SIRT6 IS CORRELATED WITH ESTRADIOL IN WOMEN WITH IN VITRO FERTILIZATION FAILURE

Objective: In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an important tool and it is widely used in the treatment of infertility. However, the failure rate is still high. Thus the study of the factors affecting the rate of success of IVF cycles is very important field of study. In the present study, the possible relationship between the Sirtuin-6 (SIRT6), a stress-responsive protein deacetylase, and the outcome of IVF was studied. SIRT6 also was correlated with hormone levels in women with IVF failure.Methods: Sixty women undergo IVF patients were participated in the study. Women group that had conceived from IVF are expressed as "pregnant group" while women who hadn't are expressed as "failure group." All groups had same preparations and same treatment regimen.Results: Results revealed that there is an insignificant difference between pregnant and failure groups in serum SIRT6 level. The results showed a significant higher estradiol, and lower prolactin and antimullerian hormone in pregnant in comparing with failure group. Correlations studies indicated no significant correlation between SIRT6 and hormones in pregnant group, while there is a significant correlation between SIRT6 and estradiol hormone in the failure group.Conclusion: It can be concluded that serum SIRT6 level does not differ between women who had success or failure IVF. However, in women with failure, SIRT6 is correlated with estradiol level.Â

Serum HMGB1, DKK1, and ACE2 as a Function of Lung Injuries in COVID-19 Patients

There is a need for a biomarker for lung injury in COVID-19 patients. In the present study, an attempt was carried out to examine the role of Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), High-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a function for the lung abnormalities in CT-scan (LACTS). To perform the goals, DKK1, HMGB1, and ACE2 were measured in patients and controls using the ELISA technique. In contrast, other parameters were measured spectrophotometrically. The results showed decreased SpO2 and albumin and an increase in the serum biochemical parameters (glucose, urea, creatinine, D-dimer, ACE2, DKK1, and HMGB1) in COVID-19 patients compared with the control group. In COVID-19 patients, the percentages of the lung abnormalities in CT-scan% are 40.67±11.84. The results showed that those patients with LACTS patients are slightly older and have lower SpO2 than the patients without the LACTS group. ACE2 shows a significant correlation with SpO2 (ρ = 0.336, p<0.01) and a negative correlation with albumin (ρ = -0.197, p<0.05). Other parameters showed no significant correlation with the measured biomarkers. In conclusion, COVID-19 patients have higher ACE, DKK1, and HMGB1 indicating the involvement of the pathways of these biomarkers in the disease progression including lung injury

Inflammatory and bone biomarkers/composites as a predictive tool for clinical characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis patients

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is related to alterations in different inflammatory and connective tissue biomarkers. The diagnostic values and the factors affecting these biomarkers are conflicting. In the present study, a bone-related composite (B-composite), made from the z-score of stromelysin-1 (MMP3), colony-stimulating factor 2 (CSF2), and osteopontin (OPN), and I-composite, reflecting immune activation, made from the z-score of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), interferon-γ (INFγ), and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF) were examined in RA patients. The biomarkers were measured by ELISA technique in 102 RA patients and 58 age-matched healthy control subjects. Serum MMP3, TNFα, IFNγ, and CSF2 showed significant elevation in RA patients. Multivariate general linear model (GLM) analysis revealed a significant high effect of diagnosis on biomarkers' level (partial η2 = 0.415). Duration of disease is significantly associated with VEGF, OPN, and B-composite and negatively correlated with TNFα. B-composite is significantly associated with CRP. A significant fraction of the DAS28 score variance can be explained by the regression on zlnINFγ. The variance in the CRP was explained by zlnOPN and B-composite. More than half of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) variation can be explained by the regression on serum MMP3 and I-composite. The top 3 sensitive predictors for RA disease are INFγ, MMP3, and TNFα. B-composite is associated with the duration of disease and CRP. At the same time, I-composite is negatively associated with the ACPA level. The biomarker composites have potential use as RA disease characteristic biomarkers

Increased insulin resistance due to long COVID is associated with depressive symptoms and partly predicted by the inflammatory response during acute infection

Objective: Some months after the remission of acute COVID-19, some individuals show depressive symptoms, which are predicted by increased peak body temperature (PBT) and decreased blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). The present study aimed to examine data on whether long COVID is associated with increased insulin resistance (IR) in association with neuroimmune and oxidative (NIO) processes during the acute infectious and long COVID phases. Methods: This case-control, retrospective cohort study used the Homeostasis Model Assessment 2 (HOMA2) calculator© to compute β-cell function (HOMA2%B) and insulin sensitivity (HOMA2%S) and resistance (HOMA2-IR) and administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) to 86 patients with long COVID and 39 controls. Results: Long COVID (3-4 months after the acute infection) is accompanied by increased HOMA2-IR, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and insulin levels; 33.7% of the patients vs. 0% of the controls had HOMA2-IR values > 1.8, suggesting IR. Increased IR was predicted by PBT during acute infection and associated with depressive symptoms above and beyond the effects of NIO pathways (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 [NLRP3] inflammasome, myeloperoxidase [MPO], protein oxidation). There were no significant associations between increased IR and the activated NIO pathways during long COVID. Conclusion: Long COVID is associated with new-onset IR, which may contribute to onset of depressive symptoms due to long COVID by enhancing overall neurotoxicity

Tryptophan catabolites, inflammation, and insulin resistance as determinants of chronic fatigue syndrome and affective symptoms in long COVID

Critical COVID-19 disease is accompanied by depletion of plasma tryptophan (TRY) and increases in indoleamine-dioxygenase (IDO)-stimulated production of neuroactive tryptophan catabolites (TRYCATs), including kynurenine (KYN). The TRYCAT pathway has not been studied extensively in association with the physiosomatic and affective symptoms of Long COVID. In the present study, we measured serum TRY, TRYCATs, insulin resistance (using the Homeostatic Model Assessment Index 2-insulin resistance, HOMA2-IR), C-reactive protein (CRP), physiosomatic, depression, and anxiety symptoms in 90 Long COVID patients, 3–10 months after remission of acute infection. We were able to construct an endophenotypic class of severe Long COVID (22% of the patients) with very low TRY and oxygen saturation (SpO2, during acute infection), increased kynurenine, KYN/TRY ratio, CRP, and very high ratings on all symptom domains. One factor could be extracted from physiosomatic symptoms (including chronic fatigue-fibromyalgia), depression, and anxiety symptoms, indicating that all domains are manifestations of the common physio-affective phenome. Three Long COVID biomarkers (CRP, KYN/TRY, and IR) explained around 40% of the variance in the physio-affective phenome. The latter and the KYN/TRY ratio were significantly predicted by peak body temperature (PBT) and lowered SpO2 during acute infection. One validated latent vector could be extracted from the three symptom domains and a composite based on CRP, KYN/TRY, and IR (Long COVID), and PBT and SpO2 (acute COVID-19). In conclusion, the physio-affective phenome of Long COVID is a manifestation of inflammatory responses during acute and Long COVID, and lowered plasma tryptophan and increased kynurenine may contribute to these effects

Intersections between Copper, β-Arrestin-1, Calcium, FBXW7, CD17, Insulin Resistance and Atherogenicity Mediate Depression and Anxiety Due to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Nomothetic Network Approach

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is frequently accompanied by affective disorders with a prevalence of comorbid depression of around 25%. Nevertheless, the biomarkers of affective symptoms including depression and anxiety due to T2DM are not well established. The present study delineated the effects of serum levels of copper, zinc, β-arrestin-1, FBXW7, lactosylceramide (LacCer), serotonin, calcium, magnesium on severity of depression and anxiety in 58 men with T2DM and 30 healthy male controls beyond the effects of insulin resistance (IR) and atherogenicity. Severity of affective symptoms was assessed using the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety rating scales. We found that 61.7% of the variance in affective symptoms was explained by the multivariate regression on copper, β-arrestin-1, calcium, and IR coupled with atherogenicity. Copper and LacCer (positive) and calcium and BXW7 (inverse) had significant specific indirect effects on affective symptoms, which were mediated by IR and atherogenicity. Copper, β-arrestin-1, and calcium were associated with affective symptoms above and beyond the effects of IR and atherogenicity. T2DM and affective symptoms share common pathways, namely increased atherogenicity, IR, copper, and β-arrestin-1, and lowered calcium, whereas copper, β-arrestin-1, calcium, LacCer, and FBXW7 may modulate depression and anxiety symptoms by affecting T2DM

Iron Status in Patients with Primary Hypertension

Hypertension is a major health problem in adults, and contributesto cardiovascular disease. Iron represents a paradox for human health by being essential for many important biological process, but also having an ability to be harmful in many different. In the present study, an attempt is carried out to define the iron status in Iraqi hypertensive patients. The aim is to obtain a recommendation about the risk of increased iron indices as a marker for subsequent ischaemic heart diseases.Eighty-eight hypertensive uncomplicated, hypertensive patient, but otherwise have no other systemic diseases patients aged 49±13 years old, were entered into the study. Serum levels of iron,, total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC), and ferritin were measured while Unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC), estimated total iron body stores (ETIBS), transferrrin saturation percentage (TS%) and transferrin concentration were calculated mathematically.        The results showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in all iron indices of hypertensive patients in comparing with healthy control group except TIBC, UIBC, and transferrin concentrations, which decrease in these patients in comparing with control group. There is a significant increase in serum ferritin and EIBS in male group as compared with female group. While all other iron indices were differ insignificantly between groups.It can be concluded that hypertensive patients have significantly higher level of iron parameters than control group. There is no significant difference between male and female groups in most iron indices except in ferritin and subsequently EIBS levels. Further studies required for other biochemical parameters in larger patients sample size.Keywords: Iron, TIBC, Ferritin,  and Hypertensio

High Ionic Strength Enhances the Anti-Pepsin Activity of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a state that evolves when there is a return of acid and pepsin enzyme into the esophagus. Inhibition of pepsin enzyme is one of the strategies used successfully for the treatment of GERD. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are among the safest nanoparticles (NPs) that can be used inside the human body. The aim of the present study is to use TiO2 NPs as an inhibitor for the pepsin enzyme as a new treatment for GERD. The activity of pepsin before and after the addition of certain amounts of the NPs to the reaction mixture was measured spectrophotometrically. These experiments were repeated at different temperatures and different ionic strengths. The Michaelis constant (Km) and maximum velocity (Vmax) of the pepsin catalyzed reactions were calculated from the Lineweaver-Burke plots. The results revealed a significant reduction in the pepsin activity by TiO2 NPs. Both Km and Vmax are changed after inhibition indicating a mixed inhibition of pepsin activity. The result also showed that the combination of high ionic strength and TiO2 NPs causes a complete inhibition of pepsin activity. It can be concluded that the best condition for inhibition of pepsin activity is by using a combination of TiO2 NPs and high concentration NaCl at 37℃