Browning of Adipose Tissue and Sirtuin Involvement

Obesity is an important risk factor for many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome and cancers. Excessive dietary intake of caloric food results in its accumulation in white adipose tissue (WAT), whereas energy expenditure by fat utilization and oxidation predominately occurs in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Reducing obesity has become an important prevention strategy of research interest, focusing in the recent years, mainly on browning of WAT, the process during which the enhance of the mitochondria biogenesis occurs and then white adipocytes are converted to metabolically active beige adipocytes. Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), the most known isoform of sirtuin deacetylases, is implied in the browning of WAT process. In fact, it is a sensitive sensor of cell energy metabolism and, together with other sirtuin isoforms, contributes to this differentiation process. This chapter provides an overview about SIRT1 involvement in browning of WAT as a target molecule that can thereby contrast obesity

Derivative Three-Dimensional Synchronous Fluorescence Analysis of Tear Fluid and Their Processing for the Diagnosis of Glaucoma

Background: Sensitive and rapid diagnosis of the early stages of glaucoma from tear fluid is a great challenge for researchers. Methods: Tear fluid was analyzed using three-dimensional synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (3D-SFS). Our previously published results briefly describe the main methods which applied the second derivative to a selected synchronous spectrum Δλ = 110 nm in distinguishing between healthy subjects (CTRL) and patients with glaucoma (POAG). Results: In this paper, a novel strategy was used to evaluate three-dimensional spectra from the tear fluid database of our patients. A series of synchronous excitation spectra were processed as a front view and presented as a single curve showcasing the overall fluorescence profile of the tear fluid. The second derivative spectrum provides two parameters that can enhance the distinction between CTRL and POAG tear fluid. Conclusions: Combining different types of 3D-SFS data can offer interesting and useful diagnostic tools and it can be used as input for machine learning and process automation

The Effects of Fisetin on Cyclosporine-Treated Dry Eye Disease in Dogs

Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic debilitating ophthalmological disease with the current therapeutic options focused on the suppression of the symptoms. Among the possibilities of how to improve DED therapy, polyphenols have shown an enormous capacity to counteract DED functional changes. The study aimed to specifically target pathophysiological mechanisms by the addition of fisetin to the cyclosporine treatment protocol. We examined dog patients with DED on cyclosporine treatment that were administered 0.1% fisetin or fisetin-free eye drops. For the assessment of fisetin effects, tear film production and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) were studied in the tear film. Tear production was not recovered after 7 or 14 days (9.40 mm ± 6.02 mm, p = 0.47; 9.80 mm ± 6.83 mm, p = 0.53, respectively). MMP-9 levels significantly increased after 7 days and then dropped after 14 days (775.44 ng/mL ± 527.52 ng/mL, p = 0.05; 328.49 ng/mL ± 376.29 ng/mL, p = 1.00, respectively). Fisetin addition to cyclosporine DED treatment was not able to restore tear fluid production but influenced molecular pathological events through MMP-9

Analysis of Bowel Diseases from Blood Serum by Autofluorescence and Atomic Force Microscopy Techniques

Diagnosis of bowel diseases is often difficult and time consuming since it is not always possible to obtain adequate information by the conventional diagnostic methods to set up a diagnosis and exclude nongastrointestinal causes of symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the structure of blood serum samples of patients with selected intestinal diseases. The blood serum samples of patients (N=35) with selected diagnoses (mesenteric thrombosis, inflammatory bowel disease, duodenal ulcers, sepsis, enterorrhagia, sigmoid colon resection, small intestine cancer) and of healthy subjects were evaluated by synchronous fluorescence fingerprint and atomic force microscopy. Autofluorescence of blood serum studied at λex = 280 nm showed significant decrease of fluorescence intensity in patients with all types of diseases affecting bowels in comparison with the healthy control patients. The blood serum surface of ill patients showed significant differences in comparison with control group samples after atomic force microscopy evaluation as well. Irregularly placed small globular units of irregular shape in small amounts are possible to observe in patients with intestine ischemia. Fluorescence analysis and atomic force microscopy showed the ability to rapidly reflect qualitative and quantitative changes of proteins in blood serum samples of patients. These sensitive methods could be beneficial for monitoring the progression of both acute or chronic bowel diseases