The Effect of Ficin Immobilized on Carboxymethyl Chitosan on Biofilms of Oral Pathogens.

In the last decade, Ficin, a proteolytic enzyme extracted from the latex sap of the wild fig tree, has been widely investigated as a promising tool for the treatment of microbial biofilms, wound healing, and oral care. Here we report the antibiofilm properties of the enzyme immobilized on soluble carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh) and CMCh itself. Ficin was immobilized on CMCh with molecular weights of either 200, 350 or 600 kDa.

Enriched Environment Attenuates Enhanced Trait Anxiety in Association with Normalization of Aberrant Neuro-Inflammatory Events.

Neuroinflammation is discussed to play a role in specific subgroups of different psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders. We have previously shown that a mouse model of trait anxiety (HAB) displays enhanced microglial density and phagocytic activity in key regions of anxiety circuits compared to normal-anxiety controls (NAB). Using minocycline, we provided causal evidence that reducing microglial activation within the dentate gyrus (DG) attenuated enhanced anxiety in HABs.

[The state of the oral cavity in early diagnosis and predicting cognitive disorders.].

A review of the literature on the problem of the use of non-invasive technologies in early diagnosis and prediction of age-associated cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease is presented. The main attention is paid to the study of the buccal epithelium, oral fluid, as surrogate models of degenerative lesions of cerebral structures, as well as determining the role of oral microorganisms in the formation and development of cognitive disorders. An original hypothesis of neurodegenerative lesions of cerebral structures is presented, on the basis of which an algorithm for studying the state of the oral cavity is proposed in order to detect and predict cognitive deficits as early as possible.

Cassava Starch as an Effective Texture Corrector of Fat-Free Dairy Products Based on Symbiotic Starter Culture.

Cassava starch can be an effective texture corrector for dairy products; however, the presence of a starchy taste in such products is undesirable. A possible solution to this problem can be the use of partially hydrolyzed cassava starch; complex microbial amylase preparations, for instance, Amylosubtilin® or amylases, can be used as an enzyme. The use of these enzyme preparations in low concentration allows it to obtain cassava starches with increased solubility, which can be easily used in the technology of dairy products.

Development and Validation of a Shortened Form of SELweb EE, a Web-Based Assessment of Children's Social and Emotional Competence.

This article describes the development and validation of a shortened form of SELweb EE, a web-based assessment for social-emotional skills in the early elementary grades. Using a Rasch approach, in the first study, we used data from two archival data sets to reduce the number of items in three subtests to create short forms that maintained item fit, item difficulty, item discrimination, and test information function range. In the second study, we created and administered a short form of SELweb EE to a demographically diverse cross-validation sample of 22,683 students.

Neuronal correlates underlying the role of the zinc sensing receptor (GPR39) in passive-coping behaviour.

The Zn receptor GPR39 is proposed to be involved in the pathophysiology of depression. GPR39 knockout (KO) animals show depressive- and anxiety-like behaviour, and resistance to conventional monoamine-based antidepressants. However, it is unclear as to which brain regions are involved in the pro-depressive phenotype of GPR39KO mice and the resistance to monoamine-targeting antidepressant treatment.

Novel fleximer pyrazole-containing adenosine analogues: chemical, enzymatic and highly efficient biotechnological synthesis.

Nucleoside analogues have long served as key chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of viral infections and cancers. Problems associated with the development of drug resistance have led to a search for the design of nucleosides capable of bypassing point mutations in the target enzyme's binding site. As a possible answer to this, the Seley-Radtke group developed a flexible nucleoside scaffold (fleximers), where the heterocyclic purine base is split into its two components, i.

Measurement of Cognition for the National Children's Study.

The National Children's Study Cognitive Health Domain Team developed detailed plans for assessing cognition longitudinally from infancy to early adulthood. These plans identify high-priority aspects of cognition that can be measured efficiently and effectively, and we believe they can serve as a model for future large-scale longitudinal research. For infancy and toddlerhood, we proposed several paradigms that collectively allowed us to assess six broad cognitive constructs: (1) executive function skills, (2) episodic memory, (3) language, (4) processing speed, (5) spatial and numerical processing, and (6) social cognition.

The composition of microbial communities in inflammatory periodontal diseases in young adults Tatars.

Host susceptibility and environmental factors are important for the development of gingivitis and periodontitis, but bacterial biofilms attached to the teeth and gingival tissues play a crucial role. We have analyzed and compared the subgingival microbial communities between subjects with dental plaque biofilm-induced generalized chronic gingivitis (CG), localized initial (Stage I) periodontitis (IP) and healthy controls (HC) of young people aged 18-19 years permanently residing in the city of Kazan (Tatarstan, Russia). The results showed that the α-diversity in groups with CG and IP was higher than in the healthy group.

Neuroinflammatory alterations in trait anxiety: modulatory effects of minocycline.

High trait anxiety is a substantial risk factor for developing anxiety disorders and depression. While neuroinflammation has been identified to contribute to stress-induced anxiety, little is known about potential dysregulation in the neuroinflammatory system of genetically determined pathological anxiety or high trait anxiety individuals. We report microglial alterations in various brain regions in a mouse model of high trait anxiety (HAB).

Mechanical zona pellucida removal of vitrified-warmed human blastocysts does not affect the clinical outcome.

Research Question: Does complete mechanical removal of the zona pellucida modify the outcome of transfer of vitrified-warmed human blastocysts?

Design: In a prospective randomized controlled study, 419 couples were allocated to either zona pellucida-free (n = 209) or zona intact (n = 210) vitrified-warmed embryo transfer. Main outcome measures included clinical pregnancy, implantation and ongoing pregnancy rates.

Results: Transfer of zona pellucida-free blastocysts resulted in clinical pregnancy, implantation and ongoing pregnancy rates (35,9%, 33,9% and 32,1%, respectively), similar to those achieved with zona intact control embryos (39%, 36,4% and 33,1%, respectively).

Role for Chromatin Remodeling Factor Chd1 in Learning and Memory.

Precise temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression in the brain is a prerequisite for cognitive processes such as learning and memory. Epigenetic mechanisms that modulate the chromatin structure have emerged as important regulators in this context. While posttranslational modification of histones or the modification of DNA bases have been examined in detail in many studies, the role of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factors (ChRFs) in learning- and memory-associated gene regulation has largely remained obscure.

Epigenetic Mechanisms Within the Cingulate Cortex Regulate Innate Anxiety-Like Behavior.

Background: Pathological anxiety originates from a complex interplay of genetic predisposition and environmental factors, acting via epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic processes that can counteract detrimental genetic risk towards innate high anxiety are not well characterized.

Methods: We used female mouse lines of selectively bred high (HAB)- vs low (LAB)-innate anxiety-related behavior and performed select environmental and pharmacological manipulations to alter anxiety levels as well as brain-specific manipulations and immunohistochemistry to investigate neuronal mechanisms associated with alterations in anxiety-related behavior.

Prefrontal and Hippocampal Structure Predict Statistical Learning Ability in Early Childhood.

Statistical learning can be used to gain sensitivity to many important regularities in our environment, including structure that is foundational to language and visual perception. As yet, little is known about how statistical learning takes place in the human brain, especially in children's developing brains and with regard to the broader neurobiology of learning and memory. We therefore explored the relationship between statistical learning and the thickness and volume of structures that are traditionally implicated in declarative and procedural memory, focusing specifically on the left inferior PFC, the hippocampus, and the caudate during early childhood (ages 5-8.

Lower Affinity of Isradipine for L-Type Ca Channels during Substantia Nigra Dopamine Neuron-Like Activity: Implications for Neuroprotection in Parkinson's Disease.

Ca-influx through L-type Ca-channels (LTCCs) is associated with activity-related stressful oscillations of Ca levels within dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), which may contribute to their selective degeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). LTCC blockers were neuroprotective in mouse neurotoxin models of PD, and isradipine is currently undergoing testing in a phase III clinical trial in early PD. We report no evidence for neuroprotection by pretreatment with therapeutically relevant isradipine plasma levels, or Ca1.

New modified 2-aminobenzimidazole nucleosides: Synthesis and evaluation of their activity against herpes simplex virus type 1.

Using the enzymatic transglycosylation reaction β-d-ribo- and 2'-deoxyribofuranosides of 2-amino-5,6-difluorobenzimidazole nucleosides have been synthesized. 2-Amino-5,6-difluoro-benzimidazole riboside proved to exhibit a selective antiviral activity (selectivity index >32) against a wild strain of the herpes simplex virus type 1, as well as towards virus strains that are resistant to acyclovir, cidofovir, and foscarnet. We believe that this compound might be used for treatment of herpes infections in those cases, when acyclovir is not efficient.

[Activation of biosynthesis of guanyl-specific ribonuclease secreted by Bacillus circulans under salt stress].

The gene transcription of guanyl-specific ribonucleases (RNases), which provide available phosphate to cells of Bacillus, is controlled by the signal transduction system PhoP-PhoR. However, the biosynthesis of B. circulans RNase does not depend on the signal-transduction regulatory proteins of Pho regulon.

Low magnesium diet alters distribution of macroelements and trace elements in tissues and organs of female rats.

The aim of the present study was to assess whether dietary magnesium deficiency can alter distribution of macroelements and trace elements in different organs and tissues. Experiments were carried out on 12 adult female Wistar rats, which were fed either a diet with low Mg content (≤20mgkg of diet) (LMgD) or a diet with daily recommended Mg content (≈500mgkg) as control group (CG) for 70 days. On the 70th day of the experiment heart, aorta, femoral skeletal muscle, forebrain, cerebellum, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, ovaries, uterus, liver, kidneys, and spleen were taken for analysis of mineral content.

Protective effect of magnesium acetyltaurate against NMDA-induced retinal damage involves restoration of minerals and trace elements homeostasis.

Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity involving N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors has been recognized as a final common outcome in pathological conditions involving death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Overstimulation of NMDA receptors results in influx of calcium (Ca) and sodium (Na) ions and efflux of potassium (K). NMDA receptors are blocked by magnesium (Mg).

Magnesium deficiency and oxidative stress: an update.

Magnesium deficiency (MgD) has been shown to impact numerous biological processes at the cellular and molecular levels. In the present review, we discuss the relationship between MgD and oxidative stress (OS). MgD is accompanied by increased levels of OS markers such as lipid, protein and DNA oxidative modification products.

Association between high school students' cigarette smoking, asthma and related beliefs: a population-based study.

Background: Smoking has a detrimental effect on the symptoms and severity of asthma, a common chronic disease among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between asthma and smoking among high school students and assess provider-patient communication with asthmatic adolescents regarding smoking and adolescents' beliefs about the harms of smoking.

Methods: In fall 2014, data from high school students, ages 14-18 years, completing the 2009-2010 Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey (N = 1796) were used in descriptive analyses and multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for model-specific confounders as appropriate.

Adolescent development of context-dependent stimulus-reward association memory and its neural correlates.

Expression of learned stimulus-reward associations based on context is essential for regulation of behavior to meet situational demands. Contextual regulation improves during development, although the developmental progression of relevant neural and cognitive processes is not fully specified. We therefore measured neural correlates of flexible, contextual expression of stimulus-reward associations in pre/early-adolescent children (ages 9-13 years) and young adults (ages 19-22 years).

The L-type calcium channel Cav1.3 is required for proper hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive functions.

L-type voltage gated Ca(2+) channels (LTCCs) are widely expressed within different brain regions including the hippocampus. The isoforms Cav1.2 and Cav1.

Recognition of Artificial Nucleobases by E. coli Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase versus its Ser90Ala Mutant in the Synthesis of Base-Modified Nucleosides.

A wide range of natural purine analogues was used as probe to assess the mechanism of recognition by the wild-type (WT) E. coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) versus its Ser90Ala mutant. The results were analyzed from viewpoint of the role of the Ser90 residue and the structural features of the bases.

As Working Memory Grows: A Developmental Account of Neural Bases of Working Memory Capacity in 5- to 8-Year Old Children and Adults.

Working memory develops slowly: Even by age 8, children are able to maintain only half the number of items that adults can remember. Neural substrates that support performance on working memory tasks also have a slow developmental trajectory and typically activate to a lesser extent in children, relative to adults. Little is known about why younger participants elicit less neural activation.