Curcumin Loaded Chitosan-Protamine Nanoparticles Revealed Antitumor Activity Via Suppression of NF-κB, Proinflammatory Cytokines and Bcl-2 Gene Expression in the Breast Cancer Cells.

Nano drug delivery has been recently used to enhance the stability and bioavailability of chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, Chitosan/protamine nanocarrier was synthesized and used to encapsulate curcumin (CUR). The physicochemical properties of the empty carrier (CHPNPs) and curcumin-containing carrier (CU-CHPNPs) were characterized by TEM imaging, Zetasizer, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The antitumor activity of the prepared nanoparticles was assessed by determination of cell count, cell viability, the level of NF-κB, IL-6, and TNF-α and Bcl-2 gene expression in breast cancer cells (MCF-7). The results revealed that the obtained CU-CHPNPs had an average hydrodynamic size of 200 nm, zeta potential of +26.66 mv, and showed a drug encapsulation efficiency of 67%, and drug loading capacity of 40.20%. The cell-based assay showed a significant reduction in the cell viability, and NF-κB, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels upon treatment with CU-CHPNPs as compared to free CUR. Finally, the (CU-CHPNPs) downregulated the expression of the Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic gene more effectively than CUR and the CHPNPs comparing with the ß Actin housekeeping gene. This study concluded that the nano-encapsulation of CUR significantly enhances its antitumor efficacy via inhibition of NF-κB, IL-6, and TNF-α and downregulation of Bcl-2.

Systematic review of the effectiveness of Kinesio taping for children with brachial plexus injury.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the effectiveness of Kinesio taping on upper limb motor function in children with brachial plexus injury. DATA SOURCES: Articles were identified through searches of the following databases: OVID, Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane library. METHODS: Studies were excluded if they were nonpeer-reviewed publications, opinion articles, or not reported in English. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Methodological Index for Nonrandomized Studies. RESULTS: Five studies met our inclusion criteria. Two studies were included in the meta-analysis. A significant change was limited only to scapulothoracic internal rotation in three positions. CONCLUSIONS: Adding Kinesio taping to the physical therapy programme to manage children with brachial plexus injury is still questionable and may help functional improvement. However, this improvement may be limited depending on the technique or mode of application.