Publications by authors named "Saba Y"

Article Synopsis
  • - RANKL is identified as a key player in periodontitis, primarily influencing osteoclast differentiation and acting as a link between bone and the immune system, showcasing a complex role beyond its initial recognition as an activator of dendritic cells (DCs).
  • - In studies using ligature-induced periodontitis (LIP), rapid bone loss was observed, which eventually stopped despite the presence of the ligature, indicating a connection to immunosuppressive conditions in the gingiva associated with T regulatory (Treg) cell expansion.
  • - Experiments with K14-RANKL mice, which overexpress RANKL in gingival cells, revealed that increased RANKL leads to a favorable balance of immune cells
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  • Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a serious genetic disorder with limited treatment options, and its prevalence needs more research in Arab countries due to high rates of consanguinity.* -
  • A study involved diagnosing SMA in 171 patients and newborn screenings in 1,502 Emirati infants, revealing a carrier frequency of 1.3% and an incidence of 1 in 7,122 live births for the disease in the UAE.* -
  • Results indicate that implementing premarital genetic screening could significantly reduce SMA cases and save healthcare costs, highlighting the need for wider screening practices in Arab populations.*
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The postnatal interaction between microbiota and the immune system establishes lifelong homeostasis at mucosal epithelial barriers, however, the barrier-specific physiological activities that drive the equilibrium are hardly known. During weaning, the oral epithelium, which is monitored by Langerhans cells (LC), is challenged by the development of a microbial plaque and the initiation of masticatory forces capable of damaging the epithelium. Here we show that microbial colonization following birth facilitates the differentiation of oral LCs, setting the stage for the weaning period, in which adaptive immunity develops.

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Background: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices improve clinical outcomes and facilitate achieving patient-specific goals. However, opportunities and barriers to implementation of pharmacist-driven CGM services are not well-described.

Objectives: This scoping review was conducted to identify opportunities and barriers to implementing pharmacist-driven CGM services in the community and ambulatory care setting.

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The American Diabetes Association's emphasize the need for awareness regarding overbasalization (basal insulin doses >0.5 units/kg/day without bolus insulin) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, outcomes data on the impact of overbasalization are limited.

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Perivascular space (PVS) burden is an emerging, poorly understood, magnetic resonance imaging marker of cerebral small vessel disease, a leading cause of stroke and dementia. Genome-wide association studies in up to 40,095 participants (18 population-based cohorts, 66.3 ± 8.

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While saliva regulates the interplay between the microbiota and the oral immune system, the mechanisms establishing postnatal salivary immunity are ill-defined. Here, we show that high levels of neutrophils and neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-transferred maternal IgG are temporarily present in the neonatal murine salivary glands in a microbiota-independent manner. During weaning, neutrophils, FcRn, and IgG decrease in the salivary glands, while the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) is upregulated in a growth arrest-specific 6 (GAS6)-dependent manner independent of the microbiota.

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This article is part of the Dendritic Cell Guidelines article series, which provides a collection of state-of-the-art protocols for the preparation, phenotype analysis by flow cytometry, generation, fluorescence microscopy and functional characterization of mouse and human dendritic cells (DC) from lymphoid organs and various nonlymphoid tissues. DC are sentinels of the immune system present in almost every mammalian organ. Since they represent a rare cell population, DC need to be extracted from organs with protocols that are specifically developed for each tissue.

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Early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains an unmet clinical need. Therefore, elucidating the initial events of OSCC preceding tumor development could benefit OSCC prognosis. Here, we define the Langerhans cells (LCs) of the tongue and demonstrate that LCs protect the epithelium from carcinogen-induced OSCC by rapidly priming αβT cells capable of eliminating γH2AX epithelial cells, whereas γδT and natural killer cells are dispensable.

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The murine parotid salivary glands develop postnatally, shaping oral mucosal immunity in early and adult life. This protocol details the surgical removal of the parotid glands (parotidectomy) of mice. We also describe a protocol for saliva collection to enable manipulation and measurement of physiological and immunological salivary functions.

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Article Synopsis
  • Measures of information processing speed vary among individuals and decline with age, with studies indicating that genetic factors account for up to 67% of the variation in older adults.
  • Researchers used the Illumina HumanExome Bead Chip to analyze genetic variants' impact on the Digit-Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) scores in over 30,000 participants aged 45 and older, adjusting for age, gender, and education.
  • Significant findings included variants in the RNF19A gene among Europeans and suggestive associations for genes such as SLC22A7 and OR51A7 among African-Americans, highlighting the need for further research on the role of these genes in cognitive function.
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γδ T cells are nonclassical T lymphocytes representing the major T-cell population at epithelial barriers. In the gingiva, γδ T cells are enriched in epithelial regions adjacent to the biofilm and are considered to regulate local immunity to maintain host-biofilm homeostatic interactions. This delicate balance is often disrupted resulting in the development of periodontitis.

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Sustained mechanical forces applied to tissue are known to shape local immunity. In the oral mucosa, mechanical stress, either naturally induced by masticatory forces or externally via mechanical loading during orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), is translated, in part, by T cells to alveolar bone resorption. Nevertheless, despite being considered critical for OTM, depletion of CD4 and CD8 T cells is reported to have no impact on tooth movement, thus questioning the function of αβT cells in OTM-associated bone resorption.

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Postnatal host-microbiota interplay governs mucosal homeostasis and is considered to have life-long health consequences. The intestine monolayer epithelium is critically involved in such early-life processes; nevertheless, the role of the oral multilayer epithelium remains ill defined. We demonstrate that unlike the intestine, the neonate oral cavity is immensely colonized by the microbiota that decline to adult levels during weaning.

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White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are the most common brain-imaging feature of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), hypertension being the main known risk factor. Here, we identify 27 genome-wide loci for WMH-volume in a cohort of 50,970 older individuals, accounting for modification/confounding by hypertension. Aggregated WMH risk variants were associated with altered white matter integrity (p = 2.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cortical characteristics like thickness, surface area, and volume change with age, cognitive function, and various neurological and psychiatric disorders.
  • A study of 22,824 individuals from multiple cohorts evaluated genetic factors influencing these brain measures, identifying 160 significant genetic associations linked to specific biological pathways.
  • Findings suggest a genetic connection between cortical traits and factors related to physical development, brain health, and mental illnesses, providing valuable insights for future research on brain changes with aging.
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Objective: To identify common genetic variants associated with the presence of brain microbleeds (BMBs).

Methods: We performed genome-wide association studies in 11 population-based cohort studies and 3 case-control or case-only stroke cohorts. Genotypes were imputed to the Haplotype Reference Consortium or 1000 Genomes reference panel.

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Unlike epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs) that originate from embryonic precursors and are self-renewed locally, mucosal LCs arise and are replaced by circulating bone marrow (BM) precursors throughout life. While the unique lifecycle of epidermal LCs is associated with an age-dependent decrease in their numbers, whether and how aging has an impact on mucosal LCs remains unclear. Focusing on gingival LCs we found that mucosal LCs are reduced with age but exhibit altered morphology with that observed in aged epidermal LCs.

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  • * Two principal components were identified: PC1 which captures global variations in surface area across most cortical regions, and PC2 specifically associated with visual regions.
  • * We found that genetic loci linked to PC1 correlate with general cognitive functions, while those linked to PC2 are related to visual aptitudes, indicating that variations in brain structure may influence occupational choices.
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In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (F) for >1.

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  • Subcortical brain structures play key roles in motion, emotions, learning, and consciousness, and their volumes are influenced by genetic variations.
  • A study analyzed nearly 40,000 individuals, discovering that variations in the volumes of key brain regions are heritable and identified 48 genetic loci linked to these volumes, with 40 being previously unknown.
  • The identified genes are connected to various biological processes, suggesting they could be crucial for understanding brain development, neurological disorders, and possible drug targets.
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Library preparation for whole-exome sequencing is a critical step serving the enrichment of the regions of interest. For Ion Proton, there are only two exome library preparation methods available, AmpliSeq and SureSelect. Although of major interest, a comparison of the two methods is missing in the literature.

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Elevated serum urate levels cause gout and correlate with cardiometabolic diseases via poorly understood mechanisms. We performed a trans-ancestry genome-wide association study of serum urate in 457,690 individuals, identifying 183 loci (147 previously unknown) that improve the prediction of gout in an independent cohort of 334,880 individuals. Serum urate showed significant genetic correlations with many cardiometabolic traits, with genetic causality analyses supporting a substantial role for pleiotropy.

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  • An amendment to the original paper has been released.
  • You can find the amendment through a link provided at the top of the paper.
  • This update may contain important changes or additional information related to the original content.
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