C-reactive protein (CRP) gene polymorphisms: implication in CRP plasma levels and susceptibility to acute myocardial infarction

C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the many molecular factors involved in pathogenesis of coronary artery disease which its plasma levels are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events. The present study designed to determine whether polymorphisms in the CRP gene are associated with plasma CRP levels and susceptibility to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Plasma CRP levels were measured in patients with AMI and control subjects and genomic DNA and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were extracted. The −717A/G and 1059G/C CRP polymorphisms were detected. The mRNA expression of CRP gene and plasma levels of CRP and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were also analyzed. The −717A/G variation was significantly associated with higher CRP levels, but 1059G/C variation was associated with lower CRP levels. The AA genotype frequency of −717A/G variation was significantly more frequent in the patients than control subjects. By contrast, the genotype and allele distribution in 1059G/C of patient were not statistically different between patients and controls. There were significant differences in circulating levels of CRP and IL-6 in the patients than in controls. The mRNA expression levels of CRP were significantly higher in the patient plasma compared with controls. Our results indicate relationship between many polymorphisms in CRP gene and risk of AMI which suggest that genetic variations in CRP might be helpful for determining susceptibility to AMI in Iranian patients. In addition, CRP gene polymorphisms are associated with plasma CRP levels and susceptibility to AMI might be related to CRP gene expression which affects its plasma levels.     

Synthesis and anti-inflammatory properties of some aromatic and heterocyclic aromatic curcuminoids

A variety of novel aromatic and heterocyclic aromatic curcuminoids were synthesised, characterised and their anti-inflammatory activities (AIA) determined in vivo. Some of these compounds also were tested for inflammatory mediator production. The AIA of the main representatives of these compounds were assessed by oral administration to female Wistar rats using (a) acute carrageenan-induced paw oedema, (b) chronic adjuvant arthritis (therapeutic mode), and (c) anti-pyretic activity assessed in the yeast pyrexia. Gastric ulceration was determined in pre-inflamed rats. Natural curcumin showed modest aspirin-like anti-inflammatory activity which was enhanced when co-administered with the PGE(1) analogue misoprostol as a synergist. In contrast, four novel curcuminoids (RK-97, RK-103, RK-104 and RK-106) in which the bis-methoxy-phenyl group of curcumin was replaced with bis-dimethoxybutenolidyl-(ascorbate), bis-naphthyl, and bis-furanyl derivatives, respectively, had potent activity in the anti-arthritic assay with little gastric or systemic toxicity, compared with the vehicle-treated controls. Of the curcuminoids the furan RK-106 was the only compound to inhibit production of TNFα and IL-1β in a monocytic cell-line THP-1 in vitro. The inactivity of RK-106 on the production of PGE(2) may be related to its absence of gastrotoxicity. None of the curcuminoids exhibited anti-pyretic activity and this may also be related to its insensitivity to PGE(2). Thus, these novel curcuminoids, such as RK-106, may warrant the development of new low gastro-toxic anti-inflammatory agents with selective inhibitory activity of cytokine inflammatory mediators.     

Effects of Combined Exposure to Chronic High-Fat Diet and Arsenic on Thyroid Function and Lipid Profile in Male Mouse

The thyroid is one of the major endocrine glands that contribute to body and fat metabolism. The present study evaluated the effects of combined exposure to chronic high-fat diet (HFD) and arsenic on thyroid function and lipid profile. In this experimental study, 72 male Naval Medical Research Institute mice were divided into six groups and fed HFD or low-fat diet (LFD) while being exposed to 25 or 50 ppm of arsenic in drinking water for 20 weeks. After 24 h of the last experimental day, blood samples were collected for hormonal and biochemical measurements. The data indicated that exposure to HFD alone increased the levels of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), leptin, lipid profile, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreased the levels of high-density lipoprotein, albumin, adiponectin, and glutathione sulfhydryl reductase (GSH), whereas exposure to arsenic alone decreased the levels of T3 and GSH and increased the levels of TSH, leptin, ROS, MDA, and T4/T3 ratio compared to those in the control LFD group. Furthermore, concomitant administration of HFD and arsenic decreased the lipid profile and levels of T4, albumin, total protein, T3, and GSH and increased the levels of TSH, adiponectin, leptin, ROS, MDA, and T4/T3 ratio compared to those in the control LFD or HFD group. In conclusion, combined exposure to HFD and arsenic induced hypothyroidism via reduction of thyroid hormones and enhancement of plasma TSH and T3 uptake levels concomitant with hypolipidemia, hyperleptinemia, hyperadiponectinemia, induction of oxidative stress, and reduction of GSH levels.     

Biosynthesis of NiFe2O4@Ag Nanocomposite and Assessment of Its Effect on Expression of norA Gene in Staphylococcus aureus

Activity of norA efflux pump has been known as a resistance mechanism to antibiotics like ciprofloxacin in Staphylococcus aureus. This study was carried out to assess the effect of biosynthesized NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanocomposite on expression of norA gene in Staphylococcus aureus. In this experimental study, 30 clinical samples were collected from patients hospitalized at different hospitals in Guilan Province, Iran. Then, clinical isolates of S. aureus were identified by standard microbiological tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests of clinical and standard strains of S. aureus were done by disk diffusion method according to CLSI guideline. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) was used to analyze the various functional groups present in the biosynthesized NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanocomposite. This analysis confirmed the formation of alga proteins coated on magnetite nanocomposite. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) verified the crystalline structure of NiFe₂O₄@Ag and the deposition of silver on the surface of NiFe₂O₄. Energy dispersive X‐ray mapping (EDX‐map) analysis confirmed the existence of Ag, Ni, Fe and O in the final product. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that the nanocomposites were spherical in shape and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results revealed that the NiFe₂O₄@Ag had the particle size about 100 nm. Antibacterial activity of NiFe₂O₄@Ag alone and combined with ciprofloxacin was evaluated using the disk assay method, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by broth dilution method. Afterwards, the expression of norA efflux pump gene with and without of NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanocomposite and ciprofloxacin was evaluated by Real‐Time PCR. Real‐Time PCR results demonstrated that the expression of norA gene in the strains exposed to both NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanocomposite (1/4 MIC) and ciprofloxacin (1/8 MIC) significantly reduced in comparison to untreated strains. This study reveals that, when NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanocomposite is combined with ciprofloxacin, the inhibitory effect of ciprofloxacin increases against growth of S. aureus. Therefore, NiFe₂O₄@Ag nanocomposite can be considered as an effective factor to decrease the growth of S. aureus along with ciprofloxacin.     

Designing Area Optimized Application-Specific Network-On-Chip Architectures while Providing Hard QoS Guarantees

With the increase of transistors'' density, popularity of System on Chip (SoC) has increased exponentially. As a communication module for SoC, Network on Chip (NoC) framework has been adapted as its backbone. In this paper, we propose a methodology for designing area-optimized application specific NoC while providing hard Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees for real time flows. The novelty of the proposed system lies in derivation of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model which is then used to generate a resource optimal Network on Chip (NoC) topology and architecture while considering traffic and QoS requirements. We also present the micro-architectural design features used for enabling traffic and latency guarantees and discuss how the solution adapts for dynamic variations in the application traffic. The paper highlights the effectiveness of proposed method by generating resource efficient NoC solutions for both industrial and benchmark applications. The area-optimized results are generated in few seconds by proposed technique, without resorting to heuristics, even for an application with 48 traffic flows.     

Biocontrol of Rhizoctonia solani damping-off of sugar beet with native Streptomyces strains under field conditions

A 3-year study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of two disease-suppressive Streptomyces spp. to control sugar beet Rhizoctonia solani damping off under field conditions. Streptomyces seed treatments reduced seedling damping off in naturally (2005) and artificially (2006 and 2007) infested soils. All biocontrol agents provided better efficacy than Vitavax to control seedling damping-off. There were no significant differences among Streptomyces isolates. Isolate C increased plant stand by 19.5, 50.5 and 53.75% in 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively. Evaluation of final harvest revealed that the root yield of the biocontrol agents increased compared to untreated control in these years.     

Expression of differential antennal proteins in males and females of an important crop pest, Sesamia nonagrioides

Pest damage causes important decrease in crop yield every year all over the world, particularly by Lepidoptera. Characterization of the antennal proteins implicated in the reproduction of Lepidoptera will help to develop new methods for pest management and contribute to sustainable agriculture and biodiversity maintenance. We present herein the characterization of some antennal proteins of Sesamia nonagrioides by proteomic techniques such as two-dimensional electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF MS, and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). The antennal proteins expressed in both sexes were analyzed and more than 800 spots were detected, finding 16 proteins differentially expressed between males and females. Most of the identified proteins were involved in olfaction. High levels of pheromone binding proteins (PBP1 and PBP2) were found as expected in males, but also in female antennae, although females did not electrophysiologically respond to their own pheromone. General odorant binding proteins (GOBP1 and GOBP2) were preferentially expressed in females but high levels were also detected in males. The expression was remarkably high in both sexes along the complete photoperiod. A sensitive proteomic methodology was developed to identify antennal proteins.     

Density functional theory study of structural and electronic properties of trans and cis structures of thiothixene as a nano-drug

The geometrical structure, electronic and optical properties, electronic absorption spectra, vibrational frequencies, natural charge distribution, MEP analysis and thermodynamic properties of the trans and cis structures of the drug thiothixene were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) methods with the B3LYP hybrid functional and 6–311?+?G(d,p) basis set. The results of the calculations demonstrate that the cis structure of thiothixene has appropriate quantum properties that can act as an active medicine. The relative energies of trans and cis structures of thiothixene shows that the cis structure is more stable than the trans structure, with a small energy difference. TDDFT calculations show that the cis structure of thiothixene has the best absorption properties. The calculated NLO properties show that the NLO properties of the cis structure of thiothixene are higher than the trans structure, and the fact that the chemical hardness of the cis structure is lower than that of the trans structure that indicates that the reactivity and charge transfer of the cis isomer of thiothixene is higher than that of trans thiothixene. The molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) maps of both structures of thiothixene demonstrate that the oxygen atoms of the molecule are appropriate areas for electrophilic reactions. The vibrational frequencies of the two conformations of thiothixene demonstrate that both structures of thiothixene have almost similar modes of vibrations. The calculated thermodynamic parameters show that these quantities increase with enhancing temperature due to the enhancement of molecular vibrational intensities with temperature.

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Graphical abstract Trans/Cis isomerization of thiothixene drug

     

A conserved coiled‐coil protein pair focuses the cytokinetic Z‐ring in Caulobacter crescentus

The cytoskeletal GTPase FtsZ assembles at midcell, recruits the division machinery and directs envelope invagination for bacterial cytokinesis. ZapA, a conserved FtsZ‐binding protein, promotes Z‐ring stability and efficient division through a mechanism that is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the function of ZapA in Caulobacter crescentus. We found that ZapA is encoded in an operon with a small coiled‐coil protein we named ZauP. ZapA and ZauP co‐localized at the division site and were each required for efficient division. ZapA interacted directly with both FtsZ and ZauP. Neither ZapA nor ZauP influenced FtsZ dynamics or bundling, in vitro, however. Z‐rings were diffuse in cells lacking zapA or zauP and, conversely, FtsZ was enriched at midcell in cells overproducing ZapA and ZauP. Additionally, FtsZ persisted at the poles longer when ZapA and ZauP were overproduced, and frequently colocalized with MipZ, a negative regulator of FtsZ polymerization. We propose that ZapA and ZauP promote efficient cytokinesis by stabilizing the midcell Z‐ring through a bundling‐independent mechanism. The zauPzapA operon is present in diverse Gram‐negative bacteria, indicating a common mechanism for Z‐ring assembly.