Association of vitamin D binding protein and vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in Iranian patients with chronic periodontitis

Odontology - Chronic periodontitis (CP) is a multifactorial disease and the most common type of periodontitis mainly caused by microbial plaque. Insufficient oral hygiene may initiate CP and it can...     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of peptide‐NSAID conjugates for targeted cancer therapy

Linear arginine‐glycine‐aspartic acid (RGD) and asparagine‐glycine‐arginine (NGR) peptide‐nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug conjugates were synthesized to evaluate their anticancer effect. Two well‐known targeting peptide sequences, RGD and NGR, were conjugated with naproxen and ibuprofen. It is expected that the RGD peptide selectively binds to α_v‐integrin receptors, which are highly expressed in cancer cells, and that the NGR peptide selectively targets aminopeptidase N (APN/CD13, EC 3.4.11.2), which is overexpressed in blood vessels of tumors. To investigate the impact of possible steric hindrance due to the attachment of the drug to the peptide, a linear six‐carbon linker (hexanoic acid) was also used as a spacer. Cytotoxic effects of the synthesized compounds were evaluated against several cancer cell lines, including MCF‐7, A2780 (α_vβ₃ positive), OVCAR3 (high α_vβ₃), HT‐1‐80, and SKOV‐3 cells (CD13 positive). The NGR conjugate forms of both ibuprofen and naproxen showed better activity against the SKOV‐3 tumor cell line. The improved binding of these conjugates to their receptors was confirmed by docking studies.     

Anti-diabetic effect of a novel oligosaccharide isolated from Rosa canina via modulation of DNA methylation in Streptozotocin-diabetic rats

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a well-known clinical entity with various late complications. There is a surge of research aiming to use the medical herb in the management of DM.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate whether the alleviation of DM by an isolated compound from Rosa canina is mediated by DNA methylation in STZ-diabetic rats.MethodsSixty adult Wistar male rats were classified into control, diabetic and treatment groups. Rats were treated with STZ (40 mg/kg), metformin (500 mg/kg), and oligosaccharide fraction (OF; 10, 20 and 30 mg/kg) isolated from Rosa canina. DNA was extracted from the blood and pancreas to determine DNA methylation using the Global DNA Methylation kit. The expressions of DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts), PDX1, Ins1, GCK and PTP1B2 were determined by using qRT-PCR.ResultsThe significant blood glucose-lowering potential of OF was associated with a reduced level of global DNA methylation (p < 0.05). The expression levels of Dnmts 1 and 3α increased in the pancreas and blood from diabetic rats compared to control group which declined by OF treatment (p < 0.05). Paradoxically, the expression of Dnmt 3β augmented in the pancreas and blood of OF group compared to diabetic ones (p < 0.05). Besides, the expressions of Pdx1, PTP1B2, Ins1 and GCK increased in OF-treated rats compared to diabetic groups.ConclusionResults revealed that DNA methylation plays a causal role in the effectiveness of the isolated OF. Furthermore, the possible regenerative potential of oligosaccharide in diabetic rats may have contributed to the modulation of DNA methylation.Graphical abstractElectronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40199-020-00363-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Sex hormones and mucosal wound healing

Wound healing studies, which have chiefly examined dermal tissues, have reported a female advantage in healing rates. In contrast, our laboratory recently demonstrated women heal mucosal wounds more slowly than men. We hypothesized sex hormones influence wound healing rates, possibly through their modulating effects on inflammation. This study involved 329 younger subjects aged 18–43 (165 women, 164 men) and 93 older subjects aged 50–88 (60 women, 33 men). A 3.5 mm diameter wound was created on the hard oral palate and videographed daily to assess wound closure. Blood collected at the time of wounding was used to assess circulating testosterone, progesterone and estradiol levels, and in vitro cytokine production in response to LPS. No strong associations were observed between healing times and estradiol or progesterone levels. However, in younger subjects, lower testosterone levels related to faster wound closure. Conversely, in older women higher testosterone levels related to (1) lower inflammatory responses; and (2) faster healing times. No such relationships were seen in older men, or in women taking oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy [HRT]. Older women (50–54 years) not yet experiencing menopause healed similarly to younger women and dissimilarly from age-matched post-menopausal women. This suggests that the deleterious effects of aging on wound healing occur secondary to the effects of menopause. Supporting this, there was evidence in post-menopausal women that HRT augmented wound closure. Overall, this study suggests that human mucosal healing rates are modulated by testosterone levels. Based upon when between-group differences were observed, testosterone may impact upon the proliferative phase of healing which involves immune processes such as re-epithelialization and angiogenesis.     

Blockade of TLR4 using TAK-242 (resatorvid) enhances anti-cancer effects of chemotherapeutic agents: a novel synergistic approach for breast and ovarian cancers

Immunologic Research - It is believed that pathways of the immune system are responsible for eradicating cancer cells; however, their over-activation and also their ectopic expression in tumor...     

Vaccine health beliefs and educational influences among pediatric residents

Objective

A pilot study of pediatric residents to describe perceived benefits and effects of vaccines and educational influences on vaccine practice among pediatric residents.

Urban and Rural Differences in Pregnancy Weight Gain in Guilan,Northern Iran

Objectives This study aimed to compare pregnancy weight gain and weight gain patterns in a group of Iranian women who attended urban and rural public health centers for prenatal care in Guilan, Iran. Design A secondary data analysis using routinely collected health centers data. Setting 12 randomly selected health centers in urban and rural areas in Guilan. Participants A total of 2,047 pregnant women (1,097 in urban areas and 950 in rural areas) who regularly attended health centers for prenatal care and delivered between June 2003 and August 2006. Measurements Data on prepregnancy weight, height, pregnancy weight gain, mother’s age, parity, education and infant birth weight were extracted from the health records. The women were categorized based on their prepregnancy body mass index as underweight, normal weight and overweight. Findings These results showed that among normal weight women, 41.1% of urban and 56.6% of rural women had weight gains below the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendation (P < 0.0001). Among underweight women, 48.1% of urban and 65.8% of rural women had weight gains below the IOM recommendation (P < 0.0001). Rural women with normal prepregnancy weight gained less weight than the urban women in the second trimester of their pregnancy (5.7 ± 2.9 kg vs. 4.6 ± 2.5 kg, P < 0.0001). The underweight rural women gained less weight in both the second and the third trimesters of their pregnancy than the urban women. While the overall prevalence of having low birth weight (LBW) infants for underweight women were 5.2% only 1.9 % of those who gained adequate pregnancy weight gain had LBW infants. Conclusion This study indicated that a considerable proportion of the women both in urban and rural areas in Guilan, Iran had inadequate pregnancy weight gain. These results showed that prenatal care in terms of pregnancy weight gain in the present health system is not satisfactory.