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Scientific Reports Apr 2023Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women throughout the world. This study is a parallel,... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Anti-inflammatory effect of combining fish oil and evening primrose oil supplementation on breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.
Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women throughout the world. This study is a parallel, randomized, double-blind, controlled, 12-week supplementation trial, investigating the anti-inflammatory effects of dietary intake of fish oil and evening primrose oil (EPO), in patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The primary outcomes were changes in the nutritional status and inflammatory cytokines of patients during the study. The secondary outcomes were changes in hematological and biochemical parameters and fatty acid profile. Of the 32 eligible patients, half of them is randomly assigned to a treatment arm with fish oil and EPO (n = 16), or a control arm (n = 16) with mineral oil as a placebo. The intervention group was taking 2 gel capsules of fish oil and 3 gel capsules of EPO (400 mg eicosapentaenoic acid, 600 mg docosahexaenoic acid, and 351 mg gamma-linolenic acid) fish oil and evening primrose oil for 12 weeks, during their chemotherapy. The control/placebo group was taking 5 gel capsules of 1g of mineral oil. One of the patients dropped out due to discontinuation of the treatment (in the placebo group) and two did not show up at the post-treatment measurements (in the intervention group), thus, 29 women completed the study. The results showed an increase in plasma levels of docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3), docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3), total n-3PUFA, vaccenic acid (18:1n-7), and a decrease in n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in the intervention group. An increase in the plasma level of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (20:3n-6) was observed in the placebo group. There was no difference in plasma levels of interleukin (IL) IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, while the level of IL-6 decreased in both groups and was significantly lower in the intervention group at the end of the study. In conclusion, this supplementation improved the PUFA status and decreased the level of IL-6 in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Consequently, this treatment may help reduce cancer complications resulting from impaired lipid metabolism and inflammation. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03516253. Date of registration 04/05/2018.
Topics: Female; Animals; Fish Oils; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Docosahexaenoic Acids; Interleukin-6; Mineral Oil; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Dietary Supplements; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Double-Blind Method; Neoplasms
PubMed: 37081029
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28411-8 -
Non-destructive quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical ointment by transmission Raman spectroscopy.European Journal of Pharmaceutical... Feb 2022Transmission Raman spectroscopy was used to develop a non-destructive quantitative analytical model for the assay of a crystal dispersion-type ointment containing...
Transmission Raman spectroscopy was used to develop a non-destructive quantitative analytical model for the assay of a crystal dispersion-type ointment containing acyclovir as a model drug with a concentration of 3% w/w. The obtained Raman spectra were pre-processed by applying multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate, and first or second derivative by the Savitzky-Golay method to optimize the partial least squares (PLS) regression model. The optimized PLS model showed good prediction performance for 85%, 100%, and 115% label claims, with average recovery values of 100.7%, 99.3%, and 99.8%, respectively. Although the material properties and manufacturing method of acyclovir and white petrolatum were expected to be different from those of the calibration set, the mean recovery value of the commercial product was 104.2%. These results indicate that transmission Raman spectroscopy is a useful process analytical technology tool for product development and quality control of a crystal dispersion-type ointment with low drug concentration.
Topics: Calibration; Least-Squares Analysis; Ointments; Quality Control; Spectrum Analysis, Raman
PubMed: 34906685
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2021.106095 -
Vaccine Jan 2022Pvs48/45 is a Plasmodium vivax gametocyte surface protein involved in the parasite fertilization process. Previous studies showed that Pvs48/45 proteins expressed in...
BACKGROUND
Pvs48/45 is a Plasmodium vivax gametocyte surface protein involved in the parasite fertilization process. Previous studies showed that Pvs48/45 proteins expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were highly immunoreactive with sera from malaria-endemic areas and highly immunogenic in animal models. Here the immunogenicity in mice of three different vaccine formulations was compared.
METHODS
Recombinant (r) Pvs48/45 proteins were expressed in E. coli and CHO, purified, formulated in Alhydrogel, GLA-SE and Montanide ISA-51 adjuvants and used to immunize BALB/c mice. Animals were immunized on days 0, 20 and 40, and serum samples were collected for serological analyses of specific antibody responses using ELISA and immunofluorescence (IFAT). Additionally, ex-vivo transmission-reducing activity (TRA) of sera on P. vivax gametocyte-infected human blood fed to Anopheles albimanus in direct membrane feeding assays (DMFA) was evaluated.
RESULTS
Most immunized animals seroconverted after the first immunization, and some developed antibody peaks of 10 with all adjuvants. However, the three adjuvant formulations induced different antibody responses and TRA efficacy. While GLA-SE formulations of both proteins induced similar antibody profiles, Montanide ISA-51 formulations resulted in higher and longer-lasting antibody titers with CHO-rPvs48/45 than with the E. coli formulation. Although the CHO protein formulated in Alhydrogel generated a high initial antibody peak, antibody responses to both proteins rapidly waned. Likewise, anti-Pvs48/45 antibodies displayed differential recognition of the parasite proteins in IFAT and ex vivo blockade of parasite transmission to mosquitoes. The CHO-rPvs48/45 formulated in Montanide ISA-51 induced the most effective ex vivo parasite blockage.
CONCLUSIONS
Three out of six vaccine formulations elicited antibodies with ex vivo TRA. The CHO-rPvs48/45 Montanide ISA-51 formulation induced the most stable antibody response, recognizing the native protein and the most robust ex vivo TRA. These results encourage further testing of the vaccine potential of this protein.
Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; Antigens, Protozoan; CHO Cells; Cricetinae; Cricetulus; Escherichia coli; Malaria Vaccines; Malaria, Vivax; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mineral Oil; Plasmodium vivax; Protozoan Proteins
PubMed: 34802791
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.11.036 -
BMC Pediatrics May 2023The skin is a major route of infection in the neonatal period, especially in low birthweight (LBW) infants. Appropriate and safe neonatal skin care practices are...
BACKGROUND
The skin is a major route of infection in the neonatal period, especially in low birthweight (LBW) infants. Appropriate and safe neonatal skin care practices are required to reduce this risk. The perceptions and beliefs of mothers and other caregivers towards various neonatal skin care practices in our setting have been documented. Data from Asia suggests that the application of emollient to the skin of LBW infants can promote growth, reduce serious neonatal infections, and potentially reduce mortality. This is the first study to explore the acceptability of emollients and massage as part of neonatal skin care in a low-resource setting in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that is representative of the majority of government health facilities in Uganda and many in SSA.
OBJECTIVE
To explore perceptions, beliefs, and current practices regarding neonatal skin care and emollient use in eastern Uganda.
METHODS
We conducted a qualitative study consisting of three focus group discussions (30 participants), eight in-depth interviews with mothers/caregivers of preterm and term neonates and 12 key informant interviews with midwives, doctors and community health workers involved in neonatal care, to explore the perceptions and practices surrounding neonatal skin care and emollient use. Data collected were transcribed and analyzed using thematic content analysis.
RESULTS
Mothers perceived that skin care began in utero. Skincare practices depended on the place of delivery; for deliveries in a health facility the skincare practices were mainly based on the health worker's advice. Vernix caseosa was often washed off due to its perceived undesirability and was attributed to sexual intercourse in the last trimester. Despite their deleterious attributes found in previous studies, petrolatum-based oils, petrolatum-based jellies and talcum baby powders were the most commonly reported items used in neonatal skin care. In our population, there was high acceptability of emollient therapy use; however, neonatal massage was treated with scepticism as mothers feared damaging the vulnerable neonate. Mothers suggested massage and emollient application be undertaken by health workers, if it becomes an intervention.
CONCLUSIONS
In eastern Uganda, the perceptions and beliefs of mothers/caregivers toward neonatal skincare influenced their practices of which some could potentially be beneficial, and others harmful. Emollient use would be easily accepted if adequate sensitisation is conducted and using the gatekeepers such as health workers.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Infant; Female; Humans; Emollients; Uganda; Skin; Skin Care; Qualitative Research; Petrolatum
PubMed: 37147698
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-023-04040-y -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023Skin repair encompasses epidermal barrier repair and wound healing which involves multiple cellular and molecular stages. Therefore, many skin repair strategies have...
Skin repair encompasses epidermal barrier repair and wound healing which involves multiple cellular and molecular stages. Therefore, many skin repair strategies have been proposed. In order to characterize the usage frequency of skin repair ingredients in cosmetics, medicines, and medical devices, commercialized in Portuguese pharmacies and parapharmacies, a comprehensive analysis of the products' composition was performed. A total of 120 cosmetic products, collected from national pharmacies online platforms, 21 topical medicines, and 46 medical devices, collected from INFARMED database, were included in the study, revealing the top 10 most used skin repair ingredients in these categories. A critical review regarding the effectiveness of the top ingredients was performed and an in-depth analysis focused on the top three skin repair ingredients pursued. Results demonstrated that top three most used cosmetic ingredients were metal salts and oxides (78.3%), vitamin E and its derivatives (54.2%), and (L.) Urb. extract and actives (35.8%). Regarding medicines, metal salts and oxides were also the most used (47.4%) followed by vitamin B5 and derivatives (23.8%), and vitamin A and derivatives (26.3%). Silicones and derivatives were the most common skin repair ingredients in medical devices (33%), followed by petrolatum and derivatives (22%) and alginate (15%). This work provides an overview of the most used skin repair ingredients, highlighting their different mechanisms of action, aiming to provide an up-to-date tool to support health professionals' decisions.
PubMed: 37111330
DOI: 10.3390/ph16040573 -
Analytica Chimica Acta Nov 2022Contamination of foods with mineral oil hydrocarbons, particularly mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH), can potentially pose a health hazard to consumers. However,... (Review)
Review
Contamination of foods with mineral oil hydrocarbons, particularly mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH), can potentially pose a health hazard to consumers. However, identifying toxic substances among the many thousands of compounds comprising mineral oils in food samples is a difficult analytical challenge. According to the European Food Safety Authority, there is a lack of concentration and structural data about mineral oil hydrocarbons in foods, and therefore it is not clear to what extent consumers in Europe might be exposed to toxic levels of MOAH. The current gold standard method for determination of mineral oil hydrocarbons is online high-performance liquid chromatography (LC)-gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection, which quantifies total saturated/aromatic content, but gives no qualitative information. The objective of this review is to explore the future prospects in mineral oil hydrocarbon determination and MOAH characterization in foods. To that end, peer reviewed literature was explored, particularly from the viewpoint of a methodology for detailed characterization of the MOAH fraction that can aid toxicological assessment. The literature clearly shows that there is much to be gained from the orthogonality power of multidimensional chromatographic separations and mass spectrometric (MS) detection. Comprehensive two-dimensional GC coupled to MS, preceded by pre-fractionations of MOAH by LC is suggested to be the most promising approach for further research. In addition, the strengths and weaknesses of a number of other, alternative approaches, both for qualitative and quantitative analysis, are discussed.
Topics: Mineral Oil; Food Contamination; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; Hydrocarbons
PubMed: 36328715
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.340098 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2020Quantification of anatomical and compositional features underpins both fundamental and applied studies of plant structure and function. Relatively few non-invasive...
Quantification of anatomical and compositional features underpins both fundamental and applied studies of plant structure and function. Relatively few non-invasive techniques are available for aquatic plants. Traditional methods such as sectioning are low-throughput and provide 2-dimensional information. X-ray Computed Microtomography (μCT) offers a non-destructive method of three dimensional (3D) imaging , but has not been widely used for aquatic species, due to the difficulties in sample preparation and handling. We present a novel sample handling protocol for aquatic plant material developed for μCT imaging, using duckweed plants and turions as exemplars, and compare the method against existing approaches. This technique allows for previously unseen 3D volume analysis of gaseous filled spaces, cell material, and sub-cellular features. The described embedding method, utilizing petrolatum gel for sample mounting, was shown to preserve sample quality during scanning, and to display sufficiently different X-ray attenuation to the plant material to be easily differentiated by image analysis pipelines. We present this technique as an improved method for anatomical structural analysis that provides novel cellular and developmental information.
PubMed: 33488660
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.617830 -
Journal of Oleo Science 2023Organogels are attractive formulations in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals. They exhibit characteristic frictional and mechanical responses during the collapse of a...
Organogels are attractive formulations in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals. They exhibit characteristic frictional and mechanical responses during the collapse of a mesostructure. In this study, the friction dynamics of organogels composed of five different waxes (paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, ceresin, candelilla wax, and carnauba wax) and liquid paraffin were evaluated using a sinusoidal motion friction evaluation system. All organogels exhibited a velocity dependence of friction coefficient that increased with the acceleration of the contact probe. Depending on the ease of the crystal formation of the waxes in liquid paraffin, hydrocarbon-based waxes formed soft organogels with a low-friction coefficient, whereas ester-based, highly polar waxes formed organogels that were hard and had a high-friction coefficient.
Topics: Plant Oils; Friction; Mineral Oil; Skin, Artificial; Waxes
PubMed: 36990750
DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess22427 -
Veterinary Parasitology Apr 2022Ferritins are iron-binding proteins that play critical functions in iron metabolism. Tick ferritins are essential in blood feeding, reproduction, iron transport, and...
Ferritins are iron-binding proteins that play critical functions in iron metabolism. Tick ferritins are essential in blood feeding, reproduction, iron transport, and protection of ticks from the iron-mediated oxidative stress during blood feeding and digestion. In ixodids, ferritin 2 (Fer2) is responsible for iron transport into peripheral tissues, it is critically involved in tick reproduction and has been identified as a good candidate antigen to be included in anti-tick vaccines. In argasids, information on the molecular and functional characteristics of ferritins is almost nonexistent. Given the potential of ixodid Fer2 as a vaccine target, the aim of the current study was to characterise the Fer2 orthologues in Ornithodoros erraticus (OEFer2) and O. moubata (OMFer2), including functional analyses by RNAi gene knockdown and the assessment of the protective efficacy of recombinant Fer2 protein in an animal vaccination trials. Characterisation and analysis of the OMFer2 and OEFer2 amino acid sequences showed high similarity to each other, and high similarity to the Fer2 sequences of ixodid species as well, confirming that Fer2 is highly conserved between both tick families and suggesting a similar function in the physiology of both argasid and ixodid ticks. Fer2 gene knockdown in O. moubata reduced egg hatchability rate and the subsequent number of emerging nymphs-1 up to 71%. Conversely, Fer2 gene knockdown in O. erraticus did not affect the treated ticks even though the Fer2 mRNA expression level was reduced by 90%. The recombinant form of O. moubata Fer2 (tOMFer2) was highly immunogenic and induced strong humoral responses when administered to rabbits formulated with Montanide adjuvant. The protective effect of the anti-tOMFer2 response was limited. While in O. erraticus, we did not observe any protective effect, in O. moubata it induced a significant reduction in oviposition without affecting the other parameters analysed. Accordingly, Fer2 seems to be involved in O. moubata embryogenesis. This study provides the first data on the molecular and functional characterisation of Fer2 in soft tick species and paves the way for further studies aimed at unveiling the functional aspects of Fer2 in soft ticks and confirming its potential as a vaccine candidate antigen.
Topics: Animals; Antigens; Arthropod Proteins; Female; Ferritins; Humans; Iron; Mineral Oil; Ornithodoros; Rabbits; Recombinant Proteins; Vaccines
PubMed: 35259632
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2022.109684 -
Viruses Jul 2022The Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne bunyavirus of the Narovirus genus, which is the causative agent of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever...
The Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne bunyavirus of the Narovirus genus, which is the causative agent of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia, with a high case-fatality rate of up to 50% in humans. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or effective therapies available for CCHF. The GEM-PA is a safe, versatile and effective carrier system, which offers a cost-efficient, high-throughput platform for recovery and purification of subunit proteins for vaccines. In the present study, based on a GEM-PA surface display system, a GEM-PA based vaccine expressing three subunit vaccine candidates (G-GP, including G-eG, G-eG and G-NAb) of CCHFV was developed, displaying the ectodomains of the structural glycoproteins eG, eG and NAb, respectively. According to the immunological assays including indirect-ELISA, a micro-neutralization test of pseudo-virus and ELISpot, 5 μg GPBLP combined with Montanide ISA 201VG plus Poly (I:C) adjuvant (A-G-GP-5 μg) elicited GP-specific humoral and cellular immunity in BALB/c mice after three vaccinations via subcutaneous injection (s.c.). The consistent data between IgG subtype and cytokine detection, ELISpot and cytokine detection indicated balanced Th1 and Th2 responses, of which G-eG vaccines could elicit a stronger T-cell response post-vaccination, respectively. Moreover, all three vaccine candidates elicited high TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 cytokine levels in the supernatant of stimulated splenocytes in vitro. However, the neutralizing antibody (nAb) was only detected in A-G-eG and A-G-eG vaccination groups with the highest neutralizing titer of 128, suggesting that G-eG could elicit a stronger humoral immune response. In conclusion, the GEM-PA surface display system could provide an efficient and convenient purification method for CCHFV subunit antigens, and the G-GP subunit vaccine candidates will be promising against CCHFV infections with excellent immunogenicity.
Topics: Animals; Cytokines; Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo; Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean; Humans; Immunity, Humoral; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Mineral Oil; Vaccines, Subunit
PubMed: 36016285
DOI: 10.3390/v14081664