Electrical lymph node scanning (ELS) system for real-time intra-operative detection of involved axillary lymph nodes in adjuvant breast cancer patients.

Lymph node (LN) status is an essential prognostic factor in breast cancer (BC) patients, with an important role in the surgical and therapeutic plan. Recently, we have been developed a novel system for real-time intra-operative electrical LN scanning in BC patients. The ELS scores were calibrated by pathological evaluation of the LNs. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy of ELS in a prospective study for non-chemo-treated breast cancer patients. This is a prospective study in which ELS scores are blind for pathologists who declare the clearance or involvement of LNs based on permanent pathology as the gold standard. ELS and frozen-section (FS) pathology results were achieved intra-operatively, and samples were sent for the permanent pathology. The score of ELS did not affect the surgeons' decision, and the treatment approach was carried out based on FS pathology and pre-surgical data, such as imaging and probable biopsies. Patients were recruited from October 2021 through November 2022, and 381 lymph nodes of 97 patients were included in the study. In this study we recruited 38 patients (39.2%) with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and 59 patients (60.8%) with ALND. Of the 381 LNs scored by ELS, 329 sentinel LNs underwent routine pathology, while others (n = 52) underwent both FS and permanent pathology. ELS showed a sensitivity of 91.4% for node-positive patients, decreasing to 84.8% when considering all LNs. Using ROC analysis, ELS diagnosis showed a significant AUC of 0.878 in relation to the permanent pathology gold standard. Comparison of ELS diagnosis for different tumor types and LN sizes demonstrated no significant differences, while increasing LN size correlated with enhanced ELS sensitivity. This study confirmed ELS's efficacy in real-time lymph node detection among non-chemo-treated breast cancer patients. The use of ELS's pathological scoring for intra-operative LN diagnosis, especially in the absence of FS pathology or for non-sentinel LN involvement, could improve prognosis and reduce complications by minimizing unnecessary dissection.

Designing a virtual breast cancer prevention program for Iranian women: A study protocol.

BACKGROUND: The growing number of breast cancer patients in Iran, following the lower referrals of women to screening centers after the outbreak of the COVID-19, suggests the need for designing virtual educational interventions to teach self-care methods to women. The aim of this study is to design a virtual training program for the prevention of breast cancer in women based on the steps of the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) educational design model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This developmental study will be conducted based on the steps of the ADDIE model. In the first step (analysis), a qualitative study, literature review, and a panel of experts will be conducted to analyze the situation (learners, content, platforms, and media for the electronic presentation of the program). In the design step, the learning objectives, educational strategies, and the way of program's implementation and evaluation will be specified. In the third step, not only are the content, storyboard, and educational program developed, but the pilot study is also conducted and formative assessment is performed. In the fourth step, the program will be provided to the audience and will be implemented as a preliminary program. In the final step, the final virtual education program for the prevention of breast cancer in women will be presented based on the results of the evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Using a comprehensive and systematic educational design model can be a step toward making changes and encouraging innovations in breast cancer prevention education programs in women based on virtual education. Given the existing needs and conditions, this program can promote cancer preventive behaviors as much as possible, reduce the costs imposed on the family and healthcare systems, and lower the complications and mortality rate caused by the delayed diagnosis of the disease.

Evaluation of Melatonin and its Nanostructures Effects on Skin Disorders Focused on Wound Healing.

Skin is the largest organ of the human body functioning as a great primitive defensive barrier against different harmful environmental factors. However, it is damaged through varying injuries such as different wounds, burns, and skin cancers that cause disruption in internal organs and essential mechanisms of the body through inflammation, oxidation, coagulation problems, infection, etc. Melatonin is the major hormone of the pineal gland that is also effective in skin disorders due to strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory features with additional desirable antiapoptotic, anti-cancer, and antibiotic properties. However, melatonin characteristics require improvements due to its limited water solubility, halflife and stability. The application of nanocarrier systems can improve its solubility, permeability, and efficiency, as well as inhibit its degradation and promote photostability. Our main purpose in the current review is to explore the possible role of melatonin and melatonin-containing nanocarriers in skin disorders focused on wounds. Additionally, melatonin's effect in regenerative medicine and its structures as a wound dressing in skin damage has been considered.

Unusual Site of Dermoid Cyst.

Epidermoid and dermoid cysts are benign tumors lined by stratified squamous epithelium. Any region of the body that is covered by squamous epithelium has the potential ability to develop them. Herein, we reported two rare cases with benign cystic teratoma at unusual sites in the genital system. The first case was a 29-year-old G1P1L1 female admitted in our center with pelvic pain 2 months ago. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a mass in the posterior cul-de-sac with severe fat content. The patient underwent laparoscopy. Histopathological study of the removed mass showed a dermoid cyst. The second patient was a 35-year-old G3L1Ab2 female who was admitted to our clinic with the chief complaint of abnormal uterine bleeding since one year ago. The ultrasonography represents a hyperecho 65 × 27 mm mass lesion in the endometrial canal progressing toward cervical canal. After laparotomy, a degenerated myoma was resected. Surprisingly, histopathological study of the removed mass showed a mature cystic teratoma. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first study which reports cystic teratomas in the cervix region.

Tumor characteristics and survival rate of HER2-low breast cancer patients: a retrospective cohort study.

HER2 is an important prognostic marker in breast cancer (BC) patients, which also plays a crucial role in their therapeutic plan. Consequently, a great desire is to thoroughly assess the patients based on their HER2 status. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate HER2-low breast cancer as a new subtype in the standard classification of BC patients and review its characteristics and survival rate in a tertiary center in Iran. We retrospectively evaluated disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and clinicopathological characteristics of BC patients referred to the Cancer Research Center in Tehran, Iran from 1991 to 2022. Patients' clinical characteristics, including HER2 status, which is classified as HER2-low, HER2-positive, or HER2-negative, were obtained from prospectively maintained registries. Among the total 3582 recruited patients, 60.2%, 13.6%, and 26.2% were HER2-negative, HER2-low, and HER2-positive, respectively. HER2-positive patients showed a significantly higher Hazard Ratio (HR) for DFS (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.01-2.05) and OS (HR 2.05, 95% CI 1.31-3.20), compared to HER2-low. Moreover, HER2-low and HER2-negative were found to show the same proportion of high-grade tumors (28 and 28.4%), while 40% of the HER2-positive tumors were high-grade. Accordingly, HER2-low patients had a lower metastasis risk than the others (P-value = 0.01). The Ki67 percentage was significantly lower in the HER2-low group compared to the HER2-positive (P-value < 0.001). HER2-low, a new subtype of HER2-status classification with distinct biological and clinicopathological traits, represented the highest survival rate and less invasive characteristics. This difference was statistically significant when compared to HER2-positive, but not when compared to HER2-negative.Research registration unique identifying number: NCT05754047.

Recent Advances in CRISPR/Cas9 Delivery Approaches for Therapeutic Gene Editing of Stem Cells.

Rapid advancement in genome editing technologies has provided new promises for treating neoplasia, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and monogenic disorders. Recently, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system has emerged as a powerful gene editing tool offering advantages, including high editing efficiency and low cost over the conventional approaches. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), with their great proliferation and differentiation potential into different cell types, have been exploited in stem cell-based therapy. The potential of hPSCs and the capabilities of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has been paradigm-shifting in medical genetics for over two decades. Since hPSCs are categorized as hard-to-transfect cells, there is a critical demand to develop an appropriate and effective approach for CRISPR/Cas9 delivery into these cells. This review focuses on various strategies for CRISPR/Cas9 delivery in stem cells.

Aptamer-functionalized mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes for targeted delivery of SN38 to colon cancer cells.

Objectives: Known as natural nanovesicles, exosomes have attracted increased attention as biocompatible carriers throughout recent years, which can provide appropriate sources for incorporating and transferring drugs to desired cells in order to improve their effectiveness and safety. Materials and Methods: This study implicates the isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from adipocyte tissue (ADSCs) to acquire a proper amount of exosomes for drug delivery. As the exosomes were separated by ultracentrifugation, SN38 was entrapped into ADSCs-derived exosomes through the combination method of incubation, freeze-thaw, and surfactant treatment (SN38/Exo). Then, SN38/Exo was conjugated with anti-MUC1 aptamer (SN38/Exo-Apt), and its targeting ability and cytotoxicity towards cancer cells were investigated. Results: Encapsulation efficiency of SN38 into exosomes (58%) was significantly increased using our novel combination method. Furthermore, the in vitro results were indicative of the great cellular uptake of SN38/Exo-Apt and its significant cytotoxicity on Mucin 1 overexpressing cells (C26 cancer cells) without noticeable cytotoxicity on normal cells (CHO cells). Conclusion: The results propose that our approach developed an efficient method for loading SN38 as a hydrophobic drug into exosomes and decorating them with MUC1 aptamer against Mucin 1 overexpressing cells. So, SN38/Exo-Apt could be considered a great platform in the future for the therapy of colorectal cancer.

Interleukin gene delivery for cancer gene therapy: In vitro and in vivo studies.

Cytokine-mediated cancer therapy has the potential to enhance immunotherapeutic approaches and cancer elimination plans through the endowing of the immune system by providing improved anticancer immunity. Despite the encouraging pioneer studies on interleukins (ILs), the influence of ILs-originated therapeutics is still restricted by a class of potent immunoregulatory cytokines, systemic dose-limiting toxicities, ILs pleiotropy, and administration issues. During previous years, the area of transferring genes encoding immunostimulatory ILs was fundamentally widened to overcome these challenges and expedite ILs-based tumor regression. Numerous viral and non-viral delivery systems are currently available to act as crucial elements of the gene therapy toolbox. Moreover, cell-based cancer therapies are recruiting MSCs in the role of versatile gene delivery platforms to design one of the promising therapeutic approaches. These formulated gene carrier systems can provide possible alternatives to diminish dose-limiting adverse effects, promote administration, and enhance the therapeutic activity of ILs-derived treatment modalities in cancer treatment. This review provides a discussion on the advances of ILs gene delivery systems while focusing on the developing platforms in preclinical cancer immunogene therapy studies.

The effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Cichorium intybus leaf on aryl hydrocarbon receptor expression in the testis of Wistar rats exposed to cigarette smoke.

Objective: Cigarette smoke (CS) contains compounds such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Oxidative stress caused by excessive ROS eventually leads to germ cell apoptosis and male infertility. The leaves of Cichorium intybus (chicory) are rich in natural antioxidants, but their protective effects on the adverse effects of CS on testicular tissue have not been studied. Materials and Methods: 24 Wistar rats were classified into four groups: control, extract: treatment with chicory extract (200 mg/kg body weight/day) for 13 weeks, smoke: exposed to CS for 13 weeks, and smoke + extract: exposed to CS and treated with the C. intybus extract. Histological and biochemical analyses and apoptosis assay were done, and Ahr, and Cyp1a1 expression was determined. Results: Treatment with C. intybus compensated for the reduction of Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and spermatids caused by CS. Chicory extract reduced free radicals and improved antioxidant status. The lowest and highest percentage of apoptotic cells was observed in the extract and smoke groups, respectively, while simultaneous treatment with C. intybus extract led to a significant reduction of apoptotic cells. The mean Ahr levels in the control, extract, smoke and smoke + extract groups were 1.00±0.57, 1.93±0.25, 5.98±0.42, and 0.62±0.22, respectively (p˂0.05). The mean levels of Cyp1a1 expression in the control, extract, smoke and smoke + extract groups were 1.00±0.31, 2.28±0.65, 5.55±0.40, and 0.21±0.23 (p˂0.05). Conclusion: The C. intybus extract probably affected Cyp1a1 expression by downregulation of Ahr. These led to a decrease in free radicals and apoptosis, and an improvement in antioxidant status.

Targeted delivery of galbanic acid to colon cancer cells by PLGA nanoparticles incorporated into human mesenchymal stem cells.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of mesenchyme stem cells (MSCs) derived from human adipose tissue (hMSCs) as carriers for delivery of galbanic acid (GBA), a potential anticancer agent, loaded into poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (nano-engineered hMSCs) against tumor cells. Materials and Methods: GBA-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (PLGA/GBA) were prepared by single emulsion method and their physicochemical properties were evaluated. Then, PLGA/GBA nanoparticles were incorporated into hMSCs (hMSC/PLGA-GBA) and their migration ability and cytotoxicity against colon cancer cells were investigated. Results: The loading efficiency of PLGA/GBA nanoparticles with average size of 214±30.5 nm into hMSCs, was about 85 and 92% at GBA concentration of 20 and 40 µM, respectively. Nano-engineered hMSCs showed significant higher migration to cancer cells (C26) compared to normal cells (NIH/3T3). Furthermore, nano-engineered hMSCs could effectively induce cell death in C26 cells in comparison with non-engineered hMSCs. Conclusion: hMSCs could be implemented for efficient loading of PLGA/GBA nanoparticles to produce a targeted cellular carrier against cancer cells. Thus, according to minimal toxicity on normal cells, it deserves to be considered as a valuable platform for drug delivery in cancer therapy.

Conjugated PNC-27 peptide/PEI-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) as a double targeting agent for early cancer diagnosis: In vitro study.

Objectives: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been considered promising non-invasive imaging tools in medicine. However, their high surface energy leads to NPs aggregation, while non-targeted SPIONs can cause cytotoxic effects on normal cells. In this work, we evaluated the in vitro potential of polyethyleneimine (PEI)-SPIONs targeted by PNC-27 peptide as a double targeting agent throughout early cancer diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Initially, PEI was conjugated to PNC-27 with HDM-2-binding domain. Then, SPIONs were loaded into PEI-PNC-27 through the ligand exchange method. The physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized NPs were evaluated. The cytotoxicity and targeting efficiency were assayed against HT-29 and CT-26 cell lines along with NIH-3t3 as normal cells by MTT method and Prussian blue staining test, respectively. Results: The mean diameter of synthesized carriers was obtained in the range of 86.6 - 116.1 nm with a positive charge. According to the cytotoxicity results, the binding and uptake abilities of the PNC-27 peptide by cancer cells were significantly higher than that of the NIH-3t3 cells. However, the results were indicative of the more toxic impacts of targeted synthesized NPs against CT-26 cancer cell line when being compared with HT-29 cells, which may be caused by the different cytotoxicity mechanisms of NPs. In addition, the targeted carriers and SPIONs were present inside and around the cells with HDM-2 expression along with only a few non-targeted vectors, while displaying no appearance throughout the normal cell. Conclusion: The results indicated the efficiency of targeted PEI-coated SPIONs for cancer diagnostic applications.

Melanoma-derived exosomes: Versatile extracellular vesicles for diagnosis, metastasis, immune modulation, and treatment of melanoma.

Malignant melanoma is one of the most aggressive human neoplasms responsible for the majority of skin cancer-related deaths in its advanced stages. Achieving a thorough knowledge of reliable tumor-originated biomarkers and molecular mechanisms can provide many practical approaches and guide the way towards the design of rational curative therapies to improve the survival rate of patients. Cancer cells, including melanoma cells, release high amounts of a broad family of nanovesicles, containing different biochemical messages. Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are generated by different cell populations and participate in the intercellular communication of surrounding and distant cells/tissues. Exosome cargo consists of several biologically active proteins and genomic components. Tumor cells tend to release exosomes throughout the tumor microenvironment, which affects the biological performance of recipient cells. Recent evidence provides new perspective in melanoma management, showing that melanoma-derived exosomes (MEXs) may represent a valuable tool for melanoma diagnosis and treatment. This review presents a summary of the potential role of MEXs in the early diagnosis of melanoma. More importantly, we also discuss the capacity of MEXs in reproducing numerous tumor-related functions required for angiogenesis, immune system modulation, induction of migration and metastatic spread, tumor chemotherapy resistance, and melanoma tumor progression and survival. Considering the advent of novel bioengineering and immunotherapy approaches, natural exosomes can be exerted as nanocarriers and cancer vaccines to facilitate the conduction of more efficient cancer treatment.

Ethanol Sclerotherapy versus Laparoscopic Surgery in Management of Ovarian Endometrioma; a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: A variety of therapeutic modalities are available in management of ovarian endometrioma. This study aimed to compare the effects of ethanol sclerotherapy and laparoscopic surgery on disease recurrence and ovarian factors of these patients. Methods: 70 women with ovarian endometrioma and chronic pelvic pain were randomly divided into two groups. The first group underwent sclerotherapy with a puncture needle (cook) and the second group underwent laparoscopic surgery. Both groups were followed up every three months to investigate the recurrence rate. In this regard, ultrasonography was performed 3 months and 12 months after treatment, and serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels were also reassessed 12 weeks after the intervention. Results: 70 women with the mean age of 31.46 ± 4.71 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) of 23.12 ± 1.01 were studied. The two groups were similar regarding age (p = 0.770), BMI (p = 0.371), history of gastrointestinal signs (p = 0.794), history of urinary diseases (p = 0.324), dysmenorrhea (p = 0.403), pelvic pain (p = 0.454), dyspareunia (p = 0.448), location of cyst (p = 0.448), and diameter of cyst (p = 0.250). In the laparoscopic group, a significant decrease in anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels was observed after 12 weeks (p < 0.0001), while in the sclerotherapy group, no significant changes were found between pre-and post-operative AMH levels (p = 0.120). Cyst size decreased significantly in both groups three months (p < 0.001) and twelve months (p < 0.0001) after treatment. In the third month, 8 patients in the sclerotherapy group and 13 patients in the laparoscopic group had recurrences, and in the twelfth month, 17 patients in the sclerotherapy group and 15 patients in the laparoscopic group had recurrence of symptoms (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Although AMH level and mean cyst diameter were significantly lower one year after laparoscopy, recurrence rate of ovarian endometrioma was similar between ethanol sclerotherapy and laparoscopy methods.

Synergistic anticancer effects of curcumin and crocin on human colorectal cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Curcumin, a polyphenol compound derived from the Curcuma longa L, and crocin, a hydrophilic carotenoid from Crocus Sativus Linnaeus, are traditionally used in food preparations in many countries and could act as chemopreventive compounds against several diseases, including cancer. In this study, the synergistic effect of curcumin and crocin was investigated for the first time on inducing apoptosis and suppressing colorectal cancer cells (SW-480 cell line). METHODS AND RESULTS: MTT, Annexin V-FITC/PI, and DAPI staining tests were employed to evaluate cell viability and apoptosis induction, respectively. The combined effect of curcumin and crocin on the expression of genes involved in apoptosis and proliferation was quantified using real-time PCR. The combination therapy effect on cell cycle progression was also evaluated by flow cytometry. Based on the obtained results, curcumin and crocin treatment could cooperatively reduce cell viability and induce apoptosis in SW-480 cells by modulating the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, Jak2, Stat3, and Akt1 genes. Besides, curcumin and crocin were able to synergistically increase the cell cycle arrest at the sub G1 phase, induce autophagy and decrease the clonogenic ability of SW-480 cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that curcumin and crocin combination could be considered a more effective therapeutic strategy for inhibiting colorectal cancer.

Thymoquinone-loaded mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosome as an efficient nano-system against breast cancer cells.

Objectives: Exosomes became the subject of extensive research in drug delivery approach due to their potential applicability as therapeutic tools for cancer therapy. Thymoquinone (Tq) is an anti-cancer agent due to its great anti-proliferative effect. However, poor solubility and weak bioavailability restrict its therapeutic applications. In this study, exosomes secreted from human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSCs) were isolated and the efficacy of a novel encapsulation method for loading of Tq was investigated. Finally, the cytotoxic effect of Tq incorporated exosomes against cancer cells was evaluated. Materials and Methods: Exosomes secreted from AdMSCs were isolated via ultracentrifugation and characterized by electron microscopy and western blotting. Then, through a novel encapsulation approach, Tq was loaded into exosomes by the combination of three methods including incubation, freeze-thawing, and surfactant treatment. Then, the encapsulation efficiency, in vitro cellular uptake, and cytotoxicity of Tq incorporated exosomes (Tq@EXOs) in MCF7 and L929 cells were estimated. Results: Tq loading into exosomes through our novel method caused a significant improvement in encapsulation efficiency of about 60%. The fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry outcomes indicated the efficient uptake of Tq@EXOs-FITC by cells throughout 4 hr. Furthermore, MTT results displayed the ability of Tq@EXOs in effectively decreasing the cell viability of MCF7 without causing any obvious cytotoxicity on L929 as normal cells. Conclusion: The results suggest that our approach provides effective loading of Tq into exosomes which offer a valuable and safe platform for drug delivery to cancer cells thus having a great potential for clinical studies.

Design, implementation, and evaluation of self-care program in the prevention of breast cancer among women in Isfahan: a community-based participatory action research protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers among women in Isfahan, Iran; however, its prevention is not desirable in this city. This disease poses several health, social and economic challenges for women. To promote women's self-care in breast cancer prevention, this study aims to design, implement and evaluate a self-care program among women in Isfahan through using a community-based participatory action research method. METHODS: The present study is based on a community-based participatory action research approach. In this study, the participatory action research includes four general phases of organizing, action planning, action, and rethinking. These phases are summarized as follows: In the organizing phase, the needs of the participants and the action research settings are examined. This means that the current situation is identified and the views of the process owners are assessed. In the action planning phase, using the results of the first phase, some strategies are designed to promote self-care behaviors in the prevention of breast cancer among women in Isfahan. In the implementation phase, the selected strategies are implemented with the help of the process owners. Finally, in the rethinking phase, the results of the implementation of the strategies are monitored and evaluated. This cycle continues until the intended results are achieved. DISCUSSION: Changing the role of individuals from a passive status to an aware and active status in the care process requires motivation, responsibility, and active participation of individuals in the disease control process. Moreover, many cultural and social factors affect the active participation of Iranian women. Therefore, individuals can be involved in promoting their health using a community-based participatory action research approach.

Recent advances in development of nano-carriers for immunogene therapy in various complex disorders.

Immunotherapy is a novel preference for the treatment of various complex diseases. Considering the application of varying agents for suppression or activation of the immune system, immunogene therapy was confirmed to stand as a proper alternative for other immunotherapeutic strategies due to its capability in targeting cells with more specificity that leads to controlling the expression of therapeutic genes. This method facilitates the local and single-dose application of most gene therapies that result in the usage of high therapeutic doses with a low risk of systemic side effects while being cost-efficient in long-term administrations. However, the existing barriers between the administration site and cell nucleus limited the clinical uses of genetic materials. These challenges can be overcome through the promising method of exerting non-carriers with high stability, low toxicity/immunogenicity, and simple modifications. In this study, we attempted to review the potential of nanoparticle application throughout the immunogene therapy of different diseases including cancer, microbial diseases, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and respiratory infections. We included the outline of some challenges and opportunities in regards to the delivery of genetic materials that are based on nano-systems through immunotherapy of these disorders. Next to the promising future of these vectors, more detailed analyses are required to overcome the current limitations in clinical approaches.

Development of targeted gene delivery system based on liposome and PAMAM dendrimer functionalized with hyaluronic acid and TAT peptide: In vitro and in vivo studies.

The development of gene delivery systems is essential to improve their transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity. Combination of lipid and polymeric nanoparticles with the characteristics of both systems have been considered as a next-generation gene delivery platform. In the current study, we designed a novel and efficient targeted gene delivery system based on liposome and PAMAM dendrimer in cancer cells. Two polymeric formulations containing polyamidoamine-TAT (PAMAM-TAT) and PAMAM-TAT-Hyaluronic acid (HA) and two lipopolymeric carriers including PAMAM-TAT-Liposome and PAMAM-TAT-HA-Liposome were complexed with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) plasmid and then evaluated in terms of physicochemical characteristics. The cytotoxicity and transfection efficiency of these synthetized carriers were accomplished against murine colon carcinoma cell line (C26). The biodistribution of polyplexes and lipoployplexes was also evaluated in the C26 tumor bearing mice. The results showed no significant toxicity for all designed nanoparticles (NPs) in C/P4. The highest gene expression was observed using lipopolyplex PAMAM-TAT-HA-Liposome in C/P4 (ratio polymer/DNA; wt/wt). Biodistribution study demonstrated more aggregation of targeted lipopolyplex in tumor cells than other nanoparticles (NPs). It could be concluded that the developed targeted lipopolymeric complex could serve as promising nanotherapeutic system for gene therapy.

The association among calorie, macronutrient, and micronutrient intake with colorectal cancer: A case-control study.

The risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) can be influenced by dietary components. This study aims to investigate the association between dietary intake and CRC in Iranian adults. This hospital-based case-control study was performed on 160 patients with CRC and 320 healthy people. General and pathological data were collected through face-to-face interviews. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess the intake of calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients. The case group had a significantly higher intake of calories, carbohydrates, vitamin A, vitamin K, fluoride, and molybdenum and a lower intake of vitamin E, vitamin B1, beta carotene, biotin, folate, magnesium, selenium, manganese, and fiber (all p < .001). CRC was positively associated with the intake of carbohydrate (OR: 1.01, CI% 1.03-1.01, p = .001), and vitamin A (OR: 1.009, CI 95% 1.006-1.01, p = .001) and negatively associated with intake of fiber (OR: 0.67, CI 95% 0.59-0.76, p = .001), beta carotene (OR: 0.99, CI 95% 0.99-0.99, p = .001), vitamin E (OR: 0.27, CI 95% 0.15-0.47, p = .001), folate (OR: 0.98 CI 95% 0.97-0.98, p = .001), and biotin (OR: 0.83, CI 95% 0.77-0.90, p = .001). The associations remained significant after adjusting for age and sex. Further adjustments for physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking did not change the results. The results identified that the risk of colorectal cancer can be influenced by dietary intake. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings and to identify the underlying mechanisms of the effects of dietary components on the risk of colorectal cancer.

Smart delivery of epirubicin to cancer cells using aptamer-modified ferritin nanoparticles.

Epirubicin (Epi) is a chemotherapy agent which is commonly used in treatment of cancers. However, despite being efficient, the tendency to use this drug is declining mostly due to its myocardiopathy and drug-resistance of tumour cells. Such side effects could be prevented using targeted nanocarriers. This study aims to evaluate targeted delivery of Epi to colon cancer cells using ferritin nanoparticles (Ft NPs) and mucin 1 (MUC1) aptamer (Apt) and formation of Apt-Epi Ft NPs. In the current study, Apt-Epi Ft NPs were prepared. Then, physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, including size and zeta potential, morphology, drug loading, drug release from nanoparticles, drug uptake of cancer cells, cytotoxicity and in vivo results were collected. The results showed that the nanoparticles were synthesised with a mean size of 37.9 nm and encapsulation efficiency of 67%. The drug release from these nanoparticles was about 90% within 4 h in acidic medium. Also, targeted delivery of Epi enhanced its anticancer effects in both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, targeted delivery of Epi using Apt-modified Ft NPs improved in vitro and in vivo results which indicates that it could be useful as a successful drug delivery system against cancer cells.