Adv Exp Med Biol
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Incidence of skin tumors is increasing among elderly patients, and the multi-morbidities which occur in the elderly are a great challenge for dermatologists. Basis of every treatment of skin cancer patients is a reliable diagnosis. Therefore, histopathology serves as the gold standard in clinical dermatooncology and dermatologic surgery. This chapter provides a comprehensive review on the main types of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers, including precursor lesions.
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In chronic airway inflammatory disorders, such as asthma, glucocorticoid (GC) insensitivity is a challenging clinical problem associated with life-threatening disease progression and the potential development of serious side effects. The mechanism of steroid resistance in asthma remains unclear and may be multifactorial. Excluding noncompliance with GC treatment, abnormal steroid pharmacokinetics, and rare genetic defects in the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), the majority of GC insensitivity in asthma can be attributed to secondary defects related to GR function. ⋯ Since T cells, eosinophils, and monocytes play a major role in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation, most of the work published to date has focused on these cell types as the primary therapeutic targets in GC-insensitive asthma. We herein review several distinct techniques for the assessment of (1) the cellular response to GCs including the effect of GCs on cell viability, adhesion, and mediator release; (2) the functionality of GC receptors, including phosphorylation of the GR, nuclear translocation, and binding activities; and (3) the characterization of proteins differentially expressed in steroid-resistant cells by comparative 2DE-gel electrophoresis-based techniques and mass spectrometry. These comprehensive approaches are expected to reveal novel candidates for biomarkers of steroid insensitivity, which may lead to the development of effective therapeutic interventions for patients with chronic steroid-resistant asthma.
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Review
Nanoceria as bona fide catalytic antioxidants in medicine: what we know and what we want to know….
Cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles, CeNPs or nanoceria are inorganic and possess catalytic antioxidant activity. They scavenge reactive oxygen species and act as an oxygen buffer. Their application in industry is well-established. ⋯ We highlight studies that examine how CeNPs behave in biological environments and how they interact with bio-macromolecules. We also discuss studies that examine the dynamic changes of the surface chemistry of CeNPs in physiological buffers. Finally, we raise a list of questions that we think ought to be answered for CeNPs to be considered the antioxidants of choice in medicine, specifically in the treatment of ocular diseases.
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In most team sports, intermittent high intensity sprint efforts combined with short recovery periods have been identified as a key factor of physical performance; the ability to repeat these efforts at a sustained level is of great importance. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been proposed as a tool to monitor muscle oxygenation changes during such sprint efforts. The purpose of this study was to observe muscle reoxygenation rate (reoxy rate) (% s⁻¹) between sprint efforts in a repeat sprint cycle test. ⋯ The simplest explanation for the increase in desaturation following training is an increase in muscle oxygen consumption due to an increase in mitochondrial content. This results in an increased extraction of delivered oxygen as confirmed by the HHb data. In conclusion, NIRS is able to measure positive training effects on muscle oxygen extraction, at the level of the individual elite athlete.
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The relationship between cerebral autoregulation (CA) and the neurotoxic effects of anaesthesia with and without surgery is investigated. Newborn piglets were randomly assigned to receive either 6 h of anaesthesia (isoflurane) or the same with an additional hour of minor surgery. ⋯ Presence of CA impairment was not significant but found to increase with surgical exacerbation. The impairment did not correlate with histological outcome (presence of cell death, apoptosis and microglial activation in the brain).