Annals of clinical and laboratory science
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Ann. Clin. Lab. Sci. · Jan 2014
Tert-butylhydroquinone protects the spinal cord against inflammatory response produced by spinal cord injury.
Antioxidant transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) has been shown in our previous studies to play an important role in protection against spinal cord injury (SCI) induced inflammatory response. The objective of this study was to test whether tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), a novel Nrf2 activator, can protect the spinal cord against SCI-induced inflammatory damage. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to laminectomy at T8-T9 and compression with a vascular clip. ⋯ The results showed that the induction of the Nrf2 activity by tBHQ markedly decreased NF-κB activation and inflammatory cytokines production in the injured spinal cord. Administration of tBHQ also significantly attenuated SCI induced hindlimb locomotion deficits, spinal cord edema, and apoptosis. To conclude, pre-treatment with tBHQ could attenuate the spinal cord inflammatory response after SCI.
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Ann. Clin. Lab. Sci. · Jan 2014
MDM2 SNP309 and p53 codon 72 genetic polymorphisms and risk of AML: an Egyptian study.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease with numerous genetic abnormalities corresponding to a variety of subtypes. p53 is involved in multiple cellular pathways including apoptosis, transcriptional control, and cell cycle regulation. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at codon 72 of the p53 gene is associated with the risk for development of various neoplasms. MDM2 SNP309 is a single nucleotide T to G polymorphism located in the MDM2 gene promoter, which enhances the expression of MDM2 protein and thereby leads to attenuation of the p53 stress response. ⋯ The study did not detect any significant differences regarding MDM2 or p53 polymorphisms in AML cases, as compared to controls. A borderline significance was found between cases and controls regarding combined MDM2 T/G and p53 genotyping. MDM2 variant genotype was significantly associated with a younger age group and lower Hb level, while the P53 variant was significantly associated with less frequent CD117 expression.