Effect of flaxseed supplementation and exercise training on lipid profile, oxidative stress and inflammation in rats with myocardial ischemia

Abstract Background Flaxseed has recently gained attention in the area of cardiovascular disease primarily because of its rich contents of α-linolenic acid (ALA), lignans, and fiber. Although the benefits of exercise on any single risk factor are unquestionable, the effect of exercise on overall cardiovascular risk, when combined with other lifestyle modifications such as proper nutrition, can be dramatic. This study was carried out to evaluate the protective role of flaxseed and exercise on cardiac markers, lipids profile and inflammatory markers in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial ischemia in rats. Methods The research was conducted on 40 male albino rats, divided into 4 groups (n=10): group I served as control, group II has acute myocardial ischemia induced by isoproterenol, groups III and IV have acute myocardial ischemia induced by isoproterenol pretreated with flaxseed supplementation orally for 6 weeks, additionally group IV practiced muscular exercise through swimming. Results Alterations of lipid profile, cardiac and inflammatory markers (Il-1β, PTX 3 and TNF- α) were observed in myocardial ischemia group. Flaxseed supplementation combined with exercise training showed significant increase of HDL and PON 1, on the other hand cardiac troponin, Il- 1β and TNF- α levels significantly decreased as compared to myocardial ischemic group. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis of cTnI, PTX 3, Il-1β and TNF- α revealed a satisfactory level of sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion Regular exercise enhances the improvement in plasma lipoprotein levels and cardiovascular protection that results from flaxseed supplementation by mitigating the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Elevation of HDL, the antioxidant PON 1 and the cardioprotective marker PTX 3 emphasizes the protective effects of flaxseed and muscular exercise mutually against the harmful effects of acute myocardial ischemia.</p

Assessing the expression of differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR) in newly diagnosed Egyptian acute myeloid leukemia patients

Abstract Background Role of Long non-coding RNAs in cancer research in the recent years have been highlighted with evidence to their involvement in cancer disease pathogenesis and progression. One of these emerging long non-coding RNAs is differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR). DANCR distinct expression in different cancers and implication in tumor signaling pathways made it a promising therapeutic target for cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate DANCR expression in de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and to assess DANCR expression in relation to cytogenetics and French American British (FAB) AML classification as well as correlate DANCR expression with patients’ response to treatment. The present study included 60 newly diagnosed AML patients and 30 healthy subjects as controls. Relative DANCR expression was done using real time qPCR method. Results DANCR was significantly downregulated in AML patients compared to controls (p = 0.038). In addition, DANCR showed significantly lower expression in M4 and M5 compared to M0, M1, and M2 groups (p < 0.001). Furthermore, DANCR expression was significantly downregulated in cytogenetically normal AML patients compared to the controls (p = 0.011). Conclusion Significant downregulation of DANCR in AML suggests a potential tumor suppressor role and variable expression of DANCR among AML subtypes suggests that DANCR action may be different among AML subtypes. Also, M1 subtype patients with higher DANCR expression were less refractory to treatment and therefore less resistant to cytarabine