Publications by authors named "Tamar Barbakadze"

Thyroid hormones (THs) are essential in neuronal and glial cell development and differentiation, synaptogenesis, and myelin sheath formation. In addition to nuclear receptors, TH acts through αvβ3-integrin on the plasma membrane, influencing transcriptional regulation of signaling proteins that, in turn, affect adhesion and survival of nerve cells in various neurologic disorders. TH exhibits protective properties during brain hypoxia; however, precise intracellular mechanisms responsible for the preventive effects of TH remain unclear.

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Article Synopsis
  • Women are waiting longer to have babies, but older age can make it harder to get pregnant, even with help like egg donation.
  • The study looked at using special testing to pick the best embryos and help older women with pregnancy issues.
  • Results showed that this testing can help older women have a higher chance of getting pregnant compared to those who didn’t have the same tests.
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Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is one of the core problems for assisted reproductive technology (ART). High-quality, euploid embryos and synchronization between the embryonic stage and the uterine endometrial lining are crucial for positive outcomes. Molecular biology techniques have significantly transformed assisted reproductive technology (ART).

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Objective: Thyroid hormones are involved in the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders. Ischemia/hypoxia that induces rigidity of the actin filaments, which initiates neurodegeneration and reduces synaptic plasticity. We hypothesized that thyroid hormones via alpha-v-beta-3 (αvβ3) integrin could regulate the actin filament rearrangement during hypoxia and increase neuronal cell viability.

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Increased p-cresol levels reportedly alter brain dopamine metabolism and exacerbate neurological disorders in experimental animals. In contrast to toxic concentrations, low doses of p-cresol may have distinct effects on neuronal metabolism. However, the role of p-cresol in synapse remodeling, neurite outgrowth, and other anabolic processes in neurons remains elusive.

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Mislocalization and abnormal expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor (NMDAR) subunits is observed in several brain disorders and pathological conditions. Recently, we have shown that intraperitoneal injection of the gut neurotoxin p-cresol induces autism-like behavior and accelerates seizure reactions in healthy and epilepsy-prone rats, respectively. In this study, we evaluated the expression of GLUN2B and GLUN2A NMDAR subunits, and assessed the activity of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) and Rac1 in the hippocampi and nucleus accumbens of healthy and epilepsy-prone rats following p-cresol administration.

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Study Question: Is there is an association between follicle size and the quality of oocytes retrieved from them as judged by ability to achieve the blastocyst stage, blastocyst grades and blastocyst ploidy?

Summary Answer: Although follicle size is a valuable predictor of oocyte maturity and is a significant predictor of the ability of a fertilized oocyte to become a quality blastocyst, the ploidy of each quality blastocyst is not related to the size of the follicle from which its oocyte was retrieved.

What Is Known Already: It is unclear whether the oocytes within larger follicles are the best oocytes of the cohort. Although there have been studies examining follicle size in relation to embryo quality, there has been no study relating the incidence of euploidy in embryos to follicle size.

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Ras-GTPases regulate many central signalling pathways in the cell. Hypoxia induces nitrosative/oxidative stress and dysregulates Ras-dependent downstream processes. H-Ras possesses two cysteine residues (C181 and C184) in the C-termini, which are palmitoylated once or twice.

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Objectives: Hypoxia or exposure to excessive reactive oxygen or nitrogen species could induce S-nitrosylation of various target proteins, including GTPases of the Ras-superfamily. Under hypoxic conditions, the Ras-protein is translocated to the cytosol and interacts with the Golgi complex, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria. The mobility/translocation of Ras depend on the cells oxidative status.

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The effects of 3,5,3'-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3) and l-thyroxine (T4) on the integrin αvβ3 receptor of thyroid hormones (TH) were investigated in pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells. Differentiation was induced by treatment of PC-12 cells with fisetin and the levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Akt in cytoplasm, as well as the content of FoxO6 transcription factor in nuclei was analysed in undifferentiated and differentiated conditions. We have found that in undifferentiated PC-12 cells, tetraiodothyroacetic acid (TETRAC), a known inhibitor of binding of T4 and T3 to plasma membrane integrin αvβ3 receptor inhibits T4-dependent phosphorylation of ERK, whereas in differentiated PC-12 cells, TETRAC abolishes the effect of T3.

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Nitric oxide (NO) is a mediator of a diverse array of inter- and intracellular signal transduction processes. The aim of the present study was to analyze its possible role as a second messenger in the process of neuronal differentiation of PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. Upon NGF treatment wildtype PC12 cells stop dividing and develop neurites.

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Recent observations have suggested that Ras signaling includes combinations of extracellular-signal-regulated Ras activation at the plasma membrane and endomembranes, and translocation of Ras from the plasma membrane to intracellular compartments. In this study we have shown that social isolation of rat decreases the content of Bcl-2-associated K-Ras in hippocampal mitochondria, whereas the amount of H-Ras is increased in the microsomal fraction. Furthermore, we have found that galectin 1, a binding partner of activated Ras, was increased in the soluble fractions.

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Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing, nonproteinogenic, neurotoxic amino acid biosynthesized during methyl cycles after demethylation of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) and subsequent hydrolysis of SAH into homocysteine and adenosine. Formed homocysteine is either catabolized into cystathionine (transsulfuration pathway) by cystathionine beta-synthase, or remethylated into methionine (remethylation pathway) by methionine synthase. To demonstrate the specificity of Ras-elicited effects on the activity of methyl cycles, wild-type pheochromocytoma PC12, mutant oncogenic rasH gene (MVR) expressing PC12 pheochromocytoma and normal c-rasH stably transfected M-CR3B cells were incubated with the N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and manumycin, (inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase and farnesyltransferase, respectively).

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The protective effects of creatine against glutamate cytotoxicity have been demonstrated in neuronal cells and animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanisms underlying creatine neuroprotection against glutamate-induced cell death are understood poorly. For the first time, we demonstrate a correlation between the protective effect of creatine and the modulation of Ras-mediated redox-dependent signaling pathways, which involve nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and reactive oxygen species (ROS).

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