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For the past few years, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has emerged as a promising approach in the field of regenerative medicine. This technique allows for the production of 3D scaffolds to support cell transplantation due to its ability to mimic the extracellular environment. One alternative to enhancing cell adhesion, survival, and proliferation is the use of decellularized extracellular matrix as a bioink component. The aim of this study was to produce a bioink using lyophilized rat decellularized spinal cord tissue (DSCT) for 3D bioprinting of nervous tissue. DNA quantification, hematoxylin and eosin and DAPI staining indicated that 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate and 9 h processing were effective in removing the cells from the spinal cord samples. The cell viability assay showed that the decellularized matrix is not cytotoxic for PC12 cells. The hydrogel containing DSCT, alginate, and gelatine used as the base for the bioink has a shear thinning behavior and low G″/G' ratio, allowing for good printability without compromising cell viability after 3D bioprinting. The bioink supported long-term PC12 cell survival, with 93% of live cells 4 weeks after printing, and stimulated the production of laminin-1 and neurofilament-M. This bioink, therefore, represents an easily available biomaterial for central nervous system tissue engineering.

The process of electrohydrodynamic living cell microencapsulation inside a scaffold during the electrospinning (ES) process is called cell electrospinning (CE). Several studies demonstrate the feasibility of using cell electrospinning for biomedical applications, allowing for the direct biofabrication of living cells to be encapsulated in fibers for the formation of active biological scaffolds. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the materials and methodologies used in cell electrospinning, as well as their biomedical application in tissue engineering, is provided. Cell ES represents an innovative technique for automated application in regenerative medicine., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Snakebite is a public health problem in many countries of world. These accidents are considered a Neglected Tropical Disease and are responsible for a high morbidity and mortality index in the South and Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Angolan snake venoms are poorly investigated and no specific antivenom against them is available in the country. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate biochemical and immunogenic properties of male and female venoms from Naja nigricollis, Bitis arietans and Bitis gabonica snakes. These animals were collected during an expedition covering 1350 km of Angola, including the Provinces of Cuanza Sul, Benguela, Huíla and Malanje. Results showed that Angolan snake venoms present distinctive immunogenic properties and large intra-specific variations, associated to the gender and the geographic origin of the animals. Thus, it is possible to suggest that for the preparation of a therapeutic antivenom, intra-species variability should be taken into account, in order to obtain an efficient serum to neutralize the toxic effects of the Angolan snake venoms., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Lung cancer is the most lethal cancer-related disease worldwide. Since survival rates remain poor, there is an urgent need for more effective therapies that could increase the overall survival of lung cancer patients. Lung tumors exhibit increased levels of oxidative markers with altered levels of antioxidant defenses, and previous studies demonstrated that the overexpression of the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) might control tumor proliferation and aggressiveness. Herein, we evaluated the effect of CAT treatment on the sensitivity of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells toward various anticancer treatments, aiming to establish the best drug combination for further therapeutic management of this disease. Exponentially growing A549 cells were treated with CAT alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs (cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, daunorubicin, and hydroxyurea). CalcuSyn(®) software was used to assess CAT/drug interactions (synergism or antagonism). Growth inhibition, NFκB activation status, and redox parameters were also evaluated in CAT-treated A549 cells. CAT treatment caused a cytostatic effect, decreased NFκB activation, and modulated the redox parameters evaluated. CAT treatment exhibited a synergistic effect among most of the anticancer drugs tested, which is significantly correlated with an increased H2O2 production. Moreover, CAT combination caused an antagonism in paclitaxel anticancer effect. These data suggest that combining CAT (or CAT analogs) with traditional chemotherapeutic drugs, especially cisplatin, is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of lung cancer.

Current challenge in oncology is to establish the concept of personalized medicine in clinical practice. In this context, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) presents clinical, histological and molecular heterogeneity, being one of the most genomically diverse of all cancers. Recent advances added Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) as a predictive biomarker for patients with advanced NSCLC. In tumors with activating EGFR mutations, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are indicated as first-line treatment, although restricted to a very small target population. In this context, cofilin-1 (a cytosolic protein involved with actin dynamics) has been widely studied as a biomarker of an aggressive phenotype in tumors, and overexpression of cofilin-1 is associated with cisplatin resistance and poor prognosis in NSCLC. Here, we gather information about the predictive potential of cofilin-1 and reviewed the crosstalk between cofilin-1/EGFR pathways. We aimed to highlight new perspectives of how these interactions might affect cisplatin resistance in NSCLC. We propose that cofilin-1 quantification in clinical samples in combination with presence/absence of EGFR mutation could be used to select patients that would benefit from TKI's treatment. This information is of paramount importance and could result in a possibility of guiding more effective treatments to NSCLC patients.

Purpose: The expression levels of human antioxidant genes (HAGs) and oxidative markers were investigated in light of lung adenocarcinoma aggressiveness and patient outcome., Methods: We assayed in vitro the tumoral invasiveness and multidrug resistance in human lung adenocarcinoma (AdC) cell lines (EKVX and A549). Data were associated with several redox parameters and differential expression levels of HAG network. The clinicopathological significance of these findings was investigated using microarray analysis of tumor tissue and by immunohistochemistry in archival collection of biopsies., Results: An overall increased activity (expression) of selected HAG components in the most aggressive cell line (EKVX cells) was observed by bootstrap and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). In vitro validation of oxidative markers revealed that EKVX cells had high levels of oxidative stress markers. In AdC cohorts, GSEA of microarray datasets showed significantly high levels of HAG components in lung AdC samples in comparison with normal tissue, in advanced stage compared with early stage and in patients with poor outcome. Cox multivariate regression analysis in a cohort of early pathologic (p)-stage of AdC cases showed that patients with moderate levels of 4-hydroxynonenal, a specific and stable end product of lipid peroxidation, had a significantly less survival rate (hazard ratio of 8.87) (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: High levels of oxidative markers are related to tumor aggressiveness and can predict poor outcome of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma patients.

Introduction: Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and operational aspects of leprosy carriers., Methods: A cross-sectional study leprosy patients assisted in São Luis, MA, was performed., Results: Of the 85 cases analyzed, 51.7% were male participants, and 60% were brown. Concerning the age, 54.8% of women were between 35 and 49 years, and 57.6% of men were between 20 and 34 years. Lepromatous leprosy was found in 42.3% of cases, and the multibacillary form was found in 72.9%. The skin smear was positive in 42.3%. The occurrence of reaction was found in 43.5% of cases, and 83.5% had no Bacillus Calmette-Guérin scar. Leprosy in the family was reported by 44.7% of the patients. Most of the individuals (96.4%) lived in houses made of brick with more than three rooms (72.6%) and two persons per room (65.1%). Concerning the level of education, 41.4% of women and 34.1% of men had more than one to three years of education. The most evaluated age group in the beginning of the treatment was that of 35 to 49 years with a Grade 0 incapability (64.5%), and that in the end was the age group of 20 to 34 (29.9%) with Grade 0, 30.7% Grade 1, and 11.5% Grade 2., Conclusions: The frequency of multibacillary forms found in this study and the cases in family members point out delayed diagnoses. Thus, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important in decreasing the outcome of disabilities.