. Informed consent was obtained from the owners for dogs that met inclusion criteria. Ultrasound assessment of mass extent was performed immediately prior to mass cryoablation. Dogs were placed under general anesthesia and sterilely prepared. A stab incision was created to insert a custom 4.19 OD x 55.9 mm length cryoablation probe (Kubanda Cryotherapy) into the mass. Originally designed for treating breast cancer in low resource settings, this device has demonstrated potential in effectively necrosing subcutaneous masses. A dose escalation study of increasing freeze-thaw cycles (5/4/5, 7/5/7, and 10/7/10 min) was performed to assess the size of the iceball/necrotic extent of cryoablation. Each dog was allowed to recover for ~1-2 weeks before surgical removal of the mass. A single mass was treated in seven dogs (2 mammary masses, a sarcoma, 4 lipomas, and 1 adnexal mass) with most masses exceeding 2 cm in any dimension. Mass involution was most evident in the malignant mammary and adnexal mass. Lipomas showed minimal shrinkage prior to surgical removal, but an area of necrosis was evident along the cryoablation probe path. Gross assessment indicated a clear margin of cryoablation along the cryoprobe independent of tumor type. Detailed histopathology is pending, but complete involution of large lipomas appeared to be unlikely with a 10/7/10 protocol. The low-cost, carbon dioxide-based cryotherapy device permits a minimally invasive technique that may be useful for veterinary applications but is also informative of the unlikely resolution of benign adipose breast masses that may be encountered in third world countries.

Keywords: cryoablation, cryotherapy, interventional oncology, veterinary technology

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Authors: Mustafa M. Donma, Orkide Donma

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Iron is physiologically essential. However, it also participates in the catalysis of free radical formation reactions. Its deficiency is associated with amplified health risks. This trace element establishes some links with another physiological process related to cell death, apoptosis. Both iron deficiency and iron overload are closely associated with apoptosis. Soluble tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) has the ability to trigger apoptosis and plays a dual role in the physiological versus pathological inflammatory responses of tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of these parameters as well as the associations among them in children with obesity, a low-grade inflammatory state. The study was performed on groups of children with normal body mass index (N-BMI) and obesity. Forty-three children were included in each group. Based upon age- and sex-adjusted BMI percentile tables prepared by World Health Organization, children whose values varied between 85 and 15 were included in N-BMI group. Children whose BMI percentile values were between 99 and 95 comprised obese (OB) group. Institutional ethical committee approval and informed consent forms were taken prior to the study. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, head circumference, neck circumference) and blood pressure values (systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure) were recorded. Routine biochemical analysis including serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation percent (Tf Sat %), and ferritin were performed. Soluble tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Study data was evaluated using appropriate statistical tests performed by the statistical program SPSS. Serum iron levels were 91±34 mcrg/dl and 75±31 mcrg/dl in N-BMI and OB children, respectively. The corresponding values for TIBC, Tf Sat %, ferritin were 265 mcrg/dl vs 299 mcrg/dl, 37.2±19.1 % vs 26.7±14.6 %, and 41±25 ng/ml vs 44±26 ng/ml. in N-BMI and OB groups, sTWEAK concentrations were measured as 351 ng/L and 325 ng/L, respectively (p>0.05). Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between sTWEAK levels and iron related parameters (p<0.05) except ferritin. In conclusion, iron contributes to apoptosis. Children with iron deficiency have decreased apoptosis rate in comparison with that of healthy children. sTWEAK is inducer of apoptosis. Obese children had lower levels of both iron and sTWEAK. Low levels of sTWEAK are associated with several types of cancers and poor survival. Although iron deficiency state was not observed in this study, the correlations detected between decreased sTWEAK and decreased iron as well as Tf Sat % values were valuable findings, which point out decreased apoptosis. This may induce a proinflammatory state, potentially leading to malignancies in the future lives of obese children.

Keywords: apoptosis, children, iron-related parameters, obesity, soluble tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis

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Authors: Tuong Thi Van Thuy, Dao Van Toan, Nguyen Duc Phuc

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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were discovered in the 1970s with their unique properties of differentiation, immunomodulation, multiple secreting, and homing factors to injured organs. MSC-based therapies have emerged as a promising strategy for various diseases such as cancer, tissue regeneration, or immunologic/inflammatory-related diseases. This study evaluated the clinical application of MSCs for cancer therapy in trials registered on Clinical Trial as of July 2022. The results showed 40 clinical trials used MSCs in various cancer conditions. 62% of trials used MSCs for therapeutic purposes to minimize the side effects of cancer treatment. Besides, 38% of trials were focused on using MSCs as a therapeutic agent to treat cancer directly. Most trials (38/40) are ongoing phase I/II, and 2 are entering phase III. 84% of trials used allogeneic MSCs compared with 13% using autologous sources and 3% using both. 25/40 trials showed participants received a single dose of MSCs, while the most times were 12 times in a pancreatic cancer treatment trial. Conclusion: MSC-based therapy for cancer in clinical trials should be applied to (1) minimize the side effects of oncological treatments and (2) directly affect the tumor via selectively delivering anti-cancer payloads to tumor cells. Allogeneic MSCs are a priority selected in clinical cancer therapy.

Keywords: mesenchymal stem cells, MSC-based therapy, cancer condition, cancer treatment, clinical trials

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Authors: Aoxue Yang, Weili Tian, Haikun Liu

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Brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) are resistant to therapy and give rise to recurrent tumors. These rare and elusive cells are likely to disseminate during cancer progression, and some may enter dormancy, remaining viable but not increasing. The identification of dormant BTSCs is thus necessary to design effective therapies for glioblastoma (GBM) patients. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are used to treat GBM-associated edema. However, glucocorticoids participate in the physiological response to psychosocial stress, linked to poor cancer prognosis. This raises concern that glucocorticoids affect the tumor and BTSCs. Identifying markers specifically expressed by brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) may enable specific therapies that spare their regular tissue-resident counterparts. By ribosome profiling analysis, we have identified that glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GPD1) is expressed by dormant BTSCs but not by NSCs. Through different stress-induced experiments in vitro, we found that only dexamethasone (DEXA) can significantly increase the expression of GPD1 in NSCs. Adversely, mifepristone (MIFE) which is classified as glucocorticoid receptors antagonists, could decrease GPD1 protein level and weaken the proliferation and stemness in BTSCs. Furthermore, DEXA can induce GPD1 expression in tumor-bearing mice brains and shorten animal survival, whereas MIFE has a distinct adverse effect that prolonged mice lifespan. Knocking out GR in NSC can block the upregulation of GPD1 inducing by DEXA, and we find the specific sequences on GPD1 promotor combined with GR, thus improving the efficiency of GPD1 transcription from CHIP-Seq. Moreover, GR and GPD1 are highly co-stained on GBM sections obtained from patients and mice. All these findings confirmed that GR could regulate GPD1 and loss of GPD1 Impairs Multiple Pathways Important for BTSCs Maintenance GPD1 is also a critical enzyme regulating glycolysis and lipid synthesis. We observed that DEXA and MIFE could change the metabolic profiles of BTSCs by regulating GPD1 to shift the transition of cell dormancy. Our transcriptome and lipidomics analysis demonstrated that cell cycle signaling and phosphoglycerides synthesis pathways contributed a lot to the inhibition of GPD1 caused by MIFE. In conclusion, our findings raise concern that treatment of GBM with GCs may compromise the efficacy of chemotherapy and contribute to BTSC dormancy. Inhibition of GR can dramatically reduce GPD1 and extend the survival duration of GBM-bearing mice. The molecular link between GPD1 and GR may give us an attractive therapeutic target for glioblastoma.

Keywords: cancer stem cell, dormancy, glioblastoma, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1, glucocorticoid receptor, dexamethasone, RNA-sequencing, phosphoglycerides

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Authors: Shiva Naidoo, Kristena Yossef, Grimm Jimm, Mirza Wasique, Eric Kemmerer, Joshua Obuch, Anand Mahadevan

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Background: Fiducial markers effectively enhance tumor target visibility prior to Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy or Proton therapy. To streamline clinical practice, fiducial placement guidelines from a robotic radiosurgery vendor were examined with the goals of optimizing and standardizing feasible geometries for each treatment indication. Clinical examples of prostate, renal, and pancreatic cases are presented. Methods: Vendor guidelines (Accuray, Sunnyvale, Ca) suggest implantation of 4–6 fiducials at least 20 mm apart, with at least a 15-degree angular difference between fiducials, within 50 mm or less from the target centroid, to ensure that any potential fiducial motion (e.g., from respiration or abdominal/pelvic pressures) will mimic target motion. Also recommended is that all fiducials can be seen in 45-degree oblique views with no overlap to coincide with the robotic radiosurgery imaging planes. For the prostate, a standardized geometry that meets all these objectives is a 2 cm-by-2 cm square in the coronal plane. The transperineal implant of two pairs of preloaded tandem fiducials makes the 2 cm-by-2 cm square geometry clinically feasible. This technique may be applied for renal cancer, except repositioned in a sagittal plane, with the retroperitoneal placement of the fiducials into the tumor. Pancreatic fiducial placement via endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is technically more challenging, as fiducial placement is operator-dependent, and lesion access may be limited by adjacent vasculature, tumor location, or restricted mobility of the EUS probe in the duodenum. Fluoroscopically assisted fiducial placement during EUS can help ensure fiducial markers are deployed with optimal geometry and visualization. Results: Among the first 22 fiducial cases on a newly installed robotic radiosurgery system, live x-ray images for all nine prostatic cases had excellent fiducial visualization at the treatment console. Renal and pancreatic fiducials were not as clearly visible due to difficult target access and smaller caliber insertion needle/fiducial usage. The geometry of the first prostate case was used to ensure accurate geometric marker placement for the remaining 8 cases. Initially, some of the renal and pancreatic fiducials were closer than the 20 mm recommendation, and interactive feedback with the proceduralists led to subsequent fiducials being too far to the edge of the tumor. Further feedback and discussion of all cases are being used to help guide standardized geometries and achieve ideal fiducial placement. Conclusion: The ideal tradeoffs of fiducial visibility versus the thinnest possible gauge needle to avoid complications needs to be systematically optimized among all patients, particularly in regards to body habitus. Multidisciplinary collaboration among proceduralists and radiation oncologists can lead to improved outcomes.

Keywords: fiducial, prostate cancer, renal cancer, pancreatic cancer, radiotherapy

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Authors: M. Sunitha, B. Nithyavani, Mathew Yohannan, S. Thiruvieni Balajji, M. A. Rathi, C. Arul Raj, P. Ragavendran, V. K. Gopalkrishnan

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Establishment of an early and reliable biomarker for ovarian carcinogenesis whose expression can be monitored through noninvasive techniques will enable early diagnosis of cancer. Carbonic anhydrases (CA) isozymes IX and XII have been suggested to play a role in oncogenic processes. In von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)-defective tumors, the cell surface transmembrane carbonic anhydrase (CA) CA XI and CA XII genes are overexpressed because of the absence of pVHL. These enzymes are involved in causing a hypoxia condition, thereby providing an environment for metastasis. Aberrant expression of the facilitative glucose transporter GLUT I is found in a wide spectrum of epithelial malignancies. Studying the mRNA expression of CA IX, CA XII and Glut I isozymes in ovarian cancer cell lines (OAW-42 and PA-1) revealed the expression of these hypoxia genes. Immunohistochemical staining of carbonic anhydrases was also performed in 40 ovarian cancer tissues. CA IX and CA XII were expressed at 540 bp and 520 bp in OAW42, PA1 in ovarian cancer cell lines. GLUT-1 was expressed at 325bp in OAW 42, PA1 genes in ovarian cancer cell lines. Immunohistochemistry revealed high to moderate levels of expression of these enzymes. The immuostaining was seen predominantly on the cell surface membrane. The study concluded that these genes CA IX, CA XII and Glut I are expressed under hypoxic condition in tumor cells. From the present results expression of CA IX, XII and Glut I may represent potential targets in ovarian cancer therapy.

Keywords: ovarian cancer, carbonic anhydrase IX, XII, Glut I, tumor markers

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Authors: Cheng-Cao Sun, Shu-Jun Li, Cuili Yang, Yongyong Xi, Liang Wang, Feng Zhang, De-Jia Li

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as key regulators of multiple cancers. Hsa-miR-329 (miR-329) functions as a tumor suppressor in some malignancies. However, its role on lung cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-329 on the development of lung cancer. The results indicated that miR-329 was decreased in primary lung cancer tissues compared with matched adjacent normal lung tissues and very low levels were found in a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR-329 in lung cancer cell lines substantially repressed cell growth as evidenced by cell viability assay, colony formation assay and BrdU staining, through inhibiting cyclin D1, cyclin D2, and up-regulatiing p57(Kip2) and p21(WAF1/CIP1). In addition, miR-329 promoted NSCLC cell apoptosis, as indicated by up-regulation of key apoptosis gene cleaved caspase-3, and down-regulation of anti-apoptosis gene Bcl2. Moreover, miR-329 inhibited cellular migration and invasiveness through inhibiting matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-7 and MMP-9. Further, oncogene MET was revealed to be a putative target of miR-329, which was inversely correlated with miR-329 expression. Furthermore, down-regulation of MET by siRNA performed similar effects to over-expression of miR-329. Collectively, our results demonstrated that miR-329 played a pivotal role in lung cancer through inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and promoting apoptosis by targeting oncogenic MET.

Keywords: hsa-miRNA-329(miR-329), MET, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), proliferation, apoptosis

Procedia PDF Downloads 407

Authors: Maria Karnachoriti, Ellas Spyratou, Dimitrios Lykidis, Maria Lambropoulou, Yiannis S. Raptis, Ioannis Seimenis, Efstathios P. Efstathopoulos, Athanassios G. Kontos

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Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in Europe, according to the latest incidence data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), and early diagnosis has proved to be the key in reducing cancer-related mortality. In cases where surgical interventions are required for cancer treatment, the accurate discrimination between healthy and cancerous tissues is critical for the postoperative care of the patient. The current study focuses on the ex vivo handling of surgically excised colorectal specimens and the acquisition of their spectral fingerprints using Raman spectroscopy. Acquired data were analyzed in an effort to discriminate, in microscopic scale, between healthy and malignant margins. Raman spectroscopy is a spectroscopic technique with high detection sensitivity and spatial resolution of few micrometers. The spectral fingerprint which is produced during laser-tissue interaction is unique and characterizes the biostructure and its inflammatory or cancer state. Numerous published studies have demonstrated the potential of the technique as a tool for the discrimination between healthy and malignant tissues/cells either ex vivo or in vivo. However, the handling of the excised human specimens and the Raman measurement conditions remain challenging, unavoidably affecting measurement reliability and repeatability, as well as the technique’s overall accuracy and sensitivity. Therefore, tissue handling has to be optimized and standardized to ensure preservation of cell integrity and hydration level. Various strategies have been implemented in the past, including the use of balanced salt solutions, small humidifiers or pump-reservoir-pipette systems. In the current study, human colorectal specimens of 10X5 mm were collected from 5 patients up to now who underwent open surgery for colorectal cancer. A novel, non-toxic zinc-based fixative (Z7) was used for tissue preservation. Z7 demonstrates excellent protein preservation and protection against tissue autolysis. Micro-Raman spectra were recorded with a Renishaw Invia spectrometer from successive random 2 micrometers spots upon excitation at 785 nm to decrease fluorescent background and secure avoidance of tissue photodegradation. A temperature-controlled approach was adopted to stabilize the tissue at 2 °C, thus minimizing dehydration effects and consequent focus drift during measurement. A broad spectral range, 500-3200 cm-1,was covered with five consecutive full scans that lasted for 20 minutes in total. The average spectra were used for least square fitting analysis of the Raman modes.Subtle Raman differences were observed between normal and cancerous colorectal tissues mainly in the intensities of the 1556 cm-1 and 1628 cm-1 Raman modes which correspond to v(C=C) vibrations in porphyrins, as well as in the range of 2800-3000 cm-1 due to CH2 stretching of lipids and CH3 stretching of proteins. Raman spectra evaluation was supported by histological findings from twin specimens. This study demonstrates that Raman spectroscopy may constitute a promising tool for real-time verification of clear margins in colorectal cancer open surgery.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, Raman spectroscopy, malignant margins, spectral fingerprints

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Authors: Paola Modesto, Floriana Fruscione, Isabella Martini, Simona Perga, Federica Riccardo, Mariateresa Camerino, Davide Giacobino, Cecilia Gola, Luca Licenziato, Elisabetta Razzuoli, Katia Varello, Lorella Maniscalco, Elena Bozzetta, Angelo Ferrari

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Canine and human melanoma, osteosarcoma (OSA), and mammary carcinomas are aggressive tumors with common characteristics making dogs a good model for comparative oncology. Novel therapeutic strategies against these tumors could be useful to both species. In humans, chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) is a marker involved in tumor progression and could be a candidate target for immunotherapy. The anti-CSPG4 DNA electrovaccination has shown to be an effective approach for canine malignant melanoma (CMM) [1]. An immunohistochemistry evaluation of CSPG4 expression in tumour tissue is generally performed prior to electrovaccination. To assess the possibility to perform a rapid molecular evaluation and in order to validate these spontaneous canine tumors as the model for human studies, we investigate the CSPG4 gene expression by RT qPCR in CMM, OSA, and canine mammary tumors (CMT). The total RNA was extracted from RNAlater stored tissue samples (CMM n=16; OSA n=13; CMT n=6; five paired normal tissues for CMM, five paired normal tissues for OSA and one paired normal tissue for CMT), retro-transcribed and then analyzed by duplex RT-qPCR using two different TaqMan assays for the target gene CSPG4 and the internal reference gene (RG) Ribosomal Protein S19 (RPS19). RPS19 was selected from a panel of 9 candidate RGs, according to NormFinder analysis following the protocol already described [2]. Relative expression was analyzed by CFX Maestro™ Software. Student t-test and ANOVA were performed (significance set at P<0.05). Results showed that gene expression of CSPG4 in OSA tissues is significantly increased by 3-4 folds when compared to controls. In CMT, gene expression of the target was increased from 1.5 to 19.9 folds. In melanoma, although an increasing trend was observed, no significant differences between the two groups were highlighted. Immunohistochemistry analysis of the two cancer types showed that the expression of CSPG4 within CMM is concentrated in isles of cells compared to OSA, where the distribution of positive cells is homogeneous. This evidence could explain the differences in gene expression results.CSPG4 immunohistochemistry evaluation in mammary carcinoma is in progress. The evidence of CSPG4 expression in a different type of canine tumors opens the way to the possibility of extending the CSPG4 immunotherapy marker in CMM, OSA, and CMT and may have an impact to translate this strategy modality to human oncology.

Keywords: canine melanoma, canine mammary carcinomas, canine osteosarcoma, CSPG4, gene expression, immunotherapy

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Authors: Hossain A., Miah S., Ray P. K.

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Introduction: Single channel and tri-channel applicators are used in the traditional treatment of cervical cancer. Total reference air kerma (TRAK) and treatment outcomes in high-dose-rate brachytherapy for cervical cancer using single-channel and tri-channel applicators were the main objectives of this retrospective study. Material and Methods: Patients in the radiotherapy division who received brachytherapy, chemotherapy, and external radiotherapy (EBRT) using single and tri-channel applicators were the subjects of a retrospective cohort study from 2016 to 2020. All brachytherapy parameters, including TRAK, were calculated in accordance with the international protocol. The Kaplan Meier method was used to analyze survival rates using a log-rank test. Results and Discussions: Based on treatment times of 15.34 (10-20) days and 21.35 (6.5-28) days, the TRAK for the tri-channel applicator was 0.52 cGy.m² and for the single-channel applicator was 0.34 cGy.m². Based on TRAK, the rectum, bladder, and tumor had respective Pearson correlations of 0.082, 0.009, and 0.032. The 1-specificity and sensitivity were 0.70 and 0.30, respectively. At that time, AUC was 0.71. The log-rank test showed that tri-channel applicators had a survival rate of 95% and single-channel applicators had a survival rate of 85% (p=0.565). Conclusions: The relationship between TRAK and treatment duration and Pearson correlation for the tumor, rectum, and bladder suggests that TRAK should be taken into account for the proper operation of single channel and tri-channel applicators.

Keywords: single-channel, tri-channel, high dose rate brachytherapy, cervical cancer

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Authors: Navkiran Kaur, Apoorva Mathur, Abhishree Agarwal, Sakshi Gupta, Tuhin Rashmi

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Aim: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, and resistance to the current therapeutics, often concurrently, is an increasing clinical challenge. Glycosylation of proteins is one of the most important post-translational modifications. It is widely known that aberrant glycosylation has been implicated in many different diseases due to changes associated with biological function and protein folding. Alterations in cell surface glycosylation, can promote invasive behavior of tumor cells that ultimately lead to the progression of cancer. In breast cancer, there is an increasing evidence pertaining to the role of glycosylation in tumor formation and metastasis. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the disease associated sialoglycoproteins in breast cancer by using bioinformatics tools. The sequence will be retrieved from UniProt database. A database in the form of a word document was made by a collection of FASTA sequences of breast cancer gene sequence. Glycosylation was studied using yinOyang tool on ExPASy and Differential genes expression and protein analysis was done in context of breast cancer metastasis. The number of residues predicted O-glc NAc threshold containing 50 aberrant glycosylation sites or more was detected and recorded for individual sequence. We found that the there is a significant change in the expression profiling of glycosylation patterns of various proteins associated with breast cancer. Differential aberrant glycosylated proteins in breast cancer cells with respect to non-neoplastic cells are an important factor for the overall progression and development of cancer.

Keywords: breast cancer, bioinformatics, cancer, metastasis, glycosylation

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Authors: Junkyeong Kim, Jooyoung Park, Aoqi Zhang, Seunghee Park

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The tensile force of Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) girder is the most important factor for evaluating the performance of PSC girder bridges. To measure the tensile force of PSC girder, several NDT methods were studied. However, conventional NDT method cannot be applied to the real-size PSC girder because the PS tendons could not be approached. To measure the tensile force of real-size PSC girder, this study proposed embedded EM sensor based tensile force estimation method. The embedded EM sensor could be installed inside of PSC girder as a sheath joint before the concrete casting. After curing process, the PS tendons were installed, and the tensile force was induced step by step using hydraulic jacking machine. The B-H loop was measured using embedded EM sensor at each tensile force steps and to compare with actual tensile force, the load cell was installed at each end of girder. The magnetization energy loss, that is the closed area of B-H loop, was decreased according to the increase of tensile force with regular pattern. Thus, the tensile force could be estimated by the tracking the change of magnetization energy loss of PS tendons. Through the experimental result, the proposed method can be used to estimate the tensile force of the in-situ real-size PSC girder bridge.

Keywords: tensile force estimation, embedded EM sensor, magnetization energy loss, PSC girder

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Authors: Kakali Roy, Sahana P. Raju, Subhra Dhar, Sandipan Dhar

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Introduction: Xeroderma pigmentosa (XP) is a rare inherited (autosomal recessive) disease resulting from impairment in DNA repair that involves recognition and repair of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) induced DNA damage in the nucleotide excision repair pathway. Which results in increased photosensitivity, UVR induced damage to skin and eye, increased susceptibility of skin and ocular cancer, and progressive neurodegeneration in some patients. XP is present worldwide, with higher incidence in areas having frequent consanguinity. Being extremely rare, there is limited literature on XP and associated complications. Here, the clinico-pathological experience (spectrum of clinical presentation, histopathological findings of malignant skin lesions, and progression) of managing 8 cases of XP is presented. Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted in a pediatric tertiary care hospital in eastern India during a ten-year period from 2013 to 2022. A clinical diagnosis was made based on severe sun burn or premature photo-aging and/or onset of cutaneous malignancies at early age (1st decade) in background of consanguinity and autosomal recessive inheritance pattern in family. Results: The mean age of presentation was 1.2 years (range of 7month-3years), while three children presented during their infancy. Male to female ratio was 5:3, and all were born of consanguineous marriage. They presented with dermatological manifestations (100%) followed by ophthalmic (75%) and/or neurological symptoms (25%). Patients had normal skin at birth but soon developed extreme sensitivity to UVR in the form of exaggerated sun tanning, burning, and blistering on minimal sun exposure, followed by abnormal skin pigmentation like freckles and lentiginosis. Subsequently, over time there was progressive xerosis, atrophy, wrinkling, and poikiloderma. Six patients had varied degree of ocular involvement, while three of them had severe manifestation, including madarosis, tylosis, ectropion, Lagopthalmos, Pthysis bulbi, clouding and scarring of the cornea with complete or partial loss of vision, and ophthalmic malignancies. 50% (n=4) cases had skin and ocular pre-malignant (actinic keratosis) and malignant lesions, including melanoma and non melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) like squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in their early childhood. One patient had simultaneous occurrence of multiple malignancies together (SCC, BCC, and melanoma). Subnormal intelligence was noticed as neurological feature, and none had sensory neural hearing loss, microcephaly, neuroregression, or neurdeficit. All the patients had been being managed by a multidisciplinary team of pediatricians, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, neurologists and psychiatrists. Conclusion: Although till date there is no complete cure for XP and the disease is ultimately fatal. But increased awareness, early diagnosis followed by persistent vigorous protection from UVR, and regular screening for early detection of malignancies along with psychological support can drastically improve patients’ quality of life and life expectancy. Further research is required on formulating optimal management of XP, specifically the role and possibilities of gene therapy in XP.

Keywords: childhood malignancies, dermato-pathological findings, eastern India, Xeroderma pigmentosa

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Authors: Maria de Nazaré Moraes Soares, Silvia Maria Dias Pedro Rebouças, José Carlos Lázaro

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The Solidarity Economy (SE) acts in the re-articulation of the economic field to the other spheres of social action. The significant participation of women in SE resulted in the formation of a national network of self-managed enterprises in Brazil: The Solidarity and Feminist Economy Network (SFEN). The objective of the research is to identify factors of gender justice and feminist self-management practices that adhere to the reality of women in SE enterprises. The conceptual apparatus related to feminist studies in this research covers Nancy Fraser approaches on gender justice, and Patricia Yancey Martin approaches on feminist management practices, and authors of postcolonial feminism such as Mohanty and Maria Lugones, who lead the discussion to peripheral contexts, a necessary perspective when observing the women’s movement in SE. The research has a quantitative nature in the phases of data collection and analysis. The data collection was performed through two data sources: the database mapped in Brazil in 2010-2013 by the National Information System in Solidary Economy and 150 questionnaires with women from 16 enterprises in SFEN, in a state of Brazilian northeast. The data were analyzed using the multivariate statistical technique of Factor Analysis. The results show that the factors that define gender justice and feminist self-management practices in SE are interrelated in several levels, proving statistically the intersectional condition of the issue of women. The evidence from the quantitative analysis allowed us to understand the dimensions of gender justice and feminist management practices intersectionality; in this sense, the non-distribution of domestic work interferes in non-representation of women in public spaces, especially in peripheral contexts. The study contributes with important reflections to the studies of this area and can be complemented in the future with a qualitative research that approaches the perspective of women in the context of the SE self-management paradigm.

Keywords: feminist management practices, gender justice, self-management, solidarity economy

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Authors: Brajesh Tiwari, Yuvraj Dangi, Abhishek Jain, Ashok Jain

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The purpose of the investigation was to evaluate the potential of sphingosomes as nanoscale drug delivery units for site-specific delivery of anti-cancer agents. Doxorubicin Hydrochloride (DOX) was selected as a model anti-cancer agent. Sphingosomes were prepared and loaded with DOX and optimized for size and drug loading. The formulations were characterized by Malvern zeta-seizer and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) studies. Sphingosomal formulations were further evaluated for in-vitro drug release study under various pH profiles. The in-vitro drug release study showed an initial rapid release of the drug followed by a slow controlled release. In vivo studies of optimized formulations and free drug were performed on albino rats for comparison of drug plasma concentration. The in- vivo study revealed that the prepared system enabled DOX to have had enhanced circulation time, longer half-life and lower elimination rate kinetics as compared to free drug. Further, it can be interpreted that the formulation would selectively enter highly porous mass of tumor cells and at the same time spare normal tissues. To summarize, the use of sphingosomes as carriers of anti-cancer drugs may prove to be a fascinating approach that would selectively localize in the tumor mass, increasing the therapeutic margin of safety while reducing the side effects associated with anti-cancer agents.

Keywords: sphingosomes, anti-cancer, doxorubicin, formulation

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Authors: Karen Boaz, C. R. Charan

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Background: The infiltration of tumour stroma by eosinophils, Tumor-Associated Tissue Eosinophilia (TATE), is known to modulate the progression of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). Eosinophils have direct tumoricidal activity by release of cytotoxic proteins and indirectly they enhance permeability into tumor cells enabling penetration of tumoricidal cytokines. Also, eosinophils may promote tumor angiogenesis by production of several angiogenic factors. Identification of eosinophils in the inflammatory stroma has been proven to be an important prognosticator in cancers of mouth, oesophagus, larynx, pharynx, breast, lung, and intestine. Therefore, the study aimed to correlate TATE with clinical and histopathological variables, and blood eosinophil count to assess the role of TATE as a prognosticator in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: Seventy two biopsy-proven cases of OSCC formed the study cohort. Blood eosinophil counts and TNM stage were obtained from the medical records. Tissue sections (5µm thick) were stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin. The eosinophils were quantified at invasive tumour front (ITF) in 10HPF (40x magnification) with an ocular grid. Bryne’s grading of ITF was also performed. A subset of thirty cases was also assessed for association of TATE with recurrence, involvement of lymph nodes and surgical margins. Results: 1) No statistically significant correlation was found between TATE and TNM stage, blood eosinophil counts and most parameters of Bryne’s grading system. 2) Statistically significant relation of intense degree of TATE was associated with the absence of distant metastasis, increased lympho-plasmacytic response and increased survival (diseasefree and overall) of OSCC patients. 3) In the subset of 30 cases, tissue eosinophil counts were higher in cases with lymph node involvement, decreased survival, without margin involvement and in cases that did not recur. Conclusion: While the role of eosinophils in mediating immune responses seems ambiguous as eosinophils support cell-mediated tumour immunity in early stages while inhibiting the same in advanced stages, TATE may be used as a surrogate marker for determination of prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Keywords: tumour-associated tissue eosinophilia, oral squamous cell carcinoma, prognosticator, tumoral immunity

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Authors: Sharon-Yasotha Veerayah-Mcgregor, Valipuram Manoranjan

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A backward or inverse problem is known to be an ill-posed problem due to its instability that easily emerges with any slight change within the conditions of the problem. Therefore, only a limited number of numerical approaches are available to solve a backward problem. This paper considers the Nagumo equation, an equation that describes impulse propagation in nerve axons, which also models population growth with the Allee effect. A creative operator splitting numerical scheme is constructed to solve the inverse Nagumo equation. Computational simulations are used to verify that this scheme is stable, accurate, and efficient.

Keywords: inverse/backward equation, operator-splitting, Nagumo equation, ill-posed, finite-difference

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Authors: Sina Mahdavi

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Background and Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the CNS that affects the myelination process in the central nervous system (CNS). Complex interactions of various "environmental or infectious" factors may act as triggers in autoimmunity and disease progression. The association between viral infections, especially Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), and MS is one potential cause that is not well understood. In this study, we aim to summarize the available data on HHV-6 infection in MS disease progression. Materials and Methods: For this study, the keywords "Multiple sclerosis", " Human Herpesvirus 6 ", and "central nervous system" in the databases PubMed and Google Scholar between 2017 and 2022 were searched, and 12 articles were chosen, studied, and analyzed. Results: HHV 6 tends towards TCD 4+ lymphocytes and enters the CNS due to the weakening of the blood-brain barrier due to inflammatory damage. Following the observation that the HHV-6 U24 protein has a seven amino acid sequence with myelin basic protein, which is one of the main components of the myelin sheath, it could cause a molecular mimicry mechanism followed by cross-reactivity. Reactivation of HHV-6 in the CNS can cause the release of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, leading to immune-mediated demyelination in patients with MS. Conclusion: There is a high expression of endogenous retroviruses during the course of MS, which indicates the relationship between HHV-6 and MS, and that this virus can play a role in the development of MS by creating an inflammatory state. Therefore, measures to modulate the expression of HHV-6 may be effective in reducing inflammatory processes in demyelinated areas of MS patients.

Keywords: multiple sclerosis, human herpesvirus 6, central nervous system, autoimmunity

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Authors: Uraib Sharaha, Guy Beck, Joseph Kapelushnik, Adam H. Agbaria, Itshak Lapidot, Shaul Mordechai, Ahmad Salman, Mahmoud Huleihel

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Infectious diseases cause a significant burden on the public health and the economic stability of societies all over the world for several centuries. A reliable detection of the causative agent of infection is not possible based on clinical features, since some of these infections have similar symptoms, including fever, sneezing, inflammation, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Moreover, physicians usually encounter difficulties in distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections based on symptoms. Therefore, there is an ongoing need for sensitive, specific, and rapid methods for identification of the etiology of the infection. This intricate issue perplex doctors and researchers since it has serious repercussions. In this study, we evaluated the potential of the mid-infrared spectroscopic method for rapid and reliable identification of bacterial and viral infections based on simple peripheral blood samples. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is considered a successful diagnostic method in the biological and medical fields. Many studies confirmed the great potential of the combination of FTIR spectroscopy and machine learning as a powerful diagnostic tool in medicine since it is a very sensitive method, which can detect and monitor the molecular and biochemical changes in biological samples. We believed that this method would play a major role in improving the health situation, raising the level of health in the community, and reducing the economic burdens in the health sector resulting from the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. We collected peripheral blood samples from young 364 patients, of which 93 were controls, 126 had bacterial infections, and 145 had viral infections, with ages lower than18 years old, limited to those who were diagnosed with fever-producing illness. Our preliminary results showed that it is possible to determine the infectious agent with high success rates of 82% for sensitivity and 80% for specificity, based on the WBC data.

Keywords: infectious diseases, (FTIR) spectroscopy, viral infections, bacterial infections.

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Authors: Tefera Worku Mekonnen, Hiseh Chih Tsai

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Enhancement of drug efficacy is essential in cancer treatment. The immune stimulator ovalbumin (Ova)-coated citric acid (AC-)-stabilized iron oxide nanoparticles (AC-IO-Ova NPs) and enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) based tumor targeted 4.5 (4.5G) poly(amidoamine) dendrimer-cisplatin nanocomplex (4.5GDP-Cis-pt NC) were used for enhanced anticancer efficiency. The formations of 4.5GDP-Cis-pt NC, AC-IO, and AC-IO-Ova NPs have been examined by FTIR, X-ray diffraction, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The conjugation of cisplatin (Cis-pt) with 4.5GDP was confirmed using carbon NMR. The tumor-specific 4.5GDP-Cis-pt NC provided ~45% and 28% cumulative cisplatin release in 72 h at pH 6.5 and 7.4, respectively. A significant immune response with high TNF-α and IL-6 cytokine secretion was confirmed when the co-incubation of AC-IO-Ova with RAW 264.7 or HaCaT cells. AC-IO-Ova NP was biocompatible in different cell lines, even at a high concentration (200 µg mL−1). In contrast, AC-IO-Ova NPs mixed with 4.5GDP-Cis-pt NC (Cis-pt at 15 µg mL−1) significantly increased the cytotoxicity against the cancer cells, which is dose-dependent on the concentration of AC-IO-Ova NPs. The increased anticancer effects may be attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, the efficiency of anticancer cells may be further assisted by induction of an innate immune response via M1 macrophage polarization due to the presence of AC-IO-Ova NPs. We provide a better synergestic chemoimmunotherapeutic strategy to enhance the efficiency of anticancer of cisplatin via chemotherapeutic agent 4.5GDP-Cis-pt NC and induction of proinflammatory cytokines to stimulate innate immunity through AC-IO-Ova NPs against tumors.

Keywords: cisplatin-release, iron oxide, ovalbumin, poly(amidoamine) dendrimer

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Authors: Sanjukta Badhai, Durga Barik, Bairagi C. Mallick

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In the present study, Beta-Sitosterol in Lawsonia methanolic leaf extract embedded in controlled release nanocomposite was prepared and evaluated for in vivo anticancer efficacy in dimethyl hydrazine (DMH) induced colon cancer. In the present study, colon cancer was induced by s.c injection of DMH (20 mg/kg b.wt) for 15 weeks. The animals were divided into five groups as follows control, DMH alone, DMH and Beta Sitosterol nanocomposite (50mg/kg), DMH and Beta Sitosterol nanocomposite (100 mg/kg) and DMH and Standard Silymarin (100mg/kg) and the treatment was carried out for 15 weeks. At the end of the study period, the blood was withdrawn, and serum was separated for haematological, biochemical analysis and tumor markers. Further, the colonic tissue was removed for the estimation of antioxidants and histopathological analysis. The results of the study displays that DMH intoxication elicits altered haematological parameters (RBC,WBC, and Hb), elevated lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidants level (SOD, CAT, GPX, GST and GSH), elevated lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglycerides), tumor markers (CEA and AFP) and altered colonic tissue histology. Meanwhile, treatment with Beta Sitosterol nanocomposites significantly restored the altered biochemicals parameters in DMH induced colon cancer mediated by its anticancer efficacy. Further, Beta Sitosterol nanocomposite (100 mg/kg) showed marked efficacy.

Keywords: nanocomposites, herbal formulation, henna, beta sitosterol, colon cancer, dimethyl hydrazine, antioxidant, lipid peroxidation

Procedia PDF Downloads 161

Authors: B. Petrović, M. Petrović, L. Rutonjski, I. Djan, V. Ivanović

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Objective: Cardiac pacemakers are very sensitive to radiotherapy treatment from two sources: electromagnetic influence from the medical linear accelerator producing ionizing radiation- influencing electronics within the pacemaker, and the absorption of dose to the device. On the other hand, patients with cardiac pacemakers at the place of a tumor are rather rare, and single clinic hardly has experience with the management of such patients. The widely accepted international guidelines for management of radiation oncology patients recommend that these patients should be closely monitored and examined before, during and after radiotherapy treatment by cardiologist, and their device and condition followed up. The number of patients having both cancer and pacemaker, is growing every year, as both cancer incidence, as well as cardiac diseases incidence, are inevitably growing figures. Materials and methods: Female patient, age 69, was diagnozed with valvular cardiomyopathy and got implanted a pacemaker in 2005 and prosthetic mitral valve in 1993 (cancer was diagnosed in 2012). She was stable cardiologically and came to radiation therapy department with the diagnosis of right breast cancer, with the tumor in upper lateral quadrant of the right breast. Since she had all lymph nodes positive (28 in total), she had to have irradiated the supraclavicular region, as well as the breast with the tumor bed. She previously received chemotherapy, approved by the cardiologist. The patient was estimated to be with the high risk as device was within the field of irradiation, and the patient had high dependence on her pacemaker. The radiation therapy plan was conducted as 3D conformal therapy. The delineated target was breast with supraclavicular region, where the pacemaker was actually placed, with the addition of a pacemaker as organ at risk, to estimate the dose to the device and its components as recommended, and the breast. The targets received both 50 Gy in 25 fractions (where 20% of a pacemaker received 50 Gy, and 60% of a device received 40 Gy). The electrode to the heart received between 1 Gy and 50 Gy. Verification of dose planned and delivered was performed. Results: Evaluation of the patient status according to the guidelines and especially evaluation of all associated risks to the patient during treatment was done. Patient was irradiated by prescribed dose and followed up for the whole year, with no symptoms of failure of the pacemaker device during, or after treatment in follow up period. The functionality of a device was estimated to be unchanged, according to the parameters (electrode impedance and battery energy). Conclusion: Patient was closely monitored according to published guidelines during irradiation and afterwards. Pacemaker irradiated with the full dose did not show any signs of failure despite recommendations data, but in correlation with other published data.

Keywords: cardiac pacemaker, breast cancer, radiotherapy treatment planning, complications of treatment

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Authors: Sadeq Al Yaari, Ayman Al Yaari, Adham Al Yaari, Montaha Al Yaari, Aayah Al Yaari, Sajedah Al Yaari

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Objective: The study aims to summarize the most important books in psychoneurolinguistics. Method: It is a survey study that listed the most important resouces and references in the field of psychoneurolinguistics for the researchers to benefit from them. Results Reliability and Validity of the books on psychoneurolinguistic research are based upon what type of topics and issues are addressed and the importance of these topics for researchers.Other standards are no more than peripheral criteria that include: Author, publishing house, edition, etc.

Keywords: books, resources, psychoneurolinguistics, scientific reserach, references

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Authors: Dmitry V. Pasynkov, Ivan A. Egoshin, Alexey A. Kolchev, Ivan V. Kliouchkin

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In most cases, typical cysts are easily recognized at ultrasonography. The specificity of this method for typical cysts reaches 98%, and it is usually considered as gold standard for typical cyst diagnosis. However, it is necessary to have all the following features to conclude the typical cyst: clear margin, the absence of internal echoes and dorsal acoustic enhancement. At the same time, not every breast cyst is typical. It is especially characteristic for protein-contained cysts that may have significant internal echoes. On the other hand, some solid lesions (predominantly malignant) may have cystic appearance and may be falsely accepted as cysts. Therefore we tried to develop the automatic method of cystic and solid breast lesions differentiation. Materials and methods. The input data were the ultrasonography digital images with the 256-gradations of gray color (Medison SA8000SE, Siemens X150, Esaote MyLab C). Identification of the lesion on these images was performed in two steps. On the first one, the region of interest (or contour of lesion) was searched and selected. Selection of such region is carried out using the sigmoid filter where the threshold is calculated according to the empirical distribution function of the image brightness and, if necessary, it was corrected according to the average brightness of the image points which have the highest gradient of brightness. At the second step, the identification of the selected region to one of lesion groups by its statistical characteristics of brightness distribution was made. The following characteristics were used: entropy, coefficients of the linear and polynomial regression, quantiles of different orders, an average gradient of brightness, etc. For determination of decisive criterion of belonging to one of lesion groups (cystic or solid) the training set of these characteristics of brightness distribution separately for benign and malignant lesions were received. To test our approach we used a set of 217 ultrasonic images of 107 cystic (including 53 atypical, difficult for bare eye differentiation) and 110 solid lesions. All lesions were cytologically and/or histologically confirmed. Visual identification was performed by trained specialist in breast ultrasonography. Results. Our system correctly distinguished all (107, 100%) typical cysts, 107 of 110 (97.3%) solid lesions and 50 of 53 (94.3%) atypical cysts. On the contrary, with the bare eye it was possible to identify correctly all (107, 100%) typical cysts, 96 of 110 (87.3%) solid lesions and 32 of 53 (60.4%) atypical cysts. Conclusion. Automatic approach significantly surpasses the visual assessment performed by trained specialist. The difference is especially large for atypical cysts and hypoechoic solid lesions with the clear margin. This data may have a clinical significance.

Keywords: breast cyst, breast solid lesion, differentiation, ultrasonography

Procedia PDF Downloads 267

Authors: T. Wen, Y. Liu, J. Wang, W. Zheng, T. Shao

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Along with the increasing density of urban population, solar energy potential of building facade in high-density residential areas become a question that needs to be addressed. This paper studies how the solar energy utilization potential of building facades in different locations of a residential areas changes with different building layouts and orientations in Xining, a typical city in west China which possesses large solar radiation resource. Solar energy potential of three typical building layouts of residential areas, which are parallel determinant, gable misalignment, transverse misalignment, are discussed in detail. First of all, through the data collection and statistics of Xining new residential area, the most representative building parameters are extracted, including building layout, building height, building layers, and building shape. Secondly, according to the results of building parameters extraction, a general model is established and analyzed with rhinoceros 6.0 and its own plug-in grasshopper. Finally, results of the various simulations and data analyses are presented in a visualized way. The results show that there are great differences in the solar energy potential of building facades in different locations of residential areas under three typical building layouts. Generally speaking, the solar energy potential of the west peripheral location is the largest, followed by the East peripheral location, and the middle location is the smallest. When the deflection angle is the same, the solar energy potential shows the result that the West deflection is greater than the East deflection. In addition, the optimal building azimuth range under these three typical building layouts is obtained. Within this range, the solar energy potential of the residential area can always maintain a high level. Beyond this range, the solar energy potential drops sharply. Finally, it is found that when the solar energy potential is maximum, the deflection angle is not positive south, but 5 °or 15°south by west. The results of this study can provide decision analysis basis for residential design of Xining city to improve solar energy utilization potential and provide a reference for solar energy utilization design of urban residential buildings in other similar areas.

Keywords: building facade, solar energy potential, solar radiation, urban residential area, visualization, Xining city

Procedia PDF Downloads 176

Authors: Bernice Boafoaa Gyapong, Anne Jones, Sam Bassett, Janet Anderson

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Background: Maternal mortality and morbidity are global concerns, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Most maternal mortalities occur at the time of birth. Quality intrapartum care is essential for improving maternal and newborn health outcomes. This scoping review aimed to assess and describe the quality of care during childbirth in SSA to provide an overview of the regional trend of the quality of intrapartum care, the challenges to quality care provision, and identify research gaps. Methods: A scoping review based on Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework was conducted. Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and maternal-infant databases were searched to identify the relevant studies for this review. A narrative summary was presented using themes based on the Donabedian structure, process, and outcome quality of care model. Results: A total of five hundred and forty-seven (547) publications were identified. Fifty-six (56) studies conducted in twenty (20) countries were included in the review. Thirty-four (34) were quantitative, sixteen (16) were qualitative, and six (6) were mixed methods. Most of the studies were related to the process component of quality of care. The provision of emergency obstetric care services, infrastructure, and availability of essential staff and equipment for perinatal care was inadequate in many facilities, particularly rural and peripheral health facilities. Many women experienced disrespectful care during childbirth. Routine care during labour and delivery was observed to be sub-optimal, yet some women reported high satisfaction with care. The use of health facilities for delivery was lower in health centres compared to hospitals. Conclusion: There are variations in the quality of maternity care provided in SSA. Intrapartum care quality is generally deficient in SSA, particularly in peripheral health facilities, health centres, and community clinics. Many of the quality-of-care issues identified are related to the structure component. Stakeholders must develop interventions that comprehensively address these interrelated issues to improve maternal healthcare quality, especially in primary healthcare facilities.

Keywords: quality of care, maternity health, Sub-Saharan Africa, intrapartum

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Authors: Ahlem Bahi, Youcef Necib, Sakina Zerizer, Cherif Abdennour, Mohamed Salah Boulakoud

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Mercury (II) is a highly toxic metal which induces oxidative stress in the body. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible protective effect of olive oil, an antioxidant agent, against experimental mercury toxicity in rat model. Administration of mercuric chloride induced significant increase in serum: ALT, AST, and LPA activities; interleukine1, interleukine6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), creatinine, urea, and uric acid levels. Mercuric chloride also induced oxidative stress, as indicate by decreased tissue of GSH level, GSH-Px, and GST activities along with increase the level of lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, treatment with mercuric chloride caused a marked elevation of kidney and liver weight and decreased body weight. Virgin olive oil treatment markedly reduced elevated serum: AST, ALT, and LPA activities; interleukine1, interleukine6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), creatinine, urea, and uric acid levels and contracted the deterious effects of mercuric chloride on oxidative stress markers changes caused by HgCl2 in tissue as compared to control group. Our results implicate that mercury induced oxidative damage in liver and kidney tissue protected by virgin olive oil, with its antioxidant effects.

Keywords: mercury, antioxidant enzymes, pro-inflammatory cytokine, virgin olive oil, lipid peroxidation

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Authors: Reham H. Soliman, Noha Noufal, Howayda AbdelAal

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Calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (CASK) belongs to the membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family and has been proposed as a mediator of cell-cell adhesion and proliferation, which can contribute to tumorogenesis. CASK has been linked as a good prognostic factor with some tumor subtypes, while considered as a poor prognostic marker in others. To our knowledge, no sufficient evidence of CASK role in colorectal cancer is available. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (CASK) in non-mucinous colorectal adenocarcinoma and adenomatous polyps as precursor lesions and assess its prognostic significance. The study included 42 cases of conventional colorectal adenocarcinoma and 15 biopsies of adenomatous polyps with variable degrees of dysplasia. They were reviewed for clinicopathological prognostic factors and stained by CASK; mouse, monoclonal antibody using heat-induced antigen retrieval immunohistochemical techniques. The results showed that CASK protein was significantly overexpressed (p <0.05) in CRC compared with adenoma samples. The CASK protein was overexpressed in the majority of CRC samples with 85.7% of cases showing moderate to strong expression, while 46.7% of adenomas were positive. CASK overexpression was significantly correlated with both TNM stage and grade of differentiation (p <0.05). There was a significantly higher expression in tumor samples with early stages (I/II) rather than advanced stage (III/IV) and with low grade (59.5%) rather than high grade (40.5%). Another interesting finding was found among the adenomas group, where the stronger intensity of staining was observed in samples with high grade dysplasia (33.3%) than those of lower grades (13.3%). In conclusion, this study shows that there is significant overexpression of CASK protein in CRC as well as in adenomas with high grade dysplasia. This indicates that CASK is involved in the process of carcinogenesis and functions as a potential trigger of the adenoma-carcinoma cascade. CASK was significantly overexpressed in early stage and low-grade tumors rather than tumors with advanced stage and higher histological grades. This suggests that CASK protein is a good prognostic factor. We suggest that CASK affects CRC in two different ways derived from its physiology. CASK as part of MAGUK family can stimulate proliferation and through its cell membrane localization and as a mediator of cell-cell adhesion might contribute in tumor confinement and localization.

Keywords: CASK, colorectal cancer, overexpression, prognosis

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Authors: Meltem Betül Sağlam, Halil İbrahim Güler, Aykut Sağlam

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In this work, phthalocyanine compounds containing α-naphtholbenzeinunits have been synthesized. Mutagenicity and DNA binding properties of the compounds were investigated by Salmonella/Microsome Assay and spectrophotometer. According to the results of the preliminary range finding tests, the compounds gave no toxic effect to all tester strain S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100 at doses of 500, 1100, 350, 500 and 750 µg/plate in the presence and absence of S9, respectively. This study showed that all compounds exhibited efficient DNA-binding activity. In conclusion, these non-toxic compounds may be used as effective DNA dyes for molecular biology studies.

Keywords: dye, mutagenicity, phthalocyanine, toxicity

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