1 1886 160 ENDOGENOUS BIOLOGICAL DRIVERS IN DIABETIC LOWER LIMB WOUNDS RECURRENCE: HYPOTHETICAL REFLECTIONS. AN IMPAIRED HEALING RESPONSE UNDERLIES DIABETIC FOOT WOUND CHRONICITY, FREQUENTLY TRANSLATING TO AMPUTATION, DISABILITY, AND MORTALITY. DIABETICS SUFFER FROM UNDERAPPRECIATED EPISODES OF POST-EPITHELIZATION ULCER RECURRENCE. RECURRENCE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA ARE ALARMINGLY HIGH, SO THE ULCER IS CONSIDERED IN "REMISSION" AND NOT HEALED FROM THE TIME IT REMAINS EPITHELIALIZED. RECURRENCE MAY RESULT FROM THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF BEHAVIORAL AND ENDOGENOUS BIOLOGICAL FACTORS. ALTHOUGH THE DAMAGING ROLE OF BEHAVIORAL, CLINICAL PREDISPOSING FACTORS IS UNDEBATABLE, IT STILL REMAINS ELUSIVE IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF ENDOGENOUS BIOLOGICAL CULPRITS THAT MAY PRIME THE RESIDUAL SCAR TISSUE FOR RECURRENCE. FURTHERMORE, THE EVENT OF ULCER RECURRENCE STILL WAITS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF A MOLECULAR PREDICTOR. WE PROPOSE THAT ULCER RECURRENCE IS DEEPLY IMPINGED BY CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA AND ITS DOWNSTREAM BIOLOGICAL EFFECTORS, WHICH ORIGINATE EPIGENETIC DRIVERS THAT ENFORCE ABNORMAL PATHOLOGIC PHENOTYPES TO DERMAL FIBROBLASTS AND KERATINOCYTES AS MEMORY CELLS. HYPERGLYCEMIA-DERIVED CYTOTOXIC REACTANTS ACCUMULATE AND MODIFY DERMAL PROTEINS, REDUCE SCAR TISSUE MECHANICAL TOLERANCE, AND DISRUPT FIBROBLAST-SECRETORY ACTIVITY. ACCORDINGLY, THE COMBINATION OF EPIGENETIC AND LOCAL AND SYSTEMIC CYTOTOXIC SIGNALERS INDUCE THE ONSET OF "AT-RISK PHENOTYPES" SUCH AS PREMATURE SKIN CELL AGING, DYSMETABOLISM, INFLAMMATORY, PRO-DEGRADATIVE, AND OXIDATIVE PROGRAMS THAT MAY ULTIMATELY CONVERGE TO SCAR CELL DEMISE. POST-EPITHELIALIZATION RECURRENCE RATE DATA ARE MISSING IN CLINICAL STUDIES OF REPUTED ULCER HEALING THERAPIES DURING FOLLOW-UP PERIODS. INTRA-ULCER INFILTRATION OF EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR EXHIBITS THE MOST CONSISTENT REMISSION DATA WITH THE LOWEST RECURRENCES DURING 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. RECURRENCE DATA SHOULD BE REGARDED AS A VALUABLE CLINICAL ENDPOINT DURING THE INVESTIGATIONAL PERIOD FOR EACH EMERGENT HEALING CANDIDATE. 2023 2 4194 39 METABOLIC MEMORY IN DIABETIC FOOT SYNDROME (DFS): MICRO-RNAS, SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS (SNPS) FREQUENCY AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH INDICES OF ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION AND ADIPO-INFLAMMATORY DYSFUNCTION. BACKGROUND: DIABETIC FOOT IS A SIGNIFICANT CAUSE OF MORBIDITY IN DIABETIC PATIENTS, WITH A RATE THAT IS APPROXIMATELY TWICE THAT OF PATIENTS WITHOUT FOOT ULCERS. "METABOLIC MEMORY" REPRESENTS THE EPIGENETIC CHANGES INDUCED BY CHRONIC HYPERGLYCAEMIA, DESPITE THE CORRECTION OF THE GLUCOSE LEVELS THEMSELVES. THESE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS APPEAR TO PERPETUATE THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY PERSISTENTLY ELEVATED GLUCOSE LEVELS EVEN IN THEIR ABSENCE, ACTING AT VARIOUS LEVELS, MOSTLY AFFECTING THE MOLECULAR PROCESSES OF DIABETIC ULCER HEALING. METHODS: THE AIM OF OUR CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS TO ANALYSE A COHORT OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES WITH AND WITHOUT LOWER LIMB ULCERS. WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF EPIGENETIC CHANGES ON MIRNA 126, 305, AND 217 EXPRESSION AND THE FREQUENCY OF THE SNPS OF GENES ENCODING INFLAMMATORY MOLECULES (E.G., IL-6 AND TNF-ALPHA) AND THEIR CORRELATIONS WITH SERUM LEVELS OF PROANGIOGENIC MOLECULES (E.G., ENOS, VEGF AND HIF-1ALPHA) AND SEVERAL ADIPOKINES AS WELL AS WITH ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION, ASSESSED NONINVASIVELY BY REACTIVE HYPERAEMIA PERIPHERAL ARTERY TONOMETRY. BETWEEN MARCH 2021 AND JUNE 2022, 110 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED INTO THE STUDY: 50 DIABETIC PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC FOOT INJURIES, 40 DIABETIC PATIENTS WITHOUT ULCERATIVE COMPLICATIONS AND 20 NONDIABETIC PATIENTS AS THE CONTROL GROUP. RESULTS: DIABETIC SUBJECTS WITH LOWER LIMB ULCERATIVE LESIONS EXHIBITED HIGHER LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, SUCH AS VEGF (191.40 +/- 200 PG/ML VS. 98.27 +/- 56.92 PG/ML VS. 71.01 +/- 52.96 PG/ML; P = 0.22), HIF-1ALPHA (40.18 +/- 10.80 NG/ML VS. 33.50 +/- 6.16 NG/ML VS. 33.85 +/- 6.84 NG/ML; P = 0.10), AND GREMLIN-1 (1.72 +/- 0.512 NG/ML VS. 1.31 +/- 0.21 NG/ML VS. 1.11 +/- 0.19 NG/ML; P < 0.0005), THAN THOSE WITHOUT LOWER LIMB ULCERS AND HEALTHY CONTROLS. FURTHERMORE, WE OBSERVED THAT MIR-217-5P AND MIR-503-5P WERE 2.19-FOLD (P < 0.05) AND 6.21-FOLD (P = 0.001) MORE HIGHLY EXPRESSED IN DIABETIC FOOT PATIENTS THAN IN HEALTHY CONTROLS, RESPECTIVELY. ADDITIONALLY, DIABETIC PATIENTS WITHOUT LOWER LIMB ULCERATIVE COMPLICATIONS SHOWED 2.41-FOLD (P = 0) AND 2.24-FOLD (P = 0.029) HIGHER EXPRESSION OF MIR-217-5P AND MIR-503-5P, RESPECTIVELY, THAN HEALTHY CONTROLS. FINALLY, DIABETIC PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT ULCERATIVE COMPLICATIONS OF THE LOWER LIMBS SHOWED HIGHER EXPRESSION OF THE VEGFC2578A CC POLYMORPHISM (P = 0.001) AND LOWER EXPRESSION OF THE VEGFC2578A AC POLYMORPHISM (P < 0.005) THAN THE HEALTHY CONTROL POPULATION. WE OBSERVED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN GREMLIN-1 LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC FOOT, SUGGESTING THAT THIS INFLAMMATORY ADIPOKINE MAY SERVE AS A PREDICTIVE MARKER FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF DIABETIC FOOT. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS HIGHLIGHTED THAT PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC FOOT SHOWED PREDOMINANT EXPRESSION OF THE VEGF C2578A CC POLYMORPHISM AND REDUCED EXPRESSION OF THE AC ALLELE. ADDITIONALLY, WE FOUND AN OVEREXPRESSION OF MIR-217-5P AND MIR-503-5P IN DIABETIC PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT DIABETIC FOOT SYNDROME COMPARED WITH HEALTHY CONTROLS. THESE RESULTS ALIGN WITH THOSE REPORTED IN THE LITERATURE, IN WHICH THE OVEREXPRESSION OF MIR-217-5P AND MIR-503-5P IN THE CONTEXT OF DIABETIC FOOT IS REPORTED. THE IDENTIFICATION OF THESE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS COULD THEREFORE BE HELPFUL IN THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF DIABETIC FOOT AND THE TREATMENT OF RISK FACTORS. HOWEVER, FURTHER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO CONFIRM THIS HYPOTHESIS. 2023 3 3179 31 HAIR CORTISOL AS A HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS BIOMARKER IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH ASTHMA: A RETROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY. BACKGROUND: CORTISOL IS A HORMONE INVOLVED IN MANY PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDING FETAL MATURATION AND EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING DURING PREGNANCY. THIS STUDY AIMED TO USE HAIR CORTISOL AS A BIOMARKER OF CHRONIC INHALED CORTICOSTEROID (ICS) EXPOSURE AND ASSESS THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF ASTHMA ON THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS IN PREGNANT WOMEN. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT PREGNANT WOMEN WITH ASTHMA TREATED WITH ICS WOULD EXHIBIT LOWER HAIR CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS, INDICATIVE OF ADRENAL SUPPRESSION, COMPARED TO WOMEN WITH ASTHMA NOT USING ICS AND WOMEN WHO DO NOT HAVE ASTHMA. METHODS: WE PERFORMED AN OBSERVATIONAL RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY. HAIR SAMPLES WERE ANALYZED FROM PREGNANT WOMEN WITH ASTHMA, WITH (N = 56) AND WITHOUT (N = 31) ICS TREATMENT, AND PREGNANT WOMEN WITHOUT ASTHMA (N = 31). HAIR SAMPLES WERE SEGMENTED BASED ON THE GROWTH RATE OF 1 CM/MONTH AND ANALYZED BY ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY TO PROVIDE CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS CORRESPONDING TO PRECONCEPTION, TRIMESTERS 1-3, AND POSTPARTUM. HAIR CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS WERE COMPARED WITHIN AND AMONG THE GROUPS USING NON-PARAMETRIC STATISTICAL TESTS. RESULTS: HAIR CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS INCREASED ACROSS TRIMESTERS FOR ALL THREE GROUPS, BUT THIS INCREASE WAS DAMPENED IN WOMEN WITH ASTHMA (P = 0.03 FOR CONTROLS VS. ICS TREATED AND CONTROLS VS. NO ICS). ICS TREATED WOMEN TAKING MORE THAN FIVE DOSES PER WEEK HAD HAIR CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS 47 % LOWER IN THIRD TRIMESTER THAN CONTROLS. LINEAR REGRESSION OF THE THIRD TRIMESTER HAIR CORTISOL RESULTS IDENTIFIED ASTHMA AS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR WHEN COMPARING CONSISTENT ICS USE OR ASTHMA AS THE PREDICTOR (F(1, 25) = 9.7, P = 0.005, R(2) ADJ = 0.257). CONCLUSIONS: HAIR CORTISOL SUCCESSFULLY SHOWED THE EXPECTED CHANGE IN CORTISOL OVER THE COURSE OF PREGNANCY AND MAY BE A USEFUL BIOMARKER OF HPA AXIS FUNCTION IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH ASTHMA. THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF DECREASED MATERNAL CORTISOL IN WOMEN WITH ASTHMA ON PERINATAL OUTCOMES REMAINS TO BE DETERMINED. 2016 4 2976 41 GENETIC AND MOLECULAR BASIS OF DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS: CLINICAL REVIEW. DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS (DFUS) ARE MAJOR COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES AND OFTEN CORRELATE WITH PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, TRAUMA AND PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE. IT IS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR AND GENETIC BASIS OF DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS IN ORDER TO TAILOR PATIENT CENTRED CARE TOWARDS PARTICULAR PATIENT GROUPS. THIS REVIEW AIMED TO EVALUATE WHETHER CURRENT LITERATURE WAS INDICATIVE OF AN UNDERLYING MOLECULAR AND GENETIC BASIS FOR DFUS AND TO DISCUSS CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. FROM A MOLECULAR PERSPECTIVE, WOUND HEALING IS A PROCESS THAT TRANSPIRES FOLLOWING BREACH OF THE SKIN BARRIER AND IS USUALLY MEDIATED BY GROWTH FACTORS AND CYTOKINES RELEASED BY SPECIALISED CELLS ACTIVATED BY THE IMMUNE RESPONSE, INCLUDING FIBROBLASTS, ENDOTHELIAL CELLS, PHAGOCYTES, PLATELETS AND KERATINOCYTES. GROWTH FACTORS AND CYTOKINES ARE FUNDAMENTAL IN THE ORGANISATION OF THE MOLECULAR PROCESSES INVOLVED IN MAKING CUTANEOUS WOUND HEALING POSSIBLE. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE FOR SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM (SNPS) IN THE FLUCTUATION OF THESE GROWTH FACTORS AND CYTOKINES IN DFUS. FURTHERMORE, RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS A KEY ROLE FOR EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION FROM LONG STANDING HYPERGLYCEMIA AND NON-CODING RNAS IN THE COMPLEX INTERPLAY BETWEEN GENES AND THE ENVIRONMENT. GENETIC FACTORS AND ETHNICITY CAN ALSO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIABETIC NEUROPATHY LEADING TO DFUS. CLINICALLY, INTERVENTIONS WHICH HAVE IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WITH DFUS OR THOSE AT RISK OF DFUS INCLUDE SOME SYSTEMIC THERAPEUTIC DRUG INTERVENTIONS WHICH IMPROVE MICROVASCULAR BLOOD FLOW, SURGICAL INTERVENTIONS, HUMAN GROWTH FACTORS, AND HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY, NEGATIVE PRESSURE WOUND THERAPY, SKIN REPLACEMENT OR SHOCKWAVE THERAPY AND THE USE OF TOPICAL TREATMENTS. FUTURE TREATMENT MODALITIES INCLUDING STEM CELL AND GENE THERAPIES ARE PROMISING IN THE THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO PREVENT THE PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS. 2016 5 1056 31 CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF GASTRIC MUCOSA ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID TISSUE LYMPHOMA AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP FOLLOWING HELICOBACTER PYLORI ERADICATION. THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO SUMMARIZE THE CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS AND IDENTIFY THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF GASTRIC MUCOSA ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID TISSUE (MALT) LYMPHOMA, AS WELL AS EVALUATE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI (H. PYLORI) ERADICATION. A TOTAL OF 122 PATIENTS WITH MARGINAL ZONE B-CELL LYMPHOMA OF PRIMARY GASTRIC MALT LYMPHOMA WERE ENROLLED IN THE PRESENT STUDY. THE CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF GASTRIC MALT LYMPHOMA, INCLUDING SYMPTOMS, H. PYLORI STATE AND ENDOSCOPIC TYPE, WERE SUMMARIZED. THE RESPONSE TO THERAPY WAS EVALUATED IN PATIENTS THAT UNDERWENT H. PYLORI ERADICATION. SURVIVAL ANALYSIS WAS ESTIMATED USING THE KAPLAN-MEIER METHOD. THE EXPRESSION OF MICRORNA-383 (MIR-383) IN TUMOR TISSUES AND CELL LINES WAS DETERMINED USING REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION QUANTITATIVE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION. FURTHERMORE, BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSES, LUCIFERASE REPORTER ASSAYS. AND WESTERN BLOT ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED ZINC FINGER E-BOX BINDING HOMEOBOX 2 (ZEB2) AS A DIRECT TARGET GENE OF MIR-383. AN MTT ASSAY WAS USED TO EXAMINE THE FUNCTION OF MIR-383 AND ZEB2 IN MALT LYMPHOMA. THE CLINICAL SYMPTOMS OF PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC MALT LYMPHOMA WERE NON-SPECIFIC AND INCLUDED EPIGASTRIC PAIN, ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT AND BLEEDING. THE MAJORITY OF ENDOSCOPIC TYPES WERE CLASSIFIED AS ULCER, EROSION AND MUCOSA EDEMA. THE H. PYLORI INFECTION RATE WAS 79.5% (97/122) AND A TOTAL OF 47 PATIENTS UNDERWENT ERADICATION THERAPY. LYMPHOMA REMISSION WAS ACHIEVED IN 93.6% (44/47) OF PATIENTS AND COMPLETE REMISSION (CR) WAS ACHIEVED IN 74.4% (35/47). THE MEDIAN FOLLOW-UP TIME WAS 38 MONTHS (RANGE, 10-132 MONTHS) AND THE MEDIAN TIME TAKEN TO ACHIEVE CR WAS 4 MONTHS (RANGE, 3-7 MONTHS). THE ESTIMATED 3-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE WAS 90.3% AND THE 5-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE WAS 76.2%. THEREFORE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT PATIENTS WITH STAGE I OR II GASTRIC MALT LYMPHOMA ARE ABLE TO UNDERGO H. PYLORI ERADICATION AS A FIRST-LINE TREATMENT AND THAT THE SURVIVAL RATE OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING THIS TREATMENT IS HIGH. FURTHERMORE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE MECHANISM BY WHICH MIR-383 AND ZEB2 CONTRIBUTE TO MALT LYMPHOMA PROGRESSION IS BY THE TARGETING OF ZEB2 BY MIR-383, WHICH INHIBITS THE PROLIFERATION OF CANCER CELLS. 2018 6 2149 26 EPIGENETIC MARKERS TO PREDICT CONVERSION FROM GESTATIONAL DIABETES TO TYPE 2 DIABETES. CONTEXT: LIFESTYLE FACTORS MEDIATE EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT CAN CAUSE CHRONIC DISEASES. ALTHOUGH ANIMAL AND LABORATORY STUDIES LINK EPIGENETIC CHANGES TO DIABETES, EPIGENETIC INFORMATION IN WOMEN WITH GESTATIONAL DIABETES (GDM) AND TYPE 2 DIABETES IS LACKING. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO MEASURE EPIGENETIC MARKERS ACROSS PREGNANCY AND EARLY POSTPARTUM AND IDENTIFY MARKERS THAT COULD BE USED AS PREDICTORS FOR CONVERSION FROM GDM TO TYPE 2 DIABETES. DESIGN: GLOBAL HISTONE H3 DIMETHYLATION WAS MEASURED IN WHITE BLOOD CELLS AT THREE TIME POINTS: 30 WK GESTATION, 8-10 WK POSTPARTUM, AND 20 WK POSTPARTUM, FROM FOUR GROUPS OF WOMEN WITH AND WITHOUT DIABETES. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A TOTAL OF 39 PARTICIPANTS (SIX TO NINE IN EACH GROUP) WERE RECRUITED INCLUDING: NONDIABETIC WOMEN; WOMEN WITH GDM WHO DEVELOPED POSTPARTUM TYPE 2 DIABETES; WOMEN WITH GDM WITHOUT POSTPARTUM TYPE 2 DIABETES; AND WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: PERCENTAGES OF DIMETHYLATION OF H3 HISTONES RELATIVE TO TOTAL H3 HISTONE METHYLATION WERE COMPARED BETWEEN DIABETIC/NONDIABETIC GROUPS USING APPROPRIATE COMPARATIVE STATISTICS. RESULTS: H3K27 DIMETHYLATION WAS 50-60% LOWER AT 8-10 AND 20 WK POSTPARTUM IN WOMEN WITH GDM WHO DEVELOPED TYPE 2 DIABETES, COMPARED WITH NONDIABETIC WOMEN. H3K4 DIMETHYLATION WAS 75% LOWER AT 8-10 WK POSTPARTUM IN WOMEN WITH GDM WHO SUBSEQUENTLY DEVELOPED TYPE 2 DIABETES COMPARED WITH WOMEN WHO HAD GDM WHO DID NOT. CONCLUSIONS: THE PERCENTAGE OF DIMETHYLATION OF HISTONES H3K27 AND H3K4 VARIED WITH DIABETIC STATE AND HAS THE POTENTIAL AS A PREDICTIVE TOOL TO IDENTIFY WOMEN WHO WILL CONVERT FROM GDM TO TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2016 7 5478 24 RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED STUDY OF 3 SCHEDULES OF LOW-DOSE DECITABINE IN HIGHER-RISK MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROME AND CHRONIC MYELOMONOCYTIC LEUKEMIA. EPIGENETIC THERAPY WITH HYPOMETHYLATING DRUGS IS NOW THE STANDARD OF CARE IN MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROME (MDS). RESPONSE RATES REMAIN LOW, AND MECHANISM-BASED DOSE OPTIMIZATION HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED. WE INVESTIGATED THE CLINICAL AND PHARMACODYNAMIC RESULTS OF DIFFERENT DOSE SCHEDULES OF DECITABINE. ADULTS WITH ADVANCED MDS OR CHRONIC MYELOMONOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (CMML) WERE RANDOMIZED TO 1 OF 3 DECITABINE SCHEDULES: (1) 20 MG/M2 INTRAVENOUSLY DAILY FOR 5 DAYS; (2) 20 MG/M2 SUBCUTANEOUSLY DAILY FOR 5 DAYS; AND (3) 10 MG/M2 INTRAVENOUSLY DAILY FOR 10 DAYS. RANDOMIZATION FOLLOWED A BAYESIAN ADAPTIVE DESIGN. NINETY-FIVE PATIENTS WERE TREATED (77 WITH MDS, AND 18 WITH CMML). OVERALL, 32 PATIENTS (34%) ACHIEVED A COMPLETE RESPONSE (CR), AND 69 (73%) HAD AN OBJECTIVE RESPONSE BY THE NEW MODIFIED INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP CRITERIA. THE 5-DAY INTRAVENOUS SCHEDULE, WHICH HAD THE HIGHEST DOSE-INTENSITY, WAS SELECTED AS OPTIMAL; THE CR RATE IN THAT ARM WAS 39%, COMPARED WITH 21% IN THE 5-DAY SUBCUTANEOUS ARM AND 24% IN THE 10-DAY INTRAVENOUS ARM (P < .05). THE HIGH DOSE-INTENSITY ARM WAS ALSO SUPERIOR AT INDUCING HYPOMETHYLATION AT DAY 5 AND AT ACTIVATING P15 EXPRESSION AT DAYS 12 OR 28 AFTER THERAPY. WE CONCLUDE THAT A LOW-DOSE, DOSE-INTENSITY SCHEDULE OF DECITABINE OPTIMIZES EPIGENETIC MODULATION AND CLINICAL RESPONSES IN MDS. 2007 8 3850 25 IS GENDER A FACTOR AFFECTING LONG-TERM HETEROTOPIC OSSIFICATION INCIDENCE AFTER SINGLE-LEVEL CERVICAL DISC ARTHROPLASTY? BACKGROUND: CERVICAL DISC DISEASES HAVE BEEN TREATED BY CERVICAL DISC ARTHROPLASTY (CDA). NEVERTHELESS, SOME PATIENTS WILL EXPERIENCE A MOBILITY FAILURE IN THEIR CERVICAL PROSTHESES OVER TIME BECAUSE OF HETEROTOPIC OSSIFICATION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF GENDER IN LONG-TERM OUTCOMES AFTER CDA. METHODS: A RETROSPECTIVE, SINGLE-CENTER STUDY OF PATIENTS WHO UNDERWENT SINGLE-LEVEL CDA WITH A BRYAN CERVICAL DISC PROSTHESIS WAS PERFORMED, INCLUDING A NARRATIVE REVIEW ABOUT GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BOTH STRUCTURAL AND BIOMECHANICAL FEATURES OF THE CERVICAL SPINE. RESULTS: STUDY PATIENTS (14 MEN, 30 WOMEN) HAD AN AVERAGE FOLLOW-UP OF 9.8 +/- 3.2 YEARS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES EMERGED BETWEEN GENDERS FOR SPECIFIC ITEMS IN NECK DISABILITY INDEX PREOPERATIVE EVALUATION, WITH WOMEN REPORTING WORSE PAIN SCORES (P = 0.05). AFTER STRATIFICATION BY AGE, WE FOUND A HIGHER PREOPERATIVE OVERALL NECK DISABILITY INDEX SCORE FOR FEMALE PATIENTS <36 YEARS OF AGE (P = 0.03). IN AN INTERGENDER, BODY MASS INDEX-SPECIFIC COMPARISON, WE ALSO FOUND A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN NECK DISABILITY INDEX PREOPERATIVE SCORE WITH NORMAL-WEIGHT MALE PATIENTS FARING WORSE THAN OVERWEIGHT MALE PATIENTS (P = 0.05). AT A RADIOLOGICAL LEVEL, WE FOUND A TENDENCY TOWARD A HIGHER HETEROTOPIC OSSIFICATION INCIDENCE IN MALE PATIENTS (62% IN MEN, 17% IN WOMEN, P = 0.06). THE FEMALE CERVICAL SPINE HAS DISTINCTIVE FEATURES, INCLUDING BONE STRUCTURE, MUSCULAR ACTION, SOFT TISSUE RESPONSE, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC RESPONSE TO OSTEOARTHRITIS. CONCLUSIONS: THE INCIDENCE OF MOBILITY FAILURE IN OUR SERIES OF SINGLE-LEVEL CDA WAS LOWER IN FEMALE PATIENTS. SEVERAL GENDER-SPECIFIC FACTORS BOTH IN STATIC AND IN DYNAMIC FEATURES MAY PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SPINAL PATHOLOGY AND CDA LONG-TERM RADIOLOGICAL OUTCOME. 2022 9 5728 20 SLEEP QUALITY AND METHYLATION STATUS OF SELECTED TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES AMONG NURSES AND MIDWIVES. CHRONIC SLEEP RESTRICTION MAY AFFECT METABOLISM, HORMONE SECRETION PATTERNS AND INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES. LIMITED REPORTS SUGGEST ALSO EPIGENETIC EFFECTS, SUCH AS CHANGES IN DNA METHYLATION PROFILES. THE STUDY AIMS TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN POOR SLEEP QUALITY OR SLEEP DURATION AND THE LEVELS OF 5-METHYLCYTOSINE IN THE PROMOTER REGIONS OF SELECTED TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 710 NURSES AND MIDWIVES AGED 40-60 YEARS. DATA FROM INTERVIEWS REGARDING SLEEP HABITS AND POTENTIAL CONFOUNDERS WERE USED. THE METHYLATION STATUS OF TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES WAS DETERMINED VIA QMSP REACTIONS USING DNA SAMPLES DERIVED FROM LEUCOCYTES. NO SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS WERE OBSERVED IN THE TOTAL STUDY POPULATION OR IN THE TWO SUBGROUPS OF WOMEN STRATIFIED BY THE CURRENT SYSTEM OF WORK. A BORDERLINE SIGNIFICANCE ASSOCIATION WAS OBSERVED BETWEEN A SHORTER DURATION OF SLEEP AND AN INCREASED METHYLATION LEVEL IN CDKN2A AMONG DAY WORKING NURSES AND MIDWIVES. FURTHER STUDIES ARE WARRANTED TO EXPLORE THIS UNDER-INVESTIGATED TOPIC. 2018 10 1194 29 CORRELATION OF EPIGENETIC CHANGE AND IDENTIFICATION OF RISK FACTORS FOR ORAL SUBMUCOUS FIBROSIS. BACKGROUND: DNA METHYLATION OF CERTAIN GENES IS AN EPIGENETIC CHANGE THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR TUMORIGENESIS. ORAL SUBMUCOUS FIBROSIS (OSF) IS A PRECANCEROUS CONDITION OF ORAL MUCOSA WITH INFLAMMATION AND PROGRESSIVE FIBROSIS OF THE LAMINA PROPRIA AND DEEPER CONNECTIVE TISSUE. THE HYPERMETHYLATION OF E-CADHERIN AND CYCLOOXYGENASE 2 (COX-2) IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATION MAY DEMONSTRATE A MILD LESION/MUTATION AT EPIGENETIC LEVELS. THIS STUDY COMPARES THE HYPERMETHYLATION STATUS OF E-CADHERIN AND COX-2 GENES IN PATIENTS WITH ORAL CANCER AND PATIENTS WITH OSF AND ALSO AIMS TO IDENTIFY RISK FACTORS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OSF. METHODS: DNA WAS EXTRACTED FROM BLOOD SAMPLES OF 50 HEALTHY SUBJECTS, 50 PATIENTS WITH OSF AND 60 PATIENTS WITH ORAL CANCER. METHYLATION-SPECIFIC POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION FOR E-CADHERIN AND COX-2 WAS PERFORMED ON THESE SAMPLES AND THE PRODUCTS WERE ANALYZED ON 2% AGAROSE GEL. SURVEYS ABOUT ORAL HEALTH HABITS AND CLINICAL PERIODONTAL EXAMINATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH OSF AND HEALTHY SUBJECTS WERE ALSO CONDUCTED BY WELL-TRAINED DENTISTS, AND LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RISK FACTORS FOR OSF. RESULTS: HYPERMETHYLATION OF E-CADHERIN AND COX-2 WAS OBSERVED IN 36% AND 22% OF ORAL CANCER SAMPLES, RESPECTIVELY. IN PATIENTS WITH OSF, THE RATES WERE 52% AND 30%, AND IN HEALTHY CONTROLS THE RATES WERE 4% AND 6%. HYPERMETHYLATION WAS SHOWN TO BE CORRELATED BETWEEN THE 3 GROUPS WITH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE (P<0.01). METHYLATION OF CPG ISLANDS IN E-CADHERIN AND COX-2 OCCURRED MORE FREQUENTLY IN PATIENTS WITH OSF THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP, BUT LESS FREQUENTLY THAN IN PATIENTS WITH ORAL CANCER. IN THE LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSIS, SMOKING, BRUSHING MORE THAN TWICE DAILY, PERIODONTAL PROBING DEPTH AND PLAQUE INDEX WERE IDENTIFIED AS 4 MAJOR RISK FACTORS FOR OSF. CONCLUSIONS: THESE DATA CONFIRM THAT E-CADHERIN AND COX-2 EXPRESSIONS ARE RELATED TO OSF. THE EPIGENETIC CHANGES PRESENTED IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC INFLAMMATION MIGHT DEMONSTRATE AN IRREVERSIBLE DESTRUCTION IN THE TISSUES OR ORGANS SIMILAR TO THE EFFECTS OF CANCER. CHRONIC OSF WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH HYPERMETHYLATION, A CANCER RISK FACTOR. 2012 11 4303 33 MICRORNA-223 INHIBITS TISSUE FACTOR EXPRESSION IN VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS. OBJECTIVE: ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY PROCESS, IN WHICH VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS (ECS) BECOME DYSFUNCTIONAL OWING TO THE EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES, SUCH AS INFLAMMATORY FACTOR AND GROWTH FACTORS. TISSUE FACTOR (TF) EXPRESSION IS INDUCED BY THE ABOVE CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES IN ACTIVATED ECS. TF INITIATES THROMBOSIS ON DISRUPTED ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUES WHICH PLAYS AN ESSENTIAL ROLE DURING THE ONSET OF ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROMES (ACS). INCREASING EVIDENCES SUGGEST THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF MICRORNAS AS EPIGENETIC REGULATORS OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC DISEASE. THE AIM OF OUR STUDY IS TO IDENTIFY IF MICRORNA-223 (MIR-223) TARGETS TF IN ECS. METHODS AND RESULTS: BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT TF IS A TARGET CANDIDATE OF MIR-223. WESTERN BLOTTING ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA) INCREASED TF EXPRESSION IN AORTA OF C57BL/6J MICE AND CULTURED ECS (EA.HY926 CELLS AND HUVEC) AFTER 4 H TREATMENT. IN TNF-ALPHA TREATED ECS, TF MRNA WAS ALSO INCREASED MEASURED BY REAL-TIME PCR. REAL-TIME PCR RESULTS SHOWED THAT MIR-223 LEVELS WERE DOWNREGULATED IN TNF-ALPHA-TREATED AORTA OF C57BL/6J MICE AND CULTURED ECS. TRANSFECTION OF ECS WITH MIR-223 MIMIC OR MIR-223 INHIBITOR MODIFIED TF EXPRESSION BOTH IN MRNA AND PROTEIN LEVELS. LUCIFERASE ASSAYS CONFIRMED THAT MIR-223 SUPPRESSED TF EXPRESSION BY BINDING TO THE SEQUENCE OF TF 3'-UNTRANSLATED REGIONS (3'UTR). TF PROCOAGULANT ACTIVITY WAS INHIBITED BY OVEREXPRESSING MIR-223 WITH OR WITHOUT TNF-ALPHA STIMULATION. CONCLUSIONS: MIR-223-MEDIATED SUPPRESSION OF TF EXPRESSION PROVIDES A NOVEL MOLECULAR MECHANISM FOR THE REGULATION OF COAGULATION CASCADE, AND SUGGESTS A CLUE AGAINST THROMBOGENESIS DURING THE PROCESS OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUE RUPTURE. 2014 12 1785 22 EFFECT OF APABETALONE ON CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS IN DIABETES, CKD, AND RECENT ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME: RESULTS FROM THE BETONMACE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: CKD AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS INTERACT TO INCREASE THE RISK OF MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS (I.E., CARDIOVASCULAR DEATH, NONFATAL MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, OR STROKE) AND CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE. A MALADAPTIVE EPIGENETIC RESPONSE MAY BE A CARDIOVASCULAR RISK DRIVER AND AMENABLE TO MODIFICATION WITH APABETALONE, A SELECTIVE MODULATOR OF THE BROMODOMAIN AND EXTRATERMINAL DOMAIN TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEM. WE EXAMINED THIS QUESTION IN A PRESPECIFIED ANALYSIS OF BETONMACE, A PHASE 3 TRIAL. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: BETONMACE WAS AN EVENT-DRIVEN, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING EFFECTS OF APABETALONE VERSUS PLACEBO ON MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS AND HEART FAILURE HOSPITALIZATIONS IN 2425 PARTICIPANTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES AND A RECENT ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME, INCLUDING 288 PARTICIPANTS WITH CKD WITH EGFR <60 ML/MIN PER 1.73 M(2) AT BASELINE. THE PRIMARY END POINT IN BETONMACE WAS THE TIME TO THE FIRST MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENT, WITH A SECONDARY END POINT OF TIME TO HOSPITALIZATION FOR HEART FAILURE. RESULTS: MEDIAN FOLLOW-UP WAS 27 MONTHS (INTERQUARTILE RANGE, 20-32 MONTHS). IN PARTICIPANTS WITH CKD, APABETALONE COMPARED WITH PLACEBO WAS ASSOCIATED WITH FEWER MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS (13 EVENTS IN 124 PATIENTS [11%] VERSUS 35 EVENTS IN 164 PATIENTS [21%]; HAZARD RATIO, 0.50; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 0.26 TO 0.96) AND FEWER HEART FAILURE-RELATED HOSPITALIZATIONS (THREE HOSPITALIZATIONS IN 124 PATIENTS [3%] VERSUS 14 HOSPITALIZATIONS IN 164 PATIENTS [9%]; HAZARD RATIO, 0.48; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 0.26 TO 0.86). IN THE NON-CKD GROUP, THE CORRESPONDING HAZARD RATIO VALUES WERE 0.96 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 0.74 TO 1.24) FOR MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS, AND 0.76 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 0.46 TO 1.27) FOR HEART FAILURE-RELATED HOSPITALIZATION. INTERACTION OF CKD ON TREATMENT EFFECT WAS P=0.03 FOR MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS, AND P=0.12 FOR HEART FAILURE-RELATED HOSPITALIZATION. PARTICIPANTS WITH CKD SHOWED SIMILAR NUMBERS OF ADVERSE EVENTS, REGARDLESS OF RANDOMIZATION TO APABETALONE OR PLACEBO (119 [73%] VERSUS 88 [71%] PATIENTS), AND THERE WERE FEWER SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (29% VERSUS 43%; P=0.02) IN THE APABETALONE GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: APABETALONE MAY REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS IN PATIENTS WITH CKD AND TYPE 2 DIABETES WHO HAVE A HIGH BURDEN OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. 2021 13 3553 27 IMMUNOTOLERANCE OF DAIRY HEIFERS IN RESPONSE TO REPEATED EXPOSURE TO BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE ENDOTOXIN. DAIRY CATTLE FACE A VARIETY OF STRESSFUL EVENTS ON A DAILY BASIS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, CLIMATE CHANGE HAS RESULTED IN MORE FREQUENT HEAT STRESS EVENTS THAT INCREASE THE INCIDENCE OF CHRONIC BACTERIAL INFECTIONS BY INDUCING CONDITIONS LIKE LEAKY GUT SYNDROME, WHEREBY THE INTEGRITY OF THE INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM IS COMPROMISED ALLOWING FOR LUMINAL BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE (LPS) ENDOTOXIN TO INFILTRATE THE HOST'S BLOODSTREAM RESULTING IN ACUTE OR CHRONIC SYSTEMIC STIMULATION OF THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM. REPEATED EXPOSURE TO LPS OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME IS REPORTED TO INDUCE IMMUNOTOLERANCE WITHIN THE HOST. THIS LPS TOLERANCE IS AN ESSENTIAL IMMUNOHOMEOSTATIC RESPONSE THAT CAN PROTECT AGAINST OVER ACTIVATION OF THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE DURING SUBSEQUENT EXPOSURE TO LPS. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, HOLSTEIN CALVES (N = 20) WERE INITIALLY STRESS CHALLENGED WITH EITHER SALINE, OR 100, 200 OR 400 NG/KG OF LPS ADMINISTERED INTRAMUSCULAR, AND AGAIN RE-CHALLENGED WITH 200 NG/KG OF LPS 2-WEEKS LATER. SERUM WAS COLLECTED EVERY 2 HR FOR 6 HR TO PROFILE CHANGES IN CIRCULATORY STRESS BIOMARKERS AFTER THE REPEATED LPS EXPOSURES. HEIFERS THAT WERE INITIALLY CHALLENGED WITH 100, 200 AND 400 NG/KG OF LPS DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANTLY ATTENUATED CORTISOL RESPONSES IN THE SECOND CHALLENGE (P < 0.01, 0.01 AND 0.05, RESPECTIVELY), WHEREAS CONTROL ANIMALS WHO PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED SALINE DEMONSTRATED A STRONG CORTISOL RESPONSE AT 2 HR AFTER RECEIVING 200 NG/KG OF LPS (P < 0.05). THE CYTOKINE/CHEMOKINE (IL-6, CCL2, CCL3 AND CCL4) RESPONSES WERE ALSO ATTENUATED DURING THE LPS RECHALLENGE (P < 0.05). FINALLY, MICRORNA EXPRESSION PROFILES WERE DETERMINED TO ASSESS THE EPIGENETIC RESPONSE TO REPEATED LPS EXPOSURE. INTERESTINGLY, MIR-31 AND MIR-223 WERE DOWNREGULATED IN RESPONSE TO THE SECOND LPS CHALLENGE. THE PRESENT STUDY DEMONSTRATES THE DYNAMIC NATURE OF THE STRESS RESPONSE IN DAIRY CATTLE AS IT RELATES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LPS TOLERANCE. UNDERSTANDING THE ROLES OF VARIOUS STRESS BIOMARKERS IN THE CONTEXT OF INNATE IMMUNE CELL TOLERANCE IS ESSENTIAL FOR EVALUATING THEIR IMPACT ON IMMUNE SYSTEM HOMEOSTASIS. 2023 14 718 29 CALCIUM-DEPENDENT INTRACELLULAR SIGNAL PATHWAYS IN PRIMARY CULTURED ADIPOCYTES AND ANK3 GENE VARIATION IN PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER AND HEALTHY CONTROLS. BIPOLAR DISORDER (BD) IS A CHRONIC PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER OF PUBLIC HEALTH IMPORTANCE AFFECTING >1% OF THE SWEDISH POPULATION. DESPITE PROGRESS, PATIENTS STILL SUFFER FROM CHRONIC MOOD SWITCHES WITH POTENTIAL SEVERE CONSEQUENCES. THUS, EARLY DETECTION, DIAGNOSIS AND INITIATION OF CORRECT TREATMENT ARE CRITICAL. CULTURED ADIPOCYTES FROM 35 PATIENTS WITH BD AND 38 HEALTHY CONTROLS WERE ANALYSED USING SIGNAL PATHWAY REPORTER ASSAYS, THAT IS, PROTEIN KINASE C (PKC), PROTEIN KINASE A (PKA), MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASES (EXTRACELLULAR SIGNAL-REGULATED KINASE (ERK) AND C-JUN N-TERMINAL KINASE (JNK)), MYC, WNT AND P53. THE LEVELS OF ACTIVATED TARGET TRANSCRIPTIONAL FACTORS WERE MEASURED IN ADIPOCYTES BEFORE AND AFTER STIMULATION WITH LITHIUM AND ESCITALOPRAM. VARIATIONS WERE ANALYSED IN THE LOCI OF 25 DIFFERENT SINGLE-NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS (SNPS). ACTIVATION OF INTRACELLULAR SIGNALS IN SEVERAL PATHWAYS ANALYSED WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN PATIENTS THAN IN HEALTHY CONTROLS UPON DRUG STIMULATION, ESPECIALLY WITH ESCITALOPRAM STIMULATION OF PKC, JNK AND MYC, AS WELL AS LITHIUM-STIMULATED PKC, WHEREAS NO MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED BEFORE STIMULATION. UNIVARIATE ANALYSES OF CONTINGENCY TABLES FOR 80 CATEGORICAL SNP RESULTS VERSUS DIAGNOSES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT LINK WITH THE ANK3 GENE (RS10761482; LIKELIHOOD RATIO CHI(2)=4.63; P=0.031). IN A MULTIVARIATE ORDINAL LOGISTIC FIT FOR DIAGNOSIS, A BACKWARD STEPWISE PROCEDURE SELECTED ANK3 AS THE REMAINING SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR. COMPARISON OF THE ESCITALOPRAM-STIMULATED PKC ACTIVITY AND THE ANK3 GENOTYPE SHOWED THEM TO ADD THEIR SHARE OF THE DIAGNOSTIC VARIANCE, WITH NO INTERACTION (15% OF VARIANCE EXPLAINED, P<0.002). THE STUDY IS CROSS-SECTIONAL WITH NO LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP. COHORTS ARE RELATIVELY SMALL WITH NO MEDICATION-FREE PATIENTS, AND THERE ARE NO 'ILL PATIENT' CONTROLS. IT TAKES 3 TO 4 WEEKS OF CULTURE TO EXPAND ADIPOCYTES THAT MAY CHANGE EPIGENETIC PROFILES BUT REMOVE THE POSSIBILITY OF MEDICATION EFFECTS. ABNORMALITIES IN THE REACTIVITY OF INTRACELLULAR SIGNAL PATHWAYS TO STIMULATION AND THE ANK3 GENOTYPE MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH PATHOGENESIS OF BD. ALGORITHMS USING BIOLOGICAL PATTERNS SUCH AS PATHWAY REACTIVITY TOGETHER WITH STRUCTURAL GENETIC SNP DATA MAY PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EARLIER DETECTION AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OF BD. 2015 15 5760 28 SOLUBLE URIC ACID PRIMES TLR-INDUCED PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE PRODUCTION BY HUMAN PRIMARY CELLS VIA INHIBITION OF IL-1RA. OBJECTIVES: THE STUDY OF THE PROINFLAMMATORY ROLE OF URIC ACID HAS FOCUSED ON THE EFFECTS OF ITS CRYSTALS OF MONOSODIUM URATE (MSU). HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN WHETHER URIC ACID ITSELF CAN DIRECTLY HAVE PROINFLAMMATORY EFFECTS. IN THIS STUDY, WE INVESTIGATE THE PRIMING EFFECTS OF URIC ACID EXPOSURE ON THE CYTOKINE PRODUCTION OF PRIMARY HUMAN CELLS UPON STIMULATION WITH GOUT-RELATED STIMULI. METHODS: PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS) WERE HARVESTED FROM PATIENTS WITH GOUT AND HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. CELLS WERE PRETREATED WITH OR WITHOUT URIC ACID IN SOLUBLE FORM FOR 24 H AND THEN STIMULATED FOR 24 H WITH TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR (TLR)2 OR TLR4 LIGANDS IN THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF MSU CRYSTALS. CYTOKINE PRODUCTION WAS MEASURED BY ELISA; MRNA LEVELS WERE ASSESSED USING QPCR. RESULTS: THE PRODUCTION OF INTERLEUKIN (IL)-1BETA AND IL-6 WAS HIGHER IN PATIENTS COMPARED WITH CONTROLS AND THIS CORRELATED WITH SERUM URATE LEVELS. PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE PRODUCTION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY POTENTIATED WHEN CELLS FROM HEALTHY SUBJECTS WERE PRETREATED WITH URIC ACID. SURPRISINGLY, THIS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT DOWNREGULATION OF THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE IL-1 RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST (IL-1RA). THIS EFFECT WAS SPECIFIC TO STIMULATION BY URIC ACID AND WAS EXERTED AT THE LEVEL OF GENE TRANSCRIPTION. EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING AT THE LEVEL OF HISTONE METHYLATION BY URIC ACID WAS INVOLVED IN THIS EFFECT. CONCLUSIONS: IN THIS STUDY WE DEMONSTRATE A MECHANISM THROUGH WHICH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF URIC ACID (UP TO 50 MG/DL) INFLUENCE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES BY FACILITATING IL-1BETA PRODUCTION IN PBMCS. WE SHOW THAT A MECHANISM FOR THE AMPLIFICATION OF IL-1BETA CONSISTS IN THE DOWNREGULATION OF IL-1RA AND THAT THIS EFFECT COULD BE EXERTED VIA EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS SUCH AS HISTONE METHYLATION. HYPERURICAEMIA CAUSES A SHIFT IN THE IL-1BETA/IL-1RA BALANCE PRODUCED BY PBMCS AFTER EXPOSURE TO MSU CRYSTALS AND TLR-MEDIATED STIMULI, AND THIS PHENOMENON IS LIKELY TO REINFORCE THE ENHANCED STATE OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. 2016 16 2941 28 GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN TOLL LIKE RECEPTOR 2 AND WOUND HEALING IMPAIRMENT IN TYPE 2 DIABETES PATIENTS. AIM: PERSISTENT HYPERGLYCEMIC MICROENVIRONMENT IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM) LEADS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY COMPLICATIONS LIKE WOUND HEALING IMPAIRMENT. PROPER CO-ORDINATION OF INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM PLAYS AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN WOUND HEALING. TOLL LIKE RECEPTORS (TLRS) ARE PROMINENT CONTRIBUTORS FOR THE INDUCTION OF THE INNATE IMMUNE AND INFLAMMATION RESPONSE. TLR2 IS AN IMPORTANT EXTRACELLULAR MEMBER IN MAMMALIAN TLR FAMILY AND HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE A POTENT PLAYER IN THE WOUND HEALING MECHANISM. METHODS: EXPRESSIONAL STATUS OF TLR2 WAS SEEN IN WOUNDS OF T2DM CASES WITH RESPECT TO THE SEVERITY OF WOUNDS IN 110 HUMAN LOWER EXTREMITY WOUNDS. THE METHYLATION STATUS OF TLR2 PROMOTER WAS ALSO EXAMINED. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH TLR2 TRANSCRIPTS WERE DOWNREGULATED IN T2DM WOUNDS COMPARED TO CONTROL, THEIR LEVELS TEND TO INCREASE WITH THE SEVERITY OF T2DM WOUNDS. THE METHYLATION STATUS OF TLR2 GENE PROMOTER WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT AMONG DIFFERENT GRADES OF WOUNDS IN T2DM SUBJECTS. THE CPG SITES INVESTIGATED WERE TOTALLY OR PARTIALLY METHYLATED IN MAJORITY OF DFU CASES. CONCLUSION: TLR2 DOWN REGULATION IN WOUNDS OF T2DM PATIENTS COMPARED TO NON DIABETIC PATIENTS MAY LEAD TO DEVELOPMENT OF NON HEALING CHRONIC ULCERS IN THEM. 2015 17 6418 22 THE TEMPORAL EXPRESSION OF CIRCULATING MICRORNAS AFTER ACUTE EXPERIMENTAL PAIN IN HUMANS. BACKGROUND: MICRORNAS (MIRNAS) CAN MODULATE SEVERAL BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, INCLUDING THE PAIN SYSTEM. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE TEMPORAL EXPRESSION OF CIRCULATING MIRNAS IN THE PLASMA OF HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS AS A MARKER FOR EPIGENETIC CHANGES BEFORE AND AFTER AN ACUTE, EXPERIMENTAL, PAIN PROVOCATION BY INTRAMUSCULAR HYPERTONIC SALINE INJECTION. METHODS: TWENTY VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS AND RECEIVED EITHER HYPERTONIC (PAIN) OR ISOTONIC (CONTROL) SALINE INJECTION IN THE FIRST DORSAL INTEROSSEOUS MUSCLE OF THEIR DOMINANT HAND. PAIN INTENSITY WAS CONTINUOUSLY RECORDED FOR 20 MINUTES AFTER INJECTION ON A VAS SCALE FROM 0 TO 100 (0 INDICATES NO PAIN AND 100 THE WORST IMAGINABLE PAIN). BLOOD SAMPLES WERE TAKEN AT BASELINE, 30 MINUTES, 3 HOURS, AND 24 HOURS POST-INJECTION, AND PLASMA WAS SEPARATED. MIRNA EXTRACTS WERE USED FOR RNA SEQUENCING WITH THE ILLUMINA NEXTSEQ PLATFORM. MIRNA TRANSCRIPTS WERE COMPARED BETWEEN THE PAIN AND THE NO-PAIN, CONTROL GROUP AT EVERY TIME POINT. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE CONSIDERED WHEN FOLDS WERE >2 AND THE FALSE DISCOVERY RATE WAS P < 0.05. RESULTS: AFTER 30 MINUTES, 4 MIRNAS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED IN THE PAIN GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROLS, WHICH INCREASED TO 24 AFTER 3 HOURS AND TO 42 AFTER 24 HOURS FROM BASELINE (P < 0.0001). TWO MIRNAS WERE CONSISTENTLY UPREGULATED THROUGHOUT THE EXPERIMENT. ENRICHMENT ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT MIRNAS INVOLVED IN BRAIN PERCEPTION OF PAIN, BRAIN SIGNALLING AND RESPONSE TO STIMULI. CONCLUSIONS: THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY IS THE FIRST TO REPORT ON THE TEMPORAL EXPRESSION OF CIRCULATING MIRNAS AFTER AN ACUTE, HUMAN EXPERIMENTAL MUSCLE PAIN MODEL. SIGNIFICANCE: THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY EVALUATED THE TEMPORAL PROFILE OF CIRCULATING MIRNAS IN THE PLASMA OF HEALTHY SUBJECTS AFTER ACUTE EXPERIMENTAL PAIN. SEVERAL MIRNAS WERE ALTERED IN SUBJECTS AT THE TIMES OF FOLLOW-UP AFTER THE ACUTE PAIN MODEL WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROLS. MIRNAS PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH PAIN PROCESSES WERE ALTERED IN THE PAIN GROUP. OUR RESULTS, BY SHOWING THE FAST AND PROLONGED MODIFICATIONS OF MIRNA ELICITED BY THE ACUTE EXPERIMENTAL PAIN MODEL, ADD NEW PERSPECTIVES TO THE TOPIC OF EPIGENETICS AND PAIN. 2023 18 1189 23 CORRELATION BETWEEN GLOBAL METHYLATION LEVEL OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD LEUKOCYTES AND SERUM C REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVEL MODIFIED BY MTHFR POLYMORPHISM: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER TUMOR INCIDENCE THROUGH EPIGENETIC AND GENETIC ALTERATIONS. HERE, WE FOCUSED ON AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AN INFLAMMATION MARKER, C-REACTIVE-PROTEIN (CRP), AND GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION LEVELS OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD LEUKOCYTES. METHODS: THE SUBJECTS WERE 384 HEALTHY JAPANESE WOMEN ENROLLED AS THE CONTROL GROUP OF A CASE-CONTROL STUDY FOR BREAST CANCER CONDUCTED FROM 2001 TO 2005. GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION WAS QUANTIFIED BY LUMINOMETRIC METHYLATION ASSAY (LUMA). RESULTS: WITH ADJUSTMENT FOR LIFESTYLE-RELATED FACTORS, INCLUDING FOLATE INTAKE, THE GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION LEVEL OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD LEUKOCYTES WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BUT WEAKLY INCREASED BY 0.43% PER QUARTILE CATEGORY FOR CRP (P FOR TREND = 0.010). ESTIMATED METHYLATION LEVELS STRATIFIED BY CRP QUARTILE WERE 70.0%, 70.8%, 71.4%, AND 71.3%, RESPECTIVELY. IN ADDITION, INTERACTION BETWEEN POLYMORPHISM OF MTHFR (RS1801133, KNOWN AS C677T) AND CRP WAS SIGNIFICANT (P FOR INTERACTION = 0.046); THE GLOBAL METHYLATION LEVEL WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED BY 0.61% PER QUARTILE CATEGORY FOR CRP IN THE CT/TT GROUP (THOSE WITH THE MINOR ALLELE T, P FOR TREND = 0.001), WHEREAS NO ASSOCIATION WAS OBSERVED IN THE CC GROUP (WILD TYPE). CONCLUSIONS: OUR STUDY SUGGESTS THAT CRP CONCENTRATION IS WEAKLY ASSOCIATED WITH GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION LEVEL. HOWEVER, THIS ASSOCIATION WAS OBSERVED MORE CLEARLY IN INDIVIDUALS WITH THE MINOR ALLELE OF THE MTHFR MISSENSE SNP RS1801133. BY ELUCIDATING THE COMPLEX MECHANISM OF THE REGULATION OF DNA METHYLATION BY BOTH ACQUIRED AND GENETIC FACTORS, OUR RESULTS MAY BE IMPORTANT FOR CANCER PREVENTION. 2018 19 765 24 CC-486 MAINTENANCE AFTER STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA OR MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROMES. RELAPSE IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF TREATMENT FAILURE AFTER ALLOGENEIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANT (ALLOSCT) IN ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA (AML) AND MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROMES (MDS). INJECTABLE AZACITIDINE CAN IMPROVE POST-TRANSPLANT OUTCOMES BUT PRESENTS CHALLENGES WITH EXPOSURE AND COMPLIANCE. ORAL CC-486 ALLOWS EXTENDED DOSING TO PROLONG AZACITIDINE ACTIVITY. WE INVESTIGATED USE OF CC-486 MAINTENANCE THERAPY AFTER ALLOSCT. ADULTS WITH MDS OR AML IN MORPHOLOGIC COMPLETE REMISSION AT CC-486 INITIATION (42 TO 84 DAYS AFTER ALLOSCT) WERE INCLUDED. PATIENTS RECEIVED 1 OF 4 CC-486 DOSING SCHEDULES PER 28-DAY CYCLE FOR UP TO 12 CYCLES. ENDPOINTS INCLUDED SAFETY, PHARMACOKINETICS, GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE (GVHD) INCIDENCE, RELAPSE/PROGRESSION RATE, AND SURVIVAL. OF 30 PATIENTS, 7 RECEIVED CC-486 ONCE DAILY FOR 7 DAYS PER CYCLE (200 MG, N = 3; 300 MG, N = 4) AND 23 FOR 14 DAYS PER CYCLE (150 MG, N = 4; 200 MG, N = 19 [EXPANSION COHORT]). GRADES 3 TO 4 ADVERSE EVENTS WERE INFREQUENT AND OCCURRED WITH SIMILAR FREQUENCY ACROSS REGIMENS. STANDARD CONCOMITANT MEDICATIONS DID NOT ALTER CC-486 PHARMACOKINETIC PARAMETERS. THREE PATIENTS (10%) EXPERIENCED GRADE III ACUTE GVHD AND 9 EXPERIENCED CHRONIC GVHD. OF 28 EVALUABLE PATIENTS, 6 (21%) RELAPSED OR HAD PROGRESSIVE DISEASE: 3 OF 7 PATIENTS (43%) WHO HAD RECEIVED 7-DAY DOSING AND 3 OF 23 (13%) WHO HAD RECEIVED 14-DAY DOSING. TRANSPLANT-RELATED MORTALITY WAS 3%. AT 19 MONTHS OF FOLLOW-UP, MEDIAN OVERALL SURVIVAL WAS NOT REACHED. ESTIMATED 1-YEAR SURVIVAL RATES WERE 86% AND 81% IN THE 7-DAY AND 14-DAY DOSING COHORTS, RESPECTIVELY. CC-486 MAINTENANCE WAS GENERALLY WELL TOLERATED, WITH LOW RATES OF RELAPSE, DISEASE PROGRESSION, AND GVHD. CC-486 MAINTENANCE MAY PERMIT EPIGENETIC MANIPULATION OF THE ALLOREACTIVE RESPONSE POSTALLOGRAFT. FINDINGS REQUIRE CONFIRMATION IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. (CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT01835587.). 2018 20 1713 34 DYSFUNCTIONAL WOUND HEALING IN DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS: NEW CROSSROADS. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: DIABETIC FOOT ULCERATIONS (DFU) AFFECT 25% OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS DURING THEIR LIFETIME AND CONSTITUTE A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM AS THEY ARE OFTEN RECALCITRANT TO HEALING DUE TO A CONSTELLATION OF BOTH INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC FACTORS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW IS TO (1) DETAIL THE CURRENT MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF DFU FORMATION AND (2) HIGHLIGHT FUTURE THERAPEUTIC TARGETS. RECENT FINDINGS: FROM A MOLECULAR PERSPECTIVE, DFUS EXHIBIT A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY PREDISPOSITION. IN ADDITION, INCREASED LOCAL HYPOXIC CONDITIONS AND IMPAIRED CELLULAR RESPONSES TO HYPOXIA ARE PATHOGENIC FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO DELAYED WOUND HEALING. FINALLY, RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS A ROLE FOR EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, INCLUDING MICRORNAS, IN DELAYED DFU HEALING DUE TO THE COMPLEX INTERPLAY BETWEEN GENES AND THE ENVIRONMENT. IN THIS REGARD, NOTABLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE MOLECULAR AND GENETIC UNDERSTANDING OF DFU FORMATION. HOWEVER, FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO TRANSLATE PRECLINICAL INVESTIGATIONS INTO CLINICAL THERAPIES. 2018