p15(Ink4b) Loss of Expression by Promoter Hypermethylation Adds to Leukemogenesis and Confers a Poor Prognosis in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Patients / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The p15(Ink4b) gene exerts its influence as an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases and is frequently associated with hematological malignancies. Inactivation of this gene through DNA methylation has been found to be the most prevalent epigenetic alteration reported, with a high frequency in all French-American-British subtypes of acute myeloid leukemias, including acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). In this study,we investigated the prognostic significance of p15 gene promoter hypermethylation and its expression in APL patients of Kashmir (North India). MATERIALS AND METHODS: p15 gene promoter hypermethylation was conducted by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, while its subsequent expression analysis was carried out by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Of the 37 patients, 16 (43.2%) were found to have methylated p15 genes. Of these 16 cases, seven (43.8%) were methylated partially and nine (56.2%) were found to have complete methylation. Moreover, nine of the 37 patients (24.3%) who presented with leukocytosis at their baseline had complete p15 gene methylation as well (p < 0.05). Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed a complete loss of p15 expression in nine patients with complete methylation coupled with leukocytosis (p=0.031), while seven patients with partial methylation showed decreased p15 expression. Six patients relapsed during the maintenance phase of treatment and were found to have a completely methylated p15 gene and no p15 mRNA. CONCLUSION: Complete methylation and loss of p15 gene expression causes susceptibility to relapse and decreased survival in APL patients. Thus, p15 promoter hypermethylation is a prospective prognostic indicator and a reliable clinical aid in assessment of patients with APL.

p15(Ink4b) Loss of Expression by Promoter Hypermethylation Adds to Leukemogenesis and Confers a Poor Prognosis in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Patients / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The p15(Ink4b) gene exerts its influence as an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases and is frequently associated with hematological malignancies. Inactivation of this gene through DNA methylation has been found to be the most prevalent epigenetic alteration reported, with a high frequency in all French-American-British subtypes of acute myeloid leukemias, including acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). In this study,we investigated the prognostic significance of p15 gene promoter hypermethylation and its expression in APL patients of Kashmir (North India). MATERIALS AND METHODS: p15 gene promoter hypermethylation was conducted by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, while its subsequent expression analysis was carried out by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Of the 37 patients, 16 (43.2%) were found to have methylated p15 genes. Of these 16 cases, seven (43.8%) were methylated partially and nine (56.2%) were found to have complete methylation. Moreover, nine of the 37 patients (24.3%) who presented with leukocytosis at their baseline had complete p15 gene methylation as well (p < 0.05). Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed a complete loss of p15 expression in nine patients with complete methylation coupled with leukocytosis (p=0.031), while seven patients with partial methylation showed decreased p15 expression. Six patients relapsed during the maintenance phase of treatment and were found to have a completely methylated p15 gene and no p15 mRNA. CONCLUSION: Complete methylation and loss of p15 gene expression causes susceptibility to relapse and decreased survival in APL patients. Thus, p15 promoter hypermethylation is a prospective prognostic indicator and a reliable clinical aid in assessment of patients with APL.

[ effect of C-bar Splint on hand function in 8-12 years old spastic diplegic children]

Cerebral palsy [CP] is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by nonprogressive lesions. This disorder produces motor impairment deficits in early infancy. Hand function is essential in performing activities of daily living for everyone, including individuals with cerebral palsy. Adequate first web space is essential for web space expansion, thumb abduction, and a wide range of thumb mobility and hand function. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of C-bar splint on hand function and strength and also wrist and thumb range of motion [ROM] of dominant hand of 8-12 years old children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. The design of this study was before- after and quasi-experimental. According with inclusion criteria, 8 to 12 years old children with spastic diplegia from physical - motor special school at Tehran [8 boys and 5 girls], were studied. They used a C-bar splint [40 degree of palmer abduction of thumb] for 8 weeks [6-8 hours during day and 4-6 hours at night]. In this study, hand function was evaluated by Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test, hand strength by MIE dynamometer and thumb and wrist ROM by Goniometer. During intervention, they received routine occupational therapy program. The results of this study showed significant improvement in hand function [P=0.001], and thumb range of motion [P=0.02]. The data did not show any significant improvement in wrist ROM and hand strength. According to the result of this study, it seems that using C-bar splint can be an effective method in improvement of hand function and thumb ROM in 8-12 years old children with spastic diplegia

[Effect of concurrent, strength and endurance training on hormones, lipids and inflammatory characteristics of untrained men]

Introduction: Concurrent training or the simultaneous performance of several types of exercise [strength and endurance training], has more positive effects on body composition and cardiovascular system, than training with either mode alone The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three different training regimes [endurance, resistance and concurrent] on the hormone [cortisol and testosterone], lipid [LDL, HDL, TG, TC], and inflammatory [TNF-alpha] indexes of previously untrained subjects

Materials and Methods: Twenty nine sedentary men students [age 24.89 +/- 1.21yrs, height 175.87 +/- 6.52 cm, weight 68.44 +/- 5.50 kg] were randomly divided into the Endurance [E; n=10], Strength [S; n=9], and the Concurrent[C; n=10] groups. The training programs were performed for 10 weeks, 3 times per week in the three groups

Results: Body mass decreased in E group. Significant increases in squat and bench press exercises 1RM occurred after training in the S and C groups [P

Conclusion: Our results indicate that strenght training leads to increase in the plasma levels of the proinflammatory cytokine [TNF-alpha] and cortisol in untrained men, immunomodulatory effects which may be related to the training load of the S training program. It appears that combining the E and S training [concurrent training], neutralized the single effects of this these training types. Concurrent training can also be used for normalization of lipid profiles

Effects of sensory retraining on recovery of the hemiplegic upper limb in stroke patients [A Single-System Design]

Sensory deficits after stroke are common with prevalence rates variously reported to be 11% to 85%. In spite of the fact that Sensory deficits can decrease the quality of upper limb's movements and result in impairments in fine motor manipulation of objects, grasp and manipulative skills and finally decrease the patient's quality of life but commonly overlooked in stroke rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sensory retraining on upper limb recovery. In this study we studied 5 chronic stroke patients were participated using a single-system [A-B] design. During the baseline phase patient's function and motor impairment of upper limb were measured by Fugl-Meyer and Motoricity Index and their hand dexterity were measured by Box and Block test on three days intervals. When Patients reached to a stable pattern of changes, their treatment program began. In this phase they received sensory retraining intervention for 6 weeks. Based on sensory retraining principles and according to each patient's abilities, intervention began with detection and localization of constant and moving touch and followed by higher discriminatory tasks, such as graphestesia. Then results of evaluations of two phases were analyzed. Four patients showed significant improvements in upper limb function. The data showed significant improvements in motor impairments and hand dexterity in all of them. Regarding of significant recovery of upper limb function, motor impairment and hand dexterity of patients, sensory retraining can be considered as a practical method in rehabilitation of stroke patients. However further research with larger sample size is needed