Macrophage Activation Syndrome in Coinciding Pandemics of Obesity and COVID-19: Worse than Bad.

Epigenetic changes have long-lasting impacts, which influence the epigenome and are maintained during cell division. Thus, human genome changes have required a very long timescale to become a major contributor to the current obesity pandemic. Whereas bidirectional effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and obesity pandemics have given the opportunity to explore, how the viral microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) use the human's transcriptional machinery that regulate gene expression at a posttranscriptional level.

Targeted Nano-Based Systems for the Anti-Obesity Agent's Delivery.

Obesity is a global health concern and a chronic disease that is accompanied by excessive fat storage in adipose and nonadipose tissues. An increase in the body-mass index (BMI) is directly proportional to the 2- to 3.9-fold increase in all-cause mortality in obesity.

Microbiota and Lipotoxicity.

Gut microbiota is an indispensable commensal partner of human superorganism. The wealth of genetic repertoire provided by these microorganisms extends host's substrate processing capability. Energy and nutrient harvesting machinery primarily depends on the proper function of these organisms.

Does lithium attenuate the liver damage due to oxidative stress and liver glycogen depletion in experimental common bile duct obstruction?

In extrahepatic cholestasis, the molecular mechanisms of liver damage due to bile acid accumulation remain elusive. In this study, the activation of glutamatergic receptors was hypothesized to be responsible for bile acid-induced oxidative stress and liver damage. Recent evidence showed that lithium, as an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) GluN2B subunit inhibitor, may act on the glutamate/NMDAR signaling axis.

Effects of co-selection of antibiotic-resistance and metal-resistance genes on antibiotic-resistance potency of environmental bacteria and related ecological risk factors.

The inadequate elimination of micropollutants in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), cause to increase in the incidence of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. Growth of microbial pathogens in WWTP is one of the serious public health problems. The widespread and simultaneous emergence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and heavy metal resistance genes (HMRGs) in the environment with heavy metals create persistent and selective pressure for co-selection of both genes on environmental microorganisms.

Can iron, zinc, copper and selenium status be a prognostic determinant in COVID-19 patients?

In severe COVID-19, the levels of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se), do not only regulate host immune responses, but modify the viral genome, as well. While low serum Fe concentration is an independent risk factor for the increased death rate, Zn controls oxidative stress, synthesis of inflammatory cytokines and viral replication. Therefore, Zn deficiency associates with a worse prognosis.

The effect of environmental diesel exhaust pollution on SARS-CoV-2 infection: The mechanism of pulmonary ground glass opacity.

Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) are the major components of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) and chronic exposure is recognized to enhance respiratory system complications. Although the spread of SARS-CoV-2 was found to be associated with the PMs, the mechanism by which exposure to DEP increases the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection is still under discussion. However, diesel fine PM (dPM) elevate the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as it coincides with the increase in the number of ACE2 receptors.

Current opinion in neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Neurological symptoms occur in approximately one-third of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Among these symptoms, hypoxic encephalopathy develops in one-fifth of severe cases, while ischemic strokes due to thrombotic complications are common in one-third of COVID-19 intensive care patients. Brain involvement of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is eventuated by several routes, including hematogenous spread, transsynaptic entry through infected neurons, olfactory nerve, ocular epithelium, vascular endothelium, and impaired blood-brain barrier.

Bacterial Protein Kinases.

Bacteria are able to inhabit and survive vastly diverse environments. This enormous adaptive capacity depend on their ability to perceive cues from the micro-environment and process this information accordingly to mount appropriate metabolic responses and ultimately sustain homeostasis. From systems perspective, microbial cells conceal significant degree of organismal complexity, which may only be managed by continuous bulk cellular information flow and processing, inside the cell, between other cells and the environment.

The effect of environmental pollution on immune evasion checkpoints of SARS-CoV-2.

Many diverse strategies allow and facilitate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to evade antiviral innate immune mechanisms. Although the type I interferon (IFN) system has a critical role in restricting the dissemination of viral infection, suppression of IFN receptor signals by SARS-CoV-2 constitutes a checkpoint that plays an important role in the immune escape of the virus. Environmental pollution not only facilitates SARS-CoV-2 infection but also increases infection-associated fatality risk, which arises due to Systemic Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) Activation Syndrome.

Dual function of sialic acid in gastrointestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Recent analysis concerning the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)- angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) receptor interaction in enterocytes, the definition of gut-lung axis, as well as the molecular basis of sialic acid-related dual recognition concept in gastrointestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection, have brought a new perspective to potential therapeutic targets. In this review evolving research and clinical data on gastrointestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection are discussed in the context of viral fusion and entry mechanisms, focusing on the different triggers used by coronaviruses. Furthermore, it is emphasized that the viral spike protein is prevented from binding gangliosides, which are composed of a glycosphingolipid with one or more sialic acids, in the presence of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine.

Two important controversial risk factors in SARS-CoV-2 infection: Obesity and smoking.

The effects of obesity and smoking in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remain controversial. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), is the human cell receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19. ACE2 expression increases on lung alveolar epithelial cells and adipose tissue due to obesity, smoking and air pollution.

The use of multiplexing technology in the immunodiagnosis of infectious agents.

Traditionally, definitive diagnosis of infectious diseases is made by cultivation of the causative agent, while various antigens and antibodies as biomarkers of various diseases are detected by commercially available ELISA kits. PCR has emerged as a major innovation that greatly accelerated the accumulation of genomic and transcriptomic data, yet it has also revolutionized microbial diagnostics by enabling the detection of pathogen nucleic acid. Despite the advantages of and vast experience in ELISA and PCR, the next generation research and diagnostic tools have to fulfill the requirements of systems and synthetic biology era.

N-Methyl-D aspartate receptor-mediated effect on glucose transporter-3 levels of high glucose exposed-SH-SY5Y dopaminergic neurons.

High glucose and insulin lead to neuronal insulin resistance. Glucose transport into the neurons is achieved by regulatory induction of surface glucose transporter-3 (GLUT3) instead of the insulin. N-methyl-D aspartate (NMDA) receptor activity increases GLUT3 expression.

Microbiota and Lipotoxicity.

Obesity and metabolic syndrome is a multisystemic disorder, that is characterized by excess caloric intake and spillover lipotoxicity caused by ectopic lipid accumulation in non-adipose tissues. Low grade chronic inflammation and insulin resistance are the hallmarks of the disorder, which further aggravate the condition. Gut microbiota constitutes an indispensible part of human superorganism's energy harvesting apparatus.

Glutamate‑mediated effects of caffeine and interferon‑γ on mercury-induced toxicity.

The molecular mechanisms mediating mercury‑induced neurotoxicity are not yet completely understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the severity of MeHg‑ and HgCl2‑mediated cytotoxicity to SH‑SY5Y human dopaminergic neurons can be attenuated by regulating glutamate‑mediated signal‑transmission through caffeine and interferon‑γ (IFN‑γ). The SH‑SY5Y cells were exposed to 1, 2 and 5 µM of either MeHgCl2 or HgCl2 in the presence or absence of L‑glutamine.

The role of interleukin-1 gene polymorphisms and Helicobacter pylori in gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Background/aims: Our aim is to assess the relationship between interleukin 1β (IL-1 β), (-511,-31 alleles), interleukin 1RN (IL-RN), Helicobacter pylori (HP) status and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) diagnosed by pH monitoring in the Turkish population.

Materials And Methods: A Total of 100 consecutive patients with GERD were enrolled in the study. Genotypes of IL-1β (-511,-31), IL-1RN gene polymorphisms and HP status of the patients were analyzed.

[Investigation of the Presence of Disinfectant Resistance Genes qacA/B in Nosocomial Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates and Evaluation of Their In Vitro Disinfectant Susceptibilities].

Development of resistance to disinfectant substances in nosocomial microorganisms is an important problem encountered during disinfectant practices. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a significant cause of hospital-acquired infections. Besides being resistant to several antimicrobial agents, MRSA strains can also become resistant to some disinfectant substances.

Detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA in aortic and left internal mammary artery biopsies.

We investigated the relationship between acute coronary ischemia and the presence of Helicobacter pylori DNA in aortic regions that were absent macroscopic atheromatous plaques. The study group (Group 1) consisted of 42 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. Biopsy samples were obtained from 2 different locations: from regions of the aorta that were free (macroscopically) of atheromatous plaque (Group 1A), and from the internal mammary artery (Group 1B).

Effects of atypical pneumonia agents on progression of atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndrome.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of various atypical pneumonia agents (Chlamydia pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae), which are considered to have a role in the ethiopathogenesis of atherosclerosis, in aortic biopsies without macroscopically visible plaque and in internal thoracic artery biopsies.

Material And Methods: Thirty-three patients (group 1), who had undergone coronary bypass operation and 10 non-atherosclerotic patients (group 2), were included in the study. Seventy-six tissue biopsies were taken.