Treatment of a bifurcation lesion at the anastomosis of a vein graft by true 'Y' stenting

We describe the treatment of a bifurcation lesion at the anastomosis of a vein graft by 'true Y' stenting which preserved both antegrade and retrograde flow away from the graft.     

Two msbB genes encoding maximal acylation of lipid A are required for invasive Shigella flexneri to mediate inflammatory rupture and destruction of the intestinal epithelium

Shigella flexneri is a Gram-negative pathogen that invades and causes inflammatory destruction of the human colonic epithelium, thus leading to bloody diarrhea and dysentery. A type III secretion system that delivers effector proteins into target eukaryotic cells is largely responsible for cell and tissue invasion. However, the respective role of this invasive phenotype and of lipid A, the endotoxin of the Shigella LPS, in eliciting the inflammatory cascade that leads to rupture and destruction of the epithelial barrier, was unknown. We investigated whether genetic detoxification of lipid A would cause significant alteration in pathogenicity. We showed that S. flexneri has two functional msbB genes, one carried by the chromosome (msbB1) and the other by the virulence plasmid (msbB2), the products of which act in complement to produce full acyl-oxy-acylation of the myristate at the 3' position of the lipid A glucosamine disaccharide. A mutant in which both the msbB1 and msbB2 genes have been inactivated was impaired in its capacity to cause TNF-alpha production by human monocytes and to cause rupture and inflammatory destruction of the epithelial barrier in the rabbit ligated intestinal loop model of shigellosis, indicating that lipid A plays a significant role in aggravating inflammation that eventually destroys the intestinal barrier. In addition, neutralization of TNF-alpha during invasion by the wild-type strain strongly impaired its ability to cause rupture and inflammatory destruction of the epithelial lining, thus indicating that TNF-alpha is a major effector of epithelial destruction by Shigella.     

Downregulation of CENPF Remodels Prostate Cancer Cells and Alters Cellular Metabolism

Metabolic alterations in prostate cancer (PC) are associated with progression and aggressiveness. However, the underlying mechanisms behind PC metabolic functions are unknown. The authors’ group recently reported on the important role of centromere protein F (CENPF), a protein associated with the centromere–kinetochore complex and chromosomal segregation during mitosis, in PC MRI visibility. This study focuses on discerning the role of CENPF in metabolic perturbation in human PC3 cells. A series of bioinformatics analyses shows that CENPF is one gene that is strongly associated with aggressive PC and that its expression is positively correlated with metastasis. By identifying and reconstructing the CENPF network, additional associations with lipid regulation are found. Further untargeted metabolomics analysis using gas chromatography‐time‐of‐flight‐mass spectrometry reveals that silencing of CENPF alters the global metabolic profiles of PC cells and inhibits cell proliferation, which suggests that CENPF may be a critical regulator of PC metabolism. These findings provide useful scientific insights that can be applied in future studies investigating potential targets for PC treatment.     

Evaluation of antioxidant and antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts of Gentiana kurroo royle

In this study our objective was to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts of leaves and roots of Gentiana kurroo. The antioxidant activities of the extracts were examined using different biochemical assays namely diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and ferric reducing power (FRAP). In all the assays, root extract exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than that of leaves. The antibacterial activity of the extracts was also evaluated and MIC values were calculated by broth dilution method. Although, the extracts prevented the growth of both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, the MIC values of methanolic extract of the leaves were higher than those of the root extract. The antibacterial and antioxidant activity of the extracts was found to be positively associated with the total phenolic and flavonoid content of the extracts.     

Interaction between PGPR and PGR for water conservation and plant growth attributes under drought condition

Drought is one of the key restraints to agricultural productivity worldwide and is expected to increase further. Drought stress accompanied by reduction in precipitation pose major challenges to future food safety. Strategies should be develop to enhance drought tolerance in crops like chickpea and wheat, in order to enhance their growth and yield. Drought tolerance strategies are costly and time consuming however, recent studies specify that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and plant growth regulators (PGRs) can help plants to withstand under harsh environmental condition and enable plants to cope with drought stress. PGPR can act as biofertilizer and bioenhancer for different legumes and non-legumes. The use of PGPR and symbiotic microorganisms, may be valuable in developing strategies to assist water conservation in plants. The use of PGPR has been confirmed to be an ecologically sound way of enhancing crop yields by facilitating plant growth through direct or indirect mechanism. The mechanisms of PGPR for water conservation include secretion of exopolysaccharides, biofilm formation, alternation in phytohormone content, improvement in sugar concentration, enhancing availability of micro- and macronutrients and changes in plant functional traits. Similarly, plant growth regulators (PGRs) are specially noticed in actively growing tissues under stress conditions and have been associated in the control of cell division, embryogenesis, root formation, fruit development and ripening, and reactions to biotic and abiotic stresses and upholding water conservation status in plants. Previous studies also suggest that plant metabolites interact with plant physiology under stress condition and impart drought tolerance. Metabolites like, sugars, amino acids, organic acid and polyols play a key role in drought tolerance of crop plants grown under stress condition. It is concluded from the present study that PGRs in combination with PGPR consortium can be an effective formulation to promote plant growth and maintenance of plant turgidity under drought stress. This review is a compilation of the effect of drought stress on crop plants and described interactions between PGPR/PGRs and plant development, knowledge of water conservation and stress release strategies of PGPR and PGRs and the role of plant metabolites in drought tolerance of crop plants. This review also bridges the gaps that summarizes the mechanism of action of PGPR for drought tolerance of crop plants and sustainability of agriculture and applicability of these beneficial rhizobacteria in different agro-ecosystems under drought stress.     

Colonisation of spruce roots by two interacting ectomycorrhizal fungi in wood ash amended substrates

Interactions between two ectomycorrhizal fungal species, Piloderma croceum Erikss. and Hjortst. and Piloderma sp. 1 (found to colonise spruce roots and wood ash granules in the field), were investigated in wood ash amended substrates. The comparative ability of these fungi to colonise roots of non-mycorrhizal spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings was studied in relation to factorial combinations of wood ash and N fertilisation. Non-mycorrhizal spruce seedlings (bait seedlings) were planted together with spruce seedlings colonised by P. croceum or Piloderma sp. 1. The growth substrate was a sand-peat mixture with wood ash or no ash and supplied with two levels of N, so that four substrate combinations were obtained. Piloderma sp. 1 mycelia colonised around 60% of the fine roots of bait seedlings in ash treatments regardless of N level and around 20-26% in treatments without ash. P. croceum only colonised 8% of the root tips in the presence of ash but 56% of the root tips in the low-N treatment without ash. However, in the high-N treatment without ash the colonisation level was reduced to around 30%. Total numbers of root tips per seedling did not vary significantly between the treatments. Possible reasons for the competitive advantage of Piloderma sp. 1 in wood ash fertilised substrate are discussed.