Enumeration of olive derived lignan, pinoresinol for activity against recent Omicron variant spike protein for structure-based drug design, DFT, molecular dynamics simulations, and MMGBSA studies

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first found in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Because the virus spreads quickly, it quickly became a global worry. Coronaviridae is the family that contains both SARS-CoV-2 and the viruses that came before (i.e., MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV). Recent sources portray that the COVID-19 virus has affected 344,710,576 people worldwide and killed about 5,598,511 people in the last 2 years. The B.1.1.529 strain, later called "Omicron," was named a Variant of Concern on November 24, 2021. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has gone through a never-ending chain of changes that have never happened before. As a result, it has many different traits. Most of these changes have occurred in the spike protein, where antibodies bind. Because of these changes, the Omicron type is very contagious and easy to pass on. There have been a lot of studies done to try to figure out this new challenge in the COVID-19 strains race, but there is still a lot that needs to be explained. This study focuses on virtual screening, docking, and molecular dynamic analysis; we aimed to identify therapeutic candidates for the SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron based on their ability to inhibit non-structural proteins. We investigate the prediction of the properties of a substantial database of drug molecules obtained from the OliveNet™ database. Compounds that did not exhibit adequate gastrointestinal absorption and failed the Lipinski test are not considered for further research. The filtered compounds were coupled with our primary target, SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike protein. We focused on SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike protein and filtering potent olive compounds. Pinoresinol, the most likely candidate, is bound best (- 8.5 kcal/mol). Pinoresinol's strong interaction with the active site made the complex's dynamic structure more resilient. MD simulations explain the protein-ligand complex's stability and function. Pinoresinol may be a promising SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike protein receptor lead drug, and additional research may assist the scientific community.

Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment: Unleashing the Power of Viral Vaccines, Monoclonal Antibodies, and Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras in the New Era of Immunotherapy

In the realm of cancer immunotherapy, a profound evolution has ushered in sophisticated strategies that encompass both traditional cancer vaccines and emerging viral vaccines. This comprehensive Review offers an in-depth exploration of the methodologies, clinical applications, success stories, and future prospects of these approaches. Traditional cancer vaccines have undergone significant advancements utilizing diverse modalities such as proteins, peptides, and dendritic cells. More recent innovations have focused on the physiological mechanisms enabling the human body to recognize and combat precancerous and malignant cells, introducing specific markers like peptide-based anticancer vaccines targeting tumor-associated antigens. Moreover, cancer viral vaccines, leveraging engineered viruses to stimulate immune responses against specific antigens, exhibit substantial promise in inducing robust and enduring immunity. Integration with complementary therapeutic methods, including monoclonal antibodies, adjuvants, and radiation therapy, has not only improved survival rates but also deepened our understanding of viral virulence. Recent strides in vaccine design, encompassing oncolytic viruses, virus-like particles, and viral vectors, mark the frontier of innovation. While these advances hold immense potential, critical challenges must be addressed, such as strategies for immune evasion, potential off-target effects, and the optimization of viral genomes. In the landscape of immunotherapy, noteworthy innovations take the spotlight from the use of immunomodulatory agents for the enhancement of innate and adaptive immune collaboration. The emergence of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) as precision tools for cancer therapy is particularly exciting. With a focus on various cancers, from melanoma to formidable solid tumors, this Review critically assesses types of cancer vaccines, mechanisms, barriers in vaccine therapy, vaccine efficacy, safety profiles, and immune-related adverse events, providing a nuanced perspective on the underlying mechanisms involving cytotoxic T cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells. The Review also underscores the transformative potential of cutting-edge technologies such as clinical studies, molecular sequencing, and artificial intelligence in advancing the field of cancer vaccines. These tools not only expedite progress but also emphasize the multidimensional and rapidly evolving nature of this research, affirming its profound significance in the broader context of cancer therapy.

Tackling strong biofilm and multi-virulent vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus via natural alkaloid-based porous nanoparticles: perspective towards near future eradication

Introduction

As a growing direction, nano-based therapy has become a successful paradigm used to address the phytogenic delivery-related problems in overcoming multivirulent vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) infection.

Methods

Hence, our aim was to develop and assess a novel nanocarrier system (mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MPS-NPs) for free berberine (Free-BR) as an antimicrobial alkaloid against strong biofilm-producing and multi-virulent VRSA strains using in vitro and in vivo mouse model.

Results and discussion

Our outcomes demonstrated vancomycin resistance in 13.7% of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains categorized as VRSA. Notably, strong biofilm formation was observed in 69.2% of VRSA strains that were all positive for icaA gene. All strong biofilm-producing VRSA strains harbored a minimum of two virulence genes comprising clfA and icaA with 44.4% of them possessing all five virulence genes (icaA, tst, clfA, hla, and pvl), and 88.9% being multi-virulent. The study findings affirmed excellent in vitro antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of BR-loaded MPS-NPs. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) assay displayed the downregulating role of BR-loaded MPS-NPs on strong biofilm-producing and multi-virulent VRSA strains virulence and agr genes in both in vitro and in vivo mice models. Additionally, BR-loaded MPS-NPs supplementation has a promising role in attenuating the upregulated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines' genes in VRSA-infected mice with attenuation in pro-apoptotic genes expression resulting in reduced VRSA-induced apoptosis. In essence, the current study recommends the future scope of using BR-loaded MPS-NPs as auspicious alternatives for antimicrobials with tremendous antimicrobial, antibiofilm, anti-quorum sensing (QS), and anti-virulence effectiveness against problematic strong biofilm-producing and multi-virulent VRSA-associated infections.

Antimalarial drug discovery against malaria parasites through haplopine modification: An advanced computational approach

The widespread emergence of antimalarial drug resistance has created a major threat to public health. Malaria is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by Plasmodium spp., which includes Apicoplast DNA polymerase and Plasmodium falciparum cysteine protease falcipain-2. These components play a critical role in their life cycle and metabolic pathway, and are involved in the breakdown of erythrocyte hemoglobin in the host, making them promising targets for anti-malarial drug design. Our current study has been designed to explore the potential inhibitors from haplopine derivatives against these two targets using an in silico approach. A total of nine haplopine derivatives were used to perform molecular docking, and the results revealed that Ligands 03 and 05 showed strong binding affinity compared to the control compound atovaquone. Furthermore, these ligand-protein complexes underwent molecular dynamics simulations, and the results demonstrated that the complexes maintained strong stability in terms of RMSD (root mean square deviation), RMSF (root mean square fluctuation), and Rg (radius of gyration) over a 100 ns simulation period. Additionally, PCA (principal component analysis) analysis and the dynamic cross-correlation matrix showed positive outcomes for the protein-ligand complexes. Moreover, the compounds exhibited no violations of the Lipinski rule, and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) predictions yielded positive results without indicating any toxicity. Finally, density functional theory (DFT) and molecular electrostatic potential calculations were conducted, revealing that the mentioned derivatives exhibited better stability and outstanding performance. Overall, this computational approach suggests that these haplopine derivatives could serve as a potential source for developing new, effective antimalarial drugs to combat malaria. However, further in vitro or in vivo studies might be conducted to determine their actual effectiveness.

Increased NOTCH1 expression is associated with low survival in moderate/ poor differentiated human oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

Notch deregulation has been reported in various types of cancers, including Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). The role of Notch1 signaling in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains poorly understood. In this study, NOTCH1 was aberrantly expressed in human oral cancer tissues compared with that in normal marginal tissues and was associated with poor prognosis. The positive Notch 1 expression was significantly associated with poor tumor differentiation status. Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that elevated cytoplasmic NOTCH1 expression levels in OSCC patients were associated with poor overall survival. Moreover, multivariate COX proportional hazard models revealed that T N status, AJCC stage histological grade were independent prognostic factors for survival. Our result clearly demonstrates the oncogenic role of Notch1 in oral cancer and Notch1 may be a useful biomarker to target oral cancer patients.

Development of a new drug candidate for the inhibition of Lassa virus glycoprotein and nucleoprotein by modification of evodiamine as promising therapeutic agents

The Lassa virus (LASV), an RNA virus prevalent in West and Central Africa, causes severe hemorrhagic fever with a high fatality rate. However, no FDA-approved treatments or vaccines exist. Two crucial proteins, LASV glycoprotein and nucleoprotein, play vital roles in pathogenesis and are potential therapeutic targets. As effective treatments for many emerging infections remain elusive, cutting-edge drug development approaches are essential, such as identifying molecular targets, screening lead molecules, and repurposing existing drugs. Bioinformatics and computational biology expedite drug discovery pipelines, using data science to identify targets, predict structures, and model interactions. These techniques also facilitate screening leads with optimal drug-like properties, reducing time, cost, and complexities associated with traditional drug development. Researchers have employed advanced computational drug design methods such as molecular docking, pharmacokinetics, drug-likeness, and molecular dynamics simulation to investigate evodiamine derivatives as potential LASV inhibitors. The results revealed remarkable binding affinities, with many outperforming standard compounds. Additionally, molecular active simulation data suggest stability when bound to target receptors. These promising findings indicate that evodiamine derivatives may offer superior pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness properties, serving as a valuable resource for professionals developing synthetic drugs to combat the Lassa virus.

Clinicopathological Characteristics of Mucinous and Non-mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the Colon and Rectum

Colorectal carcinoma is the most common cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. More than 95.0% of the cancer is adenocarcinoma. Mucinous adenocarcinomas account for about 10.0% of all colorectal cancers. The expression of mucin themselves may play a role in the ability of tumors cells to escape the effect of systemic therapy and the process of tumor progression, invasion, survival and protection against the host immune response. The mucin lakes may also be a physiological barrier for the delivery of targeted therapy to the tumors cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the morphologic and histologic prognostic factors of mucinous and non-mucinous adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum. In this descriptive cross-sectional type of observational study a total of 98 samples with colorectal adenocarcinoma were evaluated on the basis of presence or absence of the mucin from 2017 and 2018. The study was conducted in paraffin-embedded tumor tissue whose slides were stained using the hematoxylin-eosin technique. Mucin was evaluated by Periodic acid schiff and Diastase periodic acid schiff stain. Totally, 27 of 98 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma (27.6%) had mucinous histologic subtype. Statistical significant results found in this research are as follows: Mucinous subtype tended to have present with moderate anaemia, history of low vegetable diet and larger tumor size, proximal colon involvement, infiltrative morphology and higher stage II compared to non-mucinous histologic subtype. Mucinous histologic subtype was associated with some adverse pathologic features in patients with colorectal cancer.

Exploring the cardioprotective effects of canagliflozin against cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity: Role of iNOS/NF-κB, Nrf2, and Bax/cytochrome C/Bcl-2 signals

Cardiotoxicity is a severe considerable side effect of cisplatin (CDDP) that requires much medical attention. The current study investigates the cardioprotective effects of canagliflozin (CA) against CDDP-induced heart toxicity. Rats were allocated to the control group; the CA group was administered CA 10 mg/kg/day orally for 10 days; the CDDP group was injected with 7 mg/kg, intraperitoneal as a single dose on the 5th day, and the CDDP + CA group. Compared to the CDDP-treated group, CA effectively attenuated CDDP-induced heart injury as evidenced by a decrease of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase-MB, and lactate dehydrogenase enzymes and supported by the alleviation of histopathological changes in cardiac tissues. Biochemically, CA attenuated cardiac oxidative injury through upregulation of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) signal. CA suppressed inflammation by decreasing cardiac NO₂ ^- , MPO, iNOS, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin 1-beta levels. Besides, CA significantly upregulated cardiac levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), and p-AKT proteins. Moreover, CA remarkably mitigated CDDP-induced apoptosis via modulation of Bax, cytochrome C, and Bcl-2 protein levels. Together, the present study revealed that CA could be a good candidate for preventing CDDP-induced cardiac injury by modulating iNOS/NF-κB, Nrf2, PI3K/AKT, and Bax/cytochrome C/Bcl-2 signals.

The Adverse Reactions of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose are Mild and Similar to the Second Dose Responses: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Like other vaccines, Pfizer BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 virus infections begins to decline within a few months after the 2^nd dose. On August 12, 2021, the FDA allowed additional Pfizer BioNTch’s COVID-19 vaccine dose (3^rd or booster dose) for individuals with weakened immunity. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term adverse reactions (ADRs) of the 2^nd and the 3^rd doses of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Methods

Information for this study was collected by Google Form questionnaire (online survey). The results included responses from 442 people, the majority from Saudi Arabia.

Results

The most common local ADRs following the 3^rd dose were injection site pain, injection site hypersensitivity, and axillary lymph node swelling. The most common systemic ADRs were fatigue, muscle pain, bone pain, headache, and fever less than 38ºC. Less common systemic ADRs were shivering, fever more than 38ºC, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea, arrhythmia, cough, abdominal pain, chest tightness, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and tachypnea. Rare systemic ADRs were constipation, dizziness and vertigo, lack of concentration, sore throat, excessive hair loss, dysmenorrhea and heavy menstruation, and Bell’s palsy. Severe allergic reactions were reported by 2.6% of participants after the 2^nd dose, compared with none after the 3^rd dose. Nasal congestion and runny nose are more frequent after the 3^rd dose. The ADRs of the 2^nd and 3^rd doses were significantly more prevalent in females. 12% of participants reported ADRs lasting more than one week after the 3^rd dose compared to 5% after the 2^nd dose. People ≤ 60 years were more affected by the vaccine ADRs.

Conclusion

Most of the ADRs reported after the 3^rd vaccine dose were consistent with the Pfizer vaccine information sheet and similar to the 2^nd dose ADRs.

Accelerating Effect of Cucurbita pepo L. Fruit Extract on Excisional Wound Healing in Depressed Rats Is Mediated through Its Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects

Background: Chronic stress can hinder wound healing as it suppresses both the cellular and innate immune responses. Objectives: The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the administration of topical and oral Cucurbita pepo L. (CP) ethanolic extract in prompting excisional wound healing in rats exposed to chronic stress, and to explain how it works. Materials and methods: Fifty albino rats assigned to five groups (n = 10) were utilized in this study. The chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model was used for 4 weeks to induce depressive-like behavior in rats, and a forced swim test and corticosterone were assessed to confirm its occurrence. During the experiment, an excisional wound was induced in the rats and followed. Oxidant/antioxidants status and pro-inflammatory cytokines levels were measured in the serum and wound area. Gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was also assessed using RT-PCR. Wound closure histopathological changes and immunohistochemical expression of CD68, CD3, and CD4 at the wound area was assessed. Results: The administration of CP, both orally and topically, significantly reduced (p < 0.001) the depressive-like behavior and corticosterone and pro-inflammatory cytokines levels, while it significantly up-regulated the antioxidant activity compared to the untreated and topically CP-treated groups. Both topically CP-treated and combined CP-treated groups showed complete re-epithelialization, reduced inflammatory cells infiltration, collagen fibers deposition, and significantly increased CD3, CD4 positive T cells count, with a superior effect in the combined CP-treated groups. Conclusion: Cucurbita pepo L., administrated both topically and orally, can enhance the wound healing process in rats with depressive-like behavior mostly through the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidepressant activities observed in this study.

Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Metallo β-Lactamase Producing Gram-Negative Pathogens Causing Eye Infections

Purpose:

Metallo β-lactamases (MβL) production is a worldwide problem, particularly in gram-negative bacteria. As scanty data is available on the prevalence of MBL, the present study is being undertaken to determine the prevalence, antibacterial sensitivity patterns, and molecular characterization of MβL associated resistant genes in gram-negative bacteria isolated from ocular infections.

Material and Methods

At a tertiary eye care center in south India, 359 gram-negative pathogens, 200 isolates from eye infections, and 159 isolates from normal flora of the eye were studied. A gold standard microbiology method was used to identify the isolates. An antibiotic double disc synergy test and a combination disc test were used to detect MβL production. Multiplex PCR was used to investigate the molecular characteristics of the MβL encoding genes blaVIM, blaIMP, and blaNDM.

Results

Of the 359 gram-negative bacterial pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 108 (30.1%) and Enterobacter agglomerans 46 (12.8%) were commonly isolated. High prevalence of P. aeruginosa 81% (17 strains) was detected as an MβL producer and it shows 100% resistance to 2nd and 3rd generation cephalosporins and meropenem. Multiplex PCR detected only the blaVIM gene in 56 (28%) of various eye infections and 27 (17%) of normal flora of the gram-negative bacteria (GNB). The blaVIM gene is detected predominantly in 51.8% of keratitis and 21.4% of postoperative endophthalmitis. High prevalence of the gene was detected in P. aeruginosa 42.9% (24 of 56) and Alcaligens denitrificans 10.7% (6 of 56) from eye infections. Whereas, in the control group, P. aeruginosa and E. coli each had 14.8% (4 of 27) that were shown positive.

Conclusion

The emerging MβLs mediated resistance among P. aeruginosa is a challenging task for ophthalmologists, especially in patients with endophthalmitis and bacterial keratitis. This local knowledge will aid in advising appropriate antibiotic use and avoiding unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, which are highly warranted.

Biallelic, Selectable, Knock-in Targeting of CCR5 via CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Homology Directed Repair Inhibits HIV-1 Replication

Transplanting HIV-1 positive patients with hematopoietic stem cells homozygous for a 32 bp deletion in the chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) gene resulted in a loss of detectable HIV-1, suggesting genetically disrupting CCR5 is a promising approach for HIV-1 cure. Targeting the CCR5-locus with CRISPR-Cas9 was shown to decrease the amount of CCR5 expression and HIV-1 susceptibility in vitro as well as in vivo. Still, only the individuals homozygous for the CCR5-Δ32 frameshift mutation confer complete resistance to HIV-1 infection. In this study we introduce a mechanism to target CCR5 and efficiently select for cells with biallelic frameshift insertion, using CRISPR-Cas9 mediated homology directed repair (HDR). We hypothesized that cells harboring two different selectable markers (double positive), each in one allele of the CCR5 locus, would carry a frameshift mutation in both alleles, lack CCR5 expression and resist HIV-1 infection. Inducing double-stranded breaks (DSB) via CRISPR-Cas9 leads to HDR and integration of a donor plasmid. Double-positive cells were selected via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and CCR5 was analyzed genetically, phenotypically, and functionally. Targeted and selected populations showed a very high frequency of mutations and a drastic reduction in CCR5 surface expression. Most importantly, double-positive cells displayed potent inhibition to HIV-1 infection. Taken together, we show that targeting cells via CRISPR-Cas9 mediated HDR enables efficient selection of mutant cells that are deficient for CCR5 and highly resistant to HIV-1 infection.

Anti-Salmonella and Antibiofilm Potency of Salvia officinalis L. Essential Oil against Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella enterica

Raw milk is a significant vehicle for the transmission of different infections. In the present study, we focused on Salmonella enterica from raw milk and its resistance to various antibacterial drugs. Furthermore, we have investigated the antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects of essential oil (EO) obtained from Salvia officinalis L. leaves that were collected from the Aljouf region, Saudi Arabia, against S. enterica. One-dozen strains of S. enterica were found in a batch of a hundred milk samples, and those S. enterica strains were shown to be resistant to several antibiotics, particularly the β-lactam group of antimicrobial drugs. Against multidrug-resistant S. enterica, the inhibitory zones for EO from S. officinalis leaves were found to be 21 mm in diameter. S. officinalis EO at 5% concentration showed a remarkable in vitro inhibitory activity toward the biofilm growth of different S. enterica isolates. Analysis of EO by GC–MS identified 21 distinct components, accounting for 89.94% of the total oil component. The most prominent compounds were 1,8-cineole (39.18%), β-caryophyllene (12.8%), and α--terpineol (10.3%). Taken together, our results unequivocally confirm that the S. officinalis EOs exert numerous bioactivities. Thus, the well-deserved attention on S. officinalis EO usage as a food preservative and adjunctive remedy for bacterial food-borne diseases is justified.

Immunomodulatory Efficacy-Mediated Anti-HCV and Anti-HBV Potential of Kefir Grains; Unveiling the In Vitro Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Wound Healing Activities

The utilization of fermented foods with health-promoting properties is becoming more popular around the world. Consequently, kefir, a fermented milk beverage made from kefir grains, was shown in numerous studies to be a probiotic product providing significant health benefits. Herein, we assessed the antibacterial and antifungal potential of kefir against a variety of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. This study also showed the effectiveness of kefir in healing wounds in human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1) by (80.78%) compared with control (55.75%) within 48 h. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results of kefir-treated HCV- or HBV- infected cells found that 200 µg/mL of kefir can eliminate 92.36% of HCV and 75.71% of HBV relative to the untreated infected cells, whereas 800 µg/mL (the highest concentration) completely eradicated HCV and HBV. Moreover, the estimated IC₅₀ values of kefir, at which HCV and HBV were eradicated by 50%, were 63.84 ± 5.81 µg/mL and 224.02 ± 14.36 µg/mL, correspondingly. Kefir can significantly suppress the elevation of TNF-α and upregulate IL-10 and INF-γ in both treated HCV- and HBV-infected cells. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of kefir revealed the presence of numerous active metabolites which mainly contribute to the antimicrobial, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities. This study demonstrated, for the first time, the anti-HBV efficacy of kefir while also illustrating the immunomodulatory impact in the treated HBV-infected cells. Accordingly, kefir represents a potent antiviral agent against both viral hepatitis C and B, as well as having antimicrobial and wound healing potential.

Incidence of Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains among Patients with Urinary Tract Infections

There has been a substantial rise in the number of vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) strains during the last several years. The proportion of vancomycin-resistant strains among isolated S. aureus has risen steadily in recent years, with the first spike occurring in critical care units and thereafter in general hospital wards. S. aureus isolates from urinary tract infection patients were studied for their prevalence and antibiotic resistance. From 292 urine samples, 103 bacterial strains (35.3%) were identified as S. aureus. Various antibiotics were used to test the isolates’ antibacterial resistance profiles. Antibiotic resistance to erythromycin was found in most bacterial isolates, whereas tobramycin antibiotic sensitivity was found in most of them. Vancomycin resistance was found in 23 of all S. aureus isolates in this study. Analysis for β-lactamase found that 71% of S. aureus isolates were positive in all isolates. There was a single plasmid with a molecular weight of 39.306 Kbp in five selected VRSA isolates that was subjected to plasmid analysis. There was evidence of vancomycin resistance among the S. aureus isolates collected from UTI patients in this investigation. This vancomycin resistance pretenses a challenge in the treatment of S. aureus infections and the need to precisely recognize persons who require last-resort medication such as tobramycin.

Dynamic Gene Clusters Mediating Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates

Acinetobacter baumanni (A. baumannii), a nonfermenting Gram-negative bacterium, has recently been associated with a broad range of nosocomial infections. To gain more meaningful insight into the problem of nosocomial illnesses caused by the multidrug-resistant (MDR) A. baumannii, as well as the factors that increase the risk of catching these infections, this investigation included a total of 86 clinical A. baumannii infections. Repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP)-PCR was used to investigate imipenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates for dynamic gene clusters causing carbapenem resistance. Four distinct A. baumannii lineages were found in the REP-PCR-DNA fingerprints of all isolates, with 95% of the samples coming from two dominant lineages. Imipenem, amikacin, and ciprofloxacin were less effective against genotype (A) isolates because of enhanced antibiotic tolerance. Lastly, to gain more insight into the mode of action of imipenem, we explored the binding affinity of imipenem toward different Acinetobacter baumannii OXA beta-lactamase class enzymes.

Biosynthesis and Characterization of Extracellular Silver Nanoparticles from Streptomyces aizuneusis: Antimicrobial, Anti Larval, and Anticancer Activities

The ability of microorganisms to reduce inorganic metals has launched an exciting eco-friendly approach towards developing green nanotechnology. Thus, the synthesis of metal nanoparticles through a biological approach is an important aspect of current nanotechnology. In this study, Streptomyces aizuneusis ATCC 14921 gave the small particle of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) a size of 38.45 nm, with 1.342 optical density. AgNPs produced by Streptomyces aizuneusis were characterized by means of UV-VIS spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The UV-Vis spectrum of the aqueous solution containing silver ion showed a peak between 410 to 430. Moreover, the majority of nanoparticles were found to be a spherical shape with variables between 11 to 42 nm, as seen under TEM. The purity of extracted AgNPs was investigated by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), and the identification of the possible biomolecules responsible for the reduction of Ag+ ions by the cell filtrate was carried out by Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum (FTIR). High antimicrobial activities were observed by AgNPs at a low concentration of 0.01 ppm, however, no deleterious effect of AgNPs was observed on the development and occurrence of Drosophila melanogaster phenotype. The highest reduction in the viability of the human lung carcinoma and normal cells was attained at 0.2 AgNPs ppm.

Potential hepatoprotective effects of flavonoids contained in propolis from South Sulawesi against chemotherapy agents

The use of doxorubicin and epirubicin as chemotherapy agent causes side effects such as liver damage due to oxidative stress by reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause increased of ALT and AST level as liver parameter. One source of natural antioxidants as ROS neutralizer comes from flavonoid that contain in propolis. Most researchers claim that flavonoid can be used to protect the liver. The aim of this study was to test the hepatoprotective effect of flavonoid in propolis from South Sulawesi against doxorubicin and epirubicin. The experiment included male Sprague dawley rats divided into nine groups. The rats received the microcapsule propolis or the quercetin orally for 15 days. The hepatotoxicity was promoted by injection epirubicin and doxorubicin (i.v.) with a cumulative dose of 9 mg/kg. In this study, total polyphenol and flavonoid tests of propolis have been carried out, there were 1.1% polyphenols and 2.7% flavonoids, the antioxidant activity tests showed IC50 value of 9849 ppm and LCMS/MS tests supported the presence of phenolic compounds in propolis from South Sulawesi. Liver parameter was measured and the results showed that the propolis 200 mg/kg group produced the lowest ALT and had potential protective effect against doxorubicin and epirubicin-induced hepatotoxicity.

Construction of Adipogenic ceRNA Network Based on lncRNA Expression Profile of Adipogenic Differentiation of Human MSC Cells

The Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression profile data of ten samples including human Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) adipogenic differentiation 0, 3, and 6 days from the GEO database, and then perform gene ID conversion, BLAST comparison, and annotation marking. Finally, group A (treatment group on day 3 of differentiation and control group on day 0 of differentiation) obtained a total of 1180 mRNA and 185 lncRNA; group B (treatment group on day 6 of differentiation and control group on day 0 of differentiation). A total of 1376 mRNA and 206 lncRNA were obtained. Finally, we processed the differential lncRNAs and mRNAs obtained in the two groups, and obtained 113 shared differential lncRNAs to further predict the targeted miRNA, a total of 815 lncRNA-miRNA pairs. The targeted mRNA was further predicted, and the grouped differential mRNAs were combined to obtain 64 differential mRNAs. In the end, we obtained 216 ceRNAs containing 26 lncRNAs, 27 miRNAs and 64 mRNAs. We found that the mRNAs in the ceRNA network were mainly enriched with 45 Gene Ontology (GO) terms, mainly including glucose homeostasis mechanism and insulin stimulation response. 69 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were mainly enriched. It mainly includes many pathways related to lipid metabolism such as Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), Rap1, cAMP, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), Ras, hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), PI3K-Akt, insulin signaling and so on. In the end, we identified 216 ceRNA regulatory relationships related to obesity research. Our research provides a clearer direction for understanding the molecular mechanism of obesity, the screening and determination of drug targets biomarkers in the future.

Identification and Targeting of Thomsen-Friedenreich and IL1RAP Antigens on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells Using Bi-Specific Antibodies

Introduction

Quiescent leukemia stem cells (LSCs) play a major role in therapeutic resistance and disease progression of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). LSCs belong to the primitive population; CD34+CD38-Lin-, which does not distinguish normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) from CML LSCs. Because Thomsen–Friedenreich/CD176 antigen is expressed on CD34+ HSC and IL1RAP is tightly correlated to BCR-ABL expression, we sought to increase the specificity towards LSC by using additional biomarkers.

Methods

We evaluated the co-expression of both antigens on CD34+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from both healthy volunteers and CML patients, using flow cytometry. Then, we used site-directed mutagenesis to induce knob-in-hole mutations in the human IgG heavy chain and the human lambda light chain to generate the bi-specific antibody (Bis-Ab) TF/RAP that binds both antigens simultaneously. We measured complement-directed cytotoxicity (CDC) in CML samples with the Bis-Ab by flow cytometry.

Results

In contrast to healthy volunteers, CML samples displayed a highly significant co-expression of CD176 and IL1RAP. When either a double-positive cell line or CML samples were treated with increasing doses of Bis-Ab, increased binding and CDC was observed indicating co-operative binding of the Bis-Ab as compared to monoclonal antibodies.

Discussion

These results show that the bi-specific antibody is capable of targeting IL1RAP+ and CD176+ cell population among CML PBMCs, but not corresponding normal cells in CDC assay. We hereby offer a novel strategy for the depletion of CML stem cells from the bulk population in clinical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

A New Humanized Mouse Model Mimics Humans in Lacking α-Gal Epitopes and Secreting Anti-Gal Antibodies

Mice have been used as accepted tools for investigating complex human diseases and new drug therapies because of their shared genetics and anatomical characteristics with humans. However, the tissues in mice are different from humans in that human cells have a natural mutation in the α1,3 galactosyltransferase (α1,3GT) gene and lack α-Gal epitopes on glycosylated proteins, whereas mice and other nonprimate mammals express this epitope. The lack of α-Gal epitopes in humans results in the loss of immune tolerance to this epitope and production of abundant natural anti-Gal Abs. These natural anti-Gal Abs can be used as an adjuvant to enhance processing of vaccine epitopes to APCs. However, wild-type mice and all existing humanized mouse models cannot be used to test the efficacy of vaccines expressing α-Gal epitopes because they express α-Gal epitopes and lack anti-Gal Abs. Therefore, in an effort to bridge the gap between the mouse models and humans, we developed a new humanized mouse model that mimics humans in that it lacks α-Gal epitopes and secretes human anti-Gal Abs. The new humanized mouse model (Hu-NSG/α-Gal^null) is designed to be used for preclinical evaluations of viral and tumor vaccines based on α-Gal epitopes, human-specific immune responses, xenotransplantation studies, and in vivo biomaterials evaluation. To our knowledge, our new Hu-NSG/α-Gal^null is the first available humanized mouse model with such features.

Assessment of Number and Distribution of Mast Cell in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Biopsy Specimen and Its Correlation with Histological Grading

Oral cancer is a commonly occurring one worldwide. More than 90% of all oral cancers are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The molecular biological markers of oral SCC have been extensively studied to aid in prevention and prognosis. However, no marker has been universally accepted so far. Mast cells are important component of cancer stromal interaction. Their early recruitment in tumor microenvironment and multifarious function make them a burning topic of interest in the field of research. So mast cell may act as a new target for the adjuvant treatment of oral SCC. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare the number and distribution of mast cell between different grades of oral SCC. In this cross sectional study the sample size was 100. After routine tissue processing and staining with Hematoxylin & Eosin (H/E) stains, slides of all cases were grouped as- well, moderate and poorly differentiated invasive squamous cell carcinoma according to Anneroth's grading system. Identification of mast cell was done by Toluidine blue stain. Distribution of mast cells was observed and number of mast cells was counted. The data was tabulated and statistical analysis was performed. Out of 100 cases, 66% patients belonged to Grade I, 28% Grade II and 6% Grade III. The mean±SD number of mast cells was 3.28±1.21, 1.59±0.58 and 0.44±0.17 in Grade I, Grade II and Grade III SCC, respectively. The p value was found to be highly significant (p<0.001). An inverse significant Pearson's correlation was found between number of mast cells and grades of oral SCC. The number of mast cell was slightly increased in oral SCC cases than normal. The number of mast cells also had an inverse association with histologic grade. So, in this observation mast cell is a good cellular indicator of tumor grade.

Comparative Study of Cytology and Histopathology of Cervical Lesion in VIA Positive Patients and Its Correlation with High Risk Human Papilloma Virus

Cervical cancer is the second most frequent type of cancer and leading cause of mortality among women worldwide. The present study was undertaken to assess precancerous and cancerous cervical lesion by cytology as well as HPV DNA identification and their comparison with histopathology in VIA positive cases. This descriptive, cross-sectional type of observational study was carried out in the Department of Pathology, Mymensingh Medical College in collaboration with the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital and Department of Microbiology and Hygiene in Bangladesh Agriculture University for HPV DNA detection from July 2012 to June 2013. Study was carried out among 160 VIA positive patients and selected by non-random judgment sampling from the colposcopy clinic. Out of 160 cases, only 40(25.00%) were found HPV DNA positive, while the rest 120(75.00%) cases were negative. Among positive cases 77.50% were cancerous cases and 22.50% were precancerous cases. It was further revealed that in cancerous cases, 86.11% were HPV DNA positive. PCR showed low sensitivity, probably due to sampling error and inclusion of all cases (chronic cervicitis, precancerous and cancerous lesion). The statistical value of accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of Pap smear cytology, HPV DNA test and histopathology yielded some important directives. The sensitivity values of Pap smear cytology and HPV DNA were found 87.50% and 88.89% respectively. Thus Pap smear test showed almost equal sensitivity to DNA test. The accuracy of the Pap smears and HPV DNA in this study was 88.13% and 96.88% respectively. The accuracy of Pap smears is lower than HPV DNA tests. The present study show significant relationship between cytological with HPV DNA test and histopathological diagnosis. But cytology and HPV DNA testing are not suitable as a single test. In conclusion, it can be stated that combination cytology (Pap smear), histopathology and new technologies such as HPV DNA typing would ultimately be more useful.

Histological and Cytological Correlation of Cervical Cancer and Precancerous Lesions in a Tertiary Hospital in Bangladesh

Over 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in the world, resulting in 250000 deaths. Prevalence of HPV-related cervical carcinoma in Bangladesh is highest among SAARC countries. In Bangladesh very few studies have been published on establishing the correlation between histological and cytological findings on cervical cancer and precancerous lesions. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed to find out the correlation between histological & cytological findings of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions. In the present study, cervical smears were collected from the selected patients attending the colposcopy clinic of BSMMU from July 2011 to April 2013. Biopsy was done on colposcopically positive cases and histopathological reports were obtained. Thus 99 histologically proven cases of cervical cancer and precancerous lesion were selected. Pap smear was carried out on these 99 samples after histopathological examination. Among the 60 CIN-1 cases in histology, 18(30%) cases were diagnosed positive by Pap smear; out of 20 histologically diagnosed cases of CIN-II, only 12(60%) cases were correctly diagnosed by cytology. But in case of invasive squamous cell carcinoma 18 out of 19 were correctly diagnosed by Pap smear reaching a concordance rate of 94.74%. Overall the relation reached statistical significance (p<0.05). Larger community based studies are required in this respect to find a consistent correlation between hr-HPV load and cervical cancer and precancerous lesions.

Spectrum of Salivary Gland Lesions in a Tertiary Level Hospital

Salivary gland tumors are relatively infrequent and account for less than 2% of all human tumors. This study was conducted to see the prevalence of patterns of non neoplastic and neoplastic lesions of salivary glands in greater Mymensingh. It was a retrospective study carried out in the department of Pathology, Community Based Medical College Bangladesh from January 2010 to December 2012. Heamatoxylin and eosin stained sections were studied in all cases. Total 98 cases of salivary gland lesions were retrieved and evaluated. Out of them 55 cases were female and 43 were male. Mean age of the cases were 42 years. Among the salivary gland lesions non-neoplastic lesions 24.48% and neoplastic lesions 75.51%. Among neoplastic lesions benign tumor comprises 91.89% and malignant tumor comprises 8.10%.

Soft tissue tumours and tumour like lesions - a demographic and clinicopathologic study of 461 cases from different regions of Bangladesh

Soft tissue tumours and tumour like lesions are relatively rare. They pose diagnostic difficulty due to wide morphological variation as well as overlapping clinical and pathological features. The relative frequency of soft tissue tumours varies throughout world. This study was undertaken to find out the distribution of soft tissue tumours and tumour like lesions in Babgladesh. Four hundred and sixty one cases of soft tissue tumour and tumour like lesions were studied to see the demographic and clinicopathologic pattern. Benign 320(69.4%) and malignant 141(30.6%) cases were recorded. Of all cases mean age was 31.07±16.87 years with M:F ratio of 1:0.71 (p=0.001). Upper extremity was the most common site. Majority of the benign cases (84.1%) were superficially located whereas majority of malignant cases (89.2%) were deep seated (p=0.001). Lipoma and fibrosarcoma was the most common benign and malignant tumour respectively observed in this study. In childhood group, rhabdomyosarcona was the commonest one. The distribution pattern of soft tissue tumours in Bangladeshi population is roughly similar to that described in other countries with few exceptions.

Endometrial stromal nodule - a case report

Among the endometrial tumour endometrial stromal nodule are very rare. It is one of the form of endometrial stromal tumour. There are no definite presurgical diagnosis and diagnosis in most instances by microscopy. Hysterectomy is the treatment of choice to evaluate the tumour margin to differentiate it from stromal sarcoma. We present a case of 40 years woman, ultrasonographically diagnosed as leiomyoma and ovarian cystadenoma, underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy with one sided salpingo-oophorectomy. Microscopic examination show an endometrial stromal nodule and serous cystadenoma of the ovary. Though it is a benign tumour margin should be carefully examined to differentiate from stromal sarcoma, whose treatment and prognosis is totally different.

Nasal glioma in a six month old girl

Congenital midline frontonasal swellings are rare condition and nasal glioma accounts for 5% of these abnormality. Nasal gliomas are benign tumours results from embryonic developmental error. Although it is a rare tumour but clinically it has some differential diagnoses. Most common are dermoid tumour, nasal glioma and nasal encephalocele. About 15-20% cases nasal glioma have a fibrous stalk that connecting to the central nervous system. Multidisciplinary approach is needed for proper diagnosis and to prevent life threatening intracranial complication. We present a case of nasal glioma in a 6 months old girl presented with a congenital swelling on the left lateral side of the nose with complaints of watering from the eye of same side.

Urinary tuberculosis presented as isolated bladder lesion - a case report

Extra-pulmonary Tuberculosis (EPTB) may affect all organs of the body with varied presentations. Genitourinary tuberculosis (GUTB) carries importance for its morbidity, though it is an uncommon form of TB. A widow of 45 years was admitted with several episodes of painless haematuria and recently developed urinary incontinence. Diagnosis of urinary bladder tuberculosis was made only by histopathology from bladder lesion with supportive evidence of few nonspecific constitutional symptoms and positive family history of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and persistent sterile pyuria. Upper urinary tract involvement was not found. Category 1 anti-TB treatment was started. With this treatment recovery of the patient is satisfactory and symptoms are disappearing except for the incontinence. Urinary tuberculosis should be ruled out in a case of painless haematuria, repeated sterile pyuria.

Color Doppler sonography and resistivity index in the differential diagnosis of hepatic neoplasm

The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of color doppler sonography and resistivity index (RI) in differentiating liver tumors. The study was carried out in the Department of Radiology and Imaging, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, and Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Mymensingh, Bangladesh, during the period of July 2009 to June 2011. Total 50 consecutive cases were studied. Among them 27 were hepatocellular carcinomas, 19 were metastatic tumors, 03 were hemangiomas and 01 was hepatic adenoma. Doppler sonographic findings were then correlated, case by case, with final diagnosis- either pathologically by USG guided Fine-needle aspiration or by other imaging modalities (e.g., CT scan and RBC liver scan for hepatic hemangioma). The RI value of hepatocellular carcinoma was 0.69±0.096 and in metastatic tumors 0.73±0.079. The results showed no significant difference between the RI of hepatocellular carcinomas and metastatic liver tumors but it was significantly higher than benign lesions (p<0.05). RI of hemangiomas was 0.49±0.64 and in one hepatic adenoma was 0.65. When RI was <0.6 for benign liver tumors and ≥0.6 for malignant tumors we calculated a sensitivity of 89.14%, specificity of 66.7%, accuracy of 85.71% positive predictive value of 97.62% and negative predictive value of 28.57% in differentiating benign and malignant tumors. Thirty four of 46(73.9%) malignant lesions had intratumoral flow and 25% of benign lesions also showed intratumoral flow. The difference of intratumoral flow between malignant and benign lesions was significant (p<0.01). Two of 4 benign lesions (50%) had peritumoral vascularity where 6% of the malignant tumors showed peritumoral vascularity. In conclusion, combined studies of the type of intra-and peri-tumoral flow signals in CDFI and the parameter of RI would be more helpful in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant liver tumors.

HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN): a short review of different authors

Human immunodeficiency virus associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is clinically and morphologically a distinctive type of renal parenchymal disorder. It is presented in an HIV-seropositive individual by proteinuria and progressive renal insufficiency, usually without oedema or hypertension. Renal biopsy most commonly reveals a collapsing form of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis with marked proliferation of glomerular podocytes and tubular microcystic dilatation. These characteristic changes are attributed to incorporation of DNA and mRNA of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 into the renal parenchymal cells. Newly introduced highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly reduced the incidence of HIVAN in the recent years. The HAART has been found to retard and revert the progression of renal insufficiency towards end-stage renal disease, and to increase survival of the patient. Therefore a renal biopsy should be performed in all suspected patients for definitive diagnosis of HIVAN and better patient management.

Antibiotic prophylaxis is unnecessary in clean surgery

A significant number of paediatric surgical patients undergone clean surgical procedures. Most of the paediatric surgeon use perioperative prophylactic antibiotic in this clean procedure because of undue fear of infection in their mind. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether the use of perioperative prophylactic antibiotics have an effect to prevent post operative wound infection in clean operation in paediatric surgical patients. This study was conducted in the paediatric surgery department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and some private clinics of Dhaka city from January 2009 to December 2009. Two hundred patients who were undergone clean elective surgical procedure on day case basis were included in this study. They were divided into two equal groups (Group A and Group B). The patients of Group A were given intransverse Cephradine 30 minutes before incision and then oral Cephradine was advised postoperatively for 7 days. The patients of Group B were not given any perioperative antibiotic. All the patients of both groups were advised to come on 3rd, 6th and 10th postoperative day for examination of wound. In Group A (With chemo prophylaxis), five patients (5%) developed postoperative wound infection and in Group B (without chemo prophylaxis), three patients (3%) developed postoperative wound infection. Thus the rate of postoperative wound infection is slightly more in patients with chemo prophylaxis but it was not statistically significant by chi-square test. Based on the result of this study, it may be concluded that the antibiotic prophylaxis is not necessary in clean surgery in paediatric age group.

Comparison between fine needle aspiration cytology with histopathology to validate accurate diagnosis of palpable breast lump

A prospective study of 114 patients was conducted to assess the clinical correlation and diagnostic accuracy between FNAC and histopathology of breast lumps. Correlation was found out between clinical suspicion with FNAC and histopathological findings. The results obtained from histopathology were matched with those of FNAC and a correlation was sought based on statistical tests. Statistical analysis was performed on data and sensitivity and specificity with positive and negative predictive value were obtained. Although FNAC was performed on 114 patients presented with breast lump but histopathology available for 75 cases. Fifteen cases were found to be malignant on both FNAC and histopathology. For malignant lesion the sensitivity of the study was 96% and the specificity for malignant lesions was 100%. The positive predictive value was 100% and the negative predictive value was 95.12%. It was concluded that FNAC is a cheap, rapid, reliable and accurate test of diagnosing a palpable breast lump. It provides a good histological correlation, thus avoiding undue surgical biopsy prior to definitive surgery for malignancy.

Invasive ductal carcinoma in a young male breast

Carcinoma arising in the male breast is a rare occurrence. The risk of male breast cancer increases with age, and the median age of diagnosis for men is 10 years later than that for females (67 to 71 years). Because of the absence of lobules in the normal male breast, lobular carcinoma cases are seen infrequently. All of the microscopic types identified in the female breast have been encountered in male but the most frequent is invasive ductal carcinoma and less frequent is invasive lobular carcinoma. We present the case of a 20 years old man presenting with a left breast lump. After left mastectomy with level 2 axillary clearance, histopathological examination revealed infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Our case represents ductal carcinoma in a proven genotypic young male patient showing no exogenous or endogenous estrogens exposure.

Gaucher disease

A 14 months old boy of consanguineous parent presented with hepatosplenomegaly with delayed mile stones of development. He is till unable to walk. He was moderately anemic. Moderately wasted and stunted. Neurological examination was normal except subnormal intelligence. This subnormal intelligence and delayed milestone possibly may be due to secondary effect of growth retardation. Musculo-skeletal system examination revealed no abnormality. Diagnosis was supported by typical bone involvement in X-ray film (Thin cortex in Limb bone) and Gaucher cell in the splenic aspiration. There are three sub-types Type I: Non neuropathic form. Type II: Acute neuropathic form. Type III: Chronic neuropathic form. However, some cases do not fit precisely into one of these categories. All forms of Gaucher disease are autosomal recessively inherited. So, this patient more or less correlates with Gaucher disease type I. Treatment option for type I and III include medicine and enzyme replacement therapy, which is usually very effective.

Thoracic actinomycosis

Thoracic actinomycosis represents about one-fourth of all cases of the disease. Isolated pleural effusion due to Actinomycosis is rare. We report a case of right sided pleural effusion with discharging sinus in the right anterior chest wall. Actinomycosis was suspected and confirmed by microscopic identification of "sulfur granules" in the discharge of the sinus tract and also identification of gram-positive filamentous bacteria in the specimen of discharging sinus. The patient improved clinically and radiologically after treatment with intravenous penicillin G followed by oral penicillin and aspiration of pleural fluid.

Blood hormone levels in egyptian women on norethisterone oenanthate

Ten Egyptian women who were using the injectable contraceptive norethisterone oenanthate (NET-OEN) for at least 6 months were monitored weekly for a period of 12 weeks by measuring 3 pituitary hormones (FSH, LH and prolactin) and 2 ovarian hormones (oestradiol 17-B and progesterone). It was concluded that NET-OEN is a strong ovulation inhibitor, at least after its use for 6 months. Prolactin levels were depressed and this is in contradiction with the findings in rats.

Serum phospholipid fractionation after the use of long-acting progestational contraceptives

The effect of the two long-acting progestational contraceptive injection, depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and norethisterone onenathate (NET-OEN), on blood phospholipid fractions were studied in eighteen women. The post-injection results showed a significant increase in total serum phospholipids, serum lecithin and serum cephalins. Serum lysolecithin was significantly decreased while serum sphingomyelin showed no significant change. The mechanisms responsible for these phospholipid changes remain somewhat unclear. However deranged liver function may share in its explanation.