Serotypes of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from cattle and buffalo calf diarrhoea

Abstract Parasporal crystals of the recently isolated Bacillus thuringiensis var. tenebrionis are toxic for coleopteran larvae. Unlike those of other strains they are soluble either in aqueous solutions of NaBr at neutral pH or in water after titration to pH values above pH 10.0. The dissolved crystal protein readily forms crystals after removal of the salt or neutralization. The crystal protein was not found to differ much in the amino acid composition from other crystal proteins. The parasporal crystals are composed of subunits of M _r 68 000 which are not linked by disulfide bridges.     

Cloning of the Canine GALC cDNA and Identification of the Mutation Causing Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy in West Highland White and Cairn Terriers

Globoid cell leukodystrophy, or Krabbe disease, is a severe, autosomal recessive disorder resulting from a deficiency of galactocerebrosidase (GALC) activity. GALC is responsible for the lysosomal catabolism of certain galactolipids, including galactosylceramide and psychosine. In addition to the human patients, there are several naturally occurring animal models for this disease, including the twitcher mouse, West Highland White terriers (WHWT), and Cairn terriers. All species have deficient GALC activity and have the characteristic pathological findings in the nervous system. We now describe the cloning of the canine GALC cDNA and the identification of the disease-causing mutation in both terrier breeds. The 2007-bp open reading frame is 88% identical to that in human, and the deduced amino acid sequence is about 90% identical. However, the 3′-untranslated region is about 1 kb shorter than that in the human. Two nucleotide changes were found in affected dogs, an A to C transversion at cDNA position 473 (Y158S) and a C to T transition at position 1915 (P639S). Expression studies in COS-1 cells demonstrated that the A to C change at 473 is the disease-causing mutation. A rapid test for the identification of the genotype at that position has been developed, and over 100 WHWT and Cairn terriers have been screened. This will allow breeders to mate their dogs selectively and will permit the establishment of a colony of dogs for use in therapy trials.     

Does Gγ/Aγ ratio and Hb F level influence the severity of sickle cell anaemia

Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) exhibits significant variations in clinical presentation in different populations for which several genetic factors including SCA-associated -and -thalassaemias, G-6-PD deficiency and elevated Hb F level have been implicated as possible ameliorating factors. Saudi Arabia is unique in that mild and severe forms of the disease occur at a high frequency. We investigated the G/A ratio and Hb F level and correlated these values with the severity of SCA. The results showed that Hb F level varies significantly in both groups of patients with no evident correlation with the mild clinical manifestations. However, G/A ratio correlated significantly with the disease severity where a high ratio was observed in patients with the mild and a low ratio in patients with the severe disease. The results are evaluated and discussed in the light of correlation studies and regression analysis.     

Lipid Production,Oxidative Status,Antioxidant Enzymes and Photosynthetic Efficiency of <i>Coccomyxa chodatii</i> SAG 216-2 in Response to Calcium Oxide Nanoparticles

The extensive use of nanoparticles (NPs) in diverse applications causes their localization to aquatic habitats, affecting the metabolic products of primary producers in aquatic ecosystems, such as algae. Synthesized calcium oxide nanoparticles (CaO NPs) are of the scarcely studied NPs. Thus, the current work proposed that the exposure to CaO NPs may instigate metabolic pathway to be higher than that of normally growing algae, and positively stimulate algal biomass. In this respect, this research was undertaken to study the exposure effect of CaO NPs (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 µg mL⁻¹ ) on the growth, photosynthesis, respiration, oxidative stress, antioxidants, and lipid production of the microalga Coccomyxa chodatii SAG 216-2. The results showed that the algal growth concomitant with chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, and calcium content increased in response to CaO NPs. The contents of biomolecules such as proteins, amino acids, and carbohydrates were also promoted by CaO NPs with variant degrees. Furthermore, lipid production was enhanced by the applied nanoparticles. CaO NPs induced the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, while lipid peroxidation was reduced, revealing no oxidative behavior of the applied nanoparticles on alga. Also, CaO NPs have a triggering effect on the antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase. The results recommended the importance of the level of 60 µg mL⁻¹ CaO NPs on lipid production (with increasing percentage of 65% compared to control) and the highest dry matter acquisition of C. chodatii. This study recommended the feasibility of an integrated treatment strategy of CaO NPs in augmenting biomass, metabolic up-regulations, and lipid accumulation in C. chodatii.     

Anticancer potential of Ferula assa-foetida and its constituents,a powerful plant for cancer therapy

Cancer is one of the main challenges of the health system around the world. This disease is increasing in developing countries and imposes heavy costs on patients and governments. On the other hand, despite various drugs, the death rate among cancer patients is still high and the current treatments have many harmful effects. In the traditional medicine of different countries, there are many medicinal plants that can be effective in the treatment of cancer. Ferula plants are traditionally used as spices and food or for medicinal purposes. Ferula assa-foetida is one of the famous plants of this genus, which has been used for the treatment of various diseases since ancient times. Among the main compounds of this plant, we can mention monoterpenes, sulfide compounds and polyphenols, which can show different therapeutic effects. This article has been compiled with the aim of collecting evidence and articles related to the anti-cancer effects of extracts, derived compounds, essential oils and nanoparticles containing Ferula assa-foetida. This review article was prepared by searching the terms Ferula assa-foetida and cancer, and relevant information was collected through searching electronic databases such as ISI Web of Knowledge, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Fortunately, the results of this review showed that relatively comprehensive studies have been conducted in this field and shown that Ferula assa-foetida can be very promising in the treatment of cancer.     

Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Indanone Derivatives as Cholinesterase Inhibitors for Potential Use in Alzheimer's Disease

Indanone derivatives containing meta/para-substituted aminopropoxy benzyl/benzylidene moieties were designed based on the structures of donepezil and ebselen analogs as the cholinesterase inhibitors. The designed compounds were synthesized and their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities were measured. Inhibitory potencies (IC₅₀ values) for the synthesized compounds ranged from 0.12 to 11.92 μM and 0.04 to 24.36 μM against AChE and BChE, respectively. Compound 5 c showed the highest AChE inhibitory potency with IC₅₀ value of 0.12 μM, whereas the highest BChE inhibition was achieved by structure 7 b (IC₅₀=0.04 μM). Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis revealed that there is no significant difference between meta and para-substituted derivatives in AChE and BChE inhibition. However, the most potent AChE inhibitor 5 c belongs to meta-substituted compounds, while the most active BChE inhibitor is para-substituted derivative 7 b . The order of enzyme inhibition potency based on the substituted amine group is dimethyl amine>piperidine>morpholine. Compounds containing C=C linkage are more potent AChE inhibitors than the corresponding saturated structures. Molecular docking studies indicated that 5 c interacts with AChE in a very similar way to that observed experimentally for donepezil. The introduced indanone-aminopropoxy benzylidenes could be used in drug-discovery against Alzheimer's disease.     

Native Enzyme Mobility Shift Assay (NEMSA): a new method for monitoring carboxyl group modification of carboxymethylcellulase from Aspergillus niger

A simple, sensitive, accurate and more informative assay for determining the number of modified groups during the course of carboxyl group modification is described. Monomeric carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) from Aspergillus niger was modified by 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) in the presence of glycinamide. The different time-course aliquots were subjected to non-denaturing PAGE and the gel stained for CMCase activity. The number of carboxyl groups modified are directly read from the ladder of the enzyme bands developed at given time. This method showed that after 75 min of modification reaction there were five major species of modified CMCases in which 6 to 10 carboxyls were modified.     

Effects of decreased glutathione peroxidase activity on the pentose phosphate cycle in mouse lung

The effects of reducing glutathione peroxidase activity in the lung by changing dietary selenium intake has been investigated. In animals that were exposed to room air, selenium effects were confined to glutathione peroxidase activity, whereas under conditions of oxidant stress (ozone) the decrease in glutathione peroxidase activity prevented the stimulation of the pentose phosphate cycle (assayed by measuring glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities) which has been reported to increase in response to oxidant stress. The suppression of glutathione peroxidase activity was found to depend on dietary selenium concentration. The physiological significance of this observation may be related to the process of injury and repair in the lung.