The exact cause of breast cancer is unknown; it is a multifactorial disease. It is the most diagnosed and the second killer cancer among women. Breast cancer can be originated from tissues of breast or secondary from other organs via metastasis. Generally, cancer cells show aberrant metabolism and oxidative stress when compared to noncancerous tissues of breast cancer patients. The current study aims at evaluating glutamate and glucose metabolism through GDH and LDH enzyme activities, oxidant, and antioxidative status among breast cancer patients attending referral hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Result. Catalytic activities of glutamate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, and oxidative stress index were significantly increased in both serum (4.2 mU/ml, 78.6 mU/ml, and 3.3 : 1, resp.) and cancerous tissues (1.4 mU/ml, 111.7 mU/ml, and 2.15 : 1, resp.) of breast cancer patients as compared to those in serum of control group (3.15 mU/ml, 30.4 mU/ml, and 2.05 : 1, resp.) and noncancerous tissues of breast cancer patients (0.92 mU/ml, 70.5 mU/ml, and 1.1 : 1, resp.) (P ≤ 0.05). Correspondingly, ratios of reduced to oxidized glutathione were significantly decreased in both serum (20 : 1) and cancerous tissues (23.5 : 1) of breast cancer patients when compared to those in serum of control group (104.5 : 1) and noncancerous tissues of breast cancer patients (70.9 : 1) (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion. Catalytic activities of GDH and LDH, ratios of GSH to GSSG, and concentration of TOS among breast cancer patients were significantly higher than were those among control group and noncancerous tissues of breast cancer patients, while TAC of breast cancer patients is significantly lower than that of control group and normal tissues of breast cancer patients.
The main objective of structural biology is to model proteins and other biological macromolecules and link the structural information to function and dynamics. The biological functions of protein molecules and nucleic acids are inherently dependent on their conformational dynamics. Imaging of individual molecules and their dynamic characteristics is an ample source of knowledge that brings new insights about mechanisms of action. The atomic-resolution structural information on most of the biomolecules has been solved by biophysical techniques; either by X-ray diffraction in single crystals or by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in solution. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is emerging as a new tool for analysis of a larger macromolecule that couldn’t be solved by X-ray crystallography or NMR. Now a day’s low-resolution Cryo-EM is used in combination with either X-ray crystallography or NMR. The present review intends to provide updated information on applications like X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM and NMR which can be used independently and/or together in solving structures of biological macromolecules for our full comprehension of their biological mechanisms.
Background Cellular proteases are thought to increase the likelihood of cancer cell infiltration and metastasis by degrading constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Measuring activities of these proteases may be used as tumor markers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and as a possible target for treatment plan. Objective The aim of the current study is to evaluate cysteine cathepsins (CTSK and CTSL) and matrix metalloproteases-2 (MMP-2) and 9 (MMP-9) activities in human breast tumor tissue. Methods A comparative cross-sectional study plan was devised to study the enzymatic activities ofCTSK and CTSL andMMP-2 and MMP-9 via zymographic detection method. Sites of tissue sample collection were St Paul’s Millennium Medical College, Menelik II Hospital and Zewditu Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A total of 36 breast cancer patients were recruited and tissue samples were collected for the study. Results Activities of CTSK and CTSL were significantly elevated in cancerous tissue than the adjacent normal non-cancerous breast tissue of the same patients (n = 36, p ≤ 0.05). Also, activities ofMMP-2 and MMP-9 were increased significantly in tumor tissues than normal tissues (n = 36, P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion It is found that there are different patterns of protease enzymatic activity expression between normal and tumor tissue using zymography. Compared with normal tissue samples, the protease enzymatic activity in cancerous tissue is higher. Thus, tissue proteases can be used in conjunction with histological techniques to identify patients in the same clinical group.
The monitoring and management of drilling fluid properties while drilling oil and gas wells is very important, especially when drilling in oil and gas fields where highly pressurized formations with narrow pore pressure/ fracture gradient windows are encountered. The most critical of these properties include the drilling fluid density or mud weight (MW) and the rheological properties i.e., plastic viscosity (PV) and yield point (YP). Changes in these properties are usually the first indication of downhole problems and thus the need to constantly monitor them cannot be overemphasized. While drilling, much effort is put into having a tight control on these drilling fluid properties. The conventional approach to monitoring drilling fluid properties in drilling operations involves the drilling fluid engineer carrying out routine tests on mud samples, taken from the active mud system. These tests include MW checks and funnel viscosity tests to check for any changes in MW and/or rheological properties. If any changes or deviations are detected in these tests, more detailed tests are subsequently carried out on the mud samples to identify which of the other properties have changed and the possible causes. This is a time-consuming process and by the time the causes are identified, the resulting downhole problems would have deteriorated to cause major challenges like stuck-pipe, lost circulation or well control. This issue requires an automated & continuous system to measure the drilling fluid density and rheological properties and monitor their trends. The Density Rheology Monitoring System (DRMS) is an innovative real-time solution that has been developed to gives real time values for the MW and rheological properties of the drilling fluid in the active system, thus allowing for the quick detection any changes in these properties and the timely response to them. This is a far more effective approach than the conventional mud checks, since it reduces the lag time between the actual changes in drilling fluid properties and the identification for these changes. The DRMS consists of the Density Rheology Unit (DRU) linked to a Monitoring System (MS). The DRU measures laboratory-grade density and six-speed rheology via rapid sampling at the collection point, usually located at the flow line after the shakers and in the active mud tank. The density measurements are taken once every 90 seconds, while the rheology measurements are taken once every 20 minutes. The MS presents these values digitally and plots the trends graphically so that changes can be quickly and easily identified. This allows for the early detection and mitigation of the causative downhole problems, as well as proper management of the drilling fluid properties and overall quality. This paper discusses how the DRMS is used for real-time monitoring of the drilling fluid MW and the rheological properties, while drilling with a Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) system through high-pressured formations. It will highlight how the DRMS allowed for early detection of the drilling fluid deterioration and prevalent downhole problems e.g. lost circulation and well control. This application allowed for quick and effective actions to be taken to restore the drilling fluid quality, thus preventing any downhole problems and allowing for the successful drilling of these high-pressure formations. The paper will also highlight how data from the DRMS can be used for real time optimization of downhole equivalent circulating density (ECD) while drilling with the MPD system.
Background Breast cancer is the most often diagnosed type of cancer and the leading cause of death worldwide. Estrogen, also known as estradiol, influences progesterone metabolism and modifies lipid metabolism. Thus, steroid hormone and lipid profile levels for breast cancer patients must be evaluated. However, this has yet to be explored and used for therapy in Ethiopia. As a result, the present study at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital attempted to assess serum estrogen, progesterone, and lipid profile levels in breast cancer patients and healthy controls. Methods A hospital-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 80 participants (40 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and 40 healthy control females). A convenient sampling method was used to recruit the study participants. Steroid hormones and lipid profile were determined using immunoassays and an enzymatic colorimetric technique, respectively. SPSS version 20.0 was used for statistical analysis, and p-values of 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results When compared to healthy controls, the mean serum progesterone, TC, and HDL-C levels in breast cancer patients were considerably lower, while estradiol, TG, and LDL-C levels were insignificantly higher. Conclusions Breast cancer may be to blame for changes in progesterone, estradiol, and lipid profile levels, which can lead to secondary problems.
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.