Despite extensive investigations, an effective treatment for sepsis remains elusive and a better understanding of the inflammatory response to infection is required to identify potential new targets for therapy. In this study we have used RNAi technology to show, for the first time, that the inducible lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 2 (LPCAT2) plays a key role in macrophage inflammatory gene expression in response to stimulation with bacterial ligands. Using siRNA- or shRNA-mediated knockdown, we demonstrate that, in contrast to the constitutive LPCAT1, LPCAT2 is required for macrophage cytokine gene expression and release in response to TLR4 and TLR2 ligand stimulation but not for TLR-independent stimuli. In addition, cells transfected to overexpress LPCAT2 exhibited increased expression of inflammatory genes in response to LPS and other bacterial ligands. Furthermore, we have used immunoprecipitation and Western blotting to show that in response to LPS, LPCAT2, but not LPCAT1, rapidly associates with TLR4 and translocates to membrane lipid raft domains. Our data thus suggest a novel mechanism for the regulation of inflammatory gene expression in response to bacterial stimuli and highlight LPCAT2 as a potential therapeutic target for development of anti-inflammatory and anti-sepsis therapies.
The current study aims to investigate the relationship between lipid peroxidation, represented by seminal malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and integrity of sperm plasma membrane, represented by the hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test score, in infertile men. One hundred and twenty Iraqi men (20 fertile and 100 infertile) shared in this study during their attendance to the High Institute for Infertility Diagnosis and Assisted Reproductive Technologies/Al- Nahrain University. The mean age of the fertile men was (30.46±0.78) years while the mean age of infertile men was (32.58±0.64) years with the duration of infertility (5.36±0.33) years. Semen samples were collected and the parameters of seminal fluid analysis were assessed; also, the HOS
... Show MoreImmunosuppressive cytokines are the main components of the tumor microenvironment and perform a vital function in controlling the immune response to malignant neoplasms.The objective: to study the influence of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and transforming growth factor-β3 (TGF-β3) on the development of breast tumors in women.Materials and methods. The concentration of cytokines IL-4 and TGF-β3 in blood serum was determined in 40 women with benign breast tumors, 40 women with malignant breast tumors, and 40 healthy patients without breast pathology, who were included in the control group.Breast cancer (BC) patients were divided into two groups; the first group included patients with the II stage of BC, who were considered to have a low le
... Show MoreRecently, young people have shown a desire to keep cats as pets, despite being threatened with health problems including toxoplasmosis. Therefore, the current study was aimed to detect toxoplasmosis infections among of volunteers students as well as spreading health awareness among students and knowledge about the importance of this disease. Prevalence rate and effects of liver functions were tested by measured levels of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) enzymes while the OnSiteToxo IgG/IgM combo rapid test was used in the diagnosis of the disease. The blood samples were collected from 76 volunteers (35 male and 41 female). The results showed that, the total percentage of infections was 27.6% and all infect
... Show MoreAbstractThe objective of the present study was measured of several oxidative stresses and liver function parameters in workers occupationally exposed to cement dust in Kufa Cement Factory, in order to test the hypothesis that cement dust exposure may perturb these parameters. Assessment of oxidative stress and liver function parameters were performed in 63 workers occupationally, in different departments of Kufa Cement Factory, exposed to cement dust (range of the exposure time was 5-38 years) and 36 matched unexposed controls. The study results illustrated an increasing in the oxidative stress parameters, moreover; liver function parameters showed abnormal results in the exposed workers compared to the unexposed. An increase in theses para
... Show MoreThe study introduces the twentieth century background where the image of teacher is shaped by various factors according to the wide emergence of new educational institutions in the aftermath of the Second World War. A group of writers mirrored the influence of the war on educational institutions and accordingly on the image of teacher in their novels whose main action is set in and around the campus of a university. The genre dates back to the nineteen forties. where they show the foibles of human nature and reactions to external pressures. One of the early examples of this genre is Lucky Jim (1954). The image of teacher is swinged in many shapes from the tyrant to the rebellion to the defiant. All is personified in the characters of these
... Show MoreAbstract:
The six Arab Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) play a vital role, especially with its geographical location and natural resources (oil and gas) as well as other cultural and civilizational elements, in achieving global economic balance and more specifically global energy security, naturally because of these countries have a comparative advantage in the field of fossil energy (oil and gas), thus this sector becomes more attractive for local and international investments alike. Being the energy sector a leader sector in the economic development process, and the basic factor to achieve savings and financial surpluses in thes
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to evaluate in-vitro activity of Cefamandol and Ceftazidime, in combination with potassium clavulanate against 10 uropathogenic E.coli isolated from patients with chronic complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), these isolates were identified by the Api identification systems.The antimicrobial susceptibility tests were determined by Kirby-Bauer method and the minimum inhibitory concentrations of Cefamandol and Ceftazidime, were determined, by tube method. These isolates were resistant to Ampicillin (Amp), Amoxicillin (Amo), Carbenicillin (Cb), Ticarcillin (Tic), Amoxicillin\ Potassium Clavulanate {Augmentin}, (Amo\CA), Ticarcillin\ Potassium Clavulanate {Timentin} (Tic\CA), Cefamandol (Cfm) and Ceftazidime (
... Show MoreThe enhancement of ZnSe/Si Heterojunction by adding some elements (V, In and Cu) as impurities is the main goal because they contribute to the manufacturing of renewable energy equipment, such as solar cells. This paper describes the preparation of thin films ZnSe with V, In and Cu doped using thermal evaporation method with a vacuum of 10–5 Torr. The thin film was obtained from this work could be applied in heterojunction solar cell because of several advantages including high absorption coefficient value and direct band gap. The samples prepared on a glass and n-type Si wafer substrate. These films have been annealed for 1 h in 450 K. X-ray diffraction XRD results indicated that ZnSe thin film possesses poly-crystalline structure after
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