NOS2 Polymorphism in Aspect of Left and Right-Sided Colorectal Cancer

Background: The NOS2 gene polymorphism rs2297518 is associated with an increased level of NO, which could contribute to colorectal cancer (CRC) development. We hypothesized that the potential influence of the NOS2 gene polymorphism on cancer development may vary between right-sided and left-sided colon cancers, and rectal cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the rs2297518 polymorphism influence on colorectal cancer development with regard to tumor localization. Methods: This case-control study included 199 patients with CRC and 120 controls. The qPCR endpoint genotyping was conducted using the TaqMan® genotyping assay. Results: This study revealed significant differences in tumor characteristic and in the minor alelle A frequency in the NOS2 genotype between colorectal cancers with different localizations. The mucinous adenocarcinoma was diagnosed significantly more often in right-sided cancers than in left-sided (30.6% vs. 10.9%, p = 0.009) and rectal cancers (30.6% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.0003). The minor allele A of the NOS2 genotype was observed more frequently in right-sided cancers than in left-sided cancers (44.9% vs. 23.1%, p = 0.0137) and more frequently in rectal cancers than in left-sided cancers (40.0% vs. 23.1%, p = 0.0285). Conclusions: In conclusion, the results support the hypothesis that the SNP rs2297518 of the NOS2 gene influences colorectal cancer development with regard to tumor localization.

Association between Glutathione S-Transferases Gene Variants and COVID-19 Severity in Previously Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Polish Patients with Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection

As the outcome of COVID-19 is associated with oxidative stress, it is highly probable that polymorphisms of genes related to oxidative stress were associated with susceptibility and severity of COVID-19. The aim of the study was to assess the association of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) gene polymorphisms with COVID-19 severity in previously vaccinated and unvaccinated Polish patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 92 not vaccinated and 84 vaccinated patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 were included. The WHO COVID-19 Clinical Progression Scale was used to assess COVID-19 severity. GSTs genetic polymorphisms were assessed by appropriate PCR methods. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed, including logistic regression analysis. GSTP1 Ile/Val genotype was found to be associated with a higher risk of developing a severe form of the disease in the population of vaccinated patients with COVID-19 (OR: 2.75; p = 0.0398). No significant association was observed for any of the assessed GST genotypes with COVID-19 disease severity in unvaccinated patients with COVID-19. In this group of patients, BMI > 25 and serum glucose level > 99 mg% statistically significantly increased the odds towards more severe COVID-19. Our results may contribute to further understanding of risk factors of severe COVID-19 and selecting patients in need of strategies focusing on oxidative stress.

Glutathione S-Transferase P1 Genetic Variant's Influence on the HbA1c Level in Type Two Diabetic Patients

GST (glutathione S-transferases) are capable of influencing glucose homeostasis, probably through regulation of the response to oxidant stress. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between GSTP1 gene polymorphism and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in type two diabetic (T2D) patients. A total of 307 T2D patients were included. Analysis of the GSTP1 gene polymorphism (rs1695) was conducted using the TaqMan qPCR method endpoint genotyping. HbA1c was determined using a COBAS 6000 autoanalyzer. A univariable linear regression and multivariable linear regression model were used to investigate the association between mean HbA1c level and GSTP1 gene polymorphism, age at T2D diagnosis, T2D duration, therapy with insulin, gender, BMI, smoking status. GSTP1 Val/Val genotype, age at T2D diagnosis, T2D duration and therapy with insulin were statistically significant contributors to HbA1c levels (p < 0.05). Multivariable regression analysis revealed that GSTP1 (Val/Val vs. Ile/Ile) was associated with higher HbA1c even after adjustment for variables that showed a statistically significant relationship with HbA1c in univariable analyses (p = 0.024). The results suggest that GSTP polymorphism may be one of the risk factors for higher HbA1c in T2D patients. Our study is limited by the relatively small sample size, cross-sectional design, and lack of inclusion of other oxidative stress-related genetic variants.

Iatrogenic Injury of Biliary Tree-Single-Centre Experience

Cholecystolithiasis is among the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders requiring surgical intervention, and iatrogenic damage to the bile tree is a severe complication. We aimed to present the frequency of bile duct injuries and how our facility handles these complications. We retrospectively analyzed bile duct injuries in patients undergoing surgery. We concentrated on factors such as sex, age, indications for surgery, type of surgery, primary procedure, bile tree injury, repair, and timing as well as early and late complications. There were 22 cases of bile duct injury in the studied material, primarily affecting women-15 individuals (68.2%). Eleven cases (45.7%) of acute cholecystitis were the primary reason for surgery, and an injury to the common bile duct that extended up to 2 cm from the common hepatic duct was the most common complication (European Association for Endoscopic Surgery grade 2). Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was the most common repair procedure in 14 cases (63.6%). Eleven patients (50%) experienced early complications following reconstruction surgery, whereas five patients (22.7%) experienced late complications. An annual mortality rate of 22.7% (five patients) was observed. Iatrogenic bile duct injury is a severe complication of surgical treatment for cholecystolithiasis. Reconstruction procedures are characterized by high complication rates and high mortality.

Defective Proinsulin Handling Modulates the MHC I Bound Peptidome and Activates the Inflammasome in β-Cells

How immune tolerance is lost to pancreatic β-cell peptides triggering autoimmune type 1 diabetes is enigmatic. We have shown that loss of the proinsulin chaperone glucose-regulated protein (GRP) 94 from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) leads to mishandling of proinsulin, ER stress, and activation of the immunoproteasome. We hypothesize that inadequate ER proinsulin folding capacity relative to biosynthetic need may lead to an altered β-cell major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I bound peptidome and inflammasome activation, sensitizing β-cells to immune attack. We used INS-1E cells with or without GRP94 knockout (KO), or in the presence or absence of GRP94 inhibitor PU-WS13 (GRP94i, 20 µM), or exposed to proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β or interferon gamma (IFNγ) (15 pg/mL and 10 ng/mL, respectively) for 24 h. RT1.A (rat MHC I) expression was evaluated using flow cytometry. The total RT1.A-bound peptidome analysis was performed on cell lysates fractionated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), followed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine rich repeat and pyrin domain containing protein (NLRP1), nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor alpha (IκBα), and (pro) IL-1β expression and secretion were investigated by Western blotting. GRP94 KO increased RT1.A expression in β-cells, as did cytokine exposure compared to relevant controls. Immunopeptidome analysis showed increased RT1.A-bound peptide repertoire in GRP94 KO/i cells as well as in the cells exposed to cytokines. The GRP94 KO/cytokine exposure groups showed partial overlap in their peptide repertoire. Notably, proinsulin-derived peptide diversity increased among the total RT1.A peptidome in GRP94 KO/i along with cytokines exposure. NLRP1 expression was upregulated in GRP94 deficient cells along with decreased IκBα content while proIL-1β cellular levels declined, coupled with increased secretion of mature IL-1β. Our results suggest that limiting β-cell proinsulin chaperoning enhances RT1.A expression alters the MHC-I peptidome including proinsulin peptides and activates inflammatory pathways, suggesting that stress associated with impeding proinsulin handling may sensitize β-cells to immune-attack.

Suicide among Polish Adolescents-A 20 Year Analysis

Background: The study aimed to analyze the burden and territorial diversification of adolescent suicide and the link between suicide attempts and selected socioeconomic variables in Poland. Methods: Rates of suicide by voivodeships for years 1999–2019 were obtained from the General Police Headquarters of Poland database. The burden of premature death was expressed in years of life lost (YLL) and costs of lost productivity, which were estimated using the human capital approach. The link between suicide rates and socioeconomic determinants has been analyzed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: Over the analyzed period, an increase in suicide attempt rates and a decrease in suicide death rates have been observed. Mean YLL and costs of lost productivity per year amounted to 11,982 and 153,172,415 PLN, respectively. Territorial diversification in suicide attempt rates corresponds to the living condition, poverty, association-based capital, and satisfaction with family situation in individual voivodeships. The number of deaths due to suicide is negatively correlated with an indicator of good living conditions. Conclusions: Our findings provide quantitative evidence of the national impact of suicide and suggest that addressing social capital and poverty may have a role in preventing adolescent mortality due to suicide.

Glutathione S-transferases gene polymorphism influence on the age of diabetes type 2 onset

INTRODUCTION

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a multifactorial disease affecting mostly adults older than 40 years. The aim of the study was to examine GST gene polymorphism influence on the risk of T2D, especially in young adults.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

200 diabetic patients and 221 healthy controls participated in this study. Three GST gene polymorphism have been analyzed: GSTP1 (single-nucleotide polymorphism Ile₁₀₅Val), homozygous deletion of GSTT1 (null/null) and GSTM1 (null/null), using TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR.

RESULTS

The distribution of examined polymorphisms was similar in patient group and control group. Statistically significant differences were demonstrated for the combination of GSTP1 Val/Val and GSTT1 null/null genotypes between patients diagnosed before 40 years of age and healthy people (12.5% vs 0.9%, p=0.016). Moreover, all three examined gene polymorphism together (GSTP1 Val/Val, GSTM1nul/null and GSTT1 null/null genotype) was observed in 12.5% of patients diagnosed before 40 years of age and in 0.5% of healthy individuals (p=0.013).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the results suggest that GST polymorphism may be one of the risk factors for developing T2D at a younger age than the T2D population average.

The Influence of Red Meat on Colorectal Cancer Occurrence Is Dependent on the Genetic Polymorphisms of S-Glutathione Transferase Genes

BACKGROUND

It is postulated that both individual genotype and environmental factors such as diet may modify the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). The influences of GST gene polymorphism and red meat intake on CRC occurrence in the Polish population were analyzed in this study.

METHODS

Genotyping was performed with the qPCR method.

RESULTS

A high frequency of meat consumption was associated with an over 2-fold increase in the risk of colorectal cancer odds ratio (OR) adjusted for sex and age = 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.3-4.4). However, after analyzing the genetic profiles, in the absence of polymorphisms of all three analyzed genes, there was no association between a high frequency of meat consumption and the occurrence of CRC. In the case of GSTM1 gene polymorphism, the high frequency of meat consumption increased the risk of CRC by almost more than 4 times (OR adjusted for sex and age = 3.8, 95% CI: 1.6-9.1). For GSTP1 gene polymorphism, a 3-fold increase in CRC risk was observed with a high frequency of meat consumption (OR adjusted for sex and age = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.4-8.1). In the case of GSTT1 gene polymorphism, the increase in risk of CRC was not statistically significant (OR adjusted for sex and age = 1.9, 95% CI: 0.4-8.5).

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of red meat intake in non-smokers increases the risk of colon cancer in the case of GST gene polymorphisms.

Early gesture use in fragile X syndrome

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence suggests that children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) exhibit abnormal gesture use early in development, although few studies have investigated the emergence of gesture use in this population or the impact of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) features on these behaviours. The present study examined the longitudinal development of gesture use in infants with FXS relative to low-risk controls and infant siblings of children with ASD (high-risk siblings), with the goal of establishing potentially unique patterns of gesture development in infants with FXS and understanding the relative impact of ASD symptom severity on these patterns.

METHOD

Participants included 86 male infants (39 FXS, 27 high-risk siblings and 20 low-risk infants) assessed at 9, 12 and 24 months of age. Multilevel modelling was used to assess differences in number of gestures used and rates of gesture use across groups, as well as the relative impact of ASD symptom severity and nonverbal skills on these patterns.

RESULTS

Infants with FXS used fewer gestures than high-risk siblings and low-risk infants, with this difference being primarily accounted for by the effect of low nonverbal abilities in the FXS group. Furthermore, although higher ASD symptom severity was associated with the use of fewer gestures in both the FXS and high-risk sibling groups, a significant amount of variance was shared between ASD symptom severity and nonverbal skills in FXS, but not in high-risk siblings.

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents the first longitudinal analysis of early gesture development in FXS by using a multigroup design, clarifying the relative roles of cognitive deficits and ASD symptom severity in the development of gesture use in FXS. These findings offer novel evidence that early gesture use in FXS may reflect broader features of the FXS phenotype rather than predicting later social-communicative deficits characteristic of comorbid ASD.

Conventional colon adenomas harbor various disturbances in microsatellite stability and contain micro-serrated foci with microsatellite instability

Introduction

Colorectal cancer belongs to the most frequent occurring malignancies. A prediction of the clinical outcome and appropriate choice of neoadjuvant chemotherapy needs personalized insight to the main driving pathways. Because most CRCs have polyps as progenitor lesions, studying the pathways driving to adenomagenesis is no less important.

Goals

Our purpose was the evaluation of microsatellite stability status within conventional colon adenomas and also β-catenin, BRAFV600E and p53 contribution.

Material and methods

The cohort included 101 cases of typical colon adenomas with high grade epithelial dysplasia according to WHO. An immunohistochemistry method was used for the depiction of the expression of targeted proteins, as also their heterogeneity.

Results

Generally, we noted a 10% frequency of MSI events where MSI-H reached a 5% share occurred within the left colon and rectal polyps. β-catenin nuclear overexpression was noted with a 70% frequency and p53 with close to a 24% frequency. In addition, we found a presence of micro-serration foci more often within tubular adenomas, where focal MSI took place more often. Our results indicate that MSI events occur more often than had been theorized earlier. It results in tumour heterogeneity, more complex underlying pathways and finally ontogenetic molecular-diversity of tumours besides similar occurring histopathological features.

The Effect of the Slaughter Method, Inbred, Age and Race on the Glutathione Level in some Organs of Rabbits (short communication)

Abstract. Seventy day old New Zealand rabbits had a significantly higher level of glutathione /GSH/ in the liver, kidney and muscle than the animals aged 140 days. The random and inbred mated New Zealand rabbits revealed higher its concentration than those of the Bay Black breed. Injection of 10% MgS04 Solution caused an increase of glutathione level in the studied liver, kidney and muscle.

The influence of MgSO₄, race and mating pattern on the concentration of some lipids in rabbit organs (short communication)

Abstract. The study was performed on New Zealand White breed and Black Bay breed rabbits. The 70 – and 140 – day old inbred and random rabbits were killed in the classical method by the breaking of the spinal cord (streng blow). The 180-day old individuals in the first subgroup were killed similary by the breaking of the spinal cord, and in the second subgroup by injection of 2 ml/kg b.w. 10% Solution MgSO4 to their ear vein. The liver, kidney muscle and blood serum of the 70-day old inbred rabbits showed lower level of total lipids and triglycerides in comparison with the random mated animals. MgSO4 administration decreased the level of total lipids in the liver and kidney of random BB individuals. MgSO4 injection decreased the triglyceride concentration in the liver of random rabbits and in the muscle, blood serum of inbred New Zealand animals. It decreased the level of cholesterol in the kidney and muscle of NZ rabbits and in the blood serum of the random and inbred BB animals.

The effects of ethyl alcohol on the concentration of some lipids in mouse organs

1. The administration of 5% and 10% ethyl alcohol to mice in 7-, 14- and 28-day periods resulted in an increase in triglycerides, total lipids and cholesterol concentration in the liver and a decrease in the muscle. 2. The smallest changes were in the kidney.