Plos One
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The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the anticancer activity of Noscapine (Nos) and Gemcitabine (Gem) combination (NGC) against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to elucidate the underlying mechanism of action. ⋯ Nos potentiated the anticancer activity of Gem in an additive to synergistic manner against lung cancer via antiangiogenic and apoptotic pathways. These findings suggest potential benefit for use of NGC chemotherapy for treatment of lung cancer.
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Depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period is a growing health problem, which affects up to 20% of women. Currently, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) medications are commonly used for treatment of maternal depression. Unfortunately, there is very little research on the long-term effect of maternal depression and perinatal SSRI exposure on offspring development. ⋯ Results demonstrate that maternal fluoxetine exposure reverses the reduction in immobility evident in prenatally stressed adolescent offspring. In addition, maternal fluoxetine exposure reverses the decrease in hippocampal cell proliferation and neurogenesis in maternally stressed adolescent offspring. This research provides important evidence on the long-term effect of fluoxetine exposure during development in a model of maternal adversity.
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In spite of a consistent protection against tuberculosis (TB) in children, Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) fails to provide adequate protection against the disease in adults as well as against reactivation of latent infections or exogenous reinfections. It has been speculated that failure to generate adequate memory T cell response, elicitation of inadequate immune response against latency-associated antigens and inability to impart long-term immunity against M. tuberculosis infections are some of the key factors responsible for the limited efficiency of BCG in controlling TB. ⋯ These results clearly indicate the superiority of α-crystallin based B/D regimen over BCG. Our study, also demonstrates that protection against TB is predictable by an increased frequency of 3(+) Th1 cells with superior effector functions. We anticipate that this study would significantly contribute towards the development of superior booster vaccines for BCG vaccinated individuals. In addition, this regimen can also be expected to reduce the risk of developing active TB due to reactivation of latent infection.
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The first European Perinatal Health Report showed wide variability between European countries in fetal (2.6-9.1‰) and neonatal (1.6-5.7‰) mortality rates in 2004. We investigated gestational age patterns of fetal and neonatal mortality to improve our understanding of the differences between countries with low and high mortality. ⋯ For valid European comparisons, all countries should register births and deaths from at least 22 weeks of gestation and should be able to distinguish late terminations of pregnancy from stillbirths. After excluding deaths most likely to be influenced by existing registration differences, important variations in both levels and patterns of fetal and neonatal mortality rates were found. These disparities raise questions for future research about the effectiveness of medical policies and care in European countries.
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High incidence of septic patients increases the pressure of faster and more reliable bacterial identification methods to adapt patient management towards focused and effective treatment options. The aim of this study was to assess two automated DNA extraction solutions with the PCR and microarray-based assay to enable rapid and reliable detection and speciation of causative agents in the diagnosis of sepsis. ⋯ Use of automated and standardized sample preparation methods together with rapid, multiplex pathogen detection offers a strategy to speed up reliably the diagnostics of septic patients. Both tested DNA extraction devices were shown to be feasible for blood culture samples and the Prove-it™ Sepsis assay, providing an accurate identification of pathogen within 4.5 hours when the detected pathogen was in the repertoire of the test.