The common truncation variant in pancreatic lipase related protein 2 (PNLIPRP2) is expressed poorly and does not alter risk for chronic pancreatitis

A nonsense variant (p.W358X) of human pancreatic lipase related protein 2 (PNLIPRP2) is present in different ethnic populations with a high allele frequency. In cell culture experiments, the truncated protein mainly accumulates inside the cells and causes endoplasmic reticulum stress. Here, we tested the hypothesis that variant p.W358X might increase risk for chronic pancreatitis through acinar cell stress. We sequenced exon 11 of PNLIPRP2 in a cohort of 256 subjects with chronic pancreatitis (152 alcoholic and 104 non-alcoholic) and 200 controls of Hungarian origin. We observed no significant difference in the distribution of the truncation variant between patients and controls. We analyzed mRNA expression in human pancreatic cDNA samples and found the variant allele markedly reduced. We conclude that the p.W358X truncation variant of PNLIPRP2 is expressed poorly and has no significant effect on the risk of chronic pancreatitis

Sex differences in oxidative stress level and antioxidative enzymes expression and activity in obese pre-diabetic elderly rats treated with metformin or liraglutide

Aim To determine the effects of metformin or liraglutide on oxidative stress level and antioxidative enzymes gene ex - pression and activity in the blood and vessels of pre-diabet - ic obese elderly Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats of both sexes. Methods Male and female SD rats were assigned to the following groups: a) control group (fed with standard ro - dent chow); b) high-fat and high-carbohydrate diet (HSHFD) group fed with HSHFD from 20-65 weeks of age; c) HSHFD+metformin treatment (50 mg/kg/d s.c.); and d) HSHFD+liraglutide treatment (0.3 mg/kg/d s.c). Oxidative stress parameters (ferric reducing ability of plasma and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and superoxide dis - mutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and gene expression were determined from serum, aortas, and surface brain blood vessels (BBV). Results HSHFD increased body weight in both sexes com - pared with the control group, while liraglutide prevented this increase. Blood glucose level did not change. The lira - glutide group had a significantly increased antioxidative ca - pacity compared with the HSHFD group in both sexes. The changes in antioxidative enzymes’ activities in plasma were more pronounced in male groups. The changes in gene ex - pression of antioxidative enzymes were more prominent in microvessels and may be attributed to weight gain preven - tion. Conclusions Obesity and antidiabetic drugs caused sexrelated differences in the level of antioxidative parameters. Liraglutide exhibited stronger antioxidative effects than metformin. These results indicate that weight gain due to HSHFD is crucial for developing oxidative stress and for in - hibiting antioxidative protective mechanism

Arrival angles of teleseismic fundamental mode Rayleigh waves across the AlpArray

The dense AlpArray network allows studying seismic wave propagation with high spatial resolution. Here we introduce an array approach to measure arrival angles of teleseismic Rayleigh waves. The approach combines the advantages of phase correlation as in the two-station method with array beamforming to obtain the phase-velocity vector. 20 earthquakes from the first two years of the AlpArray project are selected, and spatial patterns of arrival-angle deviations across the AlpArray are shown in maps, depending on period and earthquake location. The cause of these intriguing spatial patterns is discussed. A simple wave-propagation modelling example using an isolated anomaly and a Gaussian beam solution suggests that much of the complexity can be explained as a result of wave interference after passing a structural anomaly along the wave paths. This indicates that arrival-angle information constitutes useful additional information on the Earth structure, beyond what is currently used in inversions

Space for Girls: Possibilities of Feminist Agency and Political Engagement on the Internet

This thesis analyzes the teen-targeted website gURL.com, which is committed to providing safe space for young girls to explore different aspects of girlhood. I primarily focus on girls’ comments and conversations posted on the message boards in order to trace how teens mediate and extend the borders of the popular conceptualizations of contemporary girlhood. I interpret young women\u27s online activities within the discursive framework of the complex relation between Girl Culture and feminism. Without overvaluing the freedom of online environments, I assume that the relatively unregulated space of the Internet enables girls to step outside the dominant stereotypes and discover alternative modes of doing feminist activism. I argue that these new venues of political engagement are adequate ways of resistance within the specific era of postmodern global capitalism

Education for some more than others? A regional study on education in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS)

No description supplie

Reprogramming of the Antibacterial Drug Vancomycin Results in Potent Antiviral Agents Devoid of Antibacterial Activity

Influenza A and B viruses are a global threat to human health and increasing resistance to the existing antiviral drugs necessitates new concepts to expand the therapeutic options. Glycopeptide derivatives have emerged as a promising new class of antiviral agents. To avoid potential antibiotic resistance, these antiviral glycopeptides are preferably devoid of antibiotic activity. We prepared six vancomycin aglycone hexapeptide derivatives with the aim of obtaining compounds having anti-influenza virus but no antibacterial activity. Two of them exerted strong and selective inhibition of influenza A and B virus replication, while antibacterial activity was successfully eliminated by removing the critical N-terminal moiety. In addition, these two molecules offered protection against several other viruses, such as herpes simplex virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus, and human coronavirus, classifying these glycopeptides as broad antiviral molecules with a favorable therapeutic index.status: publishe

Role of Altered Expression of miR-146a, miR-155, and miR-122 in Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests the central role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in the pathomechanism of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, its effect on epigenetic factors, including small non-coding microRNAs (miRs), is less known. Our present aim was the comparative investigation of the expression of TNF-alpha and immune response-related miRs in children with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: Fresh-frozen (FF) and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies were used to analyze the expression of miR-146a, -155, -122, and TNF-alpha by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in macroscopically inflamed (CD: 12 FFPE and 24 FF; UC: 10 FF) and intact (CD: 12 FFPE; 14 FF) colonic biopsies of children with IBD and controls (16 FFPE; 23 FF). The expression of miR-146a, -155, and -122 was also determined in TNF-alpha-treated HT-29 colonic epithelial cells. RESULTS: Increased expression of TNF-alpha was observed in the colonic mucosa of children with CD and UC in comparison with controls. Expression of miR-146a and -155 was higher in the inflamed mucosa of children with CD and UC than in the intact mucosa. Expression of miR-122 elevated in the macroscopically intact colonic regions of CD compared with controls and patients with UC. In HT-29 cells, TNF-alpha treatment increased the expression of miR-146a and -155, but not that of miR-122. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed altered expression of miR-146a, -155, and -122 in the colonic mucosa of children with IBD and in TNF-alpha-treated colonic epithelial cells. Our data suggest the TNF-alpha-related involvement of these miRs in the pathogenesis of IBD

Diagnostic yield of upper endoscopy in paediatric patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Subanalysis of the HUPIR registry.

According to Porto Criteria upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopy is recommended in patients with suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Nevertheless, previous studies revealed frequent involvement of UGI tract even in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of the present study was to determine the diagnostic role of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and assess the prevalence and different aspects of UGI involvement in children registered in the Hungarian Pediatric IBD Registry (HUPIR) from 1st of January 2007 to 31th of December 2009