Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Myriad Other Applications.

As the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic begins, it remains clear that a massive increase in the ability to test for SARS-CoV-2 infections in a myriad of settings is critical to controlling the pandemic and to preparing for future outbreaks. The current gold standard for molecular diagnostics is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but the extraordinary and unmet demand for testing in a variety of environments means that both complementary and supplementary testing solutions are still needed. This review highlights the role that loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has had in filling this global testing need, providing a faster and easier means of testing, and what it can do for future applications, pathogens, and the preparation for future outbreaks.

Leaf-to-leaf distances and their moments in finite and infinite ordered m-ary tree graphs.

We study the leaf-to-leaf distances on one-dimensionally ordered, full and complete m-ary tree graphs using a recursive approach. In our formulation, unlike in traditional graph theory approaches, leaves are ordered along a line emulating a one-dimensional lattice. We find explicit analytical formulas for the sum of all paths for arbitrary leaf separation r as well as the average distances and the moments thereof.

Inhibition of glutathione peroxidase mediates the collateral sensitivity of multidrug-resistant cells to tiopronin.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major obstacle to the successful chemotherapy of cancer. MDR is often the result of overexpression of ATP-binding cassette transporters following chemotherapy. A common ATP-binding cassette transporter that is overexpressed in MDR cancer cells is P-glycoprotein, which actively effluxes drugs against a concentration gradient, producing an MDR phenotype.

Collateral sensitivity as a strategy against cancer multidrug resistance.

While chemotherapy remains the most effective treatment for disseminated tumors, acquired or intrinsic drug resistance accounts for approximately 90% of treatment failure. Multidrug resistance (MDR), the simultaneous resistance to drugs that differ both structurally and mechanistically, often results from drug efflux pumps in the cell membrane that reduce intracellular drug levels to less than therapeutic concentrations. Expression of the MDR transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp, MDR1, ABCB1) has been shown to correlate with overall poor chemotherapy response and prognosis.

Collateral sensitivity of multidrug-resistant cells to the orphan drug tiopronin.

A major challenge in the treatment of cancer is multidrug resistance (MDR) that develops during chemotherapy. Here we demonstrate that tiopronin (1), a thiol-substituted N-propanoylglycine derivative, was selectively toxic to a series of cell lines expressing the drug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) and MRP1 (ABCC1). Treatment of MDR cells with 1 led to instability of the ABCB1 mRNA and consequently a reduction in P-gp protein, despite functional assays demonstrating that tiopronin does not interact with P-gp.

Trehalose impairs aggregation of PrPSc molecules and protects prion-infected cells against oxidative damage.

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and prion diseases are characterized by abnormal protein deposits in the brain of affected patients. In prion diseases, a key event in the pathogenesis is the conversion of the normal prion protein (PrP(c)) into abnormal protease resistant PrP(Sc) deposits, a phenomenon associated with a higher sensitivity to oxidative stress in vitro. In cellular models of Alzheimer and Huntington diseases, the disaccharide trehalose has been shown to be effective in inhibiting huntingtin and Abeta peptide aggregates and reducing their associated toxicity.