Pioglitazone Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Oxidative Stress, Dopaminergic Neuronal Loss and Neurobehavioral Impairment by Activating Nrf2/ARE/HO-1.

The aim of the present study was to examine the neuroprotective potential of pioglitazone via activation of Nrf2/ARE-dependent HO-1 signaling pathway in chronic neuroinflammation and progressive neurodegeneration mouse model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After assessing spatial memory, anxiety and motor-coordination, TH+ neurons in substantia nigra (SN) were counted. The oxidative stress marker carbonyl protein levels and HO-1 enzyme activity were also evaluated.

Therapy-relevant aberrant expression of MRP3 and BCRP mRNA in TCC-/SCC-bladder cancer tissue of untreated patients.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a critical factor, which results in suboptimal outcomes in cancer chemotherapy. One principal mechanism of MDR is the increased expression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. Of these, multidrug resistance-associated protein 3 (MRP3) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) confer MDR when overexpressed in cancer cell lines.

Altered expression of miR-181a and miR-146a does not change the expression of surface NCRs in human NK cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating gene expression and immune responses. Of interest, miR-181a and miR-146a are key players in regulating immune responses and are among the most abundant miRNAs expressed in NK cells. Bioinformatically, we predicted miR-181a to regulate the expression of the natural cytotoxicity receptor NCR2 by seeded interaction with the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR).

Assessment of the efficacy of polyclonal intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) against the infectivity of clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in vitro and in vivo.

The response to treatment of severe methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections with the traditional antibiotics is sometimes unsatisfactory and multiple antibiotic resistance is common. Adjuvant therapy such as intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) could possibly be helpful in the treatment of such infections. The effect of IVIG on the capacity of human neutrophils to phagocytose and kill MRSA was investigated in vitro using the MTT assay and measuring the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO).

Changes in ADMA and TAFI levels after stenting in coronary artery disease patients.

The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and a novel marker of vascular endothelial dysfunction, and thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), a risk factor for venous thrombosis, to the predisposition of coronary restenosis following stent implantation in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Thirty-seven patients with CAD were recruited from the Kobry El Obba Military Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. The patients were hospitalized for coronary angiography and coronary stenting (CS).