Effect of adrenalin on inhibition of mitosis by a chalone in Ehrlich's ascites carcinoma

Department of Biology, Medico-Biological Faculty, N. I. Pirogov Second Moscow Medical Institute. Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 105, No. 3, pp. 345–347, March, 1988.     

Is chemotherapy always necessary for patients with nonmetastatic gestational trophoblastic neoplasia with histopathological diagnosis of choriocarcinoma?

Objective

To evaluate expectant management versus immediate chemotherapy following pathological diagnosis of gestational choriocarcinoma (GCC) in patients with nonmetastatic disease.

A novel route to poly(triarylcarbinols)

A novel scheme for a two-stage synthesis of poly(triarylcarbino1)s is suggested. In the first stage, the homopolycondensation of 3-(4-biphenylyl)-3-chloro-1,1 -dioxobenzo[c][1,2]-oxathiolane ( 6a ) via a Friedel-Crafts reaction gives the polymeric arylene sulfophthalide 7. In the second stage, alkaline hydrolysis of the latter under mild conditions leads to linear, high-molecular-weight, film-forming poly(triarylcarbino1) 8 containing sulfonate groups. The polymer films show photo- and thermochromism. The density of paramagnetic centres in 8 is < 10¹⁵ spins per gram, and increases on heating up to 10¹⁸ spins per gram, the initial value being restored after cooling and exposure to air.     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Tamarix ramosissima.

The ethylacetate and water-acetone extracts of Tamarix ramosissima were screened for their antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and DNA damaging activities through in vitro experiments. All fractions as well as precipitates showed significant antioxidant activity. A known compound tamarixetin (1) was isolated which showed significant DNA damaging activity in mutant yeast bioassay. Results revealed that antioxidant and antibacterial activities were associated with the presence of polyphenolic substances.     

Chromosomal rearrangements involving telomeric DNA sequences in Balb/3T3 cells transfected with the Ha-ras oncogene.

Chromosomal instability involving telomeric DNA sequences was studied in mouse Balb/3T3 fibroblasts transfected with a mutated human c-Ha-ras-1 gene (B61 cells) and spontaneously immortalized normal parental cells (A31 cells), using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). FISH analysis with a telomeric probe revealed high frequencies of chromosome alterations involving telomeric regions, mainly stable and unstable Robertsonian fusion-like configurations (RLC) (0.25 and 1.95/cell in A31 and B61 cells, respectively) and chromosome ends lacking telomeric signals in one (LTS') or both chromatids (LTS") (5.9 and 17.5/cell for A31 and B61 cells, respectively). Interstitial telomeric sequences (ITS) were also detected at both non-telomeric sites and in the centromeres of RLC. The frequencies of RLCs with ITS located in the centromeres were 3-fold higher in B61 compared with A31 cells. We demonstrated a high level of chromosome instability involving telomeric DNA sequences in ras-transfected cells overexpressing ras mRNA, which could be a consequence of rapid cell cycle progression associated with a deficient telomere capping mechanism.     

Using cDNA microarrays to identify human CD19(+) B cell gene products (ESTs) originated from systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility loci

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototype of autoimmune disease which arises from interactions between susceptibility genes and environmental factors. Despite the heterogeneous manifestations in this disease, all SLE patients present plasma autoantibodies recognizing nuclear components. Thus, auto reactive B cells represent key effectors to be investigated. Human linkage analysis is providing the localization of susceptibility loci distributed in chromosomes contributing to elucidate the manner in which interactions between these loci mediate SLE pathogenesis. We associate the cDNA microarray technology to investigate the differential gene expression of CD19(+) B cells with genetic linkage data. Bioinformatics programs served to evidentiate the differentially expressed sequences and the design of the microarray allowed hierarchical clustering of patients and controls. Sequencing allowed the identification of 8 new gene products differentially expressed (ESTs) that were co-localized in SLE or other autoimmune diseases susceptibility loci on chromosome 1p21, 2q21, 13q33, 16p12.1 and 16q12.1. These findings strongly suggest that chromosomal regions previously identified as SLE susceptibility loci are in fact transcribed in CD19(+) B cells of patients. In this review, we delineate a new possibility for the use of cDNA microarrays in studies focusing the control of gene expression of disease susceptibility loci identified by genetic linkage.     

International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood: Validation of the rhinitis symptom questionnaire and prevalence of rhinitis in schoolchildren in São Paulo, Brazil

Written questionnaires (WQ) have been widely used in epidemiologic studies. In order to yield comparable results, they must be validated after translation to another language. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) WQ has been previously validated by a comprehensive study, but its validation in Brazil has not been performed. Our objectives were to validate the rhinitis component of the ISAAC's self-applicable WQ following its translation to Portuguese, and to determine the prevalence of rhinitis and related symptoms among Brazilian children living in the city of São Paulo. A group of 10 pediatricians and 10 pediatric allergists graded the questions from 0 to 2 and established a maximum score for each question. The WQ was answered by parents or guardians of children 6–7 years of age with rhinitis (R) (n = 27) and of control children of the same age without rhinitis (C) (n = 27). The WQ was also completed by adolescents 13–14 years of age with rhinitis (R) (n = 32) and without rhinitis (C) (n = 32). Half of these individuals answered the same WQ after 2–4 weeks, to ensure reproducibility. Cut-off scores of 4 and 3 were identified for the 6–7- and 13–14-year-old groups, respectively, as scores predictive of rhinitis. The prevalence of rhinitis was 28.8% in the group of 3005 children 6–7 years of age and 31.7% in the group of 3008 children 13–14 years of age, respectively. Using the global cut-off score, these prevalences were even higher, in the order of 34.7% and 40.7%, respectively. In conclusion, the rhinitis component of the ISAAC WQ was proven to be reproducible, adequate and able to discriminate children and adolescents with and without rhinitis, and revealed that the prevalence of rhinitis among Brazilian children living in the city of São Paulo was as high as the prevalence of rhinitis in other areas of the world.     

Sustainability Analysis of Processes to Recycle Discharged Lithium-Ion Batteries,Based on the ESCAPE Approach

There are several recycling methods to treat discharged lithium-ion batteries, mostly based on pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical approaches. Some of them are promising, showing high recovery efficiency (over 90%) of strategic metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. However, technological efficiency must also consider the processes sustainability in terms of environmental impact. In this study, some recycling processes of spent lithium-ion batteries were considered, and their sustainability was evaluated based on the ESCAPE “Evaluation of Sustainability of material substitution using CArbon footPrint by a simplifiEd approach” approach, which is a screening tool preliminary to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The work specifically focuses on cobalt recovery comparing the sustainability of using inorganic or organic acid for the leaching of waste derived from lithium-ion batteries. Based on the possibility to compare different processes, for the first time, some considerations about technologies optimization have been done, allowing proposing strategies able to save chemicals. In addition, the energy mix of each country, to generate electricity has been considered, showing its influence on the sustainability evaluation. This allows distinguishing the countries using more low-carbon sources (nuclear and renewables) for a share of the electricity mix, where the recycling processes result more sustainable. Finally, this outcome is reflected by another indicator, the eco-cost from the virtual pollution model 99′ proposed by Vogtländer, which integrates the monetary estimation of carbon footprint.     

Association between socioeconomic factors and origin of hospital referrals among patients with oral cancer

Background The Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) is responsible for offering free assistance to more than 100 million Brazilians, including treatment of oral cancer lesions. Considering that the Brazilian public system aids the most vulnerable population, this study analyzed whether the origin of hospital referrals of patients with oral cancer is associated with socioeconomic factors.Material and Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out from cancer hospital records of the National Cancer Institute (RHC-INCA), considering the primary locations (C00 to C06) diagnosed between 2016 and 2019. Data on gender, skin color (white and non-white), education (no schooling, incomplete or complete elementary education; high school; incomplete and complete higher education) and origin of referral (SUS and non-SUS) were analyzed by multiple logistic regression (p<0.05).Results Higher referral rates by the SUS were observed in 2017 (OR=1.27; 95% CI=1.098-1.480) and 2018 (OR=1.28; 95% CI=1.101-1.490); no differences were found between the years 2016 and 2019. Regarding gender, men were 40% more likely to have the SUS as the source of referral (OR=1.40; 95% CI=1.233-1.600). Non-white individuals were 34% more likely to have the SUS as the source of the referral (OR=1.34; 95% CI=1.190-1.512). Illiterate individuals or individuals who only attended elementary school were 6.38 times more likely to be referred by the SUS than individuals with higher education (OR=6.38; 95% CI=5.228-7.796).Conclusions It is concluded that the origin of hospital referrals via SUS of patients with oral cancer is associated with socioeconomic factors. Key words:Mouth neoplasms, oral diagnosis, health service coverage.