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Feb 2026
Xing HuiCorresponding author
Keratinocytes are pivotal in mediating cutaneous inflammation. Identifying anti-inflammatory factors within these cells holds promise for developing novel therapeutic strategies to manage skin inflammation. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) has recently emerged as a key regulator linking cellular energy metabolism to inflammatory processes, primarily through its influence on autophagy and NF-κB signaling. However, whether TFEB activation exerts anti-inflammatory effects in keratinocytes remains unclear. In vitro inflammation model was established in HaCat cells by incubation with proinflammatory mediators LPS and IL-1β. Cell viability and TFEB expression and phosphorylation were measured. The effect of TFEB activation by C1 and adenoviral TFEB overexpression on the expression of proinflammatory genes including COX-2, MCP-1 and IL-6 were detected. Also, IκBα protein level were determined. TFEB phosphorylation is increased while TFEB total protein expression is inhibited by treatment with LPS and IL-1β. Pharmacological activation of TFEB by compound C1 and TFEB overexpression suppressed the expression of COX-2, MCP-1 and TNF-α induced by LPS and IL-1β. TFEB overexpression increased basal IκBα expression and restored IκBα level under LPS treatment. TFEB knockdown reduced TFEB expression and lowered basal expression level of COX-2, MCP-1 and TNF-α. Our findings indicate that TFEB activation can mitigate inflammatory gene expression in keratinocytes triggered by LPS and IL-1β. This implicates TFEB as a significant novel modulator of cutaneous inflammation, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target. Targeting TFEB could thus be a viable strategy for developing new treatments for chronic inflammatory skin conditions.
May 2022 DOI 10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-22-4149
Lemma WossensegedCorresponding author
Department of Medical Parasitology; School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia
In Ethiopia stunting, underweight and wasting in school children are very common. The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of intestinal helminthes and schistosomiasis on malnutrition, anaemia and haematological indices in the school age children of Azezo Elementary School in Gondar town. Kato Katz technique was performed to determine infection and intensity of intestinal helminth infections. AnthroPlus software version 1.04 was used to get malnutrition indices while fully automated haematological analyzers were used to determine haematological and biochemical parameters. A total of 384 school children were recruited in this study. The overall prevalence of helminth infection was 45.8% (178/384) with the leading Ascarislumbericoides infection (20.6%) compared to the second leading Schistosomamansoni (17.4%) and third leading hook worm infections (13.3%). The prevalences of body mass indexes for age Z-scores (BAZ) indices were 9.6% (37) very sever thin, 17.2% (66) sever thin, 38.3% (147) thin, 34.4% (132) normal and 0.5% (2) overweight. On the other hand, the prevalences of height for age Z-scores (HAZ) indices were 12.2% (47) stunt, 87% (334) normal and 0.8% (3) over height. Of the total 384 school age children, 335 (87.2%) had normal blood glucose level (70 – 110 mg/dL) while the remaining 49 (12.8%) school age children were hypoglycemic. The number of the school children with normal total protein level (6.6 – 8 g/dL) was 259 (67.4%) while the remaining 125 (32.6%) school children were hypo-proteinaemic. The prevalence of anemia in the school age children was 33.1% (127). Intestinal helminth infections were statistically significantly associated (p = 0.000) with hypo-proteinaemia, anemia and number of lymphocytes compared with non-infected school children. The likelihood of anemia in intestinal helminth infected school children, when it was compared with uninfected, was 148 times higher for both Ascaris lumbericoides-Schistosoma mansoni co-infection, 38 times for Hookworm, 20 times for Schistosoma mansoni and 3 times for Ascaris lumbericoides mono-infections. Conclusion: Intestinal helminth infections in school age children aggravate malnutrition. Prolonged malnutrition and intestinal helminth infections could result in stunting in school-age children.
Nov 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2691-6622.ijar-20-3605
Nsangou Amidou KpoumieCorresponding author
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Dschang, Cameroon
In order to contribute to the domestication of Labeobabusbatesii, the survival and growth performances in pre-grossing according to the dietary protein level were studied between January and April 2020. A total of 400 fry (0.8 ± 0.02g), divided into four batches and distributed randomly in 8 happas (50 ind / m2), respectively received in duplicate the food at 25, 30, 35 or 40% crude protein (R25%, R30%, R35% and R40%). The results show that: survival rate and growth performances were significantly influenced (p≤0.05) by the level of dietary protein except for lengths (total, standard and length gain) whose highest values were obtained with the diet at 35% crude protein, the highest significant values of the other growth characteristics were obtained in the batch fed at 25% crude protein while the lowest were recorded on individuals of batches fed at 40% crude protein. Regardless of the level of food protein, the post-larvae presented an allometric minorant growth. So, 25% of dietary protein is therefore recommended for pre-grossing of this species.
Jul 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2576-6694.jbbs-20-3450
M. Mahmoud MagdyCorresponding author
Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo Egypt.
Background Hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) combined with neurological signs due to impaired catecholamine, dopamine and serotonin synthesis. Symptoms may appears in first week of life but most seen in age of 4 months. Atypical PKU disease caused mainly by deficiency in 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS) involved in synthesis of BH4. Clinical symptoms may include poor sucking, impaired tone, ataxia, and seizures. The purpose of this study was to analyze the genotype-phenotype relation among BH4 deficient patients because of PTPS mutations in different state of Egypt. Methods Suspected PKU patients loaded with phenylalanine/Kuvan, and the level of phe and phe/tyrosine ratio determined using tandem mass spectrometry by dried blood spots. Blood samples of 13 unrelated Egyptian patients were collected for total RNA extraction, amplification of PTPS gene by PCR followed with sequencing by Sanger method and finally mutations were recorded for genetic analysis. Results The mean value of phe in 13 patients decreased after loaded of phenylalanine from 482.5μmol/L to 270.63 μmol/L as well as phe/tyrosine ratio was decreased from 13.4 to 6.36 after 24hour of treatment with Kuvan. Sanger sequencing of PTPS gene of those patient showed 21 SNPs and Indels mutations. The most repeated mutation is a novel 23 base pair homozygous deletion in 12/13; c.200C>T in four patients, a novel c.86A>T in two patients and three different mutations located once in three different patients (novel c.22C>T; novel c.273G>A and 405T>C) among patients. On amino acid predicted sequences 4 different types of mutations on protein level were presented, 1 deletion mutation in seven amino acid and 3 different missense mutations in addition to 2 silent mutations among 13 patients. Conclusion Patients were the first case of clinical diagnosis as hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) undergoing genetic diagnosis for PTPS deficiency in Egypt. The sever HPA patients with severe nervous system damage mainly accompanied with deletion mutations and should pay more attention to the BH4 deficiency. While mild HPA is associated with base substitution mutations with mainly transition mutations (7/9; 78%). Next-generation sequencing technique can increase the mutation detection rate when the hereditary diseases are highly suspected in clinic.
Mar 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2577-2279.ijha-20-3232
Linus Anderson EnyeCorresponding author
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti
Objective Exposure of dichlorvos-contaminated foods, water and environment can lead to decrease in proper liver function. Thus, Mimosa pudica(MP)is being investigated in the present study to determine its protective effect on dichlorvos induced hepatotoxity in Mice. Methods Fifty adult male BALB/c mice weighing between 20-30g were randomly assigned into 5 groups of 10 animals each (Groups A, B, C, D, and E). Group A as the control Group received normal feed, group B received 0.1 ml of MP, group C was given 40 g of 2.5% Dichlorvos (DDVP) for 28 days. While, group D were given 40 g of 2.5% DDVP with 0.1ml of MP and group E animals were given DDVP for half the period of administration, normal feed and 0.1ml MP for 14 days. Histological and biochemical preparations of the liver were processed and data were expressed as mean± SEM. Significant difference was set at p<0.05. Results ALT activity and the total protein level of the liver show no significant increase (P < 0.005) when compared with the control. AST and ALP activities were significantly increased in animals given DDVP with subsequent MP treatment when compared with the controls. Histological studies revealed distortion of normal hepatic histoarchitecture in DDVP group B and MP groups mitigated these changes in the treated groups. Conclusion Dichlorvos caused tissue distortion in the mice with prominent toxic effects on the liver while MP extract showed ameliorative effects on the liver that was exposed to DDVP
Aug 2017
Oluyinka AKINTAYO RichardCorresponding author
Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria
Objectives: To describe the frequency, clinico-laboratory characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: This is a retrospective review of patients with JIA seen over a five-year period at the rheumatology clinic and children ward of LASUTH. We reviewed the folders of 28 patients from our unit records. The demographics, baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics, treatment given and patient outcomes were extracted and analyzed. Results: A total of 28 patients with JIA were managed over the study period. Twenty one (75%) patients among our JIA cases were female and the mean age at presentation was 9.8±3.9 years. The mean duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 21.8±5.7 months. Polyarticular JIA (PJIA) constituted 14 (50%) cases, while oligoarticular and systemic-onset JIA (SoJIA) constituted 9 (39.3%) and 5 (17.9%) of the JIA cases respectively. Anaemia was present in 20 (71.4%) patients, leucocytosis in 16 (57.1%) and thrombocytosis in 11 (39.2%). Twenty five (89.2%) patients had elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESRs), 21 (75%) had elevated C-reactive protein levels and 23 (82.1%) patients had hyperferritinaemia. Positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) was found in 5 (17.8%) patients. Mortality was documented in 2 (7.1%) patients both of whom were SoJIA cases. Eleven (39.3%) patients were lost to follow up. Conclusion: Unlike the common report of oligoarticular JIA (OJIA) being the most frequent subtype of JIA in various series from North America and Europe, PJIA was the most frequent subtype seen among our patients and this variant accounted for half of all JIA cases seen. There were no cases of psoriatic, enthesitis-related or undifferentiated JIA and most patients had haematological abnormalities and high levels of inflammatory markers at presentation.
May 2016 DOI 10.14302/issn.2473-1005.jdoi-15-730
Serena De Franceschi MariaCorresponding author
Institute of Dentistry, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, "Magna Græcia" University, Viale Europa, Catanzaro, Italy.
Objectives: Periodontal disease is associated to widespread systemic inflammation, and further to both cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Data from intervention studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of periodontal therapy in reducing vascular diseases. The present study was aimed to explore whether low-level Laser therapy as an adjunct to scaling and root planning reduces serum levels of inflammatory cytokines. Material and Methods: Thirty patients were enrolled. All recruited participants underwent blood sampling and dental inspection for periodontal indexes measurement. Plaque index, gingival index and probing depth were employed as measures of periodontal disease. Afterwards, patients underwent scaling and root planning plus low-level Laser therapy. Inflammatory biomarkers and periodontal indexes were measured before treatment and twenty weeks after treatment. Results: Plaque index, gingival index and probing depth largely improved at the follow-up visit, resulting more than halved from the baseline. Furthermore, a significant reduction of serum interleukin-1 beta has been observed (1.1 SD 2.1 vs 0.5 SD 1.3, P = 0.04), whereas serum interleukin-6 levels remained substantially unchanged. Blood C-reactive protein levels decreased at the follow-up, but not reaching statistical significance. Conclusions: therapy addressed to a local improvement of periodontal disease gives a reduction of systemic inflammation, possibly beneficial for cardiovascular health.
May 2015 DOI 10.14302/issn.2471-7061.jcrc-14-574
B. Irby RosalynCorresponding author
Department of Medicine Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033. &Denotes equal contribution
Colon cancer has a five-year survival of 64.7%, and about 50,000 people are expected to die from colon cancer this year. Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer have a significantly worse prognosis, a 12.9% five-year survival. This emphasizes the need for strategies to inhibit the growth and metastases of colorectal cancer. Prostate apoptosis response protein 4 (Par-4) is a pro-apoptotic protein that has been shown to mediate apoptosis in response to stimuli, such as chemotherapeutics and radiation. Recombinant Par-4 protein has been shown to reduce the occurrence of Lewis lung carcinoma metastases in-vivo; however, the mechanism by which Par-4 can inhibit metastasis has not been elucidated. In this study, human colon cancer cell lines - SW480 and SW620 - were transfected with Par-4 plasmid or anti-Par-4 shRNA, and the effect on metastasis was examined. Par-4 overexpression inhibited cell migration and invasion, while Par-4 knockdown promoted it. Moreover, the morphology of SW620 cells was altered when Par-4 levels were increased. The change was characteristic of a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) in these cells. MET can be induced by upregulation of E-cadherin expression, and RT-PCR and Western blot analyses showed that E-cadherin mRNA and protein levels, respectively, were increased in the Par-4 overexpressing cells concomitant with a decrease in vimentin. The results of this study demonstrate the potential of Par-4 in colon cancer therapy, not only in primary tumors but also in metastatic cells.
Jan 2015 DOI 10.14302/issn.2372-6601.jhor-14-377
Zaidah A WCorresponding author
Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia,Kubang Kerian, Malaysia.
Background Abnormalities of plasma von Willebrand Factor (vWF) system has been described in solid tumors but more information is required to understand the pathophysiological process in haematological malignancies. Objectives This study was carried out to investigate the changes in vWF-related parameters including ADAMTS13 protein level in aggressive haematological malignancies and to identify the prevalence of anti-ADAMTS13 antibody as well as its correlations with vWF-related parameters. Patients/Methods Patient newly diagnosed or having relapse acute leukaemias or aggresive non-Hodgkin lymphomas were recruited into this study. Exclusion criterias include; pregnancy, patient already commenced chemotherapy, sepsis or has background congenital bleeding disorders. Blood specimen was subjected to; blood counts, ADAMTS13 protein, ADAMTS13 antibody detection, vWF:Ag, vWF activity, factor VIII level (FVIII) and vWF: CBA (collagen binding assays) Results and Conclusion A total of 60 subjects with median age at 42.5 (IQR: 23.25-57.5) were included. There were 34(56.7%) lymphomas and 26(43%) acute leukaemias. FVIII, vWF:Ag, wVF activity and vWF:CBA level were elevated whereas ADAMTS13 protein was reduced in majority of patients. Those with lymphomas showed significantly higher levels of FVIII, vWF:Ag, vWF:activity and vWF:CBA compared to the leukaemias. 38(63.3%) of patients showed presence of ADAMTS 13 autoantibody. There was however no correlation between ADAMTS13 protein and vWF-related parameters or with ADAMTS13 autoantibodies. There was a high prevalence of ADAMTS 13 autoantibodies in this cohort despite the absence of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). The more pronounced changes in vWF-related parameters among aggressive lymphomas compared to acute leukaemias are in tandem with the marginally higher rates of venous thromboembolism in the former.
Jul 2013 DOI 10.14302/issn.2324-7339.jcrhap-12-150
Kashyap BineetaCorresponding author
Department of Microbiology
Aims and Objectives: The incidence of cryptococcal meningitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans has risen markedly over the past 20 years as a result of theHIV epidemic and increasing use of immunosuppressive therapies. The objectives of this study were to isolate and identify Cryptococcus neoformans from clinically suspected cases of fungal meningitis by conventional techniques and evaluate the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a serum or urine biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with cryptococcal meningitis. Materials and Methods: Direct microscopic examination of the CSF samples from clinically suspected cases of fungal meningitis was done by India Ink staining for the capsule demonstration and isolation of the Cryptococcus neoformans was done by inoculation of the sample on Sabourauds dextrose agar. Latex agglutination test for the presence of cryptococcal antigen was done on sera, CSF and urine samples. C Reactive Protein levels were estimated in sera and urine. Result: Cryptococcal meningitis was diagnosed in 12 cases by culture and/or India Ink staining and/or latex agglutination assay for antigen detection in CSF. Only 8 (66.67%) and 1 (8.33 %) out of 12 samples were positive for cryptococcal antigen in sera and urine respectively. Whereas all the 12 patients were positive in the sera for CRP above the detection threshold limit, only 1 (8.33 %) patient had raised CRP in urine. CRP was raised two weeks after initiation of antifungal therapy in 3 of the above 12 sera and all these 3 cases turned out to be recurrent cases of cryptococcal meningitis. Conclusion Given the high incidence, morbidity and mortality associated with cryptococcal meningitis, it would be ideal if a screening test could be used to exclude this diagnosis based on the presence of biomarkers in serum or urine which would mean less discomfort for the patient in addition to decreased laboratory examination costs.