Promising effects of herbal compounds against strongyloidiasis: a systematic review.

Strongyloidiasis could be a significant global health issue undervalued in several countries, which is caused by Strongyloides spp. Challenges stemming from the use of anthelmintic chemotherapy, such as the development of resistance, the progressive cost of medicines, environmental toxicity of chemicals, and residuals in beast products have increased interest in promoting alternative means of control for the use of plant-based parasite control methods. A study on herbal extracts may offer a less expensive yet equally effective alternative for the prevention and treatment of helminthic multi-resistance. We systematically searched the Web of Sciences, PubMed/MEDLINE, and Scopus databases to explore original publications related to medicinal plants and Strongyloides in English on September 29, 2021. The keywords of medicinal plant, traditional medicine, plant extract, herbal medicine, herbal extract, natural drug, Strongyloides, strongyloidiasis, Strongyloides infection, and helminth were used in our search. Researchers can make use of this review as a quick reference. In this study, we have summarized recent advancements and published investigations on herbal and naturally derived medicines in treating strongyloidiasis undertaken by several researchers worldwide. These medicinal herbs, as well as the active and significant compounds they contain, such as alkaloids, phenolic derivatives, tannins, and terpenes, have been outlined in recent articles. Various studies on herbal remedies to treat strongyloidiasis have been undertaken to date, but further research is still required on moderately effective and low harmful substances.

Circulating microRNAs as predictive biomarkers of coronary artery diseases in type 2 diabetes patients.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an increasing metabolic disorder mostly resulting from unhealthy lifestyles. T2DM patients are prone to develop heart conditions such as coronary artery disease (CAD) which is a major cause of death in the world. Most clinical symptoms emerge at the advanced stages of CAD; therefore, establishing new biomarkers detectable in the early stages of the disease is crucial to enhance the efficiency of treatment. Recently, a significant body of evidence has shown alteration in miRNA levels associate with dysregulated gene expression occurring in T2DM and CAD, highlighting significance of circulating miRNAs in early detection of CAD arising from T2DM. Therefore, it seems crucial to establish a link between the miRNAs prognosing value and development of CAD in T2DM. AIM: This study provides an overview on the alterations of the circulatory miRNAs in T2DM and various CADs and consider the potentials of miRNAs as biomarkers prognosing CADs in T2DM patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature search was conducted for miRNAs involved in development of T2DM and CAD using the following key words: "miRNAs", "Biomarker", "Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (T2DM)", "coronary artery diseases (CAD)". Articles written in the English language. RESULT: There has been shown a rise in miR-375, miR-9, miR-30a-5p, miR-150, miR-9, miR-29a, miR-30d, miR-34a, miR-124a, miR-146a, miR-27a, and miR-320a in T2DM; whereas, miR-126, miR-21, miR-103, miR-28-3p, miR-15a, miR-145, miR-375, miR-223 have been shown to decrease. In addition to T2DM, some miRNAs such as mirR-1, miR-122, miR-132, and miR-133 play a part in development of subclinical aortic atherosclerosis associated with metabolic syndrome. Some miRNAs increase in both T2DM and CAD such as miR-1, miR-132, miR-133, and miR-373-3-p. More interestingly, some of these miRNAs such as miR-92a elevate years before emerging CAD in T2DM. CONCLUSION: dysregulation of miRNAs plays outstanding roles in development of T2DM and CAD. Also, elevation of some miRNAs such as miR-92a in T2DM patients can efficiently prognose development of CAD in these patients, so these miRNAs can be used as biomarkers in this regard.

Association of serum leptin with angiographically proven cardiovascular disease and with components of the metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study in East Azerbaijan.

BACKGROUND: Role of leptin is well documented in cardiometabolic diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate if the serum levels of leptin associates with the serum levels of markers related to cardiac and metabolic disorders in adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred eighty subjects [120 cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 60 healthy controls] were enrolled in the study, to determine the association of the serum leptin (in quartiles) and cardiometabolic diseases [metabolic syndrome (MetS) and CVD] adjusted for other biological and physical examination. MetS was according to the WHO Clinical Criteria for MetS definition and CVD by angiography outcomes. The serum levels of leptin and OX-LDL were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Leptin levels were significantly higher in patients with MetS and those with positive angiography compared with controls. After controlling for potential confounders, a significant association of the leptin levels with cardiometabolic diseases was proven, albeit there was a higher rate of significance between CVD and leptin in comparison with MetS. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the serum levels of leptin were a valuable biomarker of the cardiometabolic diseases. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that serum leptin levels are associated with components of the MetS and with CVD. Serum leptin may be a useful biomarker for CVD.

The cooperative effects of micro-grooved topography and TGF-ß1 on the vascular smooth muscle cell contractile protein expression of the mesenchymal stem cells.

Cell morphological changes induced by micro-grooved topography have been shown to be an important regulator of smooth muscle (SM) differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In addition to the micro-grooved topography, transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) can also modulate MSCs differentiation towards smooth muscle cells (SMCs) through alterations in cell morphological characteristics. Thus, it can be hypothesized that substrate topography and TGF-ß1 may interact to facilitate differentiation of MSCs into SMCs. In this study, we investigated the time-course cooperative effects of substrate topography and TGF-ß1 in the regulation of SM differentiation of human MSCs. Western blotting, followed by image analysis, was performed to assess the protein expression of α-actin, h1-calponin and gelsolin. Three-way analysis of variance was employed to investigate the main effect of each independent variable, i.e. TGF-ß1 conditioning, substrate topography and culture time, along with the interactions of these variables. Each of TGF-ß1, substrate topography and culture time significantly affected the protein expression of α-actin, h1-calponin and gelsolin. Overall, TGF-ß1 conditioning of the cells and culturing the cells on the micro-grooved substrate resulted in greater protein expression of α-actin and h1-calponin, and lesser protein expression of gelsolin. In addition to the isolated effects of the variables, treatment type interacted with substrate topography and culture time to regulate the expression of the above-mentioned proteins. This study indicated the feasibility of promoting SM differentiation of human MSCs by simultaneous recruitment of micro-grooved topography and TGF-ß1. The findings could be of assistance when effective utilization of chemo-physical cues is needed to achieve functional SMC-like MSCs in vitro.

Evaluation of Serum Levels of Inflammation, Fibrinolysis and Oxidative Stress Markers in Coronary Artery Disease Prediction: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) has long been recognized as a global health issue. Inflammation, Fibrinolysis and Oxidative Stress play an important role in the disruption of plaques leading to CAD. Markers that reflect this pathophysiologic mechanism may have prognostic value. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), sialic acid (SA), vitronectin (VN), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), oxidized low density lipoprotein (OX-LDL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) with significant prognostic value in patients with CAD. METHODS: The markers included, hs-CRP, SA, VN, PAI-1, OX-LDL and MDA, were compared between 160 angiographically diagnosed CAD patients and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to angiography results, and association between all risk factors of CAD was studied. Serum levels of SA, VN, PAI-1, and OX-LDL were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); MDA was measured based on reaction with thiobarbituric acid (TBA); and hs-CRP level was estimated by immunoturbidimetry using a commercial kit. The diagnostic value of these variables was further assessed by ROC curve analysis. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the diagnostic power of the combination. Furthermore, p < 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Serum levels of hs-CRP, SA, VN, PAI-1, and OX-LDL were significantly higher in patient groups compared to control group (p < 0.001). Using both normal and CAD patients as subjects, ROC analysis was performed. The cutoff for OX-LDL, MDA, PAI-1, VN, hs-CRP and SA was 2.67 (ug/mL), 5.49 (mmol/mL), 67 (ng/mL), 254 (ng/mL), 3.4 (mg/dL), 7/89 (mg/dL), respectively. Eventually, the complete diagnostic efficacy was classified as: SA, hs-CRP, PAI-1, OX-LDL, MDA and VN. CONCLUSION: Serum levels SA, hs-CRP, VN, PAI-1, OX-LDL and MDA may be predictive of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Interestingly, these analyses can help as diagnostic and monitoring markers in CAD patients.

Correlation of Serum Levels of Vitronectin, Malondialdehyde and Hs- CRP With Disease Severity in Coronary Artery Disease.

INTRODUCTION: Vitronectin (VN), malondialdehyde (MDA) and high-sensitivity C-reactive rotein (hs-CRP) are cooperative agents involved in the atherosclerosis process. The study was conducted to assess the correlation of VN, MDA and hs-CRP with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: Parameters such as serum VN, MDA and hs-CRP were measured in 250 subjects including 200 patients with angiographically diagnosed CAD (50 subjects with non-significant CAD, 50 with single vessel disease, 50 with double vessel disease, and 50 with triple vessel disease) and 50 CAD-free subjects as a control group. Serum VN was measured with ELISA; MDA was measured based on reaction with thiobarbituric acid (TBA); and hs-CRP level was measured by a Commercial Kit by Immunoturbidimetry. RESULTS: Serum VN, MDA and hs-CRP were significantly higher in patient groups compared to control group (P < .05). The mean value of MDA between 1 vessel and 3 vessel groups had significant difference (P = .01), also mean value of MDA between 2 vessel and control group and normal group showed significant difference (P < .001). The difference of MDA between 3 vessel and normal and 1 vessel and control group was significant (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The association and correlation between VN, MDA and hs-CRP indicate their involvement in the atherosclerosis process that may lead to progression of CAD. Also, these findings suggested that serum levels of VN, MDA and hs-CRP can help as diagnostic and monitoring markers in CAD patients and as markers of disease severity.