Cathepsin L,target in cancer treatment?

Cathepsin L, a cysteine protease, is considered to be a potential therapeutic target in cancer treatment. Proteases are involved in the development and progression of cancer. Inhibition of activity of specific proteases may slow down cancer progression. In this review, we evaluate recent studies on the inhibition of cathepsin L in cancer. The effects of cathepsin L inhibition as a monotherapy on apoptosis and angiogenesis in cancer are ambiguous. Cathepsin L inhibition seems to reduce invasion and metastasis, but there is concern that selective cathepsin L inhibition induces compensatory activity by other cathepsins. The combination of cathepsin L inhibition with conventional chemotherapy seems to be more promising and has yielded more consistent results. Future research should be focused on the mechanisms and effects of this combination therapy.     

Correlation between hydrophobicity and resistance to nonoxynol-9 and vancomycin for urogenital isolates of lactobacilli

Seven clinical isolates of lactobacilli were found to be relatively hydrophobic with a mean water-contact angle of 66 +/- 15 degrees, and to be susceptible to 1% nonoxynol-9 and vancomycin. However, seven other strains were relatively hydrophilic with a mean water-contact angle of 32 +/- 13 degrees, and found to be resistant to 25% nonoxynol-9 and vancomycin. Thus, the surface properties of lactobacilli that influence susceptibility to antimicrobial agents may involve surface hydrophobicity. Possibly the penetration barrier posed by the cell surface towards these two nonionic antimicrobials is lower for hydrophobic cells than for hydrophilic cells.     

Proline and Oxidative Metabolism in Young Pecan Trees Associated with Sulphate Accumulation

Pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch.] is a deciduous tree whose fruits (nuts) are of high economic value and offer excellent nutritional benefits. However, soils high in sulphates can limit its growth and development. Working with 5-year-old trees of ‘Western Schley’ pecan grown in soils high in sulphates, the levels of proline and oxidative metabolism were recorded in the leaflets. Results showed that different levels of visible leaflet damage (‘sufficiency’, ‘low’, ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’) were associated with different levels of leaflet sulphates (mg kg⁻¹): ‘sufficiency’ (≤40), ‘low’ (41–60), ‘moderate’ (61–80) and ‘severe’ (80–100). ‘Severe’ sulphate damage was associated with significant reductions in chlorophyll (TChl) (17.04 μg g⁻¹), relative water content (RWC) (50%) and leaf area (LA), and with increases in the concentrations of total carotenoids (TC) and proline (Prl). Increases were also observed in the activities of the oxidative metabolism enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD) (1.82 units min⁻¹ g⁻¹), catalase (CAT) (2.86 μmol H₂O₂ min⁻¹ g⁻¹) and antioxidant capacity (AC) (87% DPPH inhibition). However, guaiacol peroxidase (GP) showed a reduction (2.97 nmol GSH min⁻¹ g⁻¹). An inverse relationship was found between the sulphate concentration in the leaflets with respect to the evaluated parameters of TChl, TC, RWC, LA, AC, and GP. Proline synthesis and antioxidant enzymatic activity indicate salt stress in pecan leaflets in orchards irrigated with deep-well water high in sulphates.     

A Global Review of Causes of Morbidity and Mortality in Free-Living Vultures

Vulture species worldwide play a key role in ecosystems as obligate scavengers, and several populations have had precipitous declines. Research on vulture health is critical to conservation efforts including free-living vultures and captive breeding programs, but is limited to date. In this systematic review, we determined the reported causes of free-living vulture species morbidity and mortality worldwide. The most commonly reported cause of mortality was from toxins (60%), especially lead and pesticides, followed by traumatic injury (49%), including collisions with urban infrastructure and gunshot. Neglected areas of research in free-living vulture health include infectious diseases (16%), endocrine and nutritional disorders (6%), and neoplasia (<?1%). Almost half of the studies included in the review were conducted in either Spain or the USA, with a paucity of studies conducted in South America and sub-Saharan Africa. The highest number of studies was on Griffon (Gyps fulvus) (24%) and Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) (19%), while half of all vulture species had five or fewer studies. Future investigations on free-living vulture health should focus on neglected areas of research, such as infectious diseases, and areas with gaps in the current literature, such as South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and under-studied vulture species.