1,721,085 research outputs found
Evaluation of biological risks connected with implementation of a novel dissection hall
No full textEvaluation of biological risks connected with implementation of a novel dissection hal
A paradox of cadmium: a carcinogen that impairs the capability of human breast cancer cells to induce angiogenesis
No full textCadmium, a highly persistent heavy metal, has been categorized as a human carcinogen. Even though it is known that cadmium acts as estrogens in breast cancer cells, several studies failed to demonstrate whether cadmium is a causal factor for breast cancer. The lack of a strong association between cadmium and breast cancer could be found in the antiangiogenic properties of this heavy metal, which might counteract its carcinogenic properties in the progression of breast cancer. In this study, we exposed estrogen-responsive breast cancer cells to subtoxic levels of cadmium, and we evaluated their angiogenic potential using the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay. Exposure of breast cancer cells to subtoxic levels of cadmium significantly inhibited the angiogenic potential of the breast cancer cell line, suggesting the possibility that cadmium might negatively regulate the production of proangiogenic factors in breast cancer cells. Our results suggest that cadmium might exert a paradoxical effect in breast cancer: on the one hand, it could promote carcinogenesis, and, on the other hand, it could delay the onset of tumors by inhibiting breast cancer cell-induced angiogenesis
Effects of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage-activating factor on human breast cancer cells
Full text linkBACKGROUND: Searching for additional therapeutic tools to fight breast cancer, we investigated the effects of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor (DBP-MAF, also known as GcMAF) on a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of DBP-MAF on proliferation, morphology, vimentin expression and angiogenesis were studied by cell proliferation assay, phase-contrast microscopy, immunohistochemistry and western blotting, and chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. RESULTS: DBP-MAF inhibited human breast cancer cell proliferation and cancer cell-stimulated angiogenesis. MCF-7 cells treated with DBP-MAF predominantly grew in monolayer and appeared to be well adherent to each other and to the well surface. Exposure to DBP-MAF significantly reduced vimentin expression, indicating a reversal of the epithelial/mesenchymal transition, a hallmark of human breast cancer progression. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the known anticancer efficacy of DBP-MAF can be ascribed to different biological properties of the molecule that include inhibition of tumour-induced angiogenesis and direct inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, migration and metastatic potential
Do the fasciae of the soleus have a role in plantar fasciitis?
No full textPlantar fasciitis is a chronic, self-limiting, and painful disabling condition affecting the inferomedial aspect of the heel, usually extending toward the metatarsophalangeal joints. There is compelling evidence for a strong correlation between Achilles tendon (AT) loading and plantar aponeurosis (PA) tension. In line with this, tightness of the AT is found in almost 80% of patients affected by plantar fasciitis. A positive correlation has also been reported between gastrocnemius-soleus tightness and heel pain severity in this condition. Despite its high prevalence, the exact etiology and pathological mechanisms underlying plantar heel pain remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present paper is to discuss the anatomical and biomechanical substrates of plantar fasciitis with special emphasis on the emerging, though largely neglected, fascial system. In particular, the relationship between the fascia, triceps surae muscle, AT, and PA will be analyzed. We then proceed to discuss how structural and biomechanical alterations of the muscle-tendon-fascia complex due to muscle overuse or injury can create the conditions for the onset of PA pathology. A deeper knowledge of the possible molecular mechanisms underpinning changes in the mechanical properties of the fascial system in response to altered loading and/or muscle contraction could help healthcare professionals and clinicians refine nonoperative treatment strategies and rehabilitation protocols for plantar fasciitis
Gc protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) stimulates cAMP formation in human mononuclear cells and inhibits angiogenesis in chick embryo chorionallantoic membrane assay
No full textAbstract: The effects of Gc protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) have been studied in cancer and other conditions where angiogenesis is deregulated. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the mitogenic response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to GcMAF was associated with 3'-5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) formation. The effect was dose dependent, and maximal stimulation was achieved using 0.1 ng/ml. Heparin inhibited the stimulatory effect of GcMAF on PBMCs. In addition, we demonstrate that GcMAF (1 ng/ml) inhibited prostaglandin E(1)- and human breast cancer cell-stimulated angiogenesis in chick embryo chorionallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Finally, we tested different GcMAF preparations on CAM, and the assay proved to be a reliable, reproducible and inexpensive method to determine the relative potencies of different preparations and their stability; we observed that storage at room temperature for 15 days decreased GcMAF potency by about 50%. These data could prove useful for upcoming clinical trials on GcMAF
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Pain-Relieving Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy: A Focus on Fascia Nociceptors
No full textIn recent years, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has received increasing attention for its potential beneficial effects on various bone and soft-tissue pathologies, yielding promising outcomes for pain relief and functional recovery. In fact, ESWT has emerged as an alternative, non-invasive, and safe treatment for the management of numerous musculoskeletal disorders, including myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). In particular, MPS is a common chronic painful condition, accounting for the largest proportion of patients affected by musculoskeletal problems. Remarkably, sensory innervation and nociceptors of the fascial system are emerging to play a pivotal role as pain generators in MPS. At the same time, increasing evidence demonstrates that application of ESWT results in selective loss of sensory unmyelinated nerve fibers, thereby inducing long-lasting analgesia. The findings discussed in the present review are supposed to add novel viewpoints that may further enrich our knowledge on the complex interactions occurring between disorders of the deep fascia including changes in innervation, sensitization of fascial nociceptors, the pathophysiology of chronic musculoskeletal pain of MPS, and EWST-induced analgesia. Moreover, gaining mechanistic insights into the molecular mechanisms of pain-alleviating effects of ESWT may broaden the fields of shock waves clinical practice far beyond the musculoskeletal system or its original application for lithotripsy
Tensegrity and plasma for skin regeneration
No full textBACKGROUND: Mechanical stresses induce variations in tissue tensegrity leading to cell proliferation and differentiation thus contributing to tissue remodelling. Besides mechanical forces, skin remodelling may be induced by the application of plasma, a new type of energy delivery resulting in controlled heat damage. Here we demonstrate that mechanical stress induced by the application of vacuum increases the efficacy of plasma in skin regeneration treatment. METHODS: Vacuum alone and vacuum plus plasma at different energies were applied to rat skin and biopsies collected at different time intervals after treatments. Skin integrity, collagen arrangement, inflammation and myofibroblast differentiation were assessed by Masson's trichrome staining. Procollagen synthesis was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Vacuum alone induced significant and temporary alterations in the distribution of collagen bundles, with concomitant procollagen synthesis in the dermis; no myofibroblasts and no signs of inflammation were observed. Vacuum plus plasma determined an important spatial modification of collagen bundles, more intense than vacuum or plasma alone. Significant increase of procollagen synthesis, numerous myofibroblasts but slight sign of inflammation appeared after the treatment. CONCLUSION: Vacuum mechanically stimulated fibroblasts, producing changes in collagen arrangement and procollagen synthesis. Plasma led to the same effects through thermal damage. Application of a combined treatment consisting in vacuum plus plasma induced more remarkable effects on skin regeneration with relatively low plasma energies and no relevant side effect
Effect of paricalcitol and GcMaf on angiogenesis and human peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation and signalling
No full textBackground: In addition to its role in calcium homeostasis and bone mineralization, vitamin D is involved in immune defence, cardiovascular function, inflammation and angiogenesis, and these pleiotropic effects are of interested in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. Here we investigated the effects of paricalcitol, a nonhypercalcemic vitamin D analogue, on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation and signaling, and on angiogenesis. These effects were compared with those of a known inhibitor of angiogenesis pertaining to the vitamin D axis, the vitamin D-binding protein-derived Gc-macrophage activating factor (GcMAF). Methods: Since the effects of vitamin D receptor agonists are associated with polymorphisms of the gene coding for the receptor, we measured the effects of both compounds on mononuclear cells harvested from subjects harboring different BsmI polymorphisms. Results: Paricalcitol inhibited mononuclear cell viability with the bb genotype showing the highest effect. GcMAF, on the contrary, stimulated cell proliferation, with the bb genotype showing the highest stimulatory effect. Both compounds stimulated 3'-5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate formation in mononuclear cells with the highest effect on the bb genotype. Paricalcitol and GcMAF inhibited the angiogenesis induced by proinflammatory prostaglandin E1. Conclusions: Polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor gene, known to be associated with the highest responses to vitamin D receptor agonists, are also associated with the highest responses to GcMAF. These results highlight the role of the vitamin D axis in chronic kidney disease, an axis which includes vitamin D, its receptor and vitamin D-binding protein-derived GcMAF
Evidence of immune system morpho-functional damages induced by Cadmium in Apis mellifera
No full textIn previous researches severe damages induced by Cadmium (an ubiquitary environmental pollutant whose intracellular oxidative effects are increasingly lethal) exposure in human have been demonstrated. Morphologic effects were observed in Central Nervous System, liver, kidney, placenta. Recently, the involvement of immune system in Cadmium intoxication was demonstrated in mammalians; we, therefore, tried to evidence such effect in a simple model as Apis Mellifera. In this animal the immune system is represented by “fat bodies” which produce proteins active in defense against pathogenic agents. It is important to stress out that a dangerous syndrome causing the collapse of Apis mellifera hives has intensified recently, in Europe and North America. Current research in this field is oriented towards identifying a synergy of contributing factors to the weakening of the hive. In this paper, we aim to determine whether contamination by cadmium may have an immunosuppressive effect on the insect. Preliminary results denote that the heavy metal causes a severe damage in fat bodies, leading to substantial immunodeficiency in exposed bees, suggesting that in polluted areas the hives may have difficulty in dealing with pests and pathogens that threaten them
Treatment of delayed union of the forearm with extracorporeal shockwave therapy: a case report and literature review
No full textCompared to other long bones, forearm fractures are particularly challenging due to the high rate of complications. These include malunion, delayed/nonunion, wrist and elbow movement reduction, and pain. Surgical procedure is considered the gold standard for managing delayed union and nonunion of the long bones. However, in the last decades, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has emerged as an effective and less invasive approach to enhance bone regeneration and fracture healing, avoiding major complications of surgical procedures. In contrast to the broad literature reporting good clinical results of ESWT in the treatment of nonunions, there is currently limited evidence regarding the clinical application of shock waves on long bone delayed fractures, particularly those of the forearm. In the present paper, we report a case of delayed bone healing of the diaphyseal region of the ulna treated with focused ESWT. The successful case experienced bone healing at the fracture site in less than 3 months after initial ESWT treatment. Acknowledging the limitation of reporting a case report, however, the remarkable clinical results and the absence of side effects contribute valuable information in support of the use of ESWT as an effective alternative to standard surgery for forearm fractures
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