Insights of early feeding regime supplemented with glutamine and various levels of omega-3 in broiler chickens: growth performance, muscle building, antioxidant capacity, intestinal barriers health and defense against mixed Eimeria spp infection.

Early nutritional management approach greatly impacts broilers' performance and resistance against coccidiosis. The current study explored the impact of post-hatch feeding with a combination of glutamine (Glut) and different levels of omega-3 on broiler chickens' growth performance, muscle building, intestinal barrier, antioxidant ability and protection against avian coccidiosis. A total of six hundred Cobb 500 was divided into six groups: first group (fed basal diet and unchallenged (control) and challenged (negative control, NC) groups were fed a basal diet without additives, and the other groups were infected with Eimeria spp and supplemented with 1.5% Glut alone or with three different levels of omega-3 (0.25, 0.5 and 1%) during the starter period. Notable improvement in body weight gain was observed in the group which fed basal diet supplemented with glut and 1% omega 3 even after coccidia infection (increased by 25% compared challenged group) while feed conversion ratio was restored to control. Myogeneis was enhanced in the group supplemented with Glut and omega-3 (upregulation of myogenin, MyoD, mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase and insulin like growth factor-1 and downregulating of myostatin genes). Groups supplemented with Glut and higher levels of omega-3 highly expressed occluding, mucin-2, junctional Adhesion Molecule 2, b-defensin-1 and cathelicidins-2 genes. Group fed 1% Glut + omega-3 showed an increased total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase and super oxide dismutase enzymes activities with reduced levels of malondialdehyde, reactive oxygen species and H2O2. Post-infection, dietary Glut and 1% omega-3 increased intestinal interleukin-10 (IL) and secretory immunoglobulin-A and serum lysozyme, while decreased the elevated inflammatory mediators comprising interleukin IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, nitric oxide (NO) and inducible NO synthase. Fecal oocyst excretion and lesions score severity were lowered in the group fed 1% Glut and omega 3. Based on these findings, dietary Glut and omega-3 supplementation augmented restored overall broilers' performance after coccidial challenge.

Correction to: Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and in vitro anticancer activity of new platinum(II) complexes with some thione ligands in the presence of triethylphosphine.

Due to an unfortunate turn of events, the main affiliation of Dr. Saleh Altuwaijri was omitted from the above mentioned three articles. The complete affiliations are published below and should be treated as definitive.

Correction to: Androgen receptor regulates expression of skeletal muscle-specific proteins and muscle cell types.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and in vitro anticancer activity of new platinum(II) complexes with some thione ligands in the presence of triethylphosphine.

Seven new platinum(II) complexes (1-7) of triethylphosphine (Et3P) and thiones (L) with general formula, cis-[Pt(Et3P)2(L)2]Cl2 were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR and NMR (1H, 13C & 31P) measurements. The analytical and spectroscopic data suggested the formation of the desired complexes. The complexes were tested for in vitro cytotoxicity against four cell lines: Hela (human cervical adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (human breast carcinoma), A549 (human lung carcinoma), and HTC15 (human colon carcinoma). The anticancer activity values of compounds 1-6 are much better than cisplatin and carboplatin as indicated by their IC50 values.

Polymorphism rs547984 on human chromosome 1q43 is not associated with primary open angle glaucoma in a Saudi cohort.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between polymorphism rs547984, located in close proximity to the Zona Pellucida Glycoprotein 4 (ZP4) gene on human chromosome 1q43 and primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). METHOD: Polymorphism rs547984 was genotyped using Taq-Man® assay in 185 subjects comprising of 90 unrelated POAG cases and 95 controls of Saudi origin. RESULTS: Association analysis between cases and controls revealed no significant genotype distribution under additive (p = 0.356), dominant (p = 0.517) and recessive (p = 0.309) models. Besides, the allele frequency distribution was also found to be non-significant (p = 0.70). The minor "A" allele frequency was found to be 0.49 and 0.50 among POAG cases and controls, respectively. In addition, specific clinical indices used to assess severity of glaucoma such as intraocular pressure (IOP), cup/disc ratio and number of anti-glaucoma medication also did not show any significant genotype distribution in POAG cases. CONCLUSION: Polymorphism rs547984 is neither associated with any clinical indices important for POAG such as IOP and cup/disc ratio nor is a risk factor for POAG in the Saudi cohort.

Lack of association between polymorphism rs540782 and primary open angle glaucoma in Saudi patients.

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether polymorphism rs540782 on chromsome 1, in close proximity to the Zona Pellucida Glycoprotein 4 (ZP4) gene, is a risk factor for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). METHOD: The study genotyped 92 unrelated POAG cases and 95 control subjects from Saudi Arabia using Taq-Man® assay. RESULTS: The genotype frequency distribution did not deviate significantly from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p > 0.05). Overall, both the genotype and allele frequencies were not significantly different between cases and controls. The minor 'C' allele frequency was 49.4%, which was comparable to the Japanese population and higher than the Indian and Afro-Caribbean populations. Similarly, no significant association was found between genotypes and systemic diseases and health awareness/behavior domain variables. Importantly, glaucoma specific indices, such as intraocular pressure, cup/disc ratio and number of anti-glaucoma medication, also showed no statistically significant effect of genotypes within POAG cases. CONCLUSION: Polymorphism rs540782 is not a risk factor for POAG in the Saudi cohort.

Polymorphism rs7555523 in transmembrane and coiled-coil domain 1 (TMCO1) is not a risk factor for primary open angle glaucoma in a Saudi cohort.

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether polymorphism rs7555523 (A > C) in human transmembrane and coiled-coil domain 1 (TMCO1) gene is a risk factor for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in a Saudi cohort. METHODS: A cohort of 87 unrelated POAG cases and 94 control subjects from Saudi Arabia were genotyped using Taq-Man® assay. The association of genotypes with POAG and other glaucoma specific clinical indices was investigated. RESULTS: The genotype and allele frequency of polymorphism rs7555523 at TMCO1 did not show any statistically significant association with POAG as compared to controls. The minor allele frequency was 0.103 in cases and 0.085 in controls. Except for awareness of glaucoma (p = 0.036), no significant association of genotypes were seen with glaucoma specific clinical indices such as intraocular pressure (IOP), cup/disc ratio and number of anti-glaucoma medications used. Binary logistic regression analysis (adjusted for age and gender) showed that age was a significant indicator for the development of glaucoma in this group (adjusted odds ratio = 1.2; 95 % confidence interval = 1.078-1.157; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study was unable to replicate the findings of previously reported association for polymorphism rs7555523 in TMCO1 with POAG and related clinical indices such as IOP and cup/disc ratio indicating that this variant is not a risk factor for POAG in the Saudi cohort.

Analysis of Polymorphism rs1900004 in Atonal bHLH Transcription Factor 7 in Saudi Patients with Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.

AIMS: To investigate the association between the rs1900004 polymorphism in the atonal bHLH transcription factor 7 (ATOH7) gene and primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in Saudi patients. METHODS: Eighty-seven unrelated POAG cases and 94 unrelated control subjects of Saudi origin were genotyped utilizing a TaqMan® assay. The association between mutant genotypes and POAG and its related clinical indices was investigated. RESULTS: The genotype and allele frequencies of the polymorphism in ATOH7 did not show any statistically significant association with POAG compared to controls. The minor allele frequency was 0.32 in both cases and controls. None of the demographic, systemic diseases nor glaucoma-specific clinical indices such as intraocular pressure (IOP), cup/disc ratio, and number of antiglaucoma medication, showed any significant association with genotypes. Binary logistic regression analysis (adjusted for age and gender) showed that age was a marginally significant risk factor for the development of glaucoma (adjusted odds ratio = 1.1; 95% confidence interval = 1.079-1.158; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The study did not detect any direct link between genotype/allele frequency of rs1900004 in ATOH7 and POAG or its related clinical indices such as IOP and cup/disc ratio indicating that this polymorphism is not a risk factor for POAG in a Saudi cohort.

Analysis of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor-2B rs1063192 Polymorphism in Saudi Patients with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.

AIMS: To investigate whether the polymorphism rs1063192 (A>G) in the cyclin-dependent kinase Inhibitor-2B (CDKN2B) gene is a risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). METHOD: A case-control study was conducted wherein we genotyped 87 unrelated POAG cases and 94 control subjects from Saudi Arabia using the Taq-Man® assay. RESULTS: The minor allele frequency was 0.20 in POAG cases and 0.21 in controls. Both the genotype and allele frequencies were not significantly different between cases and controls. No significant association was found between genotypes and glaucoma clinical indices, except that the mutant homozygous genotype (G/G) was associated with the family history of glaucoma (p = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Polymorphism rs1063192 in CDKN2B is not a risk factor for POAG in Saudi cohort.

Generation of human iPS cell line SKiPSc1 from healthy Human Neonatal Foreskin Fibroblast cells.

The SKiPSc1 induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line was generated from Human Neonatal Foreskin Fibroblasts (HNFFs) obtained from a healthy donor infant that were reprogrammed using non-integrating Sendai viral vectors expressing Oct3/4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4.

Synthesis, characterization and theoretical calculations of (1,2-diaminocyclohexane)(1,3-diaminopropane)gold(III) chloride complexes: in vitro cytotoxic evaluations against human cancer cell lines.

The gold(III) complexes of the type (1,2-diaminocyclohexane)(1,3-diaminopropane)gold(III) chloride, [(DACH)Au(pn)]Cl3, [where DACH = cis-, trans-1,2- and S,S-1,2-diaminocyclohexane and pn = 1,3-diaminopropane] have been synthesized and characterized using various spectroscopic and analytical techniques including elemental analysis, UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy; solution as well as solid-state NMR measurements. The solid-state (13)C NMR shows that 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (1,2-DACH) and 1,3-diaminopropane (pn) are strongly bound to the gold(III) center via N donor atoms. The stability of the mixed diamine ligand gold(III) was checked by UV-Vis spectroscopy and NMR measurements. The molecular structure of compound 1 (containing cis-1,2-DACH) was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The structure of 1 consists of [(cis-DACH)Au(pn)](3+) complex ion and chloride counter ions. Each gold atom in the complex ion adopts a distorted square-planar geometry. The structural details and relative stabilities of the four possible isomers of the complexes were also estimated at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theoretical calculations. The computational study demonstrates that trans- conformations are slightly more stable than the cis- conformations. The antiproliferative effects and cytotoxic properties of the mixed ligand gold(III) complexes were evaluated in vitro on human gastric SGC7901 and prostate PC3 cancer cells using MTT assay. The antiproliferative study of the gold(III) complexes on PC3 and SGC7901 cells indicate that complex 3 (containing 1S,2S-(+)-1,2-(DACH)) is the most effective antiproliferative agent. The IC50 data reveal that the in vitro cytotoxicity of complex 3 against SGC7901 cancer cells manifested similar and very pronounced cytotoxic effects with respect to cisplatin. Moreover, the electrochemical behavior, and the interaction of complex 3 with two well-known model proteins, namely, hen egg white lysozyme and bovine serum albumin is also reported.

Frequency of migraine as a chief complaint in otolaryngology outpatient practice.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the frequency of typical (headache and dizziness) and common atypical (ear fullness, pressure, pain, tinnitus, facial fullness, and nasal congestion) migraine symptoms as chief complaints among patients presenting to otolaryngology clinic. METHODS: This is a descriptive study of prospectively collected data from a general otolaryngology practice. Typical migraine presentations were diagnosed by applying international headache society (IHS) criteria for migraine headache and Neuhauser's criteria for migrainous vertigo. Atypical otologic and rhinologic migraine symptoms were diagnosed using individualized criteria. Charts were reviewed at 6-month interval from the first presentation. RESULTS: Out of 1002 consecutive patients, 10.8% presented with "migrainous chief complaint." All migrainous chief complaint patients had a history of headache but not all of them presented with headache. Corrected female to male ratio in the migraine group was 3 to 1; age distributions were significantly different between the migraine and nonmigraine groups by applying t-test. Out of the atypical complaints, 86% of the patients had a history of concomitant typical presentation. CONCLUSION: Actual diagnostic criteria for migraine do not satisfy the diversity of its presentation. Investigating the history of migraine is enough to diagnose most atypical presentations. Sound knowledge about migraine seems essential for any ENT practitioner.

In vivo surface dose measurement using GafChromic film dosimetry in breast cancer radiotherapy: comparison of 7-field IMRT, tangential IMRT and tangential 3D-CRT.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the surface dose of 7-field IMRT (7 F-IMRT), tangential beam IMRT (TB-IMRT), and tangential beam 3D-CRT (3D-CRT) of breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy by means of in vivo GafChromic film dosimetry. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy of the whole breast or the chest wall were eligible for the study. Study patients were treated with a treatment plan using two different radiotherapy techniques (first patient series, 3D-CRT followed by TB-IMRT; second patient series, TB-IMRT followed by 7 F-IMRT). The surface dose was evaluated on three consecutive treatment fractions per radiotherapy technique using in vivo GafChromic film dosimetry. The paired t-test was used to assess the difference of in vivo GafChromic film readings or calculated plan parameters of the compared pairs of radiation techniques for statistical significance. RESULTS: Forty-five unselected breast cancer patients were analysed in this study. 7 F-IMRT significantly reduced the surface dose compared to TB-IMRT. Differences were greatest in the central and lateral breast or chest wall region and amounted to a dose reduction of -11.8% to -18.8%. No significant difference of the surface dose was observed between TB-IMRT and 3D-CRT. A corresponding observation was obtained for the calculated skin dose derived from dose-volume histograms. CONCLUSIONS: In adjuvant breast cancer radiotherapy, 7 F-IMRT offers a significantly reduced surface dose compared to TB-IMRT or 3D-CRT.

Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, electrochemical behavior and computational analysis of mixed diamine ligand gold(III) complexes: antiproliferative and in vitro cytotoxic evaluations against human cancer cell lines.

The gold(III) complexes of the type [(DACH)Au(en)]Cl3, 1,2-Diaminocyclohexane ethylenediamine gold(III) chloride [where 1,2-DACH = cis-, trans-1,2- and S,S-1,2diaminocyclohexane and en = ethylenediamine] have been synthesized and characterized using various analytical and spectroscopic techniques including elemental analysis, UV-Vis and FTIR spectra; and solution as well as solid-state NMR measurements. The solid-state (13)C NMR shows that 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (1,2-DACH) and ethylenediamine (en) are strongly bound to the gold(III) center via N donor atoms. The stability of the mixed diamine ligand gold(III) was determined by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra. Their electrochemical behavior was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The structural details and relative stabilities of the four possible isomers of the complexes were also reported at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theory. The coordination sphere of these complexes around gold(III) center adopts distorted square planar geometry. The computational study also demonstrates that trans- conformations is slightly more stable than the cis-conformations. The antiproliferative effects and cytotoxic properties of the mixed diamine ligand gold(III) complexes were evaluated in vitro on human gastric SGC7901 and prostate PC3 cancer cells using MTT assay. The antiproliferative study of the gold(III) complexes on PC3 and SGC7901 cells indicate that complex 1 is the most effective antiproliferative agent among mixed ligand based gold(III) complexes 1-3. The IC50 data reveal that the in vitro cytotoxicity of complexes 1 and 3 against SGC7901 cancer cells are fairly better than that of cisplatin.

Identification of breast cancer patients with a high risk of developing brain metastases: a single-institutional retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to identify breast cancer patients with a high risk of developing brain metastases who may benefit from pre-emptive medical intervention. METHODS: Medical records of 352 breast cancer patients with local or locoregional disease at diagnosis were retrospectively analysed. The brain metastasis-free survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and patient groups were compared using the log rank test. The simultaneous relationship of multiple prognostic factors was assessed using Cox's proportional hazard regression analysis. The Fisher exact test was used to test the difference of proportions for statistical significance. RESULTS: On univariate analysis, statistically highly significant unfavourable risk factors for the brain metastasis-free survival were negative ER status, negative PR status, and triple negative tumor subtype. Young age at diagnosis (≤35 years) and advanced disease stage were not statistically significant (p = 0.10). On multivariate analysis, the only independent significant factor was the ER status (negative ER status; hazard radio (95% confidence interval), 5.1 (1.8-14.6); p = 0.003). In the subgroup of 168 patients with a minimum follow-up of 24 months, 49 patients developed extracranial metastases as first metastatic event. Of those, 7 of 15 (46.6%) with a negative ER status developed brain metastases compared to 5 of 34 (14.7%) with a positive ER status (Fisher exact test, p = 0.03). The median time interval (minimum-maximum) between the diagnosis of extracranial and brain metastases was 7.5 months (1-30 months). CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer patients with extracranial metastasis and negative ER status exhibited an almost 50% risk of developing brain metastasis during their course of disease. Future studies are highly desired to evaluate the efficacy of pre-emptive medical intervention such as prophylactic treatment or diagnostic screening for high risk breast cancer patients.

Intensity modulated radiotherapy of upper abdominal malignancies: dosimetric comparison with 3D conformal radiotherapy and acute toxicity.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to assess a possible dosimetric advantage of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of upper abdominal malignancies compared to three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), and to assess the impact of IMRT on acute toxicity. METHODS: Thirty-one unselected consecutive patients with upper abdominal malignancies were treated with definitive (n =16) or postoperative (n =15) IMRT. Twenty-one patients (67.7%) received concomitant chemotherapy. 3DCRT plans were generated for comparison, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements was used to test for significant difference of dosimetric parameters. Acute toxicity was assessed weekly using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grading scale. RESULTS: IMRT plans showed a small but statistically significant improvement of the conformity index compared to 3DCRT plans (difference (95% confidence interval), -0.06 (-0.109 to-0.005); p = 0.03). The homogeneity index was not significantly improved (p = 0.10). A significantly reduced high dose volume on cost of a significantly increased low dose volume was observed for the kidneys. The acute toxicity appeared to be less than commonly reported for corresponding patients treated with 3DCRT. No patient developed grade 3 or 4 non-hematological acute toxicity, and the most common grade 2 toxicity was vomiting (9.7%). CONCLUSIONS: IMRT offers the potential of a clinically relevant dosimetric advantage compared to 3DCRT in terms of a reduced acute toxicity. Further optimization of the radiotherapy technique and more clinical trials are required before IMRT is routinely used for upper abdominal malignancies.

Some new [(thione)2Au(diamine)]Cl3 complexes: synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, computational and in vitro cytotoxic studies.

Recent advances in oncology are focused on developing new complexes of gold(III) with various ligands that show augmented anti-proliferative potential and reduced toxicity as compared to cis-platin. In this study, new Au(III) complexes of the type [(thione)2Au(diamine)]Cl3 are reported, where thione=1,3-imidazolidine-2-thione (Imt), 1,3-Diazinane-2-thione (Diaz) and diamine=1,2-diaminoethane (en), 1,3-diaminopropane (pn) or 1,4-diaminobutane (bn). The solid state IR as well as (13)C and (15)N NMR data indicate that Au(III) center is bonded via sulfur of thiocarbonyl SC site of the thiones and also chelated by the diamines from the trans side of coordinated thiones. Spectroscopic data are evaluated by comparisons with calculated data from the built and optimized structure by GAUSSIAN 09 at the RB3LYP level with LanL2DZ bases set. These new Au(III) complexes based on mixed thione and diamine ligands are very similar to the square planar structure of tetracoordinate [Au(en)2]Cl3complex. In this study, cytotoxicity data for these gold(III) complexes against C6 glioma cell lines are also reported, and the results indicate some complexes have cytotoxicity comparable to cis-platin.

Synthesis, CP-MAS NMR Characterization, and Antibacterial Activities of Glycine and Histidine Complexes of Cd(SeCN) 2 and Hg(SeCN) 2.

The synthesis and characterization of cadmium and mercury complexes of selenocyanate of the type [(L)M(SeCN)2] are described, where L is L-Histidine (His) or L-Glycine (Gly) and M is Cd(2+) or Hg(2+). These complexes are obtained by the reaction of 1 equivalent of respective amino acids with metal diselenocyanate precursor in a mixture of solvents (methanol : water = 1 : 1). These synthesized compounds are characterized by analytical and various spectroscopic techniques such as elemental analysis (EA), IR, H,1 and C13 NMR in solution and in the solid state for C13 and N15. The in vitro antibacterial activities of these complexes have been investigated with standard type cultures of Escherichia coli (MTCC 443), Klebsiella pneumoniae (MTCC 109), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 1688), Salmonella typhi (MTCC 733), and Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 737).

Targeting thymic epithelia AR enhances T-cell reconstitution and bone marrow transplant grafting efficacy.

Although thymic involution has been linked to the increased testosterone in males after puberty, its detailed mechanism and clinical application related to T-cell reconstitution in bone marrow transplantation (BMT) remain unclear. By performing studies with reciprocal BMT and cell-specific androgen receptor (AR) knockout mice, we found that AR in thymic epithelial cells, but not thymocytes or fibroblasts, played a more critical role to determine thymic cellularity. Further dissecting the mechanism using cell-specific thymic epithelial cell-AR knockout mice bearing T-cell receptor transgene revealed that elevating thymocyte survival was due to the enhancement of positive selection resulting in increased positively selected T-cells in both male and female mice. Targeting AR, instead of androgens, either via genetic knockout of thymic epithelial AR or using an AR-degradation enhancer (ASC-J9®), led to increased BMT grafting efficacy, which may provide a new therapeutic approach to boost T-cell reconstitution in the future.