Search results for "LONG"
showing 10 items of 3969 documents
Amorphous, Smart, and Bioinspired Polyphosphate Nano/Microparticles: A Biomaterial for Regeneration and Repair of Osteo-Articular Impairments In-Situ
2018
Using femur explants from mice as an in vitro model, we investigated the effect of the physiological polymer, inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), on differentiation of the cells of the bone marrow in their natural microenvironment into the osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages. In the form of amorphous Ca-polyP nano/microparticles, polyP retains its function to act as both an intra- and extracellular metabolic fuel and a stimulus eliciting morphogenetic signals. The method for synthesis of the nano/microparticles with the polyanionic polyP also allowed the fabrication of hybrid particles with the bisphosphonate zoledronic acid, a drug used in therapy of bone metastases in cancer patients. The r…
Novel molecular mechanisms for the adaptogenic effects of herbal extracts on isolated brain cells using systems biology.
2018
Abstract Introduction Adaptogens are natural compounds or plant extracts that increase adaptability and survival of organisms under stress. Adaptogens stimulate cellular and organismal defense systems by activating intracellular and extracellular signaling pathways and expression of stress-activated proteins and neuropeptides. The effects adaptogens on mediators of adaptive stress response and longevity signaling pathways have been reported, but their stress-protective mechanisms are still not fully understood. Aim of the study The aim of this study was to identify key molecular mechanisms of adaptogenic plants traditionally used to treat stress and aging-related disorders, i.e., Rhodiola r…
Incomplete Timothy syndrome secondary to a mosaic mutation of the CACNA1C gene diagnosed using next-generation sequencing.
2016
Autosomal dominant genetic diseases can occur de novo and in the form of somatic mosaicism, which can give rise to a less severe phenotype, and make diagnosis more difficult given the sensitivity limits of the methods used. We report the case of female child with a history of surgery for syndactyly of the hands and feet, who was admitted at 6 years of age to a pediatric intensive care unit following cardiac arrest. The electrocardiogram (ECG) showed a long QT interval that on occasions reached 500 ms. Despite the absence of facial dysmorphism and the presence of normal psychomotor development, a diagnosis of Timothy syndrome was made given the association of syndactyly and the ECG features.…
Effects of berberine, curcumin, resveratrol alone and in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs and signal transduction inhibitors on cancer cells-P…
2017
Over the past fifty years, society has become aware of the importance of a healthy diet in terms of human fitness and longevity. More recently, the concept of the beneficial effects of certain components of our diet and other compounds, that are consumed often by different cultures in various parts of the world, has become apparent. These âhealthyâ components of our diet are often referred to as nutraceuticals and they can prevent/suppress: aging, bacterial, fungal and viral infections, diabetes, inflammation, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases and have other health-enhancing effects. Moreover, they are now often being investigated because of their anti-cancer properties/po…
Long Pentraxin 3-Mediated Fibroblast Growth Factor Trapping Impairs Fibrosarcoma Growth
2018
Fibrosarcomas are soft tissue mesenchymal tumors originating from transformed fibroblasts. Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) and its tyrosine-kinase receptors (FGFRs) play pivotal roles in fibrosarcoma onset and progression, FGF2 being actively produced by fibroblasts in all stages along their malignant transformation to the fibrosarcoma stage. The soluble pattern recognition receptor long pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is an extrinsic oncosuppressor whose expression is reduced in different tumor types, including soft tissue sarcomas, via hypermethylation of its gene promoter. PTX3 interacts with FGF2 and other FGF family members, thus acting as a multi-FGF antagonist able to inhibit FGF-dependent neov…
Epigenetic Silencing of CDR1as Drives IGF2BP3-Mediated Melanoma Invasion and Metastasis.
2018
Summary Metastasis is the primary cause of death of cancer patients. Dissecting mechanisms governing metastatic spread may uncover important tumor biology and/or yield promising therapeutic insights. Here, we investigated the role of circular RNAs (circRNA) in metastasis, using melanoma as a model aggressive tumor. We identified silencing of cerebellar degeneration-related 1 antisense (CDR1as), a regulator of miR-7, as a hallmark of melanoma progression. CDR1as depletion results from epigenetic silencing of LINC00632, its originating long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and promotes invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo through a miR-7-independent, IGF2BP3-mediated mechanism. Moreover, CDR1as le…
Computational Prediction of Position Effects of Apparently Balanced Human Chromosomal Rearrangements.
2017
Interpretation of variants of uncertain significance, especially chromosomal rearrangements in non-coding regions of the human genome, remains one of the biggest challenges in modern molecular diagnosis. To improve our understanding and interpretation of such variants, we used high-resolution three-dimensional chromosomal structural data and transcriptional regulatory information to predict position effects and their association with pathogenic phenotypes in 17 subjects with apparently balanced chromosomal abnormalities. We found that the rearrangements predict disruption of long-range chromatin interactions between several enhancers and genes whose annotated clinical features are strongly …
Genome-wide association studies for milk production traits in Valle del Belice sheep using repeated measures
2019
Genome-wide association studies (GWASes) have become a powerful tool for identifying genomic regions associated with important traits in livestock. Milk production traits in dairy sheep are measured at different time points during their life span. Using phenotypic data generated from longitudinal traits could improve the power of association studies but until now have received less attention in GWASes as a methodology and has not been implemented. The aim of this study was to carry out a GWAS for milk production traits in Valle del Belice sheep using repeated measures. After quality control, 469 ewes and 37 228 SNPs were retained for the analysis, and phenotypic data included 5586 test-day …
Grey Matter Microstructural Integrity Alterations in Blepharospasm Are Partially Reversed by Botulinum Neurotoxin Therapy.
2016
OBJECTIVE Benign Essential Blepharospasm (BEB) and hemifacial spasm (HFS) are the most common hyperkinetic movement disorders of facial muscles. Although similar in clinical presentation different pathophysiological mechanisms are assumed. Botulinum Neurotoxin (BoNT) is a standard evidence-based treatment for both conditions. In this study we aimed to assess grey matter microstructural differences between these two groups of patients and compared them with healthy controls. In patients we furthermore tracked the longitudinal morphometric changes associated with BoNT therapy. We hypothesized microstructural differences between the groups at the time point of maximum symptoms representation a…
Chronic benzodiazepine treatment decreases spine density in cortical pyramidal neurons.
2015
The adult brain retains a substantial capacity for synaptic reorganization, which includes a wide range of modifications from molecular to structural plasticity. Previous reports have demonstrated that the structural remodeling of excitatory neurons seems to occur in parallel to changes in GABAergic neurotransmission. The function of neuronal inhibitory networks can be modified through GABAA receptors, which have a binding site for benzodiazepines (BZ). Although BZs are among the most prescribed drugs, is not known whether they modify the structure and connectivity of pyramidal neurons. In the present study we wish to elucidate the impact of a chronic treatment of 21 days with diazepam (2mg…