Light microscopical and parasitological analyses revealed the beneficial effects of silver nanoparticles and various myrrh extracts against Trichinella spiralis infection in mice.

Trichinella spiralis infection is a food-borne zoonotic disease caused by nematodes that dwell in the tissues, presenting a significant public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments including silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), myrrh biosynthesized AgNPs "AgNPs synthesized using plant-based green technologies", myrrh extract, and myrrh essential oil, as alternative treatments against T. spiralis infection. Parasitological, histopathological, and cytotoxicity assessments were conducted to investigate the effects of various concentrations of these treatments in reducing the populations of adult worms and larvae during both the intestinal and muscular phases of T. spiralis-infected mice. The results showed that the highest antihelminthic efficacy against the intestinal phase of T. spiralis was achieved by myrrh extract (86.66%), followed closely by AgNPs (84.96%) and myrrh AgNPs (82.51%) at higher concentrations (800 mg/kg for myrrh extract, 40 µg/mL for AgNPs, and 40 µg/mL for myrrh AgNPs). While the group treated with myrrh essential oil showed the lowest percentage of adult reduction (78.14%). However, all treatments demonstrated comparable effects in reducing the larvae population in the muscle phase. Histopathological examination of the tissues revealed compelling evidence of the effectiveness of AgNPs, particularly when prepared with myrrh. Additionally, a comprehensive assessment of the cytotoxicity of AgNPs indicated low toxicity levels. This study supports that AgNPs synthesized using plant-based green technologies hold therapeutic potential for the treatment of T. spiralis infection. These findings present a promising avenue for the development of novel antiparasitic drugs that are both effective and safe. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Myrrh extract has the highest antihelminthic efficacy against the intestinal phase of T. spiralis. Histopathological examination of the tissues revealed compelling evidence of the effectiveness of AgNPs, particularly when prepared with myrrh. During intestinal phase of T. spiralis, varying levels of nanoparticle precipitation were detected in the liver, brain, lung, and intestine. During the muscular phase, the highest amount of AgNPs precipitation was detected in the liver, followed by the brain, and lung.

CEG-AgNPs Ameliorates DMBA-Induced Mammary Carcinogenicity by Alleviating Cytokines Expression.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> For more than a decade, breast cancer has been one of the most common forms of cancer among women around the world. The present article aimed to evaluate the protective activity of CEG-AgNPs against DMBA-induced mammary carcinoma. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> In this experimental study, green synthesis and characterization of CEG-AgNPs were carried as well as IC₅₀ against Mcf7 cell line and LD₅₀ on mice were evaluated. A total of 24 adult albino mice were divided into four groups six rats in each. Group I was given an equal amount of distilled water, group II was received 80 mg kg¹ b.wt., DMBA for 4 weeks, groups III and IV were treated with CEG-AgNPs (28.1 and 70.25 mg kg¹) from the 5th week of DMBA administration for 4 weeks, respectively. <b>Results:</b> CEG-AgNPs were approximately 42.32±9.52 nm with a negative zeta potential of -17.44. It is IC₅₀ against the Mcf7 cell line and LD₅₀ is equal to 82.76 µg mL¹ and 1405 mg kg¹ b.wt., A significant normalization in plasma ALT, AST, AST and LDH as well as mammary MDA, TNF-α, IL-6, P53, SOD, GPx and GSH levels have been observed in CEG-AgNPs treated mice. Oral CEG-AgNPs administration has suppressed VEGF-C gene expression in DMBA-treated mice. <b>Conclusion:</b> The present results, biochemical, histological and MRI results showed that CEG-AgNPs have potent anticancer activity against DMBA-induced mammary carcinoma in mice by inducing the biosynthesizes of antioxidant biomarkers and suppression of cytokines gene expression.

Comparison of Histidine rich glycoprotein, a novel biomarker for sepsis, with traditional biomarkers in adult ICU patients.

Sepsis is a major public healthcare problem. It remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units (ICU) all over the world. A lifesaving early specific diagnosis and treatment is a challenge as no gold standard technique exists that can alone allow a rapid and reliable diagnosis of sepsis. Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) is a promising new biomarker of sepsis that can contribute to enhance current sepsis diagnostic tools. The current study aimed to evaluate HRG as a diagnostic biomarker for sepsis compared to the conventionally used biomarkers, procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP). The study included 67 participants classified into 3 groups: Control (n=19), systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) patients (n=24) and sepsis patients (n=24). Serum HRG, CRP and PCT levels were measured by ELISA techniques. HRG level was significantly reduced in sepsis patients compared with SIRS patients (P < 0.001) and controls (P < 0.001) with overall statistically significant differences between the three groups (P < 0.001). Serum levels of the 3 biomarkers revealed increased PCT level in SIRS and sepsis groups, (P=0.002 and p < 0.001 respectively), CRP level significantly increased in sepsis (P < 0.001) but not in SIRS patients (P=0.525). The area under the curve (AUC) value was 0.988 for HRG, 0.966 for PCT and 0.859 for CRP respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for diagnosis of HRG were 95.8%, 93%, 88.5%, and 97.6%, respectively. In conclusion, HRG could be a good indicator for sepsis, that can discriminate sepsis and SIRS patients in ICU.

Socket shield technique vs conventional immediate implant placement with immediate temporization. Randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Alveolar bone resorption and labial bone plate reduction follow teeth extraction due to the deficiency of blood supply, derived from the loss of periodontal ligaments, and hence the socket shield technique was introduced to preserve the periodontal ligaments related perfusion. PURPOSE: The study aimed to compare the vertical and horizontal changes of the buccal cortical bone plates, encountered after utilizing the socket shield technique with immediate temporization vs an immediate implant placement with immediate temporization, and analyzing the differences of the implant stability and pink esthetic score evaluation between both techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 dental implants were placed in the maxillary esthetic zone, 20 implants were placed using the socket shield technique with immediate temporization; the study group and 20 implants were placed immediately with immediate temporization; the control group. All patients received immediate and 6 months postoperative CBCT to assess the dimensional changes in the labial bone plates. Implant stability quotients (ISQs) and pink esthetic scores were measured at the time of implant placement and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: The horizontal bone loss; ranged from 0 to0.26 (0.15) mm and 0.03 to0.44 (0.32) mm for the study and control groups, respectively. The vertical bone loss; ranged from 0.11 to 0.55 (0.31) mm and 0.25 to 1.51 (0.7) mm for the study and control groups, respectively. The ISQ for the study group increased from 68.6 ± 3.81 to 76.7 ± 3.49, while in the control group it increased from 66.4 ± 5.64 to 75 ± 4.4. PES for the study group increased from 11 to 12, while in the control group it decreased from 13 to 9. CONCLUSION: The socket shield technique with immediate temporization is a reliable method to reduce the labial bone loss following teeth extraction. However, further studies are required to investigate the effect of grafting the jumping gaps, to evaluate the graft contribution in further reduction of the bone loss.

In vitro evaluation of anti-methylglyoxal/glyoxal activity of three phytosterols using glycated bovine serum albumin models.

Reactive intermediate dicarbonyls, such as methylglyoxal (MGO) and glyoxal (GO), have received extensive attention recently due to their high reactivity and capability to form advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in foods, which have been implicated in the progression of age-related complaints. We aimed to investigate the effects of three structurally different phytosterols (PS), including stigmasterol (SS), ß-sitosterol (ßS), and γ-oryzanol (γO), on AGEs-formation by measuring their anti-GO/MGO activity. The glycoxidation-based products, SDS-PAGE intensity, free lysine, protein thiols, fluorescence microscopy clicks, scavenging of dicarbonyl activity, and protein aggregation in bovine serum albumin (BSA) models were therefore measured. The results showed that PS could strongly inhibit fluorescent-AGEs, lysine residues, intermediate di-carbonyls, beside their disaggregation effects in a dose and structure dependent manner. Additionally, γ-oryzanol strongly inhibited AGEs more than the other PS, mostly due to its distinctive structure. Our results will provide a new foundation for development of different structure of PS as natural AGEs-inhibitors.

Association of matrix metalloproteinases 3 and 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms with breast cancer risk: A case-control study.

Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) 3 and 9 are functionally implicated in the progression of various types of cancer, including breast cancer (BC). However, the roles of these SNPs remain controversial. In addition, they also vary between one population and another. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the possible association between MMP3-1171 5A/6A and MMP9-1562 CT SNPs and the risk of BC among Egyptians, and to elucidate the alteration of MMP3 and MMP9 gene expression in patients with BC. The present case-control study enrolled 162 patients with BC and 146 control subjects. Restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR was performed for analysis of the selected SNPs, gene expression of MMP3 and MMP9 was also assessed in 50 patients and 50 control subjects by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The frequencies of 5A/6A genotype and 5A allele of MMP3 were significantly higher in patients with BC compared with in healthy subjects. On the other hand, the distributions of MMP9 genotypes and alleles were not significantly different among patients and healthy subjects. Compared with healthy subjects, the expression levels of the two genes were found to be upregulated in patients with BC. Therefore, the present study indicated that MMP3-1171 5A/6A SNP, not MMP9-1562 C>T SNP may be a risk factor for developing BC among Egyptian females.

Pentoxifylline ameliorates chronic stress/high-fat diet-induced vascular wall disease: the role of circulating endothelial progenitor cells.

Depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are two faces of one coin. A pro-inflammatory state was previously suggested in the pathology of both diseases. We investigated the effect of chronic administration (2 weeks) of imipramine (20 mg/kg/day) and pentoxifylline (50 mg/kg/day) on behavioral, aortic histological abnormalities, and level of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEPCs) in peripheral blood of male Wistar rats exposed to chronic mild stress (CMS) and high-fat diet. Exposure to CMS and high-fat diet induced a depressive-like behavior alongside aortic immunohistochemical changes associated with an increase in aortic TNF-α level. Markers of CEPCs, VEGFR-2 and CD133, were significantly disturbed in aortic sections, as compared to control animals and those exposed to CMS while fed high-fat diet, although flowcytometric analysis did not show any significant changes in the level of CEPCs in peripheral blood. Chronic pentoxifylline treatment was more effective in ameliorating the histological changes and endothelial damage compared to imipramine. Pro-inflammatory cytokines-induced disturbances in CEPCs could constitute a plausible link between depression and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Current antidepressants reduce symptoms of depression without tackling the underlying link between it and cardiovascular disease. Targeting pro-inflammatory cytokines might open a new therapeutic approach to alleviate depression and reduce the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.

Ketoprofen mesoporous silica nanoparticles SBA-15 hard gelatin capsules: preparation and in vitro/in vivo characterization.

SBA-15 is used to enhance the bioavailability of poorly soluble ketoprofen (KP) through stabilization of its amorphous state. Additionally, the current work provides a complete in vitro and in vivo study on preformulated KP-SBA-15 sample and formulated KP-SBA-15 in hard gelatin capsule. Loading of KP was done by a novel method called immersion-rotavapor method. KP was quantified by extraction and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Characterization of the loaded SBA-15 sample was done by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD), nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and dissolution profiles. The loaded sample was formulated in hard gelatin capsule. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic studies were carried out on 24 adult male albino rats. TGA and extraction results showed 54.4 wt% of drug incorporated. Characterization of KP-SBA-15 sample confirmed the successful encapsulation of KP into the carrier pores in a molecular amorphous state. Additionally, loading of KP did not affect the mesoporous internal structure. During the first 5 min, the dissolution study showed very high release rates; nearly 50% of KP was released. These results were reflected on the in vivo study resulting in 82% inhibition in edema after 1 h and maximum analgesia after 30 min from the administration of the formulated sample. SBA-15 mesoporous silica nanoparticle proved to be a very promising drug delivery carrier that can be used as a facile way to enhance the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs.