Patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) have anemia often present as a consequence of chronic bleeding from tumor. The exact role of lL-33, Galectin-l and IL-l in the pathological genesis of anemia in ...colorectal cancer patients has not been elucidated yet. The main goal of this research was to analyze Gal-l, IL-l and lL-33 systemic values in anemic and non-anemic CRC patients.
Concentrations of IL-33, Galectin-1 and IL-1 have been studied in blood samples of 55 CRC patients (27 without anemia and 28 with anemia).
CRC patients with anemia had more severe and local advanced disease compared to CRC non-anemic patients. Anemia positively correlated with higher nuclear grade, lymph and blood vessel invasion, as well as with higher TNM stage, detectable metastatic lesions in lung and liver and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Significantly higher IL-33, Gal-1 and IL-1 concentration have been found in sera of patients with CRC and detected anemia. CRC patients mostly had microcytic anemia, while ferritin values were in normal range. Analysis revealed positive mutual correlation between serum values of galectin-1, IL-1 and IL-33 in CRC patients. Level of hemoglobin negatively correlated with serum IL-33, Gal-1 and IL-1. We have analyzed the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves of serum IL-33, Gal-1 and IL-1 showed that these cytokines can be treated as additional markers for anemia of inflammation in CRC patients.
Predomination of Galectin-1, IL-1 and IL-33 in anemic CRC patients implicates on their potential role in anemia genesis and further development.
The environmental benefits of green roofs have been widely recognized. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to moisture management in the green roof systems. The moisture in the green ...roof has an influence on its thermal and hydrological performances. An accurate measurement of water content in green roof substrate is important for irrigation monitoring, optimal irrigation management, and plant growth. Knowing the performance and characteristics of the sensor for the chosen substrate layer in a green roof system is essential. This paper presents laboratory calibration of the capacitive moisture sensor in two types of the green roof substrate layer. The volumetric water content of several mineral wool and soil samples, with the water content from low until saturated, were measured using the gravimetric method and related to frequency obtained by the sensor. The results have shown that the capacitive moisture sensor has a good response to water content variation.
Many traditional remedies represent potential candidates for integration with modern medical practice, but credible data on their activities are often scarce. For the first time, the anti-virulence ...potential and the safety for human use of the ethanol extracts of two medicinal plants,
(PEM) and
(BIO), have been addressed. Ethanol extracts of both plants exhibited anti-virulence activity against the medically important opportunistic pathogen
. At the subinhibitory concentration of 50 µg/mL, the extracts demonstrated a maximal inhibitory effect (approx. 50%) against biofilm formation, the highest reduction of pyocyanin production (47% for PEM and 59% for BIO) and completely halted the swarming motility of
. Both extracts demonstrated better anti-quorum sensing and antibiofilm activities, and a better ability to interfere with LasR receptor, than the tested dominant extracts' constituents. The bioactive concentrations of the extracts were not toxic in the zebrafish model system. This study represents an initial step towards the integration of
and
for use in the treatment of
infections.
Background/Aim. Immune checkpoint therapy is a well-established therapeutic approach in the treatment of malignant diseases and is thought to be mostly based on facilitating the adaptive immune ...response. However, the cells of the innate immune response, such as natural killer T (NKT) cells, might also be important for a successful anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (anti-PD-1) therapy, as they initiate the antitumor immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of anti-PD-1 therapy on the immune response against tumors. Methods. For tumor induction, 4T1 cells synergic to BALB/c back-ground were used, after which mice underwent anti-PD-1 treatment. After the mice were sacrificed, NKT cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and macrophages derived from spleen and primary tumor tissue were analyzed using flow cytometry. Results. Anti-PD-1 therapy enhanced the expression of activating molecules CD69, NKp46, and NKG2D in NKT cells of the tumor and spleen. This therapy activated NKT cells directly and indirectly via DCs. Activated NKT cells acquired tumoricidic properties directly, by secreting perforin, and indirectly by stimulating M1 macrophages polarization. Conclusion. Anti-PD-1 therapy activates changes in DCs and macrophages of primary tumor tissue towards protumoricidic activity. Since anti-PD-1 therapy induces significant changes in NKT cells, DCs, and macrophages, the efficacy of the overall antitumor response is increased and has significantly decelerated tumor growth.
Chemical composition and antioxidative, genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of essential oil (EO) and post-distillation waste (PDW) of Serbian Juniperus communis L. var. saxatilis Pall. was studied in ...human lung carcinoma (A549) and normal lung fibroblast (MRC-5) cells. GC-MS analysis identified 93.95% of total EO content and determined α-pinen as a dominant component (23.61%). LC-MS/MS analysis of PDW pointed at rutin (12.2 mg g−1) and quinic acid (11.1 mg g−1) as the most abundant. Antioxidativity of PDW was strong in DPPH (IC50 was 5.27 μg mL−1), and moderate in TBA and FRAP assays. Both substances were more cytotoxic to A549 than to MRC-5 cells. Obtained IC50 values were 69.4 μg mL−1 and 120 μg mL−1 for EO, and 1.27 mg mL−1 and 2.86 mg mL−1 for PDW, respectively. PDW was genotoxic (0.3 mg mL−1 and 1 mg mL−1 in A549 and MRC-5 cells, respectively) and induced apoptosis and arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase in A549 cells (0.3 mg mL−1). In mixtures with doxorubicin cytotoxicity of EO and PDW increased, and combination index values (0.12–0.18) revealed clear synergistic effect, stronger in cancer cells. This indicates that J. communis var. saxatilis could decrease the chemotherapeutic doses of doxorubicin, potentially reducing its side effects.
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•Dominant constituents of essential oil (EO) of Juniperus communis was α-pinen.•Dominant identified constituent of post-distillation waste (PDW) was rutin.•Strong antioxidant, apoptotic and genotoxic effects were determined only for PDW.•EO and PDW induced stronger cytotoxicity in cancer than in normal lung cells.•Synergism in cytotoxicity of EO and PDW in combination with doxorubicin was found.
The four new ligands, dialkyl esters of (
,
)-propylenediamine-
,
'-di-(2,2'-di-(4-hydroxy-benzil))acetic acid (R
-
,
-pddtyr·2HCl) (R = ethyl (L1), propyl (L2), butyl (L3), and pentyl (L4)) and ...corresponding palladium(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized by microanalysis, infrared,
H NMR and
C NMR spectroscopy.
cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT assay on four tumor cell lines, including mouse mammary (4T1) and colon (CT26), and human mammary (MDA-MD-468) and colon (HCT116), as well as non-tumor mouse mesenchymal stem cells. Using fluorescence spectroscopy were investigated the interactions of new palladium(II) complexes PdCl
(R
-
,
-pddtyr); (R = ethyl (C1), propyl (C2), butyl (C3), and pentyl (C4)) with calf thymus human serum albumin (HSA) and DNA (CT-DNA). The high values of the binding constants,
, and the Stern-Volmer quenching constant,
, show the good binding of all complexes for HSA and CT-DNA. The mentioned ligands and complexes were also tested on
antimicrobial activity against 11 microorganisms. Testing was performed by the microdilution method, where the minimum inhibitory concentration (MMC) and the minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC) were determined.
The Environmental Protection Agency of the Republic of Serbia continuously monitors and collects air quality parameters at numerous measuring points throughout the country. The results revealed that ...the levels of air pollution recorded during the lockdown differed from those recorded during the same period the previous years. In this paper, we examined pollutant concentration trends in 2020 and a few previous years to determine the underlying causes of these trends. Pollutants are measured at five stations in Belgrade from the beginning of March to the end of July between 2015 and 2020. Because no hourly data were available, NO2, SO2, and suspended particles PM10 and PM2.5 are average daily values, whereas CO and ozone are daily 8-hour maximums. Concentrations were compared and averaged only when data for the same period over time was available, i.e. when comparing 2020 to previous years. The results were compared to the annual and daily limit values (for ozone and CO 8 hours maximum, respectively), as well as the variations in concentrations over time. The goal of calculating and displaying these values is to specifically identify a change in air pollution during the COVID-19 virus pandemic isolation period. In general, for Belgrade in 2020, NO2 concentrations are lower at four stations, PM2.5 concentrations are lower at two stations, PM10 concentrations are higher at one station and lower at another, and SO2 concentrations are higher than in previous years (2015-2019).
Introduction. Intrahepatic lithiasis (IHL) is a disease that occurs in middle-aged and elderly people. Presentations of IHL in the young are rare, and considerations in the differential diagnosis ...include primary sclerosing cholangitis, recurrent pyogenic cholangitis, bile acid transporter defect, Caroli?s disease, and other known genetic diseases. Treatment is often complex, all in order to prevent complications. In this report, we describe the diagnosis and treatment, with the application of a flexible ureteroscope of 4 Fr, of a younger patient with intra-hepatic lithiasis. Case report. A 25-year-old man appeared with a known diagnosis of IHL and a recurrent attack of abdominal pain that required medical treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen showed segmental stenosis of the left bile duct and segmental bile duct for the lateral section with intraductal calculi and its proximal dilatation and mild dilatation of the bile ducts for liver segments II and III. During surgery, a cholangiography and ultrasonography of the liver were performed. Through choledochotomy, the bile ducts were flushed, and extirpation of the several calculi was performed. The bile ducts were examined with a chole-dochscope, and the remaining concrements were removed with a flexible ureteroscope. Conclusion. Segmental liver bile ducts may be explored with a flexible ureteroscope without bile duct injury or trauma. In selected cases, with isolated lithiasis in one liver lobe and the absence of concomitant diseases, IHL can be treated surgically without liver resection. This case is unique because we did not perform liver resection but duct stone extraction, which was an appropriate treatment since there was no recurrence during the two-year follow-ups.
Purpose
Herbal residues from the production and processing of medicinal plants are usually discarded as waste material.
Plantago major
is an edible plant, traditionally used for medicinal purposes, ...having wide application in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry, usually in the form of liquid extracts and tinctures. In this work, extracts of
P. major
leaves waste remaining after industrial tincture production and dried leaves used initially for tincture production were investigated and compared.
Methods
The chemical composition was obtained by FTIR analysis, whereas polyphenolic profile was assessed by HPLC. Antioxidant activity, sun protection factor (SPF), cytotoxic activity against colon carcinoma (HCT116) and melanoma (Hs294T) human cell lines as well as antistaphylococcal activity against
S. aureus
ATCC strains and one clinical isolate were also evaluated.
Results
FTIR analysis revealed wider chemical diversity in waste samples than in initial plant material. Among detected phenolics, chlorogenic acid, luteolin, and rutin were the most abundant in all extracts, whereas luteolin was even higher in the waste. Waste extracts had a significantly lower sun protection factor (SPF) when compared to initial dried leaves. On the contrary, cytotoxic activity of waste extracts against tested human cell lines were more efficient when compared to initial dried leaves, which can be attributed to the higher luteolin content in tincture residues. Both waste and initial dried leaves extracts exhibited antibacterial activity against all tested
S. aureus
strains at higher tested concentrations.
Conclusion
P. major
waste remaining after industrial tincture production represents high-value material with great valorization potential.
Graphic abstract
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