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Simple Summary: Blood clots are formed when blood vessels are injured. They help stop bleeding and heal wounds, but can also cause serious problems if they block blood flow or break off and travel to other organs. This study investigates how blood clots differ in people with cancer compared to healthy or non-cancerous individuals. This study found that cancer patients have higher levels of histones in their blood, which make their clots stiffer and resistant to lysis. Further, clots formed in cancer patients have higher viscoelastic properties, and hence are harder to break down. These findings suggest that cancer patients have abnormal clotting properties that may increase their risk of developing thrombosis, and evaluating these properties can be helpful in detecting cancer. Background: Blood viscoelasticity and plasma protein levels can play an important role in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. However, the role of histones and DNA in modulating blood clot properties remains to be investigated. This study investigates the differences in blood viscoelasticity and plasma protein levels among cancer patients, individuals with other diseases, and healthy individuals. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 101 participants, including 45 cancer patients, 22 healthy individuals, and 34 individuals with other diseases. Rheological properties of clots formed in vitro by reconstituted elements of fibrinogen or plasma were analyzed with an Anton Paar Rheometer, USA. Plasma protein levels of D-dimer, TPA, EPCR, fibrinogen, and histone H3 were measured through ELISA. Blood clots were formed with or without DNA and histones (H3) by adding thrombin and calcium to plasma samples, and were evaluated for viscoelasticity, permeability, and degradation. Results: Cancer patients show higher blood viscoelasticity and plasma D-dimer levels compared to healthy individuals and individuals with other diseases. Our in vitro analysis showed that the addition of histone to the plasma results in a significant decrease in viscoelasticity and mean fiber thickness of the clot formed thereafter. In parallel studies, using plasma from patients, DNA and histones were detected in fibrin clots and were associated with less degradation by t-PA. Moreover, our results show that the presence of DNA and histones not only increases clots' permeability, but also makes them more prone to degradation. Conclusions: Plasma histones and DNA affect the structure of the clot formed and induce defective fibrinolysis. Moreover, the increased viscoelastic properties of plasma from cancer patients can be used as potential biomarkers in cancer prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is a very serious complication of gastrointestinal and gynecological malignancies which is poorly documented. Modified mesothelial cell layer and their microenvironments can favor fibrin deposition for cancer cell adhesion. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy of peritoneal surface and cancer cell clusters from cancer patients was done. Ascites and its impact on mesothelial cells were assessed by cytokine array. Neprilysin, matrix metalloprotease, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) related molecules (E-cadherin, Snail, Slug, Twist, Vimentin and Fibronectin), tissues factor (TF), endothelial protein C receptors (EPCR) were quantified by q-PCR. Fibrin in the simples were stained using anti fibrin F1E1 antibody. Migration ability was assessed by scratch assay. Cell viability and neprilysin activity were analyzed by bioluminescence. Cancer cells-fibrin interaction was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microcinematography (MCG). Mesothelial cells change their morphology after incubation with carcinomatosis peritoneal fluids in vitro. EMT associated with upregulation of neprilysin, matrix metalloproteinase-2, tissue factor and cytokines secretions such as interleukin-6, and 8, hepatocyte growth factor and granulocyte chemotactic protein-2 mRNA and protein were observed. EPCR expression as a natural anticoagulant was decreased. In parallel, carcinomatosis cell clusters extracted from peritoneal fluids were found to be associated with fibrin. Kinetic analysis of cancer cell-fibrin interaction in vitro studied by MCG showed that fiber filaments generated from clots inhibited cancer cell adhesion on fibrin clots. These results indicated that fibrin deposit on the peritoneal surface serve as niches for cancer expansion in carcinomatosis patients.

Introduction: Growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and decreasing efficacy of the available antimicrobials have become a significant public health concern. The antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) ensures the appropriate use of antimicrobials and mitigates resistance prevalence through various interventions. One of the core components of the ASP is to educate healthcare workers (HWs). Therefore, this study aims to identify the impact of a pharmacist-led educational intervention targeting knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding rational antibiotic use among healthcare professionals in a secondary care hospital in Punjab. Methods: This is a single-center, questionnaire-based, pre-post interventional study conducted over a six-month time period. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26. Results: Regarding the pre-interventional knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) score of the respondents, 90.3% had a good knowledge score, 81.5% had a positive attitude, and 72.3% of HWs (excluding doctors) had a good practice score. Additionally, 74.6% of the doctors had a good practice score. After educational intervention, there was a significant improvement in the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the respondent HWs (p-value <0.001). Furthermore, males have higher knowledge scores compared to females in the pre- and post-intervention stages (p-value <0.05), and doctors differ from nurses regarding knowledge scores in both pre- and post-intervention stages. Conclusion: Considering educational programs as the backbone of the ASP, it is imperative to sustain efforts in the ongoing educational programs of HWs to foster high awareness and adherence to the ASP among HWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]