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Toxicol Rep 2020 6;7:637-648. Epub 2020 May 6.

Center of Biomaterials, D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Postal Code 125047, Moscow, Russia.

Living organisms have an innate ability to regulate the synthesis of inorganic materials, such as bones and teeth in humans. Cadmium sulfide (CdS) can be utilized as a quantum dot that functions as a unique light-emitting semiconductor nanocrystal. The increased use in CdS has led to an increased inhalation and ingestion rate of CdS by humans which requires a broader appreciation for the acute and chronic toxicity of CdS. Read More

Saudi J Biol Sci 2020 Jun 12;27(6):1538-1552. Epub 2020 Mar 12.

Department of Preclinical Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

Lead (Pb) toxicity affects the hepatic and renal systems resulting to homeostasis imbalance. Curcumin is a strong antioxidant but has restrained clinical applications due to its poor bioavailability. Nanomedicine showed promising potentials in drug delivery and has brought forth the use of cockle shell-derived aragonite calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CSCaCONP) to enhance the effectiveness and targeted delivery of curcumin (Cur). Read More

Biol Trace Elem Res 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, 130015, Colombia.

Lead (Pb) exposure is a growing concern in developing countries, especially in vulnerable children. The objective of this study was to evaluate blood lead levels (BLL) in children from two fishing populations at Northern Colombia, Loma de Arena and Tierrabomba, as well as their association with morphometric parameters, markers of hematological status, liver function, and mRNA expression of genes related to Pb toxicity. A total of 198 blood samples were collected from participants aged 5-16 years old. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 May 31;21(11). Epub 2020 May 31.

Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Background: Accumulating public health and epidemiological literature support the hypothesis that arsenic in drinking water or food affects the brain adversely.

Methods: Experiments on the consequences of nitric oxide (NO) formation in neuronal cell culture and mouse brain were conducted to probe the mechanistic pathways of nitrosative damage following arsenic exposure.

Results: After exposure of mouse embryonic neuronal cells to low doses of sodium arsenite (SA), we found that Ca was released leading to the formation of large amounts of NO and apoptosis. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2020 May 30;128:110314. Epub 2020 May 30.

Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China. Electronic address:

With the rapid increase in the population of obese individuals, obesity has become a global problem. Many kinds of chronic metabolic diseases easily caused by obesity have received increasing attention from researchers. People are also striving to find various safe and effective treatment methods as well as anti-obesity medicines. Read More

Bratisl Lek Listy 2020 ;121(6):400-410

Aim: The present study investigated the role of redox balance, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis in Tramadol (Tra)-induced testicular toxicity.

Method: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into either the control group or the groups receiving different doses of Tra (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg/day, i.p. Read More

Molecules 2020 May 28;25(11). Epub 2020 May 28.

Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44791 Bochum, Germany.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease. In recent years, several studies demonstrated that the gastroenteric system and intestinal microbiome influence central nervous system function. The pathological mechanisms triggered thereby change neuronal function in neurodegenerative diseases including dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson´s disease. Read More

J Trace Elem Med Biol 2020 May 19;61:126505. Epub 2020 May 19.

Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Egypt.

Aims: The increase in the usage of copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) in the industrial and medical fields has raised concerns about their possible adverse effects. The present study aims to investigate the potential adverse effects of Cu NPs on the brain of adult male Wistar rats through the estimation of some oxidative stress parameters and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity.

Basic Procedures: Cu NPs were prepared and characterized using different techniques: Dynamic Light Scattering, X-Ray Diffraction, Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy, in addition to Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 25;736:139678. Epub 2020 May 25.

Immunology and Reproduction Biology Laboratory & State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China. Electronic address:

A father's lifetime experience is a major risk factor for a range of diseases in an individual, and the consequences of the exposure can also be transmitted to his offspring. Our previous work has demonstrated that damage to testicular structures and decline in sperm quality in male mice can be caused by microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR), but the overall effects of the scope and extent of paternal exposure on health and disease in the offspring remain underexplored. Here, we report that MC-LR-paternal-exposed offspring mice showed reduced litter size and body weight accompanied by increased abnormalities in the lung. Read More

Pharm Biol 2020 Dec;58(1):490-497

Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, The Forest Herbarium, Bangkok, Thailand.

Weeras., Chalermglin & R.M. Read More

IUBMB Life 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Lead (Pb) is a toxic heavy metal that is harmful to humans, especially male reproductive organs. Luteolin (LUT) is a naturally occurring flavonoid with numerous biological activities. Our aim was to investigate the possible reproprotective effect of LUT against testicular deficits induced by Pb intoxication. Read More

J Sci Food Agric 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Yildiz Technical University, Chemistry Department, Davutpasa Campus, 34220, Istanbul, Turkey.

Background: Pesticides are widely utilized worldwide to control undesirable life forms during the planting procedure in agriculture. But they can pollute the nature and jeopardize human wellbeing. Additionally, on account of high resistance and biological activity; pesticides are able to accumulate in living organs and lead to acute and long-term negative effects along with toxicity. Read More

World J Psychiatry 2020 May 19;10(5):95-100. Epub 2020 May 19.

Department of Medical and Toxicological Critical Care, Lariboisière Hospital, Paris-Diderot University, INSERM UMRS-1144, Paris 75010, France.

Lead may contaminate opium, heroin and illicit opiates and is particularly observed in Iran. Lead, a natural heavy metal is able to interfere with several organ functions after ingestion or inhalation. Lead poisoning manifestations are non-specific and thus lead poisoning remains difficult to diagnose. Read More

Front Immunol 2020 12;11:891. Epub 2020 May 12.

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.

In 2017 over 550,000 estimated new cases of multi-drug/rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) occurred, emphasizing a need for new treatment strategies. Linezolid (LZD) is a potent antibiotic for drug-resistant Gram-positive infections and is an effective treatment for TB. However, extended LZD use can lead to LZD-associated host toxicities, most commonly bone marrow suppression. Read More

Front Microbiol 2020 13;11:756. Epub 2020 May 13.

Department of Biotechnology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India.

is the primary etiological agent associated with the pathogenesis of candidiasis. Unrestricted growth of in the oral cavity may lead to oral candidiasis, which can progress to systemic infections in worst scenarios. Biofilm of encompasses yeast and hyphal forms, where hyphal formation and yeast to hyphal morphological transitions are contemplated as the key virulence elements. Read More

J Oncol Pharm Pract 2020 May 31:1078155220918644. Epub 2020 May 31.

St. Luke's Regional Cancer Center, St. Luke's Hospital, Duluth, MN, USA.

Introduction: Alectinib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor currently recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) as the preferred first-line treatment option for the treatment of metastatic anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangement-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Skin toxicity is a known adverse effect of this medication, yet current recommendations are unclear regarding how to best manage patients who develop severe skin toxicity while taking alectinib.

Case Report: Here, we describe a case of successful rechallenge with alectinib by utilizing a desensitization procedure in a patient who had developed severe alectinib-induced skin toxicity about two weeks into treatment. Read More

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 2020 May 30. Epub 2020 May 30.

College of Life Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China.

Molecular biomarkers play an increasing crucial role in evaluating and predicting toxicity of metals. Expressions patterns of genes related to oxidative stress, apoptosis, immune and inflammation response in the Bufo gargarizans embryo exhibited a development dependent manner. The genes related to oxidative stress (HSP, GPx and SOD) are the first response in the development of embryo, followed by the apoptosis (Bax, BCLAF1 and TRAIL) and inflammation and immune response (SOCS3, IL-27 and IL-17D), respectively. Read More

Int J Mycobacteriol 2020 Apr-Jun;9(2):195-199

Department of Biochemistry, School of Sciences, Jain (Deemed-to-be-University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) has become a public health challenge in the current scenario with a single causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) causing the highest morbidity and mortality affecting almost 1.7 million of the population. Furthermore, there has been no novel drug discovery for the past five decades, and the emergence of latent, multiple drug-resistant, and extensively drug-resistant species has given rise to an alarming necessity for a novel compound/s for treating this highly untamable microbe. Read More

Drug Metab Dispos 2020 May 30. Epub 2020 May 30.

Amgen Inc

Drug discovery programs routinely perform pharmacokinetic (PK) studies in mouse to prioritize lead compounds based on anticipated exposure-efficacy and exposure-toxicity relationships. Due to logistical and/or technical issues, the strain of mouse in early discovery PK studies may not always match the strain in toxicity or efficacy studies. This elicits the question: do appreciable strain-dependent differences in PK parameters exist to an extent that would warrant conducting PK studies in a strain that matches efficacy and toxicity models? To understand the impact that strain may have on PK parameters, we selected 8 marketed drugs with well characterized absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties and diverse structures to perform PK studies in three common mouse strains (BALB/c, C57BL/6, and CD-1). Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2020 May 28;201:110725. Epub 2020 May 28.

Jiangxi Engineering Laboratory of Zebrafish Modeling and Drug Screening for Human Diseases, Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Organs, Affiliated Hospital of Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, 343009, China. Electronic address:

Lincomycin hydrochloride is one of the commonly used drugs in clinic. However, it has many side effects on patients, and its mechanism is still poorly understood. In this study, 6 h post-fertilization (6 hpf) zebrafish embryos were exposed to several concentrations of lincomycin hydrochloride (15, 30, 60 μg/mL) for up to 24 or 96 hpf to detect their developmental toxicity and neurotoxicity, and to 6 days post-fertilization (6 dpf) to detect their behavioral toxicity. Read More

Food Chem Toxicol 2020 May 28:111459. Epub 2020 May 28.

German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Department of Food Safety, Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address:

2-Monochloropropane-1,3-diol (2-MCPD) and its isomer 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) are widespread food contaminants. 3-MCPD has been classified as a non-genotoxic carcinogen, whereas very limited toxicological data are available for 2-MCPD. Animal studies indicate that heart and skeletal muscle are target organs of 2-MCPD. Read More

J Emerg Med 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is an adoptive cellular immunotherapy that is being utilized more frequently due to its initial success in advanced-stage cancers. Unfortunately, CAR T-cell therapy is often associated with acute systemic toxicities, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and CAR T-cell-associated neurotoxicity (neurotoxicity).

Objective: We created a review that addresses the potential common emergency department (ED) presentations associated with CAR T-cell therapy. Read More

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2020 May 27:103429. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of General and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania. Electronic address:

Agricultural production is becoming increasingly dependent on the environmental factors that alter soil properties, plant productivity, and product quality. Environment pollution caused by heavy metals because of human activities are among the most dangerous pollutants on the biosphere. Here, we have studied the biochemical adaptation of wild and cultivated soybeans to the simulated effects of lead nitrate and lead acetate. Read More

J Biol Chem 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, India.

Emergence of resistance to available anti-leishmanial drugs advocates identification of new drug targets and their inhibitors for visceral leishmaniasis. Here, we identified heat shock protein 78 in (LdHSP78), a putative ClpB protease, as important for parasite infection of host macrophages and a potential therapeutic target. Enrichment of LdHSP78 in infected humans, hamsters and parasite amastigotes suggested its importance for disease persistence. Read More

Pediatrics 2020 Jun;145(6)

Interv Cardiol Clin 2020 Jul 12;9(3):293-298. Epub 2020 May 12.

Division of Nephrology, UT Health at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, MSC 7882, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.

Passing contrast media through the renal vascular bed leads to vasoconstriction. The perfusion decrease leads to ischemia of tubular cells. Through ischemia and direct toxicity to renal tubular cells, reactive oxygen species formation is increased, enhancing the effect of vasoconstrictive mediators and decreasing the bioavailability of vasodilative mediators. Read More

BMC Cancer 2020 May 29;20(1):485. Epub 2020 May 29.

Service de Chirurgie Digestive et Oncologique, Hôpital Bicêtre, Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire Paris Sud, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Paris, 63, rue Gabriel Péri, Le Kremlin Bicetre, 94275, France.

Background: Preoperative radiochemotherapy (RCT) is recommended in France prior to total mesorectal excision in patients with mid or low locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) (cT3/T4 and/or N+) because it has been shown to improve local control. Preoperative RCT has also disadvantages including the absence of proven impact on metastatic recurrence and the risk of late side effects on bowel and genitourinary function. In patients with primarily resectable LARC, preoperative systemic chemotherapy without pelvic irradiation could be used as an alternative to RCT. Read More

Chemosphere 2020 May 24;256:127204. Epub 2020 May 24.

State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China. Electronic address:

The digestive tract is an important target organ for microplastics (MPs). However, little is known about the effects of digestive treatment on the intestinal toxicity of MPs. In this study, an in vitro digestive process was applied to transform 100 nm and 5 μm polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs). Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 16;735:139458. Epub 2020 May 16.

U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Science Center, Middleton, WI, United States of America.

Two non-native carp species have invaded the Illinois Waterway and are a threat to Great Lakes ecosystems. Poor water quality in the upper Illinois Waterway may be a factor contributing to the stalling of the carp population front near river mile 278. In 2015, the U. Read More

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

Brown University Division of Biology and Medicine, 174279, Providence, Rhode Island, United States;

Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) usage is outpacing our understanding of its potential harmful effects. Homeostasis of the lung is maintained through proper balance of cell death, efferocytic clearance, and phagocytosis of pathogens. To investigate whether ENDS use has the potential to alter this balance, we developed physiologically relevant ENDS exposure paradigms for lung epithelial cells and primary macrophages. Read More

Biochemistry 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

Aggregation and the formation of oligomeric intermediates of amyloid-β at the membrane interface of neuronal cells are implicated in the cellular toxicity and pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Small molecule compounds have been shown to sup-press amyloid aggregation and cellular toxicity, but often the presence of lipid membrane negate their activity. A high throughput screen of 1,800 small molecules was performed to search for membrane active inhibitors and 21 primary hits were discovered. Read More

In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Biotechnology, School of BioSciences and Technology, VIT School of Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India.

Cardiotoxicity is the major challenge in chemotherapy with doxorubicin (DOX) or adriamycin. Doxorubicin manifests oxidative stress via an uncontrolled progression of reactive oxygen species in cardiomyocytes; thereby, dysregulation and dysfunction of myocardium thus lead to apoptosis. Several attempts have been made to overcome this side effect in patients with antioxidant-rich supplements to control the free radicals. Read More

Cureus 2020 May 22;12(5):e8243. Epub 2020 May 22.

Cardiology, Rapides Regional Medical Center, Alexandria, USA.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder involving abnormal motility. The patients are commonly started on symptom control management for IBS - diarrhea subtype by prescribing antimotility agents, usually having opioid agonist activity, and newer medications have been emerging for this as well. Patients sometimes self-medicate themselves to exceedingly high doses of these medications to achieve symptoms control. Read More

Pharmaceutics 2020 May 25;12(5). Epub 2020 May 25.

Department of Chemistry, Fribourg University, Chemin du Musée 9, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.

Systemic toxicity and severe side effects are commonly associated with anticancer chemotherapies. New strategies based on enhanced drug selectivity and targeted delivery to cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue undamaged can reduce the global patient burden. Herein, we report the design, synthesis and characterization of a bio-inspired hybrid multifunctional drug delivery system based on diatom microalgae. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 19;734:139406. Epub 2020 May 19.

Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden.

Metal contamination of freshwater ecosystems is a great threat to aquatic insect communities. In the past, focus has been on the toxic effects on the insect larvae, despite emerging evidence showing that negative effects can occur during metamorphosis to adults. There is therefore a risk that traditional studies on insect larvae would underestimate effect from metals. Read More

Environ Sci Technol 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Despite many studies on the toxicity of nanoplastic particles (NPPs) to aquatic invertebrates, the effects of ecological constituents such as humic substances (HSs) are often neglected. In our study, Daphnia magna was used to evaluate the effects of three HSs, natural organic matter (NOM), fulvic acid (FA), and humic acid (HA), on NPP toxicity and corona formation. Acute toxicity tests of NPP was reduced by all HSs at environmentally relevant concentrations. Read More

J Control Release 2020 May 24;324:379-404. Epub 2020 May 24.

Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Pilani Campus, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan 333031, India. Electronic address:

In spite of introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; inaccessibility and poor adherence to oral cART costs 10 in 100,000 death worldwide. Failure in adherence leads to viral rebound, emergence of drug resistance and anticipated HIV infection in high risk individuals. Various Long-acting antiretroviral (LA ARV) nanoformulations including nano-prodrug, solid drug nanoparticles (SDN), nanocrystals, aspherical nanoparticles, polymeric and lipidic nanoparticles have shown plasma/tissue drug concentration in the therapeutic range for several weeks during pre-clinical evaluation. Read More

Cell Commun Signal 2020 May 27;18(1):80. Epub 2020 May 27.

Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine, St. Boniface Albrechtsen Research Centre, Room R2034 - 351 Taché Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R2H 2A6, Canada.

Background: Circulatory iron is a hazardous biometal. Therefore, iron is transported in a redox-safe state by a serum glycoprotein - transferrin (TF). Different organs acquire iron from the systemic circulation through a tightly regulated mechanism at the blood-tissue interface which involves receptor-mediated internalization of TF. Read More

Biomed Mater 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.

The liver is a center of metabolic activity including the metabolism of drugs and consequently is prone to drug-induced liver injury. Failure to detect hepatotoxicity of drugs during their development will lead to post-release withdrawal of the drug from the market. To avoid such clinical and economic consequences, in vitro liver models that can accurately predict the toxicity of a drug during the pre-clinical phase is necessary. Read More

J Agric Food Chem 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

UPLC-MSE guided isolation of CHCl3 extract from the fruits of Trichilia connaroides yielded two new mexicanolide-type limonoids trichanolide F (1) and trichanolide G (2) along with a known compound carapanolide U (3). The structures of the limonoids were established on the basis of extensive analysis of spectroscopic (IR, MS, 2D NMR) data. These limonoids (1-3) were evaluated for their antifeedancy against Spodoptera litura F. Read More

Pharmaceutics 2020 May 24;12(5). Epub 2020 May 24.

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.

Melanoma is one of the most serious skin cancers. The incidence of this malignant skin lesion is continuing to increase worldwide. Melanoma is resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs and highly metastatic. Read More

ACS Omega 2020 May 6;5(19):10715-10724. Epub 2020 May 6.

State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.

Triclosan (TCS) has been a widely used antibacterial agent in medical and personal care products in the last few decades. Methyl TCS (MTCS) is the major biotransformation product of TCS through replacement of the hydroxyl group with methoxy. Previous studies revealed that MTCS showed reduced toxicity but enhanced environmental persistence, when compared with TCS. Read More

Trials 2020 May 25;21(1):424. Epub 2020 May 25.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Cruces University Hospital/ Biocruces Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Vizcaya, Spain.

Background: Radiotherapy of head-and-neck cancer can be associated with significant toxicities including dermatitis and oral mucositis. Severe toxicities may require interruptions of the radiation treatment associated with impairment of the patients' prognoses. This study will investigate whether the addition of a reminder app to standard care can reduce dermatitis and oral mucositis rates during radiotherapy in these patients. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2020 May 22;128:110247. Epub 2020 May 22.

Postgraduate Program in Natural Products and Bioactive Synthetics, Federal University of Paraíba, 58051-970, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. Electronic address:

Structural diversity characterizes natural products as prototypes for design of lead compounds. The aim of this study was to synthetize, and to evaluate the toxicity and antitumor action of a new piperine analogue, the butyl 4-(4-nitrobenzoate)-piperinoate (DE-07). Toxicity was evaluated against zebrafish, and in mice (acute and micronucleus assays). Read More

Bioorg Chem 2020 May 17;100:103942. Epub 2020 May 17.

Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address:

A selection of new chromeno[2,3-b]pyridines was prepared from chromenylacrylonitriles and N-substituted piperazines, using a novel and efficient synthetic procedure. The compounds were tested for their anticancer activity using breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, Hs578t and MDA-MB-231 and the non-neoplastic cell line MCF-10A for toxicity evaluation. In general, compounds showed higher activity towards the luminal breast cancer subtype (MCF-7), competitive with the reference compound Doxorubicin. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2020 Aug 22;199:110669. Epub 2020 May 22.

Laboratório de Protozoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Ciliates are key components of aquatic ecosystems, significantly contributing to the decomposition of organic matter and energy transfer to higher trophic levels. They are considered good biological indicators of chemical pollution and relatively sensitive to heavy metal contamination. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis of the available toxicity data of heavy metals and ciliates to assess: (1) the sensitivity of freshwater ciliates to different heavy metals, (2) the relative sensitivity of ciliates in comparison to the standard test species used in ecotoxicological risk assessment, and (3) the difference in sensitivity across ciliate taxa. Read More

MAbs 2020 Jan-Dec;12(1):1763727

Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Co , New Brunswick, NJ, USA.

The importance of speed to clinic for medicines that may address unmet medical needs puts pressure on product development timelines. Historically, both toxicology and first-in-human clinical materials are generated using the same clonal-derived cells to ensure safety and minimize any development risks. However, cell line development with single cell cloning is time consuming, and aggravated by the time needed to screen for a lead clone based on cell line stability and manufacturability. Read More