Seroma formation after surgery for breast cancer

Background  

Seroma formation is the most frequent postoperative complication after breast cancer surgery. We carried out a study to investigate the effect of various demographic, clinical and therapeutic variables on seroma formation.     

Propionic acid side chain hydrogen bonding in the malaria pigment beta-hematin

Malaria pigment, or beta-hematin, the insoluble heme detoxification product resulting from the intraerythrocitic digestion of hemoglobin by young malaria trophozoites has been structurally characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and shown to contain chains of propionic acid linked dimers. Although there is considerable spectroscopic evidence for a monodentate propionate-iron interaction in this crystalline material, the spectroscopic characterization of the propionic acid dimer is limited. Herein we demonstrate the presence of the propionic acid dimer unit by H/D isotope substitution in carboxylic acid dimer. In the Raman spectrum of the deuterium substituted compound there is a circa 12 cm(-1) shift, H: 1629 cm(-1) vs. D: 1617 cm(-1) in the symmetric ring breathing mode for the propionic acid dimer. On the other hand, the IR active asymmetric stretch has a very small shift, <3 cm(-1), upon deuteration. These, and other vibrational data, are consistent with the presence of a planar carboxylic acid dimer in the structure of beta-hematin.     

Functional analysis of the venom of mealybug parasitoid Aenasius bambawalei (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Aenasius bambawalei (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a koinobiont nymphal endoparasitoid of cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis (Hemiptera: Pseudocccidae). Functional analysis of the venom of the wasp was performed by artificial microinjections of both crude and treated venom (heat and proteinase) of the wasp containing 0.3 and 0.5 μl in non-parasitized and synchronized adult hosts (mealybugs) and the mortality data were recorded 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours post injecton while mealybugs receiving saline injections were acted as control. The main effects for artificially envenomated mealybugs were observed on their mortality and survival. The biological activity of crude venom was also evaluated by heat and protease treatment. Here, we demonstrate that maximum mortality (82 ± 2.0%) was achieved by microinjections containing higher volume (0.5 μl) of crude venom while lower mortality (68 ± 4.0%) was achieved with lower volume of venom (0.3 μl). On the other hand, heat and proteinase K treated venom did not show any significant effect on mortality of the host insect. Our findings suggest that bioactive components of the crude venom are proteins which lost their activity upon heat and protease treatment. This basic information regarding the functional role of the venom of A. bambawalei serves as a starting point for comprehensive analysis of the role of the venom of the parasitoid on the regulation processes in its host.     

Effect of exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field with or without insulin on blood–brain barrier permeability in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats

We investigated the effect of long‐term exposure to modulation magnetic field (MF), insulin, and their combination on blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability in a diabetic rat model. Fifty‐three rats were randomly assigned to one of six groups: sham, exposed to no MF; MF, exposed to MF; diabetes mellitus (DM), DM induced with streptozotocin (STZ); DM plus MF (DMMF); DM plus insulin therapy (DMI); and DM plus insulin therapy plus MF (DMIMF). All the rats underwent Evans blue (EB) measurement to evaluate the BBB 30 days after the beginning of experiments. The rats in MF, DMMF, and DMIMF groups were exposed to MF (B = 5 mT) for 165 min every day for 30 days. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), body mass, and serum glucose level of the study rats were recorded. The extravasation of brain EB of the MF, DM, DMMF, DMI, and DMIMF groups was higher than that of the sham group and the extravasation of right hemisphere of the DMIMF group was highest (P < 0.05). The post‐procedure body mass of the sham and MF groups were significantly higher than those of the DM and DMMF groups (P < 0.05). In the DM, DMMF, DMI, and DMIMF groups, the baseline glucose was significantly lower than the post‐procedure glucose (P < 0.05). DM and MF increase BBB permeability; in combination, they cause more increase in BBB permeability, and insulin decreases their effect on BBB. Improved glucose metabolism may prevent body mass loss and the hypoglycemic effect of MF. DM increases MABP but MF causes no additional effect. Bioelectromagnetics 31:262–269, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Significance of serum trace element status in patients with rheumatic heart disease: a prospective study

It is known that certain trace elements can affect various heart diseases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the changes in concentrations of certain serum trace elements in patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Serum analysis of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) trace elements was assayed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. RHD patients had significantly lower serum concentrations of Se and Zn than control subjects (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, the serum Cu concentration was significantly higher in RHD patients than in controls (1.93 +/- 0.59 microg/L vs 1.06 +/- 0.29 microg/L; p < 0.001). Similarly, the Cu/Zn ratio in RHD patients was higher than in control subjects (4.70 +/- 0.92 vs 1.68 +/- 0.45; p < 0.001). Additionally, no significant correlation was found among these trace element concentrations and the functional capacity classes (p > 0.05). RHD patients had decreased serum Se and Zn element concentrations and increased serum Cu element concentration. We suggest that Se and Zn deficiency might be contributory factors in the development of rheumatic heart disease, and a high Cu concentration and a high Cu/Zn ratio might reflect an ongoing inflammatory process in this disease.     

Structural and morphological characterization of hemozoin produced by Schistosoma mansoni and Rhodnius prolixus

Hemozoin (Hz) is a heme crystal produced upon the digestion of hemoglobin (Hb) by blood-feeding organisms as a main mechanism of heme disposal. The structure of Hz consists of heme dimers bound by reciprocal iron-carboxylate interactions and stabilized by hydrogen bonds. We have recently described heme crystals in the blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, and in the kissing bug, Rhodnius prolixus. Here, we characterized the structures and morphologies of the heme crystals from those two organisms and compared them to synthetic β-hematin (βH). Synchrotron radiation X-ray powder diffraction showed that all heme crystals share the same unit cell and structure. The heme crystals isolated from S. mansoni and R. prolixus consisted of very regular units assembled in multicrystalline spherical structures exhibiting remarkably distinct surface morphologies compared to βH. In both organisms, Hz formation occurs inside lipid droplet-like particles or in close association to phospholipid membranes. These results show, for the first time, the structural and morphological characterization of natural Hz samples obtained from these two blood-feeding organisms. Moreover, Hz formation occurring in close association to a hydrophobic environment seems to be a common trend for these organisms and may be crucial to produce very regular shaped phases, allowing the formation of multicrystalline assemblies in the guts of S. mansoni and R. prolixus.     

Blueberry prevents bone loss in ovariectomized rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis

The objective of the present study was to explore the bone protective role of blueberry in an ovariectomized rat model. Thirty 6-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were either sham-operated (Sham) or ovariectomized (Ovx) and divided into three groups: Sham, Ovx (control), Ovx+blueberry (5% blueberry w/w). After 100 days of treatment, rats were euthanized, and blood and tissues were collected. Bone mineral density (BMD) and content of whole body, right tibia, right femur and fourth lumbar vertebra were assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. As expected, Ovx resulted in loss of whole-body, tibial, femoral, and 4th lumbar BMD by approximately 6%. Blueberry treatment was able to prevent the loss of whole-body BMD and had an intermediary effect on prevention of tibial and femoral BMD when compared to either Sham or Ovx controls. The bone-protective effects of blueberry may be due to suppression of Ovx-induced increase in bone turnover, as evident by lowered femoral mRNA levels of alkaline phosphatase, collagen type I and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase to the Sham levels. Similarly, serum osteocalcein levels were also lower in the blueberry group when compared to the Ovx control group, albeit not significantly. In summary, our findings indicate that blueberry can prevent bone loss as seen by the increases in BMD and favorable changes in biomarkers of bone metabolism.