Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 and -9 in Human Placenta during Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery and Caesarean Sectioning in Preterm Pregnancy

Preterm birth is a major public health problem in terms of loss of life, long-term and short term disabilities worldwide. The process of parturition (both term and preterm) involves intensive remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the placenta and fetal membranes by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Our previous studies show reduced docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in women delivering preterm. Further omega 3 fatty acids are reported to regulate MMP levels. This study was undertaken to examine the placental levels of MMPs and their association with placental DHA levels in women delivering preterm. The levels of MMP-1 and MMP-9 in 74 women delivering preterm (52 by spontaneous vaginal delivery and 22 by caesarean sectioning) and 75 women delivering at term (59 by spontaneous vaginal delivery and 16 by caesarean sectioning) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and their association with placental DHA was studied. Placental MMP-1 levels were higher (p<0.05) in women delivering preterm (both by spontaneous vaginal delivery and caesarean sectioning) as compared to those delivering at term. In contrast, placental MMP-9 levels in preterm pregnancies was higher (p<0.05) in women with spontaneous vaginal delivery while lower (p<0.05) in women delivering by caesarean sectioning. Low placental DHA was associated with higher placental MMP-9 levels. Our study suggests a differential effect of mode of delivery on the levels of MMPs from placenta. Further this study suggests a negative association of DHA and the levels of MMP-9 in human placenta although the mechanisms need further study

Analysis of the genetic phylogeny of multifocal prostate cancer identifies multiple independent clonal expansions in neoplastic and morphologically normal prostate tissue.

Genome-wide DNA sequencing was used to decrypt the phylogeny of multiple samples from distinct areas of cancer and morphologically normal tissue taken from the prostates of three men. Mutations were present at high levels in morphologically normal tissue distant from the cancer, reflecting clonal expansions, and the underlying mutational processes at work in morphologically normal tissue were also at work in cancer. Our observations demonstrate the existence of ongoing abnormal mutational processes, consistent with field effects, underlying carcinogenesis. This mechanism gives rise to extensive branching evolution and cancer clone mixing, as exemplified by the coexistence of multiple cancer lineages harboring distinct ERG fusions within a single cancer nodule. Subsets of mutations were shared either by morphologically normal and malignant tissues or between different ERG lineages, indicating earlier or separate clonal cell expansions. Our observations inform on the origin of multifocal disease and have implications for prostate cancer therapy in individual cases

Impact of caloric and dietary restriction regimens on markers of health and longevity in humans and animals: a summary of available findings

Considerable interest has been shown in the ability of caloric restriction (CR) to improve multiple parameters of health and to extend lifespan. CR is the reduction of caloric intake - typically by 20 - 40% of ad libitum consumption - while maintaining adequate nutrient intake. Several alternatives to CR exist. CR combined with exercise (CE) consists of both decreased caloric intake and increased caloric expenditure. Alternate-day fasting (ADF) consists of two interchanging days; one day, subjects may consume food ad libitum (sometimes equaling twice the normal intake); on the other day, food is reduced or withheld altogether. Dietary restriction (DR) - restriction of one or more components of intake (typically macronutrients) with minimal to no reduction in total caloric intake - is another alternative to CR. Many religions incorporate one or more forms of food restriction. The following religious fasting periods are featured in this review: 1) Islamic Ramadan; 2) the three principal fasting periods of Greek Orthodox Christianity (Nativity, Lent, and the Assumption); and 3) the Biblical-based Daniel Fast. This review provides a summary of the current state of knowledge related to CR and DR. A specific section is provided that illustrates related work pertaining to religious forms of food restriction. Where available, studies involving both humans and animals are presented. The review includes suggestions for future research pertaining to the topics of discussion

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Pengaruh panjang tangan dan lilitan otot lengan terhadap kepantasan kayuhan atlet kayak

Kajian ini adalah berbentuk experimental dan dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti perkaitan panjang tangan dan lilitan otot lengan atlit terhadap kepantasan kayuhan dalam kayak sebelum dan selepas menjalani latihan selama 6 minggu. Kajian ini dilaksanakan di Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Subjek terdiri daripada atlit-atlit pasukan kayak dan seramai 10 orang atlit lelaki (N=10) yang berada dalam lingkungan umur antara 19 hingga 21 tahun telah diambil secara sukarela mengikuti kajian. Tiga fasa (ujian klasifikasi, latihan dan ujian prestasi pencapaian) telah dijalankan untuk mengklasifikasikan subjek supaya meminimumkan ralat kajian. Secara umumnya, prestasi atlit boleh dibahagikan kepada dua kumpulan iaitu kumpulan atas nilai purata dan kumpulan bawah nilai purata. Analisis data yang diperolehi menunjukkan terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara panjang tangan dan lilitan lengan keatas prestasi. Secara kesimpulannya, HA yang menyatakan panjang tangan dan lilitan lengan mempengaruhi kelajuan diterima. Ini menunjukkan terdapat perkaitan antara panjang tangan dan lilitan lengan terhadap kelajuan kayuhan. Kajian ini masih boleh ditingkatkan lagi keberkesanannya seperti menambah lagi bilangan subjek dan memilih tempat kajian yang sesuai dan bebas daripada gangguan. Selain itu, kaedah pengukuran yang lebih ideal dan cekap seperti underwater weighting atau hydrostatic boleh digunakan pada kajian masa depan

Business excellence in enhancing global competitive advantage in healthcare sector of UAE

The purpose of the study is to explore the role of business excellence in improving global competitive advantage in the UAE’s healthcare sector. The study explores various business excellence models and recognizes widely used models and the best model applicable to the UAE context, and evaluates factors that influence business excellence such as leadership, HRM, Quality management, customer satisfaction, information, and analysis on the quality results competitive advantage. The paper used a quantitative approach to gather primary data on the selected sector besides statistical analysis to evaluate the influence of business excellence factors on improving competitive advantage. The findings show a high maturity of organizational functioning in the healthcare industry to implement business excellence to improve their competitive advantage