Background: Polymorphisms of long noncoding RNAs are lately documented as hazardous factors for the development of numerous tumors. Furthermore, the evaluation of noncoding RNAs has emerged as a ...novel detector of breast cancer patients. We aimed to genotype the HOXA transcript at the distal tip (HOTTIP) rs1859168 and assess its relationship with the levels of the serum HOTTIP and its target miR-615-3p in patients with breast cancer (BC). Methods: One hundred and fifty-one patients with BC, 139 patients with fibroadenoma (FA), and 143 healthy participants were incorporated into the current study. The genotyping of rs1859168 and the measurements of the HOTTIP and miR-615-3p levels were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR. Results: We revealed a significant association between each of the CC genotypes, C allele, dominant and recessive models, and the increased risk of BC (p = 0.013, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively) relative to the healthy controls. Similarly, the CC genotype, C allele, and recessive model were observed to be related to the increased incidence of BC with respect to FA (p < 0.001 for all). A significant upregulation of HOTTIP and a marked decrease of miR-615-3p were verified in patients with BC compared to each of the healthy individuals, patients with FA, and the non-BC group (healthy subjects + FA) (p < 0.001 for all). A significant negative correlation was demonstrated between the expression of HOTTIP and miR-615-3p in the serum of patients with BC. The HOTTIP expression was upregulated, while that of miR-615-3p was downregulated in patients with BC who carried the CC genotype with respect to those who carried the AA or AC genotypes (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: The genetic variants of rs1859168 are linked to an increased susceptibility to BC. Moreover, HOTTIP and miR-615-3p may be used as novel indicators and targets for the treatment of patients with BC.
The suburban transmission of malaria in Selangor, Malaysia's most developed and populous state still remains a concern for public health in this region. Despite much successful control efforts ...directed at its reduction, sporadic cases, mostly brought in by foreigners have continued to occur. In addition, cases of simian malaria caused by Plasmodium knowlesi, some with fatal outcome have caused grave concern to health workers. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of local malaria transmission in suburban regions of Selangor, which are adjacent to secondary rainforests.
A malaria survey spanning 7 years (2006 - 2012) was conducted in Selangor. A total of 1623 laboratory confirmed malaria cases were reported from Selangor's nine districts. While 72.6% of these cases (1178/1623) were attributed to imported malaria (cases originating from other countries), 25.5% (414/1623) were local cases and 1.9% (31/1623) were considered as relapse and unclassified cases combined. In this study, the most prevalent infection was P. vivax (1239 cases, prevalence 76.3%) followed by P. falciparum (211, 13.0%), P. knowlesi (75, 4.6%), P. malariae (71, 4.4%) and P. ovale (1, 0.06%). Mixed infections comprising of P. vivax and P. falciparum were confirmed (26, 1.6%). Entomological surveys targeting the residences of malaria patients' showed that the most commonly trapped Anopheles species was An. maculatus. No oocysts or sporozoites were found in the An. maculatus collected. Nevertheless, the possibility of An. maculatus being the malaria vector in the investigated locations was high due to its persistent occurrence in these areas.
Malaria cases reported in this study were mostly imported cases. However the co-existence of local cases and potential Plasmodium spp. vectors should be cause for concern. The results of this survey reflect the need of maintaining closely monitored malaria control programs and continuous extensive malaria surveillance in Peninsula Malaysia.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Decellularization of tissues provides extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds for regeneration therapy and an experimental model to understand ECM and cellular interactions. However, decellularization ...often causes microstructure disintegration and reduction of physical strength, which greatly limits the use of this technique in soft organs or in applications that require maintenance of physical strength. Here, we present a new tissue decellularization procedure, namely CASPER ( C linically and Experimentally A pplicable Acellular Tissue S caffold P roduction for Tissue E ngineering and R egenerative Medicine), which includes infusion and hydrogel polymerization steps prior to robust chemical decellularization treatments. Polymerized hydrogels serve to prevent excessive damage to the ECM while maintaining the sophisticated structures and biological activities of ECM components in various organs, including soft tissues such as brains and embryos. CASPERized tissues were successfully recellularized to stimulate a tissue-regeneration-like process after implantation without signs of pathological inflammation or fibrosis in vivo, suggesting that CASPERized tissues can be used for monitoring cell–ECM interactions and for surrogate organ transplantation.
In many applications, the radiating elements of the used antenna may be configured in the form of a one-dimensional linear array, or two-dimensional planar array or even random array. In such ...applications, a simple optimization algorithm is highly needed to optimally determine the excitation amplitudes and phases of the array elements to maximize the system’s performance. This paper uses a convex optimization instead of other complex global stochastic optimizations to synthesize a linear, planar, and random array patterns under pre-specified constraint conditions. These constraints could be either fixed beam width with the lowest possible sidelobe levels or fixed sidelobe level with narrower possible beam width. Two approaches for array pattern optimization have been considered. The first one deals with the problem of obtaining a feasible minimum sidelobe level for a given beam width, while the second one tries to obtain a feasible minimum beam width pattern for a given sidelobe level. Both optimization approaches were applied to the linear, planar, and random arrays. Simulation results verified the effectiveness of both optimization approaches and for all considered array configurations.
Neurogenesis occurs spontaneously in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricle in adult rodent brain, but it has long been debated whether there is sufficient adult neurogenesis in human ...SVZ. Subcallosal zone (SCZ), a posterior continuum of SVZ closely associated with posterior regions of cortical white matter, has also been reported to contain adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) in both rodents and humans. However, little is known whether SCZ‐derived aNSC (SCZ‐aNSCs) can produce cortical neurons following brain injury. We found that SCZ‐aNSCs exhibited limited neuronal differentiation potential in culture and after transplantation in mice. Neuroblasts derived from SCZ initially migrated toward injured cortex regions following brain injury, but later exhibited apoptosis. Overexpression of anti‐apoptotic bcl‐xL in the SCZ by retroviral infection rescued neuroblasts from cell death in the injured cortex, but neuronal maturation was still limited, resulting in atrophy. In combination with Bcl‐xL, infusion of brain‐derived neurotropic factor rescued atrophy, and importantly, a subset of such SCZ‐aNSCs differentiated and attained morphological and physiological characteristics of mature, excitatory neurons. These results suggest that the combination of anti‐apoptotic and neurotrophic factors might enable the use of aNSCs derived from the SCZ in cortical neurogenesis for neural replacement therapy. Stem Cells 2016;34:888–901
Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult subventricular zone (SVZ) are regionally specified and have distinct molecular gene expression signatures. Recently, we identified the subcallosal zone (SCZ) as ...a novel brain region where adult NSCs maintain and spontaneously produce neuroblasts. In an attempt to isolate genes specifically expressed in the SCZ or SVZ, microarray analyses of their differentially expressing transcripts were done. The comparison between neurospheres generated from SVZ and SCZ revealed differential expression >1.5-fold in two groups in only 83 genes, representing <0.03% of the genes examined, suggesting that these two populations are largely similar. The differential expression patterns SCZ and SVZ genes were confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blots. The selective expressions of two genes (CRBP1, HMGA1) in SVZ-NSCs were further confirmed by immunohistochemistry. These molecular markers could be useful for further molecular and cellular characterization of NSCs.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy in Egypt. Genetic and environmental factors play a role in its development. This study explored the association between the ...long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) MEG3 rs7158663 polymorphism, MEG3 expression, and the risk of HCC and other clinicopathologic characteristics in an Egyptian population.
This case-control study included 114 patients with HCC and 110 healthy controls. TaqMan Real-time PCR was used to analyze lncRNA MEG3 rs7158663. Serum MEG3 expression levels were measured using RT-PCR.
The AA, GA+AA, and A alleles were associated with increased risk for HCC (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 11.84%, 95% CI 4.07-34.45, p < 0.0001; adjusted OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.79-5.67, p < 0.0001; and adjusted OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.91-4.34, p < 0.0001, respectively). The mutant genotype and allele were linked to an increased risk in male patients and patients ≥ 50 years old. MEG3 serum expression level was downregulated in HCC patients. The rs7158663 G > A polymorphism and downregulated MEG3 were significantly associated with larger tumor size and advanced disease stage.
MEG3 rs7158663 single nucleotide polymorphisms and downregulated lncRNA MEG3 were associated with HCC risk and may represent diagnostic and bad prognostic factors for HCC patients.
Aging is a major risk factor for many neurodegenerative diseases. Klotho (KL) is a glycosylated transmembrane protein that is expressed in the choroid plexus and neurons of the brain. KL exerts ...potent anti-aging effects on multiple cell types in the body but its role in human brain cells remains largely unclear. Here we show that human cortical neurons, derived from human pluripotent stem cells in 2D cultures or in cortical organoids, develop the typical hallmarks of senescent cells when maintained in vitro for prolonged periods of time, and that moderate upregulation or repression of endogenous KL expression in cortical organoids inhibits and accelerates senescence, respectively. We further demonstrate that KL expression alters the expression of senescence-associated genes including, extracellular matrix genes, and proteoglycans, and can act in a paracrine fashion to inhibit neuronal senescence. In summary, our results establish an important role for KL in the regulation of human neuronal senescence and offer new mechanistic insight into its role in human brain aging.
Neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) constitute a bipotent cell population that generates a wide variety of trunk cell and tissue types during embryonic development. Derivatives of NMPs include both ...mesodermal lineage cells such as muscles and vertebral bones, and neural lineage cells such as neural crests and central nervous system neurons. Such diverse lineage potential combined with a limited capacity for self-renewal, which persists during axial elongation, demonstrates that NMPs are a major source of trunk tissues. This review describes the identification and characterization of NMPs across multiple species. We also discuss key cellular and molecular steps for generating neural and mesodermal cells for building up the elongating trunk tissue.
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