Perfluorooctane sulfonate induces heart toxicity involving cardiac apoptosis and inflammation in rats

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Perfluorooctane sulfonate induces heart toxicity involving cardiac apoptosis and inflammation in rats Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2022 Jan;23(1):14. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10936. Epub 2021 Oct 28. ABSTRACT Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a persistent pollutant that exerts toxicity and induces cardiogenesis in humans and animals. Yet, the effect of PFOS exposure on cardiac toxicity in adult rats has, to our knowledge, not been reported and the mechanism still remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the toxicity of PFOS on rat hearts and any associated mechanisms. Rats were exposed to 0 (control), 1 and 10 mg/kg PFOS every other day for 14 days. Body weight and heart weight were recorded. The serum levels of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin-T (cTn-T) in heart tissues were measured using biochemical assays. TUNEL staining and western blotting were applied to analyze levels of apoptosis in rat hearts. Pathological assessment and immunohistochemistry analysis of heart tissues were used to evaluate the levels of PFOS-induced cardiotoxicity and inflammatory infiltration. PFOS exposure at the dosage of 10 mg/kg significantly increased the percentage of heart to body weight; however, it did not alter the body weight. At 10 mg/kg, PFOS significantly increased expression levels of myocardial injury markers, such as cTn-T, LDH, CK and CK-MB, while 1 mg/kg PFOS upregulated the expression level of cTn-T in rats. Notably, cardiac fibrosis and myocardiac hypertrophy appeared in the 10 mg/kg PFOS group. In addition, TUNEL-positive cells were significantly increased by exposure to 10 mg/kg PFOS in rat heart tissues. The protein expressions profiles of p53 and Bax were also significantly upregulated in the 10 mg/kg PFOS group. Inflammatory infiltration, detected by anaylzing expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, was significantly raised by 10 mg/kg PFOS exposure. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that 10 mg/kg PFOS-induced cardiac toxicity in rats, which was associated with an increase in apoptosis and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. PMID:34815766 | PMC:PMC8593915 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10936 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Influence of atherosclerosis on the molecular expression of the TRPC1/BK signal complex in the aortic smooth muscles of mice

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Influence of atherosclerosis on the molecular expression of the TRPC1/BK signal complex in the aortic smooth muscles of mice Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2022 Jan;23(1):4. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10926. Epub 2021 Oct 26. ABSTRACT Atherosclerosis (AS) is one a disease that seriously endangers human health. Previous studies have demonstrated that transient receptor potential channel-1 (TRPC1)/large conductance Ca2+ activated K+ channel (BK) signal complex is widely distributed in arteries. Therefore, it was hypothesized that TRPC1-BK signal complex may be a new target for the treatment of AS-related diseases. Apolipoprotein E-/- (ApoE-/-) mice were used to establish an atherosclerotic animal model in the present study, and the association between AS and the TRPC1-BK signal complex was examined. The present study aimed to compare the differences in the expression levels of mRNAs and proteins of the TRPC1-BK signal complex expressed in the aortic vascular smooth muscle tissue, between mice with AS and control mice. There were 10 mice i n each group. Reverse transcription PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the differences in the mRNA and protein expression levels of TRPC1, BKα (the α subunit of BK) and BKβ1 (the β1 subunit of BK). The mRNA expression level of TRPC1 in AS model mice was significantly higher compared with that in the control group (P<0.05). However, the mRNA expression levels of BKα and BKβ1 were lower compared with those in the controls (both P<0.01). The mice in the ApoE-/- group successfully developed AS. In this group, the protein expression level of TRPC1 was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.01), while the protein expression levels of BKα and BKβ1 were lower compared with those in the control group (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Collectively, it was identified that the protein and mRNA expression levels of the TRPC1/BK signal complex in the aortic vascular smo oth muscle tissue could be influenced by the development of AS in mice. Hence, the TRPC1/BK signal complex may be a potential therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of AS-related complications in the future. PMID:34815756 | PMC:PMC8593874 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10926 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Effects of long-term soft contact lens wear on corneal epithelial thickness after small incision lenticule extraction

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Effects of long-term soft contact lens wear on corneal epithelial thickness after small incision lenticule extraction Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2022 Jan;23(1):8. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10930. Epub 2021 Oct 28. ABSTRACT The present study investigated changes in corneal epithelial thickness after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) in patients with long-term preoperative soft contact lens (SCL) wear, the impact of SCL wear on the efficacy of surgical outcomes and the effects of long-term SCL wear on postoperative corneal aberrations. Patients were assigned to three groups according to the duration of SCL wear: Group A, the non-SCL-wearing group; group B, those with SCL wear ≤1 year; and group C, those with SCL wear >1 year. Epithelial thickness was recorded in nine zones by anterior segment optical coherence tomography across a 5-mm diameter before surgery and at 1 week, and 1, 3 and 6 months post-surgery. Corneal epithelial thickness and corneal aberrations among the three groups were compared, as well as the effects of changes in corneal epithelial th ickness on postoperative visual acuity and manifest refraction. No significant differences were noted with regard to age or preoperative spherical equivalent among groups A (22 eyes), B (17 eyes) and C (18 eyes). Preoperative corneal epithelial thickness in the inferonasal, inferior and inferotemporal zones was thinner in group B compared with that in group A, and corneal epithelial thickness was thinner in all nine zones in group C compared with that in group A (P<0.05). At all follow-up time points, in the central, nasal, inferonasal, inferior, inferotemporal and temporal areas, the epithelial thickness was thinner in group C compared with that in group A (P<0.05). At 3 months postoperatively, the epithelial thickness was thinner in the inferonasal and inferior sectors in group C compared with that in group B (P<0.05), and at 6 months postoperatively, the epithelial thickness in the inferior region was thinner in group C compared with that in group B (P<0.05). There we re no significant differences in visual acuity or manifest refraction among the three groups at all postoperative time points. The total higher-order aberrations were greater in group C compared with those in group A for all time points (P<0.05) and were greater in group C at 1 and 3 months postoperatively compared with those in group B (P<0.05). The spherical aberrations at 3 and 6 months postoperatively were greater in group C compared with those in group A (P<0.05). The coma aberrations were greater in group C compared with those in groups A and B for all time points (P<0.05). In conclusion, long-term SCL wear will result in corneal epithelial thinning, which does not impact visual acuity or manifest refraction after SMILE. PMID:34815760 | PMC:PMC8593870 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10930 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Radiofrequency thermocoagulation for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Radiofrequency thermocoagulation for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2022 Jan;23(1):17. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10939. Epub 2021 Oct 30. ABSTRACT Although microvascular decompression (MVD) should be considered as the first-line treatment for classic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) owing to neurovascular compression of the trigeminal nerve, an increasing number of surgeons prefer radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT). RFT is a Gasserian ganglion-level ablative intervention that may achieve immediate pain relief for TN. It is used for emergency management when MVD is not suitable for the patient. As the gold surgical standard of classic trigeminal neuralgia, MVD has the advantage of longer efficacy. However, there are currently no high-quality controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of MVD and RFT. For the present systematic review, the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases (all entries up until July 31, 2020) were searched to identify studies related to RFT in order to provide valuable informat ion for clinical decision-making. The efficacy of the RFT method was evaluated in terms of the initial pain relief percentage, recurrence rate and follow-up time. Furthermore, the incidence rate of various postoperative complications was retrieved. RFT was used for a wider range of applications than MVD, including use for primary (owing to neurovascular compression of the trigeminal nerve), idiopathic and secondary (due to primary neurological diseases) TN, and provided a high rate of initial pain relief and long-term pain control. Although this method has several side effects, the incidence of complications could be reduced by precise cannulation. Furthermore, the complications that occurred were not permanent. Thus, RFT is a safe and effective minimally invasive method of pain relief for patients with TN. PMID:34815769 | PMC:PMC8593925 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10939 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Long non-coding RNA profiles in plasma exosomes of patients with gastric high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Long non-coding RNA profiles in plasma exosomes of patients with gastric high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2022 Jan;23(1):1. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10923. Epub 2021 Oct 26. ABSTRACT Long non-coding (lnc) RNAs in circulating exosomes are a new class of promising cancer biomarkers; however, their expression in exosomes derived from gastric high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (GHGIN) has not been reported. In the present study, differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs were analyzed in the peripheral blood collected from 5 patients with GHGIN and 5 healthy donors using high-throughput sequencing. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis was performed on 6 randomly selected DE lncRNAs to validate the reliability of the sequencing results. The potential roles of the DE lncRNAs in GHGIN were investigated using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. A total of 25,145 lncRNAs were identified in all the samples and 83 DE lncRNAs were further screened, including 76 upregulated and 7 downregulated DE lncRNAs. GO and KEGG analyses predicted that the DE lncRNAs played notable roles in 'protein/macromolecule glycosylation', 'regulation of protein ubiquitination', 'renin-angiotensin system' and 'MAPK signaling pathways'. A lncRNA-micro (mi)RNA-mRNA interaction network was constructed and used to perform association analyses. It was found that 83 lncRNAs were abnormally expressed in GHGIN, with some potential functions associated with gastric cancer. Furthermore, the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction network indicated that 7 DE lncRNAs may play a notable role in the occurrence and development of GHGIN. The results of the present study showed the expression profiles of lncRNAs in human GHGIN, elucidated some of the molecular changes associated with GHGIN and improved the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying GHGIN and gastric cancer. PMID:34815753 | PMC:PMC8593877 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10923 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Altered Wnt5a expression affects radiosensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Altered Wnt5a expression affects radiosensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2022 Jan;23(1):5. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10927. Epub 2021 Oct 26. ABSTRACT It has been reported that upregulation of wingless-type protein 5a (Wnt5a) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Wnt5a expression is often upregulated in radiation-resistant NSCLC cells. However, the biological functions or molecular mechanisms of radiosensitivity in NSCLC remain unknown. In the present study, MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis were performed to assess the effect of overexpression or knockdown of Wnt5a and/or radiation on the proliferation and apoptosis of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, western blot analysis was performed to detect canonical Wnt signaling (β-catenin) in H1650 and A549 cells. The results demonstrated that Wnt5a knockdown combined with irradiation inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in NSCLC cells compared with Wnt5a knockdown or radiotherapy alone. In additio n, the combination of Wnt5a knockdown and irradiation decreased nuclear and increased cytoplasmic β-catenin expression in H1650 and A549 cells, the effects of which were reversed following overexpression of Wnt5a. The combination of overexpressing Wnt5a and irradiation resulted in significant tumor regression, while β-catenin knockdown reversed Wnt5a overexpression-induced NSCLC cell proliferation. Taken together, these results suggest that Wnt5a may be involved in the activation of β-catenin-dependent canonical Wnt signaling, and thus may influence the effectiveness of radiation therapy in NSCLC. PMID:34815757 | PMC:PMC8593861 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10927 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

MicroRNA-125b-1-3p mediates intervertebral disc degeneration in rats by targeting teashirt zinc finger homeobox 3

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Erratum: MicroRNA-125b-1-3p mediates intervertebral disc degeneration in rats by targeting teashirt zinc finger homeobox 3 Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2022 Jan;23(1):13. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10935. Epub 2021 Oct 28. ABSTRACT [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2018.5715.]. PMID:34815765 | PMC:PMC8593867 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10935 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.