Assessing the selective therapeutic efficacy of superparamagnetic erlotinib nanoparticles in lung cancer by using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging and a nuclear factor kappa-B reporter gene system

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors are commonly used as the first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC; however, the efficacy of drug delivery remains unknown. Hence, we successfully developed erlotinib-conjugated iron oxide nanoparticles (FeDC-E NPs) as theranostic probe that can potentially provide a new avenue for monitoring drug delivering through noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging. MRI ΔR2* relaxivity measurements offer an opportunity to quantitatively evaluate the uptake of FeDC-E NPs at cellular and tumoral levels. Additionally, NF-κB reporter gene system provides NF-κB activation status monitoring to validate the therapeutic efficiency of FeDC-E NPs. FeDC-E NPs not only inhibit the tumor growth and NF-κB-modulated antiapoptotic mechanism but also trigger extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Taken together, dual functional FeDC-E NPs offer diagnostic and therapeutic benefits against lung cancers, indicating that our presented probe could be applied in clinical.     

Influence of the Addition of Dispersible Color Powder and Polyacrylic Emulsion on the Durability of Cement Mortar

Cement mortar can be colored using color additive technology to give colorful facades to the surfaces of buildings, and to beautify the environment. In this study, weight ratios of color powder/cement at 1:80, 1:40, and 1:27, and polyacrylic emulsion/cement at a ratio of 1:5 were added as pigments to cement mortar; the fresh properties, slump, slump flow, hardened properties, compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, durability, surface electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of the colored cement mortar were then examined. The results showed that adding color powder/cement at 1:80 and polyacrylic emulsion/cement at 1:5 gives the best water/cement (W/C) ratio, which equals 0.5; this can effectively improve the hardness and durability of colored cement mortar. At 28 days of aging, the strength of the various colored cement mortars was maintained at 33.1–36.8 MPa. The acrylic-based emulsion significantly improved the flexural strength of the specimen. At 91 days of aging, all of the cement mortars exceeded the control group, with an anti-bay strength of 19.9–21.7 MPa, and the strength increased with aging. Adding appropriate amounts of inorganic color powder and mixing water can effectively enhance the fresh and hardened properties and durability of the colored cement mortar, while polyacrylic emulsion may significantly improve the test pieces and flexural strength, which increases with age. Moreover, natural α-Fe₂O₃ (rust layer) is formed on the surface of the colored cement mortar samples through the addition of inorganic color powder that contains Fe(III) ion; this prevents the intrusion of noxious ions and thus increases the durability. All of the test pieces of colored cement mortar in this study had a surface resistance of over 20 kΩ-cm on the seventh day of the test period, meaning good surface compactness. In addition, because the thermal conductivity of the added inorganic color powder was higher than that of cement, the thermal conductivity was significantly improved.     

The treatment of early stage cervical cancer: an assessment of pre-operative factors

OBJECTIVE: To assess the pre-operative clinical factors of a group of early stage cervical cancer patients and correlate them to the risk for adjuvant radiotherapy using GOG 92 and 109 criteria. METHOD: A retrospective chart review of cervical cancer patients treated at the Saint Louis University Division of Gynecologic Oncology between the years 1989 and 2004 was performed. The results were compared with chi-squared testing and multivariable regression analysis. A p-value of 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-one cervical cancer patients underwent exploration for radical hysterectomy during the study time period. Five patients had stage IA1 disease, 6 patients had stage IA2 disease, 98 patients had stage IB1 disease, 20 patients had stage IB2 disease and one patient had stage IIA disease. No patient with stage IA1 or IA2 disease met criteria for adjuvant radiotherapy. The patients with stage IB1 tumors who were 45 years of age or younger and had tumors up to 2 cm in diameter had a low (14%) likelihood for treatment with adjuvant radiotherapy. The patients with stage IB1 tumors who were older than 45 years of age with tumors larger than 2 cm in diameter and the patients with stage IB2 tumors both had a high likelihood for adjuvant radiotherapy (77% and 90% respectively). CONCLUSION: In our study group, the stage of cervical cancer and a combination of tumor diameter and patient age was found to stratify early stage cervical cancer patients by likelihood for adjuvant radiotherapy.     

Effects of ozone on DNA single-strand breaks and 8-oxoguanine formation in A549 cells

Animal studies have demonstrated that ozone exposure can induce lung tumors. Recent epidemiological studies have also shown that increased ozone exposure is associated with a greater risk of lung cancer. This study used single-cell gel electrophoresis (the Comet assay) and flow cytometry to investigate DNA damage in A549 cells exposed to ozone levels below the current ambient standard. Cells were exposed to ozone at levels of 0, 60, 80, and 120 ppb, and then DNA single-strand breaks and 8-oxoguanine levels were measured. Additionally, the formamidopyrimidine glycosylase (Fpg) repair enzyme was added to the Comet assay to enhance detection of oxidative damage. Vitamins C and E were also added to determine their inhibitory effects on ozone-induced 8-oxoguanine. Measurements of tail length, tail intensity, and tail moment of the Comet assay were shown to correlate with each other. However, tail moment appeared to be more sensitive than the other two indicators in detecting DNA single-strand breaks. Tail moments of cells exposed to 80 and 120 ppb of ozone were significantly higher than those exposed to 0 ppb (P<0.05). These three indicators of DNA single-strand breaks with Fpg were shown to be increased and more sensitive than those without Fpg. After Fpg was introduced, the tail moments at ozone levels of 60, 80, and 120 ppb were significantly higher than those at 0 ppb (P<0.05). Furthermore, 8-oxoguanine levels, determined by fluorescence intensity, at 80 and 120 ppb of ozone exposure were significantly higher than the level at 0 ppb. Pretreatment with vitamins C and E reduced the 8-oxoguanine levels caused by ozone. We conclude that ozone levels below current ambient standards may induce DNA breaks and oxidative DNA damage. Moreover, the Fpg repair enzyme in the Comet assay can increase the sensitivity of oxidative damage detection in vitro.