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Biomolecules Nov 2023Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent a recently discovered polymorphonuclear leukocyte-associated ancient defence mechanism, and they have also been... (Review)
Review
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent a recently discovered polymorphonuclear leukocyte-associated ancient defence mechanism, and they have also been identified as part of polytrauma patients' sterile inflammatory response. This systematic review aimed to determine the clinical significance of NETs in polytrauma, focusing on potential prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic relevance. The methodology covered all major databases and all study types, but was restricted to polytraumatised humans. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, reporting on 1967 patients. Ten samples were taken from plasma and four from whole blood. There was no standardisation of methodology of NET detection among plasma studies; however, of all the papers that included a healthy control NET, proxies were increased. Polytrauma patients were consistently reported to have higher concentrations of NET markers in peripheral blood than those in healthy controls, but their diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic utility is equivocal due to the diverse study population and methodology. After 20 years since the discovery of NETs, their natural history and potential clinical utility in polytrauma is undetermined, requiring further standardisation and research.
Topics: Humans; Extracellular Traps; Prognosis; Neutrophils; Multiple Trauma
PubMed: 38002307
DOI: 10.3390/biom13111625 -
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia... Jan 2024The popularity of e-cigarettes has increased rapidly in the last decade, particularly among teens and young adults, being advertised as a less harmful alternative to... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The popularity of e-cigarettes has increased rapidly in the last decade, particularly among teens and young adults, being advertised as a less harmful alternative to conventional tobacco products. However, in vitro and in vivo studies have evidenced a variable quantity of potentially harmful components and some recognized carcinogens which may cause DNA damage in oral cells. Additionally, evidence suggests that e-cigarettes may play active roles in the pathogenesis of other malignancies, such as lung and bladder cancers. Therefore, this rapid review aimed to assess the available clinical evidence about using e-cigarettes as a risk factor for oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral cancer.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A systematic search for English language articles published was performed in PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. After the study selection process, the authors included twelve clinical studies about OPMD and oral cancer risk in e-cigarette users.
RESULTS
The main findings showed the presence of carcinogenic compounds in saliva and morphologic changes, DNA damage, and molecular pathways related to carcinogenesis in the oral cells of e-cigarette users. However, results were inconsistent compared to tobacco smokers and control groups.
CONCLUSIONS
the current clinical evidence on this topic is limited and insufficient to support using e-cigarettes as a risk factor for OPMD and oral cancer. Nevertheless, dental care professionals should advise patients responsibly about the potentially harmful effects of e-cigarettes on the oral mucosa cells. Future long-term and well-designed clinical studies are needed.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Young Adult; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Mouth Diseases; Mouth Mucosa; Mouth Neoplasms; Precancerous Conditions; Risk Factors
PubMed: 37992145
DOI: 10.4317/medoral.26042 -
PloS One 2023The microfluidic sperm selection (MFSS) device has emerged as a promising adjunct in assisted reproduction treatments (ART). It employs mechanisms of biomimicry based on... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
The microfluidic sperm selection (MFSS) device has emerged as a promising adjunct in assisted reproduction treatments (ART). It employs mechanisms of biomimicry based on the microanatomy of the female reproductive tract through strategies like chemotaxis and rheotaxis. Numerous studies assert improvements in ART outcomes with the use of MFSS, often attributed to the theoretical reduction in sperm DNA damage compared to other techniques. However, these attributed benefits lack validation through large-scale clinical trials, and there is no significant evidence of enhanced assisted reproductive treatments (ART) outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether the utilization of MFSS enhances clinical pregnancy results and abortion outcomes in couples undergoing ART compared to standard sperm selection techniques for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). We also assessed laboratory outcomes as a supplementary analysis.
SEARCH METHODS
We conducted searches across databases including PubMed, NIH, LILACS, CENTRAL, Crossref, Scopus, and OpenAlex. A total of 1,255 records were identified. From these, 284 duplicate records were eliminated, and an additional 895 records were excluded due to their association with patent applications, diagnostic tests, forensic analyses, or irrelevance to the research focus. Among the initially eligible 76 studies, 63 were excluded, encompassing abstracts, studies lacking adequate control groups, and ongoing clinical trials. Ultimately, 13 studies were selected for inclusion in the ensuing meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Regarding clinical pregnancy, we assessed a total of 868 instances of clinical pregnancies out of 1,646 embryo transfers. Regarding miscarriage, we examined 95 cases of pregnancy loss among the 598 confirmed clinical pregnancies in these studies.
CONCLUSION
The utilization of MFSS demonstrates marginal positive outcomes compared to standard sperm selection techniques, without statistical significance in any of the analyses.
BROADER IMPLICATIONS
This study conducted the first meta-analysis to evaluate clinical pregnancy rates, miscarriage rates, and laboratory results associated with the use of MFSS compared to standard sperm selection techniques. We have also listed potentially eligible studies for future inclusion. It's important to emphasize the need for multicenter studies with standardized parameters to attain a more robust clarification of this issue.
Topics: Pregnancy; Male; Female; Humans; Abortion, Spontaneous; Microfluidics; Semen; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; Pregnancy Rate; Spermatozoa; Live Birth
PubMed: 37983267
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292891 -
Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods Mar 2024In a world with a rising use of pesticides, these chemicals, although designed to effectively control pests, pose potential threats to the environment and non-target... (Review)
Review
In a world with a rising use of pesticides, these chemicals, although designed to effectively control pests, pose potential threats to the environment and non-target organisms, including humans. Thus, this systematic review aims to investigate a possible association between genetic polymorphisms and susceptibility and genotoxicity in individuals occupationally exposed to pesticides. This review was conducted following the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. A total of 14 carefully selected studies were thoroughly analyzed by two reviewers, who assigned scores based on previously set evaluation criteria. This study classified over half of the chosen studies as having moderate or strong quality, observing a correlation between certain genetic polymorphisms involved in xenobiotic metabolism and genotoxicity in workers exposed to pesticides. Results suggest that the genes associated with xenobiotic metabolism play a substantial role in determining individuals' susceptibility to genomic damage due to pesticide exposure, affecting both their peripheral blood and oral mucosa. This implies that individuals with specific genotypes may experience increased or decreased levels of DNA damage when exposed to these chemicals.
Topics: Humans; Pesticides; Occupational Exposure; Xenobiotics; Polymorphism, Genetic; DNA Damage
PubMed: 37982319
DOI: 10.1080/15376516.2023.2280806 -
Brazilian Oral Research 2023The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate published papers regarding the micronucleus assay in oral mucosal cells of patients undergoing orthodontic therapy... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate published papers regarding the micronucleus assay in oral mucosal cells of patients undergoing orthodontic therapy (OT). A search of the scientific literature was made in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for all data published until November, 2021 using the combination of the following keywords: "fixed orthodontic therapy," "genetic damage", "DNA damage," "genotoxicity", "mutagenicity", "buccal cells", "oral mucosa cells," and "micronucleus assay". The systematic review was designed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Nine studies were retrieved. Some authors demonstrated that OT induces cytogenetic damage in oral mucosal cells. Out of the nine studies included, two were classified as strong, five as moderate, and two as weak, according to the quality assessment components of the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP). Meta-analysis data revealed no relationship between mutagenicity in oral cells and OT in different months of treatment. At one month, the SMD = 0.65 and p = 0.08; after three months of OT, the SMD = 1.21 and p = 0.07; and after six months of OT, the SMD = 0.56 and p = 0.11. In the analyzed months of OT, I2 values were >75%, indicating high heterogeneity. In summary, this review was not able to demonstrate that OT induces genetic damage in oral cells. The study is important for the protection of patients undergoing fixed OT, given that mutagenesis participates in the multi-step process of carcinogenesis.
Topics: Humans; Micronucleus Tests; DNA Damage; Mouth Mucosa
PubMed: 37970936
DOI: 10.1590/1807-3107bor-2023.vol37.0116 -
Frontiers in Oncology 2023The efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy (PtCh) for pancreatic cancer (PC) patients with DNA damage repair gene mutations (DDRm) compared to those without DDRm...
OBJECTIVE
The efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy (PtCh) for pancreatic cancer (PC) patients with DNA damage repair gene mutations (DDRm) compared to those without DDRm remains uncertain.
METHODS
After a thorough database searching in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, a total of 19 studies that met all the inclusion criteria were identified. The primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for PC patients with DDRm versus those without DDRm after PtCh.
RESULTS
Patients with advanced-stage PC who have DDRm tend to have longer OS compared to patients without DDRm, regardless of their exposure to PtCh (HR=0.63; I = 66%). Further analyses indicated that the effectiveness of PtCh for OS was modified by DDRm (HR=0.48; I = 59%). After the first- line PtCh (1L-PtCh), the PFS of advanced-stage PC with DDRm was also significantly improved (HR=0.41; I = 0%). For patients with resected PC, regardless of their exposure to PtCh, the OS for patients with DDRm was comparable to those without DDRm (HR=0.82; I = 71%). Specifically, for patients with resected PC harboring DDRm who received PtCh (HR=0.85; I = 65%) and for those after non-PtCh (HR=0.87; I = 0%), the presence of DDRm did not show a significant association with longer OS.
CONCLUSION
1L-PtCh treatment is correlated with favorable survival for advanced-stage PC patients with DDRm. For resected-stage PC harboring DDRm, adjuvant PtCh had limited effectiveness. The prognostic value of DDRm needs to be further verified by prospective randomized controlled trials.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022302275.
PubMed: 37954082
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1267577 -
Clinical and Translational Radiation... Nov 2023Pain is the most common acute symptom following radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). The multifactorial origin of RT-induced pain makes it highly... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE
Pain is the most common acute symptom following radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). The multifactorial origin of RT-induced pain makes it highly challenging to manage. Multiple studies were conducted to identify genetic variants associated with cancer pain, however few of them focused on RT-induced acute pain. In this review, we summarize the potential mechanisms of acute pain after RT in HNC and identify genetic variants associated with RT-induced acute pain and relevant acute toxicities.
METHODS
A comprehensive search of Ovid Medline, EMBASE and Web of Science databases using terms including "Variants", "Polymorphisms", "Radiotherapy", "Acute pain", "Acute toxicity" published up to February 28, 2022, was performed by two reviewers. Review articles and citations were reviewed manually. The identified SNPs associated with RT-induced acute pain and toxicities were reported, and the molecular functions of the associated genes were described based on genetic annotation using The Human Gene Database; GeneCards.
RESULTS
A total of 386 articles were identified electronically and 8 more articles were included after manual search. 21 articles were finally included. 32 variants in 27 genes, of which 25% in inflammatory/immune response, 20% had function in DNA damage response and repair, 20% in cell death or cell cycle, were associated with RT-inflammatory pain and acute oral mucositis or dermatitis. 4 variants in 4 genes were associated with neuropathy and neuropathic pain. 5 variants in 4 genes were associated with RT-induced mixed types of post-RT-throat/neck pain.
CONCLUSION
Different types of pain develop after RT in HNC, including inflammatory pain; neuropathic pain; nociceptive pain; and mixed oral pain. Genetic variants involved in DNA damage response and repair, cell death, inflammation and neuropathic pathways may affect pain presentation post-RT. These variants could be used for personalized pain management in HNC patients receiving RT.
PubMed: 37954025
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctro.2023.100669 -
Current Medicinal Chemistry Oct 2023Although radiotherapy is one of the main cancer treatment modalities, exposing healthy organs/tissues to ionizing radiation during treatment and tumor resistance to...
INTRODUCTION
Although radiotherapy is one of the main cancer treatment modalities, exposing healthy organs/tissues to ionizing radiation during treatment and tumor resistance to ionizing radiation are the chief challenges of radiotherapy that can lead to different adverse effects. It was shown that the combined treatment of radiotherapy and natural bioactive compounds (such as silymarin/silibinin) can alleviate the ionizing radiation-induced adverse side effects and induce synergies between these therapeutic modalities. In the present review, the potential radiosensitization effects of silymarin/silibinin during cancer radiation exposure/radiotherapy were studied.
METHODS
According to the PRISMA guideline, a systematic search was performed for the identification of relevant studies in different electronic databases of Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus up to October 2022. We screened 843 articles in accordance with a predefined set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Seven studies were finally included in this systematic review.
RESULTS
Compared to the control group, the cell survival/proliferation of cancer cells treated with ionizing radiation was considerably less, and silymarin/silibinin administration synergistically increased ionizing radiation-induced cytotoxicity. Furthermore, there was a decrease in the tumor volume, weight, and growth of ionizing radiation-treated mice as compared to the untreated groups, and these diminutions were predominant in those treated with radiotherapy plus silymarin/ silibinin. Furthermore, the irradiation led to a set of biochemical and histopathological changes in tumoral cells/tissues, and the ionizing radiation-induced alterations were synergized following silymarin/silibinin administration (in most cases).
CONCLUSION
In most cases, silymarin/silibinin administration could sensitize the cancer cells to ionizing radiation through an increase of free radical formation, induction of DNA damage, increase of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis and metastasis, etc. However, suggesting the use of silymarin/silibinin during radiotherapeutic treatment of cancer patients requires further clinical studies.
PubMed: 37921180
DOI: 10.2174/0109298673248404231006052436 -
Biomedical Papers of the Medical... Mar 2024Oxidative DNA damage markers (8OHdG, comet assay, gammaH2AX) are becoming widely used in clinical cardiology research. To conduct this review of DNA damage in relation... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Oxidative DNA damage markers (8OHdG, comet assay, gammaH2AX) are becoming widely used in clinical cardiology research. To conduct this review of DNA damage in relation to hypertension in humans, we used databases (e.g. PubMed, Web of Science) to search for English-language publications up to June 30, 2022 and the terms: DNA damage, comet assay, gammaH2AX, 8OHdG, strand breaks, and arterial hypertension. Exclusion criteria were: children, absence of relevant controls, extra-arterial hypertensive issues, animal, cell lines. From a total of 79526, 15 human studies were selected. A total of 902 hypertensive patients (pts): (comet: N=418 pts; 8OHdG: N=484 pts) and 587 controls (comet: N=203; 8OHdG: N=384) were included. DNA damage was significantly higher in hypertensive pts than healthy controls (comet 26.6±11.0 vs 11.7±4.07 arbitrary units /A.U./; P<0.05 and="" 8ohdg="" 13="" 1="" 4="" 12="" vs="" 6="" 97="" 2="" 67="" ng="" mg="" creatinine="" i=""> P<0.05) confirmed with meta-analysis for both. Greater DNA damage was observed in more adverse cases (concentric cardiac hypertrophy 43.4±15.4 vs 15.6±5.5; sustained/untreated hypertension 31.4±12.1 vs 14.2±5/35.0±5.0 vs 25.0 ±5.0; non-dippers 39.2±15.5 vs 29.4±11.1 A.U.; elderly 14.9±4.5 vs 9.3±4.1 ng/mg creatinine; without carvedilol 9.1±4.2 vs 5.7±3.9; with coronary heart disease 0.5±0.1 vs 0.2±0.1 ng/mL) (P<0.05) confirmed with meta-analysis. DNA damage correlated strongly positively with serum glycosylated haemoglobin (r=0.670; P<0.05) and negatively with total antioxidant status (r=-0.670 to -0.933; P<0.05). This is the first systematic review with meta-analysis showing that oxidative DNA damage was increased in humans with arterial hypertension compared to controls.
Topics: Child; Animals; Humans; Aged; 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; Creatinine; DNA Damage; Comet Assay; Hypertension
PubMed: 37916467
DOI: 10.5507/bp.2023.044 -
Nanomedicine : Nanotechnology, Biology,... Jan 2024The emergency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in severe infections is increasing, especially in nosocomial environments. The ESKAPE group is of special importance in... (Review)
Review
The emergency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in severe infections is increasing, especially in nosocomial environments. The ESKAPE group is of special importance in the groups of multi-resistant bacteria due to its high capacity to generate resistance to antibiotics and bactericides. Therefore, metal-based nanomaterials are an attractive alternative to combat them because they have been demonstrated to damage biomolecules in the bacterial cells. However, there is a concern about bacteria developing resistance to NPs and their harmful effects due to environmental accumulation. Therefore, this systematic review aims to report the clinically relevant bacteria that have developed resistance to the NPs. According to the results of this systematic review, various mechanisms to counteract the antimicrobial activity of various NP types have been proposed. These mechanisms can be grouped into the following categories: production of extracellular compounds, metal efflux pumps, ROS response, genetic changes, DNA repair, adaptative morphogenesis, and changes in the plasma membrane.
Topics: Humans; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria; Metal Nanoparticles; Bacterial Infections
PubMed: 37907198
DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2023.102715