Multifunctional Ag-Poly(-isopropylacrylamide/itaconic Acid) Hydrogel Nanocomposites Prepared by Gamma Irradiation for Potential Application as Topical Treatment Dressings.

Today, hydrogel dressings that can protect injury sites and effectively promote healing have become highly desirable in wound management. Therefore, multifunctional silver-poli(-isopropylacrylamide/itaconic acid) (Ag-P(NiPAAm/IA)) hydrogel nanocomposites were developed for potential application as topical treatment dressings. The radiolytic method, used for the crosslinking of the polymer matrix as well as for the in situ incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the polymer matrix, enables the preparation of hydrogel nanocomposites without introducing harmful and toxic agents.

The Utility of Immuno-Nutritional Scores in Patients with Testicular Germ Cell Tumors.

Background: Hemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte, and Platelet Score (HALP) is an accessible score that is easily reproducible from routine laboratory testing while also reflecting patients' immune-nutritional status. Along with other immuno-nutritional scores, such as the Prognostic Nutrition Index (PNI), HALP has been associated with a number of clinical and pathological features. The goal of our study was to evaluate the prognostic utility of HALP and PNI scores in testicular germ cell cancer (GCT) patients.

Effects of Antipsychotics on the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in a Phencyclidine Animal Model of Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SCH) is a mental disorder that requires long-term antipsychotic treatment. SCH patients are thought to have an increased sensitivity to stress. The dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, observed in SCH, could include altered levels of glucocorticoids, glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), and associated proteins.

The Role of Glutathione Transferase Omega-Class Variant Alleles in Individual Susceptibility to Ovarian Cancer.

The tumor microenvironment is affected by reactive oxygen species and has been suggested to have an important role in ovarian cancer (OC) tumorigenesis. The role of glutathione transferases (GSTs) in the maintenance of redox balance is considered as an important contributing factor in cancer, including OC. Furthermore, GSTs are mostly encoded by highly polymorphic genes, which further highlights their potential role in OC, known to originate from accumulated genetic changes.

and Polymorphisms Affect Outcome in Colorectal Adenocarcinoma.

: Despite improvements in screening programs, a large number of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) are diagnosed in an advanced disease stage. Previous investigations imply that glutathione transferases (GSTs) might be associated with the development and progression of CRC. Moreover, the detoxification mechanism of oxaliplatin, which represents the first line of treatment for advanced CRC, is mediated via certain GSTs.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress response in immune cells contributes to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis pathogenesis in rats.

We examined the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the ensuing unfolded protein response (UPR) in the development of the central nervous system (CNS)-directed immune response in the rat model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The induction of EAE with syngeneic spinal cord homogenate in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) caused a time-dependent increase in the expression of ER stress/UPR markers glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), X-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) in the draining lymph nodes of both EAE-susceptible Dark Agouti (DA) and EAE-resistant Albino Oxford (AO) rats. However, the increase in ER stress markers was more pronounced in AO rats.

Clinical Indicators of Bone Deterioration in Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis and Chronic Alcohol Abuse: Looking beyond Bone Fracture Occurrence.

Although previous studies indicated that chronic alcohol abuse (CAA) and alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) are associated with increased bone fragility, understanding bone fragility determinants is still modest in these individuals. We used a comprehensive individualized clinical fracture risk assessment approach (vertebral osteodensitometry, femoral osteodensitometry and geometry, and serum bone turnover biomarkers) to compare adult male patients with ALC who have not previously had femoral or vertebral fractures ( = 39), patients with CAA (without liver cirrhosis, = 78) who have not previously had femoral or vertebral fractures and healthy age- and sex-matched controls ( = 43). Our data suggested that intertrochanteric bone mineral density was significantly lower in ALC and CAA patients than in controls.

Decreased Plasma Levels of Kynurenine and Kynurenic Acid in Previously Treated and First-Episode Antipsychotic-Naive Schizophrenia Patients.

Tryptophan (TRP) catabolites exert neuroactive effects, with the plethora of evidence suggesting that kynurenic acid (KYNA), a catabolite of the kynurenine pathway (KP), acts as the regulator of glutamate and acetylcholine in the brain, contributing to the schizophrenia pathophysiology. Newer evidence regarding measures of KP metabolites in the blood of schizophrenia patients and from the central nervous system suggest that blood levels of these metabolites by no means could reflect pathological changes of TRP degradation in the brain. The aim of this study was to investigate plasma concentrations of TRP, kynurenine (KYN) and KYNA at the acute phase and remission of schizophrenia in a prospective, case-control study of highly selected and matched schizophrenia patients and healthy individuals.

Variant Genotype Affects the Risk of Developing Severe Forms of COVID-19.

In SARS-CoV-2 infection, excessive activation of the immune system intensively increases reactive oxygen species levels, causing harmful hyperinflammatory and oxidative state cumulative effects which may contribute to COVID-19 severity. Therefore, we assumed that antioxidant genetic profile, independently and complemented with laboratory markers, modulates COVID-19 severity. The study included 265 COVID-19 patients.

The presence of Mott cells in the lymph nodes of rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Mott cells are plasma cells that have multiple spherical Russell bodies packed in their cytoplasm. Russell bodies are dilated endoplasmic reticulum cisternae filled with aggregates of immunoglobulins that are neither secreted nor degraded. Mott cells were observed in our study by light and electron microscope in the lymph nodes of rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis.

Transcriptome from Paired Samples Improves the Power of Comprehensive COVID-19 Host-Viral Characterization.

Previous transcriptome profiling studies showed significantly upregulated genes and altered biological pathways in acute COVID-19. However, changes in the transcriptional signatures during a defined time frame are not yet examined and described. The aims of this study included viral metagenomics and evaluation of the total expression in time-matched and tissue-matched paired COVID-19 samples with the analysis of the host splicing profile to reveal potential therapeutic targets.

rs8177412 Polymorphism Modifies Risk of Upper Urothelial Tumors in Patients with Balkan Endemic Nephropathy.

Current data suggest that aristolochic acid (AA) exposure is a putative cause of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), a chronic kidney disease strongly associated with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. The cellular metabolism of AA is associated with the production of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative distress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze individual, combined and cumulative effect of antioxidant gene polymorphisms ( rs6721961, rs1048290, rs1695, rs1138272, rs8177412 and rs1045642), as well as haplotypes with the risk for BEN development and associated urothelial cell carcinoma in 209 BEN patients and 140 controls from endemic areas.

IL-23/IL-17 Axis in Chronic Hepatitis C and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis-New Insight into Immunohepatotoxicity of Different Chronic Liver Diseases.

Considering the relevance of the research of pathogenesis of different liver diseases, we investigated the possible activity of the IL-23/IL-17 axis on the immunohepatotoxicity of two etiologically different chronic liver diseases. A total of 36 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients, 16 with (CHC-SF) and 20 without significant fibrosis (CHC-NSF), 19 patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and 20 healthy controls (CG) were recruited. Anthropometric, biochemical, and immunological cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, IL-17 and IL-23) tests were performed in accordance with standard procedure.

Gallium(III)- and Thallium(III)-Encapsulated Polyoxopalladates: Synthesis, Structure, Multinuclear NMR, and Biological Activity Studies.

Three gallium(III)- and thallium(III)-containing polyoxopalladates (POPs) have been synthesized and structurally characterized in the solid state and in solution, namely, the phosphate-capped 12-palladate nanocubes [XPdO(PO)] (X = Ga, ; X = Tl, ) and the 23-palladate double-cube [TlPdPO(OH)] (). The cuboid POPs, and , are solution stable as verified by the respective P, Ga, and Tl nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. Of prime interest, the spin-spin coupling schemes allowed for an intimate study of the solution behavior of the Tl-containing POPs via a combination of P and Tl NMR, including the stoichiometry of the major fragments of .

Proapoptotic and proautophagy effect of H1-receptor antagonist desloratadine in human glioblastoma cell lines.

Glioblastomas are aggressive and usually incurable high-grade gliomas without adequate treatment. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential of desloratadine to induce apoptosis/autophagy as genetically regulated processes that can seal cancer cell fates. All experiments were performed on U251 human glioblastoma cell line and primary human glioblastoma cell culture.

The Polymorphisms in Genes ( rs4925, rs156697, and rs2297235) Affect the Risk for Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Development: A Pilot Study.

Members of the omega class of glutathione transferases (GSTs), GSTO1, and GSTO2, catalyze a range of reduction reactions as a part of the antioxidant defense system. Polymorphisms of genes encoding antioxidant proteins and the resultant altered redox profile have already been associated with the increased risk for testicular germ cell cancer (GCT) development. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the individual, combined, haplotype, and cumulative effect of rs4925, rs156697, and rs2297235 polymorphisms with the risk for testicular GCT development, in 88 patients and 96 matched controls, through logistic regression models.

Antioxidant Genetic Variants Modify Echocardiography Indices in Long COVID.

Although disturbance of redox homeostasis might be responsible for COVID-19 cardiac complications, this molecular mechanism has not been addressed yet. We have proposed modifying the effects of antioxidant proteins polymorphisms (superoxide dismutase 2 (), glutathione peroxidase 1 (), glutathione peroxidase 3 () and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, ()) in individual susceptibility towards the development of cardiac manifestations of long COVID-19. The presence of subclinical cardiac dysfunction was assessed via echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in 174 convalescent COVID-19 patients.

Treatment options in stage I seminoma.

Seminomas are most commonly diagnosed in clinical stage I (CSI). After orchiectomy, approximately 15% of patients in this stage have subclinical metastases. Adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) delivered to the retroperitoneum and ipsilateral pelvic lymph nodes has been the mainstay of treatment for many years.

Shortened Daily Photoperiod Alleviates Anxiety-like Behaviour by Antioxidant Effect and Changes Serum Fatty Acid Profile in Diabetic Rats.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of a shortened daily photoperiod on anxiety-like behaviour, brain oxidative stress, lipid status and fatty acid composition of serum lipids in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced model of diabetes mellitus in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: first group-control group (C); second group-diabetic group (DM; 100 mg/kg STZ); third group-control group exposed to a light/dark cycle 6/18 h (C); fourth group-diabetic group exposed to a light/dark cycle 6/18 h (DM). Anxiety-like behaviour was tested three weeks following STZ injection by elevated plus maze (EPM) and open-field test (OFT).

Targeting B7-H3-A Novel Strategy for the Design of Anticancer Agents for Extracranial Pediatric Solid Tumors Treatment.

Recent scientific data recognize the B7-H3 checkpoint molecule as a potential target for immunotherapy of pediatric solid tumors (PSTs). B7-H3 is highly expressed in extracranial PSTs such as neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, nephroblastoma, osteosarcoma, and Ewing sarcoma, whereas its expression is absent or very low in normal tissues and organs. The influence of B7-H3 on the biological behavior of malignant solid neoplasms of childhood is expressed through different molecular mechanisms, including stimulation of immune evasion and tumor invasion, and cell-cycle disruption.

Prognostic Significance of Systemic Inflammation Markers in Testicular and Penile Cancer: A Narrative Review of Current Literature.

In contemporary clinical practice, biomarkers are indispensable in the assessment and management of oncological patients. Although established serum tumor markers (beta human chorionic gonadotropin (bHCG), alpha fetoprotein (AFP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)) have an indisputably important role in the management of patients with testicular cancer (TC), the application of these tumor markers may be accompanied with certain limitations, implying the need for additional biomarkers. Contrary to TC, there is a lack of established serological biomarkers for penile cancer (PC) and the management of this urological malignancy is based on multiple clinicopathological parameters.

The (rs156697) Polymorphism Modifies Diabetic Nephropathy Risk.

Background and Objectives: In the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its complications, genetic and environmental factors play important roles. Diabetic nephropathy (DN), one of the major microangiopathic chronic diabetic complications, is associated with an increased risk of major cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. The present study was designed to investigate the possible modifying effect of glutathione transferase polymorphisms (GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1 rs1138272/rs1695, GSTO1 rs4925 and GSTO2 rs156697) in the susceptibility to T2DM and diabetic nephropathy.