Treatment of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related Kaposi's sarcoma with bleomycin as a single agent.

A nonrandomized trial was conducted to assess the efficiency and toxicity of bleomycin as a single agent in treatment of non-life-threatening AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Sixty patients were enrolled in this study. They all had a disseminated and progressive non-life-threatening AIDS-related KS associated with systemic symptoms and/or CD4 lymphocyte count less than 400/mm3. Thirty patients were treated with intramuscular bleomycin (5 mg/d for 3 days every 2 or 3 weeks) and 30 others with a slow continuous intravenous infusion of bleomycin (6 mg/m3/d for 4 days every 4 weeks). The mean duration of therapy was 5 months (range, 2 to 24 months). A partial response was observed in 29 patients (48.3%) and the disease was stabilized in 18 additional patients (30%). Bleomycin failed in 21.6% of patients. Therapy had to be discontinued in two patients because of side effects. Thus bleomycin as a single agent is a good alternative therapy for AIDS-related KS.     

In vitro biological properties and health benefits of a novel sulfated polysaccharide isolated from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cymodocea nodosa</Emphasis>

Background

During the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in the search for novel bioactive compounds from marine origins.

Methods

The present study is the first to determine the molecular characterization which it was deposited in the genebank database, to investigate and evaluate the biological properties of sulfated polysaccharide from Cymodocea nodosa (CNSP) seagrass.

Results

The results revealed that CNSP had high activity in total antioxidant assay (59.03 mg ascorbic acid equivalents/g extract), reducing power (OD?=?0.3), DPPH radical scavenging (IC₅₀?=?1.22 mg/ml) and ABTS radical scavenging (IC₅₀?=?1.14 mg/ml). It was also noted to exhibit antimicrobial activity against a wide range of microorganisms, with important inhibition zones. The results revealed that CNSP was able to inhibit the proliferation of Hela cell lines with a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusion

Overall, the results presented in this study demonstrate that CNSP has several attractive antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative properties with potential benefits towards health.

     

Adsorption Study of Congo Red Dye from Synthetic Wastewater at Different Concentrations Using Zinc Sulfide Nanoparticles

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles were fabricated using the chemical precipitation method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used to investigate the structural parameters of the formed ZnS. The hexagonal crystal structure of the Zn and ZnS phases was formed. The average crystallite size of the ZnS phase is 10.3 nm, which is much smaller than that of the Zn phase (54.5 nm). Several frequencies and phonon modes were detected in the Raman scattering spectrum belonging to the ZnS nanoparticles. The synthesized ZnS nanoparticles were used as catalysts to eliminate the Congo red (CR) dye, with different concentrations, from synthetic wastewater. The impact of the CR dye concentration and shaking period on the adsorption of CR was thoroughly investigated, and various adsorption kinetic models were tested. After 3 h of shaking, the adsorption efficiency reached 26.01% for 40 mg/L CR dye and 27.84% for 20 mg/L CR dye. The adsorption capacities of the CR dye in the presence of ZnS are 16% and 9% for 40 and 20 mg/L, respectively. Based on the correlation factor, the intraparticle diffusion kinetic model was considered the best of the tested models.     

Effect of VEGF and VEGF Trap on vascular endothelial cell signaling in tumors

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) A is a major promoter of tumor angiogenesis and a prime target of antiangiogenic cancer therapy. To examine whether endothelial cell signaling might provide histological biomarkers of angiogenesis and VEGF activity in vivo, normal mouse organs and multiple tumor models were studied immunohistochemically for endothelial expression of activated ERK, STAT3 and AKT. Phospho(p)-ERK and p-STAT3 expression was negligible in the endothelia of normal organs but was significantly elevated in tumor endothelium. p-AKT was present at significant and comparable levels in both tumor and normal endothelia. In K1735 tumors induced to express more VEGF, endothelial p-ERK, p-STAT3 and p-AKT increased accompanied by signs of accelerated angiogenesis. Treatment of K1735 and Colo-205 tumors with the VEGF inhibitor, VEGF Trap (aflibercept), decreased tumor endothelial p-ERK, p-STAT3 and p-AKT expression accompanied by signs of antiangiogenic effect. These results show that endothelial p-ERK and p-STAT3 (but not p-AKT) distinguish tumor from normal vessels and that the presence of these two signaling intermediates may be useful indicators of tumor angiogenic activity and angiogenesis inhibition by VEGF antagonists.Key words: VEGF, VEGF Trap, endothelial cells, signal transduction, angiogenesis, biomarker, p-ERK, p-STAT3, p-AKT     

Hyperparathyroïdie maligne compliquée de calcifications diffuses avec atteinte pulmonaire chez un patient hémodialysé chronique

Metastatic calcifications are a potentially severe complication of end-stage renal disease. In the lungs, they are often asymptomatic with a possible lethal evolution. We report the clinical case of a chronic hemodialysis patient who died from extensive metastatic calcifications both vascular and visceral specially localized in the lungs. This evolution was secondary to non compliance of the patient to the treatment of a malignant hyperparathyroidism with an important elevation of phosphocalcium product.     

Alteration in systemic markers of oxidative and antioxidative status in Tunisian patients with asthma: relationships with clinical severity and airflow limitation

Objective: This study aims to determine the systemic oxidant-antioxidant status in Tunisian patients with asthma. Methods: We evaluated the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) as thiobarbituric acid complexes, total protein carbonyls (PCs) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP). The levels of total thiols, protein sulfhydryls, glutathione (GSH), together with hydrogen peroxide, ascorbic acid, iron and total antioxidant status (TAS) were colorimetrically estimated. Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were assessed in plasma and erythrocytes by spectrophotometry. We also determined the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite in plasma from asthmatic patients and healthy controls. The volume of fractionated exhaled NO (Fe_NO) was evaluated by the Medisoft HypAir method. Estimation of DNA damage was determined using the comet assay. Results: Asthmatic patients showed increased levels of MDA in comparison to healthy controls (p?<?0.001), while no significant difference was found in protein carbonyls (p?=?0.79) and AOPP (p?=?0.98). Patients with asthma also had significantly lower levels of total thiols (355.9?±?15.72 versus 667.9?±?22.65, p?<?0.001), protein sulfhydryls (333.99?±?16.41 versus 591.95?±?24.28, p?<?0.001) and glutathione (p?<?0.001). They also showed decreased GSH-Px activity (p?<?0.001), whereas no significant differences in measurements of catalase and SOD enzyme activities were observed between the two groups (respectively, p?=?0.06 and p?=?0.55). In addition, ascorbic acid and nitric oxide levels were decreased in asthmatics in comparison to controls (p?<?0.01). Conclusions: Our findings highlight that oxidative stress and defective anti-oxidative status are major alterations in Tunisian patients with asthma.     

Hemophagocytic syndrome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a prospective observational study

The aim of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the incidence of hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Between July 2006 and December 2007, all patients who received a HSCT in our institution were included in this study. All the following criteria were needed for the diagnosis of HPS: sustained fever over 7 days; cytopenia (neutropenia and/or thrombocytopenia); presence of more than 3% mature macrophages in bone marrow; hyperferritinaemia (>1,000 ng/mL). During this study, 171 patients received a HSCT (68 allogeneic and 103 autologous). The median age was 32 years (3–62). We observed six cases of HPS (6/68; 8.8%) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT): one case of EBV-related HPS, two cases of CMV-related HPS, and three cases with no evidence of bacterial, fungal or viral infections. We observed only one case of CMV-related HPS (1/103; 0.9%) after autologous stem cell transplantation. Four patients died despite aggressive supportive care. To our knowledge, this is the first prospective observational study conducted with the aim to evaluate the incidence of HPS after HSCT. This study provides a relatively high incidence of HPS after ASCT. When sustained fever with progressive cytopenia and hyperferritinaemia are observed, HPS should be suspected, and bone marrow aspirate considered. The rapid diagnosis of HPS and the early initiation of an appropriate treatment are essential for patient management.