Increase of interleukin 6 and decrease of interleukin 2 production during the ageing process are influenced by the health status

The ageing process is accompanied by the disregulation of interleukin 2 (IL2) and interleukin 6 (IL6) production. In our paper, we asked whether the age between 60 and 70 years is a turning point for the disregulation of both IL2 and IL6 production. Fifty volunteers 60–70 years old, 25 aged 36–59, and 50 of 20–35 years old were enrolled into the study. Their health status was graded according to the criteria of the Senieur Protocol (SP) as ‘healthy' and ‘almost-healthy'. The cytokines level was determined in the sera of the volunteers. Moreover, the spontaneous release of IL6 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the activity of the IL6 gene in non-stimulated PBMC were also analysed. Cytokine levels were measured by biological assays, mRNA for IL6 was detected by RT-PCR method. The results showed that the production of IL2 is not disregulated in the ‘healthy' people until the age of 60–70. People not fulfilling all SP criteria are characterised by a lower level of IL2 in the sera. The overproduction of IL6 into the sera and supernatants from non-stimulated PBMC and PBL as well as the activation of IL6 gene start between the ages 36 and 59 and is more pronounced in the ‘almost-healthy'.     

Genomic Regions That Underlie Soybean Seed Isoflavone Content

Soy products contain isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, andglycitein) that display biological effects when ingested byhumans and animals, these effects are species, dose and agedependent. Therefore, the content and quality of isoflavones insoybeans is a key to their biological effect. Our objective wasto identify loci that underlie isoflavone content in soybeanseeds. The study involved 100 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) fromthe cross of ‘Essex' by ‘Forrest,' two cultivars that contrastfor isoflavone content. Isoflavone content of seeds from each RILwas determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).The distribution of isoflavone content was continuous andunimodal. The heritability estimates on a line mean basis were79% for daidzein, 22% for genistein, and 88% for glycitein.Isoflavone content of soybean seeds was compared against 150polymorphic DNA markers in a one-way analysis of variance. Fourgenomic regions were found to be significantly associated withthe isoflavone content of soybean seeds across both locations andyears. Molecular linkage group B1 contained a major QTLunderlying glycitein content (P = 0.0001, R² = 50.2%), linkagegroup N contained a QTL for glycitein (P = 0.0033, R² = 11.1%)and a QTL for daidzein (P = 0.0023, R² = 10.3%) and linkagegroup A1 contained a QTL for daidzein (P = 0.0081, R² = 9.6%).Selection for these chromosomal regions in a marker assistedselection program will allow for the manipulation of amounts andprofiles of isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, and glycitein)content of soybean seeds. In addition, tightly linked markers canbe used in map based cloning of genes associated withisoflavone content.     

The use of segmented regression for evaluation of an interrupted time series study involving complex intervention: the CaPSAI project experience

Health Services and Outcomes Research Methodology - An interrupted time series with a parallel control group (ITS-CG) design is a powerful quasi-experimental design commonly used to evaluate the...     

Natural killer sensitivity of tumor cells isolated from primary and metastatic lesions of four Bomirski melanoma variants

Natural killer (NK) sensitivity of melanoma cells isolated from primary and metastatic lesions of four Bomirski melanoma variants was compared. The hamster melanomas differed in their growth rate and metastatic pattern. We found that during tumor growth of all the variants tested, NK sensitivity of melanoma cells at the metastasis formation stage was significantly lower in both primary and metastatic tumors than in cells isolated from primary tumors at transplantation. In the case of Ma, Ab and Ab-455, NK sensitivity of primary tumor cells was higher than that of the cells isolated from metastatic deposits. These data obtained from a spontaneous metastasis tumor model argue for the role of NK cells in preventing metastatic spread of Bormirski melanomas studied.     

Association of stromal-derived factor-1 alpha and endogenous sex hormones in men aged over 50 years with stable coronary artery disease

PurposeMany studies indicate an inverse relationship between stromal-derived factor-1 alpha (SDF-1 alpha), a chemokine, and coronary risk factors. Moreover, SDF-1 alpha is crucial in neoangiogenesis and in the mobilization and homing of endothelial progenitor cells to the ischemic coronary vessels. Numerous studies indicate that circulating sex hormones are associated with atherogenesis during male aging. The aim of this study was therefore to determine whether there exists a relationship between SDF-1 alpha and endogenous sex hormones in aging men with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).Material and methodsPlasma concentrations of SDF-1 alpha, testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured and the E2/T ratio was calculated in a cross-sectional study of 82 men over 50 years of age with stable CAD.ResultsSDF-1 alpha was positively and significantly correlated with T (r = 0.233; p = 0.036) and with SHBG (r = 0.312; p = 0.004). There was a significant inverse correlation between SDF-1 alpha and the E2/T ratio (r = -0.463; p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, body mass index and smoking status, SHBG and E2/T ratio were the only factors associated with SDF-1 alpha.ConclusionsT and SHBG (directly) and the E2/T ratio (inversely) may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of CAD through their relationships to SDF-1 alpha.