Favorable prognostic significance of membranous β-catenin expression and negative prognostic significance of cytoplasmic β-catenin expression in pancreatic cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of membranous β-catenin and cytoplasmic β-catenin expression in pancreatic cancer patients (pts). One hundred pts with histologically verified exocrine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were retrospectively studied. The membranous β-catenin, cytoplasmic β-catenin, and cell nucleus β-catenin expression were immunohistochemically evaluated.

Analysis of the Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Plastic Samples Subjected to Selected Degradation Effects.

The Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) method is an additive technology that is used for the creation of prototypes within Rapid Prototyping (RP) as well as for the creation of final components in piece or small-series production. The possibility of using FFF technology in the creation of final products requires knowledge of the properties of the material and, at the same time, how these properties change due to degradation effects. In this study, the mechanical properties of the selected materials (PLA, PETG, ABS, and ASA) were tested in their non-degenerate state and after exposure of the samples to the selected degradation factors.

The measured CSF/plasma donepezil concentration ratio but not individually measured CSF and plasma concentrations significantly increase over 24 h after donepezil treatment in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil is administered as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the appropriate donepezil dosage is still a matter of debate.

Methods: Forty AD patients receiving 10 mg/day of donepezil were randomly divided into four groups based on the time of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling: 6 h (n = 5), 12 h (n = 12), 18 h (n = 6) and 24 h (n = 17) after donepezil administration.

Hyaluronan: A key player or just a bystander in skin photoaging?

Photoaged skin exhibits signs of inflammation, DNA damage and changes in morphology that are visible at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. Photoaging also affects the extracellular matrix (ECM) including hyaluronan (HA), the main polysaccharide component thereof. HA is a structurally simple but biologically complex molecule that serves as a water-retaining component and provides both a scaffold for a number of the proteins of the ECM and the ligand for cellular receptors.

Silver distribution in chronic wounds and the healing dynamics of chronic wounds treated with dressings containing silver and octenidine.

Although silver is an efficient antimicrobial and is a widely used antiseptic in wound healing, previous studies have reported the cytotoxic in vitro effects of silver dressings. Moreover, few studies have addressed the distribution of silver in chronic wounds. The study compares the healing of chronic wounds treated with a standard-of-care silver dressing (Ag-CMC) and a dressing containing antiseptic octenidine (OCT-HA).

Exosomes released by imatinib‑resistant K562 cells contain specific membrane markers, IFITM3, CD146 and CD36 and increase the survival of imatinib‑sensitive cells in the presence of imatinib.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant hematopoietic disorder distinguished by the presence of a BCR‑ABL1 fused oncogene with constitutive kinase activity. Targeted CML therapy by specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) leads to a marked improvement in the survival of the patients and their quality of life. However, the development of resistance to TKIs remains a critical issue for a subset of patients.

Lys05 - A Promising Autophagy Inhibitor in the Radiosensitization Battle: Phosphoproteomic Perspective.

Background: Autophagy is a crucial factor contributing to radioresistance during radiotherapy. Although Lys05 has proven its ability to improve the results of radiotherapy through the inhibition of autophagy, molecular mechanisms of this inhibition remain elusive. We aimed to describe the molecular mechanisms involved in Lys05-induced inhibition of autophagy.

Fractionation of Enriched Phosphopeptides Using pH/Acetonitrile-Gradient-Reversed-Phase Microcolumn Separation in Combination with LC-MS/MS Analysis.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful and sensitive method often used for the identification of phosphoproteins. However, in phosphoproteomics, there is an identified need to compensate for the low abundance, insufficient ionization, and suppression effects of non-phosphorylated peptides. These may hamper the subsequent liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, resulting in incomplete phosphoproteome characterization, even when using high-resolution instruments.

A Potent Autophagy Inhibitor (Lys05) Enhances the Impact of Ionizing Radiation on Human Lung Cancer Cells H1299.

Autophagy inhibition through small-molecule inhibitors is one of the approaches to increase the efficiency of radiotherapy in oncological patients. A new inhibitor-Lys05-with the potential to accumulate within lysosomes and to block autophagy was discovered a few years ago. Several studies have addressed its chemosensitizing effects but nothing is known about its impact in the context of ionizing radiation (IR).

The Concentration of Memantine in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Alzheimer's Disease Patients and Its Consequence to Oxidative Stress Biomarkers.

Memantine is a noncompetitive -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist utilized as a palliative cure for Alzheimer's disease. This is the second study examining the memantine concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid. The previously published study enrolled six patients, and three of them were theoretically in a steady state.

Targeted Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Toxins.

Targeted proteomics recently proved to be a technique for the detection and absolute quantification of proteins not easily accessible to classical bottom-up approaches. Due to this, it has been considered as a high fidelity tool to detect potential warfare agents in wide spread kinds of biological and environmental matrices. toxins are considered to be potential biological weapons, especially the epsilon toxin which belongs to a group of the most powerful bacterial toxins.

Proteomic Methods of Detection and Quantification of Protein Toxins.

Biological toxins are a heterogeneous group of compounds that share commonalities with biological and chemical agents. Among them, protein toxins represent a considerable, diverse set. They cover a broad range of molecular weights from less than 1000 Da to more than 150 kDa.

Concentration of Donepezil in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of AD Patients: Evaluation of Dosage Sufficiency in Standard Treatment Strategy.

Although some studies have described the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of donepezil in the peripheral compartment, studies focused on drug transport across the blood-brain barrier are still very rare. To our knowledge, the fluctuation in the cerebrospinal fluid concentration of donepezil after administration of the drug has not been described in the literature so far. We recruited 16 patients regularly taking a standard therapeutic dose of donepezil (10 mg per day).

To live or let die: Unclear task of autophagy in the radiosensitization battle.

Radiation-induced autophagy is believed to represent a radioprotective mechanism of cancer cells. Thus, its inhibition should support radiation treatment and increase its efficacy. On the other hand, there is evidence that radiation alone or in combination with various chemical agents can induce autophagy that results into increased cell death, especially within transformed apoptosis-resistant cells.

CT/MRI pelvimetry as a useful tool when selecting patients with rectal cancer for transanal total mesorectal excision.

Background: The quality of a total mesorectal excision (TME) is one of the most important prognostic factors for local recurrence of rectal carcinoma. The aim of this study was to clarify the manner in which lesser pelvis dimensions affect the quality of TME via the transabdominal approach, while simultaneously defining the criteria for selecting patients most likely to have Grade 3 TME outcomes for a transanal approach using the TaTME technique.

Methods: An analysis from the registry was conducted using 93 of total 198 patients with rectal cancer of the mid- and lower third of the rectum who underwent: (1) a low anterior resection, (2) an ultra-low resection with coloanal anastomosis, or (3) an intersphincteric rectal resection, all with total mesorectal excision.

Radiosensitization of human leukemic HL-60 cells by ATR kinase inhibitor (VE-821): phosphoproteomic analysis.

DNA damaging agents such as ionizing radiation or chemotherapy are frequently used in oncology. DNA damage response (DDR)-triggered by radiation-induced double strand breaks-is orchestrated mainly by three Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related kinases (PIKKs): Ataxia teleangiectasia mutated (ATM), DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and ATM and Rad3-related kinase (ATR). Their activation promotes cell-cycle arrest and facilitates DNA damage repair, resulting in radioresistance.