Long COVID and its Management

The pandemic of COVID-19 is the biggest public health crisis in 21^st Century. Besides the acute symptoms after infection, patients and society are also being challenged by the long-term health complications associated with COVID-19, commonly known as long COVID. While health professionals work hard to find proper treatments, large amount of knowledge has been accumulated in recent years. In order to deal with long COVID efficiently, it is important for people to keep up with current progresses and take proactive actions on long COVID. For this purpose, this review will first introduce the general background of long COVID, and then discuss its risk factors, diagnostic indicators and management strategies. This review will serve as a useful resource for people to understand and prepare for long COVID that will be with us in the foreseeable future.     

Linkage Mapping of DNA Markers Generated with Specific and Non-Specific Gene Primers in Soybean

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used extensively in the construction of linkage maps for many cultivated crops including soybean, [Glycine max (L.) Merr]. In this study, four sets of oligonucleotide primer pairs of known genes (pearl millet Adh 1, nodule specific proline-rich protein, Drosophila homeobox, heat shock protein), several different combinations from kits A, D, E, and J of arbitrary primers and five primer pairs of soybean simple sequence repeats of varying length (Satt 9, Satt 20, Satt 42, Satt 64, and Satt 30) were utilized in PCR to identify molecular markers which were then used to construct a genetic linkage map. DNA for the PCR reactions was isolated from 65 recombinant inbred soybean lines resulting from crossing PI 290,136 and BARC-2 (Rj ₄ ), followed by self-pollination for seven generations without selection. Mapmaker 3.0, a computer package, was used for construction of the linkage map. A total of 43 polymorphic markers were identified; 30 markers were linked and distributed among 5 linkage groups while 13 markers were unlinked. Arbitrary primers revealed more polymorphisms than specific primers. A combination of arbitrary primers A5 and A18 revealed the maximum number of polymorphic bands. Five observed linkage groups can be expanded in future soybean research by using additional markers.     

Evolutionary analysis of the multigene pregnancy-specific β1-Glycoprotein family: Separation of historical and nonhistorical signals

The pregnancy-specific ₁-glycoproteins (PSG) form a large family of closely related proteins. Using newly developed methods of sequence analysis, in combination with protein modeling, we provide a framework for investigating the evolution and biological function of genes like the PSG. Evolutionary trees, based on C-terminal sequence, group PSG genes in a manner consistent with their genomic organization. Trees constructed using the N-terminal domain sequences are unreliable as an indicator of phylogeny because of non-neutral processes of sequence change. During duplication of the PSG genes, evolutionary pressures have resulted in a gradient of constrained change across each gene. The N-terminal domains show a nonrandom pattern of amino acid substitutions clustered in the immunoglobulin complementarity-determining region (CDR)-like regions, which appear to be important in the function of the protein.     

Effect of N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine on the migration of proteins in SDS polyacrylamide gels

Changing the concentration of TEMED in SDS polyacrylamide gels was found to affect the migration of proteins. Elevation of TEMED levels caused a generalized decrease in mobility with some proteins being affected more than others. With various brain protein preparations this differential effect could be used to improve the separation of adjacent protein bands. In additon, it was found that a change in the TEMED concentration affected the results of molecular weight determinations. The effect of TEMED was also observed in one non-SDS system.     

On p21 Tracking Property in Cancer Cell Unravelled Bio-Digitally <i>in silico</i>. Are Apoptosis Principles Universal?

Upon severe DNA damage, p21 acts in a dual mode; on the one hand, it inhibits the cyclin-CDK complex for arresting the G2/M transition and on the other hand, it indirectly becomes an apoptotic factor by activating - in sequence - the retinoblastoma protein, E2F1 and APAF1 expressions. But, in a cancer cells proliferation, the mechanisms of, and participants in, the apoptosis failure remain unclear. Since the p21/p53/Mdm2 proteins network normally involves a digital response in a cancer cell, through an original design of a cell signalling-protein simulator, we demonstrate,in silico, that apoptosis phase instability is fully reciprocated by p21mRNA irregular dynamics which operates according to a "tracking memory" principle. We show p21mRNA paradoxically ceases to act in concert with specific target genes and becomes an underlying accomplice of cancer proliferation. Here, we also identify the mechanisms for allowing the cancer cell to re-enter inside a steady stable apoptosis phase.     

Characterization of liposomes coated with S-layer proteins from lactobacilli

The stability of liposomes coated with S-layer proteins from Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus kefir was analyzed as a previous stage to the development of a vaccine vehicle for oral administration. The interactions of the different S-layer proteins with positively charged liposomes prepared with soybean lecithin or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine were studied by means of the variation of the Z potential at different protein-lipid ratios, showing that both proteins were able to attach in a greater extent to the surface of soybean lecithin liposomes. The capacity of these particles to retain carboxyfluorescein or calcein by exposure to bile salts, pancreatic extract, pH change and after a thermal shock showed that both S-layer proteins increased the stability of the liposomes in the same magnitude. The non-glycosylated protein from L. brevis protects more efficiently the liposomes at pH 7 than those from L. kefir even without treatment with glutaraldehyde.