Comparison of BRCA1 Gene Expression and CA15-3 Tumor Marker Level in Different Stages of Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer (BC), a globally prevalent malignancy, shows significant variability in incidence across different geographical regions. In this study, we examined the expression of the tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 and the tumor marker CA15-3 in women diagnosed with BC, focusing on different cancer grades. Our research, conducted at the Baqiyat Elah Hospital in Tehran in 2021, involved collecting blood and serum samples from BC patients.

Exosomal circ_0084043 derived from colorectal cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes endothelial cell angiogenesis by regulating the miR-140-3p/HIF-1α/VEGF signaling axis.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) hold potential as diagnostic markers for colorectal cancer (CRC); however, their functional mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. This work investigates the clinical implications of a unique set comprising six circRNAs derived from serum in CRC. Furthermore, we delve into the role of exosomal circ_0084043, originating from colorectal cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), with a specific focus on its contribution to endothelial cell angiogenesis.

Simple Behavioral Analysis (SimBA) as a platform for explainable machine learning in behavioral neuroscience.

The study of complex behaviors is often challenging when using manual annotation due to the absence of quantifiable behavioral definitions and the subjective nature of behavioral annotation. Integration of supervised machine learning approaches mitigates some of these issues through the inclusion of accessible and explainable model interpretation. To decrease barriers to access, and with an emphasis on accessible model explainability, we developed the open-source Simple Behavioral Analysis (SimBA) platform for behavioral neuroscientists.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts drive colorectal cancer cell progression through exosomal miR-20a-5p-mediated targeting of PTEN and stimulating interleukin-6 production.

Background: This study evaluated the clinical relevance of a set of five serum-derived circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in colorectal cancer (CRC). Additionally, we investigated the role of miR-20a-5p released by exosomes derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the context of CRC.

Methods: The expression levels of five circulating serum-derived miRNAs (miR-20a-5p, miR-122-5p, miR-139-3p, miR-143-5p, and miR-193a-5p) were quantified by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and their associations with clinicopathological characteristics in CRC patients were assessed.

An implantable device for wireless monitoring of diverse physio-behavioral characteristics in freely behaving small animals and interacting groups.

Comprehensive, continuous quantitative monitoring of intricately orchestrated physiological processes and behavioral states in living organisms can yield essential data for elucidating the function of neural circuits under healthy and diseased conditions, for defining the effects of potential drugs and treatments, and for tracking disease progression and recovery. Here, we report a wireless, battery-free implantable device and a set of associated algorithms that enable continuous, multiparametric physio-behavioral monitoring in freely behaving small animals and interacting groups. Through advanced analytics approaches applied to mechano-acoustic signals of diverse body processes, the device yields heart rate, respiratory rate, physical activity, temperature, and behavioral states.

Individual Differences in Volitional Social Self-Administration and Motivation in Male and Female Mice Following Social Stress.

Background: A key challenge in developing treatments for neuropsychiatric illness is the disconnect between preclinical models and the complexity of human social behavior. We integrate voluntary social self-administration into a rodent model of social stress as a platform for the identification of fundamental brain and behavior mechanisms underlying stress-induced individual differences in social motivation.

Methods: Here, we introduced an operant social stress procedure in male and female mice composed of 3 phases: 1) social self-administration training, 2) social stress exposure concurrent with reinforced self-administration testing, and 3) poststress operant testing under nonreinforced and reinforced conditions.

The Expression of miR-34c-5p Induces G0/G1 Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in SW480 Colon Cancer Cell.

Background: Expression of the miR-34 family, including miR-34a/b/c, has been reported to inhibit the progression of several cancer types by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis.

Objectives: We attempted to investigate the effect of SW480 cell transfection with miR-34c-5p mimics on cell proliferation.

Methods: To do this, SW480 colon cancer cell line was transfected with miR-34c-5p mimics, scramble sequence, and the vehicle in PBS mock, and then cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay.

Silymarin-Loaded Tin(IV) Nanoparticles Exhibit Enhanced Bioavailability and Antiproliferative Effects on Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Silymarin (SM) exhibits potential therapeutic effects due to having antioxidant activity. However, the low solubility and bioavailability of SM restrict its biological performance. To overcome this limitation, this study aimed to develop a nanoformulation composed of SM and dimethyltindichloride and investigate the effect of SM-loaded Sn nanoparticles on cancer cell growth and survival.

Effects of bromodomain and extra-terminal inhibitor JQ1 and interleukin-6 on breast cancer cells.

Background: Bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins are recognized acetylated lysine of histone 4 and act as scaffolds to recruit many other proteins to promoters and enhancers of active genes, especially at the super-enhancers of key genes, driving the transcription process and have been identified as potential therapeutic targets in breast cancer. However, the efficacy of BET inhibitors such as JQ1 in breast cancer therapy is impeded by interleukin-6 (IL-6) through an as-yet-defined mechanism.

Methods And Results: We investigated the interplay between IL-6 and JQ1 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells.

High-dose vitamin D supplementation is related to an improvement in serum alkaline phosphatase in COVID-19 patients; a randomized double-blinded clinical trial.

Background: The benefits and harms of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of COVID-19 have not yet been fully documented. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of high-dose vitamin D supplementation on liver function tests in COVID-19.

Method: This double-blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted on 140 hospitalized patients aged > 30 years.

Historical and Modern Evidence for the Role of Reward Circuitry in Emergence.

Increasing evidence supports a role for brain reward circuitry in modulating arousal along with emergence from anesthesia. Emergence remains an important frontier for investigation, since no drug exists in clinical practice to initiate rapid and smooth emergence. This review discusses clinical and preclinical evidence indicating a role for two brain regions classically considered integral components of the mesolimbic brain reward circuitry, the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens, in emergence from propofol and volatile anesthesia.

Delivery of HIV-1 DNA Construct Using the Human Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37.

Background And Objectives: DNA-based therapeutic vaccines have been proposed as a promising strategy for the treatment of established HIV infections. However, these vaccines are often associated with certain shortcomings, such as poor immunogenicity and low transfection efficiency. In this study, we investigated the ability of LL-37 to deliver a potential immunogenic fusion construct comprising HIV-1 nef and vpr genes into a mammalian cell line.

Osteogenic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell in the presence of testosterone and 17 β-estradiol in vitro.

Recently, numerous scientific approaches have been explored to treat various diseases using stem cells. In 2006, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) were introduced by Takahashi and Yamanaka and showed the potential of self-renewing and differentiation into all types of targeted cells in vitro. In this investigation, we studied the effect of testosterone (T) individually or in the presence of 17 β-estradiol (E2) on osteogenic differentiation of human iPSC (hiPSC) during 2 wk.

Comparing the frequency of CD33 pSTAT3 myeloid-derived suppressor cells and IL-17 lymphocytes in patients with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most epidemic types of cancer in men. The tumor microenvironment (TME) of PCa is involved in the emergence of immunosuppressive factors such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), which regulate the immune system by several mechanisms, including interleukin (IL)-10 production. On the other hand, IL-17 helper T cells (Th17) induce MDSCs and chronic inflammation in TME by producing IL-17.

Immune checkpoints in targeted-immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer: New hope for clinical development.

Immunotherapy has been recently considered as a promising alternative for cancer treatment. Indeed, targeting of immune checkpoint (ICP) strategies have shown significant success in human malignancies. However, despite remarkable success of cancer immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer (PCa), many of the developed immunotherapy methods show poor therapeutic outcomes in PCa with no or few effective treatment options thus far.

Pectin from sunflower by-product: Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction, characterization, and functional analysis.

In the current study, sunflower by-product pectin (SFBP) was obtained using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) technique. The UAE variables were successfully optimized, and the optimal condition (irradiation time 30 min, temperature 33 °C and ultrasound power 400 W) yielded 11.15%.

The relation between the ghrelin receptor and FOXP3 in bladder cancer.

Immune responses play an important role in the fate of bladder cancer tumors. Treg cells are immunosuppressive and down-regulate the proliferation of effector T cells, which favor tumor survival. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates release of growth hormone and anti-inflammatory response to cancer cells.

Relationship Between the Prevalence of Blood Groups and Severity of Leptospirosis: A Case-Control Study.

Introduction: The correlation between the prevalence and severity of leptospirosis with blood groups has not been investigated so far, but several studies have been conducted to link the infectious diseases with blood groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of blood type in patients with leptospirosis and its association with disease severity.

Methods: This is a case-control study performed on hospitalized patients with the diagnosis of leptospirosis in Mazandaran province, Iran, in 2018.

Depression and Social Defeat Stress Are Associated with Inhibitory Synaptic Changes in the Nucleus Accumbens.

Chronic stress in both humans and rodents induces a robust downregulation of neuroligin-2, a key component of the inhibitory synapse, in the NAc that modifies behavioral coping mechanisms and stress resiliency in mice. Here we extend this observation by examining the role of two other inhibitory synapse constituents, vesicular GABA transporter (vGAT) and gephyrin, in the NAc of male mice that underwent chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) and in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). We first performed transcriptional profiling of vGAT and gephyrin in postmortem NAc samples from a cohort of healthy controls, medicated, and nonmedicated MDD patients.

Enhanced Frequency of CD19IL-10B Cells in Human Gastric Mucosa Infected by Helicobacter pylori.

Background: CD19IL-10B cells are considered as a particular subset of immunosuppressive cells by producing interleukin 10 (IL-10), which plays an important role in infectious and autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the number of CD19IL-10B cells in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) positive patients in comparison with H.

Ghrelin induces autophagy and CXCR4 expression via the SIRT1/AMPK axis in lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines.

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is one of the most frequent malignancies in children, and the CXCR4 receptor plays an important role in the metastasis of this malignancy. Ghrelin is a hormone with various functions including stimulation of the release of growth hormone and autophagy in cancer cells. Moreover, SIRT1 and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) stimulate expression of proteins involved in autophagy.

Optimal design of CDM controller to frequency control of a realistic power system equipped with storage devices using grasshopper optimization algorithm.

This paper presents a new robust load frequency control (LFC) technique based on an optimal design of the coefficient diagram method (CDM) in a three area thermal power system equipped with redox flow batteries (RFB). In order to emphasize on a realistic power system and obtain an accurate insight, important nonlinearities due to generation rate constraint (GRC), governor dead band (GDB) and time delay (TD) were considered. The innovation of the proposed controller in this paper is the use of a hybrid intelligent combination of a decentralized CDM technique and optimization throughout its algebraic equations.

The effect of aluminum oxide on red blood cell integrity and hemoglobin structure at nanoscale.

Herein, we explored the interaction of AlO NPs with RBCs and Hb to determine the effect of AlO NPs on hemolytic activity and Hb denaturation. The percentage of hemolysis of extracts and direct contact assays triggered by AlO NPs was calculated by determining supernatant Hb concentration at 540 nm. Far-UV CD and Trp/ANS/acrylamide fluorescence spectroscopic methods were used to determine the structural changes of Hb upon interaction with AlO NPs.

Ultrasound-assisted intensification of a hybrid intermittent microwave - hot air drying process of potato: Quality aspects and energy consumption.

The objective of this study was to intensify combined intermittent microwave - low temperature (40 °C) hot air drying with ultrasound. The process variables were ultrasound time (40 kHz for 0, 10, 20 and 30 min), microwave power (360, 600 and 900 W), and microwave pulse ratio (1, 2, 3 and 4). Results showed that the highest reduction in moisture content was observed in the samples pretreated with ultrasound for 10 min and then dried at 900 W microwave with the pulse ratio of 4.

Biophysical, docking, and cellular studies on the effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles on blood components: in vitro.

Introduction: The application of nanoparticles (NPs) in medicine and biology has received great interest due to their novel features. However, their adverse effects on the biological system are not well understood.

Materials And Methods: This study aims to evaluate the effect of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) on conformational changes of human hemoglobin (HHb) and lymphocytes by different spectroscopic (intrinsic and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and far and near circular dichroism [CD] spectroscopy), docking and cellular (MTT and flow cytometry) investigations.