Search results for "White"
showing 10 items of 1158 documents
Stimulation of natural killer cells with rhCD137 ligand enhances tumor-targeting antibody efficacy in gastric cancer
2018
Although many anticancer agents for gastric cancer have been developed, the prognosis for many patients remains poor. Recently, costimulatory immune molecules that reactivate antitumor immune responses by utilizing the host immune system have attracted attention as new therapeutic strategies. CD137 is a costimulatory molecule that reportedly potentiates the antitumor activity of tumor-targeting monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) by enhancing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. However, it remains unclear whether CD137 stimulates tumor-regulatory activity in gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effects of CD137 stimulation on gastric cancer cells administered tumor-ta…
Resveratrol shifts energy metabolism to increase lipid oxidation in healthy old mice.
2019
Abstract Objectives The objective of this work was to determine the specific mechanisms by which resveratrol inhibits lipogenesis and stimulates lipolysis. Methods Twelve male mice were individually introduced into a metabolic cage for 24 h to measure basal metabolic rate, prior to intervention. They were randomly divided into two groups, resveratrol (RSV) and control (C), and administered resveratrol intraperitoneally or vehicle, respectively, for two consecutive days. After 24 h, the metabolic energy expenditure was again determined for 24 h, before mice were sacrificed. Protein and gene expression of different enzymes related to metabolism in the hepatic tissue, adipose tissue and gastro…
Complexity analysis of cortical surface detects changes in future Alzheimer's disease converters
2017
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disorder that creates neurodegenerative changes at several structural and functional levels in human brain tissue. The fractal dimension (FD) is a quantitative parameter that characterizes the morphometric variability of the human brain. In this study, we investigate spherical harmonic-based FD (SHFD), thickness, and local gyrification index (LGI) to assess whether they identify cortical surface abnormalities toward the conversion to AD. We study 33 AD patients, 122 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients (50 MCI converters and 29 MCI nonconverters), and 32 healthy controls (HC). SHFD, thickness, and LGI methodology allowed us to perform not only …
A genome-wide association study of corneal astigmatism: The CREAM Consortium
2018
Contains fulltext : 191261.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Purpose: To identify genes and genetic markers associated with corneal astigmatism. Methods: A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of corneal astigmatism undertaken for 14 European ancestry (n=22,250) and 8 Asian ancestry (n=9,120) cohorts was performed by the Consortium for Refractive Error and Myopia. Cases were defined as having >0.75 diopters of corneal astigmatism. Subsequent gene-based and gene-set analyses of the meta-analyzed results of European ancestry cohorts were performed using VEGAS2 and MAGMA software. Additionally, estimates of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability for …
The actin remodeling protein cofilin is crucial for thymic αβ but not γδ T-cell development
2018
Cofilin is an essential actin remodeling protein promoting depolymerization and severing of actin filaments. To address the relevance of cofilin for the development and function of T cells in vivo, we generated knock-in mice in which T-cell–specific nonfunctional (nf) cofilin was expressed instead of wild-type (WT) cofilin. Nf cofilin mice lacked peripheral αβ T cells and showed a severe thymus atrophy. This was caused by an early developmental arrest of thymocytes at the double negative (DN) stage. Importantly, even though DN thymocytes expressed the TCRβ chain intracellularly, they completely lacked TCRβ surface expression. In contrast, nf cofilin mice possessed normal numbers of γδ T cel…
Meta-analysis of gene-environment-wide association scans accounting for education level identifies additional loci for refractive error
2016
Myopia is the most common human eye disorder and it results from complex genetic and environmental causes. The rapidly increasing prevalence of myopia poses a major public health challenge. Here, the CREAM consortium performs a joint meta-analysis to test single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) main effects and SNP × education interaction effects on refractive error in 40,036 adults from 25 studies of European ancestry and 10,315 adults from 9 studies of Asian ancestry. In European ancestry individuals, we identify six novel loci (FAM150B-ACP1, LINC00340, FBN1, DIS3L-MAP2K1, ARID2-SNAT1 and SLC14A2) associated with refractive error. In Asian populations, three genome-wide significant loci AREG…
Trichomonicidal and parasite membrane damaging activity of bidesmosic saponins from Manilkara rufula.
2017
The infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common but overlooked non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Treatment relies on one class of drugs, the 5-nitroimidazoles, but resistance is widespread. New drugs are urgently needed. We reported the effect of crude and purified saponin fractions of Manilkara rufula against Trichomonas vaginalis. The compound responsible for antitrichomonal activity was isolated and identified as an uncommon bidesmosic saponin, Mi-saponin C. This saponin eliminated parasite viability without toxicity against the human vaginal epithelial line (HMVII). In addition, the isolated saponin fraction improved the metronidazole effect against a me…
Genetic 3’UTR variation is associated with human pigmentation characteristics and sensitivity to sunlight
2017
Sunlight exposure induces signalling pathways leading to the activation of melanin synthesis and tanning response. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate the expression of genes involved in pigmentation pathways by binding to the complementary sequence in their 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs). Therefore, 3'UTR SNPs are predicted to modify the ability of miRNAs to target genes, resulting in differential gene expression. In this study, we investigated the role in pigmentation and sun-sensitivity traits, as well as in melanoma susceptibility, of 38 different 3'UTR SNPs from 38 pigmentation-related genes. A total of 869 individuals of Spanish origin (526 melanoma cases and 343 controls) were analysed.…
The Neolithic Transition in the Baltic Was Not Driven by Admixture with Early European Farmers
2017
Summary The Neolithic transition was a dynamic time in European prehistory of cultural, social, and technological change. Although this period has been well explored in central Europe using ancient nuclear DNA [1, 2], its genetic impact on northern and eastern parts of this continent has not been as extensively studied. To broaden our understanding of the Neolithic transition across Europe, we analyzed eight ancient genomes: six samples (four to ∼1- to 4-fold coverage) from a 3,500 year temporal transect (∼8,300–4,800 calibrated years before present) through the Baltic region dating from the Mesolithic to the Late Neolithic and two samples spanning the Mesolithic-Neolithic boundary from the…
Combined B, T and NK Cell Deficiency Accelerates Atherosclerosis in BALB/c Mice.
2016
This study focused on the unique properties of both the Ldlr knockout defect (closely mimicking the human situation) and the BALB/c (C) inbred mouse strain (Th-2 slanted immune response). We generated two immunodeficient strains with severe combined B- and T-cell immunodeficiency with or without a complete lack of natural killer cells to revisit the role of adaptive immune responses on atherogenesis. C-Ldlr-/- Rag1-/- mice, which show severe combined B- and T-cell immunodeficiency and C-Ldlr-/- Rag1-/- Il2rg-/- mice, which combine the T- and B-cell defect with a complete lack of natural killer cells and inactivation of multiple cytokine signalling pathways were fed an atherogenic Western ty…