Comparison of the steroidogenic and melanotropic activities of corticotropin, alpha-melanotropin and analogs with their lipolytic activities in rat and rabbit adipocytes.

The ability of alpha-melanotropin and a series of synthetic peptides related to adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) to stimulate steroidogenesis in isolated rat adrenal cells, melanin dispersion in frog melanophores and lipolysis in rat and rabbit fat cells have been studied. It was found that the steroidogenic activity closely paralleled the lipolytic activity of these peptides in rat fat cells, whereas the melanocyte stimulating activity paralleled the lipolytic activity in rabbit fat cells. These results indicate that the structural requirements for stimulating steroidogenesis in isolated rat adrenal cells and lipolysis in isolated rat fat cells are quite similar. The structural features required for eliciting lipolysis in rabbit fat cells appear to be very similar to those necessary for stimulating frog melanophores. The possibility that regulation of lipid metabolism in the rabbit may be a new function acquired by melanotropin is discussed.     

Cytochrome oxidase and ascorbic acid in the normal and regenerating tail of the scincid lizard, Mabuya carinata. A histophysiological study.

The concentration of ascorbic acid (AA) and the histochemical distribution of this vitamin together with cytochrome oxidase have been investigated in the normal and regenerating tail of the Scincid lizard, Mabuya carinata. An interesting aspect of this investigation is the observation of a total lack of cytochrome oxidase in both the normal and regenerating tail of the lizard, except for the differentiating phase. On the other hand, AA has been found to be present in the normal and regenerating tail with above normal levels during wound healing (twofold) and differentiation (fivefold). In the light of the poor cytochrome oxidase activity, the higher content of AA noted during regeneration has been construed to play a possible role in the respiratory mechanics of the regenerating lizard tail. Further, the importance of AA in cellular metabolism and the wound healing and differentiative processes have also been discussed.     

Purification,Characterization and Antibacterial Properties of Peptide from Marine Ascidian Didemnum sp.

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Marine ecosystems are unique and a largely diverse chest of natural resources which are still to be explored for new marine species....     

Dietary Administration of Probiotic Aeromonas veronii V03 on the Modulation of Innate Immunity,Expression of Immune-Related Genes and Disease Resistance Against Aeromonas hydrophila Infection in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

This study investigates the effects of dietary Aeromonas veronii V03 supplementation on growth performances, innate immunity, and expression of immune-related genes in lymphoid organs of Cyprinus carpio and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila infection. Fish were fed for 4 weeks with basal diet (BD; without probiotic), and experiment diet containing different doses of A. veronii V03 at 3.2 × 10⁷ (DI) and 3.5 × 10⁹ (DII) CFU g⁻¹ of diet. At the end of the probiotic feeding trial, fish were challenged with A. hydrophila, and the percentage of survival rates was recorded over 7 days. Results revealed that fish fed with A. veronii V03 demonstrated a significant improvement in growth and enhancement of innate immunity, including respiratory burst, myeloperoxidase, and lysozyme activities, and total immunoglobulin level compared with BD fed to fish. Relatively, expression of cytokines (MyD88, IL-1β1, IL-8, and IL-10) and c- and g-type lysozymes were significantly up- and downregulated in lymphoid organs of fish. Moreover, dietary supplementation of A. veronii V03 exhibited significantly (p < 0.001) higher survival rates of DI (90%) and DII (96.66%) compared with BD (53.33%) fed fish against A. hydrophila infection. These findings help to understand the effects of probiotic A. veronii V03 administrated feed influences on growth and ailment resistance to A. hydrophila infection by regulating innate and systemic immunity in common carp fish.

     

Anti-biofilm activity of LC-MS based Solanum nigrum essential oils against multi drug resistant biofilm forming P. mirabilis

Urinary tract infections are second most important diseases worldwide due to the increased amount of antibiotic resistant microbes. Among the Gram negative bacteria, P. mirabilis is the dominant biofilm producer in urinary tract infections next to E. coli. Biofilm is a process that produced self-matrix of more virulence pathogens on colloidal surfaces. Based on the above fact, this study was concentrated to inhibit the P. mirabilis biofilm formation by various in-vitro experiments. In the current study, the anti-biofilm effect of essential oils was recovered from the medicinal plant of Solanum nigrum, and confirmed the available essential oils by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis. The excellent anti-microbial activity and minimum biofilm inhibition concentration of the essential oils against P. mirabilis was indicated at 200 µg/mL. The absence of viability and altered exopolysaccharide structure of treated cells were showed by biofilm metabolic assay and phenol–sulphuric acid method. The fluorescence differentiation of P. mirabilis treated cells was showed with more damages by confocal laser scanning electron microscope. Further, more morphological changes of essential oils treated cells were differentiated from normal cells by scanning electron microscope. Altogether, the results were reported that the S. nigrum essential oils have anti-biofilm ability.     

Phytochemical screening and anti-oxidant activity of Sargassum wightii enhances the anti-bacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

In this study, the phytochemical, phenolic, flavonoid and bioactive compounds were successfully screened from crude extract of Sargassum wightii by LC-MS analysis after NIST interpretation. Bacterial growth inhibition study result was shown with 24 mm zone inhibition at 200 µg/mL concentration against P. aeruginosa. The increased phenolic content was much closed to gallic acid and the range was observed at 250 μg/mL concentration. In addition, flavonoid contents of the algae extract was indicated more significant with rutin at 200 μg/mL. In result, both the phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract were more correlated with gallic acid and rutin. Further, the total anti-oxidant and DPPH radical scavenging activities were shown increased activity at 200 μg/mL concentrations. Furthermore, the excellent anti-bacterial alteration result was observed at 200 μg/mL concentration by minimum inhibition concentration. Therefore, the result was revealed that the marine algae Sargassum wightii has excellent phytochemical and anti-oxidant activities, and it has improved anti-bacterial activity against P. aeruginosa.     

A2B adenosine receptor blockade inhibits growth of prostate cancer cells

The role of the A_2B adenosine receptor (AR) in prostate cell death and growth was studied. The A_2B AR gene expression quantified by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis was the highest among four AR subtypes (A₁, A_2A, A_2B, and A₃) in all three commonly used prostate cancer cell lines, PC-3, DU145, and LNCaP. We explored the function of the A_2B AR using PC-3 cells as a model. The A_2B AR was visualized in PC-3 cells by laser confocal microscopy. The nonselective A_2B AR agonist NECA and the selective A_2B AR agonist BAY60-6583, but not the A_2A AR agonist CGS21680, concentration-dependently induced adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) accumulation. NECA diminished lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, TNF-α-induced increase of caspase-3 activity, and cycloheximide (CHX)-induced morphological changes typical of apoptosis in PC-3 cells, which were blocked by a selective A_2B AR antagonist PSB603. NECA-induced proliferation of PC-3 cells was diminished by siRNA specific for the A_2B AR. The selective A_2B AR antagonist PSB603 was shown to inhibit cell growth in all three cell lines. Thus, A_2B AR blockade inhibits growth of prostate cancer cells, suggesting selective A_2B AR antagonists as potential novel therapeutics.     

NMR assignment of a PDZ domain in complex with a HPV51 E6 derived N-terminally pyroglutamic acid modified peptide

The resonance assignment of an amino-terminal pyroglutamic acid containing peptide derived from the E6 protein of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 51 in complex with PDZ domain 2 of hDlg/SAP-97 is reported. The assignments include ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N resonances for the protein and peptide in the complex and all of the peptide’s pyroglutamic acid nuclei.     

Kidney Transplantation Is Associated with Catastrophic Out of Pocket Expenditure in India

Kidney transplantation (KT) is only viable renal replacement option for most patients in India. Most patients do not have health insurance and meet treatment expenditure from their own resources. We prospectively evaluated the expenses associated with KT and its impact on the socioeconomic status of families in a public hospital. All direct and indirect expenses incurred by the patients from the time of diagnosis of chronic kidney disease to KT were recorded. Direct expenses included physician fees, cost of drugs and disposables, dialysis, and expenses on investigations and hospitalization. Indirect expenses included travel, food, stay, and loss of income suffered by the family. Educational dropout and financial loss were also recorded. There were 43 males and 7 females between the ages of 12 and 57 years. Direct expenses ranged from US$ 2,151–23,792 and accounted for two-thirds of the total expenses. Pre-referral hospitalization, dialysis and medication accounted for majority of direct expense. Indirect expenses ranged from US$ 226–15,283. Travel expenses and loss of income accounted for most of indirect expense. About 54%, 8%, and 10% of families suffered from severe, moderate, and some financial crisis respectively. A total of 38 families had job losses, and 1 patient and 12 caregivers dropped out of studies. To conclude, KT is associated with catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure and pushes a majority of the patients who come for treatment to public hospitals into severe financial crisis. Educational dropout and loss of jobs are other major concerns. Systematic efforts are required to address these issues.