Expression of Irisin/FNDC5 in Breast Cancer

Irisin is a myokine formed from fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), which can be found in various cancer tissues. FNDC5 and irisin levels have been poorly studied in the tumor tissues of breast cancer (BC). The aim of this study was to determine the levels of irisin expression in BC tissues and compare them to clinicopathological factors and Ki-67 and PGC-1α expression levels. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) with 541 BC tissues and 61 samples of non-malignant breast disease (NMBD; control) were used to perform immunohistochemical reactions. FNDC5 gene expression was measured in 40 BC tissue samples, 40 samples from the cancer margin, and 16 NMBD samples. RT-PCR was performed for the detection of FNDC5 gene expression. Higher irisin expression was found in BC patients compared to normal breast tissue. FNDC5/irisin expression was higher in patients without lymph node metastases. Longer overall survival was observed in patients with higher irisin expression levels. FNDC5/irisin expression was increased in BC tissues and its high level was a good prognostic factor for survival in BC patients.     

In Vitro Cytotoxicity,Colonisation by Fibroblasts and Antimicrobial Properties of Surgical Meshes Coated with Bacterial Cellulose

Hernia repairs are the most common abdominal wall elective procedures performed by general surgeons. Hernia-related postoperative infective complications occur with 10% frequency. To counteract the risk of infection emergence, the development of effective, biocompatible and antimicrobial mesh adjuvants is required. Therefore, the aim of our in vitro investigation was to evaluate the suitability of bacterial cellulose (BC) polymer coupled with gentamicin (GM) antibiotic as an absorbent layer of surgical mesh. Our research included the assessment of GM-BC-modified meshes’ cytotoxicity against fibroblasts ATCC CCL-1 and a 60-day duration cell colonisation measurement. The obtained results showed no cytotoxic effect of modified meshes. The quantified fibroblast cells levels resembled a bimodal distribution depending on the time of culturing and the type of mesh applied. The measured GM minimal inhibitory concentration was 0.47 µg/mL. Results obtained in the modified disc-diffusion method showed that GM-BC-modified meshes inhibited bacterial growth more effectively than non-coated meshes. The results of our study indicate that BC-modified hernia meshes, fortified with appropriate antimicrobial, may be applied as effective implants in hernia surgery, preventing risk of infection occurrence and providing a high level of biocompatibility with regard to fibroblast cells.     

Optimization of Selenium-Enriched Mycelium of Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler as a Food Supplement

Our goal was to optimize the growth conditions of submerged mycelial cultures of Lentinula edodes (Shiitake mushroom) in order to obtain a new dietary supplement enriched in selenium We designed a process technology in which mycelial cultures were cultivated in media composed of beet molasses, 10%; liquid stillage, 5%; corn steep liquor, 0.15%; and KH₂PO₄, 0.3%, enriched with selenium in concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 μg/mL by the addition of sodium selenite of selenic acid. Se concentrations in mycelial dry mass rose from 0.001 mg/g (mycelia cultivated in media containing no selenium) to 50 mg/g (mycelia cultivated in medium containing 100 μg Se/mL). The highest mycelial specific growth rate (0.46/day) was recorded when the concentration of selenium in the medium was lower than 20 μg/mL. In vitro, estimated Se bioavailabilities from selenized mycelium strongly depended on its preparation in a proper manner and were 60% and 82% for dried mycelium and mycelial lyophilizate, respectively. Our results suggest that these optimized culture conditions could be applied to obtain a new Se-enriched dietary supplement.     

Silicone Surfactants as Potential Lubricating Substances and Bases

This article presents an assessment of the physicochemical and tribological properties of silicone polyether aqueous solutions. Raw materials used in this research were characterized by different oxyethylation and oxypropylation degrees: PEG/PPG-20/20 dimethicone, bis-PEG/PPG-20/20 dimethicone, and PEG/PPG-25/25 dimethicone. The physicochemical properties were determined by surface tension, wetting angle, and atomic force microscopy images. The tribological properties were characterized by the motion resistance changes and wear in a concentrated ball (steel)-on-disk (steel) contact. The results of physicochemical properties indicate that these compounds are surface active and characterized with good wettability of the steel surface. In addition, it was shown that under the conditions of friction they can form an adsorption layer, which lowers friction and reduces wear of friction couples. In summary, oxyethylated and oxypropylated silicone aqueous solutions, particularly at higher concentrations (60–80%), and pure compounds can be used as potential and effective lubricants.     

Expression of the MT1 Melatonin Receptor in Ovarian Cancer Cells

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the leading cause of death among women with genital tract disorders. Melatonin exhibits oncostatic properties which it may effect through binding to its membrane receptor, MT1. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of MT1 in OC cells and to correlate this with clinical and pathological data. Immunohistochemistry was performed on 84 cases of OC. Normal ovarian epithelial (IOSE 364) and OC (SK-OV-3, OVCAR-3) cell lines were used to examine the MT1 expression at protein level using the western blot and immunofluorescence technique. The expression of MT1 was observed as cytoplasmic-membrane (MT1_CM) and membrane (MT1_M) reactions. A positive correlation between MT1_CM and MT1_M was found in all the studied cases. There were no significant differences between the expression of MT1_CM, MT1_M, and histological type, staging, grading, presence of residual disease, or overall survival time. Immunofluorescence showed both MT1_M and MT1_CM expression in all the tested cell lines. Western blot illustrated the highest protein level of MT1 in IOSE 364 and the lowest in the OVCAR-3. The results indicate the limited prognostic significance of MT1 in OC cells.     

Nucleobindin-2/Nesfatin-1—A New Cancer Related Molecule?

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease, and even tumors with similar clinicopathological characteristics show different biology, behavior, and treatment responses. As a result, there is an urgent need to define new prognostic and predictive markers to make treatment options more personalized. According to the latest findings, nucleobindin-2/nesfatin-1 (NUCB2/NESF-1) is an important factor in cancer development and progression. Nucleobindin-2 is a precursor protein of nesfatin-1. As NUCB2 and nesfatin-1 are colocalized in each tissue, their expression is often analyzed together as NUCB2. The metabolic function of NUCB2/NESF-1 is related to food intake, glucose metabolism, and the regulation of immune, cardiovascular and endocrine systems. Recently, it has been demonstrated that high expression of NUCB2/NESF-1 is associated with poor outcomes and promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in, e.g., breast, colon, prostate, endometrial, thyroid, bladder cancers, or glioblastoma. Interestingly, nesfatin-1 is also considered an inhibitor of the proliferation of human adrenocortical carcinoma and ovarian epithelial carcinoma cells. These conflicting results make NUCB2/NESF-1 an interesting target of study in the context of cancer progression. The present review is the first to describe NUCB2/NESF-1 as a new prognostic and predictive marker in cancers.     

Association of Irisin/FNDC5 with ERRα and PGC-1α Expression in NSCLC

The rapid growth and division of cancer cells are associated with mitochondrial biogenesis or switching to glycolysis. ERRα, PGC-1α and irisin/FNDC5 are some of the proteins that can influence these processes. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation of these proteins in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to investigate their association with clinicopathological parameters. Immunohistochemistry reactions were performed on tissue microarrays (860 NSCLC, 140 non-malignant lung tissue). The normal fibroblast cell line (IMR-90) and lung cancer cell lines (NCI-H1703 and NCI-H522) were used as co-cultures. The mRNA levels of FNDC5 and ESRRA (encoding ERRα) were assessed in IMR-90 cells after co-culture with lung cancer cells. We observed a decreased level of ERRα with an increase in tumor size (T), stages of the disease, and lymph node metastases (N). In the adenocarcinoma (AC) subtype, patients with a higher ERRα expression had significantly longer overall survival. A moderate positive correlation was observed between FNDC5 mRNA and ESRRA mRNA in NSCLCs. The expression of FNDC5 mRNA in IMR-90 cells increased after 24 h, and ESRRA gene expression increased after 48 h of co-culture. The ERRα receptor with PGC-1α participates in the control of FNDC5/irisin expression. Normal fibroblasts revealed an upregulation of the FNDC5 and ESRRA genes under the influence of lung cancer cells.     

Improvement in the Safety of Use of Hand Dishwashing Liquids through the Addition of Sulfonic Derivatives of Alkyl Polyglucosides

The effect of a sulfonic acid derivative of alkyl polyglucosides on the safety of hand dishwashing liquids was assessed. In this study, it was found that an increase in the concentration of the natural origin raw material in samples led to a decrease in the zein number, and reduced changes in the pH level of bovine serum albumin solution, compared to a reference sample formulated without these compounds. These findings suggest a high level of reduction in the skin-irritation effect after applying hand dishwashing liquids. In addition, the application of this type of anionic surfactants in products decreases their ability to emulsify fats. Consequently, the skin-drying effect produced by the washing process and removal of protective epidermal lipids may be significantly reduced.     

Application Properties of Bath Liquids for Children Based on Sodium Laureth Sulfate with Addition of Different Molecular Weight Collagens Derived from Marine Sources

This article investigates the influence of marine collagen of various molecular weights (Collagen Amino Acids—150 Da, Hydrolyzed Collagen—12,000 Da and Soluble Collagen—300,000 Da) on the functional properties of bath liquids for children based on anionic surfactants—sodium laureth sulfate. In addition to the aspects related to safety-in-use, which were presented in the authors' first work about marine collagen, consumers also expect bath cosmetics for children to have specific functional characteristics including viscosity or foaming properties. An increase in the molecular mass of marine collagen was found to be accompanied by an increase in dynamic viscosity and foaming ability and a decrease in the ability to emulsify fatty soil in the formulations under study. It can, therefore, be concluded that the addition of the highest molecular weight of marine collagen (300,000 Da) to bath liquids for children contributes not only to reducing the irritant effect caused by anionic surfactants, but also improves the usable properties of these types of cosmetics.