“
“Complementary treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) are sought by patients for symptomatic relief and to avoid the iatrogenic effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. selleck chemical This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of the nutritional supplement Perna Canaliculus (green-lipped mussel, GLM) in the treatment of OA and substantially adds to previous work by focussing solely on GLM use in OA as well providing a re-analysis of the original

trial data. Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials (comparative, placebo-controlled or crossover) were considered for inclusion from Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, Amed, Cinahl, Scopus and NeLH databases where adults with OA of any joint were randomized to receive either GLM vs. placebo, no additional intervention NOV120101 (usual care), or an active intervention. The methodological quality of the trials was assessed using the JADAD scale. Four RCTs were included, three placebo controlled, the fourth a comparative trial of GLM lipid extract vs. stabilized powder extract. No RCTs comparing GLM to conventional treatment were identified. All four studies assessed GLM as an adjunctive treatment to conventional medication for a clinically relevant time

in mild to moderate OA. All trials reported clinical benefits in the GLM treatment group but the findings from two studies cannot be included in this review because of possible un-blinding and inappropriate statistical analysis. The data from the two more rigorous trials, in conjunction with our re-analysis of original data suggests that GLM may be superior to placebo for the treatment of mild to moderate OA. As a credible biological mechanism exists for this treatment, further rigorous investigations are required to assess efficacy and optimal dosage.”
“Objective: To examine human blastocyst microRNA (miRNA) expression in correlation with human infertility. MicroRNAs are small, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression Selleck CCI-779 via mechanisms

such as degradation and translational suppression of targeted messenger RNAs. Recent data has pointed to the importance of miRNAs in disease states and during mouse embryo development.\n\nDesign: Descriptive study.\n\nSetting: Nonprofit research foundation.\n\nPatient(s): Transferable quality human blastocysts donated with consent to research (n = 40).\n\nIntervention(s): Quantitative real-time PCR.\n\nMain Outcome Measure(s): MicroRNA expression profile.\n\nResult(s): Morphologically similar blastocysts derived from patients with polycystic ovaries or male factor infertility exhibited a significant decrease in the expression of six miRNAs in comparison with donor fertile control blastocysts (P < 0.05). Annotation of predicted gene targets for these differentially expressed miRNAs included gene ontology (GO) biological processes involved in cell growth and maintenance and transcription as well as GO molecular functions implicated in nucleic acid binding and signal transducer activity.