Xanthohumol for Human Malignancies: Chemistry,Pharmacokinetics and Molecular Targets

Xanthohumol (XH) is an important prenylated flavonoid that is found within the inflorescence of Humulus lupulus L. (Hop plant). XH is an important ingredient in beer and is considered a significant bioactive agent due to its diverse medicinal applications, which include anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antiviral, antifungal, antigenotoxic, antiangiogenic, and antimalarial effects as well as strong anticancer activity towards various types of cancer cells. XH acts as a wide ranging chemopreventive and anticancer agent, and its isomer, 8-prenylnaringenin, is a phytoestrogen with strong estrogenic activity. The present review focuses on the bioactivity of XH on various types of cancers and its pharmacokinetics. In this paper, we first highlight, in brief, the history and use of hops and then the chemistry and structure–activity relationship of XH. Lastly, we focus on its prominent effects and mechanisms of action on various cancers and its possible use in cancer prevention and treatment. Considering the limited number of available reviews on this subject, our goal is to provide a complete and detailed understanding of the anticancer effects of XH against different cancers.     

Temperament and substance abuse in schizophrenia: is there a relationship?

Dyspnea may be easily appreciated during exercise with dyspneic scales, but methodological standardisation still needs to be specified. Authors review the basic physiological mechanism relating dyspnea to indices obtained during a stress test. They propose to use the dyspnea/VE relationship. With the concept of dyspneic threshold (close to the ventilatory threshold) and the ramp that both could be modified (for instance by rehabilitation programmes including exercise training). Interpretation of dyspnea during an exercise test obviously needs to be integrated with other parameters studied during exercise.     

A new method for seed oil body purification and examination of oil body integrity following germination

Plant seeds store triacylglycerols as energy sources for germination and postgerminative growth of seedlings. The triacylglycerols are preserved in small, discrete, intracellular organelles called oil bodies. A new method was developed to purify seed oil bodies. The method included extraction, flotation by centrifugation, detergent washing, ionic elution, treatment with a chaotropic agent, and integrity testing by use of hexane. These processes subsequently removed non-specifically associated or trapped proteins within the oil bodies. Oil bodies purified by this method maintained their integrity and displayed electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance on their surface. Compared with the previous procedure, this method allowed higher purification of oil bodies, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE using five species of oilseeds. Oil bodies purified from sesame were further analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and revealed two potential oleosin isoforms. The integrity of oil bodies in germinating sesame seedlings was examined by hexane extraction. Our results indicated that consumption of triacylglycerols reduced gradually the total amount of oil bodies in seedlings, whereas no alteration was observed in the integrity of remaining oil bodies. This observation implies that oil bodies in germinating seeds are not degraded simultaneously. It is suggested that glyoxisomes, with the assistance of mitochondria, fuse and digest oil bodies one at a time, while the remaining oil bodies are preserved intact during the whole period of germination.     

Isoforms p69 and p100 of 2'',5''-oligoadenylate synthetase induced differentially by interferons in vivo and in vitro

There is no better place to test life-saving resuscitation interventions than in the prehospital setting. Patients rarely survive cardiac arrest if resuscitation techniques have failed before leaving the scene. Also, paramedics are usually very experienced in key initial resuscitative techniques, and they routinely operate under strict paramilitary protocol, resulting in better study compliance. In addition, the large study populations that are derived from emergency medical services (EMS) systems lead to faster study completion and statistically stronger data. Most important, by reinforcing standardized care, rigidly scrutinized trials improve patient care, regardless of the effect of the study intervention. The success of productive EMS research centers requires routine communication between hospital and EMS administrators and their medical directors, designation of mutually acceptable data collectors who guarantee confidentiality, reciprocal exchange of study data provided as educational seminars to the hospitals, commitments to support the budget requests of an EMS program and appropriate system modifications, inclusion of EMS personnel in study design from the very beginning, prospective education of the medical community and media before protocol implementation, an authoritative grassroots medical director, and a paramedic supervisor system.     

Propantheline as an adjuvant to weight loss after vertical gastroplasty

Studying peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) has become an important diagnostic tool in lysosomal storage diseases. Previous studies revealed that B and subclasses of T lymphocytes participate in the storage process, whereas the role of circulating monocytes was not clear. In this study, the involvement of CD14+ monocytes in lysosomal diseases was investigated. Blood samples from six patients with different lysosomal storage disorders were studied, including one with late--infantile and three with juvenile neuronal ceroid--lipofuscinoses, and two with mucopolysaccharidosis type VI. CD14+ cells were separated immunomagnetically from PBMCs and studied by light and electron microscopy. In all investigated disorders, disease-specific lysosomal storage material could be found in monocytes. The ratio of affected to non-affected cells did not differ from previously reported data on lymphocytes and their subforms in these diseases. Our data were obtained by studying a small number of different lysosomal storage disorders. Nevertheless, they suggest that lysosomal storage in the monocyte-macrophage system might also be found in other forms of lysosomal diseases.     

Molecular mechanism of base excision repair of uracil-containing DNA in yeast cell-free extracts

Base excision repair (BER) constitutes a ubiquitous excision repair mechanism, which is responsible for the removal of multiple types of damaged and inappropriate bases in DNA. We have employed a yeast cell-free system to examine the biochemical mechanism of the BER pathway in lower eukaryotes. Using uracil-containing DNA as a model substrate, we demonstrate that yeast BER requires Apn1 protein, an Escherichia coli endonuclease IV homolog. In extracts of an apn1 deletion mutant, the 5'-incision at AP (apurinic/apyrimidinic) sites is not detectable, supporting the notion that yeast contains only one major 5'-AP endonuclease. The processing of the 5'-deoxyribose phosphate moieties was found to be a rate-limiting step. During BER of uracil-containing DNA, repair patch sizes of 1-5 nucleotides were detected, with single nucleotide repair patches predominant.     

The spinal muscular atrophy gene region at 5q13.1 has a paralogous chromosomal region at 6p21.3

We have examined acetaminophen (paracetamol) dosing for outpatient management of posttonsillectomy pain in children. Forty children, 5-15 years of age, undergoing tonsillectomy and their parents were randomly assigned to use a scheduled administration of acetaminophen in weight appropriate doses, 60 mg.kg-1.24h-1 orally, 90 mg.kg-1.24h-1 rectally, or to use acetaminophen 'as needed' according to present standards (control group). Postoperative pain was assessed by the child using the poker chip tool for the first three days after discharge. The prevalence of pain amongst all the children was high. The second day after discharge 22%-64% of the children in the study group and 36%-73% of the children in the control group rated severe pain. Recommended dose ranges of acetaminophen do not provide sufficient pain relief in children following tonsillectomy. Further studies are required to determine, whether higher doses of acetaminophen or analgesics with different analgesic properties will lead to improved analgesia in children following tonsillectomy.     

Detection of anti-HIV-1 IgG antibodies in whole saliva by GACELISA and Western blot assays

The present study, based on 158 HIV seropositives and 167 HIV seronegatives, demonstrates that saliva collected with the Omni-SAL device and tested with GACELISA (an IgG antibody capture ELISA) is an effective non-invasive alternative to serum for anti-HIV IgG antibody screening. The study also shows that a conventional serum Western blot kit can be used, with slight modifications, for confirmatory testing of saliva specimens. Collecting saliva with the Omni-SAL device had a very good acceptance rate among Tanzanian subjects, and although this diagnostic method is not yet known by the general public, 65% of the study participants preferred to give saliva instead of blood for HIV testing.