Publications by authors named "Barakat K"

Background: The common techniques used in nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) are hydrodissection (tumescent dissection) and electrocautery. We hypothesized that bipolar scissors (diathermy scissors) would improve surgical outcomes in mastectomy.

Methods: We prospectively compared 50 patients undergoing NSM using the bipolar scissor technique to retrospective data from patients who had previously undergone NSM with hydrodissection (n = 50) or electrocautery (n = 50).

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Aims: Although current clinical therapies following myocardial infarction have improved patient outcomes, morbidity, and mortality rates secondary to ischemic and ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury remains high. Maintaining mitochondrial quality is essential to limit myocardial damage following cardiac ischemia and IR injury. The mitochondrial deacetylase sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) plays a pivotal role in regulating mitochondrial function and cardiac energy metabolism.

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Article Synopsis
  • Sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), such as empagliflozin, show potential heart protection benefits in individuals with or without diabetes and can inhibit a key cardiac sodium current linked to congenital long QT syndrome type 3 (LQT3).
  • Researchers used the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to study how empagliflozin affects late sodium current (late I) in various LQT3 mutations of the Nav1.5 channel.
  • Empagliflozin specifically inhibited late I in certain mutations without altering channel kinetics, suggesting it could be an effective targeted treatment for patients with LQT3 mutations in the inactivation gate area.
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Background And Objectives: Diabetes foot ulcer is recognized to have a major side effect that raises the risk of amputation. Diabetic ulcer bacterial infections caused by virulent and resistant bacteria like lead to serious wounds that are incurable with conventional medications.

Materials And Methods: In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial activity of a natural product nanochitosan - garlic oil against ten diabetic foot isolates of Various chitosans (Crab (CScr) - shrimp (CSsh) - squilla (CSsq)) in nano form were prepared and coated with garlic oil (GO).

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A novel series of 2-cyano-3-(pyrazol-4-yl)-N-(thiazol-2-yl)acrylamide derivatives (3a-f) were synthesized using Knoevenagel condensation and characterized using various spectral tools. The weak nuclease activity of compounds (3a-f) against pBR322 plasmid DNA was greatly enhanced by irradiation at 365 nm. Compounds 3b and 3c, incorporating thienyl and pyridyl moieties, respectively, exhibited the utmost nuclease activity in degrading pBR322 plasmid DNA through singlet oxygen and superoxide free radicals' species.

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Objective: The current study examined how college students search online for mental health information and the impact of these searches on mental health literacy, stigma, and help-seeking.

Method: Undergraduate participants ( = 270; Fall 2015 to Spring 2019) were randomly assigned to search online for information about coping with anxiety for themselves or a friend (experimental activity), or to utilize Google Maps to answer navigational questions (control).

Results: Participants who conducted an online search demonstrated greater mental health literacy including optimism about psychotherapy, and lower levels of certain types of stigma, but lower willingness to seek/recommend professional help.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cardiovascular diseases, particularly hereditary Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), are linked to ion channel dysfunctions, leading to a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, especially with the LQT2 type caused by mutations in the hERG gene.
  • Specific high-affinity hERG blockers like E-4031 could potentially rescue these dysfunctional channels, but the mechanisms behind their effectiveness are unclear.
  • The study employs accelerated molecular dynamics simulations to show how mutations in the hERG channel alter its structure and trafficking, and suggests that E-4031 may inhibit these detrimental changes, paving the way for new treatments targeting the underlying cellular issues.
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The 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5HT)-2A receptor, a key target in psychoactive drug development, presents significant challenges in the design of selective compounds. Here, we describe the construction, evaluation and validation of two machine learning (ML) models for the classification of bioactivity mechanisms against the (5HT)-2A receptor. Employing neural networks and XGBoost models, we achieved an overall accuracy of around 87 %, which was further enhanced through molecular modelling (MM) (e.

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The human aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-dependent transcription factor, plays a pivotal role in a diverse array of pathways in biological and pathophysiological events. This position AhR as a promising target for both carcinogenesis and antitumor strategies. In this study we utilized computational modeling to screen and identify FDA-approved drugs binding to the allosteric site between α2 of bHLH and PAS-A domains of AhR, with the aim of inhibiting its canonical pathway activity.

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Ponatinib and tofacitinib, established kinase inhibitors and FDA-approved for chronic myeloid leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis, are recently undergoing investigation in diverse clinical trials for potential repurposing. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a transcription factor influencing a spectrum of physiological and pathophysiological activities, stands as a therapeutic target for numerous diseases. This study employs molecular modelling tools and in vitro assays to identify ponatinib and tofacitinib as AhR ligands, elucidating their binding and molecular interactions in the AhR PAS-B domain.

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Breast cancer (BC) has a high mortality rate and is one of the most common malignancies in the world. Initially, BC was considered non-immunogenic, but a paradigm shift occurred with the discovery of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the BC tumor microenvironment. CTLA-4 (Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4) immunotherapy has emerged as a treatment option for BC, but it has limitations, including suboptimal antitumor effects and toxicity.

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The chemicals formed from antipyrines are flexible organic building blocks that are employed in the development of pharmaceuticals. By diazotizing (4-arylazo-3-hydroxy-2-thienyl) 4-antipyrine ketones 1a, 1b and 1c and (4-arylazo-3-methyl-2-thienyl) 4-antipyrine ketones (2a, 2b and 2c) further replaced with six other coupling components, a broad spectrum of hybrid molecules have been created. Mass spectra, NMR, FTIR, and elemental analyses have all been used to confirm the structures of the synthesised compounds.

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Background: Immediate action is required to address some complications of implant-based reconstruction after mastectomy to prevent reconstruction failure. Implant exchange may be simple but poses the risk of further complications while autologous flap reconstruction seems more complex but may pose less subsequent risk. Which of these is preferable remains unclear.

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The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) functions as a vital ligand-activated transcription factor, governing both physiological and pathophysiological processes. Notably, it responds to xenobiotics, leading to a diverse array of outcomes. In the context of drug repurposing, we present here a combined approach of utilizing structure-based virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations.

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Drug metabolism is an essential process that chemically alters xenobiotic substrates to activate or terminate drug activity. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a neutrophil-derived haem-containing enzyme that is involved in killing invading pathogens, although consequentially, this same oxidative activity can produce metabolites that damage host tissue and play a role in various human pathologies. Cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are a superfamily of haem-containing enzymes that are significantly involved in the metabolism of drugs by functioning as monooxygenases and can be induced or inhibited, resulting in significant drug-drug interactions that lead to unanticipated adverse drug reactions.

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The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that mediates biological signals to control various complicated cellular functions. It plays a crucial role in environmental sensing and xenobiotic metabolism. Dysregulation of AhR is associated with health concerns, including cancer and immune system disorders.

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Delayed growth period and nature of woody stems are challenges for the urgent economic needs of rosemary plant culturing in the winter season. Different concentrations of biofertilizer initiated from Spirulina maxima, marine Lactobacillus plantarum, molasses and industrial organic waste (IOW) were subjected to freshly cut cuttings of the Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) plant to study the impact of this biofertilizer on the growth performance of the plant.

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Adenosine triphosphate ATP) induced cell death (AICD) is a critical cellular process that has garnered substantial scientific interest for its profound relevance to cancer biology and to therapeutic interventions. This comprehensive review unveils the intricate web of AICD mechanisms and their intricate connections with cancer biology. This review offers a comprehensive framework for comprehending the multifaceted role of AICD in the context of cancer.

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In the past decade, there has been increasing interest in use of small molecules for immunomodulation. The affinity-based pull-down purification is an essential tool for target identification of small molecules and drug discovery. This study presents our recent efforts to investigate the cellular target(s) of Compound A, a small molecule with demonstrated immunomodulatory properties in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

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In the field of drug discovery, there is a substantial challenge in seeking out chemical structures that possess desirable pharmacological, toxicological, and pharmacokinetic properties. Complications arise when drugs interfere with the functioning of cardiac ion channels, leading to serious cardiovascular consequences. The discontinuation and removal of numerous approved drugs from the market or at late development stages in the pipeline due to such inhibitory effects further highlight the urgency of addressing this issue.

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Target identification is an essential part of the drug discovery and development process, and its efficacy plays a crucial role in the success of any given therapy. Although protein target identification research can be challenging, two main approaches can help researchers make significant discoveries: affinity-based pull-down and label-free methods. Affinity-based pull-down methods use small molecules conjugated with tags to selectively isolate target proteins, while label-free methods utilize small molecules in their natural state to identify targets.

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In the current drug development process, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have proven to be very useful. This chapter provides an overview of the current applications of MD simulations in drug discovery, from detecting protein druggable sites and validating drug docking outcomes to exploring protein conformations and investigating the influence of mutations on its structure and functions. In addition, this chapter emphasizes various strategies to improve the conformational sampling efficiency in molecular dynamics simulations.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) is involved in heart issues due to its production of harmful metabolites from arachidonic acid, particularly midchain hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), with 16-HETE being one key metabolite.
  • This study investigates how different forms (enantiomers) of 16-HETE affect the activity of CYP1B1 and CYP1A2, finding that 16-HETE enantiomers enhance CYP1B1 activity while inhibiting CYP1A2.
  • Results suggest that the effects occur through an allosteric mechanism, with the 16R-HETE en
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The fruits, leaves, and bark of the guava () tree have traditionally been used to treat a myriad of ailments, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions. The various parts of the plant have been shown to exhibit medicinal properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activities. Recent studies have shown that the bioactive phytochemicals of several parts of the plant exhibit anticancer activity.

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The repolarizing current (I) produced by the hERG potassium channel forms a major component of the cardiac action potential and blocking this current by small molecule drugs can lead to life-threatening cardiotoxicity. Understanding the mechanisms of drug-mediated hERG inhibition is essential to develop a second generation of safe drugs, with minimal cardiotoxic effects. Although various computational tools and drug design guidelines have been developed to avoid binding of drugs to the hERG pore domain, there are many other aspects that are still open for investigation.

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