Int J Med Sci
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Advances in imaging diagnostics using magnetic resonance tomography (MRT), positron emission tomography (PET) and fluorescence imaging including near infrared (NIR) imaging methods are facilitated by constant improvement of the concepts of peptide synthesis. Feasible patient-specific theranostic platforms in the personalized medicine are particularly dependent on efficient and clinically applicable peptide constructs. ⋯ Nowadays the solid phase synthesis (SPPS) chemistry emerges as a key technology and is considered as a promising methodology to design peptides for the investigation of molecular pharmacological processes at the transcriptional level. SPPS syntheses could be carried out in core facilities producing peptides for large-scale scientific implementations as presented here.
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The incidence of non-contact knee injury was found higher in female than in male and is related to the phases of the menstrual cycle. This raised the possibility that female sex-steroids are involved in the mechanism underlying this injury via affecting the expression of the receptors for relaxin, a peptide hormone known to modulate ligament laxity. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of sex-steroids on relaxin receptor isoforms (RXFP1 & RXFP2) expression in the ligaments and tendons of the knee. ⋯ Relaxin receptor isoforms up-regulation by progesterone and high dose estrogen could provide the basis for the reported increase in knee laxity while down-regulation of these receptor isoforms by testosterone could explain low incidence of non-contact knee injury in male.
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Recent studies indicate that the functional renin-angiotensin system (RAS) exists in the adipose tissue. The adipose tissue RAS is proposed in the pathophysiology of metabolic disorders. In the present study, we examined therapeutic effects of irbesartan, an angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 receptor (AT1R)-specific blocker, in genetically obese diabetic KKAy mice, a model of human metabolic disorders without any dietary loading, with our focus on the analysis on possible effect of irbesartan on the adipose tissue. ⋯ In addition, irbesartan significantly decreased the adipose leptin mRNA expression and tended to decrease IL-6 mRNA expression in the adipose tissue of KKAy mice. Furthermore irbesartan preserved the adipose gene expression of AT1R-associated protein (ATRAP), an endogenous inhibitory molecule of tissue AT1R signaling, with a concomitant tendency of up-regulation of adipose tissue ATRAP/AT1R ratio. Collectively, these results suggest that the irbesartan-induced beneficial suppressive effect on the leptin-IL-6 axis in the adipose tissue in KKAy mice is partly mediated by a trend of up-regulation of the adipose ATRAP/AT1R ratio as one of pleiotropic effects of irbesartan.
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Consumption of lycopene through tomato products has been suggested to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Cellular adhesion and migration are important features of cancer progression and therefore a potential target for cancer interception. In the present study we have examined the in vitro effect of lycopene on these processes. ⋯ This in vitro investigation indicates that lycopene can influence the cell adhesion and migration properties of cancer cells at a dose which is arguably achievable in patients. The results of our study expand our understanding of a chemo preventive role of lycopene in prostate cancer.
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Histone acetylation, which is a chromatin modification of histone tails, can dynamically regulate the expression of various genes in normal development. HDAC2 is a negative regulatory factor of acetylation and closely related to learning and memory. NSE is a nerve marker and vital for maintaining physiological functions in nervous system. Currently, few studies associated with the expression pattern of HDAC2 in postnatal rat hippocampus have been reported. This study aimed to explore the temporal and spatial expression pattern of HDAC2, helping to reveal the expression characteristics of HDAC2 during postnatal neuronal maturation. ⋯ The observed results indicate that the expression levels of HDAC2 become lower and with different subcellular localizations in neurons during hippocampal neuronal maturation, suggesting the specific expression characteristics of HDAC2 might play an important role during postnatal learning-memory function and development.