Bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor immobilized onto sepharose as a new strategy to purify a thermostable alkaline peptidase from cobia (Rachycentron canadum) processing waste.

A thermostable alkaline peptidase was purified from the processing waste of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) using bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) immobilized onto Sepharose. The purified enzyme had an apparent molecular mass of 24kDa by both sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and mass spectrometry. Its optimal temperature and pH were 50°C and 8.

Placental Growth Measures in Relation to Birth Weight in a Latin American Population.

Introduction The placenta, translates how the fetus experiences the maternal environment and is a principal influence on birth weight (BW). Objective To explore the relationship between placental growth measures (PGMs) and BW in a public maternity hospital. Methods Observational retrospective study of 870 singleton live born infants at Hospital Maternidad Sardá, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, between January 2011 and August 2012 with complete data of PGMs.

Regulatory Cytokine Expression and Preterm Birth: Case-Control Study Nested in a Cohort.

Background: Currently known risk factors explain only a small fraction of preterm birth (PTB). Previous PTB is one of the most important predictors. However, this information is not available in primiparous women.

Antihypertensive therapy in pre-eclampsia: effects of plasma from nonresponsive patients on endothelial gene expression.

Aim: Over 40% of patients with pre-eclampsia are nonresponsive to antihypertensive therapy, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We examined the effects of plasma from nonresponsive and responsive patients on endothelial gene expression.

Patients & Methods: PCR array was performed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) incubated with plasma from nonresponsive (n = 4) and responsive (n = 4) patients.

In Vitro and In Vivo Therapeutic Evaluation of Camptothecin-Encapsulated β-Cyclodextrin Nanosponges in Prostate Cancer.

Camptothecin (CPT), a pentacyclic alkaloid, is an inhibitor of DNA Topoisomerase-I and shows a wide spectrum of anti-cancer activities. The use of CPT has been hampered by poor aqueous solubility and a high degradation rate. Previously, it has been reported that CPT encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin-nanosponges (CN-CPT) overcomes these disadvantages and improves the CPT's inhibitory effect on DU145 prostate tumor cell lines, and PC-3 growth in vitro.

GSH-targeted nanosponges increase doxorubicin-induced toxicity "in vitro" and "in vivo" in cancer cells with high antioxidant defenses.

Several reports indicate that chemo-resistant cancer cells become highly adapted to intrinsic oxidative stress by up-regulating their antioxidant systems, which causes an increase of intracellular GSH content. Doxorubicin is one of the most widely used drugs for tumor treatment, able to kill cancer cells through several mechanisms. However, doxorubicin use is limited by its toxicity and cancer resistance.

Gene-gene interactions in the NAMPT pathway, plasma visfatin/NAMPT levels, and antihypertensive therapy responsiveness in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Nicotinamide phosphorybosil transferase (NAMPT) polymorphisms affect visfatin/NAMPT levels and may affect the responsiveness to therapy in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. We examined whether NAMPT polymorphisms (rs1319501 T>C and rs3801266 A>G), or haplotypes, and gene-gene interactions in the NAMPT pathway affect plasma visfatin/NAMPT levels and the response to antihypertensive therapy in 205 patients with preeclampsia (PE) and 174 patients with gestational hypertension. We also studied 207 healthy pregnant controls.

Glutathione Bioresponsive Cyclodextrin Nanosponges.

Cyclodextrin-based nanosponges are designed as new nanostructured material for drug delivery. In vitro and in vivo studies show that nanosponges can increase the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs encapsulated within their nanostructure. Reported is a new, cheap glutathione (GSH)-responsive material easily obtained in high yield through a one-step synthetic route.

Glutathione Bioresponsive Cyclodextrin Nanosponges.

Invited for this month's cover is Prof. Francesco Trotta's group from the University of Torino, Italy. The cover picture shows the chemical structure of a glutathione-responsive β-cyclodextrin nanosponge, bearing disulfide bridges and loaded with anticancer doxorubicin (red and white pills).

Plasma from pre-eclamptic patients induces the expression of the anti-angiogenic miR-195-5p in endothelial cells.

We examined the effect of plasma incubation from preeclampsia pregnant on the antiangiogenic miR-195-5p expression. Higher miR-195-5p expression was found in cultures incubated with preeclampsia plasma compared to those incubated with healthy pregnant plasma. Next, as VEGF is a target of miR-195-5p we have quantified its expression by real-time qPCR and ELISA.

Perinatal outcomes and changes in the oral cavity: Brazilian cohorts of Ribeirão Preto and São Luís.

Studies have shown a possible association of oral diseases during pregnancy with preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW). These perinatal outcomes appear to be associated with enamel defects in the primary dentition, which, in turn, seem to predispose to future development of caries in children. Therefore it is relevant to include oral health variables of the mother/child dyad in cohort studies to understand how these factors are associated.

Role of adiponectin on antioxidant profile: evaluation during healthy and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

The study of adipokines and oxidative stress has aided in understanding pre-eclampsia physiopathology. Therefore, our group aimed to evaluate the correlation between the adipokines (adiponectin and leptin) and the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (MDA-TBARS) and antioxidant activity of plasma [ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP)] in healthy pregnant women and patients with gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia. We found a significant negative correlation between MDA-TBARS and adiponectin (r = -0.

Plasma levels of increased miR-195-5p correlates with the sFLT-1 levels in preeclampsia.

Although the role of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT-1) in preeclampsia is well-established, the mechanism related to its synthesis remains poorly understood. We evaluated the association among the circulating microRNAs (miRs) and sFLT-1 levels in preeclampsia pregnant women. For this purpose, we measured the plasma sFLT-1 levels in 24 preeclampsia women and selected from these, three subjects with the lowest and three with the highest levels of sFLT-1 in order to screen for potential miRs associated with plasmatic sFLT-1 concentrations using a polymerase chain reaction-array (PCR-array) methodology.

Doxorubicin-Loaded Nanobubbles Combined with Extracorporeal Shock Waves: Basis for a New Drug Delivery Tool in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

Background: No standard chemotherapy is available for anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC). Drug-loaded nanobubbles (NBs) are a promising innovative anticancer drug formulation, and combining them with an externally applied trigger may further control drug release at the target region. Extracorporeal shock waves (ESWs) are acoustic waves widely used in urology and orthopedics, with no side effects.

Longitudinal assessment of maternal-fetal Doppler parameters and maternal plasma level of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9.

Objective: To assess the behavior as well as the comparison between maternal circulating level of biochemical markers (matrix metalloproteinases - MMP-9 and MMP-2) and maternal-fetal Doppler parameters in all three trimesters of pregnancy.

Methods: We performed a prospective longitudinal study with 33 healthy pregnant women in three periods of pregnancy: A1 (12w0-14w6d), A2 (22w0d-24w6d) and A3 (34w0d and 36w6d). The following maternal Doppler parameters were assessed: mean pulsatility index (PI) uterine artery, resistance index (RI) umbilical artery and RI middle cerebral artery.

A structurally normal fetus at the 11- to 14-week ultrasound does not guarantee a newborn without congenital anomalies: a cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of maternal demographic characteristics and abnormal first-trimester sonographic markers on congenital anomalies (CAs) at birth when the fetus is structurally normal at the 11- to 14-week ultrasound.

Methods: This prospective cohort study comprised high-risk women undergoing routine antenatal care. Detailed assessments of fetal anatomy and first-trimester sonographic markers were performed at 11-14 weeks of pregnancy.

The AGMA1 poly(amidoamine) inhibits the infectivity of herpes simplex virus in cell lines, in human cervicovaginal histocultures, and in vaginally infected mice.

The development of topical microbicides is a valid approach to protect the genital mucosa from sexually transmitted infections that cannot be contained with effective vaccination, like HSV and HIV infections. A suitable target of microbicides is the interaction between viral proteins and cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). AGMA1 is a prevailingly cationic agmatine-containing polyamidoamine polymer previously shown to inhibit HSPGs dependent viruses, including HSV-1, HSV-2, and HPV-16.

Circulating microRNA expression profiles in pre-eclampsia: evidence of increased miR-885-5p levels.

Objective: To validate and to compare the circulating microRNA (miR) expression profiles between pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnant women, to perform correlation analysis of the differently expressed miRs with clinical and biochemical parameters, and to verify the extracellular localisation of miRs in apoptotic bodies, microvesicles, and exosomes.

Design: A case-control study with a replication study.

Setting: Pregnant women attending maternity hospitals in Southeastern Brazil.

Cyclodextrin-based nanosponges: a versatile platform for cancer nanotherapeutics development.

Nanosponges (NSs) are a new age branched cyclodextrin (CD) polymeric systems exhibiting tremendous potential in pharmaceutical, agro science, and biomedical applications. Over the past decade, different varieties of NS based on the type of CD and the crosslinker have been developed tailored for specific applications. NS technology has been instrumental in achieving solubilization, stabilization, sustained release, enhancement of activity, permeability enhancement, protein delivery, ocular delivery, stimuli sensitive drug release, enhancement of bioavailability, etc.

Altered functioning of the HPA axis in depressed postpartum women.

Background: The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and major depressive episodes in the remote postpartum period.

Methods: The sample (mean age, 28.0±5.

Nanobubbles: a promising efficient tool for therapeutic delivery.

In recent decades ultrasound-guided delivery of drugs loaded on nanocarriers has been the focus of increasing attention to improve therapeutic treatments. Ultrasound has often been used in combination with microbubbles, micron-sized spherical gas-filled structures stabilized by a shell, to amplify the biophysical effects of the ultrasonic field. Nanometer size bubbles are defined nanobubbles.

Predicting success of labor induction in singleton term pregnancies by combining maternal and ultrasound variables.

Objective: To assess pre-induction maternal and ultrasonographic factors in the prediction of the onset of labor within 12 h, and vaginal delivery (VD) irrespective of the induction-to-delivery interval in term pregnancies.

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study with 204 singleton pregnant women between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation. The following maternal and ultrasonographic variables were assessed: parity, marital status, height, body mass index (BMI), previous cesarean section (Cs), Bishop score, variety of fetal position, single deepest pocket (SDP), fetal middle cerebral and umbilical artery resistance indices, cervical length (CL) measurement, posterior cervical angle (PCA), head circumference (HC) and estimated fetal weight (EFW).