Effect of neurotensin on pancreatic function in man

The effect of neurotensin on submaximally-stimulated hepatobiliary and pancreatic secretion was studied in 6 healthy subjects. An intravenous infusion of neurotensin 1.4 ± 0.3 pmol/kg/min, designed to reproduce plasma neurotensin immunoreactivity levels within the physiological range, produced a significant increase in pancreatic bicarbonate output. Plasma concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide rose by 83 ± 16 pmol/l and were associated with a small reduction in trypsin, but no significant change in bilirubin outputs.     

Relationship Between Molecular Structure and Thermo-mechanical Properties of Candelilla Wax and Amides Derived from (<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>)-12-Hydroxystearic Acid as Gelators of Safflower Oil

In this research, we studied the relationship between the molecular structure of (R)-12-hydroxyoctadecanamide, (R)-N-propyl-12-hydroxyoctadecanamide, and (R)-N-octadecyl-12-hydroxyoctadecanamide and the thermo-mechanical properties of their 2% (wt/wt) organogels developed using safflower oil high in oleic acid (HOSFO) as the liquid phase. Candelilla wax (CW), a well-known edible gelling additive whose main component is hentriacontane, also was studied for comparative purposes. The results obtained show that the attractive interactions (i.e., hydrogen bonding and dipolar interactions) between amide groups and between hydroxyl groups present in the amides resulted in organogels with higher melting temperature, heat of melting, and crystallization parameters than those found in the CW organogel. The rheological parameters associated to the strength of the amide or CW-based gels developed in HOSFO (i.e., yield stress and elastic modulus) seem to be associated with the nature of amide groups (i.e., primary or secondary amide) and the increase in the length of the self-assembly molecular unit (i.e., L value determined by X-ray diffraction) and therefore to the extent of London dispersion forces along the hydrocarbon chain. The creep and recovery measurements allowed an evaluation among the internal structures of the different organogels and demonstrated that independent of the hydrogen bonding and dipolar interaction provided by the amide and the hydroxyl groups, the increase in the hydrocarbon chain length results in higher organogel resistance to deformation and higher instant recovery capacity. However, the stabilization of the self-assembly unit through polar groups (i.e., –CONH₂ in HOA) reduces organogel elasticity but provides a higher extended recovery capacity. The results reported in this investigation showed some relationships between gelator structure and the thermo-mechanical properties of low-molecular-mass organic gelator amides. Our long-term objective is to understand the organogelation process to eventually develop trans-free vegetable oil-based food products with novel textures for the consumers.     

Detection and identification of phytoplasma associated with witches’ broom and little leaf disease in Arundo donax: first report from India

During the survey of two successive years 2012–2013, in nearby places of Gorakhpur districts, Uttar Pradesh, India, Arundo donax plants were found to be exhibiting witches’ broom, excessive branching accompanied with little leaf symptoms with considerable disease incidence. Nested PCR carried out with universal primers pair R16F2n/R16R2 employing the PCR (P1/P7) product as a template DNA (1:20) resulted in expected size positive amplification ~1.2 kb in all symptom-bearing plants suggested the association of phytoplasma with witches’ broom disease of Narkat plants. BLASTn analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed the highest (99%) sequence identity with Candidatus phytoplasma asteris (16SrI group). In phylogenetic analysis, the sequence data showed close relationships with the members of 16SrI phytoplasma and clustered within a single clade of 16SrI group and closed to B subgroup representatives. This is a first report of 16Sr I-B group phytoplasma associated with witches’ broom accompanied with little leaf disease of Narkat in India.     

A Comprehensive Review of Animal Models for Coronaviruses: SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV,and MERS-CoV

The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease(COVID-19) caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) has already affected a large population of the world. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the same family of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERSCoV). COVID-19 has a complex pathology involving severe acute respiratory infection, hyper-immune response, and coagulopathy. At present, there is no therapeutic drug or vaccine approved for the disease. There is an urgent need for an ideal animal model that can reflect clinical symptoms and underlying etiopathogenesis similar to COVID-19 patients which can be further used for evaluation of underlying mechanisms, potential vaccines, and therapeutic strategies. The current review provides a paramount insight into the available animal models of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV for the management of the diseases.     

Insulin signaling pathway assessment by enhancing antioxidant activity due to morin using in vitro rat skeletal muscle L6 myotubes cells

Molecular Biology Reports - Plant-derived phytochemicals such as flavonoids have been explored to be powerful antioxidants that protect against oxidative stress-related diseases. In the present...     

Influence of cholesterol on cancer progression and therapy

Cholesterol is a fundamental molecule necessary for the maintenance of cell structure and is vital to various normal biological functions. It is a key factor in lifestyle-related diseases including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Owing to its altered serum chemistry status under pathological states, it is now being investigated to unravel the mechanism by which it triggers various health complications. Numerous clinical studies in cancer patients indicate an alteration in blood cholesterol level (either decreased or increased) in comparison to normal healthy individuals. This article elaborates on our understanding as to how cholesterol is being hijacked in the malignancy for the development, survival, stemness, progression, and metastasis of cancerous cells. Also, it provides a glimpse of how cholesterol derived entities, alters the signaling pathway towards their advantage. Moreover, deregulation of the cholesterol metabolism pathway has been often reported to hamper various treatment strategies in different cancer. In this context, attempts have been made to bring forth its relevance in being targeted, in pre-clinical and clinical studies for various treatment modalities. Thus, understanding the role of cholesterol and deciphering associated molecular mechanisms in cancer progression and therapy are of relevance towards improvement in the management of various cancers.     

A New Solid Phase Method for the Synthesis of Oligonucleotides with Terminal -3′-Phosphate

Abstract

A novel method for the synthesis of oligonucleotides with terminal-3′-phosphate using universal CPG polymer support is described.     

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Reveals a Unique Set of Proteins with Potential Prognostic Significance

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most treatment-resistant malignancies, and patients have a dismal prognosis, with a <10% five-year survival rate. The identification of markers that can predict the potential for metastases will have a great effect in improving patient outcomes. In this study, we used differential proteomics with isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) labeling and LC-MS/MS analysis to identify proteins that are differentially expressed in metastatic and primary RCC. We identified 1256 non-redundant proteins, and 456 of these were quantified. Further analysis identified 29 proteins that were differentially expressed (12 overexpressed and 17 underexpressed) in metastatic and primary RCC. Dysregulated protein expressions of profilin-1 (Pfn1), 14–3-3 zeta/delta (14–3-3ζ), and galectin-1 (Gal-1) were verified on two independent sets of tissues by means of Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that the protein expression profile specific for metastatic RCC can distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive RCC. Pathway analysis showed that dysregulated proteins are involved in cellular processes related to tumor progression and metastasis. Furthermore, preliminary analysis using a small set of tumors showed that increased expression of Pfn1 is associated with poor outcome and is a potential prognostic marker in RCC. In addition, 14–3-3ζ and Gal-1 also showed higher expression in tumors with poor prognosis than in those with good prognosis. Dysregulated proteins in metastatic RCC represent potential prognostic markers for kidney cancer patients, and a greater understanding of their involved biological pathways can serve as the foundation of the development of novel targeted therapies for metastatic RCC.Renal cell carcinoma (RCC)¹ is the most common neoplasm of the adult kidney. Worldwide incidence and mortality rates of RCC are rising each decade (1). Seventy-five percent of kidney tumors are of the clear cell (ccRCC) subtype (2). Although modern imaging techniques for abdominal screening have led to increased incidental detection of renal tumors (3), unfortunately ∼25% to 30% of patients still have metastases at presentation.The prognosis with RCC is quite variable. The greatest risk of recurrence following nephrectomy is within the first 3 to 5 years (4). The ability to predict which tumors will metastasize would have a significant effect on patient outcomes, because the likelihood of a favorable response to treatment is greater when the metastatic burden is limited, and surgical resection of a single or limited number of metastases can result in longer survival (5). Furthermore, ∼3% of patients will develop a second primary renal tumor, either synchronous or metachronous. Currently, patient prognosis is assessed based on histological parameters and a multivariate analysis developed at Memorial Sloan Kettering (6), but neither is sufficiently accurate. A more accurate assessment of prognosis is urgently needed to better guide patient management.Although surgery can be curative for localized disease, many patients eventually relapse. Metastatic RCC is one of the most treatment-resistant malignancies, with chemotherapy and radiotherapy having limited effect. The five-year survival rate for metastatic RCC is ≤10% (7). Although there has been much progress in RCC treatment with the new era of antiangiogenic therapy, the majority of patients ultimately suffer a relapse and die from progression of the cancer. A more in-depth understanding of the pathogenesis of metastasis will be a cornerstone in the development of new targeted therapies. A number of prognostic markers have previously been identified based on comparative analysis of primary and metastatic tumors, including C-reactive protein, tetraspanin 7, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α, phos-S6, U3 small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein protein, carbonic anhydrase IX, and microvascular density (8–14). However, no biomarker has yet had an established clinical role independent of stage (15). Differential protein expression between primary RCC and normal tissues was previously studied (16–18). Also, differential expression between primary and metastatic kidney disease has been investigated at the microRNA level (19, 20). Molecular analyses hold the promise of providing a better understanding of the pathogenesis of kidney cancer (21).In this study, we aimed to elucidate the pathogenesis of RCC metastasis through proteomic analysis and to identify potential prognostic markers for kidney cancer. We performed quantitative proteomic analysis using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) labeling and LC-MS/MS to identify proteins that were dysregulated in metastatic RCC relative to primary RCC. Differential expressions of selected biologically interesting proteins—profilin-1 (Pfn1), 14–3-3 zeta/delta (14–3-3ζ), and galectin-1 (Gal-1)—were validated on two independent sets of tumors by means of western blot (WB) analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that differential protein expression can distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive tumors. In order to explore the role of these dysregulated proteins in tumor progression, we performed Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analyses. In addition, we carried out a preliminary analysis to assess the potential of Pfn1, 14–3-3ζ, and Gal-1 as prognostic markers in RCC.