Ewing's Sarcoma of Mandible: Practical Approach to a Challenging Case

A Child With Recurrent Jaw Swelling

A 9-year-old male presented with a 2-year history of recurrent left-sided jaw swelling. Physical examination revealed a hard mass at the left ramus of the mandible. What is your diagnosis?

Toxicity of Carboplatin-Niosomal Nanoparticles in a Brain Cancer Cell Line

OBJECTIVE

Cancer poses a significant challenge in modern medicine, standing as the primary cause of death in many countries, second only to cardiovascular diseases. Among the various treatments available, carboplatin, a chemotherapy drug, is employed for specific cancer types, including brain carcinoma. The main objective of this investigation is to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of carboplatin by utilizing niosomal nanocarriers.

METHODS

We synthesized nanoniosomal carboplatin using the reverse-phase evaporation technique and conducted an assessment of its particle size, zeta potential, and drug-release properties. Subsequently, we evaluated the cytotoxicity of nanoniosomal carboplatin using the C6 rat glioma cell line.

RESULTS

Our research revealed that these niosomal nanoparticles possessed a particle size of 290.5±5.5 nm and a zeta potential of -21.7±7.4 mV. The amount of encapsulated drug and drug loading level were found to be 60.2±2.3% and 2.5±1.1%, respectively. Importantly, the cytotoxic impact of these nanoniosomes on the C6 rat glioma cell line exhibited a significant increase compared to the free drug (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Based on our discoveries, it is evident that carboplatin niosomal nanocarriers hold potential as an innovative approach to chemotherapy for brain cancer therapy.

High-throughput sequencing analysis of the characteristics of the gut microbiota in aged patients with sarcopenia

BACKGROUND

The gut microbiota is a complex microbial community that changes in response to various intestinal diseases, including aging-related diseases such as sarcopenia. Several studies have shown that the metabolites of the gut microbiota affect the dynamic balance of the skeletal muscle. However, the effect of gut microbiota imbalance on sarcopenia is still largely unknown.

METHODS

We collected the baseline characteristics and fecal samples of 14 patients with sarcopenia and 21 patients without sarcopenia, and used the 16S rRNA sequencing technology to analyze the differences in the gut microbiota in the two groups. α-diversity and β-diversity were employed to assess the abundance and diversity of species and variations in microflora composition, respectively. Moreover, Tax4Fun was employed to predict the functional capacities of the microbial communities.

RESULTS

In the sarcopenia group, the abundances of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, Fusobacterium, and Prevotella were reduced, whereas those of pathogenic bacteria, such as Escherichia-Shigella and Klebsiella, were increased. The genera and species of the family Enterobacteriaceae were the main pathogenic bacteria in patients with sarcopenia, and Escherichia-Shigella and Klebsiella could be used as key biomarkers of sarcopenia. The defective protein processing and amino acid synthesis pathways in patients with sarcopenia indicated that protein synthesis and nutrient transport may be damaged. Moreover, the abundances of Escherichia-Shigella and Enterobacteriaceae have been found to have a negative correlation with muscle mass and were the main parameters predicting the change in muscle mass.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we have identified changes in the gut microbiota of sarcopenic individuals, which were linked to the loss of muscle mass and function. Escherichia-Shigella is a conditional pathogen of sarcopenic patients, and its levels are found to have a significant negative correlation with muscle mass.