Renal Chemerin Expression is Induced in Models of Hypertensive Nephropathy and Glomerulonephritis and Correlates with Markers of Inflammation and Fibrosis

Chemerin and its receptor, chemokine-like receptor 1 (CmklR1), are associated with chemotaxis, inflammation, and endothelial function, especially in metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. In humans, circulating chemerin levels and renal function show an inverse relation. So far, little is known about the potential role of chemerin in hypertensive nephropathy and renal inflammation. Therefore, we determined systemic and renal chemerin levels in 2-kidney-1-clip (2k1c) hypertensive and Thy1.1 nephritic rats, respectively, to explore the correlation between chemerin and markers of renal inflammation and fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry revealed a model-specific induction of chemerin expression at the corresponding site of renal damage (tubular vs. glomerular). In both models, renal expression of chemerin (RT-PCR, Western blot) was increased and correlated positively with markers of inflammation and fibrosis. In contrast, circulating chemerin levels remained unchanged. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that renal chemerin expression is associated with processes of inflammation and fibrosis-related to renal damage. However, its use as circulating biomarker of renal inflammation seems to be limited in our rat models.

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Chest CT texture-based radiomics analysis in differentiating COVID-19 from other interstitial pneumonia

La radiologia medica ◽

10.1007/s11547-021-01402-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Damiano Caruso ◽

Francesco Pucciarelli ◽

Marta Zerunian ◽

Balaji Ganeshan ◽

Domenico De Santis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Interstitial Pneumonia ◽

Potential Role ◽

Texture Features ◽

Roc Curves ◽

Chest Ct ◽

Preliminary Evaluation ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Mean Intensity ◽

Polymerase Chain

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the potential role of texture-based radiomics analysis in differentiating Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia from pneumonia of other etiology on Chest CT. Materials and methods One hundred and twenty consecutive patients admitted to Emergency Department, from March 8, 2020, to April 25, 2020, with suspicious of COVID-19 that underwent Chest CT, were retrospectively analyzed. All patients presented CT findings indicative for interstitial pneumonia. Sixty patients with positive COVID-19 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 60 patients with negative COVID-19 RT-PCR were enrolled. CT texture analysis (CTTA) was manually performed using dedicated software by two radiologists in consensus and textural features on filtered and unfiltered images were extracted as follows: mean intensity, standard deviation (SD), entropy, mean of positive pixels (MPP), skewness, and kurtosis. Nonparametric Mann–Whitney test assessed CTTA ability to differentiate positive from negative COVID-19 patients. Diagnostic criteria were obtained from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Unfiltered CTTA showed lower values of mean intensity, MPP, and kurtosis in COVID-19 positive patients compared to negative patients (p = 0.041, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively). On filtered images, fine and medium texture scales were significant differentiators; fine texture scale being most significant where COVID-19 positive patients had lower SD (p = 0.004) and MPP (p = 0.004) compared to COVID-19 negative patients. A combination of the significant texture features could identify the patients with positive COVID-19 from negative COVID-19 with a sensitivity of 60% and specificity of 80% (p = 0.001). Conclusions Preliminary evaluation suggests potential role of CTTA in distinguishing COVID-19 pneumonia from other interstitial pneumonia on Chest CT.

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First Report of Hepatitis E Virus in Shellfish in Southeast Italy

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11010043 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Gianfranco La Bella ◽

Maria Grazia Basanisi ◽

Gaia Nobili ◽

Valentina Terio ◽

Elisabetta Suffredini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Potential Role ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Viral Pathogens ◽

Apulia Region ◽

Causative Agents

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) represents one of the principal causative agents of hepatitis globally. Among the five HEV genotypes affecting humans, genotypes 3 and 4 are zoonotic and are the main source of hepatitis E in developed countries. HEV has been detected in several foods. The present work investigated the presence of this virus in shellfish sold at retail in the Apulia region of Italy. The presence of HEV RNA was assessed by real-time RT-PCR in 225 shellfish samples collected during 2018. Overall, two (0.89%) of these samples tested positive for HEV RNA. To our knowledge, this is the first notification of the detection of HEV in mussels sold at retail in the Apulia region. These data highlight the potential role of shellfish as a vehicle for the transmission of viral pathogens.

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Evaluation of the potential role of long non-coding RNA LINC00961 in luminal breast cancer: a case–control and systems biology study

Cancer Cell International ◽

10.1186/s12935-020-01569-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sepideh Mehrpour Layeghi ◽

Maedeh Arabpour ◽

Rezvan Esmaeili ◽

Mohammad Mehdi Naghizadeh ◽

Javad Tavakkoly Bazzaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Potential Role ◽

Bioinformatics Analysis ◽

T Test ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Luminal A ◽

Ppi Networks

Abstract Background Luminal subtype is the most common subgroup of breast cancer (BC), accounting for more than 70% of this cancer. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of RNAs which play critical roles in diverse cellular processes. It is proved that dysregulation of them can contribute to the development of various cancers, including BC. LINC00961 was reported to be downregulated in several cancers, however, its expression level in BC remains largely unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the possible role of LINC00961 in luminal A and B subtypes of BC. Methods To obtain novel lncRNAs associated with different cancers and differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) between BC tumor and normal tissues, Lnc2Cancer and GDC databases were used, respectively. After performing literature review, the expression level of the selected lncRNA (LINC00961) was evaluated in 79 luminal A and B BC specimens and adjacent non-cancerous tissues by Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). LINC00961 expression was also evaluated in two luminal A BC cell lines, compared to a normal breast cell line. The comparison of the differences between tumor and adjacent non-tumor samples was performed by paired sample t-test. Moreover, correlation analysis between LINC00961 expression and clinicopathological features was performed using the chi-square, fisher exact, and independent t-test. In order to investigate the possible roles of LINC00961 in luminal A and B BC, different bioinformatics analyses such as functional annotation of the LINC00961 co-expressed genes and protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks construction were also performed. Results LINC00961 was selected as a significant DElncRNA which had not been studied in BC. According to q-RT PCR assay, LINC00961 was downregulated in luminal BC tissues and cell lines. Its expression was correlated with smoking status and the age of menarche in luminal BC patients. Also, the results of the bioinformatics analysis were consistent with the data obtained from q-RT PCR assay. The final results indicated that LINC00961 might be involved in multiple cancer-associated pathways such as chemokine, Ras and PI3K–Akt signaling pathways, GPCR ligand binding, and signal transduction in luminal subtypes of BC. CDH5, GNG11, GNG8, SELL, S1PR1, CCL19, FYN, ACAN, CD3E, ACVRL1, CAV1, and PPARGC1A were identified as the top hub genes of the PPI networks across luminal subgroup. Conclusion Our findings suggested that LINC00961 was significantly downregulated in luminal A and B subtypes of BC. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis provided a basis for better identification of the potential role of LINC00961 in luminal subtype of BC.

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A study of genes involved in adipocyte differentiation

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1515/jpem-2014-0002 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (1-2) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Shunming Zhu ◽

Gong Cheng ◽

Huolan Zhu ◽

Gongchang Guan

Keyword(s):

Potential Role ◽

Adipocyte Differentiation ◽

Late Phase ◽

Redox Status ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Lipid Droplet Formation ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Microarray Technique

AbstractWith the use of the microarray technique, genes expressed in the late phase of adipocyte differentiation were investigated. These genes play an important role in stimulating adipocyte growth and lipid droplet formation. Therefore, they contribute a great deal to the onset of obesity.With the use of SW872 adipocytes and the microarray technique, genes related to adipocyte differentiation were tested and compared with undifferentiated preadipocytes 14 days after induction. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for confirmation.More than 21,329 transcriptors were expressed and determined, of which 1326 increased and 687 decreased undifferentiated adipocytes. Among them, 21 were highly expressed by more than 10-fold. With RT-PCR, 12 were confirmed, including apelin, CIDEC, PID1, LYRM1, ADD1, PPARγ2, ANGPTL4, ADIPOQ, ACOX1, FIP1L1, MAP3K2 and PEX14. Furthermore, genes involved in lipid metabolism, signal transduction, DNA replication, redox status and transcription factors were determined as well. Novel genes involved in adipogenesis (e.g., apelin) were detected.A variety of genes were discovered and validated with RT-PCR at the late phase of adipocyte differentiation. This may help us better understand the onset of obesity and the potential role of adipocytes in other organs.

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Populações Celulares Periféricas (CD4+, CD8+ e CD19+) em Indivíduos Dislipidémicos

Acta Médica Portuguesa ◽

10.20344/amp.1989 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 26 (6) ◽

pp. 676

Author(s):

Jose Pereira de Moura ◽

Manuel Santos Rosa ◽

Vera Alves ◽

Anabela Mota Pinto ◽

Victor Rodrigues ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Potential Role ◽

Inflammatory Cells ◽

Control Group ◽

Cd4 Cells ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

The Past ◽

Markers Of Inflammation ◽

The People ◽

Risk Predictors

Introduction: The past decade has witnessed an increasing recognition that inflammatory mechanisms play a central role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and its complications. Recently, attention was focused on the potential role of plasma markers of inflammation as risk predictors among those at risk for cardiovascular events. Of these potential markers, C-reactive protein (CRP), IL6, metalloproteinases, ICAM, VCAM and other molecules, have been extensively studied. On the other hand, to our knowledge, there are only a few studies on the role of inflammatory cells, like T and B lymphocytes in the atherosclerosis.Material and Methods: By Flow Cytrometry analysis we have determined on dyslipidemic people and on a control group, the percentage of some peripheral inflammatory cells, like CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, CD56+, CD56CD8+, DN, CD25+, CD26+, CD25CD3+, CD26CD3+, CD25CD26CD3+, CCR5+, CCR5CD3+, CCR5CD4+, HLADR+, HLADRCD4+, HLADRCD8h+, HLADRCD8low+, HLADRCD8+, CD95+, CD95CD95L+, CD3CD95+, CD3CD95L+, CD62L+, CD3CD62L+, CD69+, CD69CD3+ e CD69CD4+.Results: In the present study we have particularly studied the percentage of CD4+, CD8+ and CD19+ cells. The CD4+ cells have been significantly reduced in the people with dyslipidemia.Discussion: We do not know the peripheral numbers of the subtype Th1 and Th2, neither the percentage of CD4+CD25+ cells (regulatory T cells). We have not find any differences on the percentage from the CD8+ and CD19+ cells.Conclusions: In spite of the identified limitations resulting from the small-sized samples, it was possible to show a reduction of some molecules after application of acetylsalicylic acid.

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SARS-CoV-2 and the Role of Orofecal Transmission: Systematic Review

10.1101/2020.08.04.20168054 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Carl Heneghan ◽

Elizabeth Spencer ◽

Jon Brassey ◽

Tom Jefferson

Keyword(s):

Potential Role ◽

Personal Hygiene ◽

Human Gastrointestinal Tract ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Public Health Importance ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

Hygiene Measures ◽

Evidence Review ◽

Small Intestinal

Background How SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted is of key public health importance. SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in the feces of some Covid-19 patients which suggests the possibility that the virus could additionally be transmitted via the orofecal route. Methods This review is part of an Open Evidence Review on Transmission Dynamics of Covid-19. We conduct ongoing searches using LitCovid, medRxiv, Google Scholar and Google for Covid-19; assess study quality based on five criteria and report important findings on an ongoing basis. Where necessary authors are contacted for further details or clarification on the content of their articles. Results We found 59 studies: nine reviews and 51 primary studies or reports (one cohort study also included a review) examining the potential role of orofecal transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Half (n=29) were done in China. Thirty seven studies reported positive fecal samples for SARS-CoV-2 based on RT-PCR results (n=1,034 patients). Six studies reported isolating the virus from fecal samples of nine patients, one study isolated the virus from rectal tissue and one laboratory study found that SARS-CoV-2 productively infected human small intestinal organoids. Eleven studies report on fecal samples found in sewage, and two sampled bathrooms and toilets. Conclusions Various observational and mechanistic evidence support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 can infect and be shed from the human gastrointestinal tract. Policy should emphasize the importance of strict personal hygiene measures, and chlorine-based disinfection of surfaces in locations where there is presumed or known SARS-CoV-2 activity.

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Platelets release proinflammatory microparticles in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/kez044 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 58 (8) ◽

pp. 1432-1442 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Di Miao ◽

Tian-Tian Ma ◽

Min Chen ◽

Ming-Hui Zhao

Keyword(s):

Renal Damage ◽

Potential Role ◽

Biological Functions ◽

Active Stage ◽

Array Analysis ◽

Antibody Microarrays ◽

Bioactive Proteins ◽

Anca Associated Vasculitis ◽

Proinflammatory Molecules

Abstract Objective The biological functions of the platelets contributing to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) are largely unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the potential role of platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) in AAV. Methods In the current study, microparticles in AAV patients were analysed by flow cytometry, and PMPs were probed for relative levels of 640 bioactive proteins secreted from patients’ platelets using antibody microarrays. These data were then correlated with clinical and pathological parameters. Results PMPs were significantly increased in 69 AAV patients, predominantly MPO-ANCA positive patients in active stage compared with in remission [4406.8/μl (2135.4, 5485.0) vs 549.7/μl (350, 708.5), P < 0.0001], and 43% of microparticles in active AAV were PMPs. Compared with 15 patients in remission, highly expressed proinflammatory molecules in the microparticles from platelets in 15 AAV patients in active stage revealed that potential functions of PMPs were promotion of the effect of chemotaxis, adhesion, growth and apoptosis (all the patients for array analysis were MPO-ANCA positive). The level of PMPs had a significant association with disease activity, inflammation, and renal damage. Conclusion PMPs may serve as inflammatory propagators through their wide production of proinflammatory cytokines in AAV, potentially providing a novel therapeutic target.

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Expression of mRNA for the LH and FSH receptors in mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos

Reproduction ◽

10.1530/rep.0.1210455 ◽

2001 ◽

pp. 455-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

E Patsoula ◽

D Loutradis ◽

P Drakakis ◽

K Kallianidis ◽

R Bletsa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Leydig Cells ◽

Potential Role ◽

Endocrine Function ◽

Preimplantation Embryos ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Mouse Development ◽

Lh Receptor ◽

Mouse Oocytes ◽

Early Mouse

The gonadotrophins LH and FSH are known to regulate gonadal growth, and differentiation, endocrine function and gametogenesis. The LH receptor is expressed in ovarian theca, granulosa and luteal cells, and in testicular Leydig cells. The FSH receptor is expressed only in ovarian granulosa cells and in testicular Sertoli cells. The expression of the FSH and LH receptors was analysed by RT-PCR to study the role of these receptors in early mouse development. After reverse transcription, strategically designed nested primers were used for amplification from cDNA. Transcripts for the receptors were present in mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos. The presence of mRNA for FSH and LH receptors in oocytes, zygotes and preimplantation embryos indicates a potential role for the gonadotrophins in the modulation of meiotic resumption and completion of oocyte maturation, as well as a beneficial effect on early embryonic development in mice.

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Shedding of Viable Virus in Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Carriers

mSphere ◽

10.1128/msphere.00019-21 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Takayuki Murata ◽

Aki Sakurai ◽

Masahiro Suzuki ◽

Satoshi Komoto ◽

Tomihiko Ide ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reverse Transcription ◽

Potential Role ◽

Nonstructural Protein ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Asymptomatic Carriers ◽

Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽

The Impact ◽

Crossing Point ◽

Pcr Test

ABSTRACT Information regarding the infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in asymptomatic carriers is scarce. In order to determine the duration of infectivity and its correlation with reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) results and time since initial positive PCR test in this population, we evaluated SARS-CoV-2 cell infectivity in nasopharyngeal samples longitudinally obtained from asymptomatic carriers who disembarked from a cruise ship during a COVID-19 outbreak. Of 166 nasopharyngeal samples collected from 39 asymptomatic carriers every 48 h until two consecutive negative PCR test results were obtained, SARS-CoV-2 was successfully isolated from 9 PCR-positive samples which were obtained from 7 persons (18%; 7/39). Viable viruses were isolated predominantly within 7 days after the initial positive PCR test, except for one person who shed viable virus until day 15. The median crossing point (Cp) value of RT-PCR of culture-positive samples was 24.6 (interquartile range [IQR], 20.4 to 25.8; range, 17.9 to 30.3), and Cp values were significantly associated with isolation of viable virus (odds ratio, 0.496; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.329 to 0.747; P value, 0.001), which was consistent with existing data for symptomatic patients. Genome sequence analysis of SARS-CoV-2 samples consecutively obtained from a person who shed viable virus for 15 days identified the emergence of two novel single nucleotide variants (C8626T transition and C18452T transition) in the sample collected on day 15, with the latter corresponding to an amino acid substitution in nonstructural protein 14. The impact of these mutations on prolonged viable-virus shedding is unclear. These findings underscore the potential role of asymptomatic carriers in transmission. IMPORTANCE A growing number of studies suggest the potential role of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers as a major driver of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, virological assessment of asymptomatic infection has largely been limited to reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), which can be persistently positive without necessarily indicating the presence of viable virus (e.g., replication-competent virus). Here, we evaluated the infectivity of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers by detecting SARS-CoV-2-induced cytopathic effects on Vero cells using longitudinally obtained nasopharyngeal samples from asymptomatic carriers. We show that asymptomatic carriers can shed viable virus until 7 days after the initial positive PCR test, with one outlier shedding until day 15. The crossing point (Cp) value of RT-PCR was the leading predictive factor for virus viability. These findings provide additional insights into the role of asymptomatic carriers as a source of transmission and highlight the importance of universal source control measures, along with isolation policy for asymptomatic carriers.

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