Publications by authors named "Stepanyan A"

Background: Long-term consumption of Western Diet (WD) is a well-established risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, there is a paucity of studies on the long-term effects of WD on the pathophysiology of CVD and sex-specific responses.

Methods: Our study aimed to investigate the sex-specific pathophysiological changes in left ventricular (LV) function using transthoracic echocardiography (ECHO) and LV tissue transcriptomics in WD-fed C57BL/6 J mice for 125 days, starting at the age of 300 through 425 days.

Results: In female mice, consumption of the WD diet showed long-term effects on LV structure and possible development of HFpEF-like phenotype with compensatory cardiac structural changes later in life.

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Lynch syndrome is rarely associated with rectal cancer (RC) and thus, metachronous RC has been scarcely investigated. This study aimed to analyze the mucosal immune microenvironment in sporadic and metachronous RC. We analyzed the mucosal immune microenvironment in the 25 metachronous RCs present in the IMMUNOREACT 1 and 2 multicentre observational studies (624 patients).

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Background: Transanal excision of rectal cancer can be considered the definitive surgical treatment if the depth spread is T1 or lower, and the lesion is completely included within the resection margin. This study aims to analyze the immune microenvironment in healthy rectal mucosa as a possible predictor of tumor infiltration depth, lateral tumor spread, and recurrence of rectal cancer after transanal local excision.

Methods: This study is a subanalysis of data from the IMMUNOREACT 1 and 2 trials (NCT04915326 and NCT04917263, respectively) including all the patients who underwent transanal excision of rectal cancer.

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Fibrillary aggregation of α-synuclein in Lewy body inclusions and nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron degeneration define Parkinson's disease neuropathology. Mutations in GBA1, encoding glucocerebrosidase, are the most frequent genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease. However, the lack of reliable experimental models able to reproduce key neuropathological signatures has hampered the clarification of the link between mutant glucocerebrosidase and Parkinson's disease pathology.

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Article Synopsis
  • Diagnostic imaging is crucial for treating ovarian and colorectal cancer by helping choose the best treatment options and assessing risks associated with them.
  • A joint guideline was created by multiple medical societies to address challenges in detecting and reporting peritoneal metastases, using literature reviews and consensus methods.
  • The consensus outlines key recommendations for best practices in imaging techniques, ensuring effective communication of results, and supporting clinical decisions regarding operability and treatment monitoring in affected patients.
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  • Pouchitis is an inflammatory disease that can affect ileal pouches, potentially leading to pouch failure, and this study looks into the effects of a specific probiotic strain, DG®, on this condition.
  • In a randomized trial with 52 patients post-restorative proctocolectomy, participants received either DG® or a placebo for 8 weeks, during which researchers monitored inflammatory cytokine levels in the pouch mucosa at multiple points.
  • Results showed that the group receiving DG® had significantly reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines after 8 weeks compared to their baseline, indicating the probiotic may positively influence the pouch microenvironment.
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  • - The European Society of Gynaecological Oncology, alongside other societies, created evidence-based guidelines for fertility-sparing strategies in patients with cervical and ovarian cancers, as well as borderline ovarian tumors.
  • - These guidelines were developed through a thorough literature review and involved a diverse group of 25 experts in multiple medical fields, ensuring a comprehensive approach.
  • - Prior to release, the guidelines were vetted by 121 independent cancer care professionals and patient representatives, addressing key aspects of initial management, fertility optimization, and future pregnancy desires.
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A 53-year-old male presented following cardiac arrest, followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was found to have myocardial infarction, bihemispheric cerebral embolization and mitral valve endocarditis. Mitral valve replacement was performed and was detected on PCR.

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Background: Long-term daily use of aspirin reduces incidence and mortality due to colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to analyze the effect of aspirin on the tumor microenvironment, systemic immunity, and on the healthy mucosa surrounding cancer.

Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of CRC operated on from 2015 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed (METACCRE cohort).

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Background: Annually, approximately 200 new ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in Armenia, which is considered an upper-middle-income country. This study aimed to summarize the survival outcomes of patients with relapsed ovarian cancer in Armenia based on the type of recurrence, risk factors, and choice of systemic treatment.

Methods: This retrospective case-control study included 228 patients with relapsed ovarian cancer from three different institutions.

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Most high throughput genomic data analysis pipelines currently rely on over-representation or gene set enrichment analysis (ORA/GSEA) approaches for functional analysis. In contrast, topology-based pathway analysis methods, which offer a more biologically informed perspective by incorporating interaction and topology information, have remained underutilized and inaccessible due to various limiting factors. These methods heavily rely on the quality of pathway topologies and often utilize predefined topologies from databases without assessing their correctness.

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Background: Long-term environmental exposure to metals leads to epigenetic changes and may increase risks to human health. The relationship between the type and level of metal exposure and epigenetic changes in subjects exposed to high concentrations of metals in the environment is not yet clear. The aim of our study is to find the possible association of environmental long-term exposure to metals with DNA methylation changes of genes related to immune response and carcinogenesis.

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Background: The main therapy for rectal cancer patients is neoadjuvant therapy (NT) followed by surgery. Immune biomarkers are emerging as potential predictors of the response to NT. We performed a meta-analysis to estimate their predictive significance.

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Background: Colon cancer in young patients is often associated with hereditary syndromes; however, in early-onset rectal cancer, mutations of these genes are rarely observed. The aim of this study was to analyse the features of the local immune microenvironment and the mutational pattern in early-onset rectal cancer.

Methods: Commonly mutated genes were analysed within a rectal cancer series from the University Hospital of Padova.

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In 2018, the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO) jointly with the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) and the European Society of Pathology (ESP) published evidence-based guidelines for the management of patients with cervical cancer. Given the large body of new evidence addressing the management of cervical cancer, the three sister societies jointly decided to update these evidence-based guidelines. The update includes new topics to provide comprehensive guidelines on all relevant issues of diagnosis and treatment in cervical cancer.

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In 2018, the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO) jointly with the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) and the European Society of Pathology (ESP) published evidence-based guidelines for the management of patients with cervical cancer. Given the large body of new evidence addressing the management of cervical cancer, the three sister societies jointly decided to update these evidence-based guidelines. The update includes new topics to provide comprehensive guidelines on all relevant issues of diagnosis and treatment in cervical cancer.

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Article Synopsis
  • In 2018, ESGO, ESTRO, and ESP published guidelines for cervical cancer management, which were later updated due to new evidence.
  • An expert panel of 27 clinicians across Europe was formed to review the guidelines, ensuring they are evidence-based and reflective of current research and clinical practices.
  • The updated guidelines cover various topics including diagnosis, treatment strategies, survivorship, quality of life, and include specific management approaches for different stages and scenarios of cervical cancer.
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Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and oncological safety of ovarian preservation in early stage endometrial adenocarcinoma (EC) patients aged 40 and below.

Methods: A total of 11 institutions from eight countries participated in the study. 169 of 5898 patients aged ≤40 years were eligible for the study.

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Background: Quality of surgical care as a crucial component of a comprehensive multi-disciplinary management improves outcomes in patients with endometrial carcinoma, notably helping to avoid suboptimal surgical treatment. Quality indicators (QIs) enable healthcare professionals to measure their clinical management with regard to ideal standards of care.

Objective: In order to complete its set of QIs for the surgical management of gynecological cancers, the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO) initiated the development of QIs for the surgical treatment of endometrial carcinoma.

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  • * Researchers analyzed 122 IS patients and 150 controls using immunofluorometric assays and real-time PCR, finding significantly higher M-ficolin levels in IS patients and identifying several SNPs that negatively correlate with IS risk.
  • * The findings suggest that changes in LCP PRMs may influence the risk and progression of ischemic stroke, highlighting the role of genetic and protein level alterations in the disease mechanisms, especially in the Armenian population studied.
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For the last years, copper complexes have been intensively implicated in biomedical research as components of cancer treatment. Herewith, we provide highlights of the synthesis, physical measurements, structural characterization of the newly developed Cu(II) chelates of Schiff Bases, Cu(Picolinyl-L-Tryptopahanate)2, Cu(Picolinyl-L-Tyrosinate)2, Cu(Isonicotinyl-L-Tyrosinate)2, Cu(Picolinyl-L-Phenylalaninate)2, Cu(Nicotinyl-L-Phenylalaninate)2, Cu(Isonicotinyl-L-Phenylalaninate)2, and their radioenhancement capacity at kV and MV ranges of irradiation of human lung carcinoma epithelial cells in vitro. The methods of cell growth, viability and proliferation were used.

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