The Role of Sulforaphane on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by Activation of Nrf2

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common type of muscular dystrophy, which is also regarded as a severe muscle disease with an incidence of 1 in 3,500 live male newborns in the world. The leading cause is dyctrophin gene mutations, which lose regulation of the muscle protein.

Cell death, progressive damage of muscle fibers, oxidative stress, and inflammation are the remarkable characteristics of DMD in humans and mdx mice. Glucocorticoid play a role on boosting muscle function and strength in a short time in DMD therapy, but it is not effective and with plentiful side effects, like hypertension, diabetes, mood/behavioral affection for a long time using.

Therefore, there is not noticeably effective method for treatment of DMD yet.Nrf2 (NF-E2 related factor 2) is one of the momentous transcription factors, which exists in biological body and affect genes expression of numerous oxidative stress proteins, detoxifying enzymes and antioxidant enzymes.

PDF LINK

Alexithymia in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Tight Relation with Mood States

Alexithymia describes the difficulty of people in identifying, differentiating, and articulating emotions of others and themselves and in discriminating those from bodily sensations, with a limited fantasy and a concrete, externally oriented cognitive style.

Sifneos described alexithymia construct in 1973 in relation to classic psychosomatic diseases and failure to respond to dynamic psychotherapy. Actually alexithymia is defined by cognitive and affective characteristics comprising difficulty identifying feelings and distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional arousal; difficulty describing feelings to others; a restricted imagination, as evidenced by a paucity of fantasies.

A cognitive style that is literal, utilitarian, and externally oriented. Numerous studies revealed positive associations between alexithymia and pain intensity and sensitivity.

PDF LINK

Eph/Ephrin-mediated Mesenchymal Stem Cell Regulation of T-cell Activation and Function

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) represent a promising cellular therapy for the treatment of immune-related conditions due to their immunomodulatory properties, which include the capacity to inhibit the proliferation and function of T-cells.

Despite the fact that MSC have been the subject of intense investigation as therapeutic agents for diseases in which cellular immune response is exacerbated, the underlying mechanisms of how MSC exert their T cell suppressive properties remain to be fully understood.

Eph surface tyrosine kinase receptors and their ephrin ligands are involved in T-cell development, maturation, activation and proliferation. Recent findings have demonstrated Eph/ephrin interactions as potential mechanisms mediating human MSC inhibition of activated T-cells.

PDF LINK

Lipid Mediator Regulation of Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells

ILC2s were originally found to be activated by epithelial cell derived cytokines to induce the secretion of Th2 cytokines, IL-5 and IL-13. Recent research has shown that lipid mediators play a large role in the activation and inhibition of ILC2 function.

Unlike the traditional epithelial cell derived cytokines IL-33 and IL-25, lipid mediators have been shown to promote ILC2 secretion of not only IL-5 and IL-13, but the secretion of IL-4 as well. Prostaglandin D2 has been shown to be a potent chemoattractant of ILC2s as well as a potent activator of ILC2s to release Th2 cytokines.

In addition to prostaglandin D2, cysteinyl leukotrienes also activate ILC2s to secrete Th2 cytokines during inflammation. Notably, lipid mediators have been shown to work in concert with epithelial cell derived cytokines to increase IL-5 and IL-13 secretion from ILC2s.

PDF LINK

Physiology and Medicine: The Gifted Saga of the Last Decade

Over the last century, Science and Technology moved forward and witnessed exceptional inventions and discoveries due to individual and collaborative research efforts. This momentum opened doors for the deep understanding of biological systems by which it permitted the advancement in technologies and designing of new tools in biomedical field.

Since 1901, discoveries and inventions in various fields of science (Chemistry, Physics, Physiology and Medicine, Economics) including literature which can influence the betterment of human race were being awarded with Nobel Prize.

Over the past decade, numerous groundbreaking discoveries in physiology and medicine have been reported. This short note is intended to summarize the significance of these findings and few remarkable controversies associated with them.

PDF LINK

Alpha-Defensin 5 Expression is Regulated by microRNAs in the Caco-2 Intestinal Epithelial Cell Line

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an inappropriate immune response leads to chronic mucosal inflammation. This response may be partly due to dysregulation of defensins, which are endogenously produced antimicrobial peptides.

This study determined whether microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate α-defensin 5 (DEFA5), which could further implicate both in IBD pathogenesis. Methods: Induction of DEFA5 mRNA and protein expression was determined in Caco-2 cells.

An in silico analysis identified putative miRNA binding sites of DEFA5. Expression of these miRNAs was assessed in Caco-2 cells. Regulation of DEFA5 expression by these miRNAs was measured by luciferase assays. Caco-2 cells were transfected with miR-124 and miR-924 mimics, and DEFA5 mRNA and protein expression was measured.

PDF LINK

International Consensus: Paraneoplastic Neurological Antibodies - are we there yet?

Laboratory contribution to clinical diagnosis is an essential part of patient care. In order to accurately diagnose, treat and advise patients, physicians rely on timely laboratory data that remains consistent regardless of its origin and most will take the quality (accuracy, reproducibility, clinical relevance) of the result for granted. Most physicians rightly assume that quality is assured as a routine part of the work of the laboratory and would not expect that different versions of tests would produce different results on the same sample, or that exactly the same test on the same sample might produce different results in different places.

Laboratories and their suppliers strive to achieve this by monitoring and standardizing test methodologies with the aid of robust internal and external quality control. Where standardization (same result in same units on the same sample, everywhere) is not possible, we aim for harmonization of reporting outcomes(all positive and negative results match, irrespective of units). Despite such an ethos, laboratory results on the same patient sample can vary due to rapid development in the diagnostic service or methodology, or the pressures of increasing workload.