Fulltext search in archive

Background: Unexpected accidental intoxication by uncommon industrial substances is a rare, but challenging and perilous event. To our best knowledge, this is the first reported case of 3,4',5,6'-tetra-tert-butylbiphenyl-2,3'-diol intoxication. Case report: A 20-year-old man was referred to the Department of Emergency Medicine after seven days of nausea and vomiting triggered by drinking mead. Very high doses of 3,4',5,6'-tetra-tert-butylbiphenyl-2,3'-diol were detected in mead, blood, and urine samples. To prove the intoxication, gas chromatography - ion trap was performed. Symptoms of intoxication persisted for two weeks without significant organ damage. The case report illustrates the need for a multistep approach, focused mainly on the analysis of possible sources of intoxication.

Periodontal regenerative techniques are performed to accomplish the restitution of soft and hard teeth-supporting tissues that have been lost due to trauma or inflammatory disease. Periodontal membranes are used for these techniques to provide support and a framework for cell growth and tissue regeneration. They act as a temporary and selective barrier to cell proliferation. Easy clinical handling, biomechanical specifications, high biocompatibility, cell-occlusivity, and satisfactory bioresorption rate are essential properties a membrane needs to be effective. The creation and maintenance of a secluded space is also a fundamental rule in periodontal regenerative techniques. The use of barrier membranes in the field of restorative dentistry has progressed toward the use of minimally invasive approaches optimizing wound closure and limiting patient morbidity. This review intends to provide an overview of the major cellular events in the surgical wound and membrane surface. It was also performed to assess, from literature data, the pertinence of using non-resorbable and resorbable membranes for this regenerative purpose. Special attention will be given to collagen membranes.

Naringin inhibits inflammation and oxidative stress, the P2 purinoreceptor X4 receptor (P2X4R) is associated with glial cell activation and inflammation, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of naringin on P2X4 receptor expression on satellite glial cells (SGCs) and its possible mechanisms. ATP promoted the SGC activation and upregulated P2X4R expression; naringin inhibited SGC activation, decreased expression of P2X4R, P38 MAPK/ERK, and NF-κB, and reduced levels of Ca2+, TNF-α, and IL-1β in SGCs in an ATP-containing environment. These findings suggest that naringin attenuates the ATP-induced SGC activation and reduces P2X4R expression via the Ca2+-P38 MAPK/ERK-NF-κB pathway.

The present study explores pharmacological potential and phytochemicals profiling of Picrorhiza kurroa extracts against mammalian cancer cell lines and pathogenic microbes. Bioactive extracts from roots of Picrorhiza kurroa were recovered in the methanol, 50% aqueous dichloromethane (50 : 50 v/v) and n-hexane. Antimicrobial activity of the bioactive extracts was assessed against selected strains of bacteria and pathogenic fungi. Aqueous dichloromethane extract showed highest zone of growth inhibition (39.06 ± 1.0 mm) towards Staphylococcus aureus bacteria while methanolic extract showed the lowest inhibition (6.3 ± 4.1 mm) to Escherichia coli bacteria. The tested extracts such as methanol and aqueous dichloromethane exhibited higher inhibition antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus compared to Fusarium oxysporum. As far as cytotoxicity (MTT assay) of the tested extracts is concerned, n-hexane and aqueous dichloromethane extracts were found to be very active against all cancer cell lines (breast cancer MCF7, MDA-MB-231, SKBR3 and ovarian cancer SKOV3). A preliminary phytochemicals profiling was performed in extracts using GC-MS. Several fractions of active extract were separated with HPLC and analyzed using High Resolution Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry (HR-APCI-MS). Two purified compounds (Dihydromikanolide and 1,3-Dicyclohexyl-4-(cyclohexylimino)-2-(cyclohexylethylamino)-3,4-dihydro-1,3-diazetium) were further evaluated for their anticancer activity against ovarian cancer cell line. Our findings depict that all the tested extracts showed considerable anticancer potential through cell viability assays. The purified compound 1 - Dihydromikanolide from methanolic extract was found to be active against ovarian cancer cells and can be explored as a promising nutra-pharmaceutical candidate against ovarian cancer. However, further studies exploring the molecular pathways and in vivo testing are required.

Background: Despite the many benefits that follow antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, its chronic use contributes to the early aging of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to trace the prevalence of and investigate possible renal, bone and metabolic changes, as well as cardiovascular risk in 94 asymptomatic PLWHA, relating them to the duration of ART use. Methods: Four groups were evaluated according to ART use: G1 (n = 21), ART-naïve individuals; G2 (n = 17), <2 years; G3 (n = 40), 2-10 years; and G4 (n = 16) on ART for more than 10 years. Results: Our results showed a high prevalence of dyslipidemic individuals (64%), especially in those under ART. Lower creatine phosphokinase levels were observed in G1 as compared to the others (p < 0.05). Regarding the Framingham score, 12.1% of PLWHA showed moderate and high risk, and the highest proportion (38.5%) occurred in G4 (p = 0.003). A decrease in glomerular filtration rates occurred in 20% of patients, which was also more significant in G3 and G4 (p = 0.007). High prevalences of osteopenia and osteoporosis (53.2%) were found, especially in G1 and G4; however, G1 showed the lowest means for alkaline phosphatases (AP, p = 0.04 and BAP, p = 0.005) and osteocalcin (p = 0.005), in addition to higher vitamin-D concentrations (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Our study showed the possible contributory role of ART in these changes, which leads us to reflect on the need for specific conducts and patient care, pointing out the importance of individualized care in an attempt to increase life expectancy.

Health status is determined by the balance of oxidants and antioxidants which protects healthy cells against the threat of internal and external risk factors. Antioxidants such as ascorbate (vitamin C, ascorbic acid) are of fundamental importance in this respect. Ascorbate neutralizes potential damage caused by cellular oxidative stress which may be the greatest risk of damage to healthy tissue. Cellular oxidative stress is mediated by external factors (e.g. psychological stress, physical exertion, drugs, various diseases, environmental pollution, preservatives, smoking, and alcohol) and internal factors (products of cellular metabolism including reactive oxygen species). When the products of oxidative stress are not sufficiently neutralized, healthy cells are at risk for both mitochondrial and DNA damage. In the short term, cell function may deteriorate, while an increased production of proinflammatory cytokines over time may lead to the development of chronic inflammatory changes and diseases, including cancer. Although pharmaceutical research continues to bring effective chemotherapeutic agents to the market, a limiting factor is often the normal tissue and organ toxicity of these substances, which leads to oxidative stress on healthy tissue. There is increasing interest and imperative to protect healthy tissues from the negative effects of radio-chemotherapeutic treatment. The action of ascorbate against the development of oxidative stress may justify its use not only in the prevention of carcinogenesis, but as a part of supportive or complementary therapy during treatment. Ascorbate (particularly when administered parentally at high doses) may have antioxidant effects that work to protect healthy cells and improve patient tolerability to some toxic radio-chemotherapy regimens. Additionally, ascorbate has demonstrated an immunomodulatory effect by supporting mechanisms essential to anti-tumor immunity. Intravenous administration of gram doses of vitamin C produce high plasma levels immediately, but the levels drop rapidly. Following oral vitamin C administration, plasma levels increase slowly to relatively low values, and then gradually decay. With an oral liposomal formulation, significantly higher levels are attainable than with standard oral formulations. Therefore, oral administration of liposomal vitamin C appears to be an optimal adjunct to intravenous administration. In this review, the basic mechanisms and clinical benefits of ascorbate as an antioxidant that may be useful as complementary therapy to chemotherapeutic regimens will be discussed.

Bromobenzene is a compound which has contributed much in understanding the mechanisms involved in xenobiotic hepatotoxicity induced by drugs and environment pollutants. In the present study, the protective and ameliorative effect of beta-carotene was investigated against bromobenzene-induced hepatotoxicity and compared with silymarin, a standard hepatoprotective reference drug. Beta-carotene (10 mg/kg b.w. p.o.) was administered to the rats for 9 days before intragastric intubation of bromobenzene (10 mmol/kg b.w.). Liver marker enzymes (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphatase), total protein content, bilirubin, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, antioxidant status (reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase) were assessed along with histopathological analysis. ELISA was performed for analysing the levels of cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in serum and in the liver. Caspase-3, COX-2 and NF-κB were evaluated by Western blotting. Administration of bromobenzene resulted in elevated levels of liver marker enzymes, bilirubin, lipid peroxidation and cytokines but deterioration in total protein content, antioxidant levels and histopathological conditions. Pre-treatment with beta-carotene not only significantly decreased the levels of liver markers, lipid peroxidation and cytokines but also improved histo-architecture and increased antioxidant levels minimising oxidative stress, and reduced factors contributing to apoptosis. This significant reversal of the biochemical changes on pre-treatment with beta-carotene in comparison with rats administered with bromobenzene clearly demonstrates that beta-carotene possesses promising hepatoprotective effect through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic activity and hence is suggested as a potential therapeutic agent for protection from bromobenzene.

Background: Rosuvastatin Calcium and Ezetimibe are used to control cholesterol level while Perindopril Erbumine is used to treat hypertension. Hepatic metabolism reduces the therapeutic effect of these drugs. Objective: Instant release buccal films (IRBFs) could possibly be a solution to this issue. The objective of the study was to formulate IRBFs of Rosuvastatin Calcium, Perindopril Erbumine and Ezetimibe using solvent casting technique. Methods: Polymers used to prepare IRBFs included hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC E5), PEG 400 (as plasticizer) and Tween 80 (as surfactant). Solvent casting technique was used to fabricate the films, followed by their in-vitro analysis including high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared evaluation (FTIR), In-vitro dissolution, In-vitro disintegration, stability tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), folding fortitude, thickness evaluation, surface pH, tensile strength, weight variation and percentage moisture content. Results: Optical microscopy as well as SEM analysis displayed that the surfaces of IRBFs were smooth with uniform mixing of ingredients. IRBFs disintegrated within 15 seconds while on dissolution they exhibited instant drug release i.e. 100% release in 2 minutes. Conclusions: The results show promising potential of IRBFs in drug delivery.

Dyslipidemias are lipid metabolism alterations that cause increased levels of serum lipoprotein, cholesterol, and triglycerides. These alterations are associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases and are a risk factor for atherosclerosis development. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil (EORO, 100 mg/kg) and its nanoemulsion (NEORO, 500 µg/kg) on Triton and coconut saturated-fat-induced (CSF) dyslipidemias using Wistar rats. The phytochemical evaluation of EORO performed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) revealed 1,8-cineole (33.70%), camphor (27.68%), limonene (21.99%), and α-pinene (8.13%) as its major compounds. Triton-induced dyslipidemia significantly increased total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides levels. On the other hand, the groups treated with EORO and NEORO had significantly reduced total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides compared to the group treated only with Triton. Similar results were observed on the positive control treated with simvastatin. Dyslipidemia induced with coconut saturated-fat (CSF) caused abdominal fat gain, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, increased LDL levels, and atherogenesis in the aorta. In contrast, the groups treated with EORO, NEORO, and simvastatin had significantly reduced hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, reduced abdominal fat gain, and absence of atherogenesis in the vascular endothelium. Overall, in the Triton-induced dyslipidemia model, EORO treatment had superior values than NEORO's (and simvastatin), although the differences were not too high, while in the CSF model, the values were mixed. In this manner, our results show an anti-dyslipidemic and anti-atherogenic activity effect by EORO and NEORO.

Current medicine uses a variety of high-tech devices to obtain maximum results with minimally invasive procedures. Our goal was to determine the benefits of laser medicine in tonsillectomy in comparison with traditional tonsillectomy, harmonic scalpel and radio frequency scalpel. Forty adult patients with chronic tonsillitis, scheduled for bilateral tonsillectomy, were divided into four groups in a prospective study. The left side tonsillectomy was performed using a traditional technique. The right side tonsillectomy was performed using four different methods: Ho:YAG laser, Er,Cr:YSGG laser, radiofrequency scalpel and harmonic scalpel. Peroperative bleeding and operation time were evaluated by the surgeon, development of pain during the healing period was evaluated by the patients and also histological examination of the resecates was performed. The results showed a significant increase of postoperative pain after the Ho:YAG and Er,Cr:YSGG laser procedure in comparison to traditional tonsillectomy. No significant differences in postoperative pain were found after the use of radiofrequency scalpel and harmonic scalpel. Average operation time and peroperative bleeding differed partially in all methods. In conclusion, all the tested methods offer a safe, uncomplicated alternative to traditional tonsillectomy; however, they do not bring any substantial benefit for the patient in reduction of pain during the postoperative period.

Exercise is a stress stimulus for the human organism affecting the homeostatic mechanisms of the body, depending on the type, duration, intensity and frequency of exercise. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a moderate aerobic exercise bout on the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis acute hormonal responses in healthy adult humans. Twelve healthy male and female volunteers (age: 30.6 ± 4.4 years), performed a single bout of a 30-minute aerobic exercise at 70% of VO2max on a treadmill, following standard diet. Blood samples were collected before (t0), at the end of the exercise bout (t30), and 30 min after the completion of exercise (t60). Serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol (COR), aldosterone (ALDO) and renin (REN) were measured. One-way ANOVA was used for statistics. ACTH and COR decreased after exercise, reaching significance (p < 0.01) 30 min after the completion of the exercise bout. ALDO increased at the end of exercise and remained elevated 30 min after its completion. REN significantly increased at the end of exercise (p < 0.05) and remained elevated. The exercise regimen used in this study had beneficial effects on the stress axis, suggesting that specific exercise protocols can be characterised by mild physiological stress-inducing effects hence be prescribed for special diseased populations.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. The prognostic value of survival after lung cancer surgery has an important role in decision-making for surgeons and patients. The combination of clinical features and CT scan information for diagnosis, treatment and survival of patients with lung cancer increases the accuracy of prediction using machine learning. Therefore, creating a computer intelligent method with low error and high accuracy to predict survival is an important challenge, and it is beneficial for decreasing mortality from lung cancer, and for planning treatment. In this work, we implemented a deep stacked sparse auto-encoder (DSSAE) approach on a thoracic surgery data set for 470 patients, and our results contributing to deep learning based on 16 features were more precise than other suggested techniques for predicting post-operative survival expectancy in thoracic lung cancer surgery. The proposed method achieved a sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 82.86% and g-mean of 88.25%.

Dose-limiting nephrotoxicity restricts Cisplatin use in high therapeutic doses. Empagliflozin showed a reno-protective effect in diabetic nephropathy. We investigated if Empagliflozin can ameliorate Cisplatin nephrotoxicity whether used prophylactically or therapeutically. Forty male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: (1) control; (2) Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by single intraperitoneal dose; (3) Empagliflozin was given for 10 days before a single dose of Cisplatin; (4) a single dose of Cisplatin followed by Empagliflozin for 10 days; (5) received Empagliflozin only. Regular assessment of weight was done, biochemical evaluation for serum urea, creatinine, uric acid, albumin, and glucose was performed, kidney tissue nerve growth factor-β (NGF-β) and oxidative stress parameters were measured, kidneys were evaluated histopathologically and immunostained for caspase 3. Cisplatin significantly reduced body weight, NGF-β, and reduced glutathione, elevated urea, creatinine, and malondialdehyde with no effect on other serum biochemical parameters. Histopathologically, there was high acute tubular necrosis (ATN) score with strong immunostaining of caspase 3. The use of Empagliflozin significantly reduced urea and creatinine in both prophylactic and therapeutic, reduced ATN score in the prophylactic group associated with minimal staining of caspase 3 and elevated reduced glutathione. In conclusion, prophylactic Empagliflozin protected against Cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury mainly via anti-apoptotic effect.

This study investigates serum redox status and adenosine catabolism markers in relation to tumor and angiogenesis, in patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). The level of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and xanthine oxidase (XO) activities, nitrites (NO2^-), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in sera of 40 GBC patients and 40 healthy donors. In parallel, 15 tumors at TNM stage IV were scored for CD34 expression and microvessel density (MVD). The results showed that XO and ADA activities, nitrites and MDA levels enhanced by 1.26 (p < 0.01), 2.69, 2.0, and 3.2-fold (p < 0.001), respectively, while those of GSH decreased by 44.6% (p < 0.001). According to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the optimal cut-off for XO, ADA, MDA, GSH and nitrites were 5.41U/l, 17.02 U/l, 3.72 μM, 36.91 μM and 21.21 μM, respectively. Spearman correlation revealed that ADA activity correlated to nitrites levels (r = 0.3419, p < 0.05) and XO activity (r = 0.5487, p < 0.001). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis revealed that MDA (OR = 5.78, p < 0.05), ADA (OR = 1.28, p < 0.001) and XO (OR = 2.81, p < 0.05) correlated positively to GBC. CD34 was up expressed in 73.3% of tumors at intermediate to high levels. Multiple regression analysis showed that ADA affected MVD (r = 0.604, p < 0.01). The results suggest that high MDA/GSH ratio is a potential biomarker of GBC. In addition, the oxidative adenosine catabolism indicated that active purine salvage pathway could support tumor progression by sustaining angiogenesis.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which is found in the stomach of approximately 50% of humans, remains there for almost the entire lifetime of the infected individual, leading to various gastrointestinal tract-associated disorders following full-blown infection. Due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, recurrence and high cost of therapy, most antibiotic-based treatment strategies are not very effective in eradicating H. pylori infections. The quest for an alternative treatment free of these inconveniences is currently in demand. One of the important alternatives is propolis, produced by the honeybee Apis mellifera, which has been used to treat different diseases since it possesses a wide range of biochemical properties. Propolis has been reported as a useful therapeutic regimen against H. pylori, which is an important cause of gastric inflammation, peptic ulcer, gastric cancer, and lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues. Apart from propolis, various active compounds of other natural products have also been confirmed to be effective. This review compiles the scientific evidence of the role of propolis and other natural products against H. pylori-associated gastrointestinal tract-related health complexities by acing as an anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant factor as well as via modulation of enzymatic activities.

It is proposed that the low skin permeation potential of palonosetron could be enhanced by the inclusion of chemical permeation enhancers. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of various chemical enhancers on the transdermal permeation of palonosetron. Different drugs in adhesive transdermal patches (F1-F5) were prepared using five pressure sensitive adhesives; Duro-Tak 87-4098, Duro-Tak 87-2074, Duro-Tak 87-900A, Duro-Tak 87-9301 and Duro-Tak 87-2287. Patches prepared using Duro-Tak 87-9301 (F5) was further combined with four well-known chemical enhancers. The influence of permeation enhancers (propylene glycol, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, Tween 80 and oleic acid) on the transdermal flux was evaluated ex vivo. Release of the drug from fabricated patches was carried out for a period of 6 h. Greater amount of drug (12% w/w) was incorporated in the patches prepared using Duro-Tak 87-9301 (F5). Incorporation of skin permeation enhancers significantly (P < 0.001) improves the transdermal flux of palonosetron. Among the permeation enhancers, propylene glycol (5% w/w) shows highest permeation (53.12 ± 5.62 μg/cm²/h), which is ∼4 folds higher than control. Biphasic drug release was noticed in the prepared patches and the rate of release was relatively high with patch F7. This study reveals that the optimized transdermal system with propylene glycol as permeation enhancers can provide effective therapeutic level of palonosetron.

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and PA inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) play important roles in breast cancer metastasis through cell migration and invasion. They are clinically applicable prognostic and predictive markers. High levels of uPA and PAI-1 are associated with high risk of recurrence and adjuvant chemotherapy provides substantial benefit for this breast cancer population. The current sole validated method for quantifying uPA level in breast tumour tissue is ELISA assay. It requires 50-300 mg of fresh or frozen tissue, which is the main limitation for routine use. In this study, we evaluated the performances of customized antibody microarray to quantify uPA concentration from reduced extraction solution of breast tumour tissue and compared it with standard ELISA kit. We firstly optimized the elaboration of customized antibody microarray in order to sensitively detect and quantify uPA standard solutions. In the best conditions, we analysed uPA concentration in 16 cytosolic extracts from breast tumour tissue. Results showed that our customized antibody microarray could correctly quantify uPA concentration while consuming 100 times less volume of tumour tissue extraction solution than ELISA. Our antibody microarray is a powerful and promising tool for the miniaturization of the immunoassay quantification of uPA from breast tumour tissue extracts.

Since last decade, biogenic synthesis of metal or metal-oxide nanoparticles is emerging as an alternative method, which is environment friendly, simple and safe to use. In this article, fruit waste (peel) extract (FWE) of three citrus fruits viz. Citrus limon, Citrus sinensis, and Citrus limetta were used as bio-reductant for green and sustainable synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). As-synthesised AgNPs were characterized by using UV-vis spectroscopy, Dynamic light scattering, and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. TEM studies revealed 9-46 nm size range of synthesized AgNPs. The antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were also studied by using Agar well diffusion method and DPPH Assay, respectively. Nanoparticles showed good antimicrobial activity against both Gram positive (S. aureus) and Gram negative (E. coli) bacteria. Further, bioactivity assays revealed selective cytotoxicity (anticancer) of the nanoparticles against human lung cancer cell line A549. The nanoparticles are able to induce cancer cell specific apoptosis at G0/G1 phase of cell cycle. The results showed potential mechanism of action of nanoparticles via augmentation of antioxidant system in cancer cells. Over all, this study show multifaceted potential bioactivities of nanoparticles generated from fruit waste.

An increased number of sulfate-reducing bacteria is often isolated from faeces of patients with gastrointestinal diseases, which can be the cause of the development of bowel inflammation. Frequent use of antibiotics causes the resistance of intestinal microorganisms and ineffective treatment of these diseases. The antimicrobial activity and biological properties of the selected ring-substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxanilides against Desulfovibrio piger Vib-7 were studied. The addition of these compounds in the cultivation medium inhibited the bacterial growth and the process of sulfate reduction dose-dependently. A significant cytotoxic activity under the influence of ring-substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxanilides was determined. The strongest cytotoxic effect of the derivatives was observed for compounds 8-hydroxy-N-(3-methoxyphenyl)quinoline-2-carboxamide and 8-hydroxy-N-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)quinoline-2-carboxamide that caused a low survival of D. piger Vib-7 in concentration 17 μM and high toxicity rates.

Detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs) are usually small particles of 4-5 nm, but in aqueous suspension, DNDs form agglomerates in sizes larger than 1 μm. We propose the use of Bead Assisted Sonic Disintegration and a carboxylation procedure, to reduce DNDs aggregates sizes to approximately 100 nm. High cost zirconium beads have been substituted by silica beads synthetized in our laboratory and less-time consuming conditions were standardized. Techniques as Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Fourier Transform InfraRed Spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), have been used to characterize the resulting diamond nanoparticles. While the incubation of Red Blood Cells with partially disaggregated DNDs was used to study whether these nanodiamonds impact in a living system. Our results show the absence of a negative effect in cell viability as well as no differences between Raman spectra of hemoglobin (Hb), from control and cell + DNDs conditions.

Purpose
Investigation of the effect of exercise and zinc (Zn) supplementation on trace element status in rats.
Methods
24 male Wistar were divided into four groups: control, exercised, Zn-supplemented (15 mg/kg weight Zn asparaginate), exercised Zn-supplemented. Zn was supplemented as Zn asparaginate. Serum lactate and creatinine levels, and creatine kinase activity were assessed. Tissue trace elements were estimated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
Results
Exercise significantly increased lactate, and creatinine levels. Exercise significantly decreased muscle, kidney, and hair Zn; liver, muscle and serum Co; serum Fe; myocardial and hair Cu; liver, heart, skeletal muscle and kidney Se levels. Oppositely, exercise results in elevation of liver Zn; heart and skeletal muscle, kidney and hair Fe; kidney Cu; liver and hair Mn; serum and hair Se content. Zn supplementation reduced exercise-induced increase in lactate and creatinine levels, and elevated liver, kidney, heart, and hair Zn content in exercised rats. Supplementation with Zn reversed exercise-induced decrease in Co levels and increased Fe and Se stores in animals with high physical activity.
Conclusions
Beneficial effect of zinc supplementation in exercised organism may be associated not only with modulation of zinc status but regulation of other essential trace elements status and their biological effects.

This study aimed to investigate a delta index of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (δeGFR-index) to amend an overestimated neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) level in systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). A δeGFR-index was computed, and the NGAL/δeGFR-index was determined. Patients with SIRS exhibited significantly higher levels in NGAL, the δeGFR-index, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) than non-SIRS inflammatory patients (216 ng/ml, 1.32, and 5.64 mg/dl vs. 153 ng/ml, 1.18, and 2.92 mg/dl, respectively, p < 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, the NGAL/δeGFR-index was closely associated with serum hsCRP concentrations (standard β = 0.552, p < 0.001). In a receiver operating characteristic curve, the diagnostic ability of the NGAL/δeGFR-index to identify SIRS in inflammatory diseases was superior to that of the NGAL [0.712 (95% CI, 0.638-0.786) vs. 0.646 (95% CI, 0.567-0.726), p < 0.001]. The area under the curve of the NGAL/δeGFR-index was significantly larger than that of NGAL for detecting hsCRP >3.80 mg/dl in SIRS [0.761 (95% CI, 0.660-0.862) vs. 0.728 (95% CI, 0.625-0.831), p = 0.019]. In short, the NGAL/δeGFR-index more correctly represents the disease activity in SIRS than the level of plasma NGAL. A measure of the NGAL/δeGFR-index may be of additional help when monitoring patients with SIRS, particularly in conjunction with concurrent renal dysfunction.

Protective effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) against oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) death were studied. Cell survival, intracellular calcium and ROS/RNS levels were measured after culturing MSCs for 3 h under OGD with or without EMF exposure. The survival rate of cells cultured under OGD condition was significantly reduced compared to control cells, while cells cultured in OGD with 10 Hz/1 mT EMF exposure had higher survival ratio than that in equivalent non-exposed cells. This protective effect of EMF was not observed at different frequency/intensity combinations such as 10 Hz/0.01 mT, 10 Hz/0.1 mT, 50 Hz/1 mT and 100 Hz/1 mT. ROS/RNS levels of cells cultured under OGD conditions significantly increased compared to the control level while 10 Hz/1 mT EMF alleviated this effect. Intracellular calcium levels in OGD group were higher than control while those in OGD plus 10 Hz/1 mT EMF group were significantly lower than OGD group. Addition of Ca²⁺ chelator promoted protective effects of EMF against OGD-induced MSC death. Our results suggest that 10 Hz/1 mT EMF exposure protects MSCs from OGD-induced cell death and the underlying mechanisms of the protection are reduction of intracellular levels of Ca²⁺ and ROS/RNS.

The role of asymptomatic infections caused by Ureaplasma species in male infertility and the efficacy of antibiotics in treatment of this failure is not yet definitely determined. A total of 165 infertile males having abnormal semen parameters (study group) as well as 165 healthy fertile men (control group) were included in this study. Semen samples were taken from all participants and after analyzing, undergone real-time PCR, microbial culture, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays. Infected individuals of study group were treated with antibiotic. One month after the treatment completion, second semen samples were taken and undergone all the tests mentioned. The frequency of Ureaplasma spp. was significantly higher in the infertile men compared with the fertile ones (36.4% versus 11.5%; p < 0.001). Most of semen parameters were improved (p < 0.05) and reached their normal range, the level of TAC elevated (p < 0.001), and ROS level (p = 0.003) as well as ROS/TAC ratio (p = 0.003) reduced after antibiotic treatment. Moreover, wives of 37 infertile men (61.7%) became pregnant six months after the treatment completion. These findings indicate that Ureaplasma species are correlated with male infertility and that antibiotic therapy can improve the semen parameters and treat the male infertility.

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of toxic effects in liver tissue of rats treated with α-terpinene. All treatments were intraperitoneally administered at doses of 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 ml kg^-1 during 10 days. Liver samples were collected and assessed by histopathological analysis, caspases -1, -3, -8 assay, biomarkers of hepatic damage and determination of oxidant/antioxidant status (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)). Additionally, the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects were evaluated by comet assay. An increase was observed on TBARS levels and GPx activity on the hepatic tissue. Instead, CAT and SOD activities decreased in rats treated with a dose of 1.0 ml kg^-1 of α-terpinene. Concomitantly, ROS levels increased and GST levels decreased in rats treated with α-terpinene at doses of 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 ml kg^-1. Also, there was an increase in frequency of damage, damage index and caspases, while cell viability decreased in rats treated with α-terpinene. Alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase increased in rats treated with 1.0 ml kg^-1 of α-terpinene. Therefore, α-terpinene induces oxidative stress, cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in liver tissue involving the caspases activation.

This study investigated the effect of hormonal changes on semen quality, chromatin status, and assisted reproductive outcomes (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), among infertile men. In this research, 219 infertile men undergoing assisted reproductive treatment were evaluated with reproductive hormone levels (including follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and testosterone), semen parameters, and sperm chromatin integrity and condensation, between 2012 and 2014. Finally, the assisted reproductive outcomes in these infertile men were studied. The low rate of total sperm count, motility and morphology, fertilization and the high percentage of DNA damage, the poor zygote (Z4 grade) and embryo quality (grade D), and spontaneous miscarriage was recorded in men with high levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. In conclusion, the changes in the follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone by changes in the sperm quality, and DNA damage may have the effects on assisted reproductive outcomes (e.g., low fertilization, poor zygote and embryo quality, and high miscarriage).

Introduction
The development of inertial sensors in motion capture systems enables precise measurement of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). The type of physical activities performed by the PD participants is an important factor to compute objective scores for specific motor symptoms of the disease. The goal of this study is to propose an approach to automatically detect the physical activities over a period time and segment the time stamps for such detected activities.
Methods
A wearable motion capture sensor system using inertial measurement units (IMUs) was used for data collection. Data from the sensors attached to the shoulders, elbows, and wrists were utilized for detecting and segmenting the activities. An unsupervised machine learning algorithm was employed to extract suitable features from the appropriate sensors and classify the data points to the corresponding activity group.
Results
The performance of the proposed technique was evaluated with respect to the manually labeled and segmented activities. The experimental results reveal that the proposed auto detection technique - by obtaining high average scores of accuracy (96%), precision (96%), and recall (98%) - is able to effectively detect the activities during the sitting task and segment them to the proper time stamps.

Micronuclei can be used as markers of past radiation exposure, but few pertinent studies have dealt with alpha radiation. Here we report on micronuclei in lymphocytes from uranium miners, comparing some that are currently active and others that retired 15-20 years ago. Their radiation exposure is assumed to come mainly from radon and its decay products in the air breathed at the work place.
Current miners showed a greater micronucleus frequency than former miners. This can be attributed to their recent radiation exposure, while the lower frequency in the former miners probably results from the disappearance of potentially micronucleus containing lymphocytes from the peripheral blood, which is known to occur with a half-life of about one year.
For current miners there is a significant correlation between micronucleus frequency and effective dose received over the last 12 months. The dose at which a doubling of the micronucleus frequency is observed is around 10 mSv. This is a much smaller dose than would usually be expected to be detectable with this test, and raises a number of questions about the induction of micronuclei by alpha radiation from radon and its decay products.

Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAEC) are characterized by a great ability to differentiate, and immunomodulatory properties toward mother's immune system cells. These features have been described as being able to change during pregnancy. Thanks to their unique properties: low immunogenicity and high effectiveness of transplantations, amniotic epithelial cells constitute a very attractive source of stem cells for practical purposes in regenerative medicine and transplantology. In this review, we focus on natural factors potentially determining hAEC immunophenotype during pregnancy. Recognition of the impact of specific factors on hAEC would help in effective isolation, creation of appropriate culture conditions and regulation of desired cell function. We also indicate immunomodulatory properties of hAEC themselves. Discovering relations of hAEC with the microenvironment seems to be crucial for their clinical application.

The development of new treatments for inflammation continues to be of high interest, since long-acting effect is critical for patients. We investigated whether meloxicam-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules (M-NC) have an anti-inflammatory action superior to a free drug (M-F) on a mouse pleurisy model, by analyzing the time-course of leukocytes migration in the pleural fluid. Male adult Swiss mice were divided into six groups for each time (24; 48 and 72 h) and were pretreated with blank nanocapsules (17 ml/kg) or M-NC (5 mg/kg) or free meloxicam (M-F) (5 mg/kg). After pretreatments, mice received saline (0.9%) or carrageenan (Cg) (1%) into pleural cavity. Four hours after Cg or saline administration, animals were killed, pleural cavity was washed and pleural fluid was collected for the determination of total leukocytes. Cytokines levels, differential leukocyte count and α-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) levels were determined only at 48 h of pretreatment, which had effect on total leukocyte count. M-NC were effective against the increase in total and differential leukocyte counts and pleural exudate caused by Cg, while M-F had no effect. M-NC had superior effect to M-F against the increase in cytokines and AGP levels induced by Cg. In summary, M-NC had a superior anti-inflammatory effect to free drug in Cg-induced pleurisy, supporting the idea that the inflammatory process in tissues facilitates the vectorization of polymeric nanoparticles.