1,2,4-benzothiadiazine linked pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine conjugates: synthesis, DNA-binding affinity and cytotoxicity

Benzothiadiazine-pyrrolobenzodiazepine conjugates linked through different alkane spacers have been prepared. These new classes of hybrid molecules exhibit cytotoxicity against many cancer cell lines. Their DNA thermal denaturation studies have been carried out and one of the compounds (4b) elevates the DNA helix melting temperature of the CT-DNA by 6.7 degrees C after incubation for 36 h.     

Design of a Single-Mode Plasmonic Bandpass Filter Using a Hexagonal Resonator Coupled to Graded-Stub Waveguides

Plasmonics - In this paper, a plasmonic filter based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) configuration is proposed. It uses a hexagonal nano-resonator (HNR) coupled to multi-stub waveguides (MSWs) from...     

Expressions of pathologic markers in PRP based chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose derived stem cells

Background

Optimization of the differentiation medium through using autologous factors such as PRP is of great consideration, but due to the complex, variable and undefined composition of PRP on one hand and lack of control over the absolute regulatory mechanisms in in vitro conditions or disrupted and different mechanisms in diseased tissue microenvironments in in vivo conditions on the other hand, it is complicated and rather unpredictable to get the desired effects of PRP making it inevitable to monitor the possible pathologic or undesired differentiation pathways and therapeutic effects of PRP. Therefore, in this study the probable potential of PRP on inducing calcification, inflammation and angiogenesis in chondrogenically-differentiated cells was investigated.

Transplantation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth for bone regeneration in the dog mandibular defect

AIM: To investigate the effect of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth(SHED) transplanted for bone regeneration in the dog mandibular defect.METHODS: In this prospective comparative study, SHEDs had been isolated 5 years ago from human exfoliated deciduous teeth. The undifferentiated stem cells were seeded into mandibular bone through-andthrough defects of 4 dogs. Similar defects in control group were filled with cell-free collagen scaffold. After 12 wk, biopsies were taken and morphometric analysis was performed. The percentage of new bone formation and foreign body reaction were measured in each case. The data were subject to statistical analysis using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskalwalis statistical tests. Differences at P 0.05 was considered as significant level.RESULTS: There were no significant differences between control and SHED-seeded groups in connective tissue(P = 0.248), woven bone(P = 0.248) and compact bone(P = 0.082). There were not any side effects in transplanted SHED group such as teratoma or malignancy and abnormalities in this period.CONCLUSION: SHEDs which had been isolated and characterized 5 years ago and stored with cryopreservation banking were capable of proliferation and osteogenesis after 5 years, and no immune response was observed after three months of seeded SHEDs.     

Multiple shoot induction and plant regeneration in litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)

Multiple shoot induction in Litchi chinensis Sonn. (litchi) has been achieved by two methods: (1) direct germination of litchi seeds in 6-benzylaminopurine (20 mg l^–1)-supplemented MS liquid medium and supported on a filter-paper bridge and (2) in planta treatment with 6-benzylaminopurine (100 μg on alternate days) of the axillary bud regions of plants germinated and maintained under sterile conditions. While the former method resulted in as many as 27.5±8.6 shoot buds from the cotyledonary node within 4 weeks, the latter yielded on average approximately 8 shoot buds from each treated node in 8 weeks. The cytokinin treatment in planta consisted of placing sterile filter paper moistened with sterile distilled water over the node and adding different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine. Both methods of multiple shoot induction were found to be effective for the five genotypes of litchi that were tested. The shoots elongated and rooted directly in vermiculite after a pulse treatment with IBA (25 mg/ml) for 15 min. Fungus growth which is a serious problem in litchi tissue culture, was controlled using a fungicide, Bavistin, and by eliminating organic nutrients from the growth medium. Received: 27 July 1998 / Revision received: 30 September 1998 / Accepted: 27 October 1998     

The Neuroprotective Effect of Curcumin Against Nicotine-Induced Neurotoxicity is Mediated by CREB–BDNF Signaling Pathway

Neurochemical Research - Nicotine abuse adversely affects brain and causes apoptotic neurodegeneration. Curcumin- a bright yellow chemical compound found in turmeric is associated with...     

Conventional vs CO2 demand-controlled ventilation systems

1. 1. The feasibility of controlling the ventilation system using the occupant-generated carbon dioxide as an indicator of ventilation rate and indoor air quality has been investigated in an eleven storey office building.

2. 2. The study compares the indoor environment created by two different types of ventilation control systems.

3. 3. The two ventilation systems tested consisted of: a conventional system controlled by outdoor temperatures, and a demand-controlled system regulated by indoor carbon dioxide concentration.

4. 4. The results show that the CO₂-based demand-controlled ventilation system does not worsen indoor air quality and thermal comfort. It was also noticed that an energy saving of 12% was achieved using the CO₂ control system.

5. 5. The occupants perceived that their productivity is proportional to their perception of the indoor environment; indicating that higher productivity rates can be achieved by better controlling the working environment above satisfactory levels.

Production of mycobacterial cell wall glycopeptidolipids requires a member of the MbtH-like protein family

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) are among the major free glycolipid components of the outer membrane of several saprophytic and clinically-relevant Mycobacterium species. The architecture of GPLs is based on a constant tripeptide-amino alcohol core of nonribosomal peptide synthetase origin that is N-acylated with a 3-hydroxy/methoxy acyl chain synthesized by a polyketide synthase and further decorated with variable glycosylation patterns built from methylated and acetylated sugars. GPLs have been implicated in many aspects of mycobacterial biology, thus highlighting the significance of gaining an understanding of their biosynthesis. Our bioinformatics analysis revealed that every GPL biosynthetic gene cluster known to date contains a gene (referred herein to as gplH) encoding a member of the MbtH-like protein family. Herein, we sought to conclusively establish whether gplH was required for GPL production. RESULTS: Deletion of gplH, a gene clustered with nonribosomal peptide synthetase-encoding genes in the GPL biosynthetic gene cluster of Mycobacterium smegmatis, produced a GPL deficient mutant. Transformation of this mutant with a plasmid expressing gplH restored GPL production. Complementation was also achieved by plasmid-based constitutive expression of mbtH, a paralog of gplH found in the biosynthetic gene cluster for production of the siderophore mycobactin of M. smegmatis. Further characterization of the gplH mutant indicated that it also displayed atypical colony morphology, lack of sliding motility, altered capacity for biofilm formation, and increased drug susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS: Herein, we provide evidence formally establishing that gplH is essential for GPL production in M. smegmatis. Inactivation of gplH also leads to a pleiotropic phenotype likely to arise from alterations in the cell envelope due to the lack of GPLs. While genes encoding MbtH-like proteins have been shown to be needed for production of siderophores and antibiotics, our study presents the first case of one such a gene proven to be required for production of a cell wall component. Furthermore, our results provide the first example of a mbtH-like gene with confirmed functional role in a member of the Mycobacterium genus. Altogether, our findings demonstrate a critical role of gplH in mycobacterial biology and advance our understanding of the genetic requirements for the biosynthesis of an important group of constituents of the mycobacterial outer membrane.     

Occult hepatitis C virus infection in patients with beta-thalassemia major: Is it a neglected and unexplained phenomenon?

Occult hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (OCI) is described as the presence of viral genome in both hepatocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) despite constant negative results on serum HCV RNA tests. Beta-thalassemia major (BTM) describes a group of inherited blood diseases. Patients with BTM require repeated blood transfusions, increasing the risk of exposure to infectious agents. We aimed to assess the prevalence of OCI in Iranian BTM patients and to identify the role of host factors in OCI positivity. A total of 181 BTM patients with HCV negative markers were selected. HCV RNA was tested in PBMCs using nested polymerase chain reaction assay. The positive samples were then genotyped via restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) and 5′-untranslated region sequencing. Six (3.3%) out of 181 BTM patients had viral HCV genomes in PBMC samples. Three (50.0%), two (33.3%), and one (16.7%) out of these six patients were infected with HCV-1b, HCV-1a, and HCV-3a, respectively. OCI positivity was significantly associated with the serum level of uric acid (P = 0.045) and ABO blood group (P = 0.032). Also, OCI patients had unfavorable IFNL3 rs12979860 TT, IFNL3 rs8099917 GG, IFNL3 rs12980275 GG, and IFNL4 ss469415590 ∆G/∆G genotypes. In conclusion, we indicated the low frequency of OCI in BTM patients. Nevertheless, more attention is warranted considering the importance of this infection. Also, further studies are necessary to determine the actual prevalence of OCI among BTM patients in Iran.