Clinical Trial on the Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Metabolic Profiles in Diabetic Hemodialysis.

The current study was conducted to assess the effects of vitamin D supplementation on insulin metabolism, lipid fractions, biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress in diabetic hemodialysis (HD) patients. This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out among 60 diabetic HD patients. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups to intake either oral vitamin D3 supplements at a dosage of 50 000 IU (n=30) or placebo (n=30) every 2 weeks for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks of intervention, subjects who received vitamin D supplements compared with the placebo had significantly decreased serum insulin concentrations (-3.4±3.7 vs. +2.0±4.2 µIU/ml, p<0.001), homeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (-1.2±1.8 vs. +0.9±2.3, p<0.001), and improved quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (+0.02±0.03 vs. -0.01±0.02, p<0.001). In addition, compared with the placebo, vitamin D supplementation led to significant reductions in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (-1.4±2.5 vs. +1.4±4.8 mg/l, p=0.007), plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) (-0.1±0.2 vs. +0.1±0.2 µmol/l, p=0.009) and a significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) concentrations (+33.8±56.7 vs. -2.0±74.5 mmol/l, p=0.04). We did not see any significant effect of vitamin D supplementation on lipid profiles and other biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress compared with the placebo. Overall, we found that vitamin D supplementation had beneficial effects on serum insulin, HOMA-IR, QUICKI, serum hs-CRP, plasma MDA, and TAC levels among diabetic HD patients for 12 weeks. CLINICAL REGISTRATION:: http://www.irct.ir: IRCT201611155623N92.

Dysregulated expression of long noncoding RNAs in gynecologic cancers.

Cancers of the female reproductive system include ovarian, uterine, vaginal, cervical and vulvar cancers, which are termed gynecologic cancer. The emergence of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are believed to play a crucial role in several different biological processes, has made the regulation of gene expression more complex. Although the function of lncRNAs is still rather elusive, their broad involvement in the initiation and progression of various cancers is clear. They are also involved in the pathogenesis of cancers of the female reproductive system. LncRNAs play a critical physiological role in apoptosis, metastasis, invasion, migration and cell proliferation in these cancers. Different expression profiles of lncRNAs have been observed in various types of tumors compared with normal tissues and between malignant and benign tumors. These differential expression patterns may lead to the promotion or suppression of cancer development and tumorigenesis. In the current review, we present the lncRNAs that show a differential expression between cancerous and normal tissues in ovarian, cervical and endometrial cancers, and highlight the associations between lncRNAs and some of the molecular pathways involved in these cancers.

Protective Effect of Bio-Scaffold Against Vitrification Damage in Mouse Ovarian Tissue.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is regarded as useful method for fertility preservation. This study aimed to preserve most of the follicular reserve from the destructive effects of cryoprotectant solutions and liquid nitrogen. For this purpose, 48 female NMRI mice (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into six groups: Fresh (not vitrified), Vitrification (not encapsulated), Alginate 1 (encapsulated in 1% alginate hydrogel before placing in vitrification solutions), Alginate 2 (encapsulated in 1% alginate hydrogel before placing in liquid nitrogen), Aloe vera 1 (encapsulated in Aloe vera pieces before placing in vitrification solutions), Aloe vera 2 (encapsulated in Aloe vera pieces before placing in liquid nitrogen). After vitrification and warming, the histological evaluation showed that the average number of intact primordial follicles decreased significantly in all groups compared to the Fresh group. (P < 0.05). Results of evaluating the expression of apoptosis-related genes showed that the ratio of Bax/Bcl2 and P53 significantly decreased in the Alginate 2 group compared with the vitrification group. The level of Kit gene (KIT proto-oncogeni receptor tyrosine kinase gene) expression was either the same or lower in the experimental groups than in the vitrification group, but there was no statistically significant difference. Levels of tissue nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in Alginate groups 1 and 2 showed a significant decrease compared with the vitrification group (P < 0.05). To conclude, Encapsulation of ovaries in 1% alginate hydrogel before immersion in liquid nitrogen may reduce the damage caused by cryopreservation.

Molecular and Clinical Investigation of COVID-19: From Pathogenesis and Immune Responses to Novel Diagnosis and Treatment.

The coronavirus-related severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) in 2002/2003, the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) in 2012/2013, and especially the current 2019/2021 severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) negatively affected the national health systems worldwide. Different SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Delta (B.1.617.2), and recently Omicron (B.1.1.529), have emerged resulting from the high rate of genetic recombination and S1-RBD/S2 mutation/deletion in the spike protein that has an impact on the virus activity. Furthermore, genetic variability in certain genes involved in the immune system might impact the level of SARS-CoV-2 recognition and immune response against the virus among different populations. Understanding the molecular mechanism and function of SARS-CoV-2 variants and their different epidemiological outcomes is a key step for effective COVID-19 treatment strategies, including antiviral drug development and vaccine designs, which can immunize people with genetic variabilities against various strains of SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we center our focus on the recent and up-to-date knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 (Alpha to Omicron) origin and evolution, structure, genetic diversity, route of transmission, pathogenesis, new diagnostic, and treatment strategies, as well as the psychological and economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic on individuals and their lives around the world.

Optimization and One-Step Purification of Recombinant V Antigen Production from Yersinia pestis.

The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient and inexpensive method for the useful production of recombinant protein V antigen, an important virulence factor for Yersinia pestis. To this end, the synthetic gene encoding the V antigen was subcloned into the downstream of the intein (INT) and chitin-binding domain (CBD) from the pTXB1 vector using specific primers. In the following, the produced new plasmid, pTX-V, was transformed into E. coli ER2566 strain, and the expression accuracy was confirmed using electrophoresis and Western blotting. In addition, the effects of medium, inducer, and temperature on the enhancement of protein production were studied using the Taguchi method. Finally, the V antigen was purified by a chitin affinity column using INT and CBD tag. The expression was induced by 0.05 mM IPTG at 25 °C under optimal conditions including TB medium. It was observed that the expression of the V-INT-CBD fusion protein was successfully increased to more than 40% of the total protein. The purity of V antigen was as high as 90%. This result indicates that V antigen can be produced at low cost and subjected to one-step purification using a self-cleaving INT tag.

Synergistic effects of dendrosomal nanocurcumin and oxaliplatin on oncogenic properties of ovarian cancer cell lines by down-expression of MMPs

BACKGROUND: Contrary to the advantageous anticancer activities of curcumin (Cur), limited bioavailability and solubility hindered its efficacy. Here, nontoxic dendrosomal nano carrier with Cur was used to overcome these problems. Despite considerable antitumor properties of Oxaliplatin (Oxa), the limiting factors are drug resistance and adverse side-effects. The hypothesis of this study was to evaluate the possible synergism between dendrosomal nanocurcumin (DNC) and Oxa and these agents showed growth regulatory effects on SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells. METHODS: and materials In the present study, colony formation, wound healing motility, cell adhesion, transwell invasion and migration assay and cell cycle arrest with or without DNC, Oxa and Combination were defined. In addition to, real time PCR and Western blot were used to analyze AKT, PI3K, PKC, JNK, P38 and MMPs mRNAs and proteins expressions. Docking of MMP-2-Cur, MMP-2-DNC and MMP-2-Oxa was performed and the results of all three complexes were simulated by molecular dynamics. RESULTS: Our findings illustrated that DNC had the greatest effect on cell death as compared to the Cur alone. Moreover, the growth inhibitory effects (such as cell death correlated to apoptosis) were more intense if Oxa was added followed by DNC at 4 h interval. However, insignificant effects were observed upon simultaneous addition of these two agents in both cell lines. Besides, a combination of agents synergistically alters the relative expression of MMP-9. CONCLUSIONS: The docking results showed that His70 and Asp100 may play a key role at the MMP-2 binding site. The matrigel invasion as well as cell viability of ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and OVCAR3 by DNC alone or in combination with Oxa was inhibited significantly. The inhibitory effects of these agents were due to the differential expression levels of MMP 2 and MMP 9 regulated by multiple downstream signaling cascades. From the molecular dynamic simulation studies, it was confirmed that DNC established a strong interaction with MMP-2.

Purification of Antibacterial CHAPK Protein Using a Self-Cleaving Fusion Tag and Its Activity Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Therapeutic LysK-CHAP is a potent anti-staphylococcal protein that could be utilized as an antibiotic substitute. Intein-mediated protein purification is a reasonable and cost-effective method that is most recently used for recombinant therapeutic protein production. Intein (INT) is the internal parts of the protein that can be separated from the immature protein during protein splicing process. This sequence requires no specific enzyme or cofactor for separation. INT sequence and their characteristic of self-cleavage by thiol induction, temperature, and pH changes are used for protein purification. The current study presents the expression of CHAPK262 domain of LysK gene that is fused with INT/chitin-binding sequence while evaluating its purification procedure and antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The coding gene sequence of LysK-CHAP (CHAPK262) in pET22-b was amplified with polymerase chain reaction (PCR); the digested product was then cloned into the pTXB1 vector. Electrophoresis confirmed the cloning accuracy of the gene. The pTXB1-CHAPK262 plasmid was transformed to the Escherichia coli ER2566 (E. coli ER2566) expression strain and analyzed for expression of the recombinant protein by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting methods. Finally, CHAPK262 was purified by chitin affinity column using INT tag technology and confirmed by SDS-PAGE. Lytic activity of the purified protein was investigated by disk diffusion method. Cloning of CHAPK262 into the pTXB1 vector, which comprised INT/chitin-binding sequence, was successfully achieved. The SDS-PAGE data also revealed successful expression of the CHAPK262-INT fusion protein and Western blotting method validated the accuracy of the protein. Moreover, purification of CHAPK262 protein was induced by dithiothreitol (DTT) and confirmed by SDS-PAGE. Finally, inhibition zone in MRAS culture medium confirmed antibacterial activity of the protein. Application of intein-mediated antibacterial protein is an appropriate and streamlined method for one-step purification of CHAPK262 as a therapeutic and antibacterial protein. Self-cleaving tags like intein are cost-effective and could be used as a proper purification method for industrial purposes.

Protective effect of Lepidium sativum seed extract on histopathology and morphology of epididymis in diabetic rat model / Efecto protector de extracto de semilla Lepidium sativum sobre la histopatología y morfología del epidídimo en modelo de rata diabética

Diabetes mellitus is a frequent and serious metabolic illness all over the world and plants have been a desirable source of medicine recently. Diabetes has unpleasant effect on male reproductive system and it may lead to male infertility. It causes erectile dysfunction and reduces ejaculate volume by affecting the health of small blood vessels and the small nerves that control ejaculation and also decreases libido by decreasing testosterone levels. Current study evaluated the possible protective efficiency of Lepidium sativum (Garden cress) seed extract on fasting blood sugar (FBS) and then assessed histopathological change of epididymis in streptozotocine (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. We randomly categorized 50 adult male Wistar rats into five groups (each 10 rats). Group 1 was control placebo group receiving only 0.1 ml normal saline via gastric gavages, Group 2 as control diabetic rats received an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of STZ 60 mg/kg body weight. Rats with FBS >250 mg/dl were considered as diabetic. Group 3 were diabetic rats receiving insulin in dose 3U/100 g body weight and Groups 4 and 5 were diabetic rats that received 0.1 cc of 200 and 400 mg/kg, ethanol extract of Lepidium sativum seed by gavages daily. One day after the last gavages, rats were anesthetized by chloroform. Epididymis duct was removed from abdomen and weighed with a digital scale. Afterwards, samples were putted in Bouin's solution for histological measurement. Administration of 200 and 400 mg/ml doses of Lepidium sativum seed extract increased epithelium height and decreased interstitial volume density and fibro muscular thickness significantly. Also, volume density of epithelium, fibro muscular, lumen and interstitial decreased significantly. Tubular and lumen diameter did not change significantly in different groups. It appears Lepidium sativum seed extract is a beneficial protective supplementary agent against adverse effects of diabetes on male reproductive system.

La diabetes mellitus es una enfermedad metabólica frecuente y grave que afecta a los hombres en todo el mundo. Recientemente, las plantas han sido una fuente deseable de medicina para este tipo de enfermedad. La diabetes tiene un efecto perjudicial en el sistema reproductivo masculino y puede conducir a la infertilidad. Causa disfunción eréctil y reduce el volumen de la eyaculación al afectar los pequeños vasos sanguíneos y los nervios que controlan la eyaculación. También disminuye la libido reduciendo los niveles de testosterona. El presente estudio evaluó la posible eficacia protectora del extracto de semilla de Lepidium sativum en la glucemia en ayunas y también se evaluó el cambio histopatológico del epidídimo en ratas diabéticas inducidas por estreptozotocina (STZ). Se dividieron aleatoriamente 50 ratas Wistar macho adultas en cinco grupos de 10 ratas cada uno. El grupo 1 recibió 0,1 ml de solución salina normal a través de los gavajes gástricos, el grupo 2 de ratas diabéticas control recibió una inyección intraperitoneal (IP) de STZ 60 mg / kg de peso corporal. Las ratas con FBS> 250 mg / dl se consideraron como diabéticas. El Grupo 3 eran ratas diabéticas que recibieron insulina en dosis de 3 U/ 100 g de peso corporal y los Grupos 4 y 5 estaban compuestos por ratas diabéticas que recibieron 0,1 cc con 200 y 400 mg / kg, de extracto de etanol de semillas de Lepidium sativum por gavajes diarios. Un día después de los últimos gavages, las ratas fueron anestesiadas con cloroformo. Se extrajo el epidídimo y se pesó con una pesa digital. Posteriormente, las muestras se pusieron en solución de Bouin para el estudio histológico. La administración de dosis de 200 y 400 mg / ml de extracto de semilla Lepidium sativum aumentó la altura del epitelio y disminuyó significativamente la densidad volumétrica intersticial y el grosor fibromuscular. Además, la densidad volumétrica del epitelio fibromuscular, lumen e intersticio disminuyeron significativamente. El diámetro tubular y el lumen no cambiaron significativamente en los diferentes grupos. El extracto de semilla de Lepidium sativum es un agente complementario beneficioso protector contra los efectos adversos de la diabetes en el sistema reproductor masculino.