Interplay between Comprehensive Inflammation Indices and Redox Biomarkers in Testicular Germ-Cell Tumors

Sustained and dysregulated inflammation, concurrent tumor-induced immune suppression, and oxidative stress are profoundly involved in cancer initiation, presentation, and perpetuation. Within this prospective study, we simultaneously analyzed the preoperative indices of systemic inflammatory response and the representative byproducts of oxidative DNA, protein, and lipid damage with the aim of evaluating their clinical relevance among patients diagnosed with testicular germ-cell tumors (GCT). In the analytical cohort (n = 88, median age 34 years), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly altered in patients with a higher tumor stage (p < 0.05). Highly suggestive correlations were found between NLR, dNLR, and SII and modified nucleoside 8-OHdG. CRP and albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) significantly correlated with thiols group level and maximal tumor dimension (p < 0.05). Based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, all the evaluated pre-orchiectomy inflammation markers demonstrated strong performance in predicting metastatic disease; optimal cut-off points were determined for each indicator. Although further large-scale studies are warranted, inflammatory and redox indices may both complement the established tumor markers and standard clinicopathological prognostic variables and contribute to enhanced personalized risk-assessment among testicular GCT patients

Alteration in Redox Status and Lipoprotein Profile in COVID-19 Patients with Mild, Moderate, and Severe Pneumonia

Background. Metabolic alterations, particularly disorders of lipoprotein metabolism in COVID-19, may affect the course and outcome of the disease. This study aims at evaluating the lipoprotein profile and redox status in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with different pneumonia severity and their association with lethal outcomes. Methods. The prospective cohort study was performed on 98 COVID-19 patients with mild, moderate, and severe pneumonia. Lipid and inflammatory parameters, lipoprotein subclasses, and redox status biomarkers were determined at the study entry and after one week. Results. Compared to patients with mild and moderate pneumonia, severely ill patients had higher oxidised low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and malondialdehyde levels and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations and paraoxonase 1 activity. Reduction in the proportion of large HDL 2a subclasses with a concomitant increase in the proportion of smallest HDL 3c and small dense LDL (sdLDL) particles was observed in patients with severe disease during the time. However, these changes were reversed in the mild and moderate groups. The results showed a positive association between changes in oxLDL and total antioxidative status. However, prooxidants and antioxidants in plasma were lower in patients with lethal outcomes. Conclusions. Increased levels of oxLDL and sdLDL particles may contribute to the severity of COVID-19. The role of oxidative stress should be clarified in further studies, mainly its association with lethal outcomes

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018):a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Supplementation of lactobacilli improves growth, regulates microbiota composition and suppresses skeletal anomalies in juvenile pike-perch (Sander lucioperca) reared in recirculating aquaculture system (RAS): A pilot study

This research aimed to test the effects of lactobacilli, applied to cultured pike-perch, either through hydrolyzed OTOHIME fish diet, or through Artemia nauplii, on fish growth, microbiota balance and skeletal development. On the 12th Day Post Hatching (DPH) fish were divided into following treatment groups: two groups received the combination of OTOHIME and nauplii enriched either with Lactobacillus paracasei BGHN14 + Lactobacillus rhamnosus BGTH or with Lactobacillus reuteri BGGO6-55 + Lactobacillus salivarius BGHO1, and one group received OTOHIME hydrolyzed by BGHN14 + BGT10 and non-enriched nauplii. Control group received non-enriched nauplii and non-hydrolyzed OTOHIME. The treatment lasted 14 days and fish were sacrificed on the 26th DPH for the assessment of digestive enzyme activity and microbiota composition. Individual total lengths and individual body weights were recorded at the end of the treatments, on the 26th DPH, and also on the 45th DPH, in parallel with the evaluation of skeletal deformities and fish survival. Our results indicated positive effect of Anemia enriched with BGGO6-55 + BGHO1 on fish growth, skeletal development and trypsin to chymotrypsin activity ratio (T/C), as an indicator of protein digestibility. Hydrolysis of OTOHIME was also associated with better skeletal development, higher T/C values and lower levels of Aeromonas and Mycobacterium spp., which are important fish pathogens. Though additional testing in larger cohort studies is needed, these observations are promising in terms of usage of probiotics for improved environmentally friendly production of pike-perch in Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in some tissues of three freshwater crayfish species

In our experiments, we studied superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in the hepatopancreas, the gills and the abdominal muscle of Noble crayfish (Astacus astacus), Stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) and Spynicheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus) from the South Morava River, Krajkovačka River and Serbian part of the Danube respectively. The specific SOD activity in the hepatopancreas of the A. astacus was significantly higher in respect to other two species (p<0.005) as well as in the hepatopancreas of A. torrentium then in O. limosus (p<0.02). The same trend was obtained for the total SOD activity in the hepatopancreas, which was significantly decreased in O. limosus compared to two other investigated species (p<0.005). The specific CAT activity in the muscle of the Austropotamobius torrentium was significantly higher in respect to Astacus astacus (p<0.005) and Orconectes limosus (p<0.005). Specific CAT activity was considerably higher in the Astacus astacus then in Orconectes limosus (p<0.02). The same trend was detected in the case of the total CAT activity in the muscle but, total CAT activity was significantly decrease in Orconectes limosus, compare to Astacus astacus (p<0.01). The obtained results show strong tissue and species specificities, indicating different metabolic activities and various environmental influences.U našim eksperimentima određivali smo aktivnost superoksid-dismutaze (SOD) i katalaze (CAT) u hepatopankreasu, škrgama i abdominalnom mišiću rečnog raka (Astacus astacus L) sa lokaliteta Južna Morava, raka kamenjara (Austropotamobius torrentium Schrank) sa lokaliteta Krajkovačka reka i američkog raka (Orconectes limosus Raf) sa lokaliteta Dunav. Specifična aktivnost SOD u hepatopankreasu rečnog raka bila je značajno veća u hepatopankreasu u poređenju sa druge dve vrste (p<0.005), kao i u hepatopankreasu Austropotamobius torrentium u odnosu na Orconectes limosus (p<0.02). Isti trend je zabeležen za ukupnu SOD aktivnost u hepatopankreasu Orconectes limosus koja je bila značajno manja u odnosu na druge dve ispitivane vrste (p<0.005). Specifična aktivnost CAT u mišiću Austropotamobius torrentium bila je značajno veća nego kod vrsta Astacus astacus i Orconectes limosus (p<0.005). Specifična aktivnost CAT bila je značajno veća kod Astacus astacus u odnosu na Orconectes limosus (p<0.02). Isti trend je zabeležen u slučaju ukupne aktivnosti CAT u mišiću, pri čemu je ukupna aktivnosti CAT bila značajno manja kod Orconectes limosus u poređenju sa Astacus astacus (p<0.01). Dobijeni rezultati pokazuju veliku tkivnu i species-specifičnost i ukazuju na postojanje razlika u metaboličkoj aktivnosti, kao i na različite uslove spoljašnje sredine.Projekat ministarstva br. 143035

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018) : a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles ("MISEV") guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these "MISEV2014" guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles ("MISEV") guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these "MISEV2014" guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points