Gene, Cell and Tissue
Volume:9 Issue: 2, Apr 2022

Today, stem cells are the best candidates for cell therapy and tissue engineering. Adipose-derived Stem Cells (ADSCs) are an essential source of cells in replacement therapies of many diseases.

This study compared the proliferation of ADSCs in alginate and fibrin scaffolds.

Adipose-derived stem cells were isolated from adipose tissue and cultured in alginate or fibrin scaffolds with a medium containing PRP 10% or FBS 10%. Then, the cell viability percentage was assessed by MTT assay and trypan blue staining. Also, the percentages of living, apoptotic, and necrotic cells were assessed by flow cytometry assay on the fourth and eighth days.

The cell viability rate was significantly higher in the fibrin scaffold group with PRP than in other groups on the fourth and eighth days (P < 0.05). Moreover, the rate of necrotic cells was significantly lower in the fibrin scaffold group than in the other groups (P < 0.05). Besides, the percentage of living cells was significantly higher in the fibrin scaffold group with PRP than in the other groups on the fourth and eighth days (P < 0.05). Also, the percentage of early apoptotic cells was significantly lower in fibrin with PRP than in other groups on the fourth day. There was no significant difference in the rate of late apoptotic cells between the groups (P > 0.05).

These findings indicate the positive effect of PRP on the survival and proliferation of ADSCs compared with FBS. Therefore, PRP can be considered a suitable supplement to replace animal sera like FBS.

Muscle loss occurs in some conditions such as aging, sarcopenia, and cancer. The interaction between protein synthesis and degradation signaling components induced by high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is not well studied.

The purpose of the present study was to simultaneously examine the effect of eight-week HIIT on the gene expression of both signaling components.

Sixteen male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to HIIT and non-exercise control groups. The HIIT group ran on a treadmill, five days/week for eight weeks, with 0º slope, including five interval sets of high and low intensity. Forty-eight hours after the last exercise session, dissected soleus muscles were stored at -80°C for later analyses.

The gene expression of Akt1, mTORC1, and S6K1 were increased in the HIIT group compared with the control group (All P ≤ 0.031) concomitant with the suppression of eIF4EBP1. The results of the S6K1 and eIF4EBP1 mRNA were also confirmed by the Western blotting. According to the inhibitory effect of Akt1, the gene expressions of FoxO3a and, consequently, MuRF1 and LC3A were significantly inhibited (All P ≤ 0.003). Western blot analysis did not confirm the LC3A protein expression, which may underline the role of LC3A in autophagy to promote cell survival.

The intensities and durations of the exercise training protocol are sufficient to increase protein synthesis signaling components and especially inhibit the atrophy-related gene expression, which may lead to attenuating muscle loss and increasing muscle mass. Accordingly, it may be considered for rehabilitation and/or prevention of some conditions such as sarcopenia and cachexia.

Continuous and indiscriminate use of chemical drugs causes an important phenomenon of resistance to microorganisms. Accordingly, the effect of medications is minimized or offset, increasing drug use and the need to study mixtures with more latest and powerful formulations. On the other hand, it has been reported that many plants essential oils have a significant inhibitory effect on pathogenic microorganisms.

This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of some curative herbs against some clinical bacteria of humans and sheep.

The leaves of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), Hypericum perforatum L., Lavandula angustifolia, Thymus vulgaris L., and Taxus baccata L. were collected and determined in the botanical laboratory of the University of Zabol. Forty grams of dried leaves was used in 400mL of ethanol (96%) to prepare the ethanolic extract. DPPH was used to determine the activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) trapping. The antimicrobial effects were studied by the disk diffusion (6 mm) method in Müller-Hinton agar medium according to the method by Bauer et al.

The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of chicory, thyme, H. perforatum, French lavender, and yarrow extracts in human clinical Staphylococcus aureus were 6.25, 12.5, 3.1, 25, and 6.25 ppm, respectively, but, in sheep, clinical S. aureus, were 12.5, 6.25, 3.1, 12.5, and 25 ppm, respectively. The minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of chicory, thyme, H. perforatum, French lavender, and yarrow extracts in human clinical S. aureus were 12.5, 25, 6.25, 50, and 12.5 ppm, respectively, but, in sheep clinical S. aureus, were 25, 12.5, 6.25, 25, and 50 ppm, respectively. The most effective extract in inhibiting the growth of S. aureus was the H. perforatum L. extract with an 8.9-mm diameter growth inhibition zone.

Regarding the side effects of artificial medications and antimicrobials, as well as the significant influence of healing herb extracts used in this study, it was found that H. perforatum was the most effective plant against S. aureus. It should be noted that plant extracts were more effective in human clinical S. aureus than in sheep clinical S. aureus.

Addiction is one of the most important social and health problems in the world. Development of rapid and inexpensive diagnostic methods for identification of patients with addiction to methamphetamine is still a very important challenge. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been introduced as an accurate and reliable biomarker for diagnosis of human disorders.

In the present study, the expression of miRNA-186 and miRNA-195 was investigated in blood of patients with methamphetamine abuse disorder.

In this case-control study, 60 patients with methamphetamine abuse disorder (case group) and 60 healthy controls (control group) were enrolled. Total RNA was extracted from whole blood of patients and healthy controls, and then cDNA synthesis was performed using reverse transcriptase. Real-time PCR method was employed to investigate miRNA-186 and miRNA-195 expression. Finally, statistical software was used to analyze the obtained data.

The results demonstrated that the expression of miRNA-195 significantly increased in blood samples of patients with methamphetamine abuse disorders (8.75-fold change) compared to healthy controls (P < 0.05). However, the expression of miRNA185 did not significantly increase (1.61-fold change) in patients compared to healthy controls (P > 0.05).

Our study suggested that miR-195 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of drug addiction and can be used as an accurate and reliable marker for the identification of patients with methamphetamine abuse disorder.

One of the most dangerous respiratory diseases is pneumonia, one of the ten leading causes of death globally. Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is a common infection in hospitals, which is the second most common nosocomial infection and causes inflammation parenchyma. In Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), we have various risk factors, including age and gender, and also some specific risk factors. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the deadliest nosocomial infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, VAP is pneumonia that develops about 48 hours of an artificial airway. Bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and other microorganisms can cause these diseases. This review article discusses microbial agents associated with pneumonia. Our goal is to gather information about HAP, CAP, and VAP to give people specific information. In this study, these three issues have been examined together, but in similar studies, each of them has been examined separately, and our type of study will be more helpful in diagnosis and treatment.

Endometriosis is one of the common gynecological diseases and can lead to pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility in women. Thus, accurate and early diagnosis is a pivotal issue and an essential need for managing this disorder. At the present, the gold standard diagnostic method for endometriosis is laparoscopic surgery that is an invasive method and can lead to delay in diagnosis. Thus, there is an immediate necessity to search for non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers, such as blood-based ones.

Matrixmetalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) have essential roles in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the plasma mRNA levels of MMP-9 and VEGF-A, as potential noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers for endometriosis.

This study included 48 women (24 cases and 24 controls) who underwent laparoscopy for suspected endometriosis. Preoperative plasma samples were collected, and after RNA extraction, the levels of MMP-9 and VEGF-A mRNAs were determined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).

Plasma MMP-9 mRNA level was statistically higher in endometriosis patients compared with the control group (P value = 0.01). However, plasma VEGF-A mRNA level did not show a significant difference between the two groups (P value =0.5).

It seems that the plasma level of MMP-9 mRNA in endometriosis patients is significantly higher than in nonendometriosis women. This finding can provide new insights regarding this mRNA’s applicability as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker for discovering new cases of endometriosis (newly diagnosed). According to our results, despite the suggested role of VEGF-A in endometriosis pathogenesis, it seems that the plasma level of VEGF-A mRNA does not have the potential to be used as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker.

Human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly has provided a new source for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The highly proliferative capacity with low immunogenicity and multi-differentiation potential of its stem cells make them applicable for transplantation purposes. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs) play various roles in antigen presentation of pathogens and damaged cells to suppress and/or modulate inflammation.

In this study, the expression levels of NLR family CARD domain containing 3 (NLRC3) and NLRC5 genes were analyzed and compared in both untreated and interferon gamma (IFN-γ)–treated Wharton’s jelly-derived MSCs (WJ-MSCs).

MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly using standard tissue culture. The expression of NLRC5 and NLRC3 genes was analyzed in IFN-γ–treated WJ-MSCs (24 hours after treatment) and untreated WJ-MSCs (as a control) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

It was found that IFN-γ treatment mimicking an inflammation scenario led to a statistically significant increase of NLRC3 and NLRC5 gene expression compared to untreated WJ-MSCs (P ≤ 0.05).

It seems that higher expression of NLRC3 and NLRC5 genes in treated WJ-MSCs may make them a proper candidate to be used as a source for cell therapy in inflammatory conditions.