Detection of Radiation-Induced DNA Damage in Breast Cancer Patients by Using Gamma H2AX Biomarker: A Possible Correlation with Their Body Mass Index

Radiotherapy is one of the most important options for treating breast cancer in humans. The development of biomarkers to monitor radiosensitivity is scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate the γH2AX levels in the human blood samples 0.5 h after radiotherapy compared to the levels before radiotherapy in breast cancer patients in relation to their respective body mass index (BMI). Blood plasma samples were collected from a total of 20 breast cancer patients before and after radiotherapy to measure γH2AX levels with an antibody against γH2AX based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The median BMI of the patients was 30 kg/m². γH2AX was differentially expressed in breast cancer patients before radiotherapy. γH2AX levels significantly increased in 14 patients after radiotherapy (P = 0.006), whereas γH2AX levels decreased in three patients after radiotherapy, and three patients were excluded. There was no correlation between γH2AX values after radiotherapy and BMI (P = 0.5, r = 0.1). Our results suggest that γH2AX can be used by ELISA technique to measure γH2AX in the blood plasma of breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and can be considered a biomarker of radiosensitivity.

Antimycobacterial activity of selected medicinal plants traditionally used in Sudan to treat infectious diseases

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis underscores the need for continuous development of new and efficient methods to determine the susceptibility of isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the search for novel antimycobacterial agents. Natural products constitute an important source of new drugs, and design and implementation of antimycobacterial susceptibility testing methods are necessary to evaluate the different extracts and compounds. In this study we have explored the antimycobacterial properties of 50 ethanolic extracts from different parts of 46 selected medicinal plants traditionally used in Sudan to treat infectious diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Plants were harvested and ethanolic extracts were prepared. For selected extracts, fractionation with hydrophilic and hydrophobic solvents was undertaken. A luminometry-based assay was used for determination of mycobacterial growth in broth cultures and inside primary human macrophages in the presence or absence of plant extracts and fractions of extracts. Cytotoxicity was also assessed for active fractions of plant extracts.

RESULTS

Of the tested extracts, three exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on an avirulent strain of Mycobacterium tubercluosis (H37Ra) at the initial screening doses (125 and 6.25µg/ml). These were bark and leaf extracts of Khaya senegalensis and the leaf extract of Rosmarinus officinalis L. Further fractions of these plant extracts were prepared with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, ethanol and water, and the activity of these extracts was retained in hydrophobic fractions. Cytotoxicity assays revealed that the chloroform fraction of Khaya senegalensis bark was non-toxic to human monocyte-derived macrophages and other cell types at the concentrations used and hence, further analysis, including assessment of IC50 and intracellular activity was done with this fraction.

CONCLUSION

These results encourage further investigations to identify the active compound(s) within the chloroform fraction of Khaya senegalensis bark.

Survival of Selected Pathogenic Bacteria in White Pickled Cheese Made With Lactic Acid Bacteria or Antimicrobials

Effect of lactic acid bacteria starter culture, nisin, hydrogen peroxide, or potassium sorbate on Listeria monocytogenes , Staphylococcus aureus , and Salmonella typhimurium in white pickled cheese made from pasteurized milk with 4% salt and preserved in 4% brine solution at 4°C for 60 d was studied. The starter culture inhibited all three pathogens while antimicrobials did not. Beyond day 50 in curd and day 30 in brine solution, L. monocytogenes was not detected by direct plating in cheese with added starter culture. S. aureus was not detected after day 30 in curd and day 20 in brine solution in the same cheese. S. typhimurium was not detected after day 30 in cheese curd and was not detected in brine solution at any time with lactic acid bacteria starter culture added. The pH of brine solution of starter treatment dropped below 4.7 in all experiments, while antimicrobial treatments all had a pH >5.5.

Chemical Composition of and Listeria monocytogenes Survival in White Pickled Cheese

White pickled cheese was made from pasteurized milk with 8% salt and preserved in the whey at 4°C. About 5.0 log₁₀ CFU/ml cells of Listeria monocytogenes were inoculated into milk, and the survival of the pathogen was studied during the storage period. The chemical composition of the cheese was also determined. L. monocytogenes were not inhibited by 8% salt, but lactic acid bacteria were unable to grow and produce acid to inhibit L. monocytogenes . During ripening, the pH never decreased below 6.0. While fat, protein, total solids, and ash contents decreased in curd during ripening, the acidity and salt did not change. In cheese whey, fat, protein, acidity, and salt showed a slight increase, while total solids and ash contents were unchanged.

The Arabian race camel normal parameters--I. Haemogram, enzymes and minerals

1. Racing camels' (Camelus dromedarius) normal blood parameters were determined in Al-Ain, U.A.E. The parameters were: packed cell volume, haemoglobin, total red and white blood cells, the activities of glutamate oxaloacetate (GOT), creatinine kinase (CK), gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT) and CK muscle-brain isoenzyme and the concentrations of creatinine, urea, total protein, albumin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, zinc, copper and iron. 2. Most blood parameters were found to differ from those of other domestic animals and from non-race camels. 3. The data are discussed in relation to the management system practised.