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ObjectiveTMEM55B (transmembrane protein 55B) is a phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate (PI[4,5]P2) phosphatase that regulates cellular cholesterol, modulates LDLR (low-density lipoprotein receptor) decay, and lysosome function. We tested the effects of Tmem55b knockdown on plasma lipids in mice and assessed the roles of LDLR lysosomal degradation and change in (PI[4,5]P2) in mediating these effects. Approach and Results: Western diet-fed C57BL/6J mice were treated with antisense oligonucleotides against Tmem55b or a nontargeting control for 3 to 4 weeks. Hepatic Tmem55b transcript and protein levels were reduced by ≈70%, and plasma non-HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol was increased ≈1.8-fold (P

Objective. Ghrelin, a 28 amino acid peptide, has diverse physiological roles. Phosphatidylino-sitol-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) are involved in some of the recognized actions of ghrelin. It has been shown that ghrelin upregulates HOXB4 gene expression but the real mechanism of this effect is not clear.

The profound advances in the biomolecular sciences over the last decades have enabled similar advances in biomedicine. These advances have increasingly challenged our abilities to deploy them in an equitable and ethically acceptable manner. As such, it has become necessary and important to teach biomedical and scientific ethics to our students who will become the researchers, medical professionals, and global citizens of the future. As advances in the biosciences and medicine are made, developed, and used across the globe, our survival on an endangered planet requires global dialog and consensual action. To that end, a group of us from around the world have come together to describe the differing foundations of our ethical beliefs, and how ethical issues in biomedicine and in science are described and confronted in our countries. We hope to show the commonality in our beliefs and practices and to encourage readers from around the world to contribute to a continuing discussion through a new section of the journal, The Global Ethics Corner.

In this work, we focus on the fractional versions of the well-known Kolmogorov forward equations. We consider the problem in two cases. In case 1, we apply the left Caputo fractional derivatives for α ∈ (0, 1] and in case 2, we use the right Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives on R+, for α ∈ (1, +∞). The exact solutions are obtained for the both cases by Laplace transforms and stable subordinators.

Long-term hyperglycemia associates with memory defects via hippocampal cells damaging. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of 1 month of i.p. injections of AG on passive avoidance learning (PAL) and hippocampal apoptosis in rat. Eighty male rats were divided into 10 groups: control, nondiabetics and STZ-induced diabetics treated with AG (50,100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, i.p.). PAL and the Bcl-2 family gene expressions were determined. Diabetes resulted in memory and Bcl-2 family gene expression deficits. AG (50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly improved the learning and Bcl-2, Bcl-x1, Bax, and Bak impairment in diabetic rats. However, negative effects were indicated by higher doses of the drug (200 and 400 mg/kg). Present study suggests that 1 month of i.p. injections of lower doses of AG, may improve the impaired cognitive tasks in STZ-induced diabetic rats possibly by modulating Bcl-2 family gene expressions. Key words: diabetes mellitus, aminoguanidine, passive avoidance learning, Bcl-2 family genes, rats. L'hyperglycemie a long terme est associee a des troubles de la memoire causes par un dommage aux cellules de l'hippocampe. Le but de l'etude presente etait d'examiner les effets d'injections i.p. d'aminoguanidine (AG) pendant un mois sur l'apprentissage d'evitement passif (AEP) et l'apoptose dans l'hippocampe chez le rat. Quatre-vingt rats males ont ete repartis en 10 groupes: controle, non diabetique et diabetique induit par la streptozotocine (STZ) traite a l'AG (50,100, 200 et 400 mg/kg, i.p.). L'AEP et l'expression genique des membres de la famille Bcl-2 ont ete mesures. Le diabete provoquait des troubles de memoire et d'expression genique de la famille Bcl-2. L'AG (50 et 100 mg/kg) ameliorait significativement l'apprentissage et l'expression deficiente de Bcl-2, Bcl-x1, Bax et Bak chez les rats diabetiques. Cependant, des effets negatifs etaient observes a des doses plus elevees de drogue (200 et 400 mg/kg). La presente etude suggere que des injections de doses plus faibles d'AG pendant un mois peuvent ameliorer les troubles cognitifs chez les rats diabetiques induits par la STZ, possiblement par la modulation de l'expression genique des membres de la famille Bcl-2. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: diabete sucre, aminoguanidine, apprentissage d'evitement passif, famille des genes Bcl-2, rats., Introduction Long-term hyperglycemia and disorder in the carbohydrates metabolism is characterized as DM (Zhang et al. 2014). One of the DM complications is neuropathy which is resulted from nerve regeneration [...]

Introduction: Despite all the research, no definitive treatment for stroke has been found yet. Cinnamon is a plant that has been shown to have health benefits effects. In this study, the effect of pretreatment of cinnamon on ischemia tolerance and the expression of Zonula occludens 1(ZO-1) gene in the brains of rats receiving a high-fat diet was investigated. Methods: In this study, 72 rats were divided into six groups: control, sham, model (stroke), vehicle, lovastatin, and cinnamon. All groups except the control group received a high-fat diet for 8 weeks. Then the last three groups received Carboxymethyl cellulose, lovastatin, and cinnamon 130 mg accordingly for 6 weeks. Stroke was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Twelve hours later, the animals were examined for the extent of serum lipids, brain edema, anti-oxidant capacity and gene expression of ZO-1. Results: Cinnamon was effective in reducing serum cholesterol and triglyceride. Cinnamon treatment significantly diminished brain edema. It also restored anti-oxidant capacity. ZO-1 gene expression was increased in the ischemic brains after cinnamon treatment (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Pretreatment with Cin130 had beneficial effects on the serum lipid profile, edema volume in ischemic brain and anti-oxidant capacity. It increased ZO-1 gene expression and so maintained cellular integrity and prevented the subsequent edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence suggests that there is some relationship between circadian clock gene variants and obesity. However, there are few examinations supporting this observation in human subjects. This study was aimed to investigate the interaction between Cry1 circadian gene polymorphism and major dietary patterns on obesity measurements. Methods: Healthy overweight and obese women aged 18-53 years old were recruited from health centers in Tehran, Iran by a multistage cluster random sampling method (n = 377). Major dietary patterns were elicited after assessing the intake of 16 food groups using a valid and reliable 147-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Anthropometric measurements were performed for each and every participant. Body composition was analyzed using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Socio-demographic and physical activity data were also collected by a validated Farsi demographic questionnaire and the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). The Cry1 rs2287161 polymorphism were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Generalized linear models were used for interaction analysis. Results: Two major dietary patterns, including healthy and unhealthy dietary pattern (HDP and UDP, respectively) were determined using factor analysis. Our study showed a significant higher weight (P = 0.003), body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.042), hip circumference (P = 0.052), and body fat mass (P = 0.028) in carriers of C allele compared with G allele. Moreover, a significant gene-diet interaction was observed between being a carrier of C allele and BMI (P = 0.099 for CC genotype; P = 0.1 for CG genotype) and fat mass (P = 0.1 for CG genotype). Conclusions: The current study suggests a significant interaction of Cry1 rs2287161 gene polymorphisms in people following a healthy dietary pattern on BMI and fat mass among carriers of C allele compared to carriers of G allele. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]