Enhancing proteasome activity by NMDAR antagonists explains their therapeutic effect in neurodegenerative and mental diseases.

NMDAR antagonists, such as memantine and ketamine, have shown efficacy in treating neurodegenerative diseases and major depression. The mechanism by which these drugs correct the aforementioned diseases is still unknown. Our study reveals that these antagonists significantly enhance 20S proteasome activity, crucial for degrading intrinsically disordered, oxidatively damaged, or misfolded proteins, factors pivotal in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Effect of ΔNp63β on cell cycle and apoptosis in T98G cells.

Background/aim: The p53 protein, a crucial tumor suppressor, governs cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. Similarly, p63, a member of the p53 family, exhibits traits of both tumor suppression and oncogenic behavior through its isoforms. However, the functional impact of ΔNp63β, an isoform of the p63 protein, on human glioma cancer cells like T98G cells remains poorly understood, representing the novelty of this study in the current literature.

An alternative DNA extraction method for detection of Blastocystis spp. in human fecal samples.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an effective technique for diagnosis of Blastocystis infection. Notably, DNA isolation procedure is extremely critical for the PCR step. In the present study, a recently described extraction procedure, named as the "sand method" was modified and adapted for isolation of Blastocystis DNA.

[A new method for the disruption of cell walls of gram-positive bacteria and mycobacteria on the point of nucleic acid extraction: sand method].

Nowadays molecular methods are widely used in the rapid diagnosis of infectious agents. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most preferred method for this purpose. Obtaining sufficient and pure DNA or RNA is important for the PCR.

Blastocystosis in post-traumatic splenectomized patients.

Background/aims: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and significance of intestinal protozoa, specially Blastocystis spp., and to perform PCR-based subtype classification for understanding the importance of Blastocystis spp. in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal disorders in post-traumatic splenectomized patients.