Recently Published Articles
Breast Cancer, Chemokines, And Metastasis: A Search for Decoy Ligands of the CXCR4 Receptor
Abstract:
Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in young to middle-aged women worldwide. Moreover, the survival rate in BC-patients is only 20% when associated with metastatic disease. The high mortality rate observed in BC women with metastatic disease has precipitated a major challenge revealing an unmet need to develop new therapeutic strategies in treating metastatic cancer. One such approach has involved utilization of chemokines and their receptors as therapeutic targets for cancer metastasis. It has been established that a definitive correlation exists between overexpressed CXCR4 malignant cell receptors and cancer cell growth, invasion, and migration. It is also widely accepted that the CXCR4 receptor, complexed to its CXCL12 ligand, plays a major role in establishing migratory pathway gradients for cancer cells migrating to distant tissues/organ sites. It would follow that chemokine decoy ligands, such as peptide antagonists and inh...
Silver Nanoparticles: Cytotoxic and Apoptotic Activity on HT-29 and A549 Cell Lines
Abstract:
Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are versatile materials with a broad range of applications in various fields such as cancer therapy, drug delivery. In this work, cytotoxic and apoptotic activities of silver nanoparticles was evaluation against lung (A549) and colon (HT-29) cell lines. The cytotoxic activity of nanoparticles was performed by MTT assay, while their apoptotic activity was tested through TUNEL method. The results of MTT of A549 have illustrate that fifty percent of cells destruction in concentrations more than 250 µg/ml of Ag-NPs. Apoptotic results of nanoparticles have shown more than fifty percent of apoptosis on A549 cell line. HT-29 display full apoptosis at concentrations more than 500 µg/ml. It seems that synthesized Ag-NPs by using
Validated Analytical Spectrofluorimetric Method for Quantitation of Diphenhydramine HCl in Commercial Dosage Forms
Abstract:
Diphenhydramine HClis a weakly fluorescent drug having tertiary amine group forming ion pair complex with eosin Y in dichloromethane at pH 5 in disodium hydrogen phosphate-citric acid buffer solution. The complex formation was the basis for the development of new analytical method for determination of active diphenhydramine in pharmaceutical formulations. The stoichiometric ratio between diphenhydramine and eosin Y was studied by mole ratio method and found to be 2:1. The ion-pair complex showed maximum fluorescence emission intensity at 554 nm with excitation at 259 nm. The linear dynamic range was obtained in the concentration range of 2-22 µg mL-1 with a linear equation of FI = 0.361 + 13.675 C. The apparent Gibb’s free energy (ΔGº) was calculated and found to be -80.783 KJ mol-1, confirmed the feasibility of the reaction. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of diphenhydramine HCl in pharma...
Molecular and Cell Biological Considerations in the Initiation and Development of Sporadic Non-Hereditary Solid Cancers
Abstract:
This paper reviews the state of cancer research in the post-mutation era. It presents cancer as a highly complex disease viewed differently by scientists from various research fields. Histopathologists considered cancer as a disease of cell differentiation, cancer cell biologists overestimated the causal role of accumulated DNA mutations. More recently molecular biologists have focused on driver genes and driver mutations, regulatory gene networks and deregulation of the genomic balance between unicellular and multicellular gene sets (UG/MG balance). From a developmental biological standpoint, there is a clear analogy between the reproductive life cycles of cancer and protists. The key player of both analogous life cycles is the polyploid cyst, the atavistic cyst-like structure aCLS (PGCC). In the analogy to protists, we assume that the first aCLS initiating cancer originates from a mitoticly blocked cell (cell of origin of cancer, protoprecursor) that escapes d...
Dream theory from the perspective of Islam
Abstract:
Sleep as a sign of the God wisdom and power, is the agent of stability and tranquility. Sleep has a spiritual dimension. Sincere dreams are the continuation of prophecy and guidance of the God. This study aimed to explain the dream theory from the perspective of Islam. This evolutionary study has focused on these questions: “what is the process of dreaming in Islam? Can people control their dreams”? Islamic evidences were taken from the verses and narrations related to the words “soul, sleep, dream and death”, using al-Mu’ayyim, authentic Shi’a commentary books, Bihar al-Anwar, Kofi principles, the Book of Resurrection and life after death. The religious and scientific evidences were analyzed based on the Walker and Event content analysis method. Dream t...
The Development and Evaluation of A Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay for the Detection of ESBL Genes in Urinary Tract Infections
Abstract:
Overuse of beta-lactam antibiotics has lead to selection for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing This study describes a novel real-time PCR method to detect CTX-M, SHV, OXA and TEM. 179
Psychosocial Determinants of Marijuana Utilization among Selected Junior High School Students in the Central Region of Ghana
Abstract:
Marijuana utilization among school aged adolescents is major public and mental health concern in Ghana and other developing countries, with the rate of usage soaring high among school going adolescents. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of marijuana utilization among selected Junior High School (JHS) students in the Central Region of Ghana and explore the relative impact of psychosocial factors accounting for its usage. Using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the Global School Based Survey GSHS questionnaire, a sample of 1400 school going adolescents students were drawn using multistage sampling procedure. Frequencies, percentages and binary logistic regression results indicated marijuana utilization prevalence of 9% (
Neck, Shoulder and Low Back Musculoskeletal Pain in Greek Physical Education University Students: A Series of Three Cross-Sectional Studies
Abstract:
Several studies examine the musculoskeletal pain (MSP) in university students sustaining physical load as part of their compulsory learning. However, only two somewhat outdated cross-sectional studies examine the physical education teacher (PET) students. This study aimed to explore the neck, shoulder and low back MSP prevalence in Greek PET students in a series of academic years. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to record the past 12-month neck, shoulder and, low back pain, across three academic years (
Dissociative Amnesia – A Challenge to Therapy
Abstract:
The psychiatric disease of dissociative amnesia is described and illustrated with case reports. It is emphasized that dissociative amnesia has a stress or trauma-related etiology and that affected individuals, contrary to the still dominant clinical belief, are frequently more severely and enduringly affected. That means, most of them show severe retrograde amnesia for their biography, usually accompanied by changes in their personality and sometimes also by alterations in other cognitive and emotive domains. As many patients show the phenomenon of “la belle indifference”, their motivation for therapy or treatment of their amnesia is reduced. Patients also seem to a high degree to possess immature, unstable personality features. Nevertheless, a number of quite divergent, though largely not evidence-based, therapeutic approaches exist and are described. They are divided into (a) psychopharmacological and somatic treatments, (b) psychotherapeutic interventions, ...
Oncolytic Viruses: Can be Applicable Tools for Cancer Therapy?
Abstract:
A concise review of oncolytic virotherapy covering viral engineering, tumor selectivity, and immune modulation. It assesses preclinical and clinical progress and discusses combinations with immunotherapies to enhance antitumor effects.