Apoptosis of HeLa and CaSki cell lines incubated with All-trans retinoid acid.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentrations of a soluble form of APO-1/Fas antigen (sFas, CD95) and a soluble Ligand for APO-1/Fas antigen (sCD95L, sFasL) in supernatants from CaSki and HeLa cell line cultures after the incubation with All-trans-retinoic acid. HPV-16 and HPV18 - positive cell lines were cultivated with All-trans-retinoic acid in concentrations of 1 x 10(-6) M/L and 1 x 10(-8) M/L. The cultures were incubated for 24 hours. Control culture with 3 microl of dimethyl-sulphoxide (DMSO) was incubated under identical conditions. The concentrations of soluble APO-1/Fas antigen and Fas Ligand in cell culture supernatants were estimated using immunoenzymatic methods. The obtained results showed significant decrease of concentrations of soluble APO-1/Fas antigen in supernatants from HeLa cell lines incubated with retinol in comparison with the control culture. Moreover, the concentrations of soluble Ligand for APO-1/Fas antigen in the supernatants of CaSki and HeLa cell lines were significantly lower in the culture incubated with All-trans retinoid acid when compared to the control culture. Higher concentrations of soluble APO-1/Fas antigen in supernatants from HeLa cell line without retinol may constitute a protective mechanism of the cells infected with the virus before undergoing Fas/FasL-dependent apoptosis. Lower concentrations of soluble APO-1/Fas antigen and soluble Ligand for APO-1/Fas in the supernatants from CaSki and HeLa cell cultures incubated with retinol suggest that retinoids can decrease the synthesis of soluble APO-1//Fas and soluble FasL in HPV-16 and HPV - 18 positive cells and that mechanisms protecting infected cells against Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis become defective under the influence of retinol

Factors affecting self-esteem and disease acceptance in patients from infertile couples

IntroductionInfertility has been diagnosed in millions of people around the world and is described as a complex medical, mental, and social problem that affects many aspects of life. The aim of the study was to extract the determining factors and the level of self-esteem and the degree of acceptance of the disease in infertile patients and to find differences between women and men in this aspect.MethodsA total 456 patients (235 women and 221 men) from infertile couples participated in a cross-sectional study. To collect data a Personal Information Form (PIF), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) were used.ResultsThe overall self-esteem score for the whole sample was 30.50 (15 ± 30) points and for acceptance of the disease 32.4 (8 ± 40) points. In the study group, men obtained a slightly higher level of self-esteem than women (31.00 vs. 30.04 points). Additionally, men had a higher level of acceptance of the disease (33.12 vs. 31.80) than women. Socio-demographic factors such as age and level of education had impact on scores SES and AIS. Clinical factors did not determine the results of SES and AIS, both in the overall sample and in the female and male groups.ConclusionSelf-esteem in patients from infertile couples increases with age and level of education. There are also significant differences between women and men, i.e., positive correlations between the level of education and self-esteem in men and the degree of acceptance of the disease in women

Uterine leiomyomas: correlation between histologic composition and stiffness via magnetic resonance elastography — a Pilot Study

Objectives: To evaluate magnetic resonance elastography as a tool for characterizing uterine leimyomas.Material and methods: At total of 12 women with symptomatic leiomyomas diagnosed in physical and ultrasound examinationswere enrolled in this pilot study. Before surgery, all patients underwent magnetic resonance elastography ofthe uterus using a 1.5 T MR whole-body scanner (Optima, GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA). Surgical specimens wereforwarded for histological examination. The findings were allocated into 3 categories depending on the percentage contentof connective tissue: below 15%, from 15 to 30% and more than 30%. The median stiffness of leiomyomas for each of thegroup was calculated. The U-Mann Whitney test was used for statistical analysis.Results: The stiffness of the leiomyomas ranged between 3.7–6.9 kPa (median value 4.9 kPa). The concentration of extracellularcomponents in the leiomyomas did not exceed 40%. An increasing trend of the stiffness with the growing percentageof extracellular component was observed. Stiffness of the leiomyomas obtained by MRE varies depending on microscopiccomposition.Conclusions: The value of stiffness shows a trend of increasing with the percentage of extracellular component of theleiomyoma. Further studies are required to assess the usefulness of MRE in diagnostics of uterine leiomyomas

Antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide don’t decrease after 6 months of infliximab treatment in refractory rheumatoid arthritis

Anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) and the rheumatoid factor (RF) are well-established serological markers for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ACPA are very useful in the diagnosis of RA, especially at the early stages of the disease when ACPA have a greater diagnostic value than RF. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of infliximab treatment on RF IgM and ACPA serum levels and RA activity during 6 months of treatment. Thirty-two patients with refractory RA were treated with infliximab during a 6-month period. At baseline, 3 and 6 months of treatment the patients were examined for the number swollen and tender joints out of 28 (SJC, TJC) and the visual analogue scale of arthritis activity according to the patient (VAS). Serum samples were tested for erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein level (CRP), ACPA and RF IgM. The disease activity score (DAS-28) parameter was also calculated at the same time. During the course of our study, we observed statistically significant improvement in ESR, CRP, TJC, SJC, VAS DAS-28, and RF IgM after 3 and 6 months of infliximab treatment when compared to the baseline, whereas the ACPA level remained unchanged after 3 and 6 months of treatment (P = 0.96 and P = 0.85). The changes in the ACPA level are not a factor for evaluation of successful infliximab treatment but the changes in RF IgM are. According to different behavior of these antibodies during infliximab treatment, we suggest that the roles of ACPA and RF in the pathogenesis of RA are different

FCER1G Gene Hypomethylation in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that, when improperly treated, leads to disability in patients. Various factors that may cause the development and activity of RA are being considered. Epigenetic factors are also receiving increasing attention. In our study, we analyzed the association between FCER1G gene methylation and RA activity. We conducted our study in 50 RA patients and 24 controls. The patients were divided into two groups in terms of high disease activity and remission. Quantitative real-time methylation-specific PCR was used to analyze the methylation status of the investigated genes. We observed that RA patients have lower levels of methylation of the FCER1G gene compared to controls, but we did not find any difference in the methylation status of this gene between patients with high disease activity and remission. The results of this study suggest that FCER1G gene methylation may be a new potential epigenetic marker of RA that is independent of disease activity

The concentrations of soluble HLA-G protein are elevated during mid-gestation and decreased in pre-eclampsia

The aim of our study was to investigate the dynamics of the alterations of soluble human leukocyte antigen-G (sHLA-G) concentrations in sera of healthy non-pregnant women, as well as healthy pregnant women and patients with pre-eclampsia. Thirty five patients with pre-eclampsia, 52 healthy pregnant women, and 24 healthy non-pregnant women were included in the study. Sera concentrations of sHLA-G protein were determined using the immunoenzymatic ELISA method. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and Mann–Whitney U tests. The concentrations of sHLA-G protein in sera of pregnant women in the first, as well as the second and third, trimesters of normal pregnancy were significantly higher in comparison with healthy nonpregnant women. The sera concentrations of sHLA-G in pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy were significantly higher compared to the first and third trimesters. The concentrations of sHLA-G in sera of patients with pre-eclampsia were significantly lower than in pregnant women in the third trimester of physiological pregnancy. The results of our study suggest that normal physiological pregnancy is associated with elevated sera concentrations of sHLA-G molecule. The increased concentrations of sHLA-G molecule in mid-gestation could suggest a role for the protein in the second phase of a physiological invasion of extravillous cytotrophoblast to spiral arteries. Furthermore, the results could suggest a role for the decreased sera concentrations of sHLA-G in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia

T CD3+CD8+ Lymphocytes Are More Susceptible for Apoptosis in the First Trimester of Normal Human Pregnancy

Aims. Normal human pregnancy is a complex process of many immunoregulatory mechanisms which protect fetus from the activation of the maternal immune system. The aim of the study was to investigate the apoptosis of lymphocytes in peripheral blood of normal pregnant patients and healthy nonpregnant women. Methods. Sixty pregnant women and 17 nonpregnant women were included in the study. Lymphocytes were isolated and labeled with anti-CD3, anti-CD4, and anti-CD8 monoclonal antibodies. Apoptosis was detected by CMXRos staining and analyzed using the flow cytometric method. Results. We found significantly higher apoptosis of total lymphocytes in peripheral blood of pregnant patients when compared to healthy nonpregnant women. The percentage of apoptotic T CD3+CD8+ cells in the first trimester was significantly higher when compared to the third trimester of normal pregnancy. The ratio of T CD3+CD4+ : T CD3+CD8+ apoptotic lymphocytes was significantly lower in the first trimester when compared to other trimesters of pregnancy and to both of the phases of the menstrual cycle. Conclusions. The higher apoptosis of T CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes and the lower ratio of T CD3+CD4+ : T CD3+CD8+ apoptotic cells in the first trimester of normal pregnancy may suggest a higher susceptibility of T CD3+CD8+ cells for apoptosis as a protective mechanism at the early stage of pregnancy