Introduction: The aim of the current research was to investigate and compare the effectiveness of Subjective Well Being Program and Fordyce Cognitive Behavior method in reduction of depression in ...high school students of Isfahan City. Methods: In the study, 150 high school girl and boy students who suffered from depression were randomly selected and were assigned in six groups (4 experimental groups and 2 control groups(n=25)). The intervention methods were Subjective well-being Program and Fordyce cognitive-behavior method. Kovacs questionnaire was chosen as a research instrument. Results: Variance analysis showed some significant differences between the control and experimental groups with regards to depression reduction. The follow up Scheffe test also showed that there were no significant differences between the Subjective well-being Program and Fordyce cognitive-behavior methods. Conclusion: According to the performed research, both educational methods were effective in reducing depression without any significant difference between the two methods.
The ability to express and purify large quantity of proteins in bacteria has greatly impacted many aspects of biological research. These include their use as a source of reagent for biochemical and ...biophysical studies as well as a source of antigen for antibody production. Currently many different expression systems are available and new ones are being developed. These systems allow inducible expression of a desired protein as a fusion with an affinity tag for simple purification. The affinity tags can generally be removed by specific proteases which recognize cleavage sites engineered between the affinity tag and the desired protein. Presence of tags that encode epitopes of specific antibodies provide additional means for identification of recombinant proteins. This review provides an overview of some of the most commonly utilized expression systems and examples of the use of these proteins in biochemical and biophysical studies. I will also describe other available systems which may provide suitable alternative for expression of recombinant proteins.
Events responsible for cerebrovascular disease in diabetes are not fully understood. Pericyte loss is an early event that leads to endothelial cell death, microaneurysms, and cognitive impairment. A ...biochemical mechanism underlying pericyte loss is rapid respiration (oxidative metabolism of glucose). This escalation in respiration results from free influx of glucose into insulin-insensitive tissues in the face of high glucose levels in the blood. Rapid respiration generates superoxide, the precursor to all reactive oxygen species (ROS), and results in pericyte death. Respiration is regulated by carbonic anhydrases (CAs) VA and VB, the two isozymes expressed in mitochondria, and their pharmacologic inhibition with topiramate reduces respiration, ROS, and pericyte death.
Topiramate inhibits both isozymes; therefore, in the earlier studies, their individual roles were not discerned. In a recent genetic study, we showed that mitochondrial CA VA plays a significant role in regulation of reactive oxygen species and pericyte death. The role of CA VB was not addressed.
In this report, genetic knockdown and overexpression studies confirm that mitochondrial CA VA regulates respiration in pericytes, whereas mitochondrial CA VB does not contribute significantly. Identification of mitochondrial CA VA as a sole regulator of respiration provides a specific target to develop new drugs with fewer side effects that may be better tolerated and can protect the brain from diabetic injury. Since similar events occur in the capillary beds of other insulin-insensitive tissues such as the eye and kidney, these drugs may also slow the onset and progression of diabetic disease in these tissues.
•Mitochondrial CA VA (mCA VA) genetic knockdown decreases pericyte ROS and apoptosis.•Overexpression of mCA VA, on the other hand, increases pericyte ROS and apoptosis.•Genetic alterations in mCA VB expression do not affect pericyte ROS and apoptosis.•mCA VA is a unique target to protect brain microvasculature from diabetic damage.•mCA VA inhibition may protect microvasculature of other insulin-insensitive tissues.
► A UASB was successfully used for treatment of petroleum refinery effluent. ► Response surface methodology was applied to design and analysis of experiments. ► System was modeled between efficient ...factors include HRT, influent COD and Vup. ► UASB was able to remove about 76.3% influent COD at optimum conditions.
An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactor was successfully used for the treatment of petroleum refinery effluent. Before optimization, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was 81% at a constant organic loading rate (OLR) of 0.4kg/m3d and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 48h. The rate of biogas production was 559mL/h at an HRT of 40h and an influent COD of 1000mg/L. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to predict the behaviors of influent COD, upflow velocity (Vup) and HRT in the bioreactor. RSM showed that the best models for COD removal and biogas production rate were the reduced quadratic and cubic models, respectively. The optimum region, identified based on two critical responses, was an influent COD of 630mg/L, a Vup of 0.27m/h, and an HRT of 21.4h. This resulted in a 76.3% COD removal efficiency and a 0.25Lbiogas/Lfeedd biogas production rate.
Diabetes-associated complications in the microvasculature of the brain are caused by oxidative stress, generated by overproduction of reactive oxygen species from hyperglycemia-induced accelerated ...oxidative metabolism of glucose. Pericytes, essential for the viability of the microvasculature, are especially susceptible to oxidative stress. Mitochondrial carbonic anhydrases, regulators of the oxidative metabolism of glucose, determine the rate of reactive oxygen species production and inhibition of mitochondrial carbonic anhydrases rescues glucose-induced pericyte loss in the diabetic mouse brain. We hypothesized that high glucose induces intracellular oxidative stress and pericyte apoptosis and that inhibition of mitochondrial carbonic anhydrases protects pericytes from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. To validate our hypothesis, conditionally immortalized cerebral pericyte (IPC) cultures were established from Immortomice to investigate the effect of high glucose on oxidative stress and pericyte apoptosis. The IPCs expressed pericyte markers and induced high transendothelial electrical resistance and low permeability in brain endothelial cell monolayers comparable with pericytes in primary cultures. The IPCs also secreted cytokines constitutively and in response to lipopolysaccharide similar to pericytes. High glucose caused oxidative stress and apoptosis of these cells, with both oxidative stress and apoptosis significantly reduced after mitochondrial carbonic anhydrase inhibition. These results provide the first evidence that pharmacological inhibition of mitochondrial carbonic anhydrases attenuates pericyte apoptosis caused by high glucose-induced oxidative stress. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors have a long history of safe clinical use and can be immediately evaluated for this new indication in translational research. Thus, mitochondrial carbonic anhydrases may provide a new therapeutic target for oxidative stress-related illnesses of the brain.
Background:
Data published by task groups of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the European Society of Cardiology, and other medical associations and institutions show that ...chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy is still a challenging issue that requires further research.
Objective:
To compare the cardioprotective potential of trimetazidine and dapagliflozin in a rat model of doxorubicin-cyclophospha-mide cardiomyopathy.
Materials and methods:
Our randomized in vivo experimental study included 80 Wistar female rats. Doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide were administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg, respectively. Trimetazidine (42 mg/kg) and dapagliflozin (14 mg/kg) were additionally administered to groups 3 and 4, respectively. The total duration of the experiment was 14 days.
Results:
Doxorubicin+cyclophosphamide mode of chemotherapy induces the development of toxic-ischemic cardiomyopathy. The trimetazidine and dapagliflozin administration was accompanied by stabilization of cardiovascular parameters. Comparison of both drugs’ cardioprotective properties revealed a clear advantage of dapagliflozin over trimetazidine, especially in terms of such an important indicator as N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide.
Conclusions:
Further research aimed at exploring the cardioprotective potential of dapagliflozin against cardiovascular complications of chemotherapy is justified from a pathogenetic point of view.
Abstract
Background: Current breast cancer screening guidelines call for annual mammography for asymptomatic women age 45 to 54 and once every two years for women age 55 and older. Women with ...suspicious screening mammograms are recommended for a diagnostic mammogram and may also undergo MRI or ultrasound. Ultimately, suspicious findings unresolved by imaging typically result in the recommendation of a breast biopsy. Approximately 10% of suspicious diagnostic mammograms are recommended for breast biopsies and 67% to 95% of these biopsies yield negative results. With the goal of reducing the number of patients with benign pathology undergoing invasive biopsies, we conducted a screen for serum protein biomarkers and identified a novel panel for the non-invasive detection of breast cancer.
Methods: Serum samples were collected at two sites from women with suspicious diagnostic mammogram findings (primarily BI-RADS category 4) undergoing biopsy for the evaluation of a potential malignancy. Serum samples from 100-patients (50 benign pathology and 50 malignant pathology) were evaluated on the SOMAscan Assay 1.3k, which measures levels of 1,310 different protein analytes. Statistical screening methodologies, such as individual t-tests with control for false discovery, were used to identify markers with the potential to distinguish benign from malignant pathology. The candidate markers were further studied and combined using generalized linear modeling to develop three potential diagnostic models. K-fold cross validation was used to guard against over fitting of the models.
Results: A 15-marker model resulted in an AUC of 0.92 with a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 76%. Two 6-marker models (with 4 markers in common) each resulted in AUC of 0.85, yielding a sensitivity of 90% with a specificity of 56% or 64%.
Conclusions: This study reveals a novel panel of serum protein biomarkers that may allow for the non-invasive and sensitive detection of breast cancer in BI-RADS category 4 patients. A multicenter study is underway to further refine and validate this panel in a larger set of prospectively collected patient samples.
Citation Format: Chapman KB, Copeland K, Kidd J, Qiu L, Sheibani N, Tam O, Friedman L, Korn R, Fiorica J, Lourenco A, Suthers S, Hesterberg L. Development of a panel of serum-based protein biomarkers for the non-invasive detection of breast cancer in BI-RADS category 4 patients abstract. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-03-05.
To compare visual outcomes and contrast sensitivity after wavefront-optimized or conventional photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in myopic patients with or without astigmatism.
Vanak Eye Surgery ...Center, Tehran, Iran.
Comparative case series.
Patients with low to moderate myopia with or without astigmatism were allocated into 2 groups. The study group was treated with wavefront-optimized PRK (Allegretto Wave Eye-Q software version 2.020 default treatment) and the control group, with conventional PRK (Technolas 217z). In all cases, treatments were bilateral and performed with the same device. Baseline and 3-month postoperative measures were uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuities, manifest refraction, and contrast sensitivity.
Each group comprised 66 eyes. The mean preoperative spherical equivalent refraction improved from -2.99 diopters (D) ± 1.02 (SD) preoperatively to -0.08 ± 0.26 D 3 months postoperatively in the study group and from -2.66 ± 0.95 D to 0.01 ± 0.30 D, respectively, in the control group. In both groups, the postoperative mesopic and photopic contrast sensitivity decreased significantly at most spatial frequencies. The postoperative decrease in contrast sensitivity in both groups was comparable except at spatial frequencies of 3 cycles per degree (cpd) under mesopic conditions and 12 cpd under photopic conditions, frequencies at which the control group had a greater reduction.
Visual acuity and refractive error outcomes were similar in both treatment groups. After 3 months, mesopic and photopic contrast sensitivity were significantly decreased in both groups; the reduction in the 2 groups was almost comparable.
No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Several studies have indicated the involvement of oxidative stress and high glucose-induced cell death in the development of diabetic neuropathy. Satureja khuzestanica has been recommended in the ...literature as a remedy for the treatment of diabetes, and also contains antioxidant agents. Here, we investigated the possible neuroprotective effects of Satureja khuzestanica extract (SKE) on in vitro and in vivo models of diabetic neuropathy pain. High-glucose-induced damage to pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells and in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats was studied. Tail-flick and rotarod treadmill tests were used to access nociceptive threshold and motor coordination, respectively. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Activated caspase 3 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio—biochemical markers of apoptosis—were evaluated using immunoblotting. We found that elevating the glucose in the medium (to 4× normal) increased cell toxicity and caspase-3 activation in PC12 cells. Incubation with SKE (200 and 250 μg/ml) decreased cell damage. Furthermore, the diabetic rats developed neuropathy, which was evident from thermal hyperalgesia and motor deficit. Administering SKE at a daily dose of between 50 and 200 mg/kg to the diabetic animals for 3 weeks ameliorated hyperglycemia, weight loss, hyperalgesia, and motor deficit, inhibited caspase 3 activation, and decreased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. The results suggest that SKE exerts neuroprotective effects against hyperglycemia-induced cellular damage. The mechanisms of these effects may be related to (at least in part) the prevention of neural apoptosis, and the results suggest that Satureja has the therapeutic potential to attenuate side effects of diabetes, such as neuropathy.
PDF
