Probiotics Properties: A Focus on Pregnancy Outcomes.

A healthy microbiome plays an important role in the prevention of illness and maintenance of overall health, including reproductive health. Although the therapeutic advantages of probiotics have been shown to run across multiple organ systems, their role in pregnancy is not well explored. The aim of this review is to highlight the potential advantages and adverse effects of probiotics in pregnancy. Data were collected from the literature over the past decade using PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, Ovid, Scopus, and Science Direct. A total of 40 articles were utilized in this review. Collected data indicated that prenatal and post-natal supplementation with lactobacilli alone or lactobacilli …

Molecular chaperones in tumors of salivary glands.

The salivary glands are key components of the mouth and play a central role in its physiology. Their importance may be appreciated considering their number, occurrence in pairs, and distribution in the mouth: two parotids, two submandibular, two sublingual, and many other small ones scattered throughout the mouth. They produce saliva, without which ingestion of non-liquid nutrients and speech would be practically impossible. Nevertheless, the physiology and pathology of salivary glands are poorly understood. For instance, tumors of salivary glands occur, and their incidence is on the rise, but their etiology and pathogenesis are virtually unknown, although some risk factors have been identi…

NUTRITION, OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INTESTINAL DYSBIOSIS: INFLUENCE OF DIET ON GUT MICROBIOTA IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES.

Background: Microbiota refers to the population of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi) that inhabit the entire gastrointestinal tract, more particularly the colon whose role is to maintain the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and control the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. Alteration in the composition of the gut microbiota is called dysbiosis. Dysbiosis redisposes to inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn disease and indeterminate colitis. Methods: The purpose of this literature review is to elucidate the influence of diet on the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota in the healthy gut and the role of diet in the development of dysbiosis. Co…

Modulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in Churg-Strauss syndrome respiratory mucosa: potential monitoring parameters.

Churg-Strauss (CSS) syndrome is rare and of unknown etiology. It is associated with vasculitis, blood eosinophilia and granulomatosis, and affects multiple organs and systems at various stages of the disease. Specific diagnostic and monitoring tests are not yet available. This study aims to assess the changes in MMP-2 and MMP-9 along with the histopathological alterations in two cases of CSS, as possible potential diagnostic and monitoring criteria. Two adult male patients were diagnosed with CSS in the otorhinolaryngology clinic in the University of Palermo, based on multiple clinical and histopathologic criteria. Biopsies of respiratory mucosa were taken after the consent of the patients…

Hsp60 in Inflammatory Disorders

Heat shock proteins (HSP) including HSP60 are immunogenic proteins shared by particular microbial agents and mammals. HSP60 has been implicated in multiple inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases mostly through its interactions with the immune system. Such diseases include inflammatory bowel disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis and even atherosclerosis plaques among others. It is present in the cytosol, cell membrane, cell surface as well as in the extracellular space and in the circulation. As a super antigen, HSP60 has the dual role as an immunomodulator and as a biomarker, a node molecule in balance between …

Hsp60 in embryonic and adult submandibular salivary gland: quantitative distribution patterns in normal tissue and comparison with benign and malignant tumors

Introduction: Heat Shock Protein 60 (Hsp60) is a member of the chaperoning system that assists protein folding inside mitochondria and plays other roles beyond these organelles. It is implicated in the carcinogenic processes in various types of cancer. In human salivary glands, Hsp60 has not yet been measured or mapped in detail and its role in gland development and functioning is virtually unknown. Consequently, its potential as biomarker for gland diseases, including malignancies cannot be assessed. The S-100 protein, a known marker for schwannomas, has been found also in myoepithelial-cell carcinomas of the salivary glands. Here, we present our initial findings on the anatomic-histologic…

Heat shock proteins in embryonic and adult submandibular salivary glands in healthy and tumorigenic tissues

Immunohistochemical expression of apoptotic factors, cytokeratins, and metalloproteinase-9 in periapical and epithelialized gingival lesions

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Heat Shock Protein in embryonic and adult submandibular salivary glands in healthy and tumorigenic tissues

Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) role in development and function of human salivary glands have not yet been measured or mapped in detail, in particular, HSP60 role is unknown. They can be potential biomarkers for glandular diseases and malignancies. We present our initial findings on HSP10, HSP27, HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90 distribution in human submandibular salivary glands (SMG) at various stages of development and tumorigenesis.

EXPERIMENTAL COLITIS: CHEMICAL AND BACTERIAL INDUCTION

PROBIOTICS: IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH

HIV-Infected Children and Nutrition: The Friend and The Foe

The impact of nutrition on HIV-infected children has been evaluated in multiple studies. Our review of the current trends of nutrition-related studies revealed that the focus has moved from simply the disease consequences of HIV to ensuring that antiretroviral therapy-treated children are well nourished to ensure growth and development. This update aims to present the state of the art regarding nutrition of HIV-infected children and the real potential for nutrition to serve as a dynamic therapy in this group. Recent World Health Organization reports indicate that the HIV/AIDS disease is curbing in incidence worldwide despite the high 1.8 million children, less than 15 years, reported in 201…

Salivary gland proteins alterations in the diabetic milieu

AbstractSalivary glands are considered the chief exocrine glands of the mouth and physiologically contribute to the maintenance of the homeostasis of the oral cavity. They consist of the parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands, which come in pairs and are collectively called the major glands, and the minor glands, which are much smaller and are dispersed throughout the buccal cavity. Salivary glands are distinguished by their size, amount of saliva secretion and their location in the oral cavity. Salivary glands pathophysiology has been a subject of interest in various worldwide metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus (DM), a global health concern, with a pa…

Nerve growth factor and burn wound healing: Update of molecular interactions with skin cells

Burn wound healing is a very intricate and complex process that conventionally includes three interrelated and overlapping stages of hemostasis/inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. This review aims to explore the molecular interactions of NGF with the most prominent cell types in the skin and their respective secretory products during wound healing, particularly burn wound healing. Different types of cells such as, nerve cells, endothelial cells, mast cells, macrophages, neutrophils, keratinocytes and fibroblasts all come into play through a plethora of cytokines and growth factors including nerve growth factor (NGF). NGF is a pleiotropic molecule that exerts its effects on all the a…

Natriuretic peptide system expression in murine and human submandibular salivary glands: a study of the spatial localisation of ANB, BNP, CNP and their receptors

AbstractThe natriuretic peptide (NP) system comprises of three ligands, the Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP), Brain Natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C-type Natriuretic peptide (CNP), and three natriuretic peptide receptors, NPRA, NPRB and NPRC. Here we present a comprehensive study of the natriuretic peptide system in healthy murine and human submandibular salivary glands (SMGs). We show CNP is the dominant NP in mouse and human SMG and is expressed together with NP receptors in ducts, autonomic nerves and the microvasculature of the gland, suggesting CNP autocrine signalling may take place in some of these glandular structures. These data suggest the NP system may control salivary gland funct…

A novel therapeutic approach to colorectal cancer in diabetes: role of metformin and rapamycin

International audience; The link between colorectal cancer (CRC), diabetes mellitus (DM) and inflammation is well established, and polytherapy, including rapamycin, has been adopted. This study is a novel approach that aimed at assessing the effect of a combination therapy of metformin and rapamycin on the control or prevention of CRC in diabetic animals, in presence or absence of probiotics. Fifty NOD/SCIDs male mice developed xenograft by inoculating HCT116 cells. They were equally divided into diabetics (induced by Streptozotocin) and non-diabetics. Metformin was given in drinking water, whereas rapamycin was administered via intra-peritoneal injections. Probiotics were added to the doub…

Hsp60 as a Novel Target in IBD Management: A Prospect

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses various pathological conditions similar but distinct that share a multifactorial etiology, including involvement of the intestinal barrier function, the immune system, and intestinal microorganisms. Hsp60 is a chaperonin component of the chaperoning system, present in all cells and tissues, including the intestine. It plays important roles in cell physiology outside and inside mitochondria, its canonical place of residence. However, Hsp60 can also be pathogenic in many conditions, the Hsp60 chaperonopathies, possibly including IBD. The various clinico-pathological types of IBD have a complicated mix of causative factors, among which Hsp60 can be …

Colorectal Carcinogenesis: Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants

One of the contributory causes of colon cancer is the negative effect of reactive oxygen species on DNA repair mechanisms. Currently, there is a growing support for the concept that oxidative stress may be an important etiological factor for carcinogenesis. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the role of oxidative stress in promoting colorectal carcinogenesis and to highlight the potential protective role of antioxidants. Several studies have documented the importance of antioxidants in countering oxidative stress and preventing colorectal carcinogenesis. However, there are conflicting data in the literature concerning its proper use in humans, since these studies did not yield defin…

Chaperonin Hsp60 and Cancer Therapies

The heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) is a chaperonin belonging to the chaperoning (chaperone) system that typically contributes to protein homeostasis inside mitochondria, but also plays various non-canonical roles unrelated to protein quality control beyond the organelle. Chaperonopathies are disorders in which chaperones play an etiologic-pathogenic role and contribute to the onset/progression of disease. Hsp60 chaperonopathies by mistake are diseases in which the chaperonin is apparently normal (as far as it can be determined with current methodologies) but it actively contributes to pathology, for example in certain types of cancer, and autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders. In cer…

THE CHAPERONE SYSTEM IN SALIVARY GLAND DEVELOPMENT

The chaperone system (CS) canonical function is to maintain protein homeostasis. Proper folding of nascent peptides is crucial in developing tissue. The chief components of the CS are 95th National Congress of the Italian Society for Experimental Biology | Trieste, Italy, 12-15 April 2023Non-commercial use only the molecular chaperones, which play key roles in development as indicated by their presence in embryonic tissue as early as at two-cell stage. However, scarce information on the CS in developing tissues is available, especially at advanced stages of embryogenesis and its role is not fully understood. In our previous study, we reported the presence of molecular chaperones in the duct…

The long-term effects of probiotics in the therapy of ulcerative colitis: a clinical study

Aim: Intestinal dysbiosis seems to be the leading cause of inflammatory bowel diseases, and probiotics seems to represent the proper support against their occurrence. Actually, probiotic blends and anti-inflammatory drugs represent a weapon against inflammatory bowel diseases. The present study evaluates the long-term (2 years) effects of combination therapy (mesalazine plus a probiotic blend of Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus strain BGN4) on ulcerative colitis activity. Method: Sixty patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis were enrolled: 30 of them were treated with a single daily oral administration of mesalazine 1200 mg; 30 pati…