Manipulation of Nitric Oxide Levels via a Modified Hydroxyethyl Starch Molecule.

Introduction: Although the improving effect of nitric oxide (NO) donors has experimentally been demonstrated in shock, there are still no NO donor medications clinically available. Thiol-nitrosothiol-hydroxyethyl starch (S-NO-HES) is a novel molecule consisting of NO coupled to a thiolated derivative of hydroxyethyl starch (HES). It was aimed to assess the ability of S-NO-HES to serve as an NO donor under a variety of in vitro simulated physiologic conditions, which might be the first step to qualify this molecule as a novel type of NO donor-fluid.

Relationship of gender differences in preferences to economic development and gender equality.

Preferences concerning time, risk, and social interactions systematically shape human behavior and contribute to differential economic and social outcomes between women and men. We present a global investigation of gender differences in six fundamental preferences. Our data consist of measures of willingness to take risks, patience, altruism, positive and negative reciprocity, and trust for 80,000 individuals in 76 representative country samples.

A uranium-based UO2(+)-Mn2+ single-chain magnet assembled trough cation-cation interactions.

Single-chain magnets (SCMs) are materials composed of magnetically isolated one-dimensional (1D) units exhibiting slow relaxation of magnetization. The occurrence of SCM behavior requires the fulfillment of stringent conditions for exchange and anisotropy interactions. Herein, we report the synthesis, the structure, and the magnetic characterization of the first actinide-containing SCM.

Tetra-μ-acetato-bis-[(1,3-benzothia-zole)copper(II)](Cu-Cu).

The title compound, [Cu(2)(CH(3)CO(2))(4)(C(7)H(5)NS)(2)] or [(C(7)H(5)NS)Cu](2)(μ-O(2)CCH(3))(4), crystallizes with one mol-ecule per unit cell. The coordination number of copper is six with four basal O atoms, one axial N atom and one axial Cu atom. Four acetate ligands act as bidentate linker and connect two Cu atoms, with a crystallographic inversion center located at the mid-point of the Cu-Cu bond.

A simple fluorescence based assay for quantification of human immunodeficiency virus particle release.

Background: The assembly and release of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) particles from infected cells represent attractive, but not yet exploited targets for antiretroviral therapy. The availability of simple methods to measure the efficiency of these replication steps in tissue culture would facilitate the identification of host factors essential for these processes as well as the screening for lead compounds acting as specific inhibitors of particle formation. We describe here the development of a rapid cell based assay for quantification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particle assembly and/or release.

From experimental setup to bioinformatics: an RNAi screening platform to identify host factors involved in HIV-1 replication.

RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a powerful technique for studying loss-of-function phenotypes by specific down-regulation of gene expression, allowing the investigation of virus-host interactions by large-scale high-throughput RNAi screens. Here we present a robust and sensitive small interfering RNA screening platform consisting of an experimental setup, single-cell image and statistical analysis as well as bioinformatics. The workflow has been established to elucidate host gene functions exploited by viruses, monitoring both suppression and enhancement of viral replication simultaneously by fluorescence microscopy.

Species-specific inhibition of APOBEC3C by the prototype foamy virus protein bet.

The APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases are part of the intrinsic defense of cells against retroviruses. Lentiviruses and spumaviruses have evolved essential accessory proteins, Vif and Bet, respectively, which counteract the APOBEC3 proteins. We show here that Bet of the Prototype foamy virus inhibits the antiviral APOBEC3C activity by a mechanism distinct to Vif: Bet forms a complex with APOBEC3C without inducing its degradation.