Age-related responses in circulating markers of redox status in healthy adolescents and adults during the course of a training macrocycle

© 2015 The Authors. Published by Hindawi. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/283921Redox status changes during an annual training cycle in young and adult track and field athletes and possible differences between the two age groups were assessed. Forty-six individuals (24 children and 22 adults) were assigned to four groups: trained adolescents, (TAD, N=13), untrained adolescents (UAD, N=11), trained adults (TA, N=12), and untrained adults (UA, N=10). Aerobic capacity and redox status related variables [total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH), catalase activity, TBARS, protein carbonyls (PC), uric acid, and bilirubin] were assessed at rest and in response to a time-trial bout before training, at mid- and posttraining. TAC, catalase activity, TBARS, PC, uric acid, and bilirubin increased and GSH declined in all groups in response to acute exercise independent of training status and age. Training improved aerobic capacity, TAC, and GSH at rest and in response to exercise. Age affected basal and exercise-induced responses since adults demonstrated a greater TAC and GSH levels at rest and a greater rise of TBARS, protein carbonyls, and TAC and decline of GSH in response to exercise. Catalase activity, uric acid, and bilirubin responses were comparable among groups. These results suggest that acute exercise, age, and training modulate the antioxidant reserves of the body.This study was supported by a grant received by Bodosakis Foundation (Greece) for instrument purchase and Grant funding CE-80739.Published versio

Odontogenic tumors and giant cell lesions of jaws - a nine year study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>A definite geographic variation has been observed in the frequency of odontogenic tumors and giant cell lesions of the jaws reported from different parts of the world. However, there are a few studies on these lesions, especially giant cell lesions, reported from India. Hence, this study was designed to provide a demographic data on the odontogenic tumors and giant cell lesions reported from our institute located in the city of Hyderabad. Hyderabad is the capital city of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in India. A retrospective analysis of odontogenic tumors and giant cell lesions of jaws reported in our institute between the years 2000 and 2009 was done and this data was compared with previous reports from different parts of the world and India.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Biopsies of the lesions received between the years 2000 and 2009 were reviewed and patient's history, clinical, radiological and histopathological characteristics were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 77 biopsies were received during the nine year study period. These lesions were more frequently seen in the males, in a younger age group and showed a predilection for the mandible. Most of them presented as radiolucent, slow growing and painless lesions. Ameloblastomas (71.4%) constituted the majority of odontogenic tumors while central giant cell granulomas (7.8%) constituted the majority of giant cell lesions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These lesions showed a definite geographic variation with ameloblastomas being the most common odontogenic tumors and odontomas being relatively rarer lesions in our region.</p

Phagocytic ability of neutrophils and monocytes in neonates

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infections by a variety of pathogens are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality during perinatal period. The susceptibility of neonates to bacterial infections has been attributed to immaturity of innate immunity. It is considered that one of the impaired mechanisms is the phagocytic function of neutrophils and monocytes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the phagocytic ability of neonates at birth.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The phagocytic ability of neutrophils and monocytes of 42 neonates was determined using the Phagotest flow cytometry method, that assesses the intake of <it>E. Coli </it>by phagocytes, in cord blood and in peripheral blood 3 days after birth. Fifteen healthy adults were included in the study as controls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The phagocytic ability of neutrophils in the cord blood of neonates was significantly reduced compared to adults. The 3^rdpostnatal day the reduction of phagocytic ability of neutrophils was no longer significant compared to adults. The phagocytic ability of monocytes did not show any difference from that of adults either at birth or the 3^rdpostnatal day.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings indicate that the intake of <it>E. Coli </it>by phagocytes is impaired at birth in both preterm and full term neonates compared to adults. This defect is transient, with the phagocytic ability in neonates reaching that of the adults 3 days after birth.</p

Heterarchy of Transcription Factors Driving Basal and Luminal Cell Phenotypes in Human Urothelium

Cell differentiation is effected by complex networks of transcription factors that co-ordinate re-organisation of the chromatin landscape. The hierarchies of these relationships can be difficult to dissect. During in vitro differentiation of normal human uro-epithelial cells, formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements (FAIRE-seq) and RNA-seq were used to identify alterations in chromatin accessibility and gene expression changes following activation of the nuclear receptor PPARG as a differentiation-initiating event. Regions of chromatin identified by FAIRE-seq as having altered accessibility during differentiation were found to be enriched with sequence-specific binding motifs for transcription factors predicted to be involved in driving basal and differentiated urothelial cell phenotypes, including FOXA1, P63, GRHL2, CTCF and GATA3. In addition, co-occurrence of GATA3 motifs was observed within sub-sets of differentiation-specific peaks containing P63 or FOXA1 after induction of differentiation. Changes in abundance of GRHL2, GATA3, and P63 were observed in immunoblots of chromatin-enriched extracts. Transient siRNA knockdown of P63 revealed that P63 favoured a basal-like phenotype by inhibiting differentiation and promoting expression of basal marker genes. GATA3 siRNA prevented differentiation-associated downregulation of P63 protein and transcript, and demonstrated positive feedback of GATA3 on PPARG transcript, but showed no effect on FOXA1 transcript or protein expression. This approach indicates that as a transcriptionally-regulated programme, urothelial differentiation operates as a heterarchy wherein GATA3 is able to co-operate with FOXA1 to drive expression of luminal marker genes, but that P63 has potential to transrepress expression of the same genes

Proteome changes driven by phosphorus deficiency and recovery in the brown tide-forming alga Aureococcus anophagefferens

© The Author(s), 2011. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 6 (2011): e28949, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028949.Shotgun mass spectrometry was used to detect proteins in the harmful alga, Aureococcus anophagefferens, and monitor their relative abundance across nutrient replete (control), phosphate-deficient (−P) and −P refed with phosphate (P-refed) conditions. Spectral counting techniques identified differentially abundant proteins and demonstrated that under phosphate deficiency, A. anophagefferens increases proteins involved in both inorganic and organic phosphorus (P) scavenging, including a phosphate transporter, 5′-nucleotidase, and alkaline phosphatase. Additionally, an increase in abundance of a sulfolipid biosynthesis protein was detected in −P and P-refed conditions. Analysis of the polar membrane lipids showed that cellular concentrations of the sulfolipid sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) were nearly two-fold greater in the −P condition versus the control condition, while cellular phospholipids were approximately 8-fold less. Transcript and protein abundances were more tightly coupled for gene products involved in P metabolism compared to those involved in a range of other metabolic functions. Comparison of protein abundances between the −P and P-refed conditions identified differences in the timing of protein degradation and turnover. This suggests that culture studies examining nutrient starvation responses will be valuable in interpreting protein abundance patterns for cellular nutritional status and history in metaproteomic datasets.Research for this work was supported by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ECOHAB grant (#NA09NOS4780206) and National Science Foundation grant (#OCE-0723667) and a STAR Research Assistance Agreement No. R-83041501-0 awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Further support came from the Woods Hole Coastal Ocean Institute. LLW was supported by a Environmental Protection Agency STAR Fellowship (#FP916901). EMB was supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (#2007037200) and an Environmental Protection Agency STAR Fellowship (#F6E20324)

The Role of Purported Mucoprotectants in Dealing with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Functional Diarrhea, and Other Chronic Diarrheal Disorders in Adults

Chronic diarrhea is a frequent presenting symptom, both in primary care medicine and in specialized gastroenterology units. It is estimated that more than 5% of the global population suffers from chronic diarrhea. and that about 40% of these subjects are older than 60 years. The clinician is frequently faced with the need to decide which is the best therapeutic approach for these patients. While the origin of chronic diarrhea is diverse, impairment of intestinal barrier function, dysbiosis. and mucosal micro-inflammation are being increasingly recognized as underlying phenomena characterizing a variety of chronic diarrheal diseases. In addition to current pharmacological therapies, there is growing interest in alternative products such as mucoprotectants, which form a mucoadhesive film over the epithelium to reduce and protect against the development of altered intestinal permeability, dysbiosis, and mucosal micro-inflammation. This manuscript focuses on chronic diarrhea in adults, and we will review recent evidence on the ability of these natural compounds to improve symptoms associated with chronic diarrhea and to exert protective effects for the intestinal barrier

Parsimonious Gene Correlation Network Analysis (PGCNA): a tool to define modular gene co-expression for refined molecular stratification in cancer

Cancers converge onto shared patterns that arise from constraints placed by the biology of the originating cell lineage and microenvironment on programs driven by oncogenic events. Here we define consistent expression modules reflecting this structure in colon and breast cancer by exploiting expression data resources and a new computationally efficient approach that we validate against other comparable methods. This approach, Parsimonious Gene Correlation Network Analysis (PGCNA), allows comparison of network structures between these cancer types identifying shared modules of gene co-expression reflecting: cancer hallmarks, functional and structural gene batteries, copy number variation and biology of originating lineage. These networks along with the mapping of outcome data at gene and module level provide an interactive resource that generates context for relationships between genes within and between such modules. Assigning module expression values (MEVs) provides a tool to summarize network level gene expression in individual cases illustrating potential utility in classification and allowing analysis of linkage between module expression and mutational state. Exploiting TCGA data thus defines both recurrent patterns of association between module expression and mutation at data-set level, and exemplifies the polarization of mutation patterns with the leading edge of module expression at individual case level. We illustrate the scalable nature of the approach within immune response related modules, which in the context of breast cancer demonstrates the selective association of immune subsets, in particular mast cells, with the underlying mutational pattern. Together our analyses provide evidence for a generalizable framework to enhance molecular stratification in cancer