Publications by authors named "Mark Strunk"

Retroviral reverse transcriptase activity and the increased expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We were interested in confirming overexpression in the ALS brain, its use as an accessory diagnostic marker for ALS, and its potential interplay with neuroinflammation. Using qPCR to analyze expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in postmortem brain samples from ALS patients, no significant differences were observed between patients and control subjects.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Out of 104 placentas examined, SARS-CoV-2 was found only in samples from the Pre-VOC group, with no detections in the VOC group, indicating a significant decrease in placental infection rates with the emergence of VOCs.
  • * Furthermore, complications like preterm birth and hypertensive disorders were more common in the Pre-VOC group, while vaccination status did not show a notable impact on outcomes among women with VOC infections.
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Introduction: Studies described an increased frequency of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) after a COVID-19 episode. There is limited evidence about SARS-CoV-2 viral load in placenta. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the placenta and clinical development of HDP after COVID-19 throughout different periods of gestation.

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The aim of this study was to determine if alterations in DNA methylation in the human placenta would support suspected preterm labor as a pathologic insult associated with diminished placental health. We evaluated placental DNA methylation at seven differentially methylated in placental pathologies using targeted bisulfite sequencing, in placentas associated with preterm labor (term birth after suspected preterm labor [n = 15] and preterm birth [n = 15]), and controls (n = 15). DNA methylation levels at the and in placentas associated with preterm labor did differ significantly (p < 0.

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The cancer stem cell (CSC) model suggests that there are subsets of cells within a tumor with increased proliferation and self-renewal capacity, which play a key role in therapeutic resistance. The importance of cyclooxygenase-2 () in carcinogenesis has been previously established and the use of inhibitors as celecoxib has been shown to exert antitumor effects. The present study investigated whether treatment of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) cells with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or the growth of tumor spheres increased the proportion of CSCs and also if treatment with celecoxib was able to reduce the putative CSC markers in this tumor.

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Variations in DNA repair genes have been reported as key factors in gastric cancer (GC) susceptibility but results among studies are inconsistent. We aimed to assess the relevance of DNA repair gene polymorphisms and environmental factors to GC risk and phenotype in a Caucasian population in Spain. Genomic DNA from 603 patients with primary GC and 603 healthy controls was typed for 123 single nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA repair genes using the Illumina platform.

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Two recent genome-wide association studies in Asians have reported the association between the PSCA (prostate stem cell antigen) rs2294008C>T gene polymorphism and two Helicobacter pylori infection-related diseases such as gastric cancer (GC) and duodenal ulcer (DU). Since rs2294008 allele frequencies differ notably among ethnicities, we aimed to assess the role of rs2294008 on the susceptibility to GC and DU in a Caucasian population in Spain. Moreover, the relevance of rs2294008 on GC prognosis was evaluated.

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Background: Different polymorphisms have been described as markers to classify the lineages of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The analysis of nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was used to describe seven SNPs cluster groups (SCGs). We attempted to classify those strains that could not been categorized into lineages by the genotyping methods used in the routine testing.

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Background: Genetic factors influencing the prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) are not well known. Given the relevance of cytokines and other pro-inflammatory mediators in cancer progression and invasiveness, we aimed to assess the prognostic role of several functional cytokine and cyclooxygenase gene polymorphisms in patients with GAC.

Methodology: Genomic DNA from 380 Spanish Caucasian patients with primary GAC was genotyped for 23 polymorphisms in pro-inflammatory (IL1B, TNFA, LTA, IL6, IL12p40), anti-inflammatory (IL4, IL1RN, IL10, TGFB1) cytokine, and cyclooxygenase (PTGS1 and PTGS2) genes by PCR, RFLP and TaqMan assays.

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Human glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are phase II metabolizing enzymes that play a key role in protecting against cancer by detoxifying numerous potentially cytotoxic/genotoxic compounds. The genes encoding the human GST isoenzymes GSTM(mu)1, GSTT(theta)1 and GSTP(pi)1 harbour polymorphisms, which have been considered important modifiers of the individual risk for environmentally induced cancers such as gastric cancer (GC). However, results are inconsistent among studies from different geographic areas and ethnic groups.

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Selection of the most stable reference gene is critical for a reliable interpretation of gene expression data using RT-PCR. In order so, 17 commonly used genes were analyzed in Wistar rat duodenum, jejunum, ileum and liver following a fat gavage and at two time periods. These reference genes were also tested in liver from Zucker (fa/fa) on a long-term dietary trial.

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We aimed to evaluate the influence of Helicobacter pylori infection and IL-1/TNF gene polymorphisms on interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha gastric mucosal production. IL-1beta and TNF-alpha levels in homogenized biopsy specimens taken from the antrum and corpus of 81 patients were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genomic DNA was typed for the IL1B-511, IL1B+3954, variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) IL1RN, TNFA-308, TNFA-238, LTA NcoI, and LTA Bsi gene polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and TaqMan assays.

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Background And Aims: Recent studies have reported an association between cytokine gene polymorphisms and GC risk. However, results are inconsistent among studies from different geographic regions and ethnic groups. Our goal was to evaluate the influence of Helicobacter pylori (H.

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Accumulating evidence suggests that COX-2-derived prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) plays an important role in esophageal adenocarcinogenesis. Recently, PGE(2) receptors (EP) have been shown to be involved in colon cancer development. Since it is not known which receptors regulate PGE(2) signals in esophageal adenocarcinoma, we investigated the role of EP receptors using a human Barrett's-derived esophageal adenocarcinoma cell line (OE33).

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common neoplasms and a leading cause of death related to cancer worldwide. Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is the most frequent autosomal dominant predisposition to the development of CRC, accounting for approximately 2.5% of the total CRC burden in Spain.

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