BMC Res Notes. 2023 Aug 29;16(1):189. doi: 10.1186/s13104-023-06460-6.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: When people attempt to suppress stereotypes, they often end up making stereotypical judgments. The adverse effects of this form of suppression are called "paradoxical effects." This study examined the effect of perspective-taking as a strategy to reduce the paradoxical effects related to stereotype suppression. Specifically, this study addressed stereotypes within the context of women's mathematical abilities, with Japanese university students as participants. It was predicted that when participants suppressed the stereotype of a woman, those who engaged in perspective-taking toward that woman would make less stereotypical judgments of other women, compared with those who did not. Moreover, as this study focuses on gender stereotypes, an exploratory analysis was conducted to investigate whether the effects of engaging in perspective-taking about women vary depending on the participants' gender.

RESULTS: Although no significant effect was observed and the hypothesis was not supported, and while the results of this study were statistically inadequate, they suggest that among the female participants, those who did not engage in perspective-taking showed the paradoxical effects of stereotype suppression. However, those paradoxical effects were not observed among those who performed perspective-taking.

PMID:37644552 | DOI:10.1186/s13104-023-06460-6

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 29;13(1):14167. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-41222-1.

ABSTRACT

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is applied in proteinuric kidney diseases, but the exact mechanism of its effect on podocytes is still unknown. Our previous in vitro experiments suggested that MMF can ameliorate podocyte damage via restoration of the Ca2+-actin cytoskeleton axis. The goal of this study was to characterize podocyte biology during MMF treatment in nephrotoxic serum (NTS) nephritis (NTN). NTN was induced in three-week old wild-type mice. On day 3, half of the mice were treated with MMF (100 mg/kgBW/d p.o.) for one week. On day 10, we performed proteomic analysis of glomeruli as well as super-resolution imaging of the slit diaphragm. For multiphoton imaging of Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), the experimental design was repeated in mice expressing podocyte-specific Ca2+ sensor. MMF ameliorated the proteinuria and crescent formation induced by NTS. We identified significant changes in the abundance of proteins involved in Ca2+ signaling and actin cytoskeleton regulation, which was further confirmed by direct [Ca2+]i imaging in podocytes showing decreased Ca2+ levels after MMF treatment. This was associated with a tendency to restoration of podocyte foot process structure. Here, we provide evidence that MPA has a substantial direct effect on podocytes. MMF contributes to improvement of [Ca2+]i and amelioration of the disorganized actin cytoskeleton in podocytes. These data extend the knowledge of direct effects of immunosuppressants on podocytes that may contribute to a more effective treatment of proteinuric glomerulopathies with the least possible side effects.

PMID:37644089 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-41222-1

Retin Cases Brief Rep. 2023 Sep 1;17(5):611-615. doi: 10.1097/ICB.0000000000001251.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To describe a case of bilateral Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH)-like uveitis during treatment with dabrafenib and trametinib and three months after discontinuation of nivolumab for malignant melanoma, and discuss the possible (synergistic) role(s) of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors in its pathophysiology.

METHODS: Retrospective case report with fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography.

RESULTS: A 55-year old patient with metastatic melanoma presented with a complaint of gradually worsening blurry vision in the right eye during treatment with dabrafenib and trametinib, three months after discontinuation of nivolumab. Based on the clinical examination, optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography findings, and a thorough laboratory work-up, he was diagnosed with a bilateral VKH-like uveitis without extraocular manifestations. The uveitis responded well to oral corticosteroids.

CONCLUSION: Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like uveitis is a rare adverse effect of MAPK inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Similar pathogenetic mechanisms including a drug-induced autoimmunity targeted against benign and malignant melanocytes may underlie MAPK inhibitor-induced and immune checkpoint inhibitors-induced VKH-like uveitis. In our report, the patient developed a VKH-like uveitis during MAPK inhibition therapy, four months after discontinuation of nivolumab. It is difficult to delineate whether MAPK inhibition alone was responsible for this adverse effect, or whether, on the contrary, potentiation occurred as a result of immune modulation by previous treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Further cases are needed to further clarify this latter hypothesis.

PMID:37643052 | DOI:10.1097/ICB.0000000000001251

Methods Mol Biol. 2023;2704:339-352. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3385-4_21.

ABSTRACT

The use of glucocorticoids is very varied in the context of cancer patients and includes the treatment of symptoms related to cancer, but also the management of the most common side effects of antitumor treatments or adverse events related to the immune system. There is a quantity of experimental evidence demonstrating that cancer cells are immunogenic. However, the effective activation of anticancer T cell responses closely depends on an efficient antigen presentation carried out by professional antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells (DCs). The classic strategies to improve the medical management of inflammation are aimed at exacerbating the host's immune response. Although successful in treating a number of diseases, these drugs have limited efficacy and variable responses can lead to unpredictable results. The ideal therapy should reduce inflammation without inducing immunosuppression and remains a challenge for healthcare personnel.

PMID:37642855 | DOI:10.1007/978-1-0716-3385-4_21

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2023 Aug 1;24(8):2791-2797. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.8.2791.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that the perioperative and postoperative chemotherapy can lead to an improvement in the prognosis of patients with resectable gastric cancer (GC). There is no preference for postoperative chemotherapy with the two common treatment regimens, FLOT and FOLFOX, in these patients. The aim of this study was to compare FOLFOX and FLOT regimens in perioperative chemotherapy in resectable GC based on pathological response and complications.

METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted on 112 patients with resectable GC who were admitted to Firozgar Hospital affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran between 2021 to 2022. Given the inclusion criteria, 80 patients were enrolled in the present study. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the type of treatment regimen, FOLFOX (40 patients) and FLOT (40 patients). Tumor response was classified using Mandard Tumor regression grading system criteria into five categories of TRG1 to 5. Also, the side effects were classified according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0.

RESULTS: The rate of complete pathological response in FOLT group was significantly higher than FOLFOX group (35.0% vs 2.5%, p: 0.001). The frequency of neurological complications and hair loss in the FOLT group was significantly higher than the FOLFOX group (P<0.05). While no significant difference was observed in the frequency of hematological, Gastroenterological, hepatic, renal and stomatitis complications in the both groups (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION: Our study showed that perioperative FLOT regimen has a better pathological response than FOLFOX regimen. The frequency of neurological complications and hair loss was significantly higher in patients treated with FLOT regimen. Thus, perioperative FLOT regimen may be recommended for treating GC patients.

PMID:37642066 | DOI:10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.8.2791

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2023 Aug 1;24(8):2583-2591. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.8.2583.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Vortioxetine is a monoaminergic drug with a novel multimodal mechanism of action. We investigated its efficacy on depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and quality of life among cancer patients.

METHODS: In this multicenter, open-label, single-arm, observational study, patients received flexible doses of Vortioxetine for a period of six months. All participants were assessed at baseline and scheduled for monitoring at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24. Depression severity was assessed using Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. The Perceived Deficiency Questionnaire (PDQ-5) assessed the perceived cognitive difficulties in concentration, executive functioning, and memory. The European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC) was used to assess the patients' quality of life. Side effects of vortioxetine were monitored using the Antidepressant Side-Effect Checklist (ASEC).

RESULTS: Patients experienced a reduction in MADRS scores from 29.89 ± 5.997 at baseline to 11.59 ± 4.629 by Week 24. The PDQ-5 scores showed significant change from Week-4, whereas the EORTC role, emotional, and cognitive functioning scores showed a significant change from Week 2 onwards. CGI-Severity scores decreased from a baseline of 4.39 ± 0.746 to 2.41 ± 1.085 by Week 24. During the 24-Weeks of therapy, around three-quarters of the patients (73.3%) had one or more adverse events reported on the ASEC. The most frequently reported TEAEs were dry mouth, insomnia, somnolence, and headache, with more than a 30% incidence rate.

CONCLUSION: Vortioxetine seems promising in the management of depression and enhancement of cognitive function and quality of life of cancer patients with Major Depressive Disorder.<br />.

PMID:37642043 | DOI:10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.8.2583

BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Aug 29;23(1):922. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09871-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As outpatient chemotherapy treatment increases, cancer patients receiving chemotherapy spend more time at home. In addition, since the types of chemotherapy are gradually expanding, it will be essential to prepare patient self-management strategies for various chemotherapy-related side effects. This study aimed to develop a platform (called Smart Cancer Care) to implement a chemotherapy side effect management program and to evaluate its feasibility.

METHODS: Smart Cancer Care comprises an application for patients and a dashboard for medical staff. Thirty-two symptoms to be managed using Smart Cancer Care were summarized through a literature review and Delphi. Management guidelines were developed based on the severity of each symptom (3 stages), and installed in Smart Cancer Care according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 guidelines. To evaluate the feasibility of the developed application and medical dashboard, cancer patients and cancer treatment medical staff used Smart Cancer Care for 2 to 3 weeks and subsequently reported the experience of using them.

RESULTS: The patient application provided a list of symptoms according to the cancer type and anticancer drug enabling presence and severity of each symptom to be evaluated. Patients received management guidelines for symptoms based on the symptom evaluation results. On the medical staff dashboard, administrators and authorized medical personnel could access and assess information regarding side effects and symptom severity submitted by the patient. The feasibility and usefulness of Smart Cancer Care were confirmed through a pilot test targeting 30 patients and 24 chemotherapy-related medical staff. For patients, the evaluation score for the "The program will be helpful when seeing medical staff" item was the highest. For medical staff, the score for the "By checking the patient's symptoms using the program, it helps to take appropriate measures for the patient" item was the highest. Although minor corrections were raised, most patients and medical staff expected that Smart Cancer Care would help their treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: The configuration of the application and dashboard of Smart Cancer Care detailed in this study could be used for the development of a widely accepted platform to implement a chemotherapy side effect management program.

PMID:37644519 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-023-09871-0

Int J Equity Health. 2023 Aug 28;22(1):167. doi: 10.1186/s12939-023-01928-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although contraceptive use has increased over 15 years, discontinuation rates remain high. Contraceptive use is becoming more important when addressing unmet need for family planning. Social accountability, defined here as collective processes for holding duty bearers to account for their actions, is a rights-based participatory process that supports service provision and person-centred care, as well as, informed decision-making among community members regarding their health. A study implemented in Ghana and Tanzania was designed to understand and evaluate how social accountability and participatory processes influences quality of care and client satisfaction and whether this results in increased contraceptive uptake and use. We report here on the relationship between social accountability and the use of modern contraceptives, i.e., contraceptive method discontinuation, contraceptive method switching, and contraceptive discontinuation.

METHODS: As part of Community and Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) Project, a cohort of women aged 15 to 49 years who were new users of contraception and accessing family planning and contraceptives services at the study facilities across both intervention and control groups were followed-up over a 12-month period to measure changes contraceptive use.

RESULTS: In this cohort study over a one-year duration, we did not find a statistically significant difference in Ghana and Tanzania in overall method discontinuation, switching, and contraceptive discontinuation after exposure to a social accountability intervention. In Ghana but not in Tanzania, when stratified by the type of facility (district level vs. health centre), there were significantly less method and contraceptive discontinuation in the district level facility and significantly more method and contraceptive discontinuation in the health centres in the intervention group. In Ghana, the most important reasons reported for stopping a method were fear of side-effects, health concerns and wanting to become pregnant in the control group and fear of side-effects wanting a more effective method and infrequent sex in the intervention group. In Tanzania, the most important reasons reported for stopping a method were fear of side-effects, wanting a more effective method, and method not available in the control group compared to wanting a more effective method, fear of side-effects and health concerns in the intervention group.

CONCLUSIONS: We did not demonstrate a statistically significant impact of a six-month CaPSAI intervention on contraceptives use among new users in Tanzania and Ghana. However, since social accountability have important impacts beyond contraceptive use it is important consider results of the intermediate outcomes, cases of change, and process evaluation to fully understand the impact of this intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The CaPSAI Project has been registered at Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12619000378123, 11/03/2019).

PMID:37641059 | PMC:PMC10464246 | DOI:10.1186/s12939-023-01928-0

BMC Geriatr. 2023 Aug 28;23(1):523. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04227-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In this study, we examined the effect of alcohol, as well as the combined effect of seven lifestyle factors, on all-cause mortality in older adults (baseline age 70 years).

METHODS: Data was derived from the population-based Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort study, including 1124 participants from the 2014-16 examination. Risk consumption was defined as > 98 g alcohol per week, and hazardous drinking was based on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption questionnaire (AUDIT-C). Cox regression models were used to examine the individual effect of alcohol consumption, as well as the combined effect of seven lifestyle risk factors (high alcohol consumption, lifetime smoking, unhealthy Body Mass Index, insufficient physical activity, sedentary behavior, insufficient/prolonged sleep, unhealthy dietary pattern) on all-cause mortality.

RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 7.7 years, 81 (7.2%) participants died. Neither risk consumption nor hazardous drinking were associated with elevated mortality, but hazardous drinking was associated with an increased risk of mortality in those with insufficient physical activity. Those with at least five lifestyle risk factors had an increased all-cause mortality compared to those fulfilling criteria for a maximum of one lifestyle risk factor. High alcohol consumption showed a relatively minor impact on this risk, while physical activity and unhealthy dietary pattern had an independent effect on mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: In this particular sample, there was no independent effect of alcohol on the risk of 8-year all-cause mortality. However, an interaction effect of physical activity was observed. It may be that high alcohol consumption per se is less important for mortality among older adults. However, a combination of several unhealthy lifestyle behaviors was linked to a substantial increase in the risk of mortality in Swedish older adults. Also, it has to be emphasized that high alcohol consumption may have other adverse health effects apart from mortality among older adults.

PMID:37641022 | PMC:PMC10464006 | DOI:10.1186/s12877-023-04227-z

Hematology. 2023 Dec;28(1):2250647. doi: 10.1080/16078454.2023.2250647.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The introduction of low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) that contains potentially ABO-incompatible plasma and the increasing use of group A plasma, due to shortages of AB plasma, in trauma patients whose ABO group is unknown could put the recipients of incompatible plasma at risk of increased morbidity and mortality. This study evaluated civilian trauma patient outcomes following receipt of incompatible plasma.

METHODS: One trauma center's patient contributions to three multicenter studies of different trauma resuscitation strategies was analyzed; these patients were separated into two groups based on receipt of only compatible plasma versus receipt of any quantity of incompatible plasma. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine if receipt of incompatible plasma was associated with 24-hour or 30-day mortality.

RESULTS: There were 347 patients eligible for this secondary analysis with 167 recipients of only compatible plasma and 180 recipients of incompatible plasma. The two groups were well matched demographically and on both prehospital and hospital arrival vital signs. The median (IQR) volume of incompatible plasma received by these patients was 684 ml (342, 1229). There was not a significant difference between the groups in 24-hour and 30-day mortality, nor in in-hospital or intensive care unit lengths of stay. In the Cox proportional-hazards regression model for both 24-hour and 30-day survival, receipt of incompatible plasma was not independently predictive of either mortality endpoint.

CONCLUSION: Receipt of incompatible plasma was not independently associated with increased mortality in trauma patients. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

PMID:37639579 | DOI:10.1080/16078454.2023.2250647

PLoS One. 2023 Aug 28;18(8):e0290316. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290316. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

Wind turbine power curve (WTPC) serves as an important tool for wind turbine condition monitoring and wind power forecasting. Due to complex environmental factors and technical issues of the wind turbines, there are many outliers and inconsistencies present in the recorded data, which cannot be removed through any pre-processing technique. However, the current WTPC models have limited ability to understand such complex relation between wind speed and wind power and have limited non-linear fitting ability, which limit their modelling accuracy. In this paper, the accuracy of the WTPC models is improved in two ways: first is by developing multivariate models and second is by proposing MARS as WTPC modeling technique. MARS is a regression-based flexible modeling technique that automatically models complex the nonlinearities in the data using spline functions. Experimental results show that by incorporating additional inputs the accuracy of the power curve estimation is significantly improved. Also by studying the error distribution it is proved that multivariate models successfully mitigate the adverse effect of hidden outliers, as their distribution has higher peaks and lesser standard deviation, which proves that the errors, are more converged to zero compared to the univariate models. Additionally, MARS with its superior non-linear fitting ability outperforms the compared methods in terms of the error metrics and ranks higher than regression trees and several other popular parametric and non-parametric methods. Finally, an outlier detection method is developed to remove the hidden outliers from the data using the error distribution of the modeled power curves.

PMID:37639426 | PMC:PMC10461849 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0290316

PLoS One. 2023 Aug 28;18(8):e0290578. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290578. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

Organisations rely upon group formation to solve complex tasks, and groups often adapt to the demands of the task they face by changing their composition periodically. Previous research has often employed experimental, survey-based, and fieldwork methods to study the effects of group adaptation on task performance. This paper, by contrast, employs an agent-based approach to study these effects. There are three reasons why we do so. First, agent-based modelling and simulation allows to take into account further factors that might moderate the relationship between group adaptation and task performance, such as individual learning and task complexity. Second, such an approach allows to study large variations in the variables of interest, which contributes to the generalisation of our results. Finally, by employing an agent-based approach, we are able to study the longitudinal effects of group adaptation on task performance. Longitudinal analyses are often missing in prior related research. Our results indicate that reorganising well-performing groups might be beneficial, but only if individual learning is restricted. However, there are also cases in which group adaptation might unfold adverse effects. We provide extensive analyses that shed additional light on and help explain the ambiguous results of previous research.

PMID:37639405 | PMC:PMC10461837 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0290578

Front Immunol. 2023 Aug 10;14:1128754. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1128754. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is an autoimmune disease that results in significant damage and often needs more aggressive treatment. Compared to adult-onset SLE, cSLE has a stronger genetic background and more prevalent elevated type I Interferon expression. The management of cSLE is more challenging because the disease itself and treatment can affect physical, psychological and emotional growth and development. High dose oral glucocorticoid (GC) has become the rule for treating moderate to severe cSLE activity. However, GC-related side effects and potential toxicities are problems that cannot be ignored. Recent studies have suggested that GC pulse therapy can achieve disease remission rapidly and reduce GC-related side effects with a reduction in oral prednisone doses. This article reviews characteristics, including pathogenesis and manifestations of cSLE, and summarized the existing evidence on GC therapy, especially on GC pulse therapy in cSLE, followed by our proposal for GC therapy according to the clinical effects and pathogenesis.

PMID:37638017 | PMC:PMC10448525 | DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1128754

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Aug 10;14:1223768. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1223768. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Due to its high heterogenicity and unclear etiology, there is currently no specific treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Metformin, as an insulin sensitizer, combined with spironolactone, an antiandrogen medication, may exert complementary effects on PCOS. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of trials in which metformin combined with spironolactone was applied to treat PCOS to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination therapy.

METHODS: We retrieved the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, CNKI, CBM, Wangfang, and VIP databases for literatures published from their inception to December 16, 2022 on the effects of metformin combined with spironolactone in the treatment of PCOS. Inclusion criteria according to P.I.C.O.S criteria were: PCOS patients, metformin combined with spironolactone interventions, metformin alone control group, and randomized controlled trials with the following outcome data: body mass index (BMI), hirsutism score, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone (TT), fasting blood glucose (FBG), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), and side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and drug withdrawal.

RESULTS: Our results revealed that metformin combined with spironolactone significantly reduced BMI and TT, but that it exerted no significant effects on hirsutism score, or on FSH or LH concentrations. Combined treatment also resulted in a significant diminution in FBG and insulin resistance using the HOMA-IR when the interventional time was greater than 6 months. In addition, the combination did not have a higher occurrence of adverse reactions than metformin alone.

CONCLUSION: Compared with metformin alone, metformin combined with spironolactone therapy may be more effective in reducing BMI and serum androgen levels, but the combination showed no significant effect on the hirsutism score or gonadotropin hormone levels, and was not associated with an elevation in side-effects. Moreover, when the treatment course was greater than 6 months, combination therapy reduced FBG and improved insulin resistance more effectively than metformin alone. However, more research is needed to determine the most effective course of treatment.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022355515.

PMID:37635987 | PMC:PMC10449574 | DOI:10.3389/fendo.2023.1223768

Int J Nanomedicine. 2023 Aug 22;18:4779-4804. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S413831. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

Tumors are the second-most common disease in the world, killing people at an alarming rate. As issues with drug resistance, lack of targeting, and severe side effects are revealed, there is a growing demand for precision-targeted drug delivery systems. Plant-derived nanovesicles (PDNVs), which arecomposed of proteins, lipids, RNA, and metabolites, are widely distributed and readily accessible. The potential for anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and drug-resistant-reversing effects on tumor cells, as well as the ability to alter the tumor microenvironment (TME) by modulating tumor-specific immune cells, make PDNVs promising anti-tumor therapeutics. With a lipid bilayer structure that allows drug loading and a transmembrane capacity readily endocytosed by cells, PDNVs are also expected to become a new drug delivery platform. Exogenous modifications of PDNVs enhance their circulating stability, tumor targeting ability, high cell endocytosis rate, and controlled-release capacity. In this review, we summarize PDNVs' natural antitumor activity, as well as engineered PDNVs as efficient precision-targeted drug delivery tools that enhance therapeutic effects. Additionally, we discuss critical considerations related to the issues raised in this area, which will encourage researchers to improve PDNVs as better anti-tumor therapeutics for clinic applications.

PMID:37635909 | PMC:PMC10460188 | DOI:10.2147/IJN.S413831

Intest Res. 2023 Aug 29. doi: 10.5217/ir.2023.00019. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have dramatically revolutionized the therapeutic landscape for patients with advanced malignancies. Recently, convincing evidence has shown meaningful influence of gut microbiome on human immune system. With the complex link between gut microbiome, host immunity and cancer, the variations in the gut microbiota may influence the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Indeed, some bacterial species have been reported to be predictive for cancer outcome in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors are currently proven to be an effective anti-tumor treatment, they can induce a distinct form of toxicity, termed immune-related adverse events. Immune-related colitis is one of the common toxicities from immune checkpoint inhibitors, and it might preclude the cancer therapy in severe or refractory cases. The manipulation of gut microbiome by fecal microbiota transplantation or probiotics administration has been suggested as one of the methods to enhance anti-tumor effects and decrease the risk of immune-related colitis. Here we review the role of gut microbiome on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and consequent immune-related colitis to provide a new insight for better anti-cancer therapy.

PMID:37640378 | DOI:10.5217/ir.2023.00019

J Tehran Heart Cent. 2023 Apr;18(2):151-153. doi: 10.18502/jthc.v18i2.13327.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37637279 | PMC:PMC10459345 | DOI:10.18502/jthc.v18i2.13327

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 26;13(1):13989. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-41095-4.

ABSTRACT

Teicoplanin can cause acute kidney injury, but little is known about the risk of acute kidney injury when teicoplanin is co-administered with loop diuretics (a powerful diuresis), which can alter renal hemodynamics and glomerular filtration rate. We performed a signal detection analysis using a Japanese adverse event database to determine the additive impact of loop diuretics on acute kidney injury associated with teicoplanin. The dataset originated between April 2004 and August 2022. Disproportionality analysis was performed to detect the signals for acute kidney injury (the Standardized MedDRA Query) when co-administered teicoplanin or vancomycin (a positive control) with individual diuretics, including loop diuretics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was tested to estimate the adjusted reporting odds ratio (aROR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). There were 147 and 515 events of acute kidney injury associated with teicoplanin and vancomycin, respectively. A significant positive signal for acute kidney injury when teicoplanin was co-administered with loop diuretics was present (aROR 4.83, 95% CI 3.52-6.61, p < 0.0001). Contrastingly, no significant signals were observed when vancomycin was co-administered with any diuretics. These findings suggest that co-administered loop diuretics may have an unfavorable effect on acute kidney injury while undertaking teicoplanin but not vancomycin.

PMID:37633977 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-41095-4

Nutrients. 2023 Aug 18;15(16):3626. doi: 10.3390/nu15163626.

ABSTRACT

Bovine colostrum is considered to provide anti-infective protection. Here, we present the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed at assessing the preventive use of colostrum against upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in healthy pre-school children. We analyzed 57 children-35 in the colostrum (COL-dried bovine colostrum) and 22 in the placebo (PBO-dried whey) group, who received these substances as follows: first 15 days 2 × 500 mg and then 30 days 1 × 500 mg. The reporting on the children's health status, specifically on the frequency and gravity of URTI symptoms and abdominal side effects, was performed via an online survey. The influence of colostrum on the frequency of days with URTI symptoms remained significant until the 20th week of observation and reached 31% of median reduction. The median reduction reached 37% when the gravity of symptoms was analyzed. When we grouped symptomatic days into episodes of second gravity level, the reduction in their frequency was even larger (50%) and lasted until the end of the trial (21 weeks). No significant side effects, especially abdominal, were reported during the trial. Colostrum supplementation in pre-school children is well tolerated, safe and provides protection from frequency of URTIs and their gravity.

PMID:37630816 | PMC:PMC10459079 | DOI:10.3390/nu15163626

Molecules. 2023 Aug 8;28(16):5955. doi: 10.3390/molecules28165955.

ABSTRACT

As a therapeutic tool inherited for thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exhibits superiority in tumor therapy. The antitumor active components of TCM not only have multi-target treatment modes but can also synergistically interfere with tumor growth compared to traditional chemotherapeutics. However, most antitumor active components of TCM have the characteristics of poor solubility, high toxicity, and side effects, which are often limited in clinical application. In recent years, delivering the antitumor active components of TCM by nanosystems has been a promising field. The advantages of nano-delivery systems include improved water solubility, targeting efficiency, enhanced stability in vivo, and controlled release drugs, which can achieve higher drug-delivery efficiency and bioavailability. According to the method of drug loading on nanocarriers, nano-delivery systems can be categorized into two types, including physically encapsulated nanoplatforms and chemically coupled drug-delivery platforms. In this review, two nano-delivery approaches are considered, namely physical encapsulation and chemical coupling, both commonly used to deliver antitumor active components of TCM, and we summarized the advantages and limitations of different types of nano-delivery systems. Meanwhile, the clinical applications and potential toxicity of nano-delivery systems and the future development and challenges of these nano-delivery systems are also discussed, aiming to lay the foundation for the development and practical application of nano-delivery systems of TCM in clinical settings.

PMID:37630208 | PMC:PMC10459615 | DOI:10.3390/molecules28165955