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Background: We performed gene therapy for critical limb ischemia in thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) by the intramuscular administration of plasmids of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene (VEGF 165) with or without bone marrow-derived stem cells. Methods: The 21 patients were randomly assigned to three groups: A—with dual therapy, cells and plasmid; B—plasmid only; and C—control group, where patients received intramuscular injections of saline. Serum VEGF levels, the ankle–brachial index (ABI), transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2), and the rest pain measured by the visual analog scale (VAS) were determined sequentially before treatment, and then 1 and 3 months after treatment. Results: In the treatment groups, serum VEGF levels increased by 4 weeks and returned to baseline values after 3 months. ABI after 12 weeks increased by an average of 0.18 in group A, and 0.09 in group B and group C. TcPO2 increased by an average of 17.3 mmHg in group A, 14.1 mmHg in group B, and 10.7 mmHg in group C. The largest pain decrease was observed in group A and averaged 5.43 less pain intensity. Conclusions: Gene therapy using the VEGF plasmid along with or without bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells administered intramuscularly into an ischemic limb in TAO is a safe and effective therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease in which autoantibodies target structures within the neuromuscular junction, affecting neuromuscular transmission. Muscle-specific tyrosine kinase receptor-associated MG (MuSK-MG) is a rare, often more severe, subtype of the disease with different pathogenesis and specific clinical features. It is characterized by a more severe clinical course, more frequent complications, and often inadequate response to treatment. Here, we review the current state of knowledge about potential pathomechanisms of the MuSK-MG and their therapeutic implications as well as ongoing research in this field, with reference to key points of immune-mediated processes involved in the background of myasthenia gravis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: MicroRNAs are small, non-coding, one strained RNA molecules that function as negative regulators of gene expression, and play a role in carcinogenesis. Mycosis fungoides is primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma deriving from adult T cells. Despite intensive research the etiopathology of MF is still not fully understood. The aim of the study: The aim of the study was to assess the expression of selected microRNAs in mycosis fungoides. Material and methods: 16 skin biopsies from patients with mycosis fungoides (6 early and 10 advanced MF) and 10 biopsies from healthy volunteers were analyzed. MicroRNA isolation followed by reverse transcriptase reaction and cDNA amplification was performed. Mir-21 and mir-214 were assessed. Results: The overexpression of mir-21 was observed in the MF group, irrespective of the disease stadium. No statistically significant differences in the mir-214 expression between MF group and healthy control were found. Conclusions: The overexpression of mir-21 suggests the role of this microRNA in the mycosis fungoides pathogenesis. Mir-21 may be a potential target for MF intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The activity of antioxidant enzymes in periodontitis is reduced, but results vary between studies and are subject to bias. In turn, the expression of genes encoding antioxidant factors has not been examined yet., Objectives: This is the first study to evaluate the expression of genes encoding superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1) and thioredoxin 1 (TXN1) in the saliva and gingival tissue of patients with periodontitis. The activity of the antioxidant enzyme protein products in the unstimulated and stimulated saliva and the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of patients with periodontitis was also investigated., Material and Methods: The prospective study involved 65 patients with periodontitis, who were divided into groups depending on the disease stage, and a control group of 31 ageand gender-matched healthy patients., Results: We demonstrated that the expression of genes encoding GPX1 and TXN1 in saliva was significantly higher, and the expression of genes encoding SOD1, GPX1 and TXN1 in the gingival tissue was significantly lower in periodontitis patients as compared to the control group. We noted a lower activity of GPX1 in unstimulated saliva, of SOD1 in stimulated saliva and of both antioxidant enzymes in GCF in patients with periodontitis., Conclusions: The GPX1 transcriptome and its activity in the salivary and GCF proteome appear to be dependent on the oxidative stress related to the destructive inflammatory changes in periodontitis.

Background: Chronic limb ischemia is a serious clinical problem. Patients who do not qualify for standard treatment may benefit from novel gene therapies., Objectives: This study evaluated angiogenesis following intramuscular injections of angiogenic plasmid Ang-1 in Fisher rats., Material and Methods: Twenty rats had plasmids injected intramuscularly in their hind limbs. The study group consisted of 10 animals which received the Ang-1 plasmid, while the control group consisted of 10 rats that received an empty plasmid. All the animals were euthanized after 12 weeks and tissue samples from the hind limb thigh muscles and internal organs were harvested for histological and immunohistochemical examinations. To assess the angiogenesis the number of vessels in the hind limb muscles visualized by the SMA and FVIII markers was counted for each animal in five separate microscopic fields., Results: There were no pathological lesions or any signs of neoplastic angiogenesis in any of the 20 rats. The number of vessels visualized by the FVIII marker in the study group was two times higher than in the control group (median: 12, range: 7-25 vs. median: 6, range: 2-15; p < 0.0001). The median estimated that the number of vessels visualized by the SMA marker is 63% higher in the study group compared to the control group (median: 6.5, range: 1-12 vs. median: 4, range: 0-10; p = 0.0008)., Conclusions: Intramuscular injections of Ang-1 plasmids induced angiogenesis in the rat hind limb muscles.