Arch Med Sci
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Serological testing in SARS-CoV-2 infection is gaining both patients' and clinicians' attention. Antibody assessment has potential multidirectional utility, hampered by the scarcity of clinical validation studies of the tests available on the market. Therefore, this study aimed to provide some evidence on the clinical utility of anti-SARS-CoV-2 commercial assays, based on the comparison of the results obtained with different methods. ⋯ The results obtained in this study provide evidence for high overall concordance between the comparative CLIA method and different LFIAs. This could justify the use of LFIAs in some settings, where automated assays are not available, provided that some limitations are considered.
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Determination of liver iron concentration by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is becoming the new technique of choice for the diagnosis of iron overload in hereditary haemochromatosis and other liver iron surcharge diseases. Determination of hepatic iron concentration obtained by liver biopsy has been the gold standard for years. The development of MRI techniques, via signal intensity ratio methods or relaxometry, has provided a non-invasive and more accurate approach to the diagnosis of liver iron overload. This article reviews the available MRI methods for the determination of liver iron concentration and also evaluates the technique for the diagnosis and quantification of iron overload in different clinical practice scenarios.
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To evaluate the relationship between electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use and the risk of stroke when compared to non-smokers. ⋯ The ENDS usage appears to be associated with a higher risk of stroke compared to non-use, whereas there was no association between former ENDS use and the risk of stroke.
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Isoliquiritigenin, one of the components in the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra L., is a member of the flavonoids, which are known to have anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, called statins, are used to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels. ⋯ The cells treated with isoliquiritigenin were assessed by MTT assay for 48 h as regards the cytotoxicity and anti-human pancreatic acinar cell tumor properties in normal (HUVEC) and human pancreatic acinar cell tumor cell lines, i.e. 266-6, TGP49, and TGP47. The IC50 values of isoliquiritigenin were 262, 389, and 211 μg/ml against 266-6, TGP49, and TGP47 cell lines, respectively. The viability of the human pancreatic acinar cell tumor cell line decreased dose-dependently in the presence of isoliquiritigenin. After clinical study, isoliquiritigenin can be utilized as an efficient drug in the treatment of human pancreatic acinar cell tumor in humans.
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Hypoxia can lead to different responses from cancer cells, including cell death or survival, partially depending on how long it is exposed. Patients with cancer and under hypoxic tumour conditions have a poorer prognosis and are at greater risk of metastasis. Physiological response to low oxygen levels is controlled by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1. ⋯ In addition, curcumin efficiently inhibits the angiogenesis of vascular endothelial cells triggered by hypoxia. One of the most compelling features that drive continued interest in curcumin is the molecules' modulation of initiation, promotion, and progression stages of cancer while concomitantly acting as a radiosensitizer and chemosensitizer for tumours. In this review, we discuss the role of curcumin in modulating hypoxia and investigate the mechanisms and regulatory factors of hypoxia in tumour tissues.