Mitigative action of monoisoamyl-2,3-dimercaptosuccinate (MiADMS) against cadmium-induced damage in cultured rat normal liver cells

Cadmium is non-essential, carcinogenic and multitarget pollutant in the environment. Monoisoamyl-2,3-dimercaptosuccinate (MiADMS) is an ester of dimercaptosuccinic acid that acts as an antioxidant and chelator. Therefore, the mitigative action of MiADMS on viability, morphology, antioxidative enzymes and cell cycle were studied on rat liver cells treated with cadmium chloride (CdCl₂). The cells were treated with 150 μM CdCl₂ alone or cotreated with 300 μM MiADMS (concurrently, 2 h or 4 h post-CdCl₂ treatment) for 24 h. The viability of cells treated with CdCl₂ alone was decreased in comparison to the control cells. Cotreatment with MiADMS resulted in an increase in cell viability in comparison to the CdCl₂ alone treated cells. The CdCl₂ treatment altered the morphological shape of the cells, while cotreatment with MiADMS restored the shape. Antioxidative enzymes activities were decreased in the cells treated with CdCl₂ alone, while MiADMS cotreatment resulted in an increase in enzyme activities. The CdCl₂ arrested the cells in S phase of the cell cycle. Cotreatment with MiADMS alleviated cell cycle arrest by shifting to G1 phase. These results clearly show the mitigative action of MiADMS on CdCl₂ toxicity and may suggest that MiADMS can be used as an antidote against cadmium.     

Enterovirus 75 encephalitis in children, southern India

Recent outbreaks of enterovirus in Southeast Asia emphasize difficulties in diagnosis of this infection. To address this issue, we report 5 (4.7%) children infected with enterovirus 75 among 106 children with acute encephalitis syndrome during 2005-2007 in southern India. Throat swab specimens may be useful for diagnosis of enterovirus 75 infection.     

EVOLVE: The Australian Rheumatology Association’s ‘top five’ list of investigations and interventions doctors and patients should question

Background

The EVOLVE (evaluating evidence, enhancing efficiencies) initiative aims to drive safer, higher‐quality patient care through identifying and reducing low‐value practices.

Aims

To determine the Australian Rheumatology Association’s (ARA) ‘top five’ list of low‐value practices.

Methods

A working group comprising 19 rheumatologists and three trainees compiled a preliminary list. Items were retained if there was strong evidence of low value and there was high or increasing clinical use and/or increasing cost. All ARA members (356 rheumatologists and 72 trainees) were invited to indicate their ‘top five’ list from a list of 12‐items through SurveyMonkey in December 2015 (reminder February 2016).

Results

A total of 179 rheumatologists (50.3%) and 19 trainees (26.4%) responded. The top five list (percentage of rheumatologists, including item in their top five list) was: Do not perform arthroscopy with lavage and/or debridement for symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee nor partial meniscectomy for a degenerate meniscal tear (73.2%); Do not order anti‐nuclear antibody (ANA) testing without symptoms and/or signs suggestive of a systemic rheumatic disease (56.4%); Do not undertake imaging for low back pain for patients without indications of an underlying serious condition (50.8%); Do not use ultrasound guidance to perform injections into the subacromial space as it provides no additional benefit in comparison to landmark‐guided injection (50.3%) and Do not order anti‐double‐stranded DNA antibodies in ANA negative patients unless the clinical suspicion of systemic lupus erythematosus remains high (45.3%).

Conclusions

This list is intended to increase awareness among rheumatologists, other clinicians and patients about commonly used low‐value practices that should be questioned.     

Comparative evaluation of cytotoxicity of cadmium in rat liver cells cultured in serum-containing medium and commercially available serum-free medium

Cadmium (Cd) is an industrial pollutant and carcinogenic metal. Most in vitro Cd toxicity studies have been carried out in various cell lines cultured in 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) containing medium. In this report, we compared the toxic effect of Cd (0-300 microM) on cell growth, total RNA, total proteins, and antioxidant enzymes in rat normal liver cells cultured in medium with 10% FBS or commercially available serum-free medium for 4 or 8 hours. With Cd concentration at above 100 microM, the total levels of RNA, protein and cell growth decreased in serum-containing medium, while their levels increased in serum-free medium compared to the controls. The glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase levels were lower in serum-free medium than in serum-containing medium, indicating less oxidative stress in cells grown in serum-free medium. These results clearly suggest that Cd showed higher toxicity to liver cells grown in serum-containing medium in comparison to commercially available serum-free medium. It is speculated that albumin and other substances present in commercial serum-free medium chelated Cd and thereby protected these cells against Cd toxicity. Even under in vivo conditions, cadmium enters into various organs after passing through blood which contains serum. Based on these studies, it appears that media containing serum may be ideal for in vivo toxicity correlation studies with animal cells.     

Water Splitting on Multifaceted SrTiO3 Nanocrystals: Calculations of Raman Vibrational Spectrum

Various photocatalysts are being currently studied with the aim of increasing the photocatalytic efficiency of water splitting for production of hydrogen as a fuel and oxygen as a medical gas. A noticeable increase of hydrogen production was found recently experimentally on the anisotropic faces (facets) of strontium titanate (SrTiO₃, STO) nanoparticles. In order to identify optimal sites for water splitting, the first principles calculations of the Raman vibrational spectrum of the bulk and stepped (facet) surface of a thin STO film with adsorbed water derivatives were performed. According to our calculations, the Raman spectrum of a stepped STO surface differs from the bulk spectrum, which agrees with the experimental data. The characteristic vibrational frequencies for the chemisorption of water derivatives on the surface were identified. Moreover, it is also possible to distinguish between differently adsorbed hydrogen atoms of a split water molecule. Our approach helps to select the most efficient (size and shape) perovskite nanoparticles for efficient hydrogen/oxygen photocatalytic production.     

Single fraction spine stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy with volumetric modulated arc therapy

This study investigated a single institution’s experience with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) directed stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) for vertebral metastases. From 2010 to 2014, 95 lesions of spinal metastases in 73 patients were treated with SABR using VMAT. Clinical local control, pain level, and use of steroid medication were employed to evaluate treatment responses. The majority (79%) of patients were treated with a radiation dose of 20 Gy in a single fraction. However, when normal tissue constraints could not be achieved, the dose was reduced to 18 Gy (11%) or 16 Gy (8%) in 1 fraction. At the median follow up of 12.7 months (mean 18.0, range 1–56 months), clinical local control was 97% (92 out of 95). There was a mean 81% (median 100%, range 28–100%) decrease in subjective pain score. Seventy-seven percent of patients had a decrease in narcotic pain medication use. Pain was completely resolved at the treatment site for 69% (66/95) of patients. Prior to the SABR treatment, 33% (31/95) of patients had epidural extension of tumor. Among patients with epidural involvement, 45% (14/31) exhibited neurologic impairment prior to treatment. Twenty-three percent (7/31) experienced spinal cord compression. Prior to treatment, 34 patients experienced some form of neurologic impairment. Of these patients, 24% (8/34) experienced improved motor functioning; the remaining 76% (26/34) of patients’ neurological dysfunction were stable. Our results indicate the SABR regimen using VMAT technique is clinically effective in achieving clinical local control and palliation. This is the first publication reporting clinical outcomes of VMAT directed SABR.     

Characteristics of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) glycoprotein 120 env sequences in mother-infant pairs infected with HIV-1 subtype CRF01_AE

We analyzed the characteristics of the envelope genes of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in 17 mother-infant pairs infected with variants of the CRF01_AE clade. A total of 353 sequences covering almost the entire glycoprotein (gp) 120 region were available for analysis. We found that, even if the virus population in the mother was complex, only viruses of a restricted subset were transmitted to her infant, independently of whether transmission occurred in utero or during the intrapartum period. We did not find that shorter gp120 regions or fewer potential N-glycosylation sites (PNGS) were characteristic of viruses transmitted from mother to infant. However, our data suggest that a limited number of PNGS that seem to be conserved in all variants in infants but are not uniformly present in variants in mothers may confer an advantage for transmission of the virus, thereby highlighting the potentially important role of the "glycan shield." This finding was particularly significant for the PNGS at positions N301 and N384.