Genes and metabolic pathway of sarcoidosis: identification of key players and risk modifiers

Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a rare multisystem granulomatous disease with unknown etiology. The interplay of vitamin D deficiency and genetic polymorphisms in genes coding for the proteins relevant for metabolism of vitamin D is an important, but unexplored area. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP2R1 (rs10741657), CYP27B1 (rs10877012), DBP (rs7041; rs4588), and VDR (rs2228570) genes and sarcoidosis, as well as the association between these SNPs and 25(OH)D levels in sarcoidosis patients. Material and methods: For that purpose we genotyped 86 sarcoidosis patients and 50 healthy controls using the PCR-RFLP method. Results: Subjects carrying the CC genotype of CYP27B1 rs10877012 have 10 times lower odds of suffering from sarcoidosis. Moreover, DBP rs4588 AA genotype was shown to be a susceptibility factor, where carriers of this genotype had eight times higher odds for developing sarcoidosis. In addition, the A allele of the DBP gene (rs4588) was associated with lower levels of 25(OH)D in sarcoidosis patients. Conclusions: These results suggest that patients with vitamin D deficiency should be regularly tested for genetic modifiers that are related to sarcoidosis in order to prevent development of serious forms of sarcoidosis

Preeclamptic Women Have Disrupted Placental microRNA Expression at the Time of Preeclampsia Diagnosis: Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-associated, multi-organ, life-threatening disease that appears after the 20th week of gestation. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether women with PE have disrupted miRNA expression compared to women who do not have PE.Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that reported miRNAs expression levels in placenta or peripheral blood of pregnant women with vs. without PE. Studies published before October 29, 2021 were identified through PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Two reviewers used predefined forms and protocols to evaluate independently the eligibility of studies based on titles and abstracts and to perform full-text screening, data abstraction and quality assessment. Standardized mean difference (SMD) was used as a measure of effect size.Results: 229 publications were included in the systematic review and 53 in the meta-analysis. The expression levels in placenta were significantly higher in women with PE compared to women without PE for miRNA-16 (SMD = 1.51,95%CI = 0.55-2.46), miRNA-20b (SMD = 0.89, 95%CI = 0.33-1.45), miRNA-23a (SMD = 2.02, 95%CI = 1.25-2.78), miRNA-29b (SMD = 1.37, 95%CI = 0.36-2.37), miRNA-155 (SMD = 2.99, 95%CI = 0.83-5.14) and miRNA-210 (SMD = 1.63, 95%CI = 0.69-2.58), and significantly lower for miRNA-376c (SMD = -4.86, 95%CI = -9.51 to -0.20). An increased level of miRNK-155 expression was found in peripheral blood of women with PE (SMD = 2.06, 95%CI = 0.35-3.76), while the expression level of miRNA-16 was significantly lower in peripheral blood of PE women (SMD = -0.47, 95%CI = -0.91 to -0.03). The functional roles of the presented miRNAs include control of trophoblast proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, differentiation, cellular metabolism and angiogenesis.Conclusion: miRNAs play an important role in the pathophysiology of PE. The identification of differentially expressed miRNAs in maternal blood creates an opportunity to define an easily accessible biomarker of PE

Efficiency of the interfacial charge transfer complex between TiO2 nanoparticles and caffeic acid against DNA damage in vitro: A combinatorial analysis

The genotoxic and antigenotoxic behavior of the interfacial charge transfer (ICT) complex between nano-sized TiO2 particles and caffeic acid (CA) was studied in in vitro experiments. The formation of the ICT complex is indicated by the appearance of absorption in visible-spectral range. The continual variations method indicated bridging coordination between the ligand, caffeic acid, and the surface Ti atoms, while the stability constant of the ICT complex was found to be 1.5x10(3) mol(-1) L. An agreement between the experimental data and the theoretical results, based on the density functional theory, was found. The ICT complex and its components did not display genotoxicity in the broad concentration range 0.4. 8.0 mg mL(-1) TiO2 at a mole ratio c(TiO2)/c(CA) = 8. On the other hand, post-treatment of damaged DNA by the ICT complex induced antigenotoxic effect at lower concentrations, but at higher concentrations, 5.125-10.250 mg mL(-1) ICT, the ICT complex did not show any beneficial effect on H2O2-induced DNA damaged cells. The experimental data were analyzed using the combinatorial method to determine the effect of component interaction on the genotoxic and antigenotoxic behavior of the ICT complex

Implementation of the One Health approach to fight arbovirus infections in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Region: Assessing integrated surveillance in Serbia, Tunisia and Georgia

Background In the Mediterranean and Black Sea Region, arbovirus infections are emerging infectious diseases. Their surveillance can benefit from one health inter-sectoral collaboration; however, no standardized methodology exists to study One Health surveillance. Methods We designed a situation analysis study to document how integration of laboratory/clinical human, animal and entomological surveillance of arboviruses was being implemented in the Region. We applied a framework designed to assess three levels of integration: policy/institutional, data collection/data analysis and dissemination. We tested the use of Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) to graphically present evidence of inter-sectoral integration. Results Serbia, Tunisia and Georgia participated in the study. West Nile Virus surveillance was analysed in Serbia and Tunisia, Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever surveillance in Georgia. Our framework enabled a standardized analysis of One Health surveillance integration, and BPMN was easily understandable and conducive to detailed discussions among different actors/institutions. In all countries, we observed integration across sectors and levels except in data collection and data analysis. Data collection was interoperable only in Georgia without integrated analysis. In all countries, surveillance was mainly oriented towards outbreak response, triggered by an index human case. Discussion The three surveillance systems we observed prove that integrated surveillance can be operationalized with a diverse spectrum of options. However, in all countries, the integrated use of data for early warning and inter-sectoral priority setting is pioneeristic. We also noted that early warning before human case occurrence is recurrently not operationally prioritized

Nadzor bolesti riba u Srbiji

U Srbiji se vrši program nadzora virusnih i bakterijskih bolesti na osnovu Programa mera zdravstvene zaštite životinja, u skladu sa propisima Evropske Unije, i to: virusne hemoragične septikemije (VHS) i zarazna hematopoezne nekroze (IHN), zarazne nekroze pankreasa (IPN), prolećne viremije šarana (SVC) i renibakterioze (BKD). Cilj programa praćenja i nadzora bolesti riba je dobijanje i održavanje statusa slobode od bolesti, iskornjivanje ili sprečavanje širenja bolesti. Primarna ciljna populacija u programu nadzora su kalifornijska pastrmka i šaran. U Srbiji postoji nacionalno zakonodavstvo kao osnov za nadzora i kontrolu bolesti riba, kao i lista bolesti obaveznih za prijavljivanje. Pored nacionalnog zakonodavstva, prihvaćeni su i principi navedeni u Direktivi 2006/88/EC, koji se odnose na zahteve za kontrolu zdravlje riba u akvakulturi i njihovih proizvoda. Praćenje i nadzor virusnih bolesti vrše se na osnovu postupaka ispitivanja datih u Odluci Komisije 2001/183/EC, a za bakterijske bolesti, koriste se standardne dijagnostičke procedure. Klinički pregledi na ribnjacima vrše se dva puta godišnje i uzimaju se uzorci za virološka i bakteriološka ispitivanja, u svrhu dokumentovanja odsustva bolesti. Postupak ispitivanja, dat u Priručniku OIE za dijagnostiku bolesti riba, osnova je za ispitivanja. Uzorci svih kategorija riba iz 56 šaranskih i 52 pastrmska ribnjaka se godišnje ispituju na prisustvo bolesti. Za virusološka ispitivanja su korišćeni homogenati bubrega, slezine, jetre i škrga. Pulirani parenhimatozni organi i škrge su homogenizovani i centrifugirani na 2500 x g, 20 minuta. Za izolaciju, supernatanti su inokulirani na 24 sata stare kulture EPC i BF-2 ćelijskih linija. Inokulisane kulture su inkubirane na 15 - 20 °C, tokom 7 dana i svakodnevno su posmatrane na pojavu citopatogenog efekta. Identifikacija virusa je vršena PCR, ELISA testom i testom fluorescentnih antitela. Kao materijal za PCR je uziman homogenat organa i prva ili druga pasaža odgovarajuće ćelijske linije. PCR produkti su sekvencirani direktno, pomoću Big Dye Terminator v1.1 Cycle Sequencing Kit (Applied Biosystems, SAD) i ABI PRISM 3100-Avant Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems). Dobijene sekvence su analizirane pomoću Sequencing Analysis Software 5.1 (Applied Biosystems). Na osnovu rezultata nadzora, Srbija se smatra slobodnom od VHS, IHN i KHV. Najveći problem predstavlja zarazna nekroza pankreasa. Renibakterioza je prisutna na određenom broju ribnjaka

Clamp-Crushing vs. Radiofrequency-Assisted Liver Resection: Changes in Liver Function Tests

Background/Aims: Liver resection is the gold standard in managing patients with metastatic or primary liver cancer. The aim of our study was to compare the traditional clamp-crushing technique to the radiofrequency-assisted liver resection technique in terms of postoperative liver function. Methodology: Liver function was evaluated preoperatively and on postoperative days 3 and 7. Liver synthetic function parameters (serum albumin level, prothrombin time and international normalized ratio), markers of hepatic injury and necrosis (serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin level) and microsomal activity (quantitative lidocaine test) were compared. Results: Forty three patients completed the study (14 had clamp-crushing and 29 had radiofrequency assisted liver resection). The groups did not differ in demographic characteristics, pre-operative liver function, operative time and perioperative transfusion rate. In postoperative period, there were similar changes in monitored parameters in both groups except albumin levels, that were higher in radiofrequency-assisted liver resection group (p=0.047). Conclusions: Both, traditional clamp-crushing technique and radiofrequency assisted liver resection technique, result in similar postoperative changes of most monitored liver function parameters

Suppression of methionine-induced colon injury of young rats by cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine

Changes in the methionine metabolism can cause a state called hyperhomocysteinemia, inducing oxidative stress in the gut. The production of free radicals is important in the colon damage caused by methionine. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of the use of l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine on the colon morphometry of young rats treated with methionine. A total number of 32 male rats were distributed in a randomized experimental design in 4 groups: control group treated with saline; methionine group; cysteine + methionine group, and N-acetyl-l-cysteine + methionine group. After 21 days of treatment, rats were sacrificed and the colon samples were taken for histological and biochemical analysis. Methionine load increased depth of crypts, the lamina muscularis mucosae thickness, the mucosal height, and the number of cells in lamina propria (p < 0.01). Combination of methionine with l-cysteine (C group) and with N-acetyl-l-cysteine (N group) reversed methionine effects. Methionine treatment increased the GPx activity and MDA concentration, while l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine increased the catalase activity compared to methionine group. It was concluded that the use of l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine was beneficial to decrease intestinal mucosal height and oxidative damage when methionine was used in combination with them