Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia in Outpatients after COVID-19 Infection

Aim: to compare the efficacy of different therapeutic regimens for managing functional dyspepsia in outpatients after COVID-19 infection.Materials and methods. 42 post-COVID-19 outpatients (age: 26–47 years) diagnosed with functional dyspepsia (FD) according to the Rome IV Criteria were enrolled in two parallel groups. All patients were divided in 2 groups by randomization: Group 1 received omeprazole at a dose of 80 mg/day, Group 2 received a combination of omeprazole and Kolofort® (a combined action drug product containing technologically processed antibodies to S100, TNF-alpha, and histamine) at a dose of 80 mg/day. At baseline and after treatment, a 10-point VAS was used to measure symptoms and an SF-36 questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life.Results. By Day 28 of the treatment, the intensity of epigastric pain (VAS score) in the group receiving proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) + Kolofort® was significantly lower. In both groups, fully resolved dyspeptic syndrome was observed in up to 90 % of patients, without significant differences (p < 0.06). According to the SF-36 data, a combination treatment resulted in higher scores (pain and general health subscales) as compared to the PPI alone.Conclusion. Kolofort® relieves symptoms and improves the quality of life when added to the treatment regimen against functional dyspepsia in post-COVID-19 patients

Mathematical modeling of folate-related processes in human placenta

Aim. Description the folate-related processes in the human placenta using the stoichiometric model and investigation the system’s behavior under various conditions. Methods. The model is based on the stoichiometry of the reactions of the folate-related processes at steady state conditions and constructed using CellNetAnalyzer. Behavior of the system is described by elementary flux modes and control-effective fluxes depending on the activity of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and methionine synthase and input methionine flux. Results. Change in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase activity causes a decrease in fluxes through the main routes of homocysteine elimination and increases the need for 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. Methionine synthase inactivation reduces 5-methyltetrahydrofolate consumption and increases the flux through the taurine syn-thesis. Lack of methionine leads to increased 5-methyltetrahydrofolate consumption, reduced homocysteine concentration and reduces the fluxes through the methionine cycle. Conclusions. Analysis of model functioning has shown the compliance of system’s functioning changes with the clinic parameters. There is evidence that the homocysteine level as a marker of folate-related processes functioning of is not sufficient to justify the therapy

Crosstalk between transcription factors in regulation of the human glutathione S-transferase P1 gene expression in Me45 melanoma cells

Aim. The human GSTP1 is a major enzyme of phase II detoxification in the most cell types. Aberrant expression of GSTP1 is associated with carcinogenesis and development of multidrug resistance. The GSTP1 gene expression is regulated at multiple levels including transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational. We concentrated our attention on the transcriptional level of regulation. Methods. Transient transfection of Me45 melanoma cells with constructs containing the luciferase gene under the control of complete and truncated GSTP1 promoter was utilized to identify a role of different promoter regions in regulation of the gene transcription in Me45 cells. To identify the transcription factors, interacting with the GSTP1 promoter sites, the competitive EMSA and super shift assay were applied. Results. GSTP1 transcription in Me45 cells is positively regulated by binding NF-κB to the cognate site and ERβin complex with unknown protein to the ARE site; the complex of ERβ with c-Fos negatively regulates the gene expression via CRE site. The interaction of c-Fos/ERβ with GSTP1 CRE site and indirect interaction of ERβ with GSTP1 ARE were identified. Conclusions. The positive regulation of the human GSTP1 gene in Me45 melanoma cells is exerted via NF-κB and ARE sites and the negative one via CRE site of the promoter. ERis indirectly involved in the regulation of GSTP1 transcription. It is bound via c-Fos with CRE site and via unknown protein with ARE site

The start of systems biology in Ukraine

The first laboratory of Systems Biology in Ukraine (IMBIG NASU) represents a track record of its scientific results. They include the pioneered development of a web-based tool for genome-wide surveys of eukaryotic promoters for the presence of transcription factors binding sites (COTRASIF); the deciphered mechanisms of the fine-tuned and balanced response of primary hepatocytes to interferon alpha levels recorded after partial hepatectomy; the elaboration of a novel method of gene regulatory network inference compatible with GRID environment and the development of a stoichiometric model of folate-related one carbon unit metabolism in human placenta and its application for the characteristics of the system’s behavior as a whole at different human pathologies