Latest Articles

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a species of pathogenic bacteria in the Mycobacteriaceae family, is the infectious agent that causes tuberculosis (TB), one of the most progressive bacterial pathogens in human history. The pathogen is the first cause of mortality linked to a single pathogen worldwide, especially in poor and developing countries. There are two clinical manifestations of disease caused by this bacterium: pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the human caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 8 (CARD8) gene of TB infection plays a critical role in the disease progression. Combining this SNP with the CARD8 polymorphism increased the effect, indicating a new link between the CARD8 gene and TB infection. The present study was conducted to determine the association between the polymorphism of the CARD8 gene and EPTB infection in humans. The study included patients (males and females) infected with PTB (n = 50), and EPTB (n = 50), as well as 50 healthy individuals as a control group. Blood samples were collected from all the participants and used to isolate DNA. Using a self-designed nested tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS PCR) assay, the genotypes in CARD8 A/T SNPs were identified. The results showed that there were no significant differences between the types of patients themselves and no significant differences between patients and healthy individuals in the results of ARMS-PCR. The findings of the present study revealed a correlation between patients with EPTB and polymorphisms in CARD8 (rs2043211).

Background: the nucleus pulposus NP pulls on the ruptured annulus fibrosus AF, bulging the intervertebral disc IVD and releasing chemicals that may irritate nerves and cause inflammation and pain. This produces histological changes to the IVD, including less gelatinous NP, cracks and fissures, decreased matrix water content, and proteoglycan composition changes. Aim of study: this study aims to investigate the histopathological changes in the Herniated Disc HD tissue, as well as cartilage histopathology grade and stage assessment. Materials and methods: fourty tissue samples of lumbar HD obtained after the operations were kept in 10% formalin. Then all HD sections were processed, and embedded, after that, 5 μm thick glass mounted sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin and Alcian blue (pH 0.02) and examined microscopically for histopathological changes and grading scoring was also conducted based on cell density, structural alterations of collagen fibers, and proteoglycan degeneration. Results: hemorrhage with fibrin deposition, mucous degeneration around chondrocyte clones and degeneration, increased chondrocyte density, expanded lacunae with degenerated chondrocytes, fiber disorientation, cleft formation, mucoid matrix changes, and inflammatory cell infiltration with fibrocyte prefiltration were the most histopathological changes in HD samples. Along with necrotic chondrocyte increase and tissue fiber alterations. Histological cell density grade indicated different-sized clones. All HD tissues revealed collagen fiber structural alterations, with gradients (52.5%) being most common. All HD samples showed mucous (proteoglycans) degradation, especially in gradients abundantly present and intermediate between 1 and 3 (45% and 42.5%). Conclusions: histopathological changes in intervertebral disc associated with HD infection.

MicroRNAs play a crucial role in the regulation of biological processes variety associated with neoplasm development and progression, such as cell proliferation and differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, migration, invasion and metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and others. The purpose of this work was to investigate the DNA methylation level of miR-152 in 25 paired tissue samples from patients with an established diagnosis of ovarian cancer and various histological and clinical characteristics by the MS-HRM method. Our results indicate a higher frequency of the miR-152 methylation in ovarian tumor tissues (51.5% ± 5.4) compared to normal tissues (43.9% ± 7.2), however, the differences did not reach the statistical level significance, p = 0.5. There was no relationship between the metastatic process in the tumor depending on the level of methylation (46.5% ± 11.9 in patients with metastases vs 45.2% ± 7.8 in cases without metastases). One patient with the highest methylation level of all samples researched – 89.91%, despite a good response to primary therapy, had a relapse of the disease after 7 years. In addition, there is a tendency for a lower level of miR-152 methylation in patients with a complete response to therapy, in contrast to women with a partial response or the tumor process stabilization. Thus, our research provides evidence in favor of the suppressor function of the miR-152 in tumor, and its possible role in sensitivity to polychemotherapy, however, the results did not reach a statistical level of significance and additional studies on larger material are required.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two variants of the Daedaleopsis confragosa fungus extract, F-1368 strain, differing in polysaccharide concentration, on five human cancer cell lines (U-87 MG, C-33 A, SK-Mel-28, MDA-MB-231, SW620) in vitro. Standard cytotoxicity assessment methods, including MTT-assay and clonogenic assay, were employed. Additionally, an experiment was conducted on laboratory SCID mice with heterotopic xenografts of human glioblastoma U-87 MG, where the test preparations were administered subcutaneously into the tumor area. Tumor sizes were measured using a caliper, and upon euthanasia, xenografts were histologically examined with hematoxylin-eosin staining under a light microscope. Results from MTT and clonogenic assays demonstrated that F-1368 extracts reduced the viability, mitochondrial function, and proliferative activity of tumor cells in vitro. However, a threefold increase in polysaccharide concentration in one of the extracts did not significantly enhance its cytotoxicity against tumor cells in vitro. Furthermore, one extract was tested on U-87 MG cell xenografts, revealing a reduction in tumor growth in SCID mice. The maximum tumor growth inhibition index for U-87 MG cells reached 50.7% at 21 days post-commencement of extract injections. These findings suggest that the D. confragosa F-1368 strain holds promise for investigating both in vitro and in vivo models of antitumor activity and identifying potential bioactive molecules or compounds.