In the period 27 December 2020 to 15 February 2021, about 29400 of Norway’s roughly 35000 nursing home patients were vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2. During the same period, the Norwegian Medicines Agency received 100 reports of suspected fatal adverse reactions to the vaccine. An expert group has examined the reports and assessed the extent of a causal link between vaccination and death.

The expert group worked in two pairs, each of which examined 50 anonymised reports. Each member first examined the reports alone and classified the causality as unlikely, possible, probable, certain or unclassifiable. Each pair then discussed their results until they reached a consensus. All four experts assessed a random sample of 20 reports. The degree of agreement was assessed using weighted kappa and McNemar’s test of symmetry.

The mean age of the patients was 87.7 years (range 61-103 years). Among 100 reported deaths, a causal link to the vaccine was considered probable in 10 cases, possible in 26 and unlikely in 59. Five were unclassifiable. Weighted kappa was 0.40 and 0.38 in the two expert pairs, respectively.

Most nursing home patients have a short remaining life expectancy, but vaccination may, in a few cases, have accelerated a process of dying that had already begun. Nursing home patients should still be given priority for vaccination, but the benefits versus risk must be carefully weighed up for the frailest patients.

Most nursing home patients have a short remaining life expectancy, but vaccination may, in a few cases, have accelerated a process of dying that had already begun. Nursing home patients should still be given priority for vaccination, but the benefits versus risk must be carefully weighed up for the frailest patients.

To elucidate whether DNA aneuploidy was an independent discriminator for carcinoma within oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), and further establish and validate a risk model based on DNA aneuploidy for the detection of oral cancer.

A total of 810 consecutive patients with OPMD were prospectively enrolled from March 2013 to December 2018, and divided into a training set (

= 608) and a test set (

= 202). Brushing and biopsy samples from each patient were processed by DNA-DNA image cytometry and histopathological examination, respectively.

DNA aneuploidy of an outside DNA index ≥ 3.5 in OPMD was an independent marker strongly associated with malignant risk [adjusted odds ratio 13.04; 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.46-31.14]. In the training and test sets, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.87 (95% CI 0.82-0.91) and 0.77 (95% CI 0.57-0.97), respectively, for detecting carcinoma in OPMD patients. The independent risk factors of lateral/ventral tongue and non-homogenous type combined with a rioma within OPMD, irrespective of the clinical and pathological diagnoses of OPMD. Multicenter validation and longitudinal studies are warranted to evaluate community practices and clinical applications.

Bone metastasis is a clinically important outcome of prostate carcinoma (PC). We focused on the phenotypic and functional characterization of a particularly aggressive phenotype within the androgen-independent bone metastasis-derived PC3 cell line. These cells, originated from the spontaneous conversion of a CD44-negative subpopulation, stably express the CD44v8-10 isoform (CD44v8-10

) and display stem cell-like features and a marked invasive phenotype

that is lost upon CD44v8-10 silencing.

Flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunoassay, immunofluorescence, and Western blot were used for phenotypic and immunologic characterization. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and functional assays were used to assess osteomimicry.

Analysis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers showed that CD44v8-10

PC3 cells surprisingly display epithelial phenotype and can undergo osteomimicry, acquiring bone cell phenotypic and behavioral traits. Use of specific siRNA evidenced the ability of CD44v8-10 varAZ and CD44v8-10 is also shown.Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers and the leading causes of death among women worldwide, and its morbidity rate is growing. Discovery of novel biomarkers is necessary for early BC detection, treatment, and prognostication. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel type of endogenous non-coding RNAs with covalently closed continuous loops, have been found to have a crucial role in tumorigenesis. Studies have demonstrated that circRNAs are aberrantly expressed in the tumor tissues and plasma of patients with BC, and they modulate gene expression affecting the proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance of BC by specifically binding and regulating the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs). Therefore, circRNAs can be used as novel potential diagnostic and prognostic markers, and therapeutic targets for BC. This article summarizes the properties, functions, and regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs, particularly current research on their association with BC proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance.

Diabetic nephropathy is one of the major complications of diabetes, the use of medicinal plants is increasing due to fewer side effects. This study was designed to examine antidiabetic effects of

(

) ethanolic extract and evaluate its effects on oxidative stress markers and the expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) genes in the kidney of type 1 diabetic rats.

In this study, we randomly divided 24 rats into four groups with six rats in each group as follows Cnt group normal control receiving normal saline, Dibt group diabetic control receiving normal saline daily, Dibt+

250 group diabetic rats receiving

at a dose of 250mg/kg bw daily, Dibt+

500 group diabetic rats receiving

at a dose of 500mg/kgbw daily. To induce diabetes, we used 55mg/kgbw dose of streptozotocin intraperitoneally. The concentration of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and serum urea, creatinine and albumin, SOD, MDA (using spectrophotometric methods) and gene e used as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of diabetes.

The results of this study showed that administration of A. jesdianum for 42 days has beneficial anti-diabetic and anti-nephropathic effects in diabetic rats and can be used as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of diabetes.

Increasing hypertension incidence in Sub-Sahara Africa and the current cost of management of the metabolic disorder has necessitated research on medicinal plants employed in African Traditional Medicine for hypertension. Thus, this study evaluated antihypertensive effect of

leaves or

rhizomes in experimentally-induced hypertensive male Wistar rats (n=70) which were unilaterally nephrectomized and daily loaded with 1% salt. Cardiovascular and haematological changes, as well as urinalysis were determined.

Rats were uninephrectomized and NaCl (1%) included in drinking water for 42days. Extract-treated hypertensive rats were compared to normotensive, untreated hypertensive and hypertensive rats treated with lisinopril (5mg/70kg) or hydrochlorothiazide (12.5mg/70kg).

extract or

extract were administered at 100, 200 or 400mg/kg. Blood pressure (systolic, diastolic and mean arterial) and electrocardiogram was measured on day 41. Twenty-four-hour urine samples were collected from day 42. Blood samplesicating increased blood viscosity. Also, leukocyturia, proteinuria and ketonuria with increased urine alkalinity, urobilinogen and specific gravity which are classical indicators of poor prognostic outcomes in hypertension were reversed in extract-treated rats. In conclusion, A. muricata and C. longa have cardioprotective effect with reversal of derangements in haemogram and urinalysis associated with hypertension.

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most important causes of microvascular complications such as nephropathy. On other hand, the use of herbal medicines is more affordable and has fewer side effects. Therefore, this study was conducted to assessment the therapeutic effect of

in diabetic nephropathy by regulating the expression of CTGF and RAGE genes as well as oxidative stress in rats with type 1 diabetes.

In this study, we used 24 Wistar rats in four groups. To induce diabetes, we used a 55mg/kg.bw dose of streptozotocin intraperitoneally. Type 1 diabetic rats were administered

(20 and 40mg/kg/day) by gavage once daily for 42days. Finally, serum urea, creatinine, albuminand SOD, MDA levels in kidney tissue were measured using spectrophotometric methods and CTGF and RAGE gene expression in kidney tissue was measured using real-time PCR method.

Diabetes significantly increases serum FBG, urea, creatinine and decreases albumin (p<0.001). AS well as increased the CTGF and RAGE genes expression, MDA level and decreased the SOD activity in the kidney tissue (p<0.001). Serum urea, creatinine, albumin was significantly ameliorated by

(p<0.001). It was shown the

significantly decrease the kidney expression CTGF and RAGE genes and MDA level and increased the SOD activity (p<0.001). Also, it was found that the beneficial effects of the

were dose-dependent (p<0.05).

The results of this study suggest that

as an adjunct therapy may prevent development and treatment of diabetic nephropathy by regulating the expression of the CTGF and RAGE genes and oxidative stress.

The results of this study suggest that saffron as an adjunct therapy may prevent development and treatment of diabetic nephropathy by regulating the expression of the CTGF and RAGE genes and oxidative stress.

Gestational trophoblastic disease comprises of a spectrum of pregnancy-related tumours which includes complete (CHM) and partial hydatidiform moles (PHM). Accurate diagnosis and subclassification of HM subtypes are crucial as prognosis differs. Histopathological examination using haemotoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining remains the basis for diagnosing HM, with only 80% accuracy. p57kip2 is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI) protein and is strongly paternally imprinted, being expressed from maternal allele. Therefore, complete mole (CHM) with only paternal genome has nearly absent expression of p57kip2 compared to partial mole (PHM) having both paternal and maternal genomes. This study is aimed to determine usefulness of p57kip2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis in the diagnosis of HM subtypes.

A total of 82 archived paraffin embedded HM tissues with subtypes classified based on H&E staining- 39 (47.5%) CHM, 41 (50.0%) PHM and two (2.43%) unclassified molar pregnancy were retrieved. All tissue samples were subjected for p57kip2 IHC analysis and HM subtypes were then reclassified.

A total of 66 cases (80.5%) were re-classified as CHM, 14 cases (17.1%) as PHM and two cases (2.4%) were decidual and cystic tissues. Analysis using p57kip2 immunostaining showed a diagnostic discrepancy of 33.0% from routine H&E staining and helps to improve the characterisation of the HM subtypes specifically at early gestations which have less distinctive morphologies.

IHC using p57kip2 monoclonal antibody should be considered as a routine ancillary test to H&E in improving the diagnosis of HM subtypes particularly in developing countries with limited resources.

IHC using p57kip2 monoclonal antibody should be considered as a routine ancillary test to H&E in improving the diagnosis of HM subtypes particularly in developing countries with limited resources.