Association of catalase (rs7943316) and glutathione peroxidase-1 (rs1050450) polymorphisms with the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM)

Reactive oxygen species are involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Catalase and Glutathione peroxidase-1 are antioxidant enzymes and the activity of them is essential for the protection against damage caused by reactive oxygen species. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between genetic polymorphisms of CAT gene (rs7943316) and GPx-1 gene (rs1050450) in patients with type 2 diabetes. In this case-control study, a total of 120 Iranian patients with T2DM and 120 healthy individuals as control were included. Genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP. A significant difference was found between genotyping distribution of CAT (–21 A/T) polymorphism.The frequency of TT genotype was increased in patients compared to controls and we observed a statistically significant difference (OR = 1.797, 95% CI = 0.975–3.318, P = 0.044). Distribution of genotypes did not differ for GPx-1 (198 C/T) polymorphism between the cases and controls subjects. This study indicated that CAT rs7943316 genotype (TT) was associated with an increased risk of T2DM. No evidence was found to support an association between GPx-1 (198 C/T) polymorphism and T2DM.     

New insight into functional limb regeneration: A to Z approaches

Limb/digit amputation is a common event in humans caused by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. Although the loss of a digit is not lethal, it affects quality of life and imposes high costs on amputees. In recent years, the increasing interest in limb regeneration has led to enhanced scientific knowledge. However, the limited ability to develop functional limb regeneration in the clinical setting suggests that a challenging issue remains in limb regeneration. Recently, the emergence of regenerative engineering is a promising field to address this challenge and close the gap between science and clinical applications. Cell signalling and molecular mechanisms involved in the limb regeneration process have been extensively studied; however, there is still insufficient data on cell therapy and tissue engineering for limb regeneration. In this review, we intend to focus on therapeutic approaches for limb regeneration that are closely related to gene, immune, and stem cell therapies, as well as tissue engineering approaches that take into consideration the peculiar developmental properties of the limbs. In addition, we attempt to identify the challenges of these strategies for limb regeneration studies in terms of clinical settings and as a road map to accomplish the goal of functional human limb regeneration.     

Tumor-resident adenosine-producing mesenchymal stem cells as a potential target for cancer treatment

Clinical and Experimental Medicine - The development of new therapies based on tumor biology is one of the main topics in cancer treatment. In this regard, investigating the...     

Formation of cyclic structures in the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 1,3-dioxolane

The cationic ring-opening polymerization of acetals is prone to cyclization of the polymer chains. This is also the case for the polymerization of 1,3-dioxolane. Literature states that this cyclization can be reduced by applying the Active Monomer mechanism, at least if no competition with the Active Chain End mechanism occurs. In this work, a detailed characterization of the different distributions resulting from the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 1,3-dioxolane via the Active Monomer mechanism is made by a combination of gel permeation chromatography, ¹H NMR, and for the first time by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. The influence of monomer addition speed, catalyst to initiator ratio and solvent were studied on both kinetics and composition of the product. Furthermore, it was found that increasing the conversion and monomer to initiator ratios leads to an increased amount of cyclic structures and to broader distributions, in correspondence with the Jacobson–Stockmayer theory. Furthermore, ion trapping experiments using ³¹P NMR provide insights into the actual reaction mechanism. Finally, purification of the products after the reactions led to a reduction of the cyclic fraction.

Elucidating the mechanism of the cationic ring-opening polymerization of dioxolane using gel permeation chromatography, matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry and ³¹P NMR.     

Selenium Deficiency After Bariatric Surgery,Incidence and Symptoms: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Obesity Surgery - This study review the prevalence of selenium deficiency after bariatric surgery, incidence, and symptoms. A systematic literature search and meta-analysis was performed...