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Abstract Pinolenic acid (PNLA), an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid from pine nuts, has anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects. We aimed to investigate the direct anti-inflammatory effect and anti-atherogenic effects of PNLA on activated purified CD14 monocytes from peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in vitro. Flow cytometry was used to assess the proportions of CD14 monocytes expressing TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-8 in purified monocytes from patients with RA after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation with/without PNLA pre-treatment. The whole genomic transcriptome (WGT) profile of PNLA-treated, and LPS-activated monocytes from patients with active RA was investigated by RNA-sequencing. PNLA reduced percentage of monocytes expressing cytokines: TNF-α by 23% (p = 0.048), IL-6 by 25% (p = 0.011), IL-1β by 23% (p = 0.050), IL-8 by 20% (p = 0.066). Pathway analysis identified upstream activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), sirtuin3, and let7 miRNA, and KLF15, which are anti-inflammatory and antioxidative. In contrast, DAP3, LIF and STAT3, which are involved in TNF-α, and IL-6 signal transduction, were inhibited. Canonical Pathway analysis showed that PNLA inhibited oxidative phosphorylation (p = 9.14E−09) and mitochondrial dysfunction (p = 4.18E−08), while the sirtuin (SIRTs) signalling pathway was activated (p = 8.89E−06) which interfere with the pathophysiological process of atherosclerosis. Many miRNAs were modulated by PNLA suggesting potential post-transcriptional regulation of metabolic and immune response that has not been described previously. Multiple miRNAs target pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-4 (PDK4), single-immunoglobulin interleukin-1 receptor molecule (SIGIRR), mitochondrially encoded ATP synthase membrane subunit 6 (MT-ATP6) and acetyl-CoA acyltranferase2 (ACAA2); genes implicated in regulation of lipid and cell metabolism, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. PNLA has potential anti-atherogenic and immune-metabolic effects on monocytes that are pathogenic in RA and atherosclerosis. Dietary PNLA supplementation regulates key miRNAs that are involved in metabolic, mitochondrial, and inflammatory pathways.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most common tumor subtypes and remains associated with very poor survival. T cell infiltration into tumor tissue is associated with improved clinical outcome but little is known regarding the potential role of NK cells in disease control. Here we analyze the phenotype and function of NK cells in the blood and tumor tissue from patients with PDAC. Peripheral NK cells are present in normal numbers but display a CD16hiCD57hi phenotype with marked downregulation of NKG2D. Importantly, these cells demonstrate reduced cytotoxic activity and low levels of IFN-γ expression but instead produce high levels of intracellular IL-10, an immunoregulatory cytokine found at increased levels in the blood of PDAC patients. In contrast, NK cells are largely excluded from tumor tissue where they display strong downregulation of both CD16 and CD57, a phenotype that was recapitulated in primary NK cells following co-culture with PDAC organoids. Moreover, expression of activatory proteins, including DNAM-1 and NKP30, was markedly suppressed and the DNAM-1 ligand PVR was strongly expressed on tumor cells. As such, in situ and peripheral NK cells display differential features in patients with PDAC and indicate local and systemic mechanisms by which the tumor can evade immune control. These findings offer a number of potential options for NK-based immunotherapy in the management of patients with PDAC.

Byline: Manzoor. Bhat, Bashir. Laway, Farhat. Mustafa Pathological calcification of basal ganglia has been encountered in children since long back and is associated with various disease entities both acute and [...]

Distal renal tubular acidosis is a syndrome of abnormal urine acidification and is characterized by hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia, hypercalciurea, nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis. Despite the presence of persistent hypokalemia, acute muscular paralysis is rarely encountered in males. Here, we will report an eighteen year old male patient who presented with flaccid quadriparesis and was subsequently found to have rhabdomyolysis, severe short stature, skeletal deformities and primary distal renal tubular acidosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distal renal tubular acidosis is a syndrome of abnormal urine acidification and is characterized by hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia, hypercalciurea, nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis. Despite the presence of persistent hypokalemia, acute muscular paralysis is rarely encountered in males. Here, we will report an eighteen year old male patient who presented with flaccid quadriparesis and was subsequently found to have rhabdomyolysis, severe short stature, skeletal deformities and primary distal renal tubular acidosis.

Metastatic breast carcinoma is rarely seen in clinical practice. It has been reported that lymphoma-leukemia, melanoma and sarcomas can metastasize to the breast. Bilateral metastases to the breast are rare and commonly have been seen to originate from ovarian carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma of rectum metastasizing to breast is an extremely rare clinico-pathological situation. We report a 28-year-old female who presented with bilateral breast metastasis 9 months after abdomino-perineal resection and total meso-rectal excision for a locally advanced mucinous adenocarcinoma of the rectum. A few case reports of a mucinous adenocarcinoma of rectum presenting with bilateral breast metastasis have been seen in the world literature and we hereby report this case who till now is the youngest patient reported.