Engineering,Cloning and Expression of Interleukin 2–Com1 Chimera with Aim of Recombinant Subunit Vaccine Production Against Coxiella burnetii

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Query fever is an important disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, therefore vaccination against this disease is so crucial. Com1 is one...     

Aqueous humor nitric oxide in patients with central retinal vein occlusion

PurposeIt has been suggested that nitric oxide (NO) has a role in ischemic retinopathies. Since retinal ischemia may develop in retinal vein occlusion, we investigated the presence of nitric oxide in the pathogenesis of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).MethodsEighteen consecutive patients with CRVO were included in this study. Aqueous humor specimens were obtained within 21 days of diagnosis. Samples of aqueous humor were also collected from 20 control patients undergoing cataract surgery. For each sample after reduction of nitrate to nitrite with vanadium chloride (VCl₃), we used spectrophotometric method for simultaneous detection of nitrate and nitrite (NO_x).ResultsMean level of aqueous humor NO_x in CRVO and control group was 94.1 ± 23.2 μmol/l and 55.6 ± 11.0 μmol/l, respectively. The difference between two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.0001).ConclusionsOur results may support involvement of nitric oxide in the pathogenesis of CRVO.     

Intestinal pH profile in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and microhabitat preference of the flagellate Spironucleus salmonis (Diplomonadida)

In farmed rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, the flagellate Spironucleus salmonis (Diplomonadida) is often found in the pyloric region of the intestine. While previous in vitro studies report a pH of 7.5 to 8.0 as optimal for presumed S. salmonis, no previous in vivo studies have investigated the relationship between pH and microhabitat preference. Therefore, in 698 rainbow trout (75% were 5 to 6 mo old juveniles, 10 to 20 cm total length), we recorded occurrence and density of S. salmonis, and pH, in the pyloric, anterior, middle, and posterior intestine. There were no significant differences in total length or weight between infected and uninfected fish. S. salmonis preferred the pyloric region, with occurrence and density decreasing significantly from pyloric to posterior regions. In infected fish, pH in pyloric (6.8 to 7.9, mean 7.3) and posterior regions (6.5 to 8.0, mean 7.1) was significantly lower than in anterior (6.5 to 8.5, mean 7.7) and middle (6.8 to 8.2, mean 7.7) regions; in uninfected fish, the pH profile was similar. At the individual level, 90 % of infected fish and 79% of uninfected fish showed this pH profile. In the pyloric region, pH was not significantly different among uninfected fish, and fish with light, moderate, or heavy infections. Our in vivo study suggests the optimal pH for S. salmonis is between 7.1 and 7.5, possibly close to 7.3 (the mean in pyloric region of infected fish). We conclude that while the presence of S. salmonis reflected tolerable pH, density of infection was not correlated with pH, and thus a causal relationship between microhabitat preference and pH is unlikely.     

Air movement preferences observed in office buildings

Office workers’ preferences for air movement have been extracted from a database of indoor environmental quality surveys performed in over 200 buildings. Dissatisfaction with the amount of air motion is very common, with too little air movement cited far more commonly than too much air movement. Workers were also surveyed in a detailed two-season study of a single naturally ventilated building. About one-half the building’s population wanted more air movement and only 4% wanted less. This same ratio applied when the air movement in workspaces was higher than 0.2 m/s, the de facto draft limit in the current ASHRAE and ISO thermal environment standards. Preference for “less air motion” exceeded that for “more” only at thermal sensations of −2 (cool) or colder. These results raise questions about the consequences of the ASHRAE and ISO standards’ restrictions on air movement, especially for neutral and warm conditions.     

Glutathione mediated reductive activation and mitochondrial dysfunction play key roles in lithium induced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity in liver

Lithium preparations are commonly used drug in treating mental disorders and bipolar diseases, but metal's cytotoxic mechanisms have not yet been completely understood. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic mechanisms of lithium in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. Lithium cytotoxicity were associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release into the hepatocyte cytosol. All of the mentioned lithium-induced cytotoxicity markers were significantly (P?相似文献   

Photochemistry of dyes and fluorochromes used in biology and medicine: some physicochemical background and current applications

An overview of the basic principles of photochemistry is presented to facilitate discussion of fluorescence, quenching and quantum yields. These topics in turn provide the foundation for an account of fluorescence spectroscopy and its application to microscopy. A brief overview of light microscopy and the application of fluorescence microscopy is given. The influences of molecular features, such as aromatic character and substitution patterns, on color and fluorescence are described. The concept of color fading is considered with particular reference to its effect on microscopic preparations. A survey of representative fluorescent probes is provided, and their sensitivity, application, and limitations are described. The phototoxicity of fluorescent molecules is discussed using biomembranes and DNA as examples of targets of toxicity. Photodynamic therapy, a relatively new clinical application of phototoxicity, is described. Both anticancer and antimicrobial applications are noted, and an assessment is given of the current ideas on the ideal physicochemical properties of the sensitizing agents for such applications.