Changes in Circulating BDNF in relation to Sex, Diet, and Exercise: A 12-Week Randomized Controlled Study in Overweight and Obese Participants.

Circulating BDNF is higher in women than in men and suggested to be affected by changes in food intake, body weight, and exercise. The purpose of this study was to compare BDNF concentrations in women and men during a 12-week weight loss intervention. Using a previously published 12-week randomized study, serum BDNF was assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Fifty overweight or obese but healthy individuals (26 women, mean age of 36.4 ± 7.9 years; 24 men, mean age of 38.0 ± 5.9 years) were included and allocated into three groups: exercise-only (EXO; 12 weeks of aerobic exercise and isocaloric diet), diet-only (DIO; 8 weeks of very low energy diet (VLED 600 kcal/day) followed by a 4-week weight maintenance diet), or diet and exercise (DEX; 12 weeks of aerobic exercise in parallel with 8 weeks of VLED (800 kcal/day) followed by a 4-week weight maintenance diet). At baseline, BDNF levels were 25% higher in women compared to men (p=0.006). Body weight was reduced in all intervention groups (p < 0.006). Exercise (EXO group) induced a 22% reduction in circulating BDNF in men (p=0.037) and women (p=0.080). In the DIO and DEX groups, a significant reduction in BDNF levels (29.9%; p=0.035 and 32.5%; p=0.003, respectively) was observed in women but not in men. In conclusion, circulating BDNF was significantly changed by diet alone or combined with exercise in women and only by exercise alone in men. This suggests that changes in circulating BDNF depend on weight loss methods (diet/exercise) as well as sex.

Laser treatments in early wound healing improve scar appearance: a randomized split-wound trial with nonablative fractional laser exposures vs. untreated controls.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, various lasers have increasingly been applied during wound healing to minimize scar formation. However, no consensus regarding treatment procedures exists. OBJECTIVES: To assess scar formation clinically after three nonablative fractional laser (NAFL) exposures, targeting the inflammation, proliferation and remodelling wound healing phases in patients vs. untreated controls. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was performed using a split-wound design to assess excisional wound halves treated with 1540-nm NAFL vs. no laser treatment. Three NAFL exposures were provided: immediately before surgery, at suture removal and 6 weeks after surgery. NAFL exposures were applied using two handpieces, sequentially distributing energy deeply and more superficially in the skin (40-50 mJ per microbeam). Evaluated at 3 months of follow-up, the primary outcome was blinded, on-site evaluation using the Patient Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS total; range from 6, normal skin to 60, worst imaginable scar). Secondary outcomes comprised blinded evaluation on the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and standardized assessment comparing scar sides, carried out by blinded on-site, photo and patient assessments. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03253484). RESULTS: Thirty of 32 patients completed the trial. At the 3-month follow-up, the NAFL-treated scar halves showed improvement compared with the untreated control halves on POSAS total: NAFL treated, median 11, interquartile range (IQR) 9-12 vs. control, median 12, IQR 10-16; P = 0·001. The POSAS subitems showed that the NAFL-treated halves were significantly less red and more pliable, and presented with smoother relief than the untreated controls. VSS total correspondingly revealed enhanced appearance in the NAFL-treated halves: median 2, IQR 1-2·5 vs. control, median 2, IQR 1·75-3, P = 0·007. The standardized assessment comparing appearance of scar halves demonstrated a low degree of correspondence between on-site, photo and patient assessments. NAFL-treated scars were rated as superior to untreated scars by 21 of 29 patients. CONCLUSIONS: NAFL-treated scars showed subtle improvement compared with untreated control scars.

The role of miRNAs in human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated cancers: bridging between HPV-related head and neck cancer and cervical cancer.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2012.109.

MicroRNAs in the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma.

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is the most aggressive and lethal form of skin cancer. Over the past decades, its incidence has been increasing by 3-8% per year in western countries while mortality has stabilized. Melanoma is a heterogenous disease and can be subclassified based on distinct clinical characteristics, histopathological features and mutation patterns within NRAS and BRAF genes. Recent data indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma. MiRNAs are small, non-coding, regulatory RNA molecules expressed in a tissue and cell specific manner and are known to play a crucial role in cell homeostasis and carcinogenesis. MiRNAs might prove to be powerful cancer biomarkers and future therapeutic targets. In this review, we focused on the miRNA involvement in four molecular pathways known to be deregulated in malignant melanoma, including the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway, the p16(INK4A) -CDK4-RB pathway, the PIK3-AKT pathway and the MITF pathway.

The role of miRNAs in human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated cancers: bridging between HPV-related head and neck cancer and cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although the role of human papilloma virus (HPV) in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is well established, the role in head and neck SCC (HNSCC) is less clear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a role in the cancer development, and HPV status may affect the miRNA expression pattern in HNSCC. To explore the influence of HPV in HNSCC, we made a comparative miRNA profile of HPV-positive (HPV+) and HPV-negative (HPV-) HNSCC against CSCC. METHODS: Fresh frozen and laser microdissected-paraffin-embedded samples obtained from patients with HPV+/HPV- HNSCC, CSCC and controls were used for microarray analysis. Differentially expressed miRNAs in the HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC samples were compared with the differentially expressed miRNAs in the CSCC samples. RESULTS: Human papilloma virus positive (+) HNSCC had a distinct miRNA profile compared with HPV- HNSCC. Significantly more similarity was seen between HPV+ HNSCC and CSCC than HPV- and CSCC. A set of HPV core miRNAs were identified. Of these especially the miR-15a/miR-16/miR195/miR-497 family, miR-143/miR-145 and the miR-106-363 cluster appear to be important within the known HPV pathogenesis. CONCLUSION: This study adds new knowledge to the known pathogenic pathways of HPV and substantiates the oncogenic role of HPV in subsets of HNSCCs.