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Objective: Thyroid hormones have important actions in the adult brain. They regulate genes expression in myelination, differentiation of neuronal and glial cells, and neuronal viability and function., Methods: We used the pathway-specific real-time PCR array (Neurotrophins and Receptors RT2 Profiler PCR Array, QIAGEN, Germany) to identify and verify nerve impulse transmission pathway-focused genes expression in peripheral white blood cells of patients with postoperative hypothyroidism, hypothyroidism as a result of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and AIT with elevated serum an anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies., Results: It was shown that patients with postoperative hypothyroidism and hypothyroidism resulting from AIT had significantly lower expression of BDNF and CBLN1. In patients with AIT with elevated serum anti-Tg and anti-TPO antibodies, the expression of GDNF was significantly down-regulated and the expression of PNOC was up-regulated. The expression levels of MEF2C and NTSR1 were decreased in the group of patients with postoperative hypothyroidism and AIT, correspondingly., Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that AIT and hypothyroidism can affect the expression of mRNA nerve impulse transmission genes in gene specific manner and that these changes in gene expressions can be playing a role in the development of neurological complications associated with thyroid pathology. Detection of the transcriptional activity of nerve impulse transmission genes in peripheral white blood cells can be used as an important minimally invasive prognostic marker of the risk for developing neurological complications comorbid with thyroid pathology.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a global health crisis that has severely impacted patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). T2D patients have a higher risk of experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalization, and mortality compared to patients without diabetes. The dysregulated immune response in T2D patients can exacerbate the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Insulin therapy, a common treatment for T2D patients, has been linked to increased mortality in COVID-19 patients with T2D. However, metformin, an anti-diabetic medication, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties that may mitigate the cytokine storm observed in severe COVID-19 cases. In this study, we investigated how the PRKAA1, SLC2A1, and MTOR genes contribute to inflammation markers in COVID-19 patients with T2D, who were receiving either insulin or metformin therapy. Our findings revealed that metformin treatment was associated with reduced expression of genes involved in Th1/Th17 cell differentiation. These results suggest that metformin could be a potential treatment option for T2D patients with COVID-19 due to its anti-inflammatory properties, which may improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrauterine hypoxia in newborns leads to a multifaceted array of alterations that exert a detrimental impact on the cardiovascular system. The aim of this research was to assess the cardioprotective effects of modulators of the nitric oxide (NO) system, including L-arginine, Thiotriazoline, Angiolin, and Mildronate, during the early postnatal period following intrauterine hypoxia. Methods: The study involved 50 female white rats. Pregnant female rats were given a daily intraperitoneal dose of 50 mg/kg of sodium nitrite starting on the 16th day of pregnancy. A control group of pregnant rats received saline instead. The resulting offspring were divided into the following groups: Group 1—intact rats; Group 2—rat pups subjected to prenatal hypoxia (PH) and daily treated with physiological saline; and Groups 3 to 6—rat pups exposed to prenatal hypoxia and treated daily from the 1st to the 30th day after birth. Nitrotyrosine levels, eNOS, iNOS, and NO metabolites were evaluated using ELISA; to measure the expression levels of iNOS mRNA and eNOS mRNA, a PCR test was utilized. Results: Angiolin enhances the expression of eNOS mRNA and boosts eNOS activity in the myocardium of rats with ischemic conditions. Arginine and particularly Thiotriazoline exhibited a consistent impact in restoring normal parameters of the cardiac nitroxidergic system following PH. Mildronate notably raised iNOS mRNA levels and notably reduced nitrotyrosine levels, providing further support for its antioxidative characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of NFATC gene expression in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) progression is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to determine the significance of NFATC1 and NFATC4 gene expression for myocardial changes in children with BAV. Methods: In 47 children with BAV, the standard Doppler echocardiographic characteristics were detected, and the expression of the NFATC1 and NFATC4 genes was studied. Results: Posterior wall thickness in diastole (PWTd) and aortic valve peak pressure gradient (AoPPG) in BAV patients were significantly higher compared to healthy controls (PWTd median (min–max), 9 (7–10) mm vs. 7 (6–8) mm; and AoPPG median (min–max), 7.79 (2.98–15.09) mm Hg vs. 2.94 (2.42–3.72) mm Hg). The expression of the NFATC1 gene in BAV children was significantly higher compared to NFATC4 (NFATC1 median (min–max); 70.88 (8.79–106.51) e.u. vs. 7.72 (1.74–22.67) e.u., respectively p < 0.05). A significant correlation of NFATC1 expression with Ao found (R = +0.53, p < 0.05). In BAV patients with PWTd > 8 mm and Ao > 21 mm the NFATC1 expression was significantly higher compared to those with PWTd ≤ 8 mm and Ao ≤ 21 mm (NFATC1 median (min–max); 45.49 (5.01–101.52) e.u. vs. 15.53 (2.36–44.40) e.u., p < 0.05 and 81.11 (20.27–101.10) e.u. mm vs. 12.16 (2.40–45.49) e.u., p < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: In children with BAV the high expression of the NFATC1 calcineurin signaling pathway gene is associated with elevated PWTd and Ao. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple susceptibility genes can be involved in the development of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Some of these genes are implicated in other autoimmune diseases, while others are specific to thyroid autoimmune response. 153 patients with thyroid pathology were enrolled in the study (152 women and 1 man, the average age was 46,02±14,3). They were divided into 3 groups: 16 patients with postoperative hypothyroidism; 65 patients with hypothyroidism resulting from autoimmune thyroiditis, and 72 patients with both AIT and elevated serum an anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies. We used a pathway-specific real-time Polymerase chain reaction array to identify and verify cytokines and receptor pathway-associated gene expression in peripheral white blood cells in randomly selected 12 individuals from each group. In the patients with postoperative hypothyroidism and those with hypothyroidism resulting from autoimmune thyroiditis, the expression of Chemokine (C-X3-C motif) receptor 1, Chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4, Interleukin 6, and Interleukin 6 receptor significantly decreased, while the expression of IL6ST and IL10RA increased. In contrast, mRNA levels of Chemokine (C-X3-C motif) receptor 1, Chemokine (C-XC motif) receptor 4, Interleukin 6, and Interleukin 6 receptor increased in the autoimmune thyroiditis patients with elevated serum anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies, while the expression of Interleukin 6 signal transducer and Interleukin 10 receptor, alpha decreased in this group of patients. The patients with hypothyroidism resulting from autoimmune thyroiditis and patients with elevated serum anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies had significantly lowered expression of Interleukin 10, while the expression of Interleukin 1, beta and Interleukin 1 receptor, type I was elevated. autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism affect the mRNA-level expression of cytokines and cytokine receptor genes in a gene-specific manner, and these changes to gene expression can be among the triggers of autoimmune inflammation progression in the thyroid gland. Transcriptional activity of cytokines, inducer, and receptor genes in the peripheral white blood cells can be used as an important minimally invasive prognostic marker of the autoimmune thyroid disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]