Apoptosis induction in human lung and colon cancer cells via impeding VEGF signaling pathways

Molecular Biology Reports - There is ample evidence to suggest that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent mitogen factor in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis and that blockade of...     

Effect of Irrigation Water Salinity and Deficit Irrigation on Soil Ions Variation and Uptake by Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Under Two Planting Methods

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - A 2-years field experiment in a split-split plot arrangement was considered to investigate the effects of different irrigation water salinity [0.45 (well water,...     

Investigation of the extent of contamination of heavy metals in agricultural soil using statistical analyses and contamination indices

To examine the level of contamination of Eshghabad region, Neyshabur, the concentration of heavy metals in soil was measured. For this purpose, 37 samples were taken from surface soil and the total concentration of heavy elements was measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The mean concentration of Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Fe was obtained to be 195, 87.3, 22.8, 274.8, and 2.5%, respectively. Using five valid indicators, the intensity of metal contamination in soil was calculated and compared. Furthermore, using statistical analyses, the relationships between the elements, their origins, and the spatial distribution of metals across various stations were investigated. The results indicated that the mean value of all of the studied metals (except for iron and copper) is greater than the mean concentration of metals in the Earth's crust. The indicators showed very high contamination for lead, while low to medium contamination for other elements of interest in the farming soils of the region. Statistical analyses indicated that there is a relatively similar contamination intensity across all of the studied stations. Considering the quality standards, the soils of this region are threatened by contamination of lead.     

DNA-binding affinity,cytotoxicity, apoptosis,cell cycle inhibition and molecular docking studies of a new stilbene derivative

Stilbene derivatives have been found to possess promising anticancer activities against human cancer cell lines in vitro. In the present study, we have investigated cytotoxic, apoptosis induction and DNA binding activity of new stilbene derivative, (E)-1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-2-[4-(4-methoxystryl)phenyl]-1H-imidazol (STIM) on K562 chronic myeloid leukemia cell line. Via MTT assay STIM demonstrated cytotoxic activity against K562 cell line with IC₅₀ value of 150?µM. Apoptosis, as the mechanism of cell death, was evaluated by morphological study and flow cytometric analysis. In vitro DNA binding property of STIM has been studied by vital spectroscopic techniques, which indicated that STIM interact with ctDNA through groove binding mode and binding constant (K_b) was estimated to be 6.9?×?10⁴?M^?1. Docking studies revealed that hydrophobic is the most important interaction in STIM-DNA complex, and that the ligand (STIM) interacts with DNA via groove binding mode and the bindiyspng energy was calculated as ?13.37?kcal/mol. Taken together, the present study suggests that STIM exhibits anticancer effect on K562 cell line through the induction of apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest at Sub-G1 phase and also can bind to double helix DNA in vitro.     

Intracerebroventricular Injection of NMDA Receptor Antagonist Affects l-Arginine Induced Food Intake in Neonatal Layer Chicks

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Nowadays inquiry of possible interplay between different neurotransmitters in brain function is one of the major fields of interest for...     

In Silico Analysis for Determination and Validation of Iron-Regulated Protein from Escherichia coli

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - The iron ion is an essential element in biological processes. Many of biological activities in cells, such as peroxide reduction,...     

Controllable Perovskite Crystallization via Antisolvent Technique Using Chloride Additives for Highly Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

The presence of surface and grain boundary defects in organic–inorganic halide perovskite films can be detrimental to both the performance and operational stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, the effect of chloride additives is studied on the bulk and surface defects of the mixed cation and halide PSCs. It is found that using an antisolvent technique, the perovskite film is divided into two layers, i.e., a bottom layer with large grains and a thin capping layer with small grains. The addition of formamidinium chloride (FACl) into the precursor solution removes the small‐grained perovskite capping layer and suppresses the formation of bulk and surface defects, providing a perovskite film with enhanced crystallinity and large grain size of over 1 µm. Time‐resolved photoluminescence measurements show longer lifetimes for perovskite films modified by FACl and subsequently passivated by 1‐adamantylamine hydrochloride as compared to the reference sample. Impedance spectroscopy measurements show that these treatments reduce the recombination in the PSCs, leading to a champion device with power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.2%, an open circuit voltage of 1152 mV and negligible hysteresis. The Cl treated PSC also shows improved operational stability with only 12% PCE loss after 700 h under continuous illumination.     

Enhanced Polysaccharide Binding and Activity on Linear β-Glucans through Addition of Carbohydrate-Binding Modules to Either Terminus of a Glucooligosaccharide Oxidase

The gluco-oligosaccharide oxidase from Sarocladium strictum CBS 346.70 (GOOX) is a single domain flavoenzyme that favourably oxidizes gluco- and xylo- oligosaccharides. In the present study, GOOX was shown to also oxidize plant polysaccharides, including cellulose, glucomannan, β-(1→3,1→4)-glucan, and xyloglucan, albeit to a lesser extent than oligomeric substrates. To improve GOOX activity on polymeric substrates, three carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) from Clostridium thermocellum, namely CtCBM3 (type A), CtCBM11 (type B), and CtCBM44 (type B), were separately appended to the amino and carboxy termini of the enzyme, generating six fusion proteins. With the exception of GOOX-CtCBM3 and GOOX-CtCBM44, fusion of the selected CBMs increased the catalytic activity of the enzyme (kcat) on cellotetraose by up to 50%. All CBM fusions selectively enhanced GOOX binding to soluble and insoluble polysaccharides, and the immobilized enzyme on a solid cellulose surface remained stable and active. In addition, the CBM fusions increased the activity of GOOX on soluble glucomannan by up to 30 % and on insoluble crystalline as well as amorphous cellulose by over 50 %.     

The Effects of Sex Hormonal Fluctuations during Menstrual Cycle on Cortical Excitability and Manual Dexterity (a Pilot Study)

Aim

To investigate whether hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle affect corticospinal excitability, intracortical inhibition (ICI) or facilitation (ICF) in primary motor cortex, and also whether the hormonal fluctuations have any effect on manual dexterity in neurologically intact women.

Materials and Methods

Twenty volunteers (10 Female, 10 Male) were included in this study. The levels of progesterone and estradiol were measured from saliva during the women’s menstrual follicular, ovulation and mid-luteal phases. Motor evoked potentials were recorded from the right first dorsal interosseous muscle. Single and paired-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) were delivered in a block of 20 stimuli. With paired-pulse technique, 3ms and 10ms inter-stimulus intervals were used to assess ICI and ICF, respectively. The Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT) was completed in each session before the TMS assessments. Male participants were tested at similar time intervals as female participants.

Results

Mixed design ANOVA revealed that GPT score in female participants was significantly lower at the mid-luteal phase compared to the ovulation phase (p = 0.017). However, it was not correlated with progesterone or estrogen fluctuations during the menstrual cycle. The results also showed that the effect of phase, sex and the interaction of phase by sex for resting motor threshold, ICI or ICF were not significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Manual dexterity performance fluctuates during the menstrual cycle in neurologically intact women, which might be due to the balance of the neuromodulatory effects of P4 and E2 in the motor cortex during different phases.     

Impact of Sense of Coherence on Oral Health Behaviors: A Systematic Review

Objectives

The aim of this review was to critically analyze the empirical evidence on the association between Sense of Coherence (SOC) and oral health behaviors through a systematic approach.

Methods

A systematic search up to April 2015 was carried out using the following electronic bibliographic databases: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE; ISI Web of Science; and Ovid PsychInfo. Studies were included if they evaluated the relationship between SOC and oral health behaviors including tooth cleaning, fluoride usage, dietary habits, dental attendance, and smoking. We excluded studies that only assessed the relationship between oral health status and SOC without evaluating oral health behaviors. The New Castle Ottawa (NOS) quality assessment checklist was employed to evaluate the methodological quality of included studies.

Results

Thirty-nine potential papers met the preliminary selection criteria and following a full-text review, 9 papers were finally selected for this systematic review. Results provided by the included studies indicated different levels of association between SOC and oral health behaviors. The most frequent behaviors investigated were tooth brushing and dental attendance pattern. The impact of SOC on performing positive oral health behaviors, to some extent, was related to demographic and socio-economic factors. In addition, mothers’ SOC influenced children’s oral health practices.

Conclusions

A more favorable oral health behavior was observed among those with a stronger SOC suggesting that the SOC can be a determinant of oral health-related behaviors including tooth brushing frequency, daily smoking, and dental attendance.