Measurement of the Neutrophils Count and Oxidative Burst in Neutrophils of Patients with Sanjad Sakati Syndrome.

Sanjad Sakati Syndrome (SSS) is categorized as a neuroendocrine-related disease due to disorders of the nervous and hormonal systems. Since hormonal changes in these patients may affect the nature and function of the immune system. Thus, in this study, cell count and phagocytotic function of neutrophils were evaluated which may be influenced by changes in the hormonal rate and growth factors. In this study, the neutrophil count value and the oxidative burst were evaluated in six patients diagnosed with SSS and six healthy individuals. There was a significant reduction in the neutrophil count observed in SSS patients compared to healthy controls (37.41±7.93 percent vs. 66.5±6.8 percent). However, there was no significant difference in neutrophil oxidative index between patients with SSS and control subjects (172.33±55.08 vs. 217.00±77.38). We concluded that in patients with SSS, the phagocytic activity of neutrophils was not affected by hormonal changes, while the number of neutrophils and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) index were decreased.

Novel MR imaging nanoprobe for hepatocellular carcinoma detection based on manganese-zinc ferrite nanoparticles: in vitro and in vivo assessments.

PURPOSE: Achieving new contrast enhancer agents that can produce high-resolution images in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a minimum dose and side effects has always been important. METHODS: Herein, the pegylated curcumin-coated manganese-zinc ferrite nanoparticles (MZF@CA-PEG-CUR NPs) have been reported as an MR imaging nanoprobe in hepatocellular carcinoma detection in the murine model for the first time. In vitro studies were done on HEPA 1-6 cancer cells and L929 as normal cells, and in vivo studies were done on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using xenograft models of HCC. RESULTS: The prepared NP had a diameter of 105 nm with narrow size distribution and was superparamagnetic with a saturated magnetization (Ms) of 39 emu/g. The NP was biocompatible without any significant hemolysis and cytotoxicity. Prussian blue staining showed more cellular uptake of HEPA 1-6 compared to L929 control cells after incubation (P < 0.05). The concentration of Fe in mice blood confirmed the plasma half-life of about 3 h; it seems the PEGylation increased the circulation time. ICP-OES of Fe showed the highest tumor localization for MZF@CA-CUR-PEG NPs, due to passive accumulation, compared to the other mice studied organs. The r2 relaxivity of NPs was 134.89 mM- 1 s- 1, and in vitro MRI demonstrated better effects in HEPA 1-6 cells than in L929 (P < 0.05). Also, in vivo MR images showed signal enhancement efficacy in tumor-bearing mice. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the MZF@CA-CUR-PEG nanoprobe could be a promising candidate as an MR imaging agent in hepatocellular carcinoma early detection.

Naloxone-reversible antidepressant-like effect of carbamazepine in mice: Without tolerance and withdrawal syndrome.

It has been shown that carbamazepine, an anticonvulsant drug, has antidepressant effects. Moreover, the involvement of opioid system has been shown in the pathophysiology of depression. Here, we sought to determine the possible role of the opioid system in the antidepressant-like effect of carbamazepine after acute and repeated administration. The antidepressant-like activity was assessed in the mice forced swimming test (FST). Carbamazepine (20, 30, and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) or morphine were administrated 30 min before the OFT or FST. Data showed that carbamazepine has an antidepressant effect in a dose-dependent manner which was attenuated by naloxone (1 mg/kg, i.p., a nonselective opioid receptor antagonist). ED50 values against despair behaviors were 34.75 (29.37-50.81) mg/kg and 0.34 (0.09-0.78) mg/kg for carbamazepine and morphine, respectively. Additionally, low dose of dose of carbamazepine (30 mg/kg) induced a synergistic effect in the FST with low dose of morphine (0.1 mg/kg) that was antagonized by naloxone. Furthermore, in contrast to morphine, carbamazepine after repeated administration induced neither tolerance to the antidepressant-like effect nor withdrawal syndrome. The results demonstrated that carbamazepine exerted an antidepressant-like effect possibly through the opioidergic pathway, without inducing tolerance and withdrawal signs.

Boron phenyl alanine targeted ionic liquid decorated chitosan nanoparticles for mitoxantrone delivery to glioma cell line.

Nanotechnology has revolutionized drug delivery in cancer treatment. In this study, novel efficient pH-responsive boron phenylalanine (BPA) targeted nanoparticles (NPs) based on ionic liquid modified chitosan have been introduced for selective mitoxantrone (MTO) delivery to the U87MG glioma cells. Urocanic acid (UA) and imidazolium (Im) based ionic liquids were used for structural modification simultaneously. The NPs were prepared by ionic gelation and fully characterized; the pH-responding and swelling index of NPs were studied carefully. The drug release was studied at a pH of 5.5 in comparison to the neutral state. Also, the cytotoxicity of loaded NPs was evaluated on U87MG glial cells, and cellular uptake was studied. The NPs were smaller than 250 nm, with a spherical pattern and acceptable uniformity with a zeta potential around +20 mV. The loading efficacy was about 85%, and most of the loaded MTO released at a pH of 5.5 after 48 h with a swelling-controlled mechanism. The NPs showed a relatively lower IC50 than the free MTO, and the BPA-targeted NPs have lower IC50 and better cellular uptake than non-targeted NPs in U87MG cells. More studies on this promising formula are on the way, and the results will be published soon.

Boron phenyl alanine targeted chitosan-PNIPAAm core-shell thermo-responsive nanoparticles: boosting drug delivery to glioblastoma in BNCT.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is one of the best treatment modalities for glioblastoma multiform that could selectively kill the tumor cells. To be successful in BNCT, it is crucial to have enough 10B in the tumor. l-boron phenylalanine (l-BPA) targeted thermo-responsive core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) of chitosan-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) were our idea for endocytosis via sialic acid receptors, and selective delivery of 10B to glial cells. Methotrexate (MTX) was chosen as a model drug for evaluating the efficacy of NPs in tumor cells, and BPA was selected for BNCT purposes. The polymeric conjugates were synthesized and the chemical structures were approved by spectroscopic methods (FTIR, 1H NMR, and 11B NMR). Cargos were loaded efficiently (>95%) in the prepared NPs, and the release profile of MTX and BPA was studied around the lower critical solution temperature (LCST; about 39 °C). The loaded drugs were released quantitatively at the LCST, while almost no drug was released at 37 °C. The prepared NPs did not show considerable hemolysis ratio (<2%) and were still safe when loaded BPA, on U87MG cells. The MTX loaded NPs showed lower IC50 (30.78 µg/mL) than the free MTX (37.03 µg/mL) in MTT assay, and targeted NPs had the lowest IC50s in U87MG cell lines (27.35 µg/mL). Targeted BPA@CSSU-PNI NPs were uptaken better than the non-targeted ones by U87MG cells, and CR-39 assay showed the boron content efficiency for further applications in BNCT. This study's results introduce novel targeted thermo-responsive NPs for treating glioblastoma using BNCT.

Long non-coding RNAs expression levels in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: An in silico analysis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), are lengthy noncoding transcripts with pivotal roles in biological pathways including cell cycle, apoptosis and chromatin remodeling. Aberrant expression of lncRNAs has been strongly connected with tumor progression and metastasis. However, the prognostic significance of lncRNAs in diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains unclear. In this study, the expression levels of 189 approved lncRNAs were considered in DLBCL patients using several different genomic and transcriptome datasets. The analyses showed that the lncRNA GAS5 allocated the maximum score of RNA dysregulation and can be considered as good choice in DLBCLs' researches.

Cloning and expression of Aca f 1: a new allergen of Acacia farnesiana pollen.

Acacia farnesiana is the main source of allergenic pollen and one of the most important causes of respiratory allergic disease in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The purpose of this study was to produce a recombinant variety of allergenic Ole e 1-like protein from the pollen of this tree. To predict its allergenic cross-reactivity with other members of the Ole e 1-like protein family of common allergenic plants, the nucleotide sequence homology of the Acacia Ole e 1-like protein was evaluated. Amplification of cDNA strands encoding Acacia Ole e 1-like protein was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. Following expression in Escherichia coli using the pET-21b(+) vector, the recombinant protein was purified using metal-affinity chromatography. IgE-binding competence of purified recombinant Ole e 1- like protein (rAca f 1) was analysed by immunoassay using 25 sera collected from Acacia pollen-sensitised patients. Nucleotide sequencing revealed an open reading frame of 453 bp encoding 150 amino acid residues that belonged to the Ole e 1-like protein family, and 11 patients (44%) had considerable specific IgE levels for the rAca f 1. Immunodetection and inhibition assays indicated that the purified rAca f 1 may be the same as that in the crude extract. Aca f 1, the second allergen from Acacia pollen, was identified as a member of the family of Ole e 1-like protein. A high degree of homology was found among amino acid sequences of Aca f 1 and several allergenic members of Ole e 1-like protein family.

Molecular Cloning and Expression of Pro J 1: A New Allergen of Prosopis Juliflora Pollen.

Pollen from mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) is one of the important causes of immediate hypersensitivity reactions in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The aim of present study is to produce and purify the recombinant form of allergenic Ole e 1-like protein from the pollen of this allergenic tree. Immunological and cross-inhibition assays were performed for the evaluation of IgE-binding capacity of purified recombinant protein. For molecular cloning, the coding sequence of the mesquite Ole e 1-like protein was inserted into pTZ57R/T vector and expressed in Escherichia coli using the vector pET-21b(+). After purification of the recombinant protein, its immunoreactivity was analysed by in vitro assays using sera from twenty one patients with an allergy to mesquite pollen. The purified recombinant allergen was a member of Ole e 1-like protein family and consisted of 150 amino acid residues, with a predicted molecular mass of 16.5 kDa and a calculated isoelectric point (pI) of 4.75. Twelve patients (57.14%) had significant specific IgE levels for this recombinant allergen. Immunodetection and inhibition assays indicated that the purified recombinant allergen might be the same as that in the crude extract. Herein, we introduce an important new allergen from P. juliflora pollen (Pro j 1), which is a member of the Ole e 1-like protein family and exhibits significant identity and similarity to other allergenic members of this family.

Cloning and Expression of Ama r 1, as a Novel Allergen of Amaranthus retroflexus Pollen.

Sensitisation to Amaranthus retroflexus pollen is very common in tropical and subtropical countries. In this study we aimed to produce a recombinant allergenic Ole e 1-like protein from the pollen of this weed. To predict cross-reactivity of this allergen (Ama r 1) with other members of the Ole e 1-like protein family, the nucleotide sequence homology of the Ama r 1 was investigated. The expression of Ama r 1 in Escherichia coli was performed by using a pET-21b(+) vector. The IgE-binding potential of recombinant Ama r 1 (rAma r 1) was evaluated by immunodetection and inhibition assays using 26 patients' sera sensitised to A. retroflexus pollen. The coding sequence of the Ama r 1 cDNA indicated an open reading frame of 507 bp encoding for 168 amino acid residues which belonged to the Ole e 1-like protein family. Of the 26 serum samples, 10 (38.46%) had significant specific IgE levels for rAma r 1. Immunodetection and inhibition assays revealed that the purified rAma r 1 might be the same as that in the crude extract. Ama r 1, the second allergen from the A. retroflexus pollen, was identified as a member of the family of Ole e 1-like protein.