Interplay of oxidative stress and antioxidant bio markers in oil adjuvant Brucella melitensis vaccinated and challenged mice

The intracellular nature of Brucella leads to rise in oxidative stress due to bacterial invasion, particularly at the site of predilection spleen and lymph nodes. The present study aimed to evaluate the erythrocytic and tissue specific oxidative stress responses induced during oil adjuvant killed Brucella melitensis vaccination. The results of the study clearly implicated a significant increase in level of catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and lipid peroxidation (LPO), and total protein content in erythrocytes after vaccination. The activity of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) was unaltered during the period of experiment. The catalase activity and GSH content was significantly increased in lung and spleen tissues. The tissues GST levels increased significantly in all tissues, while tissue SOD level increased significantly only in lung tissues. Thus, it can be inferred that oil adjuvant based Brucella vaccine induces negligible signs of inflammatory pathophysiology and supports the development of significant level of protection against virulent Brucella challenge.     

Phage therapy: What factors shape phage pharmacokinetics and bioavailability? Systematic and critical review

Bacteriophages are not forgotten viruses anymore: scientists and practitioners seek to understand phage pharmacokinetics in animals and humans, investigating bacteriophages as therapeutics, nanocarriers or microbiome components. This review provides a comprehensive overview of factors that determine phage circulation, penetration, and clearance, and that in consequence determine phage applicability for medicine. It makes use of experimental data collected by the phage community so far (PubMed 1924-2016, including non-English reports), combining elements of critical and systematic review. This study covers phage ability to enter a system by various routes of administration, how (and if) the phage may access various tissues and organs, and finally what mechanisms determine the courses of phage clearance. The systematic review method was applied to analyze (i) phage survival in the gut (gut transit) and (ii) phage ability to enter the mammalian system by many administration routes. Aspects that have not yet been covered by a sufficient number of reports for mathematical analysis, as well as mechanisms underlying trends, are discussed in the form of a critical review. In spite of the extraordinary diversity of bacteriophages and possible phage applications, the analysis revealed that phage morphology, phage specificity, phage dose, presence of sensitive bacteria or the characteristics of treated individuals (age, taxonomy) may affect phage bioavailability in animals and humans. However, once phages successfully enter the body, they reach most organs, including the central nervous system. Bacteriophages are cleared mainly by the immune system: innate immunity removes phages even when no specific response to bacteriophages has yet developed.     

Personality traits affect the influences of intensity perception and emotional responses on hedonic rating and preference rank toward basic taste solutions

This study aimed at determining, based on independent predictors of taste intensity and emotional response, whether individual personality traits could affect prediction models of overall liking and preference rank toward basic taste solutions. Sixty-seven participants rated taste intensities (TI) of four basic-taste solutions at both low and high concentrations, and of plain water. Emotional responses toward each sample were measured using a self-reported emotion questionnaire (SE), facial expressions (FE), and/or autonomic nervous system responses (ANS). Participants rated overall liking of the samples and ranked their preferences. Based on the results of a hierarchical cluster analysis of five personality traits measured using the Big Five Inventory, participants were classified into two clusters: cluster N (high neuroticism) and cluster E (high extraversion). Results showed that the SE measure for both clusters N and E was better than the TI, FE, and ANS measures in explaining variances of overall liking or preference rank. A measurement of effect size found that using FE and/or taste intensity measures, along with self-reported emotion measure, could enhance model predictability of overall liking or preference rank toward taste samples for cluster N, while the contribution to the prediction model for cluster E was minimal. ANS measures showed little contribution to the prediction model of overall liking for either cluster. In conclusion, this study shows that personality traits, in particular traits of extraversion and neuroticism, affect not only optimum measures of emotional responses, but also modulate predicting overall liking and preference rank toward basic taste solutions.     

Clinical and pathological predictors of recurrence in breast cancer patients achieving pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy

IntroductionDespite the excellent prognosis associated with pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), some patients still develop recurrence. Here, we investigated the outcomes of breast cancer patients with pCR, as well as the clinical and pathological predictors of cancer recurrence in these patients.Materials and methodsOf the 1599 breast cancer patients treated with NAC, we evaluated 394 patients who achieved pCR between January 2007 and December 2016. pCR was defined as no evidence of invasive cancer in breast. Residual in situ ductal and axillary lymph node diseases were not considered. We analyzed the outcomes using the Kaplan–Meier method. We assessed the association of clinical and pathological predictors with cancer recurrence using the cox proportional hazards regression model.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 63 months. The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 92.3%. Cancer recurrence was observed in 28 patients (7.1%): local recurrence 8 patients (2.0%), visceral metastasis 10 patients (2.5%), and brain metastasis 10 patients (2.5%). Brain metastases were found in patients with HER2 type breast cancer. The significant predictors of cancer recurrence were HER2 positivity (p = 0.04), clinical tumor size (p < 0.01), and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.01) before NAC on univariate analysis and only lymph node metastasis on multivariate analysis.ConclusionPatients achieving pCR to NAC showed excellent outcomes. Advanced clinical stage, large tumor size, presence of lymph node metastasis, and HER2 positivity before NAC were identified as significant predictors of cancer recurrence. Residual in situ ductal and lymph node diseases after NAC were not significant predictors.     

18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax与乳腺浸润性导管癌临床病理特征及新辅助化疗疗效的相关性

 目的 探讨¹⁸F-脱氧葡萄糖（FDG）正电子发射计算机断层扫描（PET/CT）显像治疗前病灶最大标准摄取值（maximum standard uptake value, SUV_max）与乳腺浸润性导管癌临床病理特征的关系及与新辅助化疗疗效的相关性，以指导临床个体化治疗。方法 选取佛山市第一人民医院行¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT显像的272例初治乳腺浸润性导管癌患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析，测定原发病灶的SUV_max，分析临床病理特征、分子分型及新辅助化疗疗效与原发灶SUV_max的相关性。结果 乳腺癌原发灶的SUV_max在不同T分期、不同组织学分级、有无淋巴结转移方面差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05），雌激素受体（ER）和（或）孕激素受体（PR）阳性组与阴性组的SUV_max差异有统计学意义（P<0.05），人表皮生长因子受体2（HER2）阳性组与阴性组的SUV_max差异无统计学意义（P>0.05），Ki-67高表达者SUV_max高于低表达者（P<0.05）。Basal-like型和HER2过表达型SUV_max均高于Luminal A型乳腺癌（P<0.05）。病理完全缓解组与未达到病理缓解组SUV_max差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论 ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT SUV_max与乳腺癌的临床病理特征具有较大的相关性，原发病灶SUV_max较高者更能从新辅助化疗中获益。