Oxidation-derived anticancer potential of sumanene-ferrocene conjugates.

An effective synthetic protocol towards the oxidation of sumanene-ferrocene conjugates bearing one to four ferrocene moieties has been established. The oxidation protocol was based on the transformation of Fe from ferrocene to Fe-containing ferrocenium cations by means of the treatment of the title organometallic buckybowls with a mild oxidant. Successful isolation of these ferrocenium-tethered sumanene derivatives 5-7 gave rise to the biological evaluation of the first, buckybowl-based anticancer agents, as elucidated by assays with human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MDA-MB-231) and embryotoxicity trials in zebrafish embryos supported with toxicology studies.

Ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate in the zebrafish after ethanol exposure.

Ethanol exposure during pregnancy is an important problem and is the cause of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The etiology of FAS and FASD can be elucidated using animal models. Recently, a novel model, the zebrafish (Danio rerio), has garnered the interest of researchers.

A hexa-species transcriptome atlas of mammalian embryogenesis delineates metabolic regulation across three different implantation modes.

Mammalian embryogenesis relies on glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to balance the generation of biomass with energy production. However, the dynamics of metabolic regulation in the postimplantation embryo in vivo have remained elusive due to the inaccessibility of the implanted conceptus for biochemical studies. To address this issue, we compiled single-cell embryo profiling data in six mammalian species and determined their metabolic dynamics through glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation associated gene expression.

New insights into NAFLD based on preclinical MRI studies.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered to be the leading cause of liver pathologies worldwide. Accurate diagnosis and staging of NAFLD is of utmost prognostic importance. Herein, we propose the application of multiparametric MRI in whole-body fat imaging that may serve in obesity and NAFLD diagnosis as we established based on an experimental preclinical model of high-calorie diet-induced NAFLD rats.

Chitosan-based films enriched by caffeic acid with poly(ethylene glycol) - A physicochemical and antibacterial properties evaluation.

In this work, chitosan/caffeic acid mixtures in the weight ratios of 80/20 and 50/50 were used to obtain thin films enriched with poly(ethylene glycol). It was hypothesized that the presence of caffeic acid indicates the antibacterial properties of the materials (i) and that poly(ethylene glycol) acts as a films modifier (ii). The results showed that by poly(ethylene glycol) addition, the surface free energy as well as mechanical and thermal properties were improved.

The Characterization of Scaffolds Based on Dialdehyde Chitosan/Hyaluronic Acid.

In this work, two-component dialdehyde chitosan/hyaluronic acid scaffolds were developed and characterized. Dialdehyde chitosan was obtained by one-step synthesis with chitosan and sodium periodate. Three-dimensional scaffolds were prepared by the lyophilization method.

The Study of Physicochemical Properties and Blood Compatibility of Sodium Alginate-Based Materials via Tannic Acid Addition.

In this study, sodium alginate-based thin films were modified by the addition of tannic acid. Materials were obtained by solvent evaporation. They were characterized by the observation of its morphology and its surface by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope.

Enantioselective sensing of (S)-Thalidomide in blood plasma with a chiral naphthalene diimide derivative.

Fast, simple in use and highly effective voltammetric enantiosensor dedicated for determination of thalidomide (TD) enantiomers (especially towards the toxic (S)-enantiomer) in blood plasma is still desirable. Here we have proven that newly synthesized chiral naphthalene diimide (NDI) derivatives are excellent electroactive materials for TD enantiosensors. The recognition process relies on the specific interaction between the chiral NDI receptor and the thalidomide enantiomer of the opposite configuration.

MRI-based preclinical discovery of DILI: A lesson from paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity.

Worldwide, drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major cause of hepatic failure. It is also the leading cause of withdrawal, cautionary labeling, and restricted usage of licensed drugs; therefore, European Medicines Agency (EMA) and United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warn that the existing methods of assessing DILI are insufficient and that some of the translational biomarkers of hepatotoxicity must be relooked. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) seems to be a proper tool in elucidating the effects of DILI in both preclinical and clinical studies, providing excellent visualization of the morphology of the liver parenchyma.

The influence of caffeine on ethyl glucuronide levels in rat serum and in rat hair.

Background: Ethanol and caffeine are the most widely used psychoactive substances in the world, with an observed steady increase in the combined consumption of alcohol and caffeine. Specific signs of ethanol-caffeine interactions have been reported both in humans and in animals. The metabolic effects of these interactions have not been fully elucidated.

Simultaneous determination of ibuprofen and its metabolites in complex equine urine matrices by GC-EI-MS in excretion study in view of doping control.

A novel assay for the simultaneous determination of ibuprofen (IBU) and its four probable metabolites, 1-hydroxyibuprofen (1-OH IBU), 2-hydroxyibuprofen (2-OH IBU), 3-hydroxyibuprofen (3-OH IBU) and carboxyibuprofen (CBX IBU) in equine urine samples with the application of Gas Chromatography-Electron Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) has been developed and elaborated. The new approach for sample preparation including minimizing matrix effects by the application of weak cation exchange solid-phase extraction together with strong cation exchange solid-phase extraction has been applied. The GC-EI-MS method was validated to demonstrate specificity, matrix effect, linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), precision, trueness, carry-over and stability by using the matrix-matched quality control samples.

THE EFFECT OF METHANOL USED AS VEHICULUM ON SERUM PHENACETIN CONCENTRATION IN THE RAT.

The xenobiotic absorption process is dependent on many factors, related both to the substance and form of its administration. During administration of small amounts of drugs, the effect of vehiculum on drug fate in the body becomes also evident. The intensity of absorption depends on numerous factors not necessarily related to the substance and its formulation, and also on biotransformation and active transport processes.

EXCRETION OF ETHYL GLUCURONIDE IN THE URINE OF WARSAW HIGH PREFERRING RATS DEPENDS ON THE CONCENTRATION OF INGESTED ETHANOL.

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a direct ethanol metabolite. The presence of EtG in urine can be used as a laboratory test to detect recent alcohol consumption. Several earlier studies in humans and in rats revealed that the same amount of ethanol ingested at different concentrations results in different blood ethanol concen- trations.

QUINIDINE AND DOMPERIDONE INTERACTIONS IN THE RAT EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF REPEATED ADMINISTRATION.

This study has investigated domperidone (DOM) and quinidine (QD) interaction in the Wistar rat experimental model of repeated administration. We used nonconventional administration model consistent with occasional administration method. Difference in administration was related to sequence of domperidone alone or with quinidine dosage.

Ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversion in Warsaw Alcohol High-Preferring (WHP) and Warsaw Alcohol Low-Preferring (WLP) rats.

The aversive action of the pharmacological properties of ethanol was studied in selectively bred Warsaw Alcohol High-Preferring (WHP) and Warsaw Alcohol Low-Preferring (WLP) rats. For this study, a conditioned-taste aversion test was used. Male WHP and WLP rats were submitted to daily 20-min sessions for 5 days, in which a saccharin solution (1.

Deposition of ethyl glucuronide in WHP rat hair after chronic ethanol intake.

Background: This study investigated the relationship between ethanol intake in rats and the resulting level of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in rat hair.

Methods: Rats (n = 50) consumed a 10% ethanol solution for 4 weeks, then EtG was extracted from samples of their hair using a novel extraction procedure involving freezing and thawing. The EtG concentration was measured using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Acute caffeine ingestion: clinical features in patients attending the emergency department and Scottish poison centre enquiries between 2000 and 2008.

Background And Aims: Little information is available regarding the healthcare burden associated with deliberate caffeine ingestion. The present study sought to establish the impact of caffeine ingestion on hospital attendances and Poisons Centre enquiries in Scotland.

Methods: Retrospective analyses of clinical data from patients attending the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after acute caffeine ingestion, and TOXBASE enquiries from Scotland regarding caffeine poisoning between 2000-2008 inclusive.

Constrictive pericarditis is an easily overlooked cause of right heart failure: a case report.

We describe a patient who suffered progressive right heart failure of unknown aetiology, despite a lengthy series of hospital investigations. Constrictive pericarditis had not been suspected during life, and was ultimately diagnosed as an autopsy finding. The salient clinical features and confirmatory investigations for this unusual disorder are reviewed.

Acute ethanol coingestion confers a lower risk of hepatotoxicity after deliberate acetaminophen overdose.

Objectives: Little is known about the clinical significance of acute ethanol coingestion around the time of acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdose. This study prospectively examined the effect of acute ethanol coingestion on risk of hepatotoxicity among patients admitted to hospital for N-acetylcysteine (NAC) therapy after deliberate acetaminophen overdose.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study and included sequential patients who presented within 24 hours of acute acetaminophen ingestion and required NAC therapy.

Acute acetaminophen overdose is associated with dose-dependent hypokalaemia: a prospective study of 331 patients.

Hypokalaemia is a recognized complication of acute acetaminophen overdose. It is unclear whether this might be a pharmacological effect of acetaminophen, or due to association with confounding factors. The present study sought to better characterize the relationship between acetaminophen concentrations and risk of hypokalaemia.

[Sexual behaviour among adolescents aged 16- and 18-years in Poland in 2005].

Objectives: Presentation of: frequency of sexual debut and its age among 16- and 18-year-olds; number of sexual partners and use contraception methods among sexually active adolescents.

Material And Method: Representative sample of adolescents aged 16 and 18 years in Poland, students of different type of high schools (N=2893; 1490 boys, 1403 girls) was used. Four questions concerning sexual behaviour were included in anonymous questionnaire and were derived from U.

[Proinflammatory cytokines in pathogenesis of periodontal disease].

The pathologic mechanisms of periodontal disease are still not completely understood. Current knowledge concerning the pathogenesis of periodontitis suggests an interaction between putative periodontal pathogens and the host defense system which results in the inflammation and eventual destruction of supporting periodontal tissues, including connective tissue and alveolar bone. Bacterial products stimulating host cells lead to a release of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines.

[Environmental dependence of cigarette smoking among adolescents of upper-secondary schools in Poland in 2005. Initial results].

This study was designed to evaluate the current smoking status among adolescents of upper-secondary schools in Poland and to examine potential relationships between environmental factors (place of living and school type) and current cigarette smoking, smoking experimentation and age of first cigarette. Questionnaire survey was conducted in February - March 2005 as a project: "Health perception, life satisfaction and health behavior of upper-secondary school pupils in Poland in psychosocial and economical determinants' context". The data was collected from representative sample of pupils in Poland (N=3123), Ist and IIIrd grade students at upper-secondary schools of different school types.

[Level of perceived social support and quality of life in children and adolescents aged 8-18 years].

Unlabelled: THE OBJECTIVE of the study was to determine the influence of perceived social support on health related quality of life (HRQL) in children and adolescents.

Material And Methods: Data was obtained through KIDSCREEN study (Screening for and Promotion of Health Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents. A European Public Health Perspective) conducted in Poland in 2003, were used.