A Fast Method for DEFB1-44C/G SNP Genotyping in Brazilian Patients with Periodontitis

Svrha: Defensini su kationski antimikrobni peptidi koji se pojavljuju u epitelnim stanicama. Imaju antimikrobna, antifungalna i antivirusna svojstva te su prirođena komponenta imunosnog odgovora. Jedna od hipoteza jest da peptidi štite usnu šupljinu. U ovom istraživanju procijenili smo polimorfizam gena DEFB1 kod dijabetičara s parodontitisom ili bez njega i rezultate usporedili sa zdravom kontrolnom skupinom. Materijali i metode: Koristili smo se testom Hairpin-Shaped Primer (HP) kako bismo istražili rasprostranjenost - 44 C/G SNP-a (rsl1800972) u 119 uzoraka ljudske DNK dobivene od dijabetičara i zdravih pacijenata. Rezultati: Rezultati su pokazali da između grupa nema razlika u rasprostranjenosti, te da je kod dijabetičara s parodontitisom češći homozigotni mutant. Zaključak: Potrebna su daljnja istraživanja kako bi se otkrila uloga polimorfizma DEFB1 kod dijabetičara s parodontitisom te utjecaj peptida na parodontne patogene.Aim: Defensins are cationic antimicrobial peptides expressed in epithelial cells. Such peptides exhibit antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties, and are a component of the innate immune response. It has been suggested that they have a protective role in the oral cavity. This study evaluated the DEFB1 polymorphism in diabetic patients with or without periodontitis in comparison to healthy controls. Material and Methods: We used Hairpin-Shaped Primer (HP) assay to study the distribution of the -44 C/G SNP (rs1800972) in 119 human DNAs obtained from diabetic patients and healthy control patients. Results: The results indicate that there are no differences in distribution between groups and that in diabetic periodontitis patients the homozygous mutant could be found more frequently. Conclusion: Further studies are necessary in order to investigate the role of DEFB1 polymorphisms in diabetic periodontitis patients and the influence of the peptide in periodontal pathogens

Association of Polymorphism of the MBL2 Gene in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Periodontitis: A Preliminary Study

Svrha: Lektin koji veže manozu (MBL) važan je protein urođenog imunološkog sustava. Sposoban je vezati se za šećerne skupine na površini mnogih mikroorganizama i aktivirati komplement u interakciji sa serinskim proteazama. Mutacije ekspresije humanog gena MBL2 povezane su s nekoliko infektivnih bolesti; ovom preliminarnom istraživanju svrha je bila odrediti povezanost polimorfizma na eksonu-1 gena MBL2 i parodontne bolesti kod pacijenata s dijabetesom tipa 2. Ispitanici i postupci: Istraživanjem je bilo obuhvaćeno 50 pacijenata s dijabetesom i svi su na početku bili na kliničkom parodontološkom pregledu na kojemu je na šest mjesta na zubu bila određena dubina sondiranja džepova, krvarenje nakon tog postupka, klinička recesija, zubni plak i broj vlastitih zuba kod pojedinog sudionika. Parodontna bolest definira se kao gubitak pričvrstka od pet milimetara ili više na četiri ili više mjesta, a barem na jednomu treba biti izmjeren džep od četiri ili više milimetara (Beckov kriterij). Bilo je provedeno i prikupljanje stanica oralne sluznice brisom, a detekcija polimorfizma obavljena je tehnikom kvantitativnog RT-PCR-a (real time PCR) pomoću analize krivulje temperature mekšanja. Rezultati: Podaci su pokazali da nema statistički znatnih razlika u frekvenciji genotipova (p=0,564) ili alela (p=0,643) između zdravih ispitanika i onih s parodontitisom. Zaključak: U istraživanom uzorku polimorfizam eksona 1 gena MBL2 nije se mogao povezati s parodontnom bolesti.Aim: Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is an important protein of the innate immune system. It is able to bind to sugar groups encountered on the surfaces of a wide range of microorganisms and interacts with serine proteases (MASPs) to effect the activation of complement. Mutations of the expressed human MBL2 gene have been associated with several infections; this preliminary study thus sets out to assess the association between the polymorphism in exon-1 of the MBL2 gene and periodontal disease in type 2 diabetic patients. Material and Methods: The sample comprised 50 diabetic patients, who were submitted to a clinical periodontal examination that evaluated in six sites per tooth probing depth, bleeding on probing, clinical recession, dental plaque and the number of teeth present. Periodontal disease was defined as 4+ sites of loss of attachment of 5+ mm, with one or more of those sites having a pocket of 4+ mm (Beck’s criteria). The collection of scaling cells from the oral mucosa was carried out and the detection of polymorphism was made by the technique of real time PCR (RT-PCR) using the melting temperature curve analysis. Results: The data revealed that no statistically significant differences in the genotype (p=0.564) or the allele (p=0.643) frequencies were observed among the healthy individuals or those with periodontitis. Conclusions: The polymorphism in exon-1 of the MBL2 gene was not related to the periodontal disease in the sample evaluated

New functional non-dairy mixed tropical fruit juice microencapsulated by spray drying: Physicochemical characterization, bioaccessibility, genetic identification and stability

Abstract This study shows the development of a powdered non-dairy probiotic 40:60% (w/w) acerola:siriguela mixed juice. The mixed juice enriched with the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus LPAA 01, Lactobacillus casei LPAA 02 and Lactobacillus plantarum LPAA 03 strains was microencapsulated by spray drying using 140 °C air inlet temperature, 0.60 L/h feed flow rate and 10% (w/w) 5 dextrose equivalent maltodextrin. Microcapsules were analyzed in terms of physicochemical characteristics, chemical composition, in vitro bioaccessibility, microbial viability and stability at 5 and 25 °C for 45 days. Viable cell counts were >6 log CFU. g−1 for up to 20 days at 5 °C and 14 days at 25 °C, and physicochemical properties of microparticles were shown to be in acceptable ranges. Each specific primer pair showed unique amplification, confirming the survival of all the three probiotics. The levels of phenolic compounds, with the exception of quercetin, as well as antioxidant activity by ORAC method increased after exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions

Is the ChAdOx1 Vaccine Safe and Immunogenic as Prophylactic Measure Against the Lethal Human-Coronaviruses? A Systematic Review

Knowledge of other Coronaviruses has contributed to the development of a vaccine for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). As soon as the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 was released, intense global activity around different vaccine platform technologies started. Among these platforms, the viral vectored chimpanzee adenovirus Oxford1 (ChAdOx1)-previously studied for various indications, including for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) vaccine, and currently is adapted for the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (novel Coronavirus-19). Therefore, this systematic review aimed to investigate the potential of the ChAdOx1 platform for the development of a vaccine for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, the Lethal Human-Coronaviruses (Lh-CoVs). For this purpose, a highly sensitive literary search was conducted through electronic databases that reached 1,445 related articles, of which, eight articles were elected according to previous eligibility criteria. The gathering of the articles demonstrated that the previous approaches, referring to the ChAdox1 platform, have contributed to the development of vaccines against Lh-CoVs and, that thus far, ChAdOx1 (nCoV-19 and MERS) vaccines are safe and immunogenic. However, it is important to emphasize that further studies are needed to ensure the effectiveness of vaccines in humans

Estudo de polimorfismos no gene receptor da vitamina D em pacientes com a doença de Alzheimer/ Study of polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene in patients with Alzheimer's disease

A vitamina D é um neuroesteróide cuja função, está relacionada com a regulação celular, homeostase de íons, regulação de crescimento e efeito protetor contra injúrias. Sua deficiência pode estar associada a distúrbios neurológicos como a doença de Alzheimer. O efeito da Vitamina D é exercido pela interação com receptor da vitamina D, o VDR. A presença do gene VDR é considerada altamente expressiva, em especial no encéfalo, hipotálamo e substância nigra, indicando uma participação significativa no funcionamento do sistema nervoso. O gene VDR está localizado no cromossomo 12q13.11 e apresenta 14 exons. Polimorfismos nesse gene têm sido associados com alterações na sua função e podem influenciar seus efeitos. Os polimorfismos Fok1 (rs2228570) e Taq1 (rs731236) estão localizados em regiões exônicas e o Bsm1 (rs1544410) está localizado na região intrônica. Assim, o presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar a prevalência dos polimorfismos Bsm1, Taq1 e Fok1 no gene VDR em indivíduos com a doença de Alzheimer (DA) e indivíduos controles saudáveis (CS), numa população do estado de Pernambuco. Foram avaliados um total de 78 indivíduos, sendo 39 com a doença de Parkinson e 39 controles saudáveis atendidos no ambulatório do Hospital das Clínicas da UFPE e a caracterização dos genótipos foi realizada usando a técnica de PCR-RFLP. As frequências dos genótipos Fok1 foram 48,9% CC, 46,1% CT, 5% TT para o grupo com DA e 43,6% CC, 53,9% CT e 2,5% TT para o grupo CS. Em relação aos genótipos Bsm1, foram observados 15,4% AA, 53,9 AG e 30,8% GG para o grupo com DA e 10,3% GG, 56,4% AG e 33,3% AA para o grupo CS. Por sua vez, as frequências dos genótipos Taq1 para o grupo DA foram 51,3% TC e 48,7% CC enquanto que para o grupo CS foram  61,5% TC e 38,5% CC. Nenhuma diferença significativa foi encontrada quando realizadas análises estatísticas entre os grupos (DA x CS) [p >0,05 para cada análise realizada]. Desta forma, podemos concluir que nenhum destes três polimorfismos no gene VDR parecem estar envolvidos com a susceptibilidade a DA na população estudada. Contudo, novos estudos, incluindo um número maior de pacientes, poderão elucidar nossos resultados observados.

Infecção por Papilomavírus Humano de alto risco Oncogênico em mulheres atendidas no Programa de Saúde da Família da Cidade de Serra Talhada, Pernambuco

A infecção por um ou mais tipos de Papilomavírus Humano de alto risco oncogênico (HR-HPV) tem sido relacionada à alta predisposição de desenvolver câncer de colo do útero. O objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar a frequência de quatro tipos HR-HPVs (16, 18, 31 e 33) em mulheres assintomáticas do Agreste e Sertão Pernambucano e avaliar a predisposição de outros fatores de risco associados com a infecção. Foram coletadas amostras de secreção vaginal de mulheres atendidas no Programa de Saúde da Família - PSF da cidade de Serra Talhada-PE, no período de Janeiro a Dezembro de 2014. A detecção do DNA do HPV na secreção vaginal foi realizada usando a técnica de PCR convencional. Os dados clínicos, sociodemográficos e hábitos de vida foram coletados através de um questionário padrão. As análises estatísticas foram realizadas com o auxílio do software Bioestat 5.0. Das 302 mulheres avaliadas, 99,7% não possuíam anormalidades citológicas e 32,6% apresentaram infecção por um dos quatro tipos virais do HPV pesquisados, com maior prevalência para o HPV 31 (26,8%), seguido dos 33 (21,6%), 18 (6,2%) e 16 (4,1%). Desta forma, podemos concluir que mulheres infectadas por HR-HPV e assintomáticas podem estar predispostas ao desenvolvimento de lesões cervicais

The Pattern of Methylation and Polymorphism in Interleukin-6 Promoter Gene Are Related to the Development of Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a complex disease with higher level of IL-6. In order to elucidate the alterations related to IL-6 gene in RA, we evaluated the -174 G/C IL-6 gene polymorphism and methylation pattern of its promoter. A total of 120 RA patients and 120 healthy controls were recruited for polymorphism analysis, and 30 individuals of both groups were randomly selected for methylation analysis. The IL-6 gene polymorphism was analyzed by PCR-RFLP and methylation pattern was analyzed by MSP-PCR. Regarding IL-6 gene polymorphism, no significant difference was found between RA patients and controls (P>0.05). For DNA, two CpG regions of IL-6 promoter gene was analyzed. The first region (−1069, −1061, −1057 and −1001 CpG) did not show significant differences, whereas the second region (−628, −610, −574 and −491 CpG) showed a significant hypermethylated status (P=0.0004) in RA patients as compared with controls.These results, suggest a possible relationship between methylation pattern and the susceptibility to RA in our studied population