Cytotoxicity of carboplatin on human glioblastoma cells is reduced by the concomitant exposure to an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (50 Hz, 70 G)

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a malignant brain cancer that causes high mortality in patients. GBM responds weakly to the common cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy and even surgery. Carboplatin is an alkylating agent widely used to treat cancer. However, resistance to this drug is a common problem in its use in cancer treatment. Concomitant exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) and carboplatin is one unexplored possibility for overcoming this resistance. Indeed, many lines of evidence show that EMF affects cancer cells and drug action. In this study, we evaluated the effect of concomitant administration of carboplatin and EMF (50 Hz, 70 G) and also concomitant administration of carboplatin and static magnetic field (SMF) (70 G) on human glioma cell line (U-87). The results showed that cotreatment reduced the efficiency of carboplatin in U-87 cells, by decreasing caspase-3 in comparison to drug groups. Overall, EMF reduced the apoptotic effect of carboplatin, possibly through a redox regulation mechanism. Therefore, we have to avoid coadministration of magnetic field (MF) and carboplatin in tumor area, because the MF decreased the toxicity of the drug. However, further studies are needed to reveal the action mechanism of this combination therapeutic method.     

In silico analysis of SLC3A1 and SLC7A9 mutations in Iranian patients with Cystinuria

Molecular Biology Reports - Cystinuria is an autosomal recessive defect in reabsorptive transport of cystine and the dibasic amino acids ornithine, arginine, and lysine from renal tubule and small...     

Regulation of aging and oxidative stress pathways in aged pancreatic islets using alpha-lipoic acid

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Oxidative stress has been involved in the aging process and the pathogenesis of type-2 diabetes, which is a serious health problem worldwide. This study...     

Reduction of marginal mass required for successful islet transplantation in a diabetic rat model using adipose tissue–derived mesenchymal stromal cells

Background aims

Adipose tissue–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AT-MSCs), widely known as multipotent progenitors, release several cytokines that support cell survival and repair. There are in vitro and in vivo studies reporting the regenerative role of AT-MSCs possibly mediated by their protective effects on functional islet cells as well as their capacity to differentiate into insulin-producing cells (IPCs).

A Novel Cell Disruption Approach: Effectiveness of Laser-induced Cell Lysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis> in the Continuous System

In biotechnological processes, often cell disruption has been an inevitable step as current host cells express most of the desired products intracellularly. Thus, an appropriate cell disruption technique must be selected considering different factors including the target product, process scale, and cell wall structure. In the current study, as a novel method, the efficacy of cell disruption via laser was tested qualitatively and quantitatively in batch and continuous systems, respectively. Laser-induced cell lysis can be a clean, rapid and convenient alternative to the other conventional disruption techniques. Our investigations in the continuous system with a flow rate of 800 μL/sec proved efficient (~ 90%) Pichia pastoris cell disruption at the wavenumber 1,064 nm with the energy input of 284 mW after four complete rounds of circulation. The main mechanism of cell disruption is assumed to be thermolysis via instant heat increase in the laser-treated spot. The results of the current study showed that continuous laser system could be applied in laboratory and industry scale for cell disruption.     

Improvement of both lipid and biomass productivities of Qatar Chlorocystis isolate for biodiesel production and food security

Microalgae are considered a very promising alternative for biofuel production. Several strategies were developed to modulate and improve algae metabolites production to meet the requirements for biodiesel production. Most previous research evidenced that the increase of the lipid content is accompanied by a decrease of the biomass production, which increases the cost of the downstream processing. Hence, the challenge is to find special culture conditions that increase the lipid and the biomass productivities simultaneously. In the present work, we developed a strategy for the improvement of biomass and lipid productivities in a novel local microalga isolate, Chlorocystis sp. QUCCCM14, which was not previously known as a promising strain. Indeed, culturing QUCCCM14 using f/2 medium with 10× NaH₂PO₄ (0.15 g L^?1 NaNO₃ and 5.6 mg L^?1 NaH₂PO₄) resulted in an improvement of 3.178 folds the lipid productivity reaching 56.121 mg L^?1 day^?1 and enhanced the biomass productivity reaching 141.363 mg L^?1 day^?1, simultaneously. Comparative analyses of the FAME profiles demonstrated that fed‐batch culture with phosphate or nitrate separately leads to a high production of the omega 3 fatty acids (Linolenic acid), whereas fed‐batch culture with phosphate and nitrate simultaneously increased the production of fatty acids suitable for biodiesel production.     

Prey preference and prey switching in Anthocoris minki Dohrn (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae)

The understanding of host specificity of predacious insects is one of the most important problems in the investigation of biological control. Prey preference and the potential for prey switching in Anthocoris minki Dohrn (Hem.: Anthocoridae) was assessed in two- choice experiments under environmentally controlled conditions. Manly's preference index was used to compare A. minki predation on Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer (Hem.: Psyllidae) versus Psyllopsis repens Loginova (Hem.: Psyllidae) but showed no statistically significant evidence for preference. Anthocoris minki did prefer psyllids (Agonoscena pistaciae and Psyllopsis repens) over aphids (Forda hirsuta Mordvilko (Hem.: Pemphigidae) and Aphis craccivora Koch (Hem.: Aphididae)). The predator also consumed significantly more 2nd instar than 4th instar nymphs of P. repens. Switching behavior experiments showed that A. minki did not preferentially attack the most abundant prey when the prey combination was either biased toward A. pistaciae or toward F. hirsuta. Linear regression between preference indices and prey ratios indicated an overall preference for psyllids over aphids. The results suggest that a psyllid-specialized feeder such as A. minki is more likely to be effective biocontrol agent against psyllid species and less effective at reducing the numbers of other pest species that might co-occur with psyllids.     

ERRγ Preserves Brown Fat Innate Thermogenic Activity

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