Dr m gh

OBJECTIVE: To examine the performance of screening for preterm and term pre-eclampsia (PE) at 11-13 weeks' gestation by maternal factors and combinations of maternal serum glycosylated fibronectin (GlyFn), mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI) and serum placental growth factor (PlGF). METHODS: This was a case-control study in which maternal serum GlyFn was measured using a point-of-care device in stored samples from a non-intervention screening study of singleton pregnancies at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks' gestation...

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), substantially impacts the quality of life of diabetic patients, it remains, in developed countries, the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults (20-65 years). Currently, about 90 million diabetics suffer from DR. DR is a silent complication that in its early stages is asymptomatic. However, over time, chronic hyperglycemia can lead to sensitive retinal damage, leading to fluid accumulation and retinal haemorrhage (HM), resulting in cloudy or blurred vision. It can, therefore, lead to severe visual impairment or even blindness if left untreated...

PURPOSE: The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) is prognostic for distant recurrence (DR) and predictive for chemotherapy benefit in early breast cancer, whereas clinical-pathological factors are only prognostic. Integration of genomic and clinical features offers the potential to guide adjuvant chemotherapy use with greater precision. METHODS: We developed a new tool (RSClin) that integrates RS with tumor grade, tumor size, and age using a patient-specific meta-analysis including 10,004 women with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, and node-negative breast cancer who received endocrine therapy alone in the B-14 (n = 577) and TAILORx (n = 4,854) trials or plus chemotherapy in TAILORx (n = 4,573)...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential value of maternal ophthalmic artery Doppler at 35-37 weeks' gestation in combination with the established biomarkers of pre-eclampsia (PE), including mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI), serum placental growth factor (PlGF) and serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), in the prediction of subsequent development of PE. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study in women attending for a routine hospital visit at 35 + 0 to 36 + 6 weeks' gestation...

OBJECTIVE: Ectopic posterior pituitary gland (EPP) is usually characterized by an abnormal pituitary stalk and hypoplasia of the anterior hypophysis. The genetic mechanisms involved in the development of EPP remain uncertain. The aim of this study is to determine whether mutations in the three genes, PROP-1, LHX2, and POU1F1, are associated with the risk for and the characteristics of EPP. METHODS: In the Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic of "Dr. Behcet Uz" Children's Hospital, 27 patients with EPP were submitted to sequencing analyses of the PROP-1, LHX2, and POU1F1 genes...

Dietary, pharmacological and genetic interventions can extend health- and lifespan in diverse mammalian species. DNA methylation has been implicated in mediating the beneficial effects of these interventions; methylation patterns deteriorate during ageing, and this is prevented by lifespan-extending interventions. However, whether these interventions also actively shape the epigenome, and whether such epigenetic reprogramming contributes to improved health at old age, remains underexplored. We analysed published, whole-genome, BS-seq data sets from mouse liver to explore DNA methylation patterns in aged mice in response to three lifespan-extending interventions: dietary restriction (DR), reduced TOR signaling (rapamycin), and reduced growth (Ames dwarf mice)...

The potential therapeutic effects of agonistic analogs of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and their mechanism of action were investigated in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ-rats) were treated with 15 μg/kg GHRH agonist, MR-409, or GHRH antagonist, MIA-602. At the end of treatment, morphological and biochemical analyses assessed the effects of these compounds on retinal neurovascular injury induced by hyperglycemia. The expression levels of GHRH and its receptor (GHRH-R) measured by qPCR and Western blotting were significantly down-regulated in retinas of STZ-rats and in human diabetic retinas (postmortem) compared with their respective controls...

Decreased growth hormone (GH) and thyroid hormone (TH) signaling are associated with longevity and metabolic fitness. The mechanisms underlying these benefits are poorly understood, but may overlap with those of dietary restriction (DR), which imparts similar benefits. Recently we discovered that hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) is increased upon DR and plays an essential role in mediating DR benefits across evolutionary boundaries. Here we found increased hepatic H2 S production in long-lived mouse strains of reduced GH and/or TH action, and in a cell-autonomous manner upon serum withdrawal in vitro...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between bone mineral density (BMD), glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]), and celiac autoimmunity in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and in an appropriate control population. STUDY DESIGN: BMD was assessed cross-sectionally in 252 children with T1D (123 positive for anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody [tTGA] and 129 matched children who were negative for tTGA). In addition, BMD was assessed in 141 children without diabetes who carried T1D-associated HLD-DR, DQ genotypes (71 positive for tTGA and 70 negative)...

Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) is a multifunctional protein that has important roles in inflammation and wound healing. Its aberrant regulation may contribute to many disease processes such as heart disease. The PAI-1 promoter is responsive to multiple inputs including cytokines, growth factors, steroids and oxidative stress. The statin drugs, atorvastatin, mevastatin and rosuvastatin, increased basal and stimulated expression of the PAI-1 promoter 3-fold. A statin-responsive, nuclear hormone response element was previously identified in the PAI-1 promoter, but it was incompletely characterized...

This study determined the effects of dietary restriction on growth and the expression of lipid metabolism and growth hormone signaling genes in the longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) of Korean cattle. Thirty-one Korean cattle steers (average age 10.5 months) were allocated to normal (N; n = 16) or dietary restriction (DR; n = 15) groups. The feeding trial consisted of two stages: for the 8-month growing period, the DR group was fed 80% of the food intake of the normal diet, and for the 6-month growth-finishing period, the DR group was fed a DR total mixed ration with 78...

It has been 20 years since the Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science, under the leadership Dr. Norman Orentreich, first reported that low methionine (Met) ingestion by rats extends lifespan (Orentreich et al., 1993). Since then, several studies have replicated the effects of dietary methionine restricted (MR) in delaying age-related diseases (Richie et al., 1994; Miller et al., 2005; Ables et al., 2012; Sanchez-Roman and Barja, 2013). We report the abstracts from the First International Mini-Symposium on Methionine Restriction and Lifespan held in Tarrytown, NY, September 2013...

CO2 exchange were measured on pea seedlings (Pisum sativum L. var. Bördi) cultivated from seeds imbibed either in water (C-plants) or in gibberellic acid (GA3) at the concentration of 25 μg/1 (GA-plants), and then grown under 17 W/m(2) blue light (B-plants) or 11 W/m(2) red light (R-plants).When measured under the same light conditions as during growth the net photosynthesis (APS) rate in B-plants was about twice higher than that in R-plants. Dark respiration (DR) rate was 70% higher in B- than in R-plants...

In view of the fact that insufficiency in immune response often correlates with poor prognosis, research in recent years has focused on the task of describing the precise status and function of the immune system and its possible effect on cancer patients. Although more than two thirds of treated patients respond to endocrine therapy, most patients with metastatic breast cancer develop a resistance to it. Estrogen modulates angiogenesis, partially through its effects on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)...

BACKGROUND: This study was performed as a substudy analysis of a randomized trial comparing conventional open esophagectomy [open surgical technique (OE)] by thoracotomy and laparotomy with minimally invasive esophagectomy [minimally invasive procedure (MIE)] by thoracoscopy and laparoscopy. This additional analysis focuses on the immunological changes and surgical stress response in these two randomized groups of a single center. METHODS: Patients with a resectable esophageal cancer were randomized to OE (n = 13) or MIE (n = 14)...

In view of the fact that insufficiency in immune response often correlates with poor prognosis, research in recent years has focused on the task of describing the precise status and function of the immune system and its possible effect on cancer patients. Although more than two thirds of treated patients respond to endocrine therapy, most patients with metastatic breast cancer develop a resistance to it. Estrogen modulates angiogenesis, partially through its effects on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)...

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects induced by increasing concentrations of human recombinant growth hormone on T lymphocytes. Ten healthy volunteers and twelve subjects with symptomatic allergies were enrolled in the study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and purified T lymphocytes were cultured in the presence of graded concentrations of growth hormone. Following appropriate in vitro stimulations, the proportion of apoptotic T cells, the percentage of activated T lymphocyte subpopulations, the phytohemagglutinin responsiveness and the Th2 response were assessed by flow cytometry analysis...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of laparoscopic or open colectomy with fast track or standard perioperative care on patient's immune status and stress response after surgery. METHODS: Patients with nonmetastasized colon cancer were randomized to laparoscopic or open colectomy with fast track or standard care. Blood samples were taken preoperatively (baseline), and 1, 2, 24, and 72 hours after surgery. Systemic HLA-DR expression, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, growth hormone, prolactin, and cortisol were analyzed...

BACKGROUND: Tumor immune tolerance can derive from the recruitment of suppressor cell populations, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). In cancer patients, MDSC accumulation correlates with increased tumor burden, but the mechanisms of MDSC induction remain poorly understood. METHODS: This study examined the ability of human tumor cell lines to induce MDSC from healthy donor PBMC using in vitro co-culture methods. These human MDSC were then characterized for morphology, phenotype, gene expression, and function...

PURPOSE: This study evaluated differences in stress response and immunological function following laparoscopic and conventional total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer. METHODS: Patients with non-metastasized rectal cancer were prospectively randomized to open (n = 18) or laparoscopic (n = 22) TME. Blood samples were taken preoperatively (baseline), 2, 24, and 72 h following surgery. Systemic white blood cell and monocyte count, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), HLA-DR expression on monocytes, growth hormone, prolactin, and cortisol were measured...