Biotechnology

Adolescents are migrating to the United States in record numbers, and have unique health care needs and vulnerabilities. Refugees, a subset of immigrants, undergo predeparture medical screening before departure to the United States and postarrival screening, as mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adequate medical follow-up and continuity of care after initial screening are essential to ensure identification and appropriate management of medical conditions, and to provide preventive health care and education. New migrants suffer from a multitude of acute and chronic medical conditions compounded by mental health and developmental conditions that may affect long term health. Cultural sensitivity and use of interpreters when indicated are essential to ensure that adolescents receive comprehensive medical and preventive treatment in an atmosphere in which the patients feel safe and welcomed.

Exposure of MCF-7 breast and PC-3 prostate cancer cells to 10 W microwaves at 2.45 GHz increased their uptake of the cancer drug doxorubicin from media by almost 100%, concomitantly increasing cell death, while microwave exposure alone had no cellular toxicity. Addition of inhibitors of endocytosis during the treatment of MCF-7 cells with doxorubicin and microwaves showed no impact on the uptake of the anticancer drug. Furthermore, the uptake of oligonucleotides by MCF-7 cells is not affected by the treatment with microwaves. These observations suggest that endocytosis is not involved in the uptake of doxorubicin while cells are exposed to microwave irradiation. Thus, targeted low power microwave irradiation could be a safe and effective means of promoting chemotoxin delivery to cancer cells, potentially reducing the dosages and side effects of anti-cancer drugs.

Despite a few decades of research, interest continues in understanding the potential influences of low energy microwave irradiation on biological systems. In the present study, growth of E. coli DE3 in LB media slowed in the presence of microwave irradiation (max. 10 W) while the temperature of cultures was maintained at 37 C. Viable cell counts in microwave-irradiated cultures were also significantly lower. When microwave irradiation was ceased, E. coli growth was restored. A top-down proteomic analysis of total proteins isolated from control and microwave-irradiated E. coli cultures revealed differential abundance of 10 resolved protein spots, with multiple proteins identified in each following mass spectrometric analysis. Among these proteins, a number are involved in metabolism, suggesting alterations to metabolic activities following microwave irradiation. Furthermore, four amino acid-tRNA ligases were also identified, pointing to the possibility of stress responses in E. coli under microwave irradiation.

Exposure of MCF-7 breast and PC-3 prostate cancer cells to 10 W microwaves at 2.45 GHz increased their uptake of the cancer drug doxorubicin from media by almost 100%, concomitantly increasing cell death, while microwave exposure alone had no cellular toxicity. Addition of inhibitors of endocytosis during the treatment of MCF-7 cells with doxorubicin and microwaves showed no impact on the uptake of the anticancer drug. Furthermore, the uptake of oligonucleotides by MCF-7 cells is not affected by the treatment with microwaves. These observations suggest that endocytosis is not involved in the uptake of doxorubicin while cells are exposed to microwave irradiation. Thus, targeted low power microwave irradiation could be a safe and effective means of promoting chemotoxin delivery to cancer cells, potentially reducing the dosages and side effects of anti-cancer drugs.