The Arachis hypogaea Essential Oil Nanoemulsion as an Efficient Safe Apoptosis Inducer in Human Lung Cancer Cells (A549).

Nanoemulsions have improved therapeutic efficiency. In this regard, due to the Arachis hypogaea components such as flavonoids, we planned to produce Arachis hypogaea oil nanoemulsion (AHO-NE) in order to evaluate its anticancer impacts on A549 lung cancer cells.  The AHO-NE was formulated by ultrasonication, characterized, and used in treating A549 cells. Then, we evaluated Caspase-3 gene expression, flow cytometry results, and MTT assay on A549 cells to check its anticancer impacts. The 50.3 nm AHO-NE significantly reduced the of A549 cells' viability comparing with HFF normal cells. The increasing SubG1 peaks and Cas3 overexpression indicate the AHO-NE apoptotic impact on A549 cells. We found its antioxidant activity (ABTS IC50 = 270.42 µg/ml and DPPH IC50 = 208.51 µg/ml). In conclusion, AHO-NE has the potential to be used as an exclusive cell-dependent anticancer compound in A549 lung cancer cells.

Association of Preoperative Hemoglobin A1c with In-hospital Mortality Following Valvular Heart Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between the preoperative level of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and in-hospital mortality in patients who underwent valvular heart surgery in our center in a retrospective cohort. METHODS: In this retrospective consecutive cohort study, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were referred to our center for elective valvular surgery were enrolled and followed up. The endpoint of this study was in-hospital mortality. Based on the level of HbA1c, patients were dichotomized around a level of 7% into two groups: exposed patients with HbA1c ≥ 7% and unexposed patients with HbA1c < 7%. Then, the study variables were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-four diabetic patients who were candidates for valvular surgery were enrolled; 106 patients (47.3%) had HbA1c < 7%, and 118 patients (52.6%) had HbA1c ≥ 7%. The duration of diabetes was higher in patients with HbA1c ≥ 7% (P=0.007). Thirteen (5.8%) patients died during hospital admission, of which nine patients were in the high HbA1c group. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding in-hospital mortality (P=0.899). Both the unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models showed that HbA1c was not a predictor for in-hospital mortality (P=0.227 and P=0.388, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study showed no association between preoperative HbA1c levels and in-hospital mortality in candidates for valvular heart surgery.

Association of preoperative hemoglobin a1c with in-hospital mortality following valvular heart surgery

Abstract Objective: To determine the association between the preoperative level of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and in-hospital mortality in patients who underwent valvular heart surgery in our center in a retrospective cohort. Methods: In this retrospective consecutive cohort study, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were referred to our center for elective valvular surgery were enrolled and followed up. The endpoint of this study was in-hospital mortality. Based on the level of HbA1c, patients were dichotomized around a level of 7% into two groups: exposed patients with HbA1c ≥ 7% and unexposed patients with HbA1c < 7%. Then, the study variables were compared between the two groups. Results: Two hundred twenty-four diabetic patients who were candidates for valvular surgery were enrolled; 106 patients (47.3%) had HbA1c < 7%, and 118 patients (52.6%) had HbA1c ≥ 7%. The duration of diabetes was higher in patients with HbA1c ≥ 7% (P=0.007). Thirteen (5.8%) patients died during hospital admission, of which nine patients were in the high HbA1c group. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding in-hospital mortality (P=0.899). Both the unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models showed that HbA1c was not a predictor for in-hospital mortality (P=0.227 and P=0.388, respectively) Conclusion: This study showed no association between preoperative HbA1c levels and in-hospital mortality in candidates for valvular heart surgery.

Long noncoding RNAs: regulation, function and cancer.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding RNA transcripts that exert a key role in many cellular processes and have potential toward addressing disease etiology. Here, we review existing noncoding RNA classes and then describe a variety of mechanisms and functions by which lncRNAs regulate gene expression such as chromatin remodeling, genomic imprinting, gene transcription and post-transcriptional processing. We also examine several lncRNAs that contribute significantly to pathogenesis, oncogenesis, tumor suppression and cell cycle arrest of diverse cancer types and also give a summary of the pathways that lncRNAs might be involved in.

Ferroportin-encapsulated nanoparticles reduce infection and improve immunity in mice infected with Leishmania major.

Inoculation of inbred mice by Leishmania major results in two different patterns. C57BL/6 mice display resistance against L. major but BALB/c mice show susceptibility to L. major with visceral infection, anemia and death. In this study, the effects of treatment of L. major-infected BALB/c mice with a ferroportin (Fpn)-encoding construct via nanoparticles were evaluated. A fragment encoding Fpn, a major regulator of iron homeostasis, was amplified and sub-cloned to a GFP expression vector to express Fpn-EGFP protein. This construct was incorporated in nanoparticles of alginate/chitosan polymers and orally administered to L. major-infected BALB/c mice. Blood hematocrit and iron, footpad size, parasite load and concentration of IFNG, IL4 and IL10 by ELISA were measured in the treated and untreated mice. The results indicated that the treated mice had significantly higher hematocrit and iron levels while exhibited significantly lower footpad size and parasite load measurements. Moreover, lower levels of IL4 and IL10 and higher ratios of IFNG/IL4 or IFNG/IL10 were shown in the treated, compared to the untreated mice. In conclusion, treating BALB/c mice infected with L. major with encapsulated Fpn-encoding construct in alginate/chitosan nanoparticles were shown to reduce the infection and improve anemia and immunity in the animal model of leishmaniasis.