Rhinofacial entomophthoromycosis: a case report

<p class="abstract">Rhinofacial entomophthoromycosis or conidiobolomycosis is a rare subcutaneous mycosis seen in immunocompetent people and shows significant male preponderance. It is caused by a saprophytic fungus ‘conidiobolus coronatus’ or rarely conidiobolus incogruus. The mode of transmission is probably inhalation of fungal spores, which implant in nasal mucosa and cause an orofacial granulomatosis. It is reported mainly in tropical and subtropical countries. The infection is frequently underreported since it requires high level of clinical suspicion. Histopathology and fungal culture are the diagnostic modalities. No single antifungal drug has been found to give consistent results against this infection. Here we present a case of rhinofacial entomophthoromycosis (conidiobolomycosis) in an adult male with a disfiguring lesion over the dorsum of nose. The patient was started on itraconazole initially. Following no response to the treatment, he was administered potassium iodide solution. The patient was observed to have symptomatic improvement, but was lost to follow up. </p><p class="abstract"> </p>

DEVELOPMENT OF THE TECHNOLOGY OF SOYA FLOUR ENRICHED WITH IODINE

A research on developing a technology of iodine-enriched soya flour has been conducted. The technology developed will allow the body to receive organic forms of this micronutrient, the deficiency in which causes thyroid disorders in 40% of Ukrainians and 35% of people throughout Europe. The research has shown that promising soya bean varieties to be enriched with iodine are the early-ripening varieties Almaz, Anzhelika, Kyivska 98, Faeton, Medeya, PSV 808, Podyaka, Khortytsya, Yug 30, Rusa. They are the highest in protein (42.75% on average), the maximum content of which is necessary for iodine accumulation. Besides, their cropping period is short (up to 95–105 days), which is cost-effective for a manufacturing enterprise, because there is no overlapping with the winter crops sowing time and thus, there are no periods when cultivation areas remain idle. The following parameters of steeping soya beans have been found rational: the iodine concentration in the solution 98-100 μg/g, the duration of steeping 48 hours. The mass fraction of iodine in the steeped soya beans is 126 μg/g. Longer steeping leads to microbiological spoilage of sprouted soya beans. It has been determined how iodine is distributed in cotyledons, sprouts, seed coats, and whole sprouted soya beans. This has allowed establishing that in a whole sprouted soya bean of the early-ripening soya variety Almaz, the iodine content is 126 μg/g, of which 123 μg/g is accumulated in the cotyledons of a seed, and 3 μg/g in the sprouts and the seed coats. This indicates a high level of iodine conversion into the organic form when soya seeds are steeped in potassium iodide solution. A technology of manufacturing iodine-enriched flour from sprouted soya beans has been developed. It differs from the control one in that soya seeds, washed and disinfected, are soaked in potassium iodide solution (with the iodine concentration 98–100 μg/g and the hydromodulus 1:2) for 48 hours at the solution temperature 14-16°С. Flour from sprouted soya beans contains 126 μg/g of iodine. The technology suggested can be used at hotel and catering enterprises, in sanatoria and health centres, to treat iodine-deficiency disorders, and to make food for people who need special dietetic nutrition.

Antitumor Effects of Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid (NDGA) in Bladder T24 Cancer Cells are Related to Increase in ROS Production and Mitochondrial Leak Respiration

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) on tumor bladder T24 cells. Bladder cancer T24 cells were cultured on Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium in presence of NDGA. Cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated after 24, 48 and 72 h by using fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and Alexa fluor 488 annexin-V/propidium iodide solution, respectively. To determine the mitochondrial effects of NDGA (0-24 h), reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels by dihydroethidium fluorescence, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) by 5,5’,6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1’,3,3'-tetraethyl-imidacarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) dual fluorescence and cellular respiration states by high resolution respirometry were evaluated. It was found that NDGA reduced T24 cell viability after 72 h of incubation in a concentration-dependent manner and apoptosis increased at 48 h. Furthermore, 20 μM NDGA increased ROS levels, decreased ΔΨm and promoted leak of respiration from mitochondrial respiratory chain in T24 cells which was associated to the death of tumor cells. Taken together these results suggested that antitumor effects of NDGA in T24 cells are related to its ability to induce mitochondrial alteration.

Advantages and Limitations of Salmon-Gal/Tetrazolium Salt Histochemistry for the Detection of LacZ Reporter Gene Activity in Murine Epithelial Tissue

The Escherichia coli LacZ gene is a widely used reporter for gene regulation studies in transgenic mice. It encodes bacterial β-galactosidase (Bact β-Gal), which causes insoluble precipitates when exposed to chromogenic homologues of galactose. We and others have recently reported that Bact β-Gal detection with Salmon-Gal (S-Gal) in combination with nitro blue tetrazolium chloride (NBT) is very sensitive and not prone to interference by acidic endogenous β-galactosidases. Unfortunately, as we show here, the method appears to be inadequate for evaluation of Bact β-Gal expression in keratinized epithelial appendages but not in other keratinized epithelia. NBT in the reaction mixture, just as other tetrazolium salts, inevitably causes unwanted staining artifacts in lingual filiform papillae, penile spines, and hair fibers by interacting with keratin sulfhydryl-rich regions. The methodological limitation can be overcome in part by pretreating the tissues before the S-Gal/NBT staining with an iodine–potassium iodide solution. Alternatively, the use of iodonitrotetrazolium chloride instead of NBT in the S-Gal reaction mixture provides enough color resolution to distinguish the specific Bact β-Gal staining in orange from the artifact staining in dark red. In summary, we provide evidence that S-Gal/NBT histochemistry has limitations, when staining keratinized epithelial appendages.