Int J Med Sci
-
Background and Objectives: The rat Optimized Peritoneal Adhesion Model (OPAM) was developed to provoke adhesion formation with high reproducibility in incidence and extent. In a recent study, the starch-based hemostats 4DryField PH and Arista AH were tested for their capabilities to prevent adhesion formation, the former one certified for adhesion prevention and hemostasis, the latter one only certified for hemostasis. As two further starch-based hemostats, i.e., HaemoCer PLUS and StarSil, have officially been certified for adhesion prevention in the meantime, the present study was conducted to examine their efficacy. ⋯ When comparing 4DryField PH, HaemoCer PLUS and StarSil, 4DryField PH was significantly more effective in preventing peritoneal adhesions. The results of the macroscopic investigation were confirmed by histopathological evaluations. Conclusions: Only 4DryField PH but neither HaemoCer PLUS nor StarSil were capable to effectively prevent adhesion formation, corroborating the assumption that starch-based hemostats do not generally have the capability to act as effective adhesion prevention devices.
-
Background/Purpose: The burden and epidemiology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) among hospitalized U. S. adults (≥ 18 years) are poorly understood. Methods: In the Etiology of Pneumonia in the Community (EPIC) study, we prospectively enrolled 2272 adults hospitalized with radiographically-confirmed pneumonia between January 2010-June 2012 and tested nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs for Mp by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ⋯ Conclusions: M. pneumoniae, commonly known to cause "walking pneumonia", was detected among hospitalized adults, with the highest prevalence among young adults. Although associated with clinically non-specific symptoms, approximately one out of every ten patients were admitted to the ICU. Increasing access to M. pneumoniae point-of-care testing could facilitate targeted treatment and avoid hospitalization.
-
Dysregulation of cellular metabolism is a key marker of cancer, and it is suggested that metabolism should be considered as a targeted weakness of colorectal cancer. Increased polyamine metabolism is a common metabolic change in tumors. Thus, targeting polyamine metabolism for anticancer therapy, particularly polyamine blockade therapy, has gradually become a hot topic. ⋯ This is likely resulted from the downregulation of SMOX, a key enzyme in polyamine metabolism that catalyzes the oxidation of spermine to spermidine. These findings suggest Quercetin-3-methyl ether decreases cellular polyamine level by suppressing SMOX expression, thereby inducing colorectal cancer cell apoptosis. Our results also reveal a correlation between the anti-tumor activity of Quercetin-3-methyl ether and the polyamine metabolism modulation, which may provide new insights into a better understanding of the pharmacological activity of Quercetin-3-methyl ether and how it reprograms cellular polyamine metabolism.
-
Background: Direct liver invasion (DI) is a predominant pathway of gallbladder cancer (GBC) metastasis, but the molecular alterations associated with DI remain addressed. This study identified specific genes correlated with DI, which may offer a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of advanced GBC. Methods: RNA samples from 3 patients with DI of GBC were used for RNA-seq analysis. ⋯ The density of CD8+ T cells in DI region with higher FABP1 expression was significantly lower than that with lower FABP1 expression (p = 0.0084). Multivariate analysis unveiled those hepatic metastatic nodules (HR = 3.35, 95%CI: 1.37-8.15, P = 0.008) and FABP1 expression in DI region (HR = 2.01, 95%CI: 1.05-3.88, P = 0.036) were high risk factors for OS, and FABP1(HR = 2.05, 95%CI: 1.04-4.06, P = 0.039) was also a high risk factor for DFS. Conclusions: Elevated expression of FABP1 in DI region serves as a potential prognostic biomarker for advanced GBC with DI.
-
The skin is directly exposed to atmospheric pollutants, especially particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) in the air, which poses significant harm to skin health. However, limited research has been performed to identify molecules that can confer resistance to such substances. Herein, we analyzed the effect of fermented sea tangle (FST) extract on PM2.5-induced human HaCaT keratinocyte damage. ⋯ Interestingly, pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK treatment enhanced the anti-apoptotic effect of FST extract in PM2.5-treated cells. Our results indicate that FST extract prevents PM2.5-induced cell damage via inhibition of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human keratinocytes. Accordingly, FST extract could be included in skin care products to protect cells against the harmful effects of PM2.5.