Premature ovarian failure and tissue engineering

Premature ovarian failure (POF) usually happens former to the age of 40 and affects the female physiological state premenopausal period. In this condition, ovaries stop working long before the expected menopausal time. Of diagnostic symptoms of the disease, one can mention amenorrhea and hypoestrogenism. The cause of POF in most cases is idiopathic; however, cancer therapy may also cause POF. Commonly utilized therapies such as hormone therapy, in-vitro activation, and regenerative medicine are the most well-known treatments for POF. Hence, these therapies may be associated with some complications. The aim of the present study is to discuss the beneficial effects of tissue engineering for fertility rehabilitation in patients with POF as a newly emerging therapy.     

An important role of G638 in the cis-cleavage reaction of the Neurospora VS ribozyme revealed by a novel nucleotide analog incorporation method

We describe a chemical coupling procedure that allows joining of two RNAs, one of which contains a site-specific base analog substitution, in the absence of divalent ions. This method allows incorporation of nucleotide analogs at specific positions even into large, cis-cleaving ribozymes. Using this method we have studied the effects of substitution of G638 in the cleavage site loop of the VS ribozyme with a variety of purine analogs having different functional groups and pK(a) values. Cleavage rate versus pH profiles combined with kinetic solvent isotope experiments indicate an important role for G638 in proton transfer during the rate-limiting step of the cis-cleavage reaction.     

A new endogenous form of PYY isolated from canine ileum: Gly-extended PYY(1-36)

We purified and identified the peptide YY (PYY) forms present and determined their levels from a portion of the canine ileum directly adjacent to the cecum by a new extraction method designed to prevent and evaluate degradation of endogenous peptides. We used three reverse phase chromatography steps with radioimmunoassay of fractions for PYY-like-immunoreactivity (PYY-LI). The purified fractions underwent intact protein/peptide mass spectrometry identification and sequencing (i.e. "top-down" MS analysis). This analysis confirmed the identity of a new form of PYY, PYY(1-36)-Gly, which co-elutes with PYY(1-36)-NH(2) through all three of separation steps used. The PYY(1-36)-Gly form represents approximately 20% of the total PYY found in this region of the canine intestine. In addition, we also found that the PYY(3-36)-NH(2) form represents 6% of the total PYY in the canine ileo-cecal junction. The physiological implication of the Gly-extended form of PYY(1-36) warrants further investigation.     

Novel therapeutic approaches in utilizing platelet lysate in regenerative medicine: Are we ready for clinical use?

Hemoderivative materials are used to treat different diseases. These derivatives include platelet-rich plasma, serum, platelet gel, and platelet lysate (PL). Among them, PL contains more growth factors than the others and its production is inexpensive and easy. PL is one of the proper sources of platelet release factors. It is used in cells growth and proliferation and is a good alternative to fetal bovine serum. In recent years, the clinical use of PL has gained more appeal by scientists. PL is a solution saturated by growth factors, proteins, cytokines, and chemokines and is administered to treat different diseases such as wound healing, bone regeneration, alopecia, oral mucositis, radicular pain, osteoarthritis, and ocular diseases. In addition, it can be used in cell culture for cell therapy and tissue transplantation purposes. Platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, transforming growth factor β, and vascular endothelial growth factor are key PL growth factors playing a major role in cell proliferation, wound healing, and angiogenesis. In this paper, we scrutinized recent advances in using PL and PL-derived growth factors to treat diseases and in regenerative medicine, and the ability to replace PL with other hemoderivative materials.     

Adiponutrin: A multimeric plasma protein

The interest in adiponutrin stems from adiponutrin variant I148M, which is strongly associated to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Adiponutrin has to date been considered to be solely an intracellular protein, with a role in lipid metabolism in liver and adipose tissue. However, a physiologically relevant role for adiponutrin has not been found. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of adiponutrin in human plasma, a new facet of adiponutrin research. We demonstrate that adiponutrin is present in plasma as disulfide-bond dependent multimers, estimated to circulate at a concentration of 1.25–4 nM. Experiments reveal that adiponutrin is released from HepG2 cells in the presence of oleate. The presence of adiponutrin in plasma makes it accessible for clinical investigations and use as a potential biomarker for metabolic disease.     

The assay of uridine diphosphoglucose dehydrogenase activity: discrimination from xanthine dehydrogenase activity

The biochemical and quantitative cytochemical assays of the activity of uridine diphosphoglucose dehydrogenase (UDPG-D) have produced perplexing results. It is now shown that the perplexity may be due to the possibility that the coenzyme (NAD) required for UDPG-D activity, may be acting as a substrate for a second dehydrogenase, namely xanthine dehydrogenase, which may utilize NAD as its substrate. The activity of UDPG-D can be distinguished selectively by the pH of its optimal activity and by decreasing the concentration of the coenzyme used in the assay.     

The natural substrate for nitric oxide synthase activity.

There has been little evidence to indicate that arginine is the natural substrate for generating nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity. It is now shown that carnosine, which is widely distributed in tissues, is likely to be the true substrate. In tissue sections it gives a stronger NOS reaction than does arginine.     

Toxic effects of pyriproxyfen,neemarin, acetamiprid and Ferula assafoetida essential oil on the common pistachio psylla,Agonoscena pistaciae

The common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae, Burckhardt and Lauterer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is the key pest of pistachio orchards in Iran. Chemical control is the common method for the control of this pest. In this study, the effects of pyriproxyfen (an insect growth regulator), neemarin (a botanical insecticide), acetamiprid (a neonicotinoid) and Ferula assafoetida essential oil were investigated on the fifth instar nymphs of A. pistaciae. Probit analysis of concentration-mortality data was conducted to estimate the LC₅₀ values. The LC₅₀ values for neemarin, pyriproxyfen, acetamiprid and F. assafoetida essential oil were estimated to be 0.22, 0.52, 290 and 5.62 ppm, respectively. Our results showed that the fifth instar nymphs of A. pistaciae are very sensitive to neemarin and pyriproxyfen.