Evaluating the combined and individual cytotoxic effect of beauvericin, enniatin B and ochratoxin a on breast cancer cells, leukemia cells, and fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Beauvericin (BEA), Enniatin B (ENN B), and Ochratoxin A (OTA) are mycotoxins produced by fungi species. Their main effect on several organs and systems is associated with chronic exposure going from immunotoxicity, estrogenic disorders, and renal failure to cancer (in animals and humans). OTA belongs to Group 1 according to the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) and it has legislated limited values; not happening for BEA nor ENN B. Exposure to mixtures of mycotoxins occurs through food intake in daily consumption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implication of BEA, ENN B, and OTA individually and combined in producing cytotoxicity in cells for immunological studies and cancer cell lines (human leukemia cells (HL-60), fresh human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and human breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cells). Cells were treated for 4 h and 24 h at different concentrations of BEA, ENN B, and OTA, respectively. Viability assays were carried out by flow cytometry using DAPI (4',6-diamindino-2-phenylindole, dihydrochloride) as a viability dye and the potential effects of synergism, addition, and antagonism were assessed through the Chou and Talalay method. Individual OTA treatment exerted the greatest cytotoxicity for PBMC cells (IC50 0.5 µM) while ENN B for HL-60 (IC50 0.25 µM) and MDA-MB-231 (IC50 0.15 µM). In binary combination [ENN B + OTA] resulted in exerting the greatest cytotoxicity for HL-60 and MDA-MB-231 cells; while [BEA + OTA] in PBMC cells. The triple combination resulted in being highly cytotoxic for PBMC cells compared to HL-60 and MDA-MB-231 cells. In summary, PBMC cells were the most sensible cells for all three mycotoxins and the presence of OTA in any of the combinations had the greatest toxicity causing synergism as the most common cytotoxic effect.

Cutaneous and Inguinal Lymph Nodes Metastases Disseminated from an Endometrial Serous Carcinoma - Case Report and Literature Review.

Cutaneous metastases from endometrial cancer are rare and unusual. This is the case of a 72 years old female patient, diagnosed in 2018 with G3 endometrial serous carcinoma (ESC). At 18 months from the surgical intervention, the patient developed bilateral inguinal lymph nodes metastases and skin secondary lesions; histological and immunohistochemical tests were performed. Computed tomography scan did not indicate visceral secondary lesions, local or regional relapses. We present the treatment practiced, the case's evolution and we discuss about epidemiology, molecular biology, treatment options and management of advanced and local lesions. The appearance of skin metastases in theses cases is associated with poor prognosis and treatment options are limited to palliative chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Seroprevalence study of anti diphtheria antibodies in two age-groups of Romanian adults.

BACKGROUND: Diphtheria represents a serious infectious disease with high epidemic potential. It is a vaccine preventable disease (a minimum vaccine coverage of 95% for children of 1 year and 90% in adults could prevent the disease). Diphtheria vaccination is included in the National Immunization Program (NIP). Complete vaccination for children consists in DTaP (diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine) vaccine administration from the age of 2 months until 4 years and dT vaccine (tetanus toxoid and a reduced dose of diphtheria toxoid) at 14 years old. The aim of this paper was to highlight the protection against diphtheria of an age segment of the Romanian adult population (20 to 39 years old) using a seroprevalence study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Romanian subjects were selected from two age groups: 20-29 years (n = 219) and 30-39 years (n = 229), representative for all counties of Romania. The commercial kit Anti-Diphtheria Toxoid ELISA (IgG) (EUROIMMUN) was used to detect the antibodies of IgG class against diphtheria toxoid in the sera obtained from our subjects. RESULTS: We detected a 56.6% rate of positive sera (> 0.1 IU/ml--protection level) for the 20-29 age group and 31.7% positivity for the 30-39 age group. These data show a low protection level against diphtheria of the Romanian adult population, which decreases with age. The serologic data on preventable vaccine diseases are useful in order to evaluate the success of the immunization programs.