Int J Med Sci
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Autophagy plays a critical role in the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses to pathogens and tumors. A previous study utilized proteasome and lysosome inhibitors to form autophagosomes (DRibbles) and the effect of dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with DRibbles in activating antigen-specific T cells has been demonstrated in a mouse experiment and human IL-4-DC. In this study, CMV-DRibbles derived from MDA cell lines expressing cytomegalovirus (CMV) pp65 protein were loaded onto human IFN-DC and IL-4-DC derived from monocytes, respectively. ⋯ Finally, we observed that mIFN-DC was significantly more efficient at stimulating autologous CMV-specific CD4+ T cells (0.39 vs. 0.28 %, p<0.05) and CD8+ T cells (0.36 vs. 0.12%, p<0.05) to secrete IFN-γ compared with mIL-4-DC. Therefore, DRibbles containing specific viral antigens were efficient activators of human antigen-specific T cells. Our results demonstrated that IFN-DC loaded with CMV-DRibbles revealed a superior ability to induce CMV-specific T cells.
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Purpose: Based on the possible association between reduced foot dorsiflexion and high risk of falls, the main objective was to determine the ankle and 1º metatarsophalangeal joint (1stMTTP) dorsiflexion range of motion and falls rate in patients with asthma compared to healthy matched-paired controls. Methods: A case-control study was carried out. Eighty participants were recruited and divided into patients with asthma (case group; n=40) and matched-paired healthy participants (control group; n=40). ⋯ Indeed, ankle dorsiflexion was measured by a mobile app (º) and a tape measure (cm) as well as 1stMTTP dorsiflexion was determined by and universal goniometer (º). Results: Statistically significant differences (P<.05) showed that patients with asthma presented a greater falls rate than healthy participants and reduced bilateral ankle and 1stMTTP dorsiflexion ranges of motion than healthy participants, except for the left ankle dorsiflexion measured as degrees (P>.05). Conclusions: These study findings showed that a falls rate increase and bilateral foot dorsal flexion limitations of the ankle and 1stMTTP joints are exhibited in patients who suffer from asthma.
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The use of semi-solid enteral nutrients plays an extremely important role in accurate nutrition management. In the present study, we compared the pharmacokinetic profile of orally administered carbamazepine (CBZ) in rats treated with liquid RACOL®, semi-solid RACOL®, and HINE E-gel®, which are enteral nutrients marketed in Japan. Since liquid and semi-solid formulations are both marketed in Japan for RACOL®, liquid RACOL® was orally administered to control rats. ⋯ No significant differences were observed in the pharmacokinetic behavior of CBZ between the semi-solid RACOL®-treated and HINE E-gel®-treated groups. Regarding pharmacokinetic parameters, the impact of the area under the curve (AUC0→5h) was the liquid RACOL® group > the semi-solid RACOL® group ≈ the HINE E-gel® group. Therefore, we concluded that serum concentrations of CBZ were lower when concurrently treating with semi-solid enteral nutrients than when simultaneously processing liquid enteral nutrients.
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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer without effective targeted drugs. While breast cancer patients often use acupuncture for the relief of cancer-induced pain or the side effects of chemo- or radiation therapy, little information is known regarding the direct effects of electroacupuncture on TNBC tumor and its potential mechanisms. Here, we created a mice model of TNBC and electroacupuncture with encircled needling around the tumors was given to the animals daily for 3 weeks at 15-20 Hz (3 min, each time). ⋯ Additionally, the expression of semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) p75 in TNBC tissue was significantly upregulated in response to electroacupuncture. Furthermore, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha level in the serum was dramatically reduced after electroacupuncture. These results showed that electroacupuncture could directly inhibit TNBC tumor growth through the inhibition of proteins related to tumor angiogenesis and extracellular matrix, the suppression of TNBC-induced inflammation and the upregulation of nerve growth factor receptors.
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There is still a great unmet medical need concerning diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer which could be addressed by utilizing specific molecular targets. Tumor-associated MUC1 is expressed on over 90 % of all breast cancer entities and differs strongly from its physiological form on epithelial cells, therefore presenting a unique target for breast cancer diagnosis and antibody-mediated immune therapy. Utilizing an anti-tumor vaccine based on a synthetically prepared glycopeptide, we generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb) GGSK-1/30, selectively recognizing human tumor-associated MUC1. ⋯ Principal conclusions: Tumor-associated MUC1 is a very important biomarker for breast cancer next to the traditional markers estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER/2-neu. The mAb GGSK-1/30 can be used for the diagnosis of over 90% of breast cancers, including triple negative breast cancer based on biopsy staining. Its radioimmunoconjugate represents a promising PET-tracer for breast cancer imaging selectively targeting breast cancer cells.