Combination of Chemotherapy and Mild Hyperthermia Using Targeted Nanoparticles: A Potential Treatment Modality for Breast Cancer.

Despite the clinical benefits that chemotherapeutics has had on the treatment of breast cancer, drug resistance remains one of the main obstacles to curative cancer therapy. Nanomedicines allow therapeutics to be more targeted and effective, resulting in enhanced treatment success, reduced side effects, and the possibility of minimising drug resistance by the co-delivery of therapeutic agents. Porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) have been established as efficient vectors for drug delivery. Their high surface area makes them an ideal carrier for the administration of multiple therapeutics, providing the means to apply multiple attacks to the tumour. Moreover, immobilising targeting ligands on the pSiNP surface helps direct them selectively to cancer cells, thereby reducing harm to normal tissues. Here, we engineered breast cancer-targeted pSiNPs co-loaded with an anticancer drug and gold nanoclusters (AuNCs). AuNCs have the capacity to induce hyperthermia when exposed to a radiofrequency field. Using monolayer and 3D cell cultures, we demonstrate that the cell-killing efficacy of combined hyperthermia and chemotherapy via targeted pSiNPs is 1.5-fold higher than applying monotherapy and 3.5-fold higher compared to using a nontargeted system with combined therapeutics. The results not only demonstrate targeted pSiNPs as a successful nanocarrier for combination therapy but also confirm it as a versatile platform with the potential to be used for personalised medicine.

Assessing secular trends in HIV rapid diagnostic test uptake and positivity in Northeast Iran, a country in MENA region; ingredients for target-specific prevention policies.

BACKGROUND: Iran is amongst the first three countries in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region where two-thirds of region's new HIV infections are reported. HIV testing at the population level is key to interrupting the HIV transmission chain. The current study aimed to evaluate the history of HIV rapid diagnostic testing (HIV-RDT) and its correlates in northeast Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, de-identified records of HIV-RDTs were extracted by the census method from the electronic health information system of 122 testing facilities between 2017 and 2021. Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with HIV-RDT uptake and risks and drivers of HIV-RDT positivity, separately among men and women. RESULTS: Conducting 66,548 HIV-RDTs among clients with a mean age of 30.31 years, 63% female, 75.2% married, and 78.5% with high school education or below, yielded 312 (0.47%) positive results. Test uptake was comparatively low among men and the unmarried sub-population. Prenatal care and high-risk heterosexual intercourse were the most frequent reasons for taking HIV-RDT among women and men, respectively (76% and 61.2%). High-risk heterosexual contact, tattooing, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), having a partner at risk of HIV infection, and injecting drugs were test seekers' most reported transmission routes. One-third of the newly-infected female clients were identified through prenatal testing. Multivariate analysis revealed older age at the time of testing (Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR) = 1.03), divorce (AOR = 2.10), widowhood (AOR = 4.33), education level of secondary school (AOR = 4.67), and unemployment (AOR = 3.20) as significant demographic predictors of positive HIV-RDT (P-value < 0.05). However, clients' nationality, testing history, duration of HIV exposure, and reported reasons for taking HIV-RDT were not associated with the test result (P-value > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Innovative strategies are required to scale up test uptake and positive yields among the key population in the region. The current evidence strongly suggests implementing gender-targeted strategies, according to the differences in demographic and behavioral risk between men and women.

Comparison of Magnesium Status Using 24-h Urine Magnesium Content and Magnesium Fraction Excretion in PCOS with Non-PCOS Control Women: a Cross-sectional Study.

Magnesium (Mg) is the second most frequent intracellular cation, having an important role in normal enzyme function and insulin secretion. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age and often associated with insulin resistance. Two systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted to compare mean serum Mg levels between PCOS and control groups. Both studies detected unexplained heterogeneity among input studies and the two conclusions contradict each other, while approximately 1% of total body Mg is present in extracellular fluid (ECF) and serum Mg level does not represent Mg status well. For the first time, we investigated magnesium renal fraction excretion (FEMg) and compared mean values between PCOS and non-PCOS control women. This study is a cross-sectional analysis conducted at an academic medical center. Forty-four women were included in the PCOS group based on the Rotterdam criteria and 50 non-PCOS women were included in the control group. Statistical analysis of the relationship between 24-h urinary Mg content and FEMg, and also physical and metabolic variables, was performed. Main outcome measurements are 24-h urinary Mg content and FEMg. Mean values of 24-h urinary Mg content and FEMg did not significantly differ between PCOS and control groups (P = 0.22 and P = 0.24, respectively). Also, serum Mg levels and Ca/Mg ratio were similar between the groups (P = 0.17 and P = 0.26, respectively). Our data suggested Mg status in the PCOS group was similar to the non-PCOS control group and both were not magnesium deficient. For further investigation, we recommend using FEMg for evaluating Mg status rather than serum Mg levels. Considering collection of background diet is helpful and desired for future studies.

Complications and Efficacy of Sinopharm Vaccine among Liver and Kidney Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: There are various vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, vaccination may lead to some complications. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the complications of transplant recipients who received the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted among 667 transplant recipients (211 liver transplant recipients and 456 kidney transplant recipients) who received the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from March to August 2021 and had medical records in Montaserieh Hospital, affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. The demographic and clinical information, as well as patient's symptoms after each dose of the vaccine, were recorded. RESULTS: Only 16.8% and 13.7% of the patients experienced some symptoms following the first and second doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, respectively. No significant difference was observed between patients younger than 50 years and those aged 50 years and over in terms of the complication rate of the Sinopharm vaccine (P>0.005). Vaccine failure was reported in 10% of the cases; however, the mortality rate due to infection with the Delta variant of COVID-19 in this population was reported to be 0.7%. CONCLUSION: Based on the obtained results, adverse reactions of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine are generally mild, predictable, and non-life-threatening both in the first and second doses. Vaccine failure was reported in 10% of the cases; however, mortality due to infection with the Delta variant of COVID-19 was reported in less than 1% of the cases.

Personality profile and therapeutic response to lithium carbonate and sodium valproate in mania with psychotic features.

Bipolar disorder is one of the major psychiatric disorders. Therefore, determining the factors that predict mood stabilizer response is important. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality profile and the response to lithium carbonate and sodium valproate in patients with psychotic mania. In this study, 50 patients with bipolar I disorder (manic episode with psychotic features) were randomly assigned to receive lithium carbonate (up to a serum level of 0.8-1.5 mEq/L) or sodium valproate (20 mg/kg). After stabilization of acute manic phase, Temperament and Character Inventory was completed by the patients themselves. Fifty subjects completed this study. The mean age ± SD of participants in the sodium valproate group and lithium carbonate group was 32.99 ± 9.94 and 30.73±7.94 years, respectively. The responders to sodium valproate had significantly higher scores in novelty seeking, harm avoidance (P = 0.003 and 0.004, respectively) and lower scores in persistence (P = 0.006) than the non-responders, but the responders to lithium carbonate did not have significantly different personality profiles. The results of the present study revealed that the personality profiles in the inpatients with psychotic mania are related to the responses to sodium valproate, but are irrelevant to the responses to lithium carbonate.

Polylactide/Polyvinylalcohol-Based Porous Bioscaffold Loaded with Gentamicin for Wound Dressing Applications.

This study explores the feasibility of modifying the surface liquid spraying method to prepare porous bioscaffolds intended for wound dressing applications. For this purpose, gentamicin sulfate was loaded into polylactide-polyvinyl alcohol bioscaffolds as a highly soluble (hygroscopic) model drug for in vitro release study. Moreover, the influence of inorganic salts including NaCl (10 g/L) and KMnO4 (0.4 mg/L), and post-thermal treatment (T) (80 °C for 2 min) on the properties of the bioscaffolds were studied. The bioscaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, other properties including porosity, swelling degree, water vapor transmission rate, entrapment efficiency, and the release of gentamicin sulfate were investigated. Results showed that high concentrations of NaCl (10 g/L) in the aqueous phase led to an increase of around 68% in the initial burst release due to the increase in porosity. In fact, porosity increased from 68.1 ± 1.2 to 94.1 ± 1.5. Moreover, the thermal treatment of the Polylactide-polyvinyl alcohol/NaCl (PLA-PVA/NaCl) bioscaffolds above glass transition temperature (Tg) reduced the initial burst release by approximately 11% and prolonged the release of the drug. These results suggest that thermal treatment of polymer above Tg can be an efficient approach for a sustained release.

Slow light engineering in resonant photonic crystal line-defect waveguides.

Slow light plays an outstanding role in a wide variety of optical applications, from quantum information to optical processing. While slow optical guiding in photonic crystal waveguides is typically based on Bragg band gaps occurring in non-resonant photonic crystals, here we explore the possibility to leverage the hybridization photonic band gaps of resonant photonic crystals to induce a different form of slow light guiding. We study a line-defect waveguide in a periodic structure composed of high-permittivity resonant dielectric objects and exploit the different guiding mechanisms associated with the hybridization band gap to induce slow light in the resonant phase of the crystal. We demonstrate quantitatively that this method can, in principle, produce high group indices over large bandwidths with potential values of group-index bandwidth products up to 0.67.

Gene expression pattern of CCL2, CCL3, and CXCL8 in patients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is one of the most important psychiatric disorders in the world. There is evidence suggesting the role of inflammatory mediators such as chemokines in the etiology of BD. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the gene expression of CCL2, CCL3, and CXCL8 in patients with BD and compare them to healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 48 patients with confirmed BD and 48 healthy controls enrolled in this study. All patients were recruited from April to August 2016 at Ibn-Sina Psychiatric Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. RNA was extracted from the whole blood samples and then cDNA was synthesized. Gene expression of CCL2, CCL3, and CXCL8 was measured using SYBR® Green real-time polymerase chain reaction. The difference of delta-CT values between patients and healthy controls was compared with the independent samples t-tests. RESULTS: CCL2 and CXCL8 genes expressed at higher levels in patients with BD as compared to healthy controls, but not significant. On the contrary, we found lower expression levels for CCL3 gene in our patients compared to healthy controls, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our findings do not show an association between the gene expression of CCL2, CCL3 and CXCL8 and BD. Increasing the sample size and evaluation on the gene expression of other chemokines in depression and mania phases of BD might be helpful to get a better conclusion.

Type IV chitinase quantification in four different grape cultivars (Vitis vinifera) in northeast of Iran by an indirect sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

The incidence of grape (Vitis vinifera) allergy in the northeast of Iran is second to melon allergy. Type IV chitinase is one of the major grape allergens. The current study investigates the level of type IV chitinase in four grape variants for the first time in Khorasan Razavi Province using a highly sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This assay was developed using a polyclonal antibody as a capture antibody and monoclonal antibody as a secondary one. Finally, the amount of type IV chitinase was measured by the validated ELISA test. The sensitivity of the developed sandwich ELISA is 16 ± 0.05 ng/ml, and its mean coefficients of intraday and interday variations are <5% and <15%, respectively. The recovery of the designed ELISA is 64 ± 0.9 %. The assessments showed that the highest level of type IV chitinase was 39.7 ± 2.3 µg/g in Peykani grape, whereas in the Sultana cultivar, it was 1.76 ± 0.1 µg/g. According to the data, the level of type IV chitinase is variable in different cultivars, and hence, it will be helpful for clinicians to recommend a less allergenic variety to the patient.