Biology subjects

Kampa, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Kampa, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

A Combined Behavioral and Neuroimaging Battery to Test Positive Appraisal Style Theory of Resilience in Longitudinal Studies

Resilience is the maintenance or rapid recovery of mental health during and after stressor exposure. It is becoming increasingly clear that resilience results from a complex and dynamic process of adaptation to stressors involving the biological, psychological and social levels. Positive appraisal style theory of resilience (PASTOR) claims that the common final pathway to maintained mental health lies in the non-negative (non-catastrophizing, non-pessimistic) appraisal of potential stressors, permitting the organism to fine-tune stress responses to optimal levels, thus avoiding unnecessary stress, inefficient deployment of resources and concomitant deleterious allostatic load effects. Successful adaptation consists in developing or strengthening a positive appraisal style. Another key element of PASTOR is that a positive appraisal style is strongly determined by the efficacy and efficiency of the neural and cognitive processes that underlie positive stressor appraisal. We here present a combined behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) battery designed to assess such processes repeatedly in longitudinal settings. The battery includes tests of stress reactivity and recovery, reward sensitivity, safety learning and memory in the context of fear conditioning and extinction, volitional situation-focused reappraisal, volitional self-focused reappraisal, and emotional interference inhibition, along with structural MRI and resting-state MRI scans. A detailed description of the battery methods is provided. The feasibility of the battery was successfully tested in N=55 healthy subjects; group results of the individual tasks largely replicate existing literature.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2017

Significant metabolic improvement by a water extract of olives: animal and human evidence

Dyslipidemia and impaired glucose metabolism, are main health issues of growing prevalence and significant high Health Care cost, requiring novel prevention and/or therapeutic approaches. Epidemiological and animal studies revealed olive oil as an important dietary constituent for normolipidemia. However, no studies have specifically investigated the polyphenol rich water extract of olives (OLWPE), generated during olive oil production. Here, we explore OLPWE in animals and human metabolic parameters. High fat-fed rats developed a metabolic dysfunction, which was significantly impaired when treated with OLWPE, with decreased LDL and insulin levels and increased HDL. Moreover, they increased total plasma antioxidant capacity, while several phenolic compounds were detected in their blood. These findings were also verified in humans that consumed OLWPE daily for four weeks in a food matrix. Our data clearly show that OLWPE can improve glucose and lipid profile, indicating its possible use in the design of functional food and/or therapeutic interventions.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2017

APRIL and BAFF increase breast cancer cell stemness

Background: Recent advances in cancer immunology revealed immune-related properties of the cancer cell as a promising new therapeutic target. The two TNF superfamily members, APRIL and BAFF even though were primarily studied for their role in lymphocyte maturation, their presence in a number of normal and cancer solid tumors including breast cancer revealed an association with tumor growth and aggressiveness. Methods: In the present work, we have explored the role of APRIL and BAFF in breast tumor development, progression and metastasis as well as resistance to therapy. We studied their effect on the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and migration of breast cancer cells, and their action on the important sub-population of cancer stem cells identified by autofluorescence and ALDH activity. Their action on an number of pluripotency genes was examined and breast cancer stem cell ability to form mammospheres was also utilized. The receptor and the signaling pathway involved were also investigated as well as the role of steroid hormones in their action. Results: Our findings show that in breast cancer both APRIL and BAFF increase epithelial to mesenchymal transition and migratory capacity, as well as cancer stem cell numbers, by inducing pluripotency genes such as KLF4 and NANOG. These effects were mediated by their common receptor BCMA and the JNK signaling pathway. Interestingly, androgens enhance APRIL transcription and subsequently its pluripotency effect. Conclusions: All these data support the significant role of APRIL and BAFF in breast cancer disease progression and provide evidence for a new possible mechanism of therapy resistance, especially in aromatase inhibitors-treated patients, were local androgen is increased.

cancer biology↗