Explore the vast range of titles available.

The present study has been designed to explore the molecular mechanism and signaling pathway targets of chlorogenic acid (CGA) and its main hydrolysates, caffeic (CA) and quinic acid in the protective effect against glutamate-excitotoxicity. For this purpose 8-DIV cortical neurons in primary culture were exposed to 50 μM l -glutamic acid plus 10 µM glycine, with or without 10–100 μM tested compounds. Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid via their antioxidant properties inhibited cell death induced by glutamate in dose depended manner. However, quinic acid slightly protects neurons at a higher dose. DCF, JC-1 and Ca 2+ sensitive fluorescent dye fura-2, were used to measure intracellular ROS accumulation, mitochondrial membrane potential integration and intracellular calcium concentration [Ca 2+ ] i . Results indicate that similarly, CGA acts as a protective agent against glutamate-induced cortical neurons injury by suppressing the accumulation of endogenous ROS and restore the mitochondrial membrane potential, activate the enzymatic antioxidant system by the increase levels of SOD activity and modulate the rise of intracellular calcium levels by increasing the rise of intracellular concentrations of Ca 2+ caused by glutamate overstimulation. PKC signaling cascade appear to be engaged in this protective mechanism. Interseling, CGA and CA also exhibit antiapoptotic properties against glutamate-induced cleaved activation of pro-caspases; caspase 1,8 and 9 and calpain (PD 150606,Calpeptin and MDL 28170).These data suggest that neuroprotective activity of CGA ester may occurs throught its hydrolysate,the caffeic acid and its interaction with intracellular molecules suggesting that CGA exert its neuroprotection via its caffeoly acid group that might potentially be used as a therapeutic agent in neurodegeneratives disorders associated with glutamate excitotoxicity.

Marcks and Marcksl1 are abundant proteins that shuttle between the cytoplasm and membrane to modulate multiple cellular processes, including cytoskeletal dynamics, proliferation, and secretion. Here, we performed loss- and gain-of-function experiments in Xenopus laevis to reveal the novel roles of these proteins in spinal cord development and regeneration. We show that Marcks and Marcksl1 have partly redundant functions and are required for normal neurite formation and proliferation of neuro-glial progenitors during embryonic spinal cord development and for its regeneration during tadpole stages. Rescue experiments in Marcks and Marcksl1 loss-of-function animals further suggested that some of the functions of Marcks and Marcksl1 in the spinal cord are mediated by phospholipid signaling. Taken together, these findings identify Marcks and Marcksl1 as critical new players in spinal cord development and regeneration and suggest new pathways to be targeted for therapeutic stimulation of spinal cord regeneration in human patients.

Heavy metals have become a serious pollutant in water as a result of its non-biodegradable and toxicity properties. In this research, banana peel was synthesized as bioadsorbent to remove heavy metals from contaminated water. The major problem associated with banana peel bioadsorbent is that the activated carbon produces from biomass materials possess insignificant adsorption capability compared to its commercial counterpart. Besides that, large quantity of banana peel wastes contributes to its significant disposal problem. Thus, the present work is expected to solve the problems of banana peel disposal by converting it into bioadsorbent. The objectives of this research are to synthesize banana peel bioadsorbent and to evaluate heavy metals adsorption performance of the banana peel bioadsorbent. The bioadsorbent were treated using KOH in its preparation. The materials then undergo characterization using FTIR and AAS. The carboxylic and hydroxyl functional groups were confirmed by FTIR. The maximum removal efficiency for Pb and Fe ions were 100% and 64% respectively. The comprehensive utilization of low-cost raw material as bioadsorbent in wastewater activities are highly suggested due to its facile processing, abundantly available and environmental friendly.

Key Clinical Message Dermato fibrosarcoma protuberans presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment, especially in children. Awareness of its aggressive local recurrence and its potential for multifocal presentation is crucial. Wide surgical resection with adequate margins remains the basis of management, in association with regular follow‐up of affected patients. Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare, locally aggressive cutaneous sarcoma, particularly uncommon in children. We report the case of a 13‐year‐old boy who initially presented with a firm mass on the left foot, later diagnosed as DFSP following histological and immunohistochemical analysis. The tumor was surgically excised with a wide margin, and a skin graft was used for coverage. Despite an initial favorable outcome, a new DFSP lesion developed at the proximal left thigh 1 year later, requiring further wide surgical excision and coverage with a tensor fascia lata flap. Both sites remained free of recurrence at one‐year follow‐up. This case underscores the importance of long‐term vigilance in managing DFSP due to the potential risk of recurrence and multifocal involvement.

We have studied the effect of resveratrol on lipoperoxidation and antioxidant enzyme activity level in the brain of healthy rats. When intraperitoneally administered, resveratrol significantly and dose dependently decreased brain malondialdehyde level. Resveratrol also increased in a dose-dependent way brain superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase activities. Optimal effect on antioxidant enzyme and lipoperoxidation products were obtained with resveratrol concentration of 12.5 mg/kg body wt. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of antioxidant isoenzymes revealed that resveratrol up regulated at least two acidic superoxide dismutase isoforms called A(1) and A(2), two basic isoforms called B(1) and B(2). Resveratrol also up regulated two catalase isoforms and a broad peroxidase band corresponding to several isoforms. All these findings suggest that resveratrol is able to cross the blood brain barrier and exerts potent antioxidant features. Resveratrol also exerts neuroprotective properties by up regulating several detoxifying enzymes, most of which are iron proteins.

To analyze the clinical value of anti-DFS70 antibodies in a cohort of patients undergoing routine antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) testing. Methods. Sera with a dense fine speckled (DFS) indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) pattern from 100 consecutive patients and 100 patients with other IIF patterns were tested for anti-DFS70 antibodies by a novel chemiluminescence immunoassay (CIA) and for ANA by ANA Screen ELISA (both INOVA). Results. Among the 100 patients with a DFS IIF pattern, 91% were anti-DFS70 positive by CIA compared to 3% in the comparator group (P<0.0001). The CIA and IIF titers of anti-DFS antibodies were highly correlated (rho = 0.89). ANA by ELISA was positive in 35% of patients with the DFS IIF pattern as compared to 67% of patients with other patterns (P<0.0001). Only 12.0% of patients with DFS pattern and 13.4% with DFS pattern and anti-DFS70 antibodies detected by CIA had systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD). Only 5/91 (5.5%) patients with anti-DFS70 antibodies had SARD and their sera were negative on the ANA Screen ELISA. Conclusion. Although anti-DFS70 antibodies cannot exclude the presence of SARD, the likelihood is significantly lower than in patients with other IIF patterns and should be included in test algorithms for ANA testing.

In the present study, we have evaluated one of the dietary supplements enriched with antioxidants and fish oil used in clinical care for patient with age-related macular degeneration. Rats were orally fed by a gastric canula daily with 0.2 ml of water or dietary supplement until they were sacrificed. After one week of treatment, animals were either sacrificed for lipid analysis in plasma and retina, or used for evaluation of rod-response recovery by electroretinography (ERG) followed by their sacrifice to measure rhodopsin content, or used for progressive light-induced retinal degeneration (PLIRD). For PLIRD, animals were transferred to bright cyclic light for one week. Retinal damage was quantified by ERG, histology and detection of apoptotic nuclei. Animals kept in dim-cyclic-light were processed in parallel. PLIRD induced a thinning of the outer nuclear layer and a reduction of the b-wave amplitude of the ERG in the water group. Retinal structure and function were preserved in supplemented animals. Supplement induced a significant increase in omega-3 fatty acids in plasma by 168% for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 142% for docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and 19% for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and a decrease in the omega-6 fatty acids, DPA by 28%. In the retina, supplement induced significant reduction of linolenic acid by 67% and an increase in EPA and DPA by 80% and 72%, respectively, associated with significant decrease in omega-6 DPA by 42%. Supplement did not affect rhodopsin content or rod-response recovery. The present data indicate that supplement rapidly modified the fatty acid content and induced an accumulation of EPA in the retina without affecting rhodopsin content or recovery. In addition, it protected the retina from oxidative stress induced by light. Therefore, this supplement might be beneficial to slow down progression of certain retinal degeneration.

Background The Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C-kinase Substrate (MARCKS) and MARCKS-like protein 1 (MARCKSL1) have a wide range of functions, ranging from roles in embryonic development to adult brain plasticity and the inflammatory response. Recently, both proteins have also been identified as important players in regeneration. Upon phosphorylation by protein kinase C (PKC) or calcium-dependent calmodulin-binding, MARCKS and MARCKSL1 translocate from the membrane into the cytosol, modulating cytoskeletal actin dynamics and vesicular trafficking and activating various signal transduction pathways. As a consequence, the two proteins are involved in the regulation of cell migration, secretion, proliferation and differentiation in many different tissues. Main body Throughout vertebrate development, MARCKS and MARCKSL1 are widely expressed in tissues derived from all germ layers, with particularly strong expression in the nervous system. They have been implicated in the regulation of gastrulation, myogenesis, brain development, and other developmental processes. Mice carrying loss of function mutations in either Marcks or Marcksl1 genes die shortly after birth due to multiple deficiencies including detrimental neural tube closure defects. In adult vertebrates, MARCKS and MARCKL1 continue to be important for multiple regenerative processes including peripheral nerve, appendage, and tail regeneration, making them promising targets for regenerative medicine. Conclusion This review briefly summarizes the molecular interactions and cellular functions of MARCKS and MARCKSL1 proteins and outlines their vital roles in development and regeneration.

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of two different training programmes - change of direction (COD) vs. agility (AG) - on straight sprint (SS), COD and AG test performances in young elite soccer players. Thirty-two soccer players (age: 14.5±0.9 years; height: 171.2±5.1 cm; body mass: 56.4±7.1 kg, body fat: 10.3±2.3%) participated in a short-term (6 weeks) training study. Players were randomly assigned to two experimental groups - training with change of direction drills (COD-G, n=11) or using agility training (AG-G, n= 11) - and to a control group (CON-G, n=10). All players completed the following tests before and after training: straight sprint (15m SS), 15 m agility run with (15m-AR-B) and without a ball (15m-AR), 5-0-5 agility test, reactive agility test (RAT), and RAT test with ball (RAT-B). A significant group effect was observed for all tests (p<0.001; η =large). In 15m SS, COD-G and AG-G improved significantly (2.21; ES=0.57 and 2.18%; ES=0.89 respectively) more than CON-G (0.59%; ES=0.14). In the 15m-AR and 5-0-5 agility test, COD-G improved significantly more (5.41%; ES=1.15 and 3.41; ES=0.55 respectively) than AG-G (3.65%; ES=1.05 and 2.24; ES=0.35 respectively) and CON-G (1.62%; ES=0.96 and 0.97; ES=0.19 respectively). Improvements in RAT and RAT-B were larger (9.37%; ES=2.28 and 7.73%; ES=2.99 respectively) in RAT-G than the other groups. In conclusion, agility performance amongst young elite soccer could be improved using COD training. Nevertheless, including a conditioning programme for agility may allow a high level of athletic performance to be achieved.

In this article, we study an Inventory Routing Problem with deterministic customer demand in a two-tier supply chain. The supply chain network consists of a supplier using a single vehicle with a given capacity to deliver a single product type to multiple customers. We are interested in population-based algorithms to solve our problem. A Memetic Algorithm (MA) is developed based on the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Variable Neighborhood Search methods. The proposed meta-heuristics are tested on small and large reference benchmarks. The results of the MA are compared to those of the classical GA and to the optimal solutions in the literature. The comparison shows the efficiency of using MA and its ability to generate high quality solutions in a reasonable computation time.