Protective effects of Hibiscus tiliaceus L. methanolic extract to V79 cells against cytotoxicity and genotoxicity induced by hydrogen peroxide and tert-butyl-hydroperoxide

Plants of the genus Hibiscus thrives produce a diversity of molecules with bioactive properties. In a previous study of Hibiscus tiliaceus L. methanolic extract (HME) using bacteria and yeast, as test media, it has been shown that HME strongly inhibited the mutagenic action of H₂O₂ or tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (t-BHP). Here, our interest is to evaluate the genotoxicity and the antigenotoxic/antimutagenic properties of HME using oxidative challenge with H₂O₂ and t-BHP in V79 cells. We determined cytotoxicity using clonal survival assay; evaluated DNA damage using the comet assay and the micronucleus test in binucleated cells besides of the lipid peroxidation degree and the reduced glutathione content. We examined the ability of HME in quenching hydroxyl radical by means of a HPLC-based method utilizing the hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase assay. At concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 0.1 mg/mL, HME was not cytotoxic, genotoxic or mutagenic. Treatment with non-cytotoxic concentrations of HME increased cell survival after H₂O₂ and t-BHP exposure and prevented DNA damage. The pre-treatment with HME also was able to decrease the mutagenic effect of these genotoxins, evaluated using the micronucleus test. HME prevented the increase in lipid peroxidation and decrease in GSH content in response to the oxidative challenge. Therefore, the ability in preventing against H₂O₂- and t-BHP-induced GSH depletion and lipid peroxidation was probably a major contribution to the cytoprotective effects. Moreover, HME acts as a hydroxyl radical scavenger. In summary, HME did not have a harmful or inhibitory effect on the growth of V79 cells and presented antioxidant activity, consequently, both antigenotoxic and antimutagenic effects against oxidative DNA damage.     

Oral contraceptive use before first birth and risk of breast cancer: a case control study

Background  

Our investigation sought to compare changes in sexual function following supracervical hysterectomy (SCH) and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH).     

Amplification of fgfr4 gene in human breast and gynecological cancers

We have investigated gene amplification of fibroblast growth factor receptor-4 (FGFR4) gene in 30 primary breast tumor samples and 15 gynecological tumor samples. Ten percent of the breast tumors showed 2- to 4-fold amplification. Amplification was found more frequently in estrogen- and progesterone-receptor-positive tumors and in tumors with high lymph-node involvement. Breast tumor samples were also analyzed for the amplification of fgfr3 and erbB2 genes and the chromosome I Iq 13 located genes hst I Iint2lbci1 /sea. erbB2 gene was amplified 2- to 13-fold in 13% of the cases, but no amplification of int2/hst I/be/1/sea amplicon was found. Gynecological tumors were also analyzed for the amplification of fgfr4 and fgfr3 genes and for int2 and hst I oncogenes. Eleven of the 15 gynecological tumors were ovarian neoplasms including 2 benign tumors; the remainder comprised I ovarian metastasis of breast cancer; I endometrial cancer; I uterine leiomyosarcoma and I carcinosarcoma of the fallopian tube. In gynecological tumors, fgfr4 gene was found to be amplified in 2 ovarian tumors. Amplification of hst I was found in I benign ovarian tumor. Thus, the fgfr4 gene may be involved in breast and ovarian tumorigenesis.     

Comparison between research data and routinely collected register data for studying childhood health

Cohort studies are usually based on detailed information gathered on a limited number of individuals. Increasing collection of administrative registers offers an alternative method to gather health data. In the first study health information from birth until the age of seven years on 8708 children born in the two most northern provinces of Finland in 1985–86 was gathered through questionnaires, medical record reviews, medical examinations and some register data. In the second study, similar information on 8222 children born in the same provinces in 1987 was gathered using administrative registers. Both data collection methods gave equal results for mortality, long-term medication, and cumulative incidence of diabetes and intellectual disabilities. The register data identified more children with delayed development, but less children with long-term illness (77% of the level identified by the research data), with asthma (74%), and with epilepsy (40%). The register data was unsuitable for investigating hearing and vision disorders. The administrative data gave a gender ratio similar to that of the research data for two of the variables with poor coverage (asthma and epilepsy), but identified more boys with long-term illness in general than the research data. Administrative registers are useful for studying many long-term health problems, e.g. those resulting in hospital care or social benefits or those registered in vital statistics. Specific cohort studies with separate data collection is still needed to study for example outpatient care, self-assessed health, growth and development.     

Socioeconomic position in childhood and early adult life and risk of mortality: a prospective study of the mothers of the 1958 British birth cohort

OBJECTIVES: We sought to establish whether women's childhood socioeconomic position influenced their risk of mortality separately from the effects of adult socioeconomic position. METHODS: We examined 11855 British women aged 14 to 49 years, with mortality follow-up over a 45-year period. RESULTS: Trends according to childhood social class were observed for all-cause mortality, circulatory disease, coronary heart disease, respiratory disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, lung cancer, and stomach cancer, with higher death rates among members of unskilled manual groups. Associations attenuated after adjustment for adult social class, smoking, and body mass index. No trend was seen for breast cancer or accidents and violence. Adverse social conditions in both childhood and adulthood were associated with higher death rates from coronary heart disease and respiratory disease. Stomach cancer was influenced primarily by childhood conditions and lung cancer by factors in adult life. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic position in childhood was associated with adult mortality in a large sample of British women.     

Angiographic and clinical results in 316 coil-treated basilar artery bifurcation aneurysms

OBJECT: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the endovascular treatment of basilar artery (BA) bifurcation aneurysms and to compare the results with those published by other neuroendovascular teams. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective analysis of 316 aneurysms of the BA bifurcation that had been treated using endovascular coil occlusion between November 6, 1992, and February 12, 2005. After the initial embolization procedure, a 90 to 100% occlusion rate was achieved in 86% of the aneurysms. No complication was evident in 80% of the lesions, although periprocedural aneurysm rupture (3.2%) and thromboembolic events (12.3%) were the most frequent complications. Clinical outcome according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was a score of 5 or 4 in 77%, 3 in 11%, 2 in 5%, and 1 in 7% of patients. Initial follow-up angiography studies were obtained in 56% of patients at a mean of 19 months posttreatment and demonstrated a 90 to 100% occlusion rate in 70%. No recurrence was seen on 65% of the aneurysms. Coil compaction was evident on 24% of the follow-up angiograms. A second treatment was performed on 48 aneurysms (15%) a mean of 27 months after the first therapeutic session and resulted in 90 to 100% occlusion in 83% of the lesions. Complications were encountered in 19% of the aneurysms. Rupture did not occur during any of the procedures. Clinical outcome was rated as GOS Score 5 or 4 in 83% of the patients and Grade 3 in 17%. During a cumulative clinical follow up of 821 years in 237 patients, 182 patients (81%) were independent (GOS Score 5 or 4), 33 (14%) were dependent (GOS Score 3), eight (3%) were in a vegetative state, and two (1%) had died. Clinical outcome was significantly worse after previous aneurysm rupture and following procedural complications. CONCLUSIONS: These results are within the range of published data for coil treatment of BA tip aneurysms and confirm both the safety and efficacy of this endovascular treatment method.     

Anosmia in association with occupational use of a waterproof coating chemical

A case of acute permanent anosmia is described in a renovation worker during exposure to a waterproof coating chemical. The chemical consisted of several substances of which four (acetone, acrylates, butyl acetate and carbon disulfide) has been previously reported to induce hyposmia or anosmia in workers. Other aetiologies were clinically excluded but a large arachnoidea cyst in the frontal part of the left temporobasal fossa with possible compression of the left entorhinal cortex. The toxic aetiology of anosmia is supported by the acute onset and the temporal relationship with occupational exposure. The silent cyst as the cause of anosmia is improbable, but it may have had some contributory role. Our case illustrates both the challenges when clinically examining patients with work-related olfactory impairment and the importance of multi-disciplinary approach to such patients.     

Prolonged allogeneic islet graft survival by protoporphyrins

Transplantation of islets of Langerhans in patients with type 1 diabetes allows for improved metabolic control and insulin independence. The need for chronic immunosuppression limits this procedure to selected patients with brittle diabetes. Definition of therapeutic strategies allowing permanent engraftment without the need for chronic immunosuppression could overcome such limitations. We tested the effect of the use of protoporphyrins (CoPP and FePP), powerful inducers of the cytoprotective protein heme-oxygenase 1 (HO-1), on allogeneic islet graft survival. Chemically induced diabetic C57BL/6 mice received DBA/2 islets. Treatment consisted in peritransplant administration of CoPP or saline. Islets were either cultured in the presence of FePP or vehicle before implant. Short-course administration of CoPP led to long-term islet allograft survival in a sizable proportion of recipients. Long-term graft-bearing animals rejected third-party islets while accepting a second set donor-specific graft permanently, without additional treatment. Preconditioning of islets with FePP by itself led to improved graft survival in untreated recipients, and provided additional advantage in CoPP-treated recipients, resulting in an increased proportion of long-term surviving grafts. Preconditioning of the graft with protoporphyrins prior to implant resulted in reduction of class II expression. Administration of protoporphyrins to the recipients of allogeneic islets also resulted in transient powerful immunosuppression with reduced lymphocyte proliferative responses, increased proportion of regulatory cells (CD4+CD25+), decreased mononuclear cell infiltrating the graft, paralleled by a systemic upregulation of HO-1 expression. All these mechanisms may have contributed to the induction of donor-specific hyporesponsiveness in a proportion of the protoporphyrin-treated animals.