Cognitive Impairment in Nonagenarians: Potential Metabolic Mechanisms Revealed by the Synergy of In Silico Gene Expression Modeling and Pathway Enrichment Analysis.

Previous studies examining the molecular and genetic basis of cognitive impairment, particularly in cohorts of long-living adults, have mainly focused on associations at the genome or transcriptome level. Dozens of significant dementia-associated genes have been identified, including APOE, APOC1, and TOMM40. However, most of these studies did not consider the intergenic interactions and functional gene modules involved in cognitive function, nor did they assess the metabolic changes in individual brain regions.

The possibility of using xenogeneic phagocytes in wound treatment.

Metamorphosis in the insect larva is associated with disintegration, engulf and digestion of larval tissues. These processes are accompanied by a significant shift in physiological parameters like high activity of hydrolytic enzymes and decrease of pH. In the way, the metamorphosing larva resembles the processes occurring in the wound at the stage of inflammation.

Growth Hormone, Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1, Insulin Resistance, and Leukocyte Telomere Length as Determinants of Arterial Aging in Subjects Free of Cardiovascular Diseases.

Increased arterial stiffness (AS), intima-media thickness (IMT), and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques (PP) have been considered as important aspects of vascular aging. It is well documented that the cardiovascular system is an important target organ for growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 in humans, and GH /IGF-1 deficiency significantly increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The telomere length of peripheral blood leukocytes (LTL) is a biomarker of cellular senescence and that has been proposed as an independent predictor of (CVD).

Natural antimicrobial peptide complexes in the fighting of antibiotic resistant biofilms: Calliphora vicina medicinal maggots.

Biofilms, sedimented microbial communities embedded in a biopolymer matrix cause vast majority of human bacterial infections and many severe complications such as chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer. Biofilms' resistance to the host immunity and antibiotics makes this kind of infection particularly intractable. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a ubiquitous facet of innate immunity in animals.

Atorvastatin Therapy Modulates Telomerase Activity in Patients Free of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases.

Telomerase activity (TA) is considered as the biomarker for cardiovascular aging and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Recent studies suggest a link between statins and telomere biology that may be explained by anti-inflammatory actions of statins and their positive effect on TA. Until now, this effect has not been investigated in prospective randomized studies.

Fat body and hemocyte contribution to the antimicrobial peptide synthesis in Calliphora vicina R.-D. (Diptera: Calliphoridae) larvae.

Antimicrobial peptides accumulated in the hemolymph in response to infection are a key element of insect innate immunity. The involvement of the fat body and hemocytes in the antimicrobial peptide synthesis is widely acknowledged, although release of the peptides present in the hemolymph from the immune cells was not directly verified so far. Here, we studied the presence of antimicrobial peptides in the culture medium of fat body cells and hemocytes isolated from the blue blowfly Calliphora vicina using complex of liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and antimicrobial activity assays.

[The age-related changes of the heart rate variability measurements: the role of the inflammation, oxidative stress and telomeres biology].

The autonomic and central nervous system, a number of humoral and reflex effects regulate the heart rate. The main role in the heart rate regulation belongs to the autonomic nervous system. A common method for studying the autonomic influences on the heart rate is the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), which allows to evaluate the neuro-vegetative status of the organism, determine its adaptive capacity, to evaluate the level of stress and the degree of tension of regulatory systems.

[Age-related Changes of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function, NT-proBNP Level and Their Association With Leukocyte Telomere Length].

Unlabelled: With advancing age the left ventricle (LV) undergoes structural and functional changes, thereby creating the substrate for the development of diseases. One possible mechanism of the ageing of the heart is cellular senescence. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a marker of replicative ageing.

Age-Related Left Ventricular Changes and Their Association with Leukocyte Telomere Length in Healthy People.

Introduction: With advancing age the left ventricle (LV) undergoes structural and functional changes, thereby creating the substrate for the development of diseases. One possible mechanism of the ageing heart is a cellular senescence. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a marker of replicative ageing.

[Age-related Changes of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function, NT-proBNP Level and Their Association with Leukocyte Telomere Length].

Unlabelled: With advancing age the left ventricle (LV) undergoes structural and functional changes, thereby creating the substrate for the development of diseases. One possible mechanism of the ageing of the heart is cellular senescence. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a marker of replicative ageing.

[The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and vascular aging].

In this paper we discuss the role of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in development of morphological and functional changes in the vascular aging as well as, possibility of its correction by using different groups of drugs.

[Antimicrobial factors of hemolymph and excretion of larvae Lucilia sericata (meigen) (diptera, calliphoridae)].

The present study deals with molecular nature and peculiarities of functioning of two main protective systems of larvae Lucilia sericata--the antimicrobial compounds of hemolymph and of the excretion released by feeding larvae into environmental. There are identified a number of inducible antibacterial peptides including defensins (3844, 4062, and 4117 Da), P-peptide (3043 Da), and four new polypeptides (3235, 3702, 3746, and 3768 Da) In hemolymph of the larvae submitted to bacterial infestation, by the chromatomasspectrometry methods. The excretion of larvae Lucilia sericata contains peptides analogous or identical to hemolymph antibacterial peptides (diptericins: 8882 Da and 9025 Da), high molecular compounds of peptide nature (6466 Da, 6633 Da, 5772 Da, 8631 Da, etc.

Hormone receptor expression is associated with a unique pattern of metastatic spread and increased survival among HER2-overexpressing breast cancer patients.

Objectives: HER2/neu (HER2) overexpression occurs in approximately 20% of breast cancers and is associated with aggressive disease. Although a significant number of HER2-positive tumors also express hormone receptors (HR), the effects HR expression has on clinical characteristics, including response to trastuzumab among HER2-positive breast cancer, has not been elucidated yet.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of consecutive metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer patients was conducted in 2 medical centers.

[A familial case of severe hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome].

The authors describe two lethal outcomes of severe hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in spouses aged 50 and 44. A detailed description of clinical symptoms, the results of laboratory and instrumental tests, and possible mechanisms of contamination is given. Cross-sectional photographs of kidneys and hypophyseal hemorrhage, as well as radiograms of renal arteries and right pulmonary blood vessels after post-mortem filling with radiopaque mass are presented.

Oncogenes in male breast cancer.

The objective of this study was to assess the degree of expression and prognostic significance of c-erbB-2, p53, and bcl-2 in male breast cancer (MBC). Thirty male patients with the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the breast were studied retrospectively. All patients underwent surgery; c-erbB-2, p53, and bcl-2 were immunohistochemically stained on sections from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.

[Experience at Sheba Hospital in oncogenetic counseling and genetic testing of women with a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer].

There is inherited predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer in 5-10% of all women with these diseases. Germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 presumably account for most of the genetically susceptible individuals. We summarize 2 years of experience in counseling and testing for inherited predisposition to these cancers.

Mutational analyses of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi Jewish women with familial breast and ovarian cancer.

In Ashkenazi (East European) Jews, three predominant mutations in BRCA1 (185delAG and 5382insC) and BRCA2 (6174delT) account for the majority of germline mutations in high-risk breast and/or ovarian cancer families. Among non-Ashkenazi Jews, the 185delAG, Tyr978Ter, and a handful of "private" mutations have been reported anecdotally within both genes. In this study we attempted to determine the spectrum of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in high-risk Jewish individuals, non-carriers of any of the predominant Jewish mutations.

An identical novel mutation in BRCA1 and a common haplotype in familial ovarian cancer in non-Ashkenazi Jews.

Unique germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for inherited predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer in high-risk families. In Jewish high-risk individuals of Ashkenazi (east European) descent, three predominant mutations, 185delAG and 5382insC (BRCA1) and 6174delT (BRCA2), seem to account for a substantial portion of germline mutations, and two of these mutations (185delAG and 6174delT) are also found at about 1% each in the general Jewish-Ashkenazi population. We identified a novel BRCA1 mutation in two Jewish-non-Ashkenazi families with ovarian cancer: a thymidine to guanidine alteration at position 3053, resulting in substitution of tyrosine at codon 1017 for a stop codon (Tyr1017Ter).

Rates of Jewish ancestral mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in borderline ovarian tumors.

Background: Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are known to be associated with an increased risk of breast and epithelial ovarian cancers. Two specific mutations, 185delAG-BRCA1 and 6174delT-BRCA2, have been detected in a substantial proportion (20%-60%) of unselected Ashkenazi Jewish patients--i.e.

The 185delAG BRCA1 mutation originated before the dispersion of Jews in the diaspora and is not limited to Ashkenazim.

The 185delAG mutation in BRCA1 is detected in Ashkenazi Jews both in familial breast and ovarian cancer and in the general population. All tested Ashkenazi mutation carriers share the same allelic pattern at the BRCA1 locus. Our previous study showed that this 'Ashkenazi' mutation also occurs in Iraqi Jews with a similar allelic pattern.

Induction of atypical prostatic hyperplasia in rats by sympathomimetic stimulation.

Background: Prostatic innervation may participate in its homeostasis and growth. alpha-Adrenergic inhibition alleviates clinical symptoms in benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, the prostatic effect of adrenergic agonists has not been investigated.

Could the 185delAG BRCA1 mutation be an ancient Jewish mutation?

A predominant mutation within the BRCA1 predisposition gene, 185delAG, has been detected in about 1% of the Ashkenazi population, considered a high-risk group for breast and ovarian cancers. We examined 639 unrelated healthy Jews of Iraqi extraction, a presumed low-risk group, for the existence of this mutation. Three individuals were identified as 185delAG mutation carriers, and haplotype analysis of the Iraqi mutation carriers revealed that 2 of the Iraqis shared a common haplotype with 6 Ashkenazi mutation carriers, and 1 had a haplotype which differed by a single marker.