Fibrin gluing in ophthalmic surgery

A new fibrin adhesive "Beriplast" of the Behringwerke AG Marburg was implemented for conjunctival glueing in 42 patients after intracapsular cataract extraction. The tissue adhesive was also examined in palpebral tumour surgery as to its compatibility and usefulness. Good functional and cosmetic results were obtained with regard to the conjunctiva and the eyelids, respectively. No cases of incompatibility were registered.     

Nerve growth factor and its high-affinity receptor in chronic pancreatitis

OBJECTIVE: To study the mechanisms that are involved in nerve growth and contribute to pain generation in chronic pancreatitis (CP). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Chronic pancreatitis is a painful disease associated with characteristic nerve changes, including an increase in nerve number and diameter. The mechanisms that influence nerve growth are not known. Nerve growth factor (NGF) and its high-affinity tyrosine kinase receptor A (TrkA) are involved in neural development and survival and growth of central and peripheral nerves. METHODS: Nerve growth factor and TrkA were investigated by Northern blot analysis, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemical staining in the pancreases of 24 patients with CP, and the findings were correlated with clinical parameters. RESULTS: By Northern blot analysis, NGF and TrkA mRNA expression were increased in 42% (13.1-fold) and 54% (5.5-fold) of the CP samples (p < 0.01), respectively. In situ hybridization revealed that in CP, enhanced NGF mRNA expression was present in metaplastic ductal cells, in degenerating acinar cells, and in acinar cells dedifferentiating into tubular structures. TrkA mRNA was intensely present in the perineurium. Further, enhanced NGF and TrkA mRNA signals were also present in intrapancreatic ganglia cells in CP samples. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the in situ hybridization findings. Analysis of the molecular findings with clinical parameters revealed a significant relation (p < 0.05) between NGF mRNA levels and pancreatic fibrosis (r = 0.64) and acinar cell damage (r = 0.74) and between TrkA mRNA and pain intensity (r = 0.84). CONCLUSION: Activation of the NGF/TrkA pathway occurs in CP. It might influence neural morphologic changes and the pain syndrome in this disorder.     

Overexpression of oncogenic STK15/BTAK/Aurora A kinase in human pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: Multiple chromosome abnormalities, including gain of chromosome20q, have been detected frequently in human pancreatic cancers. Overexpression of the STK15/BTAK/Aurora A gene located on chromosome 20q13, which encodes a centrosome-associated serine/threonine kinase, has been shown to induce chromosomal instability, leading to aneuploidy and cell transformation in multiple in vitro experimental systems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and copy number alteration of STK15 in pancreatic cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: STK15 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels together with the copy number of STK15 gene was measured in nine pancreatic carcinoma cell lines: (a) HPAF-II; (b) Aspc-1; (c) Panc-1; (d) Panc-3; (e) Panc-28; (f) Panc-48; (g) HS766T; (h) MIAPaCa-2; and (i) BxPc3. STK15 protein expression was also examined in normal pancreatic tissues and tumors by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: STK15 was overexpressed in all of the nine cell lines examined, but gene amplification was infrequent. Western Blot analysis of primary tumor tissues revealed 2-10 times overexpression of STK15 protein compared with normal adjacent tissues from pancreatic cancer patients. Concurrent overexpression of cdc20, an STK15-associated protein, and reduced expression of cdc25, a mitosis-activating protein phosphatase, were detected in the same tumor samples. Elevated STK15 protein expression was detected in 22 of 38 tumor sections (58%) from pancreatic cancer patients. The extent of STK15 expression was not significantly correlated with the size, degree of differentiation, and metastasis status of the tumors. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that STK15 is overexpressed in pancreatic tumors and carcinoma cell lines and suggest that overexpression of STK15 may play a role in pancreatic carcinogenesis.     

Black tea and mammary gland carcinogenesis by 7,12- dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in rats fed control or high fat diets

Epidemiological studies suggest that tea may reduce cancer risk, and in laboratory rodents, chemopreventive effects of tea or purified extracts of tea have been demonstrated in lung, gastrointestinal tract and skin. There is some evidence of chemoprevention by tea in the mammary gland, but the data are not conclusive. In order to evaluate more fully the possible influence of black tea on 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary gland tumors in the female S-D (Sprague-Dawley) rat, three large studies were performed: experiment 1, tumorigenesis in rats fed AIN-76A diet and given 25 mg/kg DMBA and 1.25 or 2.5% whole tea extract or water to drink; experiment 2, tumorigenesis in rats given 15 mg/kg DMBA and the same diet and fluids as in experiment 1; experiment 3, tumorigenesis in rats fed control or HF (high fat, corn oil) diet and given 15 mg/kg DMBA and 2% tea or water to drink. Tea was given throughout the experiment; DMBA was given by gastric gavage at 8 weeks of age. There was no consistent effect of tea on tumorigenesis in rats fed AIN-76A diet; there was, however, evidence in experiment 3 of a reduction of tumorigenesis by tea in rats fed the HF diet. In experiment 3, rats fed the HF diet and given water showed the expected increase in tumor burden (number and weight) compared with rats fed control diet. However, rats fed the HF diet and given 2% tea showed no increase in tumor burden; their tumor burden was significantly lower than in rats fed the HF diet and given water (P < 0.01) and was not different from rats fed control diet and given water or tea. In addition, in experiment 3, the number of malignant tumors per tumor- bearing rat was increased by the HF diet in water-drinking rats (P < 0.01) but not in tea-drinking rats. Therefore, it appears that tea partially blocked the promotion of DMBA-induced mammary tumorigenesis by the HF diet.      

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on sleep quality of pharmacy students in UiTM Puncak Alam

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the closure of educational institutions was executed during the period of lockdown. This subsequently led to alterations in daily routines and emotional distress, particularly among university students, affecting their sleep quality resulting in disturbance of immune functioning and mood regulation. Hence, the present study aimed to measure students' sleep quality during the first few months of the lockdown period. This study is a cross-sectional, single-centred survey that was done by distributed electronic questionnaire. The e-questionnaire was divided into 4 sections that assessed socio-demographic characteristics, sleep quality, psychological state and engagement in physical activity. Exactly 248 valid responses were received, 82 % female students. Students with poor sleep quality were three times greater than those with good sleep quality. No association were found between physical activity and sleep quality. However, a significant positive relationship between sleep quality and psychological state was observed (p < 0.01). In conclusion, this study suggests that the majority of pharmacy students in UiTM Puncak Alam are poor sleepers and psychological distress negatively affects sleep quality but, is mainly due to stress. Thus, interventions such as stress management programs and mental health support can be taken by the faculty's management to overcome this problem.