Potential roles of chromium on inflammatory biomarkers in diabetes: A Systematic

Diabetes, as a low‐grade chronic inflammatory disease, causes disruption in proper function of immune and metabolic system. Chromium is an important element required for normal lipid and glucose metabolism. Chromium deficiency is correlated with elevation in cardiometabolic risk, which results from increased inflammation. This systematic review was conducted to discover the potential roles of chromium on inflammatory biomarkers. Eligible studies were all in vitro, animal and human studies published in English‐language journals from inception until October 2018. PubMed, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest and Google Scholar databases were searched to fined interventional studies from the effects of chromium on inflammatory biomarkers such as tumour necrosis factor a (TNF‐a), C‐reactive protein (CRP), interleukins, monocyte chemoattractant protein–1 (MCP‐1), intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) and adipocytokines in hyperglycaemia and diabetes. Out of 647 articles found in the search, only 14 articles were eligible for analysis, three in vitro studies, eight animal studies and three human studies. Twelve of the 14 studies included in this review, chromium significantly decreased inflammatory factors. The findings of this review indicate, based on in vitro and in vivo studies, that chromium might have potential anti‐inflammatory properties, but some of the studies did not show anti‐inflammatory effects for chromium (two studies). There are only three studies in humans with controversial results. Therefore, more consistent randomized double‐blind controlled trials are needed to reach relevant clinical recommendations, as well as to determine the precise mechanism, of chromium on inflammation in diabetes.     

A new immune-competent animal model of mucosally derived squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To develop an immune-competent animal model for mucosally derived squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA). STUDY DESIGN: Fifteen Fischer 344 rats were inoculated with 1, 2, 5, 10, or 20 x 10(6) FAT7 cells in their flanks. The animals were observed for tumor growth and metastasis. RESULTS: All animals developed tumors that grew exponentially. Pulmonary metastases developed in all animals and 13% developed lymph node metastases. CONCLUSION: The FAT7 flank tumor in Fischer 344 rats is a new animal model that closely resembles the behavior of human mucosal head and neck cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: The existence of an immune-competent, mucosally derived, and reliable animal model of SCCA that somewhat resembles human head and neck SCCA gives the opportunity to perform immune-modulating experiments on head and neck cancer in these animals. EBM rating: B-3.     

Data clustering and other archive retrieval strategies for teleradiology and picture archiving and communication systems

A key advantage in the conversion from film-based to digital radiology is the possibility of a long-term on line electronic archival of patient studies. The popular approach based on optical disk jukeboxes for the long-term archive and magnetic disk storage for data caching is not economically attractive because of the cost of both the jukebox and the medium. Strategies for extending the archival system design with a tape jukebox have been studied. The proposed strategy calls for the use of high-ratio lossy compression together with low-cost tape storage to make long-term on line archiving more affordable. An intelligent prefetching algorithm based on hospital information system and radiologic information system triggers, which in turn are augmented by manual case preparation, can effectively overcome the longer latency of ad hoc retrievals. This longer latency is caused by both system-level bottlenecks and the sequential access constraint of the tape drive. Strategies for image clustering and tape allocation by patient classification also enhance retrieval efficiency. This archival design using image compression, prefetching, and clustering could be implemented in many of the existing teleradiology and picture archiving and communication systems.     

Immunohistochemical analysis of survivin expression in thyroid follicular adenoma and carcinoma.

Survivin is one of the 8 members of human inhibitor of apoptosis , which is differentially expressed in cancerous/transformed cells versus normal differentiated tissues. This retrospective study of thyroid histologic samples aimed to assess the clinical usefulness of survivin immunostaining for discrimination between follicular adenoma and carcinoma of thyroid. Immunohistochemical staining for survivin was performed on 41 lesions from patients who had undergone surgery for either follicular adenoma or carcinoma of thyroid. Survivin expression was significantly (P < 0.005) higher in the cases that received a diagnosis of carcinoma in comparison with follicular adenomas cases. Odds ratio of follicular carcinoma for survivin expression was 21.375 (95% CI: 3.283 to 139.177). Our results showed potential value of survivin in discrimination between follicular thyroid adenoma and follicular thyroid carcinoma. We conclude that survivin is a potential candidate for further investigation in the proper histologic diagnosis of thyroid cancers.     

Bioadhesion and biocompatibility evaluations of gelatin and polyacrylic acid as a crosslinked hydrogel in vitro

This study describes the potentiality of crosslinked hydrogels comprised of gelatin and polyacrylic acid (CHGP) as a biological glue for soft tissues and compares its bonding strength with that of fibrin glue. Water-soluble carbodimide (WSC) was used to crosslink the mixture of gelatin and polyacrylic acid (PAA). An addition of PAA to gelatin increases bonding strength and reduces the gelation time and WSC concentration. Increasing the gelatin, WSC and PAA concentration increases the bonding strength. There is a critical concentration to have a maximum bonding strength. The cured hydrogel exhibited sufficient adhesion to mouse skin with a higher bonding strength than fibrin glue. The in vitro test has been done for evaluating CHGP toxicity.     

Evaluating the efficacy and safety of vascular IPL for treatment of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis: a randomized controlled trial

Lasers in Medical Science - Treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) continues to be a health concern, and alternative therapies with fewer side effects are substantially needed. This study aimed...     

A novel SRD5A2 mutation in an Iranian family with sex development disorder

Disorders of sex development (DSD) are different types of conditions that their accurate diagnosis by using conventional phenotypic and biochemical approaches is a challenging issue. Precise determination of DSD is critical due to the detection of possible life-threatening associated disorders. It may also assist parents in choosing the most suitable management for their affected child. In this study, two affected kids born from consanguineous families who were clinically diagnosed for sex development disorder were investigated for the main cause of the disease. Biochemical analysis failed to make an accurate diagnosis. Karyotype analysis showed an abnormal sex chromosome pattern. Whole exome sequencing was sequentially applied to precisely ascertain the genetic cause of the disease. A novel deletion, g.40936_53878del12943insTG (NG_008365.1), and one known mutation, c.586G>A (p.Gly196Ser), were detected in SRD5A2 gene in case I and case II respectively. Further analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction, primer walking and Sanger sequencing to detect the nucleotides changes accurately. Segregation analysis in the families confirmed 13kb novel homozygous deletion of SRD5A2 in case I and c.586G>A in case II. The present study confirms the diagnostic value of whole exome sequencing in the detection of DSD aetiology, especially when several differential diagnoses are possible.