End Of 15th Week Research Articles

Ultrasound Therapy in the Treatment of Plantar Wart: A Case Study

Verucae or plantar warts is a painful skin condition that demonstrates a high resistance to various treatments. They can be caused by trauma or human papilloma virus. The infection is mostly caused by a breach in the skin. The virus is usually contacted by walking barefoot in community swimming pool areas. The condition is common in sports persons. Our research focused on warts that occur on plantar surface of foot also known as plantar warts. They result in pain with pressure on weight bearing surfaces so walking is difficult and painful. Risk factors include using community showers barefoot, previous history of warts and decreased immune function. Case Report: We present a case report of a female aged 24 years who was clinically diagnosed with plantar wart. She developed recurrent plantar warts. For a year she was treated with pairing and punch excision with no success. Then ultrasound program was initiated with dosage of 0.6 watt /cm2 and increased up to 1 watt/cm2 for 15 min given at 1-week interval for 15 weeks. At the end of 15th week, the plantar wart had completely disappeared.

Evaluation of microparticulate ovarian cancer vaccine via transdermal route of delivery

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most commonly occurring malignancy in women, with the highest mortality rate among all the gynecological tumors. Microparticulate vaccine can serve as an immunotherapeutic approach with a promising antigenic delivery system without a need for conventional adjuvants. In this study, a microparticulate vaccine using whole cell lysate of a murine ovarian cancer cell line, ID8 was prepared by spray drying. Further, the effect of interleukins (ILs) such as IL-2 and IL-12 was evaluated in a separate study group by administering them with vaccine particles to enhance the immune response. The vaccine microparticles were administered to C57BL/6 female mice via transdermal alone and in combination with the oral route. The transdermal vaccine was delivered using a metallic microneedle device, AdminPen™. Orally administered microparticles also included an M-cell targeting ligand, Aleuria aurantia lectin, to enhance the targeted uptake from microfold cells (M-cells) in Peyer's patches of small intestine. In case of combination of routes, mice were given 5 transdermal doses and 5 oral doses administered alternatively, beginning with transdermal dose. At the end of vaccination, mice were challenged with live tumor cells. Vaccine alone resulted in around 1.5 times tumor suppression in case of transdermal and combination of routes at the end of 15th week when compared to controls. Inclusion of interleukins resulted in 3 times tumor suppression when administered with transdermal vaccine and around 9 times tumor suppression for the combination route of delivery in comparison to controls. These results were further potentiated by serum IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a titers. Moreover, CD8+ T-cell, CD4+ T-cell and NK (natural killer) cell populations in splenocytes were elevated in case of vaccinated mice. Thus, vaccine microparticles could trigger humoral as well as cellular immune response when administered transdermally and via combination of route of delivery. However overall, vaccine administered with interleukins, via combination of route, was found to be the most efficacious to suppress the tumor growth and lead to a protective immune response.

Multiple Intravenous Transplantations of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Effectively Restore Long-Term Blood Glucose Homeostasis by Hepatic Engraftment and β-Cell Differentiation in Streptozocin-Induced Diabetic Mice

Depletion of pancreatic β-cells results in insulin insufficiency and diabetes mellitus (DM). Single transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells exhibits short-term effects in some preclinical studies. Here, we further investigated the long-term therapeutic effects of multiple intravenous MSC transplantations. In this study, multiple human MSC transplantations (4.2 × 10(7) cells/kg each time) were performed intravenously at 2-week intervals into streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice for 6 months. Blood sugar, insulin, renal function, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were monitored. We demonstrated that compared to single intravenous transplantation, which only transiently decreased hyperglycemia, multiple MSC transplantations effectively restored blood glucose homeostasis. Systemic oxidative stress levels were reduced from the seventh week of treatment. From the 11th week, production of human insulin was markedly increased. When MSC transplantation was skipped after blood sugar level returned to normal at the end of 15th week, a sharp rebound of blood sugar occurred, and was then controlled by subsequent transplantations. At the end of 6 months, histopathology examination revealed MSCs specifically engrafted into liver tissues of the recipients. Fifty-one percent of human cells in the recipient liver coexpressed human insulin, especially those surrounding the central veins. Taken together, intravenous MSC delivery was safe and effective for blood glucose stabilization in this preclinical DM model. Multiple transplantations were essential to restore and maintain glucose homeostasis through decreasing systemic oxidative stress in the early stage and insulin production in the late stage. Liver engraftment and differentiation into insulin-producing cells account for the long-term therapeutic effects of MSCs.

Interaction of Dietary composition and PYY gene expression in diet-induced obesity in rats

The interaction of high-fat diet and the peptide YY (PYY) gene expression in diet-induced obesity and the mechanisms which predisposed some individuals to become obese on high-fat diet were explored. Thirty-six male SD rats were randomly divided into high-fat diet group (n=27) and chow fed control group (n=9). After 15 weeks of either a high-fat diet or chew fed diet, the high-fat diet group was subdivided into dietary induced obesity (DIO) and dietary induced obesity resistant (DIR) group according to the final body weight. Then the DIO rats were subdivided into two groups for a 8-week secondary dietary intervention. One of the group was switched to chew fed diet, whereas the other DIO and DIR rats continued on the initial high-fat diet. Weight gain and food intake were measured, food efficiency was calculated, and the concentrations of plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY) and PYY were assayed. Hypothalamic NPY mRNA expression and PYY mRNA expression in ileum and colon was detected by RT-PCR. The results showed that at the end of 15th week, the levels of body weight and caloric intake were significantly higher in DIO group than in DIR or control group (P<0. 01), while no significant difference was found between DIR and control group (P>0.05). The concentration of plasma PYY was significantly higher in DIR group than in DIO and CF group, while no significant difference was found between DIO and CF group (P <0.01). After switching the DIO rats to chow fed diet, their body weight gains were significantly lower than that of the DIO-HF group. The expression of PYY mRNA was increased in DIO-HF/ CF rats than in DIO-HF rats, and the expression of hypothalamic NPY mRNA was decreased in DIO-HF/CF rats than in DIO-HF group. It was concluded that both dietary composition and PYY gene expression could potently alter the hypothalamic NPY expression and result in different susceptibility to obese and overeating. The decreased PYY was associated with the increased NPY expression and their predisposal to obese and overeating in rats.