SOOTHER TRIAL: Observational study of an over-the-counter ointment to heal anal itch.

Introduction: Pruritus ani, or rectal or anal itch, is a common perianal disorder that affects ~5% of the population of the developed world. Treatments for this disorder are somewhat limited and include conservative non-medical perianal hygiene care, and topical medical treatments including topical steroids, antibacterial and antifungal agents, and topical anesthetic/analgesics such as lidocaine or capsaicin; astringents and vasoconstrictors such as ephedrine can also be used. Methods: The study was IRB approved. We assessed the efficacy of a novel, composite, over-the-counter, topical lidocaine ointment that included an epidermal barrier and antimicrobial effect along with the typical lidocaine anesthetizing effect, in a single arm, observational, longitudinal, population of 20 ambulatory pruritus ani patients. Patients applied the ointment twice daily, and were studied for 2 weeks; primary outcomes included time to symptom resolution and clinical exam resolution as measured on a 5-point visual analog scale. Results: Twenty-nine consecutive patients were screened and 20 patients (12 males; 8 females) were enrolled in the study. Ninety percent of patients achieved 100% symptom resolution by 2 weeks, and most were improved within 72 h of initiating treatment; 95% of patients had a normal visual exam by the 2 week endpoint. There were no significant adverse events attributable to the therapy. Conclusion: Use of a novel composite topical lidocaine agent, demonstrated rapid and effective relief of pruritus ani in an ambulatory population. Additional studies are underway. Clinical trial registered: Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT05288907.

Wharton jelly stem cells inhibits AGS gastric cancer cells through induction of apoptosis and modification of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer) GC) is one of the most common cancer with high mortality worldwide. The human Wharton's jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) can inhibit several cancer cells through several molecular pathways. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate anticancer effects of hWJSCs conditioned medium (hWJSC-CM) and cell-free lysate (hWJSC-CL) against of GC cell line AGS and underlying signaling pathways. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the effects of hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL on viability, proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in AGS cells. Moreover, mRNA expression of genes involved in apoptosis (BAX, BCL2, SMAC, and SURVIVIN), as well as expression of proteins involved in NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways were evaluated. RESULTS: The obtained results showed that the hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL decreased viability, migration, and invasion of GC cell line AGS in a concentration and time dependent manner. We observed that the hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL induced apoptosis pathway through regulation of apoptosis involved genes mRNA expression. In addition, the hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL suppressed NF-κB signaling pathways as well as promoted MAPK signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: In general, our study suggested that the hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL inhibits proliferation and viability of GC cell line AGS through induction of apoptosis, as well as modification of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

An aptasensor for troponin I based on the aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence of nanoparticles prepared from a cyclometallated iridium(III) complex and poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-styrene) deposited on nitrogen-doped graphene.

An ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) disposable aptamer sensor (aptasensor) is presented for detection of myocardial infarction biomarker by quantification of troponin I in blood serum. A screen-printed electrode was modified with (a) aptamer-modified gold nanoparticles, (b) cyclometallated iridium(III)-poly-4-vinylpyridine nanoparticles, and (c) nitrogen-doped graphene in order to increase the loading capacity and conductivity of the aptasensor. If the aptasensor is exposed to troponin I, it will bind to the aptamer and desorb the aptamer from gold nanoparticles and the surface of the electrode. This generates an enhancement in ECL emission depending on troponin I concentration. ECL emission is strongly improved by aggregation-induced phenomenon, which is caused by inhibition of the water and oxygen quenching effect on the iridium complex ECL in aqueous media. Under optimum conditions, the aptasensor has a wide dynamic range that extends from 0.1 pM to 10 nM, with a 20 fM detection limit (S/N = 3) and a relative standard deviation of 3.1%. The ECL aptasensor was successfully applied to 20 individual human serum for the detection of troponin I biomarker. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of electrochemiluminescence aptamer assay fabrication for detection of Troponin I. Carbon screen printed electrode (CSPE) was modified with nitrogen doped graphene (NG), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), cyclometallated iridium(III)-polyvinylpyridine polymer nanoparticles, ionic liquid and bovine serum albumin.

Prevalence and characteristics of Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer in Iran.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric cancer (GC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and is the most frequent cancer in Iran. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been shown to be associated with gastric cancer. The present study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated gastric cancer among Iranian patients. METHODS: Ninety formalin fixed paraffin-embedded cases of gastric cancer were studied. The specimens were investigated for the presence of the EBV genome by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Of ninety specimens, EBV was detected in six cases (6.66%). The mean age for patients EBV-positive gastric carcinomas was 72.1 years, whereas the mean age for the entire group was 65.7 years. Four out of 64 (6.25%) male patients and 2 out of 26 (7.69%) female cases were positive for EBV. According to anatomic location, EBV was detected in 4 out of 39 (10.25% ) gastric cancer were located in cardia and 2 out of 26 (7.69%) gastric cancer were located in middle/corpus. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that the frequency of EBV-associated gastric carcinoma in Iran is  low. Differences of EBV-associated gastric carcinoma incidence in different countries may reflect the epidemiologic factors and dietary habits. Further analysis of clinical pathology features of EBV-associated gastric carcinoma using a larger number of cases would give invaluable insights into its etiology.