Leptin, insulin like growth factor-1 and thyroid profile in a studied sample of Egyptian children with Down syndrome

Background: Several mechanisms have been suggested for obesity in Down syndrome. Aim of the study: Assessment of serum levels of leptin, insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxin (FT4) in a prepubertal Egyptian sample of children with DS compared to their age and sex matched healthy controls and sibs of some of them.Subjects and methods: A prospective case control study was conducted on 80 children, classified as follows: Groups I & II: enrolled 20 cases with DS for each, sibs were studied only for group I, Group III: 20 healthy siblings of group I, and Group IV: 20 healthy controls. Anthropometric measurements, serum leptin, IGF-1, TSH, and FT4 assessment using enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) were carried out for all studied children.Results: DS children whether with studied sibs or without studied sibs had significantly higher mean values of leptin levels compared to sibs of group I & IV (P = 0.0001 for all). Meanwhile, mean values of IGF-I showed statistically insignificant differences between all studied groups (p> 0.05 for all). Studied DS children whether with studied sibs or without studied sibs had significantly higher mean values of TSH levels compared to sibs of group I and controls (P = 0.0001 for all). Mean values of FT4 were significantly higher in enrolled DS without their studied sibs compared to sibs of group I (p= 0.01), while mean values of FT4 were significantly lower in sibs of group I compared to controls (p= 0.001).Conclusion: Serum leptin levels were significantly higher in studied DS children compared to both studied sibs and healthy controls and they were also positively correlated with BMI in studied DS children and their sibs highlighting a possible role of body fat% and leptin values in the pathogenesis of obesity in DS children.Keywords: Leptin; IGF-I; TSH; FT4; Obesity; Down syndrom

Faktor-Faktor Yang Memengaruhi Loyalitas Nasabah Bank Muamalat Indonesia Cabang Surakarta

Secara konseptual, prinsip sesuai syari’ah yang menjadi landasan bank syari’ah mempunyai nilai lebih yang berbeda dibandingkan bank konvensional. Sehingga prinsip-prinsip ini memberi daya tawar lebih pada masyarakat Indonesia yang mayoritas Muslim. Namun faktanya, perkembangan aset bank syari’ah secara nasional masih sangat jauh dibanding total aset bank konvensional. Perkembangan ini tentunya terkait erat dengan kesetiaan nasabah untuk menginvestasikan dananya di bank syari’ah yang dipengaruhi oleh banyak faktor. Dari segi perkembangan jumlah nasabah perbankan syari’ah secara nasional, terlihat peningkatan yang signifikan, yang berarti adanya kesetiaan nasabah yang ditandai dengan jumlah nasabah yang terus bertambah. Dan Bank Muamalat Indonesia (BMI) sebagai bank syari’ah pertama di Indonesia mencatat prestasi terbaik dalam perkembangan jumlah nasabah ini, sehingga penulis tertarik untuk meneliti dengan objek penelitian di salah satu cabangnya, yaitu BMI Cabang Surakarta. Adapun permasalahan yang dikaji dalam penelitian ini adalah (1) bagaimana loyalitas nasabah BMI Cabang Surakarta, serta (2) apa saja faktorfaktor yang memengaruhinya. Sehingga tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui faktor-faktor yang memengaruhi nasabah dalam memilih menabung lebih lama dan kemudian loyal kepada BMI Cabang Surakarta. Dan untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut peneliti menggunakan Penelitian Lapangan (Field Research) dengan metode pengumpulan data yaitu angket, wawancara dan dokumentasi. Data yang menjadi sumber primer adalah berasal dari nasabah di BMI Cabang Surakarta. Adapun analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif. Dari hasil penelitian didapatkan bahwa loyalitas nasabah di BMI Cabang Surakarta berada pada tingkatan yang tinggi, yang ditandai dengan lamanya mayoritas nasabah menabung di BMI Cabang Surakarta, mayoritas nasabah yang memprioritaskan BMI Cabang Surakarta dalam pemilihan jasa perbankan, kekebalan mayoritas nasabah terhadap tarikan dari bank lain, keyakinan mayoritas nasabah bahwa BMI Cabang Surakarta adalah yang terbaik, adanya niat hampir semua nasabah untuk selamanya menabung di BMI Cabang Surakarta serta adanya rekomendasi yang dilakukan oleh nasabah. Kemudian bahwa loyalitas yang tinggi tersebut dipengaruhi oleh faktorfaktor yaitu : (a) faktor prinsip syari’ah yang diterapkan, (b) faktor pelayanan dan fasilitas yang diberikan, (c) faktor fitur produk yang diberikan, (d) faktor jaminan dan keamanan dana yang diberikan, serta (e) faktor lingkungan (teman, keluarga dan relasi) nasabah

Kebijakan Penghapusan Remisi Terhadap Narapidana Korupsi dalam Perspektif Hukum dan HAM (Studi Kasus Rumah Tahanan Surakarta)

Corruption is an extraordinary crime for destroying not only the state's finances but also undermining the socio-cultural, moral, political and legal pillars and national security. Related to that, there is a discourse for the elimination of remissions against corruption inmates. The authors limit the problem in writing this thesis about the purpose of elimination of remission for corruption inmates, whether it is in accordance with existing law rules or contrary to human rights. From the results of this study, the elimination of remissions against corruption inmates does not comply with the provisions of Law No.12 of 1995 on corrections, especially in Article 14 paragraph (1) letter i stated that: "Prisoners are entitled to a reduction in criminal (remission)"

Future Prospects for Periodontal Bioengineering Using Growth Factors

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142015/1/cap0088.pd

Supercritical fluid technology as a tool to prepare gradient multifunctional architectures towards regeneration of osteochondral injuries

Platelet lysates (PLs) are a natural source of growth factors (GFs) known for its stimulatory role on stem cells which can be obtained after activation of platelets from blood plasma. The possibility to use PLs as growth factor source for tissue healing and regeneration has been pursued following different strategies. Platelet lysates are an enriched pool of growth factors which can be used as either a GFs source or as a three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel. However, most of current PLs-based hydrogels lack stability, exhibiting significant shrinking behavior. This chapter focuses on the application of supercritical fluid technology to develop three-dimensional architectures of PL constructs, crosslinked with genipin. The proposed technology allows in a single step operation the development of mechanically stable porous structures, through chemical crosslinking of the growth factors present in the PL pool, followed by supercritical drying of the samples. Furthermore gradient structures of PL-based structures with bioactive glass are also presented and are described as an interesting approach to the treatment of osteochondral defects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gene Expression Dynamics During Bone Healing and Osseointegration

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141010/1/jper1007.pd

The role of platelet rich plasma in musculoskeletal science

The idea of using platelet rich plasma (PRP) in medicine has been around since the 1970s. It is only more recently that its use has been employed in the area of musculoskeletal science. Platelet rich plasma in this area has received much media attention being used by many celebrity sports athletes for musculoskeletal injuries. Therefore it is important for the musculoskeletal practitioner to be aware of the concepts surrounding its use and application. In this article we cover what platelet rich plasma is, how it is prepared and administered, its potential clinical application, and what the current literature discusses in the various areas of musculoskeletal science

Gingival Fibroblasts as a Promising Source of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells efficiently generated from accessible tissues have the potential for clinical applications. Oral gingiva, which is often resected during general dental treatments and treated as biomedical waste, is an easily obtainable tissue, and cells can be isolated from patients with minimal discomfort.We herein demonstrate iPS cell generation from adult wild-type mouse gingival fibroblasts (GFs) via introduction of four factors (Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc; GF-iPS-4F cells) or three factors (the same as GF-iPS-4F cells, but without the c-Myc oncogene; GF-iPS-3F cells) without drug selection. iPS cells were also generated from primary human gingival fibroblasts via four-factor transduction. These cells exhibited the morphology and growth properties of embryonic stem (ES) cells and expressed ES cell marker genes, with a decreased CpG methylation ratio in promoter regions of Nanog and Oct3/4. Additionally, teratoma formation assays showed ES cell-like derivation of cells and tissues representative of all three germ layers. In comparison to mouse GF-iPS-4F cells, GF-iPS-3F cells showed consistently more ES cell-like characteristics in terms of DNA methylation status and gene expression, although the reprogramming process was substantially delayed and the overall efficiency was also reduced. When transplanted into blastocysts, GF-iPS-3F cells gave rise to chimeras and contributed to the development of the germline. Notably, the four-factor reprogramming efficiency of mouse GFs was more than 7-fold higher than that of fibroblasts from tail-tips, possibly because of their high proliferative capacity.These results suggest that GFs from the easily obtainable gingival tissues can be readily reprogrammed into iPS cells, thus making them a promising cell source for investigating the basis of cellular reprogramming and pluripotency for future clinical applications. In addition, high-quality iPS cells were generated from mouse GFs without Myc transduction or a specific system for reprogrammed cell selection

Platelet-Rich Plasma Promotes the Proliferation of Human Muscle Derived Progenitor Cells and Maintains Their Stemness

Human muscle-derived progenitor cells (hMDPCs) offer great promise for muscle cell-based regenerative medicine; however, prolonged ex-vivo expansion using animal sera is necessary to acquire sufficient cells for transplantation. Due to the risks associated with the use of animal sera, the development of a strategy for the ex vivo expansion of hMDPCs is required. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the ex-vivo expansion of hMDPCs. Pre-plated MDPCs, myoendothelial cells, and pericytes are three populations of hMDPCs that we isolated by the modified pre-plate technique and Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), respectively. Pooled allogeneic human PRP was obtained from a local blood bank, and the effect that thrombin-activated PRP-releasate supplemented media had on the ex-vivo expansion of the hMDPCs was tested against FBS supplemented media, both in vitro and in vivo. PRP significantly enhanced short and long-term cell proliferation, with or without FBS supplementation. Antibody-neutralization of PDGF significantly blocked the mitogenic/proliferative effects that PRP had on the hMDPCs. A more stable and sustained expression of markers associated with stemness, and a decreased expression of lineage specific markers was observed in the PRP-expanded cells when compared with the FBS-expanded cells. The in vitro osteogenic, chondrogenic, and myogenic differentiation capacities of the hMDPCs were not altered when expanded in media supplemented with PRP. All populations of hMDPCs that were expanded in PRP supplemented media retained their ability to regenerate myofibers in vivo. Our data demonstrated that PRP promoted the proliferation and maintained the multi-differentiation capacities of the hMDPCs during ex-vivo expansion by maintaining the cells in an undifferentiated state. Moreover, PDGF appears to be a key contributing factor to the beneficial effect that PRP has on the proliferation of hMDPCs. © 2013 Li et al

Aquaporin 5 interacts with fluoride and possibly protects against caries

Aquaporins (AQP) are water channel proteins and the genes coding for AQP2, AQP5, and AQP6 are clustered in 12q13. Since AQP5 is expressed in serous acinar cells of salivary glands, we investigated its involvement in caries. DNA samples from 1,383 individuals from six groups were studied. Genotypes of eight single nucleotide polymorphisms covering the aquaporin locus were tested for association with caries experience. Interaction with genes involved in enamel formation was tested. The association between enamel microhardness at baseline, after creation of artificial caries lesion, and after exposure to fluoride and the genetic markers in AQP5 was tested. Finally, AQP5 expression in human whole saliva, after exposure to fluoride in a mammary gland cell line, which is known to express AQP5, and in Wistar rats was also verified. Nominal associations were found between caries experience and markers in the AQP5 locus. Since these associations suggested that AQP5 may be inhibited by levels of fluoride in the drinking water that cause fluorosis, we showed that fluoride levels above optimal levels change AQP5 expression in humans, cell lines, and rats. We have shown that AQP5 is involved in the pathogenesis of caries and likely interacts with fluoride