Control of Green Mold and Sour Rot in Mandarins by Postharvest Application of Natamycin and an Allium Extract.

The efficacy of natamycin (Fruitgard Nat 20) and Proallium (an extract of allium including propyl thiosulfinate oxide (PTSO)) against sour rot and green mold in mandarins was evaluated under controlled and commercial conditions. The study involved artificial inoculation of Nova, Tango, Orri, Afourer, Murcott, and Nules Clementine mandarins with isolates of resistant to imazalil and pyrimethanil and an isolate of susceptible to propiconazole fungicides. Under laboratory conditions, natamycin applied at 1500 µg mL significantly reduced green mold by 61.

First-in-human phase I clinical trial of a TLR4-binding DNA aptamer, ApTOLL: Safety and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers.

ApTOLL is an aptamer that antagonizes Toll-like receptor 4 and improves functional outcomes in models of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to characterize the safety and pharmacokinetics of ApTOLL in healthy volunteers. A first-in-human dose-ascending, randomized, placebo-controlled phase I clinical trial to assess safety and pharmacokinetics of ApTOLL (30-min infusion intravenously) was performed in 46 healthy adult male volunteers.

Postharvest sour rot control in lemon fruit by natamycin and an Allium extract.

Citrus sour rot caused by Geotrichum citri-aurantii is one of the most important postharvest diseases in citrus fruit, causing huge economic losses. Traditionally, it has been controlled by the postharvest application of guazatine and propiconazole fungicides, but restrictions in their use make it urgent to find an alternative for sour rot management. Natamycin, a common food preservative, and the organosulfuric compounds extracted from Allium species are safe food additives that control different foodborne pathogens.

FPR2 DNA Aptamers for Targeted Therapy of Wound Repair.

Chronic wounds represent a major health problem worldwide. Some of the available therapies based on recombinant proteins usually fail owing to the hostile environment found at the wound bed. Aptamers appear as an attractive alternative to recombinant factors owing in part to their stability, sensitivity, specificity, and low-cost production.

Anti-HIV Aptamers: Challenges and Prospects.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection continues to be a significant health burden in many countries around the world. Current HIV treatment through a combination of different antiretroviral drugs (cART) effectively suppresses viral replication, but drug resistance and crossresistance are significant challenges. This has prompted the search for novel targets and agents, such as nucleic acid aptamers.

DNA aptamers targeting Leishmania infantum H3 protein as potential diagnostic tools.

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a parasite of the genus Leishmania that affects millions of people worldwide. These parasites are characterized by the presence of a DNA-containing granule, the kinetoplastid, located in the single mitochondrion at the base of the cell's flagellum. Interestingly, these flagellates do not condense chromatin during mitosis, possibly due to the specific molecular features of their histones.

TLR4-Binding DNA Aptamers Show a Protective Effect against Acute Stroke in Animal Models.

Since Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mediates brain damage after stroke, development of TLR4 antagonists is a promising therapeutic strategy for this disease. Our aim was to generate TLR4-blocking DNA aptamers to be used for stroke treatment. From a random oligonucleotide pool, we identified two aptamers (ApTLR#1R, ApTLR#4F) with high affinity for human TLR4 by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX).

Novel DNA Aptamers Against CCL21 Protein: Characterization and Biomedical Applications for Targeted Drug Delivery to T Cell-Rich Zones.

The chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 21 (CCL21) is a cytokine that attracts CCR7-positive cells to the T cell (paracortical) zone of lymph nodes by directional migration of these cells along the CCL21 gradient. In this article, we sought to mimic this chemotactic mechanism, by identifying a novel aptamer that binds CCL21 with high affinity. In vitro selection of DNA aptamers was performed by the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment.

Use of Aptamers as Diagnostics Tools and Antiviral Agents for Human Viruses.

Appropriate diagnosis is the key factor for treatment of viral diseases. Time is the most important factor in rapidly developing and epidemiologically dangerous diseases, such as influenza, Ebola and SARS. Chronic viral diseases such as HIV-1 or HCV are asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic and the therapeutic success mainly depends on early detection of the infective agent.

Characterization of MNK1b DNA Aptamers That Inhibit Proliferation in MDA-MB231 Breast Cancer Cells.

Elevated expression levels of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) promote cancer development and progression. MAP kinase interacting kinases (MNKs) modulate the function of eIF4E through the phosphorylation that is necessary for oncogenic transformation. Therefore, pharmacologic MNK inhibitors may provide a nontoxic and effective anticancer strategy.

Tamoxifen therapy in breast cancer: do apolipoprotein E genotype and menopausal state affect plasma lipid changes induced by the drug?

Objective: This study examines the lipid profile change produced in response to tamoxifen (TAM) treatment, and its possible relationship with both apolipoprotein E genotype and menopausal state in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 86 Spanish women with breast cancer before initiating TAM treatment and in the following 6, 12 and 18 months of treatment. Plasma lipid levels (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol) were determined using an automatic analyzer.

Control of HIV-1 RNA load after HAART interruption: relationship with CCR5 co-receptor density and proviral DNA load in HIV-infected patients.

Background: CCR5 co-receptor density has been reported to play a role in the level of HIV production. In addition, reports about the relationship between proviral DNA load and plasma HIV load are controversial.

Objectives: To analyse the role of CCR5 co-receptor density and proviral DNA load in the control of plasma HIV-viral load after HAART interruption, comparing patients whose plasma HIV load was persistently below 4log(10) RNA copies/mL, defined as "HIV controllers", with patients who showed a viral load higher than 4log(10) RNA copies/mL, defined as "non-controllers".

Histone deacetylase 6 regulates human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection.

Efficient human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection depends on multiple interactions between the viral gp41/gp120 envelope (Env) proteins and cell surface receptors. However, cytoskeleton-associated proteins that modify membrane dynamics may also regulate the formation of the HIV-mediated fusion pore and hence viral infection. Because the effects of HDAC6-tubulin deacetylase on cortical alpha-tubulin regulate cell migration and immune synapse organization, we explored the possible role of HDAC6 in HIV-1-envelope-mediated cell fusion and infection.

Prevalence and factors involved in discordant responses to highly active antiretroviral treatment in a closely followed cohort of treatment-naïve HIV-infected patients.

The prevalence and the factors involved in discordant responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy were analysed in a closely followed cohort of 51 naïve HIV-infected patients at 48 weeks. A complete treatment response was considered as an increase in CD4 cell count of >or=50 cells/mm3 with a >or=1 log10 decrease in viral load or viral suppression. Virologic response (<50 CD4+ cells/mm3 increase) and immune response (<1 log10 decrease in viral load) were observed in 15.

Benzo[f]azino[2,1-a]phthalazinium cations: novel DNA intercalating chromophores with antiproliferative activity.

New azaquinolizinium-type cations have been obtained from isochromane. The synthesis was completed over seven steps and included as the key feature an intramolecular Westphal condensation. This first example of the intramolecular process allowed the preparation of benzo[f]pyrido[2,1-a]phthalazinium and benzo[f]quino[2,1-a]phthalazinium salts, which were evaluated as DNA intercalators, DNA topoisomerase I inhibitors, and antiproliferative compounds.

Selection of aptamers against KMP-11 using colloidal gold during the SELEX process.

SELEX procedure is a methodology in which single stranded oligonucleotides are selected from a wide variety of sequences based on their interaction with a target molecule. We have designed a novel SELEX methodology using colloidal gold to select high affinity single stranded DNA aptamers against Leishmania infantum KMP-11. Kinetoplastid membrane protein-11 (KMP-11) is a major component of the cell membrane of kinetoplastid parasites.