Monocytes from peripheral blood and synovial fluid of patients with definite and classic rheumatoid arthritis spontaneously produced significantly greater amounts of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) than samples of peripheral blood from normal controls. Peripheral blood monocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis produced significantly gre...

The feedback effects of gonadal steroids on the amounts of in vitro translated luteinizing hormone (LH) beta subunit were examined using cell-free assays. These amounts were then correlated with serum and pituitary concentrations during various feedback states. RNA was prepared, translated and products identified by immunoprecipitation and gel electrophoresis. The amounts of beta subunit varied...

Intracerebroventricular stereptozotocin (STZ) treatment has been described as a suitable model for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (sAD). Centrally administered STZ decreases insulin and insulin receptors in the brain and interrupts PI3/Akt signaling pathway and GSK-3β. Additionally it raises Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and prompts hippocampal apoptosis. Agmatine, a polyamine derived from L-arginin...

background: beta-thalassemia patients have a high prevalence for hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection. in developing countries, hcv antibody is reported to be high in this group of patients. this study aims to determine the distribution of hcv amongst beta-thalassemia patients in northern iran. materials and methods: this study was undertaken from october 2010 to june 2011 on 245 beta-thalassemia ...

background: major thalassemia is an autosomal recessive disease with complications, mortality and serious pathology. today, the life expectancy of patients with major thalassemia has increased along with therapeutic advances. therefore, they need lifelong care, and caring for them would incur many costs. being aware of the patients’ costs can be effective for controlling and managing the costs ...

background and aims: nowadays introduction of regular blood transfusion therapy has obviously improved the life expectancy of patients with thalassemia. however, these patients face with newer challenges which influence their quality of life (qol). in this study, the aim of this study was to measure qol among patients with β-thalassemia major (β-tm). methods: a cross-sectional study was done at...

We have examined whether transfected mouse erythroleukaemia (MEL) cells can be used to examine differential expression of human gamma- and beta-globin genes. These cells, which express only their adult globin genes, will transcribe the human adult beta gene but not the fetal gamma genes when they are introduced on an intact human chromosome 11 by cell fusion. However, MEL cells stably transfect...

Microglial cells and astrocytes are closely associated with nearly all compact deposits of the amyloid beta-protein found in the senile plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and trisomy 21. The biosynthesis and metabolic fate of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta APP) in astrocytes has not been characterized, and its identification in microglia has not been described. Here, we rep...

It has been previously shown that transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) is capable of stimulating fibroblast collagen and fibronectin biosynthesis. The purpose of this study was to examine the mechanisms involved in TGF beta stimulation of fibroblast biosynthetic activity. Our results indicate that TGF beta causes a marked enhancement of the production of types I and III collagens and fibr...

The aim of this study was to investigate the proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in polarized primary cultures of hippocampal neurons. We have used the Semliki Forest virus (SFV) vector to express human APP695 in hippocampal neurons, sympathetic ganglia, and glial cells. The latter two cells secrete little or no APP, whereas hippocampal neurons secrete two forms of APP...