Antioxidant properties of the soluble carotenoprotein AstaP and its feasibility for retinal protection against oxidative stress.

Photodamage to the outer segments of photoreceptor cells and their impaired utilization by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells contribute to the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leading to blindness. Degeneration of photoreceptor cells and RPE cells is triggered by reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by photochemical reactions involving bisretinoids, by-products of the visual cycle, which accumulate in photoreceptor discs and lipofuscin granules of RPE. Carotenoids, natural antioxidants with high potential efficacy against a wide range of ROS, may protect against the cytotoxic properties of lipofuscin.

Functional Analysis of the Channelrhodopsin Genes from the Green Algae of the White Sea Basin.

Optogenetics, the method of light-controlled regulation of cellular processes is based on the use of the channelrhodopsins that directly generate photoinduced currents. Most of the channelrhodopsin genes have been identified in the green microalgae Chlorophyta, and the demand for increasing the number of functionally characterized channelrhodopsins and the diversity of their photochemical parameters keeps growing. We performed the expression analysis of cation channelrhodopsin (CCR) genes in natural isolates of microalgae of the genera and from the unique Arctic Circle region.

Radiographic Criteria for Differential Diagnosis Between Vertical Root Fracture and Apical Periodontitis in Single-Rooted Endodontically Treated Premolars Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography.

Introduction: This study explores the differences between the patterns of bone defects associated with vertical root fracture (VRF) and apical periodontitis (AP) in single-rooted endodontically treated premolars (SRETPs) based on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) data.

Methods: Eighty-four SRETPs were extracted and categorized into the VRF and AP groups. On preoperative CBCT images, the location of bone defects according to the root thirds in buccolingual and mesiodistal directions across the study groups were compared.

Protein-Mediated Carotenoid Delivery Suppresses the Photoinducible Oxidation of Lipofuscin in Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells.

Lipofuscin of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells is a complex heterogeneous system of chromophores which accumulates as granules during the cell's lifespan. Lipofuscin serves as a source of various cytotoxic effects linked with oxidative stress. Several age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration of the retina, as well as some severe inherited eye pathologies, are accompanied by a significant increase in lipofuscin granule concentration.

Electrochemical Characteristics of the Oxidation of Sulfur- and Iron-Containing Compounds by Acidophilic Microorganisms.

The electrochemical features of the interactions of sulfur- and iron-containing compounds (ferrous sulfate, elemental sulfur, pyrite tailings, cysteine, sodium thiosulfate) with a model acidophilic consortium, including the genera , , , , and , were studied. The method of cyclic voltammetry recorded redox processes at the electrode/solution interface in the presence of the studied sulfur- and iron-containing compounds. In general, the modeling consortium led to the intensification of these processes.