Low Doses of Curcuma longa Modulates Cell Migration and Cell–Cell Adhesion

Cell invasion and metastasis are involved in clinical failures in cancer treatment, and both events require the acquisition of a migratory behavior by tumor cells. Curcumin is a promising natural product with anti‐proliferative activity, but its effects on cell migration are still unclear. We evaluated the effects of curcumin on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and cell–cell adhesion of keratinocyte, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and fibroblast cell lines, as well as in a xenograft model of OSCC. Curcumin (2 μM) decreased cell proliferation in cell lines with mesenchymal characteristics, while cell death was detected only at 50 μM. We observed that highly migratory cells showed a decrease on migration speed and directionality when treated with 2 or 5 μM of curcumin (50% and 40%, respectively, p < 0.05). Using spheroids, we observed that curcumin dose dependently decreased cell–cell adhesion, especially on tumor‐derived spheroids. Also, in a xenograft model with patient‐derived OSCC cells, the administration of curcumin decreased tumor growth and aggressiveness when compared with untreated tumors, indicating the potential antitumor effect in oral cancer. These results suggest that lower doses of curcumin can influence several steps involved in tumorigenesis, including migration properties, suggesting a possible use in cancer therapy. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Echocardiographic evaluation of pulmonary hypertension,right ventricular function,and right ventricular-pulmonary arterial coupling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Clinical Rheumatology - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are at increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease, including right heart failure. The evaluation of right ventricle (RV) using...     

Do inhaled carbon nanoparticles translocate directly into the circulation in humans?

RATIONALE: Increased exposure to particulate air pollution (PM(10)) is a risk factor for death and hospitalization with cardiovascular disease. It has been suggested that the nanoparticulate component of PM(10) is capable of translocating into the circulation with the potential for direct effects on the vasculature. OBJECTIVE: The study's aim was to determine the extent to which inhaled technetium-99m ((99m)Tc)-labeled carbon nanoparticles (Technegas) were able to access the systemic circulation. METHODS AND MAIN RESULTS: Ten healthy volunteers inhaled Technegas and blood samples were taken sequentially over the following 6 h. Technegas particles were 4-20 nm in diameter and aggregated to a median particle diameter of approximately 100 nm. Radioactivity was immediately detected in blood, with levels increasing over 60 min. Thin-layer chromatography of whole blood identified a species that moved with the solvent front, corresponding to unbound (99m)Tc-pertechnetate, which was excreted in urine. There was no evidence of particle-bound (99m)Tc at the origin. gamma Camera images demonstrated high levels of Technegas retention (95.6 +/- 1.7% at 6 h) in the lungs, with no accumulation of radioactivity detected over the liver or spleen. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of (99m)Tc-labeled carbon nanoparticles remain within the lung up to 6 h after inhalation. In contrast to previous published studies, thin-layer chromatography did not support the hypothesis that inhaled Technegas carbon nanoparticles pass directly from the lungs into the systemic circulation.     

Novel plant pathogenesis-related protein family involved in food allergy

BACKGROUND: Members belonging to 9 different families of plant pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins have been identified as pollen and food allergens. However, no PR-1 protein, a family widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom, has been involved so far in allergic reactions. On the other hand, melon ranges among the most relevant fruits causing food allergy in some countries, but the majority of its allergens remain still unidentified. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify melon allergens related to plant PR proteins. METHODS: A serum pool or individual sera from 17 patients with allergy to melon confirmed by means of double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge were used to detect IgE binding proteins of extracts from melon pulp and juice. Cuc m 3 was isolated from melon juice by reverse-phase HPLC and characterized by means of N-terminal amino acid sequencing of internal peptides, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry analysis, direct and inhibition ELISA assays, and skin prick tests. RESULTS: Cuc m 3 was a minor component of the melon juice, with a molecular weight of 16,097 d and a blocked N-terminus. N-terminal amino acid sequences of 3 different peptides derived from endo-Lys C digestion (overall 41 residues) showed more than 60% of sequence identity with PR-1 proteins from grape and cucumber. Cuc m 3 bound IgE from 12 of 17 sera from patients allergic to melon and inhibited approximately 40% and 70% of the IgE binding to melon pulp and juice extracts, respectively. Positive skin prick test responses to purified Cuc m 3 were found in 2 of 14 allergic patients. CONCLUSION: A new melon allergen belonging to the PR-1 protein family has been isolated and characterized. It is the first evidence of the involvement of this plant protein family in food allergy.     

Minimally invasive maxillofacial vertical bone augmentation using brushite based cements

An ideal material for maxillofacial vertical bone augmentation procedures should not only be osteoconductive, biocompatible and mechanically strong, but should also be applied using minimally invasive procedures and remain stable with respect to the original bone surfaces. This way, implant exposure and infection might be reduced and good mechanical stability may be achieved. Calcium phosphate cements are proven biocompatible and osteoconductive materials that can be injected using minimally invasive procedures. Among these cements, brushite based cements have the added advantage of being biodegradable in vivo. Therefore, this material has the potential for use in the aforementioned procedures. An in vivo study was performed in rabbits to evaluate the potential use of brushite cements in minimally invasive maxillofacial vertical bone augmentation procedures. In this study, we injected self-setting brushite cements on the subperiosteal bone surface using a minimally invasive tunnelling technique. The cement pastes were stable on the bone surface and hardened soon after they were injected thereby negating the need for additional supports such as membranes or meshes. The animals were sacrificed 8 weeks after the intervention and histological observations revealed signs of successful vertical bone augmentation. Therefore, we have demonstrated a minimally invasive vertical bone augmentation procedure that is an attractive alternative to current surgical procedures in terms of increased simplicity, reduced trauma, and lower cost of surgery.     

Cytogenetic and molecular studies of an X;21 translocation previously diagnosed as complete monosomy 21

We studied a child with apparent monosomy of chromosome 21. Cytogenetic, FISH and microsatellite analyses revealed a 45,X,−21,+der(X)t(X;21)(q25;q21.1) karyotype resulting from a de novo, unbalanced, X;21 non-reciprocal translocation of paternal origin, with partial monosomy of chromosomes 21 and X. An extreme, skewed X-inactivation pattern of the der(X) chromosome was demonstrated. Skewed inactivation probably accounted for a mild phenotype with respect to Xq25 → qter deletion while propagation of inactivation to the adjacent 21q region may account for mild clinical features associated to distal 21q monosomy.