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Zhou X, Zhang YC, Lu KQ, Xiao R, Tang WC, Wang F. The Role of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Mediated F-Actin in the Acupuncture-Induced Mitigation of Inflammatory Pain in Arthritic Rats. Brain Sci 2024; 14:380. [PMID: 38672029 PMCID: PMC11048453 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14040380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The analgesic efficacy of acupuncture has been widely recognized. However, the mechanism by which manual acupuncture-generated mechanical stimuli translate into biological signals remains unclear. This study employed a CFA-induced inflammatory pain rat model. Acupuncture intervention was then performed following standardized procedures. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assessed inflammatory cytokines levels, while immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR screened the level of p38 and F-actin expression in the ST36 acupoint area of rats. Results indicated increased inflammatory factors, including IL-1β and TNFα, with reduced paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) and paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL) in CFA rats compared to unmodeled rats. After acupuncture intervention, the heightened expression level of F-actin and p38 mRNA and the phosphorylation of p38 in the acupoint area was observed alongside decreased inflammatory factors in diseased ankle joints. The application of lifting and thrusting manipulations further enhanced the effect of acupuncture, in which the molecular expression level of muscle and connective tissue increased most significantly, indicating that these two tissues play a major role in the transformation of acupuncture stimulation. Moreover, antagonizing p38 expression hindered acupuncture efficacy, supporting the hypothesis that p38 MAPK-mediated F-actin transduces mechanical signals generated by acupuncture and related manipulation into biological signals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Fan Wang
- School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China; (X.Z.); (Y.-C.Z.); (K.-Q.L.); (R.X.); (W.-C.T.)
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Pathare ADS, Saare M, Meltsov A, Lawarde A, Modhukur V, Kalinina A, Sekavin A, Kukushkina V, Karro H, Salumets A, Peters M. The cervical transcriptome changes during the menstrual cycle but does not predict the window of implantation. FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 2023; 5:1224919. [PMID: 37519341 PMCID: PMC10375708 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2023.1224919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The expression of genes in female reproductive organs is influenced by the cyclic changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. While the molecular changes in the endometrium that facilitate embryo implantation have been extensively studied, there is limited knowledge about the impact of the menstrual cycle on cervical cells. Cervical cells can be easily and routinely collected using a cytobrush during gynecological examination, offering a standardized approach for diagnostic testing. In this study we investigated how the transcriptome of cervical cells changes during the menstrual cycle and assessed the utility of these cells to determine endometrial receptivity. Methods Endocervical cells were collected with cytobrushes from 16 healthy women at different menstrual cycle phases in natural cycles and from four women undergoing hormonal replacement cycles. RNA sequencing was applied to gain insight into the transcriptome of cervical cells. Results Transcriptome analysis identified four differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between early- and mid-secretory samples, suggesting that the transcriptome of cervical cells does not change significantly during the opening of the implantation window. The most differences appeared during the transition to the late secretory phase (2136 DEGs) before the onset of menstruation. Cervical cells collected during hormonal replacement cycles showed 1899 DEGs enriched in immune system processes. Conclusions The results of our study suggested that cervical cells undergo moderate transcriptomic changes throughout the menstrual cycle; however, these changes do not reflect the gene expression pattern of endometrial tissue and offer little or no potential for endometrial receptivity diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amruta D. S. Pathare
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Merli Saare
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alvin Meltsov
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Ankita Lawarde
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Vijayachitra Modhukur
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Aire Sekavin
- Women’s Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Helle Karro
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Women’s Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Andres Salumets
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maire Peters
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
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Development and Validation of Rapid Colorimetric Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for Detection of Rift Valley Fever Virus. Adv Virol 2023; 2023:1863980. [PMID: 36755743 PMCID: PMC9902148 DOI: 10.1155/2023/1863980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a high-priority zoonotic pathogen with the ability to cause massive loss during its outbreak within a very short period of time. Lack of a highly sensitive, instant reading diagnostic method for RVFV, which is more suitable for on-site testing, is a big gap that needs to be addressed. The aim of this study was to develop a novel one-step reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) method for the rapid detection of RVFV. To achieve this, the selected RVFV M segment nucleotide sequences were aligned using Multiple Sequence Comparison by Log-Expectation (MUSCLE) software in MEGA11 version 11.0.11 program to identify conserved regions. A 211 pb sequence was identified and six different primers to amplify it were designed using NEB LAMP Primer design tool version 1.1.0. The specificity of the designed primers was tested using primer BLAST, and a primer set, specific to RVFV and able to form a loop, was selected. In this study, we developed a single-tube test based on calorimetric RT-LAMP that enabled the visual detection of RVFV within 30 minutes at 65°C. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the newly developed kit were compared with RVFV qRT-PCR, using total RNA samples extracted from 118 blood samples. The colorimetric RT-LAMP assay had a sensitivity of 98.36% and a specificity of 96.49%. The developed RT-LAMP was found to be tenfold more sensitive compared to the RVFV qRT-PCR assay commonly used in the confirmatory diagnosis of RVFV.
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Dolinar A, Grubelnik G, Srebotnik-Kirbiš I, Strojan Fležar M, Žlajpah M. Optimization of pre-analytical and analytical steps for DNA and RNA analysis of fresh cytology samples. Cancer Med 2022; 11:4021-4032. [PMID: 35403378 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Different cytology preparations can be used for molecular diagnostics, however the influence of pre-analytical and analytical steps on the results are not yet well defined. We aimed to determine optimal steps for efficient extraction of DNA and RNA from fresh cells for molecular diagnostics. METHODS MCF7 and FaDu human cell lines, were used as a model to determine fresh cells storage conditions (temperature: 25°C, 4°C, -20°C, -80°C; duration: 0 h, 4 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h) and optimal nucleic acids extraction method. Besides, the minimal number of total cells and minimal percentage of mutated cells needed for successful extraction of nucleic acids and subsequent determination of present mutation were evaluated. RESULTS Extraction of nucleic acids using spin columns yielded the highest quantity and quality of nucleic acids. Isolation of nucleic acids was feasible in all storage conditions, however higher temperature and longer duration of fresh cells storage were associated with lower quality of isolated nucleic acids and similar quantification cycle of housekeeping genes. Successful molecular testing was feasible with least 104 cells, while specific mutation was detected in as low as 5% of mutated cells. CONCLUSIONS Our cell line model, mimicking fresh cytology samples, showed that quantity of extracted either DNA or RNA declined with higher temperatures and longer duration of storage but regardless of the storage conditions, we successfully detected both housekeeping genes and mutated gene using qPCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Dolinar
- Department of molecular genetics, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gašper Grubelnik
- Department of molecular genetics, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Srebotnik-Kirbiš
- Department of cytopathology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Margareta Strojan Fležar
- Department of cytopathology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Margareta Žlajpah
- Department of molecular genetics, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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