Cannabinoid receptor types 1 and 2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α: distribution in the skin of clinically healthy cats and cats with hypersensitivity dermatitis.

Background: Cannabinoid receptors and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-α) are gaining recognition as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of skin disorders.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of cannabinoid type 1 and 2 receptors (CBR1 and CBR2) and PPAR-α in feline skin and verify whether changes occur in the course of hypersensitivity dermatitis.

Animals: Twelve privately owned cats.

TiO nanoparticles in seawater: Aggregation and interactions with the green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NPs) have been widely employed in industrial applications, thus rising concern about their impact in the aquatic environment. In this study we investigated the chemical behaviour of TiO NPs in the culture medium and its effect on the green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta, in terms of growth inhibition, oxidative stress, ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) accumulation and chlorophyll content. In addition, the influence of exopolymeric substances (EPS) excreted by the microalgae on the stability of NPs has been evaluated.

High-Flux Dialysis: Clinical, Biochemical, and Proteomic Comparison with Low-Flux Dialysis and On-Line Hemodiafiltration.

Hemodiafiltration on-line (on-line HDF) is a more efficient treatment than low-flux hemodialysis (HD). Unfortunately, it cannot be proposed to all patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, efficiency, and mechanisms of removal of toxins with high-flux HD vs.

β-trace protein is highly removed during haemodialysis with high-flux and super high-flux membranes.

Background: Serum β-trace protein (βTP, MW 23-29 kDa) is a marker of GFR impairment in renal patients. Recent papers propose to predict residual renal function (RRF) in maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) patients from serum concentrations of βTP and other small proteins, avoiding the collection of urine. Few data are available on the removal of βTP in patients treated with dialysis membranes with different flux characteristics.

A SELDI-TOF approach to ecotoxicology: comparative profiling of low molecular weight proteins from a marine diatom exposed to CdSe/ZnS quantum dots.

Quantum dots (QDs), namely semiconductor nanocrystals, due to their particular optical and electronic properties, have growing applications in device technology, biotechnology and biomedical fields. Nevertheless, the possible threat to human health and the environment have attracted increasing attention as the production and applications of QDs increases rapidly while standard evaluation of safety lags. In the present study we performed proteomic analyses, by means of 2D gel electrophoresis and Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS).

The response of Phaeodactylum tricornutum to quantum dot exposure: Acclimation and changes in protein expression.

Nanotechnology has a great potential to improve life and environmental quality, however the fate of nanomaterials in the ecosystems, their bioavailability and potential toxicity on living organisms are still largely unknown, mainly in the marine environment. Genomics and proteomics are powerful tools for understanding molecular mechanisms triggered by nanoparticle exposure. In this work we investigated the effect of exposure to CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, using different physiological, biochemical and molecular approaches.

Inhibition of metalloproteinase activity in FANCA is linked to altered oxygen metabolism.

Bone marrow (BM) failure, increased risk of myelodysplastic syndrome, acute leukaemia and solid tumors, endocrinopathies and congenital abnormalities are the major clinical problems in Fanconi anemia patients (FA). Chromosome instability and DNA repair defects are the cellular characteristics used for the clinical diagnosis. However, these biological defects are not sufficient to explain all the clinical phenotype of FA patients.

Reappraisal of quantitative gel zymography for matrix metalloproteinases.

Background: The determination of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) is relevant in many pathophysiological conditions, especially if associated with extracellular matrix remodeling; however, the results obtained are closely linked to the method used and are not directly comparable. The aim of this study was to perform a reappraisal of quantitative gel zymography technique for MMPs in human plasma, to use for comparison with commercially available ELISA and in those experimental conditions where the MMP active form needs to be revealed.

Methods: The critical methodological parameters of zymography were checked and a comparison with a routinely used ELISA was performed.

Temperature and pressure dependence of azurin stability as monitored by tryptophan fluorescence and phosphorescence. The case of F29A mutant.

The effects of a single-point, F29A, cavity-forming mutation on the unfolding thermodynamic parameters of azurin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and on the internal dynamics of the protein fold under pressure were probed by the fluorescence and phosphorescence emission of Trp48, deeply buried in the compact hydrophobic core of the macromolecule. Pressure-induced unfolding, monitored by the shift in the fluorescence spectrum, led to a volume change of 70-90mlmol(-1). The difference in the unfolding volume between F29A and wild type azurin was smaller than the volume of the space theoretically created in the mutant, indicating that the cavity is, at least partially, filled with water molecules.

Prediction of glomerular filtration rate from serum concentration of cystatin C: comparison of two analytical methods.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare two methods used to measure serum cystatin C (Cys) and their accuracy to predict glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Methods: Three hundred and sixty-seven adult chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with different functional impairments participated in this study. GFR was determined as the renal clearance of 99mTc-DTPA.

Albumin modification and fragmentation in renal disease.

Albumin is the most important antioxidant substance in plasma and performs many physiological functions. Furthermore, albumin is the major carrier of endogenous molecules and exogenous ligands. This paper reviews the importance of post-translational modifications of albumin and fragments thereof in patients with renal disease.