Seasonal variations of vitamin D and its relation to lipid profile in Iranian children and adults

Background: Vitamin D has a multitude of functional properties and acts like a hormone in the body. Its effect on the lipid profile is one of the proposed mechanisms for its relationship with many disorders during its deficiency. But, this relationship is still conflicting and debatable, so this study was conducted to determine the association between serum level of vitamin D and lipid profiles, including serum concentrations of cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), HDL, and LDL in healthy subjects. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 541 volunteers with age of 5\u201360 years from normal and healthy subjects were selected via random sampling. Demographics and history of daily or weekly sunlight exposures were recorded. Measuring vitamin D was done in two consecutive seasons: winter and summer. Ten milliliters of peripheral venous blood sample was withdrawn after an overnight fasting. Serum levels of 25(OH) D (25, hydroxy vitamin D3) were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the Confirmatory test was done by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: Mean age in the total mixed population was 30.83 \ub1 14.02 years. Subjects were 50.5% male and 49.5% female. Mean 25(OH) D in the total population for winter and summer were 45.8 \ub1 24.26 ng/ml and 55.24 \ub1 37. 47 ng/ml respectively. In the total population, 38.08% were vitamin D deficient. Comparing serum lipid levels in the summer and winter showed a significant difference for cholesterol, LDL, and HDL, but no significant effect was found for TG. Analysis for the comparison of lipid profiles between the two genders in winter showed that there were significant differences in all lipid profiles except for LDL, while such analysis for summer revealed significant difference just for TG. In multivariate analysis, there was a significant mean difference only for LDL in subgroups with vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency. There was no correlation between Vitamin D and lipid profiles. Conclusions: Vitamin D is different between the two seasons regardless of gender variations. Its status showed some significant relationship with some lipid profiles (cholesterol, LDL, and HDL) during the two seasons. There were different results among winter and summer based on the gender

Short-term enrichment of microalgae with inorganic selenium and zinc and their effects on the mineral composition of microalgae and marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis

Rotifers are widely used as a live prey for finfish larvae, although their content in minerals such as selenium and zinc is lower than in fish. In the present study, mixed microalgae (i.e., Isochrysis aff. galbana and Nannochloropsis oculata) were enriched with different amounts of Se and Zn either alone (45, 90, and 135 mg L−1 of Zn, 60, 120, and 180 mg L−1 of Se) or mixed (22.5, 45, and 90 mg Zn L−1 and 30, 60, and 120 mg Se L−1). The content of minerals in the microalgae was analysed after 1 and 3 h enrichment and their effect on the growth and mineral composition of the rotifer. Based on the results, 1 h enrichment time and 90 and 120 mg L−1 of Zn and Se, respectively, resulted in the highest amount of Se and Zn in enriched microalgae. The maximum Zn content was detected in the rotifers fed 90 mg L−1 Zn and 90 mg L−1 Zn +120 mg L−1 of Se, but the maximum Se was observed in rotifers fed with 120 and 180 mg L−1 Se. Thus, Se- and Zn-enriched rotifers can be used as a mineral delivery method to cover marine fish larvae nutritional requirements.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Aerobic training and hydroalcoholic extracts of green tea improve pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance and histopathological score in the N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced prostate cancer model of rat

Green tea is a main resource for catechins. Catechins as antioxidant compounds reduce the production of reactive oxygen species and they have a protective role in the development of cancer. As well as, aerobic exercise change free radicals with two contradictory mechanisms. Aerobic training promotes excessive production of free radicals resulting in oxidative stress. In contrast, it increases the total antioxidant capacity. In this study, effect of aerobic training and hydroalcoholic extract of green tea (HEGT) on the pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and histopathological score of cancerous tissue in the N-methyl-N-nitrosourea–induced prostate cancer was investigated. A rat model of prostate cancer was induced by hormonal change and N-Nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU). HEGT 0.1 % and 45 min of aerobic exercise in 5 days a week for eight weeks were scheduled. The presence of major catechins was approved using GC-MS. Histological study, PAB and PSA levels were used to monitor the preventive role of treatments. The prostate weights of cancerous rats were significantly higher than healthy controls (P0.05). Our results provided laboratory and histological documentation for the preventive role of green tea extract in developing prostate cancer via its potential to re-establish the pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance

CTLA-4 Blockade of Natural Killer Cells Increases Cytotoxicity against Acute Lymphoid Leukaemia Cells Neda

Objective: There is interest in using cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) immunotherapy to treat blood cancers.Unfortunately, patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) frequently exhibit resistance to treatment and naturalkiller (NK) cell exhaustion. This study aims to increase the cytotoxic potency of natural killer cells by using CTLA-4 toblock the Nalm-6 leukaemia cell line.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, NK cells were purified from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) of 10 healthy people and assessed by flow cytometry for purity and viability. The purified cells were activatedovernight at 37°C and 5% CO2 with interleukin-15 (IL-15, 10 ng/ml) followed by evaluation of expressions of CTLA-4,activating and inhibitory receptors, and the release of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and granzyme B (GZM B). CTLA-4expression on NK cells from recurrent ALL patients was also evaluated. Finally, the cytotoxic activity of NK cells wasassessed after the CTLA-4 blockade.Results: The purity of the isolated cells was 96.58 ± 2.57%. Isolated NK cells activated with IL-15 resulted in significantlyhigher CTLA-4 expression (8.75%, P<0.05). Similarly, CTLA-4 expression on the surface of NK cells from patientswith ALL was higher (7.46%) compared to healthy individuals (1.46%, P<0.05). IL-15 reduced NKG2A expression(P<0.01), and increased expressions of NKP30 (P<0.05) and NKP46 (P<0.01). The activated NK cells released moreIFN-γ (P<0.5) and GZM B (P<0.01) compared to unactivated NK cells. Blockade of CTLA-4 enhanced the NK cellkilling potential against Nalm-6 cells (56.3%, P<0.05); however, IFN-γ and GZM B levels were not statistically differentbetween the blocked and non-blocked groups.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that CTLA-4 blockage of Nalm-6 cells causes an increase in antitumour activity ofNK cells against these cells. Our study also provides evidence for the potential of cancer immunotherapy treatmentusing blocking anti-CTLA-4 mAbs

Seasonal variations of vitamin D and its relation to lipid profile in Iranian children and adults

Abstract Background Vitamin D has a multitude of functional properties and acts like a hormone in the body. Its effect on the lipid profile is one of the proposed mechanisms for its relationship with many disorders during its deficiency. But, this relationship is still conflicting and debatable, so this study was conducted to determine the association between serum level of vitamin D and lipid profiles, including serum concentrations of cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), HDL, and LDL in healthy subjects. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 541 volunteers with age of 5–60 years from normal and healthy subjects were selected via random sampling. Demographics and history of daily or weekly sunlight exposures were recorded. Measuring vitamin D was done in two consecutive seasons: winter and summer. Ten milliliters of peripheral venous blood sample was withdrawn after an overnight fasting. Serum levels of 25(OH) D (25, hydroxy vitamin D3) were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the Confirmatory test was done by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results Mean age in the total mixed population was 30.83 ± 14.02 years. Subjects were 50.5% male and 49.5% female. Mean 25(OH) D in the total population for winter and summer were 45.8 ± 24.26 ng/ml and 55.24 ± 37.47 ng/ml respectively. In the total population, 38.08% were vitamin D deficient. Comparing serum lipid levels in the summer and winter showed a significant difference for cholesterol, LDL, and HDL, but no significant effect was found for TG. Analysis for the comparison of lipid profiles between the two genders in winter showed that there were significant differences in all lipid profiles except for LDL, while such analysis for summer revealed significant difference just for TG. In multivariate analysis, there was a significant mean difference only for LDL in subgroups with vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency. There was no correlation between Vitamin D and lipid profiles. Conclusions Vitamin D is different between the two seasons regardless of gender variations. Its status showed some significant relationship with some lipid profiles (cholesterol, LDL, and HDL) during the two seasons. There were different results among winter and summer based on the gender

Long-term incorporation of Selenium and Zinc in microalgae Isochrysis galbana and Nannochloropsis oculata and its effects on rotifer

Rotifers are widely used in hatcheries to feed small-sized aquatic larvae although one of their disadvantages is the lack of zinc and selenium 5- and 30-fold lower than in copepods, respectively. To improve the rotifers quality, different concentrations of zinc and selenium (2, 4, 5 and 10 mg L−1 of each mineral) were added to the medium of the microalgae Isochrysis aff. galbana and Nannochloropsis oculata for 4 days, and then the microalgae were harvested and concentrated to feed the rotifers. N. oculata accumulated a greater amount of Zn and Se into cells than I. galbana. The cell size of algae given 0, 2, and 4 mg L−1 of minerals did not change in both microalgae, but enrichment of the microalgae with the 5 and 10 mg L−1 decreased the sizes and paled the colour of cells and increased cell division. The 2 mg L−1 was the best group for rotifers in terms of growth (population density, number of eggs, egg ratio, Specific growth rate, the maximum number and doubling time), and contained the second-highest level of Zn (69.26 ± 0.60) and Se (103.5 ± 5.0) content within a safe limit. Thus, rotifers enriched with Se and Zn can be used as a mineral delivery method to cover the nutritional requirements of marine larvae.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Alpha-Pinene Effect on the Improvement of Working and Spatial memory in Rats

Background and Aim: Oxidative stress is an important factor in the development of memory and learning disorder which can cause neuronal damage in the hippocampus. Alpha-pinene is a polyphenolic compound from the terpene family that has shown important anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, antioxidant and neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system and can affect memory. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of alpha-pinene on the improvement of working and spatial memory in rats.  Materials and Methods: In this study, 24 male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control and 2 alpha-pinene groups (5 and 10 mg/kg IP) for 3 weeks. Spatial and working memories were assessed by Morris water maze and Y maze, respectively. Then, malondialdehyde level and total antioxidant capacity in hippocampal tissue were measured. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test. Results: The percentage of alternation in the Y maze increased in the group which had received 10 mg/kg alpha-pinene group compared to those in the control group and the group which had received 5 mg/kg alpha-pinene. The time spent in the target area at the dose of 10 mg/kg of alpha-pinene showed a significant increase compared to that in the control group, but there was no significant difference among the groups in terms of the time to reach the target platform. Alpha-pinene at the dose of 10 mg/kg decreased the level of malondialdehyde in hippocampal tissue compared to the control group, but no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of total antioxidant capacity. Conclusion: Alpha-pinene increased spatial and working memory performance in rats. One of the possible mechanisms of memory improvement in the present study could be due to the reduction of malondialdehyde in the hippocampal tissue, as one of the important indicators of oxidative stress in the central nervous system

Higher risk of progressing breast cancer in Kurdish population associated to CDH1 -160 C/A polymorphism

There is an increasing interest about studying possible effects of genetic polymorphisms and risk of cancer pro- gression. E-cadherin (CDH1) involves in many important cellular processes including cell-cell interactions, cell development and genetic changes of this molecule has been associated with greater tumor metastasis. The present study was aimed to evaluate the possible role of CDH1 -160 C/A polymorphism as a potential risk factor for breast cancer in Kurdish population. This case-control study consisted of 100 breast cancer patients and 200 healthy controls. Clinicopathological findings of all individuals were reported and immunohistochemistry staining was carried out on tissue samples. The CDH1 -160 C/A genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction- re- striction fragment length polymorphism method (PCR-RFLP). CDH1 -160 C/A polymorphism was differently distributed between patient and control groups. The A allele of CDH1 -160 C/A polymorphism significantly in- creased in patients compared to controls. In addition we found that the A allele of this polymorphism might be a potential risk factor for progression of breast cancer in our studied population. Patients with A allele of CDH1 -160 C/A was in higher risk to progress invasive ductal carcinoma. The A allele was also correlated with high grade and stage IV and also with metastatic tumors in studied subjects. The CDH1 -160 C/A polymorphism is correlated with clinicopathologial findings of breast cancer patients. The A allele of CDH1 -160 C/A may be a risk factor for progression of breast cancer in Kurdish patients