No abstract

Vital signs not only reflect essential functions of the human body but also symptoms of a more serious problem within the anatomy; they are well used for physical monitoring, caloric expenditure, and performance before a possible symptom of a massive failure—a great variety of possibilities that together form a first line of basic diagnosis and follow-up on the health and general condition of a person. This review includes a brief theory about fiber optic sensors’ operation and summarizes many research works carried out with them in which their operation and effectiveness are promoted to register some vital sign(s) as a possibility for their use in the medical, health care, and life support fields. The review presents methods and techniques to improve sensitivity in monitoring vital signs, such as the use of doping agents or coatings for optical fiber (OF) that provide stability and resistance to the external factors from which they must be protected in in vivo situations. It has been observed that most of these sensors work with single-mode optical fibers (SMF) in a spectral range of 1550 nm, while only some work in the visible spectrum (Vis); the vast majority, operate through fiber Bragg gratings (FBG), long-period fiber gratings (LPFG), and interferometers. These sensors have brought great advances to the measurement of vital signs, especially with regard to respiratory rate; however, many express the possibility of monitoring other vital signs through mathematical calculations, algorithms, or auxiliary devices. Their advantages due to miniaturization, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the absence of a power source makes them truly desirable for everyday use at all times.

The peptide NH(2)-DTEDQEDQVDPR-COOH is released during activation of protein C zymogen. We measured the effect of a synthetic peptide with an amino acid sequence similar to that of the natural peptide on platelets from healthy individuals using platelet aggregometry. We found that this synthetic peptide inhibits platelet aggregation induced by thrombin; furthermore, it diminishes mobilization of intraplatelet calcium. Molecular docking showed weak interaction between the synthetic peptide and thrombin. Our findings suggest that this synthetic peptide may interact with a receptor located on the platelet cell membrane.

The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) takes place in all organisms. ROS regulate the cell cycle and other biological phenomena that make them essential for life. However, when there is a ROS excess and/or the antioxidant system is reduced, oxidative stress is induced. During this process, ROS can attack various biomolecules and generate oxidative damage. The hydroxyl radical is a highly reactive ROS that can react with guanine in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), generating the molecule 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative damage to DNA. Some research have shown that cancer patients or mouse models of cancer have elevated levels of 8-OHdG in serum, urine, saliva, and tissues. This literature review summarizes the main findings of 8-OHdG in several types of cancer and shows the evidence for the potential use of 8-OHdG as a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage in cancer.

Altered glycosylation is a characteristic of cancer cells, where the overexpression of truncated antigens such as the Thomsen–Friedenreich (TF) antigen (Galβ1, 3GalNAcα1, O-Ser / Thr) The TF antigen is specifically recognized by the Amaranthus leucocarpus (ALL). The MCF-7 breast cancer cell line maintains characteristics similar to differentiated mammary epithelial cells. It has been linked to stimulation of breast cancer cells with lipopolysaccharide, with a higher risk of metastasis in this type of cancer. In this work the expression of TF antigen and moesin in MCF-7 stimulated with LPS at concentration of 20 ng / ml cells was determined, by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. MCF-7 cells express 45% of TF antigen without stimulus with LPS, the expression of the TF antigen decreases with the time of LPS stimulation. Moesin expression increases with LPS stimulation time. A double-positive MCF-7 population for moesin and a TF-antigen of 6.34% were identified by cytometry at 6 hours of LPS stimulation, compared to cells with no stimulus, whose double positivity was 2.86%. Our results suggests that moesin could be Amaranthus leucocarpus receptor in MCF-7 cells.