The acute effects of single-dose orally administered doramectin, eprinomectin and selamectin on natural infections of Syphacia muris in rats

This study was designed to determine the acute effects of a single-dose of orally administered doramectin, eprinomectin and selamectin on Syphacia muris infection in rats. Rats, naturally infected with S. muris, were divided into four groups: three different treatment groups (n = 7) and one positive control (n = 7). Cellophane tape preparations were obtained from the treated rats on day 0 pre-treatment and on days 2, 4 and 6 post-treatment. Syphacia sp. eggs were counted. Eprinomectin was found to be 100% effective in eliminating eggs on two post-treatment. However when egg counts on day 6 post-treatment were compared with pre-treatment egg counts, doramectin and selamectin were found to be 99.32 and 98.77% effective in eliminating eggs, respectively. On day 7 post-treatment, blood samples were obtained from all groups, and then the rats were necropsied. Doramectin, eprinomectin and selamectin were found to be 100% effective in eliminating adult S. muris, when compared with the positive control group.     

Serum iron and copper status and oxidative stress in severe and mild preeclampsia

Our aim was to investigate parameters of iron and copper status and oxidative stress and antioxidant function in women with healthy pregnancy, mild and severe preeclampsia with a view to exploring the possible contribution of these parameters to the aetiology. Thirty healthy, 30 mild preeclamptic and 30 severe preeclamptic pregnant women were included. Serum and placental lipid peroxides, and serum vitamin E and total carotene levels were measured by colorimetric assay. Cholesterol, copper, iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), ceruloplasmin and transferrin concentrations were measured by commercially available procedures. Data were analysed statistically using one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation test. Logistic regression procedures were used to calculate odds ratios. Lipid peroxides in serum and placental tissue, and iron, copper and ceruloplasmin levels in serum were significantly increased, and transferrin, TIBC, vitamin E/total cholesterol and total carotene/total cholesterol ratios in serum were significantly decreased especially in women with severe preeclampsia. Significant correlations were detected between serum iron and lipid peroxides in serum and placental tissue and between serum iron and vitamin E/total cholesterol in severe preeclamptic pregnancy. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between serum malondialdehyde and ceruloplasmin and vitamin E/total cholesterol in women with severe preeclampsia, and changes in serum and placental lipid peroxides and serum iron concentrations were significantly associated with preeclampsia. In conclusion, ischaemic placental tissue may be a primary source of potentially toxic iron in preeclampsia and the released iron species may contribute to the aetiology and would exacerbate lipid peroxidation and endothelial cell injury, which may be abated by antioxidant supplementation.     

Accumulation of polyhydroxyalkanoates by Microlunatus phosphovorus under various growth conditions

Microlunatus phosphovorus is an activated-sludge bacterium with high levels of phosphorus-accumulating activity and phosphate uptake and release activities. Thus, it is an interesting model organism to study biological phosphorus removal. However, there are no studies demonstrating the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) storage capability of M. phosphovorus, which is surprising for a polyphosphate-accumulating organism. This study investigates in detail the PHA storage behavior of M. phosphovorus under different growth conditions and using different carbon sources. Pure culture studies in batch-growth systems were conducted in shake-flasks and in a bioreactor, using chemically defined growth media with glucose as the sole carbon source. A batch-growth system with anaerobic–aerobic cycles and varying concentrations of glucose or acetate as the sole carbon source, similar to enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes, was also employed. The results of this study demonstrate for the first time that M. phosphovorus produces significant amounts of PHAs under various growth conditions and with different carbon sources. When the PHA productions of all cultivations were compared, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), the major PHA polymer, was produced at about 20–30% of the cellular dry weight. The highest PHB production was observed as 1,421 mg/l in batch-growth systems with anaerobic–aerobic cycles and at 4 g/l initial glucose concentration. In light of these key results regarding the growth physiology and PHA-production capability of M. phosphovorus, it can be concluded that this organism could be a good candidate for microbial PHA production because of its advantages of easy growth, high biomass and PHB yield on substrate and no significant production of fermentative byproducts.     

The effect of venous thromboembolism on survival of cancer patients and its relationship with serum levels of factor VIII and vascular endothelial growth factor: a prospective matched-paired study

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VT) increases mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of VT on the survival of cancer patients and its relationship with serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and plasma factor VIII levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-two patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer were included in this study between September 2001 and March 2004, and 31 of them had VT. Fifty-one matched-paired cancer patients without VT were prospectively selected as a control group in the same period. Criteria for the selection of control group patients were having the same malignancy, stage, metastatic site, performance status and age (+/-5 years) as patients in the VT group. RESULTS: Plasma factor VIII and serum D-dimer levels in the VT group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p=0.030 and p=0.016, respectively). However, mean serum VEGF levels were similar in both groups (p=0.199). In the VT group, the median survival of patients who had higher serum VEGF levels (>150 pg/mL) was significantly shorter than that of patients in the same group with lower serum VEGF levels (p=0.005). The median survival of the VT group was 14 months, whereas it was 25 months in the control group (p=0.199). CONCLUSION: There was a worse prognostic trend for cancer patients with VT. Nevertheless, the difference in survival was not statistically significant between the groups. Plasma factor VIII and serum D-dimer levels might have prognostic value in cancer patients with VT. Cancer patients with VT and higher serum VEGF levels had a significantly poorer prognosis.     

Rosiglitazone Modulates Insulin-Induced Plasma Membrane Area Changes in Single 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

The antioxidant activity of mitochondria-targeted small molecules, SkQ1 and MitoQ (conjugates of a lipophilic decyltriphenylphosphonium cation with an antioxidant moiety of a plastoquinone and ubiquinone, respectively), was studied in aqueous solution and in a lipid environment, i.e., micelles, liposomes and planar bilayer lipid membranes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were generated by azo initiators or ferrous ions with or without tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (t-BOOH). Chemiluminescence, fluorescence, oxygen consumption and inactivation of gramicidin peptide channels were measured to detect antioxidant activity. In all of the systems studied, SkQ1 was shown to effectively scavenge ROS. The scavenging was inherent to the reduced form of the quinone (SkQ1H(2)). In the majority of the above model systems, SkQ1 exhibited higher antioxidant activity than MitoQ. It is concluded that SkQ1H(2) operates as a ROS scavenger in both aqueous and lipid environments, being effective at preventing ROS-induced damage to membrane lipids as well as membrane-embedded peptides.     

Proteomic Response of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells to Histamine Stimulation

The histamine receptors (HRs) represent a subclass of G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) and comprise four subtypes. Due to their numerous physiological and pathological effects, HRs are popular drug targets for the treatment of allergic reactions or the regulation of gastric acid secretion. Hence, an understanding of the functional selectivity of HR ligands has gained importance. These ligands can bind to specific GPCRs and selectively activate defined pathways. Supporting the activation of a therapeutically necessary pathway without the activation of other signaling cascades can result in drugs with more specific activity and fewer side effects. To evaluate the cellular consequences resulting from receptor binding, comprehensive analyses of cellular protein alterations upon incubation with ligands are required. For this purpose, endothelial cells are treated with histamine, as the endogenous ligand of HRs, to obtain a global overview of its cellular effects. Quantitative proteomics and pathway analyses of histamine‐treated and untreated cells reveal enrichment of the nuclear factor‐κB and tumor necrosis factor signaling pathways, cytokine?cytokine receptor interactions, complement and coagulation cascades, and acute inflammatory processes upon histamine treatment. This strategy offers the opportunity to monitor HR‐mediated signaling in a multidimensional manner.     

Coordination properties of α-hydroxy carboxylic acids. Part I. Binuclear niobium (V) complex acids and some salts

The conditions of dissolution of freshly precipitated niobium (V) oxide in α-hydroxy carboxylic acids glycolic, lactic, malic and tartaric were investigated. The dissolution is a function of the molar ratio α-hydroxy carboxylic acid/hydrated niobium(V) oxide, pH of the solution, temperature and time. From solutions of α-hydroxy monocarboxylic acids at 2 < pH < 3 the binuclear complexes H₃O[Nb₂O₄(C₂H₂O₃)(C₂H₃O₃)]·H₂O and H₃O[Nb₂O₄(C₃H₄O₃)(C₃H₅O₃)]·H₂O were isolated. Colourless, poorly-crystalline complexes are 1:1 electrolytes and, according to i.r. spectral evidence, the binuclearity in their structures is achieved through oxygen bridges. With α-hydroxy dicarboxylic acids crystalline M[Nb₂O₃(C₄H₃O₅)(C₄H₄O₅)]·nH₂O and poorly crystalline complexes, M₂[Nb₂O₂(C₄H₂O₆)₂]·nH₂O, M = H₃O⁺, NH₄⁺ were prepared as 1:1 electrolytes for the former and 1:2 electrolytes for the latter. Analytical, spectral, conductometric and potentiometric titration data give evidence for binuclear malatoniobate(V) and tartratoniobate(V) anions with bridging complex-forming agents.     

The Effect of 3′,4′-Dihydroxyflavonol on Lipid Peroxidation in Rats with Cerebral Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

Neurochemical Research - The aim of present study was to determine the effect of 3′,4′-dihydroxyflavonol (DiOHF) on lipid peroxidation in experimental brain ischemia–reperfusion...     

Additive effects of SbcCD and PolX deficiencies in the in vivo repair of DNA double-strand breaks in Deinococcus radiodurans

Orthologs of proteins SbcD (Mre11) and SbcC (Rad50) exist in all kingdoms of life and are involved in a wide variety of DNA repair and maintenance functions, including homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining. Here, we have inactivated the sbcC and/or sbcD genes of Deinococcus radiodurans, a highly radioresistant bacterium able to mend hundreds of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). Mutants devoid of the SbcC and/or SbcD proteins displayed reduced survival and presented a delay in kinetics of DSB repair and cell division following gamma-irradiation. It has been recently reported that D. radiodurans DNA polymerase X (PolX) possesses a structure-modulated 3'-to-5' exonuclease activity reminiscent of specific nuclease activities displayed by the SbcCD complex from Escherichia coli. We constructed a double mutant devoid of SbcCD and PolX proteins. The double-mutant DeltasbcCD DeltapolX(Dr) (where Dr indicates D. radiodurans) bacteria are much more sensitive to gamma-irradiation than the single mutants, suggesting that the deinococcal SbcCD and PolX proteins may play important complementary roles in processing damaged DNA ends. We propose that they are part of a backup repair system acting to rescue cells containing DNA lesions that are excessively numerous or difficult to repair.