In Vitro and In Vivo Imaging-Based Evaluation of Doxorubicin Anticancer Treatment in Combination with the Herbal Medicine Black Cohosh.

As a substitution for hormone replacement therapy, many breast cancer patients use black cohosh (BC) extracts in combination with doxorubicin (DOX)-based chemotherapy. In this study, we evaluated the viability and survival of BC- and DOX-treated MCF-7 cells. A preclinical model of MCF-7 xenografts was used to determine the influence of BC and DOX administration on tumor growth and metabolism. The number of apoptotic cells after incubation with both DOX and BC was significantly increased (~100%) compared to the control. Treatment with DOX altered the potential of MCF-7 cells to form colonies; however, coincubation with BC did not affect this process. In vivo, PET-CT imaging showed that combined treatment of DOX and BC induced a significant reduction in both metabolic activity (29%) and angiogenesis (32%). Both DOX and BC treatments inhibited tumor growth by 20% and 12%, respectively, and combined by 57%, vs. control. We successfully demonstrated that BC increases cytotoxic effects of DOX, resulting in a significant reduction in tumor size. Further studies regarding drug transport and tumor growth biomarkers are necessary to establish the underlying mechanism and potential clinical use of BC in breast cancer patients.

Multimodal Assessment of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetic Vascular Complications.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a debilitating complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) that leads to thousands of injuries, amputations, and deaths each year. The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a regenerative therapy holds the promise of regrowing injured vasculature, helping DM patients live healthier and longer lives. We report the use of muscle-derived MSCs to treat surgically-induced hindlimb ischemia in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes (DM-1). We serially evaluate several facets of the recovery process, including αVß3 -integrin expression (a marker of angiogenesis), blood perfusion, and muscle function. We also perform microarray transcriptomics experiments to characterize the gene expression states of the MSC-treated is- chemic tissues, and compare the results with those of non-ischemic tissues, as well as ischemic tissues from a saline-treated control group. The results show a multifaceted impact of mMSCs on hindlimb ischemia. We determined that the angiogenic activity one week after mMSC treatment was enhanced by approximately 80% relative to the saline group, which resulted in relative increases in blood perfusion and muscle strength of approximately 42% and 1.7-fold, respectively. At the transcriptomics level, we found that several classes of genes were affected by mMSC treatment. The mMSCs appeared to enhance both pro-angiogenic and metabolic genes, while suppressing anti-angiogenic genes and certain genes involved in the inflammatory response. All told, mMSC treatment appears to exert far-reaching effects on the microenvironment of ischemic tissue, enabling faster and more complete recovery from vascular occlusion.

A inclusão do cuidador não abusivo no processo terapêutico em casos de violência sexual infantil intrafamiliar: um olhar sistêmico / The inclusion of non-abusive caregiver in the therapeutic process in cases of domestic child sexual abuse: a systemic approach

O presente artigo tem por objetivo evidenciar a importância da inclusão do cuidador não abusivo no processo terapêutico em situações de violência sexual intrafamiliar infantil. Foram analisados relatos de um processo terapêutico familiar à luz da teoria sistêmica, tendo por foco as narrativas relacionadas às situações de violência intrafamiliar e comportamentos associados. Os eixos de conteúdos foram organizados em: 1. Dinâmica familiar e padrão de relacionamento abusivo; 2. Ambivalência e dúvida; 3. Intergeracionalidade e revivência do próprio abuso; 4. Desamparo aprendido, e 5. Recomeçar. Percebeu-se que o atendimento familiar contribuiu com o processo de comunicação, possibilitando aos membros da família uma maior compreensão acerca das realidades subjetivas e contribuindo para o processo de elaboração do luto diante das violências sofridas, da perda da família idealizada e das dificuldades e sofrimento enfrentados com o afastamento do agressor.(AU)

This study aim to discuss the inclusion of non-abusive caregiver in the therapeutic process in situations of domestic child sexual violence. Reports were analyzed from a family therapeutic process in the light of systemic theory, with a focus narratives related to situations of domestic violence and associated behaviors. The contents axes brought to the session were organized into: 1. Family dynamics and pattern of abusive relationships; 2. Ambivalence and doubt; 3. Intergenerationality and revival of own abuse; 4. learned helplessness, and 5. starting over. It was noticed that the family therapy contributed to the communication process, enabling family members a greater understanding of subjective realities and contributing to the grief process in the face of sustained violence, the idealized family loss and the difficulties and suffering faced with the removal of the aggressor.(AU)