Background and Objectives: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy in the world. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel has been shown to be involved in angiogenesis in multiple types of tumors. However, not much is known about TRPV4′s involvement in OSCC. Thus, in this study, we investigate the effect of administering a TRPV4 agonist on angiogenesis in OSCC. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used in this study. 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) was used to induce OSCC. Cisplatin (an anticancer drug), and GSK1016790A (an agonist for TRPV4) was used in this study. Immunohistochemistry was employed to examine the TRPV4 expression. An RT2 Profiler PCR Array was performed for gene expression analysis of TRPV4, vascular growth factors that correspond directly with angiogenesis, such as angiopoietin (Ang-1 and Ang-2), and tyrosine kinase (Tie-1 and Tie-2) receptors. Tumor vessel maturity was assessed by microvessel density and microvessel-pericyte-coverage index. Results: RT2 profiler PCR array showed significant elevated levels of Ang-1 (2.1-fold change; p < 0.05) and Tie-2 (4.5-fold change; p < 0.05) in OSCC following the administration of a combination of GSK1016790A and cisplatin. Additionally, the combination treatment significantly reduced the microvessel density (p < 0.01) and significantly increased the percentage of microvessels covered with pericytes (p < 0.01) in OSCC. Furthermore, tumor size was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in rats that received cisplatin alone. The combination treatment also greatly reduced the tumor size; however, the data were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The findings suggest that combining a TRPV4 agonist with cisplatin for treatment of OSCC promote vessels normalization via modulation of Ang-1/Tie-2 pathway.
Background and Objectives: Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the world. Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) makes up 85% of all lung cancer cases and the majority of patients are diagnosed when the cancer is advanced. Over the years, many anticancer drugs have been designed and introduced into the market to treat patients with advanced NSCLC. This review aims to discuss the comparative therapeutic benefits of conventional chemotherapeutics and other drugs available for treating advanced NSCLC. Materials and Methods: A literature search for first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC was carried out on PubMed and Google Scholar. Objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival were chosen as target endpoints. Results: Monotherapy showed lower treatment endpoints compared to combination therapy. Different combinations of platinum-based doublets demonstrated similar efficacies in treating NSCLC. However, pemetrexed-platinum doublets showed significantly better treatment endpoint in patients with non-squamous NSCLC. Most studies showing the best complete response rate (CRR) utilized epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), while most studies producing the best overall survival included programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors in their treatment regimens. Conclusions: The findings of this review indicate that targeted therapy using specific inhibitors is now the most promising first-line anticancer treatment available in the market. However, chemotherapy is still effective in treating advanced NSCLC and is viable as a first-line treatment.
Background and Objectives: The objective of this study is to examine the effect of the BNT162b2 vaccine on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP) before and 15 min after two doses that were given 21 days apart. Materials and Methods: This active surveillance study of vaccine safety was conducted on 15 and 16 March (for the first dose) and 5 and 6 April (for the second dose) 2021 in an academic hospital. For both doses, SBP, DBP, MAP, and PP levels were measured before and 15 min after both doses were given to healthcare workers over the age of 18. The results of the study were based on measurements of the mean blood pressure (BP), the mean changes in BP, and the BP trends. Results: In total, 287 individuals received the vaccine. After the first dose, 25% (n = 72) of individuals had a decrease in DBP of at least 10 mmHg (mean DBP decrease: 15 mmHg, 95% CI: 14-17 mmHg), and after the second dose it was 12.5% (mean DBP decrease: 13 mmHg, 95% CI: 12-15 mmHg). After the first dose, 28.6% (n = 82) had a PP that was wider than 40 mmHg. After the first dose, 5.2% and 4.9% of the individuals experienced an increase or decrease in SBP, respectively, of more than 20 mmHg. After the second dose, the SBP of 11% (n = 32) decreased by at least 20 mmHg. Conclusions: Improved understanding of vaccine effects on BP may help address vaccine hesitancy in healthcare workers.
The aim of this study was to review the capability of virtual reality simulators in the application of phacoemulsification cataract surgery training. Our review included the scientific publications on cataract surgery simulators that had been developed by different groups of researchers along with commercialized surgical training products, such as EYESI® and PhacoVision®. The review covers the simulation of the main cataract surgery procedures, i.e., corneal incision, capsulorrhexis, phacosculpting, and intraocular lens implantation in various virtual reality surgery simulators. Haptics realism and visual realism of the procedures are the main elements in imitating the actual surgical environment. The involvement of ophthalmology in research on virtual reality since the early 1990s has made a great impact on the development of surgical simulators. Most of the latest cataract surgery training systems are able to offer high fidelity in visual feedback and haptics feedback, but visual realism, such as the rotational movements of an eyeball with response to the force applied by surgical instruments, is still lacking in some of them. The assessment of the surgical tasks carried out on the simulators showed a significant difference in the performance before and after the training.
For years, clinical studies involving human volunteers and several known pre-clinical in vivo models (i.e., mice, guinea pigs) have demonstrated their reliability in evaluating the effectiveness of a number of depigmenting agents. Although these models have great advantages, they also suffer from several drawbacks, especially involving ethical issues regarding experimentation. At present, a new depigmenting model using zebrafish has been proposed and demonstrated. The application of this model for screening and studying the depigmenting activity of many bioactive compounds has been given great attention in genetics, medicinal chemistry and even the cosmetic industry. Depigmenting studies using this model have been recognized as noteworthy approaches to investigating the antimelanogenic activity of bioactive compounds in vivo. This article details the current knowledge of zebrafish pigmentation and its reliability as a model for the screening and development of depigmenting agents. Several methods to quantify the antimelanogenic activity of bioactive compounds in this model, such as phenotype-based screening, melanin content, tyrosinase inhibitory activity, other related proteins and transcription genes, are reviewed. Depigmenting activity of several bioactive compounds which have been reported towards this model are compared in terms of their molecular structure and possible mode of actions. This includes patented materials with regard to the application of zebrafish as a depigmenting model, in order to give an insight of its intellectual value. At the end of this article, some limitations are highlighted and several recommendations are suggested for improvement of future studies.
Background and Objectives: Outcome data from wearable devices are increasingly used in both research and clinics. Traditionally, a dedicated device is chosen for a given study or clinical application to collect outcome data as soon as the patient is included in a study or undergoes a procedure. The current study introduces a new measurement strategy, whereby patients' own devices are utilized, allowing for both a pre-injury baseline measure and ability to show achievable results. Materials and Methods: Patients with a pre-existing musculoskeletal injury of the upper and lower extremity were included in this exploratory, proof-of-concept study. They were followed up for a minimum of 6 weeks after injury, and their wearable outcome data (from a smartphone and/or a body-worn sensor) were continuously acquired during this period. A descriptive analysis of the screening characteristics and the observed and achievable outcome patterns was performed. Results: A total of 432 patients was continuously screened for the study, and their screening was analyzed. The highest success rate for successful inclusion was in younger patients. Forty-eight patients were included in the analysis. The most prevalent outcome was step count. Three distinctive activity data patterns were observed: patients recovering, patients with slow or no recovery, and patients needing additional measures to determine treatment outcomes. Conclusions: Measuring outcomes in trauma patients with the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy is feasible. With this approach, patients were able to provide continuous activity data without any dedicated equipment given to them. The measurement technique is especially suited to particular patient groups. Our study's screening log and inclusion characteristics can help inform future studies wishing to employ the BYOD design.