The aim of this study was to assess baseline knowledge of skin cancer, sun protection practices, and perceptions of tanning among third through fifth grade elementary students in Florida. A total of 4,002 students in nineteen elementary schools in Palm Beach County, Florida were surveyed. SunSmart America curriculum pretest responses were the main outcome measures. Overall students' knowledge using a students' mean knowledge scale scores of skin cancer and sun protection were low (<40% of questions answered correctly) and was found to increase with increasing grade level (p < 0.01). Boys more frequently reported spending greater than 2 hours in the sun when compared with girls (p < 0.01). Girls, however, were more likely to try and get a tan most of the time or always when compared with boys (p = 0.02). Non-Hispanic White students (51.3%) more frequently reported use of SPF 15 or greater sunscreen "most of the time or always" compared with Hispanic (35.3%) and non-Hispanic Black (13.4%) students (p < 0.01). Elementary aged students in south Florida have limited knowledge about sun safety, despite spending considerable amount of time in the sun. Sun safe behavior is associated with gender and ethnicity. The findings provide empirical support for the need of a school-based educational intervention.
A highly infectious coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has spread in many countries. This virus recognizes its receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), using the receptor binding domain of its spike protein subunit S1. Many missense mutations are reported in various human populations for the ACE2 gene. In the current study, we predict the affinity of many ACE2 variants for binding to S1 protein using different computational approaches. The dissociation process of S1 from some variants of ACE2 is studied in the current work by molecular dynamics approaches. We study the relation between structural dynamics of ACE2 in closed and open states and its affinity for S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2.
Protein complexes play deterministic roles in live entities in sensing, compiling, controlling, and responding to external and internal stimuli. Thermodynamic stability is an important property of protein complexes; having knowledge about complex stability helps us to understand the basics of protein assembly-related diseases and the mechanism of protein assembly clearly. Enormous protein-protein interactions, detected by high-throughput methods, necessitate finding fast methods for predicting the stability of protein assemblies in a quantitative and qualitative manner. The existing methods of predicting complex stability need knowledge about the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the intended protein complex. Here, we introduce a new method for predicting dissociation free energy of subunits by analyzing the structural and topological properties of a protein binding patch on a single subunit of the desired protein complex. The method needs the 3D structure of just one subunit and the information about the position of the intended binding site on the surface of that subunit to predict dimer stability in a classwise manner. The patterns of structural and topological properties of a protein binding patch are decoded by recurrence quantification analysis. Nonparametric discrimination is then utilized to predict the stability class of the intended dimer with accuracy greater than 85%.
Background: The most prevalent endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficaciousness of a Persian herbal remedy, as well as electroacupuncture and the combination of them on metabolic profiles and anthropometric parameters in these patients. Materials and Methods: Eighty overweight women with PCOS were randomly divided into four groups. All of them received metformin 1000 mg and the second group received 5 g of herbal medicine per day (main components: Foeniculum vulgare, Urtica dioica, and Daucus carota), the third group were subjected to 20 electroacupuncture sessions, and the fourth group received both therapies. Results: After 12 weeks, the body fat and body mass index decreased the most in the herbal medicine+electroacupuncture group, and waist to hip ratio decreased the most in the electroacupuncture group. A significant decrease was also observed in fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. A significant increase was seen in the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index in all intervention groups, but there was no noteworthy difference in these parameters in the control group. Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased significantly in the electroacupuncture groups and herbal medicine+electroacupuncture. Also, a significant decrease was observed in triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase in the herbal medicine groups and herbal medicine+electroacupuncture. Conclusion: It is advisable to use this herbal remedy and electroacupuncture for better treatment of metabolic complications and overweight problems in these patients. [GMJ.2019;8:e1389]
Background In this prospective cohort study, the perinatal outcome in idiopathic polyhydramnios compared with normal pregnancies was examined. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of 180 singleton pregnancies who received care at the referral gynecology clinic of Yasuj, Iran between 2018–2020. The inclusion criteria comprised singleton pregnancies, gestational age > 34 weeks; fetuses without structural and chromosomal abnormalities in pregnancy screening test, no maternal diabetes, negative TORCH negative screening test, no Rh factor isoimmunization. Polyhydramnios was defined as: (i) amniotic fluid index ≥ 24 cm; (ii) maximal vertical pocket of ≥ 8 cm. Perinatal outcomes were recorded in both groups. Results Postpartum hemorrhage (7.8% vs. 2.2; OR: 1.60; 95% CI 1.09–2.34) and cesarean delivery (51.11% vs. 21.11; OR: 1.88; 95% CI 1.42–2.50) and respiratory distress (4.4 v vs. 0; OR: 2.04; 95 C CI 1.75–2.80) was significantly higher in the idiopathic polyhydramnios (P ≤ 0.05) compared to normal pregnancy, which increased with severity of idiopathic polyhydramnios. Conclusion In conclusion, the results of the current study, suggest that idiopathic polyhydramnios may be associated with a higher rate of postpartum hemorrhage, cesarean delivery, and respiratory distress than a normal pregnancy.
Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer among women. Lithium chloride (LiCl) is an FDA-approved drug for bipolar disorder. Breast cancer is reported to occur with higher rate in women with bipolar disorder. The effect of LiCl on the response of breast cancer cells to ionizing radiation has not been studied. We studied the effect of LiCl on the radiosensitivity of radioresistant T47D breast cancer cell line. Treatment of T47D cells with 20 mM LiCl for 24 hours decreased the radioresistance of these cells indicated by clonogenic survival assay. Comet assay demonstrated decreased DNA repair in LiCl-treated cells. LiCl treatment also decreased the meiotic recombination 11 (Mre11) mRNA level. Mre11 is an essential protein for DNA repair whose transcription is regulated by β-catenin protein. Western blot analysis indicated that the β-catenin protein level was decreased in LiCl-treated cells. LiCl increased glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) protein that is involved in β-catenin degradation. The results demonstrated that LiCl could radiosensitize T47D cells by decreasing DNA repair, partially through Mre11 repression. GSK-3β/β-catenin/Mre11 pathway might be the connection between LiCl treatment and the decreased DNA repair in T47D cells.
Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Radiation therapy is used for treating almost every stage of breast cancer. A strategy to reduce irradiation side effects and to decrease the recurrence of cancer is concurrent use of radiation and radiosensitizers. We studied the effect of the antimanic drug lithium on radiosensitivity of estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 and ER-negative, invasive, and radioresistant MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Methods: MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines were treated with 30 mM and 20 mM concentrations of lithium chloride (LiCl), respectively. These concentrations were determined by MTT viability assay. Growth curves were depicted and comet assay was performed for control and LiCl-treated cells after exposure to X-ray. Total and phosphorylated inactive levels of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3β) protein were determined by ELISA assay for control and treated cells. Results: Treatment with LiCl decreased cell proliferation after exposure to X-ray as indicated by growth curves of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines within six days following radiation. Such treatment increased the amount of DNA damages represented by percent DNA in Tails of comets at 0, 1, 4, and even 24 hours after radiation in both studied cell lines. The amount of active GSK-3β was increased in LiCl-treated cells in ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer cell lines. Conclusion: Treatment with LiCl that increased the active GSK-3β protein, increased DNA damages and decreased survival independent of estrogen receptor status in breast cancer cells exposed to ionizing radiation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.