Assessment of cognitive function in elderly patients with heart failure.

Objective: To compare the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tests for the identification of cognitive deficit (CD) in elderly patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with an observational design involving 43 elderly patients with HF of both sexes, treated by the Unified Health System, who were able to understand and follow the study instructions. A sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and the MMSE and MoCA neurocognitive tests were applied.

ITCH-dependent proteasomal degradation of c-FLIP induced by the anti-HER3 antibody 9F7-F11 promotes DR5/caspase 8-mediated apoptosis of tumor cells.

Background: HER3/ErbB3 receptor deletion or blockade leads to tumor cell apoptosis, whereas its overexpression confers anti-cancer drug resistance through upregulation of protective mechanisms against apoptosis. We produced the anti-HER3 antibody 9F7-F11 that promotes HER3 ubiquitination and degradation via JNK1/2-dependent activation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase ITCH, and that induces apoptosis of cancer cells. Cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) is a key regulator of apoptotic pathways.

Analysis of petroleum biodegradation by a bacterial consortium isolated from worms of the polychaeta class (Annelida): Implications for NPK fertilizer supplementation.

Degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons using bacterial consortia may be a means of optimizing bioremediation techniques. In this study, bacterial strains were isolated from the digestive tract of polychaete worms and evaluated concerning the potential of the bacteria to degrade petroleum compounds (Acinetobacter sp., Bacillus sp.

Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a diesel oil-contaminated mangrove by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

In this study, L. mangrove plants and plant growth-promoting bacteria were evaluated for their ability to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel oil-contaminated sediment. The diesel-contaminated soil was sown with plant growth-promoting bacteria in the L.

Prognostic Value of Soluble Death Receptor Ligands in Patients with Transitional Cell Carcinoma of Bladder.

Background: The activation of Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) and DR4-DR5/tumor necrosis factor-related-apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) pathways in cancer cells triggers apoptosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of soluble FasL (sFasL) and soluble (sTRAIL) in the serum of patients with bladder cancer.

Methods: The sFasL and sTRAIL levels in the sera of patients with bladder cancer or healthy donors were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Akt activation correlates with the tumor aggressiveness in Tunisian patients with bladder cancer.

Various studies in western countries found Akt amplification to be a frequent event in human cancers, including bladder, but the correlation with clinicopathological features is controversial. Such studies have not been reported in African populations, including Tunisians. The purpose of this study was to assess expression of the phosphorylated/activated forms of Akt in tumors from Tunisian patients with bladder cancer and to correlate its expression with pathological and clinical parameters of the disease.

Anticancer Agents: Does a Phosphonium Behave Like a Gold(I) Phosphine Complex? Let a "Smart" Probe Answer!

Gold phosphine complexes, such as auranofin, have been recognized for decades as antirheumatic agents. Clinical trials are now underway to validate their use in anticancer or anti-HIV treatments. However, their mechanisms of action remain unclear.

Acetylation at lysine 346 controls the transforming activity of the HTLV-1 Tax oncoprotein in the Rat-1 fibroblast model.

Background: Transformation by the Tax oncoprotein of the human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is governed by actions on cellular regulatory signals, including modulation of specific cellular gene expression via activation of signaling pathways, acceleration of cell cycle progression via stimulation of cyclin-dependent kinase activity leading to retinoblastoma protein (pRb) hyperphosphorylation and perturbation of survival signals. These actions control early steps in T cell transformation and development of Adult T cell leukemia (ATL), an aggressive malignancy of HTLV-1 infected T lymphocytes. Post-translational modifications of Tax by phosphorylation, ubiquitination, sumoylation and acetylation have been implicated in Tax-mediated activation of the NF-κB pathway, a key function associated with Tax transforming potential.

Ubiquitination and sumoylation of the HTLV-2 Tax-2B protein regulate its NF-κB activity: a comparative study with the HTLV-1 Tax-1 protein.

Background: Retroviruses HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 have homologous genomic structures but differ significantly in pathogenicity. HTLV-1 is associated with Adult T cell Leukemia (ATL), whereas infection by HTLV-2 has no association with neoplasia. Transformation of T lymphocytes by HTLV-1 is linked to the capacity of its oncoprotein Tax-1 to alter cell survival and cell cycle control mechanisms.

Association of HTLV Tax proteins with TAK1-binding protein 2 and RelA in calreticulin-containing cytoplasmic structures participates in Tax-mediated NF-κB activation.

HTLV-1 is more pathogenic than HTLV-2 despite having a similar genome and closely related transactivating oncoproteins. Both Tax-1 protein from HTLV-1 and Tax-2 from HTLV-2 activate the NF-κB pathway. The mechanisms involved in Tax-1 deregulation of this signalling pathway have been thoroughly investigated, but little is known about regulation by Tax-2.

Signal strength dictates phosphoinositide 3-kinase contribution to Ras/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 activation via differential Gab1/Shp2 recruitment: consequences for resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) participates in extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1-2) activation according to signal strength, through unknown mechanisms. We report herein that Gab1/Shp2 constitutes a PI3K-dependent checkpoint of ERK1-2 activation regulated according to signal intensity. Indeed, by up- and down-regulation of signal strength in different cell lines and through different methods, we observed that Gab1/Shp2 and Ras/ERK1-2 in concert become independent of PI3K upon strong epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) stimulation and dependent on PI3K upon limited EGFR activation.

Human exposure to heavy metals in the vicinity of Portuguese solid waste incinerators--Part 2: biomonitoring of lead in maternal and umbilical cord blood.

As part of environmental health surveillance programs related to solid waste incinerators located near Lisbon and on Madeira Island, human biomonitoring projects have been implemented in Portugal, some of them focused on cross-sectional surveys of heavy metals in blood. One of the general aims of these programs is to provide Portuguese data on the extent and pattern of human exposure to the pollutants potentially released in the stack gases from the incinerators, namely heavy metals. The present investigation reports information specifically on blood lead levels of newborn-mother pairs living in the vicinity of the incinerators under study, as well as of statistically similar participants living outside the exposed area.

Human exposure to heavy metals in the vicinity of Portuguese solid waste incinerators--Part 3: biomonitoring of Pb in blood of children under the age of 6 years.

As a part of environmental health surveillance programs related to Portuguese solid waste incinerators (SWI), two biomonitoring projects have been established to investigate additional exposure to lead in children under the age of 6 years living in the vicinity of those facilities. The above-mentioned programs, being the only ones in the country that integrate systematic observations on human exposure to heavy metals, have to provide systematic data from Portuguese regions on the extent and pattern of human exposure to heavy metals, namely to lead. The present paper is the third of a series of papers prepared to accomplish that objective in regards to lead exposure as evaluated by measuring lead levels in children under the age of 6 years.

Human exposure to heavy metals in the vicinity of Portuguese solid waste incinerators--Part 1: biomonitoring of Pb, Cd and Hg in blood of the general population.

Human exposure to heavy metals makes it necessary to monitor these elements in the human body if the objective is to relate heavy metal exposure to adverse health effects. In Portugal, biomonitoring projects on heavy metals are being carried out on people living in the vicinity of solid waste incinerators. The projects are being developed in the ambit of two environmental health surveillance programs related to solid waste incineration facilities, one near Lisbon and the other on Madeira Island, that have the main objective of guaranteeing the safeguard of public health in relation to the potential negative impact of incineration processes on human health.

Determinants of dioxins and furans in blood of non-occupationally exposed populations living near Portuguese solid waste incinerators.

Biomonitoring of dioxin body burden, as evaluated by PCDD/F levels in blood, has been carried out in a total of 138 adults from general population living in the vicinity of solid waste incinerators in Portugal. Measurements were performed included in cross-sectional surveys within two Environmental Health Surveillance Programs launched in response to ecotoxicological concern in relation to solid waste incinerators near Lisbon and in Madeira Island. Overall conclusion from first published results is indicative that dioxin exposure of global populations cannot be related to the emissions of these facilities, meaning that dioxin sources control seems to be effective in relation to both incinerators.

Biomonitoring of PCDD/Fs in populations living near portuguese solid waste incinerators: levels in human milk.

In the context of two Environmental Health Surveillance Programs, launched in response to public and scientific concern in relation to waste incinerators located near Lisbon and in Madeira Island, two human biomonitoring projects have been started in Portugal, focussed in dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in human milk. Results from the undertaken studies have already provided data on the extent and pattern of dioxin body burden of both studied groups as well as a preliminary temporal trend of dioxin levels for the population residing near Lisbon incinerator. The present paper investigates difference between exposed and non-exposed subjects under study and, from a preventive perspective, possible covariates of the dioxin levels in human milk.