Involvement of interleukin-1β mediated nuclear factor κB signalling pathways to down-regulate prostate-specific antigen and cell proliferation in LNCaP prostate cancer cells

Involvement of NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) mediated by IL-1β (interleukin-1β) on cell proliferation and PSA (prostate-specific antigen) production of LNCaP prostate cell lines and the possible cross-talk with Akt (also known as protein kinase B) signalling pathway has been investigated. NF-κB and Akt were analysed by Western blotting from LNCaP cells treated by IL-1β before proliferation and PSA production were measured. IL-1β inhibited proliferation and decreased PSA production. The Akt pathway was not sensitive, whereas NF-κB phosphorylation occurred as a result of treatment. PSA production and proliferation of LNCaP cells were down-regulated by NF-κB mediated by IL-1β promoting anti-apoptotic signalling and co-suppressor factors of PSA expression. IL-1β through NF-κB activation provides a rationale for therapeutic approaches in the anticancer treatment of prostate.     

Modeling of biological doses and mechanical effects on bone transduction

Shear stress, hormones like parathyroid and mineral elements like calcium mediate the amplitude of stimulus signal, which affects the rate of bone remodeling. The current study investigates the theoretical effects of different metabolic doses in stimulus signal level on bone. The model was built considering the osteocyte as the sensing center mediated by coupled mechanical shear stress and some biological factors. The proposed enhanced model was developed based on previously published works dealing with different aspects of bone transduction. It describes the effects of physiological doses variations of calcium, parathyroid hormone, nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 on the stimulus level sensed by osteocytes in response to applied shear stress generated by interstitial fluid flow. We retained the metabolic factors (parathyroid hormone, nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2) as parameters of bone cell mechanosensitivity because stimulation/inhibition of induced pathways stimulates osteogenic response in vivo. We then tested the model response in terms of stimulus signal variation versus the biological factors doses to external mechanical stimuli. Despite the limitations of the model, it is consistent and has physiological bases. Biological inputs are histologically measurable. This makes the model amenable to experimental verification.     

Body Weight and ADHD: Examining the Role of Self-Regulation

Objective

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a complex and heterogeneous childhood disorder that often coexists with other psychiatric and somatic disorders. Recently, a link between ADHD and body weight dysregulation has been reported and often interpreted as impaired self-regulation that is shared between the two conditions. The objective of this study is to investigate the relation between body weight/BMI and cognitive, emotional and motor characteristics in children with ADHD.

Methods

284 ADHD children were stratified by weight status/BMI according to WHO classification and compared with regard to their neurocognitive characteristics, motivational style, and motor profile as assessed by a comprehensive battery of tests. All comparisons were adjusted for demographic characteristics of relevance including, socioeconomic status (SES).

Results

Both Obese and overweight ADHD children exhibited significantly lower SES compared to normal weight ADHD children. No significant differences were observed between the three groups with regards to their neurocognitive, emotional and motor profile.

Conclusions

Our findings provide evidence that differences in weight/BMI are not accounted for by cognitive, motivational and motor profiles. Socio-economic characteristics are strongly associated with overweight and obesity in ADHD children and may inform strategies aimed at promoting healthier weight.     

Characterization of root-nodule bacteria isolated from Vicia faba and selection of plant growth promoting isolates

A collection of 104 isolates from root-nodules of Vicia faba was submitted to 16S rRNA PCR–RFLP typing. A representative sample was further submitted to sequence analysis of 16S rRNA. Isolates were assigned to 12 genera. All the nodulating isolates (45 %) were closely related to Rhizobium leguminosarum USDA2370^T (99.34 %). The remaining isolates, including potential human pathogens, failed to nodulate their original host. They were checked for presence of symbiotic genes, P-solubilization, phytohormone and siderophore production, and then tested for their growth promoting abilities. Results indicated that 9 strains could induce significant increase (41–71 %) in shoot dry yield of faba bean. A Pseudomonas strain was further assessed in on-farm trial in combination with a selected rhizobial strain. This work indicated that nodule-associated bacteria could be a valuable pool for selection of effective plant growth promoting isolates. Nevertheless, the possible involvement of nodules in increasing risks related to pathogenic bacteria should not be neglected and needs to be investigated further.     

Influence of the distensibility of large arteries on the longitudinal impedance: application for the development of non-invasive techniques to the diagnosis of arterial diseases

Background

This study shows that the arterial longitudinal impedance constitutes a hemodynamic parameter of interest for performance characterization of large arteries in normal condition as well as in pathological situations. For this purpose, we solved the Navier?CStokes equations for an incompressible flow using the finite element analysis method and the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation. The mathematical model assumes a two-dimensional flow and takes into account the nonlinear terms in the equations of fluid motion that express the convective acceleration, as well as the nonlinear deformation of the arterial wall. Several numerical simulations of the blood flow in large vessels have been performed to study the propagation along an arterial vessel of a pressure gradient pulse and a rate flow pulse. These simulations include various deformations of the wall artery leading to parietal displacements ranging from 0 (rigid wall) to 15% (very elastic wall) in order to consider physiological and pathological cases.

Results

The results show significant changes of the rate flow and the pressure gradient wave as a function of aosc, the relative variation in the radius of the artery over a cardiac cycle. These changes are notable beyond a critical value of aosc equal to 0.05. This critical value is also found in the evolution of the longitudinal impedance. So, above a variation of radius of 5%, the convective acceleration, created by the fluid-wall interactions, have an influence on the flow detectable on the longitudinal impedance.

Conclusions

The interpretation of the evolution of the longitudinal impedance shows that it could be a mean to test the performance of large arteries and can contribute to the diagnosis of parietal lesions of large arteries. For a blood vessel with a wall displacement higher than 5% similar to those of large arteries like the aorta, the longitudinal impedance is substantially greater than that obtained in the absence of wall displacement. This study also explains the effects of convective acceleration, on the shape of the decline of the pressure gradient wave and shows that they should not be neglected when the variation in radius is greater than 5%.     

Symbiotic diversity of Ensifer meliloti strains recovered from various legume species in Tunisia

Ensifer meliloti (formerly Sinorhizobium meliloti) was first considered as a specific microsymbiont of Medicago, Melilotus and Trigonella. However, strains of E. meliloti were recovered from root nodules of various legume species and their symbiotic status still remains unclear. Here, we further investigate the specificity of these strains. A collection of 47 E. meliloti strains isolated in Tunisia from root nodules of Medicago truncatula, Medicago sativa, Medicago ciliaris, Medicago laciniata, Medicago marina, Medicago scutellata, Phaseolus vulgaris, Cicer arietinum, Argyrolobium uniflorum, Lotus creticus, Lotus roudairei, Ononis natrix, Retama raetam, Genista saharae, Acacia tortilis, Hedysarum carnosum and Hippocrepis bicontorta were examined by REP-PCR fingerprinting, PCR-RFLPs of the 16S-23S rDNA IGS, the nifH gene and nifD-K intergenic spacer, and sequencing of 16S rRNA and nodA genes. Their nodulation range was also assessed by cross-inoculation experiments. No clear correlation was found between chromosomal backgrounds and host plants of origin. The nodulation polyvalence of the species E. meliloti was associated with a high symbiotic heterogeneity. On the basis of PCR-RFLP data from the nifH gene and nifD-K intergenic spacer, E. meliloti strains isolated from non-Medicago legumes harboured distinct genes and possessed wider host ranges. Some strains did not nodulate Medicago species. On the basis of nodA phylogeny, the majority of the Tunisian strains, including strains from Medicago, harboured distinct nodA alleles more related to those found in E. medicae than those found in E. meliloti. However, more work is still needed to characterize this group further. The diversity observed among M. laciniata isolates, which was supported by nodA phylogeny, nifH typing and the efficiency profile on M. ciliaris, indicated that what was thought to be bv. medicaginis is certainly heterogeneous.     

Comparative study of Cyperus rotundus essential oil by a modified GC/MS analysis method. Evaluation of its antioxidant, cytotoxic, and apoptotic effects

Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS), using both electron impact (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) detection modes on apolar and polar stationary phases, led to the determination of the volatile composition of the essential oil obtained from tubers of Cyperus rotundus (Cyperaceae). In this study, more than 33 compounds were identified and then compared with the results obtained in our previous work. Cyperene, alpha-cyperone, isolongifolen-5-one, rotundene, and cyperorotundene were the principal compounds comprising 62% of the oil. An in vitro cytotoxicity assay with MTT indicated that this oil was very effective against L1210 leukaemia cells line. This result correlates with significantly increased apoptotic DNA fragmentation. The oxidative effects of the essential oil were evaluated using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), xanthine/xanthine oxidase assays, and the scavenging of superoxide radical assay generated by photo-reduction of riboflavin. The antimutagenic activity of essential oil has been examined by following the inhibition of H(2)O(2) UV photolysis which induced strand-break formation in pBS plasmid DNA scission assay. Based on all these results, it is concluded that C. rotundus essential-oil composition established by GC/MS analysis, in EI- and CI-MS modes, presents a variety of a chemical composition we were not able to detect with only GC/MS analysis in our previous work. This essential oil exhibited antioxidant, cytotoxic, and apoptotic properties.     

Prepulse inhibition （PPI） of tactile startle response in recombinant congenic strains of mice： QTL mapping and comparison with acoustic PPI

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response is a psychophysiological measure of sensorimotor gating believed to be cross-modal between different sensory systems.We analyzed the tactile startle response (TSR) and PPI of TSR (tPPD,using light as a prepulse stimulus,in the mouse strains A/J and C57BL/6J and 36 recombinant congenic strains derived from them.Parental strains were significantly different for TSR,but were comparable for tPPI.Among the congenic strains,variation for TSR was significant in both genetic backgrounds,but that of tPPI was significant only for the C57BL/6J background.Provisional mapping for loci modulating TSR and tPPI was carded out.Using mapping data from our previous study on acoustic startle responses (ASR) and PPI of ASR (aPPI),no common markers for aPPI and tPPI were identified.However,some markers were significantly associated with both ASR and TSIL at least in one genetic background.These results indicate cross-modal genetic regulation for the startle response but not for PPI,in these mouse strains.