Aims: Bacterial translocation from the intestinal tract plays an important role in severe acute pancreatitis (AP). Human β-defensins are a family of antimicrobial peptides present at the mucosal surface. The aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the DEFB1 gene and copy number polymorphisms of the DEFB4 genes in AP.
Methods: 124 AP patients (30 with mild and 94 with severe disease) and 100 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Three SNPs of the DEFB1 gene [G-20A (c.-20G→A), C-44G (c.-44C→G) and G-52A (c.-52G→A)] were genotyped by Custom TaqMan assay. The DEFB4 gene copy number was determined by means of a TaqMan real-time PCR assay.
Results: Significantly higher frequencies of the AA genotype of G-20A (c.-20G→A) and the AA genotype of G-52A (c.-52G→A) were observed among the patients with severe AP (SAP) compared with the healthy controls (38 vs. 20 and 41 vs. 18%, respectively). The GG protective genotype of C-44G (c.-44C→G) SNP was much less frequent (1%) among the patients than among the controls (9%). A higher frequency of a lower (<4) copy number of the DEFB4 gene was observed in the patients with SAP compared with the healthy controls (62 vs. 24%, respectively).
Conclusions: The variations in the genes encoding human β-defensin-1 and -2 may be associated with the risk of SAP. and IAP.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000276987 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Caregivers' Perspectives on Discussions of Medical Treatment Preferences for People Living with Dementia Are Associated with Their Dementia Health Literacy and the Caregiving Relationship.
Gerontologist
January 2025
Department of Health & Community Systems, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Background And Objectives: People living with dementia experience progressive functional decline and increased dependence on caregivers. This study examined the influence of caregivers' dementia health literacy on perceptions of medical care preferences and advanced care planning (ACP) in people living with dementia.
Research Design And Methods: This analysis used data from a cross-sectional survey, "Care Planning for Individuals with Dementia", administered nationwide by Alzheimer's Disease Centers.
Whole blood exchange ameliorates acute hemolytic anemia by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in rats.
FASEB J
January 2025
Department of Blood Transfusion, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Hemolytic anemia (HA) is characterized by massive destruction of red blood cells (RBCs) and insufficient oxygen supply, which can lead to shock, organ failure, even death. Recent studies have preliminarily demonstrated the therapeutic effectiveness of whole blood exchange (WBE) in the management of acute hemolytic anemia and exhibited potential for reducing the duration of corticosteroid treatment, while the underlying mechanism of WBE therapy was not investigated in preclinical study. Hence, we investigate the therapeutic mechanisms of WBE in HA through established continued WBE therapy in rats creatively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells that survive acute SARS-CoV-2 infection contribute to inflammation and lung regeneration in mice.
mBio
January 2025
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Unlabelled: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 involves several organs, but its basis remains poorly understood. Some infected cells in mice survive the acute infection and persist for extended periods in the respiratory tract but not in other tissues. Here, we describe two experimental models of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection to assess the effect of viral virulence on previously infected cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA novel ADP-directed chaperone function facilitates the ATP-driven motor activity of SARS-CoV helicase.
Nucleic Acids Res
January 2025
Single-Molecule and Cell Mechanobiology Laboratory, Daejeon, 34141, South Korea.
Helicase is a nucleic acid motor that catalyses the unwinding of double-stranded (ds) RNA and DNA via ATP hydrolysis. Helicases can act either as a nucleic acid motor that unwinds its ds substrates or as a chaperone that alters the stability of its substrates, but the two activities have not yet been reported to act simultaneously. Here, we used single-molecule techniques to unravel the synergistic coordination of helicase and chaperone activities, and found that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus helicase (nsp13) is capable of two modes of action: (i) binding of nsp13 in tandem with the fork junction of the substrate mechanically unwinds the substrate by an ATP-driven synchronous power stroke; and (ii) free nsp13, which is not bound to the substrate but complexed with ADP in solution, destabilizes the substrate through collisions between transient binding and unbinding events with unprecedented melting capability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTissue Plasminogen Activator for COVID-19-induced Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Controlled Clinical Trial.
Infect Disord Drug Targets
January 2025
Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) in patients with COVID-19-induced severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
Methods: The intervention group consisted of eligible patients with severe ARDS due to COVID-19 admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a university hospital. We selected the control group from admitted patients treated in the same ICU within the same period.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!