The Relationships between Polymorphisms in Genes Encoding the Growth Factors TGF-β1, PDGFB,EGF, bFGF and VEGF-A and the Restenosis Process in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease Treated with Bare Metal Stent

Background

Neointima forming after stent implantation consists of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in 90%. Growth factors TGF-β1, PDGFB, EGF, bFGF and VEGF-A play an important role in VSMC proliferation and migration to the tunica intima after arterial wall injury. The aim of this paper was an analysis of functional polymorphisms in genes encoding TGF-β1, PDGFB, EGF, bFGF and VEGF-A in relation to in-stent restenosis (ISR).

Materials and Methods

265 patients with a stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) hospitalized in our center in the years 2007–2011 were included in the study. All patients underwent stent implantation at admission to the hospital and had another coronary angiography performed due to recurrence of the ailments or a positive result of the test assessing the coronary flow reserve. Angiographically significant ISR was defined as stenosis >50% in the stented coronary artery segment. The patients were divided into two groups–with angiographically significant ISR (n = 53) and without significant ISR (n = 212). Additionally, the assessment of late lumen loss (LLL) in vessel was performed. EGF rs4444903 polymorphism was genotyped using the PCR-RFLP method whilst rs1800470 (TGFB1), rs2285094 (PDGFB) rs308395 (bFGF) and rs699947 (VEGF-A) were determined using the TaqMan method.

Results

Angiographically significant ISR was significantly less frequently observed in the group of patients with the A/A genotype of rs1800470 polymorphism (TGFB1) versus patients with A/G and G/G genotypes. In the multivariable analysis, LLL was significantly lower in patients with the A/A genotype of rs1800470 (TGFB1) versus those with the A/G and G/G genotypes and higher in patients with the A/A genotype of the VEGF-A polymorphism versus the A/C and C/C genotypes. The C/C genotype of rs2285094 (PDGFB) was associated with greater LLL compared to C/T heterozygotes and T/T homozygotes.

Conclusions

The polymorphisms rs1800470, rs2285094 and rs6999447 of the TGFB1, PDGFB and VEGF-A genes, respectively, are associated with LLL in patients with SCAD treated by PCI with a metal stent implantation.     

Cis-regulatory elements used to control gene expression in plants

Plant biotechnology is a dynamically developing science, which comprises many fields of knowledge. Novel plant genetic engineering findings highly influence the improvement of industrial production. These findings mostly concern cis-regulatory elements, which are sequences controlling gene expression at all developmental stages. They comprise of promoters, enhancers, insulators and silencers, which are used to construct synthetic expression cassettes. Examples of most important cis-regulatory elements are reviewed in the present paper. Variability among core promoters content and distal promoter regions impedes evaluation of interactions between them during the artificial promoters construction. Synthetic promoters and artificial expression cassettes trigger a significant increase in gene expression level, better properties and quality of a product. Accumulating knowledge about gene promoters, cis sequences and their cooperating factors allows uniform expression systems and highly predictable results.     

The use of dialdehyde starch derivatives in the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals

Products of the reaction between dialdehyde starch and Y-NH₂ compounds (e.g. semicarbazide or hydrazine) are effective ligands for metal ions. The usefulness of these derivatives was tested in the experiment, both in terms of the immobilization of heavy metal ions in soil and the potential application in phytoextraction processes. The experimental model comprised maize and the ions of such metals as: Zn(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II). The amount of maize yield, as well as heavy metal content and uptake by the aboveground parts and roots of maize, were studied during a three-year pot experiment. The results of the study indicate the significant impact of heavy metals on reduced yield and increased heavy metal content in maize. Soil-applied dialdehyde starch derivatives resulted in lower yields, particularly disemicarbazone (DASS), but in heavy metal-contaminated soils they largely limited the negative impact of these metals both on yielding and heavy metal content in plants, particularly dihydrazone (DASH). It was demonstrated that the application of dihydrazone (DASH) to a soil polluted with heavy metals boosted the uptake of Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd from the soil, hence there is a possibility to use this compound in the phytoextraction of these metals from the soil. Decreased Ni uptake was also determined, hence the possibility of using this compound in the immobilization of this metal. The study showed that dialdehyde starch disemicarbazone was ineffective in the discussed processes.     

Effect of extrusion on the nutritional value of peas for broiler chickens

The study was conducted to investigate the nutritional value of five samples of raw and extruded pea seeds (Pisum sativum L., Tarachalska cv.) from different experimental fields. The study included 150 male 1-day-old Ross 308 chickens, which were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments (50 replications each) and kept in individual cages. From days 1 to 16, all birds received only the basal diets. From days 17 to 21, the control group received still the basal diet, but for the two other groups, 20% of basal diet was replaced by raw or extruded peas. Furthermore, the groups receiving raw or extruded peas were divided into five subgroups of 10 animals each, where the diets contained one of the five pea samples of the same cultivar grown at different locations, respectively. On days 19 and 20, excreta were individually collected, and then all chickens were sacrificed and ileal digesta were sampled for determination of ileal digestibility, which was calculated by the difference method. Extrusion of pea seeds decreased the contents of crude fibre, acid and neutral detergent fibre, trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA), phytic P and resistant starch (RS) (p ≤ 0.05), but increased the contents of apparent metabolisable energy (AME_N) by approximately 2.25 MJ/kg dry matter (DM). Furthermore, extrusion improved the DM and crude protein digestibility significantly by about 21.3% and 11.6%, respectively. Similar results were observed for the digestibility of all analysed amino acids. In conclusion, extrusion markedly influenced the chemical composition of peas, reduced their contents of phytic P, TIA and RS and consequently had a positive impact on nutrient digestibility and AME_N values.     

Mechanical properties of mosquito nets in the context of hernia repair

The paper deals with issue of applying mosquito nets as implants in hernia repair, which have already been used in resource-poor developing countries. Uniaxial tensile tests have been conducted on polyester mosquito meshes in two orthogonal directions. Non-linear elastic constitutive laws parameters have been identified to be applied in dense net material models. Mechanical performance of tested mosquito nets has been compared with properties of commercial implants used in treatment of hernia and with properties of human tissue. This study contributes to mechanical knowledge of hernia repair issue by investigation of cheaper alternative to commercial implants.     

Specific and Selective Bacteriophages in the Fight against Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii causes serious infections especially in immunocompromised and/or hospitalized patients. Several A. baumannii strains are multidrug resistant and infect wounds, bones, and the respiratory tract. Current studies are focused on finding new effective agents against A. baumannii. Phage therapy is a promising means to fight this bacterium and many studies on procuring and applying new phages against A. baumannii are currently being conducted. As shown in animal models, phages against multidrug-resistant A. baumannii may control bacterial infections caused by this pathogen and may be a real hope to solve this dangerous health problem.     

Tendinosis develops from age‐ and oxygen tension‐dependent modulation of Rac1 activity

Age‐related tendon degeneration (tendinosis) is characterized by a phenotypic change in which tenocytes display characteristics of fibrochondrocytes and mineralized fibrochondrocytes. As tendon degeneration has been noted in vivo in areas of decreased tendon vascularity, we hypothesized that hypoxia is responsible for the development of the tendinosis phenotype, and that these effects are more pronounced in aged tenocytes. Hypoxic (1% O₂) culture of aged, tendinotic, and young human tenocytes resulted in a mineralized fibrochondrocyte phenotype in aged tenocytes, and a fibrochondrocyte phenotype in young and tendinotic tenocytes. Investigation of the molecular mechanism responsible for this phenotype change revealed that the fibrochondrocyte phenotype in aged tenocytes occurs with decreased Rac1 activity in response to hypoxia. In young hypoxic tenocytes, however, the fibrochondrocyte phenotype occurs with concomitant decreased Rac1 activity coupled with increased RhoA activity. Using pharmacologic and adenoviral manipulation, we confirmed that these hypoxic effects on the tenocyte phenotype are linked directly to the activity of RhoA/Rac1 GTPase in in vitro human cell culture and tendon explants. These results demonstrate that hypoxia drives tenocyte phenotypic changes, and provide a molecular insight into the development of human tendinosis that occurs with aging.