Int. J. Transl. Med., Volume 2, Issue 4 (December 2022) – 10 articles

Background: Radiation or hormonal therapy is considered for prostate cancer patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP). However, these therapies have their own complications. To delay the start of these therapies, we investigated the efficacy and safety of Brazilian green propolis for the treatment for BCR after RP. Materials and Methods: This single-center, single-arm open trial included 22 patients who experienced BCR after RP between 2016 and 2019. The patients received nine softgels of Brazilian green propolis (containing 40 mg propolis per capsule) daily for 6 months. The primary outcome was the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response rate. The secondary outcomes included progression-free time, PSA slope (1/PSA doubling time) response rate, quality of life, and safety profile. Results: The PSA response rate was 0%. The mean PSA slopes before and after baseline were 0.12 month⁻¹ and 0.08 month⁻¹, respectively. Fifteen patients (68%) showed a decreased PSA slope after treatment. There were no negative effects on quality of life or serious adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation. Conclusion: There was no significant anticancer response in patients who received Brazilian green propolis. However, the PSA slope was decreased after propolis administration. Further, Brazilian green propolis may be safely consumed by patients. Full article

Plant secondary metabolites are well-recognized medicinally important compounds. Gossypol is an important plant secondary metabolite with several medicinal properties. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon with diverse applicability in chemical, physical, and biological sciences due to their high surface area. The current study demonstrates the enhancement of gossypol production in cotton cell suspension culture in culture media supplemented with water-soluble carbon nanotubes. The fresh and dry weights of cotton cell suspension culture grown in MS media with 20 µg/mL CNTs were, respectively, 1.9 and 2.13 fold higher than in control MS media after one month. The net enhancement of gossypol production in MS media supplemented with 20 µg/mL CNTs was 2.47 fold higher than the control. Confocal and SEM imaging showed the presence CNTs on the cell surface, which mediated the formation of extra channels that resulted in high biomass production in cotton cell suspension culture. The gossypol produced by this cell suspension culture showed antiproliferative activity against the prostate cancer cell line. Thus, this study demonstrated a new method for enhanced gossypol production, which can prove beneficial for the production of other plant-based biological active compounds. Full article

IgA Vasculitis (IgAV) is the most common form of vasculitis in children, and 1–2% of patients develop chronic kidney disease. In other forms of glomerulonephritis, there is strong evidence to support the role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS); however, data are lacking in IgAV nephritis. This study evaluated urinary RAAS components in children with IgA vasculitis, both with nephritis (IgAVN) and without nephritis (IgAVwoN). Urinary concentrations of renin, angiotensinogen and aldosterone were quantified using ELISAs. In total, 40 patients were included: IgAVN n = 9, IgAVwoN n = 17, HC n = 14, with a mean age of 8.3 ± 3.3 years. Urinary renin demonstrated no trend with nephritis. Urinary angiotensinogen was statistically significantly elevated in IgAV (1.18 ± 1.16 ng/mmol) compared to HC (0.28 ± 0.27 ng/mmol, p = 0.0015), and IgAVN (2.00 ± 1.22 ng/mmol) was elevated compared to IgAVwoN (0.74 ± 0.89 ng/mmol, p = 0.0492) and HC (p = 0.0233). Urinary aldosterone levels were significantly elevated in IgAV (1236 ± 1438 pg/mmol) compared to HC (73.90 ± 65.22 pg/mmol, p < 0.0001); this was most increased in IgAVwoN patients (1793 ± 1507 pg/mmol; IgAVN 183.30 ± 111.30 pg/mmol, p = 0.0035, HC p < 0.0001). As expected, the RAAS system is activated in patients with IgAVN and, more surprisingly, even in those without active nephritis. Further studies are needed to fully understand the role of the RAAS system in IgA vasculitis. Full article

The role of vitamin D in atopic dermatitis (AD) is controversial. Conflicting data could be due to the use of inadequate markers for assessing vitamin D status. So far, directly measured free 25(OH)D concentrations have not been reported in AD patients. Ten adults with AD were treated with narrow band ultraviolet light B (NB-UVB) for 10–12 weeks. SCORing atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to assess disease severity before and after NB-UVB therapy. Total and free 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)₂D serum levels were analyzed before and after treatment. Free 25(OH)D concentrations were measured with a two-step immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The majority of patients had sufficient levels of 25(OH)D before treatment (mean 76.4 nmol/L). Mean free 25(OH)D was 11.9 pmol/L and mean 1,25(OH)₂D was 108.9 pmol/L. Median SCORAD decreased from 37.1 to 19.8 and VAS improved significantly after phototherapy. Total and free 25(OH)D increased in all subjects. No correlations between disease severity and vitamin D levels were found. There was no correlation between total and free 25(OH)D levels. Larger studies are needed to test the applicability of the free hormone hypothesis in AD pathogenesis. Full article

Celosia trigyna is a well-known vegetable used in the preparation of many indigenous soups in Southwestern Nigeria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anticancer property of C. trigyna of crude and solvent fractions using antioxidant, cytotoxic bench-top bioassays, and cancer cell line experiments. Cytotoxicity was carried out using Raniceps ranninus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Sorghum bicolor models, as well as cytotoxicity studies against human breast (MCF), colon (HCT116), and lung (H460) cancer cell lines; radical scavenging potential against DPPH was likewise performed. A concentration of nondependent cytotoxicity against S. cerevisiae was observed in CTA, with the lowest inhibition of organism growth at 31.2 µg/mL (26.40 ± 1.92%) and highest activity at 250 µg/mL (56.00 ± 2.12%). Concentration-dependent inhibition was observed in CTA with 84.80 ± 1.97% at 250 µg/mL, which is significantly different from values observed in DMSO (negative control) at 33.84 ± 1.03% at p < 0.01. Moreover, 100% motility of R. ranninus (tadpoles) was recorded for all concentrations (20–40 µg/mL) in CT and CTA, with significantly different p < 0.05 from values obtained for the vehicle (distilled water). Concentration-dependent DPPH radical scavenging potential was likewise noted both in CT and CTA at 20–100 µg/mL. The lowest inhibition was observed at 20 µg/mL (41.35% and 32.31%), while the highest was noted at 100 µg/mL (63.26% and 41.73%) for CT and CTA, respectively. CT showed cytotoxic effects against all cancer cell lines examined, with CTA exhibiting improved activity compared to CT against human lung (H460), breast (MCF-7), and colon (HCT116) cancer cell lines, with IC₅₀ 51.69 ± 5.13, 39.16 ± 9.21, and 38.52 ± 7.65, respectively. Findings from this research experimentally justify the ethnomedicinal claim of usage of C. trigyna in the treatment of cancer in southwestern Nigeria. Full article

Non-clear cell renal cell carcinomas (nccRCC) are a diverse group of kidney cancers with histopathologically and genetically heterogeneous features. About 25% of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) are nccRCC types. The management and treatment of nccRCCs are rather limited, and the data are often estimated from studies in the more common clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Each subtype has its own distinctive biological and therapeutic profile. Our knowledge of the underlying biological features of nccRCC has directed and continues to shape the use of novel therapy targeting the main signaling pathways and leading to improved overall survival (OS) of the patients. This review discusses the characteristic molecular features of the major types of nccRCC and current cell-based and animal models for studying them. In the following, we highlighted major signaling pathways and therapeutic approaches for nccRCC patients. Full article

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic pain condition causing lancinating pain in the distribution of one or more divisions of the trigeminal nerve. Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKSRS) is a surgical option for TN refractory to medical therapy. To report our experience and to analyze the reasons for the variance in radiosurgery outcomes between patients in our diverse population, we conducted a retrospective analysis of a prospectively created database. The 178 patients completed a pain assessment questionnaire before surgery, and at 1 and 2 year follow-ups. We used the “Trigeminal Neuralgia Gamma Knife Outcome Scale” (TN GKOS) to report the response. At 1-year, 35.4% of patients had grade 1A outcome (pain-free and off all pain medications), 24.7% had grade 1B (pain-free on pain medications), 24.2% had grade 1C (some pain but improved with radiosurgery), 12.9% had grade 2 (same as before radiosurgery) and 2.8% had grade 3 (worse pain compared to before radiosurgery). At 2 years, 42.3% had grade 1A, 20.5% had grade 1B, 19.2% had grade 1C, 14.1% had grade 2 and 3.8% had grade 3 outcome. Remarkably, a statistically significant association was found between GKOS and age, racial background and obesity. Full article

Pancreatic pseudocysts represent a complication of acute interstitial edematous pancreatitis with a frequency of about 10–20%, and most of these resolve spontaneously. Treatment is indicated only in patients who develop symptoms such as abdominal pain, gastric outlet obstruction, jaundice for compression of the biliary system, or in case of infection. Pancreatic pseudocysts’ complications include pseudocyst infection leading to sepsis, rupture with pancreatic ascites, bleeding or formation of pseudoaneurysm, and, rarely, fistulization to other viscera. The most common sites for fistulas are between cysts and the stomach, duodenum, and colon. Here, we present the case of a patient with severe acute pancreatitis who developed multiple infected fluid collections with a cysto-duodenum fistula that was successfully treated with endoscopic intervention. Full article

Cerium oxide nanoparticles are promising materials as novel nanoscale therapeutics and are commonly used materials in industrial processes. Most cytotoxicity studies on cerium oxide nanoparticles are made from in-lab prepared materials making comparison between studies challenging, especially when performed on unique cell lines under non-standard conditions. Using commercially available nanoparticles we show that particle stability/agglomeration may be critical in determining the cytotoxicity in some cell lines, while in other cell lines, larger sized primary particles are linked to higher cytotoxicity, contrasting what has been reported in the literature for smaller cerium nanoparticles. To accelerate the development of cerium oxide enabled commercial processes and biomedical innovations, a clearer understanding of the interactions between cerium oxide nanoparticles and cells is needed to better understand their fate in and impact on biological systems. Full article

Hot-melt extrusion (HME) has been an alternative technique to improve the solubility and bioavailability of active molecules with low water solubility. In this study, HME-Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) was prepared to increase the aqueous solubility of decursin (D) and decursinol angelate (DA), the active ingredients of AGN. Compared with unprocessed AGN, HME-AGN showed enhanced water solubility of D and DA. The HME-AGN exhibited improved antioxidant activity by the DPPH radical scavenging method. The antifungal activity was confirmed against Candida albicans (C. albicans). There was a decrease in CFU in the plate treated with the HME-AGN extract compared with the plate treated with the AGN extract, and F2 showed the highest antifungal activity. Full article