Can Proteomic Profiling Identify Biomarkers and/or Therapeutic Targets for Liver Fibrosis?

Liver fibrosis is a serious disease that affects around 350–400 million people worldwide. The main approach for fibrosis staging is liver biopsy, which is an invasive procedure that is not endured pretty well by patients. Currently, some serum-based biomarker panels are available for diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis. Recent high-throughput proteomic studies are also very promising for identification of novel biomarkers for diagnosis and/or treatment of liver fibrosis. We hereby review the application of proteomic profiling studies for identification of fibrosis biomarkers with their advantages and drawbacks

Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three available genomic nomenclature systems for SARS-CoV-2 to all sequence data from the WHO European Region available during the COVID-19 pandemic until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation. We provide a comparison of the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.Peer reviewe

Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three genomic nomenclature systems to all sequence data from the World Health Organization European Region available until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation, compare the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

Occurrence of Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum on strawberry transplants in Aydin Province in Turkey

WOS: 000375927300001Samples of strawberry transplants were randomly collected from 47 growers in Aydin province of Turkey. A total of 26 Fusarium oxysporum isolates were identified by morphological characterization, sequence analysis of factor-1 alpha gene, and pathogenicity tests on strawberry, cucumber and tomato seedlings. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of F. oxysporum in strawberry transplants in Turkey.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [110R009]This study was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under the project no 110R009

SPA therapy in fibromyalgia: a randomised controlled clinic study

Objective: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of spa therapy in the management of fibromyalgia. Methods: Thirty women with fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to either a spa therapy group or a control group. The spa therapy group (n = 16) had spa treatment for 2 weeks in addition to their medical treatment. The control group (n = 14) continued to have their medical treatment and/or daily exercises. An investigator who was blinded for the intervention assessed all the patients for 9 months. Improvements in Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), pain and number of tender points were primary outcomes. Secondary outcome measures were improvement in sleep disturbance, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, Beck Depression Inventory and patient's global evaluation. Results: the spa group was found to be superior to the control group at the end of intervention in terms of FIQ, pain, tender point count, fatigue and patients' global assessment. This superiority remained for 6 months in FIQ, 1 month in pain and tender point count. Conclusion: It was concluded that the addition of spa therapy to medical therapy has both short- and long-term beneficial effects in female patients with fibromyalgia

Proteomic profiling of HBV infected liver biopsies with different fibrotic stages

Abstract Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a global health problem, and infected patients if left untreated may develop cirrhosis and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aims to enlighten pathways associated with HBV related liver fibrosis for delineation of potential new therapeutic targets and biomarkers. Methods Tissue samples from 47 HBV infected patients with different fibrotic stages (F1 to F6) were enrolled for 2D-DIGE proteomic screening. Differentially expressed proteins were identified by mass spectrometry and verified by western blotting. Functional proteomic associations were analyzed by EnrichNet application. Results Fibrotic stage variations were observed for apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), pyruvate kinase PKM (KPYM), glyceraldehyde 3-phospahate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), glutamate dehydrogenase (DHE3), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), alcohol dehydrogenase (ALDH1A1), transferrin (TRFE), peroxiredoxin 3 (PRDX3), phenazine biosynthesis-like domain-containing protein (PBLD), immuglobulin kappa chain C region (IGKC), annexin A4 (ANXA4), keratin 5 (KRT5). Enrichment analysis with Reactome and Kegg databases highlighted the possible involvement of platelet release, glycolysis and HDL mediated lipid transport pathways. Moreover, string analysis revealed that HIF-1α (Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha), one of the interacting partners of HBx (Hepatitis B X protein), may play a role in the altered glycolytic response and oxidative stress observed in liver fibrosis. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first protomic research that studies HBV infected fibrotic human liver tissues to investigate alterations in protein levels and affected pathways among different fibrotic stages. Observed changes in the glycolytic pathway caused by HBx presence and therefore its interactions with HIF-1α can be a target pathway for novel therapeutic purposes