Investigation of food poisoning of staphylococcal etiology using a comparison of the extracellular proteins of the isolated causative agents

Materials on the study of four outbreaks of alimentary toxinfections of staphylococcal etiology, carried out by the method of the identification of staphylococci by the spectra of their extracellular proteins, are presented. As the result of this study, the sources and transfer routes of infections have been established. The method of the identification of staphylococci by the exoprotein spectra has made it possible to find out the epidemiological chain with greater accuracy. Such identification may serve as an auxiliary method in epidemiological surveillance.     

Nucleolar methyltransferase fibrillarin: Evolution of structure and functions

Fibrillarin is one of the most studied nucleolar proteins. Its main functions are methylation and processing of pre-rRNA. Fibrillarin is a highly conserved protein; however, in the course of evolution from archaea to eukaryotes, it acquired an additional N-terminal glycine and arginine-rich (GAR) domain. In this review, we discuss the evolution of fibrillarin structure and its relation to the functions of the protein in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.     

The effect of the liposomal form of flavonoid-metal complexes on skin regeneration after chemical burn

The effect of the liposomal form formed by taxifolin and metals of variable valency was investigated. It was shown that application of preparations based on the free flavonoid and its complexes with Fe(II/III) and Cu(II) ions after chemical burns results in more effective skin regeneration and repair of hair follicles and sebaceous glands. A tendency toward more effective wound healing after the application of taxifolin-Cu(II) and taxifolin-Fe(III) liposomal complexes versus control was observed. It was assumed that the mechanism of action of these preparations is based on oxidative polymerization and conjugation of the flavonoid, which results in utilization of toxic metabolites and lipid peroxidation products.     

Airway hyperresponsiveness is associated with airway remodeling but not inflammation in aging Cav1-/- mice

Background

Airway inflammation and airway remodeling are the key contributors to airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a characteristic feature of asthma. Both processes are regulated by Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β. Caveolin 1 (Cav1) is a membrane bound protein that binds to a variety of receptor and signaling proteins, including the TGF-β receptors. We hypothesized that caveolin-1 deficiency promotes structural alterations of the airways that develop with age will predispose to an increased response to allergen challenge.

Methods

AHR was measured in Cav1-deficient and wild-type (WT) mice 1 to 12 months of age to examine the role of Cav1 in AHR and the relative contribution of inflammation and airway remodeling. AHR was then measured in Cav1^-/- and WT mice after an ovalbumin-allergen challenge performed at either 2 months of age, when remodeling in Cav1^-/- and WT mice was equivalent, and at 6 months of age, when the Cav1^-/- mice had established airway remodeling.

Results

Cav1^-/- mice developed increased thickness of the subepithelial layer and a correspondingly increased AHR as they aged. In addition, allergen-challenged Cav1^-/- mice had an increase in AHR greater than WT mice that was largely independent of inflammation. Cav1^-/- mice challenged at 6 months of age have decreased AHR compared to those challenged at 2 months with correspondingly decreased BAL IL-4 and IL-5 levels, inflammatory cell counts and percentage of eosinophils. In addition, in response to OVA challenge, the number of goblet cells and α-SMA positive cells in the airways were reduced with age in response to OVA challenge in contrast to an increased collagen deposition further enhanced in absence of Cav1.

Conclusion

A lack of Cav1 contributed to the thickness of the subepithelial layer in mice as they aged resulting in an increase in AHR independent of inflammation, demonstrating the important contribution of airway structural changes to AHR. In addition, age in the Cav1^-/- mice is a contributing factor to airway remodeling in the response to allergen challenge.     

Analysis of the Genetic Structure of Northwestern Bering Sea Walleye Pollock, Theragra chalcogramma

The intraspecific structure of major populations of the walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma from the northwestern part of the Bering Sea was studied. Specimens from Navarin, Olyutor and Shirshov shoals were sampled in the 2001 spawning season. Preliminary cluster analysis (TREECON) of PCR-RAPD data revealed the existence of cluster with low level of bootstrap support, which generally corresponds to geographic localization of the shoals. Processing of microsatellite sequence data (loci Tch12, Tch14, Tch15 and Tch18) with GENEPOP demonstrated the deviation from HWE and differentiation between the samples. The value of the inter-population variance (F_st = 0.02) corresponded to published data on marine stocks, which were subject to high levels of gene flow. The Shirshov group was found to be equidistant from the Navarin and Olyutor groups, with the genetic distance between the latter two being significantly less. Analysis of the microsatellite loci inferred disparities in their selective capacities. Loci Tch12 and Tch15 are found to be highly homozygous with low levels of polymorphism. Tch12 clearly follows the ‘3 band’ pattern. Tch15 shows sign of linkage disequilibrium. Comparison of F_st values for the loci with the mean standardized variance f₀ suggests that Tch12 is under pressure of disruptive selection, while Tch15 is rather neutral and Tch14 and Tch18 are under the influence of balance selection. Also a discussion is conducted in the context of undeterminate group migration.     

Features of the morphofunctional state of the endocrine part of the pancreas during the development of experimental diabetes in the presence of regulatory peptides

The multiple 7-day intranasal introduction of PGArg and GPArg peptides at a dose of 1 mg per kg body weight before the injection of the diabetogenic dose of alloxan provided the maintenance of normoglycemia in rats. The similar introduction of PGPArg peptide did not provide any protection against the development of diabetes mellitus. The quantity of pancreatic islets in the animals from this group remained quite comparable to the norm, but the total number of cells per islet was below the norm, as well as in the control group. The GPArg peptide showed the best results as a preventive anti-diabetic agent.     

Diterpenes from the Far-eastern brown alga Dictyota dichotoma

Two diterpenes, ent-erogorgiaene and (+)-1,5-cyclo-5,8,9,10-tetrahydroerogorgiaene, were isolated from the Russian Far-eastern population of the brown alga Dictyota dichotoma along with three previously known from this alga terpenoids. In addition, pentadecane was the first time isolated as natural product from this species. The structures of all compounds and their stereochemistry were determined using 1D and 2D NMR ((1)H-(1)H COSY, DEPT, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY), mass spectrometry, and optical rotation data.