Angiogenic output in viral hepatitis, C and B, and HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction: Angiogenesis is known to play a pivotal role in most of malignancy, including HCC, and in chronic inflammation.Aim: To investigate the angiogenic output in HCV and HBV infection and its implication in the development of HCV associated HCC.Materials and methods: Blood samples were collected and grouped as; HS healthy subjects control group; HCC–HCV; chronic HCV infected patient group (HCV+ve) who are positive for serum anti-HCV antibodies and HCV–RNA; anti-HCV antibody positive and HCV–RNA negative patient group (HCVve); patients with positive HBsAg and HBV-DNA group (HBV+ve); and HBsAg positive and HBV-DNA negative patient group (HBVve). Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, angiopoietin-2, endostatin and angiostatin were assessed in different studied groups.Results: The level of sVEGF was insignificantly elevated in both HCV+ve and HCVve groups when compared with controls, while Ang-2, sES and sAS were significantly elevated in both groups as compared with healthy controls. The studied parameters were significantly elevated in HBV-+ve patients when compared with the control. However, HBVve patients showed significantly elevated levels in sAng-2, sES and sAS when compared with the control while the level of sVEGF was equal to that of controls. In patients with HCC, the studied parameters showed a significant elevation when compared with healthy controls and patients either with HBV or HCV infection except for sAS in the case of HCV-+ve patients and VEGF for HBV-+ve patients who were also higher but not significant.Conclusion: The increased hepatic angiogenesis in chronic HCV and HBV could provide the molecular basis for liver carcinogenesis and contribute to the increased risk of HCC in patients with cirrhosis due to HCV and/or HBV.KEYWORDS Angiogenesis; HCC; HCV; HB

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance findings in a pediatric population with isolated left ventricular non-compaction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Isolated Left Ventricular Non-compaction (LVNC) is an uncommon disorder characterized by the presence of increased trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses. In adults, it has been found that Ejection Fraction (EF) decreases significantly as non-compaction severity increases. In children however, there are a few data describing the relation between anatomical characteristics of LVNC and ventricular function. We aimed to find correlations between morphological features and ventricular performance in children and young adolescents with LVNC using Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>15 children with LVNC (10 males, mean age 9.7 y.o., range 0.6 - 17 y.o.), underwent a CMR scan. Different morphological measures such as the Compacted Myocardial Mass (CMM), Non-Compaction (NC) to the Compaction (C) distance ratio, Compacted Myocardial Area (CMA) and Non-Compacted Myocardial Area (NCMA), distribution of NC, and the assessment of ventricular wall motion abnormalities were performed to investigate correlations with ventricular performance. EF was considered normal over 53%.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The distribution of non-compaction in children was similar to published adult data with a predilection for apical, mid-inferior and mid-lateral segments. Five patients had systolic dysfunction with decreased EF. The number of affected segments was the strongest predictor of systolic dysfunction, all five patients had greater than 9 affected segments. Basal segments were less commonly affected but they were affected only in these five severe cases.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The segmental pattern of involvement of non-compaction in children is similar to that seen in adults. Systolic dysfunction in children is closely related to the number of affected segments.</p

The association of aggressive and chronic periodontitis with systemic manifestations and dental anomalies in a jordanian population: a case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p><b>Background</b></p> <p>The relationship between dental anomalies and periodontitis has not been documented by earlier studies. Although psychological factors have been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of periodontitis, very little information has so far been published about the association of anxiety and depression with aggressive periodontitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis with certain systemic manifestations and dental anomalies.</p> <p><b>Methods</b></p> <p>A total of 262 patients (100 chronic periodontitis, 81 aggressive periodontitis and 81 controls), attending the Periodontology clinics at Jordan University of Science and Technology, Dental Teaching Centre) were included. All subjects had a full periodontal and radiographic examination to assess the periodontal condition and to check for the presence of any of the following dental anomalies: dens invaginatus, dens evaginatus, congenitally missing lateral incisors or peg-shaped lateral incisors. Participants were interrogated regarding the following: depressive mood, fatigue, weight loss, or loss of appetite; and their anxiety and depression status was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale.</p> <p><b>Results</b></p> <p>Patients with aggressive periodontitis reported more systemic symptoms (51%) than the chronic periodontitis (36%) and control (30%) patients (<it>p </it>< 0.05). Aggressive periodontitis patients had a higher tendency for both anxiety and depression than chronic periodontitis and control patients. Dental anomalies were significantly (<it>p </it>< 0.05) more frequent among both of chronic and aggressive periodontitis patients (15% and 16%, respectively), compared to controls.</p> <p><b>Conclusion</b></p> <p>In this group of Jordanians, systemic symptoms were strongly associated with aggressive periodontitis, and dental anomalies were positively associated with both aggressive and chronic periodontitis.</p

miREE: miRNA recognition elements ensemble

Abstract Background Computational methods for microRNA target prediction are a fundamental step to understand the miRNA role in gene regulation, a key process in molecular biology. In this paper we present miREE, a novel microRNA target prediction tool. miREE is an ensemble of two parts entailing complementary but integrated roles in the prediction. The Ab-Initio module leverages upon a genetic algorithmic approach to generate a set of candidate sites on the basis of their microRNA-mRNA duplex stability properties. Then, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) learning module evaluates the impact of microRNA recognition elements on the target gene. As a result the prediction takes into account information regarding both miRNA-target structural stability and accessibility. Results The proposed method significantly improves the state-of-the-art prediction tools in terms of accuracy with a better balance between specificity and sensitivity, as demonstrated by the experiments conducted on several large datasets across different species. miREE achieves this result by tackling two of the main challenges of current prediction tools: (1) The reduced number of false positives for the Ab-Initio part thanks to the integration of a machine learning module (2) the specificity of the machine learning part, obtained through an innovative technique for rich and representative negative records generation. The validation was conducted on experimental datasets where the miRNA:mRNA interactions had been obtained through (1) direct validation where even the binding site is provided, or through (2) indirect validation, based on gene expression variations obtained from high-throughput experiments where the specific interaction is not validated in detail and consequently the specific binding site is not provided. Conclusions The coupling of two parts: a sensitive Ab-Initio module and a selective machine learning part capable of recognizing the false positives, leads to an improved balance between sensitivity and specificity. miREE obtains a reasonable trade-off between filtering false positives and identifying targets. miREE tool is available online at http://didattica-online.polito.it/eda/miREE/</p

Monitoring of Gene Expression in Bacteria during Infections Using an Adaptable Set of Bioluminescent, Fluorescent and Colorigenic Fusion Vectors

A family of versatile promoter-probe plasmids for gene expression analysis was developed based on a modular expression plasmid system (pZ). The vectors contain different replicons with exchangeable antibiotic cassettes to allow compatibility and expression analysis on a low-, midi- and high-copy number basis. Suicide vector variants also permit chromosomal integration of the reporter fusion and stable vector derivatives can be used for in vivo or in situ expression studies under non-selective conditions. Transcriptional and translational fusions to the reporter genes gfpmut3.1, amCyan, dsRed2, luxCDABE, phoA or lacZ can be constructed, and presence of identical multiple cloning sites in the vector system facilitates the interchange of promoters or reporter genes between the plasmids of the series. The promoter of the constitutively expressed gapA gene of Escherichia coli was included to obtain fluorescent and bioluminescent expression constructs. A combination of the plasmids allows simultaneous detection and gene expression analysis in individual bacteria, e.g. in bacterial communities or during mouse infections. To test our vector system, we analyzed and quantified expression of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis virulence genes under laboratory conditions, in association with cells and during the infection process

Functional Recellularization of Acellular Rat Liver Scaffold by Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Molecular Evidence for Wnt/B-Catenin Upregulation.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation remains the only viable therapy for liver failure but has a severely restricted utility. Here, we aimed to decellularize rat livers to form acellular 3D bio-scaffolds suitable for seeding with induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs) as a tool to investigate the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in liver development and generation. METHODS: Dissected rat livers were randomly divided into three groups: I (control); II (decellularized scaffolds) and III (recellularized scaffolds). Liver decellularization was established via an adapted perfusion procedure and assessed through the measurement of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and DNA content. Liver recellularization was assessed through histological examination and measurement of transcript levels of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, hepatogenesis, liver-specific microRNAs and growth factors essential for liver development. Adult rat liver decellularization was confirmed by the maintenance of ECM proteins and persistence of growth factors essential for liver regeneration. RESULTS: iPSCs seeded rat decellularized livers displayed upregulated transcript expression of Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related, growth factors, and liver specification genes. Further, recellularized livers displayed restored liver-specific functions including albumin secretion and urea synthesis. CONCLUSION: This establishes proof-of-principle for the generation of three-dimensional liver organ scaffolds as grafts and functional re-establishment

Evaluation of metals that are potentially toxic to agricultural surface soils, using statistical analysis, in northwestern Saudi Arabia

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Heavy metals in agricultural soils enter the food chain when taken up by plants. The main purpose of this work is to determine metal contamination in agricultural farms in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Fifty surface soil samples were collected from agricultural areas. The study focuses on the geochemical behavior of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn, and determines the enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index. Multivariate statistical analysis, including principle component analysis and cluster analysis, is also applied to the acquired data. The study shows considerable variation in the concentrations of the analyzed metals in the studied soil samples. This variation in concentration is attributed to the intensity of agricultural activities and, possibly, to nearby fossil fuel combustion activities, as well as to traffic flows from highways and local roads. Multivariate analysis suggests that As, Cd, Hg and Pb are associated with anthropogenic activities, whereas Co, Cr, Cu and Zn are mainly controlled by geogenic activities. Hg and Pb show the maximum concentration in the analyzed samples as compared to the background concentration