Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 (BMP-7) Influences Tendon-Bone Integration In Vitro

IntroductionSuccessful graft ingrowth following reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament is governed by complex biological processes at the tendon-bone interface. The aim of this study was to investigate in an in vitro study the effects of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) on tendon-bone integration.ResultsIn both models, positive effects of BMP-7 on ALP enzyme activity were observed (p<0.001). Additionally, similar results were noted for LDH activity and lactate concentration. BMP-7 stimulation led to a significant increase in OCN expression. Whereas the effects of BMP-7 on tendon monoculture peaked during an early phase of the experiment (p<0.001), the cocultures showed a maximal increase during the later stages (p<0.001). The histological analysis showed a stimulating effect of BMP-7 on extracellular matrix formation. Organized ossification zones and calcium carbonate-like structures were only observed in the BMP-stimulated cell cultures.DiscussionThis study showed the positive effects of BMP-7 on the biological process of tendon-bone integration in vitro. Histological signs of improved mineralization were paralleled by increased rates of osteoblast-specific protein levels in primary bovine osteoblasts and fibroblasts.ConclusionOur findings indicated a role for BMP-7 as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in the treatment of ligamentous injuries, and they emphasized the importance of the transdifferentiation process of tendinous fibroblasts at the tendon-bone interface.     

P blood group regulation of glycosphingolipid levels in human erythrocytes.

The neutral glycosphingolipid content of normal human erythrocytes was analyzed by a new method which utilizes high performance liquid chromatography. This rapid and accurate technique permits the quantitation of each of the major neutral glycolipids from individual blood samples. A correlation between the P blood group and the relative quantities of neutral glycosphingolipids is demonstrated. Erythrocytes from P1 individuals are shown to contain more globotriaosylceramide and less lactosylceramide than do erythrocytes from P2 individuals. The results of these experiments suggest the existence of a new phenotype in the P blood group system, and have further implications regarding the biosynthesis of the P blood group glycosphingolipids.     

A correlation between BCL-2 modifying factor,p53 and livin gene expressions in cancer colon patients

Accumulating evidence has revealed that livin gene and BCL-2 modifying factor (BMF) gene are closely associated with the initiation and progression of colon carcinoma by activating or suppressing multiple malignant processes. Those genes that can detect colon - cancer are a promising approach for cancer screening and diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate correlation between livin, BMF and p53 genes expression in colon cancer tissues of patients included in the study, and their relationship with clinicopathological features and survival outcome in those patients. In this study, 50 pathologically diagnosed early cancer colon patients included and their tissue biopsy with 50 matched adjacent normal tissue, and 50 adenoma tissue specimens were analyzed for livin gene and BMF gene expressions using real time PCR. The relationship of those genes expressions with clinicopathological features, tumor markers, Time to Progression and overall survival for those patients were correlated in cancer colon group. In this study, there was a significant a reciprocal relationship between over expression of livin gene and down regulation of BMF and p53 genes in colon cancer cells. Livin mRNA was significantly higher, while BMF and p53 mRNA were significantly lower in colorectal cancer tissue compared to benign and normal colon tissue specimens (P < 0.001), however, this finding was absent between colon adenomas and normal mucosa. There was a significant association between up regulation of livin and down regulation of BMF and p53 expressions with more aggressive tumor (advanced TNM stage), rapid progression with metastasis and decreased overall survival in cancer colon patients, hence these genes can serve as significant prognostic markers of poor outcome in colon cancer patients. This work highlights the role of livin, BMF and p53 genes in colorectal tumorigenesis and the applicability of using those genes as a diagnostic and prognostic markers in patients with colon carcinoma and as a good target for cancer colon treatment in the future.     

Affective communication in rodents: ultrasonic vocalizations as a tool for research on emotion and motivation

Mice and rats emit and perceive calls in the ultrasonic range, i.e., above the human hearing threshold of about 20 kHz: so-called ultrasonic vocalizations (USV). Juvenile and adult rats emit 22-kHz USV in aversive situations, such as predator exposure and fighting or during drug withdrawal, whereas 50-kHz USV occur in appetitive situations, such as rough-and-tumble play and mating or in response to drugs of abuse, e.g., amphetamine. Aversive 22-kHz USV and appetitive 50-kHz USV serve distinct communicative functions. Whereas 22-kHz USV induce freezing behavior in the receiver, 50-kHz USV lead to social approach behavior. These opposite behavioral responses are paralleled by distinct patterns of brain activation. Freezing behavior in response to 22-kHz USV is paralleled by increased neuronal activity in brain areas regulating fear and anxiety, such as the amygdala and periaqueductal gray, whereas social approach behavior elicited by 50-kHz USV is accompanied by reduced activity levels in the amygdala but enhanced activity in the nucleus accumbens, a brain area implicated in reward processing. These opposing behavioral responses, together with distinct patterns of brain activation, particularly the bidirectional tonic activation or deactivation of the amygdala elicited by 22-kHz and 50-kHz USV, respectively, concur with a wealth of behavioral and neuroimaging studies in humans involving emotionally salient stimuli, such as fearful and happy facial expressions. Affective ultrasonic communication therefore offers a translational tool for studying the neurobiology underlying socio-affective communication. This is particularly relevant for rodent models of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social and communication deficits, such as autism and schizophrenia.     

Biocides formulation of essential oils having antimicrobial activity

Essential oils of fennel, peppermint, caraway, eucalyptus, geranium and lemon were tested for their antimicrobial activities against some plant pathogenic micro-organisms (Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternate, Penicilium italicum Penicilium digitatum and Botyritus cinerea). Essential oils of fennel, peppermint, caraway were selected as an active ingredient for the formulation of biocides due to their efficiency in controlling the tested micro-organisms. Successful emulsifiable concentrates (biocides) were prepared from these oils using different emulsifiers (Emulgator B.L.M. Tween20 and Tween80) and different fixed oils (sesame, olive, cotton and soybean oils). Physico-chemical properties of the formulated biocide (spontaneous emulsification, emulsion stability test, cold stability and heat stability tests as well as viscosity, surface tension and pH) were measured. The prepared biocides were ready to be tested for application in a future work as a safe pesticide against different pathogens.     

Metagenomic insights into strategies of carbon conservation and unusual sulfur biogeochemistry in a hypersaline Antarctic lake

Organic Lake is a shallow, marine-derived hypersaline lake in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica that has the highest reported concentration of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in a natural body of water. To determine the composition and functional potential of the microbial community and learn about the unusual sulfur chemistry in Organic Lake, shotgun metagenomics was performed on size-fractionated samples collected along a depth profile. Eucaryal phytoflagellates were the main photosynthetic organisms. Bacteria were dominated by the globally distributed heterotrophic taxa Marinobacter, Roseovarius and Psychroflexus. The dominance of heterotrophic degradation, coupled with low fixation potential, indicates possible net carbon loss. However, abundant marker genes for aerobic anoxygenic phototrophy, sulfur oxidation, rhodopsins and CO oxidation were also linked to the dominant heterotrophic bacteria, and indicate the use of photo- and lithoheterotrophy as mechanisms for conserving organic carbon. Similarly, a high genetic potential for the recycling of nitrogen compounds likely functions to retain fixed nitrogen in the lake. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) lyase genes were abundant, indicating that DMSP is a significant carbon and energy source. Unlike marine environments, DMSP demethylases were less abundant, indicating that DMSP cleavage is the likely source of high DMS concentration. DMSP cleavage, carbon mixotrophy (photoheterotrophy and lithoheterotrophy) and nitrogen remineralization by dominant Organic Lake bacteria are potentially important adaptations to nutrient constraints. In particular, carbon mixotrophy relieves the extent of carbon oxidation for energy production, allowing more carbon to be used for biosynthetic processes. The study sheds light on how the microbial community has adapted to this unique Antarctic lake environment.     

Behavioural Assessment of the A2a/NR2B Combination in the Unilateral 6-OHDA-Lesioned Rat Model: A New Method to Examine the Therapeutic Potential of Non-Dopaminergic Drugs

In Parkinson’s disease (PD), dopaminergic therapies are often associated with the development of motor complications. Attention has therefore been focused on the use of non-dopaminergic drugs. This study developed a new behavioural method capable of demonstrating the added value of combining adenosinergic and glutamatergic receptor antagonists in unilateral 6-OHDA lesioned rats. Rats were dosed orally with Tozadenant, a selective A_2A receptor antagonist, and three different doses of Radiprodil, an NR2B-selective NMDA receptor antagonist. The drugs were given alone or in combination and rats were placed in an open-field for behavioural monitoring. Video recordings were automatically analysed. Five different behaviours were scored: distance traveled, ipsi- and contraversive turns, body position, and space occupancy. The results show that A_2A or NR2B receptor antagonists given alone or in combination did not produce enhanced turning as observed with an active dose of L-Dopa/benserazide. Instead the treated rats maintained a straight body position, were able to shift from one direction to the other and occupied a significantly larger space in the arena. The highest “Tozadenant/Radiprodil” dose combination significantly increased all five behavioural parameters recorded compared to rats treated with vehicle or the same doses of the drugs alone. Our data suggest that the A_2A/NR2B antagonist combination may be able to stimulate motor activity to a similar level as that achieved by L-Dopa but in the absence of the side-effects that are associated with dopaminergic hyperstimulation. If these results translate into the clinic, this combination could represent an alternative symptomatic treatment option for PD.     

Ashwagandha—An ancient Indian drug

Ashwagandha, the root ofWithania somnifera Dunal, is an ancient drug used in India by practitioners of Ayurvedic mediicne and as a household remedy. The drug is now official in the Indian Pharmacopoeia. Results of a survey regarding the cultivation, collection and marketing of this drug are described.     

Glycoconjugates are stage- and position-specific cell surface molecules in the developing olfactory system, 1: The CC1 immunoreactive glycolipid defines a rostrocaudal gradient in the rat vomeronasal system

Primary sensory neurons in the vomeronasal organ (VNO) project axons to the glomeruli of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) where they form connections with mitral cell dendrites. We demonstrate here that monoclonal antibodies to specific carbohydrate antigens define stage- and position-specific events during the development of the vomeronasal system (VN). CC1 monoclonal antibodies react with specific N-acetyl galactosamine containing glycolipids. In the embryo, CC1 antigens are expressed throughout the VNO and on vomeronasal nerves. Beginning approximately at birth and continuing into adults, CC1 expression is spatially restricted in the VNO to centrally located cell bodies. In the postnatal AOB, CC1 is expressed in the nerve layer and glomeruli, but only in the rostral half of the AOB. These data suggest that CC1 antigens may participate in the targeting of axons from centrally located VNO neurons to rostral glomeruli in the AOB. In contrast, CC2 monoclonal antibodies, which recognize complex α-galactosyl and α-fucosyl glycoproteins and glycolipids, react with all VNO cell bodies and VN nerves from embryonic (E) day 15 to adults. CC2 antibodies do not distinguish rostral from caudal regions of the AOB, nor are the CC2 glycoconjugates developmentally regulated. P-Path monoclonal antibodies, which recognize 9-O-acetyl sialic acid, react with cell bodies in the VNO and nerve fibers from E13 to postnatal (P) day 2. P-Path immunoreactivity disappears from the VNO system almost completely by P14, when only a few P-Path reactive nerve fibers can be seen. These studies suggest that specific cell surface glycoconjugates may participate in spatially and temporally selective cell–cell interactions during development and maintenance of vomeronasal connections.