👤 Sina Salari

Neuroinflammation is a central contributor to Huntington's disease (HD) pathogenesis and represents a promising therapeutic target. Laquinimod, an oral immunomodulator with demonstrated neuroprotective effects in preclinical models, has been investigated as a potential treatment for HD. This review critically appraises its preclinical and clinical evidence. A systematic search (January 2025) was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science using terms including "Huntington's disease," "laquinimod," and "quinoline-3-carboxylic acid." Preclinical and clinical studies evaluating laquinimod in HD were included. Due to heterogeneity, findings were synthesized qualitatively. Of 2638 records identified, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. Preclinical data showed laquinimod improved motor function, reduced neuroinflammation, and promoted myelination, likely via microglial modulation, NF-κB suppression, and increased BDNF expression. Effects on myelin integrity and inflammatory markers were inconsistent. In vitro studies showed limited, variable cytokine modulation in HD patient-derived cells. Clinical trials did not demonstrate significant improvements in motor or functional outcomes, though one study reported minor cognitive and behavioral benefits. Preclinical evidence suggests laquinimod may modulate motor, inflammatory, and myelination pathways in HD; however, clinical evidence shows no meaningful benefit. Data on long-term safety remain limited. Larger, well-designed trials using standardized biomarkers are needed to clarify its therapeutic potential. Show less

The digestibility of animal fats and oils is limited by a reduction in the production and secretion of lipase and bile salts in young chickens. The addition of a natural emulsifier (lysophospholipids [LPL]) in poultry diet may increase the emulsification of lipids and their digestibility. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of feed LPLs supplementation with different fat sources on performance, serum lipid composition, small intestine morphology and caeca microflora in broiler chickens. A completely randomized factorial design (2 × 3 × 2) was used to evaluate the effect of LPL supplementation (0 and 0.25 g/kg) and three different fat sources (soybean oil, tallow and a 50:50 mixture of the two) in corn and soybean meal diets containing two levels of fat (1.5 and 3%), providing 12 isocaloric and isonitrogenous grower diets. Each experimental diet was fed to six replications of 10 birds from 15 to 28 days of age. Average growth performance during this period and small intestine morphology, serum lipid composition and caeca microflora were evaluated on day 28. The interaction effects of LPL supplementation, source and/or level of fats were not significant for the performance parameters measured during the 15 to 28 days. The treatment effects were significant for the villus width and crypt depth measured in the jejunum on day 28. The LPL supplementation significantly increased crypt depth. The interaction effect of fat source and level of fat were significant for villus width. The addition of a 3% blend of soybean oil/tallow (50/50) reduced the serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level. The Lactobacillus population was increased by the addition of LPL, or a 1.5% blend of soybean oil and tallow, to the diet. Our study showed that LPL supplementation of diet containing a 1.5% blend of soybean oil and tallow can improve serum lipid indices and caeca Lactobacillus populations in broiler chickens. Show less

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of MC4R rs17782313 and FTO rs9939609 polymorphisms with childhood obesity. A universal search was performed up to May 2021. A total of 31 studies including 13 studies with 9565 cases and 11956 controls on MC4R rs17782313 and 18 studies with 4789 cases and 15918 controls on FTO rs9939609 were selected. Pooled data showed that FTO rs9930506 and MC4R rs17782313 polymorphisms were significantly associated with obesity in children. Stratified analyses revealed that these genetic variants were associated with childhood obesity in Caucasian and Asian children. Show less

Aberrant activation of the WNT/CTNNB1 pathway is notorious in colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we demonstrate that the expression of specific and crucial WNT signaling pathway genes is linked to disease progression in colonic adenomatous (AP) and hyperplastic (HP) polyps in an Iranian patient population. Thus, we highlight potential gene expression profiles as candidate novel biomarkers for the early detection of CRC. From a 12-month study (2016-2017), 44 biopsy samples were collected during colonoscopy from the patients with colorectal polyps and 10 healthy subjects for normalization. Clinical and demographic data were collected in all cases, and mRNA expression of APC, CTNNB1, CDH1, AXIN1, and AXIN2 genes was investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). CTNNB1 and CDH1 expression levels were unaltered in AP and HP subjects, whereas mRNA expression of APC was decreased in AP contrasted with HP subjects, with a significant association between APC downregulation and polyp size. Although AXIN1 showed no changes between AP and HP groups, a significant association between AXIN1 and dysplasia grade was found. Also, significant upregulation of AXIN2 in both AP and HP subjects was detected. In summary, we have shown increased expression of AXIN2 and decreased expression of APC correlating with grade of dysplasia and polyp size. Hence, AXIN2 and APC should be explored as biomarker candidates for early detection of AP and HP polyps in CRC. Show less