Starksharpe8658

Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. It was previously demonstrated that miR-155 and miR-146a served a vital role in the pathophysiology of MS, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in miR-155 and miR-146a were found to be associated with the susceptibility to different autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and type I diabetes. The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between susceptibility to MS and two genetic polymorphisms (miR-155 rs767649 A>T and miR-146a rs57095329 A>G) in a cohort of Egyptian patients. The presence of the two polymorphisms were analyzed in 114 patients with MS and 152 healthy controls using quantitative PCR. The present study demonstrated for the first time that The TT genotype and T allele in miR-155 (rs767649 A>T) polymorphism were associated with an increased risk of MS; the miR-146a (rs57095329 A>G) mutated G allele conferred protection against the development of MS in all genetic models; miR-155 rs767649 A>T was a risk associated polymorphism of MS in females, but not in males; and miR-155 rs767649 AT/TT and miR-146a rs57095329 GG genotypes showed significantly higher distributions among patients with higher Expanded Disability Status Scale scores and secondary progressive MS subgroups. Therefore, miR-155 rs767649 polymorphism may confer susceptibility to MS, whereas miR-146a rs57095329 may be protective against MS in an Egyptian cohort. Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.The effects of training on muscle structure are dependent on adaptive changes induced by different intensities of physical exercise. Evidence has shown that aerobic training is able to induce adaptive changes to muscle structure based on intensity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different methods of continuous aerobic training in mice using functional, morphological and biomolecular approaches. The continuous aerobic training methods used in the present study were uniform continuous training (UC), varying continuous training (VC) and progressive continuous training (PC). Mice were made to run 3 times a week for 12 weeks on a motorized RotaRod, following one of the three different training methods at different speeds. The results of the present study demonstrated that the various training methods had different effects on sarcomere length. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrated that UC training resulted in a shortening of sarcomere length, PC training resulted in an elongation of sarcomere length and VC training showed similar sarcomere length when compared with the control sedentary group. Additionally, succinate dehydrogenase complex flavoprotein subunit A levels in muscle tissue following VC training were higher compared with UC and PC training. Overall, the present study showed that varying exercise methods resulted in different types of muscle plasticity, and that the VC protocol resulted in increased coordination and strength endurance in the functional tests, in agreement with the ultrastructural and biochemical profile. These observations support the view that VC training may be more efficient in increasing performance and may thus form the basis of training regimens when an improvement of motor efficiency is required. Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between different personality traits with monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) and serotonin transporter (5-HTT), and to examine their effects on the severity of menopause symptoms as well as the levels of depression in menopausal women. The study was designed as an analytical cross-sectional study, performed on 132 healthy post-menopausal women in Iran. Personality was assessed using the Revised Edition of the NEO Personality Index (Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness-Five Factor Inventory). The symptoms score sheet, used for measuring menopausal symptoms, was used to classify the participants according to their menopausal symptoms. Furthermore, Beck Depression Inventory short version was also used to assess depressive symptoms. Examination of blood samples taken from all participants was to identify DNA polymorphisms of 5-HTT using PCR. The results of the present study showed that a high level of neuroticism (P less then 0.0001), low levels of extroversion (P less then 0.002), an openness to experience (P=0.039) and conscientiousness (P=0.001) were all positively associated with the severity of menopausal symptoms. In addition, a high level of neuroticism (P less then 0.0001), low levels of extroversion (P less then 0.0001), and a low level of agreeableness (P less then 0.024) and conscientiousness (P less then 0.0001) were all positively associated with depressive symptoms. There was no statistically significant association between MAO-A and 5-HTT polymorphisms with menopause and depression scores. Based on these results, there appears to be a significant association between personality traits with both depression and menopausal symptoms. Identification of homogeneous groups of women who are predisposed to depression and severe menopausal symptoms may allow for the implementation of early prevention programs. Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.Diabetes leads to reduced nitric oxide bioavailability, resulting in endothelial dysfunction. However, overproduction of nitric oxide due to hyperglycaemia is associated with oxidative stress and tissue damage. The objective of this study was to characterise nitric oxide production (NO) and added nitrite and nitrate (NO2 -+NO3 -) concentration in the blood and urine of patients with and without diabetic nephropathy. A total of 268 patients with type 1 diabetes and 69 healthy subjects were included. Diabetic nephropathy was defined as macroalbuminuria and/or estimated glomerular filtration rate below 60 ml/min/1.73 cm2. NO2 -+NO3 - concentration was measured by Griess reaction. Production of NO was detected by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Blood NO was demonstrated to be higher (P less then 0.001) and serum NO2 -+NO3 - was lower (P=0.003) in patients with type 1 diabetes and no nephropathy vs. healthy subjects. selleck compound However, serum NO2 -+NO3 - concentration in patients with diabetes and nephropathy did not differ from the levels observed in healthy controls. Urine excretion of NO2 -+NO3 - was significantly decreased in patients with nephropathy, compared with patients without diabetic kidney disease (P=0.006) and healthy subjects (P=0.010). A significant positive correlation was observed between urine NO2 -+NO3 - and estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with type 1 diabetes (P=0.002) and healthy subjects (P=0.008). Estimated glomerular filtration rate, albuminuria and diabetic nephropathy status were significant predictors of the whole blood NO and NO2 -+NO3 - in serum and urine in patients with type 1 diabetes, as identified by linear regression models. The present study concludes that NO metabolism is impaired by type 1 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy. Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.Cancer vaccine immunotherapy is a therapy that induces cellular immune responses against a target molecule to elicit clinical anti-tumor effects. These cellular immune responses against the target molecule are monitored to evaluate whether the antigen-specific cellular immune responses are induced and maintained during the vaccination period. Enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay is widely performed to analyze not only the frequency of immune cells, but also their effector functions as determined by their cytokine production/secretion. The present study aimed to develop a reader-free ELISPOT assay using a handy membrane-punching device termed ELI 8. With the assistance of particle analysis by ImageJ software, the results of spot counting were reproducible with high inter-assay and inter-examiner concordance. Immune cells that produce and secrete Th1 cytokines without antigen-peptide stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were detected, and their frequencies in patients with cancer were significantly higher compared with those in healthy individuals. These frequencies varied between individuals, as well as between time points during the course of cancer vaccine immunotherapy in each patient. Due to the variability in spontaneous cytokine production/secretion by PBMCs, an antigen-specific immune response (IR) index is proposed, which is a ratio of the number of spot-forming cells (SFCs) subjected to antigen-stimulation to that of SFCs with spontaneous cytokine secretion without antigen-stimulation. This index may be used as a marker for antigen-specific cellular immune responses in patients treated with cancer immunotherapy. The IR index successfully detected the induction of Wilms' tumor 1-specific cellular immune responses in patients with cancer treated with cancer vaccine immunotherapy. Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and ICOS-L (also referred to as B7 homolog 1 and 2, respectively) modulate the immune inflammatory response. The aim of the present study was to examine the expression levels of these inflammatory mediators in two groups of patients with an Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection; patients with and without gastric cancer. The association between bacterial virulence factors, CagA and VacA, was also examined, as well as their correlation with the inflammatory profile. Endoscopy analysis indicated that 18 patients suffered from cancer and 28 patients suffered from other gastric pathologies. PCR and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were used to analyze gastric biopsies and determine the expression levels of the inflammatory modulators PD-L1 and ICOS-L, transcription factors, cytokines and other genes associated with inflammation and pathogenicity. All 46 patients were determined positive for markers of H. pylori. Patients with stomach cancer had lower levels of ICOS-L (P less then 0.05) and GATA3 (P less then 0.01), a negative correlation between CagA and IL-17 (P less then 0.05), a positive correlation between CagA and IL-10 (P less then 0.05), a negative correlation between vacA-m1 and retinoid orphan receptor γt (RORγt) (P less then 0.001), and a positive correlation between RORγt and ICOS-L (P less then 0.001). The reduced levels of ICOS-L and GATA3 along with the negative correlation between CagA and IL-17, and between vacA-m1 and RORγt were all associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer in the present cohort. Copyright © Guillermo Espinoza-Contreras et al.Oxidative stress is involved in the development of diabetes. Nitric oxide (NO) contributes to oxidative stress, affects the synthesis of glutathione (GSH) in tissues and also regulates important physiological processes. The levels of nitrosative stress, assessed by measuring the levels of 3-nitrotirosina (3NT) as well as the bioavailability of NO are modulated by exercise and hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of exercise and HBO on the levels of NO, 3NT and GSH in tissues of various organs obtained from diabetic mice. Female mice were fed a high-fat/high-fructose diet to induce diabetes. Mice with diabetes were subjected to exercise and/or HBO. Initial and final concentrations of NO, 3NT and GSH were assessed in the muscle, liver, kidney, heart, spleen, lung, brain, visceral adipose, thoracic aorta and small intestine. Diabetes did not affect initial values of NO, although it significantly increased the levels of 3NT. The basal level of GSH in the diabetic group was lower than or comparable to that of the control group in the majority of the organs assessed.