Genetic Associations With Diabetic Retinopathy and Coronary Artery Disease in Emirati Patients With Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus

Aim: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is associated with both microvascular complications such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), and macrovascular complications like coronary artery disease (CAD). Genetic risk factors have a role in the development of these complications. In the present case-control study, we investigated genetic variations associated with DR and CAD in T2DM patients from the United Arab Emirates.Methods: A total of 407 Emirati patients with T2DM were recruited. Categorization of the study population was performed based on the presence or absence of DR and CAD. Seventeen Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), were selected for association analyses through search of publicly available databases, namely GWAS catalog, infinome genome interpretation platform and GWAS Central database. A multivariate logistic regression test was performed to evaluate the association between the 17 SNPs and DR, CAD, or both. To account for multiple testing, significance was set at p < 0.00294 using the Bonferroni correction.Results: The SNPs rs9362054 near the CEP162 gene and rs4462262 near the UBE2D1 gene were associated with DR (OR = 1.66, p = 0.001; OR = 1.37, p = 0.031; respectively), and rs12219125 near the PLXDC2 gene was associated (suggestive) with CAD (OR = 2.26, p = 0.034). Furthermore, rs9362054 near the CEP162 gene was significantly associated with both complications (OR = 2.27, p = 0.0021). The susceptibility genes for CAD (PLXDC2) and DR (UBE2D1) have a role in angiogenesis and neovascularization. Moreover, association between the ciliary gene CEP162 and DR was established in terms of retinal neural processing, confirming previous reports.Conclusions: The present study reports associations of different genetic loci with DR and CAD. We report new associations between CAD and PLXDC2, and DR with UBE2D1 using data from T2DM Emirati patients

Effect of Exogenous pH on Cell Growth of Breast Cancer Cells

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and the most life-threatening cancer in females worldwide. One key feature of cancer cells, including breast cancer cells, is a reversed pH gradient which causes the extracellular pH of cancer cells to be more acidic than that of normal cells. Growing literature suggests that alkaline therapy could reverse the pH gradient back to normal and treat the cancer; however, evidence remains inconclusive. In this study, we investigated how different exogenous pH levels affected the growth, survival, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and cell cycle of triple-negative breast cancer cells from MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines. Our results demonstrated that extreme acidic conditions (pH 6.0) and moderate to extreme basic conditions (pH 8.4 and pH 9.2) retarded cellular growth, induced cell death via necrosis and apoptosis, increased ROS levels, and shifted the cell cycle away from the G0/G1 phase. However, slightly acidic conditions (pH 6.7) increased cellular growth, decreased ROS levels, did not cause significant cell death and shifted the cell cycle from the G0/G1 phase to the G2/M phase, thereby explaining why cancer cells favored acidic conditions over neutral ones. Interestingly, our results also showed that cellular pH history did not significantly affect the subsequent growth of cells when the pH of the medium was changed. Based on these results, we suggest that controlling or maintaining an unfavorable pH (such as a slightly alkaline pH) for cancer cells in vivo could retard the growth of cancer cells or potentially treat the cancer

HSP20 inhibits amyloidogenesis and neurotoxicity

The present invention compositions and methods of using at least a portions of an isolated and purified α-crystallin polypeptide that includes one or more β-pleated sheets and that prevents neurotoxicity and amyloidogenesis.U

HSP20 inhibits amyloidogenesis and neurotoxicity

The present inventions are compositions and methods of using at least a portion of an isolated and purified ?-crystallin polypeptide that includes one or more ?-pleated sheets and that prevents neurotoxicity and amyloidogenesis.U

HSP20 inhibits amyloidogenesis and neurotoxicity

The present inventions are compositions and methods of using at least a portion of an isolated and purified ?-crystallin polypeptide that includes one or more ?-pleated sheets and that prevents neurotoxicity and amyloidogenesis.U

HSP20 inhibits amyloidogenesis and neurotoxicity

The present inventions are compositions and methods of using at least a portion of an isolated and purified ?-crystallin polypeptide that includes one or more ?-pleated sheets and that prevents neurotoxicity and amyloidogenesis.U

HSP20 inhibits amyloidogenesis and neurotoxicity

The present invention compositions and methods of using at least a portions of an isolated and purified α-crystallin polypeptide that includes one or more β-pleated sheets and that prevents neurotoxicity and amyloidogenesis.U

Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Entry into Host Cells Using Small Molecules

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a virus belonging to the Coronavirus family, is now known to cause Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) which was first recognized in December 2019. Covid-19 leads to respiratory illnesses ranging from mild infections to pneumonia and lung failure. Strikingly, within a few months of its first report, Covid-19 has spread worldwide at an exceptionally high speed and it has caused enormous human casualties. As yet, there is no specific treatment for Covid-19. Designing inhibitory drugs that can interfere with the viral entry process constitutes one of the main preventative therapies that could combat SARS-CoV-2 infection at an early stage. In this review, we provide a brief introduction of the main features of coronaviruses, discuss the entering mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 into human host cells and review small molecules that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells. Specifically, we focus on small molecules, identified by experimental validation and/or computational prediction, that target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and the different host cell proteases that activate viral fusion. Given the persistent rise in Covid-19 cases to date, efforts should be directed towards validating the therapeutic effectiveness of these identified small molecule inhibitors

HSP20 inhibits amyloidogenesis and neurotoxicity

The present inventions are compositions and methods of using at least a portion of an isolated and purified ?-crystallin polypeptide that includes one or more ?-pleated sheets and that prevents neurotoxicity and amyloidogenesis.U