Background
MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA that regulate gene expression at a post-transcriptional level affecting several cellular processes including inflammation, neurodegeneration and ...remyelination. Different patterns of miRNAs expression have been demonstrated in multiple sclerosis compared to controls, as well as in different courses of the disease. For these reason they have been postulated as promising biomarkers candidates in multiple sclerosis.
Objective
to correlate serum microRNAs profile expression with disability, cognitive functioning and brain volume in patients with remitting-relapsing multiple sclerosis.
Methods
cross-sectional study in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients treated with glatiramer acetate. Disability was measured with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and cognitive function was studied with Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Brain volume was analyzed with automatic software NeuroQuant
®
.
Results
We found an association between miR.146a.5p (r
s
:0.434, p=0.03) and miR.9.5p (r
s
:0.516, p=0.028) with EDSS; and miR-146a.5p (r
s
:-0.476, p=0.016) and miR-126.3p (r
s
:-0.528, p=0.007) with SDMT. Regarding to the brain volume, miR.9.5p correlated with thalamus (r
s
:-0.545, p=0.036); miR.200c.3p with pallidum (r
s
:-0.68, p=0.002) and cerebellum (r
s
:-0.472, p=0.048); miR-138.5p with amygdala (r
s
:0.73, p=0.016) and pallidum (r
s
:0.64, p=0.048); and miR-223.3p with caudate (r
s
:0.46, p=0.04).
Conclusions
These data support the hypothesis of microRNA as potential biomarkers in this disease. More studies are needed to validate these results and to better understand the role of microRNAs in the pathogenesis, monitoring and therapeutic response of multiple sclerosis.
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an exaggerated inflammatory reaction secondary to a host's inadequate immune response causing a self-perpetuating loop of altered regulation. Signs and ...symptoms of HLH are compatible with other common diseases and are nonspecific. Underdiagnosis makes it difficult to estimate the real incidence of HLH, especially in developing countries.
Retrospective, descriptive study of pediatric patients admitted to a high-complexity institution in Cali, Colombia between 2012 and 2019 with HLH diagnosis. Medical history review to complete an electronic database and a secondary, descriptive analysis was carried out. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee.
Twenty-one patients were included. 52.4 % of the population was male with a median age of 9.3 years IQR (3.0-13.7 years). More than half of patients (66.6 %) had viral disease at diagnosis, the most frequent being Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) (52.3 %) and dengue (14.3 %). Three patients had confirmed gene mutations (G6PC3, XIAP, and UNC13D). 95 % of the patients were treated with the HLH 2004 protocol, half of them received incomplete protocol with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and/or systemic steroids, while the other half received the complete protocol including etoposide and cyclosporine. More than three-fourths (76.2 %) required admission to an ICU with a median stay of 14 days IQR (11-37 days) and a median hospital stay of 30 days IQR (18-93 days). 14.3 % (n = 3) of patients died.
HLH is a complex disease that requires multidisciplinary management with secondary HLH due to EBV infection being a common cause. There is increasing awareness of HLH diagnosis in developing countries such as Colombia which can offer earlier treatment options and better outcomes.
Plasmodium falciparum infection in pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa is often asymptomatic. As these forms of malaria are often submicroscopic and difficult to diagnose by conventional methods ...(microscopy and/or rapid diagnostic test), diagnosis requires the use of molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This study analyses the prevalence of subclinical malaria and its association with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, a topic that has been scarcely evaluated in the literature.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using semi-nested multiplex PCR to assess the presence of P. falciparum in placental and peripheral blood of 232 parturient pregnant women at the Hospital Provincial de Tete, Mozambique between March 2017 and May 2019. Multivariate regressions were performed to assess the associations of maternal subclinical malaria with several maternal and neonatal outcomes after controlling for the presence of preeclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E) and HIV infection, as well as for other maternal and pregnancy characteristics.
In total, 17.2% (n = 40) of the women studied had positive PCR for P. falciparum (7 in placental blood only, 3 in peripheral blood only). We found a significant association between subclinical malaria and a higher peripartum mortality risk, which persisted after controlling for maternal comorbidity and maternal and pregnancy characteristics (adjusted odds ratio: 3.50 1.11-10.97). In addition, PE/E and HIV infections were also significantly associated with several adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.
This study demonstrated the association of subclinical malaria, as well as of PE/E and HIV, in pregnant women with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Therefore, molecular methods may be sensitive tools to identify asymptomatic infections that can reduce the impact on peripartum mortality and their contribution to sustained transmission of the parasite in endemic countries.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) can be synthesized by green methods using plant extracts. These methods are more environmentally friendly and offer improved properties of the synthesized NPs in terms of ...biocompatibility and functional capabilities. Traditional medicine has a rich history of utilization of herbs for millennia, offering a viable alternative or complementary option to conventional pharmacological medications. Plants of traditional herbal use or those with medicinal properties are candidates to be used to obtain NPs due to their high and complex content of biocompounds with different redox capacities that provide a dynamic reaction environment for NP synthesis. Other synthesis conditions, such as salt precursor concentration, temperature, time synthesis, and pH, have a significant effect on the characteristics of the NPs. This paper will review the properties of some compounds from medicinal plants, plant extract obtention methods alternatives, characteristics of plant extracts, and how they relate to the NP synthesis process. Additionally, the document includes diverse applications associated with CuNPs, starting from antibacterial properties to potential applications in metabolic disease treatment, vegetable tissue culture, therapy, and cardioprotective effect, among others.
Aim: To analyse differences in the eruption of primary teeth between both sexes.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in a sample of 1250 children aged between 3 and 42 ...months. The clinical emergence of teeth was taken to estimate average ages for primary teeth eruption. The t-test was used to analyse gender and arch differences.
Results: Eruption of primary teeth began at the same time in girls as in boys; although the eruptive process was longer in girls. It was observed that almost all deciduous teeth emerged earlier in boys, except for the first molar (upper and lower) and the maxillary central incisors. The differences were statistically significant for almost all the primary teeth except for the central incisors, both upper and lower.
Conclusions: By comparing the timing of the eruption of primary teeth in both sexes, it was found that eruption of almost all primary teeth took place earlier in boys than in girls and that the eruption process was shorter for boys than for girls. Most of the deciduous teeth erupted earlier in the right side in both sexes. No differences were found in the sequence of eruption of primary teeth between genders.
An altered gut microbiota has been associated with insulin resistance, a metabolic dysfunction consisting of cellular insulin signaling impairment. The aim of the present study is to determine the ...taxonomic and functional fecal microbiota signatures associated with HOMA-IR index in a population with high cardiovascular risk.
A total of 279 non-diabetic individuals (55-75 years aged) with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome were stratified according to tertiles of HOMA-IR index. Blood biochemical parameters, anthropometric measurements and fecal samples were collected at baseline. Fecal microbial DNA extraction, 16S amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed.
,
and
UCG-002 were negatively associated with HOMA-IR index, whereas predicted total functional abundances revealed gut metabolic modules mainly linked to amino acid degradation.
,
UCG-003,
were positively associated with HOMA-IR index, whereas predicted total functional abundances revealed gut metabolic modules mainly linked to saccharide degradation. These bacteria contribute differentially to the gut metabolic modules, being the degree of contribution dependent on insulin resistance. Both taxa and gut metabolic modules negatively associated to HOMA-IR index were linked to mechanisms involving sulfate reducing bacteria, improvement of intestinal gluconeogenesis and production of acetate. Furthermore, both taxa and gut metabolic modules positively associated to HOMA-IR index were linked to production and mechanisms of action of butyrate.
Specific taxonomic and functional fecal microbiota signatures associated with insulin resistance were identified in a non-diabetic population with overweight/obesity at high cardiovascular risk. These findings suggest that tailoring therapies based on specific fecal microbiota profiles could be a potential strategy to improve insulin sensitivity.
The impact of carbohydrate quality, measured by the carbohydrate quality index (CQI), on gut microbiota and health has been scarcely investigated. The aim of this study was to cross-sectionally and ...longitudinally explore the relationships between CQI, fecal microbiota, and cardiometabolic risk factors in an elderly Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk. At baseline and 1-year, CQI was assessed from food frequency questionnaires data, cardiometabolic risk factors were measured, and fecal microbiota profiled from 16S sequencing. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression models were fitted to assess the associations between tertiles of baseline CQI, fecal microbiota, and cardiometabolic risk factors at baseline, and between tertiles of 1-year change in CQI, 1-year change in fecal microbiota and cardiometabolic risk factors. Cross-sectionally, higher CQI was positively associated with Shannon alpha diversity index, and abundance of genera Faecalibacterium and Christensenellaceae R7 group, and negatively associated with the abundance of Odoribacter, and uncultured Rhodospirillales genera. Some of these genera were associated with higher glycated hemoglobin and lower body mass index. In addition, we observed a positive association between CQI, and some pathways related with the metabolism of butyrate precursors and plants-origin molecules. Longitudinally, 1-year improvement in CQI was associated with a concurrent increase in the abundance of genera Butyrivibrio. Increased abundance of this genera was associated with 1-year improvement in insulin status. These observations suggest that a better quality of carbohydrate intake is associated with improved metabolic health, and this improvement could be modulated by greater alpha diversity and abundance of specific genera linked to beneficial metabolic outcomes.
To determine the effect of disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) on disease activity rebound in patients discontinuing natalizumab (NTZ).
Twenty-one patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis ...(RRMS) treated with NTZ for ≥1 year and who switched to DMDs (glatiramer acetate GA or interferon) were followed up for 12 months in clinical practice. Clinical outcomes after NTZ cessation were assessed every 3 months for 1 year and MRI was performed at 12 months.
Twelve months after switching from NTZ to DMDs, there were no significant differences in the annualized relapse rate (ARR) compared to the days that NTZ was used (0.3 vs. 0.1; p = 0.083); and the ARR never reached similar values to those prior to NTZ use (1.61; p < 0.001). The percentage of relapse-free patients after switching from NTZ was 71.4%. These patients did not have lower disease activity before NTZ compared with those with clinical relapses (1.3 vs. 1.7; p = 0.302), but they had lower Expanded Disability Status Scale scores (3.4 vs. 5.7; p = 0.001). DMDs had beneficial effects on MRI parameters, as 10 of 16 patients (62.5%) presented no evidence of radiological activity 12 months after NTZ discontinuation.
Patients with RRMS and moderate disability who discontinued NTZ for safety reasons may benefit from the DMDs GA and interferon with no known risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
To evaluate the changes in the gut microbiota associated with changes in the biochemical markers of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) after a lifestyle intervention with the Mediterranean ...diet. Participants (n = 297) from two centers of PREDIMED-Plus trial (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) were divided into three different groups based on the change tertile in the Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI) or the Fibrosis−4 score (FIB−4) between baseline and one year of intervention. One-year changes in HSI were: tertile 1 (T1) (−24.9 to −7.51), T2 (−7.5 to −1.86), T3 (−1.85 to 13.64). The most significant differences in gut microbiota within the year of intervention were observed in the T1 and T3. According to the FIB−4, participants were categorized in non-suspected fibrosis (NSF) and with indeterminate or suspected fibrosis (SF). NSF participants showed higher abundances of Alcaligenaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, Clostridiaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Verrucomicrobiaceae compared to those with SF. Then, participants were divided depending on the FIB−4 tertile of change: T1 (−89.60 to −5.57), T2 (−5.56 to 11.4), and T3 (11.41 to 206.24). FIB−4 T1 showed a decrease in Akkermansia and an increase in Desulfovibrio. T2 had an increase in Victivallaceae, Clostridiaceae, and Desulfovibrio. T3 showed a decrease in Enterobacteriaceae, and an increase in Sutterella, Faecalibacterium, and Blautia. A relation between biochemical index changes of NAFLD/NASH (HSI and FIB−4) and gut microbiota changes were found. These observations highlight the importance of lifestyle intervention in the modulation of gut microbiota and the management of metabolic syndrome and its hepatic manifestations.
What You Need to Know
What is the context:
Obesity and metabolic syndrome have been associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Gut microbiota and its interaction with the environment may play a key role in NAFLD.
What is new:
Mediterranean diet and physical activity can modify the scores for liver steatosis (HSI) and liver fibrosis (FIB−4) in only one year. A relation between the changes in these scores and gut microbiota changes was found.
What is the impact:
The discovery of microbiota-based biomarkers for NAFLD and the development of strategies to modulate gut microbiota in the treatment of NAFLD.
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