Alteration of sleep homeostasis and cognitive impairment in apneic obese adolescents

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - To evaluate specific features of sleep pattern and neurocognitive performance in OSA obese adolescents to correlate sleep macrostructural parameters and phasic events...     

Hyper-Resistance of the Bacillus licheniformis 24 Strain to Oxidative Stress Is Associated with Overexpression of Enzymatic Antioxidant System Genes

Molecular Biology - At the International Space Station (ISS), artificial living conditions are created and maintained to satisfy human needs, these conditions are also favorable for the growth of...     

Coulomb Dust Spheres in a Glow Discharge in Neon at Cryogenic Temperatures

Plasma Physics Reports - The discharge parameters for the formation of charged spherical dust structures (Coulomb dust spheres) in neon plasma at a discharge tube wall temperature of 77 K are...     

Spectrum of Mutations in the ATP7B Gene in Russian Patients with Wilson’s Disease

Russian Journal of Genetics - Wilson’s disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by an excessive accumulation of copper. The molecular genetic etiology of the disease is due to...     

Mechanisms of interaction of tetrahydrocortisol and its ApoA-I complex with a model DNA regulatory element CC(GCC)5/GG(CGG)5

Interaction of tetrahydrocortisol (THF) and its apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) complex with a CC(GCC)₅/GG(CGG)₅ duplex were studied by IR spectroscopy, which revealed formation of hydrogen bonds between the OH group of the THF A-ring and the C=O groups of cytosine and guanine. In addition, THF formed hydrogen bonds with the PO₂ group of the duplex and with a sugar OH group. THF and ApoA-I interacted with the duplex in the same active site involving the base C=O groups. THF increased the conformational order in the duplex, while the THF-ApoA-I complex induced an order → disorder transition.     

Characteristics of the interactions of cortisol-apolipoprotein A-I and tetrahydrocortisol-apolipoprotein A-I complexes with eukaryotic DNA

Primary hepatocyte culture has been used to demonstrate that the cortisol-apolipoprotein A-I complex does not affect the DNA and protein biosynthesis rates, whereas the tetrahydrocortisol-apolipoprotein A-I complex (THC-apoA-I) substantially increases the rates of ³H-thymidine and ¹⁴C-leucine incorporation into DNA and protein, respectively. Small-angle X-ray scattering data show that only THC-apoA-I effectively interacts with eukaryotic DNA, which is accompanied by local DNA melting. The (GCC)_n repeat, a component of many human and other eukaryotic genes, is the most probable region of the interaction of this complex with DNA. An oligonucleotide (duplex) of this type has been synthesized. Its interaction with THC-apoA-I yields a larger complex, which breaks up, giving rise to complementary oligonucleotide strands. They also interact with THC-apoA-I. The equilibrium kinetics of this multiphase process is described. The interaction of the cortisol-apolipoprotein A-I complex with the duplex is less specific and does not cause its breakup or the formation of complementary oligonucleotides.     

A drug based on water-ethanol extract of oyster mushroom mycelium displays hepatoprotective properties in experimental model of steatohepatitis

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in rats induced by the high-fat diet was used as an experimental model for testing hepatoprotective properties of drug based on water-ethanol extract from oyster mushroom mycelium. Progression of pathology development was monitored histologically and by biochemical assay of blood samples. Subcellular response was analyzed using electron microscopy. It was shown that administration of the high-fat diet for 14 days leads to a development of adipose degeneration of liver (steatosis). Histological evidences were confirmed biochemically. Alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, free cholesterol and lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol levels were increased in blood of experimental animals in comparison to control. Administration of the drug was performed in parallel with high-fat food. It was shown that pathological alterations of liver in this case were reduced at both organ and cellular levels. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were close to those in control animals. The data obtained confirm that the drug assayed can be used in clinical practice for prevention and treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.