International Journal of Medical Laboratory
Volume:7 Issue: 4, Nov 2020

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a degenerative retinal disorder that causes progressive loss of central vision in older adults. The study aimed to determine the effect of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) as oxidizing metabolite and paraoxonase (PON1) activity within its phenotypes as an antioxidant agent in the development of such multifactorial disease.

Forty-five exudative ARMD (E-ARMD) patients and 45 healthy controls were enrolled for this case-control study. Serum PON1 activity was measured using paraoxon and phenylacetate as substrates. PON1 phenotype was determined using the double-substrate method. The ADMA and oxidized LDL (OX-LDL) levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Blood lipid profile was measured, and nontraditional lipid indexes were calculated.

Three phenotypes were determined for PON1 among the participants in the study, including AA, AB, and BB phenotypes with low, moderate, and high activity, respectively. AA phenotype was more frequent among E-ARMD, while AB and BB phenotypes were more common among healthy subjects. The mean ADMA and OX-LDL levels were significantly higher in the patients comparing to the controls (p=0.02 and p=0.01, respectively). No significant differences were found in ADMA and OX-LDL levels between phenotypes in each group and also among similar phenotypes. LDL, cholesterol, and even all comprehensive lipid indexes except (atherogenic index of plasma) were higher in E-ARMD patients compared with the healthy group.

It was concluded that high-risk individuals could be identified by evaluating the blood factors involved in oxidative stress, and antioxidant therapies may reduce the incidence and progression of the disease.

Warfarin is an anticoagulant agent used for many years in treating various clinical conditions such as thromboembolisms in cardiovascular disease. Some patients require different doses of warfarin to reach the therapeutic international normalized ratio ratio. These patients have specific demographic characteristics. Genetic polymorphisms in specific genes have been reported to be an essential factor in response to warfarin. The present study investigated the effect of these polymorphisms of genes on warfarin dose necessities in pediatric of VCORC1 gene in patients.

Ninety-five patients with cardiovascular disease, who were receiving warfarin for at least three months, enrolled in the present cross-sectional study. Their genomic DNA was extracted from their peripheral blood, and the VKORC1 (rs9923231) polymorphism was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing.

Among the study population, 48 patients (50.5%) had TC genotype and, 21 (22.1%) and 9 (9.5%) patients have TT and CC genotype, respectively. There was no significant relation between Warfarin dose and VCORC1 genotype in our population (p<0.05). 

The VKORC1 polymorphism (rs9923231) did not significantly affect the warfarin required for cardiovascular disease patients. Further studies evaluating other genes such as CYP2C9 polymorphisms in our population are warranted.

DNA methyltransferase3A (DNMT3A) is necessary for the adjustment of gene expression, and the mutations in the DNMT3A gene are reported in a variety of leukemia cases. DNMT3A mutations are during cancer progression and cause poor prognosis in many leukemias. Thus, this gene can be a target for new treatments. This study aimed to examine the distribution of DNMT3A mutations in Iranian acute leukemia patients.

In this study, diagnostic samples from 45 patients with de novo acute leukemia, including 22 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, and 23 acute leukemia lymphoblastic (ALL) patients were screened, from April 2017 to March 2018 for the incidence of DNMT3A mutations by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing.

A total of 2 (9.1%) AML cases and 1 (4.34%) ALL cases were found to have the DNMT3A R882H mutation. It was found that a total of 22.7% and 21.7% of patients with AML and ALL had polymorphism rs368516543, respectively. DNMT3A mutations were considerably associated with higher age in AML patients.

The findings suggest that the DNMT3A mutations are probably a new biomarker in the early examination and treatment of acute leukemia, even though further studies are needed.

Due to the high prevalence of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism disorders worldwide and in Iran and as recommended by the international diabetes federation, about more investment in diabetes research in Iran, it is decided to perform of this study in the urban and rural area of Gotvad city in the Khuzestan Province of Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, among 31822 eligible people, 4138 people aged 29 years or more participated between November 2017 and March 2018. Samples were obtained from patients, and after centrifugation and separation of serum, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and total cholesterol were measured employing the Glucose and Cholesterol Assay Kit of Pars Azmun Company. Since FBS and cholesterol statuses are ordinal, an ordinal logistic regression proportional odds model was used to identify the risk factors of responses if the proportional odds assumption satisfies. Univariate analysis was performed with independent t-test and ANOVA with a Tukey post-hoc.

Two models were determined, and except the area in predicting cholesterol status; all other covariates, including age, FBS value, cholesterol value, sex, and area in predicting FBS, were the significant predictors of cholesterol and FBS levels.

Although there where a high prevalence of FBS and cholesterol level disturbances, from 24.9% and 25.9% of the population with disturbances in serum cholesterol and glucose levels, respectively, nearly 80% and 25.9% of them are in the borderline high group and impaired fasting glucose states, respectively which can return them to a healthy state with appropriate and prompt interventions.

The current study was conducted to compare the expression levels of collagen type Π and X during chondrogenesis of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) pellet and micromass cultures. 

Extracted hADMSCs were cultured until three passages and then transferred to pellet and micromass cultures in the experimental groups of day 7 and day14. For pellet and micromass cultures, aliquots of 5×105 cells/ml were centrifuged and respectively cultured in the conical tubes and droplets (12.5 µl) of the 24-well plates containing chondrogenic medium. Realtime-polymerase chain reaction technique was performed for gene expression levels.

Increased expression of collagen type Π was shown in micromass day14 compared to micromass day 7, pellet day 14 (p<0.01) and pellet day 7 (p<0.001). Also, an increased expression of collagen type Π was seen in micromass day 7 and pellet day 14 compared to pellet day 7 (p< 0.05). Expression of collagen type X increased in pellet day 14 compared to micromass on days 7 and 14 (p<0.001, p<0.01) and pellet day14 compared to pellet day7 (p< 0.05). An increased expression of collagen type X was shown in pellet day 7 compared to micromass on days 7 and 14 (p<0.05).

According to the results, higher expression of collagen type Π and lower expression of collagen type X in micromass cultures that are prepared by cell suspension play a better role during cellular condensation that leads to the formation of large nodules exhibiting cartilage-like morphology, suggests a higher efficiency for micromass cultures.

burn injury remains as a major medical problem throughout the world. This injury is accompanied with inflammatory and wound healing responses. Since Royal jelly (RJ) has anti-inflammatory and wound healing activity therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the repairing effects of RJ on skin burn- damage.

In an experimental study, 40 male wistar rats (8 weeks old) were engaged. The animals were divided into five equal groups. Group 1 was considered healthy control. Group 2 (positive control) was treated topically with Silver Sulfadiazine Cream, group3 received Eucerin as negative control, and group 4, 5 treated with RJ (10 and 30%).
Sampling was performed after observing the second-degree burns on the first, seventh and fourteenth days.  Then after 28 days, rats were sacrificed and their skin tissues were used for morphological and morphometric assessments.

The results of this study showed that the amount and arrangement of collagen type 1 protein was higher in the RJ treatment groups versus control group.
Reconstruction and thickening of the epithelium in RJ treated groups confirmed therapeutic effects of RJ. In addition, RJ increased angiogenesis compared to the control group. The woundchr(chr('39')39chr('39'))s surface area was reduced in the RJ treatment groups compared to the control group. In addition, Fibroblast cell proliferation was increased in the groups receiving RJ versus control.

It could be concluded that, RJ induce wound healing effects and might be considered as potential treatment option to improve the burn wound healing.

The therapeutic effects of the olibanum, the resin of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) from Burseracea family in inflammatory disease have been reported. There are more than 200 active ingredients in this resin including Boswellic acid (BA). We are proposed that aqueous extract of Boswellia Serrata can improve memory impairment induced by cerebral inflammation result in administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

In the current study, the neuroprotective effects of aqueous extract of Boswellia Serrata were investigated against LPS -induced spatial memory disorders in rats. In this study, after treatment of rat with LPS, brain toxicity induction was performed and finally, the behavioral tests were evaluated. Following cerebral inflammation induction and treatment, learning and memory performance and biochemistry tests were assessed in all groups.

LPS administration increased the duration and distance to find the platform in the Morris water maze (MWM) test in compare to control group in 5 days (P<0.05 to P<0.001) while, LPS decreased the latency to enter to the dark compartment after receiving the sock in passive avoidance (PA) test (P<0.001). Pretreatment with both doses of aqueous extract of Boswellia Serrata enhanced performances of the rats in MWM (P<0.05 to P<0.01) and PA test (P<0.01 to P<0.001). LPS also increased hippocampus IL-6, MDA levels (P<0.001).

Aqueous extract of Boswellia Serrata can be used as an effective drug in memory impairment caused by LPS-induced inflammation.

Nitric oxide (NO) has an important role in inflammation and has been related with pathogenesis and progress of numerous inflammatory- based diseases including some cancers. Peganum harmala is a medicinal plant has been used for treatment of numerous diseases such as several infections. Also anti-inflammatory effects of peganum harmala extracts and its derivatives (harmaline and harmine) by suppressing myeloperoxidase, NO and other mediators have been demonstrated in vivo. In this study, effect of P. harmala seeds aquaeus extract on NO production in U937 monocytic cells and peritoneal macrophages has been evaluated in vitro.

U937 and mice peritoneal macrophages were cultured in RPMI with 10% FBS. Then the cells at logarithmic growth phase were incubated with different concentrations of aqueous extract of P. harmala seeds (0.1 – 1 mg/ml) for 24 hours. Then NO production was assessed by the Griess method in culture medium. Data was analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA).

P. harmala seeds aqueous extract did not show any significant effect on LPS-induced NO production in U937 cells and peritoneal macrophages after 24 hours incubation time compared with untreated control cells.

According to results of this study, aqueous extract of P. harmala seeds has no effect on NO production in U937 monocytes cells and peritoneal macrophages. These results suggest that anti-inflammatory effects of P. harmala may be mediated through NO -independent mechanism(s). However further studies to define the P. harmala aqueous extract impact on NO expression in other related normal and cancerous cells are warranted.