Sera miR-34a, miR-29b and miR-181c as potential novel diagnostic biomarker panel for Alzheimers in the Egyptian population.

Background: Till date, there is an obvious obscurity of specific and early diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The promising diagnostic potential of serum miRNAs is increasingly emerging; however, rare miRNAs data originates from middle and low-income countries to provide proper validation in these highly affected populations. This study evaluated the diagnostic value of serum miR-34a, miR-29b and miR-181c in Egyptian AD patients.

MicroRNAs as Potential Orchestrators of Alzheimer's Disease-Related Pathologies: Insights on Current Status and Future Possibilities.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and deleterious neurodegenerative disease, strongly affecting the cognitive functions and memory of seniors worldwide. Around 58% of the affected patients live in low and middle-income countries, with estimates of increasing deaths caused by AD in the coming decade. AD is a multifactor pathology.

Lactoferrin-dual drug nanoconjugate: Synergistic anti-tumor efficacy of docetaxel and the NF-κB inhibitor celastrol.

Despite the progress in cancer nanotherapeutics, some obstacles still impede the success of nanocarriers and hinder their clinical translation. Low drug loading, premature drug release, off-target toxicity and multi-drug resistance are among the most difficult challenges. Lactoferrin (LF) has demonstrated a great tumor targeting capacity via its high binding affinity to low density lipoprotein (LDL) and transferrin (Tf) receptors overexpressed by various cancer cells.

Combination of magnetic targeting with synergistic inhibition of NF-κB and glutathione via micellar drug nanomedicine enhances its anti-tumor efficacy.

Breast cancer is not only one of the most prevalent types of cancer, but also it is a prime cause of death in women aged between 20 and 59. Although chemotherapy is the most common therapy approach, multiple side effects can result from lack of specificity and the use of overdose as safe doses may not completely cure cancer. Therefore, we aimed in this study is to combine the merits of NF-κB inhibiting potential of celastrol (CST) with glutathione inhibitory effect of sulfasalazine (SFZ) which prevents CST inactivation and thus enhances its anti-tumor activity.

Dual-Targeted Lactoferrin Shell-Oily Core Nanocapsules for Synergistic Targeted/Herbal Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Herein, both strategies of synergistic drug combination together with dual active tumor targeting were combined for effective therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, based on the tumor sensitizing action, the herbal quercetin (QRC) was co-delivered with the targeted therapeutic drug sorafenib (SFB), preformulated as phospholipid complex, via protein shell-oily core nanocapsules (NCs). Inspired by the targeting action of lactoferrin (LF) via binding to LF receptors overexpressed by HCC cells, LF shell was electrostatically deposited onto the drug-loaded oily core to elaborate LF shell-oily core NCs.

Low-level laser therapy affects dentinogenesis and angiogenesis of in vitro 3D cultures of dentin-pulp complex.

To investigate the effects of gallium-aluminum-arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on angiogenesis and dentinogenesis of the dentin-pulp complex in a human tooth slice-based in vitro model. Forty tooth slices were prepared from 31 human third molars. Slices were cultured at 37 °C, 5% CO, and 95% humidity and randomly assigned to one of the following groups: group I: no laser treatment, group II: 660-nm diode laser; energy density = 1 J/cm, group III: 660-nm diode laser; energy density = 3 J/cm, group IV: 810-nm diode laser; energy density = 1 J/cm and group V: 810-nm diode laser; energy density = 3 J/cm.

Decorating protein nanospheres with lactoferrin enhances oral COX-2 inhibitor/herbal therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Lactoferrin (LF)-targeted gliadin nanoparticles (GL-NPs) were developed for targeted oral therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Materials & Methods: Celecoxib and diosmin were incorporated in the hydrophobic matrix of GL-NPs whose surface was decorated with LF by electrostatic interaction for binding to asialoglycoprotein receptors overexpressed by liver cancer cells.

Results: Targeted GL-NPs showed enhanced cytotoxic activity and increased cellular uptake in liver tumor cells compared with nontargeted NPs.

Dual-targeted casein micelles as green nanomedicine for synergistic phytotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

In recent years, green nanomedicines have made transformative difference in cancer therapy researches. Herein, we propose dual-functionalized spray-dried casein micelles (CAS-MCs) for combined delivery of two phytochemicals; berberine (BRB) and diosmin (DSN) as targeted therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The nanomicelles enabled parenteral delivery of the poorly soluble DSN via its encapsulation within their hydrophobic core.

APE1/Ref-1 redox function contributes to inflammatory pain sensitization.

Inflammatory pain is a complex and multifactorial disorder. Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1), also called Redox Factor-1 (Ref-1), is constitutively expressed in the central nervous system and regulates various cellular functions including oxidative stress. In the present study, we investigated APE1 modulation and associated pain behavior changes in the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) model of inflammatory pain in rats.

A Combination of Resveratrol and Curcumin is Effective Against Aluminum Chloride-Induced Neuroinflammation in Rats.

Background: Experimental studies have demonstrated that aluminum is an environmental toxin that induces neuroinflammation and the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: In this report, we investigated the beneficial effect of a combination of resveratrol and curcumin to reduce aluminum-induced neuroinflammation.

Method: We employed both an in vivo model of aluminum-induced neuroinflammation and an in vitro aluminum stimulated cultured PC-12 cells.

Neurogenesis and growth factors expression after complete spinal cord transection in Pleurodeles waltlii.

Following spinal lesion, connections between the supra-spinal centers and spinal neuronal networks can be disturbed, which causes the deterioration or even the complete absence of sublesional locomotor activity. In mammals, possibilities of locomotion restoration are much reduced since descending tracts either have very poor regenerative ability or do not regenerate at all. However, in lower vertebrates, there is spontaneous locomotion recuperation after complete spinal cord transection at the mid-trunk level.

Valproic acid potentiates curcumin-mediated neuroprotection in lipopolysaccharide induced rats.

The etiology of neuroinflammation is complex and comprises multifactorial, involving both genetic and environmental factors during which diverse genetic and epigenetic modulations are implicated. Curcumin (Cur) and valproic acid (VPA), histone deacetylase 1 inhibitor, have neuroprotective effects. The present study was designed with an aim to investigate the ability of co-treatment of both compounds (Cur or VPA, 200 mg/kg) for 4 weeks to augment neuroprotection and enhance brain recovery from intra-peritoneal injection of (250 μg/kg) lipopolysaccharide-stimulated neuroinflammatory condition on rat brain cortex.

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 is a key modulator of aluminum-induced neuroinflammation.

Background: Chronic administration of Aluminum is proposed as an environmental factor that may affect several enzymes and other biomolecules related to neurotoxicity and Alzheimer's disease (AD). APE1 a multifunctional protein, functions in DNA repair and plays a key role in cell survival versus cell death upon stimulation with cytotoxic agent, making it an attractive emerging therapeutic target. The promising protective effect of resveratrol (resv), which is known to exert potent anti-inflammatory effects on neurotoxicity induced by aluminum chloride (AlCl₃), may be derived from its own antioxidant properties.

Modulation of AP-endonuclease1 levels associated with hepatic cirrhosis in rat model treated with human umbilical cord blood mononuclear stem cells.

Oxidative stress in liver cells may contribute to the etiology of hepatic diseases, as in liver cirrhosis. AP-Endonuclease1 (APE1/Ref-1) is essential for cell protection toward oxidative stress by acting as a transcriptional regulator of pro-survival genes and as a redox sensitive protein. The aim of this study was to critically analyze the various parameters governing the success of human umbilical cord blood mononuclear stem cell-based (MNCs) therapy without the use of an immunosuppressant and to investigate for the first time the expression of APE1 during thioacetamide (TAA)-induced cirrhosis and MNCs therapy in a rat model.

Alteration of AP-endonuclease1 expression in curcumin-treated fibrotic rats.

Background: Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease1/ redox factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1) is a multifunctional protein involved in DNA base excision repair and redox regulation of many transcription factors. It is an important pro-survival protein activated in response to oxidative stress. Increased level of this essential redox sensitive protein correlates closely with cellular survival against oxidative insults.

Synergistic effect of celecoxib on 5-fluorouracil-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Background: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme over expression is reported in many human HCC cell line studies and is linked to tumor cell resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. We hypothesized that adding a COX-2 inhibitor would improve the therapeutic benefits in patients with HCC. COX-2 is often increased and involved in drug resistance and poor prognosis.

Synthesis, crystal structure, quantum chemical calculations, DNA interactions, and antimicrobial activity of [Ag(2-amino-3-methylpyridine)(2)]NO(3) and [Ag(pyridine-2-carboxaldoxime)NO(3)].

[Ag(2-amino-3-methylpyridine)(2)]NO(3) (1) and [Ag(pyridine-2-carboxaldoxime)NO(3)] (2) were prepared from corresponding ligands and AgNO(3) in water/ethanol solutions, and the products were characterized by IR, elemental analysis, NMR, and TGA. The X-ray crystal structures of the two compounds show that the geometry around the silver(I) ion is bent for complex 1 with nitrate as an anion and trigonal planar for complex 2 with nitrate coordinated. ESI-MS results of solutions of 2 indicate the independent existence in solution of the [Ag(pyridine-2-carboxaldoxime)](+) ion.

Regulation of the human AP-endonuclease (APE1/Ref-1) expression by the tumor suppressor p53 in response to DNA damage.

The human AP-endonuclease (APE1/Ref-1), an essential multifunctional protein, plays a central role in the repair of oxidative base damage via the DNA base excision repair (BER) pathway. The mammalian AP-endonuclease (APE1) overexpression is often observed in tumor cells, and confers resistance to various anticancer drugs; its downregulation sensitizes tumor cells to those agents via induction of apoptosis. Here we show that wild type (WT) but not mutant p53 negatively regulates APE1 expression.

Physical growth and endocrinal disorders during pubertal maturation in girls with epilepsy.

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of epilepsy and/or antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on the physical growth, pubertal development, and androgenic status of girls with epilepsy between ages 8 and 18 years.

Methods: Sixty-six female patients with epilepsy, their mean ages 13.47 +/- 3.