Abstract:
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect women globally and accounts for similar to 23% of all cancers diagnosed in women. Breast cancer is also one of the leading causes of death primarily due to late stage diagnoses and a lack of effective treatments. Therefore, discovering protein expression biomarkers is mandatory for early detection and thus, critical for successful therapy. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D-E) coupled with lectin-based analysis followed by mass spectrometry were applied to identify potential biomarkers in the secretions of a murine mammary carcinoma cell line. Comparisons of the protein profiles of the murine 4T1 mammary carcinoma cell line and a normal murine MM3MG mammary cell line indicated that cadherin-1 (CDH), collagenase 3 (MMP-13), Viral envelope protein G7e (VEP), Gag protein (GAG) and Hypothetical protein LOC433182 (LOC) were uniquely expressed by the 4T1 cells, and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) was exclusively secreted by the MM3MG cells. Further analysis by a lectin-based study revealed that aberrant O-glycosylated CDH, N-glycosylated MMP-13 and LOC were present in the 4T1 medium. These differentially expressed N- and O-linked glycoprotein candidates, which were identified by combining lectin-based analysis with 2D-E, could serve as potential diagnostic and prognostic markers for breast cancer. Source: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES Author: Phang WM, Tan AA, Gopinath SCB, Hashim OH, Kiew LV, Chen Y. Status: Article available at IJMS
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Abstract:
Mechanical properties of expanded skin tissue are different from normal skin, which is dependent mainly on the structural and functional integrity of dermalcollagen fibrils. In the present study, mechanical properties and surface topography of both expanded and nonexpanded skin collagen fibrils were evaluated.Anisotropic controlled rate self-inflating tissue expanders were placed beneath the skin of sheep's forelimbs. The tissue expanders gradually increased in height and reached equilibrium in 2 weeks. They were left in situ for another 2 weeks before explantation. Expanded and normal skin samples were surgically harvested from the sheep (n = 5). Young's modulus and surface topography of collagen fibrils were measured using an atomic force microscope. A surface topographic scan showed organized hierarchical structural levels: collagen molecules, fibrils and fibers. No significant difference was detected for the D-banding pattern: 63.5 +/- 2.6 nm (normal skin) and 63.7 +/- 2.7 nm (expanded skin). Fibrils from expanded tissues consisted of loosely packed collagen fibrilsand the width of the fibrils was significantly narrower compared to those from normal skin: 153.9 +/- 25.3 and 106.7 +/- 28.5 nm, respectively. Young'smodulus of the collagen fibrils in the expanded and normal skin was not statistically significant: 46.5 +/- 19.4 and 35.2 +/- 27.0 MPa, respectively. In conclusion, the anisotropic controlled rate self-inflating tissue expander produced a loosely packed collagen network and the fibrils exhibited similar D-bandingcharacteristics as the control group in a sheep model. However, the fibrils from the expanded skin were significantly narrower. The stiffness of the fibrils fromthe expanded skin was higher but it was not statistically different. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel Source: SKIN PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY Author: Manssor NAS, Radzi Z, Yahya NA, Yusof LM, Hariri F, Khairuddin NH, Abu Kasim NH, Czernuszka JT. Status: Full text available at UMExpert Abstract:
Background. This purpose of this meta-analysis study was to identify the most frequent and potentially significant copy number alteration (CNA) in oral carcinogenesis. Methods. Seven oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)-related publications, corresponding to 312 samples, were identified for this meta-analysis. The data were analyzed in a 4-step process that included the genome assembly coordination of multiple platforms, assignment of chromosomal position anchors, calling gains and losses, and functional annotation analysis. Results. Gains were more frequent than losses in the entire dataset. High-frequency gains were identified in chromosomes 5p, 14q, 11q, 7p, 17q, 20q, 8q, and 3q, whereas high-frequency losses were identified in chromosomes 3p, 8p, 6p, 18q, and 4q. Ingenuity pathway analysis showed that the top biological function was associated with immortalization of the epithelial cells (p = 1.93E-04). Conclusion. This study has identified multiple recurrent CNAs that are involved in various biological annotations associated with oral carcinogenesis. (C) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Source: HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK Author: Vincent-Chong VK, Salahshourifar I, Razali R, Anwar A, Zain RB. Status: Full text available at Wiley Abstract:
Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides that can be artificially generated by a method called Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). The-generated aptamers have been assessed for high-performance sensing applications due to their appealing characteristics. With either aptamers alone or complementing with antibodies, several high sensitive and portable sensors have been demonstrated'for use in 'point-of-care testing'. Due to their high suitability and flexibility, aptamers are conjugated with nanostructures and utilized in field applications. Moreover, aptamers are more amenable to chemical modifications, making them capable of utilization with most developed sensors. In this overview, we discuss novel, portable, and aptamer-based sensing strategies that are suitable for 'point-of-care testing'. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Source: BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES Author: Gopinath SCB, Lakshmipriya T, Chen Y, Phang WM, Hashim U. Status: Full text available at ScienceDirect Abstract:
Purpose: To assess the knowledge, attitude and utilisation regarding fissure sealants (FS) and preventive resin restorations (PRR) among Malaysian dentists. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 35 questions was distributed by mail or an online survey to 425 registered dentists selected according to place of work by stratified random sampling. Results: One hundred fifty-three dentists responded to the survey. A positive attitude towards FS and PRR was noted among most Malaysian dentists. About half of the respondents used FS/PRR occasionally (48.4%), while few (13.7%) applied them routinely. The majority of the dentists agreed that minimally invasive dentistry is important and FS are effective in caries prevention, using them on high caries-risk individuals. Most of the dentists used pumice or paste to clean teeth before placing FS/PRR. A significant number of dentists used a bonding agent prior to placing FS. Although only 57.5% dentists were aware of guidelines for FS use, most dentists agreed that guidelines are important. Conclusion: Although there was a positive attitude towards FS/PRR, few dentists applied them routinely. Some of the steps undertaken for placement of FS and PRR were outdated. Updating local guidelines for dentists to ensure uniform practice of FS and PRR is justified. Source: ORAL HEALTH & PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY Author: Chin ZW, Chong WS, Mani SA. Status: Full text available at Quintessenz Abstract:
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a lethal disease with a 5-year mortality rate of around 50%. Molecular targeted therapies are not in routine use and novel therapeutic targets are required. Our previous microarray data indicated sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) metabolism and signalling was deregulated in OSCC. In this study, we have investigated the contribution of S1P signalling to the pathogenesis of OSCC. We show that the expression of the two major enzymes that regulate S1P levels were altered in OSCC: SPHK1 was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues compared to normal oral mucosa and low levels of SGPL1 mRNA correlated with a worse overall survival. In in vitro studies, S1P enhanced the migration/invasion of OSCC cells and attenuated cisplatin-induced death. We also demonstrate that S1P receptor expression is deregulated in primary OSCCs and that S1PR2 is over-expressed in a subset of tumours, which in part mediates S1P-induced migration of OSCC cells. Lastly, we demonstrate that FTY720 induced significantly more apoptosis in OSCC cells compared to non-malignant cells and that FTY720 acted synergistically with cisplatin to induce cell death. Taken together, our data show that S1P signalling promotes tumour aggressiveness in OSCC and identify S1P signalling as a potential therapeutic target. Source: Scientific Reports Author: Pathmanathan SN, Johnson SP, Lai SL, Bernam SP, Lopes , Wei W, Ibrahim MH, Torta F, Narayanaswamy P, Wenk MR, Herr DR, Murray PG, Yap LF, Paterson IC. Status: Full text available at Nature Abstract:
Ototoxic drugs, such as platinum-based chemotherapeutics, often lead to permanent hearing loss through apoptosis of neuroepithelial hair cells and afferent neurons of the cochlea. There is no approved therapy for preventing or reversing this process. Our previous studies identified a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), S1P(2), as a potential mediator of otoprotection. We therefore sought to identify a pharmacological approach to prevent cochlear degeneration via activation of S1P(2). The cochleae of S1pr2(-/-) knockout mice were evaluated for accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with a nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) assay. This showed that loss of S1P(2) results in accumulation of ROS that precedes progressive cochlear degeneration as previously reported. These findings were supported by in vitro cell-based assays to evaluate cell viability, induction of apoptosis, and accumulation of ROS following activation of S1P(2) in the presence of cisplatin. We show for the first time, that activation of S1P(2) with a selective receptor agonist increases cell viability and reduces cisplatin-mediated cell death by reducing ROS. Cumulatively, these results suggest that S1P(2) may serve as a therapeutic target for attenuating cisplatin-mediated ototoxicity. Source; Scientific Reports Author: Herr DR, Reolo MJY, Peh YX, Wang W, Lee CW, Rivera R, Paterson IC, Chun J. Status: Full text available at Nature Deceased Donor Organs: What Can Be Done to Raise Donation Rates Using Evidence From Malaysia?6/7/2016 Abstract:
Organ donation rates have continued to fall seriously short of needs worldwide, with the lowest rates recorded among developing economies. This study seeks to analyze evidence from a developing economy to explore the usefulness of social psychological theory to solve the problem. The study deployed a large survey (n = 10 412) using a convenience sampling procedure targeted at increasing the number of Malaysians registered with the Ministry of Health, Malaysia who are willing to donate organs upon death. Structural equation modeling was deployed to estimate simultaneously the relative influence of cognitive and noncognitive variables on willingness to donate deceased organs. The cognitive factors of donation perception, socioeconomic status and financial incentives, and the noncognitive factors of demography and fear showed a high statistically significant (1%) relationship with willingness to donate organs after death. While financial incentives were significant, cash rewards showed the least impact. Donation perception showed the highest impact, which shows that the development of effective pedagogic programs with simultaneous improvements to the quality of services provided by medical personnel engaged in retrieving and transplanting deceased donor organs can help raise organ donation rates. Using structural equation modelling from a large Malaysian survey, this study shows that it is possible to raise deceased organ donation rates through awareness campaigns that focus on developing the cognitive variables. Source: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION Author: Rasiah R, Manikam R, Chandrasekaran SK, Naghavi N, Mubarik S, Mustafa R, Pushparajan S. Status: Full-text available at Wiley Abstract:
Angiogenesis has an important role in the invasion, metastasis and growth of tumors. Increased microvessel density (MVD) has been described in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) compared to oral dysplasia and normal oral tissue. A morphometric study was designed to evaluate the MVD and to evaluate the presence of any association between MVD and keratin pearl in the three histopathological grades of OSCC (as defined in Bryne's grading system). Forty-five samples of OSCC were graded into well differentiated (WDSCC), moderately differentiated (MDSCC) and poorly-differentiated (PDSCC) oral squamous cell carcinoma. Morphometric analysis showed that MVD was significantly lower in WDSCC compared to MDSCC (p < 0.001) and PDSCC (p < 0.001). The density in MDSCC was significant lower than PDSCC. The keratin pearl count was significantly higher in WDSCC compared to MDSCC (p < 0.001) and PDSCC (p < 0.001). Between MDSCC and PDSCC, the keratin pearl count was significantly higher for MDSCC (p = 0.001). Pearson correlation test showed a significant negative correlation between keratin pearl and MVD (r=-0.805, p < 0.001). The findings suggested that vascularity in OSCC is associated with its cellular differentiation and also associated with keratin pearl formation. Source: SAINS MALAYSIANA Author: Tan ZZ, Hossain MZ, Ahsan MS, Chew YC, Win SS, Khoo SP. Status: Full text available at Sains Malaysiana Abstract:
Mycobacterium brisbanense is a member of Mycobacterium fortuitum third biovariant complex, which includes rapidly growing Mycobacterium spp. that normally inhabit soil, dust and water, and can sometimes cause respiratory tract infections in humans. We present the first whole-genome analysis of M. brisbanense UM_WWY which was isolated from a 70-year-old Malaysian patient. Molecular phylogenetic analyses confirmed the identification of this strain as M. brisbanense and showed that it has an unusually large genome compared with related mycobacteria. The large genome size of M. brisbanense UM_WWY (similar to 7.7Mbp) is consistent with further findings that this strain has a highly variable genome structure that contains many putative horizontally transferred genomic islands and prophage. Comparative analysis showed that M. brisbanense UM_WWY is the only Mycobacterium species that possesses a complete set of genes encoding enzymes involved in the urea cycle, suggesting that this soil bacterium is able to synthesize urea for use as plant fertilizers. It is likely that M. brisbanense UM_WWY is adapted to live in soil as its primary habitat since the genome contains many genes associated with nitrogen metabolism. Nevertheless, a large number of predicted virulence genes were identified in M. brisbanense UM_WWY that are mostly shared with well-studied mycobacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium abscessus. These findings are consistent with the role of M. brisbanense as an opportunistic pathogen of humans. The whole-genome study of UM_WWY has provided the basis for future work of M. brisbanense. Source: PLoS One Author: Wee WY, Tan TK, Jakubovics NS, Choo SW. Status: Full text available at PLoS One |