Fabrication of an Electrochemical Sensor Based on Gold Nanoparticles/Carbon Nanotubes as Nanocomposite Materials: Determination of Myricetin in Some Drinks

In this paper, the electrochemical behavior of myricetin on a gold nanoparticle/ethylenediamine/multi-walled carbon-nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode (AuNPs/en/MWCNTs/GCE) has been investigated. Myricetin effectively accumulated on the AuNPs/en/MWCNTs/GCE and caused a pair of irreversible redox peaks at around 0.408 V and 0.191 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (pH 3.5) for oxidation and reduction reactions respectively. The heights of the redox peaks were significantly higher on AuNPs/en/MWNTs/GCE compare with MWCNTs/GC and there was no peak on bare GC. The electron-transfer reaction for myricetin on the surface of electrochemical sensor was controlled by adsorption. Some parameters including pH, accumulation potential, accumulation time and scan rate have been optimized. Under the optimum conditions, anodic peak current was proportional to myricetin concentration in the dynamic range of 5.0×10⁻⁸ to 4.0×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ with the detection limit of 1.2×10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. The proposed method was successfully used for the determination of myricetin content in tea and fruit juices.     

Effect of Leukemia Inhibitory Factor on the Myelinogenic Ability of Schwann-Like Cells Induced from Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

The Schwann cells (SCs) may be obtain from nerve biopsies for autologous transplantation. However, it is difficult to obtain sufficient amount of SCs for clinical applications. Human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be induced to differentiate into Schwann-like cells (S-like cells) and used for autologous transplantation. However, effect of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) on the myelinogenic ability of SC-like cells induced from human ADSC is not investigated yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate of the effect of exogenous LIF on myelinogenic potential of differentiated cells in vitro. ADSCs were harvested from human fat tissue and characterized using flow cytometry. Human ADSCs were treated for sphere formation and LIF was added to terminal differentiation medium. GFAP/S100β and MBP markers were used to confirm differentiation of human ADSCs, and myelinogenic ability of SC-like cells, respectively, using both immunostaining and real-time RT-PCR analysis. The analysis for GFAP⁺/S100β⁺ revealed that LIF can increase both differentiated cells rates and the percentage of myelinating SC-like cells (p < 0.05). Our data showed that SC-like cells induced from human ADSCs were able to generate myelin when exposed to LIF and these cells could be a potential source for the treatment of peripheral and central axonal injuries.     

In vivo study: Th1–Th17 reduction in pristane-induced systemic lupus erythematosus mice after treatment with tolerogenic Lactobacillus probiotics

Uncontrolled inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) could cause dysfunction in multiple organs. T helper 17 (Th17) cells are a main branch of inflammatory responses in the pathogenesis of SLE, and by producing interleukin 17 (IL-17), represent a major functional tool in the progression of inflammation. Animal models provide a special field for better studies of the pathogenesis of diseases. Tolergenic probiotics could decrease inflammation in autoimmune diseases by modulating the immune system and maintaining homeostasis. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii on Th17 cells and their related mediators in a pristane-induced BALB/c mice model of SLE. The mice were divided into pretreatment groups, which received probiotics or prednisolone at Day 0, and treatment groups, which received probiotics and prednisolone 2 months after injection. The presence of antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), and anti-ribonucleoprotein (anti-RNP) and lipogranuloma was evaluated; also, the population of Th1–Th17 cells as well as interferon γ (IFN-γ), IL-17, and IL-10 levels, and the expression of RAR-related orphan related receptor gamma (RORγt) and IL-17 were determined. We observed that probiotics and prednisolone could delay SLE in pretreatment and treatment mice groups, with a reduction in ANA, anti-dsDNA, anti-RNP, and mass of lipogranuloma. Probiotics and prednisolone decreased the population of Th1–Th17 cells and reduced IFN-γ and IL-17 as inflammatory cytokines in the pretreatment and treatment groups in comparison with SLE-induced mice. Our results indicated that, due to their anti-inflammatory properties and reduction of Th17, Th1, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) cells, the use of these probiotics could probably represent a new tool for the better management of SLE.     

Heparin as a Therapy for Atherosclerosis: Preliminary Observations on the Intrapulmonary Administration of Low-Dose Heparin in the Morning Versus Evening Gauged by Its Effect on Blood Variables

Reports on clinical trials with subcutaneous and intrapulmonary administration of low-dose heparin suggest that it may be an attractive therapeutic modality for the treatment of coronary artery disease because of unprecedented reduction in mortality of treated subjects. As a preliminary to a clinical trial with low-dose intrapulmonary heparin, a pilot study was conducted on three subjects. It compares overall circadian responses of 37 blood variables following intrapulmonary administration of heparin (10,500-18,800 U) in the morning (0800 h) and in the evening (2000 h). After each of these times, blood samples, mostly at 3 h intervals for the ensuing 27 h, were analyzed for heparin, APTT, TT, functional fibrinogen, CBC, enzymes, lipids, electrolytes, and hormones. Each time series was analyzed for circadian rhythm by the least-squares fit of a 24 h cosine and circadian mesors were compared by the Bingham test of rhythm parameters. Following heparin in the evening, but not in the morning, a statistically significant increase in circulating heparin levels, as well as directional increases in APTT and TT and decreases in fibrinogen, were observed in all three subjects. Same direction changes in several other variables were also observed. It is concluded that inhalation of heparin in low-dose levels results in variable circadian effects on blood parameters measured, ranging from no changes in their levels to minimal within normal range changes, and that these effects are dependent upon the timing of dose administration. It is suggested that the timed self-administration of low-dose heparin by inhalation be seriously considered for long-term clinical trials in the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis.     

Expression of human endogenous retroviruses in pemphigus vulgaris patients

Molecular Biology Reports - Pemphigus is a severe, potentially life-threatening autoimmune blistering mucocutaneous disease which establishes with autoreactive IgG antibodies that target cellular...     

Medicinal signaling cells: A potential antimicrobial drug store

Medicinal signaling cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells derived from mammalian bone marrow and periosteum that can be extended in culture. They can keep their ability in vitro to form a variety of mesodermal phenotypes and tissues. Over recent years, there has been great attention over MSCs since they can impact the organ transplantation as well as autoimmune and bacterial diseases. MSCs can secrete different bioactive factors such as growth factors, antimicrobial peptides/proteins and cytokines that can suppress the immune system and prevent infection via direct and indirect mechanisms. Moreover, MSCs are able to increase bacterial clearance in sepsis models by producing antimicrobial peptides such as defensins, cathelicidins, lipocalin and hepcidin. It is the aim of the present review to focus on the antibacterial effector functions of MSCs and their mechanisms of action against the pathogenic microbes.     

The intensity of pre- and post-copulatory mate guarding in relation to spermatophore transfer in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

While post-copulatory mate guarding has been well documented in field crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), the occurrence of pre-copulatory mate guarding in this family has been largely overlooked. We examined the relationship between the intensity of two components of mate guarding (body judders and antennal whips) and the time before and after copulation. We found that when male Gryllus bimaculatus encounter a female but do not have a spermatophore ready to transfer, they engage in pre-copulatory mate guarding that is very similar to post-copulatory mate guarding. The intensity of pre-copulatory mate guarding increased up to the point at which the male was ready to transfer his spermatophore. Following copulation, the intensity of mate guarding initially remained high before declining, after which it began to increase again just before the male resumed courtship stridulation. We interpret this pattern of post-copulatory mate guarding as being consistent with both the ejaculate-protection and spermatophore-renewal hypotheses for the function of mate guarding. We found no significant relationship between mate guarding intensity and male body mass.     

Phytogeography of Genu and Homag,two mountains with an Irano–Turanian flora in the Saharo–Sindian regional zone,south Iran

The Saharo–Sindian regional zone encompasses the flat and arid areas of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, southern Iran and the deserts of Pakistan and west India. There are some scattered mountains situated within this area, like Hoggar in Sahara, Saint Catherine in Sinai and Genu and Homag in southern Iran. These highlands serve as interglacial refugia for cold adapted plant species. In the present study, phytogeographical patterns and relationships of the flora of Genu and Homag mountains are described and discussed in relation to the phytogeography of the flora of low‐lying Hormoz Island. According to a chorological assesment of the flora, Genu and Homag mountains belong to the Irano–Turanian region with 59% of the species restricted to this area. In contrast, the surrounding lowland plains are part of the Saharo–Sindian area with a rather high proportion of widespread species (17%) and Somalia–Masai‐linking elements (20%). It is noteworthy that several Turanian enclaves also occur in the lowland zone. Furthermore, the distributional patterns imply that the mountainous Irano–Turkestanian region is an integrated area which is supposedly distinct from the Turanian lowland areas in the north and from the Saharo–Sindian lowland areas in the south. On the other hand, the expansive floras of Turanian and Saharo–Sindian regions are linked to each other. Endemic species in lowland areas in south Iran are mostly either frost sensitive vicariants of cold adapted Turanian species or of Saharo–Sindian origin, while the highland endemics in the area trace their origins to the Irano–Turkestanian region.