Are mimotope vaccines a good alternative to monoclonal antibodies?

Utilizing immunotherapy as a potential therapeutic approach to boost the body's immune system for the fight against various diseases such as cancers, autoimmune diseases and also infections, is increasing day by day. Monoclonal antibodies, as effective therapeutic agents are used in cancer targeted therapies. However, these biologics have some disadvantages such as high costs and side effects. Therefore, emerging alternative immunotherapy strategies with high efficiency and low costs seems necessary. Mimotope vaccines, as epitope-mimicking structures, have shown to be effective therapeutic options, but are they really a good alternative to monoclonal antibodies, or are they just effective adjuvants?

The Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Aesthetic and Regenerative Medicine: A Comprehensive Review.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as a promising autologous biological treatment modality for the use in aesthetic and regenerative medicine. PRP is a high concentration of platelets derived from whole blood which is isolated by centrifugation to separate and concentrate platelet-containing plasma from red blood cells. PRP comprises hundreds of bioactive proteins, including growth factors, peptides, and cytokines that stimulate healing of skin and soft tissues. Attractive features of PRP are the extended release of various growth and differentiation factors from activated platelets, tissue regenerative, and healing capabilities, as well as the lack of problems associated with immunogenicity. Because of the unique biological features of this whole blood-derived biological agent, multiple clinical uses for PRP exist for aesthetic and regenerative medicine. EVIDENCE ACQUISITIONS: A comprehensive review of the literature regarding the use of platelet-rich plasma in aesthetic and regenerative medicine was performed. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Therapeutic applications of PRP including several methods for its clinical deployment in conditions related to aesthetic and regenerative medicine including wound healing, skin and facial rejuvenation, hair restoration, hand rejuvenation, breast augmentation, and musculoskeletal regeneration were reviewed. CONCLUSION: PRP treatment has shown itself as a bright future for a safe and efficient cosmetic intervention. However, more studies are needed to better our understanding of limitations and benefits in clinical phases associated with the aesthetic use of PRP. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Involvement of miR-155/FOXO3a and miR-222/PTEN in acquired radioresistance of colorectal cancer cell line.

PURPOSE: Finding a novel biomarker for determining the radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer (CRC) is critical. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of two main miRNAs including miR-222 and miR-155 in radiation response of CRC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The radioresistant CRC cell lines were established by exposing the HCT 116 cell line to fractional X-ray radiation. SubG1 fraction analysis, MTT and clonogenic assays were applied to evaluate acquired radioresistant cell line radiosensitivity. miR-222/PTEN and miR-155/FOXO3a expressions were detected by RT PCR. RESULTS: The clonogenic assay and sub-G1fraction analysis indicated that the RR2 sub-line was significantly more resistant than the parental cell line. MiR-222 and miR-155 were significantly upregulated in the radioresistant cell lines compared with the parental cell lines. The PTEN and FOXO3a expressions in the radioresistant cell lines were significantly higher than in the parental line. CONCLUSION: These observations indicate that miR-222 and miR-155 could induce radiation resistance in colorectal cancer by targeting PTEN and FOXO3a genes, respectively. Therefore, miR-222 and miR-155 can be suggested as good biomarkers of CRC radiation response.