Comparison of conditioned medium and direct co-culture of human granulosa cells on mouse embryo development

Although numerous investigations have demonstrated the beneficial effects of co-culture system of different somatic cells on in vitro development of embryos, the effects of conditioned-media of co-culture cells have not been well documented. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of human granulosa cells co-culture system and its conditioned medium on the developmental rate of mouse embryos in vitro. Two sets of experiments were undertaken: in the first one 317 mouse one-cell embryos were cultured in human granulosa cell co-culture system (GC). Ham's F10 medium conditioned with granulosa cells (CM) and non-conditioned Ham's F10 for 120 h. In the second experiment. 391 late two-cell embryos were cultured in the 3 fore-mentioned culture treatments for 72 h. Embryos were obtained from NMRI mice. Granulosa cells were collected from patients undergoing an IVF program during oocyte pickup. In the first set of experiments, 23.6, 14.5 and 11.1% of one-cell embryos passed two-cell block and continued growing to 4-cell in GC, CM and HF, respectively. This index in GC was significantly different from two other treatments. Also significantly more embryos reached blastocyst stage in GC compared with two other treatments. The blastocyst rate was not significantly different between CM and HF. In the second set of experiments the proportion of blastocyst stage was significantly higher in CM than that in HF and lower than that in GC. In conclusion, although human granulosa cell-conditioned medium has beneficial effects on mouse embryo development, it was not as effective as co-culture of these cells.     

pWormgatePro enables promoter-driven knockdown by hairpin RNA interference of muscle and neuronal gene products in Caenorhabditis elegans

Recent advances in genome research and RNA interference (RNAi) technology have accelerated the adoption of genome-wide experimental approaches for determining gene function in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Despite recent successes, the application of RNAi is limited when gene knockdown causes complex phenotypes or embryonic lethality. Recently, the high-throughput pWormgate cloning system has been introduced as a tool to efficiently generate heat-shock-inducible hairpin RNA constructs using the Gateway recombination technology. We have modified pWormgate into a versatile hairpin cloning plasmid, pWormgatePro, which facilitates temporally and spatially inducible hairpin RNAi using constitutively active, tissue-specific promoters. To demonstrate its utility we knocked down unc-22 in body wall muscles as well as the axon guidance gene unc-5 in the nervous system indicating that promoter-driven hairpins can overcome the neuronal resistance to RNAi. Using pWormgatePro we also show that RNAi in the nervous system of C. elegans is non-autonomous and that spreading of the RNAi signal from neurons to muscle is substantially reduced but not abolished in spreading-defective sid-1 mutant animals. Our findings illustrate the effectiveness of pWormgatePro for gene silencing in muscle cells and neurons and bring forward the possibility of applying tissue-specific RNAi on a genome-wide scale.     

Soils selenium level and esophageal cancer: An ecological study in a high risk area for esophageal cancer

ProjectGolestan province, located in northeast of Iran, has been known as a high risk area for esophageal cancer (EC). This study was conducted to assess the relationship between soils selenium (Se) level and development of EC in this region.ProceduresIn this ecological study, 135 blocks were identified in Golestan province based on geographical altitude and longitude on the map. One soil sample was collected from the center of each block. Then we investigated Se concentration in soil samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Statistical analysis was performed by the Pearson correlation test and Student t-tests. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered as significant.ResultsThe mean±SD of soils Se level in Golestan province was 3.7±1.61 mg/kg. There was a positive correlation between soils Se level and EC rates in this area (P=0.03) (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.19). Soils Se concentration was significantly higher in high (4.13 mg/kg) than in the low (3.39 mg/kg) EC rate areas (P=0.01).ConclusionsWe found high soils Se concentration and a significant positive relationship between soils Se level and EC rate in Golestan province of Iran. So, high soils Se level may play a possible role in developing EC in this area, specifically in Turkmensahra (very high EC rates).     

Highly upregulated in liver cancer (HULC): An update on its role in carcinogenesis

Highly upregulated in liver cancer (HULC) was initially recognized during the screening of a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-specific gene library. Further studies demonstrated its aberrant upregulation in several other tumor types. The oncogenic roles of this long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) have been verified through expression studies as well as functional studies. Moreover, the results of knockdown experiments have indicated diminished carcinogenic effects of cancer cell line in nude mice following HULC silencing. More recent studies have shown that expression levels of this lncRNA might be used as diagnostic biomarkers in cancer patients. Moreover, mechanistical studies have revealed associations between HULC and two HCC-related viruses namely hepatitis B and C viruses. Taken together, HULC can be regarded as a therapeutic target not only for HCC but also for a variety of human malignancies. In the current review, we summarized the recent literature about the role of HULC in the carcinogenesis and its potential application in cancer diagnosis and prognosis.     

Neuroprotective and Antiapoptotic Effects of Allopregnanolone and Curcumin on Arsenic-Induced Toxicity in SH-SY5Y Dopaminergic Human Neuroblastoma Cells

Neurophysiology - Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a widespread neurological disorder mainly characterized by gradual death of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia. In our study, we compared...     

ZOUSH Ointment with the Properties of Antibacterial Moreover,Burn Wound Healing

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a third hospital infection agent, and it is the second essential factor in wound infections. Despite many...     

Iranian Breast Cancer Bio-Bank: the activity and challenging issues

The information gained from the Human Genome Project has facilitated molecular as well as cellular studies not only to find the origins of Breast Cancer (BC), but also to create novel, and effective treatments. In order to provide an infrastructure for local and international research in this area, Iranian Center for Breast Cancer (ICBC) has established a Bio-Bank (BB) for BC. This article describes the aim, structure, and activities in general, and the challenging issues confronting the bank as a model for the establishment of Bio-Banks in developing countries in particular. The methods employed by the Bank could be explained in the following categories:

• Blood and Tissue sampling,
• Preparation and Banking of collected Samples,
• Clinical and Histopathology data collection,
• Collaboration Protocol,
• Challenging issues, and the programs to confront the problems.

During the five-year activity of the bank, 110 families were enrolled for genetic counseling, from whom 600 biologic samples were obtained, including 387 blood samples and 213 tissue samples. Of 387 blood samples, 317 (82%) were found to belong to the BC patients and the remaining 70 (18%) belonged to their available relatives. The number of samples increased over the study period partly as a result of the programs designed to confront the problems. During the study period, there were some finished research studies using the samples of BB, and many other studies which are still ongoing. ICBC-BB is a model of biologic sample banking which provides a significant number of biological samples for local and international collaborative research projects regarding molecular and cellular aspects of BC. In establishing the ICBC-BB we have experienced problems and challenges, some general and some local. Some were expected and others not, but we have identified solutions.     

Cottonseed Meal Bioactive Peptides as an Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Broiler Chicks

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of bioactive peptides derived from enzymatic hydrolysis of cottonseed meal (CSBP) compared with zinc bacitracin, as an antibiotic growth promoter (AGP), on productive traits, serum lipid profile, and ileal microbial population in broiler chickens. A total number of 240-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were allocated into 4 treatments, replicated 5 times based on a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments included a basal diet serving as control group, basal diet?+?40 mg/kg zinc bacitracin as AGP group, and the basal diet supplemented with 15 or 20 g/kg CSBP substituting equal quantity of maize and soybean meal. Performance traits, including daily weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and livability were recorded. At the end of the study, serum lipid parameters, ileal microbial population, and economical indices were determined. The results indicated that feed intake and FCR increased (P?<?0.05) in birds receiving 20 g/kg CSBP over the entire period (1–35 days), but there was no significant effect of CSBP on body weight, although numerically higher than the control group. However, the antibiotic group showed a significant increase (P?<?0.05) in body weight and feed intake. Livability, European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF), and European Broiler Index (EBI) significantly improved in broiler chickens fed antibiotic and 15 g/kg CSBP supplement (P?<?0.05). Adding 20 g/kg of CSBP to the diet significantly increased serum triglycerides and decreased low-density lipoproteins (LDL) compared to the control and antibiotic groups on day 35. The relative weight of abdominal fat and LDL to HDL ratio were significantly lower for CSBP and antibiotic treatments than the control group (P?<?0.05). Supplementation of antibiotic and both graded levels of CSBP decreased the ileum population of Escherichia coli (P?<?0.05). The current findings suggest that including CSBP in broiler diets may benefit production through improving growth rate of broilers and balancing gut microbiota population. In addition, CSBP could be considered as a potential alternative to antibiotics in an AGP free production system.

     

Evaluation of Physicochemical Activity of Anticancer Fusion Proteins; Enterocin A- R type pyocin-Lactocin-Ligand Against Gastric Cancer Cell Line by Real-Time RT PCR Technique

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Gastric cancer treatment remains a major challenge. There are many reports on the positive efficacy of Bacteriocins associated with...     

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) ?629C/A polymorphism and it,s effects on the serum lipid levels in metabolic syndrome patients

Metabolic syndrome is a relatively common disorder with significant morbidity worldwide. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) plays a central role in the metabolism of lipoproteins. In this study the effect of -629C/A polymorphism on the concentration of CETP and plasma lipids pattern was elicited in metabolic syndrome patients and control subjects. For this, a sample of 200 patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome disorder was studied in comparison with 200 healthy controls. This study was performed by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Genotype distribution and allelic frequencies were determined and compared in metabolic syndrome and healthy controls. To determine the relationship between -629C/A polymorphism and lipid levels, lipids and CETP concentration were measured in metabolic syndrome and normal subjects. The results showed a significant difference between two groups in terms of FBS, cholesterol, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C levels as well as BMI, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The genotype frequencies for this polymorphism differed significantly between metabolic syndrome patients and controls (in control group: CC%?20.5, CA%?76, AA%?3.5 and in patient group: CC%?28.5, CA%?53.5, AA%?18) (p?相似文献