Exploring the parity paradox: Differential effects on neuroplasticity and inflammation by APOEe4 genotype at middle age.

Female sex and Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 genotype are top non-modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although female-unique experiences like parity (pregnancy and motherhood) have positive effects on neuroplasticity at middle age, previous pregnancy may also contribute to AD risk. To explore these seemingly paradoxical long-term effects of parity, we investigated the impact of parity with APOEε4 genotype by examining behavioural and neural biomarkers of brain health in middle-aged female rats. Our findings show that primiparous (parous one time) hAPOEε4 rats display increased use of a non-spatial cognitive strategy and exhibit decreased number and recruitment of new-born neurons in the ventral dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in response to spatial working memory retrieval. Furthermore, primiparity and hAPOEε4 genotype synergistically modulate inflammatory markers in the ventral hippocampus. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that previous parity in hAPOEε4 rats confers an added risk to present with reduced activity and engagement of the hippocampus as well as elevated pro-inflammatory signaling, and underscore the importance of considering female-specific factors and genotype in health research.

Healthcare Waste Segregation Practice and Associated Factors among Healthcare Professionals Working in Public and Private Hospitals, Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia.

Background: The key to the effective management of healthcare wastes is the segregation of the waste at the point of generation; no matter what final strategy for the treatment and disposal of wastes is selected, it is critical that waste streams are separated. Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the practice of healthcare waste segregation and associated factors among healthcare workers at public and private hospitals in Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 healthcare workers from public and private hospitals. Data were collected through self-administered structured questionnaires and observation checklists. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with the practice of healthcare workers using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 25. Results: This study showed that 56.4% (95% CI: 43.7-60.2) study participants had good healthcare waste segregation practices. Working in a public hospital (AOR = 0.09, 95% CI: (0.03-0.23)), working less than 40 hours a week (AOR = 4.28, 95% CI: (2.11-8.68)), adequate knowledge on healthcare waste management (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI: (1.27-4.61)), ever trained on waste management ((AOR = 2.74, 95% CI: (1.15-6.53)), the presence of guidelines, instructive posters on healthcare waste segregation ((AOR = 8.21, 95% CI: (3.84-17.55)), and availability of color-coded waste bins ((AOR = 9.53, 95% CI: (4.52-20.10)) were factors significantly associated with healthcare waste segregation practices. Conclusion: The study revealed that healthcare waste segregation practices were unacceptably poor. It is very crucial to address the identified factors through ongoing enforcement of healthcare waste management rules and regulations, by providing training, instructive posters around the work area, and making color-coded bins available.

MOF-Derived Cobalt@Mesoporous Carbon as Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction: Impact of Organic Linker.

Water electrolysis has attracted scientists' attention as a green route for energy generation. However, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remarkably increases the reaction overpotential. In this work, we developed Co-based nanomaterials as cost-effective, highly efficient catalysts for OER. In this regard, different Co-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were synthesized using different organic linkers. After annealing under inert atmosphere, the corresponding Co-embedded mesoporous carbon (Co/MC) materials were produced. Among them, Co/MC synthesized using 2-methyl imidazole (Co/NMC-2MeIM) expressed the highest surface area (412 m2/g) compared to its counterparts. Furthermore, it expressed a higher degree of defects as depicted by Raman spectra. Co/NMC-2MeIM exhibited the best catalytic performance toward OER in alkaline medium. It afforded an overpotential of 292 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 99.2 mV dec-1. The superior electrocatalytic performance of Co/NMC-2MeIM is attributed to its high content of Co3+ on the surface, high surface area, and enhanced electrical conductivity induced by nitrogen doping. Furthermore, its high content of pyridinic-N and high degree of defects remarkably enhance the charge transfer between the adsorbed oxygen species and the active sites. These results may pave the avenue toward further investigation of metal/carbon materials in a wide range of electrocatalytic applications.

Sex and BDNF Val66Met polymorphism matter for exercise-induced increase in neurogenesis and cognition in middle-aged mice.

Females show greater benefits of exercise on cognition in both humans and rodents, which may be related to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), the Val66Met polymorphism, within the human BDNF gene, causes impaired activity-dependent secretion of neuronal BDNF and impairments to some forms of memory. We evaluated whether sex and BDNF genotype (Val66Met polymorphism (Met/Met) versus wild-type (Val/Val)) influenced the ability of voluntary running to enhance cognition and hippocampal neurogenesis in mice. Middle-aged C57BL/6J (13 months) mice were randomly assigned to either a control or an aerobic training (AT) group (running disk access). Mice were trained on the visual discrimination and reversal paradigm in a touchscreen-based technology to evaluate cognitive flexibility. BDNF Met/Met mice had fewer correct responses compared to BDNF Val/Val mice on both cognitive tasks. Female BDNF Val/Val mice showed greater cognitive flexibility compared to male mice regardless of AT. Despite running less than BDNF Val/Val mice, AT improved performance in both cognitive tasks in BDNF Met/Met mice. AT increased neurogenesis in the ventral hippocampus of BDNF Val/Val mice of both sexes and increased the proportion of mature type 3 doublecortin-expressing cells in the dorsal hippocampus of female mice only. Our results indicate AT improved cognitive performance in BDNF Met/Met mice and increased hippocampal neurogenesis in BDNF Val/Val mice in middle age. Furthermore, middle-aged female mice may benefit more from AT than males in terms of neuroplasticity, an effect that was influenced by the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism.

Colorimetry-Based Detection of Nitric Oxide from Exhaled Breath for Quantification of Oxidative Stress in Human Body.

Monitoring exhaled breath is a safe, noninvasive method for determining the health status of the human body. Most of the components in our exhaled breath can act as health biomarkers, and they help in providing information about various diseases. Nitric oxide (NO) is one such important biomarker in exhaled breath that indicates oxidative stress in our body. This work presents a simple and noninvasive quantitative analysis approach for detecting NO from exhaled breath. The sensing is based on the colorimetric assisted detection of NO by m-Cresol Purple, Bromophenol Blue, and Alizaringelb dye. The sensing performance of the dye was analyzed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The study covers various sampling conditions like the pH effect, temperature effect, concentration effect, and selective nature of the dye. The m-Cresol Purple dye exhibited a high sensitivity towards NO with a detection limit of ~0.082 ppm in the linear range of 0.002-0.5 ppm. Moreover, the dye apprehended a high degree of selectivity towards other biocompounds present in the breath, and no possible interfering cross-reaction from these species was observed. The dye offered a high sensitivity, selectivity, fast response, and stability, which benchmark its potential for NO sensing. Further, m-Cresol Purple dye is suitable for NO sensing from the exhaled breath and can assist in quantifying oxidative stress levels in the body for the possible detection of COVID-19.

Long-term metabolic consequences of acute dioxin exposure differ between male and female mice.

Epidemiological studies have consistently shown an association between exposure to environmental pollutants and diabetes risk in humans. We have previously shown that direct exposure of mouse and human islets (endocrine pancreas) to the highly persistent pollutant TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) causes reduced insulin secretion ex vivo. Furthermore, a single high-dose of TCDD (200 µg/kg) suppressed both fasting and glucose-induced plasma insulin levels and promoted beta-cell apoptosis after 7 days in male mice. The current study investigated the longer-term effects of a single high-dose TCDD injection (20 µg/kg) on glucose metabolism and beta cell function in male and female C57Bl/6 mice. TCDD-exposed males displayed modest fasting hypoglycemia for ~4 weeks post-injection, reduced fasting insulin levels for up to 6 weeks, increased insulin sensitivity, decreased beta cell area, and increased delta cell area. TCDD-exposed females also had long-term suppressed basal plasma insulin levels, and abnormal insulin secretion for up to 6 weeks. Unlike males, TCDD did not impact insulin sensitivity or islet composition in females, but did cause transient glucose intolerance 4 weeks post-exposure. Our results show that a single exposure to dioxin can suppress basal insulin levels long-term in both sexes, but effects on glucose homeostasis are sex-dependent.

Functional cytochrome P450 1A enzymes are induced in mouse and human islets following pollutant exposure.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Exposure to environmental pollution has been consistently linked to diabetes incidence in humans, but the potential causative mechanisms remain unclear. Given the critical role of regulated insulin secretion in maintaining glucose homeostasis, environmental chemicals that reach the endocrine pancreas and cause beta cell injury are of particular concern. We propose that cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, which are involved in metabolising xenobiotics, could serve as a useful biomarker for direct exposure of islets to pollutants. Moreover, functional CYP enzymes in islets could also impact beta cell physiology. The aim of this study was to determine whether CYP1A enzymes are activated in islets following direct or systemic exposure to environmental pollutants. METHODS: Immortalised liver (HepG2) and rodent pancreatic endocrine cell lines (MIN6, ßTC-6, INS1, α-TC1, α-TC3), as well as human islets, were treated in vitro with known CYP1A inducers 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC). In addition, mice were injected with either a single high dose of TCDD or multiple low doses of TCDD in vivo, and islets were isolated 1, 7 or 14 days later. RESULTS: CYP1A enzymes were not activated in any of the immortalised beta or alpha cell lines tested. However, both 3-MC and TCDD potently induced CYP1A1 gene expression and modestly increased CYP1A1 enzyme activity in human islets after 48 h. The induction of CYP1A1 in human islets by TCDD was prevented by cotreatment with a cytokine mixture. After a systemic single high-dose TCDD injection, CYP1A1 enzyme activity was induced in mouse islets ~2-fold, ~40-fold and ~80-fold compared with controls after 1, 7 and 14 days, respectively, in vivo. Multiple low-dose TCDD exposure in vivo also caused significant upregulation of Cyp1a1 in mouse islets. Direct TCDD exposure to human and mouse islets in vitro resulted in suppressed glucose-induced insulin secretion. A single high-dose TCDD injection resulted in lower plasma insulin levels, as well as a pronounced increase in beta cell death. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Transient exposure to TCDD results in long-term upregulation of CYP1A1 enzyme activity in islets. This provides evidence for direct exposure of islets to lipophilic pollutants in vivo and may have implications for islet physiology.

Adverse effects of Sudanese toombak vs. Swedish snuff on human oral cells.

BACKGROUND: The high incidence of oral cancer in Sudan has been associated with the use of toombak, the local type of smokeless tobacco. However, its specific effects on human oral cells are not known. We aimed to investigate the effects of toombak on primary normal human oral keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and a dysplastic oral keratinocytic cell line, and to compare them with the effects induced by Swedish snuff. METHOD: Aqueous extracts were prepared from moist toombak and Swedish snuff and added in serial dilutions on in vitro monolayer cultured cells. Cell viability, morphology and growth, DNA double-strand breaks (gammaH2AX staining), expression of phosphatidylserine (Annexin V staining), and cell cycle were assessed after various exposure time periods. RESULTS: Significant decrease in cell number, occurrence of DNA double-strain breaks, morphological and biochemical signs of programmed cell death were detected in all oral cell types exposed to clinically relevant dilutions of toombak extract, although to a lesser extent in normal oral fibroblasts and dysplastic keratinocytes. G2/M-block was also detected in normal oral keratinocytes and fibroblasts exposed to clinically relevant dilutions of toombak extract. Swedish snuff extract had less adverse effects on oral cells, mainly at non-clinically relevant dilutions. CONCLUSION: This study indicates a potential for toombak, higher than for Swedish snuff, to damage human oral epithelium. Dysplastic oral keratinocytes were less sensitive than their normal counterparts, suggesting that they might have acquired a partially resistant phenotype to toombak-induced cytotoxic effects while still being prone to DNA damage that could lead to further malignant progression.

Polymorphisms of selected xenobiotic genes contribute to the development of papillary thyroid cancer susceptibility in Middle Eastern population.

BACKGROUND: The xenobiotic enzyme system that enables us to detoxify carcinogens exhibits identifiable genetic polymorphisms that are highly race specific. We hypothesized that polymorphisms of these genes may be associated with risk of thyroid cancer. To evaluate the role of genetic polymorphisms of xenobiotic genes in thyroid cancer, we conducted a hospital-based case-control study in Saudi population. METHODS: 223 incident papillary thyroid cancer cases and 513 controls recruited from Saudi Arabian population were analyzed for the association between polymorphisms in genes encoding folic acid metabolizing enzymes MTHFR and six xenobiotics-metabolizing enzymes including CYP1A1 T3801C, C4887A, GSTP1 A1578G, C2293T, GSTM1, GSTT1, NAT2 G590A, NQO*1 C609T, using PCR-RELP. RESULTS: Among selected genes, CYP1A1 C4887A genotypes CA, AA and variant allele A demonstrated significant differences and greater risk of developing thyroid cancer comparing to wild type genotype CC (CA vs. CC; p < 0.0001, OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.36-2.70, AA vs. CC; p < 0.001, OR = 3.48, 95% CI = 1.74-6.96 and CA+AA vs. CC; p < 0.0001, OR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.49-2.88). GSTT1 null showed 3.48 times higher risk of developing thyroid cancer (p < 0.0001, 95% CI = 2.48-4.88) while GSTM1 null showed protective effect (p < 0.05, OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.52-0.99). Remaining loci demonstrated no significance with risk. CONCLUSION: Of the 9 polymorphisms screened, we identified GST, GSTM1 and CYP1A1 C4887A, may be of importance to disease process and may be associated with papillary thyroid cancer risk in Saudi Arabian population.

Polymorphisms of drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP1A1, GSTT and GSTP contribute to the development of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma risk in the Saudi Arabian population.

The last four decades have seen significant increase in the incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) as a possible result of increasing environmental carcinogens exposure. Based on the increasing evidence for the association between carcinogen-exposure-related cancer risk and xenobiotic gene polymorphisms, we have undertaken a hospital based case-control study on xenobiotic gene polymorphisms in Saudi individuals with a diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Polymorphisms in five genes (CYP1A1, GSTT1, GSTP1, GSTM1, and NQO1) were characterized in 182 individuals with DLBCL and 513 normal controls using PCR-RFLP method. The CYP1A1*2C (p = 0.011, OR: 6.62, and 95% CI: 1.56-28.10), GSTT1 null (p < or = 0.001, OR: 11.94, 95% CI: 7.88-18.12), and GSTP1 TT genotypes (p = 0.017, OR: 3.42, 95% CI 1.26-9.38) demonstrated significant association of DLBCL risk. None of the other alleles tested for proved to be significant indicators of DLBCL risk. Our findings suggest that polymorphisms of xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme genes may modify the individual susceptibility to develop DLBCL in Saudi Arabian population.

Clinicopathological analysis of papillary thyroid cancer with PIK3CA alterations in a Middle Eastern population.

CONTEXT: Genetic aberration in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway has been detected in numerous and diverse human cancers. PIK3CA, which encodes for the catalytic subunit of p110alpha of PI3K, is amplified in some cases of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Mutations in the PIK3CA have also been identified in thyroid cancers and, although relatively common in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, are uncommon in PTC. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate genetic alterations like PIK3CA gene mutation, PIK3CA amplification, RAS, and RAF mutations and to further explore the relationship of these genetic alterations with various clinicopathological characteristics in Middle Eastern PTC. DESIGN: We used the fluorescence in situ hybridization technique for analysis of PIK3CA amplification from 536 PTC cases, and selected amplified samples were further validated by real-time quantitative PCR. Mutation analysis was done by direct DNA sequencing of PIK3CA, N2-RAS, and BRAF genes. RESULTS: PIK3CA amplification was seen in 265 of 499 PTC cases analyzed (53.1%); PIK3CA gene mutations in four of 207 PTC (1.9%); N2-RAS mutations in 16 of 265 PTC (6%); and BRAF mutations in 153 of 296 PTC (51.7%). N-RAS mutations were-associated with an early stage (P = 0.0465) and lower incidence of extrathyroidal extension (P = 0.027), whereas BRAF mutations were-associated with metastasis (P = 0.0274) and poor disease-free survival (P = 0.0121) in PTCs. CONCLUSION: A higher incidence of PIK3CA alterations and the possible synergistic effect of PIK3CA alterations and BRAF mutations suggest their major role in Middle Eastern PTC tumorigenesis and argue for therapeutic targeting of PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways.

Genetic polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and promoter methylation of MGMT and FHIT genes in diffuse large B cell lymphoma risk in Middle East.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is one of the most common non-Hodgkin's lymphoma types. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) balances the pool of folate coenzymes in one carbon metabolism of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis and methylation; both are implicated in carcinogenesis of many types of cancer including lymphoma. Two common variants in the MTHFR gene (C677T and A1298C) have been associated with reduced enzyme activity, thereby making MTHFR polymorphisms a potential candidate as a cancer-predisposing factor. The O6 methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and fragile histidine triad (FHIT) genes are transcriptionally silenced by promoter hypermethylation in DLBCL. These genetic differences are highly race specific and have never been screened in the Saudi DLBCL patients. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study including 160 DLBCL cases and 511 Saudi control samples analyzing the MTHFR C677T and A1298C functional polymorphisms by the restriction fragment length polymorphism method and their association with MGMT and FHIT genes promoter hypermethylation. Our data demonstrated that Saudi individuals carrying MTHFR genotype 1298CC (p < 0.001) and the 1298C allele (p = 0.012) had 4.23 and 1.73-fold higher risk of developing DLBCL, respectively. Additionally, combined genotype CCCC (MTHFR 677CC + MTHFR 1298CC) was associated with 3.489-fold, and CTCC (MTHFR 677 CT + 1298CC) was related to 9.515-fold higher risk, compared with full MTHFR enzyme activity. No significant association between MTHFR variant genotypes and methylation of MGMT and FHIT genes were observed. Our findings suggested that polymorphisms of MTHFR enzyme genes might be associated with the individual susceptibility to develop DLBCL. Additionally, the results indicated that MTHFR variants were not related to MGMT or FHIT hypermethylation in DLBCL.

Childhood and adult ALL: differences in epigenetic lesions associated with cell cycle genes.

The impact of silencing tumor suppressor genes involved in cell proliferation in adult and pediatric ALL is still unknown. We analyzed methylation of the master regulators (p73, p53, Rb), CDKIs (p27, p57), and the INK4 locus (p15) in childhood ALLs and describe a relatively low frequency. Comparisons with adult ALL showed that p57 clearly differed in children (7% methylation) and adults (50% methylation). While >20% of adult ALL Ph1 chromosome-negative undergo methylation of p73, p57, and p15, only 3% of childhood ALL carried such anomalies, which is very significant when a higher fraction of pediatric patients has non-Ph1 ALL than do the adult patients. We have studied a large p57 CpG island and expression by real-time RT-PCR. We observed that 53% of childhood leukemias lacked p57 transcripts, and the overall level was 8-fold lower than in normal lymphocytes (P < 0.0001). However, no correlation with methylation was found. Thus, loss of p57 expression in the absence of methylation may be frequent in childhood ALL, suggesting that methylation is not the sole mechanism of p57 downregulation. Methylation differences in ALL may be age-related or, alternatively, reflect different pathogenesis.

Monochrome LightCycler PCR assay for detection and quantification of five common species of Candida and Aspergillus.

Invasive fungal pathogens, especially in immunocompromised hosts, can result in life-threatening infections. Current laboratory/radiological methods for fungal identification are time-consuming and lack sensitivity and specificity. A monochrome, multiplex, real-time PCR assay for the identification and quantification of Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus is described here. Detection of each of these fungi was specific and demonstrated 100 % concordance with biochemical/culture identification in all 60 isolates tested. Samples from 16 febrile neutropenic patients with haematological malignancies were also analysed and the utility of the assay in clinical samples was reconfirmed without false-negative results. The sensitivity of this assay was 0.1 pg fungal genomic DNA, corresponding to three cells, for C. albicans, C. krusei, C. tropicalis and A. flavus, and 0.01 pg fungal genomic DNA, i.e. less than one cell, for A. fumigatus. The analysis allows a low-cost, simple, rapid and sensitive alternative for clinical identification and quantification of these five common fungal species.

Discrete alterations in the BZLF1 promoter in tumor and non-tumor-associated Epstein-Barr virus.

BACKGROUND: Although the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with malignant and nonmalignant diseases, its lytic replication is predominantly associated with nonmalignant diseases such as acute infectious mononucleosis (IM) or chronic active EBV infection. Lytic replication is also associated with type B EBV more than with type A EBV. Sustained lytic replication, however, is not compatible with tumor growth. We investigated whether control of an EBV lytic regulatory gene, BZLF1, differed in these diseases. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and direct DNA sequence analyses were used to characterize the promoter sequence of BZLF1 (Zp) in 52 tumors (34 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, 13 post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease samples, and five nasopharyngeal carcinomas), and in peripheral blood lymphocytes from seven patients with chronic active EBV, six with IM, and 40 healthy, EBV-seropositive individuals. All sequences were compared with the prototype EBV strain B95.8 sequence. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Three polymorphic Zp sequences were detected. Among the malignant samples, sequence Zp-P, associated with 84% of type A EBV, was identical to that of EBV strain B95.8, whereas a second sequence (Zp-V3), associated exclusively with type B EBV (P<.001), contained three base substitutions. Among the nonmalignant samples, a distinct polymorphism, Zp-V4, containing the substitutions detected in Zp-V3 and an additional base change, was identified in all samples from chronic active EBV, IM, and healthy individuals, but in none of the malignant samples (P<.001). Zp-V4 was independent of the EBV type. CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms in the regulatory sequences of BZLF1 are differentially distributed among malignant and nonmalignant cells and may identify EBV subtypes with various lytic activities, including those not associated with malignancies.