Covalent conjugation of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) is considered an effective approach to overcome their potential degradation in vivo. As the high cost of AMP-based therapies is one of the major hurdles toward their clinical application, it is urgently needed to explore high yield reactions. Herein, the highly efficient thiol–norbornene photoclick chemistry (TNPC) was explored for AMP grafting onto chitosan. Norbornenes were introduced onto chitosan (NorChit) in an aqueous/organic system, followed by UV-triggered conjugation of N- and C-terminus cysteine-modified Dhvar5 (NorChit-Dhvar5). Up to 0.38 norbornene groups per chitosan repeating unit and up to 43% conjugation yield in NorChit-Nt-Dhvar5 (80 μmol of Dhvar5/g) were achieved, while in NorChit-Ct-Dhvar5 conjugation yield was 30% (55 μmol of Dhvar5/g). Finally, NorChit-Dhvar5 ultrathin films showed up to a 35% reduction of total adhered Gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis and increased the adhesion and killing of Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to unmodified chitosan. Moreover, NorChit-Dhvar5 was noncytotoxic to human neonatal dermal fibroblasts, according to ISO 10993-1. Overall, our findings indicate TNPC as a high yield strategy for AMP grafting onto norbornene-functionalized biopolymers toward the fabrication of antibacterial biomaterials.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a rare malignant proliferative disease of the hematopoietic system, whose molecular hallmark is the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph). The Ph chromosome originates an aberrant fusion gene with abnormal kinase activity, leading to the buildup of reactive oxygen species and genetic instability of relevance in disease progression. Several genetic abnormalities have been correlated with CML in the blast phase, including chromosomal aberrations and common altered genes. Some of these genes are involved in the regulation of cell apoptosis and proliferation, such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), tumor protein p53 (TP53), or Schmidt-Ruppin A-2 proto-oncogene (SRC); cell adhesion, e.g., catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1); or genes associated to TGF-β, such as SKI like proto-oncogene (SKIL), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1) or transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGFB2); and TNF-α pathways, such as Tumor necrosis factor (TNFA) or Nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NFKB1). The involvement of miRNAs in CML is also gaining momentum, where dysregulation of some critical miRNAs, such as miRNA-451 and miRNA-21, which have been associated to the molecular modulation of pathogenesis, progression of disease states, and response to therapeutics. In this review, the most relevant genomic alterations found in CML will be addressed.

BackgroundThe impact of a cancer diagnosis may be traumatic, depending on the psychological resources used by patients. Appropriate coping strategies are related to better adaptation to the disease, with coping flexibility, corresponding to the ability to replace ineffective coping strategies, demonstrated to be highly related with self-efficacy to handle trauma. The Perceived Ability to Cope with Trauma (PACT) scale is a self-rated questionnaire that assesses the perceived ability to cope with potentially traumatic events, providing a measure of coping flexibility. The current study aimed at examining the psychometric properties of the PACT Scale in Portuguese patients with breast cancer.MethodsThe study included 172 patients recently diagnosed with early breast cancer. Participants completed a Portuguese version of the PACT scale, and instruments of self-efficacy for coping with cancer (Cancer Behavior Inventory-Brief Version—CBI-B), of quality of life (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30—QLQ-C30), and of psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale—HADS) that were used as convergent and divergent measures, thus assessing construct validity. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to test the factor structure of the Portuguese version of PACT scale and reliabilities were examined.ResultsResults from the CFA confirmed the two-factor structure, consistent with the original Forward and Trauma focus subscales. The two subscales demonstrated high internal consistencies. Convergent and divergent validities were confirmed: the PACT scale was related to high self-efficacy to cope with cancer (CBI-B), to high perceived quality of life (QLQ-C30), and to low psychological distress (HADS).DiscussionOverall, the current results support and replicate the psychometric properties of the PACT scale. The scale was found to be a valid and reliable self-reported measure to assess Portuguese breast cancer patients regarding beliefs about their capabilities in managing the potentially traumatic sequelae of cancer. The PACT is a simple and brief measure of coping flexibility to trauma, with potential relevance for application in clinical and research settings.

No abstract

BackgroundA diagnosis of cancer, and the resulting treatment process, can be perceived as a life-threatening event, affecting not only patients but also their social network and, more specifically, their relatives. While the ability to cope and adjust to difficult health situations may be challenging, family resilience may optimize a positive adaptation to adversity and contribute to enhance the patient’s quality of life. The Family Resilience Questionnaire (FaRE) is a self-report measure of family resilience that assesses this construct systematically. We aimed to validate the Portuguese version of a short form of the FaRE (FaRE-SF-P) in a sample of women with breast cancer.Methods147 women recently diagnosed with early breast cancer were recruited at the Champalimaud Clinical Centre in Lisbon. Participants completed psychometric assessment including the Portuguese version of the FaRE-SF-P, composed by two subscales of the original version – the FaRE Perceived Family Coping (FaRE-PFC) and the FaRE Communication and Cohesion (FaRE-CC). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to assess the factor structure of the FaRE-SF-P. Construct validity was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for divergent validity, and the Modified Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (mMOS-SS) as well as the social functioning subscale from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) for convergent validity.ResultsThe CFA results confirmed a correlated two-factor structure model consistent with the Perceived Family Coping and the Communication and Cohesion subscales. Internal consistency reliability indicated good values both for Perceived Family Coping and Communication and Cohesion subscales. The results for construct validity showed acceptable convergent and divergent validity.DiscussionThe FaRE-SF-P showed good psychometric properties demonstrating to be a valid and reliable family resilience measure to use in Portuguese women diagnosed with breast cancer. Since FaRE-SF-P is a short instrument it may be a useful screening tool in an oncological clinical practice routine.

No abstract