Oncological issues of hormonal contraception and hormone replacement therapy

The article gives critical analysis of numerous epidemiological studies touching upon the problems of carcinogenesis while using hormonal contraception and hormonal replacement therapy and also the expediency of HRT as to oncologic patients after radical treatment.The materials presented testify to relative carcinogenous safety of hormonal contraceptives as to the majority of tumors and even considerable decrease of endometrial and ovarian cancer risk; but some investigations point to the increase о f breast cancer in case о f prolonged application о f hormonal preparations.The results оf the analysis show that HR Tmay be recommended among female population providing active screening, especially of mammary glands and endometrium. Besides that, hormonal preparations are not excluded for rehabilitation of some oncologic patients underthorough monitoring. Yet, there exists burning necessity of continuing cooperated scientific and clinical investigations forfurther studying oncologic aspects of hormonal contraception and HRT.

Rumen Microbiota Alterations During Ketosis is Associated with the Development of Mastitis in Dairy Cows

Backgroud: Mastitis is the most serious disease endangering animal husbandry, especially dairy farming. Clinical investigations indicated that cows suffering from ketosis have a higher probability of mastitis. Rumen microbiota is closely related to ruminant health. However, it is not clear what role it plays in this process.Results: The microbiota in rumen fluid and milk from ketosis cows were determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the richness of bacterial community both in rumen and milk were changed in ketosis cows. The abundance of genus Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-001 and Streptococcus in rumen fluid from ketosis cows decreased significantly and were negatively correlated with blood BHBA and milk SCC. In contrast, the abundance of genus Luteimonas, Thermomonas, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, NK4A214_group, Paracoccus, Acetitomaculum, Prevotellaceae_UCG-003, Deinococcus, Saccharofermentans and Butyrivibrio in rumen fluid from ketosis cows increased significantly and were positively correlated with blood BHBA and milk SCC. In addition, the abundance of F082 and Thermomonas were increased, while the abundance of genus Acinetobacter and UCG-005 were reduced both in milk and rumen fluid in ketosis cows than healthy cows. Conclusions: Ketosis in dairy cows is capable of inducing mastitis. The rumen microbiota of ketotic cows changed significantly and is associated with the development of mastitis. Targeting rumen microbiota regulation may be a promising strategy to prevent metabolism disorder and its secondary diseases in dairy cows.

Significance of Addressal of Clinical Investigations of Kidney Functions in Recovery/Mortality of Certain COVID-19 Patients

Clinical management of COVID-19 patients through a robust protocol is key to the good recovery and reduced mortality of patients. Efficient kidney functions during treatment period can contribute for improvised recovery and reduced mortality of patients. Analysis of the kidney function among Recovered and Dead cases of COVID-19 was made to reveal the degree of association of kidney functions with the two categories of patients. 83.4% of recovered patients did not show hyper values of blood urea whereas 72.5% of dead patients showed hyper-urea level in blood. 88.8% of survivors showed non-hyper creatinine level of blood whereas only 40% of dead cases showed hyper creatine level. Strong degree of association of blood urea with recovery/mortality was observed. Sodium levels were seen to be low while potassium and chloride ions were seen to be high in COVID-19 individuals. Our preliminary study suggests that kidney functions especially the value of blood urea and creatinine need to be addressed during COVID-19 patients to ensure the best recovery and reduced mortality. After more number of case studies, the present observation could sensitize consideration for inclusion of addressal and treatment of kidney functions into treatment protocol against COVID-19. It was also interesting to observe that levels of sodium and potassium ions among Survivors and Dead cases have impacted function of the essential ion channels in patient’s physiology.

Effects of a Nutritional Supplement (DiRelaxTM) On Anxiety in Dogs

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of DìRelaxTM, a nutraceutical formulated to reduce anxiety in dogs. The CBARQ questionnaire, some clinical investigations, and the impossible task test were performed in dogs before and after the treatment. Results showed an ameliorative effect on the performances of treated dogs during the solvable phases, with a significant decrease of the time needed to solve the task. No behavioral difference was found between treated and untreated anxious dogs during the unsolvable phase. According to the results from the C-BARQ questionnaire, some of the behaviors appear improved. In general, this study suggests that DiRelaxTM can be safely administered with no adverse effects and can exercise a beneficial effect on anxious dogs by enhancing their cognitive abilities.

A Facile Method to Synthesize 3D Pomegranate-like Polydopamine Microspheres

Nanospheres have found versatile applications in the biomedical field; however, their possible harmful effects on immune and inflammatory systems are also a crucial concern. Inspired by a pomegranate structure, we demonstrated a novel structure for the nanostructured microspheres to overcome the drawbacks of nanospheres without compromising their merits. In this study, 3D pomegranate-like polydopamine microspheres (PDAMS) were synthesized by self-oxidative polymerization of dopamine hydrochloride. Herein, controlling the pH during polymerization led to synthesizing homogeneous agglomerated nano-sized spheres (400–2000 nm) and finally forming tunable and monodisperse micron-sized particles (21 µm) with uniform spherical shape porous microstructure. PDAMS interaction with the potential targets, Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2), Decorin, and Matrilin-1, was investigated via molecular calculations. Theoretical energy analysis revealed that PDAMS interaction with BMP2, Decorin, and Matrilin-1 is spontaneous, so that a protein layer formation on the PDAMS surface suggests application in bone and cartilage repair. It was also observed that PDAMS presented in-vitro degradation within 4 weeks. Here, disappearance of the UV-VIS spectrum peak at 280 nm is accompanied by the degradation of catechol groups. Pomegranate-like PDAMS support the biomimetic formation of hydroxyapatite-like layers, making them appropriate candidates for hard tissue applications. Herein, the appearance of peaks in XRD spectrum at 31.37, 39.57, 45.21, and 50.13° attributed to hydroxyapatite-like layers formation. All these results demonstrated that self-oxidative polymerization under a controllable pH can be a green and straightforward technique for preparing the pomegranate-like PDAMS and providing an innovative basis for further pre-clinical and clinical investigations.

An Update on the Effects of Probiotics on Gastrointestinal Cancers

Because of their increasing prevalence, gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are regarded as an important global health challenge. Microorganisms residing in the human GI tract, termed gut microbiota, encompass a large number of living organisms. The role of the gut in the regulation of the gut-mediated immune responses, metabolism, absorption of micro- and macro-nutrients and essential vitamins, and short-chain fatty acid production, and resistance to pathogens has been extensively investigated. In the past few decades, it has been shown that microbiota imbalance is associated with the susceptibility to various chronic disorders, such as obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, psychiatric disorders, and various types of cancer. Emerging evidence has shown that oral administration of various strains of probiotics can protect against cancer development. Furthermore, clinical investigations suggest that probiotic administration in cancer patients decreases the incidence of postoperative inflammation. The present review addresses the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of action of probiotics against GI cancers. The safety of the most commercial probiotic strains has been confirmed, and therefore these strains can be used as adjuvant or neo-adjuvant treatments for cancer prevention and improving the efficacy of therapeutic strategies. Nevertheless, well-designed clinical studies are still needed for a better understanding of the properties and mechanisms of action of probiotic strains in mitigating GI cancer development.

Radiopharmaceutical preclinical investigation: an accurate and multidisciplinary approach

Background: The development of less expensive and pivotal methodologies, capable to support the researchers in the radiopharmaceutical pre-clinical investigations could provide a crucial incentive for developing biomedical research involved in the realization of tailored target therapies. Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the capability of a digital autoradiography system equipped with a laser scanning device to perform [18F]choline biodistribution evaluation in a xenograft mouse model of prostate cancer. Methods: PC3 prostate cancer cells were used to develop xenografts in NOD/SCID mice. The biodistribution of the radiopharmaceutical was evaluated at 30,60 and 120 min after injection in excised organs by using a digital autoradiography system equipped with super resolution laser screen. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis were performed to correlate the [18F]choline uptake with morphological and molecular tumours characteristics. Results: Data here reported clearly indicate the possibility to perform accurate biodistribution studies by using the digital autoradiographic system equipped with a super resolution screen. Specifically, a significant increase in the [18F]choline inhibitor uptake in PC3 tumours as compared to heart, bowel, liver and kidney at both 30 and 60 min was observed. More important, the digital autoradiographic system showed signal uptake almost exclusively in the PC3 tumors at 60 min post-injection. Noteworthy, immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a strong overlapping between the [18F]choline uptake and the proliferation index (Ki67 expression). Conclusions: The use of autoradiography system in pre-clinical investigations could shed new light on the molecular mechanisms that orchestrate the tissues damage induced by therapeutical radiopharmaceuticals.