Nephroprotective potential of syringic acid in experimental diabetic nephropathy: Focus on oxidative stress and autophagy.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a chronic hyperglycemic manifestation of microvascular damage in the kidneys. Widespread research in this area suggests the involvement of perturbed redox homeostasis and autophagy in renal cells phrase- promote the progression of DN.

Materials And Methods: Reframed sentences-The present study investigates the pharmacological effect of Syringic acid (SYA), in streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg, i.

Factors driving sediment compositional change in the distal area of the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain): oceanographic processes vs. paleopollution.

We analyze potential Late Holocene metal contamination along a sediment core collected in the distal zone of Ria de Vigo (North Spain). Statistical treatment of the dataset based on a multiproxy approach enabled us to identify and disentangle factors influencing the depositional processes and the preservation of the records of this activity in the area over the last ≈3000 years BP. Some layers of the analyzed core have significant enrichment in Cu and a moderate enrichment in Ag, Mo, As, Sb, S, Zn, Ni, Sn, Cd, Cr, Co, Pb, and Li.

Diallyl Sulfide Attenuation of Carcinogenesis in Mammary Epithelial Cells through the Inhibition of ROS Formation, and DNA Strand Breaks.

Garlic has long been used medicinally for many diseases, including cancer. One of the active garlic components is diallyl sulfide (DAS), which prevents carcinogenesis and reduces the incidence rate of several cancers. In this study, non-cancerous MCF-10A cells were used as a model to investigate the effect of DAS on Benzo (a)pyrene (BaP)-induced cellular carcinogenesis.

Disentangling natural vs. anthropogenic induced environmental variability during the Holocene: Marambaia Cove, SW sector of the Sepetiba Bay (SE Brazil).

Multiproxy approach based on textural, mineralogical, geochemical, and microfaunal analyses on a 176-cm-long core (SP8) has been applied to reconstruct the Holocene paleoenvironmental changes and disentangling natural vs. anthropogenic variability in Marambaia Cove of the Sepetiba Bay (SE Brazil). Sepetiba Bay became a lagoonal system due to the evolution and development of the Marambaia barrier island during the Holocene and the presence of an extensive river basin.

Calculating individualized risk components using a mobile app-based risk calculator for clinical high risk of psychosis: findings from ShangHai At Risk for Psychosis (SHARP) program.

Background: Only 30% or fewer of individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) convert to full psychosis within 2 years. Efforts are thus underway to refine risk identification strategies to increase their predictive power. Our objective was to develop and validate the predictive accuracy and individualized risk components of a mobile app-based psychosis risk calculator (RC) in a CHR sample from the SHARP (ShangHai At Risk for Psychosis) program.

Whole-transcriptomic Profile of SK-MEL-3 Melanoma Cells Treated with the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor: Trichostatin A.

Background: Malignant melanoma cells can rapidly acquire phenotypic properties making them resistant to radiation and mainline chemotherapies such as decarbonize or kinase inhibitors that target RAS-proto-oncogene independent auto-activated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK)/through dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK). Both drug resistance and inherent transition from melanocytic nevi to malignant melanoma involve the overexpression of histone deacetylases (HDACs) and a B-Raf proto-oncogene (BRAF) mutation.

Materials And Methods: In this work, the effects of an HDAC class I and II inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) on the whole transcriptome of SK-MEL-3 cells carrying a BRAF mutation was examined.

In vitro evaluation of 3-arylcoumarin derivatives in A549 cell line.

Unlabelled: Coumarins are naturally-occurring compounds with diverse and interesting biological activities. In the present study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxic effect of 8-(acetyloxy)-3-[4-(acetyloxy)phenyl]-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl acetate (6); 8-(acetyloxy)-3-(4-methanesulfonyl phenyl)-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl acetate (7); 4-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)phenyl acetate (8); 3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-2H-chromen-2-one (9); 4-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)phenyl acetate (10); 3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-one (11); 8-(acetyloxy)-3-[4-(acetyloxy)phenyl]-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl acetate (12); and 5-(acetyloxy)-3-[4-(acetyloxy) phenyl]-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl acetate (13) in human lung (A549) cancer and normal lung (MRC-9) cell lines at different concentrations for 48 h using crystal violet dye binding assay. The cytotoxic effect of these coumarin derivatives were compared to the standard drug, docetaxel.

Development of a novel approach to enhance the solubility of ftibamzone formulation.

Ftibamzone (FBZ) is known to be effective against herpes simplex virus that causes genital herpes but poor solubility of FBZ has reduced its therapeutic efficacy. We investigated water-soluble complexes of various nanoparticles with FBZ to improve its solubility as well as increase its absorption. Using phase-solubility technique, we measured formation constant (K and K) values at room temperature in pH 7 buffer.

Arsenic trioxide enhances the cytotoxic effect of thalidomide in a KG-1a human acute mylogenous leukemia cell line.

Studies have shown that thalidomide exerts modest activity as a single agent in the therapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The present investigation was conducted to test the hypothesis that the cytotoxic effect of thalidomide is enhanced when properly combined with other chemotherapeutic agents. The human AML cell line KG-1a was used in this study.

In vitro cytotoxicity of benzopyranone derivatives with basic side chain against human lung cell lines.

Background: Coumarins belong to an important group of useful drugs with diverse pharmacological properties. In the present study, the in vitro cytotoxicity of new coumarin-based benzopyranone derivatives containing diethylaminoethoxy (5), dimethylaminoethoxy (6), morpholinoethoxy (7), piperidinylethoxy (8) and pyrrolidinylethoxyl (9) amino side chain against human carcinoma (A549) and normal (LL47) lung cell lines was evaluated.

Materials And Methods: The cytotoxicity was evaluated by crystal violet dye binding assay.

Anticancer activity of Noscapine, an opioid alkaloid in combination with Cisplatin in human non-small cell lung cancer.

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of Noscapine (Nos) and Cisplatin (Cis) combination treatment in vitro in A549 and H460 lung cancer cells, in vivo in murine xenograft model and to investigate the underlying mechanism. The combination index values (< 0.6) suggested synergistic effects of Nos+Cis and resulted in the highest increase in percentage of apoptotic NSCLC cells and increased expression of p53, p21, caspase 3, cleaved caspase 3, cleaved PARP, Bax, and decreased expression of Bcl₂ and surviving proteins compared with treatment with either agent.

Effect of thalidomide and arsenic trioxide on the release of tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor from the KG-1a human acute myelogenous leukemia cell line.

Studies conducted in our lab have indicated that thalidomide cytotoxicity in the KG-1a human acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cell line was enhanced by combining it with arsenic trioxide. The current investigation was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of thalidomide either alone or in combination with arsenic trioxide on the release of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from this cell line in an attempt to clarify its possible cytotoxic mechanism(s). Human AML cell line KG-1a was used in this study.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of N,N'-Bis(2-hydroxylbenzyl)-1,2-ethanediamine Derivatives.

A series of N,N'-Bis(2-hydroxylbenzyl)-1,2-ethanediamine derivatives and its schiff bases were synthesized, characterized and screened for in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica. Result indicated that the ethylenediamine derivatives, N,N'-Bis(2-hydroxy-5-bromobenzyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (21), and N,N'-Bis(2-hydroxy-5-chlorobenzyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (22) showed the most favorable antimicrobial activity exhibiting LC(50) of 11.6 and 8.

Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of coumarin-estrogen conjugates against breast cancer cell lines.

The syntheses and cytotoxic activity of coumarin-estrogen conjugates are described. In vitro results indicated that conjugates 10, 11 and 13 show growth inhibitory activities at 5-dose concentration (100, 10, 1, 0.1, 0.

Access to Mammography Facilities and Detection of Breast Cancer by Screening Mammography: A GIS Approach.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to examine the association between access to mammography facilities and utilization of screening mammography in an urban population. METHODS: Data on female breast cancer cases were obtained from an extensive mammography surveillance project. Distance to mammography facilities was measured by using GIS, which was followed by measuring geographical access to mammography facilities using Floating Catchment Area (FCA) method (considering all available facilities within an arbitrary radius from the woman's residence by using Arc GIS 9.

Breast Cancer Perceptions, Knowledge and Behavioral Practices among Women Living in a Rural Community.

We performed this study to assess women's perceptions, knowledge and behavioral practices for breast cancer prevention in a rural setting. A 61-item questionnaire was developed based on Health Belief Model constructs and completed by 185 women age 35 and older. Results showed significant differences in several areas including perceived susceptibility and severity.

Medicinal chemistry and emerging strategies applied to the development of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs).

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), known previously as "antiestrogens", are a new category of therapeutic agents used for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as osteoporosis and breast cancer. SERMs act as ER-agonist in some tissues while acting as ER-antagonist in others based on conformational change of the receptors, particularly at the helix 12. Currently, there are two classes of clinically approved SERMs; triphenylethylene derivatives (e.

Dietary caloric restriction improves the redox status at the onset of diabetes in hepatocytes of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Enhanced production of free radicals and oxidative stress induced by hyperglycemia play a central role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. This study assessed the attenuation by dietary caloric restriction on the oxidative and lipid peroxidative effects of diabetes in the liver through reduction in body and organ weights and concomitant metabolic changes. Three-month-old male Wistar rats were subjected to ad libitum feeding and 30% caloric restriction for 9 weeks before induction of diabetes by intraperitoneal injection of 35 mg/kg body weight streptozotocin.

An educator's perspective on the emerging Cuba and multiculturalism.

Plagued by many years of frequent leadership changes, and influences from power brokers whose policies and politics were oftentimes detrimental to Cuba's emerging as an industrialized and diverse economy nation, Cuba is now attempting to move beyond the survival mode. After the symbiotic relationship between the Soviet Union was dismantled in the 90s, Cuba is now undergoing metamorphoses of growth and change, socially, politically and culturally, while still remaining a mixture of worlds both rural and urban. This narrative article describes the multicultural experiences that an American university professor recently experienced while visiting Cuba.

Inhibition of calpain-mediated cell death by a novel peptide inhibitor.

Calpains are calcium- and thiol-dependent proteases whose overactivation and degradation of various substrates have been implicated in a number of diseases and conditions such as cardiovascular dysfunction and ischemic stroke. With increasing evidence for calpain's role in cellular damage, the development of calpain inhibitors continues to be an important objective. Previously, we identified a highly specific calcium-dependent, calpain interacting peptide L-S-E-A-L, that showed homology to domains A and C of the only known endogenous inhibitor of calpains, calpastatin.

Cytochrome P450 expression and metabolic activation of cooked food mutagen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in MCF10A breast epithelial cells.

The cytochrome P450 expression profile was determined in the MCF10A human breast epithelial cell line, as was the ability of this cell line to catalyze the bioactivation of the cooked food mutagen, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP). Using non-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), transcripts for CYP1B1, CYP2J2, CYP2R1, CYP2U1, CYP2W1, CYP4B1, CYP4F, CYP4V2, CYP4X1 and CYP4Z1 were detected in both sub-confluent and confluent MCF10A cells. By contrast, CYP1A2 mRNA was detected only in confluent MCF10A cells, while CYP1A1, CYP2S1 and CYP2F1 were detected predominantly or exclusively in sub-confluent cultures.

Antedrugs: an approach to safer drugs.

The antedrug concept was introduced by Lee and Soliman in 1982 in designing potent, yet safer locally active anti-inflammatory steroids. Antedrug is defined as an active synthetic derivative that is designed to undergo biotransformation to the readily excretable inactive form upon entry in the systemic circulation. Thus, are minimizing systemic side effects and are increasing the therapeutic indices.

The chemistry and pharmacology of tetrahydropyridines.

Tetrahydropyridine (THP) moiety is a part of many biologically active systems. The discovery of the neurotoxic properties of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) as well as numerous alkaloids, prompted extensive research on the synthesis and pharmacological properties of these compounds. The goal was extending the database for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies.

Effect of penetration enhancers on the release and skin permeation of bupranolol from reservoir-type transdermal delivery systems.

A reservoir-type transdermal delivery system (TDS) of bupranolol (BPL) was designed and evaluated for different formulation variables like gel reservoirs (made with anionic and nonionic polymers), rate controlling membranes and penetration enhancers on the drug release and in vitro skin permeation kinetics of the devices. Keshary-Chien type diffusion cells and pH 7.4 phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were used for drug release studies and excised rat skin was used as a barrier for permeation experiments.