New lipoxygenase-inhibiting constituents from Calligonum polygonoides

Calligonolides A (1) and B (2), two new butanolides, and a new steroidal ester, 3, have been isolated from the whole plant of Calligonum polygonoides, together with four known compounds, tetracosan-4-olide, beta-sitosterol and its glucoside, and ursolic acid. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric studies. Compounds 1-3 showed moderate inhibitory potential against lipoxygenase from soybean.     

Molecular and genomic studies of IMMP2L and mutation screening in autism and Tourette syndrome

We recently reported the disruption of the inner mitochondrial membrane peptidase 2-like (IMMP2L) gene by a chromosomal breakpoint in a patient with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). In the present study we sought to identify genetic variation in IMMP2L, which, through alteration of protein function or level of expression might contribute to the manifestation of GTS. We screened 39 GTS patients, and, due to the localization of IMMP2L in the critical region for the autistic disorder (AD) locus on chromosome 7q (AUTS1), 95 multiplex AD families; however, no coding mutations were found in either GTS or AD patients. In addition, no parental-specific expression of IMMP2L was detected in somatic cell hybrids containing human chromosome 7 and human cell lines carrying a maternal uniparental disomy for chromosome 7 (mUPD7). Despite the fact that no deleterious mutations in IMMPL2 (other than the inverted duplication identified previously) were identified in either GTS or AD, this gene cannot be excluded as a possible rare cause of either disorder.     

Analysis of the Scattering of Surface Plasmon Polariton Waves from a Perfectly Conducting Circular Cylinder

Surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waves are the most extensively studied waves among various types of surface waves because they are easy to excite and have been used in many optical applications particularly for plasmonic communication, sensing, and harvesting solar energy. In all these applications, especially on-chip plasmonic communication, scattering can be an important issue to deal with. Therefore, this paper aimed to theoretically inspect the scattering pattern of SPP waves from a perfect electric conductor (PEC) cylindrical scatterer. The cylindrical wave approach is used to solve the scattering problem by a cylindrical object placed below a metallic layer. The scattering is investigated thoroughly by changing the size of the scatterer and its distance from the interface along which the SPP wave is excited. As the size of the scatterer increases, the scattering increases significantly. On the other hand, when the distance of the scatterer from the interface is increased, the scattered field becomes small. Two-dimensional field maps are produced for the incident angle at which SPP is excited. Numerical results are also presented for other incident angles to make a comparison. Furthermore, the forward and backward far-fields are significantly enhanced if the SPP wave is scattered in comparison with when the SPP wave is not present.

     

Unique roles of aminophospholipid translocase Drs2p in governing efflux pump activity,ergosterol level,virulence traits,and host–pathogen interaction in Candida albicans

International Microbiology - Infections caused by Candida albicans are rising due to increment in drug resistance and a limited arsenal of conventional antifungal drugs. Thus, elucidating the novel...     

Applying neural networks to predict HPC-I/O bandwidth over seismic data on lustre file system for ExSeisDat

Cluster Computing - HPC or super-computing clusters are designed for executing computationally intensive operations that typically involve large scale I/O operations. This most commonly involves...     

Galectin-3 exacerbates ox-LDL-mediated endothelial injury by inducing inflammation via integrin β1-RhoA-JNK signaling activation

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL)-induced endothelial cell injury plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (AS). Plasma galectin-3 (Gal-3) is elevated inside and drives diverse systemic inflammatory disorders, including cardiovascular diseases. However, the exact role of Gal-3 in ox-LDL-mediated endothelial injury remains unclear. This study explores the effects of Gal-3 on ox-LDL-induced endothelial dysfunction and the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, Gal-3, integrin β1, and GTP-RhoA in the blood and plaques of AS patients were examined by ELISA and western blot respectively. Their levels were found to be obviously upregulated compared with non-AS control group. CCK8 assay and flow cytometry analysis showed that Gal-3 significantly decreased cell viability and promoted apoptosis in ox-LDL-treated human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). The upregulation of integrinβ1, GTP-RhoA, p-JNK, p-p65, p-IKKα, and p-IKKβ induced by ox-LDL was further enhanced by treatment with Gal-3. Pretreatment with Gal-3 increased expression of inflammatory factors (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, and IL-1β), chemokines(CXCL-1 and CCL-2) and adhesion molecules (VCAM-1 and ICAM-1). Furthermore, the promotional effects of Gal-3 on NF-κB activation and inflammatory factors in ox-LDL-treated HUVECs were reversed by the treatments with integrinβ1-siRNA or the JNK inhibitor. We also found that integrinβ1-siRNA decreased the protein expression of GTP-RhoA and p-JNK, while RhoA inhibitor partially reduced the upregulated expression of p-JNK induced by Gal-3. In conclusion, our finding suggests that Gal-3 exacerbates ox-LDL-mediated endothelial injury by inducing inflammation via integrin β1-RhoA-JNK signaling activation.     

High intrinsic seed Zn concentration improves abiotic stress tolerance in wheat

Plant and Soil - Abiotic stresses are threatening wheat productivity across the globe, which is often associated with nutrient deficiencies. Zinc (Zn) is involved in many physiological processes of...     

Bacteriostatic stimulus of meropenem on allelochemical-metabolizing Burkholderia sp. LS-044 mitigates ferulic acid autotoxicity in rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica cv. Tainung 71)

Plant and Soil - To screen plant-associated Burkholderia strains for plant probiotic traits including allelochemical metabolism and understand their role on rice allelopathy using a...     

Separation of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine enantiomers using a polysaccharide‐based chiral column: A normal phase liquid chromatography–high‐resolution mass spectrometry approach

Chiral considerations are found to be very much relevant in various aspects of forensic toxicology and pharmacology. In forensics, it has become increasingly important to identify the chirality of doping agents to avoid legal arguments and challenges to the analytical findings. The scope of this study was to develop an liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LCMS) method for the enantiomeric separation of typical illicit drugs such as ephedrines (ie, 1S,2R(+)‐ephedrine and 1R,2S(?)‐ephedrine) and pseudoephedrine (ie, R,R(?)‐pseudoephedrine and S,S(+)‐pseudoephedrine) by using normal phase chiral liquid chromatography–high‐resolution mass spectrometry technique. Results show that the Lux i‐amylose‐1 stationary phase has very broad and balancing‐enantio‐recognition properties towards ephedrine analogues, and this immobilized chiral stationary phase may offer a powerful tool for enantio‐separation of different types of pharmaceuticals in the normal phase mode. The type of mobile phase and organic modifier used appear to have dramatic influences on separation quality. Since the developed method was able to detect and separate the enantiomers at very low levels (in pico grams), this method opens easy access for the unambiguous identification of these illicit drugs and can be used for the routine screening of the biological samples in the antidoping laboratories.     

Characterization and analysis of antibiotic activity of some aquatic actinomycetes

Nine different isolates of aquatic actinomycetes identified as Streptomyces spp. were studied for their morphological and cultural characteristics. One of these isolates (C4-S, Streptomyces violaceusniger) was extensively studied for its inhibitory effect against a wide range of Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae ATCC 29678, Candida albicans and several food associated filamentous fungi and yeasts. Most of these were characterized by flexous sporophore morphology and their inability to produce cultural pigments. Bioassay results indicated that S. violaceusniger of 10 days culture age was highly active against Gram-positive cocci and bacilli with an inhibition zone of 16-25 mm, and slightly active against M. vaccae ATCC 29678 with an inhibition zone of 5-10 mm. The inhibitory effect was slight against Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger 1 and C. albicans with an inhibition zone of 8-10 mm for each of them. There was no inhibitory effect of S. violaceusniger against other Gram-negative bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeast. The nature of the active molecule produced by S. violaceusniger showed a maximum absorption in the UV region at 210-260 nm.