<Emphasis Type="Italic">Teucrium polium</Emphasis> Complex with Molybdate Enhance Cultured Islets Secretory Function

Islet transplantation has become a promising treatment in the therapy of type 1 diabetes. Its function improvement, after isolation and before transplantation, is crucial because of their loss both in number and function of islets after isolation procedures. Trace elements sodium orthovanadate (SOV) and sodium molybdate (SM), as well as medicinal plant Teucrium polium L. (TP), showed and possessed high beneficial antioxidative potential and even hypoglycemic properties via their effect on islets. We evaluated the effect of these components in combination on cultured islet function in order to improve pancreatic islet transplantation. Rat pancreatic islets were cultured for 24 h then incubated with different concentrations of TP (0.01 and 0.1 mg/mL) alone and in combination with SOV (1 mM) or SM (1 mM). Insulin concentration in buffer media was measured as islet secretory function. Administration of TP (0.01 mg/mL), SM, and SOV alone or in combination with each other significantly increased insulin secretion at high glucose concentration (16.7 mM); insulin secretion was significantly greater in the group containing both TP and SM than other treated groups (p < 0.05). The combination of the mentioned trace elements especially molybdate with TP could improve islet cells function before transplantation.     

DLG1: Chromosome Location of the Closest Human Homologue of the Drosophila Discs Large Tumor Suppressor Gene

The Drosophila discs large tumor suppressor protein, Dlg, is the prototype of a newly discovered family of proteins termed MAGUKs (membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologues). MAGUKs are localized at the membrane-cytoskeleton interface, usually at cell-cell junctions, where they appear to have both structural and signaling roles. They contain several distinct domains, including a modified guanylate kinase domain, an SH3 motif, and one or three copies of the DHR (GLGF/PDZ) domain. Recessive lethal mutations in the discs large tumor suppressor gene interfere with the formation of septate junctions (thought to be the arthropod equivalent of tight junctions) between epithelial cells, and they cause neoplastic overgrowth of imaginal discs, suggesting a role for cell junctions in proliferation control. A homologue of the Dlg protein, named Hdlg, has been isolated from human B lymphocytes. It shows 65-79% identity to Dlg in the different domains, and it binds to the cytoskeletal protein 4.1. Here, we report that the gene for lymphocyte Hdlg, named DLG1, is located at chromosome band 3q29. This finding identifies a novel site for a candidate tumor suppressor on chromosome 3.     

Chronic sequelae complicate convalescence from both dengue and acute viral respiratory illness

Long Covid has raised awareness of the potentially disabling chronic sequelae that afflicts patients after acute viral infection. Similar syndromes of post-infectious sequelae have also been observed after other viral infections such as dengue, but their true prevalence and functional impact remain poorly defined. We prospectively enrolled 209 patients with acute dengue (n = 48; one with severe dengue) and other acute viral respiratory infections (ARI) (n = 161), and followed them up for chronic sequelae up to one year post-enrolment, prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Baseline demographics and co-morbidities were balanced between both groups except for gender, with more males in the dengue cohort (63% vs 29%, p<0.001). Except for the first visit, data on symptoms were collected remotely using a purpose-built mobile phone application. Mental health outcomes were evaluated using the validated SF-12v2 Health Survey. Almost all patients (95.8% of dengue and 94.4% of ARI patients) experienced at least one symptom of fatigue, somnolence, headache, concentration impairment or memory impairment within the first week of enrolment. Amongst patients with at least 3-months of follow-up, 18.0% in the dengue cohort and 14.6% in the ARI cohort experienced persistent symptoms. The median month-3 SF-12v2 Mental Component Summary Score was lower in patients who remained symptomatic at 3 months and beyond, compared to those whose symptoms fully resolved (47.7 vs. 56.0, p<0.001), indicating that patients who self-reported persistence of symptoms also experienced functionally worse mental health. No statistically significant difference in age, gender distribution or hospitalisation status was observed between those with and without chronic sequelae. Our findings reveal an under-appreciated burden of post-infection chronic sequelae in dengue and ARI patients. They call for studies to define the pathophysiology of this condition, and determine the efficacy of both vaccines as well as antiviral drugs in preventing such sequelae.     

Achillea filipendulina Lam.: Chemical Constituents and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oil of Stem,Leaf, and Flower

In this study, we extracted the essential oils of the stem, leaf, and flower of Achillea filipendulina, analyzed them, and studied their antibacterial properties. Of 16, 53, and 35 compounds identified in the stem, leaf, and flowers, respectively, only five are present in all three segments of the plant. The essential oil of the stem was mainly composed of neryl acetate, spathulenol, carvacrol, santolina alcohol, and trans‐caryophyllene oxide. However, the main identified components of leaf were 1,8‐cineole, camphor, ascaridole, trans‐isoascaridole, and piperitone oxide and the main components of the flower oil were ascaridole, trans‐isoascaridole, 1,8‐cineole, p‐cymene, and camphor. The extracted oil from different segments demonstrated varying antibacterial properties against both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria, demonstrated by disk, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration methods. These suggest that the application of all segments of aerial parts of A. filipendulina may have a better therapeutic effect in fighting pathogenic systems.     

Role of mechanosignaling on pathology of varicose vein

Varicose veins are the most common vascular disease in humans. Veins have valves that help the blood return gradually to the heart without leaking blood. When these valves become weak, blood and fluid collect and pool by pressing against the walls of the veins, causing varicose veins. In the cardiovascular system, mechanical forces are important determinants of vascular homeostasis and pathological processes. Blood vessels are constantly exposed to a variety of hemodynamic forces, including shear stress and environmental strains caused by the blood flow. In varicose veins within the leg, venous blood pressure rises in the vein of the lower extremities due to prolonged standing, creating a peripheral tension in the vessel wall thereby causing mechanical stimulation of endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle. Studies have shown that long-term increased exposure to vascular wall tension is associated with the overexpression of HIF-1α and HIF-2α and increased levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9, thereby reducing venous contraction and progressive venous dilatation, which is involved in the development of varicose veins. Following the expression of metalloproteinase, the expression of type 1 collagen increases, and the amount of type 3 collagen decreases. Therefore, collagen imbalance will cause the varicose veins to not stretch. Loss of structural proteins (type 3 collagen and elastin) in the vessel wall causes the loss of the biophysical properties of the varicose vein wall. This review article tries to elaborate on the effect of mechanical forces and sensors of these forces on the vascular wall in creating the mechanism of mechanosignaling, as well as the role of the onset of molecular signaling cascades in the pathology of varicose veins.     

Molecular cloning of a thermo-alkaliphilic lipase from Bacillus subtilis DR8806: Expression and biochemical characterization

A thermo-alkaliphilic lipase from Bacillus subtilis DR8806 was functionally expressed as an N-terminal 6xHis-tagged recombinant enzyme in Escherichia coli BL21 using pET-28a(+) expression vector. Sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame of 639 bp encoding a 212-amino acid protein containing the well-conserved Ala-His-Ser-Met-Gly motif. One-step purification of the His-tagged recombinant lipase was achieved using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography with a specific activity of 1364 U/mg. The purified enzyme with an apparent molecular mass of 26.8 kDa demonstrated the maximum activity at 70 °C and pH 8.0 for hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylbutyrate as substrate. The enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by divalent ions of heavy metals such as Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺, while retained over 90% of the original activity in the presence of several reagents including DTNB (5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid)), SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate), urea, DMF (dimethylformamide), DTT (dithiothreitol), glycerol and Triton X-100. While being considerably stable in organic solvents, imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) had stimulatory effects on the activity of purified lipase. Remarkable stabilization of enzyme at alkaline pH and in ionic liquids as well as its thermostability/thermoactivity are among the most fundamental characteristics which offer great potential for various biotechnological applications including detergent formulation, bioremediation processes and biotransformation in non-aqueous media.