Inhibition of malignant thyroid carcinoma cell proliferation by Ras and galectin-3 inhibitors

Anaplastic Thyroid carcinoma is an extremely aggressive solid tumor that resists most treatments and is almost always fatal. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is an important marker for thyroid carcinomas and a scaffold of the K-Ras protein. S-trans, transfarnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS; Salirasib) is a Ras inhibitor that inhibits the active forms of Ras proteins. Modified citrus pectin (MCP) is a water-soluble citrus-fruit-derived polysaccharide fiber that specifically inhibits Gal-3. The aim of this study was to develop a novel drug combination designed to treat aggressive anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Combined treatment with FTS and MCP inhibited anaplastic thyroid cells proliferation in vitro by inducing cell cycle arrest and increasing apoptosis rate. Immunoblot analysis revealed a significant decrease in Pan-Ras, K-Ras, Ras-GTP, p-ERK, p53, and Gal-3 expression levels and significant increase in p21 expression levels. In nude mice, treatment with FTS and MCP inhibited tumor growth. Levels of Gal-3, K-Ras-GTP, and p-ERK were significantly decreased. To conclude, our results suggest K-Ras and Gal-3 as potential targets in anaplastic thyroid tumors and herald a novel treatment for highly aggressive anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Classification of structural lesions in magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical implications in drug-resistant epilepsy patients

INTRODUCTION

The presence of a structural lesion in the preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of drug-resistant epilepsy patients has been usually associated with a favourable surgical outcome. We present our experience in our Epilepsy Surgery Unit.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Clinical records from 265 patients, operated on from 1990-2010 in our institution, were reviewed. Patients were classified, according to MRI findings, into three groups: surgical lesion (SL), tumors or vascular malformations requiring surgery 'per se'; orientative lesion (OL), dysplasia, atrophy or mesial temporal sclerosis; and (NL) group, with normal MRI. Seizure outcomes were analysed in relation to this classification.

RESULTS

Period 1990-2000, 151 patients: 87% of SL, 65% of OL and 57% of NL patients were in Engel class I or II at the two-year follow-up. Among temporal lobe epilepsy cases (TLE), 87% of SL, 67% of OL and 56% of NL patients achieved seizure control. Differences were statistically significative. Period 2001-2010, 114 patients: 100% of SL, 90% of OL, and 81% of NL patients were in Engel's class I or II. Both TLE and extratemporal (ETLE) SL patients obtained a 100% seizure control. Among the OL patients, 95% with TLE and 43% of ETLE achieved seizure control. In the NL group, the percentages were 88% in TLE, and 50% in ETLE.

CONCLUSIONS

In our series, SL was a predictor of a favorable outcome. In TLE patients, good results were achieved despite normal MRI. Patients with ETLE and NL did not have a worse outcome than those with OL. A classification in SL, OL and NL seems more helpful for predicting the surgical outcome than the traditional classification lesion versus non-lesion MRI. Radiological findings must be carefully evaluated in the context of a complete epilepsy surgery evaluation.

[Segmental testicular infarction. Unusual complication of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for multifocal motor neuropathy]

We describe the previously unknown case of segmental testicular infarction as an iatrogenic complication of intravenous immunoglobulin administration in a patient with multifocal motor neuropathy.

[Using a stent graft in the treatment of hepatic artery bleeding after pancreatoduodenectomy]

Delayed bleeding is a potential complication of pancreatoduodenectomy. Its treatment is either endovascular or surgical (stentgraft, embolization). Our case report presents a patient with bleeding from the hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm within a period of 3 months after pancreatoduodenectomy for common bile duct carcinoma, resolved using a stent graft.

Magnetic microwire probes for the magnetic rod interfacial stress rheometer

The magnetic needle interfacial shear rheometer is a valuable tool for the study of the mechanical properties of thin fluid films or monolayers. However, it is difficult to differentiate the interfacial and subphase contributions to the drag on the needle. In principle, the problem can be addressed by decreasing the needle diameter, which decreases the bulk contribution while the interfacial contribution remains essentially the same. Here we show the results obtained when using a new type of needle, that of magnetic microwires with diameter approximately 10 times thinner than for commercial needles. We show that the lower inertia of the microwires calls for a new calibration procedure. We propose such a new calibration procedure based on the flow field solution around the needle introduced in refs 1 and 2. By measuring thin silicone oil films with well-controlled interfacial viscosities as well as eicosanol (C20) and pentadecanoic acid (PDA, C15) Langmuir monolayers, we show that the new calibration method works well for standard needles as well as for the microwire probes. Moreover, we show that the analysis of the force terms contributing to the force on the needle helps to ascertain whether the measurements obtained are reliable for given surface shear viscosity values. We also show that the microwire probes have at least a 10-fold-lower resolution limit, allowing one to measure interfacial viscosities as low as 10(-7) N·m/s.

Flow and clogging of a sheep herd passing through a bottleneck

We present an experimental study of a flock passing through a narrow door. Video monitoring of daily routines in a farm has enabled us to collect a sizable amount of data. By measuring the time lapse between the passage of consecutive animals, some features of the flow regime can be assessed. A quantitative definition of clogging is demonstrated based on the passage time statistics. These display broad tails, which can be fitted by power laws with a relatively large exponent. On the other hand, the distribution of burst sizes robustly evidences exponential behavior. Finally, borrowing concepts from granular physics and statistical mechanics, we evaluate the effect of increasing the door size and the performance of an obstacle placed in front of it. The success of these techniques opens new possibilities regarding their eventual extension to the management of human crowds.

Phytoremediation of soils co-contaminated by organic compounds and heavy metals: bioassays with Lupinus luteus L. and associated endophytic bacteria

In the central part of the Iberian Peninsula there are old sealed landfills containing soils co-contaminated by several heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, As, Cr, Fe, Al, Mn) and organic pollutants of different families (hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides and other organochlorinated compounds, phenols and volatile compounds), which this work will address. We have focused on phytoremedial plants that are able to deal with this type of complex pollution, not only species that tolerate the joint effect of heavy metals in the soil, but also those that can take advantage of associated bacteria to efficiently break down organic compounds. This study was carried out with Lupinus luteus and its endophytes in two greenhouse experiments: A) growing in a substrate artificially contaminated with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), and B) using real co-contaminated landfill soils. Endophytes of roots and shoots were isolated in both bioassays. Plant growth-promotion tests and organic pollutant tolerance and degradation tests were conducted on all strains isolated in bioassay A), and on those proving to be pure cultures from bioassay B). The selected landfill is described as are isolation and test procedures. Results indicate that plants did not show toxicity symptoms when exposed to BaP but did when grown in landfill soil. Some endophytes demonstrated plant growth-promotion capacity and tolerance to BaP and other organic compounds (diesel and PCB commercial mixtures). A few strains may even have the capacity to metabolize those organic pollutants. The overall decline in plant growth-promotion capacity in those strains isolated from the landfill soil experiment, compared with those from the bioassay with BaP, may indicate that lupin endophytes are not adapted to metal concentration in roots and shoots and fail to grow. As a result, most isolated root endophytes must have colonized root tissues from the soil. While preliminary degradation tests showed promising results (some strains exhibiting the potential to use organic pollutants as their sole source of carbon), these are not conclusive and further in-depth degradation assays need to be performed.

Antileishmanial activity of essential oil from Chenopodium ambrosioides and its main components against experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice

Chenopodium ambrosioides have been used during centuries by native people to treat parasitic diseases.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

To compare the in vivo anti-leishmanial activity of the essential oil (EO) from C. ambrosioides and its major components (ascaridole, carvacrol and caryophyllene oxide).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Anti-leishmanial effect was evaluated in BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis and treated with the EO, main compounds and artificial mix of pure components by intralesional route at 30 mg/kg every 4 days during 14 days. Diseases progression and parasite burden in infected tissues were determined.

RESULTS

EO prevented lesion development compared (p<0.05) with untreated animals and treated with vehicle. In addition, the efficacy of EO was also statistically superior (p<0.05) compared with the glucantime-treated animals. No potential effects were observed with pure components treatment. Mix of pure compounds cause death of animals after 3 days of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate the superiority of EO against experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. amazonensis.

[Primary small bowel volvulus in a young adult]

The authors present a rare case of a young male patient with primary small bowel volvulus. They show the main points to be considered in clinical diagnosis of this kind of acute abdomen and the importance of CT scan in such cases.

Inhibition of endogenous phosphodiesterase 7 promotes oligodendrocyte precursor differentiation and survival

During the development of the central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs) are generated in specific sites within the neural tube and then migrate to colonize the entire CNS, where they differentiate into myelin-forming oligodendrocytes. Demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) are characterized by the death of these cells. The CNS reacts to demyelination and by promoting spontaneous remyelination, an effect mediated by endogenous OPCs, cells that represent approximately 5-7 % of the cells in the adult brain. Numerous factors influence oligodendrogliogenesis and oligodendrocyte differentiation, including morphogens, growth factors, chemotropic molecules, extracellular matrix proteins, and intracellular cAMP levels. Here, we show that during development and in early adulthood, OPCs in the murine cerebral cortex contain phosphodiesterase-7 (PDE7) that metabolizes cAMP. We investigated the effects of different PDE7 inhibitors (the well-known BRL-50481 and two new ones, TC3.6 and VP1.15) on OPC proliferation, survival, and differentiation. While none of the PDE7 inhibitors analyzed altered OPC proliferation, TC3.6 and VP1.15 enhanced OPC survival and differentiation, processes in which ERK intracellular signaling played a key role. PDE7 expression was also observed in OPCs isolated from adult human brains and the differentiation of these OPCs into more mature oligodendroglial phenotypes was accelerated by treatment with both new PDE7 inhibitors. These findings reveal new roles for PDE7 in regulating OPC survival and differentiation during brain development and in adulthood, and they may further our understanding of myelination and facilitate the development of therapeutic remyelination strategies for the treatment of MS.

[Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding]

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding represents 5% of all cases of bleeding into the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The cause of this type of bleeding cannot be found by gastroscopy or colonoscopy - the most common cause being bleeding from the source in the small intestine. In other cases it is bleeding from other parts of the digestive tube which has already stopped or was not noticed during admission endoscopy. Imaging methods (X-ray, CT, MRI, scintigraphy) and endoscopic methods (flexible or capsule enteroscopy) are used in the diagnosis and treatment. If, despite having used these methods, the source of bleeding is not found and the bleeding continues, or if the source is known but the bleeding cannot be stopped by radiologic or endoscopic intervention, surgical intervention is usually indicated. The article provides an overview of current diagnostic and treatment options, including instructions on how to proceed in these diagnostically difficult situations.

[Contamination of paroxysmal activity in quantitative EEG methods in epileptic patients]

INTRODUCTION. The presence of an acute spike-wave pattern in the recordings of epileptic patients can contaminate the calculated synchronisation values between pairs of electrodes. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We present a simple procedure, involving a numeric simulation of a bivariate electroencephalogram recording with paroxysmal activity, to determine whether or not a method for quantifying synchronisation must be used on any of the recordings that are typically employed in the preoperative evaluation of patients with epilepsy. RESULTS. The information provided by this procedure makes it possible to distinguish between the authentic synchronisation of baseline activity and that produced by paroxysmal activity, such as acute spike-wave patterns. The procedure developed in this study makes it possible to quantify the degree of 'contamination' produced by the synchronisation of the paroxysmal activity on the synchronisation values of the baseline activity. CONCLUSIONS. The issue addressed in this work is of fundamental importance when automatic methods are utilised in the clinical applications of quantitative electroencephalography and can help to prevent diagnostic errors in which synchronisation is used as a marker of the pathology.

Integrated approach to assessing the effects of soils polluted with heavy metals on a plant population

This study addresses the effects of soil polluted with more than one heavy metal in a grass species. A 16-week bioassay with Avena sativa L. was conducted in microcosms using soils from two abandoned mines in central Spain that contained levels above World Health Organization (WHO) reference limits for soils of more than three heavy metals. Pollution effects were examined at cell, tissue, organ, plant and population levels. For this purpose, dry weight, maximum height and number of leaves were determined; leaf tissues were observed by low temperature scanning electron microscopy; the metal contents of roots and shoots were determined by plasma emission spectroscopy and their distribution in different tissues was analyzed by X-ray microanalysis using an environmental scanning electron microscope. The results explain the accumulation and translocation of soil metals by this plant species; their effects in cells, tissues and growth of plants; and allow inference on population effects. The discussion of the methodological approach leads us to propose a valid protocol to assess the effects of a set of heavy metals present in the topsoil of polluted sites on a plant population. We recommend its use for an ecotoxicological diagnosis and risk analysis of similarly polluted sites.

Fibrinolytic activity in cerebrospinal fluid of dogs with different neurological disorders

BACKGROUND

Fibrinolytic activity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is activated in humans by different pathologic processes.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate fibrinolytic activity in the CSF of dogs with neurological disorders by measuring CSF D-dimer concentrations.

ANIMALS

One hundred and sixty-nine dogs with neurological disorders, 7 dogs with systemic inflammatory diseases without central nervous system involvement (SID), and 7 healthy Beagles were included in the study. Dogs with neurological disorders included 11 with steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA), 37 with other inflammatory neurological diseases (INF), 38 with neoplasia affecting the central nervous system (NEO), 28 with spinal compressive disorders (SCC), 15 with idiopathic epilepsy (IE), and 40 with noninflammatory neurological disorders (NON-INF).

METHODS

Prospective observational study. D-dimers and C-reactive protein (CRP) were simultaneously measured in paired CSF and blood samples.

RESULTS

D-dimers and CRP were detected in 79/183 (43%) and in 182/183 (99.5%) CSF samples, respectively. All dogs with IE, SID, and controls had undetectable concentrations of D-dimers in the CSF. CSF D-dimer concentrations were significantly (P < .001) higher in dogs with SRMA than in dogs with other diseases and controls. CSF CRP concentration in dogs with SRMA was significantly (P < .001) higher than in dogs of other groups and controls, except for the SID group. No correlation was found between blood and CSF D-dimer concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

Intrathecal fibrinolytic activity seems to be activated in some canine neurological disorders, and it is high in severe meningeal inflammatory diseases. CSF D-dimer concentrations may be considered a diagnostic marker for SRMA.

Effect of a SiO2 coating on the magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticles

In this work the effect of a SiO2 coating on the magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticles obtained by the sol-gel method is analyzed. Two sets of samples were prepared: Fe3O4 nanoparticles and Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell composites. The samples display the characteristic spinel structure associated with the magnetite Fe3O4 phase, with the majority of grain sizes around 5-10 nm. At room temperature the nanoparticles show the characteristic superparamagnetic behavior with mean blocking temperatures around 160 and 120 K for Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2, respectively. The main effect of the SiO2 coating is reflected in the temperature dependence of the high field magnetization (μ(0)H = 6 T), i.e. deviations from the Bloch law at low temperatures (T < 20 K). Such deviations, enhanced by the introduction of the SiO2 coating, are associated with the occurrence of surface spin disordered effects. The induction heating effects (magnetic hyperthermia) are analyzed under the application of an AC magnetic field. Maximum specific absorption rate (SAR) values around 1.5 W g(-1) were achieved for the Fe3O4 nanoparticles. A significant decrease (around 26%) is found in the SAR values of the SiO2 coated nanocomposite. The different heating response is analyzed in terms of the decrease of the effective nanoparticle magnetization in the Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell composites at room temperature.